In retrospect, he probably should have expected it to happen.

Ever since he had fallen into the moon pool, his life had been full of twists and turns— he had met mermaids and mermen, he had discovered the truth about his school principal, he had gotten himself into all sorts of tricky situations and risked exposure countless times. And, most significantly, he had received shocking news about his true origins.

But, despite all the chaos and turmoil, he had not had the foresight to brace himself for this.

He had never expected to some face to face with her…

It happened on a surprisingly calm night. The sun had dipped beneath the horizon but Zac, who still felt awkward around his "parents" three months after learning about his adoption, had not felt like returning home. He and Evie had been hanging out on their favourite secluded patch of the beach that afternoon and he had decided to stay there, alone, after she had gone home for dinner.

He could feel his stomach rumble with hunger, but the peacefulness of the beach was too hard to leave behind. It had been hard to find a quiet moment alone recently and Zac revelled in his current solitude. Most days, he was with Evie and his friends—and when he wasn't, his parents insisted that he spend time with them. Things had definitely become tenser in the Blakely household since they had admitted the truth. His parents seemed to be walking on eggshells whenever he was around—praising him, telling him how much they loved him, eagerly trying to please—Zac knew they meant well, and felt guilty about the secrets they had kept, but the change in their behaviour just made the situation more difficult.

He knew that things would never be the same, and each moment he spent with them made that abundantly clear. He could only imagine how bad things would get if they ever found out the full truth—if they knew that he was, in fact, a merman abandoned at the local orphanage by a powerful northern mermaid. When he was at home, he was now more cautious than ever.

Mimmi had also become a new factor in his life which he had struggled to contend with. Before he had discovered their connection he had not, quite honestly, given her much thought. Sure, he had thought that she was nice enough—inquisitive, sweet, helpful. But he had not felt much of a bond. At first, he had still missed Lyla, and he was not thrilled to have yet more mermaids there to deal with the "land boy" situation.

But in the wake of the shocking revelation that night in the merman chamber Zac had, gradually, begun to spend more time with the dark-haired mermaid. Much to Mimmi's frustration, it had taken him a few weeks to get over his denial but, once he decided to face the obvious facts and accept her as his sister, things had started to improve. Though they bickered at times, and still did not feel as close as regular siblings who had grown up together, Zac was willing to concede that he enjoyed getting to know her.

As the world around him seemed to spin out of control, Mimmi was the one who was best able to keep him rooted. His parents were not his parents, and his species was not his species…and Mimmi was suddenly the only thing from his past that he could look to for stability.

She was his sister.

His twin sister.

There was an instinctual bond there, even if the emotional one was not yet fully formed.

Zac felt a vibration in his pocket and he reached in to pull out his phone. Not surprisingly (she could probably sense his thoughts from afar, he thought with a smirk), he looked down to see that he had a text from Mimmi.

"Hey Zac- thought you might want to meet up for a swim later. Let me know. We can meet up by Rita's place later."

The boy paused for a moment, not quite sure how he wanted to respond. For now, he was happy for the silence. But, perhaps, a late night swim in a couple of hours wouldn't be so bad.

Before he could return the text, however, the sound of footsteps snapped him away from his task.

Seconds later, he heard a soft female voice state his name.

"Zac."

Feeling slightly annoyed that he had company, Zac scrambled to his feet. His first guess was that it was Evie, returning to check on him. Or maybe it was his mum, concerned that he had not returned home for dinner.

It was quite dark now, and it took his eyes a few seconds to adjust. But once they did, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Even though the approaching figure, apparently, knew his name he was quite certain that he had never met the woman before in his life.

For several moments, he simply starred ahead—surveying her appearance and trying to figure out how he might know her.

She was middle aged, but still quite stunningly beautiful. Her long dark hair fell over her left shoulder, and her gauzy white dress danced gently in the summer breeze.

She looked ethereal. Almost otherworldly.

And Zac soon felt his heartrate increase.

It couldn't be…

"Who…who are you?" He stammered, straightening his shoulders as she finished her approach.

The mysterious woman was less than a metre away now and, even in the darkness, he could make out her stunning deep blue eyes. They seemed to bore into him, conveying the intensity of her emotion before she even spoke.

He felt like he had seen those eyes before.

