Cover by Thia Keits / _starflower
We all know Hawaii is a island of paradise and adventure, but that's just the mainland. What goes on underneath the calm waves of the ocean, and in secret coves lying there?
17 year old Hannah finds a mysterious ch...
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^- Koa
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^-Puakai
"Ok, So let me get this straight. The idea is that Akamai gave the soldiers guarding the princess' room some kind of drink to make them go to sleep, then came back afterwards and killed the princess and framed it to look like the north-western pod?" I say swimming back and forth as the jellyfish's glow reflects on my tail, leaving it dazzling in the water.
"Yep." the old woman says, leaning back on the sponge seat and spreading her golden tail out.
"But, why though?" I ask.
"If i may, I've now taken over grandmother's task of researching now that she is old enough to be an elder and I have found out certain things." The young mermaid says.
She was probably the same age as me, and her black sparkling kelp like hair with beading flowed over her pale skin and her silky purple top on her hourglass body with a white outlined purple flower in the middle. Her tail was also purple with a white flower on the flank of the tail, and last of all a silky ruffle.
"What was your name again?" I ask.
"Koa." She says softly.
"Koa, that's a pretty name. So what did you find out in your new task of researching?" I ask.
"Well, I tried earlier yesterday to talk to Akamai but he wasn't there. So i went ahead and swam into his quarters, and found lots of potions everywhere, it was quite messy. Sea books were there too, on the floor, on rock shelves, even on his coral desk. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than a messy room, but then I noticed a door.-"
She looks ahead, as if imaging she was there. "-Mer don't usually use doors, so I wondered why he would have one. I didn't go to open it since i was already intruding, but I could hear a distant crying coming from it. I heard a thunk and quickly zoomed out of there, I guess I thought it was Akamai coming. But when I looked back through the window, no one was there." She says.
"Do you have an idea what it could have been?" I ask.
"Not a clam." She says, her purple eyes sparkling with mystery.
"Hmmm." I say thinking hard.
'What is going on here' I wonder.
"Well, you two girls can talk a bit while i go check on the others. The evening ritual should be over by now." She says and swims off, her golden tail sending a swirl of bubbles behind her.
"What now?" I ask.
"We do more researching. I have a couple friends who i was supposed to meet today. You can come with." She says getting up from her spongy seat.
"Sure." I reply cheerily.
"Follow me." She says waving her hand, then moves her tail quickly sending a burst of bubbles behind and speeding away.
I move my tail quickly and follow her in speed. We moved elegantly through the water in twist an turns, swimming through tunnels and dodging jellyfish and Mer in caves. I didn't know where I was going, but she pretty much did. I swim through a stock of kelp and into a narrow cave leading out into the ocean. Two other Mer were there too, smiling and chatting together. They turned at our entry and smiled at Koa, then looked at me surprised.
"Who's this?" A Mermaid with black hair with beading, a straight body, and a purple ruffled tail says looking at Koa questioningly.
"Puakai, Kalea, this is Hannah. She's my land dweller cousin." She says smiling with pride, like she was showing off a pet.
"Land dweller?!" They shout in unity.
"Half, land dweller. I'm part Mer too." I add.
"Either way, your a land dweller." The black haired mermaid says, swimming up to me and looking me up and down, sometimes circling me.
"Come on Puakai, give her some space." Koa says scornfully.
"Fine..." Puakai says, swimming backwards from me.
Puakai crosses her arms and looks at Koa.
"So why is she here anyway? I thought what we were doing was, secret.." Puakai says.
"It is. We just have another accomplice." Koa says smirking. "Now, did you bring the gear?"
"Yep. It's all here." Kalea says patting a bag.
Kalea's hazel hair flowed in the water behind her with a white flower on the side of her head. Her top was white and wrapped around her neck instead of her shoulders,her body also a hourglass shape, and her tail was a baby blue color with a white fin bracelet above her fin. She also had a white bracelet on her left hand.
"What gear? I thought we were just doing some research?" I ask Koa.
"We are, kinda. I'll explain on the way, but we're going back to Akamai's place, It's time we do some, deep digging." She says looking at me with a serious face.
"Come." She says and swims off toward the open sea.
Puakai follows, then Kalea, leaving me wondering if I should too.
'I wanted to help, so what's stopping me now? Besides, I've been needing a summer adventure. Let's finish it off then.' I tell myself, then swim quickly after them, not even looking back.
