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It was calm beneath the ocean waves. Sea grass flowed through the water like leaves blowing in the wind, and colorful fish swam about without a care in the world.
Athena's pale fingers glided over the ocean floor, leaving clouds of kicked up, similarly colored sand in their wake. An assortment of shells was clutched against her chest as her twilight purple eyes combed over the beige grains.
She watched as a little fish speedily approached, silver scales shimmering in the sun light above. It was no bigger than her palm, and she gently cupped her hand around it as she gave the fish a warm smile.
"Hello, little guy," Athena cooed.
The fish, predictably, didn't answer; just kept staring up at her with beady black eyes. The mermaid giggled softly.
"You're so adorable."
Slowly, something large moved overhead, cloaking them in a dark shadow. The gray fish quickly retreated to the safety of a nearby reef as Athena looked up with a confused hum.
Her eyes met the bottom of something huge, roughly the size of a large whale. She couldn't make out any fins or tail- there were no identifying characteristics she could recognize.
What on earth?
She stared up at it, holding her bounty closer to her form with both arms as though to protect it. She could see something else- something much smaller- suddenly appear next to the mysterious creature.
It looked to be getting bigger.
And bigger.
And...
Closer.
Her eyes widened as she finally processed the object seconds from colliding with her face.
With a shrill shriek, Athena swam back, just in time to avoid her billowy tail fin getting caught under the metal thing which had landed in the sand. The colorful shells fell out of her arms, sinking slowly to the ground below.
What on earth!?
Shaking away her shock, Athena approached the object with cautious curiosity. She stroked the cold metal as she realized what she was looking at.
She'd seen them around sunken shipwrecks.
It was an anchor.
Her eyes found themselves back on the large shape which had started this all, which she now knew was a ship. A human ship.
She knew she shouldn't stick around. She should turn tail and escape to the safety of her home, and come back for her shells later. When it's safe.
And yet, she didn't.
Maybe it was to quell the curiosity which had wiggled its way into her brain. Or maybe to see if those humans were out of their minds for invading her ocean. Or maybe she just wanted to be a rebel for once.
But for whatever reason, she swam upward.
Toward the ship.
Athena's fins flowed behind her like the fabric of a silk dress as she swam toward the surface. She stopped short of breaking the water, staring up just past the threshold. The dividing line between her world and the humans.
Her breath caught in her throat. What was she thinking?
Everyone around her knew how dangerous humans were. Ever since she was a little guppy, everyone around her- especially her mother- told her story after story of humans doing horrible things to merfolk. Things so awful, she didn't even want to name them.
They were violent, and selfish, and cruel, with no care for any other living creatures.
She shouldn't go near them- she couldn't go near them. Her mother would chew her out for hours if she found out, if Athena even lived to tell the tale.
It's like they always say. Curiosity killed the catfish.
But she was so close. She could hear humans talking and laughing and singing, just above the water. It would be so easy to just... take a quick peak.
Just for a moment...
With a final deep breath, she closed her eyes and swam forward.
She felt the ocean water slipping off her face as she breached the surface of the ocean. She opened her eyes, looking up at the ship.
The ship was huge. Ocean water crashed weakly against the hull in crystal clear waves, with no effect on the beautiful mahogany wood. Three large sails of pale pink cloth were suspended high in the air to scoop up the wind. Of course, with the anchor lodged in the sand below the waves, that vessel wasn't going anywhere.
Athena kept her distance, being just close enough to hear the faint sounds of voices on the ship's deck. She stayed mostly below the water, exposed to the warm air just below her eyes.
As her purple irises scanned the length of the vessel over, her stomach churned with fear and guilt. She should leave. Back below the water, where it was safe.
It was then, just as she had deemed this trip fruitless and stupid and was about to dip back under the waves, that she saw it.
Athena lifted out of the water, now exposed down to between her abdomen and her chest, to get a better look.
Bracing her hands on the railing of the ship, looking out into the open water, was a human.
She looked to be a woman. The light breeze blew through her lovely rust-colored curls, which were highlighted in gold by the suns light. Half of her hair looked to be shaved off, the rest of it held in a loose ponytail with a ribbon the same color as the sails.
She had multiple piercings- two hoops and a chain in her ear, with a smaller chain over the bridge of her nose- all in a gorgeous rose gold. Her long-sleeved, high-collared blouse was an off-white, contrasting nicely with the faded orange vest she paired it with.
Her pale copper skin was flushed in the face, likely due to the afternoon heat which still pricked Athena's own cheeks.
Cheeks which were burning for reasons unrelated to the weather.
She looked just like a dream.
"Wow..."
Athena hadn't even noticed the word tumbling out from between her lips. Nor the way her mouth remained agape even as she went silent.
She just couldn't stop staring.
She felt almost sick- but in a good way. She curled her hand into a fist, placing it on her chest and clasping her other hand around it. Her chest was warm, right where her heart was, to the point that she almost worried it would melt into goop.
And then she saw her.
The human's eyes- those impossibly beautiful grayish-green eyes- met Athena's. The latter squeaked, dipping back under the water before the former could really see her.
The mermaid released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She allowed her body to sink, not moving a muscle even as her back hit the cool ocean sand.
She could not believe she just did that.
Anxious nausea made itself at home in Athena's stomach and left over adrenaline rushed through her veins. She'd never felt so... so alive.
She was lucky to be alive. She'd breached the layer of water and looked into the human world. She'd seen a real, working human ship from up close. She'd been seen by a human- a human girl.
The prettiest girl she'd ever seen.
That thought made she cheeks burn all over again. She pursed her lips.
What was she gonna do?
~~~
Captain Lily leaned over the railing of her ship's deck, gaze dead set on where the woman had been just previously. As the shock slowly faded away, a smile broke out on her features. She mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for her to hear.
"Found ya."
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