Chapter 13
Inside, staircase
Yellow and Steven were practically flying down the halls. They were twisting and turning around corner after corner. They ducked into dark rooms and around intersecting halls avoiding the numerous guards that were running around just like them. They even avoided Yvette at one point as she sprinted by there hiding spot.
At first they hadn't seen anyone else when they started away from Yellow's room but that changed only two halls away. It become even more challenging the further up they went in the building. They currently were ducked under the final staircase leading up to the floor the lab was on and there was a problem.
"What is that?" Steven asked looking around the corner a bit at the landing above them "It sounds like singing."
"Yellow?" Steven looked down to see his cousin looking very uncomfortable. Her hands were twisted together, her knuckles white.
"Which one of them is the Siren?" Yellows question was almost drowned out by the singing echoing down the stairwell to them. It made Yellow twitch a bit and shake her head slightly.
"Uh, Pearl is." Steven looked up before back at her "The white one."
"I think Aunt Whinney finally tried something." Yellow said "We need to hurry."
Yellow didn't want to go up there. Something in her head was telling her to run from the singing instead of moving towards it. She didn't feel afraid per say, just uncomfortable. Like there was something in her core telling her that the white mermaid wasn't a direct threat to her but that getting closer wasn't a real good idea either. Her mind was telling her the thin aquatic above was dangerous but this was something they had to do. They had to get to them all.
Steven gave a nod and he took her hand once again. Steven took the lead this time as they slowly made there way up to the next floor. With every step they took the singing got a bit louder. Once on the landing they poked there heads out of the doorframe to see Whinney standing in the hall, yelling, with Connie tight in her grip.
In the lab the tension was high. Pearl panicked as she started to sing. She had let go of Sapphire, where she held her close, and slowly raised her arms in front of her. Guards entered the room and the lights of red flashed above but it all melted away as her song left her lungs. It didn't come out in words at first. It came out like a melody. It weaved it's way through the water an out into the air like a wave on the shore. It filled the room and into the open ears all around an everyone had different reactions.
Both Priyanka and Doug recoiled back into there caged prison. Due to there nature and the close dealings and allies they had with those who dwelled in water Pearl's song didn't affect them in a bad way. To them the song was one of warning. A song of insecurity and not to come closer. That it wasn't safe. Backing up was a reactive move from long ago from battles past.
The guards in the room came in and stopped dead in there tracks. Pearl's song was one of calling. Calling to the souls in there very beings. The call for them to join her, to surrender there bodies and minds to her song. They stood and just watched her with glazed over eyes as they took in every syllable that passed her lips and the slow wave of her arms.
The Aquatics first reaction was to recoil away from Pearl. Sirens were outcasted and killed off for a reason. There songs had brought down many ships and sailors in the past. While the mortal of the world herd there words as love and calling the ones bellow the surface herd words of agony and sorrow. There songs were never kind and wailed out of love past lost to time. It instilled so much pain and agony that it drove others of there species to silence them as quickly as a breath of air escaping your lungs deep in the dark of the oceans floor. It could turn others of there blood to there own sorrow and die off without any logical reason. It was less common but pairs had lost each other to songs like this before. This made the Elders force there hands in the silenced extermination. The few who managed to get away from forced judgment lurked on the borders of banished seas and oceans, finding there only safety close to the danger that could kill them on another front.
Pearl's song made Sapphire swim back away from her as far as she could. Just as Pearl did with the Elemental, the small aquatic pressed herself as far into the furthest corner as she possibly could. Her hands were clamped tight over her ears. She was trying to drown out the thin Aquatics song from her mind. As the smaller whimpered a bit the Guardian was shaking in raging anger. Jasper hated everything right now. She hated not being near the other two mermaids just as much as she hated the Elemental in the doorway. The smallest part of her was yelling at her to kill off the Siren and run the other way. To save her mind from the sorrow trying to flood her ears. Most of her however was reacting to her Companion in a different way. She needed to get next to her. She needed her within her grasp. She could feel there connection straining from the fear the other had. Pearl was singing to try and protect them where the Guardian could not. Jasper feared in the same situation she wouldn't of hesitated either to sing if it meant saving the others life. Jasper hated the whole situation but she especially hated being in this tube.
