The riggings on the large galleon ship groaned and rustled in the gentle sea breeze. Dawn was just cresting over the watery horizon, bathing the sky in soft pinks and baby blues. The gentle waves rocked the ship as it crashed through the waves at a nice calm pace. They had put out to sea early in the hopes of making good time with the wind. The burly tattooed Captain crossed the ship, barking orders to his crew in passing. Stopping briefly to stand beside a younger man, he bowed his head and told him respectfully. "Morning, Highness. Sleep well?" The young prince shook his head dismally, but before he could answer, an older gentleman strolled up to them. As the older gentleman got within earshot, he blurted out in complete disarray. "I certainly haven't slept well! I'm sure our kingdom would sleep better if the young prince would stop dragging us around from Kingdom to kingdom! What was wrong with this one?!" The young prince groaned, mumbling under his breath. "I don't want to talk about it..." The older gentleman scoffed loudly, snapping out. "With all due respect, Sire. You NEVER want to talk about it and time is short! You can't be this picky! You have a kingdom to run!" The young prince turned stern eyes on the older gentleman, replying curtly. "I know that. I just don't want to rush into anything."

The older gentleman exhaled heavily, stopping beside him by the railing of the ship to state out. "What is there to rush into? All eight kingdoms had prime lands that could help our kingdom flourish. Each one willing to marry their daughters off to you without a second thought. Yet, you turn them all down! As your advisor, I need to know WHY. Highness, if this endeavor is based on how they look then simply tell me. I can't help you if you don't-" The young prince waved the man to stop talking to quickly interject. "It's not about that. Their appearance was fine." The young prince then leaned down on the railing with a sigh, prompting the older gentleman to ask gently. "Then what is the problem? I thought you and Princess Verlaine were getting along swimmingly. What happened?" The young prince tilted his head up to watch a flock of seagulls pass over, then honestly answered. "I don't know, Anslo. She was great... but I felt nothing for her. There was no... spark."

Anslo blinked as his eyebrow rose and sarcasm filled his voice upon asking. "Spark...? My dear boy... What on earth are you talking about? You got along with the girl! You should have proposed! You would have been happy together. That's all that is important! You know, your father wasn't allowed to be this picky. He was forced to marry your mother. Look how happy they were." The young prince straightened up to his full height, turning to face Anslo as he said respectfully. "I'm not my father, Anslo. If I don't feel anything... How will I know that I'll be happy?" Adjusting the green sash across his silk white tunic shirt, the young prince sauntered back toward the guest cabin. Behind him, he heard Anslo shout out to him. "Your highness! Be reasonable! Love is something that develops overtime! Not something that just hits you!" The Captain chuckled, interjecting confidently. "You've never laid your eyes on a mermaid. Now THAT is love at first sight." Anslo rolled his eyes, grumbling back darkly. "Be serious. That's a silly fisherman's tale. Mermaids aren't real."

The young prince stopped, turning to look at the Captain with peaked interest. Smirking, he asked him curiously. "Mermaids? Like the wooden figurehead decorating the front of your ship?" The Captain patted the ship railing, answering proudly. "The very same. I was a young sailor when I first saw her. Loreley. Loreley the Mermaid, I called her. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still hear her voice." Anslo scoffed, retorting firmly. "Nonsense. See, Highness? This is what happens to men that stay at sea too long. You keep sailing us around and you'll start seeing mythical sea monsters too." The Captain glared at Anslo, but just as seriously stated out. "I didn't imagine her. I could NEVER have imagined her beauty. Now watch what you say aboard my ship, Mr. Gardiner. A foolish sailor insults the children of Poseidon." The young prince stared at the Captain with sudden worry as he asked. "Why is that, Captain?"

The Captain's eyes drifted to the young prince, his eyes full of stony resolve as he answered bluntly. "Poseidon is the god of the Sea. Only a fool seeks the wrath of a sea god while at sea. And trust me, Highness. There is a lot of ocean between us and home. The last thing we need is a bad storm." Anslo rolled his eyes, dryly retorting back. "Silly superstitions. Probably brought on by all this salty sea air and a vast amount of drinking." Turning on his heel, Anslo rushed toward the young prince, telling him a little worried. "Speaking off such... Highness, you should get in out of this air. We wouldn't want you to start hallucinating fish people and sea gods." The young prince let Anslo turn him around to lead him away. As he reached the cabin door that was settled between two staircases, the young prince turned back to look at the Captain. The Captain was leaning on the rail now, looking out at the vast sea. Removing a flask, the Captain took a sip, then poured some into the water.

