Sink

Once upon a time, there was a mermaid who was princess of the underwater land of Atlantis. She was one of many Princesses of the Sea King, but there was something special about her. She was very interested in the world above; she would swim to the surface and watch humans and wonder what it might be like to be among them.

One day she came up to the surface of the Sea during a storm, and that's when she saw a ship, that had been caught upon the storm. She swam forward only to see the most beautiful man fall from the ship and begin to drown. So enchanted by this man, she dove under and returned him upon the shore. What she didn't know was that the man was the Prince of the kingdom, all she knew was that she was in love with him...

To be honest, there wasn't much about his life that Finnick liked very much at all.

Not to say Finnick hated himself. No, that wasn't true at all. Finnick had a very good opinion of himself, and held himself in very high esteem. He was, after all, a child of the Chieftain. He had brought honor upon his family after his fourteenth birthday when he had single-handedly killed a great white shark, he had been given the name Finnick, which meant "Hunter of the Holy Fish", as sharks that huge were of great value to the clan, whether it be their delicious meat, or their sharp teeth to be used as weapons.

Killing a shark was a rite of passage that was normally done with other boys his age, but the only other boy who had been taking the test with him had been injured and Finnick had to take down the shark himself. He hadn't saved the boy, who had bled out from a bite to the stomach. Sometimes he wondered if he should have.

In any case, that was that. A boy died, and he had triumphed to bring honor to his family. His family hadn't really needed it though. His father, the Chieftain (he never addressed his father as Father, because Finnick never really viewed him as such) had defeated many sharks, saved their clan from a Kraken, and had banished a Lorelei or a Sea Witch from their territory. His many accomplishments had also given him many wives. Eighteen, actually. And Finnick was the only son of his eighteenth wife. Finnick was never to be the leader of their clan, and was the youngest of many children. This left him to his own devices most of the time.

His mother was nicer to him then most, but she was docile and would go along with whatever the Chieftain said. His elder sisters were too concerned about attracting the proper mates. His other brothers all looked down upon him and tried not to associate with him when they had the chance. Every day there was nothing for him to do besides tedious chores, so he began attempt to find his own entertainment.

Finnick was inquisitive by nature. So when a ship sank in his fifteenth, after all the bodies had been eaten, he went to the ship. He came out with what he could consider treasure. Thingamabobs and doohickeys and strange gadgets as far as the eye could see. He reveled in finding things and storing them in the small cave he called home. He lugged home chests full of treasure. All the things he had were wonderful, and creatures of the above world, humans, made them. If humans could make all of these wonderful things, certainly they could answer his questions as his family never even bothered to entertain them.

But he could not simply ask a human why the moon and sun rose and fell, and never met. Nor why seaweed was green or why the tides came in and out. He would be killed. Because no matter how much his sisters giggled about leading handsome sailors astray, the end result was always the same. His sisters would drown and eat them, or the sailors would kill them. That was the way the world worked. Finnick didn't ponder the ethics of killing baby seals for meat, so certainly a human wouldn't concern themselves with injuring one of his sisters when it came down to their survival.

The world was a cruel place, a place that would devour the weak. So Finnick had to put aside his questions for survival.

And that was the way the world worked.

"Finnick…look at me. Aren't I the most beautiful?" One of the multitude of mermaids that constantly heckled him asked. He was about to answer when suddenly another mermaid grabbed his face, her hair was coral blue, and her tail shimmered like rainbow.

"No. I am. Be my husband!" She said with a pout.

"No! Mine! Only I can birth you strong sons!" Another said, and he felt her mouth against his jaw.

"Listen…I didn't come here to ask you to marry me! I just came in search of the Chieftain. I need to talk to him. Is he here?" He asked exasperated, the mermaid who was currently kissing his neck sighed and moved away, and Finnick was glad because he didn't like the feeling of her lips at all. They were nothing like Annie's lips and he very much enjoyed Annie's lips upon him. In fact he got caught up in thinking about that he almost missed the mermaid's reply,

"Your father is with the other elders and are creating a plan for the storm hits. Apparently there is a ship in the area, a large one with a lot of humans."

"Storm? Is there going to be a storm today? I thought it would hit the day after tomorrow."

