Running after a human was the last thing TRITON wanted to be doing right now. The surface was the last place he wanted to be right now. Yet, here he was on the surface running after a human. She was surprisingly fast, but he caught up with her. He resisted the urge to reach out and grab her knowing she was terrified.

"Callie, slow down!" He ordered as he ran along beside her. This command had the opposite effect. Giving up, he threw himself in front of her and they fell down together. She scrambled up spraying sand everywhere.

"Stay back!" she yelled. In the dusky ocean twilight, no one was around to witness this scene unfold, a fact that did not help the poor girl's disposition.

"Let me explain---"

"Who are you?"

He began rising up on his knees to stand. "Okay, this---"

Backing away, she held her hands held out in front of her, as if they could summon a force field, and circled around him wide without turning her back. "No! No! You don't stand. You don't move. You stay on the ground. Tell me the truth. Now. That thing had a fish head! Oh my god, I sound crazy! The hell are you?"

"Hey! Kash is not a thing. He has feelings."

"That's beside the point!" she screeched hysterically.

He winced holding his ringing ear. "Okay, okay. Just stop yelling!" She was taking small steps backwards towards her house that was now in view. Measuring the distance with her eyes, her plan to make a break for it was transparent. He rushed to put her mind at ease. "Okay. I'll tell you the truth. Kashimur is the captain of my guard. We are both from Atlantis. It's a kingdom on the deepest ocean floor hidden away from humans. Do you see why I couldn't tell you all that before?"

Multiple emotions crossed her face. Shock and disbelief widened her eyes, fear pulled down the corners of her lips, and a trembling astonishment finally contorted her face completely. A nervous laugh bubbled out. "Oh my. Oh my goodness, y-you're being serious right now. Oh, please tell me you're not being serious! Please tell me I didn't invite a raging lunatic into my house."

"I mean... wasn't the talking fish head proof enough for you?"

She blinked and slowly nodded. "So you're a ... a merman? But you don't look..."

"I am able to change form to adapt to my surroundings."

"So you usually have a fish head like... that thing?"

He looked at her like that was the strangest conclusion she could have came to. "No! Of course not. Again, Callie, he isn't a thing. Rude. His people were created by the ancient sea gods to serve my people. My kind are descended from those gods. I, myself, am the direct descendant of the God Neptune and heir apparant to the Throne of Oceanus. You, dear human, have been blessed by my presence. You're welcome."

CALLIE wondered how can anyone who is kneeling in the sand have so much arrogance? Then again, Triton also claims to have divine blood. She was not inclined to believe in such things, but she was also raised not even imagining mermaids could  exist either. She didn't know what she believed now.

They returned to the house in a strange silence. Her brain strained to wrap around all this crazy talk of gods and shapeshifting and talking fish heads. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she had been tripping on LSD earlier when she saw that creature. That stuff makes you trip, right?

Triton finished using the water hose on the back patio to wash the sand off his legs before coming in. She peered out at the black waves, the horizon out of sight in the veil of night.

The ocean had always been a mystery. Unravelling its secrets was one of her dad's favorite things about his career. He always said, "You never know the true temperature of the water by just sticking a toe in." Taking a deep breath and shaking off her doubts, she figured why not dive in?

"If you're from Atlantis, does that mean Delphi is a mermaid ?" She asked.

"Yes. I have come to take her home."

"And she doesn't want to go with you?" It wasn't really a question, more of a confirmation.

"She doesn't have a choice."

"Why?"

"She is to be my bride," he offered nonchalantly before flipping on the TV and flopping on the couch crossing his legs.

"Wait! Bride? You two are... Oh. She's a runaway bride. And you came after her. That's romantic."

He grunted. She pushed his legs off the couch giving herself a spot to sit. "Hey!"

"Hi. So she doesn't want to marry you? But you're a prince, the prince. Shouldn't she be thrilled?"

"Precisely. Even a human like you can understand that."

"Even a human like me?" She narrowed her eyes, but he ignored her. "Hm. So what did you do wrong then?"

He looked at her flabbergasted. "Me?"

"You're the one she's running from. You must have done something wrong."

"It's not that simple. Delphi had always accepted her obligation as I have mine. We had an understanding or so I thought. The problem is not us, it's your world."

"Whether you're in the ocean or on land, we all share one world."

"Only a human who has never seen Atlantis would think that."

"If Atlantis is so great, why does Delphi want to stay here?"

"She has become infatuated with a human."

"Forbidden love!" Callie gushed. He rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that! If she is in love then---"

"Then nothing. Love is fleeting and inconsequential. Why risk everything over something so unreliable? Look, I don't wish to talk about this any longer. You seem intelligent enough to keep all this to yourself."

"What would happen if I did tell someone?"

"If my father were to find out, he would send an assassin to silence you. But I wouldn't go through the trouble. No one would believe you. You humans have yet to figure out a way to get even close to my home. You are no threat to me or my people, which is why I'm allowing you to live. Also, you're providing me shelter and food. As I said before, I am in your debt."

"Getting to call in a favor with the future King of Atlantis does sound appealing. One more question?"

He sighed. "Sure."

"How do you plan to convince Delphi to return?"

"By force, if I have to."

Callie stood. "No. You can't do that!"

"I can't?" He scowled as if the idea of any restriction placed on him was insulting.

"I mean... you can. But you want to marry her! If you force her, she will resent you for the rest of your lives! You don't want that."