"Zac," she said again, even more softly then before. "I apologise if I startled you—but it had been difficult to find you alone these past few days." She paused, a gentle smile crossing her face. "I have waited so long for this, and I wanted our first meeting to be private. I hope you understand."

Zac could hear the blood pumping in his ears, and he suddenly felt as if the air had been knocked out of his chest.

She was so calm, and she spoke with such familiarity. A part of him already knew what was going on, but his mind struggled to fully comprehend.

"Who are you?" He stated again, firmly this time.

He was in no mood for guessing games. And he refused to believe anything until he knew for sure.

The woman gave him a sad smile, and reached a hand towards his cheek. Her fingers brushed against his skin softly, but the boy jerked back quickly, his body buzzing with shock.

"I think you know, darling." She replied, her hand returning reluctantly to her side. "Please, don't be afraid. Don't run. We need to talk. I've waited so long to talk."

Zac drew several deeps breaths, not caring if he looked like a panicked mess. Quite frankly, he was a panicked mess.

He knew. Of course he knew. She looked like him. And she looked like Mimmi.

But a part of him still needed to hear her say it. After all these years, he felt that he deserved that much.

"Who. Are. You." He repeated through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word as he spoke.

She sighed and brought her hand up to the silver necklace that lay around her neck. A necklace that was identical to the one Mimmi always wore.

"I'm your mother, Zac." She said, her blue eyes now locked with his brown. "And I'm so sorry that things had to be this way. But if we can talk, I think you'll begin to understand."

Instinctually, Zac took a step back. His mind was racing, and his body felt as if it was on fire. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't sure if he would ever really be ready for this.

It was surreal. Terrible. Wonderful. Horrifying. Shocking.

Almost every possible emotion seemed to swell inside of him as he stood on the quiet beach, looking at the figure before him.

"No." He blurted out, much to his own surprise. He had not managed to gather his thoughts but, apparently, some subconscious part of him knew what he wanted to say. "No." He stated again, taking another step. "You don't get to do this to me."

Nerissa looked slightly taken aback, but she did not yet respond. Perhaps she knew that he would need to get things off of his chest before there was a hope of progress.

"I already have a mother." He proclaimed, taking a perverse joy in the flash of hurt on her face. "Her name is Charlotte Blakely, and she would never abandon me. She has been there for me my entire life. You don't get to come back here after seventeen and a half years and call yourself…that! You gave up any right to call yourself that the second you left me on the steps of an orphanage on the other side of the world!"

The volume of his voice rose steadily as he spoke and he clenched his fists in anger. He meant every word of what he had just said—he had thought about Nerissa several times during the past few months, but he had never felt any desire for a happy reunion. Mimmi was quite sure that she was gone for good, and Zac had come to the conclusion that he did not want to meet the woman who had abandoned a helpless child. A woman who had taken him away from his people, his sister, his hemisphere—and allowed him to think that he was human for seventeen years.

As far as he was concerned, she was the reason that everything was so massively screwed up right now.

She was the reason he felt so uprooted. So conflicted about who, and what, he was.

Bubbling with anger, Zac began to turn away. It would be easier to leave now, he told himself. She did not deserve his respect, or his time.

But, before he could take another step, he felt her grab his hand. Surprised, he whipped around, only to falter slightly at the look of panic and grief on her face.

"Please, Zac." She said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I know that this is difficult, and I don't expect you to forgive me…but you must at least have some questions."

He wanted to shout again. He wanted to tell her that he didn't need her for anything, and that she should swim back to wherever the hell she had been hiding for all of these years. But her words had struck a chord.

She was right. He might not have wanted to get to know her, and he certainly did not want to forgive her…but there was no doubt that he had questions.

Mimmi and Rita could only tell him so much. With luck, this would be the only time he would have to face this woman, and he might regret losing his chance to get a bit of closure.

"Fine." He spat, jerking his hand away from hers. "I do have a question." He paused, trying to control the rage in his voice. He didn't want her to know quite how much she was affecting him. That might give her false hope that he somehow cared.

Zac drew a deep breath.

"Why?" He said, a steely look on his face. "That's my question. Why? Why did you do this to me? To us?"

Zac found himself putting his hand on his pocket as he waited for her to respond. He could feel his phone in there, and he briefly thought of calling Mimmi. He didn't want to cause her distress, but she was perhaps the one person who could understand his anger right now.

She had been abandoned by this monster too.