"Well it is coming today." One of the mermaids said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well why is the storm hi-"

"Questions, questions, questions! It's always the questions!" One of the mermaids hissed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Well, thank you for telling me." Finnick said before quickly excusing himself to go to the main cavern.

Finnick was confused. Even if he was the youngest, all sons of the Chieftain were normally invited to the meetings before raids. And if he had really not been invited then that meant the Chieftain was mad at him. Finnick couldn't help but frown as he got closer to the cavern. He didn't think he had done anything to warrant punishment. Well…besides insulting one of the other Elders…and disregarding the weekly clan meeting…and just generally avoiding everyone. But those were all things Finnick did regularly.

When he finally reached the cavern, most of the other Elders and his brothers had left. The Chieftain alone lay, inspecting the skulls of his enemies that he had speared. When he saw Finnick, he sighed as if he had known this was coming and almost regretted it.

"Finnick." He said, without any other sort of greeting. Finnick didn't even bother to bow his head in the traditional greeting just crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well what did I do this time? I don't think I did anything to warrant not being included in the raid." Finnick asked Chieftain who began to crunch on a crab. A mere snack, Finnick supposed. In the same way he supposed the Chieftain was mad at him, and that the sky was much pretty when clouds didn't cover it.

"It's not what you did, Finnick. It's what you have. All of those…human things in your cavern! I am doubted by my fellow Elders because I have a son who is so obsessed with humans and their goods!" Chieftain snapped. "So, you will not be allowed near the ship if it does indeed sink, and counting on how terrible the storm will be, it most certainly will."

"I am not obsessed with humans. I eat their meat, just like you. It's just that their things are interesting!" Finnick said, honestly insulted. If only the Chieftain knew what he was doing with his spare time, he thought to himself with an internal smirk the part of him that relished in doing bad laughing in glee. Though he didn't think what he was doing was bad to begin with. Maybe his glee was evident because the Chieftain just seemed to get angrier.

"You're the only one who finds it that way. You've always been strange. But you're a skilled enough hunter that I thought you might just grow out of this strangeness you have, like most other children and focus your energy on what you're good at. Find yourself a suitable woman, have strong sons, and forget. But no, this obsession with knowing why has only grown stronger." The Chieftain snapped angrily and Finnick clenched his teeth.

"It's not like I have anything better to do, seeing as I've been stopped from doing the only thing I'm good at." Finnick said hotly. "And to answer your question about suitable women, there is no woman in this clan that is anything but vapid and ill-tempered other then my mother. I would not take a mate of them even if they were the last fertile women in the sea!"

"Then take your mother then. She seems only good for birthing silly creatures." Chieftain scoffed and Finnick left in a fit of rage.

"My little Fish, you shouldn't argue with your father like so." His mother said, combing his hair with her fingers. He sighed and frowned.

"Do you think me strange, mother?" He asked and she smiled.

"I think you're the best sort of strange." His mother said, "Though it would ease my heart if you took a wife."

"No woman really wants me, mother. I'm just…different."

"You're intelligent, little Fish. You're so smart that you threaten your brothers and father. That is good, little Fish. It means that one day, you will succeed them all." His mother hummed.

"I wouldn't want to be Chieftain." He explained. "Even if I could out match my brothers in combat, which I can't."

"You are the strongest hunter in the tribe, Finnick. You are stronger and faster and smarter."

"But I don't like things like war and fighting. I'm good at it, yes…but I…"

I just want someone to understand. I want someone to listen to my questions and answer them. That is all I want. He wished to say, but didn't. In any case, his mother didn't seem to understand, nor did she claim she understood. Even though he loved his mother, as much as one could, she wanted nothing more then to see her son become Chieftain. That's how all of the wives were. They would even kill each other's newborn children and sacrifice them to the Sea Witches if it meant a chance at being the mother of the next Chieftain. His mother would kill him and sacrifice him if it meant to bare a son that would become the next Chieftain.

There was only one person who understood him, and he just had to deal with life here so he could see her.

The storm did claim the boat, as his father predicted. There was a great feast that night of human flesh. Of men and women and children of land, that had met their demise. But so was their fate, for they could not be the masters of the sea. The merfolk sang and laughed as they carved out pieces of meat and gorged themselves, as one could never know when the next meal would be. And no matter how much Finnick ate, he could not rid himself of the bitter taste in his mouth.

