Hey guys! If I owned Mako Mermaids, would I be writing this? And I don't own the references to the Dragons: Race to the Edge episode this is homage to. And I most certainly down own the character Marissa. That belongs to the late ClockWiseWiss. (We miss you!)

Starting today, I will be advertising stories from the archive that are not my own. I advertise them, because I think that they deserve to be read.

A Merman's Vengeance: By Crystalteen

Merissa: By CrispinRobb

Find the Secret: By Hallowed Nightmare

A Journey Anew: Dimensional Girl

Rated K+ for some language.

No one's POV

Out in the South Pacific

It seemed like an ordinary day for the Easter Tribe. Or what was left of it. The mermaids were chatting and swimming away. Suddenly, zooming by, was a merperson with a silver helmet and silver chest armor with some arm bracers. Behind the person, was a giant sea monster which rose to the surface, causing a panic among the mermaids as the mysterious person quickly stole their valuables. Just as the two came, they left.

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Thalie's POV

The bell rang loud and clear, the hallway filling with swarming students. I took out my phone which I silenced in LA class and I saw a text from my mom, saying I had to come to her office. Seeing as my mom was the principal, I kind of had an obligation to go. So I pushed my way through the crowds to my mom's office to find when I got there, all of the Mako gang.

"What are all of you doing here?" I asked.

"Well we all got a text from your mom to meet here." Evie said.

"I have a reason to." My mom said, coming in and sitting down in her desk. "My sister, Nerida runs the Mako Pod."

"How is she?" I asked. "How's Aunt Nerida?" I had not heard much from my aunt in the last few months, mostly because she was busy running the pod.

"She's fine Thalassa." My mom said. "But that's not why we're here."

"Did we do something wrong?" Zac asked.

"No." She said. "At least I don't think so."

"What do you mean?" Erik asked.

"According to my sister and one of the mermaids in the mermaid council, someone's been raiding and looting pods all over the world. And not just pods, a few tribes too." My mom said. "Chiefs and Pod Leaders are starting to pin the blame on each other."

"And what's this got to do with us?" Helen asked.

"Yeah cause I've got shop class in 5." Xandou said.

"You're not going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this." My mom said sternly. "Nerida suspects that it was one of you mermen or at least one of you mermaids. Now I'm not gonna punish anyone nor will they. Thalassa's aunt just wants to know who it is."

"Boys?" Evie asked.

"Nope wasn't me." Xhiva and Xandou said in unison.

"Consorzios?" Kimi asked.

"I didn't do it." Erik said.

"Negatory." Raiden said.

"No estas." Diablo said.

"Same." Zac agreed.

"And I swear Mom." I said. "It wasn't any of us mermaids."

"Was it the Ares Tribe?" Evie asked.

"Evie." Diablo said. "Mermaids raid us, we don't raid them."

"Well the latest raid took place this morning, right before school time." Mom said.

"Aunt Rita." Raiden said, prompting weird looks from everyone. "If I can call you that, I swear to you, we haven't done anything other than go to school."

"If it wasn't any of us then we have a serious problem on our hands." Rose said.

"We have a rogue in our situation then." My mom said.

"A rogue?" Evie and Zac asked.

"A lone merperson without a pod or tribe." I explained.

"And contrary to belief." Raiden said. "They're actually survive on their own, which makes them rare and dangerous."

"How is a loner dangerous?" Xandou asked.

"Because to pods or tribes, they're extremely unpredictable." Erik said. "And if there's one thing mermaids love, it's predictability." This got him a combination of a death stare from all mermaids and Zac in the room. "No offense."

"Aside from that." I said. 'We've got a mysterious rogue who's become a thief. And we're gonna get to the bottom of it!"

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Diablo's POV

After school, we met up and agreed to split into teams and each team had a mermaid who had a conch shell so we could signal to them what we've found. My team consisted of Diablo, Thalie and Raiden.

We searched the far northern edge of the reef for any clue of what to find about this rogue mermaid or merman. I had encountered a few back in my day before I joined the Ares and some were pretty much isolated but one was nice enough to heal my wounds for a bit before she had to leave.

I felt a tapping on my shoulder and I turned to see Raiden point to Thalie stopping a dolphin.

Hello. I heard Raiden speak in dolphin talk.

You speak dolphin? Me and Thalie asked.

Of course. He said.

I'm Delphin. I helped Blair here with the prophecy last year. The dolphin said

Blair? Raiden asked

Seriously? I asked.

It's a long story. Thalie said. But Delphin may have some information regarding this rogue.

Oh that rogue is not alone. Delphin warned.

What do you mean? I asked.

Yeah rogues are always alone. Raiden argued.

Not this one. This one's got a creature with her. And a dangerous one.

How big and dangerous? Thalie asked.

It's like a sea dragon but it doesn't breathe fire. Delphin explained.

If this rogue is raiding pods and tribes with a sea monster.. I trailed off, knowing where this was going.

Then we have a much more serious problem on our hands. Raiden finished.

We better head back. Thanks Delphin. Thalie said to Delphin.

Anytime.

Thalie sounded the conch shell when the dolphin swam off. But before we could swim away Raiden grabbed her arm and surfaced.

"Blair?" Raiden asked his girlfriend. "That used to be your name? Blair?" He spat the name like it was venom.

"What's wrong with that?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Blair." He said. "It's just...mundane."

"I spent most of my life being mundane." She argued.

"Ish." I piped up. "Come on guys."

Taking my word, we all swam to our meeting place; Mako Island. After all of us got dry, we sat in a circle to discuss our plans after my team and I discussed it.

"Considering we don't know what this is, how do we even stop it?" Zac asked.

"Fortunantly." Raiden said. "We have an animal expert who knows that in order to be the animal, you have to understand it."

"Right." I said. "I've been going over what I know, and I think that we're not dealing with a dragon.."

"Wait." Evie said. "Dragons exist?"

"Duh." Xandou said. "That's where the last name Tiraken comes from."

"How?" Zac asked.

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Zac could be so oblivious. "Tiraken means dragon, dumbass."

Zac glared at him while Sirena asked, "How can you speak 9 languages and sound like an asshole in every one of them?"

"Ignoring that." Thalie said, nodding me to go on.

"It's a sea serpent." I said. "It's got a long tail, venomous claws that can paralyze you for a short time and it's tail it's so strong that it can literally squeeze the life out of you."

"Punch me because I might be dreaming." Helen muttered, prompting a punch from Raiden.

"How do we find it?" Rose asked.

"Same as any animal." Kimi said. "Food. Diablo what does a sea serpent eat?"

"Starfish and crabs." I said. "There's a part of the north side of the Great Barrier reef that's crawling with those two things."

And so we left to find this sea serpent.

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Erik's POV

We all speed swam to the South part of the island, thankfully it was Friday so the people on land wouldn't be suspicious.

I'm feeling good about this island. Rose's thoughts echoed.

That's what you said about the last couple of islands we looked, Rosie. Xandou said.

So I think positive. Rose argued. Is that a crime?

Ignore him Rose I heard Evie.

Hey big bro. I heard Raiden. Once we catch this sea serpent what are we gonna do?

