(no subject)
Title: A Mermaid’s Tale
Rating: T
Pairing: Klaine with small mentions of others.
Word Count: 19,000~
Summary: One vacation suggested by Rachel, finds Kurt in the middle of something he never expected. Mermaids, a battle for the throne of Atlantis, betrayal, love? It was a fine way to end his summer vacation, if he came out alive.
Disclaimer: As per usual. I do not own Glee, or any of it’s characters.
Authors Note: Well, yeah, I decided to write this thanks to the lovely art by lylith_st so this is dedicated to her. I’ve seen many The Little Mermaid fics so I decided to go with something a bit different and long winded but I hope everyone will enjoy this epically long fic. Oh and the song they sing later in this fic is a Japanese song (I used the English translation in this story) that can be found on youtube. It’s a very beautiful song, that always brings tears to my eyes. Anyways, on to the epically long mermaid fic, and I hope you all enjoy. Thank you for your time. ^_^
A Mermaid’s Tale
Did you ever feel like you didn’t belong somewhere? Like you were above the normal? Kurt was that on many levels but he meant beyond those levels. Like there was just something that seemed so very off. Obviously he was the best dressed male in Lima, Ohio and he had far more talent than any simpleton in this town, but it just didn’t seem like enough. It seemed like there was something more. Ever since his mother passed away 8 years ago on the coast, his father had refused to go near the water. They had been living in Florida, and despite the humidity that was ungodly at times, Florida was a wonderful place to live. They’d gone down to the ocean and it was a beautiful sunny day. Kurt’s mother had taken him out into the tides to play when a rip current pulled them both under. Burt immediately was able to grab Kurt and pull him back but his mom was taken away. They closed down the beach and searched for her, they even sent divers down to recover her body in the depths but they couldn’t find her. She was gone, and when they thought he wasn’t listening they told Burt there was a good chance the body could have been found by sharks. Kurt wanted to tell them off but he kept to himself. Up until the day they moved from that place he would go out to the beach and stare out into the ocean expecting to see her again. He expected her to just pop out of the water and say ‘it was all a prank, I’m here Kurty’ like she always did, but she never appeared and soon he lost hope.
One would think after such a horrific experience Kurt would want to stay away from the ocean. On the contrary, when Rachel suggested New Directions take a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina he jumped on the chance to go. It stunned his friends, to be sure, but the ocean was the ocean. No matter how many horribly dressed, sun burned red-necks would be walking around. At least Kurt could reiterate and possibly educate more people on the proper ways of fashion. A t-shirt with ‘surfer dude’ on the front was NOT considered a dress by any means. Rachel’s father owned a property in the vicinity so room and board was no issue. It seemed like a relatively random location, but an escape from the mundane rituals of high school was an escape. An escape from those Neanderthals was a welcome invitation. The only thing not welcomed was the ‘Very Brady’ plane ride that seemed to happen once Rachel found a good song. When Kurt says ‘Very Brady’ he meant the whole gig with dancing, singing, and attempting to get the other passengers to join in. This was when he decisively put in his earphones. Not that he was going to admit it out loud but he really hated planes. He was meant to be on land or in water, not in the sky. It is what it is.
Once they landed and found their way to Rachel’s dads house they changed for a bit of exploring on the boardwalk. Unlike his fellow classmates of New Directions who donned swimsuits and tacky sundresses Kurt actually dressed fashionably. He would not be caught dead in those polyester nightmares they called swim trucks. Instead he donned a pair of knee length khaki shorts with a form-fitting tank top and a blue vest over that. Kurt was not ignorant, the heat would be killer so best to dress sensibly and the blue of the vest would really make him pop in the crowd. Oh holy night! Kurt thought HE was going to pop but no, only Rachel Berry would wear that hideous monstrosity with the ruffle bikini top and dolphin bows. Note made to burn that later. With his Chanel sunglasses in place he hooked arms with Quinn and Brittany--they caught him first--and took off to the boardwalk. Kurt should have known what would be spotted first. At of all the shops this one made everyone stop and either giggle or outright laugh. Brittany merely hugged his arm tighter and said she had the best gay dolphin around. No gift store could outshine Kurt Hummel, and he had to agree. He was almost terrified to walk into a store called ‘The Gay Dolphin’ and he would avoid it like the plague if need be. This, however, did not stop Santana for making countless jokes about it.
They took off after that, strutting across the boardwalk past the multiple henna shops and bars. Seriously, how many bars and henna parlors did one boardwalk need? It was ridiculous. They passed by Ripley’s Believe it or not before it came into sight. The ocean and all it’s seemingly never-ending glory. If Kurt was a lesser person he would have cheered and ran to it.
“Last one to the ocean loses their boxers,” Finn yelled. Like that, Kurt sighed. Sure enough the other men took off after him with Puck pushing Artie, and they wondered why they weren’t attractive. Kurt and the girls followed at a slower pace, Brittany pointing out the planes flying out overhead with their super big kites. She asked in all that innocence of hers how they managed to get those in the sky. Kurt gently explained to her they were planes advertising stores, TV shows, and the likes. She turned to him and asked, “But the planes are so small, don’t the kites eat them?” Sweet innocent thing, isn’t she?
They descended those poorly constructed steps, stepping out onto hot sand. Ahead Puck was already ducking Finn in the water and the other guys were being guys, splashing and rough housing. Artie lay on the beach, watching and building a sand castle. Brittany rushed over to help him, launching into how she can make the perfect mermaid palace. Artie shot them a helpless look to say ‘not again’, they just had reinforced her belief in Santa six months ago, not this again. They could not go through this again.
Mercedes took Kurt’s now open arm. “Come on, white boy, it may be salt water but I read somewhere this stuff is actually good for the skin.”
