Chapter 8 Plot Against Tide

• "So? Did he fall for it?" The eager merman sitting beside the one that had placed the call asked once the conversation had ended.
• Roan turned towards the group of six and smiled grandly. "Of course, he did, he's completely smitten by me, it's pitiful." He spat, a taste of disgust lingering.
• "By the gods, he has to be the dumbest merman since the Fire Trident graced the Seven Seas." The first hateful merman mocked and the others laughed.
• "Even the crab soldiers would outsmart him," Hiro added.
• The crab soldiers were the dumbest of all sea creatures and they're mostly considered the clowns of the Seven Seas so they are often used in comparison with unintelligent sea creatures.
• "When had you even discovered he preferred mermen rather than being embraced in the tender arms of a mermaid." Bay inquired and Roan just smiled.
• "I've known for a while." He replied with pride as if he had won a Nobel Sea prize.
• "To think that he had to be the Tideian, ugh, makes me want to snuff his soulpearls out of him and dump him by the Gates of Glasa for the witches to make a treat out of him." Titan retorted.
• "Or leave him by the Gates of Merlona for the whispering Ghosts siren songs to sweep him away into oblivion. That way he would fade without a trace." Hiro suggested and the others nodded, they seemed to like that thought better.
• "But, if we kill him, Neptune would know, he is a Tideian after all and they are as important as Neptune in all the Seven Seas." Bay reasoned.
• "And then he will reincarnate. I hate him so much." Hiro hissed.
• "It has to be him, doesn't it?" The first hateful merman fumed and the others turned to look at him. He was in a rage, his guise consumed by fury. "Did you know I went looking at the portraits of the past Tideians and not one looked as radiant as he did? I am so madly jealous of his beauty. For a merman, he shouldn't have been possessed with such fairness and his hair, by the gods I so badly want to shave them off and make a belt out of them."
• "Yeah, you know I have heard that the mermaids envy his magnificence even the merfairies whispered." Hiro chipped in.
• "Which is why Diondra wouldn't give him up for anything. Who can be compared in all of Aquarial? Diondra in all her beauty matching with Tide, their offspring would be the most beautiful in all the Seven Seas. The envy of all." Roan provoked.
• "The more reason why I have wanted him dead since yesterday!" The first snapped. "He makes the rest of us look inadequate."
• "Remember, he was kissed by a merdragon, even the fairies bestowed great magics when he was born. I for one think his mother cheated with his birth. What if he isn't even a true Tideian?" Hiro queried.
• "He is, if he wasn't he wouldn't have been born when he was and the Elder of Elders would have struck him dead on the day he received the markings of a Tideian so that is out of the question." Bay defused before it became an argument.
• "I want him out of my way. He is obstructing me and the princess. I know she loves me, she is only cajoled by that Tideian's grandeur. I want him dead, Roan, why is it taking so long to accomplish this aim? He's on his way to two thousand years old and we still haven't been able to kill him, why?" Titan was nearly in tears. It seems all his plan has failed or would fail even before they're put in motion. At the end of the day, that tricky Tideian would escape alive.
• "These things take time, Titan, and I'm taking care of it, you know that."
• "Remember he would reincarnate," said Bay.
• "Hey, enough with the reincarnation, I know the powers a Tideian possesses, don't keep rubbing it in, it infuriates me more." He cautioned.
• "Sorry, I only wanted that fact to settle." Bay defended.
• "It doesn't matter, at least it will take another thousand years before he reincarnates, and don't forget another Tideian is growing in Atlaria as we speak so if he is to stop existing the other will take over in his stead," Roan told them.
• "Wouldn't that shift fate and anger the Gods?" Bay asked again. "Surely, even Neptune would send out search parties to comb the Seven Seas a million times until he is found, dead or alive, his body must surely return to Aquari the Realm of the Kings to be buried alongside other Tideians."
• "And we are the Sea warriors who would be among the search parties which means, we can shift the directions of other Sea warriors or simply delay the search until Neptune has given up." Hiro reminded the worried merman.
• "What about the Elder of Elders? Surely they must know there is foul play in motion?" Bay interrogated once again.
• "Bay, I am a Titan, my lineage is of the Elder of Elders, a direct descendant of the Elders, a true blood prince of the Elders so you should stop with the million questions."
• "Yeah, we get it, you're important, but what about the rest of us, we could get into trouble." Bay wouldn't be shut down.
• "I am starting to wonder if you studied Overthinking in school, Bay." Hiro mocked but the other groaned annoyingly.
• "If you don't like what we are planning you can as well take your leave." Titan snapped. "It's not like you're being forced to be part of this plan."
• "I can't leave, you all are my best friends." He disagreed with Titan's suggestion.
