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Chapter Text

THE CAST OF "MERMEN IN BRIGHTON"

THE MERMEN

FERNANDO ALONSO

20 years old | Political Science

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

19 years old | Engineering

NICO ROSBERG

20 years old | Art History

THEIR (FUTURE) BOYFRIENDS:

MARK WEBBER

20 years old | Psychology

KIMI RAIKKONEN

21 years old | Physics

LEWIS HAMILTON

20 years old | Biology 

Chapter Text

Nico Rosberg, famous for his stark fear of water and world-renowned hair, walked along the serene waters of the English Channel. He looked into his reflection in the water and then back up towards Brighton, England's many boats, and the cloudy sky. Brighton was never his first choice in living areas, but it was all he had. He was the first person from his small town city-state of Monaco to leave and go to university somewhere else, and he didn't even have the heart to tell his family that he hated it in Brighton. 

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a spluttering engine in the distance. Nico looked up to see one of Brighton University's heartthrobs, Mark Webber aka Chisle Chin, working on his zodiac in the distance. The blonde looked away, not wanting to be caught in one of Mark's many schemes. He was too late and began to walk away, when Mark called for him.

"Nico! Hey Nico!" Mark called. Nico looked around and pointed to himself, silently asking if Mark was talking to him. "Yes, that Nico. I’m in some trouble here. Can you help?" Nico sighed and crossed his arms.

"Ah, I don’t think so Mark," Nico said. Mark rolled his eyes and gestured for him to come over. His boat looked about 2 wrong screws away from smoking or exploding and Nico wanted nothing to do with that monstrosity. 

"Come on. Please? My Zodiac won’t go, and all I need you to do is just pass me the tools." Mark begged. Nico rolled his eyes and walked towards the zodiac and its owner. The Australian assured him that he'd be fine, and Nico sighed, realizing arguing was pointless at this point. He skeptically climbed into the boat and leaned over to look at some of the tools in Mark's toolbox. Everything was a mess, and the blonde internally cringed at the disorganization. 

"Took me a while to realise that someone stole my spark plug," Mark said. Nico furrowed his brows and grabbed a wrench from the toolbox. "So, does it work without one?" He asked.  

What Nico didn't realize was that as he was looking at the tools, Mark was standing up from where he was crouching on the dock. He had a mischievous grin as he kicked the zodiac away from the dock, effectively stranding Nico. He abruptly stood up, careful not to rock the boat too much, so he wouldn't fall in. Mark stood on the docks with his friends, laughing at Nico's misery and confusion at the situation. 

"Nah. No spark plug, no spark. I was getting sick of that thing anyway." Mark called. He laughed with one of his friends, the other heartthrob of Brighton University, Jenson Button. Nico scowled at the two of them and looked around the English Channel for help. 

"Why me? I didn't steal your spark plug." Nico whined. Mark howled in laughter and slapped Jenson on the arm. "Because you're here, Nico! My dad'll buy me another boat anyway. I'll tell you what. If you get it going, you can keep it." He laughed at Nico's misery. 

Nico looked around the channel and groaned. "This isn't funny!" 

"Are you kidding? Works for me. Right, Jenson?" Mark said, and the two friends laughed. "Looks like you'll have to swim for it, Nico." The blonde sat down in the red Zodiac, contemplating his entire life up to this point. He wondered why he even came to the dock in the first place. Stupid Sebastian Vettel, asking him to get something from the docks for him. 

Suddenly, the boat rocked violently, and Nico looked up to see one of the transfer kids jumping into the boat. He recognized him as Fernando Alonso from Spain. Nico screamed, making Fernando look at him strangely. The blonde held onto the sides of the boats as they rocked precariously. 

"Is this supposed to be some sort of rescue? Because there's a fatal flaw here. I don't mean to state the obvious, but we're just floating out to sea. Both of us." Nico argued. Fernando smiled, holding up the spark plug that Mark's boat had been missing. Nico gasped and smiled giddily. 

"You took that?" Nico gasped. Fernando walked over the the front of the boat, grabbing some tools and beginning to fix the spark plug. "Mark Webber's a pig. Anything I can do to get under his skin can't be a bad thing, can it?" 

Nico laughed. "Cool. Thanks, Fernando." The Spaniard looked at Nico quizzically. "You know my name?" He asked. Nico's eyes widened, and he looked away, embarrassed. 

"Yeah. Well, I've seen you around the university since you arrived." Nico said, then paused. "Oh, I mean, I've meant to say 'hello' and everything." Fernando rolled his eyes and put the spark plug in its proper place. The engine roared to life, and the Spaniard sat down at the driver's seat. 

Fernando told him to hold on, and Nico listened, holding onto the sides of the boat as Fernando drove to the docks. Mark stood, still laughing, till he noticed Nico and Fernando driving off with his boat. He drove the boat around, effectively splashing Mark and his friends. Mark exclaimed as the cold water hit him. Jenson laughed at his pain, and the Australian glared at him. 

The duo drove around in the red boat, laughing and looking around the docks. There weren't many boats out today, as it was more gloomy than usual. The forecast didn't call for any rain, and that was good enough for Nico. Fernando pulled up to a bridge area where Sebastian, one of Nico's best friends, was walking. 

"Hey Seb! Want a ride?" Nico asked, gesturing to the boat. Sebastian raised his eyebrow and looked at Fernando, who gave him an awkward smile. "Are you licensed?" Seb asked. 

"Are you my mother?" Fernando shot back. Seb sighed and hesitantly got into the boat. Fernando drove off, and Sebastian clutched his schoolbag like he hated the water, which Nico did. Fernando cracked jokes with Nico, seemingly understanding his discomfort with the water. The German laughed appreciatively and could tell Fernando was getting restless just travelling around the docks.

"Wanna go out to sea?" Fernando asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Nico looked skeptical, but Sebastian fully gasped at the idea. "Isn't it dangerous in a craft this size?" He questioned. Fernando waved him off and drove off, telling Sebastian it would be fine.

Not long after that, the engine began to splutter again, and it was obvious that they were out of fuel. Nico's leg bounced up and down as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. He was in the middle of the North Sea, once again stranded. This did not help with his fear of water. Sebastian began to yell at Fernando, who looked strangely at ease with all of this.

"So? We're floating. It's not like we're sinking." He exclaimed, crossing his arms. Seb glared at the Spanish man and sat down. 

"Not yet." He muttered, slumping against the edge of the boat. Fernando looked around the open sea and nodded when he saw something. "I think we're out of fuel. Feel like paddling to that island?" He asked. Nico shook his head so hard he thought it might fall off. 

"Mako Island! Forget it!" Sebastian exclaimed. Nico nodded, agreeing with him. "No one goes there. It's surrounded by sharks, and reefs, and mangroves." He said threateningly. Fernando rolled his eyes and grabbed two paddles from the boat floor, handing them to the other two boys and saying it was all they had. 

Once they got to the mysterious island, the trio hopped off the boats and Seb reached for his bag. "How are we ever going to get back home?" Nico whined, shielding his eyes from the sun's glare with his hand. Sebastian rolled his eyes and laughed dryly. 

"Good question, Nico. Ask your friend." He said sarcastically, pulling his mobile out of his bag and clicking a few buttons. Fernando rolled his eyes and leaned against the boat. "Don't put this on me." He said, putting his hands up in defense. Sebastian scoffed. 

"Oh? It was someone else's fault? Someone else took this thing miles offshore? You two are lucky I've got this." He said, gesturing to his phone as he tapped away on it. 

"Sebastian's always really prepared," Nico whispered to Fernando, who couldn't help but roll his eyes. 

"I'm so happy for him." He said sarcastically as Sebastian held his phone up in the air, trying to get a better signal. He sighed when he realized there wasn't any. "I'm not getting any signal. We should try and get to higher ground." He said, walking away. Nico trailed behind him like a lost puppy dog, and Fernando soon reluctantly followed the two. 

