"How many of them are there?" Steven asked his dad.
"I'm not sure bud. I know theirs at-least eight." Greg answered his son. "Well at-least eight that your mother talked about."
Currently Greg was leading Steven far past the cliff the old light house in there town sat upon. He had only been this way two other times but it was hard to forget the place you first learned of magic. Steven himself was bouncing on his toes. He was excited to meet the people from his fathers stories and the books and letters his mom left him. He had always had an incline towards the non-human of the world so much that his best friend herself was a shoplifter. Now after years of begging and story telling he was finally being taken to meet the creatures his mother adored.
"Do you think they will like me?" Steven asked.
"Well, its hard to say bud." Greg answered holding the box in his hands more firmly "Last time I was here they didn't exactly take too kindly to Rose not being with me."
"Do they know mom is gone?" Steven asked as they reached a giant pail of boulders and rocks. They looked like they all, at one point, held up a tall cliff side. Now they just rested in a giant land slid of a pail leading from a point in the once great hillside down into the waters of the sea.
Greg didn't answer. He knew if they did know, they didn't want to except it. If they had, then this was going to be a very bad idea. Last time Greg came here it was when Steven was about a year old. They didn't like what Greg had said about Rose and didn't hear anything else he had said about her passing before trying to drown him and his son. That caused him to keep them both away from the place they were going and Steven out of the sea, but living in a beach side town, that didn't last long.
Greg helped Steven half way up the massive rocks and boulders before stopping and looking around. After a few minutes of searching he found what he was looking for, an opening. It was a gap in the rocks that was very well hidden unless you knew where to look. Greg lead Seven over to the hole and was trying to tell him things as he helped him threw. "Now Stew-ball, when we meet them you need-"
"Wooooow!" Steven's excitement bounced all around them.
As they went into the opening they came to the top of a hidden lagoon. A long ramp of rocks curved around the lagoon walls and led down to a small little beach of sand and pebbles that was maby big enough for Steven to sit on with Connie, his best friend, if they sat shoulder to shoulder. There were groups of rocks in the water here and there. Some popped out of the water while others laid just enough under the surface to be sat on them while still being mostly submerged in the clear water poring in from the sea. There was cracks and holes in the rocks above them that cast beams of light down into the water. The light lit up the rocks that were submerged and made it look like a rainbow was trapped in its waves.
"Is this the place?" Steven asked as they both made there way down the rock ramp to the small shore.
"Yup. Do you have the shells?" Greg asked.
Steven held up the box and he told him good job. Greg had Steven go and sit high up on the back rocks of the lagoon as he set the box in his hands on a few rocks a bit out into the water. The box itself was full of old shirts. Some were big while others were small. There was even and old band t-shirt that was cut half way up thrown in there somewhere. Steven had asked why they needed them but his dad just smiled. After coming back to the sand Greg took the box Steven brought and pulled a few shells out. They were the shiny kind you would get at a nick-knack store for tourists. He placed the shells in a line in the water a bit further from the shore then the box of shirts. They were out just enough that there reflections from the sun made them look like glowing orbs. After everything was set up Greg brought the remaining two shells up to Steven. He moved his son to the edge of the lagoon where the flattest rocks were.
After Greg mentally prepared himself the best he could he picked up one of the two shells left in the box. "Ready Steven?'
"Ready!"
With a nod Greg took the shell and blew into it. It wasn't in instrument by any means, not even one meant to look like a fancy shell flute. It was a spiral shell that something like a big hermit crab mite wear if it was on drugs or something. It wasn't impressive by any means either. A simple pale pink color with different colored circles across it surface. Kinda like a drop of ink on wet paper. It had always fit nicely in his sons hands and Steven had always liked so Greg had no issue with him keeping it in his room.
After a few minutes of nothing happening Greg blew into the shell again. The sound of wind was the only thing coming threw the lagoon with the faint sound of the ocean waves on the shore.
"Did it work?" Steven asked leaning forward a little bit to look into the water.
"I don't think so." Greg said looking at the shell "Maby I'm doing it wrong."
"Can I try?"
"Sure."
Steven had stars in his eyes as Greg handed him the shell. He was trying to explain how to blow into the shell and the sound it will make when done right when the sweetest note filled the air. It bounced off the walls and seemed to fill the water. The look on Steven's face was that of pure excitement when he realized he did it right.