Simple. I thought. We catch the trainer and see what we can get out of him.

Or her. Kimi defended.

Hey once we catch this sea serpent, can I keep it? Helen asked.

And logically, there's no equation in your house that's gonna factor a giant sea monster. Xhiva said.

I'm just saying, he'd make a good pet.

Can we please be reminded why we have a demolitions expert in our team? Zoe asked.

The answer lies in your question. Xhiva said.

FYI Diablo said. I own that line, it's my thing.

Now your thing is sucking it up. Thalie said.

Hey! That's my thing! Zac exclaimed.

Guys! Helen exclaimed. I sense fire...on the island.

So we all swam to the island and when we got dry, we followed Helen's fire senses to this camp site with a fireplace that still had smoke coming out of it.

"All this stuff here." Evie observed some chests laid beside a tree. "It must be some of the stuff stolen from the mermaids."

"And mermen!" Diablo piped up.

"Guys!" Sirena panted running towards us.

"We got your message." Ondina said.

"Alright." Thalie said, getting our attention. "It's pretty obvious someone's here, so our best guess is the rogue. So we'll split in teams. Raiden, you get Xandou, Helen, and Ondina. Evie, take Sirena, Rosalina, Diablo, and Zac. Erik, you get Mimmi, Xhiva, and Kimi. I'll go on my own just to see if we get a surprise view. Mimmi's team, you stay here around this area in case the rogue shows up. If the rogue shows up, signal us."

We all nodded and split up, not knowing that from behind some rocks, the rogue, accompanied by a large snake head was listening.

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Kimi's POV

We searched the whole place trying to figure out what this rogue was doing. So far, we discovered that the rogue has been stealing just potion ingredients and a few treasures. Nothing really major, but if this was a series of robberies, then it was a cause for concern.

"I found something!" Mimmi exclaimed. We ran to Mimmi who was trying to unsheath a dagger of some sort.

"Do you need help?" Erik asked.

"Nah I got it." Mimmi said.

"Must be the rogue's weapon." Xhiva observed. 'But Erik, why do you think that this rogue would leave behind the tools?" We turned around to find that Erik had vanished!

"Erik!" Xhiva called. "Erik!"

"Erik Consorzio where are you?" I cried out.

I heard a yelp and I saw Xhiva get dragged away to my horror. "XHIVA!" I screamed trying to get to him and found myself being pulled by a long green tail, like a lizard's into a tree. I looked around and I saw the others stuck in the tree. Including Mimmi.

"Looks like the rogue found us." I said.

"You think?" Mimmi snipped. "I'm gonna try to call them." But when she pressed her hands around her leather jacket pockets, she looked at us in a panic. "The rogue stole my conch shell."

"Great." Erik muttered. "Just hope the others are doing a less of a crap job than what we're doing."

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Xandou's POV

Me and my team swam for any sign but I had this feeling that someone was watching me. I checked behind me many times but I couldn't find anyone. Ondina said I was being paranoid, but years of being a criminal taught me that you always have to be on your feet, no matter what.

"I don't think we're gonna find anyone here." Helen said. "I can't even sense any heat."

"But I do sense a bit of electricity." Raiden said.

"That's because it's coming from us." Ondina snapped.

"Wait." Helen's eyes glowed gold. "I sense heat." And just as the words left her mouth, steam began rising quickly out of the water.

We all tried to find each other but a shadow moved in the water and in the mist. It charged faster than the speed of light (and that's saying something coming from a speedster), and used its venomous claws to scratch all of us. I barely escaped before I felt a nick and I felt my entire body go numb as I sank to the ocean floor of the reef.

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Rosalina's POV

We swam on the west side of the island, trying to find this rogue but we couldn't find him or her. I wasn't going to call this rogue an it. This rogue was a person...one we had no idea who at the time. We were in a small cave.

"Guys I found something!" Sirena exclaimed. We all swam to her to find a beautiful shell with intricate carving.

"Is that a shell?" Evie asked.

"This is one of my shells." Sirena said. "I used to make one for Aquata every year. I wonder how this rogue came across one of them. It looks like the one I made Aquata last year, when Nixie met that little boy."

"Whoever, it is." Evie said. "We better find this person."

"Wait, does it seem a bit...compressed to you?" Diablo asked.

Zac came up, panicked. "The rogue must have figured we're here. The entry's sealed off. We can get out but it'll probably take some time."

"How long?" Sirena asked.

"20 minutes give or take." He said.

"Let's get to work then." Evie said. We all swam down and got to work on moving the rocks away from the tunnel.

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Thalie's POV

I walked on the hills, looking far and wide for this rogue and sea serpent. I knew that this rogue wasn't stupid. Most mermen in the Ares Tribe, from what my boyfriend told me, get their resources and operate sometimes on land. I turned invisible, after checking if anyone was watching and I used some water from a river nearby to lift me in the air. I knew it was a risk because anyone who was in tune with the news in the Gold Coast would recognize it as a trick when I was Ocean Girl.

I flew down close enough to the ocean, but far away not to get wet. It was a good thing I was wearing sneakers, or I would have a bit of a problem. I tried to see, but I wasn't going to find what I was gonna see.

"Wait." I said. "I don't need to see." I closed my eyes and focused my energy around me. I felt a presence a few yards from me and I flew towards it. I noticed a large figure with a mermaid with the signature bronze tail disappear in the depths.

"It's gotta be the rogue." I said, diving in, losing my water board. After the transformation took place, I used my superspeed swimming to chase after the rogue. The rogue was fast, but I pushed to go faster after her. The rogue used her moon ring to send energy blasts to try to throw me off and I managed to dodge one, except for one that knocked me back.

But I wasn't giving up easily. The rogue, apparently riding the sea serpent swam back and I got a good look at her. She was a Caucasian mermaid who looked to be in her late teens and I saw pale green eyes behind a silver Viking helmet that covered her whole face except for the eyes. She also wore a silver breastplate and had a few daggers concealed in her brown leather arm bracers.

I realized I took a few seconds too late because I almost got his by the giant tail of the sea serpent before the rogue and the serpent broke on the run. I zoomed after them, using the water to throw them off before I made a clear shot and separated the two.

I grinned in victory as I swam to the mermaid. She wasn't knocked down so that was good news. When she made a move to try to use her powers, I used the ocean around me to stop her from using her hand.

I wouldn't do that if I were you. I mentally warned her.

The mermaid paused and she looked at me with a look of analyzing as if she was studying me. I wouldn't do that either. By the way, long time no see. I let control loose, allowing her to remove her helmet. It was a girl with pale thin skin, thick eyebrows short blond hair that was now bobcut length and a devious cunning smile. But I knew this mermaid. Because the rogue who had been causing the Mermaid Council so much trouble, was none other than...

Lyla?

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Lyla's POV

Out in the sea….

I was in front of a crowd of people I knew and didn't. It was mostly Diablo I was most anxious to talk to. My best friend, my childhood friend had gone from a precious little boy to an adorable teenager. He still retained the dark past he had behind that mask of happiness he always wore. His black hair had gotten pretty messy and it looked like a wild animal slept in it.

Zac and the rest of the team I knew from nearly two years ago had also changed.

