The Mer Prince

Chapter 43

This chapter is so long and written like from 12 at night to- *checks clock* 4 am. PLEASE let me know if typos or mistakes.

Charley's POV

John had taken my hand and pulled me suddenly into a cave, which successfully stopped my heart for a few moments. The seaweed hanging around the cave entrance was old and slimy, but that seemed to fit with the trench, where none of the seaweed naturally grew. John did not seem to possess the same fears about random caves as I do.

I look around, smiling and taking in another fantastic idea of underwater dwelling. The ceiling faintly glows, as if smudged with bioluminescent bacterium, faded and soft. There are rocks with things on them, like vases and bowls that also hold unique items. The back of the cave lacks the glow, but I make out a drop in the ground filled with silt.

John let go of my hand while my eyes adjust, flinging himself towards the drop. Suddenly there was dirt flying as he burrows himself eagerly under sand, as if hiding himself from the world in his dirt-bed. A smile crossed my face and a soft laugh comes from my mouth, faintly echoing.

"Who's there?" A voice like an eel scares me silent. A large octi, much bigger than Argus and with tentacles thick as a weightlifter's biceps, emerges from the back like a jack-in-the-box. He has short hair, a broad scarred chest, and a massive scar across his face, too clean to be anything but surgical or a knife wound.

While I suck in air like an idiot, John launches out of the sand with a loud squeal. He charges at the bigger octopus-man like a kid with his birthday present, and in that split second my fear melted away. This must be John's big, slightly scary brother.

"Alpha! Alpha!" John's arms are open and empty, and then they're full.

This big man gasps and wraps his arms around tiny John, squeezing him tightly enough I can see the toned muscles of his arms flex. "Runt, is that you?" He cups and turns Runt's face like handling a doll, their eight tentacles moving together as if to hold hands.

"It's me, it's me." Runt is crying, I know but tears never show in the ocean. These would be the happiest tears, because I know that his hope is right there with him. They start laughing, almost with relief, feeling one another as if a perfect dream would end. They talk happily, quiet between their giggly bursts. My eyes widen in surprise as they actually glow for one another too.

I feel all stupidly mushy watching them, but I would not dare to interrupt their moment. The wall and decor become my interest again as they finish their reunion. There is a hiss behind me and some talking from XY, and I turn my head slightly before my attention is yanked back to the octi.

"Charley is your name, yes?" Alpha has moved close, and I felt like a dwarf beside him. One of his massive arm-thick tentacles wraps around me lightly and scoots me close so he can look over my features. "You look just like your parents."

He knows who I am. Dang.

"Oh. Yes." I respond without thinking, looking into massive glowing green eyes. My mind goes out the window. The metaphorical submarine window, obviously, because I start panicking as my mind is filling with water and a handful of brain cells frantically rub together. Some cognitive sentence pulls together: "I am not like my dad."

"I know that, the king would never dare to come here. Lest I tear him apart." Alpha informs me with a voice like a real regal king's, noble like a knight's, and yet friendly enough to make my gut do a little fluster-flipping.

"Right. Right! Please don't tear me apart." I beg with a hopeful smile. "I am Charley, like you said, son of a king...." I trail off with dislike for my own words, looking to the tentacles retreating and leaving me peacefully alone.