They walked for a bit, Sebastian holding his phone high, Nico getting hit in the face by stray branches, and Fernando making odd jokes the whole way. Sebastian could feel himself a mere two seconds away from slapping the Spaniard. After what felt like hours to Nico, they found a rock formation that was blocking their path. It looked slippery and dangerous. Nico dreaded what would happen if one of them fell in, because there would be no one to rescue them.

"Mind your step," Sebastian called out as he jumped over some boulders. Fernando followed and looked at Nico, who looked petrified just standing there. "I can't do this. It's too slippery. There's got to be another way." He cried. 

Sebastian tried to coax him into jumping, but before he could get a word out, Nico was screaming. Fernando abruptly turned around as the blonde fell into the hole between the rocks. The two other men gasped and looked down into the hole to make sure that Nico was alright. 

"I'm okay, I'm fine," Nico yelled, cradling his ankle, which was a bit sore. Sebastian bit his lip and looked around, thinking of a way out of this predicament. "Can you climb up?" He asked tentatively. Nico called back and said that he couldn't, making Fernando sigh. 

"Are you sure? Come on, just try!" Fernando yelled. Sebastian whacked him on the arm for his rude comment. There was shuffling, and then Nico said he couldn't. "It's way too steep!" He exclaimed. Sebastian thought a bit more and looked at Fernando.

"I've got to go down and get him." He said. The Spaniard began to argue, but before he could get a decent argument out, Sebastian was screaming and falling down the hole just like Nico had not too long ago. Fernando groaned. The blonde checked over Nicos' leg, telling him it was probably a sprain. Suddenly, Fernando came barreling down the small cavity between the rocks. He looked around curiously once he got down. 

"What are you doing here? You were meant to stay up on top and throw down a rope or something." Sebastian exclaimed. Fernando raised an eyebrow and dusted himself off. "What am I, a mind-reader? And what rope?" He said, gesturing to the lack of rope around them. Nico groaned, clutching his painful foot. 

"Shouldn't we concentrate on getting out of here?" He whined. The other men nodded and began searching the cavern for a way out. After around 20 minutes, the trio was starting to give up hope. "There's no way out." Fernando groaned. 

Sebastian saw an obscure light through a tunnel and gestured for the other men to follow him. They did, and the trio found a beautiful pool of water inside the main volcano on Mako Island. A tiny sliver of the moon showed overhead as the floating rock began to make its ascent over the sky. Nico gasped at the beauty, forgetting about his foot for a moment. 

"Wow. This is like the cone of a volcano." Fernando gasped. Nico looked towards him, alarmed. " It's, um, not going to erupt, is it?" He asked, fear in his voice. Sebastian scoffed, acting like the know-it-all he was.

"It's been dormant for 20,000 years. I think we're safe." He said, moving closer to the pool. He noticed the gentle ripples that went through the pool and gasped in realization. He began to hurriedly take off his shoes and then eased into the water. " Look. Tidal rings. The level of the pool rises and falls." He said, wading in the water. "So it's connected to the ocean. There might be a way out." He dived under the water and began to kick towards the other side. 

Nico sighed. "I'm not going to like this."

Nico was officially getting worried. Sebastian had been under the water for way too long. The blonde began to call for his friend until Fernando told him everything would be fine. The duo heard splashing before Sebastian's head broke the surface of the water. He took in large gulps of air and then kicked to his friends.

"I was right. It's about a 20-second swim to the reef outside. Straight through. Plenty of room. We can all fit." He said, smiling and grabbing his shoes. Nico shook his head violently. "Through there? No way." He said. Fernando began to take off his shoes and then eased into the water. 

"Go on, Nico. There's no other way out. You can do it." He reassured. Nico shook his head again, beginning to curl in on himself. "I can't do it, and besides, I can't swim." The moon was now halfway over the pool of water. 

"Everything will be fine," Sebastian reassured after Nico debated it for a minute. 

"How can you be sure?" He chirped. Fernando smiled, offering him his hand. "Listen to him, Nico. What alternative do we have? Stay stuck down here forever?" He said. Nico looked at his hand, then back at his face, before finally taking his hand and getting into the water. The water was cold, and Nico shivered.

The trio noticed the moon overhead, and the water began to bubble mysteriously. Nico looked around, scared. Fernando had a smile on his face and looked at Sebastian, who was nodding his head towards the exit of the pool. The moon passed, and the water stopped bubbling. Sebastian told them to take a deep breath and then led them through the cavern. 

Nico could feel the water all around him, and with his friends around, he felt a little less scared. After a bit, the trio broke the surface, gasping for air. Nico sputtered and tried to regain his breath. "That was more than 20 seconds." He said. Fernando laughed. "Oh, relax. We made it, didn't we?" He said. 

Sebastian looked at Nico, who was shivering. "I'm proud of you, Cleo. I knew you could do it." He said. Nico gave him a bright smile, but not as bright as the light that showed from a boat that had approached them.

"This is the Water Police. Please make your way to the boarding ladder at the rear of the vessel." A booming voice said. Sebastian nodded his head towards the boat, and with one last look at Mako Island, Nico got on the vessel. 

The next morning, Sebastian went to the beach for a swim after his last exam before summer break. He was happy that his university offered summer housing, so he didn't have to fly back to Germany just yet. He ran towards the water after throwing his bag of stuff on the sandy beach. The water was much warmer than it had been last night as the warmth of summer began to creep in. 

He dove under the surface, laughing as he resurfaced again. After a couple seconds, the water around him began to bubble and he looked down to see a cyan blue tail instead of his legs. Sebastian gasped and looked around the beach. 

In Nico Rosberg's dorm on Brighton University campus property, he sat in the tub, staring at the pearl white tail that had replaced his legs. One minute, he was in the soapy mess he called a bath, then a giant tail was flopping out of the tub.

His roommate, Michael, banged on the door, yelling for Nico to hurry up. The blonde just lay there, shocked. 

Fernando was walking around, exploring his new home for the next 3 years, when the park sprinklers went off. He groaned as they soaked him, his shirt now clinging to his torso.

He shook the water off himself and suddenly began to wobble for some reason. Fernando looked down to see a bright red tail, shining in the sunlight, instead of his legs. He resisted the urge to gasp and examine the tail.

Fernando moved onto his side, his mouth wide open in shock. He flipped back onto his stomach and put his head into his hands, wondering how in the hell he suddenly turned into a fish. The sprinkler stopped running, leaving Fernando wetter than the sprinkler originally made him.

Fernando, Sebastian, and Nico all sat around Nico’s college dorm room while his roommate was gone for classes. They were all confused about their sudden change, but they knew whatever it was, it needed to be kept a secret from everyone. 

"The minute I hit water, I-" Sebastian started. 

"I was water for a second," Fernando exclaimed. Nico and Sebastian both nodded, Nico joking that they looked like fish. "What's going on? That's what I wanna know." Sebastian said. Fernando looked around the small apartment, then asked Nico if his roommate would be coming back anytime soon. He shook his head. Sebastian asked the same question again, looking around for an answer.

"About ten seconds after we touch water, we... we grow these–" Fernando stuttered. The other men nodded. "And it vanishes when we're dry. And that's the same with you two, right?" Nico said. The other men nodded again. 

Sebastian and Nico tried to come up with a word to describe the tails, but came up with nothing. "We look like... mermaids," Fernando concluded with a smile on his face. Nico laughed and Sebastian gasped. 

"I've told you before, you're not funny. Mermaids don't exist. That's just... too weird." He said. A knock sounded at the door, and the trio looked towards it. Nico gasped, remembering the agreement he had made with one of his other friends, Lewis. "Oh, no. It's Lewis. I forgot. He's helping me with biology today." Nico whined. The two had a mandatory biology class, Nico for his minor, and Lewis for his major. 

Nico got up to let him in, even though Fernando and Sebastian whispered-yelled, telling him not to. "Uh, did I get the time wrong?" He said, walking into the room and glancing at the other men. The blonde shook his head. "No, we said 9." He agreed. "But, sorry, Lewis, something has come up." Lewis blinked. 

