SIDE STORY — A TALE OF LOVE AND SEA
"Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no man could ever reach its depth; many mountains, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwells the God of the Seas and his Sons. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In the deepest spot of all, stands the citadel of the Sea God. Its walls are built of coral and jade, and the long windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and dose as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful; for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a queen."
The young boy closed his favorite book in the first paragraph, as he heard his name being called in the distance. It was his sixth birthday, but the party his parents organized for him was far from being as colorful and fantastic as he would have liked it to be. There were no other children to run around with, play games with, get wet in the sea, hide, or even accidentally get hurt.
"I'm going!" he yelled back, his face scrunched as he muttered. "There's nothing nice to do and I can't even come over here and play."
There were only adults at the party, all of them very well dressed and each with a glass of a drink that he wouldn't be allowed to drink. Bored, he went to his room to play alone; and though he had all the latest toys, his favorites were the ones the housemaids brought him. Like that old book beaten and chewed at the corners.
In addition to the simple gifts that he kept there in the attic where he slept, the boy also remembered the fantastic stories that the maids told him while they took care of his bath, changed his clothes soiled with sand, fed him for the day or helped him with his math homework. Everything he did was inside that mansion, as he lived far away from the city with his parents. So he spent the day listening to the songs and tales of the high seas which they told him; about how the fish in the ocean spoke to each other, how the colors of the forests in the sea were different from those on land, how there were citadels where you could breathe under the sea, and many other ancient tales. The little affection he had was undoubtedly thanks to those caretakers and maids at the mansion.
He left the book on top of a small pile of other books at his bedside and went back down the steps to the hall to be greeted by some old guest of his father's who had just arrived at the manor. His father was a very famous man, at least he imagined, for the number of people who adored and fawned over him in that mansion when they were invited. Owner of a huge maritime conglomerate, the boy lacked nothing, son of a very wealthy family.
Soon he was abandoned by the adults, who went to the hall to eat the weird food from the party, leaving the boy alone again; he went back to the stairs, itching to hide in the room with his toys, but one of the cooks put herself in front of him while balancing a tray with one hand and the other on her waist.
"No, no, boy, go to the party your father asked us not to let you go upstairs."
"Oh, Ma'am Irina."
"No 'o' or any other letter. Hush, hush."
And, muttering, he walked back into the hall unseen by any of the well-dressed adults; he walked between the huge legs of those men and women and went out through the huge balcony that led to the strip of sand. There he placed his little face between the woodwork on the balcony to see the end of the afternoon dying on the beach; the gentle waves lapping back and forth against a rock wall to the right.
"Hey, what's that?" he said to himself, squinting.
Near where the water wetted the soft sand below, the boy's small eyes saw a light shine continuously, but very difficult to see, as if the setting sun reflected in a metallic ring struggling in the sand. He immediately ran from that open veranda and down the wooden stairs that led from his mansion to the sandy strip of a deserted beach.
He got his perfect shoes dirty by running through the soft sand and went straight to the wall where he had seen what looked like a treasure shining from afar. The sea was calm in its usual coming and going, while the boy desperately searched the sand, digging holes and grumbling about not finding his treasure.
"Where is it? I'm pretty sure I've seen it around here." he was looking for it, looking in all directions. "Oh, I found it!"
He ran faster and fell to his knees next to a rock, as a fish that had found itself out of its world was struggling in the sand.
"Was that you I saw from up there? What is that?" the boy asked the fish, but it didn't answer him, as it continued to struggle out of the water. "Calm down, I'll help you."
The fish had a hook stuck in its mouth, which was the glow that the boy had seen reflecting against the sun from the top of his window; after all, it wasn't a treasure hidden in the sand, but the tip that hurt that little friend of his. The fish struggled a lot in the boy's hand, wetting his tailored jacket, but he fought the fish to try to get the hook out without hurting the poor animal even more. And in the anxiety between taking the hook and not taking too long for the fish not to die in his hands, the boy cut his finger with the sharp steel. The sea receded a bit when it heard his loud complaint.
Still, he didn't gave up and kept trying to save the little animal until he finally managed to pull the hook out of the little fish, keeping it in one of his small pockets in his jacket. He took the fish with both hands and entered the shallow water of that sea, which seemed to calm down so that he would not be taken by surprise waves. He walked as far as the water was up to his knees and then placed the motionless fish in his hands under the water, and watched it come to life and dart across the ocean, happy and content.
The boy looked smiling until he lost sight of it while the sun was leaving on the horizon.
"Go, little fish. Go find your friends and see if you don't show up here anymore."
With a smile on his face, he wiped his still bleeding finger on his jacket and saw, behind some tall boulders that grew out of the water, that there was a pair of eyes staring back at him.
"Hey! Who's there?" asked the cheeky boy, as soon as the eyes were hidden behind the stone. "I've seen you, there's no use hiding!"
The boy ran into the water towards that rock, which seemed close, but he realized too little too late that the sand of the sea was sinking there more than he had imagined, so that the boy lost his balance and his foot on the ground, being taken slowly by the current of the sea, which would drag him away never to return. However, the pair of eyes that were behind the rock came forward to him and helped him swim as far as the sea gave him foot, safe again. As soon as he felt the sand on his feet, the boy ran back to the beach, out of breath and scared, where he fell to his knees.
"Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!" said the boy, still all wet and a little scared as he caught his breath.
He coughed a little and looked at who had saved him. It was a girl in the water.
"Thank you little girl." he said again.
And she didn't answered him, just standing out of the water with her eyes and wet light hair.
"Who are you?" he finally asked, and she didn't answer him. "I hope it wasn't you who were catching the fish here on the beach, or I'll tell my father."
"No. It wasn't me." finally answered that pair of shining eyes, getting up from the water, but hiding behind one of the rocks that rose around it.
She had wet long hair and was looking at him very curiously from behind the rock in the sea, as if she was dying of shame.
"I didn't see you at the party." began the boy, because it was clear that she did not seem to be one of the guests of the party that took part in his mansion. "What is your name?"
The little girl shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment and twisted her mouth to the side when the little one approached a little more, making her go around the stone, so that she was away from him again.
