Day nine of MerMay prompt month.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who care for the children in your lives, whether they are your own or another's.

And for those of you who have any kind of mother figure in your lives, don't forget to wish them a Happy Mother's Day too!

Thanks benjie164 for the review!

(Enjoy this chapter. It's my favorite—at least so far.)

Mythology - Ferb

Ferb hadn't used his voice this much in years—if ever!

And he was surprisingly enjoying it.

Somehow, talking to Isabella felt natural. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her about his time with Meris and his friends. He wanted to know about her time here. He was so curious about her. Phineas hadn't shared a whole lot about the gang in his emails, and Ferb hadn't really bothered to ask. He thought then that everyone was more Phineas's friends than they were his—that they mostly just tolerated his company.

Once his môr crew had started talking to him in school, he began to learn how to actually make friends. He hoped he could use those same teachings here in Danville to form real friendships with those he used to know—and those he might meet.

Starting with Isabella.

"The closest town to where we lived was called Zennor—and it has the best cream I swear." Ferb held up a little tin cup of what remained of the beaten butter he had smeared onto his toast. "This doesn't even come close."

Isabella smirked. "Well of course not. That's butter."

He shook his head. "No, the Cornwall cream was just as thick as this, but it was sweet and, ugh." His head fell back with a groan. "It was just amazing. It's probably right at the top of my list of things I am going to miss most from there."

Her eyes widened slightly and she swallowed the bite she had taken. "So, you are planning to stay?"

Ferb blinked at her and nodded. "This is home," he said simply.

Isabella smiled softly. She scooped up some eggs, saying, "So, what was Zennor like?" before taking a bite.

Ferb spent some time talking about the little town that he grew to know like the back of his hand. When he mentioned the Mermaid of Zennor, Isabella's eyes lit up.

"A mermaid legend?!" she gasped. "Oh, please tell me about that!"

Ferb grinned. "Do you like mythology?"

Isabella wiggled, her half-eaten pancakes forgotten. "I love mythology! I'm actually writing a few stories based on some of the legends from Mexico."

Ferb leaned forward, very interested. "Which ones?"

Isabella opened her mouth to tell him, but she stopped herself and pointed her fork at him. "You have to tell me about the mermaid first."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, point your weapon elsewhere, please."

Isabella put her fork down, smiling at him to continue as she picked up her refilled juice.

Ferb grinned. "Shall I start with the facts as they are known, or tell you the tale first?"

Isabella pursed her lips in thought. "Facts. Get the dry stuff out of the way."

Ferb chuckled. "Good choice, considering there's really only one straight fact." She looked at him, confused. He shrugged. "The only thing anyone can prove is that there is a carved bench from the fifteenth century that shows a woman with a fish tail, and she is holding a mirror in one hand and a comb in the other." Isabella raised a hand to her mouth in thought. "The bench sits in the Zennor church, which was built sometime in the twelfth century."

She raised an eyebrow when he didn't continue. "Seriously, that's it?"

He shrugged playfully.

Isabella gave him a deadpan stare before waving a hand at him. "Alright, so what is the story?"

His eyes brightened and he began in a soft slow voice. "Many many years ago, one Sabbath day, a beautiful lady, richly dressed, appeared sitting in the back of the church. She had been drawn to the church by the singing of one man named Matthew Trewella, who was widely known to have the best singing voice in the town."

Isabella's eyes were wide behind the dark rims as she listened to this. He could practically see the images appearing in her mind.

"This woman could sing beautifully as well, and every single man in the village wanted to marry her, including Matthew. The lady could not be found, however, except for on Sundays during service. One such sunday, she smiled at Matthew, who decided to follow her from the church. He never returned."

Isabella's hands rose to her mouth in worry, and Ferb reminded himself that she probably knew a lot of mythology—and there were a lot of tales where sea people were depicted as evil creatures. He hurried on.

"Years went by and Matthew and the woman were forgotten. Until, one day, a ship cast anchor off the coast of Zennor." He watched her eyes begin to twinkle as she tried to guess what was going to happen next. "The ship's captain heard a lovely voice hailing him from the water. Looking down, he saw a beautiful mermaid. She pleaded with him to raise his anchor because it had landed in the doorway of her home and was keeping her children and her husband, Matthew—" Isabella squeaked. "—from being able to leave."

Ferb cut some of his eggs as he finished the tale. "As it turns out, the mermaid was one of the daughters of Llyr, the king of the ocean. Her name was Môrveren, and she had married Matthew Trewella. They lived the rest of their lives, happily, beneath the water."

With that, he stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth, giving Isabella a chipmunk smile instead of telling her he had met some descendants of Veren and Matthew—Cora being one of them.

Her mouth was open, her eyes wide with wonder. "That is amazing! It's a Mermaid legend with a happy ending! That's so rare!"

He didn't respond (he couldn't respond), so he tilted his head questioningly.

