Maddie's mermaid lessons truly began when she turned two and started unintentionally exhibiting more than one power. The pod told them that born mermaids had all the powers and that the land girls turned mermaids had the same odds to get a singular or multiple. There weren't many known cases of land people turning into merfolk, so the statistics weren't very high to begin with. They didn't know much about Maddie's parents specifically, but the pod in the Philippines was known for all their members having powers, so it could be assumed her parents had all the powers. They tried to get her to not talk about being a mermaid, but the pod assured them that people would just think she's being an imaginative child and as long as she doesn't go into the sea around humans who don't know, she would be fine.

"I know I've already asked some questions that might be considered offensive-"

"Then maybe don't." Emma interrupted Rikki.

"I don't think this one is. It's about tail color."

"I don't mind." Stella said as they watched Aqua teaching Cleo and Maddie.

"Does it have to do with powers at all?" Rikki asked. "I assumed for the four of us, it had to do with being land people."

"It has to do with area of origin. Bella's case is very unusual but not unheard of." Stella nodded towards Bella who was chatting with Arielle and Lyra. "Though the moon's magic works mysteriously. We believe the spirit of Eva is in the spirit of the moon."

"Spirits? Like a god? Not sure I believe all that."

"Our sea god's legend is that he and the goddess of the moon gave their lives for us in a time immemorial. The ancient sea life, including the first merfolk, were said to have been in a massive war."

"About the comet, wouldn't governments have known way in advance and done something about it?" Emma asked. "I mean, the early 1700s weren't as technologically advanced, but I'm sure NASA could've done something a few years ago."

"In this era, yes. It's rather perplexing that they didn't. We lent our assistance the best we could. The power of three is strong, but the pod together has the power of the moon and sea."

"So, you have Poseidon and er-what's the moon one?" Rikki asked.

"In Greek mythology, humans called her Selene. We've come to accept those as names for them as their true names have been lost to time, so they would not be the true Poseidon and Selene. Whether they themselves were the origins of the magic between moon and sea is unknown, but we believe they've kept us safe."

Bella swum over with Lyra and Arielle, having heard the last bit. Rikki told her that Eva was in the moon. Emma caught them up to the conversation.

"Do all merfolk become moon or sea spirits?" Bella asked.

"I'm afraid that what happens after death is as much of a mystery as it is to humans. Eva may or may not be a spirit on the moon, but it's what we believe because the moon's pull became stronger after her sacrifice." Stella said.

"Wait, so she actually died?" Lyra asked.

"Yes. She was the only one with the type of power she had and it took everything to stop the comet. She then became the sea foam."

"Now that I heard of in the original little mermaid story." Emma said. "Does that mean Hans Christian Anderson knew about mermaids? The mermaid sacrificed herself at the end and became sea foam. I think there was mention of becoming a spirit if she didn't sacrifice herself."

"He did know, but the spirit part depends on what you believe. When we die, our bodies become sea foam. This may be the ocean spirit's way of protecting the secret of merfolk. We were born from the ocean and we return to the ocean. Since your 'original three' gave up their powers, we don't know what happens to land people who die as merfolk."

They wanted Cleo to be involved in conversation, so they brought her in as Aqua continued Maddie's lessons. A few other younger pod members came to listen. Stella put on a 'teacher voice'. The pod knew the origins of merfolk and the legend of Eva, Lyra had just thought she lived out the rest of her life alone.

Stella went on to say that Eva had a fondness for human friendships and possibly created the first land person turned mermaid when she wanted to save a friend from dying. This knowledge wasn't as well spread amongst pods, but the Irish pod always remembered to repeat as much information as possible as they didn't have a writing system back then. Eva's tail was orange though where she originally came from was a mystery. She'd transformed in Ireland's moon pool and lived in Ireland until the comet.

Hans had known of the legends and it was rumored he had a friend who was a mermaid but no one could confirm. If he did or knew, he took this information to his grave, only creating a story with partial truths. It's possible he could've used Eva's sacrifice as a basis for his tale, but there was no merperson alive today who could confirm this.

Merfolk could live well over a hundred years in good health. The original purpose of the full moon's pull was to bring merfolk back together and heal them. To remind them that they were all connected through the spirits of the god and goddess who gave their lives for them. Even those who doubted the existence of the spirits were healed by the magic. The regular full moon would restore any lost power and almost full health. Merfolk had been immortal beings until Eva, choosing to die when they were ready.

This had led to a battle in the late 1600s because of pod feuds and intentional sacrifices. Merfolk weren't impervious to mental health issues either and some chose to end their lives earlier. There had been a drastic decline in the merfolk population from wars external and internal. So a rare moon came by to take powers permanently and let the person live as a human. They believed this was because Eva had known how precious life was and hers had been cut short due to sacrifice. She also knew no one wanted to live forever as not even the planet would.