"You paralyzed us!" Helen exclaimed, her fire literally rising a little.

"You trapped us in a cave!" Rose exclaimed with some wind rushing. "Not cool."

"Not to mention you left us dangling from a tree!" Kimi exclaimed, the air getting cold.

"Though I have to admit." Said Sirena. "The shell move, that brought back some memories."

"Guys." Thalie said, while i was feeling guilty for what I did. "I'm sure Lyla has a really good reason for doing what she did right?"

I sighed. "Look I've been living on my own these past months and I've made more than a few enemies. I didn't want you guys to be involved. I had to send you back to Mako."

"You really couldn't have just said that instead of causing me a series of itches I couldn't scratch?" Ondina snipped. "And I mean literally."

"Would you have listened?" I challenged.

"She's got a point." Mimmi said. "Some of us, including the Baumans are a pretty stubborn bunch."

"Frankly I don't listen to anyone." Xandou said.

"What about Dad?" Xhiva quipped.

"Lyla." Diablo said. "You're not alone, you got us."

"Yeah, you can stay if you want." Sirena agreed.

"Sirena." I said. "Please, just let this go."

"We still have the grotto." Erik said swimming forward. I had to admit, we kind of looked alike. We had the same tan but my tan was mostly acquired from all that time in Mako. "Nothing permanent, we'll get you some provisions and catch up."

"Wow." Kimi whispered swimming to my sea serpent. "This is fascinating. Rita and I are gonna have fun analyzing it."

"Kimi it's a pet not a science experiemnt." Helen said.

"Well frankly I know that Helen." Kimi said. "But still, not every day you get to see one."

"I think it's kind of cute!" Rose exclaimed.

"Guys, give the serpent space." Thalie said swimming to them.

I chuckled a little. "I see some things haven't changed."

"Yep." Evie said. "It gets pretty hectic sometimes. Come on, let's head back."

"You're not gonna give up are ya?" I asked.

"Hmm not likely." Evie said. I had to admit she had grown a lot.

"Alright." I said. "I'll go with you."

"You're gonna love the place!" Zac exclaimed with excitement.

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Xhiva's POV

At the grotto…

Lyla apparently had gotten legs from the time she spent. She looked like she was dressed for the army. She wore a camouflage bandana on her hair, green tanktop, jean shorts, a dog tag, and military boots.

"How did you get a sea serpent?" I asked.

"Where did you get one cause I want one!" My twin brother asked.

"You want anything that has to do with speed." Zac pointed out.

"And that's what makes it awesome!" Xandou countered.

"Never mind that." Rita said. "Lyla how did you train a sea serpent? It's incredible? No one's ever trained one."

"Actually I owe a lot to you guys." She said. "Especially you Diablo." The sea serpent was in the grotto, head still in the water. "When I found Stormchaser…."

"Wait." Diablo said giving Lyla a hug. "You are officially forgivien for any mistake you have ever made."

"Why?" Evie asked.

"Because she made a good name." He said. "And I am a pro at naming things!"

"Oh God." Xandou muttered rolling his eyes at the Latino.

"Anyway." Lyla continued. "When I found him, he had been hurt bad in fight with a Korean water dragon. He held on sure, but he needed to be nursed back to health. When he recovered, I used the training Diablo taught me. Together we have made the perfect team. We're unstoppable. No one can take us down. And if they tried, they'll be sorry for it!"

Lyla's tone became threatening which kind of gave me chills. However Raiden didn't think so.

"Excuse me?" He asked. "Can you do this?" He stepped back and took a breath before his whole body became illuminated with electricity and the lights started flickering. It was one of the hardest techniques in the world, La Anastasia.

Lyla just laughed. "How cute." And brought a tube to her mouth and fired a poison dart at his thigh.

Raiden removed it and smirked at it. "What's that supposed to…" He didn't move because he fell down, landing on his face. "Ow."

"What was that?" Sirena asked.

"Stormchaser's paralyzing venom." Lyla said. "We'll call it a draw then.

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Erik's POV

A few hours later, I served Lyla her drink. David and Carly seemed to know her too because she was welcomed back with open arms.

"Say Lyla." I said. "What else can your pet do?"

"First of all, Stormchaser is not a pet." She said. "He is my companion. And second, he can smell anything with blood 100,00 miles away. One single tooth from him can gnaw through even bone like it's butter."

Raiden's POV

Me, my cousins, my girlfriend sat, observing Lyla. "I like this Lyla." I said.

"She does look like you." Thalie observed. "Same skin tone."

"For your information, we had a tiny bit of natural tan that deepened once we lived in Arabia." I said.

"Lyla's much more different now." Evie said. "Wonder how Nixie's doing."

"Who's Nixie?" I asked.

"Another friend we met last year." Cam said, sitting down. "I gotta agree, Lyla's more mature and serious."

"She's definitely grown up since the last time we saw her." Zac noted.

"Zac it's been almost 2 years." Evie said. "We were just kids then. We've all grown up."

"Yeah but Lyla back then was so sweet…" Zac said. "Now she's so… I don't know."

"Edgy?" Cam asked. "What's wrong with that?"

"I agree." Thalie said. "I like her new strong attitude."

"Guys there's attitude and raiding pods." Zac said.

"Which we still need to ask her about." Thalie finished.

"Can you guys do me a favor and wait until I ask her about the sea serpent?" Cam asked. "I gotta see it for myself."

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Diablo's POV

Me, Thalie, and Zac went to Mako to check on Lyla, who was taking care of Stormchaser. I had to admit, having a sea serpent was pretty cool. I talked to her and he told me that she was trained by a few mermaids and mermen who fought in Afghanistan and that she was on tour there. On the last part, I couldn't tell of Lyla was kidding except for when I saw a bunch of scars somewhat similar to Erik's. It had been a long time since I saw her. She did have some walls built up but when I was discovered, I was pulled away by my mother and put in a cage and shipped away until Slade found me.

"Eat up boy." Lyla said, feeding him a large pile of crabs. "You're gonna need the strength for what we've got coming."

"Lyla?" Thalie asked. "Can we talk?"

"Sure." She said. "About what?"

"Lyla what the hell are you doing?" Zac asked.

"Just taking care of business." Lyla said, dismissing it. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"But I do worry." Thalie said. "When there are mermaids attacking my pod, I worry."

"Lyla why are you doing this?" I asked my best friend.

"Diablo." Lyla turned around. "A lot has happened in the past 5 years. We're not kids anymore. Everything's changed."

"This isn't the Lyla I know." Zac said. "It can't be."

"I am who I am now." Lyla said. "The last time you saw me, I… never mind. If you want me to leave.."

"I didn't say that." Zac said.

"Lyla, you're still my friend." Thalie said.

"Oh thanks guys." Lyla said, hugging us and then giving Diablo an affectionate hug. "You've always been a true friend to me."

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Later that night…

Lyla's POV

I walked to each of the houses of the girls and boys. How I got their address is a skill the army taught me. I used my powers to put padlocks on the doors so no one could get in or out. Mostly I didn't want them to get out.

