Disclaimer: I own nothing! MUHAHAHA!
Pairing: Zach/Owen! They gay. If you don't like it, go away! Cuz I don't care! 8D Also background Claire/Zara.
Warnings: Gay stuff, violence, language, character death (not Zach or Owen, I swear), blood and guts and gross stuff, also lots of shark stuff, like an absurd amount of shark stuff, shark facts, shark myths, sharks, just plain SHARKS, OKAY? This is pretty much a giant lesson on sharks with some Zachwen thrown in. 8D
Summary: He spent his whole life staring out at the ocean and hearing call to him. He just never knew how to answer. And then he saw the shark.
Notes: This was an idea myself, NamelessIceDragon, and Momma over on AO3 had. It was a random, tiny idea that spouted a few years back when I said I wanted to write mermaids. Then Nameless and I took the idea and ran with it, making an outline. And I wrote it! 8D Now... I've spent over a year on this. But I am sad to say I still didn't get it finished. My original plan was to write it all in the background and then have it ready to post for Shark Week. (Which is usually in the last week of July near my birthday, but this year it's in August.) Anyways, it's my birthday today, so I decided why not post the first chapter now? 8D HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! One chapter today, then a chapter a day during Shark Week (August 9th-15th), then after that... no clue. XD I only got 8/18 chapters done so far. 8D ANYWAYS... I LOVE SHARKS! AND I JUST GOT TO SEE JAWS IN THE MOVIE THEATER! IT WAS AWESOME! … did I mention sharks yet?

Chapter 1: A Tendency to Start Fires

It was a quiet, calm night. The pristine waters were still and the moon hung bright and full in the dark sky. Moonlight cascaded down and shone on the small ripples of the surface. It was peaceful and serene and it had been a quiet night, until the loud thunk shattered the stillness.

"I'm telling you, Eli. This fucker's huge. It's gonna bring in a lot of cash. If I can get it to stop thrashing before it wrecks my boat." He was barely an adult, in more ways than one. Young and rash, stubborn and pigheaded. He was out, in the middle of the night, illegally poaching threshers and whitetips in protected waters. And not for the first time, either. When a juvenile hammerhead got caught up in his net, he hauled it on board without a second thought. Even as a juvenile, the shark was a third the size of the boat. And it was still thrashing around, it's tail completely tangled in the net. Around it were a dozen or so smaller sharks, all over the deck.

The radio clicked and an angry voice snapped over the static. "You are a fucking moron, Vic."

The young man frowned as he pulled the receiver closer to his mouth. "Eli, you should see the size of this thing!"

"I know hammers are big and profitable." The voice said with a sigh. "But you aren't equipped to handle one."

Vic rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'm fucking capable of..." The boat suddenly lurched. He dropped the receiver and struggled to stay on his feet. "The fuck was that?"

"Vic? Vic?" The voice called. "What's going on?"

He grabbed the cord and yanked it up off the floor. He caught the receiver and spoke into it. "Hang on. Think I hit something."

"You hit something?" Eli snapped. "You're in the middle of..."

Vic didn't let the man finish. He slammed the receiver down and headed out on deck. The boat lurched again, this time in the other direction. He didn't hit something. Something was hitting him. He gripped the railing tightly as another hit wracked the small fishing boat. He nearly pitched forward on that one. What the hell was going on? Some underwater assault by some pansy animal activist? It wouldn't be the first since he'd been given the boat.

"Vic! I swear!" The voice yelled over the radio, just barely audible. "You get caught because you're showboating out there and I'm taking my boat back and you're fired."

Vic rolled his eyes again and shook his head. "Whatever." He knew Eli would never do that. He hadn't yet, at least. Vic ignored the thrashing shark and walked over to the railing. He leaned over the edge of the boat and squinted. He couldn't see anything but it was hard with only the dim lights from his boat and the moon bouncing off the water. "Whoever the fuck's down there, knock it the fuck off. I got a gun and I ain't afraid to use it."

He waited a moment, his eyes still searching for any sign of movement. He didn't get a response. But he didn't exactly expect one either. He still didn't see anything. He sighed and pushed off the rail. Hopefully he scared them off. But still, he needed to pack up and get out of there. If someone was around, they probably alerted the coast guard already. They were probably around on their way. Damn water cops getting in his way.

