Sean stepped out of his cabin, raising his hands for his dad to tell him the worst of it. His dad strolled closer to adjust one of his black arm bands, telling him in a calm voice. "You went with gold jewelry? Most of the Mermaids prefer things a bit more on the sea side. Bits of coral for a crown. A necklace or bracelet of shiny shells. Sometimes a choker of sea weed. Shiny rocks. Maybe even a dead sea creature or two, all things made into something crafty to catch their eye. Why gold?" Sean touched the thick gold chain around his neck, mumbling out. "Cause no other Merman will be wearing it. Besides... I tried making something... That talent skipped me apparently." His dad ruffled his green bangs, throwing in sweetly. "So, you didn't get my crafting talent... You got your mother's talent for songs and that is just as good. I was just curious." Sean brushed his dad's hand off his head and fixed his hair back to the way he liked it, grumbling out. "Ya... Let's just get this over with."

The Elder Gam sat back away from the shore in the large circular lagoon. Small torch fires illuminated the white sandy beach in dim romantic lighting. Sean's father lead him out before the other young male Gam members all around his age. In front of everyone, his father laid a small thin crown fashioned from sticks and decorated with dark brownish red and bright blue shells.  It even had some small gemstones found from around the reef of the lagoon. When the crown was placed on his head, his father told him in a proud voice. "As you come into this right of passage among our people, I, King Mcloughlin, ruler of the Northern Gam, officially crown you 'Prince Sean Mcloughlin of the Northern Gam. May the tide recede with me and rise with you as the future king of the Northern Gam. Poseidon watch over you as our people look to you." Sean tried not to let his eyes water as his heart swelled at his father's words. His father gave him a bow and the other members of the Gam bowed too in respect.

When his father rose back up, he told everyone excitedly. "As tradition, a member of royal blood will lead off the song. This year, that will be my son. Enjoy the festival, Lads! They're waiting for ya!" The Elder Gam members raised their instruments and Sean turned to face the ocean feeling so nervous. Somewhere out there beneath the water, they were waiting. Listening. The moment the music started, Sean's nerves vanished. He liked this song and knew it well. William Taylor's sea shanty. As he started to sing, he also started to dance across the beach and the other young Gam members joined in. Sean broke out in a river dance and spun around the soft beach as their voices rose louder and louder in the moonlight. Sean lost himself in the song and dance, enjoying himself like the others. While the Labradorite stone amulet around his neck began to glow a bright blue. When he next spun across the shore, he locked eyes with a woman he hadn't seen since he was a young boy.

She was soaking wet and naked as the day she was born. In her hair was bits of a fishnet that looked like a veil decorated with pearls and small red starfish. She blushed at him, raising her hand to take his and began to dance with him. From the corner of his eye, he saw other young mermaids rising up out of the water and staggering their way sneakily over to dance with any young merman that caught their eye. Sean's heart raced in his chest as he watched her bite her lower lip, her eyes never leaving his. As the music died down to silence, Sean lowered his hand cautiously down her arm to her wrist and leaned in to see if she'd let him kiss her cheek. If she let him, than she was interested in him.  If she didn't, than she'd either run back to the water or pick another merman. He expected Signe to run. In the brief time he had known her as a young girl, she had always playfully run from him. It wasn't until she was old enough to swim past the reef that she was forced to leave with the Pod.

He had thought of her everyday since. He missed her laugh and the sweet sound of her voice. Her hair was short like he remembered, but the rest of her was much more... defined. She closed her eyes with a tight-lipped smile as his lips pressed tentatively to her wet cheekbone. For a moment his mind went blank. He hadn't expected her to let him do that. She opened her eyes, before bashfully turning to look away and covering her mouth with her fingers. He shyly looked away too, unsure what to do from here. Should he escort her back to his cabin? Should he do her here on the beach? Maybe take her to the cliffs, where she could see the bright stars more clearly? Where did she want to do this? He felt awkward trying to think of a good way to ask her. Unable to think clearly, he just stayed silent. Signe gingerly curled her fingers into the black fishnet that he had around his waist like a sash. He swallowed nervously as her fingers brushed across his bare stomach, pulling him closer to her. He stared into her deep eyes, unable to look away as she raised her other hand to cup his neck and pulled him down into a slow tender kiss of passion.

When their kiss ended, he was breathless. He didn't understand why after all these years; why she'd want him, but his heart was happy beyond mere words could describe. She took his hand then and started walking toward the large smooth rocks cresting the circular lagoon. Following her across the rocks, he watched the waves rise and seep between the cracks. His amulet glowed brightly, showing the power it possessed by keeping him human even as the salty sea water washed over his feet. He wondered for only a moment how she wasn't turning, when he saw the small earrings she was wearing with the same stone. She lead him out far enough, then turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and slowly sinking down to lay back across the smooth wet rocks. Laying down over her slender body, he gasped. He had never been this close to a woman. Her skin was so soft and strangely warm even for being soaking wet. She smelled sweet and his mind started to fog over with lust from it. Taking ahold of her soft creamy thighs, he spread them apart to nestle himself in between them.

