Oceanspray

Chapter Two

A/N: So I decided that I would post this chapter today rather than tomorrow because I'll be busy all weekend again. Also, I think I mentioned that this whole short story is dedicated to boyxboy writers who have helped me find something I really enjoy writing, so this chapter is dedicated to rotXinXpieces, because I'm such a huge fan of her work and she was part of the inspiration for this story (as you can probably tell.) So, without further ado, enjoy this part~!

PS; Off to the side is a vague idea of what Neros would look like. Strong facial features and sharp eyes~

Chapter Two

Neros

“Why!” I growled in anger. I could feel my fists clenched at my sides, trembling in violent anger.

My mother stared at me with a stone cold glare. Her eyes glinted dangerously in the midafternoon sun. “I won’t have you talking to me in that kind of tone.”

“I won’t stand to be treated like a child any longer.” I tried reigning in my temper with little to no avail. I was twenty now, yet my mother insisted on running my entire life. My older brothers and sisters never got this kind of treatment, so why was I suddenly the pampered-by-mother one?

“Neros Evander Kryos,” my mother glowered. “I will continue to treat you like a child as long as you continue to act like one. You are not allowed to venture to the surface.”

I continued to glare at her as my muscles began to relax at the mere mention of the surface, shuddering in an effort not to moan in pleasure. I was tired of being told not to go to the surface. I wanted to feel the sun on my face, on my skin. I wanted to know what walking felt like; I wanted to know what legs felt like.

I suppose one could call me a merman and my mother a mermaid. I didn’t like calling us that though. We were descendants of the god Poseidon and mortal Cleito. Their sons who became the rulers of Atlantis were eventually the people who became the merpeople. It was common knowledge that Atlantis sank, but upon seeing the destruction of the beautiful culture that Cleito and her sons created, Poseidon had the heart to give those who perished a new life.

I gritted my teeth. “We were once people who lived on land. Why are we no longer allowed such a right?”

“Right?” my mother sputtered angrily. “Living on land is not a right; it’s a death sentence! The world is different now that how it was when our people once walked on land. When our people walked on land, we were human. Is this such a difficult concept to grasp?! Once the humans see you, they will have no problem killing you on the spot. And that’s if they’re feeling generous! If they caught on to what you are and what you can do, I doubt they would not feel even the slightest bit of remorse for experimenting on you. They would torture you before killing you off in the most inhumane way possible.”

Her face was mottled with terrible red patches, and her eyes were glowing with so much malice and pain. Her arguments were believable, but I still wanted to try. Some of the more rebellious people that I’ve met could tell me many tales of their trips to the surface. What the fresh air was like and how it felt to have the sun on their face. I wanted to know. I wanted to see the birds that the old carvings spoke of. I wanted to know what the earth felt like beneath my feet.

“Father once told me that the mind can only learn so much from literature,” I quoted. “How do you, my parents, expect me to become a better person when I can’t even grow up?”

“No means no, Neros, and that is final. I will not be tolerating this kind of behavior anymore.”

My mother gave me a steely glare and held her chin up high as she left the room. Most likely to tell my father about my desires. With a growl, I stormed away from the house. My tail flicked through the water angrily. I swam and swam and swam. My arms and tail not once getting tired.