Empress of the Sea|✔️

Chapter 24

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Erel and Cleo, her seahorse, swam and swam towards Poseidon's Summit. The location changed every twelve full moons, but most of the time, it occurred near Aerel's shores. But this lunar cycle, the meeting was held in the Lost City of Atlantis. It was just off Camelot's coast.

The hard to locate city became visibly apparent when the moon took charge of the sky. Poseidon's aura glowed, illuminating his location to other sirens and mermaids. After seven visits, Erel had memorized the site.

She never knew why, but the Sea God took a liking to Erel; however, he was also the first to snap whenever she did something wrong. The first to suggest a solution and the first to apologize.

And Poseidon wasn't known for apologies. He was known for the lack of them when he was in the wrong.

She passed by her favourite sunken ship, leaving it behind with the intent to search it later. She swam past other such locations, leaving many of them back with the same intention.

Arriving at the Lost City of Atlantis with a cramped, cyan tail, Erel took in the view. The underwater city was a delight for her eyes to feast upon. No matter how many times she arrived in the city, it got better. The merfolk in town swam in perfect lines, following the system above all.

Aeryn and Iona would have difficulty adjusting to such a place. No wonder why they both opted to live on a pirate ship. A position where rules applied occasionally.

Passing through the gates and approaching the main castle with elegance, no siren could match.

She tried not to get distracted by the beautiful pillars and buildings of Atlantis. The glowing architecture kept grabbing her attention. Erel was already running late even with the headstart she'd taken.

She rushed into the castle before the door's shut closed. She was swift to locate the throne room. Upon the seven thrones sat six of the Daughters of the Seven Seas. She bowed, addressing each of them. "Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina, Your Highnesses."

The only one that was missing was Ariel, daughter of Poseidon. The only one of the seven that had been adopted by Triton, their father. Poseidon was too busy dealing with the turmoil the Gods seemed to have daily to raise his daughter.

Too bad Ariel died after falling in love with Prince Eric. She had turned to seafoam, the worst of all punishments any mermaid or siren could face.

Worst of all, her suffering turned into a tale parents told their children.

Disgraceful. As far as she knew, Ariel's death had been less than a decade ago. It was precisely five years and seven months ago.

Each of the sisters bowed their heads, acknowledging Erel's greeting. Attina said, "Thank you, Lady Erel."

Erel closed her eyes and bowed her head again. "If you do not mind me asking, do you know when Poseidon will be joining us?"

"He should be here soon enough."

How helpful. Erel grinned and receded to the right side of the room reserved for sirens.

She wondered what being a mermaid would be like. They spoke to one another, had fun, fell in love, and functioned no differently than humans.

Being a siren pained her. The loneliness, much less compared to the others, and the physical pain that rumbled in her bones with every movement certainly didn't help.

But meeting Aeryn was a unique encounter. A fateful encounter. Had it not been for Aeryn, Erel might've vanished.

Horns blared, indicating Poseidon's arrival. Then the plucks of harps played, the sound waves creating ripples in the water. The throne room glowed with an elegant gleam. One that matched the mermaids more than the sirens.

The daughters of Triton rose from their thrones, bowing low, setting an example for the rest.

"At ease."

Poseidon emitted a light too strong for Erel to see his face. A light too intense for any siren to see through. He made his way to the dais and turned to face the crowd.

The daughters of Triton swam around him to show him their faces.

"Tonight," he announced, "I will be freeing my daughter of her punishment."

No one ooh or gasped for the small reason that everyone hated Ariel. She had turned to seafoam, so how did Poseidon plan on reversing his daughter's death.

"Poseidon, Deity of the Water, Lady Ariel's punishment is to last another ninety-five years," Aquata, the fourth daughter of Triton, pointed out. Her brown hair flowed in the water, a stark contrast to her blue fins and tail. Her poise shined in the way she remained still with her hands politely crossed in front of her body.

"Yes, Lady Aquata. However, I am afraid there's a threat ruining our waters. I am also afraid that only the girl I crowned Empress on the first of August and Lady Ariel are the only two capable of eliminating this threat."

Aquata looked to the floor. "I understand, Poseidon."

Erel found laying her eyes on a ball of light rather than Poseidon's form gave her a headache. But looking away would be disrespectful.

A brief silence settled on the throne room.

"Lady Erel, come forward."

Erel jumped at the mention of her name coming from Poseidon's powerful voice. "Yes, Deus," she said, addressing him the way sirens should.

The ball of light touched the top of her head. "Lady Erel, do you know who you are? Who you were?"

Confused, Erel admitted, "No, Deus."

"Allow me to reveal to you your past. The life you lived before you received the punishment of living as a Siren of Past."

Erel cocked a brow. Siren of Past?

The ball of light extended until it devoured Erel, containing her and flooding her with memories that could have belonged only to Lady Ariel.

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Thanks for reading Empress of the Sea. If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote. I hope you enjoyed this focus of Erel. 

Word Count: 1006