That was something she could do something about.
Jasper took a deep breath and pulled every last strand of power she could spare deep into her core, into her lungs. Over the Guardians heart her power started to gather. A dull orange glow started appertaing under her skin an gently starting to follow the paths of her veins. Then she roared. She roar so loud that the tube she was in shattered. The big tank cracked right down the center and the water inside rushed out. In mear moments the lab was half flooded with salt water and the Guardian waisted no time in dragging the guards under its surface, forcing the current into there lungs and bringing them to a fast death.
"What do you think your doing?!" Whinney yelled from the doorway as she raised her free hand and stopping the water from flooding out into the hall. She was watching her prize sing and it didn't quite click in her head as to why and it filled her with a burning fury.
As the water rushed around them and across the room it was chaose. The moment an opening was available Sapphire darted out of it and straight over to Jasper. The Reader whimpered as she hid behind the bigger aquatic. She didn't care for the guards or Elemental in this moment. She was staring Pearl down with the fear of the Gods in her soul. She gripped the arm of the bigger tight. Her touch got the Guardian's attention with a quick side glance.
Not dropping her concentration of trying to force the water into the living and forcing the Elemental away she half turned to her companion. It was almost a frightening sight. Pearl's eyes weren't glowing white like they did when she used her power. They were burning white of course but with a eerie black round the edges, slowly swirling towards the center, consuming her light into the darkness it created. The glow of her very core burned around her heart in a tainted off greying white color that wanted to bleed out around her.
This was another trait that made Sirens undesirable. The more they sang, the more they gave into there own sorrow filled words and heart, the more twisted there minds became. There vision narrows and a darkness starts to creep into there hearts. There thoughts become distorted with the view of the world around them in dyeing colors and sorrow filled melody's. Its a truly frightening sight to behold with a twisting smile to match. That didn't even start to scratch the path of body distortion that comes along with it. The self mutilation that clouded there mind to forcibly change there bodies.
This made Jasper snap her jaw and yell her companions name. "Pearl!"
The whole situation was baffling to Whinney. The Elemental was so distracted with what her white pet was doing and how the other two were reacting to her. Just in these few moments it clicked in her head. "Your a Siren?!"
"Ow!" Whinney felt a sharp pain on her hand holding Connie that she instinctually let go. "Get back here you little rat!"
Connie was just as surprised at Whinney was with what as happening in the lab but she saw an opportunity to get away. Thanks to the Elemental focusing mainly on keeping the water from flooding out into the hall it gave her a chance. She twisted and wiggled in the tall woman's grip until she was able to get to her hand. Then she bit her. Hard. The moment Whinney yelled and let her go she started running from her as fast as she could. She ignored the Elemental yelling at her as she sprinted away. She didn't make it fully down the hallway before two pairs of hands yanked her sideways.
"Connie!" Steven said as him and Yellow yanked her into the staircase and into the biggest hug he could. "Your ok!"
"Steven!" Connie was just as happy, if not a little startled, and hugged him back "Your here!"
"What's happening?" Steven asked as Yellow stood up and leaned over them to look back down the hall.
"Your aunt came into the lab and the mermaids were really scared like my parents and Jasper was pissed off." Connie said "Then things went bad when Whinney got close to Pearl and Jasper started growling-"
"Whoah!" Yellow yelled as the building shook. She raised her hands out in front of her and flinched back as a torrent of water rushed down the hall, past the doorway they were in. Both kids yelled in surprise as Yellow stopped the water in the doorframe from coming into the stairwell with them. They yelled even louder when a pair of smoldering eyes came round the corner and stared them down "Oh-no."
Pearl was lost in the sound of her voice. The panic in her was fueling her song but a name broke through her trance. Her name. In a flash Pearl was pulled out of the trance of her own song and back into reality. She came back into chaose and the first thing she did was look for her companion. It tore through her harshly to see her Companion looking at her with fear and worry in her eyes with Sapphire looking at her in pure terror. The burning around the biggers heart as her namesake and will burned bright hurt. A forced staggered breath tore through her lungs and Pearl backed up.