“You’re actually right Merce. Some theories go that the salt water helps eliminate those toxins in open pores. I am not against experimental skin care in the least.” Kurt removed his vest and tank top, asking Quinn to take care of them for him. Quinn, still self-conscious of her stretch marks, was choosing to stay full clothed. Kurt’s khakis were not ideal swimwear but they were also not that expensive so wetting them slightly would not hurt them. Toeing off his shoes he bid the other girls good-bye and walked towards the water with Mercedes. The surf was small and the rip currents minimal which was a very good thing. Mercedes waded out, turning her back to the waves with a laugh. Kurt smiled at her before diving head first under the water and swimming out a bit. He couldn’t explain it but the moment he went under he felt so alive, so comfortable. He flew through the water, breathing it in as if it were air, spinning as if he were a fish. At one point he even laid back and just kicked his feet moving against the currents, it felt so wonderful, almost like he was meant to be in the water. When he felt as if he’d been under long enough, not even out of breath, he emerged from the water tossing his hair back as if he was Ariel herself. It took a second for his eyes to focus but the moment they did he was forced back under by a wave. This time he actually spluttered and shot for the surface. Whistles were blowing from the shore and faintly he heard shouts. Kurt spun around, eyes nearly bugging out of his head. There was no way he had swam out this far. He was a good ten feet past the buoy that marked the safe swim line. To his left he could see one of those pier restaurants, and he was far past that as well. He was to far out into the ocean to be safe, now he was panicking, even as the lifeguards jumped into the water.
Another wave forced him under, this time he went into full panic mood as he saw something shoot past him in the dark depths. It was huge, moving to irregularly to be a dolphin, it moved like a serpent or abnormally large fish. Oh god, he was going to die, wasn’t he? One little cut and a drop of blood and he’d be done for.
“Hey, you, would you stop kicking around!”
Kurt spun around, having heard a voice yelling at him.
“Thanks! Now it’s completely gone, wonderful, because those seashells didn’t take me days to collect.”
Where was that voice coming from? Suddenly a rainbow fish popped up in front of he, he swore to god it was glaring at him. It looked to be a primarily yellow fish and it scales almost seemed to glitter.
It poked out a fin to push his shoulder. “You ruined my cozy little sand palace. I only come up one month out of every year to collect sparkly human junk. I need my house and now you’ve ruined it. It’s gone.”
A fish is talking to him. A fish is talking! To him! Oh god this had to be a dream! Fish don’t talk.
“Are you going to help me fix it or not?”
Kurt shook his head and took off, not really knowing where he was going or what direction. He just knew he was pushing water back with his arms and propelling himself forward. Kurt didn’t really care where he went as long as it was towards shore.
“HEY! Don’t go that way,” the fish, rather, imagination yelled. “Trigger’s domain is that way. You cross into there you are free game and he’s been testier than usual since Portia came around.” Kurt kept swimming, he just had to. “You’re brave wanting to take on a tiger shark. Sharks aren’t my thing, I avoid them at all costs.”
Shark? Did his imagination say shark? He started struggling trying to perform a 180 only to find himself in a strangled gasp. Suddenly it felt as if his lungs were closing, no air was getting to him anymore. He was undeniably drowning. Kurt gargled for breath, trying to fight past his tangle of limbs to get back to the surface. It was to far, he was falling deeper down. The imagination shot over to him, bouncing on his chest.
“Stupid! Breathe! Don’t choke! Breathe!”
Breathe? How can he breathe where this is no oxygen? The water was getting heavier as he sank further down. His head felt light and he knew he was drowning. Kurt blinked his eyes, falling still in surrender.
“-aine…chocking…” Was the imagination still talking? What was that gripping his arm now? Was his body moving? Kurt’s brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen, he didn’t know what was going on anymore. “-uman?” the imagination yelled. He was truly starting to fall out of it now, no more. It was time to sleep. Sleep was good for the skin. With that his eyes closed and he gave into the dream.
-o-o-o-
A mouth. Hot air. Hard pumps. “Come on, kid, breathe!” Why did everyone keep telling him to breathe? The mouth touched Kurt’s again, hot air being forced into his body.
“Come on, Kurt, please don’t die,” he faintly heard Mercedes plead.
“Kurt, your dad will kill me when he trusted me to protect you,” Finn shouted. “So wake up! Right now!”
“Kurtie, whose soft baby hands will I hold? Whose going to be my gay shark?” Brittany called through obvious tears. He wished they’d be quiet, they were more dramatic then those telenovelas that were Kurt’s guilty pleasure. The mouth descended again, forcing more breath into his body, this time when the hard pumps to his chest came he couldn’t stop the hacking cough and lunge forward, spluttering out water. Finn was surprisingly the first person to grab him, followed by Rachel who had pushed Mercedes, then Brittany, then Mercedes and then the rest of the glee club.
“He’s okay!” the lifeguard yelled, a round of applause breaking out. Following the round of applause a woman holding a channel 4 news microphone pushed through the crowd. Her suit was most definitely JCPenny, so much so it made me want throw seaweed on her.
“This is Cheryl Growburg with Wktz4 news. We come to you live with a breaking news story, a day of fun at the beach turns into horror when a friend goes missing. Jumping in waves, splashing each other, all fun and games until the rip currents grab hold. Just over two hours was young Kurt Hummel here lost out in the ocean, pulled by currents. They feared the worse, even considering making plans to start a search for the body that would undoubtedly turn up. But unlike most tragic current tales this one has a happy ending. Young Kurt here was miraculously found just 11 feet from the show line, having been brought back by waves. After 15 minutes of CPR he sits here now, cold, wet, but very much alive. How do you feel?” she rambled then ask, shoving the microphone in Kurt’s face. With the usual swipe back of his bangs he shook his head in a ‘no comment’ manner. He didn’t feel like talking for once. Really he just wanted a nice hot bath, some herbal tea, and a comforting bed with goose feather pillows.
Puck was Kurt’s saving grace as he told the lady to back off, wrapping a towel around his friend’s shoulders. As if they were the secret service they huddled him back up to the boardwalk, across the street and to the parking lot where Rachel’s dad was waiting to pick them up. The adult rushed out, helping them into the large minivan. It was a tight squeeze but he was eager to get out before he had to mow down news crews. That would not be pleasant. Funny, but not at all pleasant.