"I can endure her scorn. In the end, she will reclaim her senses and be grateful to me."

"Why don't you just tell her how much you love her? "

"She wouldn't believe that."

"Why not?"

"Because she knows I do not."

"You don't love her?"

"Must I repeat myself? Love is unreliable. My people do not suffer the delusions of it. Respect and trust are the foundations for any long term relationship. I will be faithful and attentive to my queen and the children she bears. That should be more than enough. I have been indulgent with your questions. Now I require sleep."

"Fine, but you're not off the hook...," she chuckled at her pun. "I have so many questions. Answering them is a small price to pay to stay here."

🐙🐙🐙

Callie, being a hopeless romantic, could not understand a whole society so thrown off by the idea of love. It is just part of human nature. You cannot deny how you feel. Then again, Triton and his kind are not human. That thought was just too alien to comprehend.

A couple of days after learning his secret, she was expertly flipping some pancakes onto a plate for their breakfast. Triton devoured it within seconds. "More," he demanded. She raised an eyebrow placing her hands on her hips still holding her turner. He added with a good dose of exasperation, "Please."

"Progress."

"May I remind you I am a prince?"

Turning around to pour more batter onto the electric griddle, she said, "Out of everything you've told me, that is the hardest to believe actually. You would think a prince would have better manners."

When he didn't respond, she looked over her shoulder to see his attention was on the TV, which had become a constant background noise since he moved in. She threw her dish towel at his face causing him to nearly fall off the barstool. "Don't ignore someone when they're talking to you!"

"Right," he murmured as if he wasn't just hit. "I have to find Delphi again. I doubt she will return to that club, though."

Callie didn't want to tell him that she had a good idea of where she could be. It's not like he was asking for her help anyway. He was mostly talking to himself.

"Triton?" He was staring blankly at the TV again, unaware of the plate she placed back in front of him. "Triton! Your pancakes are done."

"What did I say about yelling?"

"You have really sensitive ears. Is that a merman thing?"

"I suppose. My hearing is far better than yours. Mer can pick up the highest frequencies when traveling in the water."

"Like dogs?" His face told her what he thought about being compared to a dog. She ignored it smugly. "Can you talk underwater? I didn't think that was physically possible."

"It's not."

"Then how do you communicate in Atlantis?"

"We talk..."

"How?"

"Like this." He smirked enjoying her confusion. She whipped the towel out again with a smack. "So violent. So human. Calm down–"

"You should never tell a woman to calm down."

"Noted. Atlantis is in an air bubble, if you will."

"Like an underwater air pocket?"

"No. There is a barrier, a force field that your sci fi writers can only dream about and your scientists can only hypothesize about."

"Cool, that sounds amazing! The view would be...out of this world! Wish I could see it."

"Humans are strictly forbidden to set foot in Atlantis, for obvious reasons."

"Eh. I can dream," she said as she began washing her dishes. "Are you homesick? Or should I say seasick?" She laughed at her own joke. He didn't seem to understand the pun, which made her laugh even harder.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you well?"

"Probably not," she breathed wiping at her eyes.

A moving shadow just past his shoulder caught her attention. The fish man was standing right outside her glass door peering in like an old movie monster with its big black lifeless eyes. She cut off her own scream with her hand.

TRITON jumped to his feet at the sound of her scream. Ignoring the sharp pain that her shrill screech inflicted upon his ear drums, he pivoted into a fighting stance ready to ward off the threat. When he saw it was just Kashimur, he almost laughed.

"Kashimur. Took you long enough." He admitted his long time companion through the door. His gills were opening and closing rapidly. "Do you need to..."

"I am fine, my prince. My scales are still wet. I can bare a few moments on the surface with no trouble breathing. I have done as you asked and I found your trident."

"Perfect. Oh, Callie? Let me formerly introduce you to Kashimur."

Callie was still behind the island counter and didn't seem keen on coming any closer to the guard. She did offer a wave and an uneasy smile. "Hello."

"Callie, don't be such a human. He's harmless as long as you are not an enemy of mine."

"Sire," Kash called back his attention, "I have also found where the seawitch who threatened you dwells. She and the Princess are staying just down the beach to the east. Let me assist you in bringing her back and punishing the witch."

Callie came around the counter. "Wait, what? Hold on. It's a human shop. You can't just--"

He cut her off with one look then turned to Kashimur. "I am not worried about the witch. Her power is inferior. Now that I have my trident, there is nothing stopping me from taking Delphi back to Atlantis. Tell Delphi to meet me on the beach at sunset or I will attack the shop in broad day. Any collateral damage will be on her."

"Let me go talk to them! I will convince her to talk to you," Callie offered. He studied the frail human with a calculating look in his eyes. In the past few days he has known her, she has been a good companion. But could he really trust a human with such a vital mission?  He sighed. She pushed on seeing his indecision. "Please. She may be a mermaid or whatever you are, but she is still a girl. Maybe I can relate to her. Besides, sending Kashimur is a threat. Sending me is diplomacy. Plus, look at him! He doesn't exactly blend in. He would have to wait around for an opportunity to approach them whereas I can just walk into Erza's shop."

I suppose it would help to show Delphi that I am trying to reason with her.

"Very well. Relay every word of my message. I will be waiting for her at sunset with my trident."

She nodded. "I'll go now."

Callie is just going with the flow now. Vote, comment, rinse and repeat.