The jewel in the vault door made the carved waves along the doors glow with a beautiful prism light. Hidden within the waves of the door, a shell lit up and then formed into a shell shaped portal opening. Mark reached out to touch the shimmering opening, but Sean yanked him back by his arm. Staring into his eyes, Sean rushed out in a panic. "Mark, no! You don't know what this is! It could be a trap!" Mark shrugged carelessly, gesturing to the shimmering door as he retorted. "This is the vault. We don't have time to debate this. Just wait here." Mark tried to swim around him, but Sean moved in to block him. Without looking at him now, Sean placed his hands on Mark's chest, pleading with him hopefully. "Mark, please. I'll tolerate you going for the Sea Crown... but this? What are you hoping to accomplish?!" Mark cupped Sean's face, telling him gently. "I know you're scared, but just listen to me. Granny told me that the crown was said to be in a fountain within the vault. This challenge claims I have to swim through divine waters... What if Kai put it in here because no one could open the vault without accepting the challenge?"

Sean shrugged now, dismissively mumbling out. "I don't believe that. You didn't try any other option. You just jumped into it. Mark, I don't know anything about this place... We need to be careful." Mark nodded, then pulled him close and swam into the portal with him. Sean yelped as the cold liquid washed over him and they both fell to the rocky ground on the other side. Slowly, Sean raised up to admire the place with awe. This place wasn't under water. The vault had massive razor-sharp mountains in the back of this massive square room. Between the two mountain tops was a weird red archway with a crystal-clear waterfall running down to the massive pool before them. Sean scooted closer to the pool feeling the warmth of the water without touching it. The place was filled with a light fog and the walls were decorated in rich colored murals. Time had not aged this place and even if Atlantis was in ruins... this vault appeared unaffected. Beside him, Mark flicked his long tail to adjust onto his side, grumbling out. "What the hell is this place?"

Sean sat back on his tail more, answering as he looked at the picture murals. "It's a sea temple... Mark... The first Atlantians were Oceanids. The war... Poseidon took this place from Oceanus and his kids. He built paradise by... killing them." Mark put a comforting hand on Sean's back, telling him softly. "It's ok. It wouldn't be the first culture in history to build life on the bones of another. These things happen. Times change. People change." Sean looked at him with fragile eyes, mumbling out. "Everything I believed... Mark, I don't know how I feel about this..." Mark leaned into him, kissing his neck affectionately before whispering. "Nate once told me that knowing your past and accepting that you can't change it can be a burden. Poseidon may have killed the Oceanids... but he learned from his mistake. He may be divine, but I can't imagine they are flawless. Everyone learns from the mistakes they make." Sean sniffled a little, until Mark snuggled closer to add sweetly. "How about instead of thinking about the damage... You think about all the good that Poseidon did after learning from his mistake?"

Sean nodded weakly, his eyes catching the glint of something in the water. Pulling from Mark, he leaned over the water better. After a minute, his eyes widened, and he mumbled out in shock. "Um... Mark, have a look at this?" Mark leaned over the edge, chuckling out. "Why? Did you see a cute little-" Mark shut up the second his eyes saw the jewels beneath the clear surface. The entire base of the pool was covered in jewels of all shapes and sizes. Reaching in, Mark scooped up a handful and they ran through his fingers like fine sand. A devilish grin spread over Mark's face as he told him excitedly. "Well, I'll be damned. It is a treasure trove. Oceanids and Merfolk must have added to this pool for years. I wonder how deep it goes?" Mark leaned more into the water and Sean frantically snatched his arm, screaming out. "Mark, wait!" In the process of trying to snatch Mark's arm out, Sean slipped off the edge and fell into the pool. At first the water felt heavenly. It was warm and soothed his every scale. Then it seemed to come alive!

Sean screamed beneath the surface as the water attacked him! It tore at his scales and skin, leaving light cuts that were quickly getting deeper the longer he was in the pool. Sean tried to use his magic, but this water wasn't natural. It refused to be controlled. Mark's arms burst into the water to grab him, hefting him out as quickly as he could. Tumbling across the rocky walkway, Sean hugged himself as his body shook from the trauma. He had never been attacked by water before and it was horrifying. Curling his tail around himself, Sean coughed and spit the strange water that burned his lungs, before stammering out to Mark. "T-t-there is something in there! That's not water!" Mark caressed Sean's cut skin, asking him with deep concern. "Are you ok?" Sean nodded, turning over quickly to hug him close. He needed a hug. He needed to feel safe again. Mark wrapped his arms around him, soothing him until he stopped shaking. Against his throat, Sean mumbled out to him. "How are we going to find the Sea Crown in THAT?! Mark, please... Let's just leave. We can go back and help Poseidon. We can find Nate."