Humans just hadn't tasted the same, and he just wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Annie and him had an unspoken agreement that if the weather was bad that they wouldn't meet, for her safety more then his. If anything, Finnick enjoyed storms. He loved being tossed in the waves, floating upon the surface as rain came down from the heavens.

So he waited until the next night of festivities and quietly slipped away from the clan. He heard her calling to him, the sound reverberating in his bones, driving him there to the small cove where they always met.

She sat there upon the cove, a blanket spread out underneath her. That night she wore a soft grey colored dress, like the color of the pearly morning light upon a cloudy sky, and a dark blue cloak. Annie fiddled with her hair; braiding it and unbraiding it, making Finnick wish to run his fingers through it. It was probably soft, like her skin, and warm, and smelled good.

Finally unable to take it much longer, he popped up, and Annie smiled at him.

"Hello." She greeted, and Finnick smiled back.

"Hello." Finnick greeted back, leaning up to press his lips against hers.

Her lips were soft and inviting, just like always, and her taste was divine. Upon his lips danced the tastes of warm, buttery summer sunshine, pure, sweet winter snow, the cool, melancholic autumn wind, and the melting, fresh waters of spring. She was eager as always to accept him, her lips pressing again and again to his, allowing him to take as much of her taste as he wanted. Certainly he could imagine nothing better then stealing those lips again and again.

He finally pulled away with a hum, resisting the urge to lick his lips as he gazed upon her, cheeks warmed and the color of when the sun kissed the sea in the dawn before a storm. Her eyes were green and filled with the sweetness he had just tasted upon her lips, they weren't the garish, shocking colors of the mermaids who were so desperate to court him, but a gentle color, the color of the leaves that she had brought to show him. That was her most defining characteristic, Finnick thought. There was something gentle about everything she was. Her presence was soothing in a way he had never encountered.

"Did you bring me anything today?" Annie asked, and Finnick took out one of the little treasures he kept. He enjoyed this game to a monumental degree. Every night he saw Annie he would bring one of the things he kept in his treasure trove and she would tell him what it was and what it was used for.

Today was a strange sort of stick. It was heavy and a silver and gold metal and he could put one of his fingers through the whole on the side that was made up of a strange miniature statue of some sort of creature that pawed against the stick that was shaped like stick with circles of flowers around it, with a circular bottom. Annie took it in her hands and smiled.

"This is a very beautiful candleholder." Annie explained, admiring it. "It was probably painted silver and made of bronze, so age has made the silver fade away."

"Candleholder?" He asked, "What's that?"

"It holds candles so you can walk around in the dark. I have some extra candles for my lantern." She said digging in the little satchel she brought. She placed one of the long ivory colored candles on top of the holder and held it in her hands, one finger loped through the circle tail of the creature to show him how it was used.

"What's the thing upon the side?"

"I believe it's a cat of some sort."

"A…cat?" Finnick asked confused.

"They're land creatures." Annie explained. "A few live in the castle and they're good for catching mice, and they're soft, and nice to pet."

"You live with animals?" Finnick asked amazed. "And they don't try to run off?"

"No, humans have done something called domestication with certain animals. A long time ago, people took wild animals and tamed them, and bred them to have certain qualities. The ancestors of those animals are the animals we have around today." Annie told him.

"What qualities would one want in an animal?"

"Well…useful qualities. Creatures to catch rodents and game are things like dogs and cats. Some animals give us materials to create our clothing such as sheep, goats, and rabbits. And of course we breed our own food, like cows and goats to give us milk and chickens to give us eggs." Annie told Finnick whose mind burned with possibilities. What if he could tame a shark and ride it? How amazing would that be? But then again, a creature had to be smart enough to understand who was a master and who was an enemy, and sharks were barely seemed smart enough to get prey.

"So it's much like that…agriculture thing you told me about. How you plant trees to give you the fruit you want?"

"Exactly like that." Annie said with a smile that was so pleased and Finnick felt a tingling in his gut.

Maybe he was hungry? Oh but he had eaten well enough from the ship. A bite from the calf of a man, with meat that was tough and weathered down by years, the arm of a woman whose bitterness crunched like her bones. But nothing was like Annie's flesh. Sometimes his teeth ached to sink into the swells of fat that were showed in tantalizing glances if her dress got wet and clung to her curves. She would be soft and sweet, and her flesh would be yielding and full of flavor. Then again, if he ate Annie whom would he go to and talk to?

