The Pale Woman's Song

Prophesy

In the heartbeats surrounding the moment that Amata had disappeared, Ant had forced his jellied legs to the bridge, trusting Finn as he dragged Fontaine's shocked body from the water.

Ant could see Feyre at the submarines helm when he burst into the bridge, dagger and spear of whalebone clutched in a grip that turned her knuckles ashen.

Even from a distance, he could see she was shaking. Shoulders stiff and squared. Head held high and mighty. Tail thrashing with the effort to stay afloat and at attention. And yet he had never seen her look so small, so defeated.

So afraid.

Ant had never seen her like this and it scared him. But he had a job to do. He had a monumental to handle. And so, burying his fears deep, he made his way to the front of the sub, every footstep like an iron weight dragging him down.

But he never stopped until he reached the glass.

And it was only then that Feyre moved, turning to look at him and smile a sad, barely-there smile.

"The sceptre needs water, Antaeus Nekton. It will not work without it"

With that, Feyre propelled forward like a ship into a storm, wavering and fearful, but strong and full of life.

And pondered over her words, and moved just as Finn emerged with Fontaine's arm slung over his shoulder and a hand around her waist. But the tears had stopped flowing and her eyes were red.

Ant continued towards Jeffreys tank, and with an apology, he puled a palm-full of water out and tipped it over the sceptre.

Nothing happened for a heartbeat, and then a great ball of light burst from the sceptre, flooding the Aronnax and then it was gone.

The crew breathed a sigh of relief before ant noticed the tentacle thrashing inches from the glass.

The monumental had broken free.

Feyre could be seen among the swarm of ink and ichor that surrounded the creature, scales and teeth and claws and fins coated with its blood as they tore into it, bloodthirsty and set on revenge.

"Ant?", Finn questioned, supporting Fontaines now limp body as they moved towards one of the seats. "I know you're supposed to control that thing, but I'd say let them at it"

The boy was tempted to agree, the Scepter felt cond and heavy in his grip, but a choked no cut through the air before he could answer.

And he almost screamed when he turned around and saw Calligenia, gasping and clawing her way into the room. "The Monumental must be defeated by human hands", Her body shuddered as the water pooling around her tail moved, like an injured and slow eel it wrapped around her torso, reaching for the gills against her neck. "The sins of the past must be righted by the actions of the future". A hacking cough shook her, and Finn sprung into action after carefully depositing Fontane onto one of the seats, looping his arms under hers, and dragging her out of the room, with the water following.

"The sins of the past must be righted by the actions of the future. Great. I'm in a prophesy now", Ant felt an even heavier weight settle onto his shoulders, almost crushing him. But he had to be strong.

And so, with a heavy and fear-filled breath, he held the Scepter aloft, and everything fell into place.