"What happened?" The queen asks when we show up late at our secret chamber.

      "We were chased by a shark, your highness. We barely made it out," Alika answers.

      "Another shark? So it really has begun." She scratches her chin lost in thought.

      "Excuse me, but what is going on?" I interrupt.

      Mother shoots me a worried look. "The war against humans has started. Haven't you noticed how shark attacks have increased in the past few months?"

      "Are you saying they aren't happening at random?"

      "Someone must be controlling them." Alika finishes our thought.

      "But why so many are concentrated in Golden Harbor?" I ask.

      My mom raises both of her eyebrows as if I were stating the obvious. "Can't you see? It's because of you, darling. Someone discovered you." She drops her shoulders and swims back to her stone throne.

      "But we were being careful." Alika interjects.

      "Perhaps not as careful as we should be." She shakes her head.

      The chamber seems more mystical than ever. Green and blue shadows dance creepily on the drawings on the walls. The drawing people look directly at me, as if I should know what to do next.

      "Mother, I came to you because something strange happened. I believe I created a thunderstorm. Is this a mermaid superpower or am I going crazy?"

      Her eyes widen at my reveal. She glances at Alika looking for support, and he nods his head.

      "She also saved us from the shark by creating a tidal wave with just her hands," he adds.

      The queen comes closer to me and studies my face with gentleness. Then she approaches one of the drawings on the far-right corner.

      "These tell our history: past and future." She brushes the drawings with her palm.

      "Future?"

      "Prophecies of the mer-people. Some prophecies are as ancient as Poseidon. Look at this one." She points to a drawing next to the one she just touched, and I come closer to take a better look.

      "It was said that a savior would be born with powers as strong as Poseidon's. The savior would bring the mer-people to light or perish trying."

      "And you think it's me?"

      "Look with more attention."

      A long-haired mermaid carved into stone stands with her palms open towards a horrendous beast. It has the face of a man, body of an octopus and claws of a crab. From her hands, a flush of water flies toward the beast; they are fighting. But the next drawing is broken, as if the artist threw a heavy rock to erase what was done.

      "Am I the only mermaid who can do that?"

      "I've never heard of anyone else with such power. I knew you would be great for our people, because you could unite both worlds, but I didn't know you would be the mermaid from the prophecies.

      "And what if I ignore it?"

      "We will try to keep you safe, but I can't promise you nothing will happen to your world."

      "And if I never enter the water again? Remain human for the rest of my life?"

      "Would you be able to stay away from the ocean forever?" She furrows her brows and grabs my shoulder, forcing me to look at her.

      My heart gets smaller just with the thought. I've already lost surfing, am I prepared to lose the ocean forever? I know the answer. This new discovery of belonging to the water, to be one with it, to be able to swim and not breathe and travel long distances, I know I can't give that up.

      "Then teach me how to control it."

***

      "You are not focusing!" My mother yells after our seventh day of training.

      We've been at it for four hours, and my family will soon begin to worry about my whereabouts. We've been meeting at our chamber every day and from there we swim to an open area to train my powers. But so far, I can barely get a wave to come out from my hands, let alone create another thunderstorm.

      "I'm doing the best that I can." I say through gritted teeth.

      My lungs feel numb from the exhaustion, and my arms tremble with the amount of force I'm using. After another failed attempt, she calls the day off.

      "I know you are. When you used your powers with such ease before, what were you thinking?"

      "About not becoming shark breakfast. And I wanted to punch Kai's face when he confronted me."

      She nods as if concluding an inner thought. "You have to use your emotions. Have them under control so you can summon your powers without being in a life or death situation or angry at someone."

      "Easy to say, I've never been good at controlling how I feel." I cross my arms.

      "Well, it's about time you learn. Because if you want to go looking for Poseidon's trident, you will need as much help as you can get."

      "How do I find it anyway?"

      She places a finger to her mouth as if saying, not here. Then she swims back to our chamber and I follow her silently. Once inside she shows me another drawing of a wrecked ship.

      "Last time we had a clue about its location was in the seventeenth century, from captain Barbarus. He had been looking for the trident himself and when he had a breakthrough discovery, his ship was caught up in a dangerous storm and the sea swallowed it whole. Though many searched for its location, it was not yet found.

      "But isn't it better this way? If no one can find it, then the trident will be safe forever."

      She smiles apologetically, then sits on her throne. "I used to think that way. Until I learned that the people who are trying to find the trident have been looking for it nonstop. How long until they find it? If they are so certain of getting it, they will stop at nothing."

      "Where was he last seen?

      "We don't keep records of his whereabouts like humans do in books. All we know is the rumor that spread after his disappearance, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, near South America."

      "Do you know when in the eighteen hundred's he found a lead to the trident?"

      "I don't. I'm sorry. We only know his name was captain Barbarus of the ship Mother of the Sea." When I frown at the lack of information, she adds, "Perhaps you could find more information in your world."

      "Yeah, but it may take a while."

      "It's the only hope we have."