When they returned to the home Kurt requested that Mercedes unpack his pillows for him--he always brought his own. While the Berrys graciously allowed Kurt to use the master bathroom with it’s spa tub considering the trauma he had just experienced. Mike, being the only one really comfortable around naked Kurt, helped him make a bath and climb in. Kurt was grateful that Mike wasn’t at all bothered by seeing the gay kid naked; most footballers were as if there was something vastly different on a homosexual male’s body. Mike laughed when Kurt voiced this, shrugging. “A guy is a guy, I see them naked all the time. Locker rooms, you get use to it.” He left the bathroom closing the door after giving him a gentle smile. Kurt heard him walk downstairs before his voice traveled through the air vent.
“Dude, there are marks on Kurt. Like hand marks.”
Kurt looked down at my body, noticing the welts on his arm made from a tight grip. Upon further inspection he also saw a similar mark on his left hip. Had something grabbed a hold of him? A lifeguard maybe?
“I saw those too,” Quinn pitched in. “I thought it might have been the lifeguards at first but they’re…”
“They’re to dark to been made by the lifeguards,” Mike agreed.
“MERMAIDS!” Brittany gasped. “A mermaid saved Kurt and brought him to shore.
A mermaid? He had to scoff, but at the same time his brain whirled. Mermaids were half human and half fish, that meant they were human but they were able to breath under water. They had tails of a fish, which meant their swimming patterns were irregular and what is he thinking? There’s no such things as mermaids, they’re about as real as Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.
Turning off the water with his foot Kurt looked at the dirtying water with a cringe of disgust. He shook his head before taking a deep breath, he had seriously gone mad. Slowly Kurt lowered under the water and lay there, counting. After 60 seconds he began to slowly blow out, letting the bubbles rise. Another 60 seconds past, he felt nothing not even an inkling of burning. Another 60 seconds, the only thing he felt was how disgusting this water was becoming. 60 more seconds later he realized that his hair would need a deep conditioning because that salt water, while good for the pores, did nothing for the scalp. 35 seconds later he heard the door creak open, 10 seconds later he was staring at the stunned face of Mike Chang who pulled him out of the tub. “What the hell, Kurt?”
“I was seeing how long I could hold my breath,” he told him, which was very true.
“Are you insane? Finn, come in here and help me shower Kurt,” Mike called out. Hesitantly, Finn peaked into the bathroom before helping, looking anywhere but his step-brother‘s body. His closeted homophobia was truly starting to annoy Kurt. “Man, would you stop,” Mike sighed. “He’s got the same type of body we do, damn, besides that I think he was just trying to drown himself.”
“I told you, I was seeing how long I could hold my breath.”
“Kurt,” Finn sighed, helping the slighter boy into the shower. Did Kurt honestly look like the type of person to commit suicide? They better not be thinking ‘poor gay kid that was ruthlessly bullied, having had a near-death experience now wants to take his life’. Kurt would seriously throw a bitch fit if that’s what they’re thinking and by the looks on their faces that’s exactly what they’re thinking. Shrugging them off none to kindly he stepped into the shower on his own.
“I’ll be down in ten minutes,” Kurt told them, stepping into the separate shower. They looked at him skeptically for a moment before nodding and leaving.
Like he promised he came downstairs ten minutes later, everyone rushing to aid him like an invalid.
“Kurt! Kurt!” Brittany called, pulling him to the couch. She had changed into footie pajamas with snowflakes on them. Kurt didn’t think she fully grasped the concept of seasonal wear. Regardless she pulled out a bag and placed it between them. “While you were taking a bath I had Mr. Berry take me to The Gay Dolphin. I found this,” she exclaimed, pulling a glass mermaid out of the bag. “Like the one that saved you,” she smiled. The mermaid was pale, with a glistening purple and pink tail. She sat upon a rock, her eyes staring off into the distance, a hand twirling in her long blonde locks. Purple shells covered her breasts, and a starfish necklace adorned her neck. Brittany dug in her bag again pulling out a book. “She’s the mermaid from this book,” she pointed. “She’s princess Atala, the middle sister of the three princesses.” Her eyes lit up as she looked the room over. She wanted to read to them, meaning Puck was already escaping, followed by Finn. Artie stayed out of mere respect for his girlfriend, otherwise Kurt was sure he’d be ducking out as well. Brittany smiled at the remaining boy and the girls, and Artie--Sam and Mike having ducked out as well. She opened the book and started in.
“Once upon a time there were three beautiful mermaid princesses,” she began, eyes wide with excitement. Kurt had a feeling she believed The Little Mermaid was a true story. “The father was the king of the great Mer city of Atlantis. The three princesses were named Marianna, Atala, and Elizabeth. Marianna was an ambitious girl, ready to take the throne when her father stepped down. Atala had eyes only for mermen and loved taking suitors. Elizabeth liked to sing, and wished to rule Atlantis in her sister’s stead fearing the laws Marianna would put in place over the other sea creatures. Sensing his daughter’s distress he decided he would give his two younger daughters a gift of their choosing. Atala wished only to have a pheromone that would attract all men, human or mer. Elizabeth wished to see the world above the sea. Her father granted her a stay on land for 10 years.” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, this story was so one dimensional. It was obvious that Elizabeth would fall in love and wish to stay on land as a human forever. Her father being doting would happily grant that. “Elizabeth met a human man and they instantly fell in love. In no time Elizabeth became pregnant with a child. News of this reached the sea and by mer law Marianna was made to give up the throne in favor of her youngest sister who had bore an heir. Atala did not wish to bear a child, and agreed to follow whoever took the throne may it be Marianna or Elizabeth. Marianna, however, did not give up. For her remaining years she searched desperately, tried to conceive a child, but was left with no such luck.
Elizabeth’s time on life expired after 10 years. Their father waited till Elizabeth had once again entered the ocean, and immediately pulled her back to her home. Her 8 year old son was meant to come as well but Marianna found her opening. She cursed Elizabeth’s royal shell necklace, which was tore from her neck and left to lie on the ocean floor. As part of the curse the seconds before Elizabeth’s son was rescued from the sea he was wrapped in a slow change. Slowly he would turn, but the time would pass and it would be to late. At 18 the boy would die on land and Marianna would have the throne again. Elizabeth cried and cried, fearing for her son’s life but she could do nothing. Her son had to find the jewel himself, break it and he would be set free, returned to his home under the sea. Now they wait with Marianna on the throne, Elizabeth praying her son would return to her, return to the sea where he belonged. The End.” Brittany closed the book, hugging it to her chest.
