The weight of the pearls and shells woven into her hair pressed down upon her head, unnerving the young princess. The ceremonial decorations were customary, each mermaid wore their own set of finery upon their brows on their night of ascension.

This was to be the evening of her rebirth, her rite of passage. After this night she would truly be numbered among her sisters, a fully fledged denizen of the sea.

Tonight she would earn a name for herself, a name fit for an adult rather than a child.

As of now, she was unable to claim her title and throne from her grandmother, but by sunset she would be swimming back into the court and claiming it for her own. But for now, she bowed to her Grandmother.

The Queen of the Seven Seas was a proud mermaid, more ruthless and cunning than any other. She was the matriarch of their pod, a group larger than any other in the ocean. Their domain surrounded the Caribbean islands but their reach extended far out into the world. When she would claim the throne tonight she would become one of the most powerful mermaids in all the great ocean.

She bowed her head as she presented herself to Grandmother as a child for the last time. Her stomach turned as she regarded the throne she would soon sit on. It was made of bones. The first kill of every Matriarch was added to this pile and it grew as centuries passed. Tonight she would add a new set to the collection.

After passing the inspection of her grandmother, she left the court behind. She began to swim upwards, leaving the magical city and ascending to the surface. This was meant to be her first trip, which would be followed with yearly ascents to see the stars and moon on the anniversary of her birth.

But in fact, the curious little mermaid had been to the surface many times before. Perhaps even more than her ancient grandmother who followed their traditions.

And much like every previous trip, it took a long time to reach the rolling waves. Her people lived far below the surface, this ability granted by the magic flowing through their veins. Most ordinary creatures could not survive in the crushing depths.

As she swam, she pondered. She had already chosen her name, something that she had once heard spoken by a human.

Marinette.

It was barely a whisper in her memories but she had clung to the rhythm of that word for years, yearning to be addressed as such. She was not sure why she was so compelled to love the sound of it but it did not change the fact that she was so very fond of it. It was more than a name to her, it felt right. She was certain that Fate meant for her to have heard it and held tightly so that one day the name could be hers.

Yet she still had to earn it.

So Marinette swam.

But she did not smile like she ought to.

~ o 0 o ~

The smell of blood was what attracted her to the scene. With a nose that could sense better than a shark's, she adjusted her course to intersect with the battle. She sped through the dark waters, heading up towards the surface where light cast the waves orange and dark shapes sunk slowly towards the depths.

One body had sunk far into the deep and was the first she came upon. A large man, fat and heavy, with swallowed flesh and a knife sticking out of his chest drifted past her. His blood still oozed faintly in the currents and her fangs descended eagerly. She ached to descend upon his flesh and feast, to sink her teeth into the folds of fat and rip. She resisted the urge because it would be a waste of her 'first taste'... and because it horrified her. She averted her eyes, ashamed.

There were dozens of bodies, it seemed like a skirmish had taken place between three different groups. That would explain why there were two hulking shipwrecks. They were both blasted to pieces, wreckage and debris clogging the water. The two ships, sinking into the depths, trailed corpses and wreckage. Bloated men, drowned or murdered, littered the waves, easy meals for the sharks and any seagull that dared to swoop down. The sharks sped away when they spotted her. Even the great white beasts knew to fear her. The birds above could not see her beneath the waves, but if she surfaced, they would certainly flee.

One group of bodies was uniformed. Soldiers, she thought. They reminded her of the organized ranks of her kingdom, they seemed similar enough. Shiny buttons and boots, matching dark clothes, and all of them had fatal wounds.

She felt a little hope spark in her heart. Maybe she could steal one of these bodies and mark it up, then take it to her sisters. Maybe one was still at least a little alive. Maybe she could get away with little violence.

Marinette moved among the debris, scaring away everything in her path, searching the waste for something. The longer she investigated, the surer she was that there was nothing here for her.

This was not what she should look for, there was no fresh prey to be had among these poor dead souls. She needed to hasten onwards and find a more worthy candidate. But she couldn't tear herself away.

As she swam through the field of bodies, Marinette felt an unfamiliar burning in her eyes. She tried to blink it away but found it hard to focus on the strange pain when she felt so mournful for the tragedy that had undoubtedly occurred here.

Her time dwindled with every moment she wasted, why did she find it so hard to leave this place? Only filthy humans had died here; there was nothing sorrowful about a small handful perishing in a battle. At least, there should be nothing sobering about it. She should not feel pangs of sadness for these humans. They were savage, cruel, and wicked. They'd skin her alive and use her for sport until she died, all to get rich selling her scales. They would kill her just as soon as her kind would kill them.

Marinette felt hollow as she swam further upwards, reaching the waves that were kissed orange by the fading sun, and after a moment she broke the surface. She opened her mouth and inhaled deeply, using her lungs for the first time in weeks. Her gills continued to flutter in the water along her ribs, and she almost felt lightheaded. She loved to breathe. Of course, she wasn't supposed to have ever done it before, but she had never been very good at following the rules.

But the ceremony was not something she could avoid. So she renewed her efforts to find someone living among the wreckage. It took another while.

He wore black, she could see that from afar. As she swam closer she could tell that he was hardly lucid and the only reason that he was still afloat was the large barrel that he clung to with white fingers. He and his barrel had drifted just far enough from the sinking ships to avoid being pulled along into the crushing depths.