"I'm sorry guys." I whispered as I padlocked Zac's garage. "Nothing personal." I ran to the jetty and in a leap of faith dived off into the water, not knowing that I was being watched.

Thalie's POV

Me and Zac turned ourselves and Diablo visible as we watched Lyla leave. I had the suspicion that Lyla was gonna try something like this tonight so we teamed up to go after to find out what she was doing.

"Diablo." I said. "How come you asked me to hold your hand when I cloaked myself? You never really explained why."

"Well it's because I'm a morpher." The Latino merman said. "And the only magic that morphers have is the power of shapeshifting and getting legs. I can't levitate things or bend water like any of you. And most sucking of all, I can't heat water."

Zac winced, patting his back. "Jesus. That must be rough."

Diablo chuckled. "Oh it does. It's another one of the reasons why my mother hates me."

"Come on guys." I said. "Lyla shouldn't be that far ahead."

"Can you get a scent?" Zac asked.

"You got something of Lyla's?" He asked.

"You can smell Lyla in the water?" I asked.

"Of course." Diablo said. "I'm not just a werewolf." I reached in my pocket and pulled out the camouflage bandana she dropped unknowingly. I laid it in front of Diablo while he began to change into a bloodhound. His nose became elongated, fur sprouted and he got on fours. He took a minute to sniff out the scent before he changed back into a human being. "I've got a trail. She must have surfaced to get some air."

"Nice!" Zac said highfiving him.

"Alright guys." I said. "Let's see what our old friend is up to."

We all jumped out of the water and superswam, following Diablo who took the form of a tiger shark.

We followed her to the vast ocean where we saw Lyla conversing with an unknown merperson. Diablo and Zac held shoulders and we all turned invisible.

"Diablo, what are they saying?" Zac asked.

"Something about her and finding the right location." He said.

"Ok this is getting strange." I said.

Marissa's POV

"Thanks Marissa." Lyla spoke to me through her helmet. "As always, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

"The feeling's mutual." I said. "I enjoy our little talks."

Lyla nodded and dove under the water, disappearing from my sight.

Diablo's POV

The feeling of being invisible, was not something I experienced every day. I felt all tingly all over the place and I couldn't even see my blue merman tail.

When I couldn't smell Lyla anymore, I whispered to the others, "She's left."

"Alright Marissa." Thalie said. "Let's see what we can get out of you."

Line Break…

"I'm sorry guys." The mermaid Marissa said, once we found her. "But I've been sworn to secrecy. Even the cheif of the Asmat Tribe couldn't part these lips."

"Really?" I asked, my voice taking a threatening tone and my eyes glowing their werewolf orange. "How about the illegitimate Son of Veridia?"

"Hold up hold up here." Marissa said, her teal eyes sparking with confusion. "I need to breathe for a minute. Veridia is your mom? Are you pulling my fin?"

"No as a matter of fact I am not." I said matter of factly. "Ironic isn't it? That the merman who is talking to you, is Veridia's accident."

"Look Marissa." Thalie said. "I know I've asked of your knowledge before, and I need your help one more time. We're not gonna force you to talk but we do need to know what exactly Lyla has been doing all this time. We just want to help her."

The merman expert pressed her lips before saying, "Oh alright. I guess you got a point. What do you wanna know?"

Zac swam in front of her and asked, "Can we start with why Lyla is out robbing pods and tribes all by herself?"

"I guess it would have something to do with her group of rebel mermaids and and few of them mermen, all being captured and the mermen sold as slaves." Marissa explained. "The Mermaid Council is responsible for this of course, although Veridia wanted Lyla especially, who by the way was the only one who managed to escape captivity while the others were shipped off to the Boiling Bay the very next day...and executed the following night. Lyla's made it her personal mission to avenge her team of rebels who were planning to stop the Mermaid Council."

"By raiding and looting pods and tribes including her own?" Zac asked.

"Oh no you don't get it." Marissa said trying to explain. "She's actually not looting. She's freeing slaves and redistributing back to the families/pods/tribes of the rebel team she was part of. You see, after the Trident was destroyed, Lyla and her friend Nixie moved on to start new lives. Lyla was attacked by the Ares Tribe and left to die. One of the mermaids of the rebel team found her and brought her to a human warship, containing the rebel team. They trained her how to fight and Lyla to this day, blames herself for what happened to them. So every tribe and pod she raids means some people and families will get back some of what they've lost. But unfortunately, some things just can't be replaced."

"But why cause the Mermaid Council?" Thalie asked. "What does Veridia want from Lyla and why now? Why her?"

"That's a whole lot of why's in one breath girl." Marissa said. "All of which can't be addressed."

"Marissa, we're trying to find Lyla." Zac said.

Marissa groaned and rolled her eyes. "What part of I've been sworn to secrecy don't you understand?" Without a further warning, she dived back and swam away before any of us could catch her.

Zac's POV

"That went well." I said sarcastically.

"Now what are we gonna do?" Thalie asked.

"Your moon ring." Diablo asked.

"You want to use it?" I asked.

"No that's not what I meant." Diablo said. "You can use your moon ring to find her. Sense her energy. And since you're the Omega of Water, I'd say you might be able to pull it off."

Thalie shrugged and raised her fist, her moon ring bringing it's eirie supernatural blue glow. For a moment, I swear she was turning into water but she solidified as soon as she was done and when she was, I had to catch her just to keep her from fainting.

"Sis you ok?" I asked worried.

"Yeah." She said panting. "That was the first time I've ever done that. But we have to after Lyla now. I know where she is but that's not important."

"What do you mean?" Diablo asked.

"It's not where she's going." She said. "It's who she's going after."

It didn't take us a 2 minutes to figure it out.

"We need to go."

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Lyla's POV

The time has come, I thought as I swam with my companion, Stormchaser. It has finally come to avenge my family, my team. Every moment of my training has come to this.

I surfaced behind some rocks on a shore near a Tasmanian rock island with Stormchaser behind me, seeing Veridia talk with some mermaids. "This is it Stormchaser." I said. "Remember, we're doing this for Santana, Finn, Rachel, and Noah. For the whole team. For what the Freedom Army stands for. I want my face to be the last thing Veridia ever sees."

But suddenly water came attacking me, but I blocked it and soon I was surrounded by mermaids. But I wasn't going down. Not without a blaze of glory. So I got on Stormchaser but what I didn't realize was that there was a mermaid within the council who could control animals. And that happened to be Veridia. She had a whole bunch of giant squids and sharks at her command and they kept attacking Stormchaser while a mermaid used water to drag me away and I was engaged in a fight with the Mermaid Council. Yes, they are the best of the best mermaids in the world combined as one power but I still took my chances.

"Bring the girl to me!" Veridia commanded. "She can be useful to us! Very useful."

I sliced off water before glowing rope bound my wrists and I knew to my horror, that this rope is designed to block off a mermaid's power and there was another, trying to choke me. I gasped for a breath of fresh air and tried to spit out sea water. I may have been hallucinating from being choked but I swear I heard Zac scream,

"LYLA!"

Zac's POV

My heart raced as I watched my old friend get roped down. She was Diablo's best friend and she may have made some mistakes, but she saved my life and I owe her one.