"Like what?" He asked.

"Just something important," Nico said. He looked nervously towards Sebastian and Fernando, who were shaking their heads furiously at him. "But... not so important that you need to know about it. Sorry, Lewis. I have to cancel." He said with an awkward smile. Nico began to push Lewis out of his dorm, who looked at him quizzically. 

"Oh. Maybe some other time?" He said, dumbly. Lewis was having a hard time understanding what was even happening. "Lewis... you're smart. Do you know anything about mermaids?" Nico asked, narrowing his eyes. Lewis blinked at him again. Fernando and Sebastian gave their blonde friend a heated look. 

Lewis shook his head no, and Nico sighed. "Okay. Sorry. Bye." He said, shoving his friend out the door. He shut the door behind him and breathed heavily. Fernando and Sebastian gave him a harsh look. "Do you know anything about mermaids?" Are you crazy?" Fernando exclaimed. 

"Nico, this is really serious. If anyone found out, we could be in big trouble." Sebastian said. "Look, something very strange has happened to us. We don't know how, and we certainly don't know why." Fernando smiled mischievously. 

"There is a way to find out more." He said, making Nico tilt his head. "Go back in the water." Nico shook his head again, giving the other duo the cold shoulder. "No way. Not me." He said, crossing his arms. Fernando smiled and looked towards Sebastian. 

"I'm going. I just don't think I should go alone. Any volunteers?" He asked. 

Fernando and Sebastian stood together on the beach, both clad in swim trunks. "I'm not so sure about this," Sebastian said, looking nervously at the sea. Fernando took a deep breath. "It's all right. I am." He said. Seb gave him a disgruntled look. 

"That gives me no confidence whatsoever." He said. The duo both took an in-sync breath, then began to walk towards the sea. "About ten seconds, right?" Fernando asked, looking at his watch. Sebastian nodded, and they began to count down the seconds together. Their legs soon became bubbles, and the duo began to wobble precariously. Seb tried to hold onto the Spaniard for balance, but then they both just fell over. 

The duo looked at each other before dragging themselves into the ocean. They found that they could swim extremely fast, which is how they were able to explore the reefs around Mako Island. Fernando had felt freer in that moment than ever before. Sebastian enjoyed chattering with the dolphins as they swam around him like he was an old friend. 

It was hard to tear themselves away from the serene underwater environment, but after a while, they found it was getting a bit hard to breathe. They popped up for air, then as soon as they could properly breathe again, immediately swam back down. Fernando could hear giggling from Sebastian next to him, which was the weirdest sound he had ever heard. Sebastian Vettel? Giggling at dolphins? Unheard of.

Brighton was home to many drink shops, but none came close to the Juicenet by the beach. That was where Nico found Lewis, who was googling mermaids on the free-use computers. Nico's eyes widened as he ran over to the Brit. "Lewis, what are you doing?" He exclaimed. 

Lewis seemed alarmed by Nico's sudden outburst, but quickly regained a smile. "Oh, well, you asked. So I thought I'd do some research." He said, happy to do something for one of his good friends. Nico smiled awkwardly. "That's really nice, Lewis, it's just… you didn't need to do that." He said. 

The Brit waved a hand and looked back at the computer. "I know, but I've got way too much time on my hands. Hey, look, I found this really cool stuff." He said, getting up. Lewis offered to walk Nico home, and the blonde agreed reluctantly. The whole way back, Lewis talked about his findings.

"Mermaid myths have been around for at least 3,000 years." He said. Nico looked at him, surprised. "And people really believed in that stuff?" He asked. Lewis nodded and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets.

"Yeah, apparently. Sometimes they were good omens, sometimes they brought trouble with them." He said. Nico tilted his head. "What kind of trouble?" He asked. Lewis opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a loud motorcycle engine revving. Mark rode over on his motorcycle, an angry look on his face. 

"Nervous? My father didn't appreciate having the Water Police knock on his door." He growled, getting off his bike. Lewis stood in front of Nico protectively. "Well, you shouldn't have told me to keep the Zodiac." He said, smiling. Mark scowled. Lewis and Mark argued back and forth, while Nico found himself drawn to the fire hydrant. He focused all his energy on it and slowly felt the water begin to overpower the hydrant. 

"Tough guy. Got yourself a protector, have you, Nico? You and whose army? It's not gonna do you any good. You know, Nico, one of these days, with or without Lewis, something really bad might happen to you..." He threatened. Just then, the fire hydrant exploded, sending a stream of water towards Mark. The water pushed the Australian into the ocean next to them. Nico burst out laughing, then ran away once he realized what he had done.

Lewis stood there, wondering what was happening. 

Fernando and Sebastian made their way towards the boy's dormitory, talking animatedly about their adventure. "So, we climb out of the water and everything's back to normal when we're dry. Like nothing ever happened." Sebastian summarized. 

"But it did. Ah. It's gotta be the best experience of my life. I mean, are there even words for that?" Fernando said wistfully. The men were interrupted by Nico running towards them and pushing them into the lobby of the dorms. "Wait! You'll never believe what just happened." He said, leading them upstairs.

Nico thrust his hand out, the water in the cup following his every movement. "And it grows even more." He said. Fernando looked at the ever-growing stream of water. "Where's the extra water coming from?" He asked. Nico shrugged, dropping his hand. The water began to fall towards Sebastian, and he held out his hand. When they all looked back, the falling water was a block of ice. Sebastian asked if he did it, and Nico admitted that it wasn't him. Fernando laughed. 

"Okay, this is over the top. I'm getting tingles now." He said, smiling. Sebastian held out his hand again towards a vase with roses in it, the water freezing on command. Sebastian and Nico looked to Fernando, who held out his hand. Nothing happened. Fernando tried again, but still nothing. "Not fair. Why don't I get to do the cool stuff?" He groaned. Nico smiled awkwardly.

"I don't think 'cool' is the word. It's scary." Nico said, then grinned. "But you should've seen the look on Mark's face." 

"This isn't funny. We've got to keep this a secret. From everyone. We could end up dissected, or in the circus or something." Sebastian said, seriously. The mood in Nico's living room suddenly changed from fun to serious. "So this secret, it's just between the three of us?" Nico asked. 

Seb nodded. "Our secret. Our responsibility. Whatever happens, we're in this together." He said. Fernando groaned. "This doesn't mean we're married, does it?" 

Sebastian laughed. "Now that was actually funny."

Chapter Text

"This is a catastrophe of the highest order. Moisturiser is mainly water." Nico exclaimed, carrying various facial products in his arms. Fernando lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, while Sebastian sat cross-legged. Nico had called them over after he almost turned into a mermaid in front of his entire exam class when he put on hand cream. 

"If dolphins can swim for miles, so can we," Fernando said wistfully. Nico glared at him. "We can't moisturise ever again." He whined, throwing the products back into the bathroom like they had personally offended him, which they did. 

Fernando sat up, as if having just come to a realization. "We could swim all the way to Fiji. Could you imagine that?" he said with a smile on his face. Sebastian rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the Spaniard. "Our skin will be dry and wrinkly. We'll be geriatrics by the time we're 21," Nico whined. "We have to tell somebody. Our parents? A doctor?" Fernando rolled his eyes. 

"And end up a mermaid in a strait-jacket with moisturised skin? Forget it." He exclaimed. Nico sat down on his beanbag chair with a pout on his face. "Fernando's right, Nico. We can't tell anyone." Sebastian said. Nico ran a hand over his tired face, then through his blonde hair. Fernando lay back down on Nico's bed, thinking about what he could do as a merman. He sighed in frustration when he realized he still had no merman powers like Nico and Sebastian. 

Nico asked them if he could tell his roommate, to which Sebastian said no. The German complained that he had told Michael everything. "Well, not this time. It's too dangerous. People just won't understand. We could be locked up." Sebastian said seriously. Nico crossed his arms like a child. "Why would we be locked up?" He asked. 