"You helped me back to the beach. And I just wanted to save the fishy." he said, pointing to the horizon, where he hoped the fish was already. "I am your friend."
She looked at him for a long time and only then did she answer, a lock of hair falling over her eyes because of the wind.
"I am Thetis."
"Thetis." he repeated, as if to remember the name. "Hi, Thetis."
"Julian!" shouted an adult in the distance, attracting the boy's eyes and making the girl dive into the sea, scared.
He still tried to find her, but he didn't see her in the waters anymore.
"Hey, I'm Julian!" he spoke to the sea, loud enough that she could hear him wherever she was. "I have to go now, my dad is going to kill me. But I'll be back here tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll be back. Bye, Thetis!"
And the boy ran across the sand towards the stairs, certain that he would hear a huge lecture for having soiled and wet his party clothes, but eager to leave the curiosity that ate his chest on his books. The little girl with light and wet hair reappeared in the sea to see him go up the steps to his parents, who were calling him from above.
He was Julian. She was Thetis.
And Thetis still stayed there for a few minutes when the sky was already dark to accompany little Julian to be welcomed by some women and taken into the house. And when she was already preparing to leave, she saw something in the sky that took her breath away. The little girl was so startled that she dived under water; but she saw through the liquid how the sky was filled with magical lights; and then took courage and put her head out again and saw what seemed to be the stars of heaven falling around her. She had ever seen such fireworks before. Great suns spurted fire about, splendid fire-flies flew into the blue air, and everything was reflected in the clear, calm sea beneath.
Then she remembered that she had brought a gift for herself from afar; she took an iridescent rainbow shell out of the water, which she extended above her head to see how the infinite colors that exploded in the sky reflected on it. That was a new shell she had found that day during her Adventure Day, as she called it; days when she swam across the Aegean Sea looking for treasure. Thetis marveled at how even more beautiful that shell was on that night illuminated by the fires of the sky.
And as soon as the show was over, she looked back at the mansion's burning lights, clutched the shell to her chest, and dove deep into the waters with a huge smile on her face. She swam for a short time from that beach surrounded by rocks and walls to the floating citadel where she lived with her people; she jumped out of the sea onto the wooden pier where many people passed by carrying fish, nets, buckets and the like, humming from one side to the other.
"Got your eyes on the moon again, Thetis?"
"Of course not, Uncle Adrian!"
"Are is sure?"
She stopped, worried, and put her little hands over her eyes.
"Hey, Uncle Adrian!"
And Uncle Adriano took her by the shoulders, laughing out loud and taking her to the small boat where she slept under a yellow sailcloth.
"Don't be late, little one!"
"I'll be right there, Uncle Adrian."
She entered her small tent and soon placed her new treasure beside the others she had collected during those few years of her life; and next to all the others, that shell really was the brightest and most special. She was proud of herself and left there smiling along the pier to go to the big boat where everyone gathered almost every night to have dinner together. It was a beautiful night, so they would be together.
"Will there be cake?" she asked, but no one answered her.
They lived in a region in the extreme south of Greece, a peninsula in Attica surrounded by the waters of the Aegean Sea, where stretches of deserted beaches extended, as well as portentous rocks over the sea. And out at sea, that curious floating citadel.
"To Poseidon!" celebrated one of the adults, raising a rough metal glass to the air and being echoed by the others.
"To Poseidon." repeated Thetis to herself, a glass of sweet water in her hands and looking to the left of the citadel, where she could see the ruins of an ancient temple silhouetted against the moonlit sky.
It was the ruins of the Temple of the God of the Seas, Poseidon, which had been built on top of a stone bridge, known by former devotees and current residents as Cape Sounion. On one side of that Cape lived the rich family of Julian and, on the other side, lived Thetis with the men and women of the sea in a very simple and humble floating port.
Thetis ran through the wooden alleys, jumped over some boats and found herself in the central square, formed by a larger vessel with a deck free of its masts; there lived men and women with improvised clothes, tanned skin, different eyes and hair, mostly older and adults of all sizes. There were rafts, small boats, schooners, canoes, inflatables, a sailboat and all sorts of makeshift craft connected by wooden alleys like a small floating village. This was where they were destined to live, close to the sea and far from land.
Among those sea gypsies, everything they did revolved around the waters: there were fishermen, shamans, cooks, captains, sailors, guides, vendors and many others who gathered there in circles of music, food and lots of history. They almost never went away from the sea, because it couldn't be any other way. For Thetis was like all of them, and like all those Romani, she was a mermaid.
Thetis was a daughter of the sea, and the children of the sea she was born among were mermaids and mermans blessed by Poseidon so that they could visit and live in his Kingdom when the time was right. In old history, they were common men and women and, even today, their children are born as the children of the men of the earth are born; how Thetis was born, under a wonderful moon. But by throwing themselves into Poseidon's sea, those people were then blessed with the gift of being able to live and swim in his kingdom like the most fabulous fish in the sea. Half of their bodies transformed into magic tail.
"You are just in time, little Thetis." she was greeted by an old bearded man.
"Old Kostas." she said, hugging him. "I found the most beautiful shell in the ocean."
"From the whole ocean?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"I'm sure you have, little one. Now go on before there is no more cake left."
And she did.
And so Thetis grew up, divided between land and sea, always accompanying that group of nomads wherever they went through the waters of the Aegean Sea. The girl was raised by everyone, because very soon she lost her father and mother, both taken by a terrible sea disease that devastated the whole community with sadness. A disease that from time to time reappeared to bring sadness to the settlement, a deadly disease that silently killed them at sea. A people blessed by Poseidon to live in its waters, but also cursed by a disease that killed their children, parents and grandparents.
The Romani people did not let the fear of this invisible disease transform their customs into an eternal sad and funereal waiting for imminent death; quite the contrary, the community was alive, colorful, courteous, fun and extremely united to live as intensely as possible a life they didn't know how long it could last. If Thetis didn't have her parents around, she didn't lack affection, care and teaching from the elderly and even young people in the community. Her family was all of them and she was everyone's daughter. Just like everyone else was with each other.
And Thetis lived out her days in the simple but impressive floating community on the high seas, listening to the stories of the oldest, discovering new depths and beautiful beaches in Greece. Everything a curious child needed to grow up happy.
