There was a migraine splitting his skull and filling his senses with agony worse than when he had gotten a concussion after falling down a flight of stairs at the Castle. He was only able to muster up a pained moan as he shifted. Arms bound behind his back and ankles tied together, he shifted in the chair he was restrained to in an attempt to loosen the ropes. He got nowhere.

Lucas cracked an eye open, blinking slowly and adjusting his eyesight to the low lighting of the cell. He was no doubt some sort of cell; heavy metal walls and bars blocking the windows to an outside world completely coated in blood. At least it seemed like blood. Everything he could see out the window was a hellish red, swirling scarlet waves creating an effect that made his stomach twist and forced him to look away.

Where the hell am I? He wondered to himself. He tried to remember what he was doing before he blacked out; He had just gotten home and was making himself something to eat... Where was he before that? It was hard to decipher through the pain his memories.

I was with Isaac. That's right. We had gone out. He told me something important.. what was it?

Lucas closed his eyes in hopes the lack of light would soothe his headache. He couldn't look at all that red for too long. It made him sick but that could have been another side effect of the possible concussion. Isaac had told him something while they were out. Where had they went again? He remembered walking with him-That had gone to the Coral Sea for a picnic. That's right.

What was it Isaac said? Something happened... something a long time ago.

C'mon, think. Think! What the hell did he say? Something about Uncle Same...

The conversation was beginning to come back to him in bits and pieces; tidbits he would grasp and fit into the large puzzle that was just a few hours ago.

Wait... how long have I been gone? Shit. Does anyone even know I'm missing? No. Don't think about that. Focus. Isaac was talking about something that happened to the Sea Kingdom.

His memory was coming together and the conversation played out. It was still fuzzy and soft at the edges but it was something he could grasp onto so he didn't slip back into unconciousness.

That's right... Isaac was telling me about the Traitor.


Lucas was lying down with his head in the other boy's lap, fingers in his hair and humming softly some sort of tune. His bag with the crumbs of their picnic sat in the grass just beside him. Neither wanted to move or get up just yet. It was a nice day outside and it been some time since they last just sat together like this. It was comforting.

"I still want you to talk to your uncle about this."

Lucas slowly opened his eyes so he may look up to the Orca above him, the other pausing with his bangs pushed out of his face.

"I told you. He probably doesn't want to hear about something stupid like my social problems."

"He's your Uncle, Lucas. Not to mention the closest thing to a father you have. I want you to talk to him." The shark sat up with a sigh, fixing his hair and avoiding his boyfriend's eyes as he mumbed.

"Don't remind me... I don't like talking about this thing, okay? Just let it go." Isaac sighed beside him, leaning his weight onto the older and wrapping his arms around his torso.

"I just don't like seeing you upset." Lucas turned in the orca's grip, tilting his head so he could kiss him and pull back grinning as he rest his forehead against Isaac's.

"Don't worry about me, Newtors. I may not be the most sentimental but I'm not going to do anything. You know me." Isaac smiled back.

"Yeah, I know."

They switched spots so Lucas leaning up against a coral tree and Isaac was next to him using his chest as a pillow. He liked hearing Lucas' heartbeat underneath his shirt. It was strong and steady like the owner of it.

"Hey, I forgot to ask. Why was your dad visiting so early?"

"He claims Iceberg got boring quickly. But you know him. It's nice when he comes back though, to know he cares enough to." He heard the shift in Lucas' heartbeat. It was slight but he had heard it so many times before. He glanced up to see the other frowning, staring into the distance with his brows knitted together.

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget this is a touchy subject for you."

"It's fine. Just be glad your dad is there."

"Yeah... do you know what ever happened to your dad?" Lucas gripped Isaac's shoulder tighter, a subconcious reaction to whenever he was asked this question. He loosened his hand almost immediately.

"No. Uncle Same once told me that he disappeared before I was born. Or maybe it was after. Either way, he wasn't there and he still isn't." The orca was silent before humming.

"It's strange."

"What?"

"How close your birthday is to the anniversary." Lucas cocked an eyebrow and looked down.

"Anniversary?" Isaac binked and sat up.

"You mean Samekichi never told you?" Lucas shook his head. "Dad once told me. When I just a baby the Sea Kingdom was double crossed by one of its Higher-Ups. He worked close to the Princess. He opened some sort of door that lead to something called the Sea of Death."

Lucas' brows furrowed again. "That sounds familiar."

Isaac nodded. "It was opened and a lot of people died that day. I'm surprised Samekichi never told you about this."

"Why?"

Isaac tilted his head with something of a frown on his chubby features. "Because Samekichi was there. So was Wadanohara and all the familiars."

Something in Lucas' blood chilled until he felt like he was back in Iceberg than he was back home. He was natually cold blooded but this felt different. Samekichi had his reasons, Lucas was sure. Who told a child a story about a time of death and destruction anyway?

"Keep going.."

"Oh! Uhm, there's not really much left to say. Dad didn't know his name, but whoever it was, he had hurt Wadanohara really badly. Mom too... Dad told me Samekichi went through the door so he could close it. Apparentally that was a supposed suicide mission."

"You think whoever double crossed the Kingdom is the reason Samekichi is missing his eye too?"

"It's possible. What's weird is for some reason people thought Samekichi was the traitor."

The fact had Lucas snapping his head up with his eyes wide. "What? Why?"

"I'm not sure! Apparentally something happened... Lucas, I think Samekichi knew him."