“That was the end?” Quinn questioned. “What happened to the son? The mother? What happened?”
Brittany picked up her stature looking at it. “The lady at the store said that Elizabeth can be sighted looking for son. Atala sits out on rocks by international waters, hoping to lure human men off cruise ships. She can be seen chasing ships, those big ones with the tinkling machines. See? I bet you were saved by Elizabeth or Atala.”
Hesmiled at her, not offering much more. That sounded like a Disney tale if he’d ever heard one. If it made Brittany happy then he could at least act happy. With a fake yawn Kurt stretched my arms, excusing himself to bed. They bid him goodnight, it was that easy.
-o-
Kurt wasn’t one for stealing, stealing was beneath him, but he needed to go to the ocean again. He needed to find that talking fish or the thing that had grabbed him, crazy as it sounded. So maybe a small bubble in his heart made him think his mother was still alive. That the Elizabeth in the story was in fact his own mother, that she was some kind of mermaid looking for him even to this day. It was a ridiculous bubble, but a bubble none-the-less. Taking Mr. Berry’s keys off the hook Kurt snuck out the front door and took the small Acura they kept for family trips. If anyone woke up from the sound he didn’t see them as he took off down the empty roads back towards the boardwalk. Once a person saw the path once, it wasn’t hard to find again, the roads were practically a circle. All one had to do was pass the fifty mini-golf courses, pass the HardRock and Planet Hollywood and there were plenty of places to turn out to the beach. Pulling into a parking space, he ignored the meter since he seriously doubted police would be patrolling this late at night.
Taking one last deep breath he exited the car to begin his walk down to the beach. Like a mantra he repeated, ‘this is crazy’ over and over just under his breath. This was more crazy than the time he wore nine dollar Wal-mart sweatpants, merely because dad gave them to him for Christmas. That had been mere wool infested insanity compared to this.
Not until his feet touched the sand did he realize he was barefoot. Kurt tried desperately not to think about how many diseases he might have just picked up. God, he was really out of his mind about this. Regardless he trudged across the sand to stand in the surf, staring out into the dark. Behind him a loving couple walked along the beach, whispering sweet nothings to each other. A buoy far out bounced with a faint ring of a bell, it’s red light shining for the cruise ships that were still out. Kurt kicked his feet in the surf, wading a bit further so the water pushed against his calves. Faintly he felt the current pull at him, but oddly weaker than earlier.
“What do we have here?” a gruff voice called out. Kurt looked around for the source, wondering if he had offended someone with his moonlight fabulous-ness. “Down here, nitwit.”
He jumped back, falling into the water at the sight of the glaring tiger shark. A shark. Oh crap, a shark and dear god, it was talking to him.
“You mer people think you can just swim wherever you please, doesn’t matter if a territory is clearly marked. I got my eye on that Pavarotti, I see the way he eyeballs my rock,” the shark said, turning to Kurt and glaring further. “You’re lucky that Blaine saved you, he’s got respect for domains. Decent kid that Blaine, but I tell you what, Blaine or not next time you step in my domain I’m going to make mince meat out of you, got it?” he snarled, snapping his jaw with it three row of viciously sharp teeth. He attempted to move back without setting the angry fish off, but he kept advancing. “Then again, I could just finish you off now. Save myself the trouble in the future….”
“Trigger you made your peace. Leave him be,” a new voice commanded, that sounded very human. Trigger, the shark, spun around just as a man emerged from the water. He swam closer, pushing his curly black locks back.
Kurt willed his beating heart to be still as the man approached, his figure becoming clearer. He was gorgeous more than gorgeous even. Chiseled, built, but not to built, to hold and protect not to crush, that perfect body void of hair. Brown eyes smiled at me, something in those eyes made this man seemed indescribably dapper.
“Tattle-fish,” the sharked glared at the tiny rainbow trout. The fish in question turned it’s tail fin to the shark splashing it. “Keep him out of my home, and I won’t rip his tail off, that is when he gets one. But if you become chum first,” he turned back to Kurt, grinning. “I’ll happy get rid of the remains.”
“Off with you Trigger,” the dapper man ordered.
The brown and beige colored tiger-shark bowed his head. “Whatever the all powerful merman commands.” With that the shark swam away, splashing water in Kurt’s face. Blaine, as he had previously been called, shot a glare at the shark before swimming up to Kurt and sitting next to him. Kurt stared at the shimmering scales of navy blue, with underlying red. The fish’s tail splashed lightly against the waves, the reds glistening in the moonlight.
“Y-you’re a…a…mermaid!”
“Merman is the correct term,” Blaine smiled, sliding his hand back and forth in the surf.
“You’re the man that saved me,” Kurt surmised.
“Sorry about those marks, the waves became progressively stronger. I’m thinking it might have been your body trying to accommodate your panic. That happens a lot with new transitions.”
“New transitions?”
“Into a merman,” the rainbow trout scoffed, a large silver chain around it. “I found this for my house.”
“Wait? I’m a merman?”
“There’s zero doubt,” Blaine nodded. “You can breathe underwater, you talk to fish, and you aren’t feeling how truly cold the water is around you. Your body isn’t reacting to it either.”
Kurt hadn’t noticed before that the water was cold. In fact it felt lukewarm to him, and his skin wasn’t bluing either.
“I’m Blaine, by the way,” the merman introduced, holding his hand out. Kurt took it, shaking it, surprised at how warm it was.
“Kurt,” he responded, swallowing heavily. Pavarotti rolled his eyes, pushing between the two.
“They fall easily for Blaine, but he’s waiting for his promised suitor. Her highness’s son, the prince himself, who we don’t know even exists,” Pavarotti taunted, causing Blaine to turn red.
