Chapter 192: The No-Pants Paradise?
Chapter 192: The No-Pants Paradise?
As my eyes slowly drifted open, the first thing I saw was a halo of white hair floating like silk in the water. A strange, surreal weightlessness cradled my body.
Panic surged through my chest as I realized I was deep underwater, at the bottom of the pool, tightly holding Sara Blue in my arms. My lungs instinctively braced for the burn of drowning, but the panic vanished as quickly as it came. I breathed in. The water flowed effortlessly through me, as clean and natural as open air.
My hand glided lower, brushing against the soft, slick, pink scales of her lower half where her human legs should have been. Looking down through the crystal-clear water, I realized that because I was completely naked from the waist down, my own legs had shifted. Sky-silver scales gleamed in the ambient light, and our tails shifted, intertwining slightly in a tender, instinctive embrace.
Last night had been wild and exotic. Recalling the absolute madness of our passion, it made sense why we were down here. We had torn the bed into such an absolute shambles that we’d both taken a dip to wash off, and I guess we had just fallen asleep right in the pool. Without any pants to restrict my body, my dormant merman bloodline had eagerly claimed its freedom.
I guess being of the Merman bloodline isn’t too bad, I mused, watching the light fracture through the water. It has nothing but perks in or around the water. But man, being a half-fish Lamia is kinda depressing when options like a Vampire or a Werewolf sound so much more manly. I mean, in Greek mythology, who actually thinks Poseidon or Aquaman is the coolest guy in the room?
Still, there was a major upside. Unlike natural monsters, my bloodline was entirely acquired. It wouldn't mess with the traits of any future offspring I might father. It was just like the girls—Wan Meidi’s Nymph bloodline, Su Mei’s Succubus bloodline, and Xue Wuxia’s Ice Phoenix bloodline. All the power, none of the genetic baggage.
While I held Sara tenderly, her underwater eyelashes fluttered open. She blinked, looking up at her makeshift King Neptune with a dazed, utterly confused expression. It took me a second to realize why she looked so shocked—I was looking back at her with two clear eyes, not one.
I reached out to her mind, using our mental connection. [Sara, my beautiful wife... you aren't going to pull your pants up and pretend you don't recognize me after last night, right?]
Her sapphire eyes went wide. Reflected in those blue depths was my true form: short silver hair, sky-grey eyes, and the unmistakable face of Loki Sky.
Suddenly, the pieces click-clacked together in her mind. Her hand rose slowly, water rippling around her fingers as she gently traced the contours of my jawline. She had never seen the real Loki Sky before.
I glanced around the bottom of the pool and spotted my Disguise Cloak settled softly on the tiles. It must have slipped off while I was asleep, reverting back to its true form. Oops.
Before she could speak, her voice echoed directly inside my mind. It was another perk of the mermaid line—seamless underwater telepathic communication, like my Summons Telepathy.
[If my Mermaid's Curse wasn't already bound inside of you, I might have attacked you just now...] Sara’s mental voice murmured, laced with awe and suspicion. [Why is your face different? Your body shape... it has altered as well.]
[Guess the fish escaped the net with you,] I teased back. [Let me get us topside, and I’ll explain everything in a moment.]
Grabbing her wrist, I flicked my silver merman tail. We dashed effortlessly through the water. I snatched the cloak from the pool floor, and it instantly shrank, morphing back into the familiar black silk eyepatch of Owen’s disguise. Swimming up to the ledge, I hauled us onto the stone bank. The moment my lower half left the water, the silver scales receded, and my tail reverted back into human legs.
We sat there completely naked, wet hair plastered to our skin. The water slicked off our bodies with an unnatural, supernatural ease that typical humans could never replicate. Sara bit her lower lip, her sapphire eyes locked onto me as she waited for my explanation.
"I am not Ariel's husband," I began, clearing my throat. "I am Opal's husband, Loki Sky. I'm currently on a diplomatic mission under the guise of Owen. He's tied up with something monumental right now, but he didn't want to insult the Atlantis Kingdom by failing to show up yet again. So, he asked me, his most trusted friend, to take his place."
Instead of flying into a royal rage, a sly, teasing smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"You are such a trusted friend," she purred, "that you even snatched his Queens? Angelica... Alice... and now Ariel?"
I placed my fist over my mouth for a cough, a heavy blush of shame creeping up my neck. I didn't have the heart—or the courage—to tell her exactly how many wives I had actually snatched from him.
"Cough... it’s complicated," I stammered. "Angelica really wasn't my fault. Alice was... well, maybe half my fault. And Ariel doesn't even know I'm Loki. I'm actively avoiding her right now. But that doesn't matter! Owen and I are genuinely tight friends. Look."
To prove my point, I flashed the King's Signet ring, letting a pulse of energy ripple outward to show I was a legitimate 9th Circle Death mana user.
Sara slid closer, taking my hand in hers. Her voice dropped to a softer, more serious register. "Do I have to keep telling the court that Owen is my mate, or do I tell them the truth? That it is Loki Sky?"
I grinned, realizing she was already on board my sunken pirate ship. I leaned in, teasing her right back. "For now, keep calling me Owen. But in your heart, remember who Loki Sky really is: The Queen Snatcher! So of course, I absolutely need the Queen of Atlantis in my harem, right?"
Her lip curled up into a defiant, beautifully regal smile, radiating the absolute authority of a true monarch. "My husband isn't Owen Balder, nor is he Loki Sky. He is King Neptune. Now, let us get you ready. We need to send you into the Atlantis Secret Realm so you can claim Neptune's Trident and prove your identity to the entire kingdom."
