Under the Sea

Chapter Two

"King Triton!" his little seahorse messenger arrived into the throne room where Triton was doing his musing. "A message from the Duke of the Lake of Black. The human who lives near there wishes to have a word."

Humans didn't have words with merfolk, Triton thought with a frown. "Lead the way," he told the seahorse and was led to the one room in the place where only the Queen and King were allowed into—with the exception of their bedroom. It was a way for Triton to communicate with the other merfolk who lived all over the world.

"Duke Current," Triton said as he got situated. He hated using the device, as it had been confiscated by a dark seawitch during the days of Triton's grandfather. But it was the only way to communicate with all the areas he ruled without sending out agents.

"King Triton," the duke nodded, "I have with me Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He has something he wishes to talk to you about privately."

As the duke left, Triton stared into the blue eyes of the professor and felt as though the human could look into his soul. It was unnerving.

"You recently adopted a young boy?" the human asked and Triton stiffened slightly. The human wanted to talk about Harry. What did he want with his son?

"Yes, a young boy," Triton nodded. "My wife dotes on him as if he were biologically ours. Forgive me but what does that have to do with anything?"

The human sighed, his long beard fluttering as the breath reached the ends of the hair. "I'm afraid the child is not safe there. He'd be safer off back with his aunt and uncle."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Triton said, trying to throw the human off the scent.

"I know you have Harry Potter," Dumbledore said kindly, as if Triton had done something he hadn't meant to. "The boy really is safer with his aunt and uncle."

"Dumbledore, they left him to drown," Triton said sternly. "Besides, you can't undo a mermaid transformation. He's not going back."

"Maybe not now," Dumbledore stated kindly, with a benevolent smile. "But destiny has ways of making itself known."

The device cut off and Triton frowned at it. What was that old coot talking about?

0000

Another month had passed since the contact from Dumbledore and Triton had pushed the idea of someone coming to take his son out of his mind. No one had come, nothing had occurred so Triton wrote it off as an empty threat.

"Daddy!" Ariel shouted with glee as he approached, stopping whatever it was she was doing with Harry. Harry smiled timidly but didn't flinch away when Ariel grabbed his arm when she ran to greet Triton.

"How are you both doing?" Triton asked with a kind smile towards both his children. Harry had grown from the small guppy-like figure he had when he first arrived and now looked to be the size of a typical five-year-old mer-child.

"Fine!"

"Fine sir."

Triton smiled once more at the answers but it was odd being called 'sir' by his own child. Hopefully Harry would stop doing that once he felt more comfortable around them.

"I'm going to inspect the boundaries before nightfall. You two be good," Triton said as he left them, not knowing that Ariel had snuck up with him leaving Harry in her bubbles.

"Harry?" Athena smiled upon seeing the boy. It always was a treat to watch him interact with the girls and made Athena wistful that she had not been able to conceive a boy herself. "I was going to make some kelp cookies. Do you want to help?"

Harry nodded eagerly and the two of them went to the kitchen—where they promptly made a mess of things and the kitchen staff were greeted to a ruined work area and two laughing royals. The head chief shooed the two of them out and, after they got cleaned off, went to the bedroom that all the princesses shared.

"That's mine!" Arista could be heard shouting from inside. Harry gasped and swam behind Athena's tail.

"Don't worry," Athena smiled and patted Harry on the head. "Arista always gets like this around bedtime. She's not mad, only cranky."

"Oh!" Harry said with a smile. "Arista should get more sleep then."

Athena chuckled and shook her head. "Bedtime girls!" she called as she walked in, Harry behind her.

"Mom, sing us a song!" Attina asked with a big smile.

"Please Mom!"

"Yeah Mom, please!"

"Pretty please!"

Athena chuckled and sat down by the window, causing all her daughters to gather around her. She began singing her favorite song, the song that had been playing when she met her husband and that always played in the nursery for each of her daughters. She hadn't even noticed Ariel's arrival, that's how caught up in the song she was.

"Good night," she smiled at her eight children. Harry was sitting next to Ariel, chatting silently as the adults left the room.

"Come on!" Arista urged. "Let's follow them."

"Maybe we shouldn't," Harry said slowly. "I mean, it is bedtime."

"Oh don't be such a guppy," Alana shook her head in slight disgust. "I'm with Arista."

One by one, the daughters sided with each other; leaving Harry no choice but to follow them to make sure they didn't get into trouble. What if they had to sleep in the cupboard? Or the dungeons?

"Harry, come on!" Ariel smiled and grabbed Harry's arm to make sure he kept up. The trip to the surface was a surprise but Harry had to admit, he missed the fresh air. He missed the wind in his face and the smell of the salt air. But he'd never tell Ariel that. He loved having a family who didn't treat him like a freak—even if that was what he was.

Alana's sigh broke Harry out of his thoughts and he ducked just in time when Triton looked over at them. Not even thinking, he pulled Alana down but not even that was enough to keep Triton from discovering them.

Ten times better than the Dursleys, Harry thought as he sat next to Athena with a smile on his face. However, the looming clouds he could do without.

"GET DOWN!" Triton shouted and all the merfolk who were on the surface dived as if their lives depended on it. All the instruments that had been played were abandoned.

"Harry!" Athena broke him out of his thoughts once more and Harry dove under the water to join his family. Well, that's what he thought. He had only just caught up to Triton when he realized that Athena wasn't with them.

"ATHENA!" Triton shouted but grabbed Harry and covered his ears. Despite that, Harry could still hear the sound of boat hitting rock, of the screams coming from the ocean and the slight scent of blood trickling in his nostrils. Harry wanted to throw up; he had some idea as to who's blood that was.

000

Triton sighed as he tucked his children into bed once more and brushed the hair out of Harry's eyes. How could he protect his son when he couldn't even protect his wife? That's when Triton decided on the most important decision of his life.

All visits to the surface were hereby illegal. All humans were not to be trusted.