Mark's voice was deep and regretful, when he told him. "I don't think we can find a way out of Atlantis without the Sea Crown. The place has most likely caved in all the ways I knew how to get in and out. We have to figure this out ourselves." Mark released him, pointing to the murals on the walls as he said calmly. "There has to be something here. Every trap has a way to get around it." Sean looked from his arm to Mark's, before grabbing Mark's wrist. Mark jerked, until Sean laid his arm beside Mark's. While his was cut up all over and bleeding, Mark's arms were untouched. Lowering his arm, Sean mumbled out with disappointment. "There is. Only an Oceanid can swim in it." Mark scoffed loudly, muttering out. "Bullshit. I just wasn't in it as long as you." Sean blinked, mumbling out numbly. "You had your hand in there before me... The danger I've been sensing... It's all aimed at me. Not you." Mark shook his head, then just to spite him shoved his arm in the water.

Sean stared at Mark's arm, watching nothing happen to him. Frustrated, Mark rolled off the edge into the water. Sean crossed his arms. Mark leaned on the edge of the shore, mumbling out with undeniable proof. "Ok. Fine. Just wait here and I'll try to find it." Sean nodded, reluctantly. Mark dived below the surface and Sean turned his eyes to the murals. Rubbing his hurt tail, he saw pictures on the war with the Oceanids. Even how Atlantis was built. Which to his surprise... He realized where the Sea Crown was. He waited for Mark to surface, listening to him bitterly snap out. "This is hopeless! I don't know what I'm looking for!" Sean straightened up, saying with a heavy heart. "I know... Because you're looking in the wrong spot." Mark gave him a questionable look, causing Sean to point to the top of the waterfall. As Mark turned to look up at the red archway, Sean told him coolly. "The Sea Crown is up there."

Mark huffed, grumbling out. "Of course, it is. Alright. How do I get up there?" Sean vaguely gestured to the water, answering simply. "Swim up it?" Mark cracked his knuckles, saying aloud. "I'll give it a try." Mark ducked beneath the water; swimming as fast as he could to the falls. Darting up the water, he gasped as an invisible force slashed at his body. He barely got up the falls, before splashing back down into the pool. Rising from the water to look at his arm, he watched the wound heal. From the shore. Sean called out to him. "Are you alright?" Mark rubbed his healed arm, answering a bit distracted. "Ya. It's harder than it looks." Mark swam around the pool to get up momentum, then darted back to the falls. He propelled his tail rapidly, wincing as the force in the water slashed at him again. One slash struck his chest enough to make him jerk back, sending him falling back into the pool with a loud splash. Staying under the water, Mark rested as his cuts healed. Whatever this was, it was pissing him off.

Slowly rising to the surface, Mark spit water and glared at the falls. From the shore, Sean called out to him. "Mark, let's try something else! It's hurting you!" Mark shook his head, growling out. "No! I'm not giving up! I can do it!" Mark shot through the water and up the falls again, feeling the cuts tear at his scales and flesh. He ignored the pain and kept his eyes on the gate above. He was not going to be bested by weird water! Halfway up, Mark struggled to ignore the pain. The cuts were getting deeper, but he had suffered worse from being whipped. After just passing the halfway mark, Mark grabbed a sharp stalagmite to pull himself up the steeper part of the falls. Using all his upper body strength, he tried not to slip off the stalagmite as he pulled himself up. Swinging his tail up on the ledge in the falls, he glanced up toward the archway. He was so close. Adjusting to continue, Mark yelled in fright as a massive head burst from the falls in front of him! It was a Leviathan head made entirely out of water. It roared at him and snorted steam, causing Mark to lose his grip and freefall back into the pool below.

Sean screamed his name as Mark plunged back into the surface of the pool. This time when he rose to the surface, he looked up at the falls to hear the massive Leviathan head was laughing at him. Mark spit more water, cracking his neck as he tensed himself up. From the shore, Sean yelped out. "What the fuck is that?!" Mark snorted a gust of steam himself, growling out loud enough for Sean to hear. "I don't care. It's in my way." The Leviathan's watery head melted back into the falls and Mark took off up the falls again. This time as he swam up, the water twisted like a snake to form a water cyclone! Stubbornly, Mark zigzagged from side to side and clutched the sharp rocks to keep from being battered against them. The water slashed his body, but snorting more steam, he kept fighting through it. At the halfway point again, Mark's muscles were burning. Panting heavily, he clung to the Stalagmite to catch his breath. The head formed again to peek over the edge at him, the water calming down into a gentle flow once more.

