Triton took a few of his guards to the border where the Sea Witch had last been seen. Scanning the horizon, he looked for any sign of moment from the cluster of reef mounds. Waving for his guards to stay back, Triton tightened his grip on his trident and crept forward. Staying in sight of his guards, he called out to the maze of reef mounds. "I know you are here. Come out. Let's talk." The soothing dark voice seemed to come from all over as the Sea Witch purred back. "My, little brother. How you've grown." Triton tensed, staying observant as he said aloud. "Why have you returned? Have you forgotten I banished you?!" The voice cackled softly to itself, then in a much darker tone answered coolly. "Oh, Triton. You honestly didn't think that banishing me would keep me away forever, did you?" Triton saw movement on his left and whirled around to point his trident in that direction. From around the reef mound in front of him, the Sea Witch's voice cooed out with hidden malice. "Just like a spoiled brat... You think just because you say something that people will obey."

Triton swam slowly around the reef but found nothing. Moving back to the other side, he stated aloud. "I defeated you once. What makes you think now will be any different?" The Sea Witch's voice took on a self-confident tone upon answering. "Because I've had nothing but time to plan and get stronger. While you've sat upon that throne growing weaker under the burdens of the kingdom." Trident shook his head, uttering out as calmly as he could. "You are wrong. The burdens have made me stronger. Not weaker." The Sea Witch huffed, and Triton froze as long black tentacles slithered out from behind a reef within his sight. Creeping across the sandy floor, the Sea Witch casually moved out into the light. Triton straightened himself up as he looked. His older brother Ursel had changed a lot. Ursel had the lower half of a large black octopus with striking bright blue rings. While his upper body was human looking with silvery skin and shoulder length white hair with silver heights. Uriel's dark eyes were shadowed with purple sea slug blood make-up and his lips were a bloodred from smearing shellfish toxins on his lips.

From one of Ursel's human looking ears, hung a poison purple cone shell. Ursel's upper body was all lean muscle, but Ursel was not known for his strength. Ursel preferred to outwit his enemies over physical confrontations. Triton's eyes lowered to the golden Nautilus shell around Ursel's neck, growling out with disgust. "You have no right to be wearing that." Ursel raised an eyebrow, chuckling out dryly. "It wasn't my first choice. But since dear old dad, thought you were... manlier. Well, I felt it was a given really. After all, I am the oldest. Something should go to me." Triton shook his head, mumbling out bitterly. "How can you live with yourself after everything you've done? You killed your sisters! You've betrayed everyone! What makes you think that anyone will follow you!" Ursel's eyes narrowed on him, before sneering out in a light tone. "Dad betrayed ME! I did everything he ever asked but YOU were his favorite. A scrawny spoiled BRAT! I don't expect the kingdom to follow me... I'm going to MAKE THEM KNEEL BEFORE ME! Starting with YOU!"

One of Ursel's tentacles rose to hand himself an inky black trident that he'd kept hidden. Grabbing the inky trident, the false trident pulsed with a green light and made the Nautilus shell glow with a divine golden light. Triton hefted his own trident, causing it to glow with the same golden light but his trident pulsed with a white light. Pointing the tridents at each other, Triton yelled out to Ursel. "Your fake trident will only explode like the last one! Nothing can match dad's trident!" A wicked smile spread over Ursel's face to reveal his sharp teeth as he told him confidently. "If at first you don't succeed, try again!"

Back in the kingdom, Nate swam as fast as he could back to his grotto. Far behind him, Mark yelled out. "Nate! Slow down!" Nate ignored him, rushing into the sanctuary of his grotto. Snatching his bag off the floor, he swam up to a strange soft net that he had once found a skeleton laying on inside a vessel. He'd tied the strange net close to the top of his rounded grotto. The shelves that lined his grotto walls had all kinds of trinkets that he had collected from the ships over the years. The floor of his grotto was even lined in containers from the vessels that had lots of shiny golden round flat pieces. Some even had bright rocks that glinted when light touched them. These things made him happy. Draping himself across the strange net, he swayed his tail to rock the strange net as he sniffled and began to look through his bag. He felt so alone. Mark slowly swam through the thick hanging vines of the grotto, panting as he looked for him. Seeing him up above him, Mark used the sturdy coral shelves to pull himself up to him.

