"Call out to her, she claims to be a friend doesn't she?" Haggar asked Lotor as she sat at the edge of the dark cave. 

"Yes." Lotor agreed. He went through the plan again, looking for flaws. "How can I get to the surface though? If she even agrees." 

"We can't swim towards Atlantis." She looked to the surface longingly. "It doesn't stop us from going to the surface." 

Lotor nodded, and headed to the back of the cave. Another trait he had inherited from his father was his messaging purpose. It didn't work as well as his fathers, but he could use it twice a year. Since he didn't know many sirens, he never used it. 

But there was one person he knew. A family friend, Zethrid. She was a former siren that became a human for good when she fell in love with her human wife, Ezor. She was banished from Atlantis too, and began hanging out at the surface too often, when she met Ezor.

She used to be Lotor's only friend, before she left for good. They would talk distantly through the barrier around his home before her family found out and told the Council. They feared she would be planning to help Lotor and Haggar escape. It's what got her banished. 

She claimed to be his true friend though. And now that she was human, she could help him change. If only he could reach out to her. 

~~~~~~

"Where are we going Zethrid?" Ezor's high pitched voice broke through Zethrids stone cold concentration. 

"To help a friend of mine. It'll be fine." Zethrids head still hurt from Lotor's broadcast. She had totally forgotten about her friend who was still stuck under the ocean, but she promised to be loyal. And this was her way of showing it. 

"I want more information. That's not enough." Ezor complained. "You can't just tell me we're helping a friend and tell me to pack up all my stuff." 

Zethrid hauled another suitcase into the trunk of their beat up  Subaru. She huffed. Ezor looked at her closely. 

"Oh." She said quietly. "Is it a friend from the ocean?" She knew how sensitive Zethrid was about that. 

She ran her skinny arms around Zethrids muscled frame. "I'm sorry for complaining." She whispered. 

Zethrid nodded and kissed her forehead. "Just trust me on this one. Okay babe?" 

Ezor nodded and helped with the rest of the bags.

Zethrid didn't know much more than her wife did, just that Lotor needed to change to a human. And he needed to change now. So she packed up her life in Chicago, and headed to his hidden home off the coast of New York. 

Finding Lotor was the hard part. He only had one broadcast left for that year, and was saving it for communicating with Haggar once he was human. So they had to go off of what little information he had given. 

They chose a hotel room, with a pull out couch and dull lamps. The carpet was soft and scraggly. Neither of them knew when they'd be leaving. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll have to be patient, so don't expect me back anytime soon." Lotor said as he floated towards the edge of cave.

Haggar looked him over. "Yes I understand. Do they know where you are Lotor?" 

"I described how dark the waters are and that it's off the coast of Long Island." He sighed, looking at the surface longingly. "That should be enough." 

Haggar hummed in response. She looked at her only child, the only person she had known for the past 25 years. He watched her warily before nodding and swimming off. She wondered if there was more she should have said. 

"It's been three hours Zethrid. I'm tired." Ezor's bright coral colored hair hung low, shading her gray eyes. "Are you sure he's coming?" 

"Patience Ezor. Patience." Zethrid said, her voice rough. But she was tired too.

"There!" She exclaimed standing up and pointing. They sat on wet rocks by the shallow gloomy area off of Long Island, waiting for Lotor.

Now, a dark material splashed water over them. Ezor flinched back as Zethrid ran forward. 

Lotor's head popped up, hair bright in the murky waters. "Zethrid." He breathed, smiling.

"Lotor!" She said surprised. "Im glad you're here." She said quickly before turning to Ezor. 

"Bring the clothes." Ezor did as she was told and they layed the clothes on the rock before rushing off to let Lotor change. Ezor had changed Zethrid, and knew the ordeal. But she was still frightened when Zethrid gave Lotor a small hug and he began to writhe. 

Lotor's screams brought Zethrid back to her changing to a human, all those years ago. All she had wanted was to be with Ezor. The pain was almost insufferable, if that sweet promise hadn't been at the end of the tunnel. 

Minutes passed of the screams and splashes before there was a lot of flopping and struggle. Finally came Lotor's hoarse call. "I'm done." 

His legs were long and wobbly. He groaned as he struggled over to them. The jeans he wore looked like high waters and his shirt tight. Zethrid held him up as Ezor brought the car over to the side of the road. 

"Thank you my friend." Lotor said. Ezor watched in fear as he began to explain his mission. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll close. Go Melle, have fun." Allura smiled sweetly as she wiped down the counter she stood behind. Dried flower petals fell onto the ground around her sandals. 

Romelle stood at the door, the late afternoon sun making her soft hair shine. "Really? Cause I can stay ya know." She smiled. Her new boyfriend, Luke, stood outside the door.

"I'm sure, go." Allura insisted. Her sister smiled, skipping a little as she rushed out the door. 

Allura continued to clean the shop before she headed down to the shallow water across the street from her shop. The rocky sand gave way to a perfect place to rest after a long day at work. 

She was watching the seagulls fly across the open sky when she heard a rustle behind her. 

She turned to see a tall man, with white hair and chiseled features. He was stumbling over to her, almost like he didn't know how to use his legs. He nodded at he her, a small smile on his face before he sat next to her. 

Allura turned back to the water, her legs visible through the clear tide. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Came a strong and accented voice. 

It was the man. Allura turned to see him looking out at the sky, the setting sun creating an orange hue over the water. 

"Yes. It's gourgeous." 

"Not so pretty from underneath." He mumbled. 

"What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said quickly.

 Allura let it go. But she felt something was off with him. 

"The ocean is so mysterious to me." She said quietly.

Lotor glanced at her. He tested his ground. "We use the ocean, and it's a huge part of everyone's life here. But how do we affect the ocean?" He said, mustering as much strength into his voice as he could.

He looked back at her and knew he had hooked her. She had a curious glint in her eye, exactly what he had wanted. "Well what do you mean?" 

"We are treating the ocean so horribly. As if it will stay the same no matter what." Lotor shook his head. "It's horrible."

"I know some friends who are trying to help the sea life down there, but I see where you're coming from. It's terrible yes." Lotor's eyebrows shot up as she said that. Haggars visions were never wrong. 

"I'm trying to work to better the environment and learn as much as I can about the ocean." Lotor said praying he could get Allura on his side.

"Knowledge is power." She said, a small smile on her lips.

"It is isn't it?" He smiled back, holding out his hand. "I'm Lotor. May I know your name?" 

She blushed. "Yes of course." She shook his hand. "Allura."

He smiled. "Allura. What a pretty name." He nodded. "Matches such a pretty smile." 

She grinned, her pretty smile shining.