Jasper growled looking back at the Elemental in the doorway before grabbing Sapphire by the arm and pushing her towards Connie's parents "Get them out, quickly." She felt Sapphire swim off and she swam backwards quickly to her companion, ever keeping her enemy in sight. As she moved towards her it hurt watching the smaller react out of the corner of her eye. It was like she wasn't even fully aware of everything around her. Pearl had her eyes shut tight and her hands clamped over her mouth. She was backed up as far as she could be and as Jasper came up to her she could feel her shaking hard. "Pearl."
Reaching out to her hurt just as much. Her fingers didn't so much as brush her Companions arm before she flinched away but she didn't let her get far. "Pearl." Jasper gently took the smallers arm an pulled her right against her. She tugged on there connection and could feel Pearl resisting tugging back. She was scared and it hurt the Guardian so much. Part of her wanted to bend to there laws and ways to deal with the siren in front of her but as her Companion she wanted to do nothing but hold her and keep her secure to her side until she felt better. Until she felt safe once more beside her. She couldn't begin to understand the struggle the smaller was having in keeping control of herself from giving into sorrows call. Even more so that she did it just to try and keep her safe. "Look at me."
The Protector cracked an eye open and just leaned into the bigger. Jasper didn't like her companion upset like this but she couldn't fully focus on that. They needed to get out of here. She could focus on making her better later.
The Guardian took her Companions hand and tugged her along behind. Jasper was still keeping the Elemental in her sight and trying to force the water out to drown her. The walls around the doorway were starting to crack and bow out. It pleased her to see the worry start to cross her enemy's face at this. The bigger was also starting to use some of the things around the room to try and get to her. She was grabbing random things that were floating around and throwing them at the forced wall Whinney was holding.
Jasper made her way over to Sapphire quickly and the Reader flinched away from Pearl. "Sapphire."
"We need to find the kids and get out." The doctor said after her and her husband shifted into rather large sea snakes and wiggled out of the bars after Sapphire failed to get the gate open. "This isn't a battle we can win in here."
"Hold onto her." Jasper growled pushing Pearl's hand into Sapphire's before turning to the doorway. "Don't let go."
She noticed the Elemental wasn't looking at them and she used that to her advantage. She raised her hands and gathered the water around herself. The glow of her power around her heart and down her veins grew slightly brighter as she shot her hands out. The amount of force was too much for Whinney and the water slammed out of the room. Whinney snarled and yelled at the Guardian before twisting the water around herself like a bubble and shifting out of sight.
Jasper growled and darted forward in a fury. The others clicked at her to wait but she was past that point. Her mind was focused on the Elemental. Catch, break, destroy, eliminate. Kill.
Her mind was driven to get rid of the threat against them. She wanted to hunt her down and make her pay for everything she did to there people. What she did to make her Companion feel fear like she did. The fear that fulled her to do something that scared all of them. Her mind was in full destroy mode and little was going to stop her. The Guardian darted out into the hall and looked the way she thought the Elemental had fled.
Sapphire was scared holding Pearl's hand but she didn't look at her. She couldn't. If she did Sapphire feared that she would just flea. Many parts of her very being were telling her to flea from the aquatic she was holding on too. The Reader was scared but was pushing through it slowly. She just did what the bigger aquatic said and pulled her towards the door. Jasper was controlling the water around them and forcing more and more of it into the building around them. The flashing red lights added to the watered down dark halls. Jasper clicked at them to follow as she pushed the water far ahead of them for them to be able to swim and stay in it as much as possible.
As they got further down the hallway they felt someone forcing the water to stop at an up coming doorway. This made Jasper growl and dart ahead. Rounding the doorframe, instead of finding the Elemental, she herd the muffled yells of kids. Coming up behind the Guardian the five of them spied both Steven and Connie along with the unknown mermaid. Both Steven and Connie backed up and hugged one of Yellow's legs before breaking out into a smile.
"Guys!" Steven quickly let go of his cousin "Your ok!"
Yellow grabbed Steven's arm and pulled him back as the Guardian's eyes unsettled her. She was shaking being this close and keeping the water at bay but Steven just patted her hand quickly.
"It's ok! There on our side." Steven wiggled out of his cousins grip but didn't move to get closer to the Guardian "You ok Jasper?"