“He exists. I know that sounds weird, but I’m a romantic. See, I was adopted by Marianna, she found me when I was merely 4. I was promised that if I found him, I’d be able to wed him. I was 8 at that time, and jumped at the chance not even thinking if he’d like other merman. He could be a mermaid type of guy, I never thought about it I just know he’ll be returning home soon.”
“Pardon me if I’m slightly lost.”
“You’re one of those mermen born on land,” Pavarotti huffed. “Means you’ll return to Atlantis when you turn 16. Mer-people born under the water, as according to the law set by the 12th king, are given the option to see land till their 16 birthday or if they are of age, they are allowed a 10 year stint on land.”
“I’m 17,” Kurt told them. “I turn 18 in three months.”
Pavarotti and Blaine exchanged looks. “You’re 17 but haven’t changed yet?” Blaine questioned.
“This is the first time I’ve been back to the ocean since I was 8.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Blaine informed him, shaking his head. “Even bath water can cause the change. Lake water as well, so unless you’ve avoided water for the past 10 years…” Suddenly Blaine’s eyes widened. “Your highness?” he whispered.
“No way,” Pavarotti awed. “You think he’s the prince?”
“The prince can only return with the power of his mother’s stone. His body begins to undergo the change but he can’t fully become a merman until he breaks his mother’s stone.”
Kurt blinked. “Well, I should be going. The Berrys will be worried and….”
“Please don’t go,” Blaine called, grabbing Kurt’s hands. “I apologize, your highness, but if you are who we think you are then you can’t return. You need to find your mother’s stone so you may return to your people. If you return her highness Elizabeth will have the throne.”
“My mother died 10 years ago off the coast of Florida, alright?” he stood up, looking forlornly at his now ruined pants. “Tomorrow, I’ll wake up in my bed, down in the basement. This will all have been a dream. No talking fish, sharks, or mermaids.”
“Merman,” Blaine corrected.
“Right,” Kurt nodded. “Well see you.”
“Wait!” Pavarotti yelled as Kurt hurriedly walked up the beach. “HEY! HEY!”
“It’s fine, Pavarotti, we’ll send Wes as his protector. You know Wes, a very no nonsense type of merman. He’ll protect Kurt.”
“Whatever you say, Blaine, whatever you say.”
-o-o-o-
“It’s truly not a problem Burt. Kurt has been through a trauma. Both the car and Kurt were here this morning so really it’s no cause for concern,” Mr. Berry continued to placate the other father. “Yes, I assure you, we’ll be leaving tomorrow and till then we’ll make sure Kurt stays inside. Yes, he truly just needs a little calm down time. Of course you can talk to him the moment he wakes up. The other kids are out at Ripley’s Believe it or Not, they’ll be going to HardRock for dinner or Planet Hollywood as Rachel suggested, but I’ll keep you updated. Of course. You take care Burt, alright, bye.” With that Mr. Berry hung up his phone to return to his cooking. A knock came from the front door, startling him. He hadn’t expected any visitors and the kids had only been out for an hour or so. Regardless, he went to answer it, surprised to see an unfamiliar boy standing on the other side. He seemed to be Asian with black hair that clung to his forehead like he had just come from swimming. Jean shorts covered his lower half, while a white tank top covered his top, a pair of flip-flops finished off the quintessential beach look.
“I’m looking for Kurt,” he said, his tone suggesting he was all business.
“I apologize, but he’s sleeping.”
The teen ignored him, entering the home and toeing his shoes off at the mat. “Where is he residing?”
Mr. Berry looked at the boy in offense. “Excuse me but…”
“Never mind,” the boy sighed, having spotted Kurt on the pull out sofa. None to gently he pushed on Kurt’s shoulder, jolting the boy awake. “I apologize for rudely awakening you, your highness, but Blaine has requested that you be protected on land. I am Wesley, fourth son of Shira, your mother’s protector.”
“No!” Kurt pointed. “No! That was all a dream. Last night was not real, alright? I’m not…” Kurt looked to Mr. Berry before hissing out. “A mermaid.”
“You are, and you will return to your kingdom. You do not truly wish to stay among these humans do you? They are so, un-evolved. Thousands of years of evolution and look around you,” Wesley grimaced at the thought. “Humans, are the reason we live so far below, much cleaner. Now, I have no desire to baby-sit an obstinate prince. Your highness will do as I say for your safe safety. Do you not think Her Majesty Marianna would not like to see you done for?”
Kurt hid under his blanket, shaking his head. “This is not happening. Not to me.”
With a roll of his eyes, Wesley took a seat in a near by chair, picking up an issue of Vogue. “I have time to wait while you whine. It is you is racing the hourglass.”
“What do you mean?” Kurt asked, peeking over the edge of his blanket. Wesley sighed, placing the magazine only to catch sight of Brittany’s book. He picked it up, opening it.
“Seems you already know,” he flipped through the pages, stopping and handing it to him. “If you do not find your mother’s stone by sunrise of your 18th birthday you will die. From what I understand you have less than two months left.”
“This is…”
“A tail passed down for the past 10 years among our people. The day your mother returned was meant to be your own return but your human father pulled you out of the water. Her Majesty Marianna saw an opening and cursed you. It would have been more beneficial for you to find out sooner, however, we have little time to fret. If you will allow me, I’ll escort you to the ocean. From there Blaine can take over, David and myself will follow.”
Kurt blinked, looking between Wesley and the book. “Follow where?”
“To where her highness Elizabeth returned.”
“What? Mom disappeared off the coast of Florida. We were at Sunny Isles Beach out by North Miami, do you know how far that is from here? I do NOT want to have to fly down there, then have to fly back up to Ohio, no thank you.”
“For one, once you find the stone, your change will be complete, there will be no returning to land. Second, we would swim. We are half fish, not half bird.”
“SWIM?!” Kurt yelled, falling off the bed, making Mr. Berry rush back in the room. Kurt gave him a smile saying he was fine and he could go back to cooking. Mr. Berry gave him one last look before leaving. “Are you critical? That’s got to be over 600 miles.”
“I admit, the trip will take a couple of days, depending how close to the shore we stay. Sharks can be a bit hostile so we’ll need to avoid them the best we can, and we shouldn’t encounter whales if we don’t go out to far out. It’s safer not to bring Pavarotti, he likes to be the fanciest fish in the bunch, and generally gets himself in trouble.”
