The Call Of Thalassa
A Lust for the Crown

“We all have an edge.

We all are floating our psyche on top

with a great ocean underneath.”

-Brad Dourif

Her slender fingers combed gently through his silky strands of black hair as they sat silently in the shallow waters of the quiet beach. Her movements visibly relaxed him, making him close his blue eyes in bliss and sigh in happiness. It reminded him of his mother’s habit to caress his hair when he was just a little boy. Aileen’s touch had the same calming and relaxing effect, taking his mind away from his troubled thoughts and pressing responsibilities.

It was just him and his mate, watching the sun disappear on the horizon.

“Have,”

His orbs opened at the sound of her voice, searching for the emerald gems he adored. He didn’t know if she had ever noticed, but her eyes had small flickers of gold swirling inside of them that glowed brightly when the sun was reflecting upon them. They were unique and captivating –he couldn’t help but admire them.

“Yes, meum Arcanum?“, he took a strand of her flaming hair between his fingers, watching curiously as its color burned brightly under the light of the sunset.

“Who is Sethelious?”

Her flaming lock fell abruptly from his fingers as his eyes snapped up to hers. His orbs started to glow a deep blue color as his iris turned from a round pupil to a thin slit. A growl started from the depths of his chest, making his tense form shake in anger before it came out from his mouth. Aileen watched in shock as his teeth grew into long slender canines and his nails into sharp black points. He had transformed into a predator in a matter of seconds, becoming almost unrecognizable.

Before she could react in any way, he had taken hold of her petite form and seated her upon his tail, being careful of harming her with his deadly claws. He hugged her form tightly to himself, making her gulp nervously as she felt his chest vibrating from his angry growls. Havelock buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking in deep breathes of her sweet scent in order to calm himself.

Aileen didn’t dare to move away, not wanting to upset him further. She stayed in his tight embrace silently, drawing random figures on his bare shoulders with her fingers. The sky slowly changed colors as the sun disappeared for the day, turning from vibrant orange to light pink before the first scattered stars appeared. She admired the sparkling dots that decorated the vast night sky, smiling when she found Orion’s constellation among them.

With a heavy sigh, Havelock managed to finally calm himself down and return his full attention to his mate. He didn’t want to become upset in front of her, afraid that his true form would somehow change her opinion about him. But emotions are as uncontrollable as the wild ocean, flooding you powerfully and forcing you to act upon them even if you don’t want to. Caressing her flaming locks, he rested his chin upon her shoulder.

“I am sorry I made you upset”, she whispered in a low voice.

He let a small kiss on her freckled shoulder.

“It wasn’t your fault, meum Arcanum”, he answered honestly, turning her around to face him.

Her hands touched his defined cheeks, caressing them softly. He closed his glowing orbs in delight when her lips met his own. It was a caring kiss, reminding him that she was there for him no matter what. It calmed down his tensed muscles instantly and washed his fury away.

“Nana told me to ask you about him”, she truthfully said, “She said that I have every right to know about him and that my life might be in danger.”

Havelock made a grimace at the old woman’s words as she had revealed more than he would have liked. He would have preferred to keep his mate out of all this mess and he was successful until now, keeping Aileen uninformed about the danger that larked around Atlantis. However, Aide’s grandmother was probably right –he couldn’t keep her in the dark forever as much as he would like to.

“Who is he, Have?“, she asked more firmly, shaking him out of his thoughts.

The time has come for her to learn the truth, he finally decided.

“He is my uncle –my father’s older brother.”

Aileen watched him carefully as he spoke, taking in his clenched jaw and furrowed eyebrows. Havelock took a deep breath before he started explaining to her everything from the very beginning.

“The royal bloodline of Atlantis goes back in the eons of time -some even believe that it is connected with Poseidon himself. The God of the Oceans wanted to make sure that merpeople will live peacefully in his depths. Therefore, they needed powerful leaders who would rule over them justly and honorably.

Of course, there are dangerous games when it comes to power. When you have put your finger in the honey jar, you desperately want to taste it. The God created a mechanism to ensure that no blood will be spilled over the line of succession. He blessed the heirs to the throne -they have powers that even them are not aware of.