"Zac." Thalie said. "Get Lyla out of there. Me and Diablo will distract them." They both dived under the water but for a split second, I saw Diablo change into a shark.

Thalie rose out and raised her arms and dropped them, a stormy wave crashing down, sending some mermaids away. Diablo had changed into a Great White and started biting some of the council. But for some reason, he stopped Thalie from going near Veridia nor would he attack her. Like he wanted to protect her.

But that didn't matter, I thought as I swam to Lyla as fast as I could, untying the ropes.

"Lyla." I told her. "You cannot take on the Mermaid Council all by yourself."

"I'm not by myself." Lyla argued. "I have Stormchaser." She swam off to attack some mermaids but I grabbed her arm and the sea serpent who had apparently won his fight with the other sea monsters tried to attack me, but Lyla raised my hand and said, "It's ok. He's a friend. He's here to help me."

"Yeah." Thalie said, surfacing. "Help you get out of here!"

"But I'm too close!" She exclaimed. "I might not get this shot again!"

"But this is suicide!" Diablo yelled. "Do you know what that means? Getting yourself killed!"

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Lyla said dangerously.

"Are you willing to sacrifice Stromchaser as well?" I asked, prompting a concerned face from her.

"There isn't much time." Thaie said pointing to the sea storm that was dying down.

"You will have another chance." Zac said. "I promise."

"Lyla let's go!" Diablo said.

Lyla gave out a growl of frustration before diving down into the water with us.

Veridia's POV

I was seething rage, but unlike Slade, I kept my lid on and controlled myself.

"They got away Veridia." Kiara told me.

"I can see that Kiara." I growled.

"What should we do?" Another one of the council asked.

"Wait and see." I said. "Lyla will come to me on her own. I know it."

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Lyla's POV

I was in the Mako Island moon pool, being healed by Thalie. I had not been in that pool for some time and boy did I miss it. It didn't really hold much memories but the most prominent one was when I spent the day with Zac. Alright I'll admit it, I had a crush on Zac. How could I not? That strong built up tail, those warm brown hazel eyes, that messy curly hair, that adorable smile, his adorable dense head, what's not to like? But in all the time spent away, I realized that I had almost stolen away a boy from his girlfriend, his nosy girlfriend and I'm a mermaid of my honor. If there's one thing the Army has taught me, there are some lines you don't cross.

"Using the Water Omega and the shapeshifter to distract them." I said, as Thalie healed a rope burn. "Pretty tactical."

"Thanks." Zac said. "We talked to Marissa. She told us about your rebel team...and what happened to them. I'm so sorry." Hearing my past year made me almost tear up.

"Come here." Diablo said, giving me a hug which I returned.

"Then you all know why she needs to pay." I said.

"Lyla." Zac said. "Killing isn't always the answer. There might be another way."

"What Zac means to say is that we understand why you're doing this." Thalie began. "But you don't have to do this on your own."

"I don't know." I said with contempt. "It seems like I'm destined to be alone. It starts when I'm little, when I get abandoned by my birth pod."

"Wait." Diablo said. "You never said you were adopted."

"That's because there was nothing to talk about." I said.

"Still, your birth pod?" Thalie asked.

"Well technically my birth mother." I said. "But I don't remember much. It was so long ago, over a decade. I just remember a few moments in my mind. I remember my mother's hands. They wanted to give me the love I needed, but she would pull back like something would be holding her back. And I remember having a little brother. He was only a baby and that's all I know. And this." I reached for my necklace. It was a piece of a narwhal's tusk and it had some sort of carving into it. "My mother gave me this when I was a baby and I shared it once with my little brother. I don't know if it's supposed to mean something but whenever I look at it, I think of him. I just wish I knew who he was."

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Evie's POV

Lyla had gotten back from her 'mission' and we were all gathered in the grotto. By 'we' I meant, Sirena, Evie, Helen, Kimi, Rose, Zac, Diablo, Thalie, and Rita.

"Look I'm so sorry I locked in your homes." Lyla said. "I just didn't trust that you wouldn't trust me."

"Right." Rita said. "Trust does need to be earned, with animals and people."

"Thanks for understanding." Lyla said. "And with the trust that you're now showing I guess I could stay here for a couple more days."

"Awesome!" Rose exclaimed. "We're gonna have so much fun!"

"The point is." Thalie said. "We have your back. You're one of us, rogue or not."

"Even though you were the rogue mermaid, tried to hide what you have been doing and you padlocked in our own houses!" Helen exclaimed. "So why do we even like you?"

"I'm truly sorry Helen." Lyla said sincerely.

"It's alright mate." She said, with Kimi nodding.

"Hey Lyla." I said finally having a voice. "How about we have some girl time?"

"Sure." She said.

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Helen's POV

At Mako Island….

Me, Evie, Mimmi, and Ondina were at Mako Island, showing off our weapons. Evie however just stayed on the sidelines and watched. Mimmi brought with her some sort of package.

"Two weapons are better than one." I said, twirling my flaming tonfa.

"True." Lyla said. "Unless you have one of these." I got out my double bladed naginata and twirled it around before I threw it at a tree, hitting it directly.

"You have to show me how you use a….what do you call it again?" Ondina asked.

"A gun?" I asked.

"Yes." She said. "Show me how you do it."

"Uh Ondina." Evie said. "A gun is not something to be taken lightly."

"Sure I'll show ya." Lyla said, taking out and loading her Glock.

"Lyla!" Mimmi exclaimed. "I may not know human weaponry but I know that whatever a gun does, it's pretty serious."

"Girls." Lyla said. "This is how they learn. You show the best or the worst something can do to someone." Evie, me, Ondina and Mimmi looked at her in horror. "It's how I was taught in Afghanistan." In just a split second, she fired her gun with a loud bang at a tree. "What? I wasn't gonna shoot it at someone."

"Wait I wanna do something." I said running to the nearby trees and burning in target signs.

"Wanna see something cool?" Mimmi asked unsheathing her bag, which turned out to be a bow and arrows. She put on her gear and fired three perfect deadly shots at some trees, all hitting the bulls eye perfectly.

"How did you?" Ondina asked.

"When I was young, Tia Esma took me to Hawaii to get some archery lessons for 4 years." Mimmi explained.

"So that's why you and her went those years!" Lyla exclaimed.

"Maybe she didn't want me freaking out that my best friend was being trained to be a warrior." Ondina said.

"You trained in a weapon?" Evie asked.

"Yeah. Twin daggers." Ondina said. "I prefer close combat so I can look my enemy in the eye."

"Not a bad tactic." Lyla said.

"But I prefer this." I said blasting a nearby bush into flames.

"The element of surprise." Mimmi said. "I like it. Until a few months ago, I had never been in a real battle nor used another weapon."

"Personally I blame the father's genes." Evie said.

"You want to learn how to fight?" Lyla asked.

"No I'm good thanks." Evie said quickly.

"So Ondina." Lyla said. "I hear that you and Erik are a thing right?"

"Wait what?" Ondina asked spluttering. "I...I mean we're just friends. For now."

"Uh huh." Me and Mimmi wigged eyebrows at her.

"Seriously." Ondina said drawing a line with her fingers for emphasis. "Friends."