His hard cock brushed across her womanhood and she gasped sharply in surprise. He could only manage to stall himself for a second or two, before shifting over her to kiss her neck lovingly. Her fingers gripped his arms tightly and she started to breathe more quickly. Whatever she had been told about merman, had made her a little afraid of this part. He could smell her fear mixing with the sweet scent that her body was radiating. He wanted to calm her fears, but he couldn't think straight and didn't know how to gain control of himself. Driven by instinct he started to press his cock into her woman folds, when her nails dug sharply into his arms and she asked him abruptly. "Sean? What is that?" Sean looked up to see her looking out at the vast sea. He thought that maybe she was trying to stall him by distracting him with something... When he suddenly saw it too. Rising off her on all fours, he squinted at the horizon with his sharp night vision. A dark form was breaking from the mist. Beneath him, Signe sat herself up on her elbows, asking anxiously. "Is that what I think it is?"

Sean quickly rose to his feet, turning toward the shore and whistling as loud as he could. His dad glanced over from chatting with his mother and he shouted loudly out to him, pointing toward the horizon. "PIRATES!" The Elder Gam all rose out of their chairs, scrambling around to alert the rest of the Gam and Pod members. Signe rose to her feet, telling him in a panic. "Sean? What do we do?" Sean looked her over, rushing out. "Take out your earrings and get back into the water. Get as far from here as you can!" Signe worked her earrings out, asking shakily. "What about you?" Sean brushed off the question, snapping at her. "Don't worry about me! Go! Now!" Signe nodded, reluctantly removing her last earring and instantly turning into a mermaid with a glistening golden scaled tail. He stared at her tail transfixed by the look of it. He had never seen her tail before. Nor did he think it would gleam like gold. Signe dived off the rocks into the water, following the Pod as they rushed through the lagoon toward the open sea.

From the shore, his father and many other Gam members yanked off their amulets and dived into the water with their spears and tridents. The Gam would attack the ship and try to sink it, while the mermaids retreated to deeper waters.  Sean stood on the rocks, turning his face into the cool breeze.  The wind was in favor of the pirates this night.  Bringing them closer to his home on calm waters.  The Elder Gam members began to snub out the beach torches in the sand and water, sending the whole lagoon into an eerie moonlit darkness.  Sean grabbed his amulet, but hesitated.  Young Gam members were forbidden from helping.  They were needed to replenish ranks, should the older Gams fail.  It was hard to resist though as he watched his father lead the Gam toward the black ship.  The Gam would make quick work of the ship, they always did.  However, this ship was different.  As the Gam approached, a man on the bowsprit shouted out an order and pointed into the water.  "Roll out the triple barrels! Here they come!" 

Sean's heart leapt in his chest as bright lights, clouds of thick smoke, and loud 'Bangs' broke the silence.  The water burst into large water spouts and a few members of the Gam screamed in agony as the cannon ball practically blew them from the water.  The concussion blast alone was enough to scatter the Gam, but those that remained kept swimming for the ship at full speed.  One of the Gam males, plunged his trident into the ships wooden undercarriage.  The man on the bowsprit was tossed something and he took aim, firing at the merman's chest.  The merman released the trident, sinking below the surface in a swirl of red water.  More crew members, jumped up on the sides of the ship to fire pistols and rifles as the Gam tried to puncture more holes in the ship.  Suddenly, the man on the bowsprit called out to his crew.  "Release the fire barrels!"  Sean gasped as barrels were tossed off the ship and shot, causing mass explosions in the water that forced the Gam to retreat away. 

Sean's grip tightened more on his amulet, when a soft eerie sound wafted over the water.  Sean recognized it and glanced toward the sound.  The Pod was starting to swim closer to the ship to help the Gam, singing as loudly as they could to distract the sailors.  Only... it didn't seem to be working on these pirates.  The man on the bowsprit dropped down onto the bow and turned a swivel gun toward the Pod.  With a soft 'pow', a large fishing net shot from the small cannon and straight for the Pod.  The Pod sank beneath the water and the net was quickly hauled back in.  Sean didn't understand.  No ship had EVER been able to do this to them!  It was like these pirates knew how to hunt them.  The crew suddenly changed tactics.  Shooting the Gam members that tried to destroy the ship, while others shot nets from the cannons, or tried to harpoon anything that moved in the water.  An Elder Gam rushed toward him, calling out.  "Sean! Get over here! It's not safe out there!"  Sean was going to listen, when a familiar scream caught his attention.  One of the fishnets had managed to catch Signe after a fire barrel scattered the Pod. 

The Elder Gam rushed out across the rocks to grab him, but it was too late.  Sean yanked his amulet off his neck and dived off the rocks toward the ship.  He couldn't just stand by and watch this happen anymore!  To Be Continued...