Work Text:
No. Don’t go.
Caduceus continues to struggle in his grip, driven by the impulse. Blackness takes Fjord’s vision, yet he tightens his arms around Caduceus and continues to pull them both back towards safety.
“Fuck, Caduceus, what are you doing? Retreat!”
Come back to me. Please.
Even with the weight of the magic in Fjord’s command, Caduceus manages to break free of his arms and starts to swim back toward the tunnel, desperate, seeking.
Why are you leaving me? Don’t you trust me? Am I not enough?
The water, once so comforting and peaceful, begins to feel cold. Oppressive. Infinite. Caduceus is gone. Fjord’s tether to reality, snapped. He swears he can feel a tentacle wrap around his chest. The memory of a glowing yellow eye. The tentacle tightens, tightens, tightens, he can’t breathe, everything is black and Caduceus is gone and all that exists is the cold and the dark and the --
No. He needs me. I can’t do anything, I’m useless. What can I do? I can get help. Help. Why can’t anyone hear me? Right, I’m underwater. They’re by the boats. I need to get to the surface. Up. Go up. Where is up? Useless.
Air, not water, finds his lungs. The tentacles release, but the eye remains. Watching. Judging.
“Caduceus! He’s going forward, he’s being pulled, get in here!”
Why couldn’t I stop him? Why wasn’t I enough? I’m supposed to protect him. He has done so much for me and I couldn’t save him. Useless. I’m not good enough for him. I’m not good enough. Help. What are they doing? He needs help. Caduceus is in danger, and I couldn’t help. Useless.
“NOW!”
He’s had bad experiences with water in the past. He almost drowned. More than once. I promised him I would make him love the sea one day. I promised him.
“I can’t see. He went down through the tunnel. Someone go get him, I’m useless.”
He’s in danger. Useless. I should have stopped him. Useless. This is my fault, I saw the glow. I pointed it out. My fault. Useless.
A gentle hand touches Fjord’s shoulder, and his vision starts to clarify. His friends are leaping into the water to chase after Caduceus, but he just stares blankly at the surface. The eye fades.
I’m not good enough.
I couldn’t save him.
Useless.
Useless.
Useless.