Anslo tugged him inside, telling him in a soft voice so that he wouldn't be overheard. "Come along, Prince Sean. Pay no attention to him and his wild fish tales. Honestly, I sometimes think that sailors are more dangerous than the commoners that walk the streets back home. Fish people, indeed." As Anslo closed the cabin door, he guided Prince Sean to the desk, informing him seriously. "Do you see now why your education is so important? You don't want to end up like these men. Believing in such utter nonsense."

Leagues ahead of the ship's course and many fathoms below the surface of the water, another prince was resting on a rock at the borders of his father's sea kingdom. Tapping his long purple tail against the side of the rock, Nate fixed a hole in his fishnet bag, but his long fin ears were alert to ever vibration in the water. He wasn't supposed to be out here. As the only male out of six sisters, the future of the kingdom rested on his shoulders. Despite him being the youngest in his family. Sensing something moving closer, his fin ear twitched but he stayed still. When the thing got within range, Nate tensed and lashed his tail out to smack the approaching creature as he spun on the rock to face it with a loud hiss. His tail swatted the creature that then hissed back at him with frustration. Realizing who it was, Nate relaxed and patted a hand on his chest in a gesture that meant friend and family with a smile. The merman returned the gesture, then bowed his head to show his respect for Nate's status in the tribe. Putting a wedded hand on the merman's shoulder, Nate chuckled out to him. "You made me wait long enough. Trouble getting away?" The merman snorted, dryly replying. "Very funny. You know I don't swim well..."

Nate found himself looking over Mark's bright rainbow tail. As beautiful as his tail was, there was a long scar that ran from his stomach to the side of his tail. He felt guilty for it. The scar had damaged one of the small fins on his tail. Leaving Mark to work harder to swim around. It had been Nate's fault. He had taken him to the forbidden reef and Mark had gotten tangled in a net with a hook. Yet, Mark had never blamed him for it. Reaching out, Nate touched his fingers to the prominent healed ridge of the scar where no scales grew anymore, asking him in a regretful voice. "Does it still hurt?" Mark reached out to turn his head toward his face and away from his tail. Putting his forehead to his in a social comfort between members of his tribe, Mark told him with a warm smile. "I'm fine. Now why did you drag me out here?" Nate pulled away slowly, then swimming excitedly off the rock, he told him with a warm smile. "I found something! I need your help though... It's stuck."

Mark groaned, crossing his burly arms over his chest when he muttered out with disappointment. "Oh no... Nathan. Not another treasure hunt. That place is dangerous." Nate swam up to Mark, putting his hands on his chest as he pleaded hopefully. "Oh, please! Mark, you know I wouldn't ask you to go back unless I really needed your help. Please? I just know there is some cool stuff in this one! It's the only floating thingy that I haven't been able to search!" Shaking his head, Mark grabbed Nate shoulders firmly. Looking into his eyes, he told him seriously. "Nathan, if your father hears that you've been sneaking off into the forbidden reef. He'll kill us both! Besides that, do you want to anger Riptide?!" Nate scoffed, waving a dismissive webbed hand as he retorted carelessly. "Oh, I've gotten around that old shark without any issue. He's rarely there. It's fine. And my father will never hear about it, because I won't tell him, and neither will you." Nate booped Mark on the nose playfully, chuckling out. "Come on! It will be fun!" Mark released him, shaking his head as he told him anxiously. "Nate... Riptide hates humans and all that look like them... I can't swim well! You're asking me to risk my life over some human trinkets! I can't... I'm sorry."