Nate pulled out a long cylinder from his bag, looking it over as he muttered out grimly. "Go away, Mark. I'm not in the mood." Mark stopped by his side, taking in all the trinkets as he said a little impressed. "Wow. Your collection has grown so much. How often have you been going out there?" Nate only shrugged as his response, wiping grime from what looked like sea glass on the ends. Mark exhaled heavily, using his deep affectionate voice as he told him. "Nate... Talk to me. Please?" Nate extended the cylinder, telling him distantly. "I don't understand why he refuses to see that things have changed. And even if they haven't... sitting down here isn't going to change anything. We should try talking to them." Mark leaned on the end of the strange net to stop his rocking, before telling him seriously. "You didn't live through the wars that he has. Look at what happened to me? Getting cut and trapped in a net... I can't imagine what that was like with humans trying to rip us from the water..." Nate held up the cylinder, asking Mark firmly. "Mark, look. Why would a species that can make things like these want to use them just to hurt us? It makes no sense."

Mark took the cylinder from him, starting to say seriously. "Nate..." Nate sat up, putting a hand on Mark's shoulder as he cut in quickly. "Mark, I... I'm not happy. I want my freedom! I wanna see new things. I wanna make my own mistakes without my father looming over everything that I do. I'm sick of preparing for a future that I didn't ask for. I want to make my own future. I wanna..." Nate blushed, bowing his head to hide his face as his ear fins fell back. Mark touched his forehead to Nate's, asking with a playful smirk as his own ear fins perked up with interest. "What?" Nate lifted his head slowly before answering lightly. "I... I wanna find someone that I can talk to about all this." Mark crossed his arms, blurting out with a playful glare. "Oh? And what am I? Regurgitated sea guts?" Nate chuckled, rubbing Mark's arms affectionately. Biting his lip a moment, Nate carefully told him. "You're my best friend, Mark... but even for as much as you know. You don't have all the answers that I want. I wanna know more straight from the source. And besides... you never really cared about this stuff... You're only my friend because-"

Mark silenced him by cupping his cheeks and bringing his lips to his. Nate jerked a little in surprise, his ear fins springing up before slowly going back down. Mark kept him in the kiss for a bit, then pulled away. Lowering his hands, Mark turned away and uttered out firmly. "Don't you dare say that I'm only your friend because you're the prince or you drag me around... because that's crap. I put up with all your stupidity because... I care about what happens to you." Nate curled his lips over his teeth, taking it all in before asking softly. "Why did you never say anything?" Mark finally turned to lock eyes with him, answering gently. "What was the point? I know you don't feel the same. I came to terms with that a long time ago." Nate hugged himself, telling him guiltily. "I'm sorry..." Mark moved closer, wrapping his arms around Nate to pull him into a hug. Rubbing his cheek against his, Mark told him in a deep loving voice. "It's ok. What kind of friend would I be if I left you on your own?" Nate hugged him tighter, struggling to chuckle against his shoulder.

Mark kissed his temple, sweetly telling him warmly. "I know you are not happy... but I'm always here. You don't have to hide things from me. I wanna face them with you." Nate leaned back, sniffling out lightly. "I hide things because you'd tell my father..." Mark grabbed his shoulders, squeezing them as he honestly told him. "I tell him because I can't bare to think of you getting hurt... Especially, when I could have prevented it." Nate nodded reluctantly, prompting Mark to tap the underside of his chin and tell him with a smile. "Please, don't be mad. I don't tell him everything. Now chin up. I got you something." Mark swam down to the floor, rummaging behind one of the containers. Nate sank down to him, asking curiously. "You hid something in my Grotto?" Mark chuckled, answering sweetly. "Ya. Before going to see you. My mother found it in her collection, and I talked her into letting me give it to you." Removing something wrapped in seaweed, Mark straightened up to hand it to him. Nate took the little round object, giving him a curious look. Mark grinned, pressing his forehead to his to whisper affectionately. "Happy Birthday, Nathan."