"Zac, it's all very complicated." She began cautiously. "Perhaps if we go somewhere more comfortable, I can explain everything. We shouldn't do it here, in case someone—"

"Here. Now." Zac proclaimed, folding his arms across his chest.

He was surprised that he hadn't fled yet, and there was no way in hell he was willing to go somewhere else with Nerissa. She could tell him here, or not at all.

The mermaid drew a deep breath and nodded. There was a moment of silence before she began.

"I suppose you've heard some of the stories about me." She started, looking back towards her estranged son. Zac said nothing. "For the most part, they are true. I am powerful—much more powerful than most—and our family line ruled the northern pods for centuries."

Zac flinched at the use of the word "our"—he still did not like hearing himself associated with her, but he chose to let it slide.

"But I was never happy with the way things were up there. Mermaids can be extremely stubborn, and no one else on the council was willing to even listen to my ideas about mermaid-merman reconciliation. It is difficult to overcome prejudices, especially ancient ones."

Zac gave a slight nod. He knew, better than most, how deep and stubborn the divide between the merpeople was—after all, his mere existence had driven an entire pod from the region, and all the mermaids who associated with him had been disowned.

Despite his anger, he found himself agreeing with her sentiments.

War or no war, the ongoing hatred struck him as ridiculous.

"There were many rumours in the pod about my association with mermen." She continued, her sad smile flickering across her face once more. "And frankly, they weren't rumours—I did know many mermen, and I met with them in secret. It was my hope that, when it came time for me to lead the pod, I would be able to bring the two halves of our species together." Nerissa paused and glanced out towards the ocean. "I went on many voyages during that period—travelling the oceans and looking for allies. It was then that I met your father, a handsome southern merman who believed that it was time to forget the past."

Zac, who had allowed himself to listen intently, felt his heart rate increase again at the mention of his father. Mimmi knew nothing about him—aside from the fact that he existed and that they, unlike most modern merpeople, had been conceived in the "traditional" way. Zac had tried to push the thought from his mind during the past few months, figuring that it was best not to dwell on the thought of someone he would never know.

But now, suddenly, he felt a slight flicker of hope. He hated himself for getting drawn in by her tales, but he knew it was too late to turn back now.

He could not deny that he wanted to know more.

Nerissa continued. "When I returned to the pod, I was already pregnant with you and your sister. I assured the others that I had used our moon pool to conceive—as most mermaids have done since the war—but I knew that some of my pod mates were suspicious. There were many who openly disliked, and feared me. And they were eager to find a way to get me out of the way. Contact with mermen was forbidden, and if they could found out the truth, I knew I would be exiled. Or worse."

"So, I guess they found out then." Zac cut in, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. The pieces were starting to fall together, and he suspected that he knew where the story was going.

It was all quite unfortunate, clearly…but he silently resolved not to offer his pity.

She had made her own choices. And she had chosen to hide him away. Deny his existence.

That seemed like an impossible thing to forgive.

"If I had given birth to a single female child, then the pod would have had no reason to suspect anything. My mother was the only one I allowed at the birth and, when we realized that there were two…and that you were a merman, we knew that we had to act fast."

Zac felt a fresh jolt of rage rippled through him as she spoke.

"Are you trying to say that this whole mess was MY fault!?" He cut in, his eyes wide with shock. "I didn't ask to be born! And I certainly didn't ask to be born a freak of nature! How can you dare to—"

"NO!" Nerissa proclaimed loudly, taking a few quick steps towards him. "Darling, please. That's not what I am trying to say at all."

Zac wanted to protest, but something about her expression made him believe her. Much to his own surprise, he did not even jerk away when she touched his arm this time.

"To me, you were a miracle." She said softly. Pleadingly. "As far as I know, no merman had been born to a mermaid since the war. And twins are completely unheard of in our world as well. It was a shock, but it was a wonderful shock. And that night, when I held you both in my arms for the first time, I was the happiest I had ever been."

The boy tried to ignore the slight prickling sensation in his eyes and he quickly looked away.

She didn't deserve his pity, he reminded himself.

He could not show weakness.

"If you were so happy, then why did you get rid of me?" He asked, his voice sounding much weaker and child-like than he intended.

As he looked back towards her, he could see the redness in her eyes.

"I didn't want to." She whispered, her hand gripping his arm tighter than it had before. "If you believe nothing else I say, at least believe that. But I had broken an ancient law, and your existence proved it. If my enemies in the pod found out I would have been banished and you…" She drew a deep breath. "You would have been destroyed, Zac."

