The only thing he remembered when he finally awoke from his song-induced trance were disjointed, random images of the ocean floor and the flash of a bronze tail. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, recognizing the weariness of sleep that made him want to lay back down. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the gloom of wherever he was. Marcus didn't recognize where he was at first, but he did recognize one of the two voices that were arguing.

"-so stupid!" Lyla was saying furiously. "Do you even realize what you would have caused if the others had seen him? Let alone any of the mermaid council?!"

"Calm down." Another mermaid answered, equally annoyed. "Look, he's waking up now. No harm done. I told you, I didn't even know anyone was listening."

"Why were you singing that song anyway?" Lyla demanded. "Nixie, there is a reason it is forbidden."

"Believe it or not, I just like the song." Nixie sniffed, evidently annoyed. Marcus felt something nudge his shoulder and he turned around to see a brown haired girl staring down at him disdainfully. "Hey, you awake?"

"Sixty seconds." Marcus answered slowly, studying his surroundings. They were in a cave of some sort, but it was definitely not the Moon Pool cave. It was smaller, and seemed to be above the water line. Moon light illuminated a hole in the rock that Marcus took to be the exit. He returned his attention to the girls, his expression carefully neutral. "You have sixty seconds to explain what the hell just happened to me before I flip out. And I mean everything."

"Don't worry about it." Nixie told him, clearly considering his wishes to be of zero importance.

Marcus hadn't used magic for much more than occasional interests, but he felt right now that a little magic was more than justified. He raised his hand and spun Nixie around just as she turned around. "I said tell me what you did to me." He said through gritted teeth.

Nixie appeared to examine him through a new light. "Well, well, well, aren't you a stubborn one?" She observed.

"You have no idea." Marcus told her. "And you have thirty seconds left."

"Do you know what a Siren's song is?" Nixie asked. "Because if not this will take longer than thirty seconds."

"Yeah. It's an old rumor that mermaids used to sing sailors out of their ships so that they could drag them down into the sea and devour them." Marcus frowned. "I am not at the bottom of the sea, a sailor, or have been devoured. Way to be contrary to the stereotype."

The girls rolled their eyes simultaneously. "The siren song in old times was used to lure sailors out of their ships." Nixie told him. "But we don't do that anymore… well… not intentionally anyways. When I started singing I didn't see anyone on the beach."

"Just my luck." Marcus muttered. "So what happened after I blanked?"

"You scared the hell out of me." Nixie admitted. "I wasn't expecting a merman I didn't know to swim up to me like you did. I swam away and you chased after me. By the way, you don't know how to swim very well. You aren't supposed to use your arms underwater you know."

Marcus scowled. "I haven't had time to practice okay? Cut me some slack. So how did I end up here?"

"Well, I took you to the Moon Pool-."

"You did WHAT?!" Marcus roared. "Do you realize what would have happened if the others had seen me-?"

"Yes, yes." Nixie waved a hand through the air. "Lyla already read me the riot act over that. It was my mistake, but what else was I supposed to do? Let you swim around the sea under the spell? That would not have ended well and I didn't know how to undo the enchantment."

Marcus opened his mouth and then closed it before answering. "So, let me get this straight." He said after a moment's consideration. "You used a spell that you had no idea how to reverse? Did you forget how to brain today, or do you like hearing yourself sing that much?"

"It was a mistake." Nixie snapped. "Lyla was in the cave so you don't have to worry about the others seeing you."

"That's not the damn point!" Marcus fumed. He glanced to Lyla who was watching the exchange silently, her arms crossed and that same annoying smile on her face. "If she hadn't been there, if say Ondina had been, do you realize what that could have turned into? What could have happened?"

"But it didn't!" Nixie answered, her anger now as evident as Marcus's. "So there is no point in worrying about what could have happened."

"That's exactly why there is a point in worrying!" Marcus argued. "From what I understand the pod is still adjusting to having Zach around. And after Erik and the chamber, I doubt that another merman would be high on their list of things they would be happy to see."

"He has a point." Lyla agreed. "You can't tell anyone about his tail. Not until he does anyways. If anyone else tells the pod, it will only look bad on Marcus. We just got Mako back, I don't want to leave again."

"I'm not gonna tell anyone." Nixie said, clearly injured by the assumption. "But if he is going to hide himself, he will have to get better in the water."

"I already told you," Marcus said sourly, "I haven't had a chance to practice. I'm going away for a couple weeks in the Caribbean. I have a private island out there. Plenty of room to practice."

"Oh the Caribbean." Lyla said wistfully. "I loved it there. The dolphins were so nice and the sharks were usually pretty friendly too. And the food…" She gave a happy sigh and twisted her hair around her finger.

"It would be good to go back." Nixie agreed. She cast Marcus a sly look and raised her eyebrow.

Marcus put his metaphorical foot down. "No." He said firmly. "There is no chance in hell that I am going to take you two, or anyone else for that matter, to my island. It's my place. I don't want to have to deal with anyone there."

Nixie shrugged, but Marcus got the feeling that the matter was far from settled. He walked over to the cave entrance and peeked outside. He instantly recognized the familiar cliffs that hung above the Moon Pool and realized he was on Mako. "So how are you planning on getting back?" Nixie asked innocently. "It took me awhile to drag you here, you know, because of how much you suck at swimming."

"I've gotten pretty good at that invisibility spell." Marcus said, not concerned in the slightest. "And I can hold it for a while longer at night. So I should be able to swim back while invisible."

"Have you ever tried swimming while invisible?" Lyla asked. "It's not as easy as it looks, not even for a real mermaid. It takes a long time to get that sort of control of magic."

"I'll manage, alright?" Marcus snapped. He managed his way out of the cave and down to the beach, not bothering to look if he was followed. He looked over the ocean and flexed his arms and shoulders experimentally, preparing them for the swim to come. Taking a deep breath he strode forward confidently and stepped into the water. He felt the familiar sensation overtake his legs and right before they transformed he rendered himself invisible.

He was glad that he was invisible when he pitched forward and face-planted into the shallow water, his mouth filling with salt water and sand. He spit out the sand and began to drag himself forward, his tail providing much more of a hassle than he was accustomed to. When he was fully underwater, he kicked with his tail and gave one final pull with his hands. He smiled at the small triumph until he realized that he was no longer invisible. He quickly brought the spell back up and understood exactly what Lyla had meant. Since he was unfamiliar with his merman body he used a significant amount of concentration to swim. Holding a spell and swimming simultaneously would prove to be quite the challenge, to say the least. A flash of bronze to his left and then to his right spun his head around as he tried to follow both movements. Lyla and Nixie stared at the general area where he was, though he knew he was still invisible. Nixie raised her hands in a silent question: Sure you don't want our help?

Marcus returned to the visible spectrum and swallowed his pride, which for him was extremely painful. He nodded in mute acceptance of the offer. Nixie and Lyla extended their hands, Moon Rings glowing bright, and he watched his hands disappear. Lyla began to swim away and gestured back to her tail and then to her eyes. Watch me.

Marcus did just that, silently marveling at the ease at which she moved through the water. Her tail seemed to be an extension of her body. Which it is, you moron. Marcus mentally berated himself. She's a mermaid and you are a merman. Whatever she can do with a tail you can too. I think. On second thought I'm taking that back. He shivered unintentionally and tried to mimic Lyla's easy movements.

Very quickly, Marcus realized how difficult this night was going to be.