WOWZA GUYS TWO CHAPTERS SO CLOSE TOGETHER IT'S A MIRACLE
WE ARE VERY VERY VERY VERY CLOSE TO THE END. I AM SO VERY EXCITED AND VERY EAGER TO WRAP THIS STORY UP.
First, thank you everyone for all of your support! I understand your growing frustrations but I hope that I will make you feel better! I'm not sure if this chapter will BUT THE NEXT COUPLE WILL I PROMISE YOU GUYS.
auraofcalm: you make a very fair point and if you don't mind, I'd like to just say something in my defense. I've had this story planned out very specifically since the very beginning. Although it may not seem like it for you as a reader because I am so ambiguous, but I do have a plan. I've had a plan since this story began in 2015. This story is longer than I had planned because yes, I did get carried away with drawing out the long-awaited reveal. That's just what happens sometimes when you write fanfiction. ALL the time, in fact. Things happen unexpectedly but I am still very adamant at sticking with what I intend to do.
In minor defense to Cleo, I'm very glad you brought this up! Yes, it is very sudden dropping Poseidon on you guys like that. Honestly, I have no excuse for it. I should have lead up to it, but I had absolutely no idea how to do that. Apologies. However, this is from "Sea Change." In "Sea Change" Cleo goes to a very dark place. She feels nothing but self-loathing and self-doubt and in the episode, she actually wants to commit suicide (she regrets it when she is actually faced with death but that's another thing). So since Cleo is in this very dark place, my thinking was that was why Cleo was brought to Atlantis. Poseidon knew her ver dark emotions and made himself known to her because yes, she is a member of his kingdom and he was feeling very benevolent. He was trying to help her, in a sense, by making her feel like she's a part of something greater. Was it the best way? No, but that was his way. Afterwards, although Cleo was feeling better after rekindling her relationship with Lewis and her friends, her self-esteem is still incredibly damaged. Throughout the entire show (save for season 3), Cleo has struggled with having very fragile self-esteem and Charlotte totally destroys that in her. So when Rikki and Emma shoot her down like that, that is Cleo letting her emotions get the better of her. She has no proof, she's making herself look like an idiot, and so she just gives up for the time being. I also wanted that to play out the way it did so I could answer the question of Emma knowing about Percy's scars. Emma is led to believe that it was the result of a car accident.
Wow that was way longer than I had planned! Sorry! I understand your disgust and where you are coming from and I just would have liked to provide a little bit of my reasoning behind it. You are entitled to your opinion, but I do ask that you judge whether or not I wussed out after I complete this story (and I can promise you that will happen very soon since we're only a couple chapters away).
Anywho, enjoy the story! This is a super long chapter and I have mixed feelings about it but I am pleased that we are moving along to the ending!
Following Cleo's mysterious disappearance came another full moon; not just any full moon, but one that aligned with the planets a certain way—something this special only occurred every fifty years. This full moon was so powerful, that if a mermaid were to be in the moon pool with the moon overhead, it took away her powers permanently. This is what Gracie had done fifty years ago.
Emma, Cleo, and Rikki were unaware of the power of this full moon at first. They planned on camping out at Emma's again for the evening and try to come up with a plan to get everyone else out of the house. However, coming up with a plan became quite difficult, as Charlotte spent the day terrorizing the girls after they tried to warn her about it.
In the evening, Emma was only able to persuade her parents and aunt to go see a movie. Lisa insisted Emma takes Percy out to see one as well later on. This, of course, never happened. She had to be a little more manipulative and get Elliot to keep Percy and Annabeth busy for the evening for the sake of the full moon. She did not want it to go as well as it did last time with Percy in the house.
Being the devil she is, Emma bought Elliot a new video game he could play upstairs. The boy was so delighted to have it and he just had to show Percy and Annabeth, much to Emma's convenience.
However, little did Emma know that Charlotte would arrive at her house later on in the night. With the power of the full moon inside her, Charlotte wreaked havoc. Charlotte used her powers to tamper with the electricity and the water, erupting the villa into mayhem. This, of course, attracted the other people within the other household and thus none of the mermaids could fight back against Charlotte without revealing their secret.
Emma finally announced she was going to go "fix the problem" by going outside with Cleo and Rikki in tow. They were originally going to sit Charlotte out but Cleo found out that Lewis was taking Charlotte to Mako Island. Things in the house settled down after they left and Percy was able to fix the broken pipes and clean up the water.
However, he did not see Emma again for the rest of the night.
This agitated him and led him to believe that Emma merely ditched him to hang out with her friends—probably at some party like the average teenager would do, he guessed. It was quite disappointing to him, actually. Now he understood why Aunt Lisa once said she felt like she was losing her. And here Percy thought things were going great between them.
Emma did not return home until dawn. She and her friends had discovered the strange full moon's ability to remove a mermaid's powers. Together, Emma, Cleo, and Rikki overpowered Charlotte and got her into the moon pool, stripping her of her powers forever. They also made sure Charlotte would never spill their secret and Charlotte returned Cleo's locket.
Emma did not know what to expect when she returned home. When she approached the villa, a realization struck her: today was her mother's birthday.
