At first, Cam had no idea where he was. He awoke with a start, drawing in a startled breath and shooting up into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes several times as the early morning sun made his vision sting. He cast his eyes around the woods he was sitting in, looking for some evidence as to where he was. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched, his back making a satisfying pop. Suddenly, the events of the past night came rushing back to him and he looked down at his hands. He examined them closely, hoping for some evidence that he had in fact changed. Seeing nothing, he chose a direction at random and began to make his way out of the jungle. "Guess it wasn't meant to be." He mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders. "All of that, for nothing." Cam knew that Zach and the other mermaids would most likely never trust him again after last night's efforts.

The island's jungle seemed to go on forever, but eventually Cam found the sea and therein he realized a second problem. "How am I going to get back?" He wondered, shielding his vision from the sun as he searched for the mainland. "It's way too far to swim…." Unless. He thought, finishing the sentence.

He slowly picked his way across the beach, the sand rubbing pleasantly against the soles of his feet. Pausing only a few feet before the water's edge, Cam took a deep breath. "Well," He said clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "I guess this is it."

But Cam could not bring himself to make the first step. The anxiety of the situation threatened to overwhelm him as he desperately wondered if Erik's plan could have actually worked. He had only just managed to muster up some courage to step forward when he heard something emerge from the jungle. For a moment Cam couldn't believe his eyes as Zach and the girls emerged from the forest where he had just come from. "Cam!" He called, reaching out a hand.

"Cam, are you okay?" Ondina asked, worry clear in her voice.

"You disappeared." Evie said, her tone matching Ondina's.

"We searched everywhere for you." Sirena added.

"I feel fine." He said, taking a step backward and spreading his arms wide as if in show. "See?"

It was then that the dam broke. Zach crossed the distance between them in a few angry strides and poked Cam hard in the chest. "What were you thinking?" He shouted, throwing his arms out to the side. "You had no idea what the merman chamber could do! You could have died!"

"It was a chance I was willing to take!" Cam roared back.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Evie demanded, taking her place by Zach's side. "If the pod finds out about this they will leave again, and this time they won't come back!"

"We just got back into the pod." Ondina said coldly, crossing her arms and resting her weight on one leg. "And now you might have taken it away from us!"

"All I have to do is keep the pod from seeing me!" Cam argued, but he sighed and shook his head. "If I even have a tail. I don't feel any different."

"Cam, even if you do have a tail we have to take it from you." Sirena told him, regret filling her words. "That's the deal we made with Veridia."

Cam's eyes narrowed and he looked between them. "What 'deal'?" He demanded, taking another step back. For some reason, the back of his foot began to tingle as though his skin could sense the closeness of the water.

"Listen man, the pod came together to decide whether or not you should be allowed to have a tail." Zach told him, his voice placating. "The council decided that you shouldn't be given one. So they were going to place a spell on you that would prevent you from ever getting a tail."

Cam glared at his former best mate. "Well." He said, spreading his arms as he took another step back. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this is happening."

Whirling around on his heel, Cam dove into the water. He submerged his entire body and for a moment he hung suspended with nothing happening. Other splashes around him told him that the others were pursuing him. Well, I guess it didn't work. He thought sadly. He turned in the water and his eyes widened in shock when he saw a long blue tail where his legs had been only a few seconds before. The others seemed similarly shocked, their own tails' scales catching the light and reflecting it back. Cam reached down and touched his tail, disbelief and sheer joy causing his throat to close up. He took a deep breath, underwater, and grinned like a fool at the group. Shaking off their relative shock, the group swam towards Cam with determination written all over their faces.

Understanding their intentions, Cam turned tail, literally, and swam away as fast as he could. He had seen Zach cut through the water more times that he could count, and he tried to emulate his friend from memory as best he could. At first he was certain that he was going to be caught immediately, but in the next moment he shot through the water like an arrow shot from a bow. This is amazing. He marveled to himself, the undersea landscape blurring together into a mismatched watery collage. He wasn't certain but he felt as though he was faster than Zach had been. He was moving so fast that he almost smashed into a rocky outcrop that jutted out from the mainland. He managed to stop himself at the last moment. Breaking the surface he began to laugh, in triumph and glee. "This is amazing!"

