I watched as the blonde woman joined her friends at the table of the café called Rikki's. She was beautiful, as was the natural effect that came from the magical aura mermaids gave off. She didn't notice my watching, but it seemed another man did. Zane they called him… the owner of this café.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" he asked as my drink was placed down in front of me. The comment seemed like a threat to me, and I scratched at my chin, the stubble there was perfectly groomed. I debated the threat in his voice and nearly laughed. He had no idea who he was dealing with so I let the challenge slide. Any man in my position could tell that his threats were placed in the absence of love… he was jealous of the girl, and that made the challenge useless. He wanted her more than she could tell. It almost pained me to see the man withering as he was for a lost love that she no longer yearned for.

The emotions crossing my face, examination, humor, pity, pain, must have angered him, "What's with the face?" he asked squaring his shoulders. I simply raised an eyebrow of question, my face? I was only looking, this man had a chip on his shoulder the size of a killer whale, and I had obviously disturbed it! My silence disturbed him, I knew it did, that's why I stayed silent. A man like this was used to witty comebacks and had prepared for them but he had never prepared for the opposite.

"Look… I've seen you come in every day this week to watch those girls and I'm not going to tolerate any stalkers in my café so unless you busy yourself with another task I want you to leave…"

Protective… Something occurred to me then, this human male had a relationship with one of the girls and that meant it was very possible he knew their secret! I forced myself to calm… it could also be that they broke up because she did not tell him her secret… I hoped it was the latter.

Just then out of the corner of my eye I saw two of the three girls jump from the table screaming a name… was it Emma? I looked to the door and there stood another blonde woman followed by a brown-haired human.

"Emma! Ash! How are you? How was your trip?"

Four… Four mermaids… the highest concentration I'd seen on land in ages! Mako was certainly getting herself in a little deeper than usual. I'd need to have a talk with her soon. She couldn't go throwing mermaid tails around like they were kelp! The humans would get suspicious and then I would have to remove the tails forever. It was never a pleasant task. The last time I'd done so was fifty years ago… one poor girl couldn't handle it anymore.

"Hey!" Zane's voice brought me back to the present, "Did you hear what I said? Or do I need to call the police?"

Then I finally spoke, my soft baritone voice could affect all females in my presence and even several males if I so desired, but at this time I kept my voice low and commanding, "Zane… as I understand it, there is no law against looking at a woman. If there was you'd have been arrested a long time ago, as would every male in this city. However, I will take you up on your offer… I have matters to attend to with an island."

I stood, letting the last sentence seep its way into his mind and a certain fear crossed his face. Then I knew… he knew their secret. I sighed turned my back to him and left. I knew what he would do next. I knew because of his protective stance. He was going to tell the girls. They would know of a stranger to their world, someone interested in Mako and they would be on guard. It was even likely they would search the island for any sign of me. I smiled. That would not be a bad idea. I wanted the girls to find me, I believed it was about time they met their King.

MAKO ISLAND

I touched the cave walls gingerly, "My poor Mako… what have the humans done to you?" The markings of the blast showed deep scars on the wall. I ran my fingers along the edge; it would take lots of time to heal this deep wound. "Talk to me darling… does it hurt?" Mako was silent, sulking. Her energy was still present so she was perhaps… ashamed? "I cannot help if you do not answer…" She was still silent and I shook my head. Stubborn cave!

I leaned against her wall gently petting the surface that was not damaged. It was then that I felt the presence I'd been waiting for. I could not tell which one was with me now but the mermaid was out of sight, waiting, examining perhaps. I decided to ignore her for now.

"Mako. Wake up!" She pulsed at the command but the slightest of bubbles rose from the pool, "Mako my precious, you need to wake up. A life of lethargy is not a life well lived…" the bubbles grew, out of anger though. She had not been lethargic and resented the fact that I called her so. My clipped English accent echoed in the room as I spoke in my most commanding voice, "You will awaken or these wounds will never heal!"

Her pool began to roil and I smiled, "Good girl… I knew you had it in you. Now keep this up and you'll be fine in no time! I hope the next time I come in you might be a little more willing to talk with me though. I'm not here to punish you. I only came because your sister told me you'd been hurt," I felt the presence of three more mermaids in the water and four human males coming from the land tunnel. The whole party had arrived. Well, not a problem, the girls trusted the males and so must I. Mako's bubbles became nervous. Was it the humans or simply the presence of so many?

I began to sing, to calm Mako, "It turns and it pulls, so calm yet so torn, my other my lover, the ocean so warm. I sleep in the waters I hear its soft tune, I go to it gladly my soul it consumes."