He turned a second too soon. He didn't see it rising out of the water. He didn't hear it over the sound of the still struggling hammerhead. What he did notice were the droplets of water suddenly raining down on him and the shadow over the boat, blocking out the moonlight. Vic glanced up. His brain didn't even have a chance to process what his eyes were seeing. He moved on instinct, on muscle memory alone. He ducked and rolled out of the way and then scrambled back. His fingers and boots scraped along the deck. His eyes were wide as his brain still attempted to process what he was seeing.

It was... it was a… there was a...

He'd never seen one before, not outside of a book or an article, never one out in the ocean. He'd never seen a hammerhead, either, but this was so much more terrifying and bigger.

The juvenile great white landed with a thud on the deck of the boat, half on top of the pile of smaller sharks. It's tail was hanging off the boat and it seemed to be flopping around, trying to do who knows what. But out of the water, it's massive size was a hindrance. It whipped it's head back and forth and finally turned it's black, dead-looking eyes on the human.

Vic's brain started then. He jumped up and stumbled back as the monstrous shark snapped it's jaws at him. Row upon row of razor sharp teeth, with more just under the surface, seemed to shine in the moonlight. "Fuck!" It was inching closer as it twisted and thrashed about. The other sharks were also thrashing more, as if riled up and spurred on by the larger predator. The hammerhead had managed to flip around and was snapping as well.

Vic turned and fled inside the cabin. He wasn't lying earlier. He did have a gun on board. Somewhere. But in his panicked state, he couldn't remember where it was. His mind was rocking just as bad as the boat underneath his feet. He had to get both of the large sharks off his board before they sank it with him still on board. He was too far out to call for help. And he was also poaching illegally in protected waters. So no help was coming for him. Plus no one he called would believe him that a great white shark had practically flown onto his boat. He couldn't even believe it himself and he'd seen it. The boat rocked and he stumbled and smacked into the table. He fell and clutched at his stomach. "Fuck!" Pain radiated through him. He leaned back against the wall for a moment and sucked in a breath. And then the boat lurched again and something fell, hitting him across the back. He fell forward onto the floor and landed in a heap.

His vision blurred a bit and he shut his eyes tight. He let out a groan and pulled his knees to his chest. He breathed in deeply for a moment. And then the boat rocked again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." He had to move. He had to get up and get those damned things off his boat and get out of there before things got worse. Eli was never going to let this go. Vic was certain he was getting fired for real this time. He pulled himself up slowly, struggling to keep upright as the boat rocked under his feet. And then his eyes settled on the harpoon gun on the ground. That's what must have fallen and hit him. He winced as he bent down to pick it up. The boat lurched again and Vic thought he was going to be sick.

"Stop hitting me, Barry!" A hushed voice filtered into the cabin, just barely audible.

The boat had finally stopped rocking and Vic frowned as he listened, too stunned to move.

"Watch your tail!" The voice hissed.

Vic rolled his eyes. Had the animal activists snuck on board? Well good. Maybe the giant sharks would eat them instead. He lifted up the harpoon gun and ran back out on the deck. The sight before him might have been even weirder than the flying shark. A naked teenage boy was wrestling with the hammerhead. Or something like that. He'd yanked the creature towards the edge of the boat and looked to be trying to get it back in the water. The great white shark was gone. Vic's mind raced. Had he imagined it? Had it gotten back into the water somehow? He hadn't heard a splash. And if so, how had the kid survived with a clearly rabid great white shark in the waters? Vic pushed the questions from his mind as he lifted the harpoon gun and aimed it at the kid. "Who the fuck'er you an' what are you doing on my boat?" He snapped.

The kid spun around, his eyes wide and almost seeming to glow. His mouth dropped open, exposing his oddly shaped teeth, but nothing came out.

Vic's own eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. But he wasn't mimicking the kid on purpose. He'd gotten a full look at the kid once he turned. Vic wasn't exactly looking, but his eyes had dropped and he openly stared for a few seconds. "What the fuck? You have two..."

The hammerhead thrashed and its tail hit the kid hard in the leg. He fell down, hard, on the deck. "Shit, bro." He flopped over and pushed hard against the hammer's head. "Not funny! And I did not!"

Vic frowned as he watched. What the hell was going on? "Hey, you mutant freak or whatever!" He snapped and lifted the harpoon gun higher. "Get your freak ass off my boat!" The kid turned back to look at him. The hammerhead snapped and Vic shifted his aim to it. He didn't need it alive. He'd kill it first and then get rid of the kid.