"Uh, nice going Steven." Greg said surprised.
"What happens now?" Steven asked holding the shell tight to his chest.
"We wait." Greg answered.
"What?"
"We wait." Greg repeated sitting back and crossing his legs. "We- well you- sent out the call and now we wait to see if they will come."
"Will they?" Steven asked sitting back next to his dad.
Greg shrugged as he looks out to the far side of the lagoon. The waves from the ocean passed threw a slim opening of rock, gently raising to cover the long hole and back down to reveal it. "They are very wary of beings not like them. Even more so of humans."
"What are they exactly?" Steven asked.
"Think that's something you should ask them."
"If they come?"
"Yup."
"What are the shells for anyway?" Steven asked after about twenty minutes of them sitting there quietly. His eyes were watching them shimmer in the water.
"There offerings."
"Offerings?"
"Well, we are calling them from the deep-"
Before Greg could finish his thought a shimmer in the water caught there eyes. They both looked intensely at the cave opening. The head of a figure came out of the water just past where the shimmer had been. Blue hair and a pair of deep blue eyes sitting just above the water looked at the pair on the rocks from far away. It was far enough that Steven couldn't tell if the figure was blue or just too far away and blending into the water flowing in. Just as quickly as the figure appeared it disappeared. The only indication it was there was the small ripple working its way across the waters surface. Soon the sound of something getting wet had the pair turning to see one of the shirts sinking into the water.
Steven went to open his mouth but another shimmer caught his eye. Then another, and another. Several shimmers shot threw the opening and into the waters of the lagoon. Steven and Greg watched the water surface as the figures swam below it. Some were big while others were small. A few were long and a few were short. Steven had a hard time keeping track of them all but he did count eight of them, just like his dad said. They all seemed to move around the rocks in the center of the lagoon, where the water was deepest, but made no indication to move closer.
"What are they doing?" Steven whispered.
As if the figures could hear him there shimmering forms sunk down into the water until they disappeared into one of the few patches of darkness in the lagoon.
"Oh!" Steven said raising his hands "I'm sorry!"
"Steven-"
"I didn't mean to scare you!"
Steven's voice echoed off the walls. After feeling like he messed up, and going to apologize again, the same head as before popped up out of the water. It was closer this time, just on the other side of the rocks the figures were all just swimming around. This time however there eyes were narrow and seemed to be staring the two of them down.
"Uh Steven." Greg said softly as the figure seemed to move a bit in the water before disappearing again. "Try not to shout at them bud."
"Does it scare them? I didn't mean too!"
"I know. Your mother said they tend to spook easy and loud noises hurt there ears."
Steven nodded and they went back to watching the water. Sitting for a bit more they saw a shimmer closer to the shore. They watched intensely as a small round figure came up to one of the shells Greg put in the water. It seemed to go between the blue and pink one before grabbing the purple shell and swimming back away. Steven watched as the figure swam back towards the dark water of the rocks before stopping and turning around. The figure swam over to the box of shirts and grabbed a handful before pulling them into the water and swimming back to the dark waters.
"It took a shell and some shirts." Steven said looking at his dad for only a moment. "Is that a good thing?"
"Yes and no." Greg said rubbing the back of his neck for a moment "It means at least one of them has excepted our call by taking the shell and is willing to hear us out on why we called them in the first place. The shirts are another gift. The fact that they grabbed a bunch means that there giving the others the option to come talk to us if they want, though they don't have too."
"Do they want to talk to us?" Steven asked.
"Not all of us."
Steven and Greg turned back to the water to see the figure of a girl. She was wearing the cut band shirt on her frame. The white fabric drew attention to the fact that she was blue head to toe (so Steven assumed since her bottom half was still on the water.) The girl was leaning on a rock that was half way between them and the center ones in the lagoon. Her short blue hair stuck to the sides of her face as her eyes seemed to look threw the pair.
"I thought we told you not to come back without Rose." The girl said.
"Lapis, we've had this talk before." Greg said looking at the girl before looking down at the water "Rose is gone." he looked up and pointed at her "And trying to drown me again won't change that so lets skip that part."