Mark turned away from him, causing Nate to wrap his arms around his neck. Hugging him back against his chest, he purred into his ear wickedly. "Picture going up to Mermaid Island with one of those shiny trinkets though. The mermaids can't resist a shiny trinket. You'd have your pick of any mermaid from the gathering tribes!" Mark turned his head to lock eyes with him, before informing him bluntly. "I have a rainbow colored tail. I can get any mermaid I want already. Sorry, Nate." Nate slumped down on his shoulders, mumbling out with a fake pout. "It's my birthday today... Consider this my gift?" Mark hefted a heavy exhale, grumbling out as he tore himself from Nate's arms. "Alright. Alright. But if I go down this time, you're going down with me." Nate wrapped Mark into a tight hug, brushing his cheek against his in an affectionate gesture of appreciation. Mark tapped Nate's hips to coax him off him, chuckling out. "Swim off, ya Cuddlefish! Let's do this before anyone comes looking for us."

Nate swam around Mark, taking his hand before he swam ahead to lead the way. Pulling Mark along beside him, he happily told him over his shoulder. "This way. You're going to love this!" Mark huffed, mumbling out as he tried to keep up with him. "No one loves this stuff as much as you." Nate smirked, navigating through the large reef with hundreds of sunken vessels. Nate smiled to himself. He didn't mind being different. He loved hearing the old tales about a time when Merpeople lived closer to the surface and saw great vessels ride on the water. A time before humans broke the truce between them. Swimming up to hide behind a broken vessel wall, Nate pointed to a vessel that sat in the center of the reef. It was mostly intact but parts of it were broken like it had been attacked by something that had pierced holes into it. The vessel was old and covered in barnacles and coral. Glancing at Mark, Nate asked excitedly. "Look. Isn't it cool? Look how big it is. Can you imagine something like that on top of the water? It's so heavy." Mark stared at it, leaning closer on the wall as he said with fascination. "Wow. It's not as broken as the others are."

Nate tapped his shoulder, swimming over the wall to get closer. Mark followed at a slower pace, looking it over with wide eyes. Nate grew more excited as he watched Mark's face show interest in the ship. Of all the Merpeople in his tribe, Mark was the only young merman to know what any of this stuff was because his father had fought vessels like it in the past. The Elders never talked about the old days, but Mark's mom had been an exception. She delighted in telling stories about the past and the things she had seen or heard. She believed that the younger Merpeople needed to hear the stories... or they wouldn't know the dangers of the surface world. Nate touched the side of the vessel, asking in a low whisper. "I wonder how they made it work." Mark pointed to the three pillars sticking up on it, answering coolly. "Mom said they captured clouds." Nate looked at the barren looking pillars that had green algae hanging off it. He tried to picture it and grinned as he replied. "Whoa. Wonder how they reached them." Mark peeked into a hole, uttering out grumpily. "Probably with their nets. That's how they get everything. Come on. We shouldn't linger."

Nate swam into another hole to get inside. The inside was dark, causing the lighter purple fins on Nate to glow with a soft purple light. Mark's white fins sparkles with tiny rainbows as he turned in the dark that made his own fins glow with a soft white light. Nate pushed strange structures out of his way, whispering to Mark. "It's above this section." Mark nodded, slowly swimming through the space toward a large hole at the one end. Nate had already collected all that he could from the rest of the ship. Mark touched the jagged structure that was pieced strangely to lead upward, asking confused. "Odd building material... seems weak and... pointless." Nate shrugged, telling him honestly. "It is... but I don't think it was designed to swim." Mark snorted, stating out. "They ride the water but can't swim? That seems silly. Like those weird fish that think they can fly." Nate chuckled softly, pointing to the end of the next room. Mark took in the room, gawking at the fancy looking structures. It was the nicest place on the vessel.

Nate took the moment to swim over to a throne, gesturing to the figure in it as he joked to Mark. "Mark? Meet my friend, Bones. He's not very lively... or helpful though." Mark looked and yelped, dashing off behind a large broken container with long doors on it. Nate laughed, leaning in close to the human skeleton as he told him comfortingly. "Don't mind him. He's not used to seeing a human." Mark slowly rose from hiding, growling out. "Nate! That's not funny! You shouldn't get so close." Nate waved a dismissive webbed hand, leaning on the object of something impaled into the skeleton's front, upon saying carelessly. "It's dead. What harm can it do now?" Mark shook his head, pointing a finger at him in warning. Nate ignored him though to tell him. "Anyway, the thing is over there. It's pinned by this big thing." Nate swam over to touch a large cylinder of cold black. Behind it in the corner was a container that looked like the containers that had contained shiny trinkets. He'd found so many like it in other vessels. Mark swam over to look over the object, then told him confidently. "Strange place to put this... Aren't these always put below or out there?"

