Chapter 14: Tears of the sea
Miriam watched from above, as Kai ducked and dodged each blow, evading everyone as best as possible. The boats from the other islands were soon surrounded by mermaids, who would pull even the best sailors into the ocean, the three siren sisters then turning them to stone with their bright, deadly eyes. Spotting Kai below her, she cast her net, entangling the boy and rushing to pull him in, barely strong enough to sustain the weight as her boat got close to the edge. Suddenly, from behind her, a rope began dragging her boat back, Kai's father aiding both the teens in their escape. Collapsing onto Miriam's smaller boat, she hastily removed the net from Kai, who was both distraught and angered at her decision. Immediately, she hugged him, hard, and he began to sob, crying into her shoulder at everything he'd been through and all that he'd lost. "We have to go home…" she whispered, but he shook his head. "We can't!" he cried, gripping her by the shoulders. "Delphis, Lucia, these people, they all need us!" he insisted, Miriam shaking her head. "What can we do? Stavros has all the powers of the ocean at his command. He's just waiting for the aggressive Itarians to die before he sinks them again." she replied, anxiety causing her voice to shake. "I won't just do nothing, Miri!" He screamed, Miriam moving back slightly in fear. His eyes changed as she did, and he began to cry anew, hopelessness overcoming him. "We have to do something, we can't just run away. I won't let these innocent people die…" he tried, but his resolve seemed to dwindle. His gaze drifted toward the ruined tower on the edge of Itar's shores, where Cori's inert body still sat. Sniffling, he stood up, his hands tracing the rim of the ship, Miriam watching in worry. "Cori…Cori would want us to keep going." he whispered, Miriam's heart stopping. He was right, of course he was. Cori loved Itar, she loved learning about the traditions and spending time in the city, she wouldn't want to watch it sink again. Nodding, Miriam stood next to him. "We need a plan."
Above, atop the deck of the large ship, Lucia spotted something strange wedged amongst some of the barrels. A lone conch shell, clearly flung aboard alongside the rest of the shells during the rise. Gently picking it up, she noticed Delphis watching her and avoided his gaze. She knew what to do, but did she have the courage to do it? She could risk her father's wrath, he had the entirety of the sea on his side…almost. Approaching Delphis, she took a deep breath and blew into the conch, just as the book had said, and both of them stood, in hopes of her appearance. Stavros, confused about what on earth she was doing, stormed toward her and snatched the shell from her palms, throwing it in an arc toward the water, promptly turning back to his observation of the battlefield. But it didn't fall into the ocean in time, for from above, a brilliant bird flew down and caught it in its talons, returning it to the deck. Eyes wide, Delphis stared up at the beautiful macaw, his eyes changing from despair to holding a glimmer of hope. His wife, Aurora, was here for him.
Miriam propelled the ship forward, down the side of one of the walls of water, immediately catching the attention of the three siren sisters. "You do realize this is incredibly dangerous, right Kai?" Miriam spoke, steering with all her might as he controlled the sails. "Hey, I never said this was a good idea! Just an idea!" he replied, pulling at the sails as the wind changed. "Yeah, you're just full of those. But I'm used to it." Miriam replied, turning round to face him briefly. "And… I'm glad you're alive." she mumbled, Kai smiling slightly, before the two braced. As the boat crashed down onto the sand, wood splintering and sails tearing, the two teens were thrown out toward the women and scrambled to get up. Closing her eyes on instinct, Miriam warned Kai to do the same and threw him a stray harpoon as he gripped a nearby shield. "Try and catch their eyes in it. If we're lucky, they'll turn themselves to stone." she commanded, picking up her own shield and a lost sword. The two raced toward the sisters, whose hair began trying to entangle them, Miriam immediately cutting off the stray tentacles when they got too close and trying to push forward with her shield, all while trying to keep her eyes closed. Kai, meanwhile, plunged his harpoon into Emilie's hair, only for it to be destroyed immediately by the swirling tentacles, leaving him to try and defend himself with the reflection of the shield. Overwhelmed, Miriam found herself pushing against the weight of Merlie's entire hair, eventually dropping her shield and letting it be discarded by the siren, who cackled. "Oh Miriam, sweet little Miriam who lost her lover, can you do what Cori could not? Resist the eyes of the siren?" she hissed, trying to catch the girl squinting. Miriam then had an idea, placing her sword in both hands over her eyes and pushing forward, Merlie eventually accidentally catching the searing glow of her eyes in its reflection and being immediately turned to stone. Both Emilie and Stelle watched in horror as she froze, her eyes widened in shock and fear, and being distracted, failed to notice the teens advancing with their reflective silver weapons until it was too late. With a horrified scream, the two of them froze in place, both teens staring at them for a moment, the entrance to Itar now free. Breathless, they looked at each other, before nodding, hoping to find Allura and Lei before it was too late.