Rikki brought up Bluebottle. Marina said she'd gathered some info on it. It was thought to have been a casualty of the battle, but it set sail months after. Led by Captain Jonathan Gilbert and a small crew of four men, the boat had gone off in search of something they kept secret. Apparently the ship had been taken out without permission by night, some saw it off the coast of Mako at dawn, but by the time anyone could try to investigate, it was gone. Any attempts to salvage the wreck were met with strings of bad luck. They stopped trying when a ship nearly sunk. No merfolk were part of the bad luck and even they had a sense of unease when approaching the area where it sunk. Cleo wondered why she didn't feel uneasy.

"Maybe because it was in pieces." Rikki said. "Splintered wood was all that was left."

"Perhaps over time, it was consumed by what lives in the deep." Marina said. "And that is something best left untouched." She looked at some of the more mischievous students sternly. None of them wanted to investigate it. They all felt apprehensive too.

…

Emma was left wondering if the last name was just a coincidence. Her dad had some documents on their family history in the attic. She and Elliot pored over the papers and did some internet research.

"Huh…we're related to Bartholomew Gilbert." Elliot remarked. "Damn, he sure pissed some people off."

"Language."

"Could've said worse-hold on…I'm getting no mention of a brother named Jonathan." Elliot mumbled, trying to look at his phone and papers.

They contacted a cousin who lived in France and they'd met on their travels. It took a few days, but what came back was not as much as they would've liked, but enough to make assumptions. Jonathan had been brought to the Roanoke colony and his own singular journal page mentions him falling in love with a woman who looked like none he'd ever seen before, almost ethereal and that he'd left the colony to live with her. Then she disappeared and he was dedicating his life to finding her. His parents had lived in France at the time, so his remaining effects were sent home. He didn't have much and his parents died shortly after him. The family was survived by another brother as well as Bartholomew's children while Jonathan was childless. Since Jonathan's endeavors were kept under wraps and Bartholomew's were part of a well known effort, the latter was recorded in history while his brother was forgotten.

"Oh my god…" Emma's eyes welled up with tears.

"Em?"

"If she was a mermaid and-and died in battle…she turned to sea foam and-he wouldn't have known…"

"Do-do all merpeople turn to sea foam?"

"Yeah. Well, unsure about land to sea merpeople, but yeah."

"Damn." Elliot breathed. Emma didn't correct his language this time.

The pod had no idea of Jonathan or this mysterious mermaid. They did say it sounded like he'd met a mermaid and did his best to write without outing her. Historically, the more siren type mermaids were thought of as ethereal and they were much more alluring. Though the last battle had almost brought unwanted attention to humans due to unexplained disappearances and the fact that sharks would leave evidence while merfolk were careful not to.

They'd become more secretive and distrusting of humans over the centuries, then came the hunters. The more dedicated hunters formed around the mid 1800s after an infamous siren killed half a crew of fishermen unprovoked. Thought to have disbanded after finding no merpeople and dying off, the merfolk felt it was safe to disperse into different pods again and live their lives wild and free.

They never expected hunters to form again. The merfolk who had been sent out to investigate Ireland's moon pool found it intact, but empty. They heard reports of an unknown ship sailing the North and Baltic seas, ignoring the Irish Coast Guard's attempts to contact them. The ship seemed to be in pursuit from a location around the moon pool to the North Sea where it seemed to drop anchor for a few days. The sea had been too rough for the coast guard to try to investigate and by the time the waters calmed, the ship had set sail out of their waters and through the Baltic. Other guards were warned, but the ship ignored all of them. Sweden set a blockade and the ship started drifting in the Gulf of Bothnia until it ran aground in Angeson. The nature preserve had an increase in water and bit of bay damage, but no one was hurt and it seemed the wildlife was just spooked.

No merperson saw the Irish merfolk. Thinking they fled on land or to the UK, it was searched, but there was nothing left. The ship itself had evidence of hunting for something, though what exactly was unclear to humans. There had been blood on some of the equipment, but it seemed the hunters had somehow given everyone the slip. Humans noted an unusual warmth in the morning fog, which brought up a suspicion that a merperson might be working with the hunters. This sparked the idea of the pod visiting others to make sure everyone was safe.

"We want you four to come with us to the Philippines." Marina told the girls. "It's possible to gain more insight on Maddie's origins this way as we're almost completely certain that her pod originated from there."

…

After thinking on it and discussing it with their families, they agreed to go. First, Cleo wanted to ask neighbors if they'd seen a woman acting odd and secretive around the Sertori house. Most said they didn't. Mrs. Edwards had been on her morning jog and thought she saw someone at the Sertoris' front door that morning, but dismissed it as a visiting friend. She hadn't stuck around long enough to see what the person was doing. The people who said they saw her said that she didn't have a baby with her and she seemed nervous, checking behind and around her neurotically and going in an aimless direction as if to throw someone off her trail and somehow disappearing the moment someone tried to get a closer look.

