Lapis Lazuli: the Lost Mermaid 2 Save the Oceans

Chapter 7: Foreign Waters and New Allies

After about minute of cheering, Opal waved her hands to get everyone's attention and spoke, "We don't want to rush our celebrations just yet. We may have been to get to the Pacific Ocean, but we still need to find the mermaid kingdom, Opalescensia."

"Well, it's a good thing I grabbed this before we left." Lapis announced, pulling out the Compass of the Undines.

She held the compass flat in her hand and watched as the needle spun around until it stopped and pointed south, much to the blue girl's confusion.

"Weird. The compass is telling us to go south." "That's in the opposite direction of where we came from. It's like it wants us to go back home."

"Of course." Sapphire said. "The compass can only guide lost mermaids from Iridesca back to their home kingdom."

"What if we tweak it a little with our magic?" Amethyst suggested.

"It's an powerfully magical item." Pearl argued. "You can't just use mere mermaid magic to alter the way it works."

"Well, I don't hear you coming up with any ideas." the purple mermaid retorted back, the pale mermaid grumbling in annoyance.

"Okay, obviously the Compass of the Undines isn't going to be much help here." Lapis stated, trying to keep a skirmish from breaking out. "Why don't we just find some local mermaids and see if they can help us?"

"That's a big if." Stevonnie stated. "Remember, we're in the largest mass of ocean water on the planet. It could take a while before we find mermaids to help us."

"Then we better start looking." Smoky Quartz suggested as the group started to swim forward.

"Hopefully, we won't bump into any ghastly sea monsters before we meet any new mermaids." Rhodonite said warily.

Just then as luck would have it, a trio of mermaids came approaching Lapis' entourage from the east.

The oldest mermaid looked like she could've been about thirty-nine. She had periwinkle eyes, a lavender complexion, long wavy blonde hair with pink highlights, a deep pink top with purple sleeves made out of a translucent fabric, and a dazzling pink tail.

One of the younger mermaids seemed to be fifteen years old. She looked similar to the older mermaid except she had mauve hair in a pixie cut, eyes that were a little bit of a darker blue, bright pink skin, a top in robin egg blue, and a twinkling pink tail.

The other younger mermaid looked nothing like her two companions. She was around sixteen years old and had light chartreuse hair, dark green eyes, light green skin, a forest green tank top, and a glistening light green tail.

"See, Mom?" the young pink mermaid said to the older one in a gloating manner. "I told you I thought I saw other mermaids and a human in the distance."

The older mermaid only smirked and shook her head in response.

"Hey, why are you wearing a crown?" the young green mermaid asked Lapis. "Are you a princess?"

"Yes, I am." the blue girl answered.

"A real-life princess!" the two younger mermaids chorused in splendor.

"Odd. I don't recognize any of you." the older pink mermaid commented, stroking her chin. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Oh no, we're from the Atlantic Ocean; actually." Peridot said.

"You're from the Atlantic Ocean?" the young pink mermaid echoed. "You do realize this is uncharted territory you're swimming in, right?"

"Of course we know that." Lapis answered. "We came here for a reason. Wait, who are you guys?"

"Oh, this is my mother, Rainbow Quartz." the young pink mermaid explained. "I'm Iris (at least, that's what everyone calls me) and this is my friend, Lemon Jade."

"Nice to meet you." the blue princess said in a friendly tone. "I'm Lapis Lazuli. And this is my boyfriend Jamie. And these are my friends."

Each of Lapis' mermaid friends introduced themselves one by one. Once everybody was acquainted, Lemon Jade took the opportunity to change the topic.

"So what brings you Iridescian mermaids to the mighty Pacific?" she asked.

"We need to get to the mermaid kingdom of this ocean, Opalescensia so that we can ask Queen Yellow Diamond for her help." explained Jamie.

"Help with what?" Iris questioned.

"A sea witch and a group of evil mermaids are attacking the Oceanic Heart." Lapis told her. "We need to know where exactly in this ocean the heart resides before it's broken beyond repair."

"That does sound serious." Lemon Jade remarked.

"Do you think you can help guide us to Opalescensia?" asked Padparadscha.

"Sure, we can help you." Rainbow Quartz answered. "But know this. You're in the sea lion's den. What you may have seen in the Atlantic Ocean is nothing compared to what's to come on this journey. There are hardships in these waters that you can't even begin to understand."

"I think we've faced worse." Amethyst quipped, Peridot elbowing her afterwards.

"What Amethyst means to say is that we're ready for anything this ocean has to throw at us." said Lapis.

"Very well." Rainbow Quartz said as the group moved forward. "Let's get going then. The sooner we get you a Opalescensia, the sooner you will all be safe."

"What do you mean?" Ruby inquired.

"Queen Yellow Diamond has a special magical barrier protecting the kingdom." Iris revealed. "Nothing can get in if they have hostile intentions."

As Lapis, Jamie, and their mermaids swam, the blue princess explained her story of adoption and the history she had with Jasper.

"Wow, I can't believe he tried to force you into being his queen like that." Lemon Jade said in disbelief.

"Yeah, Jasper was kind of obsessed with me and I think to this day, he still is." Lapis contemplated.

"And what about Queen Yellow Diamond?" asked Iris. "How do you know her?"

"I don't really know her, but she's my mother and aunt's older sister." the blue girl revealed. "She left for the Pacific Ocean right after I was born, something about being unable to protect me and my mom. I think she's too guilty to face her sisters again and that must be why she never came back to the Atlantic Ocean. I just don't want to feel like her abandoning Iridesca is my fault."

"I don't think it's your fault." her boyfriend promised her. "I don't think it's anyone's fault. I'm sure the Black Scale Clan invading unexpectedly just before you were born must've been a high-stakes situation. Yellow Diamond probably left so that she could have the time to examine the situation for herself in solitude."

Lapis smiled when Jamie relieved her of the recent burden, but she became deep in thought. What if Yellow Diamond did isolate herself from her family in order to find time to forgive herself for what happened? The young princess guessed in silence that the only way to find out was get the information from Queen Yellow Diamond herself. And she could do that while learning where the Oceanic Heart is kept.