Which mean that tonight was the surprise party Emma had planned with Aunt Sally. Emma kept all the decorations hidden under her bed and she was supposed to prepare the house while Aunt Sally and Paul kept her mother out of the house.
The blonde winced at her realization. She was exhausted and drained from the night's events—all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a day. But with all the preparations she had to do, there wasn't any time for sleep.
Emma arrived at her home and very quietly crept into the house from the back door, careful not to let the door even creak. Once in the hallway behind her kitchen, Emma tiptoed to the stairs without making a single sound.
"Emma," a masculine voice called from the kitchen. The mermaid froze in her steps in front of the staircase and cringed. She wished it wasn't who she thought it was. Emma turned around and saw Percy in the kitchen, leaning his back against the counter and his arms crossed.
"Good morning, Percy," Emma greeted sheepishly as she approached him. Percy did not look amused or cheery.
"Where have you been?" he demanded. "You've been gone all night!"
"Shhh!" Emma shushed. "Don't wake anybody up, Percy!"
"Where have you been, Emma?" he repeated in a quieter tone.
"I told you—I had to fix the problem. There was an emergency I had to attend to—"
"What kind of emergency?" Percy pried with a skeptical look. Emma scowled at him.
"You know, it's none of your business, Percy. I don't ask you about everything you do in New York," she snapped.
"It's just one excuse after the other, isn't it?" the demigod hissed. Emma narrowed her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"I've had it, Emma. I don't know what's up with you, but I've had it with all your lies and disappearances!" the demigod hissed. Emma narrowed her eyes. Her next words were slow but like knives.
"You want to talk about disappearances?" Emma said. Her aunt's tearful confession to her mother flashed vividly in Emma's mind. Percy's face fell. "You have no room to talk, Percy! Aunt Sally doesn't know where you are half the time! She doesn't know where you are or what you're doing. I get it Percy—you were away at boarding school because you cannot even fathom staying in a normal high school for more than two weeks! You know, she's terrified of losing you and waking up one more and you're gone! Has it ever occurred to you to simply call your mother?"
You know, Percy has dealt with a lot of bad guys in his day. He's been betrayed before and bad guys and monsters alike have all told Percy harsh things before. Annabeth scolded him every other day it seemed like. But Emma's words hurt. They stung. It was as if she slapped him in the face.
Percy wasn't sure what was more frustrating—her truth or her ignorance. Oh, if only he could tell Emma what exactly he deals with every single day of his life since he was twelve. If only Emma knew what it was like to be a demigod. He was so angry at her he didn't know where to even begin.
"I would have if I could've!" Percy growled. It was Emma's turn to flinch. "You don't even know what you're talking about! You don't know what I've been through. You literally wouldn't survive a day in my life."
"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what you've been through," Emma retorted icily. "And you don't know what I have been through either. You know why? Because you shut us out. You shut us out when we were twelve years old and I haven't heard a peep from you since. And it's not just us, but you shut Aunt Sally out too. Me? I'm used to it. Five years of practice, right? But you're hurting her!"
Percy snorted, but it was far from happiness, "Like you're so innocent. You could have tried to reach out too, you know! All you do is study and get the perfect grades while you live in the perfect house and hang out with your perfect friends! You're just the perfect daughter and the perfect big sister who already has her life together! What's there to worry about? Breaking a nail? Getting a grade lower than an A on a test?"
Emma was glowering at Percy. Before she could cut in, he continued.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Life must get pretty hard for someone like you. It must be so hard to be so perfect. In fact, it's so hard that you'll just throw away all of your dreams and your chances of being an Olympic swimmer!" Percy chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Must be some privilege you got there. How fortunate you are that you can just throw away your hopes for the future like that! Me? I can't even study! Aunt Lisa was right—you've changed. Nobody knows who you even are anymore, Emma. I certainly don't know who you are. Maybe if you tried being even a little bit empathetic, tried to think about yourself a little bit less and a little bit more about others, then maybe you'd be less of a bitch."
The mermaid said nothing. Every word was like a punch in her gut. This was a new side to Percy, one Emma's never seen. Angry, darker, colder. She didn't know Percy was capable of saying such things. His words, although they hurt her, also made her blood boil.
"Whatever you've been through has only turned you into an asshole, you know that? Why don't you go back to New York and never speak to me again for another five years? Better yet, keep your sorry ass there forever! Because I never want to see you again! It's what you're best at, after all!"
"Perfect! Because I never want to see you again either!"
"I hate you!" Emma yelled. "I'll make this easier for the both of us!"
Emma spun around, unable to even look at her cousin for a second longer. She stormed to her front door.
"I hate you too!" she heard Percy yell back. But the only response Percy received from her was the slam of the front door.
The night before was quite the stressful evening for Cleo. But it was also the greatest relief she had felt. Now she could swim freely without being harassed. And that's just what Cleo did. She swam lazily in the reef without a care in the world.
There were so many different brightly colored fish swimming peacefully about the reef. Cleo enjoyed visiting with every one of them. Poseidon was right. Even though they're all different, they all get along. Cleo couldn't have said it better herself.