"That's what they all say." Evie said. "Now Helen and Xandou. That's a match made in the Fields of Elysium." We all laughed at that. "Hey Lyla, met any boys you like?"

"No not really." She said, tugging her camouflage colored bandana. "I swim solo. Mimmi, er Zoe. Met any boys? Some muscled idiots?"

"Well to be honest." Zoe said, unscrewing one of her arrows. "I'm not too much into the macho merman or land boy type. I like a little smarts. Like Chris from a week ago."

"Who's Chris?" Lyla asked.

"Oh just some bloke who worked in the Marine Park and kissed Mimmi." I said absentmindedly.

"He kissed you?" Evie asked. "Seriously?"

"What?" Mimmi asked. "He's kind of cute."

"So just to be clear." Ondina began. "We don't have to worry about how really overprotective and furious your brother, dad, and cousins are gonna be? Because I'm pretty sure that we know what happens when a boy's sister meets another guy."

"I'll tell him...eventually."

"Come on, enough boy talk." Ondina said. "You wanna do something fun?"

Lyla's POV

Mimmi apparently had the power to teleport via shadows. So we went into forest to get some shade and Mimmi did her magic while we held each other. Before I knew it, we were all 6 feet above the water and all fell in, each of us doing our own stunt. I did a cannonball, falling in and when I felt myself transform, I felt a tail wrap around my arm and I looked up to see my sea serpent flash me a toothy grin.

"Hey Stormchaser." I said.

"Wanna go two out of three?" Helen challenged. "Your sidekick here can be the referee."

"No." I said. "I wanna show you something. Let's go." Without further hesitation, they all followed me down back to my campsite.

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Raiden's POV

In the grotto…

Me, my brother and my cousin were hanging out. The adults were all having a meeting in the moon pool. We then spotted Erik rummaging through Lyla's bag.

"Erik will you knock it off?" I asked. "Snooping will not gain her trust."

"To be honest Zac she kinda hasn't gained mine." Erik said.

"Don't try to stop my big bro, cuz." I said, grabbing his arm. "Whenever Erik becomes curious about something, not even a nuclear explosion can stop him."

"Yikes." He said.

I shrugged walking over to where I found this horn on a necklace. "Cool." I examined it and noticed a carving on it. It was sea waves surrounding a large C. "This looks familiar. I just don't know where."

"Let me see that." Zac said looking at it. "Oh, a little mark from when her mother gave her that horn."

"Let me see." Erik said, taking it and examining it. His eyes grew to the size of saucers and his breathing became ragged. I thought he was either gonna throw up or pass out.

"Erik!" I exclaimed trying to get him to snap out of it.

"ERIK!" Zac shouted, his eyes glowing blue and Erik snapped out of it.

"Sorry guys." My brother said. "It's about this symbol on the horn. Zac, did you say that her mother gave her this?"

"Yeah so?" Zac asked.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Have you seen that symbol?"

Erik scoffed. "Seen it? I know it and you should too. This.." He pointed to the symbol. "This is the Royal Seal of the Consorzio Family. My dad's seal."

Both me and Zac were caught in our breaths. If this meant what it meant, it meant that Erik and I...have a sister.

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Mimmi/Zoe's POV

We swam back to the island south of Tasmania where Lyla had set up her private camp. When we got legs, we started following Lyla all around her campsite near a cliff.

"It must be here." Lyla muttered.

"You wanna clue us in on what's going on?" Ondina asked.

Lyla ignored us and coninuted to search.

"Lyla?" Helen asked.

"I'm looking for something." Lyla said.

I heard a rustling in the water and I said smirking, "Something like this?" I used my powers and my strength to levitate the mermaid out of the water and pointed my arrow, aimed at the ready at...Marissa?

"Marissa." Evie said.

"Nice to see you too." Marissa spat out. "I have to tell you something...and get in the water. But it's gonna be a little hard to do that with that arrow 6 inches from my throat." Evie shrugged and pushed the merman expert back in the water. "Oh that feels good. Thanks."

"What are you doing here Marissa?" Ondina asked. "Helen, this is Marissa the merman expert of the Mako Pod."

"Well you see, I don't just deal with mermen." Marissa said. "I also happen to be quite a communicator for the Mermaid Council. I'm what you call a messenger for the Council. Every Pod has one. But there are some perks that come with being a messenger. Perks that include new jewelry, rare potions and not to mention secret and extremely hard to get information detailing the exact whereabouts of a certain mermaid leader."

"What?" Mimmi asked.

"And when someone needs a warrior to deal with that mermaid leader." Lyla took out her Glock and spun it. "I'm your girl."

"Veridia is set to get a new array of moon rings for the mermaids in the West African Pod of Bahari not far in the East Pacific when the sun is in midsky. But there is a catch. Once the deal is done, I won't be able to get in contact with them for a long time. So you won't get another chance."

"Got it." Lyla said. "Thanks Marissa."

When we all dived in, Evie stayed behind for a bit. "You're not coming Marissa?"

"What part of 'I can whip your tail' is stated in my resume?" Marissa asked incredulously.

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The Khatha Twin's POV

Zac closed his eyes and remembered all those lessons he had from Xhiva on how to communicate via telepathy. He imagined his mind connecting with his twin's, like the visions he had but instead of it being a vision, random and out of control, it was like a radio line playing a song. And he was broadcasting the tune to Zoe.

Zoe. Can you hear me?

Yeah Zac I can hear you. She thought back. Thank the moon for all those lying lessons eh?

Yeah. Listen you need to get to the grotto, now.

I don't need to.

Why?

Because I'm already here.

Zoe's POV

I walked into the grotto to find my brother and cousins there. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Zoe sit down." Raiden said, leading me to the couch. "This is gonna come as a shock."

"Zoe…" Erik trailed off. "This horn that Lyla has...her mother gave it to her."

"So?" I asked.

"And this symbol on it." My brother said. "This is our uncle's seal. The Consorzio Family seal."

I turned pale as a sheet as the gears whirred in my head but I couldn't accept the truth. "Does this mean?"

"Lyla could be my…my sister." Erik choked in shock.

"But why would our uncle, a humble king, abandon his own daughter?" I asked. "It makes no sense."

"But I don't think that our parents would lie to us about something like that." Erik said. "Sure they were gonna tell us one day that our relatives were dead, but they wouldn't hide that kind of information."

"How can we even know for sure?" Zac asked.

"That's what we're gonna find out." Raiden said walking up the stairs. "That's why we're going to Mako. If our parents are there, we'll find out what they've been hiding from us."

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Erik's POV

Mako Island shore…

We swam to Mako to try to find our parents and instead at the reef came across a dolphin. I nodded to Mimmi who was gonna translate for Zac who, sadly was the only one of the team who didn't speak any of the dolphin languages. I called this dolphin Slimy, therefore getting a lecture of how I was terrible at naming things from Diablo

Oh hey fellow sea dwellers. Slimy said. I could use your help. I've been dealing with a bunch of pesky whales that have been driving me out of my fin! Some whales crooned in anger. Yeah you heard me!

No time for that Slimy. I said. Do you know anyone who's in the moon pool?

