"What in Poseidon's name were you thinking!?" Chanyeol flinched. He, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were lined up in the throne room, vehemently avoiding eye contact with everyone. Chanyeol felt the guilt swirl uncomfortably in his gut.

"I mean really, as if abandoning your responsibilities the night before the anniversary festival wasn't bad enough, you drag your friends outside the boundaries that have been set up for your own safety so you could go treasure hunting in a bunch of human death traps!"

"T-Taeyeon-sshi," Baekhyun cut in, "I-it wasn't just Chanyeol! I'm just as to blame as he is! Kyungsoo didn't even want to go in the first place, he-"

"Baekhyun, I appreciate your efforts, I really do, but right now isn't exactly the time, okay?" Baekhyun shrunk back, nodding timidly. Kyungsoo looked like he was about to start crying.

"I can't even begin to express how disappointed I am in all of you. To have to send the sirens...anything could have happened to you out there and we wouldn't have had any idea!"

"Noona..."

"Do not 'noona' me, Park Chanyeol!" Taeyeon pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, pushing down the tension headache that pounded behind her eyes. A hand touched her shoulder, waves of calm flowing through her body at the gentle contact. Taeyeon covered the hand with one of her own, throwing Tiffany, her love, her light, her rock, a grateful look. She sighed, gathering her thoughts.

"Chaerin, Dara, could you Baekhyun home, please? Bom, Minzy, could you do the same for Kyungsoo? I would like to speak to my brother alone."

"Yes, Highness," they chorused. Chanyeol watched with apprehension as the sirens steered his friends out of the throne room. Kyungsoo had his head buried in the crook of Bom's neck, her arm thrown around his shoulders as Minzy gently rubbed comforting circles into his back. CL and Dara were a little more reserved with Baekhyun, arms guiding instead of soothing; he wasn't nearly as sensitive as Kyungsoo.

"Pani," Taeyeon murmured to Tiffany, eyes soft, almost pleading, "could you give us a minute, please?" After a moment of hesitation, the auburn haired mermaid nodded. She cast an unreadable glance in Chanyeol's direction before she too left the chamber.

Chanyeol tried to think of something to say to his sister, but now that they were alone, he couldn't find the words. He could only gasp as she wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"Tae..."

"Babo! Why do you do these things to me? It's as if it's your life's goal to worry me to death!"

"Now we both know that's not true, Taetae," Chanyeol chuckled, pulling back a little from the hug. He playfully poked her forehead and pulled lightly on the ends of her golden blonde hair, entwined with a net of pearls and lustrous white sea-lilies, "If you died, who would boss everyone around?" Taeyeon whacked him on the shoulder disapprovingly. Chanyeol guffawed, rubbing his arm and pouting cutely, bottom lip out and eyes wide.

"Don't even try it, Park Chanyeol! Those cute faces may work on everyone else, but they do not work on me!" Taeyeon perched herself on the oversized, ornate throne, ignoring her brother's attempts to make her feel sorry for him.

He saw the less than pleased look on her usually smiling face, laughter tapering off awkwardly.

"You know I have to punish you for your actions today, right?" Chanyeol responded with a groan.

"I'm 19 years old, Taeyeon! I'm not a child!"

"If you didn't keep acting like a child, I wouldn't have to treat you like one!" Taeyeon replied, "This isn't the first time you've shirked your duties to go play in ship wrecks!"

"What 'duties'? You've seen how they look at me, what they say when my back is turned!" Chanyeol felt a familiar warmth pulse in his veins. The water around him began to bubble hot, "Those mer would rather have an urchin for a prince then someone like me!"

"Chanyeol! You need to calm down!" Chanyeol didn't want to calm down, but he knew she was right. He was most volatile when he was upset or angry, and could easily hurt someone. The last thing in the world he wanted was for someone to suffer because he was too weak to control himself.

"I know it isn't fair, Channie, the way they treat you, but you are my brother, and as such you have certain expectations you have to live up to. The gods have-"

"Blessed me with a strong and unique gift that I should be grateful to have because not everyone is born with abilities like mine. I've heard the speech before, Tae."

