He went searching for Ondina in perhaps the most roundabout way he possibly could have. He made his way down to the beach and shrugged off his shirt, shoes, and socks. He shivered at the feel of the sand beneath his toes and ran into the waves. He dove beneath the water and swam underwater until he could no longer touch the ocean's floor. He briefly surfaced for air and lazily began to backstroke his way into deeper waters. Marcus found it rather peaceful to simply swim without any particular destination. He wasn't sure how far he had gone or how long he had been maintaining his leisurely backstroke but when he righted himself and looked around land was barely visible in the distance. In fact he had inadvertently gotten closer to Mako than the mainland. He floated on his back with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed as he waited for Ondina's arrival.
Sure enough after a little while longer a very annoyed voice came from right behind his head. "What are you doing?" Ondina demanded.
"Relaxing." Marcus said without moving. Ondina was quiet and then all at once Marcus felt hands grab his shoulders and force him under the water. He came sputtering to the surface furiously, coughing water out of his lungs. "Why did you do that? I could have drowned!" He wheezed, treading water and struggling to regain his breath.
"You wouldn't have drowned." Ondina scoffed. "As if I would let you."
"That doesn't make the attempt at drowning me any better!" Marcus scowled. He glared at Ondina until she slowly smiled at him and his anger melted away. "Not fair." He sighed.
"So what are you doing out this far out anyways?" Ondina asked, swimming in lazy circles around him. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw your clothes on the beach and you nowhere in sight?"
"Oh come on now," Marcus chided her. "You have had me swimming with sharks more times than I can count. And you were scared because I swam out a little far?"
"Well when you put it like that…" Ondina frowned and Marcus grinned at her. "So are you going to tell me why you were out here?"
"I was looking for you actually." Marcus said. "Figured that you would be out swimming today."
"I was earlier." Ondina nodded. "I had just returned when I found your clothes. You know, this wasn't very smart. What if I wasn't around?"
"It's a long swim back?" Marcus suggested brightly.
Ondina laughed and rolled her eyes. "So you said you were looking for me, what did you want?"
Marcus's smile faltered and he took Ondina's hands in his own. He breathed out a quiet sigh as he looked her in the eyes. Ondina frowned as she beheld the conflict behind Marcus's eyes. Her brow furrowed before a light dawned in her eyes. The blond mermaid nodded slowly. "So, Rita told you?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah." Marcus nodded.
"I guess I sort of expected this." Ondina said. Marcus physically recoiled at the hurt in her voice. "I'm not angry with you. You need to do what is best for you."
"I beg your pardon?" Marcus asked, not following her.
"Really." Ondina told him sincerely. "I'm not. Chris and David made the same choice. I thought that maybe you would… but like I said I'm not angry."
"Chris and David told you 'no'." Marcus said slowly. "Right?"
Ondina nodded sadly, her eyes distant. "And it's perfectly fine for you to do the same." She sighed again and her tail brushed Marcus's legs. Her scales were smooth against his legs. "Just… don't leave too fast alright?"
Marcus stared at her incredulously as he finally understood what Ondina was saying. His astonishment turned to mirth after a minute and he broke into a fit of laughter. Ondina looked at him in confusion and then hurt, at least until Marcus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She returned the embrace, though hesitantly, and waited until Marcus's laughter subsided before asking, "What's so funny?"
"You." Marcus told her. He looked into her eyes and enunciated every syllable very clearly when he said, "I'm not saying no Ondina."
"Then, you are saying yes?" Her eyes widened in disbelief and an uncertain smile spread across her face.
"Well," Marcus said at length. Ondina stared at him intensely, waiting for his answer. He grinned at her and shrugged. "That is really up to you. I told Rita that I was going to let you choose."
"I can't do that." Ondina said immediately.
Marcus laughed and shook his head. "I think you already did, what with that reaction and all." He said. "So yes, my answer is yes. Guess you are stuck with me."
Ondina shouted in delight and pulled him beneath the water. She spun their bodies in a spiral as she swam, her tail intertwined with Marcus's legs. He smiled at her underneath the water as she pulled him along and she smiled back.
Later that day, when Marcus and Ondina told them of his decision they were just as pleased with his decision as Ondina had been. "So, next full moon right?" Zach asked. "When is that?"
"Shouldn't you be somewhat aware of that?" Marcus wondered. "Like, more aware than a land boy? It's tomorrow Zach."
"I stopped caring honestly." Zach admitted with a carefree shrug.
"That's certainly reassuring." Marcus muttered. Ondina elbowed him in the ribs discreetly and he felt his breath whoosh out of his lungs. "I'm glad I can depend on you guys." Marcus gasped out, glaring at Ondina who smiled saint-like in response.
"So, you are really going through with this?" Chris asked him hesitantly. He was sliding his glass of juice back and forth on the table in front of him with a contemplative look on his face. "You aren't like… scared or anything?"
"Nope." To show the depth of his lack of worry he yawned and stretched. Ondina elbowed him in the ribs again. He growled at her and claimed her hands in his own, which was both affectionate and defensive in effect. "Should I be?"