Therefore, the heir is able to achieve a perfect rule -people recognize him and respect him. These powers pass to a male successor of the royal family and they make their appearance when the time is right. They don’t necessarily pass to the firstborn -the time of our birth doesn’t matter to us. What does matter though is what we have inside of our souls -that’s what makes a great ruler.”

“So, the King is predetermined?“, Aileen asked curiously, receiving a smile and a nod in answer.

“My father, King Neptune, was the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. He found his mate, Aziza, when he reached adulthood and received the crown from my grandfather when he judged that he was ready to rule. He had won the love of his people and my mother’s with his just rule and had ensured the future of the kingdom by having children –future heirs.

Sethelious was the firstborn in the family but he wasn’t meant to be King. Although he had no claims to the throne, his parents never treated him any lesser than their future heir. The two brothers were raised lovingly without being favored or discriminated against one another. They learned everything together –how to write, how to fight, how to rule. They grew up like any normal siblings do, they got onto one another’s nerves from time to time but loved each other nonetheless.

However, growing up, they somehow drifted away from each other. They still talked and did things together, but my father had to focus on how to become a good leader while Sethelious had more freedom to do as he pleased. They followed their separate paths as it was always meant to be. Neptune started to spend long hours around his King father and the rest of the generals, while Sethelious surrounded himself by new friends. That’s how he met my mother.”

Aileen’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Sethelious knew your mother?“, she asked incredulously, watching as Havelock nodded in confirmation.

“Sethelious knew my mother long before she met with my father. He and Aziza had become great friends during that period of time and got to know each other very well. They would swim around the city and go for long swims near Atlantis’ borders. Once they even swam to the surface, although both their parents had forbidden them from doing so.

They were quite the troublesome duo, breaking the rules and going against everything and everyone. Aziza was a stubborn and willful woman, no one could stop her from doing as she pleased. I guess her determination and will power was what made him have feelings for her in the first place.”

Her eyes widened as she met his glowing blue ones.

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Havelock sighed deeply.

“He loved her deeply. So much that he was absolutely devastated, when he found out that she wasn’t his fated mate. He even went as far as to reject his fated love in order to be with her”, his eyes narrowed in anger.

“I thought mates were the most precious gift for merpeople. How could he possibly reject his?“, she asked shocked at the news.

“He found his mate when he was on a mission outside of Atlantis. He couldn’t handle the fact that Aziza wasn’t his fated love and decided that he would take matters into his own hands. Aileen, he didn’t just reject his mate. He wanted to force Thalassa and Selene to grand him my mother as his fated love. He ripped her heart out of her chest, believing that by killing her the goddesses would show mercy and make his wish come true.”

Aileen’s green eyes widened at the news. She knew the strength of the mate bond and how important it was for merpeople –she could feel her connection with her merman deep in her soul. She had seen how carefully Havelock was treating her as if she was a fine piece of porcelain. Mates were the most precious gift to merfolk. How could he possibly murder in cold blood the woman that was destined for him and not feel any guilt about it?

“Obviously, the goddesses didn’t show any mercy on him. They let him suffer as he felt the pain of the loss of his soul’s other half. The excruciating feeling of knowing that the person that you are meant to love and protect for the rest of your life is dead...“, he shuddered at the thought, hugging her tightly,“...it makes strange things to your head –it turns you insane day by day.”

Aileen gave him a loving kiss on his cheek to reassure him that she was safe by his side and encourage him to continue.

“He returned back to Atlantis having the hope of my mother being his mate, only to be crushed by the reality that she was the soulmate of my father. He couldn’t handle the fact that he had taken her away from him, while he sacrificed everything to have her. His mind started to work in dark ways as he was drowning by the weight of depression and insanity.

Neptune wasn’t his beloved brother any longer.

He was the usurper that stole his kingdom’s throne and his heart’s love away from him, leaving him with nothing but his madness and crushed hopes.

He banished himself from Atlantis before anyone could catch onto the signs that he had turned into a Tenebris. My father thought that he was longing for his mate and he needed to search for her, so he didn’t give much thought to his sudden disappearance. If only he did...”

