"You have potential, Eric."He said quietly."But that power... it's not really yours yet.From what I can sense in you, it's as if you know that this power isn't yours, and it's not letting you use it to its full potential."
Those words from King Triton haven't left my mind since the battle.
I wasn't angry at him pointing out my flaw, but surprised at myself for not realizing it before.
Ever since I found out about the Chi in me, I stopped treating Johnny's power as Johnny's power and started calling it my Chi, my Chi power.
But that never happened with Percy's power.
From the beginning, I've just treated this power as the power of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon.
A power that I have to be careful to use, careful not to offend people, and even more careful not to get on the radar of deities.
But one thing that this encounter with Triton showed me was that although he could feel this power and a small relationship with Poseidon, he couldn't clearly say that it came from another world, another person, or even another son of his father, which was a very good sign.
What he said made me realize that I have to change the way I see this power.
Instead of being Percy's power, this is now my power, my power to control water.
'Just as I control my Chi, I also control MY power to control water! ' I thought determinedly.
As soon as I thought that, I felt a change in me.
A very big change in how I felt the water around me, the familiarity I felt about it, information I'd never had access to about the water even though it was always in front of me... a control over the water that made it seem like everything was now several times lighter!
This feeling was very familiar, much like when I unlocked a greater part of Johnny's power!
Without thinking twice I opened my status screen.
- Eric Lunaris -
Race: Human
GP: 14
- Character Assimilation -
Fully Assimilated: None
In Progress: [Percy Jackson - 19 -> 26%] [Johnny Cage - 40%]
------------------------------
A 7% gain in Percy's assimilation just by understanding this concept!
Just seeing this made me even more excited, causing a big smile to break out on my face.
Ariel, who was playing with some water next to me, became curious. "What is it, Eric? Why did you start smiling out of nowhere?"
Looking at the beautiful mermaid who swam with me to the beach, I squeezed her hand and smiled even more. "Why do you think? It's because I'm going to have a beautiful traveling companion on my adventures."
Hearing what I said, Ariel's face turned red but she also smiled excitedly. "I can't believe my father used magic on me so I could explore the human world with you!"
Yes, just like at the end of the original movie, King Triton magically used his trident to allow Ariel to switch freely between mermaid and human form.
This wasn't originally a plan, but when Ariel learned that I would be away for some time, she begged her father.
- Flash Back -
I was in the hall of Atlantica, still a little dizzy from the "fight" with Triton.
The water around me seemed more alive, as if it had enjoyed the show.
Ariel was next to me, with a smile on her face, while Arista was swimming in circles, laughing and talking loudly about how I "almost" managed to hit her father.
Attina just watched, looking like she hadn't decided whether she liked me or not.
While their other sisters were laughing and looking at me with more interest than when I arrived.
Triton was back on his throne, his trident resting on his arm, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and respect.
"You surprised me, Eric," he said, his deep voice filling the room. "Not many humans would have the courage to face me, even if it was just a test."
I nodded, laughing a little and scratching the back of my head. "I don't think my warrior side could pass up that chance, King Triton."
Triton snorted, but one corner of his mouth went up. "You're cocky, kid. But maybe that's a good thing." He paused, looking at Ariel, who was almost floating with happiness. "My daughter believes in you, and as much as I don't like humans, I can see she's happy. So, for now, you have my permission to stay close, if you feel confident we can try another 'fight' like that."
Ariel squealed, swimming over to him. "Thanks, Dad!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.
Triton just sighed, but didn't push her away.
I smiled gratefully and said, as sincerely as I could, "Thank you, King Triton, when I'm ready I'll try again, I just won't be able to show up for a while, as I'll have to travel around the kingdom to deal with the monsters in a few days."
But while he only nodded in understanding, Ariel beside him was completely shocked by this news. "You're leaving, Eric?!"
Smiling apologetically, I shook my head in denial. "I'm definitely not leaving, but I'm going to have to travel for a few days to help the rest of the kingdom with the monsters that are attacking other towns and villages. As the only one with the power to deal with the monsters in a more accurate way, I can't stand by and let my people die."
King Triton nodded at me in agreement, but Ariel wasn't taking it well.
Speechless for a few seconds, Ariel apparently thought of something and turned to her father with the biggest sad puppy face I've ever seen anyone make while fiddling with her hair. "Dad... can I... can I go with him? See the human world, help him."
The hall became so quiet that I swear I heard the sound of a fish passing by outside.
Although I imagined that Ariel would ask something like this, which is why I raised the question at this point, I didn't expect Ariel to be so decisive.
Triton frowned, clutching his trident in his hand. "You, my child, in the human world? With him?" He pointed at me, and I felt a chill, as if the whole sea could swallow me up. "That's crazy, Ariel, humans are dangerous, and these lands are so infested with monsters!"
"But Eric isn't dangerous!" she insisted, swimming closer. "He saves people, Dad, he treats me well... I trust him. And the monsters... he's fighting them! I can help, learn more about the world, and... and stay with him." She blushed, but didn't lower her gaze.
Triton remained silent, his face serious. He looked at me, then at Ariel, and sighed so deeply that it seemed as if the whole sea was breathing with him. "You're as stubborn as your mother..." he muttered, almost to himself.
Then he raised the trident, and a golden glow began to grow. "If that's what you want, Ariel, I won't arrest you. But you'll need more than courage up there." I blinked, confused.
I blinked, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked, feeling the water grow warmer around me.
Triton pointed his trident at Ariel, and the golden light enveloped her.
She gasped as her tail glowed and legs began to form, only to turn back into a tail.
"I gave you a gift." He said in a firm voice. "You can switch between mermaid and human whenever you want. But, Ariel, the human world is not kind. Be smart, and trust this boy only as far as he deserves."
Ariel's eyes widened, she touched her tail and then looked at me, beaming. "Dad... I... thank you!" She swam over to him again, giving him another hug.
Ariel's sisters went crazy at this possibility and started pestering Triton to give them legs too, but he denied them all, saying that the sea still needed them.
I laughed, relieved and a little shocked, but grateful for the gesture of trust he had placed in me.
It seems that when two men face each other in combat they really can understand each other better than just by talking.
"Thank you, King Triton." I said in a grateful voice.
"Don't thank me yet, Eric," he said. "You're taking my daughter into your world, if anything happens to her, not even the sea will save you from me." The trident glowed, just to reinforce the idea, and I swallowed, nodding.
"I promise to take care of her," I replied, looking at Ariel. She smiled, and I felt my chest warm, even with the weight of responsibility.
- End of Flash Back -
So now here we are, climbing out of the water as Ariel transformed her tail into human legs for the first time.
As I held her hand tightly, Ariel began the transformation process, her tail glowing gold like Triton's trident, causing her tail to split in half and the outline of her delicate legs to appear there.
What we forgot to think about was that when the glow from her transformation faded, Ariel wasn't wearing anything underneath!
This was supposed to be obvious, since when she was in mermaid form she didn't need to cover anything from the waist down, her own anatomy left her private parts hidden and guarded, but now that she had transformed into a human, she needed clothes!
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Ariel was quick to notice this problem and in just a fraction of a second she undid the transformation and returned to mermaid form, but the damage had already been done.
We both just stared at each other with red faces, not knowing what to say or how to react.
--- Cat Notes ---
I was honestly blown away by the reaction to the last chapter... seeing so many of you still here after all this time really made my day.
Now that everything in my life is finally settled, I'm officially back to writing and posting new chapters!
To celebrate, here's a little challenge: for every 500 Power Stones the story gets this week, I'll drop a new chapter as soon as the goal is reached (and I see it).
Thank you all for sticking around... it really means a lot.
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