We continued swimming for a few long, tiring hours, and as we kept swimming, I could feel my fin start to grow heavier and heavier with each small flick. When I looked at the others, I could tell that they were becoming tired too. "This is pointless! Atlantis probably doesn't even exist!" Isadora sighed. I looked over at her. She was growing more and more irritated.

"Guys, I think I see something!" Klaus pointed out. I looked ahead, and I saw a few small lights in the distance, "Klaus, it could be anything. Maybe it's a few jellyfish swimming by," I suggested. He shook his head and pointed back at the strange lights. When I looked back, I saw that the lights were glowing brighter than ever before. "Wait a minute. I think I see buildings!" Veronica spoke up, swimming ahead of us.

Sure enough, I could see underwater structures come into view, and I started to have a good feeling that we had finally found Atlantis. "Do you think this is it?" Duncan asked. "I think so," I answered, smiling widely. Soon, we  approached large gates made out of coral, and in front were two guards wearing silver chestplates. "Halt! Are you a siren or a mermaid?" One of the guards said, pointing his long golden staff at us.

We all looked at each other, wondering who was going to answer the guard's question. No one dared to speak up, so I brought it upon myself to answer him. "We are mermaids," I answered. The guard eyed us closely, most likely wondering if the answer I gave him was true or not. "I don't recognize any of you. How can I know that you are not sirens?" he asked. "Would a siren scare off other sirens who were trying to kill us?" Violet asked.

The guard looked over at his friend, who just shrugged his shoulders and gave him a strange look. "Well, as much as I want to believe you are who you claim to be, I'm afraid I have to take all of you to King Nereus. He can figure out what to do with you," The two guards led us through the coral gates. Some of the merfolk were staring at us, and I could hear some of their whispers.

The guards led us to the city's center, where a beautiful castle made out of smooth white stone stood. Two more identical guards stood at the entrance and immediately the large barred doors when we came into their view. The large corridor had hanging sea lamps on each side, and I could see in the distance that we were approaching the throne room.

Two large thrones made out of two giant clamshells were in the middle of the room, and I could see five to six mermaids were by the King's side. "What do we have here, Commander?" He asked one of the guards. "We found them at the gates. They claim to be mermaids, King Nereus," the Commander answered, swimming to the side. The King stood up from his throne and swam towards us, examining us closely. I started to feel chills run down my spine, and I held my breath when he came close to me.

"I don't see a trident insignia. Everyone in Atlantis has one on their body. You are obviously intruders!" King Nereus bellowed, sitting back on his throne. The guards pointed their staff's at us, and I quickly wrapped an arm around Veronica as we trembled with fear that one of us was going to get hurt. "I want them taken to the dungeons!" King Nereus shouted to the guards. The guards had started to lead us away, and we were screaming, pleading to have mercy on us.

Suddenly, we heard an unfamiliar voice that made us all go quiet. "Father, we don't know who these people are. We should give them a chance before we put them behind bars," the voice called out. I turned around and saw a teenage boy with short brown hair, blue eyes, and a dark blue tail step out from behind one of the pillars. When I laid eyes on him, my heart started to skip a few beats.

I tried to look away from him, but how could I look away from someone so kind and handsome? He swam past us, giving Veronica and me a smile as he passed, which made my heart start to pound harder and harder inside my chest. "Arthuas, I told you to stay in your chambers!" King Nereus scolded his son. "Sorry, father, but I can't help myself," he smiled. Oh, that smile made me want to melt into a puddle right then and there.

"He's so beautiful," I whispered to Veronica. "Yes, he is, but he is also a prince," she whispered back. She was right, but that couldn't stop me from admiring him. Arthuas gave his father a lecture on how he couldn't judge people just because they didn't have the insignia on them. And that he needed to look inside them and see if their intentions were good or bad. "You do have a point there, my son. Very well, Commander, release them!" King Nereus sighed.

"But sir!" He tried to protest. But the King gave him a look of seriousness, and then he and the other guards let us go. "Thank you, your highness," I bowed slightly to the King and Prince. The others followed my example and thanked them as well. "You can't go yet. We must figure out what your key traits and your profession are," King Nereus said, lifting his hand, silencing us.

The eight of us looked at each other confused, wondering why they had to learn our traits and profession. We came here to turn back the others into humans, not to become one of them. But, I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying the words and getting us into further trouble. "Prince Arthuas will show you to the pearlkeeper to determine your professions," King Nereus said, dismissing us with a skilled wave of his hand.

"Come on, let's get going," Prince Arthuas smiled as he led us down the long corridor out of the throne room. I tried to act normal around him, putting a smile on my face as he swam past me. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're falling in love with the Prince,"  Veronica teased softly. "Shh! Not so loud," I whispered back silently hoping, that Prince Arthuas would not hear what she said.