Poseidon nagged Cleo in the back of her mind. She regretted offending Emma a few days before. In fact, she felt totally embarrassed. She had no idea Percy and his mother were in a car accident. You wouldn't have known it if you looked at either of them regularly. It's a good thing that Cleo didn't confront Percy himself. That would have been so awkward and embarrassing for her.
Cleo just couldn't have imagined Atlantis, could she? She ran her hand across walls and felt the smooth shell of the buildings on her palm. Perhaps Poseidon looked like Percy so much because Cleo imagined him to be like that. She combined Percy's image with the image of her father, who she was upset with at the time. Reasonable, right? It was a very emotional and exhausting day for her so it's only natural Cleo had a very…very…vivid daydream…right? No. Cleo was positive that it was real. She had no evidence and there was no way anyone was going to believe her, but Cleo knew that it was the truth. Question was...what could she do now?
The mermaid glanced to the surface where the sun shone, but something was blocking it. A boat—bigger than a fisherman's boat—Cleo guessed it was a yacht—moved along the surface. She watched it pass overhead and didn't think much of it. She saw boats all the time. Her form slowed, however, in case the boat noticed her on their radar, but they usually always carried on. And that's just what this boat did.
However, after the yacht had passed, something fell into the water a few meters away from Cleo. It gleamed in the light as it sank and Cleo swam to it, curious. It was a shiny, metal ring, as round as a basketball. It was quite peculiar and Cleo grabbed it and examined it closely. Things were always dropped in the ocean but nothing like this. There was nothing extraordinary about it but the brunette wondered as she turned it around what it could be used for. Did someone on the yacht accidentally drop it?
Just as Cleo was about to abandon it, the ring suddenly sprang out from her hand and opened. She flinched in surprise but before she could do anything else, the unraveled ring shot itself at her and coiled around the mermaid's form, around her arms and bringing them to her sides tightly. Cleo gasped, releasing a bunch of bubbles and squirming in place. She tried to move her arms and wiggle them out of the cold metal ring but it was futile. She couldn't move them enough to manipulate the water to assist her. Wildly, Cleo flicked her tail and thrashed about in the sea but to no avail. It was locked and clenched at her elbows, securing around her entire body and preventing her from moving anywhere.
Without any warning, the metal ring beeped. A second later, it released an electricity from it against Cleo's form. She screamed but it was silenced by the ocean as her entire body was shocked violently. It felt like it hit every nerve—every fiber of Cleo's being relentlessly and she jerked and twisted in every direction desperate to free herself from the unbearable pain.
It was too much for Cleo. Her body couldn't take it any longer and she lost her grip on reality. The darkness crashed into her hard and her body went still, floating limp and helpless in the ocean blue.
Later, after a well-deserved nap, Rikki was going for a stroll in the park. She was going to meet up with Zane and tell him about the huge weight that has been lifted off her shoulders. He's going to be so jealous when he hears about Rikki's heroics from the night before.
It was still fairly early so there wasn't many people around but that's just how Rikki preferred it. Even if it was early, the mermaid of fire enjoyed her leisurely stroll in the park.
A man approached her. He was older, taller, muscular, wore wire-rimmed glasses, and dressed sharply (save for the large backpack over his shoulders) with his hair combed neatly, "Excuse me, miss."
Rikki quirked an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"
"You can, actually," he smiled at her. "My name is Dr. Finely. I'm conducting research here and I was wondering if you would like to participate."
"Sorry. No can do. I don't do research," Rikki gave him a farewell nod and was on her way. However, as she walked past him, his hand seized her forearm. "Hey!"
"We would really like for you to participate, Miss Chadwick," he continued. Rikki ripped her arm away from him and stared at him in bewilderment.
"Stay away from me!" she hissed before running off.
However, Dr. Finley merely smirked as his gaze trailed the dashing mermaid. He shrugged off his backpack and unzipped it. He removed two shiny metal discs the size of Frisbees. A button was pressed on each and a red light came on each of them. The man released each disc from his hand. Instead of dropping to the ground, they hovered. A second later, the discs were flying in pursuit of Rikki as Dr. Finley re-zipped his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. The discs raced towards Rikki at an incredible rate while Dr. Finley followed at a leisurely pace behind them.
As Rikki approached the exit to the park, her run slowed to a jog, figuring she put enough space between herself and the crazy doctor. She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of the twin shiny discs. The blonde stared at them curiously but as one of them drew near, a string of electricity shot forward from it at the girl. Rikki gasped and ducked out of the way.
"What the hell?!" She missed the electricity, but the second disc shot another at her. She narrowly weaved out of the way and broke into another run.
Rikki ran straight across the street, dodging cars and earning honks but she safely made it to the other side. The discs flew behind her unwavering and accelerating. Rikki sprinted faster and tried to shake the discs off her tail by rounding corners and nearly toppling strangers over but the discs were not shaken. The discs floated above the people and objects so there was nothing to stand in their way or slow them in their pursuit.
Heart pounding and a sweat breaking across the mermaid's brow, Rikki was getting tired and desperate. With each look over her shoulder it seemed the saucers were closer. She was hoping somebody would intervene but strangers only saw a running girl, not shiny metal discs zipping above their heads.
