Fathoms Below

Part Of That World Now

Hunk and Pidge's eyes widened when they saw the angry king. Quickly, they swam behind the large rock as Slav watched with guilt. Keith gave him a look, knowing that Slav had told his father.

"I consider myself a reasonable merman. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed," Keith shrunk back at his father's tone.

"But Dad I--," before he could finish Shiro spoke up.

"Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?" Keith avoided his father's hard gaze.

"Dad, I had to" Shiro shook his head.

"Contact between the human world and the mer-world is strictly forbidden," Keith slowly began to move behind the statue as his father grew angrier. "Keith, you know that! Everyone knows that!"

"He would have died," Shiro scoffed as he turned around.

"One less human to worry about!" Keith glared at his father

"You don't even know him," Shiro turned back around to find Keith now fully behind the statue.

"Know him? I don't have to know him. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling," before Keith could stop himself he spoke out whatever was on his mind.

"Dad, I love him!" everyone's eyes widened at the prince's words, including Keith's.

"No . . . Have you lost your senses completely? He's a human, you're a merman!" Keith hid his head behind the statue.

"I don't care," he growled out, Shiro growled back in response.

"So help me Keith, I am going to get through to you," Keith's eyes widened as his father straightened himself. "And if this is the only way, so be it," the trident in Shiro's hand glowed and the grotto turned dark, the only light was the trident. Shiro then turned and started destroying the treasures in the grotto, ignoring Keith's pleas.

"Dad!...No . . . ," Shiro ignored his son and continued destroying the treasures. Debris falling everywhere from the explosions.

"No, please- Dad, stop!. . ." Keith could feel his heart breaking as his treasures were destroyed. Worse, was that his father wouldn't stop with his pleas.

Keith swam out from behind the statue to try and stop his father. Shiro saw his son move from behind the statue and turned around. He pointed his trident towards it and Keith's violet eyes widened. He knew what his father was going to do.

"Daddy, Nooo!!. . ." Keith yelled as Shiro struck the statue with his magic, the statue breaking into a million pieces.

The darkness faded and once the smoke had cleared, Keith gasped as the statue was no longer where it had stood. His heart broke as his last connection to the human world had been broken. Shiro had somewhat calmed down from his anger fit and he replayed what had happened in his head.

His eyes widened when he realized what Keith had called him as a last resort to get him to stop. He glanced around the grotto and his heart tore as he saw his sons' precious treasures were now destroyed. Keith collapsed on the spot where the statue sat and started sobbing his broken heart out.

Shiro's heart broke even more. He wanted to say something, but nothing he could say could fix what he had just done. Shiro turned and headed out of the grotto, his heart heavy as he headed back to the palace.

Slav crawled up to Keith as Hunk and Pidge came out of their hiding spot. Their eyes downcast as they glanced around the grotto, their hard work of finding the treasures, now destroyed.

"Keith I..." Slav began to say, but Keith shook his head and spoke between sobs.

"Just go away" Slav nodded sadly and exited the grotto. Pidge and Hunk following, knowing Keith wanted privacy at the moment.