• "Then shut up!"
• "Fine, I will."
• "You overthink everything yet you can't stay away from trouble." Hiro teased.
• "Don't forget, he is Bay, he is from the bloodline of the wise Sea Serpents after all and they like to overthink everything they are so smart even the crystal fishes gravel at their tails." Roan declared and they laughed.
• "The point isn't to stay out of trouble but to not be caught after committing the crime," Bay explained with a scowl on his face.
• "That's enough you guys, who cares? Atana did the same it didn't end the Seven Seas even with the anger of the Gods upon her so we are doing this, one way or the other and after the deed is done we can all sit back and wait for the anger of the Gods, but by then he would have died and about him reincarnating, if we leave him as a Whispering Ghost, his soulpearl would be trapped between the Gates forever which means, he would neither die nor reincarnate." Titan announced with an evil smile on his twisted lips.
• "You're so smart. You should be our next Neptune." Bay teased and they all laughed.
• "No, I don't want to be Neptune, I just want the heart of Diondra."
• "Yeah... yeah!" Hiro exclaimed with a roll of his eyes.
• "There is another way to get rid of him." Roan raised and they all glared at him in confusion.
• "What other way?" Titan asked curiously.
• "Dispose of him on the lands."
• They all gasped, none of them had thought of that idea.
• "But, the merfairies had cast upon Aquarial a Barriers one that can't be easily broken." Bay reminded them.
• "Not with the help of the Witches of Glasa," Roan said again.
• "What?" Bay yelled. "Have you lost your mind? Going to Glasa is a death sentence."
• "Yet Atana went multiple times and returned," Roan said with a shrug.
• "She was the daughter of Neptune!" Bay couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was time he reconsidered the whole best friends thing because there was no way in the Bleeding hot Springs he would be caught going to Glasa.
• "You're right, but I have a way of bringing Glasa to us, we don't have to go there ourselves." Roan defused their worries.
• "A way?" Titan asked, his interest piqued.
• "A friend." Roan winked and they smiled. None asked any more questions, trusting Roan to take care of it. As long as the Tideian is dead, that's the end goal. "He should be on his way so you all scram!" Roan shooed them off but not after Titan had whispered into his ears.
• "Make sure he doesn't suspect a thing."
• Roan nodded in understanding and the mermen swam away.
• **********
• "Hello, Roan."
• He turned at the sound of his name to find the Tideian behind him.
• "My love, I was starting to wonder if you were avoiding me," Roan said with a pinch of frown on his face as he approached the merman.
• "Really?" Tide asked concerned. "What have I done to give off such an impression?" He laughed softly when Roan wrapped him in his warm arms. Then without warning pulled him closer, his tail curling tightly around the merman, he was ready to mate with him.
• "Indeed, you have." He said with a little kiss to the scale-striped neck of the Tideian and the other moaned smoothly.
• "I'm s-sorry," Tide whispered out of breath.
• "You know I can't stay mad at you." He teased, kissing around his neck more fiercely now. "I have a problem, little Tideian." He said.
• "What is it?"
• "It's my father,"
• "Your father?"
• "He is unwell."
• "Oh, my!"
• "I know, it's very severe, the Elf's were about to give up on healing him."
• "That is not good. What can I help with?" Tide asked, concerned for his lover?
• "The Mountain Tears will fall in two days, I need you to get me a small jar filled with undiluted Mountain Tears."
• This took Tide by surprise, no one ever asked for such a thing. A raw Mountain Tears is so powerful that if consumed without the Elf's perfecting the Tears with calming spells and turning it into healing potions, it could cause agonizing death and absolute ruination of the Soulpearl.
• "That is dangerous, just a drop of healing potion made out of the Mountain Tears could heal and restore any creature, giving you a raw one could be dangerous in the wrong hands." He tried to reason.
• "My love, my father has an Elf physician who had promised he would make the potion that would heal my father once he has his hands on a raw Mountain Tears. If you don't do this for me and my father dies, I will not forgive you, Tideian."
• "I will get it, but please, let it not be heard that I did this for you because Neptune would have me arrested and tortured for days on end. It's a crime to do what you're asking me to do. I'll be risking life for this, Roan, my life and my reputation as a Tideian."
• "I know, my love, I promise, no one will hear." He smiled then kissed wet lips.
• "But, who is this Elf and why can't they wait until I have brought the Mountain Tears to them?"
• "It takes days after the Mountain Tears falls before the Elves finishes with these potions and then there's the festival, my father doesn't have that much time."
• "I understand." Tide paused then spoke again. "But, Roan-"
• "Less talking, more moaning," Roan whispered into his ears and Tide moaned despite himself.
• *****************