Oh no-actually, his tooth just ached in general. It had been bothering him for a few days, actually. He just hadn't really paid much mind to it. But now that his mind was upon it, it really did hurt. He touched his own cheek and hissed and Annie frowned.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked and Finnick shrugged.

"I think I hurt my tooth." He explained and Annie touched his cheeks with a feather-soft hand.

"Could I look?" Annie asked and Finnick frowned.

"I thought my teeth scared you."

"Well they do. They aren't very nice to look at. Considering most the time it's people like me that get chomped in them." She explained jokingly though Finnick didn't understand how it could be a joke if it was true, "Just promise me you won't bite down on my fingers please."

"I would never do that. That would hurt you, and you would cry." Finnick said with a blink, suddenly a bit uncomfortable with his own revelation. He had seen Annie cry before the last night on her little boat, and he had found he didn't like it one bit. He couldn't cry, and he had never seen a human do so before. And crying itself was making water from human eyes, and Annie's tears smelt so much like sadness and the sounds that came out of her throat were filled with so much pain that he would do anything to make it stop.

"I'm glad to hear that." Annie said breaking his revelry, "Now open up."

He opened his mouth, not really understanding what she was doing before he felt her fingers there, brushing against the surface of his teeth. The sensation hit him with incredible force causing him to jerk back. Annie looked alarmed and concerned over his reaction.

"Are you okay?" She asked concerned and Finnick ran his tongue over where she had just touched. "Did it hurt?"

"No…it felt weird." He explained.

"Your teeth must be more sensitive then a humans. If it's hard for me to touch them, could you just open your mouth wide enough for me to look?" Annie asked and Finnick swallowed and nodded, opening his mouth as far as his jaw permitted. Annie didn't say anything for a moment before she took in a breath.

"I think you have something stuck back there. I'm just going to get it out, okay?" She warned him, this time he felt her fingers brush one of his teeth and was prepared for the sensation before a twinge of pain and then nothing. Annie held up for him to see a sizable piece of bone. "What on Earth were you eating? Shark?"

"A ship sank." Finnick said and suddenly Annie's face went pale and she dropped the piece of bone.

"Human? You were eating humans?" She asked as if horrified and Finnick didn't understand why she would be.

"Yes. I do eat humans." Finnick said tipping his head to the side, not understanding why she was so upset. "I thought you knew that."

"But…Finnick how could you eat humans?" Annie asked sounding really distressed.

"Did I eat one of your family?" Finnick asked concerned.

"No but the people you ate were someone else's family!" Annie exclaimed and Finnick shook his head, not understanding.

"I would never eat Annie or anyone who would make Annie sad. But I have to eat something." Finnick said, "And they would've drowned or died anyways."

"But that's not the point!" Annie cried before saying softly. "It's just…it's so sad."

"Are you mad at me?" Finnick asked her, worried that she was. She really was mad at him, and she would never want to see him again. She wouldn't kiss him or tell him all of the wonderful things she told him about the world that he ached to know.

"I'm…not mad. It's not your fault. You're right. You're a merman. You have to eat. It's just…sometimes I forget that. Ignorance is bliss I suppose." Annie said much more quietly. "You don't have to be guilty. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Guilty? Was that the name of strange uncomfortable tightness in his gut? He had never felt that way before, and he couldn't say he liked it very much. It felt as if he was going to throw back up what he had eaten. Even though such a thing would be stupid, and feeling that way over humans that hadn't weren't Annie was strange and he didn't like it one bit.

"It's fine." Finnick said, not saying he understood because he didn't. Why should he feel that way? He was just doing what was necessary to survive. Why did he suddenly feel that way? It was alarming.

Ever since he had met Annie he had been…feeling different. No, not true. He felt very much himself until the last night of them being together as she floated upon her little boat. He had given her his name, and maybe that was his true mistake. He had been told by the elders that giving a human a name was like giving away the heart to them, but he hadn't thought it would be that problematic.

Was it a problem? He thought suddenly.

