Eric Cat
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08 - Date
🕑 Added 2025-04-13 08:18:02 +0000 UTCI was there, in the water, with Ariel looking at me with those sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the whole sea.
She was so excited that I almost forgot I had to get back to the beach before the end of the day.
"Okay then, Ariel," I said, giving her a smile. "You show me your world, and I'll tell you about mine. But at the end of the day, I want to meet that mermaid, huh?" I winked, just to keep the joke going.
She laughed, a sound that seemed to mix waves with music. "Deal!" she said, flicking her tail in the water and throwing drops everywhere. "Come on, Eric, you'll love it!"
Before I could reply, she swam forward a little, pulling me by the hand.
I let her, feeling the water make its way towards me as if it were my home, thanks to the Percy Jackson letter.
First, she took me to a hidden cave, not far from the shore.
"This is my secret place..." she whispered, as if she were telling me about a treasure.
Inside, there was everything: crooked forks, a broken statue of a guy in a hat, even a cracked mirror leaning against a coral reef. I picked up a fork, twirling it in my hand. "Do you collect these things?" I asked, amused.
"Yes!" She blushed, swimming over to the mirror. "Humans throw such... different things. I always wondered what they were for." She picked up a shell necklace and put it around her neck, twirling around like a princess at a ball.
I laughed, but I was impressed; she had a way of turning stuff into something much more interesting than it should be.
Then she dragged me to a reef full of corals that glowed in colors I didn't even know existed.
Fish danced around us, and one of them, a little goldfish that was a bit of a mess, came swimming up quickly. "Ariel, who's that?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.
"Flounder, that's Eric!" she said excitedly. "He's... a friend." She looked at me, a little shy, and I just waved at the fish, trying not to laugh at his astonished face.
"A human?!" Flounder almost choked. "Ariel, if your father finds out..."
"Relax, Flounder," she cut in, laughing. "Eric's cool. He even controls the water, look!" She pointed at me, waiting for me to do something.
I sighed, but raised my hand, using what I had of Percy.
The water around us swirled slowly, forming a small eddy that made the coral glow brighter. Flounder's mouth dropped open, and Ariel clapped her hands in delight.
"See? He's amazing!" she said, swimming closer to me. My face felt hot, but I disguised it by looking at the reef. "It's nothing..." I said, half-joking. "But this place... damn, Ariel, it's beautiful."
She smiled, a smile that made my chest tighten. "There's more!" she promised, and took me to an underwater canyon where the sunlight cut through the water in golden rays.
We swam side by side, and I told her about Miralune.
The cobbled streets, the warm bread in the markets, the way the people waved to me, the mundane things in the lives of the people on the surface.
She listened to everything with wide eyes, as if each word were a jewel.
"Have you ever been on a horse?" she asked suddenly. "Is it true that they run faster than a shark?" I laughed.
I laughed. "Well, it depends on the shark. But it's fun. One day, maybe I'll show you." She kept quiet, but her smile said she was imagining the scene.
The day passed too quickly. As the sun began to lower, tinting the sea orange, Ariel stopped near a large rock. "It's about time, isn't it?" she said, a little shyly. "To take you to... that mermaid."
I crossed my arms, pretending to think. "Hmm, you know, I think I've already found her." I looked right at her, and her face turned red again, just like on the beach.
"Eric!" she exclaimed, slapping the water lightly. "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Maybe," I said, laughing. "But seriously, Ariel... thank you. For saving me that day. And for today. It was..." I stopped, not knowing the right word. "Incredible."
She lowered her eyes, fiddling with her tail. "Thank you..." She murmured. "Are you... coming back tomorrow?"
I smiled. "If the sea lets me, I'll be back." We swam back to the beach, and I got out of the water, looking at her one last time before she disappeared into the waves. My heart was light, perhaps the lightest I've felt since I came into this world.
Ariel was my first connection, the real Eric, not the Eric who had lived here for 17 years.
To be able to act with her as I normally would, to make silly jokes, to laugh at my lack of control underwater... these are such incredible experiences, and so magical that they would have been impossible to have in my previous world.
Today I was happy to be able to come to this world, not because of the powers I could gain, but because of the connections I would enjoy making.
But as I swam towards the surface, I had no idea how much chaos Atlantis would go through when the news broke that the King's favorite princess had spent the whole day with a human.
-
I climbed onto the beach, the water still dripping from my tunic, and looked back one last time. Ariel had disappeared into the waves, but her smile was still stuck in my head. I grabbed my horse, which was grazing peacefully, and got on, feeling the weight of the day. "Time to get back to reality, Eric," I muttered, thinking of the monsters I was going to face at night. The sun was almost down, and I knew the castle was waiting for me.
Deep under the sea, in the coral palace, King Triton was sitting on his throne, his trident glowing in his hand, and he had a look on his face that was a mixture of confusion and worry.
Ariel's six sisters, Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina, were swimming in a circle around him, all talking at the same time. The hall was full of whispers, with servants peeking through the seaweed curtains.
"Dad, I saw her going out again today!" said Arista, crossing her arms. "Ariel never wakes up early like that, unless she's got something on her mind!"
"And she was humming!" added Adella, her eyes sparkling. "A new song, Dad! She only does that when she's in love."
Triton frowned, slamming his pitchfork on the floor. "In love, huh?" He looked at his daughters, trying to understand. "Do you know of any mermen who have been talking to her? Some nobleman from Atlantis, perhaps?"
Attina, the eldest, laughed quietly. "Dad, it's not a merman. I heard her talking to Flounder about... a human." She hesitated, watching her father's face change.
"A human?!" King Triton raised his voice, and a strong current shook the hall. "My daughter? Near a human?!" He rose from his throne, his trident sparking. "This is unacceptable! Humans are dangerous, selfish, destroyers of the sea!"