"Your lying!" Lapis shouted holding herself up on her hands out of the water so much that Steven could see a shimmering line around her waist before she sunk back down into the water again. "It can't be true. She's the only one who knows how to call us... You can't do it!"
"I didn't call you! Well, I tried, but it didn't work and-"
"I did." Steven said catching the girls attention "Mom had left me this shell and a note on how to use it." Steven said holding the shell up for Lapis to see, who recoiled a bit at the sight "I'm sorry if we made you upset but dad's told me a lot of stories about you guys from the few times he met you and mom left me a bunch of letters and books she wrote on you all and and-" As Steven talked he noticed that other heads popped out of the water near the box with a figure around the remaining submerged shells. Three heads had popped up on the farthest out cropping of rocks while two appeared to his left but closer to Lapis on some of the rocks submerged. Some of them were a variety of colors while others looked relatively normal. "I'm sorry. My mom, Rose, is gone. She died when she had me. I'm sorry you miss her, I know she cared a lot about you all. She spoke of you in her writings a lot."
"She wrote about us?" One of the figures near the shells said while another was poking around the shirts. "What did she say?"
"Ruby." Lapis snapped at the red girl who spoke.
"Aww don't be hard on her." The one poking around the shirts said as one of the figures to the left hissed for a moment at the blue girl, her own blue skin lighter and the color of ice.
"Who are you anyway?" Lapis said looking at Steven. "How do we know your the child of Rose?"
"My name is Steven." Steven said "And the note my mom left with this shell said only those who believe in the magic of the sea can call those who guard its heart from the deep."
Lapis frowned and looked at Greg as a green figure swam away from the two who spoke earlier and to her side "He doesn't look like a caller. He isn't even marked."
"Oh you mean this?" Steven spoke before Greg could say anything. The boy lifted his shirt to reveal a dark scar right over his belly button "Dad said I got this birth mark from mom. She had the same one."
A clicking sound filled the air and a few head turned to the farthest group. Three figures were sitting on a submerged pail of rocks, the water coming just up to the collar bones of the smaller two while the bigger one had the water just barley covering her chest, if it wasn't for her long hair she would be on full display for all to see. One of the figures was clicking there tongue while one of them disappeared into the water. The one who was the biggest was barring there teeth and seemed to lean close to the one clicking.
"No way!" The figure who defended the red girl said. Herself was purple like her long flowing hair. She swam over to the pair on the rocks as Lapis lowered herself back into the water and came around the rock. Both of them come right up to the rock Steven and Greg were on but the purple girl was the one who grabbed hold and pulled herself part way out of the water, leaning on her folded arms, with one of the shirts sticking to her form. "Rose had the same thing! You are her kid!"
"That marking means nothing." Lapis hissed.
"He is her blood line." The green girl said swimming over to the pair and coming up to the purple girls side but not coming out of the water "I can smell her blood line in his veins. Also, he uses the same flowery soap for his hair as she did."
"The smell of roses and violets is great." Steven said with a smile. "So whats your names?"
"I'm Amethyst." The purple girl said "This is Peridot. The red one is Ruby. The two sitting alone are Sapphire and Garnet. The big one back there is Jasper. The one clicking is Pearl and... where did she-oh the other blue one is, well, Blue." Amethyst pointed out each person as she spoke, the last girl popping up where Lapis had first emerged to speak to them.
"What are you?" Steven asked before raising his hands again "I'm sorry! I forgot I need to ask you first if I can ask a question!"
Amethyst didn't look angry like Lapis or surprised like Peridot. Instead she laughed "Its ok, I'll let it go this first time since its such a funny question. Your mom never left you anything to tell you what we are?"
Steven shook his head and Greg spoke up "She said it was a bad almond to write it down."
"She's right." Peridot said "You write what we are down on living paper and a curse of the sea is put upon your head."
"Curse of the sea?" Steven questioned.
"You drown the next time you touch water." Lapis dead panned.
"Don't scare him Lapis!" Ruby said swimming over to Sapphire and Garnet "Be nice!"
"He isn't Rose and he isn't one of us!" Lapis snapped tisking and swimming back to the rock she was at before, joining the other blue girl "Just tell him to go away."