"Then I assume you know the part about being a role model and a leader for the people, and not running off to gods-know where without telling anyone!"

"We weren't even that far out of city limits!" Taeyeon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It was far enough that Joonmyun couldn't sense you anymore!" Never in his life had Chanyeol resented Joonmyun's strange symbiosis with the water in which they made their homes as much as he did at that moment.

"I'm tired of arguing with you, Chanyeol." Taeyeon stated tersly, her mask of queendom sliding back into place, "As punishment for your blatant disregard of our laws, as of tomorrow you will be under continuous supervision, and assigned a guardian for the foreseeable future. Perhaps I'll call Joonmyun. They don't call him Suho for nothing, after all."

"But-!"

"This is not up for discussion! You're lucky I don't just have you confined to your room all together! Now, go! Go before I change my mind!"

Chanyeol's hands fisted at his sides. He had to bite his lip to keep it from quivering. With one shakey breath he uttered the few words that he knew would make Taeyeon feel as low as she had made him feel.

"You are not our parents."

Chanyeol pretended not to hear the tiny gasp of hurt escape his sister's throat as he fled from the throne room, a boiling hot trail left in his wake.

***

Chanyeol had never been to the surface. It was forbidden for mer to go above the safety of the deep, wide oceans. It was a notion that he had toyed with many times before; what was it that made the human world so bad?

Digging through the bag still slung over his body, he dumped the shells onto the flat rock on which he lay, in a grotto far enough from the city to avoid his sister and the stares of the judgemental mer who lived there, but not so far as to alert anyone again. Delicately, he removed the stone hidden away at the bottom and held it up to the light filtering down from above.

Chanyeol really didn't know why he had decided to hide his treasure from his best friends. It wasn't like Baekhyun and Kyungsoo would steal it or anything, but one of them would probably let slip to Joonmyun, who would have no choice but to tell Taeyeon, and she would more than likely make him throw it away.

The stone seemed to give off a strange, comforting warmth, glowing a soft orange against the stark creamy white of Chanyeol's fingers. He the surface absently with his thumb, revealing the heat, so very like the heat of his gift shooting through his veins, but without the threat of boiling everything around him. The spell was broken at the sound of the heavy boulder covering the entrance to the hideaway as it began to shift, rock scraping against rock. Silently, the stone was slipped away once more, the loss of warmth causing the water to feel much colder than usual.

"I thought I'd find you here." Chanyeol turned his head to the side, smirking lightly. Baekhyun glided into the grotto, pushing the boulder back into place behind him.

"Should I even ask how you found this place?"

"Probably not," Baekhyun poked him in the shoulder, telling him to move over on the large, flat rock. Chanyeol shuffled over to make room, twirling the long sea grass floating at the base of the rock around his fingers.

"How is Kyungsoo doing?"

"The usual; He's blaming himself for getting caught, even though I told him that it was not, in fact, his fault. What about you?"

"Assigned a permanent babysitter."

"Ouch. Lemme guess: Suho-hyung?" The merprince nodded.

"It's nothing against him. Suho-hyung is great. I just can't stand the fact that Taeyeon treats me like I can't be trusted.  Half the time, I feel like Queen Taeyeon the Gentle and my noona are two completely different people."

“Be thankful she was nice enough to assign Suho-hyung as your ‘sitter’, and not Kyuhyun-hyung. That guy is evil incarnate.”  They were silent for a moment.

"It was still pretty fun though, right?" Chanyeol grinned.

"So much fun!" Baekhyun agreed, his own smile almost as bright as Chanyeol's.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence, watching the light play on the surface above.

"It's around here, right Kyungsoo?"

"I-I'm not sure...wait what’s that over there?"

"Uh oh, speak of the devil!" Baekhyun chuckled, much to Chanyeol's dismay. He just couldn't catch a break today!

"Here, I think this is it!"

The boulder rolled away, the voices of Kyungsoo and Suho echoing through the grotto.

"You know this place is supposed to be a secret, right?" Chanyeol quipped. Kyungsoo winced and blushed.

