This was quickly turning into one of the most surreal days of Lyla's life.

After leaving Aquata, she and Sirena had made their way to Zac's as fast as they could—Lyla still wasn't sure what this was all going to achieve, but she had decided to go along with it for now. Nerida was the head of the pod—and if she wanted to meet Zac, it would not be easy to refuse her request. As difficult as it was to face him, she had steeled herself for the task.

Thankfully, Zac had been sitting on the dock when they arrived. After they had explained the situation, Zac had bolted into action—throwing some scuba gear into his family's small boat and telling them to lead the way. Although the two of them had not had a chance to talk in the midst of the rush, Lyla could feel his eyes on her the entire time. It was both wonderful and gut wrenching to be in his presence again, but she did her best not to dwell.

There were more pressing matters at hand.

And maybe, just maybe, the council would be able to help.

Sirena certainly seemed to think so, and the other mermaid had barely stopped grinning since Aquata's arrival. Lyla had not had a chance to ask her why she was suddenly so cheery, but she suspected that Sirena expected the council to change Zac back into a merman.

The thought had crossed Lyla's mind as well—but she didn't know if they had that sort of power. And besides, the pod had left Mako because they feared having a merman in the region…she didn't see why they would want to change him back now that their problem was solved.

But nevertheless, Lyla had forged ahead, her body tingling with more excitement and anticipation than she had felt since Cam's attack.

They had arrived at the entrance to the moon pool in good time and Zac had strapped on his air tank as quickly as he could. The entrance was deep below the surface and he wouldn't be able to make it all the way through in his human form.

Once he was ready, the three had made their way into the cave together, emerging to find that Nixie had already arrived. Aquata had told her about the council's visit and she seemed anxious to get this entire ordeal over with.

While Zac pulled himself onto the rock ledge and did his best to dry off and make himself presentable, the three mermaids chatted nervously, having no idea what was to come.

Perhaps the council would be happy to discover that Zac had been changed back, and would welcome them back to the pod with open arms. Or maybe they would be annoyed that they had come all this way to meet a merman that no longer existed.

Lyla had no idea how Nerida would react to the most recent developments. After all, Aquata had said the councillor's main reason for coming was to meet Zac—would she be happy or disappointed that her descendant had lost his mer powers? Would she blame Lyla for what happened to him?

What would she do if she found out about their relationship? What would the rest of the council say?

After all, Nerida's daughter had been exiled for falling in love with a merman. Would Lyla be in trouble, even though their relationship had now become impossible anyway?

A small splashing noise broke Lyla away from her thoughts and she turned to see Aquata's head pop above the water, followed quickly by five more.

The council had arrived, and it was time to find out their fate.

Following standard protocol, Nixie, Sirena, Lyla and Aquata all moved in front of the five councillors who had appeared in the cave, bowing their heads in the traditional greeting.

Lyla held her breath, barely able to handle the suspense. The councillors were surveying the scene, many of them looking towards Zac who squirmed uncomfortably under their scrutiny.

Finally, the most important member of the council moved forward. Although it was clear that she was older than the rest she was still a stunning woman. Her long silvery hair (ornamented with a golden shell crown which marked her status) hung elegantly down her back and her clear blue eyes contained a wisdom that only experience could bring. Her poise and gentle features added to her impressiveness—there could be no doubt in anyone's mind that this was their leader.

This was Nerida.

"Hello Nixie, Sirena, Lyla." The head council woman began, nodding gracefully towards each of them in turn. They nodded back, and another brief silence fell over the pool. "And you must be Zac." The women finished, her gaze turning towards the young man who was standing nervously on the ledge.

"Yes." He replied, his voice quivering slightly. Copying the others, he gave a bow in her direction.

Much to everyone's relief, Nerida gave a small laugh. There was definite warmth in her eyes as she examined the young man. And, apparently, his formality had amused her.

"There is no need for that now," she said gently and she moved in his direction. "We're family, are we not?"

Lyla noticed that some of the other councillors looked slightly taken aback by her informal remarks, and one looked rather upset about the entire situation. But, thankfully, they all stayed silent.

"Yes." Zac answered, still unable to hide his nerves. Lyla could sympathize with his predicament—they had dragged him here quite unexpectedly and, like them, he had no idea what to expect.

Nerida smiled again.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Zac." She began again, her voice genuine. "Once I lost track of my daughter's family, I never expected that this day would come. Tell me, how many human generations have passed since her time?"

Some of the tension in Zac's shoulders seemed to ease. There was no doubt that Nerida was grateful for the reunion and he appeared to be quite happy for the opportunity himself. After all, most humans never got to meet their great-great-great grandmother.

But then again, most humans did happen to be related to mermaids.

"Your daughter, Diana, was my great-great-grandmother." Zac replied. "My mother had no idea where her ancestor came from—and I just found out about all of it a few weeks ago."

Lyla heard some of the other council women begin to mutter amongst themselves but, unfortunately, she could not make out what they were saying. I was clear, however, that they were less thrilled by this encounter than their leader. She was pretty sure that she heard one of them say something about "traitors" and "dangerous merman."

