The Daughter of the Land and Sea

Chapter 9: Atlantia

I wasn't entirely happy about heading to Atlantis but I was very happy when I got to tease Arthur during the journey to Atlantis. Mera was really nice and I sort of connected with her after I got over the fact that she was going to keep trying to make me take the throne but I think she accepted that I wasn't going to once we eventually arrived at Atlantis. She had taken us to this sunken ship that I guess was a hidden meeting place for this Vulko who apparently trained Arthur. When we had arrived at the sunken ship, Vulko was already there.

"Vulko," Arthur greeted slamming his trident into the ground so he didn't have to hold it before walking toward Vulko, "Here I am, old man. After all these years, you finally get what you wanted." When he was right in front of Vulko, he smiled and put his hand on Vulko's shoulder.

Vulko put his hand over his own heart as he said fondly, "Arthur, I wish it was under better circumstances." Arthur removes his hand as Mera walks over.

"I can't believe Orm attacked." She said in disbelief.

"It wasn't an attack." Vulko corrected before walking toward the rotting desk on the other side of the ship, "Legally, he's not allowed to yet. What he did to your surface warships was merely a warning."

"What provoked it?" I ask walking with Mera and Arthur to the desk. Vulko looks at me a little surprised.

"Who's the child?" Vulko asks.

"Atlantia, the daughter of every Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse god and goddess but her birth mother was Queen Coral." Mera explains with a smile. Vulko's eyes widen.

"A siren? But they were all killed by Poseidon fourteen years ago." Vulko protested. I sighed but I took off my ring and allowed my tail to form to prove that I was who I was. Sirens were the only ones who had this particular form. Atlantians only had the humanoid form instead of the merperson form although there are those, like the Fishermen, who have more fish like qualities than human. Vulko instantly knelt but I told him I wasn't taking the throne so he didn't need to kneel. I put my ring back on as Vulko rose. Vulko stared at me for a second in awe before returning to the conversation we were having.

"To answer your question, Atlantia, King Orm and Mera's father were ambushed by the surface." Vulko informs us.

"By the surface," Arthur said doubting that statement, "I don't think so. They still think Atlantis is a fairy tale."

"I was there. A surface warship fired at us." Vulko insisted. "Now, Xebel sides with Atlantis giving Orm a fleet big enough to force the other two kingdoms to join him. If we're going to prevent this war, you or Atlantia must dethrone him now."

"I'm not taking the throne because one, I don't want it and two, I doubt the Atlantians would be happy to be ruled by a fourteen year old girl." I say.

"Then Arthur must take the throne." Vulko says.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to be king." Arthur protests annoyed that he keeps getting asked this.

"You don't understand." Mera proclaims upset, "Once he is names Ocean Master, it'll be too late. The power at his disposal will be unlike anything you have ever seen."

"I'm from the surface. No one is gonna take me seriously. but they will take Atlantia seriously. She is a siren, the true rulers of the ocean. Born to connect the land and the sea correct?" Arthur argues, "So, she should be the one to take the throne. If I take the throne, I wouldn't even know where to start."

"By winning the hearts and minds of the people by proving to them that you're worthy, and retrieving this." Vulko says smiling at him. He unwraps a cloth to reveal a picture of a trident that I recognize as the one given to the first ruler of Atlantis once Poseidon decided to step into the shadows.