"Because we're different? Because we can do things that other girls can't do? Because they're scared of us?" Sebastian exclaimed. Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing a throw pillow from Seb's bed and wrapping his arms around it. "Fine. I won't tell anyone. Except Lewis." Nico said with a smile on his face. Fernando rolled his eyes, and Seb told Nico that he couldn't tell anyone. 

"Okay, okay. Don't worry, I'm really good at keeping secrets." He said, smiling. Nico stood up, going back to the bathroom and putting his moisturizer away. Sebastian and Fernando looked at each other, silently doubting Nico. 

The next day, the trio of mermen walked to class together, when one of the most popular girls in school, Susie Stoddart, walked around handing out invitations. "Now's party time, people. No excuses. In honour of our very own surfing god, the beautiful Toto, for winning his special prize." She said smugly. Susie was a senior, as was her boyfriend Toto Wolff. Toto was the nicer one of the couple, and Susie was sort of a mean girl. 

"What prize?" Nico asked. Susie scrunched her nose up, thinking for a moment. "Whatever it is they give out for surfing." She said with a shrug. 

"The Coast Surf Classic. He won by a mile." Sebastian explained, giving a fake smile to Susie. The blonde woman handed out invites to Seb and Nico. "I was having a spray tan, but I'm sure he was amazing. Fernando… I'm sure, I might have a blank." Susie said.

Fernando smiled at Susie, checking his nonexistent phone calendar. "Sorry. I'll be flossing my teeth that night." He said with a sneer. Susie gave him a look and then walked away. Nico sighed as Lewis walked over towards the mermen. He waved awkwardly to the blonde, who smiled. "Oh, hi, Lewis. Nothing much has been happening with me. Nothing much at all, just the same old thing." He said nervously. Lewis raised an eyebrow but ignored his strangeness. 

"Nico, uh, are you going to Susie’s party?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at Seb and Fernando, who were talking about something else. "Of course I'm going," Nico said cheerfully. Susie turned around to talk to the group, stating that the party would be a pool party. 

"Right, uh, well, seeing as you're going-" He started. Nico shook his head. "I've changed my mind. I'm not going." He said, walking away.

"It's so uncool to miss one of Susie’s parties. She won't ask us ever again." Nico whined while they were walking back from class. Fernando rolled his eyes. "So? That's a plus." He laughed. Susie and her friends were all annoying, so he thought that this was a good thing. 

"It's a pool party. I know it's dangerous, but maybe if I told Lewis about us, he could look out for us?" Nico suggested. Fernando shook his head as they continued to walk. "No. You did the right thing, Cleo. None of us are going." He said. Sebastian suggested it might be a good idea to go to support the surfers. 

"You just say that because you have a crush on Kimi." Nico laughed. Sebastian blushed furiously. Kimi Raikkonen was a junior and one of Susie's friends, he was also a decorated swimmer. Seb had liked him ever since they had a class together in his freshman year. "Well, if we learn more about what's happening to us, we might be able to control it enough to go to the party." Seb said, an idea already forming in his head. 

Nico's eyes lit up at the idea. "What's to learn? We touch water, and ten seconds later we grow tails." Fernando said with a scowl. Nico visibly deflated at this. "Maybe it's about developing some discipline. Exercising some control." Sebastian outlined. Nico grinned again. 

"That'd be perfect. That's great. Control. Then we can go to the party. I'll text Lewis." He said, pulling out his phone. The trio stopped for a moment so Nico could text Lewis. Sebastian looked at Fernando, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. "You do realise you're gonna have to swim to test this theory?" Fernando reminded. 

Nico's eyes widened, and he began tapping furiously on his phone. "What? No way. Forget it." 

Nico sat on a rock by the beach as Sebastian and Fernando took off their shirts, leaving them just in swim trunks. "Come on, it's not even deep here. Please, Nico?" Fernando begged. Nico shook his head, and they knew that was the end of that discussion. Seb and Fernando looked at each other, then walked into the water slowly.

"Control and discipline start with the mind. So concentrate. No tail. No tail." Seb started, with the Spaniard eventually joining in the chanting. They began to wobble, and Seb groaned as he fell to the ground. Fernando was able to stay standing for a bit longer, but then he too was eventually on the ground. 

Nico noticed that Lewis was coming over to fish, and he told the two mermen to hide. They hid behind a big rock formation so their tails wouldn't be visible anymore. "Who leaked the information? This is my secret, highly classified fishing spot. Someone must have blabbed." Lewis said. Nico laughed awkwardly. "Sorry." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Lewis sighed and put his gear down. 

"It's fine. Hey, I got your message about going to the party." He said. Nico shook his head, looking down at the sand. "Oh, yeah, that was an old message. I'm not going anymore. Too much homework." He said. Lewis sighed again. 

"Fine. Well, I might just join you all for a swim then." He said, beginning to unbutton his shirt. Fernando frowned. "We're naked, Lewis." He said. The Brit's eyes widened and he hastily buttoned his shirt before leaving the giggling mermen behind. 

After a while of hanging out on the beach, the trio went back to the dorms, this time to Sebastian's single dorm. It was a lot bigger than Nico's, since his parents were loaded. "We're never going to be invited anywhere cool ever again, and why? Because we've got tails." Nico exclaimed. Fernando rolled his eyes and leaned on the kitchen counter.

"My future career as an engineer is over," Sebastian whined. Nico got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. "I just have one question. Why me? I didn't ask for any of this to happen." He exclaimed. Nico held his hand out, and a bubble of water floated into his mouth. 

Seb grabbed a glass as well and filled it with orange juice. "You think you've got problems? The guy I have a crush on wants to be a professional swimmer. How is that supposed to work?" He whined. Seb froze the liquid and turned the orange juice into an icy pop. He took it out of the glass and smiled slightly. "Well, say goodbye to that dream, 'cause we're mer-freaks now," Nico said, making Fernando scoff angrily and cross his arms over his chest.

"You two are unbelievable. Look at yourselves. You're drinking water from mid-air, and Seb, you just made an instant Icy Pole. Anybody else would love to be able to do that. You've both got these amazing, and all you do is whinge, whinge, whinge. I don't even have a power. Do you hear me complaining?" Fernando asked. Seb and Nico stared back at him blankly. "No. Well, I've had enough. I don't wanna hang around with whingers." He said, then left the apartment. 

The other two sat there awkwardly. "I know how he feels. Sometimes I don't even wanna hang around with me." Nico admitted, looking into his glass of water.

Later, Nico sat with Lewis at the juicenet cafe. The altercation with Fernando was still stuck in his head. "Lewis? What do you think of Fernando?" He asked. Lewis thought for a moment. "You know those stonefish that kind of look like a rock yet could shoot enough poison to kill an entire football team in half a second? He kind of reminds me of one of those." He replied. 

Suddenly, the cafe erupted into applause when Toto walked in from outside. Nico walked up to him and his friends. "Congratulations, Toto. What's your ranking now? You must be getting up there." He said. Mark gave him a once-over. "Control yourself." He chided. 

"Hey Mark! You're looking dry!" Lewis joked. Mark scowled at him and leaned over. " Look, Lewis, I don't know what happened with that fire hydrant, but if you so much as mention it again, I'll remove your head from your shoulders." He said and began to walk away. Lewis grabbed his shoulder harshly, causing everyone to look at them. 

"Let it go, Lewis," Nico said. Toto nodded and told him that it wasn't worth it. The owner of the cafe led Mark away and Nico sat back down with Lewis. "Toto is such a nice guy. Sebastian's right, we should go to Susie's party to show some support for him. I mean, what a hero." Nico said wistfully. Lewis rolled his eyes and put his head into his hands.

"Great. So go." He muttered. 

"You think?" Nico asked, taking a sip of his smoothie. Lewis grumbled. "Yeah. Whatever blows your hair back. Nico, I don't get you. One minute you're going, and then you're not, and now you're going again." He said, leaving Nico's table and going to sit by himself. Nico frowned and left the cafe, his spirits in worse shape than when he arrived.

