The Siren of the Titanic

Chapter 4: Others

Venus, Jupiter and I swam West keeping the rising sun behind and swimming towards the setting sun. Sometimes we would rest at the surface, the whales with their heads and blowholes out of the water. I found that I could either float with them or float under the surface. I soon found out that I actually didn't need to sleep every night like when I was human. I eventually tried to see how long I could go without sleep.

"Ugh," I whined. "I'm exhausted. It seems that 6 days is my limit." Jupiter swam next to me and nudged me slightly.

"Are you alright?" My eyes widened at the sudden voice in my head. It was a simple voice like that of a child, but it was sudden enough that it startled me. I whipped my head, staring at Jupiter.

"Was that you, Jupiter?" His little eyes widened surprised by my sudden question.

"Of course silly. Mama and I have been talking to you this whole time, you know?"

"What, really? That's the first time I've heard you. Is it because of my power?" I looked at my webbed hands, now noticing that my nails have grown into long sharp claws. Like my tail, they were an icy blue at the cuticles and faded into a turquoise. Each 3-inch long nail shimmered silver like a blade, sharp enough to easily cut into the skin.

"Maybe you are growing like a child, growing more powerful every day." Venus spoke, her voice calm, soothing and deep. "I've heard that merfolk grow with their power, but that the older they are the more powerful they become."

"Wait there are others like me?"My eyes widened, my voice cracking with surprise.

"Well, of course, there are others like you. I thought you were one of them when we first saw you. We soon realized you weren't the same when we spoke to you and you didn't respond." She laughed in my head. "I believe that it would be a good idea to visit Lady Silinia and get her approval. You see she is the Queen of the Atlantic. You'll need her stamp of approval to be in her kingdom."

"Queen of the Atlantic? Kingdom? How does that work?" I asked sticking one of the seaweed leaves in my mouth. We had stopped to take a small rest.

"Each of the oceans has their own King and/or Queen. They rule over that ocean and whatever sea that runs into it. Rivers and lakes are ruled over by the fae folk on land. Anyway, there is a High King that rules over everything. The lesser kings and queens obey him no matter what. He keeps the peace and acts as a mediator between debates. Many humans have called him a god over the years."

"Really a god, huh? What's his name?" Back when I was human, I studied different religions from ancient societies. Roman, Greek, Egyptian even African mythology sparked an interest in me. The fact that, even though they differed in many areas, they shared similar ideas. Gods of the waters, of the sky, of the dead. It fascinated me.

"Truthfully I'm not sure what his name is. I've never met him, I've only heard him called The High King or The High Lord. But I've heard that he is a kind king." Her voice radiated awe and respect.

"Well let's go meet this Atlantic Queen." I stated beginning to swim. Venus and Jupiter chuckled quietly.

The three of us began swimming Southwest feeling the waters around us slowly warming. We had left the frozen parts of the ocean and now came upon reefs filled with brightly colored fish. Most of the fish didn't seem to mind the gigantic creatures that were swimming near them. The corals were brightly colored, fish of all colors swam past us and I even witnessed a small shark off in the distance. We past over a larger mound of coral and saw a sight that made me stop in my tracks.

A castle made of stone rose from the bottom of the seabed and was surrounded by smaller homes and buildings like a town. A large glass-like dome surrounded the whole thing like a protective shield. What surprised me the most, however, was the sight of many others like myself. Mermaids of all colors swam around the town, some chatted in groups while others hurried from place to another by themselves.

"Welcome to Atlantria, the capital city of the Atlantic Kingdom. The dome that you see acts like an illusion for humans. They cannot see the city, instead, all they see is a series of coral, so it basically protects the city." Venus explained chuckling once more at my amazed expression.

We swam inside the dome and stayed above the streets and smaller homes, to avoid running into them. As we swam I watched with wonder at the other merfolk that wandered the streets. Some had colorful tails like mine, others had tails that resembled a fish, dolphin or shark, one even had the bottom had the bottom half of an octopus. Some wandered the streets with large weapons and ornate uniforms. Each of them had crimson red tails that resembled blood.

Most of the other merfolk decorated their tails with bracelets or netting. The females wore shelled headdresses and necklaces while covering their upper halves with large shells, cloth or leaves held in place with netting. Males wore simple belts made of leather or cloth, decorated with bits of metal or shells. Like me, most of them left their chests bare although some of them had bags thrown over their shoulder. None of them seemed to care about our group, not even bothering to look up.

"Are you alright?" Jupiter looked at me, slowing down a bit to swim at my side.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just amazed. I had heard stories of mermaids but always cast it off as mythology. It never occurred to me that I'd become one." My voice shook a bit from nerves.

"Don't you worry. Lady Silinia is known for her kindness. She'll like you." Venus seemed to smile at me.

We soon came to the large stone castle. It was decorated with engravings, pearls and other gems adorned its surface. Some of its windows were open, but the larger windows were mosaics of sea-glass much like the stained glass in a church. We glided over to the large wooden double doors which were decorated by engravings of merfolk and other sea creatures. The doors were large enough that Venus could swim through without coming close to touching the sides. Two crimson-tailed soldiers stood guard before us, their large spears blocking our way.

"We have come to see Lady Silinia. My friend here needs to swear loyalty to her." Venus stated. Her voice was steady and demanding. The two of the guards looked me over and gave me a quick pat down.

"Follow me, boy." The older one said his dark mustache and beard floating in all directions as he spoke. With that the doors were open and we were escorted down long columned hallways. Colorful balls of light-adorned wall sconces made of metal lighting the hallways. Each column was made of the same grey stone as the outside, however, they had been carved depicting clams or scales.

At the end of the large hallway was a huge room with an elevated platform. Two large, elegant thrones sat in the middle of the stage. Smaller stool-like chairs sat staggered behind them each resembling a mushroom with a small cushion adorning the top. Both thrones were made of a smooth white stone, a stark contrast to the darker stone of the castle. One throne was carved to resemble a large shell, the back rounded into different sections, and was decorated with different types of shells. The back of the other was spiked into three sections like a large trident and was decorated with engravings of war and weapons.

"Wait here, Lady Silinia will join you shortly." The guard gave a curt bow before swimming off. So the three of us waited patiently for the arrival of the Atlantic Queen.