Ohhhh dear. I...have no words. Hope the chapter doesn't suck.


Magnus regretted the glance he took over his shoulder. He regretted deciding to leave Alec at the stand selling what Alec had called "cotton candy," but he couldn't risk Alec getting hurt, or risk him finding out that Magnus was a merman. Magnus didn't know how well he'd take that just yet – it was only the first date, after all. But the look over his shoulder made Magnus want to tell Alec everything, just so he would never see that look on Alec's beautiful face again. Alec's blue eyes looked almost colorless, as did his face, as he searched the crowd for Magnus. Magnus saw him slump, defeated and heartbroken, when he did not catch sight of his date. It almost made Magnus turn and go back to him, apologize, but he could do that later. He had something to do now.

Magnus continued on his track to the dark space between game booths. That was where he had caught sight of the boy who had stalked him and Clary for the past week, lurking around buildings and in stores – Magnus had even seen him outside of Hodge's house once, looking up at the front window from the sidewalk; The boy with the black shell; the Endarkened merman; the boy Alec had called Sebastian.

He had seen Sebastian while he was with Alec. Sebastian was with two other boys, both Endarkened as well by the looks of them. They were just standing, looking around, until Sebastian had met Magnus's eyes, black on gold-green. Instantly Magnus felt the same sensation he got when he looked at the boy – familiarity. But Magnus did not know where he had seen Sebastian before; he had never heard the name. Perhaps he had seen him in the village at one time or another, maybe only looking at him through peripheral vision.

As Magnus kept walking, their staring contest increased in intensity. The other boys noticed Magnus nearing as well, however their gazes wavered, unlike Sebastian's, who's stayed strong. They must have recognized Magnus as a Royal Guard, because they turned to go. One, with dark hair maybe halfway to his shoulders, clutched at Sebastian's toned forearm, pulling him away. The other was already gone. Magnus stopped his movement, watching intently. Instead of going backward, however, Sebastian took a step forward towards Magnus. Instinctively, Magnus assumed a defense posture, squaring his shoulders and anticipating an attack. The other Endarkened said something to him, but Magnus was too far away to hear. Then, Sebastian seemed to snarl at Magnus, and turned to follow the other boy. They disappeared into the darkness.

Magnus stared at the dark space. There are Endarkened mermaids in the area – a lot, so Hodge says. It makes it very easy for Prince Jonathon to succumb to the darkness. Which makes this rescue mission a whole lot harder. They have to find him.

But what about Alec?

Magnus closed his eyes and sighed. He had to go back and try his hardest to explain where he had gone. So he once again wove his way through the crowd, bumping people's shoulders as he went. He found Alec sitting on a bench, his head in one hand, and the conch in the other. Alec rubbed his thumb over the surface. Magnus felt a shiver run through him, feeling as though Alec were doing that to him. He drew closer, loving that feeling. Alec looked up as Magnus reached him, and immediately his eyes brightened as he stood. And then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and a little bit of anger. Magnus felt his stomach knot up. Boy, would he have a lot of explaining to do.

In an attempt to ease the tension he was feeling between them, Magnus smiled brightly. "Hi," he said.

Alec did not smile. Magnus fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze. "Where did you go?" Alec asked. "I turned around, and you were just – gone."

Magnus scratched the back of his head, looking down. What would he say that Alec would believe? And what if he said the wrong thing, because he doesn't know that much about the human world yet? He sighed. He hadn't really wanted to use Enchantment on Alec twice in one night – this was supposed to be a fun date, damn it – but it seems he has to.

He looked up, catching Alec's blue-eyed gaze. Magnus mentally willed him not to blink, not to look away. He willed him to look deep into Magnus's eyes, to get lost in them and never want to be found. Alec started to lean forward, and Magnus had to catch his shoulders to keep him from falling. Alec's face took on a dreamy look, and that is when Magnus knew his Enchantment had worked. Enchantment is very powerful mer-person magic. Magnus had often bragged, to Clary and anyone else who would listen, that his Enchantment was very strong, maybe one of the strongest in the kingdom. It had always made him feel very proud. All he was feeling now, however, was shame and guilt at having to do this to his cymar, which was also very powerful magic. But it was the only way to keep him safe, at least for now.