"You look like a glow stick." Connie said looking around Yellow's leg.
The Guardian was a sight to see. From her heart, then bleeding down into her arms and across her chest, her very power was glowing just below her skin. The color matched her eyes and were glowing just as bright. Jasper was taking up most of the doorway and it was very scary to look at.
"We don't have time for this." The Doctor said looking over the Guardian's shoulder "We need to move-"
"Yellow!" Yellow flinched at her mothers voice echoing up the stairs behind her "Steven!"
Yellow kept one hand up and she backed up and piered over the railing. Expecting one of her moms to come up the stairs, she was thrown to see a very angry Whinney below her, eyes glowing white. It scared her, she had never seen her aunt do that before. She didn't even know she could mimic her parents voice like that! Yellow flinched back as Whinney raise her hand up towards her. In that split second Yellow grabbed some of the water she was holding and shot it forward.
A thick gust of air started to twist up the stairs but Whinny's niece was a bit faster. Yellow grabbed the water behind her and with both hands shot it over the staircase. she stretched it over to the other wall and with a grunt, started to turn it to ice. It was fast and quick and a dull thud as the water solidified and attached itself to the walls.
"Woah, that so cool!" Steven said before water started to fill the stairs. "Uh, guys we can't breath under water!"
The Guardian and Reader were watching the unknown aquatic with a mild curiosity. They were impressed but weary of her power as she iced over the stairs but it betrayed her youngness as her control on the water she halted started to flood the room. Jasper didn't wait long after to react to Steven's yelling. She knew he was the only one who was going to have a problem in the water and they needed to get out.
Jasper reached out through the water and twisted it to wrap around the three kids like chains across there chests. All three of them yelped as the Guardian yanked them back into the water. Connie panic changed and turned into an otter before realizing there was no air and taking a moment to turn back into herself, just with gills now.
"Connie." Her mother sounded a bit exasperated but pleased her daughter was with them again.
"Sorry." Connie said twisting herself around in a circle before grabbing one of Steven's arms "I panicked."
Yellow freaked out a bit and couldn't focus enough to shift her tail out as she was pulled into the water behind her. It was a good thing she could breath under water because her breath caught in her throat and she started to hyperventilate a bit as being suddenly so close to the Guardian. Especially when said Guardian was the scariest thing in the building right now, less then five feet from her.
Steven yelled in surprise like Connie but he knew enough not to flail and panic. He trusted the mermaids at his back and the shifters around them. He knew Jasper wasn't trying to hurt him as she yanked him and Yellow into the center of the group, dumping him in particular next to Pearl. She was trying to protect them, keep them safe. She even had the sense enough to form a bubble of air around Steven's head for him to breath.
"W-We need to move." Yellow stammered out through the water as the ice in the hall shifted with a deep thud coming from underneath. "That won't hold her for long."
"Will your mom hurt us?" Connie asked pulling herself right tight to Steven's side.
"That's not my moms." Yellow shook her head hard as she backed up a bit watching the ice shift again "We need to go."
Jasper's growls were echoing around them and vibrating the water like her very presence was doing. She couldn't form words to speak right now, even if she had any to even say. Her very core was in full throttle. Every function that wasn't important to survival, protection, and inhalation was turned off. Protect her pod, keep her Companion behind her, act as a shield, keep all harm from the ones who could not keep it at bay themselves.
Sapphire was watching Jasper closely and decided she would have to speak for her right now since neither of her two could do it themselves but speaking for understanding was just out of her panic minds ability. 'Which way?'
"T-This way." Yellow stuttered out turning and swimming down the hall "Hurry. I don't know how long that ice will keep her there."
"H-How bad is it if she gets to us?" Connie asked as her and Steven started after his cousin.
"She just attacked me." Yellow said "Doesn't look good in your favor."
Connie's parents started after the kids and they started making there way down the hall. Sapphire clicked her toung once before tugging Pearl along behind her. She hesitated for only a moment to flick the Guardian's arm. It was a good way to get her attention before swimming ahead. This far gone into her own mind and instinct, Guardian's reacted better to physical and visual actions then words. They stopped listening after a while unless there Companion was the one to speak and she herself was currently unavailable.