The mermaids went the following summer after they learned how to speak the ancient language of the sea while the pod practiced walking on land. It would help them seek out any hiding merfolk. It was a long journey from the Gold Coast, but they made it in a day. They sought out the moon pool, knowing it wasn't destroyed because Maddie was still there. There was evidence of the merfolk's civilization under the sea, but no one in sight. They spent a few days asking humans if they saw anything odd. They were told that a ship had been lurking around, unable to be touched because of rough seas which was unusual this time of year. Cleo asked if there had been a pregnant woman who looked like she needed assistance. The mermaids would try to gauge if anyone knew their language. Then a very timid nurse approached them on Samar Island.

"Are you a friend of Amihan?" She asked.

"I'm afraid we don't have a name." A mermaid named Dalisay told her. Her parents had switched pods years before she was born, wanting to live elsewhere, and her tail was the same color as the Australian pod's. "My friend Cleo adopted a baby who was on her doorstep. She may be Amihan's baby."

"The baby was a girl and all she told me was that her partner was dead and she was going somewhere safe…well, she used the word 'mate'. She sounded very scared, but I thought it was just because she was having her first child." Cleo showed a few pictures of Maddie and the nurse nodded. "That's her, oh she's so big now. I think I heard Amihan say something about some islands, but she said she couldn't tell me more in case 'they' try to interrogate me. I don't know what other language she was speaking, but it sounded similar to what you were saying."

"Perhaps the Solomon Islands?" Marina suggested once Dalisay translated. The nurse nodded again. "Don't worry, the baby is in safe hands. We'll try to figure out what happened to Amihan and how she ended up in Australia."

The nurse suggested that maybe she flew there. The mermaids nodded, then went back to the rest of the pod once they regrouped. Their next destination was the Solomon Islands.

"The pod there is not very big and is more connected to the Philippines."

"All we can do is try." Rikki said.

"It's not too far from Queensland, I wonder why the the pool is so close to Mako without being part of Australia's pod." Bella said.

"Different country." Emma said. "And they could've just tried to be an offshoot."

"Correct. If anything happened, it would've been while we were in the Atlantic." Aqua said.

The moon pool was nowhere to be found. There was a scene of destruction underwater along with a recently sunken ship. The ship had no name on it and a hunter's flag. The pod estimated that the attack happened shortly before Maddie was brought to Cleo's house. Roughly a month.

"Do you…do you suppose she was there that day?" Cleo asked her friends. "The day Charlotte approached me…maybe-I mean, I was distraught and she could've been watching…"

"Yeah, it's likely." Bella said. "If she wasn't invisible when I dove in after you, then I probably wouldn't have noticed either because I was focused on what you might do in your emotional state."

"She was observing me. Maybe she misunderstood and thought I lost a baby instead of being upset about Charlotte being pregnant."

"Things do get lost in translation, but either way, she chose a mermaid to take care of her baby." Rikki said. "Does she expect to return?"

"The way people saw her leave tells me no." Emma said. "She wanted the baby somewhere safe. With other mermaids. And she was scared of being followed."

"The pods need to be warned." Aqua said. "We don't know if the hunters have plans or when they'll strike, but we feel there's a merperson working with them."

"Why would they?" Rikki asked.

No one had an answer for that. Who would betray the peace of the merfolk? Who would go after a random mermaid and her newborn baby? What's the endgame here?

…

Canberra, Australia

"She'll think I've abandoned her…" Charlotte sighed.

"I'll make sure she doesn't think that." Lewis said. "I want to go back home and you want to finish your schooling out in the States. I'm the one who made the mess with Cleo and-"

"Don't use her or Cleo to punish yourself."

"I promise I won't. My brother Lenny's got the place ready for us. We'll find a way to explain to her when she's older, but I do want to go home for several reasons. One is a gut feeling."

Charlotte nodded. "You think those odd reports have to do with mermaids?"

"Yeah. And it's been radio silence from the girls. Obviously, I don't blame Cleo for never wanting to speak to me again, but I would hoped at least Bella would have told me anything major."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I will."

…

Kalaoa Beach, Ni'ihau, Hawaii

"I thought the goal was Mako. What's the big idea with hauling our asses all the way out here?" A hunter grunted, bringing a box of fish to the cargo hold.

"Solomon government was onto us." Another replied curtly. "And I thought I told you not to question orders."

"I'll question it 'cause we were told that there was business with Mako and here we are, other side of the world-doing what? Looking for more mermaid pods? Isn't Hawaii a bad idea for that?"

"Shut up!" He hissed, hearing creaking footsteps.

"I heard you idiots." A monotone voice spoke. The two of them went on deck. "There are a couple people I'm looking for first to ask questions. They have the information I need and if we can eradicate the East and West US pods in the process, it'll make my life a lot easier. I don't need anybody getting in my way. Fly to New York tomorrow and find these two." Pictures of Lewis and Charlotte were given to the two hunters. "It should be easy to catch them, they're just humans, but they know of mermaids. I have some unfinished business with the boy."

A/N: Story one of two, complete! Bartholomew Gilbert was an actual person but I made up stuff about his family and relation to Emma.