"What is happening to her?" Rubyn said once he laid Scarlet  on the soft bed, his eyes never drifting away from the human.

Morgan watched the way the prince caressed her cheek, gently tucking away the red tendrils that drifted across her pale cheeks. Her eyes continued to glow red, never moving, never blinking.

"It's the goddess," he whispered, drifting towards them, his taloned hands reaching for Scarlet's wrist.

Rubyn scoffed, "Goddess? Don't make me laugh Morgan. They've been gone from the oceans for so long, why would they return now?"

Morgan turned his serpent gaze upon Rubyn, "I don't jest Prince Rubyn. The gods are awakening. Don't you feel it? The power that was once gone from the oceans has returned, even the humans have been suffering from it."

The witch turned, gazing through the barred windows, "So many gods returning to this realm has been tearing apart the human world. Massive monsoons, hurricanes that have been known to destroy the nations, even the earth itself is trembling with power." Morgan wrapped his fingers around the bars, clenching the metal in a fist. It was good that the gods have returned to oceans, but to have so many, it would devastate the earth. 

He winced at the thought, Should Poseidon's power be unleashed, it could be the next Great Flood.

******

"What do you mean you finally found me?" Scarlet said, staring at the mermaid that floated in front of her, trying to keep her gaze away from the gaping hole at the center of her chest, but she evidently failed when the creature spoke.

"It's where my heart used to be," she said, her fingers touching the edges of the black hole.

Scarlet blinked in confusion, "What happened to it?"

The mermaid offered a sad smile and drifted towards a moss covered rock, resting her body upon it, "It's a story that happened long ago, long before I created this kingdom with the blood of my heart."

Scarlet winced, "I am sorry."

"Don't fret child. My heart is safe where it belongs," the creature said with a sad smile.

Scarlet settled her body on the rock, feeling the colorful fish swirl around her, teasing her skin with their soft fins, "Who are you?" she spoke after a moment.

The mermaid gave a small smile and let her body rise into the currents, "I am Themis. Goddess of Justice and Righteousness. And you, my dear Scarlet,are my host."

"Host?" Scarlet said in bewilderment, "So this isn't some dream conjured by unconsciousness?"

Themis chuckled softly, "No, this is real . Your mind is in the realm between the gods and the ocean itself, while your body remains unconscious in the mortal realm."

Scarlet felt her breath hitch, "Will I ever awaken?"

The goddess friendly smile drifted into a sad one as her fingers hovered over the hole in her chest, "In order for you to awaken, I must bond with you, but without the gem I cannot."

"Gem?" she spoke, her heart beating rapidly at the fear of never waking up.

The goddess nodded, "It's  called Sangria, blood of the Just. It is one of the two pieces of the Blood Stone. Should both pieces unite, the stone would give immense power to the one who wields it. "

"Where are the stones?" Scarlet murmured, gazing out into the ocean around them.

Themis let out a soft sigh, "The Sangria is in a vault deep inside the confines of the Ruby kingdom. And the other stone Vasillos, has been gone for eons. Creatures of all kinds have given their life in search for it but the stone has remain hidden from our eyes. Even the gods don't know it's true location."

Scarlet wrapped her arms around her waist, her eyes downcast, staring at the red scales of her tail. She could only hope that her newfound friends knew what she truly needed.

*****

It was after awhile that Morgan was able to check on Atlantis once he was sure that Scarlet was in stable condition. A condition that Morgan found extremely confusing.

"How are you feeling?" Morgan said, pressing his palm against Atlantis's forehead. 

The merman winced as he shifted to sit upright, "Like I've been stabbed by the Great Whites," he muttered. Morgan bit his lip as he looked down his lover's body, burned by the darkness that had clung to the merman's body, leaving gruesome red marks on his pale skin,  blisters appearing beneath them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching for his satchel to pull out a small blue clam shell, filled with ointment that he used on burns he received from his own accidental bursts of magic that sometimes tended to fire back at him when he practiced. With gentle touches, he smeared it across Atlantis's skin, feeling every time the lord winced.

"I can do that Morgan," the red head said, reaching for the ointment.

Morgan pulled it away from his reach, "No," he said sternly, "You're injured and as your lover and friend, I will put it on you!"

"What about you Morgan!?" Atlantis snarled, his teeth flashing, "Where you not affected as well? Why don't you let yourself get checked?"

Morgan was taken aback but Atlantis's sudden burst of anger, the troubled look in his golden eyes still there ever since the Sapphire wedding, "Atlantis," he spoke softly, setting himself near the bed, "What is going on?"

Atlantis turned away and settled back against the bed, "What do you mean what is going on?" Morgan reached for his lover's hand but Atlantis's quickly pulled it away. The witch winced and pressed his hands together in his lap.

"You've been distant," he murmured after awhile, "We don't make love anymore, we don't even kiss." He watched Atlantis grimace, his gaze lingering over his lover's features. Exhaustion was written all over his pale face, dark circles lingering beneath his golden eyes and the more Morgan continued to look, the more he noticed. Atlantis had gotten thinner and he could see the beginnings of a beard across his jaw.

"I've just been busy," Atlantis murmured, "You and me, both."

Morgan shifted closer towards Atlantis, "I know we haven't had much time to ourselves, but you know I'm always here, through the darkness and the light." He offered a sincere smile and intertwined his fingers with his, gently rubbing the palm of his hand with his thumb.

Atlantis let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat, "There has been something," he murmured quietly.

Finally, Morgan thought.

"Do you remember the Sapphire ceremony?" Morgan nodded. Golden eyes drifted over Morgan almost in hesitation before focusing on the spear that rested against the wall, "The god that reveals the truth had told me something that has made me doubt who I am," he clenched his hands into a fist, "Kai is not my brother, my father was never my father and my mother was never my mother."

Morgan's eyes widened, "I don't understand, what do you mean?"

"I'm an orphan Morgan. There is a reason why I never looked like my family, it was because I never belonged to them in the first place," he glanced at the witch, "Don't you see, I was never royal in the first place, just an orphaned brat."

A/N: Comments anyone?