"...the Traitor, you mean." Isaac nodded slowly, watching the way Lucas' muscles would tense and retract slowly, hands clenching and unclenching in his lap as he took in the information. It was a bit difficult to think someone like Samekichi could ever double-cross the Sea Kingdom and Princess Uomi. She entrusted her life to him. As did Wadanohara. It was even more difficult to think he could had personally known the one who had turned their back against the Princess.

"How exactly does your dad know about this again?"

"Because he was there too. Well, he kinda showed up during the middle of it all actually. That was when he met mom. I still can't believe no one told you about this."

Lucas sat back against the coral tree, frowning then shaking his head and brushing off the subject. "I didn't ask and he never saw a reason to tell me. Simple as that."

"I'd you to at least ask about it when talking to him. Please?"

Lucas was once again about to say no, to explain to Isaac that he and Samekichi didn't talk about feelings and things like that-but then he caught the look of big brown eyes pleading him. He tried to stay strong, folding his arms as a physical defence against the look but it was futile. He always fell at the sight of Isaac's puppy eyes. Lucas sighed in defeat.

"Alright fine. Just quit it with the look." The cute look was replaced with smug victory. The bastard knew exactly what he did to Lucas and the shark would be lying if he said he didn't like it when he did. It was fun when they challenged each other like this. That's why they worked so well together.

They packed up sometime after that and started home. Lucas made sure to see the whale off at the surface, waving as he swam away and only leaving when he could no longer see him. Then he made the treck back home. It wasn't a long walk, but he took his time as he thought about what ISaac had told him. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of betrayal at Samekichi for never telling him something so significant to the Sea Kingdom's history. In fact, now that he thought about it, Tatsumiya had never mentioned it in any of his lessons. It never once crossed the conversation.

Strange. One would think a day where the Sea of Death nearly took over would be a very crucial topic during a history lesson.

He stopped to sit down on bench so he could think, watching the Sea's waves sparkle with the setting sun and the rising moon. It wasn't quite a full moon, only a waxing gibbous at most. Another night and it would be full. He gets home late and his feet drag under his as he sets down his bag and kicks off his shoes with a yawn. He is so glad Samekichi is not home.

He remembers making himself something to eat and listening to music.

He remembers there being footsteps and mistaking them for Samekichi.

There was the first hit that had him on the ground with his vision doubling.

The second was when the world went black.


Lucas pulled at the ropes again, grunting with the effort and wincing as the material dug into his wrists. He would end up slicing himself open before managing to escape. But he could deal with a little self-inflicted injury if it meant getting out.

Where he would go once he was out was beyond him.

"It's useless, boy. Even your strength will not break those."

Lucas froze at the voice behind him, trying to twist so he could see the owner. Whomever it was, their dialect sent chills down his spine with the way they hissed their S's like that. Like a snake.

"Show yourself!"

The low hissing made it's way to his ears, seeming to come from all around him and he was whipping his head back and forth to figure out where it all was all originating from. There was no way one sound could come from everywhere at once.

"Such a handsome boy you turned out to be. Strong, too. And you look so much like him." From the shadows came a creature unlike any Lucas had seen (and he had once seen a blob fish). Her skin was pale against the dark background of Red and black and putrid rust, dark hair ribboned with jewels that gleamed in the low yellow lighting of the moon. Blood red eyes held a dangerous glint and trained directly on him, rooting him to his spot from their sheer intensity as thin white fangs peeked out from the curve of her ruby lips. Her lower half, where skin transitioned into dark, shiny black scales was coiled upon itself in one large mound of muscle. More gems spotted her serpentine tail, all of them sparkling as she shifted and slithered closer to him.

"Hello, Lucas," She hissed his name and he trembled at the sound. It was ominous and eerie and dripped poinson with each syllable and enunciated consonant.

"W-Who are you?"

The woman circled around him slowly, she didn't wrap him up in her tail but he knew she could and she would most likely enjoy the moment when she could crush him to death.

" I am known as Hebi." She drew one clawed finger along his cheek, causing him to flinch away from her touch and an ugly laugh to poor forth from her. "It's almost insulting that you're his son. He was a joke."

The shark froze for a moment, looking at her with confusion and shock written clear on his features.

"What are you talking about? Who's a joke?" A dark chuckle from Hebi as she slithered back toward her thrown, her long tail draped behind her as she rest her knuckle against her cheek.

"Your father of coarse. He used to be a very important individual here."

"Where is here?"

Hebi's grin could have made the Cheshire cat's look pitiful. Her nails tapped against the armchair, each one a polish black with one red eye above the cuticle.

"You're in the Sea of Death. I'm surprised you're still coherent. But then again," Her smirk was cruel and it chilled his blood. "-it's in your blood. The Sea of Death has always been a part of you because it was a part of your father."

Lucas felt his throat tighten up. "My..dad?"

"The Ambassador of the Sea of Death. Why the shocked face, Lucas? Has no one told you your father nearly destroyed the Sea Kingdom single handedly?" Hebi watched as he remain confused before a horrorified realization painted across his features, a cold sweat starting on his brow and trailing down his neck as he choked.

"No.. you can't mean-"

Hebi nodded.

"That's right, darling. You're the son of the Ambassador. The one who rebelled against the Sea Kingdom and opened the door." She gently took up a wine glass by the stem, holding up and smiling at him with mock happiness.

"Welcome home, darling."