She pulled him to the surface.
He gasped for air, and in pain. His wounds were stinging sharply. She helped him swim to shallower waters.
He crawled to where he could lay with his head above water and she followed with easy flicks of her tail.
Breathing heavily, he glanced down at his chest.
And he looked again at the rapidly healing gashes.
"Syrena, where are we?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.
She slid next to him. "Every fountain has a source, Philip," she replied cryptically, placing a hand on his. "And this is our secret place."
They rested on the edge of a perfectly circular pool. Vines hung loosely from trees. Through the foliage, ancient ruins could be spotted, echoing the architecture around the Fountain of Youth.
"You have placed much trust in me."
"And you in me. I could have easily devoured you."
Philip smiled. "But I thank God you didn't, that we are both alive."
Syrena gently squeezed his hand in reply. "We are different, you and I. We will be happy together, I think."
She leaned in to kiss him, long and deep, pulling him down-
He jerked away. "Syrena, we – I – cannot -" He sighed. "Do mermaids know of marriage?"
"Yes," she replied. "We do. Though it has been some time since any of us found a good man such as you, or we had someone to provide such a service. But we do now."
Philip cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, traditionally, we called on the captain of the Flying Dutchman to perform weddings for us, but-"
"Davy Jones!" Philip gasped.
"No longer. He had some relationship issues of his own, so we would have to pretend to be humans if we wanted to be right before God. But he has been recently replaced by a young mister William Turner. Hopefully his wife will prove more faithful. So," Syrena moved closer to Philip. "Did you have a question for me?"
"Yes, I did. Syrena-" He gasped with sudden pain and doubled over.
She reached out and gathered him in her arms. "Philip?"
"My lungs are burning, my head aches, and my legs feel queer. What is happening to me?"
"Forgive me, Philip. I should have warned you of your body's reaction to a mermaid's kiss."
"But what is happening to me?"
She smiled faintly. "A mermaid's kiss saves a man from drowning, Philip. You're becoming one of us."