Later, Lewis noticed Fernando sitting by himself and decided to slide into the seat across from him. "Fernando. Can I sit?" He asked. Fernando rolled his eyes. "I certainly hope so. Just not with me." He said sarcastically. 

"I know we've had our differences. Um..." He said, watching as a waiter dropped off a smoothie. "Thanks. But I wanna know what's wrong with Nico." Fernando tilted his head in question. "What makes you think there's anything wrong?" Fernando asked. Lewis sighed like this was some big secret he was keeping. 

"I've asked him to go to Susie’s party like a hundred times, and every time he changes his mind." He said. Fernando gasped, pointing a finger at the Brit. "Maybe he doesn't like you. Did you think about that?" He said, like it was a revolutionary idea.

Lewis rolled his eyes. "Yes, actually, it did cross my mind." He said. "But then I thought, oh no no, he hangs around with you, his standards must be pretty low." Fernando tried to shoo Lewis away after that comment, but he was insistent. "Look, I'm not even speaking to her at the moment, okay?" He said, curling his hand into a fist.  I'm just trying to be alone right now, so if you could just-"

Fernando was interrupted by Lewis' smoothie starting to bubble and smoke. "Ow! It's hot! Is this somebody's idea of a joke?" Lewis exclaimed. Fernando looked at his hand with a smile on his face. 

Susie opened the door and was surprised to see Nico standing there in a winter coat, carrying a box of tissues under his arm. "It's a pool party, remember?" She said, looking at her friends. Nico nodded. "I remembered. It's just I've got this terrible cold, so I won't be swimming. At all. So, where's Toto?" Nico asked. 

"I'm sure he'll be here any minute. You're really keeping that on?" Susie asked, a disgusted look on her face. Nico nodded. "Oh, yeah. You can't be too careful with a cold." He said, pulling out a tissue and pretending to sneeze. Susie made a face like he had sneezed on her, not into the tissue.

"Whatever. Just go outside. And don't touch anything. And don't try any drinks. Better yet, just stay away from everybody." She said. Nico walked into the house. "Got it!" He said, walking towards the pool area and sitting on a chair awkwardly. 

"Look who's here. Just when we wanted a bit of fun." Mark said, getting into Nico's space. He stood up and began backing up, right towards the pool. "No, get back." He said, holding out an arm.

Mark snorted. "Don't be like that, Nico. You had a good laugh when I got soaked last week. Now it's your turn." He said in a sinister voice. Nico coughed. "I have a cold. I can't go in the water. It's the flu, actually. And it's catching. It could even be pneumonia!" He warned. 

Mark didn't listen and ordered Jenson to grab his legs while Mark grabbed his shoulders. "No! Please! Stop! Please!" He begged as they held him over the water. They began to swing him, until a voice interrupted. "Let him go, Mark." Lewis said. Mark shrugged. 

"If you insist." He said, dropping Nico into the water. "Let's grab a drink, boys. C'mon, everyone." Everyone retreated into the house, and Lewis ran over to Nico, who was still in the pool. "I'm so sorry about this." He sighed. 

"There's something you should know," Nico said, looking at his watch. Lewis shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to say anything," Lewis said. Nico looked at his watch again. 

Nico could see the water start to bubble, and he looked around in horror. "No, I really do. You know I have been acting strange, don't freak out, but-" He said, and then his legs were gone. Replaced by that stupid bright white tail. Lewis looked at the tail in horror. 

"Lewis? You have to help me." He said, making Lewis back up. "Don't leave me. I really need your help. Lewis, please." Nico held out a hand and Lewis reluctantly took it. Seb and Fernando appeared through the back door and looked at the scene in front of them. "Where is everyone?" Fernando asked. Lewis tells him that they're all inside and the duo run towards the door that leads inside.

Seb uses his powers to freeze the lock shut so nobody can come out. They ran back to the pool, where Lewis was trying to pull Nico out of the pool. "Can you give me a hand? He weighs a ton." He said. Fernando and Seb looked at each other. "We can't." Seb confessed. 

"If we get wet, we'll grow tails too. Is that what you want?" Fernando said. Lewis looked at Nico, then at the other two. "Both of you? All of you? Seriously?" He exclaims. Nico nods, and Lewis begins to pull him out again. 

Eventually, he was able to do it, but he was a panting mess after. "I should've joined the gym." He panted. Nico looked around again and asked how he was supposed to get dry. "Get back, Lewis," Fernando said, holding his hand out. Steam began to rise from Nico's tail as Fernando used his powers to dry his tail. Nico turned back into a human and congratulated Fernando on getting his powers. 

"Guys, what is going on?" Lewis asked. Seb looked at him. "We'll explain later, Lewis." He said, and they all ran away. 

Fernando grins and uses his powers to evaporate the pool water. "Never liked pool parties anyway." He said, before running away. 

"This probably goes without saying, but if you tell, we maim you." Fernando threatened. Lewis laughed. "I'm not that stupid. If anybody found out, you'd end up as science experiments." He said, lying against the grass. 

"Let me get this straight. You freeze things. You explode things, and you boil things. And you all grow tails. It's just too bizarre." Lewis says, pointing to each of the mermen. They nodded and looked at each other nervously. "Bizarre, yep. Still, sometimes it's good. Then sometimes it's not so good." Seb said. 

"It's… It’s… I don't have a word for it." Nico said. Fernando smiled. "I do. Three of them. Totally, absolutely awesome." He said. Lewis and Seb laughed, while Nico just looked grumpy.

Chapter Text

Sebastian, Fernando, and Lewis sat outside the JuiceNet cafe after the merman went on a swim. "You won't believe it. We've timed ourselves, and guess how long we can hold our breath for?" Seb asked. Lewis shrugged. "Fifteen minutes." He said. Fernando and Sebastian high-fived, and Lewis smiled. 

"That's impressive." He agreed. Fernando remembered the beauty of the ocean as if he were still in it. He and Sebastian, swimming through the ocean without a care in the world. He only wished that Nico had been there to experience it too. "We could probably stay down for longer if we really tried," Sebastian said. Fernando scoffed. 

"You're on!" He challenged. The two mermaids laughed. "You guys must be jumping out of your skin about this stuff," Lewis said. Fernando and Sebastian nodded, then looked at Nico, who was walking over to their table. "Yeah. Well, two of us are." Seb said. 

"Hey, Nico! Guess what? These guys can hold their breath for 15 minutes!" Lewis exclaimed. Sebastian hit the Brit in the arm, and Fernando scolded him. "What's going on?" Nico asked. Sebastian and Fernando looked at each other. 

"We've been, you know, swimming," Seb said. Fernando nodded and looked at the blonde. "It's the best thing. The reef is out of this world." He said with a smile on his face. Nico ignored him and asked a question about the calculus exam review guide. Fernando rolled his eyes. Every attempt they made to go into the water with Nico had been snuffed out before they could even convince him why he should go in with them.

"Listen, Nico, whatever's happened to us is incredible. You've got to come out with us. The water is amazing." The Spaniard tried. Nico gave him a steely look and sighed. "I'm not doing it, okay? I didn't ask for any of this to happen to us. So stop bugging me about it, okay?" He exclaimed, walking away.

He ran into Toto near the beach, who also invited him to go down to the beach. "Why? Why does everyone want me to come down to the beach?" He said angrily, then realized he was being rude. "Sorry. I'm a bit tense. What's going on?" Toto smiled and told him about the sea turtle eggs that were on the beach. Nico pouted, now feeling sorry that he had yelled at the senior, even though he was just trying to be nice. 

Nico agreed that it was wonderful, and Toto sighed, gripping his surfboard. "Yeah, but I heard a rumour that one of them got caught in a fishing net heading back out to sea." He said. Nico pouted again, imagining little sea turtles being trapped in nets, struggling to get out into the sea. "Oh! Poor little thing." He said. Toto said his goodbyes and then raced down to the sea. 