He dove back underneath the surface and searched for a sign of the others, but to his amazement it seemed as though he had left them behind. He pulled himself onto the rocks after making sure that the coast was clear. Staring down at his tail he shook his head, still disbelieving that his dream had finally come true. "I really owe you one for this Erik." Cam muttered as he extended a hand to his tail. It took a moment of concentration, but he quickly managed to pull off all of the water that clung to his tail. An instant later, two very human legs were where his tail had been. He quickly stood up and navigated his way off of the rocks and onto dry land.

Once he was safe of the water the full reality of his situation hit him. "I need to find Erik." He muttered to himself urgently. "Now, before they catch up."

Without another word, he began to jog down the beach towards the café. Though he felt the urgency of the situation, Cam couldn't help but grin to himself as he quickened his pace. Finally, he would no longer be left behind when the others went off on their undersea adventures. The mermaid council might take some convincing, but he felt certain that in time he could convince them that he only wanted to be with his friends. That is, A voice in the back of his head told him, If Zach can forgive you for betraying him.

Oh shut up. He told the voice irritably. Zach's known I've wanted a tail for ages. It only makes sense that I finally get one.

He pushed open the door to the café and grinned when his eyes found Erik. The man had his back turned to the door but he seemed to sense Cam's presence. He turned around and saw Cam's grin. He quickly crossed the café and put an arm around his friend's shoulder, leaning in close to whisper; "So? How'd it go? Did it work?"

Cam clapped Erik on the shoulder and turned him around to point at a cup of juice. Cam slightly raised his arm and the juice suddenly evaporated, leaving an empty cup and a very confused customer as he reached for the glass. "Oops." Cam laughed quietly. "Guess I still need to work on my control."

Erik laughed, but he disengaged himself from under Cam's arm. "You can't use your powers in public like that." He whispered urgently. "David knows about mermaids, if you start showing off like that he is going to put two and two together."

"I got it, I got it." Cam said easily, taking a seat at the bar. Erik went around the back and leaned against the hard wood. "Sorry, I am just beyond stoked."

"Did the others see you?" Erik asked. He set a glass of some red juice in front of Cam who reached for it eagerly. He was about to grab the glass when Erik caught his wrist and handed him a towel. "You have to start watching for water."

"Oh, right." Cam said, mentally cursing himself for his hastiness. If you don't start being more careful you are going to expose their secret. Your secret.

"So, what did they say?" Erik continued on, unperturbed. "About you getting your powers?"

"They weren't too happy." Cam said, frowning. "Actually, they wanted to take my powers away from me. Apparently the mermaid council aren't fans of the idea of me with a tail."

"Well that's not really their decision." Erik said, raising his eyebrows. "They hold sovereignty over mermaids, not mermen. The only ones who should be able to say that you can or can't have a tail are other mermaids."

"I thought you wanted to be in the pod?" Cam asked, curiously. "Wouldn't that mean that they have control over you, like they have control over Zach?"

"In the past mermaids and mermen sat on the council." Erik said quickly. "And since I don't see Zach in a hurry to claim the seat I thought that I should be the one to do it. Unless, you want to have it." He quickly added, shooting Cam an appraising look.

"Dude, I've been a merman for like, an hour." Cam told him, rolling his eyes. "You can have the seat. All I want right now is to see what I can do with my powers."

Erik grabbed a rag and began to wipe down the bar. The door dinged softly, announcing that someone had come into the bar. Erik's eyes darted up and he nodded to the door. "Incoming." He warned.

A moment later Zach roughly grabbed Cam by the shoulder and turned him around. "I need to speak with you. Now."

Cam smiled coldly at his friend and nodded once. "Sure." He agreed, getting up from his seat. "Let's talk."