"I mean... I guess?" Chris seemed to be having trouble forming a coherent argument for Marcus's decision. "You don't know what could happen."
"I don't know what could happen five minutes from now either." Marcus reminded him. "Neither do you. Does that mean you should go live under a rock for the next five minutes to make sure that nothing bad happens? What about the five minutes after that?"
"That was deep man." Cam laughed.
Marcus stared intently at Chris's uncertain glance toward Mimmi and narrowed his eyes. He glanced over to Ondina and inclined his head slightly to Chris and Mimmi with a questioning look in his eye. Ondina causally leaned over as though to put her head on his shoulder but instead whispered, "Chris is talking about going through with the transformation now. He can't make up his mind."
"What does Mimmi want him to do?" Marcus murmured back.
"She wants him to make the change, but she won't ask him to. She won't even tell him what she wants. Doesn't want to influence his decision."
"Hm…." Marcus mused, looking them over. "Hey, Chris?"
Chris broke away from his silent conversation with Mimmi with some annoyance and looked over to Marcus. "What's up?" He asked politely.
"Tell me something; you love dolphins right?" Marcus inquired.
"Of course." Chris nodded emphatically. "I love working with them. They're so intelligent."
Marcus screwed up his face in apparent confusion and nudged Ondina with one arm. He looked questioningly at her and she looked back at him with the same feigned uncertainty. "Huh." Marcus grunted.
Both Mimmi and Chris seemed waiting on Marcus or Ondina to explain their expressions but none was forthcoming. "Huh?" Chris repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Marcus shrugged. "I was just thinking about how I'm going to be able to hang with dolphins whenever I want. You on the other hand will have to go to work."
"It's not just dolphins." Chris exploded. "What about my family? College? Work?"
"Oh yes, I forgot, getting a tail means that you will never be able to go on land ever again." Marcus smacked his head as though remembering. He turned and glared at Ondina. "I always knew you were a rule breaker."
"I don't see you complaining." She protested.
"She makes a good point." Marcus said fairly. "Anyways, Chris, dude, come on. Live a little. Chances like this don't come around all that often."
"This is more than just some everyday decision." Chris argued, but he sounded far from sure of himself.
"That's for you to say." Marcus told him. He got up from the table and wandered out of the café. He heard someone jogging to catch up to him and Ondina appeared at his side. "Think that will work?"
"I don't know." She said honestly. "But we'll find out tomorrow. What were your plans for the rest of the day?"
"I want to go back to Mako and climb those cliffs again." Marcus winked at Ondina when she looked at him in shock and worry. "Kidding, just kidding."
Despite his bold attitude towards the change, Marcus was still rather nervous. Ondina and the others had assured him that it was painless, but he was still wary nonetheless. The group met on the island with Mimmi and, to Marcus's slight surprise, Chris arriving last. The other land boy smiled at Marcus uncertainly and shrugged. "You were right." He told him.
"Duh." Marcus rolled his eyes.
"You two ready?" Evie asked eagerly.
"As I can be I guess." Marcus shrugged.
"Let's go before I lose my nerve." Chris gulped.
They walked into the interior of the island with the moon high overhead. Marcus had been wary of being on Mako on the night of a full moon but he had not been affected in the slightest. The young pod members led the land boys to an entrance to a cave and stood by the entrance. "Go on inside." Zach told them with a smile.
"We'll be waiting when you… get out." Evie added.
"What do we do when we get in there?" Marcus asked as he stepped into the tunnel.
"You'll figure it out." Ondina promised.
"So… this is it then?" Chris gulped nervously, his eyes on the tunnel with growing apprehension. "I'm not sure I can-,"
"Nope." Marcus grabbed him by the back of the collar just as he began to turn away. He marched down the tunnel with Chris in tow, pausing briefly to wave back at the somewhat surprised mermaids and merman. "See you guys on the other side."
The entrance to the cave shimmered slightly and then a stone wall appeared, cutting off the land boys from the rest of the island. Chris gave a cry of dismay and broke free of Marcus's grip. He ran to the wall and pushed hard on it, but the stone refused to give. He whirled on Marcus in fury, but blinked when he realized that he was alone. Marcus had moved further down the tunnel and stepped into a room with a glowing blue trident symbol on the wall. He was joined by Chris a moment later. "What is this?" He asked in hushed tones.
Marcus examined the trident symbol with mild interest, touching one hand to it just as Chris joined him. Marcus straightened and opened his mouth to speak when the floor beneath them seemed to turn into a liquid. Almost comically, Chris and Marcus looked at one another in surprise before they both fell through the floor and into the Moon Pool below.
Well my loyal readers, that is it. That is the end of this story. A bit cruel of me to leave you on a cliffhanger, but it is what it is. As I said the adventures of Marcus and the rest of the Mako crew is far from over. This is simply the end of this story. I'm going to call the next story Find The Secret. For now, thank you so much for taking the time to follow this story. It means the world to me, truly it does. I do not know when the next story will be available, but I will post an update on this story when it is. Just something to let you know. At any rate, thank you again from the bottom of my heart. You all mean the world to me. Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a great New Year and until next time, Hallowed.
P.S: I will write the names correctly in the next story. Promise.