Atlantica

Chapter One

He's gone. He never got a single glimpse of the world. And it's my fault. I never tried to take care of myself. Now I've lost him. I've lost that wonderful, warm, happy feeling inside me.

I know my parents are worried about me. Worried about the effect this has had on my body. When we got home from the hospital, I went straight to my room and locked the door. They've offered me food a few times but I never respond.

I haven't told Caden yet. Hell, I haven't spoken much at all since I woke up in a puddle of blood. My blood curdling screams at 4 a.m. last Friday scared the shit out of everyone. My dad had come barging into my room with a baseball bat thinking someone had broken in.

When he'd seen the blood, he'd cursed and hollered to my mom to get the car ready. Once we were at the hospital, the doctors tried everything to save him. But, from the amount of blood they saw, they said there was little hope.

7 and a half months worth of joy and then, all of a sudden, it's gone. I look around my room at all the baby stuff people donated to me when we found out it was a boy.

Not able to bear it anymore, I unlock my door and run down to the basement. Grabbing a few boxes, I run back to my room and start throwing all the baby supplies into them.

My parents run into my room looking shocked and frightened.

"Annabeth Marie! Stop it!" My dad shouts, reaching for me.

"No! Let me go!" I scream, my voice cracking.

My dad's hold on me freezes and my mom gasps. The tears well up too quick for me to fight them and fall even faster. I collapse into my dad, letting the tears fall. Thunder sounds outside and a downpour begins. My mom rushes towards me and hugs me.

The rain outside pounds against the house as my tears fall. My dad runs out of the room. I know where he's going but I can't stop crying long enough to stop them from picking up the phone.

My mom rubs my back and Whispers for me to please stop crying. I can barely hear my dad on the phone. The rain and my crying combined are too loud. I haven't cried over anything in my life. I've come close but, because I know what it means for a mermaid to cry, I fought it with all my heart.

My dad comes back in my room just as my crying slows down. The downpour outside slows into a drizzle.

"You called Caden, didn't you?" I ask him between sniffles.

"You know I had to. He gets one last time to see you and then you are Ocean-Bound. Queen Nahla will take you under her care and you will be forbidden to ever walk on land again. You knew what the price of your tears was." He says, making me feel like it's even more my fault.

" Jack! Don't make your daughter feel like it's her fault. You don't know what it's like to lose something that way. Don't be an ass." My mother scolds, trying to make me feel better.

I fake a small smile to make her happy but then the doorbell rings. The front door slams open and the sound of someone stomping through the house echoes off the walls. Caden. He got here quick... What did my dad tell him?

"In here, Caden!" I call out, forcing myself to deal with everything.

Mermaids are not allowed to cry, Annabeth. If a mermaid cries, they are ripped away from their land life and forced into a life of dark and light magic. They have no choice in which magic they receive. Most young female mermaids are sent to serve either the Dark Princes or the Light Princes. Queen Nahla makes all the decisions and she's kind of scary. So please, sweetie, never cry!

"What the fuck did you do?" Caden shouts, making me flinch and tear up again.

"Caden, baby, please. When I woke up Friday morn-" I start to explain but he cuts me off.