After finishing his shift as a lifeguard, Cam wandered around town for a little while. It was fortunate that nothing happened during his watch as he probably wouldn't have noticed. His mind was filled with the prospect of getting a tail, but moreover he wondered what Erik's motive behind wanting to join the pod was. Steadying his resolve, Cam quickly made his way to the café.

Inside the store, patrons sat around tables with various juices in front of them whilst Erik maneuvered between the tables laughing and refreshing the customers' drinks. David was leaning against the counter, his eyes dreamily locked on Sirena's and she was staring back at him with the same amount of love-struck awe. "Well, well, you two seem to be getting along very well." Cam said slyly. "I see that Sirena's little secret hasn't made you lose interest. Not that I'm saying it would." He quickly added.

"Of course not." David said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've always loved mermaids. And I love Sirena even more."

Sirena blushed crimson and twirled her hair around her finger as she sighed happily. "Aww," she sighed, "You are just so cute."

Rolling his eyes, Cam held up his hands to chest level and pantomimed pushing himself away. "Okay, well you two have fun with that." He said, smiling. "David, do you mind if I speak to Erik for a minute?"

David shook his head. "Not at all. He's been working so much lately since…"

Cam didn't say anything. He didn't want have to, or want to for that matter. He and Carly had split several weeks ago, though he wondered if they were ever really together to begin with. Regardless, they had parted badly. So bad in fact that Carly quit working at the café and had started work on the opposite end of town at a different restaurant.

"Erik." Cam said, tapping the taller man on the shoulder for attention. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, of course." Erik immediately said. He smiled apologetically to the table he had been waiting on. "I'll be right back, I just have some urgent business to attend to."

The two exited the café and walked behind the establishment, ensuring that their conversation would remain private. "So, what's the plan?" Cam asked. "I can't get you into the pod unless I'm there first."

"Exactly." Erik agreed. "Tonight we need to get to Mako."

Cam raised an eyebrow, his mind immediately jumping to the lunar schedule he had all but memorized in the past months. "Tonight's the full moon." He stated carefully. "The island is going to be protected by the pod. It won't be possible for me to get there. You won't even be able to get there."

Erik grinned, the picture of confidence and poise. "They will be protecting the island at sunset." He said, emphasizing the word. "Right now they should be in deeper water with only a few left behind to guard the island."

"Okay, well they can keep me out pretty easy." Cam said, not understanding the plan. "I don't have powers, and you aren't a match for more than a couple of them. Especially if they have moon rings."

Erik's grin hadn't wavered in the face of Cam's logic. "You're right. It would be impossible for you to sneak by in a tinny by yourself."

"So, what?" Cam asked, though Erik's confidence was beginning to grow infectious. A small smile formed on Cam's face. "You going to make the boat invisible and sneak me past?"

Erik shook his head. "Not at all. I wouldn't be able to. It takes a lot of focus for me to just make myself and someone else invisible. Vanishing an entire boat would be almost impossible." He explained, pacing back and forth now. He frowned suddenly, his brow creasing. "Someone's coming. Meet me a mile off the beach in an hour."

Proving his point, Zach came walking around the side of the building not a second later. "What's going on?" He asked suspiciously, his brow raised.

"Oh, not much." Erik said easily. "Just making sure that Cam is okay after Carly broke up with him."

"Carly broke up with you?" Zach asked, shocked. It took Cam a moment to remember that he had actually not told his best mate about that particular development.

"Yeah." Cam said, grateful for the excuse to be angry at his friend. Erik disappeared around the corner from where Zach had appeared from, but not before shooting Cam a wink and a thumbs-up. "But you don't really care about that. Its' not about the pod after all."

"That's not true at all!" Zach protested, taking a step forward to place his hand on Cam's shoulder. "You're my best mate, you should have told me."

"When?" Cam asked, throwing the hand off his shoulder. "When could I have told you? Maybe when you were swimming through the sea with your new little pod friends?"

"You don't understand." Zach responded, his voice now matching Cam's anger. "I haven't ever had a pod."