Oh there are some mermaids and mermen in there. Slimy said. About in their late 30's. Your parents maybe?

Yeah thanks. Raiden said.

When we dived, I heard a last sentence going like, But there's a serious meeting going on in there so there might be a bit of a wait.

In the moon pool

Persephone's POV

We were in a meeting discussing the ways to keep us all dry. More merperople on land meant a lot more ways to get exposed.

"I'm just saying." Jacob said. "Carrying towels to school wouldn't be a bad idea."

"It would look a little conspicuous don't you think?" Rita challenged. Suddenly my sons and niece/nephew surface, each of them carrying a worried expression.

"What's the problem?" Phoebus asked.

"We really need to talk." Erik said, holding up a horn with my late husband's symbol on it.

"Hmm." I muttered.

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Diablo's POV

In the grotto…

After Lyla told us what information she gathered, me, Kimi, Rose, Thalie, Sirena, and Xhiva gathered with Lyla's posse in the grotto to lay out our plan.

"Guys we have to go now." Lyla insisted. "There's no other day."

"Wait, you want us to go into battle without the Baumans?" Xhiva asked.

"It does seem highly incongruous." Kimi said.

"Guys I wish that Erik, Raiden, Zoe, and Zac were here." Lyla said. "I do but there's no time. Now, Veridia's set to get a new set of moon rings. We know where she's gonna be and when. Which means we could set a trap for her."

"Lyla does have a point." Helen said. "This could be our only chance to catch her."

"And finish her then." Lyla said.

"Wait." Helen said. "That's not what we do."

"Maybe my boyfriend' father did that back in the Ares Tribe." Evie said. "But that doesn't mean we have to play dirty."

"Trust me, Helen and I know from experience." Ondina said.

"Is this even a discussion right now?!" Lyla shrieked. "We have to get justice! And this is our last chance."

"It's not even a discussion." Thalie said, finally speaking. "We need the others. We all work as one, as a team."

Lyla turned to me and I saw longing glittering in her hazel eyes. "Diablo, say something."

"Well they have a point." I said. "In people who have more of my….otherkin identidy, they're literally stronger when joined with a pack. Alone, we don't make it. You need to work with us we all of us together. But we can't kill Veridia."

Lyla spluttered. "Not you too! All that stuff about having my back, I guess that was just talk." Lyla stormed out, the waves crashing and increasing the impact of her leaving.

"Awkward!" Rose sang.

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Erik's POV
In the moon pool…

"Where did you get this?" My mother asked, holding the horn. The other adults left to give us space. We were on opposite sides of the pool to give ourselves space.

"It's Lyla's." My mermaid cousin said. "She's used to be part of the Mako Pod a year back."

"Hmm." My mother mused.

"Persephone." Zac said. "That horn has my dead uncle's symbol carved in it."

"It does." My mother said, taking notice.

"So is there something you need to tell us?" Raiden asked.

My mother sighed looking at us. "See, ever since the war ended, there are some yet few things leaders of tribes, pods, or clans can agree on. Such as the one of the peace treaties we all agree on. One of them is, when one of those leaders has a child, that child receives gifts from all over. When you were born Raiden, it took one present to not be electrocuted or singed." All of us laughed at this while my brother blushed in embarrassment. "Erik, when you were born, your father asked to make the smallest axe he ever imagined. Your father wanted to start training you the moment you opened your eyes. But I wouldn't allow it. I swear your father nearly passed out when I threatened him not to. He said he thought I was gonna feed him to the fishing net."

"I remember that axe." I mused, remembering the faint memory.

"Yeah." Raiden said. "You tried to impress Ondina by trying to show off and you almost cut off your fin instead."

"What?" Zac burst out laughing.

"Look." I said, cutting them off. "About the horn, Lyla told me her mother gave it to her, but it had our family's royal seal on it."

Raiden swam up to Mom and looked at her dead straight in the eye. I could tell that he was either about to pass out from shock or he was about tear up. "Madre, è Lyla mia sorella?" (Mother, is Lyla my sister?)

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Lyla's POV

At Mako Island beach…

I was taking care of my sea serpent, brushing the scales. "Looks like it's just you and me, Stormchaser." My sea serpent crooned. "As usual."

"Hey." I heard Thalie and turned around to find Thalie, Evie, Ondina, Diablo, Sirena, Mimmi, Kimi, Helen and Rose. "We're gonna help you. But if we're gonna do this, it has to be a capture mission. Not a kill mission."

I smiled, agreeing...at the moment. "Agreed. When it's done, I'll ship Veridia to the Boiling Bay, let her rot there."

"I'm gonna leave behind a map with a message outlining the plan." Kimi said, pinning a piece of paper to a tree with an ice knife.

"Now they'll know where we are." Rose said cheerfully.

"Alright." I said. "Let's go."

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At the North Pacific…

Veridia's POV

"It's a good day to strengthen the purity of mermaids." I said, seeing my fellow councilwomen. "Then again, it's always a good day to strengthen the purity of mermaids."

"The rings are ready for transfer." Atinna, one of the mermaids who made the moonrings. "Do you want them to be distributed via 3 mermaids?"

"No." I said. "Let's stay here and talk a little more." Attina nodded and swam off. "So I can finally have a little chat with Lyla."

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Zac's POV

We were all shaking from the shocking news we heard from when we arrived at Mako. Raiden and I were searching the beach while my sister and my other cousin was in the sea.

"Zac." Raiden said, waving me over to a tree with a note pinned to it.

We both read it and I muttered to my horror, "Lyla's going after Veridia."

"We have to stop her." Raiden said.

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Ondina's POV

We swam about 30 kilometers from Veridia and the council. Personally I was always against them but that was just because I was born in the clan.

"So Lyla?" I asked Ondina. "How do you want to go? Full frontal assult?"

"Nope." Lyla smiled. "Element of surprise."

Helen's POV

All of us except for Evie, Diablo, Sirena, and Lyla went to distract the Mermaid Council. Kimi made the air cold and Rose made some minor storms. I just burned some mermaids here and there. Not too serious though. Thalie though made some waves and was fighting some mermaids.

"What are you doing Rose?" I asked.

"Me?" She answered. "I'm trying not to get anybody hurt."

"Well the same can sort of be said for me." I said, blocking a mermaid. "I sure hope Lyla's posse is doing ok."

Lyla's POV

We were doing more than ok actually. My team and I were in the waters, swimming more carefully than a shark hunting it's prey. We soon approached Veridia and, all the mermaids used our powers to pull Veridia down and Diablo put some seaweed binding on her hands and arms.

You? Veridia asked incredulously. We were still underwater.

A team of five is better than one. Evie said confidently.

And a whole mermaid council triumphs a team of amateurs. Veridia snipped, looking at me in most concern. Lyla, how about we skip all of this nonsense and finally have that talk I've been wanting to have for a long time?

There won't be any time for any kind of talk Veridia. I snarled. Because your business is finished! Stormcutter, finish her!

Lyla, no! Evie cried. You promised us a no kill mission!

I'm sorry Evie. I said. I changed my mind. Veridia didn't 'capture' the Freedom Army. So this ends here.

