Chapter 15: A sunrise on the bay
After many hours of confusion and fear, the teens made their way back to their island, being rowed home by Kai's father in complete silence. Aurora was still with them, trusting Lucia enough to sit on her shoulder, and they were greeted by the islanders, Kai's mother immediately embracing him and her husband in turn. Miriam's parents clutched her tightly, relieved she was alright, and Lucia sat on the sands, fiddling with the trident, before noticing something strange. A little red feather had washed up on the shore nearby. Abandoning the trident for a moment and picking it up, she stared down at it, before her gaze moved toward some rocks, where a hand was barely visible beyond, flat on the sand. Running over, she stared down at Delphis, marooned on the sands and unconscious, clearly having been pushed there by the force of the waves righting themselves. Gently trying to shake him, he didn't stir, Aurora transforming and also trying her best to awaken him. "Delphis…wake up…" she whispered, the man breathing extremely slowly. Placing a hand on his heart, Aurora leaned over and listened to the rhythmic thumping, before gently placing her hand in his open palm, leaning on him and waiting for him to awaken. Slowly, his hand curled around hers, until he was clutching her tightly, and he moved to sit up, opening his bright teal eyes and being greeted with his wife smiling at him, tears of relief and joy falling down her cheeks. Feeling the relief of the entire ocean, he leant toward her, placing a hand on her cheek and drawing close, before they finally kissed each other, hands entwining and hugging each other hard. Lucia, softly smiling, placed the feather by them and stepped away, back toward the reunions on the shore.
Kai's mother noticed her walking toward them and outstretched her arm, taking the little girl into a hug and offering for her to stay a while, until she was ready to choose if she wanted to live with her people or stay on the island. As they headed toward the village, Lucia turned back toward Delphis and Aurora, rushing toward them with the trident. Handing it to Delphis, she looked up at him. "Put it at the bottom of a trench somewhere, please, so it won't cause trouble ever again." she smiled, the man ruffling her hair before bending down to her level and hugging her, hard. "You saved me, little phos." he whispered, Lucia now glad she'd made her choice despite the pain of losing her father. Running toward Kai and the others, she turned around to wave at the spirits, but they were gone.
Six months later, the sun rose over the islands and their mainland, Itar, where Kai stepped out into the sunlight. In the center of the city now lay a beautiful monument, sandstone and turquoise rock being carved in the form of the tower of waves, decorated with flowers and fish, and various other symbols representing the harmony of the land and sea. A plaque was dedicated to all who gave their lives on both sides of the conflict, and a prayer to Hermes for peace was also inscribed, which Kai gently whispered aloud to himself. He'd been living there for a while, having decided he wanted to maintain the library of the palace in place of Lei, as well as making life easier for Lucia, who now ruled the city alongside a council of advisors. Being the descendant of both a land and sea creature, the citizens felt she would be a perfect choice to rule the city and islands, which still had individual designated rulers to make governing them easier. The young ruler never made a decision without her advisors and council, and was considered one of the best leaders Itar had seen in a long time. As for his family, they still lived on the same island, occasionally making him pita chips and tyrokafteri when he visited. Miriam had set sail weeks earlier, deciding she wanted to explore and sail the seas, having been inspired by the mysteries of the spirits and fascinating creatures of the ocean. And, she'd finally gotten over both her fear of the dark and Cori's loss, though she doubted she'd get another romantic partner for a while. Kai still missed Lei sorely, even learning how to paint to capture her image for a portrait in the library, but it was slowly getting easier. And Lucia missed Stavros, but his statue had been lost underwater, and she didn't exactly want to get it back. Whilst he had been her father, some people were best left in the past, remembered so their crimes wouldn't be repeated, but still not spoken about more than necessary. Turning to see her walking toward him, Kai greeted the young ruler,with a smile, before suddenly turning his head toward the dock as Miriam approached, back safely from an interesting voyage. She held up an image of a giant squid, tentacles cascading down the page, giving a wide grin. "You'll never guess what I encountered on my newest adventure…"