Years passed without Julian or Thetis seeing each other again, but the little mermaid's memory never escaped the care of that little boy for the careless fish that was tricked by a hook and dragged into the world of air. She always returned to that beach, but she rarely saw the boy and, even when she saw him, she made a point of not being seen, invaded by the most curious shame.
And that afternoon had been no different; she saw him playing in the sand, but he didn't see her, far out to sea where she was. The mermaid dove in, as she had heard from others in the community that there was a strange figure prowling the deep ruins of Poseidon; curious as a free child, she began to swim immense depths to the cave that she knew was the entrance to the Kingdom of the Seas.
She looked in all directions, and above and below where she was, to check if she was alone, but only distant fishes seemed to be nearby; she didn't want to be seen, as it wasn't time to visit Poseidon's Realm yet, but curious as she was, this wasn't even her first visit. Or tenth. As a matter of fact, she knew the path by heart, so she didn't get lost in the submerged caves, swimming gracefully through its winding paths until a golden light illuminated above her head.
She looked up out of the water and saw the fire of torches on the pillars of a partially destroyed ruin; she was still in the ocean, but that spot in the cave served as a magical air bubble, through which she could go back to being a girl. She jumped out of the water onto the rock and stopped for a moment to make sure no one else was there. And there wasn't. Soon she would remember why.
She ran with her little mouse feet through the ruin until she reached the steps that led to a simple mezzanine, where two columns served as an entrance to a very bright and beautiful hall, full of mosaics, and an enormous stained glass window as a wall that made the light from outside reflected in hundreds of rainbows inside. She climbed a spiral staircase on the side and went straight to her favorite place: a kind of recess in the stained glass window that had been destroyed and that allowed one to see across the clear ocean of that region to the wonderful Realm of Atlantis.
"How beautiful." she repeated every time she looked at that citadel.
Thetis already knew all the buildings by heart, the number of towers, entrances and where each paved street led. The pillars in the background, the sculptures, the distant mosaics. Everything. Everything she knew, but only from a distance. And her dream was to be able to walk through those magical streets. The girl narrowed her eyes, because after all, she hadn't gone down there just to recount the towers, but to find out that strange rumor that someone was walking through those streets.
And indeed, it didn't take long for her to let out a little emotional scream, putting her hand to her mouth immediately, as if to prevent anyone from overhearing her. There really was someone walking in the streets of the Realm and she accompanied him until he also disappeared inside one of the distant buildings.
"I'm so stupid. No one will listen to me." she spoke to herself, very happy with what she had seen.
And as she reflected on that figure, she remembered her own words. She was alone. Nobody was in the temple. For no one could be in the temple. After all, they were all in a very specific place. She got up from the ground, desperate, when it finally dawned on her.
"Damn it. I'm late!"
And she ran away.
"I'm late. I'm late!" she complained to herself.
Thanks to her fantastic tails, she tore the ocean between algae and corals towards the surface.
"I'm late!" she repeated, shouting across the seas.
In the distance, a group of striped dolphins appeared, as they always did when that little mermaid was late for something. She hugged one of those friends and, flapping along with the group, they conquered the underwater leagues with an impressive speed, leaving behind the sea bass and stingrays that greeted them as they passed.
"I'm late!" replied Thetis only.
Finally they reached the surface, where Thetis said goodbye to her dolphin friends and jumped out of the water, landing on a small floating wooden pier, with her tail already transformed into her human legs, covered by red pants and shoes, as if they were made of her own scales, reflecting the glow of the full moon that shone in the cloudless sky. She broke into a run along the wooden path.
"I'm late!"
In a short time, she approached where people were gathered and no one could interrupt her, because after all she was late; and she ran from there, past some people she knew, always saying hello as best she could, until she reached the central boat where all the Romani people were gathered around a bonfire.
"You're late." said a huge man with a terribly deep voice, who was on guard.
"Oh, I know." she said, passing by him already in a low voice, so as not to interrupt the discussion that had already started further ahead.
She crossed an audience, asking everyone's permission, until she managed to reach her reserved place, where she sat quietly, hoping that she hadn't been seen arriving late, much less by the old man who spoke to everyone, as he always did.
"…so leave the old telkhine alone." said the old man in bright blue pants, towards the end of his speech. "He's going to retire on an isolated island in this Aegean Sea and he won't give us any more headaches. And that's all we'll talk about him from now on, he'll let us live and we'll let him die in peace."
The other Romani agreed, until the old man spoke again.
"And now that Miss Thetis has arrived..."
She swallowed hard as all the older eyes turned to her, but she smiled back a little uncomfortably, smoothing the lock that insisted on falling over her eyes.
"…we can finally complete the allocation of roles for this year. You all already know your posts for the year. But the brave Alastor will leave the manor to tend the ruins and Thetis will take his place." he said, looking deeply at the girl and also at a lady who nodded with the decision.
"But…"
"There are no 'buts' , dear…" he interrupted, seeing that Thetis had risen from her seat with enormous disappointment on her face. "If you hadn't been late, there might have been a chance for you to be chosen to be with the group that will look after the Deep Realm as we approach the Grand Arrival. I know this was your wish since you were a little girl, but I need to be fair to those who came in time."
Thetis sat down, sulking.
"Your time will come, young Thetis. You just need to be here on time." he warned, with a tender smile.
A certain amount of buzz ensued among everyone, but Thetis felt very disappointed at having missed the time and having to spend the rest of that year helping the group with the worst task among the Romani: taking care of humans. All she wanted most was to be chosen to go to the Deep Realm, as they called the underwater temple of Poseidon and learn more about that strange figure.
Three sharp raps on the stone made everyone look again at the speaking elder.
"Now that the tasks are decided, I would like everyone's attention and affection, for there is a dear friend among us. A new member in our family."
The members of that meeting looked at each other confused, because after all they all knew each other for many, many years and there was no situation that a distant relative was introduced between them. Despite all this, since the beginning of that meeting, those most attentive did indeed notice someone hiding in the shadows, mainly Thetis, very curious.
"Calm down, people of the seas. I want you to understand that this friend is not blessed like we were, but he was also chosen by Poseidon and will be at our side to help the God-of-the-Seas when the time comes."