No. He liked feeling the way he did. He liked being in love with Annie. He loved being in love with Annie. He loved how it made his world so interesting, where it had once been boring and lonely. Even if it had such strange effects upon him, he was glad he felt the way he did.

"Do you want to talk about something else?" Annie asked him gently and Finnick blinked. Another opportunity to ask questions! But this time a question bubbled up to his lips that he hadn't expected.

"Tell me about your family. I want to know what human families are like."

She seemed to think about this for a minute, smoothing her hand upon her blanket before saying.

"I have a mother and a father named Laurel and Daniel, a brother who is younger then me named Kai, and a elder sister named Cora. Right now we are living with my father's brother and his wife, and my cousins Rae and Ariel who are about my age." Annie said, "And my mother has two brothers who are back home who both have children who are older then me."

"Your father only has one wife? Is he…of lower class?" Finnick asked confused. Even most of the lowest class men in his clan at least strived for three wives. Though he was sure he would just be happy with Annie. Annie gave a giggle and a smile.

"No, not at all. I'm of noble birth actually. But humans only marry one other person here. Though I believe in some other places it is custom to have more."

"Chieftain has eighteen wives." Finnick said, "And I have many siblings. But I don't like them much. They're boring and don't like me either. They can only think of how big the sharks they can take down and how many mermaids they can marry. Oh, and becoming Chieftain. I don't have an interest in such things."

Chieftain…is that your King?" Annie asked curiously and Finnick sighed.

"Yes. He's very strict and says I'm silly for being curious about things from the above world and never answered any of my questions. So therefore, I cause trouble for him." Finnick said with a wicked smile. "But yes. He is the appointed King of the West Sea. All of the clans get together and appoint one King every decade and he's been the reigning leader for two of them."

"So you're the son…of the King? You're a prince?" Annie asked as if shocked.

"Yes but I barely consider Chieftain my father." Finnick said, resting his chin on his folded hands. "And besides, I'm the youngest, and the only son of his eighteenth wife. I'm last in line for the title of Chieftain. I can barely be considered royalty."

"But you still are." Annie pointed out and Finnick smiled at her.

"Well since we're both of royal blood, our engagement should be well received then." He teased and Annie blushed that delicious pink again.
"I would hope so." Annie said before giving an almost heavy sigh, "I should probably get back home. It's late."

"Sleep well." Finnick wished her, remembering the conversation they had had about how humans need to sleep every night. Merfolk didn't though; they could stay awake for many days before they had to sleep. Though if he were going to be awake for a few days, he would need to rest, which was like taking a rest where you were just below the surface of sleep but could immediately get up and go if the clan was attacked perhaps. He had tried to explain this to Annie but she had just seemed confused by that idea and Finnick had given up. Perhaps next time the topic came up he would try to explain how the dolphins he knew did so. And thinking about dolphins, perhaps it might be valuable to learn how to tame a dolphin.

She offered him her mouth again which he pressed soft, gentle kisses to. Maybe, he thought, he would be able to convince her to stay with him for a whole night one day. Though it might be a while before he could do that. She sighed into his mouth and ran her fingers over his jaw and into his hair. But as his kisses became more persistent, she pulled away and smiled.

"Good night." She said, and he knew that it was time for him to leave. So he ducked underwater but stayed close, watching as she packed up her blanket and grabbed her satchel and walked up the shore, relishing every last moment in time he could share with her. He felt as she whispered his name in his heart, the feeling was like swimming into the warm shallows, feeling the brushes of gentle waves upon his skin. Or perhaps it was more akin to her fingers brushing his jaw, making the skin there tingle with longing.

Whatever the case may have been, holding that feeling close in his heart of hearts, he allowed himself to sink back into the cold dark waters, to where girls of sunshine and shy smiles that were only meant for him lived only in dreams, and wondered why if the ocean was filled with others it felt so incredibly and abysmally lonely.

"Where have you been sneaking off too?" Finnick's sister Cordelia asked Finnick as they sunned upon a rock together. "And don't try to lie to me, I know you were off somewhere when we were all celebrating yesterday. And besides, you've been acting even odder then usual."