"No!" The kid surged forward and knocked Vic completely off his feet. Vic fell back and smacked his head against the side of the boat. The kid's eyes widened. "Shit!" His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. But he didn't smell any fresh blood from the guy, just the smears on his hands that also stained the deck, no doubt from scraping the delicate digits across the rough surface. The kid breathed out. Good, he hadn't wanted to kill the human. He just wanted to save his brother and cousins. He grabbed the harpoon gun from the limp grip and quickly tossed it overboard. Then he turned back to his brother. He rolled his eyes, watching as the hammerhead continued to flop around on the deck. "Barry, could really use more hands right now."

The hammerhead stopped and looked over at the kid. He shook his oddly shaped, elongated head like he was saying no.

"Fine. Then give me some teeth." The nets were wet and heavy and tangled around all of the smaller sharks. They'd all stopped moving, understanding immediately who and what the larger sharks were and that they were there to help. But out of the water, his strength was diminished and he was tiring quickly. The hammer rolled to the side and opened his mouth. The kid stepped closer without any sign of fear. He smiled as he picked up a corner of the net and pulled it. He placed the ropes in the hammer's mouth. "Hold tight." He instructed. "But don't bite threw them yet!" He warned.

The hammer gently shut his mouth. The kid bent down and placed both palms flat on the hammer's belly. "Count of three, we roll you off." The shark lifted his head in a nodding manner. "One... two... three." He pushed with all he had left. His feet scraped against the deck floor. But his skin didn't tear and bleed like the human's. It took a few minutes longer than it should have but finally, the hammerhead started to move. He was close enough to the edge. One more good push and he rolled over, dragging the whole net of sharks with him.

The kid crossed his arms and smiled. That wasn't too hard. He heard a slap and turned to see a small whitetip still flailing about on the deck. He went over and scooped it up. "Sorry, cousin. Promise I wouldn't have left ya." The shark blinked at him and he laughed. Then he walked over to the edge of the boat and stepped off.

Vic came too rather quickly. He's only been knocked out for a couple of minutes. But he just continued to lay there, splayed out on the floor, as he watched and listened to the weird mutant on his boat. It wasn't until the mutant disappeared over the edge of the boat that Vic moved. Slowly, he sat up and got to his feet.

"Where' the guy?"

It was a new voice. Vic stopped and held his breath as he listened.

"Knocked out." Answered the kid. "He's still alive so it's all good."

"But he saw you!" The new voice hissed.

There was a laugh. "He saw a kid sneak onto his boat. Nothing weird."

"Nothing weird?" The new voice hissed. "Seriously? He saw you!"

"It's dark."

"He has eyes."

"Stop worrying, Barry."

"Stop being stupid, Owen!"

There was a sigh. "What was I supposed to do, brother? Let him take you?"

"Yes!" The new voice snapped.

"You're saying if it were me, you'd leave me to die?"

"If it risked us getting caught, then yeah."

"That cold, brother. Cold." The kid said.

"You'd get caught doing something reckless."

"Oh!" The kid exclaimed. "Oh, like racing?"

"THAT WAS YOUR IDEA!" The second voice snapped, raising his voice for the first time.

"Yeah, and you didn't say no." He pointed out. "Now hold still, your tail's still tangled."

Vic edged closer to the railing of the boat. He gripped the bottom rung and pulled himself closer. He saw the same kid from before, treading the water near the tail of the hammerhead. He looked like he was trying to untangle the rope from around the caudal fins. Vic's eyes searched the scene for the source of the second voice and saw the dark skinned teenage boy, floating on his stomach... beside the... hammerhead... expect... he wasn't floating beside it or in front of it...

Vic's eyes, which seconds ago had separated the two, seeing them as different creatures because that's what made sense, saw something that wasn't possible. The dark skinned teenager had a light grayish green dorsal fin jutting out of his back, matching skin that stretched around the fin and down his back to his waist, where a large tail replaced his legs. It was a mermaid... merman... mershark! And the first kid, Vic noticed the dark gray and white tail... the great white shark hadn't disappeared. The kid was the great white. How was that possible?

How was anything he just witnessed possible?

The kid finally managed to free the other's tail. He tossed the rope away and slapped the other's fin. "Okay. Now... rematch?"

"No!" The hammerhead thing snapped before diving down into the water.

"Wait! Barry! Come back here!" The great white kid followed.

Vic sat there, staring at the spot where they'd disappeared. Several long, unknown minutes ticked by. But the two didn't return.

"Vic! Vic!"