The old man looked at the shadow in the darkness and asked him to come forward in the light of the fire that burned between them. He was a tall man, whose hair was hidden by a hood, but beautifully built, though he had strong, serious eyebrows.
"This is Sea Dragon."
There was a smile on the elder's face, while that mysterious man only replied with a nod before looking at each of those who welcomed him into that community.
"Sea Dragon is a friend who comes from the Deep Realm."
Everyone was astonished by that old man's revelation and everyone's eyes finally fell on the man, who answered them with a voice like thunder.
"I am immensely grateful to Old Kostas and the entire sea-community who have been faithful to Poseidon. I'm sure the Great Sea God is very lucky to have such a dedicated community in his memory." the man said briefly before lifting a crude iron cup. "To Poseidon."
"For Poseidon!" replied all before drinking.
The mysterious man finished drinking from his iron cup and started to sit on an empty bench, when Old Kostas took him by the arm, calling his attention.
"Now, Sea Dragon, don't be ashamed. These are a people of stories and we love to hear the tales of the seas. Tell us yours."
Thetis looked eagerly at Sea Dragon, for her great obsession was indeed the Deep Realm, where the pillars of Poseidon were said to rise in an absolutely fantastic temple of magic. She knew all this, from how often she escaped to look at it, but among the older ones she always pretended to be surprised by the stories. And now there was that strange man between them and there was one that strange figure in the alleyways of the Realm. The man felt disconcerted at first, as if taken aback by that, but then he let out a seductive smile and spoke to everyone in his deep voice.
"My story is a story of salvation. Saved by Poseidon." he said, lifting the iron cup again. "Wrongfully locked up in a prison that I am now tasked with protecting; the story of a prisoner who now watches over the cell that locked him up. And while I lived trapped inside these ancient cells, I was saved from the miserable life behind bars by the mercy of the God-of-the-Seas and stood before him in his Deep Realm. I am one of the Chosen Seven."
"A Mariner?" asked someone from the audience.
He nodded, much to the uproar of those present.
"But then our honor is even greater than I imagined!"
"Not at all, Old Kostas. I'm as much a servant of Poseidon as all of you."
"And what is the Deep Realm like?" asked Thetis, drawing everyone's attention to herself, as well as that of the huge man.
She sulked with such attention, not noticing that what had left her at bay was Sea Dragon's piercing gaze before answering her.
"It's huge like Poseidon. Deep as Poseidon. Strong as Poseidon. It's Poseidon."
The words were vague, but maybe his answer couldn't be more precise than that. That was all he said and, taking advantage of the confusion that ensued with that mysterious answer that impressed everyone, the man finally sat down in his seat, taking a sip from his glass; Old Kostas amended a fantastic story about another ancient Gypsy prisoner and dedicated it to the Sea Dragon. Cake-Irene then got up and invited everyone to try the cakes she had made for the occasion, as well as sing, eat, dance and celebrate among brothers. Thetis dispelled the scowl, although she was still disappointed, and began to dance with her friends.
At the last moment, however, she looked over her shoulder and saw the Sea Dragon disappearing over one of the village's boats.
As soon as the sun rose on the coast, Thetis was woken up by Ma'am Irene in her yellow sailcloth boat and accompanied the group along the short trail that led from the beach where they were staying to the Solo Family Manor. Halfway to the left, the brief ascent to the bridge where Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon used to be; the little mermaid looked sadly at the ruins, because she really wanted to be under the sea.
And so in the morning she was introduced by the Romani as part of the group that would henceforth work at the Manor. They were all hired by the Solo Family to keep the place clean and in order, as well as help them with the many receptions they received in that Manor. Old Solo grinned broadly upon meeting Thetis.
"What a lovely little girl." he said, arching to get a better look at her. "You know, I have a son about your age and I think you two are going to get along great."
She didn't answer anything, embarrassed, and shrugged behind Ma'am Irina, who was the housekeeper. That would be her last choice among the many functions that the Romani shared among themselves to keep the community always alive and Poseidon's care up to date, but her delay brought her the worst of fates. In addition to being away from the Deep Realm, she would still have to spend a lot more time than she wanted on two legs and not skimming the seas with her magical tail.
The first week was the hardest. She would return home as soon as possible and hide under the yellow tarp, recounting and playing with her many treasures from a happier time: shells of the most varied colors, sizes and types, special and shiny scales, pearls she found deep in the pure sand from the ocean, corals of a thousand colors, a faint but still luminescent bulb of an abyssal creature, the ivory teeth of a huge shark and so on, things she found throughout the seas and on the islands of the Aegean that she missed. And the iris shell, as she called it. The most beautiful in her collection.
And the next day, as early as the sun, she was back at the Manor. Young as she was, the simplest chores of housekeeping fell to her; things like putting the dirty clothes in the wash, taking the clean clothes back to the rooms, collecting letters that arrived by emissaries to the living room, obeying a few simple requests from the older ones or even going back to the Romani port to get any ingredient or order for lunch and dinner.
Sad, she ran away on the sixth day of work and went to mourn in the Undersea Ruins, looking through the broken stained glass at the group of mermaids who worked happily in the streets of Atlantis. With her hand glued to the glass and her face twisted with hurt.
"Your moment will come."
She was startled by the voice of thunder that appeared beside her without her realizing it. He was a grim-faced man, his hair long behind a dark robe.
"I'm sorry, I…I was just looking."
"Save your apologies, mermaid." he returned seriously. "I've seen you here before, watching over our God Poseidon many times. Never apologize for that."
"I remember you. You're Sea Dragon, aren't you?"
"That's what Poseidon chose to call me." he answered mysteriously.
She looked back at the illuminated citadel below.
"I would like to be there."
"One day you will be." replied the man approaching, and Thetis looked back into his deep eyes. "And when you are, you'll need to be ready."
"I will be."
"I'm sure of it. But you're there yet." he said gravely. "Come down here on the third night of every moon and I'll see to it that you're ready."
"Third night of every moon?" she repeated, to commit it to memory.
"Yes. Now go back to the surface."
"I would like to visit the citadel."
"All in good time, child. Go back."