In the chaos of the city, Kai spotted something strange. From a dark corner, an alleyway he recognized, a little girl watched, confused and afraid by everything. More people appeared from behind her, the child reacting with fear, and Kai's heart pounded. She was the child who was turned to stone- and now that the sirens had been killed, she was free, as was everyone else. Miriam followed his gaze, before looking at him. Should they help the lost islanders and risk Allura hurting Lei in the meantime? Touching his shoulder, Miriam rushed toward the group of people, Kai splitting off and running as fast as he could to the palace, which was much further away. Slowed by the crowd, who demanded freedom and an end to the mindless violence, he pushed through, trying to ignore the terrified cries of helpless Itarians who just wanted to exist peacefully. Tears stung at his eyes as he raced through the sea of people, people who were screaming, crying, begging for mercy, praying to Hermes, anything. They didn't want to live the rest of their miserable lives underwater, and were looking for a way out. The docks were heaving with conflict, people trying to board boats and being trampled, lost children amid the crowd trying to find help, and elderly Itarians reliving the trauma of their first time sinking. With a frustrated yell, Kai gave up on getting to the palace and doubled back, hoping there would still be time to stop Stavros from sinking everyone.
Aboard the ship, Stavros was conferring with the crew for a moment below the deck, giving Lucia and Aurora time to try and untie Delphis. The man was incredibly weak, struggling to speak, but his eyes were full of sorrow. He could feel the pain of each and every Itarian, every drowning sailor, every confused and bereaved child. He could hear the cries of parents who'd lost their sons and daughters, the screams of traumatized elders and the yells of terrified youngsters, the agony of those drowning below water and lying wounded on the sands. His eyes prickled with tears. He could feel the pain of the wounded, the fear of the fighters, the hatred of each side. As the sea held it all, so did he, and it was far too much for this feeble body to bear. As tears began to roll down his face, sobs clogged his throat, causing him to let out a pained and desperate cry, shocking both Aurora and Lucia. The bird approached him, before slowly elongating into a human, a beautiful woman dressed in red with rainbow feathers cascading down her body, wings growing behind her arms. She touched her husband's face as he sobbed, feeling the anguish, horror and desperation of the hundreds of thousands in the ocean, and leant her forehead against his. "Delphis…" she whispered, the man blinking rapidly, mouth trembling as it tried to hold back his intense and pained cries. "It…it hurts me, so much…" he sobbed, Aurora blinking back tears as she watched him suffer, in agonizing emotional pain that made the physical pain from the trident almost fall away to nothing. "What's happening?" Lucia quietly asked, unable to untie a single of the crew's knots and instead approaching the two spirits. Aurora looked down at her, a few tears now rolling down her own cheeks. "My husband, Delphis…he can feel all the pain of the people in the sea. Every human, every creature, he can feel all of their hurt, sadness and anger, and it's…having an effect on him." she explained, touching Lucia's head gently with her palm. "We have to get the trident away from Stavros." she whispered, before suddenly transforming back into a bird and sitting on the nearby rigging as the crew approached. Delphis continued to quietly sob, Stavros passing by him and observing this. "Papa! You have to stop, you're hurting him!" Lucia yelled, Stavros simply looking down at her. "Lucia, he was the one who caused this whole mess. He was the one who raised Atlantis in the first place! If he had just let them stay down there, then we wouldn't be here right now! You wouldn't be cursed with that bloody eye, Kai wouldn't have risked dying, and those sirens would be safely away from us all!" he screamed, the little girl moving back in fright toward Delphis, who met Stavros's gaze, speaking through the pain. "They…they were in pain down there, Stavros. All of them, even the sirens. They fought amongst themselves, many people died during the sinking, and the ones who survived were left to be misshapen, warped by their environment. They deserved to be free!" he replied, Stavros glaring at him. "Bring him to me." he commanded, the crew undoing their knots with ease as Aurora came to rest on Lucia's shoulder, sailors instantly tying Delphis's hands behind his back and pushing him toward the elderly man. Gripping Delphis by the hair, he stared into his face. "Did your mother sacrifice herself to send them down there, only to have it all be in vain due to your pathetic meddling?!" He demanded, throwing the spirit to the floor as he cried in pain. Instantly, Aurora tried to move toward her husband, but Lucia caught her talons, shaking her head in fear. "I think you know what I have to do and why, Delphis. If you try to disobey me, I'll destroy you." he spoke, turning to stare at the war-torn city, as sailors were drowned by mermaids and Itarians struck by harpoons. "You're making a mistake!" Delphis cried, Stavros not even bothering to look at him. "Will you stand by my side, or will I have to make you submit?" he demanded, holding the trident out as Delphis was forcibly pulled up by the rest of the crew, Lucia watching in fear. Gritting his teeth and too weak to even argue, Delphis was dragged out of the boat into a smaller rowboat by some of the crew, where Stavros and Lucia also clambered in, Lucia still gently holding Aurora, who was trembling violently and had extremely ruffled feathers. Stroking the bird, Lucia stared down at the city, as sirens were slain by swords, and trembled. Was she to suffer the same fate someday? Would she be seen as disgusting and despicable for the rest of her days, simply due to her origins as a creature of both land and sea? She met Delphis's eyes, the man simply acknowledging her gaze with a small nod, and stared at the spirit. He was much like her, weak, afraid, and both in situations where they would suffer. Blinking back tears, Lucia turned away, and watched as Kai and Miriam reappeared in succession in one of the sand channels, the crew taking them down the slope as Stavros gripped the trident firmly, the boat finally landing on the sand.