Nerida nodded, a hint of sadness flashing across her face. She knew that her daughter was long gone, along with some of the generations that followed.

"I see," she said softly. "And you were the boy who fell into the moon pool last summer—while Lyla, Nixie and Sirena were on duty, correct?"

"Yes, that was me."

The older mermaid paused and Lyla found it impossible to read her expression. After a moment, she turned towards the other council members, her expression still stoic.

"I would like to respectfully request a few moments alone with this boy and the three exiles." She stated, her tone indicating that this was not a request that they could easily refuse. "If you don't mind taking a short leave, I will summon you back to discuss the situation soon."

Reluctantly, the four dignitaries obliged and Aquata followed behind them as they ducked beneath the surface and made their way out of the moon pool.

After the last ripple of water settled, Nerida smiled once more. "Much better." She muttered, more to herself than the others. Suddenly, she seemed less formal than before—and Lyla sensed that the woman disliked the airs and graces that her position necessitated.

"Now, girls, Zac." She began, turning to each of them. "I can't keep the others out for long but while I have a chance, I wanted to tell you that I am doing everything in my power to get your case reconsidered."

Nixie and Sirena exchanged gleeful glances, but Lyla and Zac gave no reaction. Lyla appreciated her support, but she knew that they still had to tell Nerida what had happened. She was still under the impression that Zac was a merman.

"There isn't a day that goes by when I don't regret what happened to my daughter." The woman began again, surprising them all with her sudden disclosure. Lyla had only ever seen her in formal situations, and did not expect the head council woman to be so forward. "I was only a junior council member at the time," she continued. "I abstained from the vote that exiled her, but I've always felt that I should have done more. Her only crime was falling in love, and it is unfair to condemn anyone for that."

Despite herself, Lyla found herself looking up at Zac. He met her gaze with a warm smile, and she felt a joyful flutter in her chest that she had thought was gone forever.

No matter how tough she tried to act, she knew that she could never stop loving him. Fins or not.

"I know that I can never change what happened to Diana," the elegant mermaid began again, her eyes looking up towards Zac. "But even the council's banishment couldn't keep her bloodline out of the sea forever." She paused, smiling at the young man whose features contained ghostly traces of her long-lost daughter. "They never expected a male to be born into our line, you know. But now that Zac is here, and now that he has become who he was destined to be, I think it is time to reverse what was done. Zac belongs to our pod—it is part of who he is. And you girls should not be punished for watching his fate unfold."

For a second, Lyla's heart leapt.

This was exactly what she had dreamed of when they had uncovered Zac's family secret. It felt as if everything she wanted was nearly in her grasp…but the sight of Zac stranded on the dry rock ledge reminded her that things had changed.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Lyla spoke.

"I wish it could be that simple." She began, instantly diverting Nerida's attention. The older mermaid turned towards her, confused. "But a few days ago, someone who wanted to take his revenge on us managed to do something to Zac and I." She paused, pushing back the emotion that welled inside of her as she recalled the life-changing events. "He used a dark potion on us—trapping me as a mermaid." She hesitated. "And making Zac human again."

As Lyla stopped talking, silence fell over the pool. Nixie and Sirena both looked sympathetic, and Nerida looked shocked, and saddened, by the revelation.

Lyla hated that she had been the one to deliver the news, especially after the council woman had shown herself to be so willing to accept Zac. She had seemed excited to have another member of her family join the pod

Finally, Nerida spoke— although her response was not what Lyla had expected.

"How old are you, Zac?" She asked, turning back towards the young man.

He furrowed his brow, confused. "Seventeen," he replied. "But I'll be eighteen next week."

To everyone's surprise, she gave a small smile. "Good," she said, a hint of relief spreading across her face. "We will stay in Mako until then, and I will continue to discuss your case with the council."

Lyla the other others exchanged perplexed looks. Why was Zac's upcoming birthday "good"? And why did Nerida want the council to stay in the area until then?

She didn't dare to hope…

Before any of them could ask for a better explanation, Nerida continued.

"Zac, it has been a pleasure to meet you." She said with another warm smile. "Aquata told us about how you destroyed the trident, and how close you have grown to the girls." Her eyes lingered on Lyla for a second and the young mermaid could have sworn that she gave the smallest of winks. "You are a tribute to our bloodline, and I know Diana would have been proud. I hope I will get the chance to know you better."

"I…thank you." Zac replied, honoured by the compliment.

Nerida nodded. "I'm afraid I must go confer with the others. We will meet with you again next week, once everything is settled and we have reached a decision."

With one final smile, she ducked beneath the water, her tail gracefully flicking the surface of the moon pool as she made her exit.

The four who remained in her wake could do nothing but gape in surprise and trepidation. Nerida had not provided many details, but she had indicated that Zac's upcoming birthday could be significant—and it seemed as if nothing was going to be settled before then. Lyla had a feeling that the council woman was not completely certain what would happen next week, but her words had indicated that something might be coming.

Although no one said it, they were all fairly sure that they knew what that something was.

And despite her better judgement, Lyla smiled.

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A/N—let me know what you thought! What will happen when Zac turns 18…da da dum!

Thanks to all that have reviewed so far!