Yellow took them down a twisting path to the lower levels of the building but the most direct root she could think of. She was trying to get them to the ground level again but she wanted to dump them out facing the sea side. She also was trying to think of where Whinney would appear. Yellow was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't actually see her aunt until it was too late.
The group darted around into an open room that lead out onto a balcony of sorts that over looked the ocean before everyone stopped dead in there tracks. The whole group felt the water shift out of there favor and a mild panic rocked through them in that moment.
Before Yellow could say anything Whinny's eyes flashed brightly from across the room and all the water around them shifted. Whinney forced all the water back away from herself in such an overwhelming show of power they all were knocked off center. It was a mix of clicks and growls and yells as the whole group was forced out a far set of doors and flung into the air. They flailed and yelled as The Guardian and shifters just missed the cliff side and slammed down into the water below them, Yellow yelping out in pain as she clipped the cliff on the way by. Pearl and Steven slammed down about forty feet onto the ground just shy of the cliff face.
The wind was knocked from Steven's lungs as he landed hard. It took him a few moments to force a breath into his body before rolling onto his hands and knees. His vision swam for a few moments before he was able to see it was just him and the lone white aquatic up here.
"Pearl!" Steven stumbled over to her groaning form as another groaning filled the air around them. Several groans actually, followed by shaking. "Woah!"
Looking up above them, both Pearl and Steven saw the wind twisting and turning from inside the building being forced out like a vacuum. It poured out into the air and started twisting up like a tornado. This tornado grew and grew. As it got bigger and bigger the air became harsher on there backs and in there face. It felt like the air itself was being sucked from there lungs as they watched this force twist an turn and grow dark. Two arms and legs formed from this twister with a head forming after. A flash of lightning and a rumble from inside this air creatures chest flashed as two sparking white blue eyes formed on its head followed by a yelled that sounded like a lightning strike on a power line.
At the same time another rumble was forming from behind them.
Garnet was very on edge as the pod darted out of the bay after Bella. There was no part of her that wanted to trust an follow this abandoned Elder from long ago but she was out of options. She was starting to turn off her senses the longer things went on and letting her namesake take full control. Her eyes were burning as they followed Bella's lead.
Once outside the elder Aquatic started towards the pipe that Blue had come across earlier. They followed behind but stopped suddenly. All three of there missing peace's sent out gigantic waves of panic and fear through there connections. They tugged so hard to there pod the whole group involuntarily shifted to the right as if they were physically pushed. They growled and whimpered in reaction. Garnet turned towards the building as the other Guardian was calling out for help and power. She needed Garnet and she was done listening to everyone else.
The pod came first.
Garnet's eyes burned the water around her as she started taking deep breaths. A deep guttural growl started bubbling up from her throat as her power started to glow around her heart. It pulsed out with every passing moment and danced down her veins in waves. The ocean around her started to shift and turn in a new pattern at the aquatics will. Slowly the water started a lazy current around the Guardian. The others turned at watched her for moment before moving towards her. The pod started swimming in a circle with the current the Guardian was creating, making it spin faster and get stronger with every pass. Lapis herself was floating a bit behind Garnet with her own eyes starting to burn the water around her. Her growl was starting to match the Guardian's and briefly got a glimpse of the older gaze, the slight look of approval on her face.
Bella and Bismuth took a bit longer to realize the rest of the pod wasn't following them and they weren't happy. They stopped and turned to watch what they were doing and were impressed but weary. As the water started turning with more and more force another rush of water hit the surface above. Just as the pod stopped helping the two above they all looked up to see several people hit the water hard.
The first thing they noticed was two of there missing peace's and how pissed off and worked up there other Guardian was. Sapphire was a mix of panicked clicks and flailing before she orientated herself and tugged for her Companion then the others. Ruby didn't hesitate in swimming up to her like a bullet. Then there was Bella's reaction to seeing her daughter hit the water and kicking wildly back towards the surface, causing her to swim up towards her. The last thing was the three shifters. Both of Connie's parents took a few moments to get there bearings before darting over to there daughter who looked dizzy and was holding her head, just slowly sinking.
