Swimming? No thanks

Chapter 38

Dalton's POV

After Alyssa headed inside, I stood up and walked back toward my house. The mermen had to have set up camp there. I knew that everyone wanted to come up with another way to get rid of them, but this was the only way to be sure. As I got closer, I saw the two leading guys standing on my back porch.

I puffed up my chest confidently before walking up to them. "Hey! I'm here. The trident's been destroyed, so you can't use it to destroy the mermaids. But I'm yours to use as long as you don't hurt my family and friends."

"You came to your senses, but what you mean the trident's been destroyed?"

"My sister and another mermaid destroyed it with their moon stones. They said it completely disintegrated. You can't get it back."

"But, we can still sense it. It's nearby, we can feel it."

"You must be mistaken because I feel no pull to it, and my sister wouldn't lie."

The second guy stepped up. "Maybe the trident isn't what was pulling us here. Maybe it was you."

"Maybe. I don't know. Just do with me what you want, okay? Please, leave my friends and family out of this. They've done nothing to you."

"Nothing? They've taken everything from us. The sea, our unity, our culture, everything that makes us who we are."

"Not your fathers and some of them are your biological mothers. You would really hurt your own mothers?"

"They never came to look for us. They just let us be taken without a second thought."

"No, they mourned the loss of their children. If they didn't know you had been taken by your fathers, they probably assumed you died. They have done nothing wrong. Just leave them be. I'm the one you want."

The main guy stepped forward, but his second in command grabbed his arm. "Wait, Trevor, he might be right. What if there's something extra special about him? Let's agree to his deal. Remember, he has special powers. We could use those to our advantage. Agree to not hurt the mermaids for now. Once we've learned all there is to know about him, we'll just take them out ourselves."

Trevor sighed, yanking himself free. "Fine. We won't hurt your friends and family, but you are our servant until we're done with you, got it?"

"I got it." I slowly walked up to the porch where Trevor and his second in command were standing.

"Just to make sure you're not bluffing about the trident, look at the moon." Trevor nodded up, prompting me to turn around and look up at the full moon. It felt amazing to be standing in the moonlight. I could feel my powers heighten, but I didn't lose control.

"Happy now?" I turned back toward them.

They both looked shocked. "They really destroyed the trident?"

"Yeah. It's gone."

"If we're not sensing the trident, then we must be sensing you. You must be the heir to the throne. We apologize for everything, Your Highness." He knelt down, bowing before me, and the others followed.

"Woah, what's going on?" I stepped back out of shock.

"You're the son of the merman king. He's the one who dictates what we're allowed to do and what we're not allowed to do. He lost a son many years ago and has been searching for him ever since. We didn't know that he fertilized the egg of the most powerful mermaid."

"Wait, I'm a merman prince?" I tried to process the insane information they had given me.

"Yes. We worship at your feet."