I heard the rippling of water as the four girls surfaced called by my voice as Mako was calmed. The boys in the tunnel had not been affected but seeing the girl's surface had appeared themselves. I did not turn, I stroked the wall kindly humming my tune.

"Who are you?" Cleo was the first to ask.

"Can you not guess…?" I asked, still not moving my broad shoulders positioned so that neither the girls nor the boys could see my face.

"… You're magic, like this place," Will put it.

"Quite right… but there is more," I lifted my hand to my short-cropped hair and ran my fingers through. Red, not like any fish of the ocean, but just as striking, the hair I inherited from my father.

"You created this place?" Bella asked, not quite sure what more there was, or rather not willing to say what she thought it was, I mused.

"Bella, Bella, Bella… If I had created this place I would not have let it fall into the destructive hands of humans," I touched the scars again and the cave seemed to moan in pain, "Forgive me Mako… You will be hurt no more. I will see to it."

"You'll see to it?" Ash spoke now, he seemed like the most curious about my presence.

"Though I did not create her, she is part of my sea and I protect her as my father has and as his father had."

"That's a little pompous don't you think, saying you own the sea?" Zane snickered. I finally turned, standing now to look at Zane.

"Pompous…? How dare you… First your jealousy caused you to challenge me and I let it slide, but now you insult me. If there is one more slip-up from you I assure you there will be no Zane left on this planet!" Tension rose immediately.

"How dare I? Who are you? How do we know you're not some nut job like the rest of those people who claim Mako is magical!" I suppressed my smile so they had protected Mako in my absence. I made a mental note to congratulate Mako on finding the perfect mermaids to protect her.

"Zane shut up," this was Rikki, "I think he might not be the nut job you say he is, however, Zane is right. Who are you to threaten us?"

"My name has no human translation. It can only be said under water, but I have taken the name of Ike for human legal purposes," I walked towards the girls tall and regal. I saw their eyes examine my features, especially my eyes which were a deep ocean blue. In them would be the vast knowledge of the oceans.

An idea seemed to cross Cleo's mind, the most open of the girls, "Step into the water…"

I sighed, "I cannot, not yet… There are things that must be done first. But I will answer your request with another task," I reached out my hand, "Mako… I know you are weak, I promise I will fix the hurt but come to me now." I could tell they were all confused, except Rikki, who was probably the first presence I felt in the moon pool, and thus already knew my command over Mako. Mako was trying to rise but without the wall it was going to take her time and my help.

I stepped forward again just as Zane spoke up, "Looks like she's not answering. She's probably out at the office."

"Zane!" Rikki warned. I ignored them.

"Rikki look at this guy, he's a nut job petting walls and talking to Mako as if it," there was a pause as the waters started to roil, "Were… a real person…?" then I reached out my hand and the column of water rose, Mako's most basic form. Her triangular head formed slowly and almost painfully. She was small and weak as she leaned forward to rest her head in my hands.

The girls were astonished, "I thought that only happened on the full moon!" Cleo whispered.

"The moon is the true source of Mako's power, however, my people have learned to channel the powers of the moon… full or not," I kneeled down next to the pool, Mako's head in my lap, I could tell she enjoyed this after my long absence. She cooed lightly. "It's not just that either. Mako is an ancient spirit. Long ago when the earth was formed the first life on this planet did not breathe… The spirits on this planet lived and grew before humans began to evolve. The ancient humans knew the spirits and protected them but over time the knowledge was lost and now only a few hold true to the spirits of this world.

"Before the humans but after the spirits were strong, a comet aimed towards this planet skimmed across the atmosphere breaking off a small piece of it. That small piece broke down into smaller pieces and scattered across the world. Inside were foreign spirits who had traveled far on that comet. Their own world had been destroyed. Mako fell here and my people found her. The task was given to me to protect this calm spirit, sister to our own Earth spirits."

A tear formed in my eye but I held firm to my emotions, "I have slacked on my duties and my darling Mako was hurt for it. If I had been here, she would not have needed to call on the humans for help," I turned to the girls not wanting to offend, "I appreciate your help. And I am proud she chose such wonderful girls to protect her, but it pains me to know I should have been in your place." Mako nudged my chin lovingly. She forgave me and I nodded, not forgiving myself yet.

There was silence for a time then Will spoke up, "That still doesn't tell us what you are…"

"I should have suspected you'd guessed by now…" I smiled, "I am a creature your legends speak of, a creature your girls have become. I am a true Merman. And not to be rude, but you still don't know who I am… You see… This task of guarding the spirits, of calling on them and protecting them… it is the task of Kings."