"He is the only one who can call us like she did." Sapphire said just loud enough to be herd as Ruby came up to her side and made herself comfortable on her shoulder "The only one who want's answers with nothing in return."
"All I've wanted to do for so long was meet you all." Steven said "Mom cared about you all so much and I've herd so many stories. Its just... Its so nice to meet you all... Even if you don't like me."
"Hey bud, no-one said they didn't like you." Greg said ruffling Steven's hair, making his son smile.
"She seems to not like me." Steven said nodding towards Jasper who's deep growl echoed off the walls for a second.
"Shes just grumpy cause Pearl is upset." Amethyst said.
"Shes upset? Did I do that?"
"The yelling did it I think."
"Oh." Steven said leaning over and waving at Pearl "I'm sorry I scared you."
Pearl jumped at his words and moved to be slightly behind Jasper but she stopped clicking and Jasper seemed to advert her attention to her smaller companion long enough to stop growling, which Greg was more then grateful for.
"Remember what I told you on the way over here?" Greg asked after a moment.
"Be patient and try not to yell." Steven nodded before looking at Amethyst. "So... about my question."
"Oh yea, I never answered it." Amethyst said "Were mermaids."
There faces ranged from amused to weary at Steven's eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. "Your mer-! agh! Sorry. Your mermaids?"
It was hard to contain his excitement as Amethyst leaned forward and a purple tail looking like every shade of purple was splattered across it came up out of the water and a bit above her head for Steven to see. To say she was happy at his reaction was an understatement. Steven himself was trying not to get up and jump up and down in excitement, remembering that loud noises wasn't the only thing that startled them.
"May I? No, wait, that's probably rude." Steven said going to ask a question but thinking better of it.
"If your going to ask if you can touch it I'd say yes but Jasper would swim over here and break me in half." Amethyst said.
"Its considered rude to touch a mermaids tail if your not one of them." Lapis snapped crossing her arms and swimming backwards a bit.
"Or not given personal permission." Peridot added.
"So is it a tail all the time? Like, if you come out of the water will you keep it or dose it turn to legs? Wait, if it turns to legs do you know how to walk or is it like learning to walk,er, swim all over again?"
Most of them smiled at Steven's curiosity as he rattled off question after question to himself rather then to Amethyst who seemed more then ready to answer them.
"They can turn into legs." Amethyst said cutting Steven off "But only for a day before we need to get back into the ocean. We can be in fresh water too, like a 'bathtub' I think Rose called it, but its to buy us a few hours more on land."
Steven had a million more questions pop into his head but one took a left turn away from the others "Why are you wearing one of the shirts we brought? I mean, its great that your wearing it cause it looks good on you and Lapis (hissing from Lapis was her response) but why? I thought-"
"Ern Steven-"
"Greg said that kids your age aren't supposed to look at naked people." Amethyst said cutting Greg off "He mainly brings them for those of us with short hair. Also he doesn't think its very nice to stair at naked girls-"
"OK!" Greg said covering Steven's ears "C'mon Amethyst. He isn't old enough to know about that stuff yet."
"What age do you guys teach them anything?" Peridot said "We all know about that stuff from very young."
"Humans are different." Greg said "Just humor me."
"Your not dead yet." Lapis huffed.
"That's not the same thing." Greg let go of Steven and the boy looked at him funny before looking back at Amethyst.
"Hey Steven." Amethyst said leaning forward and pointing at the shell in his hands. "Can I see that?"
"Um..." Steven looked at the shell in his hands as he held it close to his chest "I'm sorry Amethyst. My mom said to never let anyone touch it that wasn't me or my dad. I mean, I'd like to let you, its just..."
"Hey man, its cool." Amethyst said propping herself up on her elbows and holding up her hands "I just wanted to see if my water mark was still there."
"Your water mark?" Steven said looking at her funny.
"Yea!" Amethyst smiled big as she pulled herself up out of the water to sit on the rock. Her fin and tail just below her knee stayed submerged in the water as she leaned on her hand. "Mines the purple one right here."
"Are they all there?" Blue spoke up as she was curled up next to Lapis in the water, getting her to hold still.
"Yea! There all still here." Amethyst said before going about and point out each water mark on the shell and who it belonged too. Steven realized that the placement of the dots were similar to the groups they were all in at the moment.