"You need to listen carefully," Magnus said in a lulling voice. "I never left. You should get that silly thought out of your head. I would never leave on a first date." He added a light laugh at the end to make things more believable.

Alec seemed to accept the Enchantment. He shook himself awake and smiled at Magnus, making Magnus's heart clench. But Magnus smiled back, took the thing called cotton candy being offered to him, and bit off a piece. It had a soft texture to it, and it tasted sweet. Magnus wondered if that was why it was given such a name. But while he was busy wondering this, the candy disappeared from his tongue, leaving behind only the taste and stickiness on Magnus's lips. He blinked, and looked to Alec for guidance. "It's gone," he said. "Did it melt?"

Alec chuckled. "Yeah. It does that." He took a bite of his as they continued to walk through the crowd, which was beginning to thin a bit due to the late hour. As they walked, Magnus looked around, keeping watch for either of three things: Clary, Sebastian the Endarkened, and one of those hoodlums in costumes that insist on jumping out from behind booths at people. He was also having a discussion with his date, albeit a distracted one. Alec did not seem to mind though; he simply went along with whatever Magnus did. Magnus got the impression that he had never been on one of these "dates" before. Not that that was a bad thing, of course, because Magnus was in the same water. They could experience this new thing together, and Magnus liked that.

At this thought, a glint in the somewhat darkness caught Magnus's eye. He turned to see his conch shell being tucked into Alec's shirt sheepishly. Magnus decided to pay this no mind – if he didn't want to tell Magnus about it (even though Magnus already knew all about it and more) that was his decision. And Magnus was supposed to play a mindless mortal for the time being.

Eventually the duo reached a dead end, marked only by a massive contraption with a sign that read The Greater Demon. It was totally dark on this side of the park, the only illumination being the light bulbs used for the sign. Magnus could hear harsh screaming coming from the ride, along with the rapid click-clack of wheels against the track as the ride went up a precipitous incline. All fell quiet as the ride slowed near the top, and then plummeted at an accelerated pace. Magnus felt his heart seize and fall with the people on the ride. He found himself clutching at Alec's hand. Alec looked from the ride to him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Are they going to be alright?" Magnus asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the ride as it went sideways and through several loops. There was something…off about this ride, but Magnus could not put his finger on it. He did, however, pinpoint the need to get Alec out of here. His stomach churned.

Alec looked back at the ride. "Yeah. They do that for a thrill, for fun."

Magnus looked at him as though he were crazy. "Fun? In what universe is that fun? That's like playing tag with a jellyfish – which believe me; you do not want to do – or-or- vacationing inside the mouth of a whale! They want a thrill? They should do that!" Magnus was out of breath by the time he was done.

Alec stared at him with wide, officially freaked-out eyes. "Right," he said finally. He looked back up at the ride, and Magnus saw his Adam's apple bob as he gulped. "Okay. Do you want to go back now?"

Magnus couldn't nod any faster if he tried. Still clutching Alec's hand as if it were his only lifeline, he led Alec back through the throng of people. He didn't slow down for anything, not even when he heard someone that vaguely sounded like Clary call his name. He did not stop until he reached the wretched thing called a "van" that he'd arrived in. Magnus leaned against it to catch his breath.

In the distance, he saw a bright red head bobbing up and down, a blond in tow, towards them. He breathed a sigh of relief. The princess was safe.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked upon arrival. Her fingers were laced with Jace's, who loomed behind her like a shadow. Magnus took a moment to ponder if that was what he looked like when he was protecting Clary.

Jace lifted an eyebrow at Alec, who shrugged. "Where are Isabelle and Simon?" Alec asked.

"On your left," a female voice answered. Isabelle came up behind Jace and Clary. Simon was right behind her, looking a bit green. Though it could just be Magnus's eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. "So, how was your guys' night?" Isabelle smiled at them. "We went on the Greater Demon about 3 times. It was amazing." She smiled up at Simon, who attempted to give one back to her, but it ended up looking like a grimace. Well, that would explain Simon's complexion. Magnus felt the same way, even if he didn't go on the ride.

