It had been Roni's cry of alarm that had bought her out of the silence which seemed to have filled the void in the shoulder carriage.

She and the witch left the carriage, Roni's wide eyes filled with fear.

Beside him, a creature bled, his green eyes glowing like that of light fae. It took her a few moments to recognize the abnormally long haired mer.

Jonas, she thought, her heart twisting inside her chest. What was going on? Why was this happening?

"Everyone hide!" the Emerald Prince cried, his red hair swirling around like bright tendrils of blood.

"Jonas," she whispered as Morgan's hands wrapped around her wrist, the other mers darting to the tight and dark crevices of the boulder.
She didn't want to leave Jonas alone and bleeding as golden symbols carved themselves in his skin in the most painful way. Flesh became mangled, as if a dozen blades had passed through his back. Blood mixed with the water around him, the blood so dense, she could no longer see him. She could hear his cries of pain, each one stabbing her chest.

Ava couldn't say a word, watching as a man she loved become instant prey to the dozen sharks that had begun to slowly circle above him.

"Your Majesty, we have to go," Morgan whispered urgently, tugging her towards the caves.

"No!" Ava hissed as she let her true form reveal itself, yanking her arm away from his grasp as her fingers reaching for the long blade that rested on her hip, "I'm not leaving Jonas behind!"

"Your Majesty you can't!" Atlantis said, his body barreling into her along with Roni and Elric.

Ava watched, everything moving slowly around her. Her lips parted in a silent scream as she watched the first shark dive into the bloody haze, ready to take it's first bite from her beloved.

****
He couldn't see. Pain like no other consumed his body completely.

And his heart, it clenched tightly inside his chest, almost like someone had reached inside his heart to squeeze the blood from the pumping organ.

He didn't know if he was screaming or not but he only wished for the pain to stop.

Perhaps his body had finally giving up, or maybe his mind had been rendered unconscious, but he no longer felt the pain. Instead, he floated in the dark void, with only his thoughts occupying him.

Did you know that a broken heart is the most painful?

The voice was soft and deep like his own.

What? He thought, unable to see through the darkness.

It's the most painful thing. Watching the one you love most tear your heart apart without remorse.

Jonas couldn't say a word, the voice becoming silent.

The darkness slowly faded away, replaced by the serene view of the blue depths of the ocean. Sunlight filtered through the surface, illuminating the body that looked eerily familiar.

Long blonde hair floated around him, framing the well toned muscles. Scruff grew around his sharp jaw, bringing out the heavily lashed green eyes. An amber tail grew from his torso, the skin between the scales and the soft human flesh covered by a golden belt that glittered with amber stones.

But it wasn't the man's masculine features that snagged Jonas's attention, but the scars that covered the mer's skin.

"Who are you?" he asked, his body tensing. The man said nothing, he only blinked as his eyes revealed the pain the churned inside them.

"I am Aviv, God of Love and Lust," the man said after awhile, his fingers reaching upwards to brush away a lock of blonde hair that slipped in front of him.

Jonas blinked in confusion, his brows furrowed, "I don't understand."

The man shifted closer, "As of this moment, the gods are searching to find someone who will hold our essences." The Aviv's scarred hand rose, calloused fingers brushing Jonas's cheek, "For some reason, the Grand Witch chose you." Aviv chuckled quietly, "I wanted to wait and explain everything to you but time is running out as danger has decided to inhabit my beloved kingdom and it's not the sharks."

Jonas couldn't move, he couldn't defend himself, he couldn't speak. Aviv's lips descended on his, his tongue sweeping over Jonas's. He blinked in shock, his own mouth slack with surprise.

He knew what a kiss felt like, having his fair share with plenty of women. Yet, this kiss seemed different, the movements were smooth and experienced.

Jonas wanted to pull away, the image of Ava conjuring in his mind.

No! he thought, You're not her!

Fingers gripped his hair as the god left his lips before sinking into the flesh of Jonas's throat.

*****

Morgan couldn't believe it.

The god had manifested himself before they even arrived to the Amber kingdom. What happened that made Aviv come this early?

He watched as burst of light burst through the blood that swirled around. The sharks quickly backed away, frightened by the sudden burst of light.

"Morgan," Ava said, her hand squeezing his bicep painfully, "What's going on?"

Morgan took a shaky breath, "The Amber God is here."

"What?" Ava hissed, along with Elric.

Morgan grew worried, this transformation was not so supposed to happen yet. It was to occur within the walls of the Amber Kingdom. 

What had occurred that caused the transformation to happen early?

Morgan couldn't ponder long on the thought as the blood around Jonas dissipated, revealing the god that inhabited the amber orb.

At it's center was Jonas, his once short hair now long, spreading like golden tendrils around his body. Glowing amber tattoos covered his changed form, molding into the powerful amber tail. No longer could he see the glowing green eyes and he knew why.

"Atlantis," Morgan spoke as he moved out of the cave, his eyes never leaving the orb where Jonas stayed frozen in place, the bonding between Jonas and the god taking hold.

"I'll stay behind," Atlantis murmured, grabbing his spear from his back.

Morgan turned to Ava, her hazel eyes wide with shock. He couldn't blame her, everything was so sudden, and to see someone she had begun to care about stuck in an amber stone provided no consolation.

"Ava," he murmured, "We must go to the Amber Kingdom. Something is wrong within your walls if the God Aviv had decided to manifest this early."

Ava slowly blinked, tears visible in her golden eyes, "What about Jonas? Is he dead?"

Morgan shook his head, "He will awaken soon."

"Mama," Roni said tugging the Queen's hand, "Jonas will be okay."

Morgan smiled at the young merman. He knew what history laid behind Roni and the disguise he was forced to wear around his own people.

Morgan glanced once more at Jonas's paralyzed form.

Please wake up soon.

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