Veridia laughed coldly. Are you really going to kill me? If you do you'll never…

Save it for Hades. I gagged in her mouth a seaweed gag.

Lyla please...don't! Sirena cried.

Shut up Sirena.

Lyla please. Diablo grabbed my arm, his bright orange amber eyes threatening to spill tears. Just spare her. I know she's done terrible things but she's still my mother and I can't watch her die.

Then don't watch at all. I snarled at him. Stormcutter, hold her!

My sea serpent obeyed me and I raised my hand, ready to deliver the final blow, ready to finally avenge my team. Veridia would finally be brought to justice. I grinned at the sight of her terrified face.

But suddenly, a wave of electrified water went right through us, causing all of us to surface.

"STOP!" We all heard Raiden. "Lyla, stop!" Raiden, Zac, Zoe, and Erik all swam quickly to us, Zac grabbed my arm.

"Move, Zac!" I shouted at him.

"You don't understand!" He exclaimed.

"You promised me another time to take justice and this is it!" I shouted, not noticing Veridia starting to untie her ropes.

Zoe took out my horn, which I must have left behind, and said to me, "Look you told Zac that your mother gave you this."

"She did but what are you doing?" I asked confused.

"This." She pointed to the symbol on it. "Is my uncle's seal! The Royal Seal of the Consorzio Family!"

That caught me off guard. I never had been to a clan so I never knew what the seals were. "A Clan Seal is carved in my horn? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying years ago." Erik launched his story. "Queen Persephone of that Clan gave this horn, to one of the mermaids of the Mermaid Council, as part of a peace treaty, but also as a gift for her newborn daughter."

"But.."

"You were that newborn Lyla!" Erik cut me off. "One of the Mermaid Council officials, is your mother. But she is also Diablo Nagual's mother." He pointed to said merman whose eyes widened and looked at Veridia. I put the pieces together and I realized to my horror that I...am Veridia's daughter. The daughter of a monster.

"No." I breathed out. We did have similar appearances. Very, very similar. Same bronze hair, though mine was lighter, almost same eyes, and the same face.

"Lyla." Zac said. "Veridia is your birth mother. You can't kill her!"

"You wouldn't kill your own mother would you?" Raiden asked.

"You…" Diablo said, visibly shaking. "You've been my sister this whole time?"

"Sirena?" I asked said mermaid who was gaping at me like a fish. But suddenly, a beam of moonlight nearly pulverized us. But I couldn't care less. I was overcome with too much shock.

"It's the mermaids who make the moon rings!" Mimmi shouted, noticing some of them swimming over to us.

"Lyla." Raiden said to me. "We have to go." But I couldn't move. I was just overwhelmed with horror and shock.

"I have to admit." Veridia said, apparently, broken of her chains. "You never disappoint Baumans. Must be a family trait along with stubborness and stupidity."

"Lyla come on!" Evie shouted at me.

"Lyla." Veridia said soothingly. "I'm the only family you've got left!" Diablo must have heard this because his eyes started glowing bright orange and he seemed ticked at her. "This is what I wanted to talk about. Don't fight destiny Lyla. I know you feel the blood of a true mermaid flowing through your veins."

I lifted my head up and looked at her in the eye. I then used my powers to create a wave to leap me over her and Stormchaser was there to break the fall. I glared daggers at her before I left.

Thalie's POV

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, I called out to the others, "Alright guys! Let's head back!"

"Under the circumstances, I wholeheartedly agree with that plan." Kimi agreed, before we all swam back.

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No one's POV
The Santos Household kitchen…

"So the woman who gave Lyla the horn was really Veridia, not you Persephone." Jacob said to his sister-in-law.

"I guess so." She said.

"Lyla and Diablo may share not only the same mother but the same father as well." Rita said, taking a sip of her tea. "But we may never know the truth now."

"Still." Phoebus said. "Abandoning her own daughter. I never realized she was willing to go that far. And poor Diablo. I still can't believe it though. Veridia is Lyla's mother and Diablo is her brother?"

"Phoebus." Esmeralda said. "Who really knows? I mean that is one seriously disturbed lady. Maybe she's just messing with us."

"But there is a certain resemblance." He pointed out.

"True." She said.

There was a heavy pause before Rita asked, "So when are we gonna tell the kids about the prophecy?"

"I'm not sure they're ready to know." Jacob said. "At least not yet. Some of this stuff could be pretty damaging."

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Lyla's POV

I was in the grotto, having said goodbye to everyone, taking care of my sea serpent. I couldn't stay in Australia. Not with this many memories...and lies.

"Guess you're leaving." Evie said. "Again. I thought you were tired of being alone."

I sighed sadly. "I am."

"Then don't be." Said Sirena. "It's safer here, you have support. And I'm here."

"I know." I said. "I just...have a lot I need to figure out." There was a pregnant pause generated as Sirena gave me back the horn and I dived into the water, my tail forming. "Thanks guys. It was nice having a friend again."

"Hey Lyla." Zac said. "Say hi to Nixie for me will you?"

"I will." Just as I tried to leave, I heard my brother er half brother call my name.

"Don't go, please." He whispered, tears threatening to spill.

I swam up to him and said, "I have to. I want to but I can't stay here. Just...give me time. And I promise, I will come back to you." Diablo nodded and pulled back.

"Let's go boy."

Stormchaser and I dived in the water, not to be seen for a long time.

Diablo's POV

Lyla, my own sister or half sister, whatever works, was leaving and I understand why. But she left me out of the descision.

"Hey man." Raiden said, with Xhiva, Zac, Evie, and Erik. "I know you two were getting close again. I'm sorry you're losing a friend."

I stood up and hugged them all in a group hug.

"But, I still have you guys."

And that's the end for now! Please review, because I do appreciate the feedback. What is to come when the prophecy is finally set in motion and Raiden and Zac go in the chamber? Thank you for waiting. And if you have not read Birthmark, I highly suggest you do before reading this.

Here is the after credits scene…

Veridia's POV

The silence in the moon pool was deafening. My daughter was sitting across from me and not daring to look at me in the eye.

"Did you ever regret it?" She asked me.

"Yes." I answered immediately. "Then no, then so much. I just wanted to give you a real childhood instead of one spent worrying about my political career."

"When did you realize it was the right time for me to find you?" She asked me.

"I saw you out there fighting." I said. "You were extraordinary. You were me."

"No." Lyla said. "No I will never be you. I don't wanna be you!"

"Like it or not Lyla, we are blood." I said firmly.

"No." She said. "See, you may have created me, you may have laid me down when I was in the egg...but you were never my mother."

"Lyla!" I screamed as she left.

"Didn't react as you thought?" I heard Nerida's voice as she turned visible.

"To be honest I'm not sure." I said.

"Judge Veridia." She said. "I don't mean to disrespect you, but you need to understand something: You're Lyla's mother. It takes more than a claim to be that, and you were too late because Lyla chose the Freedom Army. You need to accept that and move on with your work. Because you have no business tailing into that girl's life anymore than you already have."

"Oh?" I challenged. "And what do you reckon I should do?"

"You need to give her time to figure out who she really is now. You owe her at least that much."