"Oh gosh," Michael whispered. He looked around at the faces, expecting judgement and anger. Everyone else was confused and didn't understand. "Jack, you said your dad used to boast about how it was the Solar's fault that we were cursed. I thought you meant us, but I think you were telling the truth."

"How?" Jack questioned.

"My parents," Michael said. "They disowned me when I met Mandy, and I never saw them again. They were, and probably still are, very respected hunters in the town I lived in before Mandy. I hate to say it, but them cursing us makes sense. They turned Mandy into a hunter, and Mandy, therefore, tried to force Rowan to be one. They made me into a Thalassic Mortal, the creature I was raised to hate. Braiken, you said you had trouble with Hunters around that time. Wez, you were still in the ocean, so they mustn't have known about you." Michael turned to Jenya. "Am I right?"

Jenya nodded with sympathetic eyes. "I saw two older people, and the name Solar always popped up. Marcus and Lucinda Solar. Are they your parents?"

Michael nodded and started pacing the room. "They did this to me?" The anger began to simmer. "Disowning me wasn't enough for them?"

Rowan's eyes followed him up and down, up and down. "Dad I'm so sorry they did this to you. We need to find them."

"What is sig-na-tur?" Kaerius asked.

"If someone painted a picture, they'd sign the bottom of the picture with their name. My grandparents used their last name 'Solar' to sign the curse as theirs, which is why Jack blamed the Solars. They were too proud not to do it," Rowan said, watching Jenya nod.

"I say we ambush them. They won't be suspecting it," Braiken rasped, eager for revenge. "Sorry, Michael, I don't care that they're your parents. They made Mandy and I lose twelve years with our sons. They deserve to feel our wrath."

Michael stopped and nodded. "I agree. We should check their home first, and go prepared, which means leaving Jaiker, Laiken, Kaerius, and Jack at home. I'm sorry guys, none of you can fight and are more likely to get hurt."

"No," Kaerius, Jaiker and Laiken protested in unison.

"I stay," Kaerius said and latched himself to Rowan. "I'm free sea creature. You give Kaerius no rules."

Michael looked from Kaerius to Rowan. His son shrugged and said, "Don't even try to argue, you'll be at each other's throats for hours." Kaerius scowled, but Rowan thought, "Now is not the time to deny your stubbornness."

"All of you can come, but you're coming at your own risk. If you die, I won't feel bad," Braiken said, and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Rowan, you don't leave Kaerius's side." Michael wasn't suggesting that they stick together, he demanded it, pointing a stern finger at his son. If Kaerius died, Rowan would too.

"Are we going today? Shouldn't we at least think of a plan?" Mandy asked. "We can't just turn up. What if they're expecting us? Shouldn't we prepare for what to do if they know?"

"Sister has a point," Braiken said, tapping his chin. "We need to pray to our mother, the goddess. She might not answer, but I know she always listens. Maybe she'll help us and let karma take its course before we get there."

"What if they're waiting with another curse?" Jack asked, and Jenya stepped forward.

"Let me and my pack go first. We won't be seen, and we can tell you if the Solar's have a fairy to make curses. If they do, that fairy is likely there against its will."

"There's only one problem with that though," Michael said, staring hard at the ground. "My parents live in a boat."

"Well, then it's even easier for our mother dearest to destroy them! Hunters living on water, how foolish," Braiken said, rubbing his hands with a motivated grin. "Let's go and pray. I feel the sea calling." Braiken turned abruptly and stormed out of the room, only to return when nobody followed him.

"Jenya, are you sure you want to help us?" Rowan asked.

"We need friends in this world. We have an opportunity to make them and be good allies. Fish people have never bothered us." Jenya smiled at Kaerius. "Are you coping well with the bond?"

"Yeah, really well," Rowan said and felt Kaerius's hand slip into his. "It's much easier to handle when we're not trying to hate each other."

"I can certainly believe that," Jenya laughed and turned to face Jack who cautiously approached them.

"My dad's gone again; I'm gonna have to follow him. You know what he's like," Jack grumbled, staring at Jenya. He had never met a werewolf.

"I knew you'd fall into my path eventually," Jenya marvelled with a grin. Jack looked confused. "A vampire and Thalassic Mortal hybrid with fairy magic. Amazing."

Jack pushed his glasses up his nose and quickly cleared his throat. "Um..." Jack turned and left as quickly as his father.

"You made him blush," Rowan said with surprise.

"I did," Jenya proclaimed proudly. "Anyway, let's exchange numbers, so I can keep you up to date with what happens."

When Rowan and Kaerius were the only non-werewolf people in the room, Rowan asked, "What did you mean when you said I'd make a great ruler?" Jenya looked to Kaerius who pursed his lips and stared around the room to avoid Rowan's eyes. "Kaerius?" Rowan questioned.

"Go on, follow your family. I'll let you know if we go to your grandparents tonight or in the morning."

