Garret could only stare in awe at Athena while she stared back at him. Despite now knowing her true identity, it didn't make things any less confusing and surprising.

"I've heard about you from Crabby, but... I didn't expect you to be... well, you," said Garret. "So... are you some kind of ghost?"

"I prefer to think of myself as a guide," said Athena. "Although I suppose you could think of me in that way."

"Why are you here? And how come I keep seeing you?" Garret continued asking. But then he frowned. "Wait, you're not going to tell me I'm some kind of chosen one for some crazy prophecy, are you?"

Athena lightly chuckled. "You're certainly a skeptical one," she said. "No, nothing like that. However, I have been watching you for quite some time, and I have to say, I've never met anyone like you. Considering that you're a human in a merman's body."

Garret flinched. "OK, first off, that's a bit weird, and second, you know I'm a human?!" he exclaimed. "I mean, how do you know? Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you do rather stand out," smiled Athena. "Also, you should already know. It's the same as how you saw me in your dreams. Through the magic mirror."

"The mirror?" repeated Garret. "You know about that, too? Just how much do you know that I don't know?"

"I've seen and learned about many things, young man," said Athena. "But there are also some that I don't know. For example, I don't know your name. May I ask for it?"

"It's Garret," he replied. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Garret," said Athena as she hovered closer to him. "Now, to answer your question, as I'm sure you want to know, let me start by asking a question. When you look into a mirror, what do you see?"

Garret took a minute to think. "Well... nothing much, just a reflective sheet of glass," he answered. "And a doorway to another world, supposedly."

"Well, that is a fair opinion," said Athena. "But in this case, mirrors are much more than just sheets of reflective glass. Some say that mirrors can show things about ourselves just by looking at our reflections. It's also said that they can be windows to your soul, a gateway to the subconscious and conscious. And in other cases are considered to be doorways to different worlds through which different entities of spirits can travel. At least that's according to legends and folklore."

She paused as she looked up towards the palace, looking wistful.

"When I was a little girl, my mother would tell me all sorts of stories whenever I felt sad — stories of courage, history, and some fairy tales. But the ones I adored the most were the tales of us merfolk traveling to different lands through a magic mirror. They fascinated me, and I wondered if such a thing could exist. So I would always look at the many mirrors inside the palace to see if I could find one. Sadly, all my searching was for naught, and I started to believe that they were nothing but stories. But then, that changed one night."

"What happened?" asked Garret.

"At the time, I was sad and lonely due to... circumstances," went on Athena. "When I went to bed that night, I made a wish. Then, I awoke to the sound of a strange song."

Garret's eyes widened. "A strange song? Like... the sound of someone singing?"

Athena nodded. "I followed it until I eventually came across a mirror with a jewel glowing as bright as an anglerfish's. At first, I didn't know what to make of this, but then I saw something in that mirror's reflection. It showed a world vastly different from my own where creatures, unlike us merfolk, roamed, and they either walked upon the land, flew high in the sky, or even swam in the water. But one of the creatures I saw was a merperson. But unlike the others, he had two colors on his tail instead of one."

When she said this, Garret couldn't help but look down at his tail.

"I'm not sure how the mirror's magic came to be or why it functions the way it does," went on Athena. "But if I were to make a guess, it brought you here for a reason, most likely from a wish you made."

"A wish I made?" repeated Garret puzzledly. "But I don't remember making a wish. At least I don't think I did."

Then came a voice.

"Hey! Who goes there?!"

Garret jumped and quickly hid just in time for two guards to come swimming around the corner. They looked around the area carefully as they aimed with their swords.

"That's odd. I could have sworn I heard voices," said one.

"Maybe they went further into the garden when they heard us," said the other. "Come on. Keep searching."

The two then swam off.

When he was sure the coast was clear, Garret reemerged from the bushes, sighing in relief. He then looked around, noticing that Athena had mysteriously disappeared.

"Athena? Where'd you go?" he whispered/called. "Athena!"

She then suddenly reappeared next to him. "I'm right here," she said.

Garret jumped. "G-geez! Don't do that!" he sputtered.

"My apologies," chuckled Athena. "Perhaps we should leave it at this for the night. I don't want you to get caught, and you should get some sleep."

"I suppose you bring up some good points," conceded Garret. "But there's still so much I want to know."

"Don't worry. If you ever need me, you'll find me through the mirrors and the music box in the courtyard," smiled Athena. "Until then, keep your heart open as you continue living here at Atlantica and home. You may find out some things about yourself you didn't even know. Make sure you have safe travels, and I hope to see you again."

And with that, Athena faded away in a bright burst of light.

When she did, the music box's song grew slower and softer until it mysteriously shut itself as the music stopped. Garet then took the chance to leave the garden before the guards returned. As he swam through the halls, he heard the sound of the singing again. He followed the sound until he reached his room and saw a mirror in the corner, its gem shining brightly.