Nate nodded, pointing to a hole in the wall that led out to the open sea, telling him simply. "Ya. There are more out there. I think this one just... went through that wall. It's so heavy that I can't move it." Mark swam over it, patting a spot beside him as he told him. "Come over on this side. We'll push together. Don't want you to get stuck under this thing." Nate swam up beside him, their tails curling up over the ceiling. Mark started to count and on three they took a deep breath and pushed. Their tails battered the wall as they tried to propel themselves forward. Groaning as they put all their strength into it, they yelped as it suddenly gave. The heavy object dropped across the floor of the vessel, making the floor groan and creak loudly under the new weight. Nate and Mark were sent over it, spinning into the other wall as their webbed hands slipped off the object. For a moment they cheered, until the floor under the object broke with a loud 'SNAP.' The object fell to the next section, crashing into a container of round heavy rocks. The loud clanging that rippled through the water had both Mark and Nate frozen with fear.

Both their ear fins were laying flat with worry as the vibrations and noise fell back to an eerie calm silence. They sat in silence for a minute before Nate's fin ears perked up and he chuckled out with relief. "Perfect. Worked like a charm. I knew you could do it." Nate swam over to the container, trying to find a way to open it." Mark slowly swam closer, uttering out shakily. "Nate, we should get out of here. Riptide could have felt that..." Nate snorted, telling him flatly. "Relax. He's probably miles from here." Frustrated, Mark grabbed the end of the object impaled in Bones to yank it out of him. Raising it, Mark brought it down on the little square piece keeping the container shut. The piece broke off easily and broke the object in Mark's hand in half. Pointing the broken piece at Nate, Mark snapped out. "Nate, I'm not kidding. We've got to go!" Nate flipped open the lid, digging around the container as he told him flatly. "You worry too much. You know, it was your panic that got you caught up in the net in the first place. You've got to stay calm."

Pulling things out, Nate stuffed things into his fishnet bag, informing Mark lightly. "You know, there is this merman that my dad knows. He believes that sharks can actually feel the vibrations of a heartbeat in the water. So being such a scaredy catfish is really playing against you." Mark slumped his shoulders, mumbling out in defeat. "Nate... Why do I let you talk me into this shit?" Nate flashed him a grin, replying happily. "Because you're my best friend." Mark rolled his eyes, mumbling out. "I'm beginning to think there is a reason that I'm your only friend... and it has something to do with your obsessive treasure hunting." Nate looked over a small object in his hand that was carved to look like the vessel but had a strange hole at the top with a thin curled end. Bringing it to his lips, he blew into the small end and the big hole in the vessel started to blow bubbles. Giggling at it, he put it in his bag. Then glancing over his shoulder, he told Mark coolly. "Well, if it is any comfort. My only friend has yet to be killed during my 'obsessive treasure hunting.' Trust me. I'm really good at sensing danger."

Digging around for the last few things in the container, Nate heard Mark ask softly. "Nate?" Nate hummed in response, tossing useless things from the container. Mark tapped his back, asking again more firmly. "Nate." Nate put the last item in his bag, leaning over the container to make sure that was all of it. What little light they were getting from the large window behind Bones suddenly faded. Shrouding the room in a stronger darkness. Nate leaned more into the container to have his glowing fin ears give him light to see. Shaking his head though, he told Mark gruffly. "Mark, get out of my light. I'm almost done." Mark smacked his back, snapping out. "Nate!" Nate pushed up away from the container, asking a bit salty. "What is it?!" Mark's eyes were fragile as he pointed with a shaky hand. Nate turned to look at the window, his ear fins falling flat back across his head as his eyes widened. Just outside the window a massive twenty-foot great white shark that was covered in battle scars was charging straight for the window! To Be Continued...