Desperate, the blonde ducked into a dark alley. Maybe she could hide. When she noticed they followed her into the alley, Rikki regretted her decision. There wasn't anywhere to hide except behind a dumpster and it was a dead end.
Rikki skidded to a halt and whipped around. Alright then. If they're not going to leave her alone, then she's going to fight them. Rikki raised her hand and summoned her firepower. She had never done such an act before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. A flame combusted into her hand suddenly but it did not burn her. The flame condensed itself into a fireball and Rikki gave a great wave of her hand, sending the ball flying into one of the discs. The fireball collided against the shiny metal and it exploded.
Not so fireproof, Rikki mused.
The other disc shot itself towards her and Rikki quickly began to summon her magic again. In the next instant, lightning suddenly crashed down upon it from the sky. It struck the final disc down into the asphalt and it was no more. There was a low rumble of thunder that followed Rikki's lightning and dark clouds formed, blocking the sun.
Rikki smirked and placed her hands on her hips as her gaze settled on the shattered pieces of metal and the black marks left from her powers. She was quite satisfied indeed.
Without any warning, an arm hooked around Rikki's throat and pulled her back against a taller form. Rikki gasped and struggled against the person, but they were too strong. She wiggled and squirmed against them but it was futile. His free hand held a small cloth which he clasped over Rikki's mouth and nose. Once the mermaid inhaled the scent from the cloth, darkness swept over her like a wave and she collapsed into his arms.
As soon as Emma had ran out of her own house, she made a beeline to the ocean. She walked so briskly that she was practically jogging and had people dodging out of her way. She didn't care though. Emma was in such a fury that she just wanted hit something or freeze something. She didn't do either, and instead dove into the water and swam as fast as she possibly could to Mako Island.
In the moon pool, Emma pulled herself on the rock and rested her head against it. It was only hours ago that Emma was there and had faced off against Charlotte. Suddenly it seemed longer than that.
Emma was so furious at Percy. She had no idea he was capable of saying such cruel things to her. He had no idea what kind of night he had. Hell, he had no idea of the life she had to live. Emma had to leave before she declared that she was a mermaid to shut her dumb cousin up about everything. But he would never understand. And Emma knew that she was right. Percy and Aunt Sally and Uncle Paul and Annabeth were all leaving tomorrow and Emma knew that she was never going to see them again. Why would she? They live on opposite sides of the world. And they have nothing in common except for the fact that Sally and Lisa were blood sisters.
What an idiot, Emma thought. Percy understood her so little. It's not like he sprouted a tail every time he came into contact with the smallest droplet of water. It's not like he just nearly lost all his powers the night before and had to fight against some vicious water snakes or anything. It's not like he had to stop a reckless mermaid from making a gigantic disaster or anything.
He and Emma were just finally getting along. Why did he have to screw it up? It wasn't fair. Emma's heart was breaking and her chest ached painfully. It wasn't fair. She hated this. She hated it all.
Emma remained in the moon pool for a while. She didn't know how long it was nor cared to. Her form laid against the rock and she closed her eyes, trying not to let her feelings overwhelm her but it was too late.
Finally, after deciding it has been long enough, Emma pushed herself under the cerulean water and launched herself into her super swim out of the moon pool.
Unfortunately, awaiting Emma at the entrance of the moon pool was a large net. Her body collided against it and the net enveloped her entire figure securely. The blonde was thrown into a frenzy. She grabbed the net and frantically tried to shake it and pull it off of her. It only seemed to entangle around her further. This wasn't an ordinary fishing net and nobody would put a fishing net across the entrance of the moon pool. It was a trap. Somebody knew Emma was in there and somebody was trying to capture her. The mermaid struggled desperately but nothing was accomplished. No matter how wildly she threw herself, she was forever trapped.
And just then, the entire net became alight with electricity.
Not much long after Rikki's run in with Dr. Finely did Zane arrive at the park. However, Rikki was nowhere to be seen. He checked his watch, making sure he was on time or if he was early, but he already knew she was running late. He sent her a few text messages but they went unanswered. So then Zane called her and it went straight to her voicemail, as if his call was rejected or her phone was off. Quite peculiar, for Rikki rarely had her phone turned off, he tried calling her a second time and received her voicemail instantly.
After an hour of waiting in solitude, Zane decided that Rikki was not going to show up and returned home irritated. It wasn't like Rikki to blow him off and he didn't appreciate it in the slightest.
When he arrived in his large, extravagant home, he heard the home phone ring. It was probably Rikki, Zane guessed, and he did not go to answer it. Instead, he went to the fridge and let it ring. If Rikki was going to blow him off and not answer his calls, then he's not going to answer hers.
The phone station beeped and his father's voice from the voicemail played. Zane munched on some grapes and continued to ignore the voicemail, expecting to hear an apology spill forth from it.
"Hello, Mr. Harrison Bennett. My name is Dr. Cecelia Swanson," a female voice introduced. "I was calling to inquire about a business proposition with you. It has come to my attention that you had previously funded research in the scientific study of mermaids."
