AN: Hi everyone! I want to apologize for the length of the previous chapter, it was nowhere near as long as I'd hoped it would be. Hopefully this one makes up for that! Enjoy! Drop a comment if you liked it ;)

Much love!

As the month continued on, Cam carefully became a part of the group. He mastered his powers and was soon on the same level as Zac and the pod-born mermaids. He gracefully learned the art of avoiding water and being quick on his feet when needing to come up with a lie. Cam was finally comfortable with being a merman. After looking past the cons, he really began to enjoy the advantages of having a tail. He started to remember why he wanted one in the first place. There was no use in pouting for much longer since he was stuck like this, and there was nothing that anyone could do to reverse his transformation. He was on his way to acceptance.

The girls began to get used to not always being with the pod. Mimmi continued researching the water dragon and myths that went along with it but the internet didn't provide any information that Weilan hadn't already told them. Sirena spent most of her time now with David, in the café, on dates or swimming together; as distraught as she was about losing her sister, Sirena felt lucky to be growing ever closer to David. And he, in return, was just as happy to be there for her. As for Weilan and Ondina, they continued to clash at every chance they got. The others noticed that they seemed to enjoy not getting alone, almost like it was amusing to watch the other get fired up.

Zac and Evie were still as strong as ever, it was comforting for each of them to find that their relationship was a constant throughout the chaos that they faced almost daily.

But then came the day for which they were all preparing: the day of the full moon. Zac was to look after Cam during his first full moon, while the mermaids patrolled the island and guarded the land entrance. Ondina tried to speak to the council to seek their help in protecting the land people from the dragon but the council had no interest in 'dry' affairs. Veridia made it a point to share that land people were beneath them and the interaction did nothing to help lift the girls' banishment.

"I really think you should just take Cam to Mako and make him push through the moon spell, like Sirena did with me," Evie exclaimed to Zac, who was sitting across from her at a table on the patio of the Ocean Café.

"Well, that's not how I learned to do it and I'm afraid it'll be different for mermen," He replied lowering his voice for the last bit of his sentence. He glanced around for good measure to see if anyone heard. Zac's gaze returned to his girlfriend after he decided nobody was paying them any attention.

Evie shook her head, "Mako will draw him, and we both know how that feels. And with how strong Cam is getting it'll be hard to stop him." Zac couldn't argue with that, Cam had easily mastered controlling his powers; it took him days to learn what Zac had accumulated over his months of being a merman. Even Rita admitted that she hadn't seen someone so in control in decades.

Zac opened his mouth to respond but David bustled over to their table with the food order that they'd placed (both fish burgers of course). "So," David asked the pair with a wink, "Are you all good to go for tonight?"

Zac nodded, "Just about, we're only trying to figure out what to do with Cam," he hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much, "Also, call me if you see anyone acting strangely."

David looked back at him quizzically, "Um, sure thing. Enjoy your food." Then, he hurried off to help the other surrounding tables.

The group had decided not to tell anyone about the water dragon, they didn't need their friends worrying (or more specifically Carly getting suspicious). The merpeople knew that their human friends were somewhere on the dragon's list, having been around and exposed to magic, but if they found a way to stop the dragon before they all transformed, then there would be no need for making them worry.

Zac and Evie quickly finished their food and sent out a text when there was one hour to moon rise. After paying the check, Zac walked Evie to a secluded section of the beach and kissed her goodbye and watched as she disappeared into the waves to meet the other mermaids at Mako. He watched her orange tail break the surface of the water in a 'wave' bye; then he fished his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Cam.

Bungalow in 10

When Zac finished his walk back to his house, Cam was already waiting for him on the front step. His hands were shoved deep into his short pockets and he casually leaned up against the railing along the steps. Despite him looking so calm, his knee bounced up and down uncontrollably.

"Nervous?" Zac asked as he approached the blond merman.

"What? Me? What's to be nervous about?" Cam tried to joke, though his voice came out a bit shakier than he intended.

"Don't worry," Zac said clapping his friend on the shoulder, "I'm here to help you through this." He led his friend through the yard over to the bungalow where Zac's room was. After bolting the door and taping the curtains up, they settled on his couch, flipped on the TV and started playing their favorite video game.

Soon Cam began to even forget that the full moon was looming, but an alarm on Zac's phone woke him from the comforting lull that he had fallen into "The moon is up." Zac said in a monotone voice.

Cam nodded his head and tried to relax. Truthfully, he didn't need Zac to tell him about the moon, he already instinctively knew that it was there. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up and he clenched his hands into fists. It was suddenly to hot in here for him, Cam jumped up and started to pace back and forth in the small room.

"You okay, man?" Zac asked his friend tentatively.

"Yes, I'm fine!" Cam burst with sudden rage, "I just need some air."

"I really don't think that's a good idea," Zac said, jumping up to block the door. It was a shock that the moon was already having such a big effect on Cam and he hadn't even been in the moonlight yet.

"Zac, move." Cam demanded sternly. He slowly lifted up his right arm and held out his hand, Zac tried to mimic the motion but was too slow. Cam's powers reached out and yanked Zac away from the door like a ragdoll and tossed him to the side. Zac hit his head on the dresser and when he lifted his hand to the place on his forehead where the pain was stemming from; after he pulled his hand back down he noticed that his fingers came away bloody.

Cam didn't stick around to see if his friend was alright and, truthfully, he didn't care. Right now, his skin was itching to be in the moonlight. He threw open the front door and stepped out into the cool night air. The moon shone brightly overhead, Cam tipped his head back and took a deep breath. Being here wasn't enough, Mako was calling to him.

Cam followed his instincts and crossed the yard to dock over the canal; Zac wasn't far behind him and shouted his friend's name in order to get his attention. Cam didn't bother turning around and instead dove head first into the ocean. Zac wasn't far behind him and sprinted his way over in order to catch up and try to stop him.

The two mermen sped towards Mako, one only seconds ahead of the other. It occurred to Zac that it might be more effective to let Cam go to the moon pool, like Evie had suggested earlier, Cam could just push through the moon spell there. Zac didn't try to stop Cam anymore, but just followed him closely behind as they entered the cave of the moon pool.

The full moon was already over the opening of the volcano, and the water was filled with magic and bubbles, making it hard for Zac to be in the water. But there was one thing that he did notice: he and Cam weren't alone.

Upon swimming in, Zac noticed a pair of very two human looking legs treading water to stay afloat in the pool. When he surfaced, Cam had already snapped out of his daze and was fully focused on their companion in the pool, whose face was tipped toward to moon, drinking in the power.. Zac turned around and came face to face with the water dragon's next victim.

David.