"I wanted to go on it," Jace said, "but Clary said she didn't want to." Magnus's eyes drifted to Clary, who sensed everyone staring at her. She shrugged, and Jace smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He turned away to say something to Isabelle and Simon. Magnus watched Clary turn her big, innocuous green eyes to him, staring up at him in adoration. Magnus found himself smiling. He looked toward Alec then, to find the other boy staring at him in the same way. Upon being caught, Alec quickly turned away, attempting to hide the blush spreading on his cheeks. A warm feeling went through Magnus at the sight. He absolutely adored Alec's blush.

While the others were busy talking about all the rides they went on (and how Simon threw up twice before he and Izzy had met up with the rest of the group), Alec pulled Magnus slightly to the side. "Did you have fun?"

You mean aside from leaving you to investigate a potential threat that did not get me anywhere at all, except possibly more danger? Magnus thought, but answered, "Absolutely. I have never been to an amusement park before." He smiled, which caused Alec to smile, which caused the conch to glow. Once again, Magnus had to pretend he didn't see it. Being a clueless human was hard work!

"I, uh, I'm glad." Alec answered. Then he added, "You know, Jace suggested I take you to Long John Silver's." He gave a small laugh.

Magnus tiled his head. "What's that?"

"It's a fish restaurant."

His eyes were so wide; he thought they'd pop out of his head. "It's a – a what now?"

Alec's eyebrows furrowed, as they normally did when he was confused (Magnus should know; he'd been confusing Alec all night). Magnus had grown to think of it as incredibly adorable, but could not bring himself to do so at the moment. His current train of thought was to not vomit on Alec's shoes. "It's a fish restaurant," Alec repeated, his voice turning up at the end in a sort of question. "You know, when they kill and cook –"

"Stop!" Magnus practically shouted, putting a hand on Alec's shoulder, both to suppress Alec's words and to (hopefully) suppress the contents of his stomach to come back up. "Please, say no more."

"Are you all right?" Alec asked. He placed a hand on Magnus's, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe suddenly overtook Magnus. It calmed his queasy stomach.

He drew in a deep breath. "Yes. But I'm afraid Clary and I have to get back."

There it was again: that disappointed look that made Alec's blue eyes loose their color; that made Magnus's heart clench so tight he thought he might die. "But," Magnus quickly remedied in order to rid Alec's beautiful face, "I would love to do this again. Can we see each other tomorrow?"

He did not think Alec's smile could grow wider if it tried.


Alec hated to walk on the beach. It reminded him too much of Max.

Max used to love the beach. They would all spend practically every day on the beach, all summer long: Max, Jace, and Izzy. They would play in the water and build sandcastles and get ice cream. It was Max's favorite part of the year. They could sometimes persuade Alec to go along, and Alec would take a blanket and a book – and sunscreen, of course – and join them on the beach. He did not like it, though – the wretched sand was hot and got in places that he did not want it. But, he did it for Max.

Now, he had a reason to never go back.

Which was why he did not understand how he ended up here, on the beach, once again. Maybe it was just his thoughts leading him here, but Alec wasn't sure. It felt that something else was leading him here, something he couldn't explain.

They had taken Magnus and Clary back to Hodge's about two hours ago, and then Alec had gone to bed, but he couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept going back to the ocean, the sound of it drew him from his bed and to the window, and then somehow here he was. He was standing in the exact same place he had when all of this was new to him.

It was about nine years ago, when he and his family had just moved from New York. He had been so furious with his parents for dragging him away from his life, from everything he'd known, that he decided to run away. He did not get very far, just down to the beach. There were people sitting along the beach on blankets and under umbrellas, waiting for the sun to set. Alec decided to sit down as well, and just watch. It was a beautiful sight; the light from the sun mixed with the blue water, making it glow a mixture of purple and pink, orange and blue. It made Alec realize that this place might not be so bad.

