Zelus (Perseus Reimagined) (BXB)

Chapter 26

"If so, then why are those creatures approaching us?" He asks, looking out to the sea.

???

THOUGH IT IS CLOSE TO midday, the waters remain cold around me, freezing, I might add. I got used to it, though.

The currents became stronger as it was a chore to paddle through them. I dove deeper and arrived by the coral reef on the sea floor.

The reef is a wholly unique world that living organisms inhabit. I believe the sea contains more colors than the land because creatures like sea slugs with their bioluminescence bodies containing neon streaks of blue, sunflower yellow, and crimson red exist. Over a dozen sea anemones also with various colors sway with the ocean current, creating an aesthetic view an artist would kill to paint.

It's then I sense the strangeness of my visions. I see an opaque view with limited details whenever I swim, whether in the ocean, in a pool, or even soaking in a tub with my eyes open. Now, everything is crystal clear. It's as though I'm not below water at all.

The shoulder of my wings nudge, and I turn to see a sea turtle nipping at them, curious. It didn't hurt, but I pulled away just to be safe. Its green patch shell and yellow bottom with barnacles attached portray its age and how it survived many challenges the sea threw upon it.

I dove up to catch my breath. Perseus stands by the shore, patiently waiting as he promised. I wave to show him I'm fine, and he returns one. At the right time, I dove back into the same spot and began scouring for some crustations that mostly lurked beneath the corals. I spot none at first glance, then I keep paddling, witnessing a stingray camouflaging itself beneath the sand, waiting for a carefree salmon to strike its stinger.

I search and find nothing until I perceive yet another colorful creature. I recognized this masterpiece anywhere. A mantis shrimp. The walking rainbow darts from one coral to another, unaware that it has led me into an open tunnel where all other crustations wander. Swarms of crabs the size of my palms—even bigger too—crawling everywhere. Lobsters, the scorpions of the sea, with their massive claws that could grasp tightly, hid in the rows of seaweed where shrimps of all kinds were circling the roots.

I hit the jackpot. This is what people call, a buffet.

Once again, I dove up to catch my breath and immediately dove back down, relieved to see they remained where they were. However, I may not have thought this through as I have nothing to collect them in. Not a bag, sachet, basket, nothing. Perseus has one, but retreating to the shores to get it might risk scaring the crustations away.

I took a leap of faith and swam towards a group of lobsters resting amongst the seaweeds. Perseus says it's all about speed when one is unequipped with tools. He demonstrated by swiftly catching a crab and holding its claws firmly before taking his blade and penetrating through its head. I can still picture him doing that, even as I float here, the way the crab struggled to escape his grasp and the speed of his blade thrusting into it, instantly killing it. It's as if he's been doing it since he was a kid. A kid raised by the shores and trained to hunt before he could even walk.

I pick up a broken piece of coral that resembles a blade. It wasn't sharp as the tip was slightly curved, but it'll cut through by force. I then made my way back to the area, increasing my pace as I swam closer to the lobsters. Upon reaching, inches away from getting them, my hand glows. Green aura disperses out of my palm, traveling to the crustations in front of me, whirling like a tornado. My powers, I didn't know which one, but they're mine. I panic and retreat to the surface, afraid I might die by my own powers.

I was expecting to inhale a lung full of air, but I resurfaced calmly as if I had been breathing underwater the entire time. I marvel at my palms, mesmerized that they're still glowing. The green aura dance gracefully around my fingers, leaving a trail as they glide.

"Zelus!" Perseus calls out. His hands were in the air, getting my attention.

I paddle back with my head above the water, afraid to see what I've created below me.

"Are you alright?" He crouches next to me like Ariel did when she saved the prince from drowning. I crashed on my back—a little too hard that my wings twitched— as I was exhausted from paddling vigorously. "What did you do? Your hands."

"I have the faintest idea," my elbows support my body as I sit up. "I found what I was looking for. And then my powers came out of nowhere and chased them away. I do not know what happened."

"If so, then why are those creatures approaching us?" He asks, looking out to the sea.

I follow his gaze. My eyes widen as I pounce to my feet, falling back down again when I see an army of crustations standing in front of us. Hundreds of them gathered by the shores, and never in my life—or in Jon's—have I seen so many at the same time. It's pretty eerie, to say the least.

My attention was drawn to their bodies. They were glowing the same shade as my hand. They're staring at me, dead as if they're waiting for instructions and I'm their commander.

Me.

"Did you lure them here?" I nearly forgot Perseus was standing next to me.

"I don't know," was all I could say, my eyes on my palms. "I really don't know."