Isabella was practically dancing in her seat. "There are typically three types of humanoid creatures you can find in practically every civilization's mythology across the world. Mermaids, Earth or plant based beings, and shapeshifters," she said, counting them out on her fingers. "In most cases, all three of those types are tricksters or they are preying on the heroes either for food or—" she waved her hands. "—just because they can."

Of course there are those beings in all Mythologies, Ferb thought. Shapeshifters were drastically enhanced in those types of stories, but all three were real. None of them were inherently evil though. He didn't say any of that out loud, biting his tongue to stop himself from even attempting to.

Isabella pushed her plate out of her way and she leaned closer. "Sometimes you can find a myth where the mythological being is actually helpful to humans or falls in love with the hero. But it's sooo rare!" She bounced a few times, and Ferb had to force his gaze away from her, his cheeks pinking. "I have never heard of this legend! Is it something I can find online?" she asked him, pulling her phone out and clicking her browser app.

He cleared his throat. "You should be able to," he told her, shifting in his seat.

She looked up at him, her eyes bright. "Is Zennor spelled how it sounds or is it different?"

He shook his head. "No, it's spelt as it sounds."

Isabella beamed at him, typing furiously into her phone. She cheered when multiple articles popped up about it. "This is amazing! Oh!" She tapped something. "Wow, the bench is beautiful," she murmured.

Ferb, realizing she had clicked on an image, nodded his agreement. "It looks better in person."

Isabella suddenly groaned. "Man! Now I have yet another place to add to my list of places to visit!" She sent him a playful glare. "I'm already at over a hundred locations."

He swallowed a laugh. "Now you have one hundred and one." He winked. "And when you go, you need to try the cream."

Ferb offered to pay for breakfast but Isabella waved him off. "You just got here; I already have a job. Let me pay for at least mine."

Ferb was unable to argue with that, so they each paid for their own food and exited the restaurant.

Isabella unlocked her phone and went to hand it to him when she stopped. "You know," she said slowly. "I think your parents antique shop isn't too far—maybe five blocks."

Ferb's eyes lit up. "Will you check?" he asked, gesturing to her phone.

She did so, searching for Flynn-Fletcher's Antiques. "Oh! I was so close!" she winked at him. "It's six blocks away, in that direction." She pointed towards the left. She moved closer to him, letting him see where he would have to go.

Ferb studied the map for a moment. "Alright, I think I've got it." He looked up at her. "Thank you."

Isabella smiled brightly. "My pleasure! And welcome home, Ferb. I think I forgot to say that earlier."

He shook his head. "Just visiting with you was the best welcome I could have ever hoped for."

Her already dark cheeks flushed a soft red color and she rubbed her arm nervously. "Aww, you're sweet," she told him, her voice smooth, not betraying her body's actions.

Ferb shrugged one shoulder, giving her a crooked smile. Just telling the truth.

Isabella's phone pinged and she glanced down at it. "Oh, my mom is wanting me to come in a little early today." She pointed with her thumb behind her. "I gotta go, but it really was great seeing you."

He held out a hand to her and she took it, giving it a squeeze. "You should come by tomorrow," he requested. "We can talk more about the changes in the city."

Isabella nodded, smiling. "Sure, sounds fun." She turned away slightly, waving slightly. "See ya! Don't get lost!" she teased.

Ferb swung the strap to his duffle bag over his shoulder. "I won't. Bye!" He waved back, already heading in the direction of his parents shop. Six blocks wasn't too far. It was only about a ten minute walk, including all the crosswalks he had to pass. But when he saw the sign in front of him, he stopped.

He tried to swallow the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. Why was it that he could talk to Isabella so easily after not seeing her in so long, but the thought of seeing his dad again made him freeze. His stomach flipped. Maybe breakfast was a mistake, he thought uncomfortably.

He shook his head—this was ridiculous! Ferb took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. Nothing was going to stop him from walking through that door and giving his dad the hug he'd been wanting to give him for years, especially not a simple case of the nerves.

A bell rang as he opened the door. A voice called from the back—a voice he recognized. "Welcome! I'll be right out. Let me know if there is anything you need."

Ferb felt his eyes sting and he smiled broadly. "I'm looking for Lawrence Fletcher," he said.

Something shifted behind the screen, probably a box. "I'm Lawrence Fletcher," the voice responded, coming closer. "What can I do for y—" He froze in shock as he stepped up to the counter, his eyes wide. "Ferb?" his dad whispered, his voice strangled.

The first tear fell from his eyes as Ferb waved. "Hi Da."

If Ferb was expecting things to be calm upon his return, he must have forgotten how excitable his family could really be. Even without Candace, who apparently was doing some summer courses at law school, it was intense.

Lawrence, after having spent nearly an hour sobbing into his shoulder, locked up the shop and practically dragged him home, not that Ferb was complaining. And if Ferb had cried too, well, who could blame him?

And it barely compared to what happened when they arrived home.

"I'm home!" Lawrence called, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. He looked at Ferb and held a finger to his lips.

