Marcus had expected the upcoming trip to the Caribbean to pose certain difficulties, but the one he faced at that moment was not one he would have foreseen. "What do you mean you want to swim to the island?" He demanded, frowning thoughtfully at Ondina. "We're flying. It will get us there much faster."
"You can fly." Ondina told him, shrugging carelessly. "But I am swimming. I'll just leave a little bit earlier than you and get there around the same time."
They were in Rita's hidden underground chamber awaiting their teacher, several days after Ondina and Marcus had fallen asleep in the Moon Pool chamber. "That defeats the entire purpose of me even taking the jet!" Marcus argued. "Everyone but Cam, David, Carly, and Chris can swim there it's true, but that would be messed up to leave them."
"You can't swim as fast as us either." Ondina reminded him.
Marcus felt his pulse jump at his slip-up but he remained calm. "I thought it was assumed that I was included in that since I'm the one who owns the jet." He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "Look, it would be a whole lot easier if we all just went as a group."
"I'm not flying." Ondina told him simply.
They had been arguing for several minutes now and Marcus's patience was wearing thin. "Why do you have to be so damn difficult?" He demanded exasperatedly. "If you swim there you might not even find the island."
"Mermaids are masters of guiding ourselves by the stars." Ondina raised her chin superiorly. "Just give me the star coordinates and I'll get there just fine."
Marcus's mouth was agape and his brow was furrowed in disbelief. "Do I look like I know how to use celestial navigation?" He asked. "Because if I do, please, let me disillusion you to that idea right now because I have no clue."
"Figures." Ondina shrugged. "Typical land boy."
"Mermaids." Marcus said the word like a curse.
"Hey." Evie protested lightly from where she sat on the couch next to Zach. "I take personal offense to that."
"Good." Marcus said moodily, sliding down the wall and coming to a sitting position. "Where's Rita at anyways?"
Not fifteen seconds later the older mermaid came striding down the steps, her arms laden with a large stack of papers. "Sorry about the wait, but I had to find these. I put them in my study not too long ago and I didn't remember where I had left them."
"What in the world are these?" Marcus asked, getting to his feet and moving closer to examine the papers. They were old, very old, that much he could tell from a single glance. He frowned at the writing when he noticed that it was not in English. The others gathered around as well while Rita stepped back and watched them inspect the old papers.
"What are these?" Serena asked curiously, picking up one page and holding it up to the light. "I don't recognize the language."
"It's Spanish." Marcus muttered. Fortunately, many of his parents' companies were located in South America and Central America. He had picked up a healthy handle on the language simple by proxy. "But… I don't recognize a lot of these words. There are a lot of dialects in Spanish." He added the last slightly defensively.
"I'm surprised you recognized this at all Marcus." Rita told him, taking back the papers from her students. "These are some of the first records that sailors had with mermaid encounters."
"What did they write about?" Mimi asked, sitting down on the stone couch.
"They detailed people who seemed to be part fish and part woman. They went on to tell of how their songs could lure men out of their ships and into their waiting arms." Rita set the papers down and clasped her hands in front of her as she faced her students. "Today's lesson is… unique. At some point all of you have come across the Siren Song. The mermaids who reside in the Caribbean still occasionally honor their past and use the song to lure people from their ships. If we are going to go there, you need to build up a resistance to the song. It would not do if you went chasing off a random voice in the night." Marcus swore that he saw her gaze flicker over to him for just an instant.
"So, you want us to listen to the song and resist it?" Zach surmised. He glanced over to Mimi and chuckled. "Guess you are ahead of the game."
"It won't affect me." Mimi explained when Marcus looked at her for an answer. "I was raised in the Northern Pod. I grew up around the Siren Song."
"Which is why I want you to be the one to sing for us." Rita told her. "At least at first. Once the others become accustomed to the song they will take their turn."
"What about him?" Ondina asked, nodding to Marcus. "I don't want him following me around like a lost puppy."
"Oh please." Marcus snorted and smirked. "It would have to be a spell to make me follow you around. I'd rather follow Zach."
"Hey." Zach protested. "What did I do?"
As the three began to bicker Mimi and Serena sidled over to Evie and the three put their heads together. "You know, I can never tell with those two." Mimi told them. "I'm not sure if they like each other or actually can't stand each other."
"I think they like each other." Evie said, though it was clear she was uncertain.
"They don't act like they like each other." Serena added. "They act like they just want to get on each other's nerves all the time."
Rita, who had been listening closely to both conversations, decided to put in her thoughts. "I think that it is not an issue of liking or even disliking." She told them quietly. "I don't think that even they know if they like each other. Right now they are just enjoying causing each other as much trouble as they can. Just look at them. When is the last time you have seen Ondina this happy?"
They turned to look at the blonde haired mermaid and they saw the truth in Rita's words. She was arguing with Marcus, but both of them were clearly trying not to smile. Zach had seemingly abstained from the argument and was now standing slightly off to the side by himself. He caught their eye and shook his head wondrously.
Marcus and Ondina were now glaring at one another. He had crossed his arms and she had her hands on her hips. "Let me go first." Ondina told Rita. "I've heard the song before. It shouldn't affect me. I actually might like the idea of him having to be nice to me for a little while."
"Well come on then." Marcus rose to the challenge immediately.
Rita sighed and shook her head. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?"
To say that it was a long night was an understatement in the most extreme sense of the word. It wasn't so much as a lesson as a competition as Ondina and Marcus constantly competed to see who could resist the song's hold first. This culminated when Mimi simply refused to sing anymore claiming that her throat hurt.
"Yes, well, that was certainly productive." Rita said, choosing to look at the positive aspect of the lesson rather than the negative. "I feel as though some of you will be ready in the off chance that we encounter any Caribbean mermaids. You are free to go."
Evie and Zach required no further prompting, rushing to the pool of water and diving in simultaneously. Serena and Mimi were only a few steps behind leaving Rita, Ondina, and Marcus in the grotto. Marcus looked at the water longingly for a long moment before heading for the stairs. "Well, are you going to go swimming with me tonight?" Ondina asked him before he had ascended the first step.
Marcus rolled his eyes and turned a smirk back on the blonde. "What, so you can drown me?" He asked. "I wouldn't make it out of the tunnel before I drowned."
"I wouldn't let you drown." Ondina scoffed. "It's not that far. Besides, it would be a good chance for you to find out something you asked me once."
Marcus frowned, not following her train of thought. "What did I ask you?" He inquired.
Ondina slunk forward slowly and placed a hand on his chest. Marcus stared down at her, his blood thundering in his ears as he struggled to maintain his disdainful smirk. Ondina got on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "Whether a mermaid's kiss can save someone from drowning."
Marcus's head snapped back and at the same time Ondina shoved him in the chest. He fell back onto the stairs with a muffled cry of pain. Ondina's eyes twinkled at him as she sashayed away and dove into the water. Marcus was on his feet and after her in an instant. Only his instinct for self-preservation let him skid to a halt right at the water's edge. The edges of his shoes peeked over the stone and he breathed a heavy sigh filled with both regret and relief. He had just caught his balance when he felt an invisible force push him forward. He flailed his arms to regain his balance, but it was to no avail. He crashed into the water an instant later and into the waiting arms of Ondina.
Above the water, Rita's Moon Ring slowly faded from its blue glow. She smiled slightly at the water sloshing around the pool and chuckled. "Sometime all they need is a little push." She said to no one in particular.
As always, your continued reviews are amazing in every way shape and form. Sorry about the late update, you would not believe how many times I have rewritten this chapter. I look forward to your thoughts. As always, all of you are the best. -Hallowed