The blonde walked over to his dorm, where Lewis was waiting for him. "Hey, Nico, do you wanna go hang out at the mall later?" He asked, a large smile on his face. Nico scrunched his face up and shook his head. "Busy, sorry." He responded, not paying attention to the Brit, whose smile was still hopeful.

"Nico, look, I know these recent developments have hit you pretty hard, but you can't hide forever. Just because you're a... " He said, then whispered, "mermaid." Nico rolled his eyes and began to get annoyed. He wasn't going to swim, and that was that! "I am not one of those things. I've never liked the water. And I never will." He said, before storming off.

"What are you gonna do? What, hide from water for the rest of your life?" Lewis yelled to the blonde merman, who just flipped him off in response. 

"You bombed out, right?" Fernando said when the group was gathered outside the science building. Lewis looked away nervously. "He's just taking a little time to- Yeah, I bombed out." He said, a frown on his face. Sebastian and Fernando both rolled their eyes at him. 

They noticed Nico coming out of the building, books in his arms. He noticed the three talking and sighed. "I am pretty sure he doesn't want to talk about it," Lewis concluded. 

"Forget it, Lewis. We can deal with this. It's… a merman thing." Sebastian said, walking over to Nico. Fernando and Lewis followed begrudgingly. The blonde huffed and turned his head away from them. "Nico… about this whole mermaid business." Sebastian began. Nico narrowed his eyes and clutched his books harder.

"There are more important things in life than seeing how long you can hold your breath for and frolicking with the dolphins," Nico exclaimed. Fernando glared at the blonde and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't frolic. I glide." He said.

"Whatever. It's not important. I don't wanna talk about it." Nico concluded, trying to end the conversation before it escalated. Sebastian huffed. "How can you say that? This is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to us. Probably the most amazing thing that's ever happened to anybody." He exclaimed. Nico searched his head for something to change the subject to.

He felt like a lightbulb was going off over his head with a new idea. "Well, what about the turtles?" He asked. Sebastian and Fernando looked at each other, and Sebastian asked him what he was talking about. "Apparently, a sea turtle got caught in a fishing net this morning. That's important." He said. Fernando scoffed, making Nico look at him.

"I don't believe this. You're such a hypocrite." Fernando said, making Nico tilt his head in question. "Nico, your roommates a fishermen. His nets are the ones trapping the turtles." Nico shook his head in disbelief. Michael was a good guy! He would never do that. 

Nico expressed his beliefs, but he just got stares back from his friends. "Really?" Fernando said. 

Nico walked into his dorm room, wanting nothing more than to lie on the floor. Michael was sitting at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee. The older German handed Nico a coffee mug and nodded towards the machine, which was still on. Nico put in a pod and began making his coffee. Then he sat down next to his roommate and took a sip of his hot coffee. 

"Michael, have you ever caught any sea turtles?" Nico asked suddenly. Michael gave him an odd look. "What kind of a question is that?" He asked, setting down his mug and looking at his roommate. Nico shrugged and looked into his mug. 

"It's simple. Have you ever caught a turtle in one of your fishing nets?" He asked clearly. Michael took a long sip of his coffee. "Nico, you know me. I do what's right. Okay?" He responded, getting up and putting his mug in the sink, all the coffee once in it gone. 

"That's not an answer." Nico pushed. Michael sighed, leaning against the counter. "We do everything by the book. We have nets with grids in them. If a turtle comes in, it's directed to an opening. Plus, we fish miles away from the nesting beaches." He explained. 

Nico also put his cup in the sink. "Well, some turtles are still getting caught, " he said. Michael scoffed and began to walk to his room. "Not by me. And not by any fisherman who's doing the right thing, " he said, walking into his room. Nico sighed and slumped back down at the bar.

Sebastian and Fernando were gliding through the ocean when they noticed a boat sailing where it shouldn't have been. Fernando looked down at the net attached and saw a sea turtle caught in the netting. He gasped and swam over to the stuck turtle. Sebastian broke through the surface of the water, looking around the deck to try and find anything to help set the turtle free.

They noticed one of Michael's co-workers on the deck, talking about catching turtles. Sebastian grabbed a knife from the deck and swam back down, then handed the knife to Fernando. The Spaniard used the knife to cut open the net, which set the turtle free. Sebastian and Fernando smiled as the turtle swam away, happy to be freed. They gave each other high-fives in celebration and swam back to shore. 

Later, they were sitting at the JuiceNet and watching the news, when they saw Michael being interviewed about a shark that apparently had ate a net. "Local fishermen today have been confronted with a possible menace from the deep. Commercial fishermen have reported incidents that may involve a rogue shark. They were lucky to escape injury…"

Fernando looked at Sebastian, who seemed to also know what was going on. Nico walked into the cafe and looked around for his friends. "Hi, guys. What's going on?" He asked, sitting down with his friends. Toto waved and gestured to the TV. "Hey, Nico. Your roommate's on TV." He said. The blonde looked at the TV.

"I've fished these waters for a long time, and there's only one thing that causes damage like that. A huge rogue shark." Michael said. Fernando and Sebastian looked at each other. "Sorry to have to tell you this, Nico, but your roommate didn't catch a shark; it was a turtle," Fernando said. 

Nico blinked. "We cut the net to set it free," Sebastian said softly, putting a hand on Nico's shoulder. He shook his head, looking at the TV, unbelieving. "No way. Michael wouldn't catch turtles." The blonde argued, getting upset. Sebastian and Fernando gave each other a look, then sympathetically looked at Nico. 

"It's true, Nico. I'm sorry." Sebastian said. Nico looked at the two of them in disbelief and betrayal.

Nico went down to the docks to confront his roommate, pausing when he saw one of Michael's boats. The older German was chatting with one of his co-workers and cleaning some vague tool that was probably used to gut a turtle. He walked down to the boat and into the captain's cabin. "Nico. I haven't seen you down here for ages. Did you see me on TV? Did I look okay? How about that shark, eh?" Michael said when he saw his roommate. Nico glared at him.

"You don't really know what gets caught in your nets, do you?" He said. Michael furrowed his eyebrows, then sighed. "Is this about that turtle thing again?" He asked. Nico nodded and said yes. 

"Nico. We use the right nets and we fish in the right places. It's the law, and we don't break it." Michael said. Nico shook his head and looked at Michael with disappointment. "I'm really disappointed in you, Michael." He sighed, then left the boat. Michael watched him go with a confused look on his face. 

Back at the JuiceNet, Nico sulked to his friends. "He denied everything. It's really awful. I mean, what could I say? 'I know you're lying, Michael, because my mermaid friends saw you fishing close to the nesting beach.'" He said with a sigh. Fernando and Sebastian nodded. "He was using illegal nets, too," Fernando revealed.

Nico groaned and slammed his head on the table in frustration. He didn't think this could get any worse. "It's true, and they didn't have those grid things in them." Sebastian agreed. Nico sighed and took a sip of his juice, sadly. "This just gets worse and worse. My roommate!" He lamented. Sebastian patted him on the back.

"Well, to be honest, we didn't actually see Michael on the boat," Fernando said, looking at Sebastian. Sebastian nodded, confirming what Fernando was saying. "But it was his boat, right?" Nico asked. Fernando nodded, and Nico groaned again. 

Later, Sebastian and Fernando walked along the docks, watching the various fishermen trying to catch a shark. "Great. Every fisherman on this side of the planet is getting psyched to catch that stupid shark." Fernando groaned. One of Michael's fishermen seemed to hear that and turned to face the mermen, a shiny fishing hook in his hand. "Shark? Don't you boys worry. If it's still out there, it's sushi." He threatened. 

Sebastian and Fernando looked at each other nervously, then nervously nodded. "What a circus," Sebastian complained when the creepy fishermen had turned around again. "They'll be searching everywhere." Fernando raised an eyebrow. "Wanna risk a swim?" He asked, pointing to a vacant space of water on the docks. 

Sebastian shook his head furiously. "No way. It's too dangerous with these guys out there. Let's face it, until this cools down, we're grounded." 