"Lawrence?" Linda called from the kitchen. "What are you doing home so early?"

"I closed up the shop for the day."

They could hear her footsteps as she walked towards the living room, soon coming around the corner. "Why would you clo—FERB!" she screamed when she saw him, rushing forward to wrap him in a hug.

"Hi Mum," Ferb whispered, feeling her shoulders shaking as she clung to him, crying.

A crash sounded from upstairs, followed by another, and then one more. Linda didn't react, still sobbing, but Ferb looked at the ceiling above him warily. Lawrence had winced at the first one, but by the third he was shaking his head, grinning.

Thumping footsteps pounded down the hall upstairs, and then came dashing down the steps. Phineas slid into view, his eyes wide, running into a wall and knocking down a picture frame. Lawrence barely had time to pull his wife away from Ferb before Phineas pounced on him, tackling him to the floor with a bellow of "FERB!"

Ferb gasped for air, but he couldn't help but laugh.

He was home!

That night, it was hard to leave. After just being reunited with his family, he didn't want to leave. But he also couldn't stay—he was starting to feel the itch under his skin that meant he needed to get in the water soon.

"Phineas," Ferb said, trying to look at the boy who had an arm around him almost literally since he arrived. He hadn't let go of Ferb except for a few seconds here and there.

"Yeah?" His stepbrother grinned down at him, being just slightly taller of the two.

"I, um… I have to go."

It was like he said the world had ended. Phineas's face fell and his hand clenched around Ferb's shoulder almost painfully. "What? Why? There's still so much we can do!" Phineas started panicking, grasping at any idea he could think of and shooting them out, even if they didn't make sense.

Before he could really get on a roll, Ferb pulled his brother's arm off of him and stepped back. "Phineas, I will be back tomorrow, and we can do all of those things. But right now I really need to go."

Lawrence's eyes widened, realizing what Ferb was implying. "Oh, you have to change soon."

Ferb nodded and his dad went to get the car.

Phineas blinked even as he inched closer to Ferb. "But… can't he stay here? We could fill the bath for him! Or—"

Linda stepped up to Phineas and wrapped him in a hug. "It wouldn't work, Phin. He needs the ocean."

His breathing became rough. "But, but, but."

Linda shook her head. "No buts," she said softly.

"Uh, yeah," Ferb said, not exactly sure what was happening. "I'll be back tomorrow though. We can do something then, how does that sound?"

Phineas sighed in defeat. "Alright. I understand."

Lawrence honked the horn outside and Ferb gave his mom a hug, getting a tight squeeze in return. When he turned to Phineas though, his brother was tense, hands clenched into fists at his side. Phineas grinned weakly. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said, his words careful. But he didn't step forward for a hug.

Ferb looked at him curiously, but Phineas shook his head. Confused, he turned away and walked to the door, his mom following him. Looking back, Ferb saw Phineas staring at his shoes, taking controlled breaths.

Saying one more goodbye to his mom, Ferb hurried down to the car.

In the car, Ferb turned to his dad as they drove towards the beach. "Is Phineas… alright?"

Lawrence sighed and gave him a quick glance. "He… he's been better," he answered, looking a little guilty.

Ferb waited, hoping for a better explanation, but it never came. Instead they sat in silence—not really an awkward one, but more just being with each other—father and son.

They had only been driving for a couple of minutes when they turned off the street onto a dirt road, Ferb looked at his dad curiously. "Where are you taking me?"

Lawrence grinned at him. "Your mum and I have been preparing for you to come back," he said gesturing with his chin out the front window as the road began to open up, showing the ocean spread out in front of them.

Ferb's eyebrows rose as the car slowed to a stop. They both got out and Lawrence walked around to his side. "It's not pretty," he said, pointing at something behind Ferb. "But it should work alright. And only a short walk from the house."

He turned and saw a broken down… shack. He blinked at it and looked at his dad.

"It's perfect," he said, smiling.

Lí ban

Lí Ban or Liban (literally meaning "Beauty of Women") was a woman turned into a mermaid when her town was flooded, becoming the lake known as Lough Neagh. Her family had all drowned, but she survived in an underwater chamber for a year, during which time she was transformed into a half-human, half-salmon being.

She was spotted in her mermaid form by a messenger ship and was soon captured in a fishnet. It was thought that mermaids did not have a soul, so she was baptized in hopes of giving her one and given the Christian name of Muirgein (or "sea-born").

[Poor Phineas… he's unlikely to get any sleep tonight.]

[PSA: if there is someone you know who is dealing with any behavioral issues, mild or otherwise, try not to surprise them without a little warning. It is difficult for their minds to adjust to a sudden change without any preparation. Ferb, at this point, doesn't know the extent of all that Phineas is working on. And Lawrence simply didn't think because he was so excited that his son had returned. They're human—they make mistakes. And while Linda would have known better, she was blindsided at the same time as Phineas. But don't worry, therapy helps.]