“You’re insane, I can’t swim 600 miles, my body will dehydrate.”
“You’re not getting the fact that you’re a merman, do you? You may not be a full merman yet, but your body has accommodated enough to handle it. You may need to rest more often, and you probably can’t swim as low, but you should be able to make it with little difficulty.”
“You’re insane,” Kurt sighed, collapsing against the bed. “This was all supposed to be a dream.”
“I’m insane? Are you sure you met Blaine? Then again, he risked exposing himself to save your life when you panicked. Now shall we go?”
“Wait! Before, you said I’d never come back to land, what about my dad?”
“Honestly,” Wesley sighed, standing up. “Which do you think he’d prefer? You dead, or alive, even though you’re living in the ocean? It wouldn’t be hard for him to see you, all he’d have to do it go to the lake or ocean and you could see him. Now, can we please depart?”
“I-I…”
“I don’t have time for this. I do not like land, I want to return to the ocean. The human won’t even realize we’ve left, can we leave now.”
Kurt was hesitant, but nodded. A part him was afraid that all this was true, that he really would really die if he didn’t go with this man. It was insanity but nothing made sense since the day 10 years ago on the beach.
-
It took them less than ten minutes to get to the beach. Wesley shook his head, making a comment about how humans had zero respect for the beach. The humans didn’t realize that once high tide came in all the holes they made or trash they left would become inconveniences to those who lived there.
“Kurt, whatcha doing out here?” Mercedes yelled, running up to her best friend.
“Mercedes, I have to say, this bathing suit looks fabulous on you,” Kurt smiled, looking over her choice of swimwear.
“Thank you, Santana and I decided to get our tan on while everyone else went to the haunted house. Brittany is in the ocean chasing fish,” Mercedes smiled, pointing to the blonde who kept jumping in the waves.
He smiled, waving to said girl that had caught sight of him. “I thought I’d go for a swim. I can’t stay scared because of a minor drowning experience.”
“You go for it, Kurt, personally I’m staying up here and waiting for Quinn and then we’re going to go shopping. You can come with if you’d like.”
“Oh yeah, count on it, I love dressing you girls,” he agreed.
“Your highness, if you would,” Wesley said quietly, removing his shirt. Mercedes peered around Kurt, lifting her sunglasses, eyes roaming Wesley’s body.
“Damn! Please Kurt tell me he’s not on your team.”
“WES! LET’S GO!” a voice yelled from the ocean. Wes turned to the water, waving to a shirtless male wading out in waist high waters. Grabbing Kurt’s arm, Wes pulled him towards the water.
“Remove your shirt,” Wes ordered. Kurt looked at him for a moment before doing so and following him out into the water. The met up with the other boy who bowed his head.
“Your highness. He does look the mirror image of Her highness doesn’t he? Well, shall we go? Blaine will meet us a two miles out,” David informed them. “Wes, is his eyes adjusted to water yet?”
“According to Blaine, no, his eyes aren’t adjusted.”
“Then we have no choice but to bring Pavarotti with us, his scales illuminate enough for his highness to follow.”
“I believe I heard my name,” Pavarotti called, popping out of the water, shaking his fins. “Naturally you are in need of a fabulous fish such as myself. You both have more scales than myself and yet, I outshine you both.”
“Let’s get going,” Wes commanded. “Pavarotti, stay close to his highness. David, don’t smack your tail on the water, and your highness, please do not panic when you can’t see. You can breathe underwater, just breathe as you would naturally on land. David, go on ahead.”
David nodded, lowering under the water and swimming off. Kurt saw his long fish tale become a shadow under the waves before the man disappeared completely. Wes lowered under the water as well his legs now a long tail of yellows and orange. Pavarotti motioned with his head for Kurt to follow. Taking a deep breath Kurt lowered under the water following Pavarotti as he skimmed across the bottom. He felt slow compared to the others as his arms and legs pushed against the water, occasionally getting thrown off by the heavier waves.
“Hey, don’t slow down, speed up,” Pavarotti called, spinning with a flourish.
“I’m trying,” Kurt yelled at the fish, surprised that his words came out clear and not as air bubbles.
“Trying? Just swim, it’s not hard.”
“I don’t have a tail, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Excuses. Excuses,” Pavarotti sang, swimming around Kurt’s head.
“Pavarotti, stop taunting him,” Wes called from ahead of them.
“But he’s swimming so slow and kicking his legs like a frog. How do they teach you humans to swim on land? At least he’s not trying to swim like a merman without his tail. I always have to laugh at how ridiculous that looks.”
“How much further do we have to swim out?”
“Another mile,” David answered from ahead of him. “How do you feel?
“Fine. I feel absolutely fine,” Kurt answered.
“CURRENT!” Pavarotti yelled, being swept backwards by the sudden shift in the water. Kurt felt the push against his chest, forcing him backwards. The force of said current caused him to lose his breath, causing him to flail. Not being able to hold on under water he resurfaced, gasping the sea air in. Wes and David popped out of the water moments later. In the distance whistles started blaring as a lifeguard caught sight of the three. The lifeguards immediately rushed out into the water, boards in hand.
“We can out swim them easily,” David called. Wes nodded, swimming over to Kurt.
“More trouble than you’re worth, your highness,” he sighed, diving back under the water holding Kurt’s wrist. The change in speed was surreal to Kurt. When he’d been swimming alone he felt fast, but being pulled along by Wes showed him differently. Now he shot through the water next to the merman, ripping through the water, even when currents pressed against him. All the while his brain told him he should chock or cough or fight, but his body did not respond. It relished in the water’s rough but flowing movement. His lungs breathed in the water, not even making him cough. The cold of the water, even at a change of depth didn’t bother him. It was obvious this is where his body was meant to be. He didn’t feel out of place here, except for lacking a tail.
When they reached the meeting spot, Wes jerked Kurt upwards both surfacing above the water, Blaine smiling at them.
“Your highness,” Blaine bowed, shooting a 1000-watt smile at the prince, making said boy blush.