His other four sisters, Ondine, Nixie, Isla, and Nerida were off in the caverns helping to gut a seal. Finnick and Cordelia had finished their work for the day early and were lying upon a rock together as they often found themselves doing. Cordelia was the most sensible of his sisters, and was second youngest so they had been raised together. If there were anyone Finnick could trust with his secret, it would probably be Cordelia. And he was eager to share his exploits with someone.

"I have met someone." Finnick said quietly. His sister's eyes went wide, and she splashed her emerald green tail in disbelief.

"A girl? You've met a girl and you haven't told me?" She hissed incredulously. "Which one is she? Is it Cascade? She's had her eyes on you-"

"No, it isn't Cascade. I wouldn't touch her even if my life depended on it." Finnick said with a roll of his eyes. "She's…not from our clan."

"Not from our clan…you mean she's from another clan?" Cordelia asked leaning forward, her interest piqued.

"No, she isn't from a clan at all." He said quietly. He watched as the implications for what he said registered upon his sister's face. Cordelia gaped in disbelief her sea-green eyes wide, her skin almost paler then her white-gold hair.

"A human?" She squeaked in disbelief. "Don't tell me that you're being serious. Tell me your just teasing me."

"I'm being serious." Finnick said, resting his head upon his arms.

"Tell me the whole story or else I won't believe you." Cordelia warned.

So Finnick did tell her. He told her of how he had found Annie floating among the wreckage of a ship after a storm. He told her of teasing her, of listening to her stories, of letting her go. He told her about reuniting with her a few weeks after and since then having met most nights. He told her about what Annie looked like, about all of the questions she had answered, about her likes and dislikes, and her family, and how she was of noble blood among humans. His sister absorbed everything, humming once in a while, nodding her head at some points, shaking it at others, until Finnick finally ended his story. A few moments of silence stretched on between them as Cordelia obviously considered everything he told her before choosing what she would say next.

"I just can't believe you haven't eaten her yet, nor has she gotten some humans to kill you."

"Annie wouldn't do that." Finnick said with a bit of force behind it, not arguing the thing about him eating her, because that had almost happened multiple times, but definitely not appreciating what she was implying.

"She's a human though!" Cordelia exclaimed but Finnick shook his head.

"Annie's different." Finnick said quietly. "Annie said she loves me, and I love her too."

"So what? Is she going to try to find a way to become a mermaid?" Cordelia asked sharply, "Or are you going to become a human?"

"I…I'm happy with the way things are." Finnick said, "I don't want things to change."

"It won't be that way forever. Eventually you'll want to embrace her, to call her your wife, to have a home, and children. You won't be content with the arrangement you have forever." Cordelia said gently.

"Then what should I do, Cordelia?" Finnick asked sitting up, and Cordelia just looked grim.

"It would be best if you just sent her away. Found mermaid wives, lived a content life here with us. Finnick, I know your fancies take you to far off places, but please. This is your home." Cordelia said, placing one hand upon his shoulder, the other motioning to the ocean. "It gives us fruitful harvests, a place to live, water to wet our gills and breathe with. Don't turn away from the Mother of all."

"Cora…I'm different. I can't be content with this. I want more."

"You would see everything differently if you just tried to live here with us. Put some effort in. You're so busy looking beyond that you don't see how good you have it."

"I know how good we have it." Finnick said quietly. "I just want something else."

"And Annie can offer it to you?"

"She gives it to me. Like I told you before. We're both happy with the way things are now. It doesn't matter if I see her or not, really. It doesn't affect things at home." Finnick said quietly. Cordelia just nodded, obviously understanding.

"If it's just about satisfying your curiosity I don't see any harm. But…you know, that there would be only one way to turn into a human. And that way-"

"I know. A Sea Witch." Finnick said with a heavy sigh, "But you know, I'm too smart to ever make a deal with a Sea Witch. A lesser man might, but I would never."

"Just don't forget the tale of the Mermaid Princess. Don't forget what happened." Cordelia said urgently, grabbing onto his hand.

"The Prince found out she was a mermaid…and ran her through with the dagger. And she melted away into sea foam." Finnick whispered, repeating the ending he had always loathed through his clenched teeth. It was as if his body even rejected such a possibility. It was cruel irony that the thing Cordelia was quoting now was so reminiscent of Annie. But of course, the endings to Annie's tales were always happy. She had even turned the Mermaid Princess into something beautiful. Beautiful, wonderful, and exhilarating…that was what Annie was. But perhaps her sister had a point. How could his love for Annie ever end well in the end?