'Sapphire!' Ruby reached the group above first and waisted no time in pulling her companion into her arms and holding her in a death grip.
'Ruby!' Sapphire was beyond happy to see her other half and nearly headbutted Ruby as she quickly pushed her forehead to the others. 'Were in trouble'
'Mom?' Yellow looked around and spied her mother moving towards her quickly 'Whinney has lost her freaking mind!'
'Where's Pearl?' Bismuth called coming up to the group slowly as Jasper looked at the surface while swimming back towards Garnet, forcing everyone to move down with her.
"Where's Steven?!" Connie yelled as her parent wrapped around her and pulled her down towards the pod dwelling near the ocean floor.
Bella snapped at them to get down as she watched the water move around them. She understood what the three above them were creating and it was important to get out of the way as quickly as possible. As a last ditch effort in defense Guardians would come together and create water Titans. These Titans were the most powerful thing they could create and control. With how worked up both Guardians were, on top of the situation and now a third aquatic joining them in doing this, this was a very dangerous situation. Bella had a duty to keep her daughter and the shifters safe. The pod being kept safe as well was in her mind and she had no desire to be on a Titans bad side.
Jasper's growl over powered Garnet and Lapis' as she joined them. The water became think and hard to see through like a rip tide as Jasper added her own force to there pull. The water shifted and started to rise. It circled around them faster and faster as more and more water succumbed to there pull. In moments the gathering water shot up. It rocketed out of the ocean shot up past the cliff. From the mix of there growls a deep rumble vibrated around them and out into the air. Two water jets like fissures shot out of the sides of this force as a head started to form on top. Lapis held the center where each Guardian took a jet to the very end. Through the rush of the water only there glowing eyes and power surrounding there hearts could be seen ever so faintly.
They could see everything ahead of them and it just worked them up more. The Elemental in question was contorting the air and making a storm in the chest of her own twisted creation just feet from the building. They also saw that the elemental wasn't even looking at them, it was looking down at the cliff. Both Guardian's and Lapis let out an ear shattering roar as they saw both Pearl and Steven below them. Both looked hurt but Steven looked scared. He was hovering over the white mermaid who was struggling to get up.
Both Titans of nature moved at the same time, clashing horribly in the air over head of the two still on land. The one made of wind went and aimed straight for the two below it. Steven had yelled and flung himself over Pearl, like a shield, and said aquatic grabbed him close trying to do the same. They heard the Elementals Titans thunderous roar as the sound of a rushing river competed for dominance over head. A title wave of sea water hit the ground a few feet from the pair and acted as a barrier from the wind. The pair looked up to see the water Titan bubbling and swirling around in anger. Its glowing eyes like jellyfish burned in its head what seemed to be miles above them. Its own bubbling roar like a monster from the depths of the sea filled the air to compete with the storm it was facing off with.
The two below watched the storm Titan turn it's attention to the one of water. Both stared at each other for what felt like hours before the wind let out a thunderous clap of a roar. The opposing Titan did the same. As the Titan of water raised it hand up off the ground the wind reared back and slammed an arm into its side.
Steven looked up in fear an awe as he held onto Pearl's arm. "That's so cool." He had stars in his eyes for a few moments before Pearl's insistent tugging on his arm got his attention. "Oh, Pearl! Pearl we need to go!"
Steven looked down to see the white mermaid with a twisted look of pain on her face. She had landed hard on her shoulder and someone had landed on top of her. With Steven being the only on up here with her she assumed it was him. Her whole shoulder hurt and her chest felt a bit crushed. Pearl couldn't take a deep breath and every lung full of air burned. Steven, bless his heart, was trying to help her to her feet but just sitting up had tears stinging in the aquatics eyes. The shallow gasps passing through her lips made everything spin.
Steven wasn't sure what to do as they both flinched. He raised his arm to cover there heads as a shower of wind and water rained down on them from above. Both Titans above were slamming into each other hard. Water and thunder danced through the air around them as lighting lit up the sky above with every hit and clash. There roars and snarls were deafening above and shook the ground below. The cliff was getting a pounding from the fighting and quaked beneath there feet. The sounds of cracking was starting to become louder as they looked on.
