Chapter Nineteen

When I woke up in the morning, Jason was gone and a guard stood over me. The light that came through the open square in the wall was different than on land. It wasn't as harsh and more of a blue tone. I jumped, startled at seeing the guard standing over me.

"Good morning, Princess. It's time to get ready." He informed me. I stared at him, uncomfortable as I wondered how long he had been there.

"Do guards stand over everyone until they wake up?" I got up slowly, placing my feet on the stone floor. The coldness sent a chill through my body. He left the room without saying a word. I stretched before pulling my shirt off and replacing it with the dress Aquis had given to me. I didn't take my shorts off because I felt too strange wearing a dress. Even though it was long, keeping my shorts on made me feel more comfortable. It was a pearl white dress with little bits of sparkling pieces all over it. I touched the fabric to see if I could see what it was, but the fabric was smooth. It had no signs of added material. Letting the dress go, I began braiding my long red hair over my shoulder. After a few minutes, the guard returned and lead me to the throne room. I could see Arlo, Aquis, and Jason waiting. Jason wore strange clothes that looked nice. There were deep blue streaks on his shirt and pants and even though his shirt didn't have buttons, it looked like a nice, buttoned, shirt that we had on land. I noticed that he wore a golden crown on top of his black hair and his eyes matched the glinting gold.

"Thank you for joining us, Princess Blake." Aquis gave a soft smile. "Let us begin." He stood from his smooth, marble, throne and went to a very large door that was also made of marble. Two guards pulled it open and I could see hundreds of people outside. We walked to the platform that was a couple feet above their heads. It was cool under my feet so I looked down. It was a black marble with thin, white, lines breaking through its darkness. I couldn't see my feet under the dress which made me happy. I didn't need all these people looking at my feet.

"Citizens of Atlantis, hear me! My daughter, Princess Blake, strongest in all the sea, is here today awaiting to be properly crowned!" Aquis shouted out to the crowd. I looked out to them. There were so many of them that it made me nervous. "She holds the title of Ocean Master and all Kingdoms had pledged their allegiance. It is because of her that we are one. All ocean life bends to her will. Let your loyalty come to her as well!" The crowd roared with cheers. It sounded like massive waves in the ocean preparing to destroy any land nearby. Aquis nodded to me. I moved in front of him and knelt down. He took a beautiful crown from a white pillow with a golden trim. The crown was a silver metal with colorful flowers, waves, and several kinds of marine life. From a glance at it, I could see fish, dolphins, sharks, and turtles. He placed it on my head gently then smiled. Slowly, I stood and faced the crowd. Everyone had knelt on one knee with their head down. Hundreds of Atlanteans, each one in the same position. I felt like my breath was trapped in my throat and feeling the crown on my head was a strange sensation. I looked to Jason, remembering what Aquis had said. What was Ocean Master and why had I become it without knowing. It was a long time before we went back inside and before the guards closed the doors. Once they were shut, I felt myself take a deep breath.

"You may return to your aunt and uncle, but you must return periodically." Aquis told me as he sat back on his throne. "I hope I can make up for lost time with you." I glanced at him then went back to my room and sat down on the bed.

"It looks good on you." Jason entered the room moments later.

"You, too, Mister Prince of the Mediterranean." I smirked.

"Oh, yeah." He took the crown off. "It was mandatory."

"Can we get out of here?" I took a deep breath. He took my hand and lead me out of the Kingdom. I swam with my tail, blinking in the darkness. Looking back, I could see Atlantis was in a divot in the ocean floor. There were large buildings with all kinds of lights and roads. What I guessed was their transportation looked like large versions of fish and turtles. It looked a lot more advanced than our cities on land. We were so far under water that no sun touched our surroundings. The only light in Atlantis was made with technology. The whole place was lite up in different colors.

"We will be swimming for a few hours." Jason informed me, still holding my hand.

"I just need to see my aunt and uncle. I've been gone for at least three days." I thought of the time I spent in Atlantis. At least one day was spent in chains and I slept two nights. It was hard to decipher what was day and what was night without being able to see the sun. "They don't know if I am alright." I looked ahead.

"I understand."

"When was the last time that you went home?" I glanced to him.

"It's been years. The Queen, my mother, knows why." He responded. "I visit my dad every week."

"You should go and see how things are." I said quietly.

"That's a good idea." He smiled. We swam in the darkness for a long time, only speaking when we weren't wrapped in our own thoughts.

*~~*~~*~~*

By the time we got to the beach, I was exhausted. I could see the hill that my home was on so I pushed through the aching in my legs and ran towards it. Jason followed me up the large hill closely, reaching out every time I tripped on my dress. I burst through the door, looking around.

"Aunt Mary? Uncle?" I called. No one replied or poked their head around the walls. "No one's home." I glanced up at Jason then ran back outside. Farther down the beach, I could see a boat coming in. I squinted, seeing the indistinctive blue band on the side. Without thinking, I raced down the hill.

"Blake! Wait!" Jason ran after me. When I got to the beach, I ran into the water until I was chest deep then swam to the boat under the water. When I got next to it, I surfaced.

"We can't find Atlantis by boat, Mary." My uncle sounded sad and upset.

"I just hope that she is safe." My aunt sniffled. "It's been almost four days!" My timing had been right for the most part.

"That is a long time. I can't believe they just took her. She is strong, though." I could see my uncle nod. I crept around the boat carefully.

"I miss her." My aunt cried, hugging my uncle.

"I miss her, too." I nodded, acting like I was there the whole time. I had my hand on the side of the boat where the blue band was.

"Blake?!" My uncle looked over the side. "It's Blake!" I saw my aunt jump over the side, splashing just a few feet away. Quickly, I pulled her up. I could see her pink tail in the water. It didn't move at all.

"You can't just jump into the water like that! You can't swim!" I held onto her. She hugged me tightly, her shoulder pressed into my neck.

"I know! I know!" She sniffed. "I was just so happy to see you." I pulled her to the back of the boat where I pulled her under. I looked to her tail, focusing. I needed to try to fix this. The water around us began to swirl and I closed my eyes. Cautiously, I placed my hand on her lower back and exhaled deeply. She grabbed my shoulders tightly as if she was in pain, the water swirling like a tornado. I could feel electricity as if we were standing in the middle of a storm, but I kept my eyes closed. Through my eyelids, I could see flashes of white and hear lightning slap the water around us. I opened my eyes and released my aunt, watching blue rays of electricity course through her. She looked as if she was in a trance, her face relaxed but her eyes seeming to look somewhere else. Rays of blue electricity flashed in her eyes. Suddenly, lightning struck her. I covered my face with my arms, being blown through the swirling water. The scream that came from her sent chills up my spine. I felt my energy drain causing me to not have the strength to swim back. I sank to the ocean floor, blacking out.