A Mermaid's Heart

Chapter Four.

The sun had set and the night was starting to drag on. I sat in a living room that was separate from the main tower, my eyes staring out a large glass window and out onto the destroyed town, the shore and the water beyond it. Caleb had fallen asleep on the couch beside me, after having tried to comfort me. He knew that there was no other way but he didn’t like the idea of entrapping a god inside my heart. His arm was slung over my shoulders, his head hidden in my hair while he slept. His shallow breathing mixed with another sound, the sound of someone singing. It was a small, far away symphony that caught my attention and allowed for me to lift my head, eyes glancing in the direction of the open doorway, into the library area that was littered with books of all kinds. The song wasn’t coming from inside the tower, no, it was being sung somewhere far away from it, so faint that it would easily go unnoticed if it hadn’t been close to midnight and everyone else, apart from Alexandria who never slept. I eased myself from Caleb’s arm and stood, my eyes locked onto the shore as if drawn to it. My legs began to move on their own accord, carrying me into the main room and out through the double doors, having to ease one of them open to leave. The tower vanished behind me, painting only an image of a stone circle that was surrounded by damp grass. The moon hung high in the sky, the only light in the abandoned village, barely enough for me to navigate my way through the buildings “Come, my love, be one with the sea, rule with me for eternity-.” a male voice sang, a sound so enticing that I couldn’t stop my legs from moving no matter how badly I wanted to return to Caleb. Times were dangerous, giants, two-headed snakes and gods were after me but the song was so alluring like that of a siren “Drown all dreams so mercilessly and leave their souls to me-.” I could see a man, stood among the waves when I broke through and onto the shore. He was looking at me with sapphire eyes, glowing eyes and short cropped black hair. His jaw was covered in a beard, not too long but just right while the rest of his pale body was left bare. There was something about him that drew me ever closer, something so dangerous but enchanting at the same time that made it impossible for me to stop. When I got closer, I could see tentacles wrapped around his left shoulder as if a small squid had wound itself over his arm, chest and shoulder. I could hear the words in the back of my mind ‘Sing the song you sang long ago and wherever the storm may blow-.’ his lips didn’t move when the words echoed in my head, instead they were placed in a thin line that morphed into a smile when he met my eyes. The water rose up like it had been manipulated to cover the bottom half of his torso and his webbed hand extended itself, reaching for me ‘You will find the key to my heart, we’ll never be apart’ the song stopped, the haunting melody gave way to the crashing of waves and my feet came to a halt. I could think again, I had regained control over my own limbs, that driving force, pulling me was no longer there but the man stayed where he was. His aura was enough to suffocate even Alexandria because of its sheer power, it made my head spin and my body freeze at the sight of his eyes roaming over me “Come” his booming voice said, the power behind it like the crashing of waves on every shore throughout the world at the same exact time. He held his hand out to me, offering it and I again lost control over my own body. My feet began to drag through the sand when I tried fighting the pull “Come to me” I couldn’t stop myself, the shallow waves lapping at my feet when I stepped into the cold water. Foam coated my shins and my hand reached for him, desperate for his touch, longing to feel him close to me. My bandaged fingers were inches away from his, brushing over his fingertips a few times before he took my hand in his, pulling me ever closer. My free hand moved to catch myself, pressing its palm flat against his cool chest, feeling the smooth skin that lay above muscle. His fingers intertwined with mine, drawing my eyes to our joined hands. I could move again but I didn’t want to be away from him, it was like my body craved him, needed him to live. He spoke in a language that I didn’t understand, his lips brushing over the shell of my ear as the words turned to English in the back of my mind ‘Look at me’ my head turned to take in his features, strong, masculine with sharp cheekbones and eyes that captivated me like the crystal pool on the back of Gigas had. The man in front of me was beyond human, he was a god, a divine being that could split the sea if he so desired. I allowed my hand to snake up from his chest to touch the side of his face where blue scales had started to form. His lips parted to speak in the same tongue he had before ‘You are mine’ those were the words he had said, his breath fanning my face. He smelt of salt water, rain and damp air, the things that I had grown up smelling all my live having lived near the sea. I wanted to say ‘Yes’. I wanted to agree and whisper that I was his but something kept my tongue from moving