"Where is she?" Zane asked as they stared at the lifeless fountain before them. He could not help himself from getting a bit worried. They had almost not come because the water spirit seemed so sensitive, unsure of how to ask her about the past. Now she had seemingly vanished leaving the six of them more than a little anxious.

"She said she'd be right here if we needed her." Emma with air of both confusion and concern.

"What if something happened to her?" Cleo posed frantically. "What if she didn't make it back and she just turned into a puddle somewhere? What if—"

Just then the grand double doors to the temple swung open with a boom that seemed to shake the entire room. However, if the sound were not loud enough to pull the group out of their worry Arethusa's entrance would have.

"Oh, Sons of Land, Ocean's Daughters, I thought you would have spent more time in the library. Had I known you were waiting I would have made more of a point to hurry back."

Don't worry, you didn't know, and we just got here a moment ago." Ash said.

"We were just worried…" Emma trailed off only for Lewis to quickly pick up.

"You left the temple? I thought you couldn't be away from the fountain for long. Where did you go?"

The spirit gave Lewis a genuine smile before answering, "Thank you for your concern Sir Lewis, all of you. It has been so long since anyone has taken concern for me, I believe I had forgotten that feeling. To answer your question, though I do not make it a habit to leave the temple, as it is my duty to protect it, I am able to leave for a short time if truly necessary. As for my sudden departure, the nature of the language spell Lady Rikki performed gave me an idea for speeding up the preparations for the Moon Ceremony." It was then that Zane noticed that a group of perhaps half a dozen people had been standing in the doorway behind Arethusa through the conversation.

"I have found help to restore the temple." She made a gesture beckoning the strangers into the hall. Zane of course knew, even without the etiquette course his father had insisted on when he was thirteen, that it was impolite to stare. However, he found that he did not have the will to pull his eyes away from the strange newcomers.

The first was a very large, very hairy man dressed in nothing but a Roman styled leather skirt and laced sandals. He was broad in the shoulders, and perhaps near two feet taller than himself. He had very tanned olive skin, thick beard, and huge joyous smile that seemed to radiate from his entire being. Though the juxtaposition of the large man and the tiny Arethusa who stood next to him was a sight enough to behold, Zane was most curious by the green tint on his hands and feet. He also could not help but notice his pointed ears, a trait he had not seen on Arethusa, but now suspected she hid under her long hair.

There were two women standing close together both with brown skin one darker than the other and both had bright green eyes. The lighter of the two wore a short flowing dress and the other a long skirt with cropped blouse. Both were barefoot. They had their hair tied up with leaves and Zane could also see pointed ears. The women appeared much more timid than the large man.

Standing behind them were another man and a woman with matching pale skin, long dark hair, and cerulean eyes. Both were wearing long white tunics and strange webbing between their toes. The man about his own height, gave off an aura of disdain while the woman slightly shorter carried an air of tentative excitement. Zane could only see that the man's ears were pointed, but he caught glimpse on both of their necks what appeared to be gill lines.

"Sons of land, Oceans Daughters, I would like you to meet Nissa," Arethusa gestured to the lighter of the women in green, "And Shea," gesturing to the other. Both gave a bow when their name was spoken, and Zane felt himself compelled to pay them the same respect.

"Darius and his sister Doris," Arethusa continued, referring now to the two gilled strangers. "And this," She sighed referring to the large man, clearly annoyed as Zane had never seen her pay anyone the mildest disrespect much less the conspicuous eye-roll she gave, "is Alpheus."

Arethusa continued the introductions. "Nissa and Shea are nature spirits here on the Island. Darius and Doris ocean spirits that protect the reefs surrounding the island, particularly the breeding grounds for the Mako sharks. And Alpheus, who followed me here to Mako without ever telling me, has taken residency in the southern lagoon." Zane got the impression from their looks and from Arethusa's tone that those two had a past that though curious, he knew he would never ask about.

"These are the ones I was telling you about." She now gestured to the six of them. "Sir Ash and his mate Lady Emma. Sir Lewis and his mate Lady Cleo. And Sir Zane and his mate Lady Rikki." Like the others had before, they gave a slight bow of their heads at the calling of their names despite how unfamiliar the formality was and the uncomfortable use of the word "mate". The strangers gave more bows though Zane could not help but notice the quick strange glances Darius, Shea and Nissa shared.

Zane, with the most training for these types of formal introductions, still found himself out of his element. Despite the discomfort, Zane took a step forward and spoke on behalf of their group in the respectful way he would greet his father's business partners. "It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Joyous greeting to all!" Alpheus boomed with a hearty voice that reverberated off the temple walls.

At that moment Arethusa swayed a bit beads of sweat forming on her brow. She turned to the newcomers, "You all know what must be done, and I cannot thank you enough for your help." She walked calmly this time back to her fountain and jumped in as they split off some up the stairs and down the halls to other parts of the temple.

The six of them looked at each other not sure what they had all just witnessed, but remembering their purpose walked over to Arethusa's fountain.

Rikki spoke up as Arethusa's face formed in the cascade, a sight that Zane still did not think that he would ever get used to. "Arethusa, we have a question that we would like to ask you." Rikki paused before asking, unsure how to bring up the subject that was clearly a sensitive topic for their new friend.

Arethusa looked at Rikki, head slightly cocked sensing her hesitation. "Whatever your query, you need not be afraid to ask."

"We found the letter from the royals; we know what happened to them." Rikki dropped her head while Arethusa mirrored the movement. "We want to know what happened after that. Why are there no royals today?" Zane watched his girlfriend ask quietly though intently.

Arethusa sighed. "After their passing, and partly because of the new laws put in place, mer from around the world found their way to the remaining temples. The traditional cycle of mourning—from new moon to new moon—was carried out. That next full moon mer filled the temple halls to present themselves to the moon goddess in hopes of being chosen. The ceremony came and went. Nothing happened at any of the temples. Some thought it might be because of the unusual nature of the coronation. Never had all the royals been lost at once. Some thought because of the laws moon goddess would not choose her champions for seven moons or even the year as required. Every month was the same: hundreds of people presenting themselves from young to old only for Moon Goddess to deny them all. After a year, many lost hope. The people needed leadership but without royals, they were lost. With the residency restrictions lifted, some went back to live on land subject to human governments, while other sea-based groups turned to pod or tribal governments. Eventually this temple was abandoned, save for me. I suppose in my despair I fell into my sleep."

A long silence hung over the group as they tried to process everything. Zane tried to imagine the fear that those people felt as everything changed around them: forgotten by the world, and then seemingly forgotten by the deity that seemed so wrapped into every aspect of their culture. All he had to compare it to was the fear he'd had upon discovering everything he thought he knew about the world was wrong. Magic was real. Merpeople were real. The fear with gaining something new had to be different than the heart wrenching pain of losing something so integral. He was at a loss, and he guessed that so were the others.

All Zane could bring himself to say was, "I'm so sorry."

Arethusa smiled sadly. "I suspect that many mer have forgotten their heritage, or never knew it to begin with such as yourselves. I however have not forgotten, nor have I lost hope. The Moon Goddess is good and gracious. She knows what she is doing. New Royals will come when they are needed most."

A/N: Hey everyone! What do you all think of the newcomers? For anyone wondering, I have taken inspiration from aspects of Greek mythology though I am taking a lot of liberties.

Last lore heavy chapter for a bit. Next one should be more character-centric.

As always leave a review if you are enjoying the story so far!

Much Love,

Odd Lady:)