What is it about the night that humans instinctively fear? The question buzzed around Marcus's head as he exited Rita's house, squinting in the gloom. His explanation had taken the better part of several hours and in that time the sun had set on the Gold Coast. He gazed up at the dark sky and shook his head in disbelief, thinking back to Rita's answer to his question. "What now?" He had asked. What a stupid question. Dante thought with a bitter laugh.
"Let us discuss this, Dante." Rita had told him. "We have to consider how we wish to proceed based on what you have told us."
"Proceed?" Dante had asked confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"You used the Merman Chamber, despite knowing that the chamber is dangerous." Rita had simply said.
And now he found himself walking home by himself. His gaze darted over to Mako, and then up at the moon above. It wasn't quite full, but tomorrow it would be. Marcus gazed down at his hands and then looked back to the beach. The surf was gentle that night, with waves barely reaching a foot in height. He stretched one hand out tentatively and took a deep breath. He doubted it would work, but if there was even a chance…
Marcus focused on the water, willing it to rise up even if it was only an inch. The waves ran up and down the beach, stubbornly refusing to be controlled by Marcus. He frowned and redoubled his concentration, extending his other hand as well. He tried, how he tried, but Marcus was forced to give up his effort. He sat back down on the beach with a gasp and put his head between his legs. He ground his teeth as he stared down at the sand, furious that his magic had been taken from him. He might not have particularly wanted to be a mermaid, but he had grown accustomed to having a tail. He even liked it. Having something that he actually enjoyed taken from him did not sit well with Marcus at all. With a frustrated yell he fell backwards, his arms spread out on the sand. He laid like that for a long time, staring up at the moon and wishing silently that the chamber hadn't taken his powers from him. However, the more he thought about it the more Marcus wished that the others would treat him as they had before. Due to his constantly moving from place to place, making friends had been a chore he had given up on. Having those ties cut was much more painful for Marcus than having his powers taken away.
"Uh, excuse me?" A voice asked. Marcus groaned and sat up, sand falling from his hair and down his back. Marcus blinked several times in surprise and looked around. An unfamiliar girl with long dark hair was staring down at him a few feet away. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Marcus sighed. "A little disappointed, but fine. What are you doing on the beach at this time of day?"
"I could ask the same thing of you." She said, sitting down on the sand beside him and smoothing out her skirt.
Okay let's see here. Mystery girl on the beach in the middle of the night. What about this is familiar? Marcus barked out a sudden laugh which seemed to startle the girl. "Oh, you have gotta be kidding me."
The girl frowned and scooted a few inches away from Marcus. He could tell that she was already sitting down beside him. "Are you sure you are alright?" She asked uncertainly, watching him cautiously.
"Like I said, fine." Marcus repeated. "Let me guess, you're a member of the pod?" Now that she was closer he could tell that she was not his age as he had initially thought. She seemed to be a couple years older than him, though he couldn't be certain.
Her shock was plain, though she tried to hide it quickly. "Pod?" She repeated. "Like dolphins?"
"No, like mermaids." Marcus corrected. He glanced down at her hand and smiled when he spied the Moon Ring adorning her finger. "Like you. That's a Moon Ring, I'm sure of that."
She regarded him for a long moment and then dropped her confused façade. "Who are you?" She asked. Her voice was devoid of any venom, for which he was grateful."
"Name's Marcus." He told her. "And yours?"
She considered him for another long minute before answering. "Cleo." She said finally. "My name's Cleo. And yes, I'm one of the pod."
"Thought so." Marcus said, lying back down on the sand and tucking his hands behind his head. "Once you know what to look for you guys, or girls, sorry, are really easy to see."
"How do you know about the pod?" Again, her words weren't particularly venomous merely curious. "I don't recognize you at all."
"I don't know you either." Marcus shrugged. "And as for your question, that is going to take a little while to explain. Shortest way for me to say it would be to tell you that I used to be a merman."
"Used to be?" She asked uncertainly. "As in your powers disappeared?"
"As in my powers got taken from me." Marcus said, "By the merman chamber. I didn't play by its rules I guess."
"I'm sorry, you'll have to tell me the story now." Cleo told him. "I wasn't born a mermaid. I want to hear how you lost your powers."
"Does it matter?" Marcus sighed, "Listen, it's been a really long day…"
"If you were tired you should have gone home." Cleo told him. "Since you are here you might as well tell me."
"I just told Rita and the others my story." Marcus told her. "How about you tell me your story and then I'll tell you mine?"
Cleo thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Like I said I wasn't born a mermaid. It happened really suddenly, one day…" Cleo began to regale him with her tale about getting her tail.
Marcus listened with rapt attention, not speaking until she was done. It took a very long time, much longer than his story, but when she was finally finished he shook his head in disbelief. "My story isn't as cool as yours." He admitted. "But here goes. I came to the Gold Coast because I always heard how beautiful it was. When I got here I heard about Mako and wanted to explore it…" Marcus told her everything, up until the very moment that he had met Cleo on the beach just hours ago.
Unlike him, she was not quiet throughout his story. She constantly asked questions which made his story take quite a while. When he finally finished, she seemed to look at him through a new light. "So you really like Ondina, don't you?" She asked finally.
Out of all the questions she could have asked him, this was the one he had not expected. "Uh, yeah. A lot." He admitted, slightly embarrassed. "Doesn't do me much good if she can't remember."
"If she liked you once, she'll like you again." Cleo said confidently, getting to her feet. She offered Marcus a hand and he took it.
The second their skin touched her Moon Ring blazed a brilliant blue and they both were forced to look away. Marcus tried to disengage their hands, but an invisible force seemed to have bound them together. The blue glow of the ring slowly began to fade and when it was gone the invisible force holding them together disappeared as well. Marcus staggered back several steps, his skin buzzing with power. "What was that?" He demanded, shaking his hands. They felt hot, like they were burning. Yet at the same time they were cool to the touch.
"My Moon Ring." Cleo gasped, staring down at her ring. Marcus glanced over at the ring and his eyes widened. The stone was crumbling away into a black powder, spilling onto the sand. "What did you do?!"
Marcus held up his hands. "I didn't do anything." He said honestly. "I swear."
Cleo's hand shot out and Marcus felt the familiar sensation of magic around him. He blinked. He could feel the magic. He raised his own hand in defense, and he repelled the magic Cleo sent at him. He began to laugh then, a happy, relieved laugh. "How did you do that?" Cleo demanded, her magic still pushing against Marcus's.
"I don't know!" Marcus said honestly, the magic was hot beneath his skin. It was intoxicating. He wanted more, he wanted to feel more of that power. His gaze darted to Mako and a smile slowly spread across his face. He shrugged off Cleo's power with a flick of his wrist and sent her staggering backwards. He walked to the water and waded in until he was waist deep. He felt the familiar sensation on his legs the second that the water touched his skin. In no time his tail had returned and he was speeding towards Mako.