“Well, seems we had nothing to worry about with the betrothal aspect,” David laughed, looking between the two.
“David, not now,” Wes sighed. “The humans are swimming out, no doubt soon they’ll have boats out looking for us or at least his highness. It’s to dangerous to skim the surface.”
“We can’t very well stay on the floor either. Right here alone is a good thirty feet deep, beyond that Kurt won’t be able to handle the water pressure. His body isn’t completely transitioned yet.”
“He’s fine at least at 20 feet, we can probably push a little further down, but his highnesses ears will be vulnerable to the pressure,” Wes elaborated.
“Either way, guys, we should get going. Looks like the lifeguards are scrambling jet skis,” David pointed out.
Blaine swam over to Kurt, giving him another heart pounding smile. “I’ll stay with you, alright?”
“Y-yeah,” Kurt nodded.
“Let’s go 15 miles out and then head south towards Florida.”
“Are you sure it’s 15?” Wes questioned.
“What’s 15?” Kurt asked.
“They’ll no doubt come looking for you, but they can’t cross into international waters. I believe it’s international at 7 but we’re going out 15 miles to be safe, alright?” Blaine explained, not being able to help but push Kurt’s wet hair back. Kurt blushed a deeper red than Blaine’s tale before nodding dumbly. “Don’t worry, your highness, I’ll protect you.”
“Y-You don’t have to keep calling me that. You can call me Kurt.”
“I know, your highness.”
If Kurt hadn’t met this man for the first time 12 hours ago, he’d be declaring his love to him already.
“Let’s go,” Blaine called, lowering under the water, bringing Kurt down with him. “Pavarotti, stay in front of Kurt so he can see, but please don’t get yourself eaten.”
“Not funny,” Pavarotti shivered.
“Your highness can stay close to myself.”
A complex was slowly developing within Kurt as Blaine wrapped a secure arm around his waist and took off swimming. Wes and David both rolled their eyes, taking off ahead of the two.
David swam closer to Wes shaking his head at the other merman. “Didn’t Her majesty say get close to Kurt not fall in love with him?”
“This is going to prove problematic. My brother’s maybe proud of being second-rate protectors but I’m not. Blaine needs to re-access where his loyalties lie.”
“He’s moved this to fast. Kurt will find the sea-shell before his birthday.”
“It’s fine, I’m sure Her Majesty has a plan in that event, but Blaine…”
“He’s actually falling in love with the prince, need he be reminded that Kurt is going to die? I mean we all know Elizabeth is a very sweet woman, but she’s not fit to rule Atlantis,” David sighed, looking back at them.
“Maybe we can do this subtly. Taking his highness deeper under the water than he can handle, that will remind Blaine that the boy will never be one of us. He’ll die a human.”
David tsk’d, turning to his back and placing his arms behind his head. His tail pushed against the water as he swerved along. “Tragic.”
Pavarotti looked at the two before looking at Blaine. Blaine looked to be pointedly ignoring them as he talked to Kurt about the salt in the water. Did it burn his eyes? How was his hearing? Did he feel like he was getting swimmer’s ear? It was truly inane conversation but Pavarotti was worried. He’d known Blaine for a very long time and Blaine never once acknowledged Marianna as a mother. Would he really kill Kurt?
“How far have we swam so far?” Kurt asked, the words coming out with slight bubbles.
“Just about 3 miles,” Blaine answered. “Are you tired? Do you need to stop?”
“I’m fine,” Kurt answered with a shake of his head. “You’re doing most of the swimming, all I have to do is kick my legs,” he laughed. “I have to say though, this whole situation seems very Little Mermaid, if you’ve ever heard of it.”
“I think I have. That’s the story about the mermaid that feel in love with the human, right? Gave up her voice for a chance at his love or something like that?”
“That’s the one,” Kurt affirmed.
“Which is actually ridiculous. Because unless we are in human form our voices can’t be understood by humans. I guess if there was a word for it we speak Mermish.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow at this. “Like in Harry Potter?”
Blaine couldn’t help but laugh. “Do humans have a pop culture reference for everything? I’m not sure how Mermish sounds in Harry Potter but in reality to humans it sounds like gurgling, or perhaps croaking. I guarantee you don’t sound beautiful and melodic like Ariel would have you believe. Actually, it’s a very rare gift to be able to sing beautifully under water.”
“Can you sing?”
“Above water yes, in the water, not so much,” Blaine chuckled.
“Guys! Boat ahead, I hear a sonar!” David yelled back, before diving under and swimming rapidly downward. Wes followed suit, looking to Blaine.
“What are they doing?”
“The boat has a fish sonar, it’ll pick up on us, they’re swimming to the floor to get outside it’s range. Assuming it’s a low-tech one it’ll only pick up to 100 feet or so.”
Kurt gulped. “How deep is the water now?”
“About 175 feet or so, there’s some major drop offs along the bottom. I’m going to take you down a little further down and then I’m going to push through. The sonar won’t pick up on you, but it will immediately pick me up. Watch out for hooks if it’s a fishing boat.”
-
“John, you left the blood bait at home, didn’t ya? Susan will never forgive me if we attract a shark out here.”
“Yeah I left it in the truck,” John answered, tiring off his lure. “Are you sure we’re still in US lines, we don’t need the coastguard getting us for being to far out.”
“We’re fine, I got the map and everything, I’ve seen people out here before. There’s a lot of trenches around here, lots of place for schools to gather.”
“Yeah, Melanie has been wanting a fish fry for a while and…holy shit, Nate come look at this,” John called his friend over to the fish finder. “What the hell is that?”
“Shit, I hope that’s not a shark,” Nate cursed, starting at the fish finder. The man turned away from the finder to look over the edge. The water was to dark for him to see below the surface but the small ripples told him something was moving down there.
“I hope that’s not a fucking gar, you know those things can get fucking huge,” John cursed, reeling in the one line they had cast out, just in case “You know those Alligar can get up to 9 feet on a good day.”
“Whatever it was it’s gone now.”
“Crazy, I don’t know about you, but I ain’t got the balls to take on an alligator gar.”