Alec had missed the sunset now – by several hours – but that didn't mean the ocean was any less beautiful, with its dark blue, almost black hue washing up against the lighter-colored sand. Alec didn't even look in the direction of the dock he'd once sat on with his brother, seemingly forever ago, and went towards the pier. He walked slowly, as he did with Magnus on their first almost-date. Alec smiled as he thought about that night, and his smile grew as his thoughts went towards the night he just shared with Magnus. Although it was a bit odd, Alec had so much fun, just laughing and being near the other boy. Magnus had such a way that he made Alec feel heard and understood and cared for. Alec reveled in that feeling.

There was splashing a few feet away from him. This wasn't uncommon for a small beach – tourists taking late-night swims. Alec didn't really want to look over if that was the case, because the tourists were usually skinny-dipping. However, for a reason unbeknownst by him, he ended up looking over.

There was a silhouette of what was most likely a man in the water, black against the lights of the pier a couple yards down the beach. He seemed to be alone, though Alec could hear the whooping and yelling of two people. The man seemed to really be enjoying himself immensely, as though the water was his passion and he hadn't seen it in weeks. Alec watched, captivated, as the man came up out of the water, arching his back and throwing back his head, his hair whipping water about him. There was a vibration against Alec's chest, and a purple glow illuminated his surroundings. Alec inwardly groaned. Of all the times for his mysterious and magical conch shell that he knew nothing about to start glowing.

Alec covered the conch with his hand, but could still see the faint glow between his fingers. He ran back up the beach, away from the water and the splashing people. He ran as fast as he could – he couldn't stop. Eventually, he collapsed against the side of a house he couldn't really identify. He leaned against it until he caught his breath.

The conch was causing him a lot of problems. The worst part was he did not know anything about it. Alec took his hand off of it when he was sure the glow could not be seen by anyone.

What was he going to do?


Magnus missed the water. He missed gliding through it effortlessly, without the bumbling around that legs entailed. Magnus felt that he could go anywhere and do anything with the water on his side. He knew Clary felt the same way. He watched her splash and play, reveling in the water that was now soaking through her skin and tail. Magnus closed his eyes. Legs were so overrated. He'd forgotten how long he had been without water, but all that didn't matter now. He was back.

Clary paused her happy little playing and looked thoughtful for a moment? Magnus took notice. "What is it, Your Highness?"

She shook her head. "Did… Did you go near the roller coaster tonight?" Magnus nodded. "Magnus, there was something wrong with it. I just felt…uneasy around it."

Magnus nodded again. "I know what you mean. I think I felt it too. And…I saw Sebastian."

Clary gasped. "Did he see you?"

"I went after him. We were about to fight, but his friends talked him out of it, I guess." Magnus shrugged. "He knew he could never win against a fabulous Guard such as I." He took Clary's hand. "Now come, Princess. Let's do what we were born to. Swim!"

He dragged her down under the cool water. They dipped and turned in fluid movements, almost as though they were dancing. Their tails twisted around each other, purple against green. Magnus came up out of the water, the emergence leaving him exhilarated. He tipped his head back, reveling in the feeling of being in the water again.

Something glowing caught his eye and he paused. It was completely dark, and no one was around, making it easier to pinpoint where the glow was coming from. There was a dark silhouette on the beach that seemed to be watching them. Magnus froze for a moment, in fear that they might have seen Magnus and Clary's tails. Upon noticing Magnus had stopped moving, Clary followed suit, staying perfectly still. The glow that had caught Magnus's eye returned, a purple light in the darkness. Magnus instantly knew who it was. Before he could yell Alec's name, the glow was covered, and he ran off.

Clary rose up. "Do you think he saw us?"

Magnus shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I doubt it."

"Magnus…"

"Are you going to tell Jace?" Magnus shot back. Clary fell quiet. "Besides, he's not ready, not yet. And we still haven't found Prince Jonathon."

"Why did he have to go and run off?" Clary whispered. "Things would be much easier. We would be able to have our cymars court us the way they should." She threw her arms up. "What is life?" she yelled.

Magnus stared at her. "Okay, we need to find your brother quickly. You are starting to sound like a melodramatic teenage human."


Once again, hope it didn't suck. Shoot me a review! Love hearing from you.

No apologies can ever be enough. It has been months. I...am really sorry.

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