Nate slowly tore the seaweed off and gawked at the object. It was round with one side of it in what looked like sea glass and the other a hard material like the shiny items in the containers. On the back of the hard part was a carved picture of a human skull and bones that were crossed behind it. It was attached to a thin black material similar the the thick bindings on the vessels. Taking ahold of it, Mark draped the thin material over Nate's head. Nate was fascinated by the little spear under the sea glass that turned whenever he moved and pointed to strange symbols. Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Mark chuckled out to him. "Mom says that humans use it when they get lost... Maybe it will help you find what you are looking for." Nate pressed it to his chest, telling Mark in a heartfelt voice. "Oh, Mark... Thank you." Nate pulled Mark into another hug. Their hug was then interrupted by Attina's voice calling out from outside the Grotto. "Nathan? Are you ready to go? We are going to be late." Mark backed up, patting Nate on the shoulder to let him know that he was right behind him.

They slipped out to see all the young and single merfolk all ready to go up to the surface. His older sister looked at the thing around his neck, commenting flatly. "Nathan, is that really all you are going to wear? Do you have something... that girls would be interested in?" Nate crossed his arms, giving her a soft glare in return. Throwing up her hands, she gave up and began to lead them all up to the surface cautiously. Nate held Mark's hand to help him keep up with the group. Breaching the surface with just their heads, they scanned around before swimming into the large lagoon of the nearby island. There was already merfolk here from other tribes. They were splashing and chasing each other around. Others sat on raised rocks, talking to each other. Nate let the others pass him, lingering just outside the rocky lagoon. Pulling himself up on a smooth rock, he stared up at the massive glowing full moon in the sky. He'd never seen it before, but it was more beautiful than the stories. Even the stars were sparkling over the endless landscape of dark water.

Mark climbing up onto a rock beside him, asking him curiously. "Don't you want to meet the other tribes?" Nate shook his head, honestly telling him. "I'm not interested in talking about tail colors and hearing the same drama played out in different tribes. I wanna swim in THAT!" Nate pointed to the moon, causing Mark to chuckle. Leaning against his shoulder, Mark warmly replied. "I'm not going to be able to leave you alone tonight, am I?" Nate rolled his eyes, sighing out reluctantly. "I'm not going anywhere. Go have fun." Mark rested his head on Nate's shoulder, grumbling out. "I only have fun if you're with me. You're the only one that cares that I don't swim well... If it wasn't for my rainbow colored tail, they would all just shun me for being scarred..." Nate put a hand on Mark's tail, leaning back into him as he whispered to him. "In that case... Want to swim around the island?" Mark jerked his head up, warning him seriously. "Nate, we aren't supposed to leave the lagoon. If something happens, we have to be able to go into the underwater caves that lead to the moonpool in the center of the island."

Nate slid off the rock slowly, wickedly cooing back. "It's a small island. It won't take us that long. We'll be back before anyone knows we are gone. Come on. Please? It's our first time up here. Let's enjoy it." Mark glanced back as the conch shell was blown to signal the start of the event. Then he pushed off the rock to join him. Together they started around the island. They raced. They splashed each other and leapt from the water like dolphins and whales. They were enjoying themselves a lot. Making their way to the other side of the island, they swam around in the reflection of the moon on the water. Until a sudden 'BANG' echoed out over the water, before a crackling sound unlike anything they had ever heard followed. Turning to look, Mark moved closer behind Nate as strange glowing orbs fell from the sky in the distance. Mark grabbed Nate's arm, uttering out terrified. "What is that? Nate, we should go..." Nate nodded, moving forward as he replied completely mesmerized by a second 'BANG' that released more colored stars. "Ya. We should go check it out." Mark shook his head, stammering out as he clung to Nate. "No! That is not what I meant! Nathan!"

Nathan pulled away from him a bit, excitedly telling him. "Come on, Mark? Where is your sense of adventure? We'll just get a little closer. Then we'll come right back." Mark groaned, mumbling out to him with a disheartened expression. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?" Nathan swam little more away, shaking his head with a bright hopeful grin. Glaring up at the sky, Mark reluctantly grumbled out. "Damn it, Nathan... Poseidon save us... Wait up." Nate slowed, reaching out for his hand. Swimming closer, Mark took his hand and together they started to swim toward the falling colorful stars. To Be Continued...