For a moment, he opened his mouth to protest. It seemed crazy.

Unbelievable.

Most of the mermaids he had met were sweet and kind, and it was hard to imagine a pod killing a helpless child.

But, he reminded himself, mermaids did take their laws seriously. Most of his friends had suffered under mermaid rules and, if Verridia was any indication, some mermaids could be absolutely spiteful.

Verridia had wanted him dead. She had come to the chamber intent to kill him just a few short months ago.

It was not shocking to think that there were others like her.

"I did not have a choice, Zac." Nerissa said somberly. "I told my mother to take you to the south. I hoped that she could find your father and give you to him. But when she couldn't, she used an ancient family spell to hide your tail and took you on land to be fostered by humans. It wasn't ideal, but at least it kept you safe. At least you had a home where you could grow up without fear and danger." She paused, her eyes brimming with unshed emotion. "Please…please tell me that your land parents were good to you."

Zac sighed and tried to push back the spark of sympathy inside him.

"Yeah, they're great." He said, willing to offer her at least some reassurance. The woman smiled and he could see her shoulders relax slightly with relief.

"But," Zac continued, his expression hardening. "I didn't know I was adopted until a few months ago. They lied. You made me live a lie. And I don't think I can accurately describe how awful it is to discover that everything you thought you knew was wrong. For seventeen years, I thought I belonged. I thought I was human."

"Zac, I'm sorry. It was the only way. I wish…"

"Sure." He snorted, his anger once again resurging. "If you really feel bad, then prove it. Make me normal again. Let me have my old life back."

Nerissa's brow furrowed in confusion and Zac knew that he would have to be more specific.

"You said an ancient family spell hid my legs for seventeen years. If that's true, and if you're so powerful, then cast it again. I don't want to have to deal with this anymore. Any of it." He proclaimed, throwing up his arms in exasperation. "Sure, the powers were cool at first—but that was when I thought I was a land boy who accidently fell into the moon pool. Once I found out that I'm a…a…not normal." He continued, unable to bring himself to say the actual "m" word, "It isn't fun anymore. I didn't ask for this, and all I want is to go back to normal. I want a normal human life, on land, without having to worry about turning into a fish every time I get splashed!"

He looked towards her as he finished his rant and he could tell instantly that his words had hurt.

Nerissa had brought her hand to her chest, and he mouth was wide with surprise.

"Zac…I…" She drew a deep breath, steadying herself. "I am sorry you feel that way, but I can't do that. The spell can only be cast on an individual once and, even then, it only lasts eighteen years. Even if you hadn't fallen into the moon pool, you would have reverted to your true from next year. You've always been a merman, and you always will be. There is nothing I can do to change that."

Zac felt a wave of nausea pass through him but he tried to keep up a steady mask.

It disturbed him more than he thought it would to learn that his change was inevitable.

That this was who he was always going to be.

There truly was no escape.

"I guess you're not as powerful as they say." He muttered bitterly, folding his arms across his chest again.

"That sort of magic should not be taken lightly. Casting that spell weakened my mother considerably." Nerissa cut in unexpectedly, meeting his gaze. "She died a few short years later. And, as my coronation approached, my rivals doubled their efforts to stop me from ruling the north. They were willing to do anything to stop my efforts to bring about unity in our world. I could have had my revenge—I could have wiped their memories or made them disappear. But I have always refused to abuse my magic." She paused, as if recalling an unhappy memory. "When I got word that some members of the pod were plotting to use an ancient truth spell on me—to find out the truth about you, and about your father— I decided that my best option was to flee. I didn't want to harm anyone, but their conspiracy was too big to escape. I took Mimmi to Mako to be fostered, and then I went into hiding."

"So you just hid for seventeen years?" Zac asked, raising a dark brow. "You could have at least visited. You could have even made a life for yourself on land, like Rita. Unless you didn't actually want to see us…"

"Of course I wanted to see you!" Nerissa exclaimed. "I thought about both of you every single day, and I spent most of my time trying to sense you—to check if you were alright. But it wasn't safe to come and find you. The pod has spies, and I knew that if I sought you out, there was a chance I would be followed."

Zac scoffed. "Sure. If that's true, then why did you come now?"