"Now this Annie wouldn't run you through with a dagger probably, but involving yourself with a human can never end up well. You know I love you and want you to be happy, but please don't make any decisions you might come to regret." Cordelia said quietly with the maturity of an advisor. Finnick tried not to look visibly cross with her. His sister really did mean the best for him.

"I'll try." He said, and Cordelia smiled, her teeth flashing in the sun.

"Let's get back before they worry about us." She said turning to dive back into the water.

"Promise me you won't tell the Chieftain or Mother." Finnick said quickly, remembering the most important thing last, like always.

"Of course not. I promise. I swear on the seas and my lifeblood." Cordelia promised before they both returned to the waters. The trip back to their world was quick, and even though they were stopped multiple times by other members of the clan they got back to the caverns with little to do.

Their mother was waiting for them as they got back down to the caverns. She looked strangely nervous, and rather grim something neither of them expected. She looked up as he swam through the entrance before look at Cordelia.

"I need to speak to your brother privately, Cordelia. Go check on your sisters if you would." She told his sister, who gave Finnick a concerned look before swimming off. Finnick just looked at his mother, trying to seem as neutral as possible. Had one of his other sisters over heard his and Cordelia's conversation?

"What is it mother?" He asked and his mother just looked at him seriously.

"Chieftain has decided among the family that the next Chieftain will be chosen soon." His mother told him and he blinked.

"Isn't it early?"

"Your father is getting old. He is not the fighter he was in his youth. Of course, honorably, he wishes for the battle to be between the brothers and then the winner of those battles shall battle to kill him. If not, a new candidate shall be chosen." His mother said, "As according to the holy rites."

"And what does this have anything to do with me? I've told you mother, I do not wish to be the next Chieftain!" Finnick said sharply.

"You have everything necessary to be the next Chieftain, Finnick! Please, won't you do it for your mother? Fight the holy battle for me, bring honor upon our branch!"

"No. You wish for honor upon you. You are the only one you care about. I know what your game is, mother. After Chieftain is killed you will not be a royal wife any longer. You will be a normal member of our clan, but I don't care about being a normal member of our clan. No one would ever follow me anywhere anyways! I would not be fit to rule."

"And you think your brothers are?" His mother hissed and Finnick crossed his arms over his chest.

"They are more suited then I am!" Finnick said with a snap.

"Your father is only pushing for the ceremony to begin earlier because the sons of the First wife and Second wife were planning on murdering him! Your father would rather die, then let the family name be tainted by dishonor."

"Honor? What is honor anyways? You know what? I hope one of them win, because in that case I won't be family with such horrible brothers!" He growled at his mother.

"And what do you care about, Finnick? Do you only care about your silly questions? The humans? Why don't you try to devote yourself to a cause that matters!"

"Don't you dare make fun of me!" He roared, "Don't you dare make light of my interests! I've never harmed anyone with my questions! All I wanted was to know! Even if you were honest with me and told me you didn't know, I would've been content. But instead you and father and everyone else everyone just makes fun of me. And then you actually expect me to try to lead you! Ha! I hope someone as stupid and incompetent wins this duel, so I can take pleasure in watching this clan fall apart!"

"How dare you!" His mother screeched, but Finnick wasn't nearly done.

"How dare you! The humans that we all think are dumb and useless are building empires upon the land! They've tamed animals and plants, and are learning to conquer all of Mother Nature's whims. We just keep living like this, not making any improvements, and one day the humans will conquer us. That's why I want to know what they know. I want to learn. But fine. You don't need to worry about that. Just keep worrying about your stupid rank, and who you're going to marry and birth children for after Chieftain finally croaks." Finnick said before swimming off, trying to ignore his mother's crying.

He kept swimming until he reached the little cove. He waited in the shallows for hours until the sun went down. He just had to see her. He didn't care how long he needed to wait. He couldn't go back to his family. He just needed to see her. To know that was wanted somewhere. Misery was overwhelming him. Something that had once been a dull ache was now a sharp pain. What was happening to him? It was as if every since he had fallen in love everything was intensified to the point of pain.