The fridge door slammed shut and the grapes nearly fell out of Zane's mouth.
"I would like to propose to you another project in the scientific study of mermaids. We have three specimens already to interest you in. This can be very valuable research and I can guarantee it will be far more successful than Dr. Denman's original experiments—"
"This is Harrison Bennett," Zane spoke in a deeper tone after he leapt at the phone in the station and cut off the woman.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Bennett," she greeted breezily.
"You have mermaids?" he demanded.
"Three of them. Two blondes and a brunette. All in prime condition. Would you be interested in partaking in our study?"
"I have to see them first," Zane commanded.
"Of course. But you must understand I can only show you one of them unless we start discussing funding and contracts. When can you meet?"
"Today. Right now, actually."
"Oh, that's wonderful!"
Dr. Swanson gave Zane her phone number and an address to meet her at. The address was located by the docks and Zane jotted it down as quickly as possible. After she gave him the information, he hung up the phone and bolted out the door.
Zane ran to the docks. Rikki was never late—she was kidnapped. How anybody knew about his father and Dr. Denman and the mermaids was beyond him. But he had to do something to rescue them before something very bad happened. His gut twisted painfully at the thought of something happening to Rikki—or any of the girls. Dr. Denman flashed in his mind and he grimaced at the horrible memory. Was she back in town? Was she out for revenge?
But that couldn't be true. Her reputation was ruined when her "project" failed and she saw the girls give up their powers. Granted, it was only for twelve hours, but Dr. Denman didn't know that. Who could it be? Who is Dr. Swanson?
Zane jogged down to the docks where he planned to meet them. He went past the fishing boats and traveled further towards the larger ships and expensive yachts. It wasn't an unfamiliar area to him, for his father had multiple yachts they have gone out on. Zane didn't have to bother finding the right number because he was able to spot three figures waiting patiently before one of the boardwalks. A female—whom Zane guess was Dr. Swanson—and two large males that were both taller and more muscular than him. They appeared to be security guards and wore blank expressions.
He slowed in his jog as he approached the trio and a frown began to etch itself into Dr. Swanson's features. She was very pretty but she was older than Dr. Denman, appearing to be in her late forties or early fifties. Her graying brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun. She was dressed in a sharp pantsuit and held a clipboard to her chest. Behind her, the two burly security guards were dressed in simple, all black clothes. The darker skinned one wore a nametag that said, "M. Sharp" and the other man's said, "T. Stone."
"Can I help you, young man?" Dr. Swanson asked. With the look Zane was giving her, she knew what he was here for.
"The mermaids," he breathed, trying not to sound out of breath from running to them. He tried to ignore the security guards and tried not to panic. He had absolutely no plan and no backup. He was no match for either of them. "I'm here for them."
"I'm afraid they are unavailable," she clipped.
"My dad's not coming," Zane informed. "He never was. I was the one who answered the phone and even if he did, he would ever participate in something like this. I'm not leaving without seeing them."
"How disappointing. You've wasted your time, young man," the older woman scolded. "They aren't open to the public yet. You best be off now."
Zane's face flared with fury. He reached out and grabbed the woman's bicep just as she was turning away and pulled her face close to his, "I'm not going to tell you again. Those mermaids are not yours. They're people. They're girls. Let them go now!"
Suddenly, two hands clasped over Zane's shoulders and pried him violently off Dr. Swanson. He felt his body being thrown across and crashed down against the cement painfully. His head had thrown back and hit the cement so hard his vision darkened and he saw spots. His lips parted and a low groan was released. He could hear the woman chuckle darkly across the way.
"We are done here, Zane Bennett. I suggest if you know what's good for you to stay out and away from this. Goodbye."
The wind was knocked out of the teenager and he struggled to push himself upright. The world was spinning around him but he could make out the three forms walking along the dock to a particular yacht. He tried to push himself up onto his feet but he stumbled and found it impossible to catch his breath. The trio sauntered up a ramp to one of the largest yachts in the yard. As soon as they were on board, the ramp disappeared inside of it and the ship was started up. Zane could make out the letters on the side of the ship, "The Siren's Song."
Zane knew he was in over his head. He had to get help. Lewis would know what to do. He and Lewis have done this before and they can do it again. As soon as Zane was able to steady himself on his feet, he ran off.
In the Gilbert household, Annabeth leisurely descended the stairs and found Percy pouting in one of the armchairs. Usually she awoke before he did, but the daughter of Athena nonetheless greeted her boyfriend with a peck on the cheek.
"Good morning," she said.
"Morning," he grumbled. Percy was uncharacteristically frowning and had a look on his face like he was ready to murder somebody. Annabeth frowned at the other and placed her hands on her hips.
"Is somebody grumpy?" Annabeth teased. "Somebody wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"Not now, Annabeth," Percy protested, propping his elbow on the arm of the chair and placing his chin in his palm. Wow, something must really be bugging him, Annabeth mused.
"Alright then," was all she said. "Have you seen Emma? She hasn't been in her room at all."
"Beats me."
"You're not concerned that Emma has been gone for twelve hours?"