Kaerius pulled Rowan outside. Everyone was waiting for them but walked in front. Kaerius purposefully took slow steps to keep the distance.

"What do you know?" Rowan asked when they turned the corner and walked down a long street.

"Your mum said that you could be the God of the sea one day," Kaerius thought, predicting how Rowan would react.

Rowan stopped with eyebrows creasing his forehead. "What?" he said loud enough for Michael and Mandy to hear.

Kaerius didn't know what to say, so when Rowan's parents approached and asked if everything was alright, he left them to talk and hurried to catch up with Jaiker and Laiken.

"Kaerius just told me that I could be the God of the sea one day," Rowan said, not daring to believe his own words. The thought pounded his heart.

"You could be," Mandy said truthfully. "But I don't want you to worry about it. If you get the opportunity, you can decline-"

"You don't want me to worry?" Rowan interjected with a bursting mind. "I'm like an expert at overthinking." He ran a hand down his face. "But I can decline, you said? Would you be upset if I did? Imagine the opportunities for Kaerius, though... would we have to live in the sea full time?"

"Rowan, Wez could be next in line. If he refuses, then it goes to you," Mandy said and linked an arm with him to get him to walk with her. The others were far away enough to be little dots at the bottom of the street. "You don't need to think about it, okay? Come on, let's go home."

* * * * *

Kaerius, Laiken, and Jaiker stripped off their human clothes and dove straight into the water. Walking in the air wasn't nice on their skin, and the saltwater in their mouths was a fresh welcome home. They splashed around for a while to appreciate their tails. Laiken was especially grateful to be back in the sea and spun around, touching his fins like a dog chasing his tail.

"What a wonderful experience," Jaiker said in the Thalassic Tongue. "Though walking with those dainty legs is painful and slow."

"Rowan has wood with four wheels to make him go fast." Kaerius thought of the time Rowan almost whacked him with it. He pointed back up the beach when he felt his soulmate near. "There they are."

Michael and Mandy were ahead of Rowan and entered the house before him. Rowan stopped to wave towards the water and thought to Kaerius that he would be there in a few minutes. Kaerius said okay but watched as Rowan quickly turned. A stranger ran from the house and threw themselves at his human.

"Rowan!" Kaerius yelled though he was helpless. If he went to the rocks to dry himself, he wouldn't see what was going on, and it was starting to rain. Drying would take forever.

Jaiker, Laiken, and Kaerius watched Rowan tear himself away from the person who kept trying to grab him. Kaerius then noticed the cars parked near Rowan's home. More people came from the house. Kaerius assumed Mandy's hunters had finally noticed that something was going on.

"Run to me, Rowan!" Kaerius thought, watching as Rowan separated himself again from those trying to attack him. Rowan turned to run towards the dunes. Those who Kaerius assumed were hunters didn't follow him. Rowan had just crossed the road when the hunters pointed something at Rowan's back, and he fell. A loud boom travelled along the beach. The few people who were walking in the miserable weather turned to watch what was going on.

Rowan tried to get up to run but fell again. Kaerius's head spun. He felt Rowan's pain in his abdomen like prickling needles. "Come on Rowan, run! RUN!" Kaerius pleaded, swimming back and forth in distress. He thought the hunters would take Rowan, but by some miracle, Rowan got up and started jogging. He sprinted fast along the top of the beach, not daring to go on the sand because he would tumble. "Go to the cliffs!" Kaerius thought. "I'll be there! Go!" He felt that Rowan was in tremendous pain, though he ran fast, bolting down the path, never looking back.

The hunters didn't chase Rowan straight away. Kaerius knew they expected Rowan to weaken and fall again, but he didn't. Rowan kept running and running. Kaerius followed him along the beach. He had to lose sight of Rowan to cross to the other beach and the cliff. Kaerius felt sickness forming in his stomach. He wasn't sure if the illness was Rowan's pain. He waited in the choppy water when he was at the cliffs, watching and waiting for Rowan, begging in his head that Rowan would get there before anyone else.

Eventually, Rowan arrived. He collapsed by the edge of the cliff, clutching his stomach. Blood was all over his white top, dripping down his shorts. Rowan was breathless and panting for air.

"Jump!" Kaerius shouted. Rowan couldn't simply roll off the cliffs because sharp rocks were underneath. He had to run and jump to reach the water, but there was a metal ladder going fifteen feet down. Rowan crawled to it, gasping for breath and stopping to clutch his punctured stomach.

"They want me dead," Rowan thought to Kaerius. Just as he gripped the ladder, one of the hunter's cars sped down the walkway and screeched to a halt only metres away. Rowan couldn't climb down the ladders fast enough. The doors to the car flung open, and Rowan looked at the rocks, then at Kaerius.

"To me," Kaerius thought and his mind pictured things that made him sick. He would rather they die together than miles apart.

Rowan then knew what he had to do. "I love you Kaerius," he whispered and rolled off the cliff onto the rocks below.