"So... The marks note to who is close with who." Steven said looking at the shell before looking up "Right?"
"Your smarter then I thought." Peridot said pulling herself out of the water next to Amethyst and giving Greg a funny look when he suddenly covered Steven's eyes. "What?"
"Peridot, please." Greg said looking to the rocks above. "I have a lot of respect for you guys. The shirts are the only real thing I ask of you."
Amethyst snickered as Peridot rolled her eyes but she slipped back into the water and went over to the box of shirts to pick one out.
"So." Steven pulled his dads hands away from his eyes. "Um... C-Could you tell me about my mom? Its ok if you guys don't want to or are uncomfortable about it. Its just, she spoke a lot about you all but never really told dad and I feel like there was so much more she wanted to tell me but can't now and stuff."
"He can't be here." Lapis snapped looking at Greg.
"But-"
"It's ok Steven. There are things they can't tell me and that's ok." Greg smiled and ruffled his sons hair after a moment before standing "I'll go wait at the entrance outside alright? Just remember the box when your done."
"Ok." Steven said smiling up at his dad. After Greg made another comment about shirts and decency they all watched as he made his way up the stone ramp and to the opening in the rocks they came down threw.
While Steven was watching his dad move, he didn't see the others move as well. When Greg was far enough away Pearl and Jasper had slipped into the water. They had stuck to the bottom of the lagoon as they swam closer to Steven. Peridot had picked a shirt to wear and, at the barely audible clicks from Garnet, brought two shirts over to the dark girl before swimming back over to Amethyst. Pearl emerged long enough to exchange a few clicks with Garnet before taking one of the shirts from her and slipping back into the water. She put the huge shirt on her self before gently swimming up to the trio on the rock, Jasper lurking in the water below.
Once they all saw Greg disappear Steven turned his attention back to the mermaids. "Oh, hi Pearl." He said noticing her hiding a bit behind Peridot's tail and jumping before coming out between her and Amethyst.
She glanced at both of them before placing her hands on the rock. As if it was a silent request both smaller girls slipped back into the water as Pearl pulled herself out of it to sit on the rock. Steven watched her closely as she saw Jasper move up behind her in the water, just treading under the surface, her eyes seeming to glow on there own. He watched as Pearl looked at him. He told her her tail was pretty and it made Pearl turn a little red. Her tail was a pure white color like snow. The water on her scales made her shine bright like a clear morning sky.
"Mom wrote a lot about you." Steven said trying to make her feel a bit relaxed around him. She seemed to be weary and Steven could feel the anxiousness rolling off her. She didn't seem to be ok being so close to him, even less so out of the water in a now wet sticky t-shirt so Steven kept talking. "She wrote about when she first met all of you. How she thought you were very sweet and how nice it was of you to show tell her what she could and could not say around your kind. She kept a lot of the things you gave her. I have them all in my room on a shelf. She kept almost everything you guys brought her. I try to keep them nice but I broke one by accident when I was cleaning." Steven chuckled running his hand over the shell in his lap before hugging it "I cried for days after and my dad was able to glue it back together but its not the same."
There was a gentle click and Steven looked up. He looked around at the others before looking at Pearl. He gave her a funny look and she tilted her head and clicked her tongue again. Steven furrowed his eyebrows and Pearl leaned back a bit.
"I'm sorry." Steven said "I don't know, um, what your... saying?"
He watched Pearl blink a bit before huffing and turning to look over her shoulder. She looked at the others and clicked a bit before Lapis ducked under the water. When Pearl turned back to Steven he tapped his forehead.
"Dose it hurt?" He asked as Lapis appeared and pulled herself up on her arms on the rock "The scare on your head."
"Its not a scar." Lapis said "Its the mark of mermaids and those who can talk with us."
"Oh ok." Steven said with a sigh of relief that seemed to confuse the pair in-front of him "I thought someone hurt you."
Pearl clicked her tongue a few times and Lapis spoke "She want's to know what you broke and how much you know about us."
"It was a small knife." Steven said raising his hands "About this big, and shiny. I was moving it to clean the dust off the shelf where we had it and it slipped out of my hand and fell on the floor. It didn't break in half but the blade split right down the middle... I'm sorry if it was something you gave to mom. I try to take care of her stuff the best I can. Most of really delicate stuff I keep in a nice box so it won't-"
"And the things about us." Lapis said cutting Steven off.