Mark glared at it, bitterly sneering out. "I'm not scared of you! Just get the fuck out of my way! I don't have time for your games!" The Leviathan head tilted its head, asking him in a deep male voice. "Why? Do you have somewhere more important to be?" Mark struggled to pull himself up, snapping back. "YES! I'm trying to stop the Leviathan!" The Leviathan head growled softly, asking almost bitterly to him. "And how do you plan to do that exactly?" Mark gestured with his head toward the archway, straining out. "The Sea Crown. I'm going to command it to stop!" The Leviathan turned its glowing white eyes on the archway, before looking back at him. With a sinister grin, it told him curiously. "And if it can't help you. What will you do then... Pirate." Mark froze to look directly into the eyes of the creature, asking him curiously. "How did you know that?" The Leviathan answered coolly without blinking. "From the second you touched me, I learned everything about you. You could say that I can see right through you."

Mark clenched his jaw, saying firmly through his teeth. "Then you know why I need it! So, let me pass!" The Leviathan stared him down, his voice turning stern as he said. "Why do you wish to save the world? For the glory? To sate some bloodlust to kill something beyond your being of existence?" Mark huffed, sarcastically stating out. "I thought you knew everything about me?" The Leviathan narrowed its eyes on him, sneering out. "I want to hear you SAY IT!" Mark didn't answer. The Leviathan snorted, saying with disappointment. "You are not worthy. I can feel how you've suffered... but you have learned nothing from it. Your life is a void that you choose to fill with riches... Your tongue drips thicker lies, than the oil you fill your ship's lamps with. Your blade has taken more lives than you have saved. You are black hearted." Mark's body tensed at the insult, when Sean screamed out from below. "MARK! The water is rising!" Mark looked back to see the pool water rising to flood the shore.

Mark turned to the Leviathan, shouting out at it. "STOP IT! You'll kill him!" The Leviathan blinked but said nothing. Mark watched Sean scramble to a higher rock formation, yelling up to him. "MARK, HURRY!" Mark was leaning back to let go, when the Leviathan slipped out coolly. "You can't save him. I'll flood this chamber... but..." The Leviathan moved its head of water, revealing a clear path up to the gate and Mark inhaled sharply. If he changed into a human, he could race up the steps and reach the gate. Below, Sean let out a scream of pain, causing Mark to look back. Sean's tail was hovering over the water. His high rock was almost submerged completely. Locking eyes with the Leviathan one last time, he released the rock to dive back down to the pool. Swimming quickly over to Sean, he hefted him into his arms and held him over the water as the water rose a bit faster now. Above them, the Leviathan purred down. "What's this? A pirate caring about someone other than himself? You must be a fool. Now you're both going to die."

Mark glared up at the Leviathan, snapping out. "So be it! I know a trap when I see it! You planned to kill us both anyway... And I'd rather die trying to save him, then fall for your bullshit!" The Leviathan chuckled deeply to himself, calling down. "It wasn't bullshit. I gave you a free pass to get out because despite everything... You're the last pureblooded Oceanid. You should live. Come up. Try again." Sean hugged Mark, whispering to him softly. "He has a point... Mark, I wouldn't hold it against-" Mark hefted Sean in his arms, snapping at them both. "SHUT UP! I'm not going anywhere without him! So, Sean either goes with me... Or you kill us both!" The Leviathan's smile faded away as it said. "So be it." The water from the falls stopped and the Leviathan pried its watery body from between the mountains and dived into the pool. The water continued to rise higher as the massive head of the Leviathan rose menacingly up from the water in front of them. Mark pressed his back to the wall, hugging Sean close. Sean buried his face in Mark's shoulder, but Mark stared down the creature as it bared its sharp watery teeth.

The mouth drew closer and Mark buried his face in Sean's shoulder, whispering to him. "I love you." Mark had to get it out, before he tried something crazy. Sean tightened his arms around him, when the Leviathan's mouth stopped inches from them to purr out. "You are worthy, My son." Mark's eyes shot open as the water level lowered quickly and vanished. The remains of the water swirling into a large man with a long shimmering blue fish tail similar to the Leviathan's. Around the man's neck was a shell necklace and among his wavy shoulder length dark and silvery hair was a golden crown in the shape of large crab claws. Sean's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he twisted from Mark's grip to drop across the jeweled ground. Bowing, Sean said in deep respect. "Lord Oceanus..." Mark's tail split back to his human legs as he stared at the man. He looked exactly like the man he had last seen. Frozen to the spot, he mumbled out nervously. "Dad?" Oceanus's tail melted like water to reveal his strong legs, while a toga of shimmering green formed over his body.

Opening his arms out for him, Oceanus just as nervously said. "No hug for your old man?" Mark inched closer a step or two. He just couldn't believe he was alive. As his heart swelled with relief to see him, he ran over to embrace him. Oceanus chuckled in his ear, hugging him tightly. To Be Continued...