Aileen looked up at him, knowing that the end wouldn’t be good.

“He started plotting on how to get revenge against those who wronged him and stole everything from him. He started to approach his friends, asking from them to support him. Most of them instantly refused -only a handful agreed. He tried to persuade them -he promised he would reward them when he finally sat on his throne. His proposals were so tempting that many agreed to betray their rightful King.

Those who didn’t accept his gifts, he started to threaten. When you have a mate and children, you’ll do anything to protect them. He didn’t leave them much of a choice -they either followed him or watched their family suffer. So, he attacked the city with his army taking everyone by surprise. They turned against their neighbors, their relatives, their brothers. Atlantis turned scarlet that night by the blood of murdered innocents.

And it was all his fault.”

Havelock took a deep breath, caressing Aileen’s hair to calm himself.

“He killed my mother that night.”

Aileen looked up dazed by the revelation.

“She told him that she always saw him as a close friend and nothing more. She confessed that she was utterly in love with my father and could not imagine life without him. She said that she wouldn’t change her mate for the whole world. So, he sliced her throat open to stop any more lies from spilling out of it.”

Aileen felt her heart stop in her chest, watching his eyes had a faraway look into them. He shouldn’t have to go through this, not at such a tender age when he had such a great need for his mother’s presence. He shouldn’t have to see his mother getting murdered in front of his eyes at all. Age doesn’t make the loss any easier, just the way we understand it more mature.

“Have, I-”

“Don’t”, he caressed her rosy cheek lovingly, whipping away a treacherous tear, “I don’t need your pity, meum Arcanum. Just your understanding. Sometimes listening is more important than speaking.”

She nodded in agreement, giving him a soft smile.

“What happened to him after the attack?”

“My father found him mere moments after he killed his mate. He was staring down at her dead body with a crazed look in his eyes and blood staining his hands. My father lost it -he lost his mate at the hands of his brother. He bit him to a pulp, cursing his name and crying from the pain of his soulmate’s death. Sethelious showed no sign of redemption -he was still laughing with blood coming out of his mouth.

His army was successfully defeated by our warriors -they truly didn’t stand a chance. He was shortly after chained and imprisoned for treason against the kingdom and for murdering the queen. I don’t know how my father managed to pull through -how he managed to be a great King and father when he was hurting so much.

The pain of her loss never left him -he lost a part of his soul with her. She was his wife and the mother of his children, his best friend and his lover -but most importantly, she was his better half. He couldn’t live without her -he wanted to join her. However, he wasn’t just her mate but also Atlantis’ King and our father. He decided to put his people above his needs and wants –above his daily pain.

He decided to exile him from his kingdom into ‘The Gates of Hell’, a deep gorge faraway from Atlantis. There, he could live the rest of his miserable life in utter loneliness and darkness. He would live the rest of his days knowing that he was unsuccessful and feeling the pain of losing his mate every single day.

The King wanted him to feel the same despair and anguish that he was experiencing because of him –the punishment of death seemed too kind for his actions. He trapped him there, unable to escape the darkness of these waters and the depth of this abyss. And this is where he still remains.”

Aileen nodded in understanding as she took everything in. She played with her hands nervously for a while, wondering if she should or shouldn’t ask the question that was on her mind.

“What is troubling you, meum Arcanum”, he gripped her chin gently, making her gaze into his blue orbs.

“What does he have to do with me?“, she asked him halfheartedly, “What could he possibly want me for?”

“He wants to take the crown back and soon enough there will be another King sitting on his precious throne –me. The best way to harm me is by hurting you.”

Aileen bit her lip, feeling a wave of worry filling her up.

“Meum Arcanum...“, Havelock caressed her lower lip with his fingers, making her release it, “He is trapped in depths from where he cannot escape. You have nothing to worry about.”

Emerald eyes met glowing blue ones.

“What if he finds a way to escape?”

His pupils turned into slits.

“No one harms my mate”, he stated firmly, “And if he tries...”

He kissed her forehead lovingly.

“...I am going to finish this, once and for all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 24!!

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