"Koryak? Do you hear what I hear? Koryak?"
Koryak hangs from his shackles, beaten and wounded. Vulko turns his head, seeing Koryak hang as if sleeping; but he does not sleep. After all the torturing and beatings, one would expect Koryak would find the time to be at peace and sleep, but not with all the pain continuing to ache his body. His eyes remain closed because of how swollen and bruised his face is from Triton's punches and slaps. The effort required to open his eyes at the moment, brings on such pain that he cannot find himself to do so.
"Someone's coming. Do you think it's Triton? Koryak? Oh my."
He does not speak back either. Whether it is because his jaw is possibly broken or it too would bring him pain to try to speak, Koryak does not utter a sound. Perhaps because of all the blood that has rushed to his brain from hanging upside-down he finds himself unable to speak; Vulko, however, does not hang from the ceiling bound by only shackles. He finds himself chained up against the wall, standing up-right, bearly able to see the doorway with the corner of one eye, and a window at the corner of another. He tries to break free even though it is useless and Koryak just continues to hang from his shackles as if were dead. But Vulko knows him to not be dead, for when he spoke to him both times, his body somewhat flinched as if trying to move.
The door opens.
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The island is quiet. It is so quiet that the sound of the high and low tides splashing against the rocks and the sound of the wind whistling through the air is clearly audible. Ligeia and her two sisters told the small group everything they know; although it appearently was not much. They did not reveal some great scheme that Triton had mapped out, and they did not reveal what deadly plans they had with Orin. They were simply given one task: Keep Orin preoccupied until Triton's return.
"Maybe we should just wait then? You know, wait til Triton gets back."
"I do suppose."
"Yea, we could hide behind some rocks or somewhere, and when he comes, we take advantage with our element of surprise. Sound like a plan?"
Garth, Demeter, and Hermes look to Athena to see what she says. Goddess of wisdom among other things, her input is always valuable and sometimes set about others.
"Not the best course of action."
They wait for her to continue and perhaps speak her mind on what they should do, but she doesn't. All four of them remain silent, and the three siren sisters swim away into the water. Finally, Athena speaks once more; grabbing everyone's attention to see what else she has to say.
"Perhaps it would be best to inform your friend Orin of this news. It is not my place, nor any of ours, to decide the events that are to come. He is afterall your King."
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"Count Vulko, and Prince Koryak. The King has summoned you to the palace throne room to witness the glory that is today's ceremony."
"Ceremony?"
"Yes. The wedding of Lord Orm and Lady Mera; King and Queen of Atlantis."
Vulko is speechless. And as his mouth struggles with what to say and how to say it, his mind is no more clear. Countless thoughts and images begin to pour into his head that only causes him to grow confused more and more and then angry. Mera and Orm? Vulko finally finds the one word to express his thoughts about such a union in a faint whisper.
"Madness..."
The guard signals three more and they step into the chamber. Two of them help Koryak down from his shackles, while the other unchains Vulko from his. As if Koryak hasn't experienced enough pain already, one of the guards knee him in the stomach.
"Stop it! Do you not see he hangs onto life barely by a thread?"
The guard looks over at Vulko and smiles.
"Lord Orm said he wanted you two to be there to witness the most glorious day in our people's history, but he never specified on how you will get there. If the young prince does not wish to move on his own feet, I shall not drag him to the throne room. However, Count Vulko..."
The guard doesn't finish his sentence; he smiles once more. Vulko walks over, and the guards help place Koryak to lean against Vulko as he wraps his arm around his shoulders. Then the three guards leave and the last guard, who remained at the door the entire time, patiently waits as Vulko exits the chamber with Koryak.
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"I don't believe it. The clues were all there, and for a second I almost believed it...but I still cannot. Maybe it was when The Eel miraculously dissappeared...or when I was talking to Hades, but...I just cannot believe it. The son of Poseidon never gives up, does he? And people say I'm relentless as the tides at times..."
The others already walked over to where Orin and Diana were sitting by the rocks. By this time, Diana already explained their whole journey so far, but she too was new to find that it was Triton who was behind it all. All eyes fall upon Orin.
"So, what will we do, Orin?"
"Should we wait for Triton and attack when he least suspects it? Or what."
"Hmm..."
Orin stands up, and walks over by the shore. The others remain by the rocks, and Orin remains standing as the water and sand washes up his feet with each coming and going of the tides. He looks down at his arms, and then at his right hand. Firmly he forms a fist, and then just as quickly he loosens it up and looks over at where his left hand once was. First lost to the maniac known as Charbydis, a world class assassin, Orin began to wear a hook.