and my lips from parting. There was a reason why I couldn’t be his, a reason far greater than the enchantingly beautiful man stood before me. I tried remembering, my eyes blinking, my head tilting down to stare with a hard gaze at the water by my feet “Evangeline!” my eyes widened at the sound of his voice, the reason returning to me like I had walked into a wall, feeling it strike me as if tempting to snap me out of my trance. Caleb. He was the reason why I couldn’t say yes to Neptune. I could never love the god like I loved him. I pulled my hand out of the much colder one and took a small step back, causing the enraged god to dissolve into sea foam that was carried off by the sea. He hadn’t really been there. He’d only visited me in a vision that had felt to real for words “No” I breathed to the water in front of me, my hands balling at my sides as if I was telling the god that I would never be his. Caleb came to stand by my side, his hand reaching out to touch my arm, gripping it to try and get my attention “He didn’t hurt ye?” his worried gaze searched my body while I stood stark still, unable to look away from the vast ocean. Eventually, I shook my head and turned to address the pirate “I’m fine” I reassured him, my eyes moved from his hair that had been tied back to his familiar gaze, one that made my heart squeeze. He was my home, he was where I wanted to be ‘It would seem he has found us’ Blue’s voice interrupted my train of thoughts, causing both Caleb and I to look at her stood at the edge of the shoreline ‘We must return to the tower’ she insisted, turning to head back in the direction of the cloaked building. I shot a quick glance to the water then followed. I had countless questions swarming in my head. Why would Neptune call me his? Why didn’t he kill me when he clearly had the chance? Why was I so drawn to him that nothing else seemed to matter in his presence? It started to rain when we neared the tower, stepping through the invisible double doors just when it started to come down harder. It was like the sky was crying, like Neptune was weeping for me and I could hear the sobs, hidden in the sound of pelting droplets “He is near” Alexandria informed us, her hand gripping the railing of the grand staircase. She had been reading books on the upper levels of the tower, never tired, not in need of sleep so she would busy herself with the words of ancient writers and depictions of century old spells. Always studying, always trying to advance her skills as one of the only witches in existence. There were only seven from what she had told us earlier “I’m afraid your time is running out” she said but I ignored her and turned to Blue, letting go of Caleb to allow him to dry himself with a piece of cloth that had been set out for us to use after we had been in the rain “Why am I drawn to him?” I questioned, feeling the Captain stiffen from beside me at the thought of me being attracted to another man despite not having full control over it. He had been silent most of our time spent at the tower. He’d tried to suppress his own emotions because of what I’d told him the night before and he understood that it was my decision but he was growing more and more agitated “Why does he have this effect on me?” I repeated to which Blue’s tail stilled behind her, the whipping action slowing to a halt while her eyes watched me, studying me as if contemplating whether she wanted to answer me or not. She was afraid that I’d pull out of the deal we had made to defeat Neptune and walk away. Her eyes glanced at Caleb for the first time then landed back onto my form ‘There have only ever been three mermaids to awaken at one time’ it was news to me but it explained why mermaid scales were as rare as they were. Alexandria remained silent, looking on as Blue’s tongue slid across her bottom lip, sapphire gaze looking at the wooden flooring below ‘Also known as the three mistresses of Neptune-.’ I could see Blue meet Alexandria’s empty gaze for a brief moment, as if silently telling the witch to seal the exits in case I decided to run. The two of them were dangerous, Alexandria more so than Blue but together they would stop at nothing to both free the witch from her captor and return the stolen memories of thousands to their owners ‘They are the most powerful beings in the sea apart from the god himself-.’ was I really that strong? I raised my hands, glancing over the wounded, bandaged body parts in disbelief. If I was truly that powerful then why hadn’t my hands started to heal? “However they serve but one purpose-.” my head shot up to look at Alexandria at the top of the stairs, her hands calmly folded in front of her as her aura remained ever relaxed, having faith that I wouldn’t abandon the cause they were fighting for “And that is to please their ruler at any means necessary” I was silent. How couldn’t I have known about such a thing? I was a mermaid yet there I was unaware of why mermaids even existed in the first place. The witch extended her hand, motioning it toward me “Hence the force currently drawing you to him” my hair stuck to the sides of my hair, wet from the rain while my dress clung to my body like a