He wasn't sure how long Eli had been calling his name over the radio. But the voice was finally able to penetrate the fog in his mind. Vic shook his head and blinked for a moment. He shook himself again as he pushed away from the railing and headed inside the cabin. He grabbed the radio receiver. "Eli..." He started and stopped. He didn't exactly know how to explain what he saw. He had no clue what he'd seen.

"Where the fuck have you been, Vic?"

"Eli..." Vic breathed out. "You won't believe what just happened."

"If you've gotten caught..."

"No!" Vic interrupted quickly. "That hammerhead... it wasn't a shark."

"What?"

"And there was this great white and it wasn't a shark either."

"What are you..."

"They were people, Eli." Vic interrupted. "Some mutant, messed up freaks. They had like... shark tails and like... transformed... into the sharks. Like... mermaids... mersharks..."

"Vic..."

Vic couldn't stop talking. He went over every little detail he remembered, from the moment he first saw the hammerhead and threw his net to when the pair disappeared. He didn't leave anything out and just kept going. He wasn't even sure what he was saying. He just kept talking and he couldn't control himself. He felt like he was going crazy. Because the more he talked about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. But he'd seen it. He did! "I swear, Eli! I saw them! They're real!"

Eli burst out laughing over the radio. "I don't get the joke here." He said after he caught his breath. "It's lame but... just get yourself packed up and get out of there before the sharks come back or you get caught."

"It's not a joke, Eli." Vic said, his tone serious.

Eli stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "Whatever, Vic. Just get going."

"I'm serious, Eli." Vic continued. "Dead serious. I saw..." But the radio went dead and Eli was gone. Vic stared at it, glared at it, for a moment. He didn't care if Eli didn't believe him. He saw it. He knew he did. He picked up the radio and tried to call the coast guard. But the moment he mentioned mermaids, they hung up on him. Vic radioed back and was threatened with arrest if he called again.

Vic reluctantly packed up and went back home. The next day, he went to the local library and checked out every book about mermaids and sharks. He read everything he could and scoured the internet. But there was nothing about mersharks. And all the information he found on mermaids listed them as mythical. He joined some message boards and started talking to anyone who would listen. He became obsessed. He devoted all his time and energy to finding proof of these things. His hauls for Eli became less and less. Eli ended up firing him and taking back his boat. Vic didn't care. He had enough money saved and bought a small boat. It was shit but it floated and he kept searching.

Years passed. He traveled the coast, never straying too far from the Sorna sea where he'd first seen the mersharks. The only place he ever saw them. The only place he was sure to find proof! But he didn't. He tried to follow shark migration patterns, thinking maybe the freaks were more animal than person. But he never found anything. Every search came up empty handed.

And suddenly, he realized he'd wasted 6 years of his life on something that might have been a hallucination or some weird trick of the moonlight.

Vic downed another bottle of beer and tossed it on the floor. It clattered against the other empties. The whole floor of the small cabin was covered. He'd lost count of all he'd drunk over the last month. His boat had been docked at the marina for nearly two months. He'd only left long enough to get food and more beer. He was worthless. He knew it. His whole life was a joke. Who was he kidding? If these things were real, he wasn't finding them again. He knew it. He wasted his whole life on some fairytale that he was never finding proof of. He might as well just drink himself to death. It was really his only option at this point. Vic laid back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Just get in the boat." An unknown voice said with a hint of panic.

Vic opened his eyes and glanced at his watch. It was 3:15 in the morning. Who the hell was awake and at the marina at this hour? He blinked in the darkness and sat up. He glanced out the window and squinted.

A young man stood on the docks, right beside Vic's boat. He glanced around, looking worried. Squatting awkwardly on the docks beside him was a young woman. Her back was to Vic and he didn't get a good look. But she was laughing. "No one's here." She said. "It's early."

"Karen, no." The man said, shaking his head and stepping closer. "Just wait until we get out to sea."

She stood up and glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling. "No one will see."

"Just get in the boat." The man repeated louder. She smiled again and shook her head. Then she stepped towards and jumped into the water. The man glanced around again, shaking his head. "Karen... I swear..."

Vic rolled his eyes as he listened to them. What a couple of stupid losers, out on the docks in the middle of the night, jumping into the water when it was freezing. Really, it was just about the stupidest thing he'd seen. He glanced out the window again and his eyes widened. The man was bent over, kneeling on the docks with his eyes on the water. And circling in the water just below him was a large whitetip shark.