"Because," She explained, "I knew that it was finally time. I could tell, even from a great distance, that you had both come into your full powers and had ignited the bond that you share. I couldn't risk contacting you until you were strong enough to defend yourself. The fact is, the northern pod might be tracking us right now—and if they figure out all of the details, they will try to destroy us all. But if we move quickly, and manage to set everything in motion, they won't be able to stop us."

Confused, Zac shot her a bewildered look. She was being vague, and he had no idea what she was talking about.

What did they have to set in motion?

What did she expect them to do?

As if sensing his next question, Nerissa continued. He could instantly sense the desperation in her voice.

"You and Mimmi are extremely special." She explained, her eyes locked on his. "A merman and a mermaid born together, with the blood of the north and the south. You both symbolize the unity that I was forced to sacrifice our happiness for and you are the only ones who can bring it to pass."

"Okay, all of that isolation has clearly made you delusional." Zac stated, rolling his eyes. "We're not powerful enough to end an ancient cold war! Like I told you, I have zero interest in being a merman, and I fully intend to live out my life on land. End of story. Whatever you're plotting, count me out."

"You can't turn your back on this, Zac. This is how it is meant to be!"

His patience now expired, Zac turned away from the woman who claimed to be his mother.

No matter what she said, and no matter what their biological link might be, he refused to see her that way—a mother was someone that cared for you, kept you close and offered you her love. No matter what she said, at the end of the day, this woman had left him and had now returned to talk about destinies and grand plans.

He didn't owe her anything. And he wanted no part in her plans.

"Zac, please don't go!" He heard her exclaim and he walked brusquely along the sand, heading away from her as quickly as he could. "There are things you don't understand. The prophecy says…"

"I'm done listening!" the boy shouted back, glancing over his shoulder as he continued to walk. "I'm finished!"

For a moment, he felt invigorated. He did not hear her retort, and he was quite sure that he had finally shown her that he was done.

He hadn't asked for this life. And he would do anything he could to live as normally as he could.

Before he could get a safe distance away from the shore, however, the sound of surging water made him freeze in his tracks.

Suddenly full of dread, Zac turned just in time to see an unexpectedly large wave rushing towards him.

Unfortunately for him, it was too late to get out of the way, and he only managed to let out a quiet "No!" before the wave drew him in. It wasn't terribly strong, but it was enough to soak him and pull him to the edge of the shore.

Foolishly, he tried to stand up as soon as it had subsided. But, seconds later, he collapsed back onto the wet sand, his blue tail on full display.

"Zac!" He heard Nerissa exclaim.

He could see her rushing towards him, and he did his best to push his body towards the water. But the next several waves did not come as close and maneuvering on the sand was difficult. For the second time that night, he was too slow.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" He heard her ask as she reached his side.

Zac scowled up at her, not the least bit consoled.

"Of course I'm not okay!" He exclaimed. "Thanks to you, I'm a freak of nature!"

As he spoke, another large wave came forward, brushing Nerissa's ankles. A moment later, her own tail appeared and she too was left stranded, and legless, on the shore.

For a second, Zac could not stop himself from examining her new form (her true form, he reminded himself). It was foolish, and he hated himself for it, but he could not quash the faint feeling for familiarity.

Perhaps, in some deep dark recess of his subconscious mind, he could remember being held by her…remember how her tears had fallen as she had let her newborn son be whisked away.

"You've grown into such a handsome young merman, Zac." She said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. "I wish I could have been there. For everything."

He pulled back instantly, not ready or willing to accept her tender touch.

"You don't get to do this." He snapped, well aware that the redness in his eyes had returned.

He hated himself for letting his emotions overcome him, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do.

"You don't get to come back here and win me over with your sob story after what you did." He could see that his words had stung but he refused to let himself care. "I will never want to be a merman, and I will never want to be your son."

Nerissa stiffened as she tried to fight back her own emotions.

"You will always be my son. And I will always love you. Unconditionally."

Unable to take any more, Zac pushed himself into the next surging wave and speed off into the ocean's dark depths.

He felt numb.

Angry.

Helpless.

And, worst of all, her words were still ringing in his ears.

No matter how stubborn he was, and no matter how long he managed to avoid her, deep down, he knew that she was right.

She was his mother.

His blood.

And he would never be able to completely push her away.

Not forever…

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A/N—Let me know what you think. If there is positive response, I might do another chapter or two.