Back at the JuiceNet, Nico leaned against a column while looking sadly at the ocean. "I know what you're thinking. Fernando and Sebastian told me about Michael." Lewis said, approaching his friend. Nico groaned and rubbed a hand over his tired face. "Great. So now the whole world knows my roommate is a criminal. What would you do, Lewis?" Nico asked, looking desperately at the Briton. 

"I'd change my name and move to the country. But that's just me." Lewis joked, poking Nico in the side. The blonde recoiled, sighing loudly and dramatically. "You're no help," Nico whined. Lewis snorted. 

"Oh, come on, at least it takes your mind off the whole, you know, mermaid thing." He exclaimed, getting quieter at the end. Nico scoffed, rolling his eyes and turning to face Lewis. "Okay. I'm scared of it. Is that what you wanted to hear?" He exclaimed. Lewis looked Nico dead in the eyes, and Nico could feel himself sweating. 

"Nico, everybody's scared of something. But you, you're amazing. You can do anything." He said with so much sincerity in his voice. Nico scoffed and rolled his eyes again, but what Lewis actually meant was lost on him. "Just because I've got these powers doesn't mean I'm amazing." He said, walking away. 

Lewis sighed, looking off towards the ocean. "I didn't mean the powers." He whispered to himself. 

That night, Nico took a bath before dinner. He scowled at the white tail, flopping around the tub. Once he was done, he rolled out of the tub (almost hitting his head in the process) and dried off his tail. When his legs were back, he towelled off his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom and into his room to change. Nico's head whipped up when he heard the front door open, then slam closed. 

"Hey, Nico! I brought back fish!" Michael's voice boomed through the apartment. Nico quickly got dressed and then ran into the kitchen, where Michael stood with some cooked fish. "I caught it this morning. Fresh from the Esmerelda." He said, going to the cupboard. Nico squinted. 

"The Esmerelda? I thought you were on your own boat this morning." He asked, going to get cups from the cupboard. Michael shook his head. "When you run three boats, you gotta be flexible. Gus is in the hospital. I'm skippering the Esmerelda till he's back on deck." He explained. 

Nico smiled. "So you weren't on your boat this morning? So you don't really know what it's been catching or where it's been fishing?" He asked. Michael gave him a weird look. "Eddie's skippering for me. I trust his judgement. He wouldn't do anything wrong." He said. 

The next day, Nico went down to the docks and saw some of Michael's employees talking. "Hurry up. I don't wanna be the last to leave again. We gotta make up for the catch we lost yesterday. So we've got a big day ahead. Cast off. We're headed for Patterson's Beach." Eddie said. One of the other men looked up. "Hey, Patterson's Beach is a no-go zone." He said. Eddie rolled his eyes.

"I'm using the old nets too, Johnno. You got an opinion on that?" He said, before starting the boat up and roaring away. Lewis walked up to Nico, confused as to what he was doing. "Nico? What are you doing here?" He asked. 

Nico pointed to the boat. "They're using the wrong nets and going to the wrong place." She said, leaving Lewis more confused. "Yes. I'm gonna stop them. Go and tell the others." Lewis's eyes bulged out of his head, and Nico told him to hurry. Lewis nodded and then stopped when he heard a splash. He turned around to see Nico gone, then a white tailfin break the surface. 

Underwater, Nico waved his arms around, having trouble breathing. It took a few seconds for him to realize he could breathe underwater. And when he did, he swam off in the direction of Eddie's boat. He continued to swim peacefully along, making sure the boat was always in sight. He spotted a turtle about to be caught in some net and rushed to help it. 

Then, instead of the turtle getting caught, he got caught instead. Nico struggled trying to get out and ended up getting himself more tangled. Eventually, everything went black. 

Nico only woke up again when he saw Fernando and Sebastian swimming towards him. He blinked blearily as Sebastian froze the mechanism that was trying to pull him up. They freed him from the net and then swam away from the boat. Fernando pulled Nico up to the surface, and he gasped for air. Sebastian followed them up and started to worry over Nico. 

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked. Nico nodded with a smile on his face. "Yeah. I panicked. I didn't know you could hold your breath for so long, but then I remembered what you guys said, and you know what? I lost count at 16 and a half minutes." He boasted. Fernando smiled. 

They spotted another boat close by and decided they were done with swimming for today. 

Michael was on his boat when he noticed Nico shyly approaching. "Nico? Is something wrong?" He asked. Nico nodded. "I have to tell you something. And you're not going to like it." He said. Nico dragged his roommate to the other boat. 

"You got rid of the net?" Eddie asked one of the other crew. Nico motioned for Michael to make an entrance. "What net, Eddie?" He said, and was met with silence. "Didn't you hear me, Eddie? I said, what net?" The skipper tried to stutter out an answer, but Michael wasn't having it.

That night, Nico and Michael sat at the kitchen island of their apartment, drinking tea. "I fired him. I trusted Eddie, and he broke every rule in the book. I couldn't keep him on after that." Michael said. Nico smiled. "The turtles will thank you for it." He said, finishing his tea. Nico put his mug in the sink and Michael looked at him. 

"How did you know he was using the wrong nets and fishing in the wrong areas?" Michael asked. Nico shrugged. "The sea and its mysteries, I heard a whisper." He said before going to bed. 

The next day, Nico, Sebastian, Fernando, and Lewis all went to look at the sea turtle eggs together. Nico then told Lewis he had something to show him, and then jumped into the water with Sebastian and Fernando. Lewis nodded, happy for Nico. 

Chapter Text

Lewis was sitting on his boat, reading, when his phone rang. He picked it up and sighed. "Hello? Yes, just a second. It's for you." He said, handing the phone to Sebastian, who was in the water. His tail shone in the water, scales glistening. "So, have we decided what time the party is tonight? Sebastian, this is a tradition we're talking about." Nico yelled through the phone. 

It's true, Sebastian's birthday party was one of the biggest events of the year. "I know, but I just don't see how we can have the party this year, not with the recent development." He said, glaring at Lewis when he laughed. "Your new job? The dolphin tank at the marine park?" Lewis's eyes widened, and he repeated what Sebastian said with a frown on his face.

Nico picked at the fish in the bucket he was sorting. "Yes, of course, the tank's full of water, Sebastian. They are aquatic mammals. Yes, I do remember what water does to me, but I'm not gonna let that run my life. Look, Sebastian, I really wanna make this work." He said with a smile. Nico had finally gotten a job, and he was so happy. 

"So, you really think that's gonna tell us something useful?" Sebastian asked Lewis from where he was sitting on his boat. Lewis laughed and continued to read. "It's already told me you guys are hotter than the average mermans, and they don't have super awesome powers." He said. Sebastian gave him a look but didn't say anything. 

"There's only one place we would find answers to why we became mermaids." He continued, looking at Mako Island in the distance. Lewis revved up his boat, ready to go with him, but Sebastian stopped him, saying he was faster on his own. Before Lewis could retaliate, the merman was gone with a splash. 

Sebastian swam to the moon pool where they had gotten their tails and dove down under. When he came back up, he was clutching a ring with a blue sapphire in it. He marvelled at the ring before slipping it on his finger. 

While Sebastian was swimming, Nico was transferring fish to the feeding pail for the dolphins. He dropped one fish in, and it splashed up at him. Nico gasped and ran to get a towel, but the only one he could find was already wet. Suddenly, a towel was thrown at him. A man with a burn mark on his face approached Nico and smiled. 

"Try this. timed to well, wouldn't you say." The man said. Nico nodded. "Yeah, thanks, nearly got some water in my eyes, would've stung." He said, trying to maintain their mermaid secret. The man nodded. 

"It does sting, doesn't it, but not when you're actually underwater. Why is that, I wonder? Lots of things are a mystery still; you've got time to learn. Stay dry." He said. Nico turned to talk to his supervisor for one minute, and when he looked back, the man with the burn scar was gone.