"Um... Mom said that you all were powerful and that I should never go into the sea without respect for its energy and never with bad intent. She also said that when I call you I must have an offering to give for the time I take from the guardians of the seas heart." Steven pointed to the now two remaining shells in the water they brought "Um, next time I'll bring more. We weren't sure how many of you were actually going to come, or come at all. I'm sorry there isn't enough for you all. I can go get more and bring them back if you want. What ever color you want! They make all kinds now!"
Lapis winced a bit at Steven's volume and excitement where Pearl's eyes seemed to soften a bit with a smile on her face. She clicked a few more times as she drew the rest of her tail out of the water. The shimmering white tail glowed for a moment before two legs took there place, her scales still decorating her lower half.
Pearl's movement had Jasper pop her head out of the water enough for her eyes to stair Steven down while coming close enough to grab Lapis and Pearl if needed. The others seemed to move a bit closer too. Garnet, Sapphire, and Ruby moved to the edge of the rocks they were sitting on while Blue swam over to be behind Jasper while placing a hand on her shoulder. Peridot and Amethyst gravitated towards Lapis a bit.
"That looks so cool!" Steven said smiling big and trying not to wiggle too much in place "It looks like you have cool leggings on!"
A few confused clicks and looks had Amethyst pipe up from the water "Whats leggings?"
"Oh! There like... shirts for your legs." Steven explained. He didn't know how much about human clothing they knew and didn't want to confuse them too much. "They help cover your body."
Pearl raised up on her knees and tucked the long shirt under herself before sitting back down. Steven caught her looking at the box behind him and with a few clicks from her he answered the question before Lapis could translate.
"It has another shell in it." Steven said pulling the box close. "Dad said this was left for my mom right before she had me. He... He said it made her very upset and made him promise to keep it safe and hide it until she could bring it to you all as soon as she could... But that's when mom went into labor and..." Steven put his hand on his stomach, over his scar, and held the shell in his hands close to his heart. "I'm sorry... I know you all must miss her a lot... I wish I got to know her."
Steven scrubbed away a few tears but then jumped. There was a hand on his head and when he looked up he saw it was Pearl who was touching him. She smiled a little at him and ruffled his hair. He assumed she was copying what she saw his dad do. She ruffled his hair a bit too hard but seemed content with the smile Steven gave her. "Thanks Pearl."
"What shell are you supposed to give us?" Lapis asked. She was holding herself up on her hands and craning her neck a bit to try and see in the box.
"Its a white shell." Steven said with a frown as he looked at the box. "With a hand print on it. I don't like touching it. It gives me a bad feeling."
"Bad feeling?" Peridot said.
"How?" Sapphire asked.
"A bad feeling like something bad will happen if you like, hold it for too long or something. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it but I don't like it. I keep it in the back of my dads closet so I'm not near it."
Pearl took her hand back and clicked a few times "She wants to see it." Lapis said.
Steven whined a bit as he looked at the box. His unease made the others back up, Lapis sinking back down into the water a bit, and Jasper come right up to place a big hand on the rock, the other on Pearl's arm. Pearl herself scooted back as Steven placed the shell in his hand behind him and away from everyone before turning to the box. He hesitated a bit before reaching into the box and pulling out the shell. When he held it up for the others to see they all moved. Clicks and growls filled the air as almost all of them dove into the water. Ruby, Sapphire, Peridot, and Blue darted just under the waters surface and out of the lagoon. Garnet swam right up to the group at the rock as Amethyst backed up behind Jasper. Lapis hissed and dived back into the water as Jasper herself yanked Pearl back into the water. The large girl growled deeply at Steven before going under the water and dragging Lapis and Pearl with her. Garnet grabbed Amethyst as she spoke.
"Get rid of that and don't come back until you do!" Amethyst said as Pearl and Lapis darted out of the lagoon while Jasper circled back around for the remaining two "It's a curse shell and bad luck to you if you get it wet."
"Wait, how do I get rid of it?!" Steven asked jumping to his feet while Garnet started dragging Amethyst back. "What's a curse shell? Hold on!"