That night she returned, and from then on, she spent her weeks counting the nights and moons so she would never miss that meeting. But during the days, her job was to keep the Mansion in order along with the other Romani, and if the first week had been difficult for her, the second wasn't much better, since the family boy had returned from a trip, which it made her life even more complicated.
He was overjoyed that there was a Romani child he could play with, but Thetis couldn't be forced to do anything, so she hid whenever she saw the boy in a room, and as soon as her time came she would run away. Successfully, in their second week, no words were exchanged, and all Julian saw of the Romani child was her bright red pants disappearing into a corner whenever he approached.
Until the big day of the Solo Manor arrived.
Julian's birthday party. He would be ten, which made her closer to eleven or twelve, not much more. And the Romani would be in charge of organizing and serving during the celebration.
"What are you thinking?" Sea Dragon asked one night.
"What? Have I done something wrong?" she returned, not understanding.
"You're not focused." he said. "Your cosmos is faltering, you must pay better attention if you want to be useful to Poseidon."
"Forgive me, Sea Dragon."
Her mind was on the party that would be the next day.
Any reception at that mansion was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated moments in the Mediterranean and, although it was a children's party, truth be told, Julian was sometimes the only child at his own birthday. The always well-groomed boy, in a navy jacket and brushed hair, felt lost among the many adults in formal attire being served by the Romani in their embroidered uniforms.
She still remembered the afternoon when the little boy had saved the fish, but maybe the boy no longer remembered that pair of sparkling eyes behind the rocks, because they never spoke to each other again.
Until that night.
That party night, she was on standby. And on the many trips back and forth to the second floor, going up and down silly requests, she happened to trip over Julian boy's clean little shoes. They both fell, one on each side.
"Oh, please excuse me!" she said at once.
"No, of course not, it was all my fault." replied the boy, getting up quickly and helping her collect the decorations for the party that was already over.
"No need to bother, let me get it." she protested, taking two garlands from the boy.
"Let me help you." he said, taking it back. "Hey, I… I remember you. Yes, you are that girl. The beach girl, isn't it?"
The girl tried to hide her eyes behind a garland, which he promptly removed.
"What was your name again? Oh! Thetis! I remember you. You saved me that day."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't remember me? I almost drowned in the sea and you..."
"I don't remember anything like that."
"You're lying, of course you remember!" he persisted.
"You must be confusing me." she lied as she picked up another wreath from the floor.
"No way. I know it's you!" he confirmed. "I went back to the beach every day in the afternoon, but you didn't show up anymore."
"I don't know what you're talking about." she repeated.
Julian then dropped everything she had already picked up on the floor.
"Hey!" she protested as he grinned.
And the girl bent down to pick up the decorations again, when the boy insisted on dropping everything again.
"Oh, come on. Ok. It was me. And I didn't come back because you were too boring."
"I knew it was you." he said, smiling, as he helped her pick everything up again.
"Okay, now I need to go." she announced, getting back to her feet with everything in her lap.
"I'll help you with that, you might fall again."
"I will not fall."
"You don't know that."
"You just watch where you're going and we're fine." she complained, stomping her feet on the carpet.
"Aren't you going to say 'Happy Birthday ' to me?"
She stopped on her back, taking a deep breath, and spoke without looking at him.
"Happy Birthday boy."
"It's Julian!" he spat.
"Happy Birthday, Julian."
And she walked out the door, leaving the smiling boy behind.
Smiling, because he too sometimes thought of that fleeting encounter that afternoon on his sixth birthday. Always surrounded by his parents, as well as all the Romaniin the house, who looked even older with their skins tanned by the sun and furrowed by time and wind, Julian felt like the only child in the world. And when the Mansion received family members or even eminent strangers at some reception that his father scheduled, he was always the boy before whom everyone knelt down to squeeze cheeks and comment on how big he was.
But he had discovered that he was not the only child in the world, because that little girl also existed. And now he would be at her house every day.
And this brought great joy to the boy.
Julian was always looking for a way to go and play with Thetis, interfering with her chores, which the Romani relieved her of so that she could actually spend time with a boy as lonely as that one. She hated it at first, but it was all her pretense, for she was also the only child among the Romaniand she always loved it when Julian brought back a kaleidoscope or a curious trinket his parents had brought him from their travels. It was as if he also treasured the earth's curiosities, as she treasured those of the sea. She loved treasures.
For as the days, weeks, and months went by, Thetis' scolding of Julian eased and, in fact, the girl went to the Manor more to play with him than to fight with the boy. And between games, treasures, adventures on the Cape trails, injuries from falls and even scolding from the Romani for any mischief at home, Thetis and Julian became great friends and confidants.
And that year was a happy year for both of them. By day, Thetis had discovered a good friend with whom she had fun in the manor and on the beach, and on certain nights, she devoted herself to the curious and rigid training of Sea Dragon; certain bruises and wounds she had, she pretended to be from falls and cloaks running around with Julian.
The secret of her gift, however, Thetis kept from her new friend, because after all she didn't want to frighten him with what she thought was something very strange. A far cry from the glittering, bejeweled life he lived in his mansion; he always so clean and she always salty. At nightfall, they always said goodbye when she returned with some Romanito the village on the high seas where they lived, a few minutes away, while he stayed in his golden castle. But as soon as day broke they were already together.
And just as the months passed, soon the whole year passed.
It was time to organize another birthday party, only this time Old Solo made an unusual request: that they prepare food and some children's pastimes.
"A new friend from the east will come with his children, we cannot let them be bored.
Thetis broke into a huge smile. Not for her, but mostly for Julian. And the party was a success. Even though she had to stay in the kitchen to help the Romani, any opportunity she had to look around the yards she did so to see how happy Julian looked, for other children really had been invited that year, as they would always be from then on. . Thetis felt happy, because during the whole year by his side she realized how much Julian felt alone in the World, but on that single day of his year, on that day he could run after other children.
And when everyone left after the party, Julian's parents would ask the Romanito let Thetis stay at the Manor for that one night, and for that reason it was also one of the most special days for her. The two of them slept in the attic looking out the window at the stars that dotted the sky above the Aegean Sea, as if the clouds always parted on this boy's birthday. They told stories, Julian told him about playing with the other children, they opened their presents together and fell asleep on the floor in sleeping bags.