Sebastian handed the ring to Lewis, who examined it closely. Fernando was there as well, texting someone back home on his phone. "It looks like a normal ring to me, but whatever's in it is long gone." Lewis explained. Sebastian told him that he had found it at the bottom of the moon pool, and Lewis nodded. "It's gotta be important," Sebastian said. 

Fernando laughed. "Maybe there are some earrings with special magic." He said with a chuckle. Sebastian shot him a glare, and Lewis tried his best to quell any argument between the two men. Fire and Ice did not mix. "However, I think I've just about figured out which liquids won't turn you into fish," Lewis announced, making Sebastian smile. 

He sprayed Fernando with a spray bottle, and he jumped at the cool temperature. Lewis counted 10 seconds on his watch and smiled when Fernando didn't change, writing something down in his notebook. "Is that the party?" He asked when Sebastian got another text. Fernando's brows furrowed as he asked what party.

"Every year, my roommate throws a party for me, only this year it's not happening. Can't have heaps of people and drinks filling and tails appearing." Sebastian explained, flailing his arms about. Fernando narrowed his eyes. "When was this party supposed to be?" He asked. 

Sebastian flushed. "Tonight." He said, then explained that it wouldn't be Fernando's scene. The Spaniard scoffed and continued to tap on his phone.  "Not my scene, yeah. It's only booze, guys, dancing... all the stuff you know I hate." He said sarcastically. Sebastian sighed. 

"It's not that type of party." He said, his lips together in a tight line. Fernando looked back at him with a confused look on his face. "It's a sleepover," Lewis informed. Fernando made an oh noise and sank into Sebastian's bed. 

Fernando started making fun of the sleepover until Lewis sprayed him with a water mixture, and he sprouted a bright red tail. He glared at Lewis, who just laughed, before writing something down. 

Later, at the JuiceNet, Nico and Fernando sat across from Sebastian as they talked about the strange man Nico had run into at work today. "He knows something like what?" Sebastian asked. Nico shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he knew it was dangerous to me to get water on myself." He recapped. Sebastian's eyes widened.

"You got water on yourself?" He exclaimed, voice accusing. Nico rolled his eyes and said that he could do this. "I told you we should've discussed this further," Sebastian said.

"What would that prove? You're just scared." Nico accused. Sebastian argued that he wasn't, but Nico kept arguing back that he was. "Yes, you are scared, and you're scared to have your own party. Well, I'm not living like that anymore, Sebastian, I'm not gonna be scared of every drop of water." Nico ranted. 

Fernando looked between his two friends. "See, as crazy as it sounds, i agreed with Cleo just this once." He said, holding up his finger. Sebastian fiddled with his ring, and Nico looked down at it. "Wow, where did you get that?" He said, pointing down to the ring. 

"The moon pool." He said, then pulled out his phone. "Hi Susie, I need you to start texting the invitations, yes, all the people on the list, and Fernando, yes, Fernando Alonso. Nico's right, if I don't have this party, it's like I'm not even living my life." He put his phone down and turned to his friends, smiling at them. 

Suddenly, Mark was at their table with three drinks for the boys. "Free frozen Colas, you look thirsty, enjoy." He said with a coy smile. He left the table, and Nico took a sip before blanching, saying it was prune juice. Fernando glared at Mark, who just shrugged and smiled slyly. 

Soon, everyone but Mark and his little boy toy, Jenson, were getting invitations to Sebastian's party. Jenson growled as he looked around in disdain at all the people.

Later at Sebastian's house, he and Nico were getting things ready when there was a knock at the door. It was all of Sebastian's old soccer friends from when he played before. "Hey, Sebastian, you still serving vegetable salads, right? I brought my dietary supplement just in case." One of Seb's old friends asked him. He laughed as he put away some towels. 

The boys were all talking about how they had practice in the morning. "Relax, I've set up a quiet room upstairs for anyone who has to crash early," Seb said, pointing to the guest room down the hall. He went over to Fernando, who was standing around and doing nothing. "I told you it wasn't your scene." He told the Spaniard. 

He blanched. "I can't believe it was anyone's scene," Fernando said. There was a knock at the door, and Toto opened it to see Jenson and Mark. "I don't know which one of my numbers you've sent my invitation to, but it managed to get lost," Jenson said. 

"So how about joining in?" Fernando said. Mark gave him a look, and Fernando stuck his tongue out childishly. "Glad you could make it, Mark! Fancy seeing you here, what a delightful surprise, and Jenson, I haven't seen you in ages," Toto said with a smile. Leave it to him to be overly hospitable.

"Can't stand that crashers, do you want me to kick them out?" Fernando whispered to Sebastian. Seb shrugged and then shook his head. "Forget it, I don't wanna make a scene." He said, smiling at his guests. 

Once Mark showed up, things started to go downhill from there. Everyone was fawning over him. "Well, this is boring; everyone is just talking to Mark. He's up to something," Fernando said with a sigh. Nico and Sebastian nodded, looking at the group of girls AND BOYS that were crowding around the Australian. "Yeah, taking over my party," Sebastian said, getting up. 

He pulled Mark aside to his room. "Mark, I need to speak to you now. Whatever you're trying to prove, Mark, forget it." Seb said once they were in his room. Mark looked around the Germans' room as they talked. "Hey, I'm just here with Jenson," Mark said, holding his hands up. 

"Oh, really, and what does your boyfriend think of you flirting with everyone else?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow and putting his hands on his hips. Mark blanched, saying that he wasn't dating Jenson. Everyone knew that Mark was gay; most guys on campus were, but Seb guessed that Jenson wasn't his type. Suddenly, Fernando entered the room, holding the tray of pastries that Mark had brought. 

"Try one." He insisted when Mark said he didn't want one. The Aussie raised an eyebrow and took a pastry before biting into it. "Perhaps I will eat them all myself, what? You didn't think I'd be so immature to put prunes or something in them, did you?" He said. 

Seb pushed the Aussie out of his room and to the front door so he could leave. "Hey, Seb, come show us your ring!" One of the party-goers exclaimed. The German asked Fernando to handle Mark, and he did, throwing the Australian man out of the house. 

Seb showed all of the people who wanted to see his ring, shining effortlessly from where he held it. He put it down for one moment to help someone and didn't notice Jenson looking at it curiously. "What's the problem?" Nico asked when he saw one of the soccer boys fiddling with the keg. 

"It's just about empty, I'll fill it." The boy said. Nico reached for the keg, trying to fill it up himself, and some liquid spilled onto his hand. He could feel the change beginning to happen, so he ran into a closet to hide himself, instead of grabbing one of the many towels (which the boys were using to whip each other). 

Nico got into his sleeping bag while in the closet to hide his white, shimmery tail. He fell out of the closet and onto the floor in front of the others. "About time to get comfy and hit the DVDs, right guys? Hey, I've got an idea now." He said as another girl got into her suitcase. 

They picked her up and began throwing her up and down, kind of like with a blanket. Jenson turned to Nico with a sly grin on his face. "This was Nico's idea. I think we should give him a turn." He said, smiling. Nico began scouching backwards to try and get away from them. As they surrounded him, he angled his hand towards the juice, and it exploded.

Jenson was right in the splash zone, and Nico couldn't help but laugh when he saw the Brit covered in juice. "Well, those drinks just ruined my new top, you know, I'm thinking this is the worst party I've ever been to, I think throughout my life," Jenson yelled. 

He was about to walk out when Fernando stopped him by the entrance. "Give it back." He growled. Jenson turned, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?" He said, about to leave. Fernando hit his shoulder with his own, making the ring fall out of his hand. Fernando gave him an angry look and snatched the ring up. 

"It's your word against mine," Jenson said as he left. Fernando handed the ring back to Sebastian, who thanked him profusely. "Maybe you should hold onto this," Sebastian said to Nico, handing him the ring. Nico looked at him, confused, and Sebastian explained it would be better since Nico had hidden his mer tail. 

"Thank you! Thank you!" Nico said to Seb, hugging him. The three men smiled and spent the rest of the evening talking to each other.