After an agonizingly long wait, he finally saw Annie walk down the beach. She was singing softly,

The currachs are sailing way out on the blue

Chasing the herring of silvery hue

Silver the herring and silver the sea

Soon they'll be silver for my love and me…

She set down her blanket, and he watched as her pale luminescent fingers smoothed over the wrinkles there. She placed down her satchel there as well, inside held a snack, a wineskin full of water, and a book she would read as she waited for him most nights, like always. She had just pulled back her blue hood, revealing her dark hair and a dress of dark red, like the cherries she had once brought with her. She looked so beautiful to him, so calm, compared to what he had just come from that he almost jumped out of the water then to embrace her. But no. Not yet.

"Finnick!" She called, and yes, he had held back just to hear her call his name. She was happy to see. She was the only one who was happy to see him, it seemed like. He popped up immediately, causing Annie to jump. He didn't know what sort of expression was upon his face, but she asked, much softer this time, "Finnick?"

He scrambled upon land with his arms and legs that were very much not made for land walking and was in her arms immediately, not caring if got her pretty red dress wet. He lay besides her, pulling her so close that he could feel every curve of her body. She didn't fight it. She just lay besides him, tangled together with him, gently humming, and rubbing his back.

"I am broken." Finnick croaked. "I feel so much and I don't know what it means."

"You are not broken." Annie said gently, holding him closer.

"If I am not broken, then why do I feel like this?"

"I don't know. But whatever is wrong, I promise I'll be with you." Annie whispered. He took her hand pressed it over his heart.

"My name…when I gave you my name, I gave you my heart." Finnick moaned, "What have you done to it?"

"Nothing accept love it." Annie said gently, laying her palm flat against the surface of his chest, warming him all the way to his center. "Have you been taking good care of mine?"

"Your heart?"

"I gave it to you with my love. Have you been taking good care of it?" She asked her eyes warm, so unbearably warm.

"I don't know. Have I been taking good care of it? Are you hurting the same way I am?" Finnick asked, suddenly terrified he had been causing her pain and anguish.

"As long as you take care of yourself, and you come to me, you're doing a very good job of keeping my heart safe." Annie said, taking his hand and touching it to her chest. He could feel the heart beat there, the organ that kept her alive. It was so fragile. How could he possibly take care of such a precious thing?

"You love me?" He asked as he pressed their foreheads together, their hands still pressed over each other's hearts.

"Yes. And you love me?" She asked back, smiling.

"Yes." He whispered. Without a doubt. He didn't understand how he had gone on before loving Annie.

"Then we're fine. You're fine." Annie said quietly.

"I don't want anything to change." Finnick said.

"I know."

Finnick let himself truly sink into her embrace, to be enveloped by her, and fell asleep thinking that nothing on Earth would ever tear him apart from this beautiful, gentle, wonderful girl that had allowed him to call her his. If only Finnick had known then what was to happen next.

DUH DUH DUUUUUH.

Yeah. I went there.

Well, as I've said before, due to popular demand, Adrift is back and is now official a multiple chapter fic. I'm glad so many people have enjoyed the story and wanted me to continue it. Keep on showing me your love guys!

Fun Facts About This Chapter:

Sink takes place approximately three months after the events of Adrift. As you can tell, Finnick's character has changed noticeably in that time.

The candleholder is actually based on one we have in my house. My great-grandparents brought it over from Russia, circa. 1900-1910, when they came to America after Russians told the Jews to leave Russia.

Fiddler on the Roof is my family's story guys. Be jealous.

TRADITIOOOOON! TRADITION! TRADITION!

The hardest part of this chapter was definitely writing Finnick's internal monologue. I based it off of him having some sort of ADD or something. Not to say all people with ADD are merfolk, but there has been research that shows that in nomadic hunter-gatherer societies there is an exponential amount of people with the disorder. ADD would allow them to constantly scan their surroundings, improvise, and noticing every single little sign in an environment, so by that reasoning it's a relic of a long ago time. And since merfolk are very much like a primitive human hunter-gatherer I only thought it seems fit. It's one of the reasons why Finnick is such a successful hunter, but also that he has such a hard time following directions.

The song Annie was singing was the Connemara Cradle Song.

…

The more you know.

So leave a review and tell me what you think. As always your guy's input is worth a lot to me.

And as always, until next time~OMGitsgreen