“Yeah, Susan wouldn’t be fond of me losing a hand either. Let’s just keep an eye on the finder, we see something like that again we’ll move out a bit.”
“Works for me.”
-
Blaine held Kurt close as they continued to swim. For someone transitioning as slowly as Kurt he was doing extremely well to last ten miles without exhaustion setting in. His breathing was steady which means his lungs had fully adapted the change to breathe in water as well as air. His body was overall was taking the entire change in stride, which was fantastic. Sometimes there were complications when a mer person was on land for so long. Then again, Kurt is a royal, meant to be in the sea not on land.
When they reached the turning point and began heading south Blaine noticed that Kurt’s eyes began to droop with unspoken exhaustion. “Guys, I’m taking Kurt inland, we’ll rest for the night.”
“Blaine, we’re already 20 miles out, that would just take us longer,” Wes told him.
“It’s fine, there’s an island not far. Just a couple of miles from here, we’ll let him sleep ashore, his body is not yet adjusted to sleeping in water.”
“Does as you wish,” Wes sighed. “We’ll rest on the floor. I prefer seaweed beds after all.”
Blaine nodded to the mermen before talking off towards the small island, all the while keeping Kurt awake. He couldn’t have him falling asleep underwater now could he?
-o-o-o-
Kurt groaned as he roused from sleep. The last thing he remembered was Pavarotti swimming about and teasing Blaine about something before he began to fall asleep, under the water. He sat up to find he was laying in surf, on an secluded shore, nothing but trees behind him. Unfortunately, the shore was not sand it was primarily dirt, mud, algae and seaweed. That was not pleasant.
“Good morning,” Blaine called from the water. “Did you sleep well?”
“I guess I did. Come to think of it I don’t recall ever sleeping this well on a bed.”
“That’s because the elements like us, mer people that is. Sand, algae, seaweed, even mud, it works wonders for us. I’m sure you have a grandioso view of what the palace in Atlantis looks like, but in reality, it’s constructed from ship wrecks and mud, and building fragments, and lots of rocks.”
“So it doesn’t glisten or shine? I guess I imagined it made of limestone and pearls and gemstones, glistening and mystical,” Kurt admitted, trying to brush the mud from his hair.
“Perhaps magical and beautiful in our eyes, but to the eyes of humans I’m sure they’d be vastly disappointed. So are you ready to head off?”
“What about breakfast?”
“There’s some coconuts behind you, you can eat one of those or else you can wait till we find some small fish.”
“Small fish?” Kurt blinked. “Is that like cannibalism?”
“Not in the least, it’s just a circle of life. Whales eat small fish as well, so do sharks. We either eat fish or seaweed, but we stick to usually a fish diet.”
“I see.”
“Odd yes, but it’s better than staying on a plant diet. Besides humans eat animals and fish themselves do they not, it’s the same basic principle.”
“Yes but you can hear the fish and doesn’t that….”
“Your highness, you will find out soon enough. Now Wes and David have gone ahead, we’ll swim above the surface for as long as we can and then dive under. I want you to be able to see for a while, the ocean is a very beautiful place, above and below.”
Kurt smiled, getting up to wade out. He stretched his arms above his head with a yawn, not bothering to pay attention as the water became deeper. That was until his foot went out from under him on a grouping of algae.
“Watch it,” Blaine called, catching Kurt to keep him above the water. Kurt’s arms wrapped around Blaine’s body, keeping himself steady from the fall.
“Sorry,” he whispered, all to aware of how their naked chests were pressed together.
Blaine swallowed heavily staring down into sea-foam eyes, that changed slowly to blue. “It’s no problem.” Before he realized what he was doing he leaned down lips moving closer and closer to Kurt’s one. He was a breaths away from kissing him when Pavarotti interrupted them with a yell. With a glare he broke the two apart, Blaine giving a nervous shrug. “Well, let us go, your highness.”
-o-o-o-
“Look, I don’t care what it takes, I want to find my son,” Burt yelled to the coastguards who were trying to placate him.
“Sir, you son was last spotted about two miles off the shore with three other boys. All four went under but never came back up, they might have been swept under. At the moment we have people scouring the shores and small islands looking for any sign of them, but you may need to prepare yourself for the worse. This isn’t a pond, this is the ocean, bodies are rarely recovered.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, just find my son.”
“Burt, please calm down,” Mr. Berry tried.
“YOU! You were supposed to be watching him, what happened to not letting him leave and now he’s missing.”
“He just left,” Mr. Berry defended. “This other boy came to see him, a boy I’ve never met. I was in the kitchen and a few moments later they were gone.”
“What were they talking about? Where did they go?” Burt asked, desperate to some clue as to find his baby boy.
“I-I don’t know. They were whispering, and every time I could catch a sound they were making strange gargling noises. Like gargling water or mouthwash.”
“Gargling?” Mike asked, all eyes turning to him. “I know this is going to sound strange, really strange, but when I was in China last month I saw something really strange when I went to the beach with my cousins. There were these kids sitting on some rocks and they were talking but the weird thing is, it didn’t sound like Chinese. To be honest, it sounded like weird croaking or something.”
“I heard something like that too once,” Sam jumped in. “When I was visiting my grandpa out in California. He has a beach house out there because he said he wanted to see nothing but blue when he dies. Anyways, I asked him about it and he told me it was mermaids.”
“Mermaids, Sam,” Quinn sighed in disbelief.
“Yeah, told me he saw one when he was in his teens. Described her as unbelievably beautiful with long blonde locks, a long strand of seashells in her hair. He said her eyes were as blue as the ocean and she merely looked at him, never said a word before swimming off into the ocean. Said that’s one of the reasons he wanted to see the ocean. Says he sees her once every five years.”
“Mermaids,” Brittany exclaimed knowing she’d been right.
“Everyone, I understand you’re all worried, but I assure you there are no mermaids in these waters,” the guard told them. “We’ll do everything we can to find your son, Mr. Hummel, but you may need to prepare for only his body. Even if you don’t wish to admit it, and we may not even find that. For the time being please relax, we have the beach closed off and we are looking.”
“You better damn well find my baby boy, you hear me? You better find him.”
-o-o-o-