It was the happiest day for Julian. And for Thetis.
One of these days and nights, however, fell exactly on the third night of the new moon. She went the next night in hiding and, as she had already expected with an aching heart, the Sea Dragon was there. Always with his hard complexion.
"Forgive me Sea Dragon, yesterday was the boy's birthday at the Mansion I work at and they asked me to stay there overnight, so I couldn't leave there and…
Sea Dragon held up a finger and Thetis fell silent.
"I told you there's no need to apologize. he said, walking over to the stained glass window and pointing to a large pillar in the center of the citadel. "See, Siren Thetis, that is the Heart of Poseidon.
"The heart?
"Yes. It is he who sustains all the Oceans of the World and he is also the one who pulsates the vitality of the God of the Seas.
She looked on in wonder, for she had always wondered what purpose such a large pillar was for and it had never crossed her mind that it could support the seas.
"The time for Poseidon's Awakening will soon come. And you will be one of those chosen to be by his side in his Kingdom.
"I? she was surprised.
"Yes. But until then, fulfill your destiny. We will not see each other again until the time has come.
"What do you mean, Sea Dragon?" Won't he come to teach me the Cosmos again? Is that why I missed last night's third night? Well, Dragon-of-the-Sea, I already told you that...
"There is nothing more to teach you, Siren Thetis. Now live your life and remember: be ready when the time comes.
He disappeared that night and Thetis never saw him again. Many times she still went back to that submerged stained glass window trying to guess if one of the figures she saw in the Kingdom of the Sea was him walking back and forth on his secret missions, but she couldn't go to him and he wouldn't come to her anymore. Over time, he stopped returning to that place, as he more often slept in the Solo Mansion in Julian's attic.
And so they grew up together.
And growing up is not easy. The years went by and Thetis began to notice a strange illness in her body; a heat that, at times, made her face blush, a lack of energy that made her faint, a sudden cold in her stomach that frightened her, a floating sensation shooting wild thoughts at the bottom of the sea. And afraid that it was sea sickness, the malaise of water pollution, she was once very worried in the village elder's old boat.
"What can all this I feel be, Old Kostas? Has my time come?
But he laughed very heartily.
"Tell me, little Thetis, when you have these feelings, tell me?"
"Anywhere. she replied, looking at the floor. "But the Manor is where they are strongest. Especially around Julian. Am I allergic to it? Or could he be sick and I don't know?
Again, Old Kostas laughed and hugged the little girl.
"That is love, dear Thetis. replied the old man with his diagnosis.
Love.
What a strange disease name.
Julian and Thetis became the best of friends, but that strange illness she carried with her also seemed to have stronger and stronger symptoms. Once, before they fell asleep in the Manor attic, Julian called out to her.
"Thetis?
"What is it, Julian?" she replied, sweetly turning to look at him.
"Have you ever liked anyone?"
The question confused her. She liked many people.
"Like this? I like Old Kostas, Dona Irina and everybody in the village. Well, except André. I think he is related to the telkhine, so he thinks that everyone in the village hates him, but that's not true.
"I don't speak like that, Thetis. he said, looking at her. "As in the stories your people tell. Like love.
She immediately felt all the symptoms of love sickness at once; Luckily, it was dark and Julian didn't see his face turn into a tomato.
"Oh, I don't think so. she lied hesitantly, though her eyes were already completely sunk and drowned in Julian's oceanic ones.
He was thoughtful and the two looked at each other for a long time.
"Can I ask you something, Thetis?"
"Clear. she replied softly.
"Among all your treasures, could you give me the one that you think is the most beautiful?
"My treasures? she asked, as if awakened from a trance.
"Yes. he returned.
"And what are you going to do with him?" she asked, very concerned about her treasures.
He smiled at her in the darkness and moved closer to her face with his finger to his mouth.
"Secret.
Thetis almost fainted from the smell of him and pushed him back into his sleeping bag.
"Go to sleep, Julian.
They laughed and after a while they fell asleep, each with a huge smile on their faces.
The next day, she returned to her yellow tarp and gave Julian her favorite shell, the most beautiful of all, in exchange for a kaleidoscope from the boy's collection that she pretended to like as much as that shell.
"Nice to do business with you, Miss Thetis." said Julian, proud of the shell, pretending to be the business heir that he was.
"Now you have to tell me what you're going to do with it."
"One day I'll tell you." he said mysteriously. "Now let's go, I can smell Ma'am Irina's cake from here."
They went downstairs, but Thetis was consumed with curiosity. What the hell would Julian do with that perfect shell? On what foolproof plan would he use that shell that seemed to have absorbed the light of a rainbow? This she would only find out years later on a terrible night.
Julian and Thetis became such good friends that, as soon as Julian started to participate in his father's business trips, it was not uncommon for Thetis to be invited along with them. Julian made sure that she knew the Seven Seas and so, together, they got to know the Americas, the Canary Islands, Polynesia, the Arctic, the Baltic Sea, India and Japan, as well as the Maldives and Bahia.
If Thetis had once cursed her fate of being late when she was ten years old and becoming part of the Manor group, she never again asked to move to the Deep Realm in the years that followed, even though she was given the opportunity. And there were already those who among the Romani people in the village that envied her for being able to experience so many different seas, discover so many distant coasts and creatures.
And the memories that Thetis and Julian built over those years in each wonderful place were forever in the girl's heart. They shared ice cream, played games, watched the sunset and sunrise together, as well as the moon reflected in seas around the world.
Until one terrible night in Normandy.
Old Solo had already returned to the inn where they had stayed, so Thetis and Julian sat on the sand of a sparsely populated beach, watching the moon reflect off the sea. The two very happy.
"I'll get us some water." announced Thetis, and Julian smiled at her.
"Don't be long."
She got up on the sand and crossed the shore to a kiosk near the cobbled street with the local money to order two cold waters. As she approached, a pretty girl accidentally bumped into her and asked for forgiveness in her common language, which Thetis did not understand.
"Pardon." Thetis stepped forward, trying the local language and apologizing for the other's mistake.
