The Mermaid That's Sweetest

11] A Dark New Reality

11] A Dark New Reality

If the pounding current of the water washing me through the whirlpool was enough to knock me out, I don't feel when or for how long it happens. All I know is that my mind shuts down when my lungs stop breathing. Everything goes dark.

And then, as I'm being pulled apart and battered by Rough water, I suck in a breath through my gills at my neck and I open my eyes – vision clear as I somehow, by instinct, curl my tail and flip it, trying to control such a massive length of muscle.

I start levelling out with the fast and speedy current, panicking as the water bubbles around me... taking away the oxygen, but then I see Eros swimming beside me with a smug smile on his face. He reaches forward and grabs my hand, effortlessly pulling me out of the death trap... to safety... with him.

At least I think it's safe, as he slowly guides me back, his tail strangely avoids contact with mine quite smoothly to give me a false sense of confidence.

I test swimming towards him to close the gap... but that's when he lets go of my hand and drops... and disappears into the depth of the dark ocean at dawn.

I can't see him as I look down, so I take a moment to look over my body, twirling to my back, I see my darkest green scales are perfectly coloured, no damage, no scars, no missing patches. That was a good start. My tail was fairly long but nowhere near as long as an Erebos' tail.

I reach down and pat my scales, wondering why I'm so calm... and I am calm.

I'm fine. Because I had trusted him. I had trusted Eros to save me.

While I'm inspecting my Mermaid form, Eros' head pops up on the other end of my tail, where the soft thin edges brush along his cheeks, nose and mouth as he casually grabs the end of my tail, at its most narrow point.

He pulls me toward him like he can't get enough of me already, his hand sliding along the side of my tail as the water helps push me toward him also. I shiver with sensitised nerves as his hand reaches my waist, and he pulls me into his side, against his torso.

I don't break from his gaze, which is light and curious as he tilts his head and looks down at me... as if I'm some sort of prize.

His intense ocean blue eyes were also truly curious, pupils dilated... with many ideas. He doesn't smile and he just seems more magnificent within the sea, with his hair casually floating out perfectly behind him, his ocean eyes were not blinking, but widening.

I watch as those eyes glance to my neck before he boldly and slowly leans in, about to touch his nose to my neck. However, that's when my senses panic and I bolt right out of his loose hold.

My whole spine crawls with fear as I put a few paces of tail distance between us.

Eros is watching me now, with a new look, he is completely still... a hunter's instinct... like when he was on the beach.

I swim back slowly, trying not to appear like I'm bolting. But as I go, he drops again to new depths and swims up to me from underneath at a slow enough pace. This time, however, his entire body, the length of his side... and his tail, slip up next to my smaller form and he begins swimming very lazily right next to me. We're both on our backs, our faces toward the water line. I just felt safer that way.

I watch as he picks up my hand and pats his stomach with his other palm... while slowly turning his head towards mine, gathering my reaction.

Hungry?

He was – oh, no.

Eros isn't very patient.

Especially when he suddenly turns towards me, swims above and flips me so my face is not towards the water line anymore, but the ocean floor.