Striding toward the two teens, Miriam and Kai instantly called out to him, demanding he stop, but were seized by the crew, who restrained them. Stavros turned to Delphis, before motioning to the crew, who untied his arms. "Don't try anything. I will control what you do from here." he whispered, Delphis shakily nodding. Holding out the trident, Delphis was compelled to propel them upward, the crew being swept up in an immense tower of waves that soared high above the city. Kai and Miriam still restrained, they were gagged and bound by some of the crew members, many of the islanders watching from afar in worry about what would happen when the city fell once more. Kai's father watched in anxiety as the mermaids approached him, holding out a harpoon and managing to strike one of them in the chest, who screamed and fell onto the sand, eventually dying from being unable to de-transform and thus having a lack of air. The rest of the mermaids, intimidated, backed off, leaving Kai's father to watch as his son was seized by the crew and hope for his safety.
Atop the tower of waves, Stavros thought of his mother. How she'd died for this moment, and how he wouldn't let it be in vain. Delphis stood beside him, eyes downcast and palms trembling, but knowing he wouldn't have control over what happened next. And behind him, stood Lucia, Aurora sitting on her shoulder, still constantly trembling. Kai and Miriam watched in horror as Stavros raised the trident toward the sky, before Lucia grabbed his arm. He turned to face her, meeting her eyes in pure, unbridled fury- and was turned to stone.
Lucia trembled, watching as the dust settled and Stavros was left, an expression of pure fury forever engraved on his face. Stroking his cheek, she began to sob. "I couldn't let him hurt everyone…" she cried, the crew immediately rushing up toward their leader and pushing the girl out of the way, so forcefully she almost fell off the raised tower of waves. Delphis grabbed her hand, ensuring she was safe, and the two rushed down to untie Kai and Miriam, Aurora flying down alongside them. Regaining his strength bit by bit, Delphis helped free the teens, before they all approached the man encased in stone. "He…he would have killed my people. And…and so many more of us would go missing and suffer because of it." Lucia whispered, before breaking down into anguished cries, Kai and Miriam both holding her tightly. Eventually, Kai handed her something, Lucia sniffling as she stared down at the little seahorse he'd given her. "He loved you, Lu. And he'd understand." Miriam whispered, Lucia nodding as she cried in their arms. She then approached the statue and pried the trident from Stavros's hand, picking it up despite the weight. The remaining members of the crew slowly approached everyone, their gazes resting on Delphis. To them, he was the cause of all this madness, and for that, he deserved to die. Forcing their way past the teens, the angry mob began to beat the spirit black and blue, cursing him for ruining their plan and grabbing the trident off Lucia, hitting him over and over until he blacked out. Pushing him into the abyss of water below, the teens watched in horror as he was swallowed by the sea, before the waves began shifting violently, causing the mob to fall to their deaths on the sand below. Frantic, Aurora transformed back into her spirit form, and grabbed everyone. "Hold hands and don't let go." she commanded, taking Lucia and Kai's hands, Miriam grabbing onto Kai extremely tightly while Lucia clutched the trident.
As soon as they reached the palace, Allura transformed into a nymph and held Lei close. The girl was nearly dead, and she couldn't easily heal her despite her knowledge of magic. Gently, she embraced the wounded girl, the girl who she'd manipulated and tricked more times than she could count, yet who was still her only real company. Lei, meanwhile, returned the hug, wordless as always, and drew back to give Allura a gentle, weakened smile. Caressing her wounded cheek, Allura waved her hand over the girl's mouth, removing the curse that prohibited her from speaking, and hugged her tightly once more. Lei took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around the siren, and reached into one of her sleeves, drawing out a knife, stolen from the dinner table hours earlier. Her plan had always been to kill Allura, it just helped that she'd been struck and brought her here alone. Raising her arms, she moved her head toward Allura's ear and whispered three simple words: "I hate you". Then, she plunged the knife down into the siren's back as she gasped in pain, both of them shutting their eyes and clutching each other tightly so neither would have a chance to escape.
Flying over the city, Aurora brought them down in the centre, Kai rushing toward the palace immediately to try and find Lei. Miriam followed close behind, the two running into the throne room. Instantly, Kai saw Allura's slumped body, Lei draped over her, and burst into sobs. Approaching them, he checked Lei's body for a pulse, but she had been dead for quite a while, her hands lacking the warmth he'd felt every time he'd held her close. Miriam clutched him, allowing him to grieve, and the two stayed a while in the throne room, as the waters around Itar returned to normal and the citizens began to identify the bodies of their lost family and friends.