They didn't understand each one, they laughed at each other and each one went their way; Thetis still looked over her shoulder, for the girl didn't seem strange to her, although she didn't know where she knew her from. She bought the waters and turned around to go back to the shore when she saw the girl with her back leaning against the parapet alone again; it was an area of the kiosk with a few tables and chairs, but at that time of night, as if by a miracle, she was alone. From where she was, Thetis could only see the hem of her white dress and her perfect little shoes; she had to move a coconut leaf that blocked her view of the princess.
And when she did, her heart seemed to stop.
The girl played with her favorite shell.
Thetis would never confuse it with any other shell in the world and would know by heart all the curves and details of that perfect iridescent shell, as well as the way the moonlight reflected on it, as the fireworks reflected on the first day she found it. How she found Julian. It was his Shell.
The confusion of how she could have it in her hands lasted only two seconds, because immediately Thetis arrived at the truth that made her heart plummet, her ears warm and her hearing almost disappear. Julian had given it to her. Now she recognized it, remembered it. She was the daughter of an old friend of the Solo Family coming from the East, the daughter among many children who started to attend Julian's birthday parties. She was the one Julian had asked about love.
Thetis spun around and swallowed hard.
Julian had given her favorite seashell to the girl he loved. How she loved him.
Almost without realizing it, her mind in a thousand other places, she simply returned to Julian's side with the waters.
"Did something happen, Thetis?" he worried, waking her from her trance.
She looked at him and found that sad look he usually got. And so sick for him, she decided to do something so that his eyes filled with joy.
"I have a surprise to you." she announced, hiding her pain in her smile.
"A surprise?" he soon brightened.
She took him in her hands and took him to the kiosk street. She asked him to be quiet and not make any noise. And when she pushed back the coconut leaf and saw the girl alone on the windowsill, she immediately looked at Julian face and found in him the same shocked expression that she had experienced before. He walked away and she went to meet him.
"How… how did you know?" he asked, confused.
She did not know.
"Oh, Thetis." he snapped. "I don't know if she likes me."
"Who wouldn't?"
"You don't understand."
"Take a closer look, Julian. The Shell. She has it."
He looked again and his eyes watered when he saw that she had kept the gift. And smiled. And Thetis felt her chest rip.
"Oh, Thetis. You are the best friend there is."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was ashamed." he smiled, embarrassed. "Ashamed of what I felt. We barely see each other, and… I've never felt like that in my life. The first time she came to the party, it was like… I can't explain it, it's as if she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the Sun."
"How corny you are, Julian." Thetis smiled at him.
"And the few times I see her, time it seems to stop as if something is over, and something has scarcely begun. And now this. All thanks to you… Ah, Thetis."
He hugged her. And the boy's every word was like a dagger on her.
"Should I go?"
"Sure." she said.
"How am I?" he asked, and she brushed some of the sand out of his hair.
"It couldn't be better."
"Oh, Thetis." he complained jokingly.
He took a deep breath, hugged Thetis and finally left. He crossed the coconut tree leaf to be beside the mysterious girl, leaving behind the one who loved him so much.
Thetis gathered the two bottles of water in one hand and walked down that street of bars lit up by the many facades lit up at night; the damp stone floor reflecting the neon light as she walked alone amid the bohemian noise that spread through that street that was now starting to get crowded. She was all alone.
She stopped in front of a dark window and saw that the street light allowed her to see herself like a mirror in the night; the always damp hair, the tired eyes, the simple blouse and bright red pants. The shell could never be for her.
But daughter of the waters, she dreamed. And she always dreamed of being by his side. Walking with him at her side, holding his water, as they walked till morning. Or alone a the beach, lost by herself, until he found her.
A fine drizzle had fallen on that sad night, the pavement shined like silver and all the lights were misty in the river; like dreams, which was all she had. She closed her eyes for she couldn't cry, and when she looked at herself back in the mirror, she was wandering in ther own thoughts. Only on her mind. A girl's fantasy inside a yellow cabin where she could only talk to herself and not him. Still she said, alone, there there's a way for them to be together.
Old Kostas was right, her illness was love indeed. And she loved him. But he was gone. The sea was just a sea. Without him the world around her changes.
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers
She remembered one of the many verses he has showed her.
Loving was an eternal pretending of hers, for without her Julian's world go on turning; a world that's full of happenings that she would never know.
"I love him."
Her voice finally stopped echoing in her head and she told herself what was squeezing in her chest.
And without noticing, she found herself with her feet in the sand in front of the sea. All empty around and inside.
Deeply saddened, the mermaid went back to the sea and let herself sink for so long in those dark waters that she couldn't pinpoint how many memories had passed before she gathered the strength to return. In her deepest sorrows she always chose to sink into the sea, for she felt herself suspended in animation. Mermaids cannot cry, as they have no tears, and therefore suffer even more than men. Thetis threw herself into the sea when she was sad, because then she pretended that the whole ocean was her tears, the size of the sadness she felt.
That night, she thought that it would be better if the disease in her chest really was the pollution of the sea.
Thetis kept that deep feeling and hid her feelings from Julian, forever being the confidant and unshakable friend at his side. On the eve of his birthday parties, Thetis always grew very anxious and sad, because she knew that Julian would see her again. But in fact, in the years that followed, she never appeared again; much to the sadness of the boy, who was already becoming a man. Thetis comforted him and life went on, because he didn't seem to see her either.
It was on his eighteenth birthday that what would change their destiny happened.
Thetis, by then, could already go near the silverware and cups that the Romani forbade her as a child; and at parties she already acted as a waitress, taking their drinks and appetizers to the esteemed guests. That was a special celebration that not only celebrated Julian's eighteenth birthday, but also a handover of the family business from his father to the now new grown up man. And it was at that party, while passing the tray from guest to guest, that Thetis felt her heart stop when she saw the owner of the white dress. A grown woman, beautiful, but always beside the serious and hard girl; this time, however, she seemed to be escorted by a tall and strikingly handsome man.
She hurried back to the kitchen, dropped her tray on the first uncovered table, and went out the back door, running across the sand to Julian, who was alone watching the sea break over the horizon.
"Julian! Julian!" she called, torn between her broken heart and her desire to break good news to him.
"Thetis?" he asked. "Did something happen?
"She's here, Julian. The girl in the white dress arrived."