“Sorry, Chanyeol, I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

“Nice to see you, Suho-hyung,” Baekhyun cut in, lightly elbowing Chanyeol in the side. Suho smiled his blinding, perfect smile, despite a certain mer who was fervently trying to ignore him.

“Hello, Chanyeol-ah,” Suho’s smile faulted a fraction as he continued to be ignored. Baekhyun rolled his eyes and sharply slapped Chanyeol on the arm. Chanyeol yelped in pain, clutching his limb and pouting at the reproachful look his best friend was giving him. He was being rude, and he knew it.

“H-hello, hyung.” Suho swam over and perched himself on the flat rock, slinging an arm around Chanyeol’s now upright shoulders.

“Don’t be angry with Taeyeon-sshi, Chanyeol,” He squeezed the younger mer comfortingly, “She only wants what best for you.” Chanyeol glanced at Suho, analysing the brotherly smile on his face for any signs of condescension. Suho refused to break eye contact, staring him down until he was forced into his familiar, happy grin.

“Much better! So what exactly do you boys do for fun?” Suho raised his eyebrows, eyes wide in earnest interest.

“You mean that won’t make Taeyeon-sshi want to rip our heads off with her bare hands?” Baekhyun smirked, “Nothing special.”

“We mostly just hang out here,” Kyungsoo added, “Baekhyun likes to make fun of Chanyeol’s ‘reversal voice’ when he’s not around.”

“WHAT!?” Chanyeol screeched, swimming right up into Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun flushed bright red, waving his hands frantically.

“I-it’s not what it sounds like! Honest!”

“BAEKHYUNNIE! You’re supposed to be my friend!!” Chanyeol made a grab for Baekhyun, but Baekhyun squawked and dodged his grasp, darting away like an eel.

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOU SOUND LIKE AN AJUSSHI BUT YOU LOOK LIKE A BABY!”

“COME BACK HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!”

 Kyungsoo sat himself next to Suho, tail curled up beside him. They watched the other two chase each other, circling around the grotto, screaming and cursing each other as only best friends can.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Suho asked casually. Kyungsoo shrugged, a smile tugging at his full lips.

“What can I say; they’re funny when they argue.”

As soon as Baekhyun and Chanyeol had worn themselves out, Suho made the executive decision to head back to the palace. Preparations for the festival were still underway so they could make it inside without incident.

“Hey, Channie-ah, what’s in the bag?” Kyungsoo asked, swimming up next to his friend. Suho swum slightly behind, a drowsy Baekhyun’s arms wrapped around his neck.

“W-what do you mean?”

“You’ve been hanging onto it since the ship wreck,” He said, “We’re you’re friends. Did you think we wouldn’t notice?” Chanyeol blushed.

“O-okay, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone,” Kyungsoo nodded. He looked back at Suho, busy trying to keep Baekhyun from falling asleep on him, and swam a little closer.

Chanyeol reached into the bag with a shaky hand, greeted by the warmth of the stone as he grasped it in his hand.

“Oh my goodness, Chanyeol, that’s beautiful!” Kyungsoo gasped, gazing admiringly at the vibrant reds and oranges.

“I know it may sound strange, but when I hold it, I feel so warm, so calm…”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo gently took the treasure, looping the chain around Chanyeol’s neck. The stone settled hot on his chest, “you were meant to find it.”

“Kyungsoo…”

“Things happen for a reason, Chanyeol. Remember that.”

Suho hurried them along after that. Kyungsoo eventually was able to pry Baekhyun off Suho’s neck to take him home. He and Chanyeol made their way back to the palace. Taeyeon wasn’t there for dinner; she was busy with the preparations, so after saying goodnight to his new bodyguard, Chanyeol headed up to his room.

That night he fell asleep, comforted by the heat of his treasure around his neck, dreaming of the possibilities of the world above the waves.

*begs for forgiveness* I should be bricked for making you all wait so long. BRICKED I SAY. You know how life can be though, right?

But OMO 31 SUBS!!!! <3 You guys are the reason I write :') Don't forget to comment; ideas, criticism, anything is welcome!