Garret peeked out of his room, making sure everyone was still asleep. Then, he swam over to the mirror, opened the portal, and entered it, returning to his world.


In a dark region outside Atlantica, an eel slithered about. He was green, a bit sly looking, had a blue scarf tied around his neck, and was pulling along a wheelbarrow full of various products.

This eel was named Moray, your typical door-to-door salesman or, in this case, a sales-fish, a swindler, a con artist that will do anything to make a quick dollar. He swam around, looking for his next sucker, until he came across a cave.

"Hey, anyone home?" he called out as he knocked at the entrance. "I've got some products to sell! Fetch you a good price!"

The cave's owner emerged, and when Moray saw who it was, he couldn't help but swallow in fear. It was the Evil Manta.

"What could you possibly offer someone of my power to me?" the Evil Manta rumbled darkly.

"W-Well, Mr. Evil Manta, I-I'm sure I've got something in h-here that'll change your life!" Moray stammered. "With my product, you'll be the m - most powerful manta in the seven seas! I-If you'll humor me."

The Evil Manta gave a low growl in annoyance. "Fine."

Moray then rummaged through his wheelbarrow, trying to find something to appease his customer. He soon found a large conch seashell that was glowing brightly.

"Look at this one," he presented. "This one's one of the rarest ever found and valued by many. You'll get a pretty good price if you sell it. Enough to be almost as rich as the king!"

The Evil Manta glared, showing no interest.

Moray then picked up another product: a rolled-up piece of parchment. "All right. How about this one? This here's a map that leads to a hidden cave that's the perfect location for a dashing villainous rogue such as yourself."

But as the eel held out the map, the Evil Manta fired a small shot of electricity from his tail, reducing the map to cinders.

Moray grew even more nervous as he made one more attempt, grabbing a cone-shaped shell.

"What about this one? It makes a great seaweed bowl," he offered. "Or maybe a soapdish." He then put it on top of his head. "O-Or maybe a party hat?"

"That will hardly enhance my power!" snarled the Evil Manta.

Then he promptly swatted the shell off Moray's head as it shattered into pieces upon hitting the ground. He then whistled using his fingers, and when he did, a dogfish came racing out of the cave growling maliciously.

It was green with dark spots, had piercing red eyes, and had razor-sharp dagger-like teeth.

"You know, I despise cave-to-cave sales-fish," said the Evil Manta. "But..." He maliciously smiled. "But Fang-face here is especially fond of them."

Fang-face started barking while gnashing his teeth as it shot toward Morlay. The Evil Manta wrapped his tail around his pet's neck like a leash and pulled him back just enough to be near Moray.

The eel couldn't help but tremble as he timidly held out a bowl to appeal to the creature. "Um... Doggie dish?"

Fang-face took one more at the bowl and, with a powerful chomp of his teeth, shattered the bowl in seconds and then lunged for the eel barking loudly. Not wanting to stick around to become lunch, Moray took off swimming as fast as his fins would let him while dragging his wheelbarrow.

The Evil Manta, amused, laughed as he returned to his cave to scheme for his next plan while giving his dogfish a pat for a job well done.


The following morning, Garret was busily vacuuming the floor in his room. He usually cleaned his room once a week, per his mother's insistence, so that he could practice good housekeeping, and according to her, a clean and tidy room was the secret to happiness or something like that.

After a few more minutes, Garret soon finished and was putting the vacuum in its proper place. After that, he went to the kitchen to get himself something to drink. As he did, he saw his mom humming to herself while heading a cookbook.

"Hey, Mom. Watcha doing?" asked Garret.

"Oh, nothing much. Just looking through some recipes," replied Charlotte. "Father's Day is coming up, and I was thinking of making your father some of his favorite foods."

"Hey, yeah. I almost forgot about that," realized Garret. "I think it's next weekend, if I'm not mistaken. It looks like I need to come up with something for Dad. But the problem is that I don't know what to give him."

"Oh, I'm sure any gift will do, Garret," smiled Charlotte. "It's the thought that counts, after all."

"I guess you're right," said Garret. "But he does so much for us, and I want to give him something special."

"I'm sure your father will be happy with whatever you plan to get him," winked Charlotte. "As long as the gift comes from you and the heart."

"Pretty cliché line, Mom, but I get it," smiled Garret. "I'm sure I can come up with something. I just need to take some time to think."

"I can take you to the store sometime if you'd like," suggested Charlotte. "And I can help you buy a gift."

Garret hummed thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Nah. I don't want to have to borrow money from you or anything. Besides, I'd like to try and get something on my own. But I'll let you know if all else fails."

"Suit yourself them," said Charlotte. "And good luck."

And so, Garret went to his room to brainstorm while his mother returned to her cookbook.