His face lit up with joy, for in the days leading up to the party, all Julian wondered was whether or not she would come. While his good friend Thetis finally gave him the news he was waiting for. He hugged her and she saw him running back to the party, while she stayed there in front of her ocean without being able to throw herself into it, because she needed to help with the party. And when she turned around to go back to the Manor, she saw a familiar figure approaching behind her.
He walked over quietly and held something out to her.
"Here." said the thunder-voiced man.
She took in her hands a beautiful piece of coral of a thousand colors, which the man carefully helped her to place around her neck.
"When the time comes, you will be the one to take him to meet his destiny."
"Who?"
"Solo."
"Julian?
The Sea Dragon nodded.
"What do you mean?"
"The answer is at Cape Sounion." he said, pointing to the right of where they stood, to the ruins that could be seen from the Manor. "When the time comes, you will take him and he will finally see you for who you really are, Thetis."
"And how will I know when the time is right?"
"You will know."
And the mysterious man left her there alone, disappearing into the waters of the sea. She tightened the coral pendant and walked back to the party. She walked from the sand to the wooden stairs and when she reached the open area on the outside of the mansion, she had to hide, as she noticed that a couple was talking on the edge of the parapet, by themselves.
"Saori Kido, would you like to share this happiness with me?"
Thetis heard Julian's voice asking the girl. She put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, ashamed to be there listening to a conversation that wasn't hers; she could not go back, as she would be seen, nor could she go behind them into the hall, or she could also get in the way. She had to turn into a statue (and how she wished she really was petrified, unable to hear a single word). But she heard them all. Every comma. And the dialogue seemed to pass to her ears like a thunderbolt; her heart pounding like water lapping against stone. The girl in white rejecting Julian landed like a brick in her stomach, again torn between joy and sadness.
"Now I'll ask you to excuse me. The sun is already setting and I need to return. Farewell, Julian."
Well, he didn't fared well.
And the sobs of his weeping, Thetis heard from where she was, and she went to be with her friend. He was startled to see her approach, but it never crossed his mind to reproach her for listening to everything; for truly, he even wished it had been so. And wept in Thetis' arms.
"Why is that, Thetis? What's the matter with me? Why doesn't she see me?"
"Oh, Julian..."
"I can't stand being so lonely anymore. Not having anyone. I can have everything I want. Buy everything I need but have no one to share it with."
He had, right next to him. But Thetis recognized that Julian was indeed very lonely, the son of an absent and terribly wealthy father, who had given up raising the boy to the Romani in the house, who certainly took care of everything, but she knew they were not his family. And she thought of the joy of her life it was to be beside her peers, how they had fun, how she was welcomed in her pain. And Julian really didn't have anyone to ask about his heart ailments. At least he had her, thought Thetis.
As they embraced, the mermaid saw in the distance a glow pulsing slightly in the ruins of Cape Sounion, as if there was a mysterious source of light between its columns. She pulled away from her friend's embrace and squeezed the coral pendant, looking into the boy's eyes, red and teary with sadness.
She looked again at the strange light of the Temple and remembered the Sea Dragon's words.
"Your fate, Julian."
"What?" he asked, crying.
Julian's fate. The duty of the seafolk. Poseidon's glow.
She wiped the boy's tears and understood who he was, but more than that: she also understood the moment she was in. She asked him calmly:
"Do you trust me?"
"What are you saying, Thetis?"
"Do you trust me?" she tried again.
"Always." he replied.
And then she pulled him by the hand to escort him away from that mansion, which Julian did without saying a single word until they were in the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon, at the top of Cape Sounion. The night was beautiful, and although there was no moon on the horizon, the Temple seemed illuminated; a source of light seemed to burn in the center like a lake of light, while on the edge of that bridge, a single wonderful artifact shone brightly: a trident.
Julian raised a hand to his eyes to keep from being blinded by the glare.
"Where did this trident come from?"
"It has belonged to you since the Age of Myths."
"What do you mean by that, Thetis?" he asked her.
"That's exactly what I tell you, Julian." her voice became more serious. "The Lord of the Seas, Poseidon."
The boy lost his breath for a moment.
"Poseidon?" he wondered, looking at how the Trident resonated with his body.
"There's no doubt about it." she observed. "Now I understand our role. Our people are the ones chosen to care for Poseidon. And you are the one chosen to carry the Trident of the Seas. To be the incarnation of the God of the Seas."
"What are you saying, Thetis? You've gone crazy!"
The mermaid got up and stopped Julian from running away, asking him to look at how his hands now glowed with the same energy that burned in that trident.
"That trident belongs in these hands, Julian. Take what's yours."
The boy finally placed himself in front of the Trident.
"You are much bigger than any man. More than an heir and much more than a suitor. You are beyond mortals. You are a God."
Julian took the Trident of the Seas in his right hand and the entire sea responded to his call in an explosion of light that made his deepest oceanic cosmos pulsate. He sought Thetis's eyes to make sure he wasn't going crazy and saw her friend's coral pendant glisten on her chest as well, a beautiful smile on her face.
Thetis knelt down and noticed the coral pendant pulsating with that immense energy that the boy in front of her was transmitting; the light of her life now had a trident in his hand and a divine destiny before him. But like the man she adored before, that Sea God would also be far beyond her heart.
He was a God. She would forever be just a mermaid.
ABOUT THE CHAPTER: This is a side story that serves solely to humanize and create a connection between Julian and Tethys. It is largely inspired by the original Little Mermaid tale, written by Hans Christian Andersen; some passages are actually identical to leave no doubt where it came from. I felt it suited Tethys and also Saint Seiya to have such clear inspiration, after all many characters in the series are based on great stories in the world. I felt that Thetis deserved it. The relationship between Tethys and Julian is not only inspired by the Mermaid and the Prince from the original tale, but also between Eponine and Marius, in the musical Les Miserables. The whole tragedy of the friend who is not seen, I took from the musical, which I also like a lot. In the end, the chapter is to present a theme that will be very important in the final part of the Arc of Poseidon.
NEXT CHAPTER: THE RUINS OF ASGARD
After the tragic end of the battle, Freia and the Athena Saints need to gather themselves and salvage their feelings from the battle to rebuild.