"Pearl, we need to move." Steven said as a violent tremor rocked them back to the ground with a groan from the aquatic.
That was easier said then done. It was like try to stand against mother nature itself. Like a hurricane and tornado clashing to become more deadly as the Titans above rumbled on. Both were focused on destroying the other. Lapis was twisting and contorting the water around the three of them like a master of tides. She was doing everything she could to hold the Titan together as they repeatedly got slammed and smashed into. Garnet and Jasper were twisting through the air like under water rivers. They slammed into the tornado in front of them over and over. There deafening roars echoed out with every hit as they tried to rip through the Titan to get to there target inside.
Whinney was a thunderous monster in her own right. She was working to rip the water Titan apart at the seams. She wanted to pull the aquatics from inside and pull all the air out of there lungs. She wanted to pull them apart like wet paper. The quicker she got rid of them the sooner she could get back to getting what she wanted. Control over to sea and the mermaid who could control the heart of it all as was too much of a temptation to pass up.
It only took a few hits to the water in front of her for her to change tactics. She knew there was no advantage to attacking the Titan in front of her. She knew how Guardians functioned and knew they would stop if she had her present in hand. They wouldn't hurt her.
Steven had wrapped his arms around Pearl, just under her arms and was trying to help her up when the Titans above clashed. The air Titan landed a lucky shot to the other before turning to the two on the ground. One of its tornado twisted arms shot out towards the pair and they both looked up in horror. Steven tugged Pearl closer to himself and half curled around her to try and shield her. He cried out in surprise as the ground at there feet cracked and a giant rock wall shot up and became a barrier to protect them.
Steven opened his eyes to see his aunt standing over him. "Aunt Yvette!"
"Whinney what are you doing?!" Yvette yelled up to the Titan above as it reared it's arm back and roared just as the water Titan went to swing at it again "Steven, where are the others?!"
"I think in the water!" Steven yelled as a crack of weather above echoed through the air with rain.
"Why are you up here?" Yvette raised her other hand and a pillar or rock shot up and over there head like a hat as the Titans clashed again raining down wind an lightening in response.
"We hit the cliff!" Steven tried to pull Pearl to her feet but her slight cry of pain, echoing in agony to the sound of several voices, stopped him. The white mermaid had tears poking in the corner of her eyes as it dawned on her that she was much more hurt then she thought.
"You need to get down to the water!" Yvette held her hands up to hold the earth in place as she looked over her shoulder at the pair.
"I don't think she can stand!" Steven said holding Pearl against him in what he hoped was a comforting way.
"Steven-"
"Look out!"
Yvette looked back in time to see a big chunk of the building break loose above and slam into them. Yvette went flying off the cliff face and both Pearl and Steven rocketed just to the lip of it. Both of them cried out in pain but the thin aquatic held onto Steven tightly, not letting him get separated from her. There were cracks from both there bodies and there was something definitely broken within the mermaid. Pearl groaned but rolled to her stomach and did her best to get to her hands and knees.
The ones below the surface watched on in terror and awe. The youngers had never seen Titans like this before and were a bit entranced with the show above. They were fearful enough not to move forward which was very good. The older aquatics were half acting like a shield to the youngers and half keeping and eye on the waters around them. Fights like this tended to call other aquatics to it of all types, friendly or not. The shifters were wrapped around there daughter as she was half tangled in the arms of Blue and Peridot. Bismuth was up with Bella as Yellow hovered behind her mother and Amethyst and Ruby hovering between the rest of the group.
The water shifted and pulled with each move of the Titan above and as a particular thunderous clash hit a body hit the surface and started to sink. Bella felt her heart clench as she saw her wife trying to right herself and attempting to get back to the surface.
"Yvette!" Bella called out and took off towards her Companion. Her wife wasn't the best swimmer. Her Elemental power was strongest in the earth then the water. Bella closed the distance on her wife and wrapped her arms around her chest before yanking her up to the surface. Below Yellow called out to her mothers but didn't follow. Every part of her was screaming to stay with the aquatics around her. She even felt a strange pull to the Blue one beside her she had first met. I pull to stay close to them all, safety in numbers.
Her fear was, as all of there's, as how this as going to play out.
And how all of them were going to survive.