Soon after, with the intelligent minds of his scientist, they created a new mechanical hand that, like the hook responded to his mental thoughts, but could also form a vast form of shapes.
And then...stranded and abandoned, barely living he stumbled across the Lady of the Lake and the Secret Sea. She restored him, took care of him, and bestowed him her Waterbearer. She helped him in so many ways, and he did the same in return when the time came. A friendship and bond had formed, and with all the recent events, the bond to him still exists. Even without his mystical water hand, he thinks about the Lady of the Lake, and what guidance and words of wisdom she would give him were it possible. That is when it hits him, like a turbulent storm; unexpected and sudden. He lifts up his left arm.
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The chambermaids have already done the best they could with "cleaning" up Vulko and Koryak so that they can look more appropriate for such an occassion. While it feels great to wear some new clothes, Vulko still finds that anger and frustration clouds his mind. He is angry that Orm has so easily taken the throne and held it this whole time. He is angry with his own people that they would rather have their own fear of Orm overwhelm them, rather than cause them to fight back and overthrow him. And even worse...he is angry with Mera.
Words cannot describe his anger with her. They are about to be forced to stand back and watch as she marries the monster that is Ocean Master. Whenever Orin ever let Vulko down, Mera was always someone he could rely on; someone he could turn to. And now, in his eyes, she has sided with the enemy.
As a chambermaid finishes helping Vulko put on his new clothes and garments, he sees Mera walk by. She does not look over at him at first, but she stops. She stops dead right in front of him. She looks...different...to Vulko. What's different exactly he cannot quite tell, but something definitely is. He expected he would see something different about her, especially if she was actually going along with this wedding, but not in a literal sense. He's finally figured it out. Oddly enough he has figured it out. She looks...bigger; and she seems to softly touch her stomach for a little while.
After a few seconds, she finally turns and looks into his eyes. Instantly, all the hate and anger he felt washes away. The look she gives quickly changes it all, especially when she looks over at Koryak, who cannot even do the simplest of things such as put on most of his new garments on by himself; still bruised and thriving with pain from Triton's torture methods.
But as she looks back over at Vulko, this time she smiles a little. She slowly walks towards him. Still reminded about what is about to occur, Vulko replies.
"It seems today will be a day to remember, aye milady?"
Mera walks in closer and grabs his hand firmly.
"Today will definitely be a day to remember, Vulko."
Vulko facially responds shocked, and doesn't say anything in return. Mera walks away towards the balcony, and Vulko helps Koryak up as they follow to where the sound of trumpets and cheering people can be heard. There is hope, and Vulko just saw a glimpse of it. Now he must wait for whatever Mera has in store and pray to the gods that it works.
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"I shall venture to the Secret Sea and seek out the Lady of the Lake. In fact, you can all come; I am sure she will welcome you with the same open arms as she will welcome me. She has helped me numerous times already, and I am deeply in her debt; yet she continues to help me still, never expecting anything in return. I was her Waterbearer...and I am still her Waterbearer."
"Well, she did want me to relay the message of asking you to see her when we found you afterall. Guess it will all work out nicely."
He turns around facing the others.
"Besides, I cannot fight Triton with one hand. We will decide where to go from there. If Triton comes back here while we are gone, who knows where he will go to next. He will be infuriated, for one and possibly attack violently at all the sea in search of me after the sirens tell him about your visit. With the Lady of the Lake's help we can also figure that out if that comes to be true."
Hermes and the two other gods step forward. They all bow to Orin, not because he is royalty, for the crowns they wear reach high above the heavens and carry much more of a burden than Orin has ever endured, but out of friendship and respect. Orin accepts with a nod and bows back and Hermes begins to speak.
"This is where we leave you."
"Yes, Zeus decreed the limits of our involvement in such an affair, and we have already disobeyed his word to an extant."
"We must return to Mount Olympus, and explain our absence. Farewell everyone."
"Thank you for helping my friends."
The three gods ascend into the skies, and wave goodbye. Garth walks over to Orin and places his hand on his shoulder and scratches his head with the other.
"So um...how do we get there exactly? Cannot exactly...you know...'dive'...into your non-existing mystical hand and all..."
Orin looks out to the horizon and over the sea and grins.
"To Traitor's Reef."