glove, causing droplets to drip down my thighs and legs. Caleb gritted his teeth, his face turned away from both women as if trying to hide the anger that he felt but the way his hands balled at his sides and his eyes narrowed told me that he was starting to lose himself in the red rage “We had chosen you because of your connection to Neptune-.” Blue nodded her head in agreement to Alexandria’s words, her hand reaching out to touch the spines of various books on the shelves in front of her “Given you the ability to walk on land then waited patiently for you to unlock your own memories-.” the next words that escaped the witch’s ruby red lips caused chaos to erupt around us. Everyone in the tower was aware of what was to come, she more so than the rest of us yet she pushed on as if having no fear for the ticking time bomb that stood beside me “All so that your heart could be used to entrap the sea tyrant” there it was, the true motive behind everything that had transpired. They wanted me to use my heart as a box to capture Neptune’s soul in however the effect that it would have on me was clear to everyone. Pandora had fallen in love with Balor and she didn’t have a strong pull to him like I had to Neptune. My emotions were determined; it would only be a matter of time before I too fell in love with the god inside me “And who are ye to decide someone’s fate?” the man beside me snapped, tired of staying quiet, having had enough of the powerful woman that stood above us on her grand staircase like a queen overlooking her peasants “Who gave ye the right to toy with someone’s life like you have with hers?” thunder rumbled outside the walls of the tower, crackling like a threat toward the pirate Captain. Alexandria seemed hardly effected by him, her eyes turning to look at him for the first time since we had met her. She hummed “If I had not intervened, you would have never been reunited-.” Caleb stilled when the realization struck him. I, of course, already knew this after having been made aware of the fact that my necklace was purely meant to separate me from the sea and in order for my memories to return, I had to be around the people of my past, people like Caleb and Rebecca “Mary would have been lost to you forever, you would have never found the book of the treasures and you would not have been able to retrieve all seven stones-.” her hair began to rise behind her as if she were underwater, the strands dancing as if to show just how much power and control she had over the world around her. Blue remained silent, frozen like she knew not to move to abruptly for fear of tempting the sorceress “I am the very reason why you are standing here, side by side-.” I glanced in Caleb’s direction to find that his lips were set in a thin line, his hands clenched and his eyes glaring as if the woman before him didn’t frighten him at all “The mere fact that you can touch her is my doing so the least you could do to show some gratitude is to act as a prison for the god who nearly stripped you away from the man you love” more thunder sounded overhead, illuminating the inside of the tower and lighting Blue’s pained features. She did care for me from the way she tried to hide her apologetic eyes and looked at anything but at me. She didn’t want me to lose the only thing I loved more than even myself but she knew she had no choice. Thousands of men and women were being stripped from their loved ones, being forced to forget the things they so desperately wanted to remember. I nodded my head and stepped forward, pausing to look up at Caleb, his eyebrows furrowed up in confusion as if he didn’t understand what I was doing. The choice was a simple one. I could either refuse to help them and allow Neptune to consume me, his allure too tempting for me to resist or I could go along with it and pray to the gods that I wouldn’t fall in love with Neptune like Pandora had with Balor “We must help them” I urged, a small smile lighting up my lips when the thunder seemed to calm down. Alexandria was no longer as on edge as she had been after I had spoken those words. Caleb was about to protest, his lips parting and his eyes narrowing onto me but I interrupted him, placing my wounded hand to his cheek “I could never love anyone like I love you-.” I breathed, my mismatched eyes searching his. I knew that he was the only love I ever wanted to experience, the only man I wanted to ever touch me and no other. I was almost confident when I whispered those comforting words to him “Not even a god” I added lowly, catching Blue’s attention. She looked at me when I allowed my hand to slip away from Caleb’s cheek and began making my way toward the staircase, to where Alexandria was waiting for me. He watched me go, enraged with his nostrils flaring before he turned and stormed his way into the small living room area where we had previously been sleeping. I wanted to save the memories of the hearts, I wanted to thank Alexandria and Blue for reuniting me with Caleb but most of all, I wanted to prove to myself that no love could ever compare to his. I wasn’t weak, I wouldn’t fall for Neptune no matter how he tried to manipulate me or at least that’s what I hoped.