"Dude, you only just found out you were a mermaid." Cam reminded him, his eyes glinting with a savage glee at the truth. "Erik hasn't ever had a pod and he seems to be doing just fine."

"So you're on his side now?" Zach demanded. "He tried to kill our friends!"

"'Our friends'?" Cam asked, laughing. "Since when have they ever been my friends? They only used me when I was helpful. Even Evie acts like I'm beneath her nowadays. You all do actually. But that's what I get right? I'm only a land boy."

Cam turned away without waiting for Zach's response, leaving his friend standing alone. Erik was leaning against the side of the café, an amused expression on his face. "Quite the fight." He observed.

"Yeah, well it needed to be said." Cam mumbled. "I'm going to go get the boat."

"About that…" Erik said, reaching behind him and pulling out a body board. "Change of plans. A boat would be too easily seen from shore and they would know something is up. Besides, this way we can move at a merman's pace. Think of it as practice."

"Practice for what?" Mimie asked, emerging from within the café. She was sipping on some orange colored juice and appeared to be enjoying it immensely.

"For the…" Erik floundered for a believable lie, but Mimie held up a hand to forestall his response.

"I wasn't speaking to you." She told him frankly. "So don't speak to me. Practicing for what, Cam?"

"Uh, the body boarding tournament next Saturday?" Cam said, making it sound as though the lie was the obvious answer. "Erik was giving me some tips."

"Hm." Mimie said, staring intently into Cam's eyes. He stared back calmly, scratching his chin with extreme calmness. "Well, anyways. Rita wants to speak to you and she sent me to get you."

"Sorry," Cam told her, stepping away with the body board in tow. "I have things to do. Maybe some other time."

"It wasn't really a question." Mimie told him, her voice slightly apologetic. "It's actually really important that you come to speak with her and Veridia."

"Veridia?" Erik repeated, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What does the head of the mermaid council want with a land-boy. No offense." He quickly added seeing the look that Cam shot him.

"That's not really any of your business, now is it?" Mimie asked, grabbing Cam's hand and pulling him along with her. "Come on, we need to hurry. Veridia hates waiting."

"Sheesh, take it easy." Cam complained, he turned his head and called to Erik. "I'll meet you for the lessons after I finish up whatever it is that they want."

"Yeah, hurry up. We need to make sure we get the tide right." Erik called back before returning inside.

"Can you let me go now?" Cam asked, annoyed at the quick pace that Mimie had set.

"Oh yeah, sure." She said, not seeming to notice his tone. "Sorry, but no one could find you."

"So what's this meeting about anyway?" Cam asked, slowing their pace to a leisurely stroll.

"No idea, but as far as I know it's the first time that the head of any mermaid council has asked for an audience with a specific land boy." Mimie paused and shrugged. "We usually just grab them from their boats and get our audience that way."

"Charming." Cam said, suppressing a shiver.

He dug his hands into his pockets and walked the rest of the way in silence, already beginning to dread the rapidly approaching meeting. The house to Rita's house was closed but Mimie walked inside without so much as a knock, a fact that Cam found interesting. She led the way into Rita's secret grotto, gracefully descending down the steps before stopping to one side. "Veridia, I brought the land-boy you asked for." She said proudly.

"Yeah, I have a name." Cam said, already unhappy with the current flow of conversation.

Seated around the table were three women. Two of them he recognized as Ondina and Rita, but the third he didn't know. He guessed correctly that she must be Veridia, and quickly studied her. She appeared to be around Rita's age but she had several more worry lines than his principal did, not doubt due to leading the pod.

"Cam, this is Veridia." Rita said, gesturing to the one that Cam studied. "But I am sure that you already guessed that."

"So this is the one who knows about our secret?" Veridia said, standing up and crossing her arms. "Hm. He doesn't seem to be much of a threat. But, this way we know that he will remain a neutral party."

"What way?" Cam asked, discreetly stepping back a step.

"Cam, the pod has decided that in light of your past that they should take away the ability for you to ever become a merman." Rita said, the words sending a shock down his spine.