"Nope."
Annabeth sighed and realized it was Emma at the root of his crabby mood. She walked around Percy and sat on the coffee table in front of him.
"Alright, now what happened?" Annabeth asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," he clipped. Annabeth rolled her stormy grey eyes.
"C'mon, Seaweed Brain. Something happened between you and Emma. What was it?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Annabeth didn't flinch but she narrowed her eyes at Percy's outburst, "Don't take it out on me! I was just trying to help! But if you just want to sit around and mope, be my guest!"
Percy said nothing and Annabeth stared at him expectantly. When the son of Poseidon remained silent, Annabeth got to her feet and walked to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water and took a hearty drink before looking back at the boy in the living room.
"Isn't today your aunt's birthday?" Annabeth reminded. Percy said nothing but his lips formed a tight line. He had completely forgotten today was his aunt's birthday. Emma had planned a big party for her tonight and was going to get the place ready. However, he hasn't seen, nor would care to, her since their heated argument early in the morning.
The doorbell rang, disrupting the heavy silence that had filled the air. Annabeth stared at the water in the glass before looking up at Percy once again.
"Are you going to get that or shall I?"
Percy huffed and got to his feet and stormed over to the front door and threw it open. Ash was on the other side, carrying two large bags containing party supplies. He seemed alarmed when Percy so angrily threw open the door but decided against saying anything.
"Hey, is Emma here?" he asked sheepishly. Percy frowned.
"No."
"Oh. Do you know when she'll be back?"
"No."
Ash swallowed. What's eating him? He thought to himself. What are you supposed to say to this?
"She asked me to drop off some supplies and help her set up. Do you mind if I drop them off?"
"Sure. Whatever." Percy sulked away from the door and left it open to invite Ash in. Ash blinked and followed him inside. The demigod returned to his spot in the chair and Ash placed the two bags on the kitchen counter.
"Hello, Ash," Annabeth greeted brightly with a smile. Ash returned her smile, glad to see somebody in a good mood around there.
"Hi," he returned. "I should give Emma a call and see if she wants me to do anything while she's gone."
He received no response as he fished his phone from his pocket and dialed her number. However, when he called her, the number went straight to voicemail.
"Weird. She's not answering," Ash muttered as he furrowed his brow. Percy rolled his eyes from his armchair but remained silent, much to Annabeth's annoyance.
"Hello! Anybody home?" Before Ash could do more, a masculine voice broke the silence from the front door. Lewis strolled into the living room and was surprised at the sight he was presented with. The tension hit him like he ran into a wall and his face dropped at the somber group.
"Hey, Lewis," Ash said and Annabeth gave a small wave behind the taller man.
"Is Cleo here? Her dad said she went out and I figured she must have come here to help Emma with her party and all," the blond informed. Annabeth shook her head.
"Emma is MIA currently," Annabeth responded.
"I tried calling her and it went to her voicemail," Ash added. Lewis pursed his lips and knitted his brow together as he slipped his hand into his pocket.
"Weird because I tried calling Cleo earlier and she didn't answer either," he murmured as he produced his cell phone. When he opened it, there was a new message waiting to be opened by him from Zane.
THE GIRLS ARE IN TROUBLE. THEY'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED AND I NEED YOUR HELP.
Lewis's face visibly paled and his throat dried. He glanced up and briefly looked at Ash and then at Annabeth, both of which were staring at him with puzzled expressions.
"I—uh—I—gotta—" Lewis stammered, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck.
"Is everything okay?" Annabeth asked. Lewis swallowed and quickly nodded but Annabeth remained unconvinced.
Just then, Zane burst through the front door, startling everyone on the first floor. He was at Lewis's side in an instant, breathing heavily with sweat dripping across his brow. Everyone stared at the man in bewilderment.
"Lewis!" he panted and smacked the blond's arm. "What's that thing in your hand?!"
"A phone…?"
"When you have a phone, you answer it!" he hissed.
"I just got your message!"
"Emma isn't here, is she?" Zane asked Ash and Annabeth. They both shook their heads and Zane nearly let out a frustrated groan.
"She's not answering her phone," Ash informed. "And apparently neither is Cleo. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Zane snapped at him. "But we got to go, Lewis. Now."
"Right!" Lewis and Zane didn't waste another second to get out the door. Annabeth stared at where they stood with raised eyebrows and Ash was completely lost. He tried to figure out what was going on between Zane and Lewis but there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that was suddenly making itself known within him. Unable to shake the pitiful feeling, Ash quickly followed after the other two men without saying another word to either of the demigods.
"Okay, what's going on?"
Lewis and Zane both stopped in their tracks at the sound of Ash's voice. They each reluctantly turned around to face the other. Once Zane laid eyes on Ash, he glared at him.
"This doesn't concern you," Zane said icily. Lewis glanced at Ash and feared that Zane was going to make matters worse by picking a fight—something Lewis really would hate to get caught in the middle of.
"It's about Emma, Cleo, and Rikki, isn't it? They're missing, aren't they?" Ash accused. Zane's mouth formed a tight line and his fists clenched.