I let that sink in and I saw Zane pale, "So what… you're King Triton?"

I laughed, "For starters, our people would never be called by such a human name, secondly… The King your people would have legends about would have passed on many years ago… The merfolk found the humans to be too wild, so three Kings ago my people sank our city to the deepest part of the ocean, so the only King your people would possibly know lived four Kings ago."

"How long is that," Ash crossed his arms cocking his head to the side.

"A little over one thousand years."

I let that sink in as well while I turned back to Mako. I let her sink back into the pool and turned to the wall. Raising my hands again I focused my energy not on the outer rock but the inner power of the crystals. Slowly each rock lifted with the magnetic force they owned and reconnected with the wall where they once resided. The wall began to hum and I could almost hear Mako sing with delight. She was nearly whole again! My power was draining fast though and I fell to my knees as sweat beaded from my forehead, "Stop!" I heard Emma say, reaching out her hand but not touching me, "You're going to hurt yourself!"

I straightened my back. I knew what I could and could not do! The last ounces of my energy faded as the last rock slid into place, a bright light from the crystals and from Mako herself sealed them all in place as I fell, not unconscious, to the sandy ground. Lewis was the first to step forward, "Are you alright?"

I nodded. The other three stepped forward and the four girls slid out of the water, Rikki dried all of them off. I continued to lay and listen, to the ocean, to Mako and to the whispers. Bella and Will stayed by my side but Emma, Rikki and Cleo took their humans aside to talk.

"He's one of us!" Emma said with excitement.

"Even more than that he's a King…" Rikki's voice held a note of doubt but she was willing to believe.

"Well it's obvious you can trust him at least," Ash put in.

"He's so… strange though," Cleo mused, "Not a bad strange… just… He seems to be different… scary almost, but comforting in the same way."

"I know what you mean," Emma and Rikki said, I knew they looked at me.

The whispers continued and I breathed in the salty air, ignoring them, it was not polite to eavesdrop, "So… you're a King of the Mermaids?" Bella asked, "Or rather, merpeople… I guess you're all not maids…" Will smiled with her.

"No, we're not…" I smiled and opened my eyes to look at her, "However, there are more maids then there are men… Our men are…" I stopped. This was not something I could weigh on her now, not so soon after meeting them! "Never mind… But, yes," I continued, "I am a King, or more accurately a future King. I have been given all the rights and powers of a King, but until my father dies I cannot take his throne." I tested my limbs to see if they had the energy to move again, "I'm feeling much better now. I believe it's time you and your friends head back to the mainland. It'll get dark soon and your families will worry."

"But, what about you?" Will asked, "Will you be alright out here? I don't feel right leaving you alone after exhausting yourself like that."

I sat up, Mako's soothing hum told me she trusted this human so I sighed, "So be it Mako…" I turned to Will, "Is there a place you have in mind?"

"You can stay at my place tonight and we can figure something more permanent out later."

"No… Nothing permanent… My life is not on land, it is in the sea."

They accepted that without question to my relief. Will and the boys guided me to their boats, and the girls swam. Lewis owned a metallic boat while Zane owned a motor raft. I examined each and stepped into the metal one. Zane upset me in many ways and I would not give him the opportunity to upset me further. Will jumped in with me and Ash jumped in with Zane.

"So how'd you get to the island?" Lewis finally asked after an half hour of running the boat.

I sighed, I hated revealing mer-secrets to humans, "Magic…" was all I said.

"Magic?" Will asked, "You just teleported, or what?"

"Does it matter? I got to the island and now I'm leaving."

They both gave each other a look and stayed silent the rest of the trip. Lewis parked his boat and I jumped out. I could see Zane's Zodiac motor raft turn another direction, a specific place that he tied his boat perhaps. I wasn't sure.

It was an awkward and silent trip to Will's home. Once inside I then understood, with a smile, why Will was so willing to accept my presence as well as the girl's tails. Shells covered every square inch of shelf space he had. They were everywhere and all more beautiful than the last! "You…" I didn't know what to say as I looked at Will. He seemed to be a little embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders with an "It's nothing," comment.

"I see now why Mako trusts you…" I said lifting a conch shell from the shelf, "Your heart has been claimed by the ocean…"

He chuckled and I laughed with him. It seemed right somehow that this man had found the girls. And I wondered if Mako had a hand in selecting each boy somehow. He set me up on a makeshift bed and it was then that I realized how tired I really was. I lay my head down on the pillow he'd given me, I barely gave him my deepest thanks before I slipped into a dream-filled sleep.