Alana swam closer, trying to calm down. "Dad, maybe it's nothing serious. Ariel has always liked human things. It could just be... curiosity." But her tone didn't convince anyone, not even herself.
Andrina giggled. "Curiosity? She was out all day, Dad! And she came back with that silly smile. That's not just curiosity."
King Triton clutched his trident, his eyes narrowed. "Where's Sebastian?" he asked, looking at the seahorse that was acting as his messenger. "He knows everything Ariel does. Bring him here, now!"
The seahorse swam off quickly, while the sisters exchanged glances. Aquata whispered to Arista: "If it's true, poor Ariel. Her father will explode." Arista just shook her head, worried.
A few minutes later, Sebastian walked in, his tweezers trembling. He already knew he was in trouble. "M-majesty?" he stammered, trying to sound calm. "You called?"
King Triton pointed his trident at him. "Sebastian, tell me now: what is Ariel doing? She's seeing a human, isn't she?" His voice was like a storm brewing.
Sebastian swallowed, looking at his sisters, who were standing still, waiting. "I... um... Your Majesty, Ariel was just swimming around!" he said, the words coming out slurred. "She likes the beach, you know? Just... watching the seagulls!"
"Seagulls?!" King Triton slammed his trident into the ground, and a wave shook the palace. "Don't lie to me, crab! I know she's near a human! Who is he? Speak!"
Sebastian stepped back, almost hitting a choir. "I don't know, Your Majesty! I swear!" He was sweating, thinking about Ariel, the way she talked about Eric. "She's... she's just curious, it's a young thing!"
King Triton came closer, his trident inches from the crab. "Curious?" He growled. "If you're hiding something about my daughter, Sebastian, I swear I'll turn you into shark food. Tell the truth, now!"
Sebastian was shaking, his claws hitting each other. He looked at the floor, then at his sisters, who were paralyzed.
There was no escape. "All right, Your Majesty!" he exclaimed, almost crying. "It's true! Ariel... she's in love with a human! A prince called Eric. She saved him from a shipwreck and... today she spent the day with him on the beach!"
The hall fell silent. King Triton's eyes widened, his trident falling a little. "A human prince..." he repeated, his voice low but full of anger. "My daughter... with a human."
Attina covered her mouth, shocked.
"Ariel..." Alana muttered incredulously, while Andrina exchanged a frightened glance with Arista.
Adella and Aquata stood motionless, not knowing what to say.
The air was heavy like a storm brewing.
King Triton slammed his trident into the ground, and a wave shook the hall.
"Bring Ariel here, now!" he ordered, his voice echoing off the walls.
The messenger seahorse swam off so fast that it almost hit a coral reef.
The sisters exchanged nervous glances, knowing that the youngest was in trouble.
Minutes later, Ariel walked in, her red hair floating like a flame.
She was smiling, still with the glow of someone who had spent the day dreaming, but when she saw her father's face, the smile disappeared. "Dad?" she asked hesitantly. "Did something happen?"
King Triton stood up, his trident glowing. "Ariel, how dare you?" he began, his voice harsh. "You went out with a human! A human prince called Eric! You saved him, you spent the day with him, you disobeyed all my orders!" He swam closer, and Ariel stepped back, her eyes wide.
"Dad, I..." She tried to speak, but he cut her off.
"Humans are dangerous!" he shouted, pointing his trident at the ceiling. "They destroy the sea, they hunt our people, they litter our homes! And you, my child, dream of one of them?" He stopped, taking a deep breath, but the anger was still there.
Ariel lowered her head, her eyes watering. "You don't understand," she muttered, her voice trembling. "Eric isn't like that. He's... he's different." She lifted her face, with a stubborn glare. "He controls the water, as if he were one of us! He makes the waves dance, with a sword, like magic. He's not just any human!"
King Triton frowned in surprise. "He controls the water?" He laughed dryly. "Impossible. Humans don't have that power. You're making things up to justify your silly passion, Ariel!"
"I'm not making it up!" she exclaimed, swimming forward. "I saw it with my own eyes! He's strong, Dad, and... gentle. He wouldn't hurt the sea. He thanked me for saving him, talked to me like I was important." A tear escaped, floating into the water. "Why don't you trust me?"
The sisters exchanged shocked glances. Attina whispered to Alana: "She's serious..." Alana only nodded, biting her lip.
Sebastian, still in the corner, seemed to want to dig a hole to hide in.
King Triton stood still, his trident lowered a little. For the first time, he looked uncertain. "A human with powers..." he muttered, almost to himself.
He looked at Ariel, seeing the pain on her face, and something in him hesitated. But doubt soon turned to skepticism. "If this Eric is everything you say, I want proof," he said, his voice firm. "I want to see for myself. A human can't fool the king of the sea that easily."
Ariel's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you... going to give him a chance?" she asked, with a thread of hope.
"It's not a chance," King Triton corrected, pointing the trident at her. "It's a test. If he's really what you say, I'll think about what to do. But if he's just some human, Ariel, you'll never get close to him again. Understand?"
She swallowed, but nodded. "Understood, Dad." Her heart was tight, but there was a gleam of determination in it. "You'll see. He's special."
King Triton returned to his throne, his face still hard. "Sebastian, keep an eye on her," he ordered, without looking at the crab. "And you, Ariel, no running off to the beach until I decide what to do."
Ariel lowered her head, but her fists were clenched. "Yes, Dad," she muttered, swimming out of the room. The sisters followed, whispering among themselves, while Sebastian sighed, thinking about how screwed he was.
King Triton stood alone, staring at the trident. "A human with powers..." he repeated quietly. "Let's see, Eric, who you really are."