"Not, uh, exactly," Lewis cut in. "They're fine, I'm sure."
"This isn't any of your business, Ash," Zane growled. Ash narrowed his eyes at Zane.
"It's every bit of my business as yours, Zane. Emma is my girlfriend and I care about her very much." Zane scowled and rolled his eyes before turning away from Ash.
"We don't have time for this. Let's go—"
"This is about them being mermaids, isn't it?"
Zane and Lewis froze once more. Their hearts stopped once Ash uttered the words and Ash knew he struck a nerve within them. The last thing Zane wanted was more people to find out about the girls' secret. He was already angry enough some scientists with a boat have discovered it and have captured them for it. Now one of Zane's least favorite people knows too?
Zane whipped himself around and stormed into Ash's face, "How do you know that?"
Ash remained unfazed and shoved Zane back by the shoulders. It was an expected response for someone as hotheaded as Bennett and Ash wasn't going to tolerate any of his intimidation games today. Zane stepped forward defiantly but before he could lay a hand on the other, Lewis stepped in between them with his back to Zane and a sheepish expression to Ash.
"What he, uh, means is…how do you know that…exactly?"
"Emma told me a bit ago."
"What?"
Annabeth then turned her sharp gaze onto Percy, who had remained silent and unmoving from his spot in the chair. At first, she thought he was sleeping. But as soon as Ash slammed the door behind him, his eyes slowly fluttered open, but he still did not move. The daughter of Athena let out an irritated huff and her boyfriend's indifference to the clearly dire situation and rushed up the stairs. She went into Emma's bedroom at the front of the house and threw open the window to peer at the three teenagers on the sidewalk.
"So you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" Ash demanded.
"Rikki, Cleo, and Emma have been kidnapped," Zane informed darkly. "By scientists. I don't know when, I don't know how, but it had to have happened this morning. I received a phone call from one of them looking for an endorsement and when I showed up—"
"You met with the kidnappers?" Lewis squeaked. "By yourself?"
"It wasn't the best plan, okay? I think I met with the main one. Her name is Dr. Swanson. We met at the docks and she got on a ship after she found out I wasn't there to give her any money. I think that's where the girls are being held right now. It's a ship called the 'Siren's Song.'"
Lewis and Ash exchanged nervous expressions. Both of their hearts started breaking. If they're being held on a ship, then that means that they can go wherever the scientists wanted them to be. How on Earth were three teenagers supposed to find them now?
"They could be anywhere," Lewis murmured softly.
"We have to hurry then," Ash insisted. "Maybe they haven't left yet. After all, if they're looking for endorsements, maybe they'll stick around and go find it from someone else."
"For once, Ash, I hope you're right."
The trio did not make any haste in leaving. Annabeth watched them disappear down the road before she bolted. She nearly leapt down the staircase to get to Percy fast enough. The son of Poseidon was where she had left him, sitting in the chair with his eyes closed but the same strained look etched into his features. Annabeth planted herself firmly in front of him and loomed over his figure.
"Get up, Seaweed Brain," she commanded firmly. Percy opened his eyes and glared at his girlfriend. "That wasn't a question, Percy. Get up, now!"
"Why? What's your problem?" he grumbled. Annabeth punched him on the arm.
"Emma is in trouble. She's been kidnapped!"
"So? Why don't you call the police?"
"Percy!" she cried angrily. "She's being held hostage on a boat! Who better than—oh, I don't know—a son of Poseidon to go rescue her?"
Said demigod remained silent.
"C'mon, Percy. She's your family! Get over whatever you guys fought over and let's go! They're never going to find her if she's being held on a ship. She can be taken anywhere by now! Unless you go find her and you are going to find her, Percy. Now, c'mon."
Before Annabeth could painfully punch Percy once more, he got to his feet. His anger fell from his face and was replaced with something closer to concern.
"Alright. Let's go rescue her. And we have to hurry. I've got a bad feeling about this, " Percy agreed. Annabeth smiled at him and he returned it half-heartedly.
After grabbing her backpack, Annabeth and Percy were out the door in a flurry.
"You're also going to tell me about what you two fought over this morning on the way," Annabeth stated, earning a groan from the other.
Inside the "Siren's Song" were three tanks, each about ten feet wide and went up to the ceiling. They were bi-level, so the tank extended to the floor below all the way down, the floor of the upper level cutting it in half. The lower level of the tank was filled with water and fake rocks lined the perimeter of the glass at the surface of the water.
Rikki was in one tank labeled "001" and Emma was in the one directly beside her labeled "003." It was hard for the two blondes to communicate. Rikki was the first one taken out of her taken by the scientists, where they sanitized her painfully and then performed a less than comfortable physical of her mermaid body. When she was lifted out of the tank, she was very violent and fought against the captors. When she returned, she was melancholic. They lifted Cleo out and she resisted, not angry, but she was extremely terrified, screaming and crying and flailing, begging for them to let her go.
Emma and Rikki were just as terrified as Cleo was. However, Rikki's fear came out in anger and Emma put up a determined mask, never going to let the scientists see that they got to her.
"You can't do this to us!" Emma yelled but the glass muffled her voice. "We're people!"