"Just don't get it wet!" Amethyst yelled as Jasper reached her and Garnet "Go!"
There was nothing Steven could do as the last three mermaids darted out of the lagoon. Steven was left with so many more questions then answers. The first thing, however, he needed to do was call Connie. She was his main connection to the non-human world. If anyone knew about curses and charms it was her and her mom.
Deep in the Mariana Trench, near Challenger Deep
Night was falling across the sea and a storm was brewing on the surface. Jasper and Lapis' growls were echoing off the trench walls as they swam. Lapis was making her disgust for the situation well known and Jasper was doing her part to keep the volatile mermaid a distance away from the others.
"Why did you have to talk to him?!" Lapis snapped "He wasn't Rose!"
"He called us just like she used too." Peridot said "You can't say you weren't as curious as the rest of us."
"Curiosity has nothing to do with it!"
"If you didn't want to talk then why did you?" Ruby asked keeping pace with Sapphire and Garnet, who was starting to circle closer to Jasper and Lapis "You didn't take to offering."
"Because Amethyst took the offering before we all came to a decision." Lapis growled.
"Was it our decision that you jumped the gun and spoke first?" Amethyst growled back "Laws of the sea, I was the only one who should of been able to speak to them first but you decided that rule didn't apply to you."
"I'm trying to protect all of you!" Lapis said swimming ahead and stopping to face the group "Greg was told not to come back! He even brought another human with him! He may have Rose's mark but he isn't one of us! We can't trust him!"
"It's not your job to protect them." Jasper growled and Garnet came up to her side "Its ours."
"Yea and the two of you are doing such a good job when a human was able to summon us." Lapis spat.
"They are no threat to us." Garnet said placing a hand on Jasper's shoulder to stop her next remark "If they were I would is sensed it and we wouldn't of gone."
"Ya know what?!" Amethyst said swimming at Lapis but getting stopped by Peridot grabbing her arm "Your not originally one of us either but we kept you!" She yanked her arm away from Peridot and pointed at Lapis "So stop acting like the queen of the ocean and learn your place!"
Lapis hissed and swam at Amethyst but a strong rush of water knocked the two of them apart. In the back of the group Pearl hand a look of disgust on her face as Blue manipulated the water around them. Once the bubbles had cleared and the lot of them got there barrings again Pearl started clicking her tongue.
'Both of you stop.' She clicked 'Going at each-other is not going to change a thing.'
"Oh shut up Pearl!" Lapis snapped "Just because your the main guardian of the heart of the sea doesn't mean you can boss the rest of us around!"
'I am not-'
"We don't need your better then you wisdom so just shut up!"
"Don't talk to her like that or I'll-"
"Or you'll what Jasper? Banish me?"
"That's enough." Sapphire spoke up, the water getting colder then it already was at this depth. "Fighting isn't going to change anything so just stop." She looked around the group "Lapis, we understand your upset but you need to understand that Greg and Steven are no threat to us. They didn't ask about the heart or anything Rose had in the past. They did not speak ill to us or disrespect us in any way. Regardless of there reasons to call us they are of no threat so let it go." The last part was directed at Lapis. "What we need to do now is get back and think of what to do next. If he is the true descendant of Rose then, Garnet."
"It is a strong possibility of them becoming involved again." Garnet spoke after a few moments of silence.
"We need to be cautious." Sapphire said.
"We need to not go back." Lapis said crossing her arms.
"I don't think Steven even knows about them. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who can keep a secret like that to himself." Amethyst said "And even if he did know, don't you think he would of known what we are before asking?"
"She has a point." Blue said softly.
"All the more reason to stay away!" Lapis said.
"If he calls again only one of us will go with a guardian while the others stay back." Sapphire said as she started to swim forward again, the others following behind slowly. "Caution until we rule him out of that possibility."
"Where going back?!" Lapis shouted.
"No-ones making you ya know." Amethyst said swimming by the blue girl "If your just gonna be a jellyfish about it then stay behind."
"I am not a jellyfish!" Lapis growled catching up to Amethyst at the back of the group "I just don't trust humans."
"Whatever Jellyfish." Amethyst said sticking her tongue out and smacking Lapis on the arm.
"Hey!"
"Your it!"