Marinette knew that she was supposed to be a ferocious child of the seas; she was meant for the maiming and killing and delicious ripping of flesh. She was to be one of the ocean's deadliest weapons. Even though she was but a timid youngling she could easily kill this human, perhaps effortlessly so because of his weakened state. This was exactly what she had been looking for. She had him completely within her power.

This was the moment. This was her test. The sun was slipping beneath the waves and time was running short. She examined her prey, curiosity overtaking her urgency.

He was half conscious, weak, and… and he was beautiful. Her heart stopped.

He looked like a god. He looked like Calypso herself had created him from sea foam and sunshine. Her mouth parted in wonder as her fangs slid back up into her gums.

He had light hair, and though it was wet, she was reminded of the sun's warm rays. They died now on the horizon, yet his hair continued to shine gold like the heavens. His handsome face was incomprehensive, his lips looked full and achingly soft. Without thought, she reached out to caress his face, their bodies drifting in the waves as she absently stroked hair away from his eyes.

He was divine. She couldn't understand his beauty; she thought that humans were all ugly, horrible creatures. That man earlier certainly had been.

His eyes fluttered at her. The green gems sparkled in the fading light, catching and reflecting it playfully. His expression was unfocused and pained but he was not dead and he bore no wounds. He must have just been knocked from his ship.

Slowly, his gaze met hers. Marinette had never seen such beauty, or such enchanting eyes.

And the little mermaid had never seen anything so miraculous as the perfect faith— something very unique to humans— that filled his eyes as he regarded her.

Something changed in her. She felt it in her heart; the world seemed to suddenly all revolve around him.

As she looked at his face, into his half-lidded stare, and she realized that she could not kill him. She would die for this human, which would most ultimately happen if she saved his life.

In the fading light she found a distant ship with a dark speck for a flag. It was his. It had to be. He was dressed unlike the others in the water, he wore all black, unlike their mismatched clothing or navy uniforms. That ship must be his. She had to take him there. She had to save him.

She was not sure why, but she would do anything for this man… Human or not.

Desperately, Marinette began to tug him towards the boat. He was an awkward burden, but for a mermaid it was not too difficult to drag him through the water.

The sun had almost set. The moon was still hours from rising, but her deadline was at hand. 18 years she had spent delaying the inevitable, and soon, she would die.

He blinked at her, his teeth chattering, uncomprehending of the danger he was in. Did he realize what she was? Did he care?

Frantically, she sought a way to tow him through the water to that ship. If she did not make haste he would die of the cold and her sacrifice would be in vain. She could not let that be.

There- a rope. It was tangled and knotted but she grabbed it. Green Eyes watched her with little energy, hardly a help at all. Nonetheless, she tied the rope around his barrel and clung tightly to the other end.

The next half hour was grueling. By the time Marinette had dragged Green Eyes close to the large ship the sun was gone. It had slipped beneath the horizon and taken her last hope with it.

The sight of the ship seemed to stir something in Green Eyes. He blinked a few times as he clutched even tighter to his barrel. She began to circle the boat in hopes that someone would spot Green Eyes despite the dark. After another while, just when she thought all was lost, a small boat began to be lowered to the surface of the water.

She was very fortunate that it did.

Marinette could feel the distressed calls of her sisters in her heart, could sense their anger and betrayal. She had failed them all this night and their hunt was beginning.

This time, she was the prey.

Marinette turned back to the human, hoping to see his face again before she would have to watch him leave.

His green eyes were fixed on her and his mouth was parted in awe. She marveled that there was still no fear in his gaze. It was ernest and wondering, not a trace of terror to be seen.

She reached for one of his hands, laying hers on his fingers. She wanted to spend every last moment of her life by his side.

The young man clung to her hand like it was a lifeline, holding fast to her gaze just as fiercely. There was something between them, like an invisible tether. Her heart beat accelerated.

The sky was rapidly darkening and the wind was chilling their bones. Stars began to peek out in the heavens. An ancient sadness settled in her heart. She had met Green Eyes such a short time ago, and now, their limited tarry together was ending.

She tried to stretch their moment together into an infinity. She wanted to memorize the look in his eyes and hold it fast until her sisters ripped her apart. This was the first time in her life that she had been looked at with no wariness, no hesitation, and no contempt. The fact that there really was kindness and goodness in a human overwhelmed her. It went against everything she had ever been taught.

Did anyone else of her kind know the truth? Could it be that they just didn't care? She didn't want to be one of them, she decided. She was glad that she had found this human.

She didn't want to look away but she couldn't help glancing around. She should swim away as soon as he was safe, she didn't want to lead the other mermaids here. They'd surely kill the whole crew in their rage.

"What is it?" A voice rasped. She looked back at Green Eyes. Even his voice, rough with salt water, was beautiful.

"My sisters will come for me. I will have to go."

His grip on her fingers became tighter. Panic flooded his eyes and her heart ached.

"Don't go, please." He said, his voice growing stronger. She hesitated, but that strange thing inside of her that had changed tugged on her heart and she knew that she could not leave him. Green Eyes's eyebrows smoothed and his expression loosened.

"Alright," She whispered.