"I'm afraid not," Dr. Swanson stood beside Dr. Finley, both of whom were smirking wickedly. "You're not human beings. We don't quite know what you are yet besides a mermaid but we are finally able to truly find out."
"How did you find us? How did you find out about us?" Emma demanded. Both the man and woman chuckled to each other devilishly.
"And why would we tell you?" Dr. Finley returned.
"Humor me, won't you?"
"It was quite easily, really," Dr. Swanson said. "Dr. Denman's project was a failure and she became a joke of the scientific community. No one dared to look at her fairytale research. But I decided to humor her and I was quite intrigued at what I found. Even though the project was shut down after she lost you three and you gave up your powers, I had to see it for myself if it was true. After all, Denman's data was all there with numbers she couldn't have possibly come up with on her own.
"And then, things started to get a little interesting a week ago," she continued. "There were some strange disturbances. A little too strange to be weather-flukes. Your friend Charlotte Watsford was quite bad at keeping a secret. We waited and studied the four of you for the past several days and it was undeniable—you three truly hadn't given up your powers like Denman had believed. Which opened up an opportunity for us and we waited for the perfect time."
"What do you want from us?" Emma questioned.
"Research, of course. Why, this is one of the largest scientific discoveries in human history! Human skin cells instantly changing into fish cells? We're going to turn Denman's joke into something real. Something formidable. You're destined for great things in the scientific community."
Dr. Swanson and Finley left the room. The three tanks were located in a windowless room with blank walls and ceilings. The tanks took up most of the space but there was enough room for people to circle them. In fact, three security guards did just that. They circled the tanks like vultures waiting for their meal. In fact, the look in their eyes seemed like they were almost starving. Two large men—with nametags of M. Sharp and T. Stone—and a woman almost as large as the men with a nametag of C. Pond. It was deeply unsettling to Emma and she avoided looking at any of them directly.
Emma sank under the water and lowered herself to the lower level portion of her tank. She peered out the glass and found an identical room to the one above. Windowless, blank, and white. No security guards were roaming the lower level but Emma knew that they lurked throughout the premises. She counted over a dozen scientists and almost two dozen security guards when she was brought in. There had to be more—the blonde didn't have a clue to where she was and how large it expanded to.
When Emma resurfaced, she looked towards Rikki. Rikki leaned against the plastic ledge in the corner of her tank farthest from the door. It was terribly uncomfortable for all of them in these squishy tanks. She had remained silent the entire time since her return and barely even looked at Emma. Emma feared—what could they have possibly done to break Rikki?
Emma banged a fist against the glass and it hurt her hand more than expected. The glass didn't crack or break or even form a scratch, but it produced a loud enough sound to capture Rikki's attention. The mermaid of fire looked over at her friend and Emma tried to call out to her, but it was too difficult to hear. Cleo's tank was positioned between Emma and Rikki. It was hard enough to have a conversation with Cleo without bursting their vocal chords and Emma knew that it would be a waste of her voice to try and communicate with Rikki. Besides, how could they communicate and plan an escape with such watchful guards circling them?
And so, some time had passed. It was nearly impossible for Emma to tell exactly how long. She had no sense of time in the tank. All she could do was float and stare at the whiteness, making time pass agonizingly long for her and Rikki. But after some time had passed, Cleo was being carried into the room by several doctors and guards with Swanson and Finley strolling behind.
Cleo was practically dumped into her water. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she still had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her form sank to the bottom of the tank where she sat and leaned against the glass, rubbing her wrists and the ends of her tail while sniffling.
The sadness radiating off the innocent brunette had Emma's heart aching. Cleo was so soft-hearted. Seeing someone so pure in such a depressed state and not being able to comfort her did more than upset Emma.
Just after Cleo was dropped into her tank, Emma was retrieved from hers. Like Cleo and Rikki, she resisted. They lifted her from under her arms and somebody grabbed her thrashing tail. She was defenseless, she knew, but she had to fight them. She had to fight for Cleo and for Rikki because someone had to. Emma was not going to rot here in the hands of some scientists trying to make a buck off of her magic.
As Emma was being carried away, she felt something sharp sting her in the neck. Slowly, a strange feeling overwhelmed her nerves. It was as if her hands and tail had been turned into jelly. Her vision darkened but she did not lose her consciousness. With her body feeling like lead, resistance was impossible and all she could do was be carried down a white tunnel with an unknown destination.
soo! This was a very intense chapter. Like I said, I'm iffy about it. I'm excited that I wrote it because I've been wanting to write for a long time. But I'm afraid I did a bad job of writing it. And I will admit it already, I did absolutely nothing to lead up to this.
And I will admit it already, I did absolutely nothing to lead up to this. It has been bugging me as I wrote out this chapter that there was nothing to lead up to this. I do apologize for it.
I also want to immediately jump to Emma's defense because throughout this entire story I've done nothing but make her look like a bad guy. I hope you guys don't think so!
I do hope you guys liked the chapter! Your support for this story has been nothing short of fantastic and I can't thank you guys enough! As always, please keep reviewing!
-Spiz