I scratched my chin, a sudden wave of caution hitting me. "Let's assume, hypothetically, that I can't retrieve the Trident. What happens then?"
Mwah.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly against mine in a sudden, sweet kiss. When she pulled back, she held up two slender fingers.
"If you fail, the first option is that you will be exposed as Loki Sky and chased out of the Mermaid Kingdom in absolute disgrace," she said, her voice dripping with playful menace. "The second option is that you succeed, proving to the world that you are our true King Neptune of the oceans and seas—meaning every Mermaid in the world belongs to you by birthright. So, Owen or Loki... I highly suggest you bring me that Trident. I will be very angry if you don't. And trust me, you will not like me when I am angry."
I swallowed hard. Gulp.
"I definitely want you happy! Very happy!" I raised my hands defensively. "So, you'll keep my secrets for now?"
"For now," she conceded, turning toward the palace chambers. "But if you prove to me that you are my Neptune, I will do anything for you, including keeping every single one of your secrets. You will be the King of Atlantis. Besides, seeing you master my Time element while possessing a Merman form... it shouldn't be an issue for you. Let's go."
A few hours later, a massive crowd had gathered at the exact stone docks where we had parked the Bubbles Pagoda.
Frigg stood right beside me, her eyebrows arched high as she stared me down. "Owen, my master... why exactly are you dressed like that? You're barefoot. And where are your pants?"
I adjusted the fabric of my outfit uncomfortably. I was wearing a black male toga that the Queen’s tailors had prepared for me. It was fully waterproofed and crafted from exquisite material, but true to ancient form, this toga did not include pants, underwear, or shoes.
"Ahem... Ladies, Queen Atlantis Blue explicitly stated that this outfit is an absolute requirement for the challenge," I explained, clearing my throat and trying to look dignified despite the breeze. "When in Rome, right?"
Ariel, who was currently holding Sky Blue, stepped forward with a deep pout. "Owe-kins... did you and Queen Blue become mates last night? Both of you have been completely avoiding the question."
My lips twitched. I could practically feel hundreds of aquatic ears perking up across the plaza, waiting for the gossip.
"We talked all night, discussed intense royal politics, and forged some critical diplomatic agreements," I said smoothly, projecting my voice. "But absolutely nothing will be officially settled until I finish the trial today, okay?"
I caught Opal’s eye and gave her a subtle wink, sending a tight psychic transmission straight into her mind. [Queen Blue and I are one now, and she knows I'm your husband, Loki Sky. But... she's going to completely expose me if I fail this trial. Be ready to bust me out of here, haha.]
Opal hid a knowing smile behind her hand, giving me a tiny, supportive nod to let me know she’d be ready to play getaway driver if I completely blew the mission.
Whoosh! Flap, flap, flap!
A massive shadow fell over the plaza. Slicing through the sky above, a giant, seventy-five-foot-wide creature of pure white swooped down from the shimmering Gate Portal that led into the Secret Realm.
May West stepped up beside me, her eyes tracking the magnificent beast. "An 8th Circle Cloud Soaring Ray. They are native to the Atlantis Secret Realm, the very place where our Inner Sea was born. That is where your trial will take place."
Fwoosh!
The giant, floating albino ray halted perfectly at the edge of the stone docks. Queen Blue stood proudly upon the beast's wide back, her voice magically amplified by mana so it traveled far and wide across the entire kingdom.
"In the long, storied history of the Atlantis Kingdom, only twenty human males have ever attempted to retrieve Neptune's Trident," Sara announced grandly. "Today, the twenty-first man, King Owen Balder, will make his attempt. The last man to try and fail long ago was the Eastern Emperor himself. Today, I deem Owen worthy of the trial. As for you, King Balder... you have only one single chance. If you fail, you may never attempt it again. Understood?"
I nodded solemnly. Frigg wrapped her arm around my waist, using her magic to fly the two of us up onto the back of the massive white ray, landing right beside Queen Blue. While males typically couldn't be Summoners in this world, the court simply assumed Frigg was acting as my proxy summons, much like Gondul served Owen.
As the giant Cloud Soaring Ray began to rise, I looked over the edge. Thousands upon thousands of Atlantean citizens were staring up from tall coral spires, sweeping pagodas, crowded streets, and distant fields, all watching our ascent into the glowing portal above.
The air grew heavy and damp as we neared the twin, roaring waterfalls flanking the gate. Sara turned to me, her voice cutting through the thundering mist via mana.
"I brought Frigg with us to ensure her presence didn't expose your true nature to the crowd," Sara explained rapidly. "But since she isn't your actual, bound Summons yet, you must cross into the trial grounds completely alone. If you need assistance inside, you may summon your real Snake Lamia or your Kyuubi. Only the Queens of Atlantis wielding the Chronos Heart Jewel possess the authority to allow others to pass through the Secret Realm portal."
I nodded, the pieces finally coming together. I had previously learned that the Chronos Heart Jewel was a vital key within the city, and now its purpose was clear. Without it, sneaks and thieves stood zero chance of infiltrating the realm.
My guess is that Nuo Fu seduced the queen long ago just to try and steal Neptune's Trident and seize the Mermaid Kingdom for himself, I realized. And when the trial chewed him up and spat him out, he literally pulled his pants up and ran away, never to return.
Hummmm—!
The moment the Sky Soaring Ray crossed through the portal, the pressure in the air shifted dramatically. The deafening roar of the city's waterfalls instantly faded into a serene, peaceful quiet. Looking straight down, I saw a three-hundred-foot-wide pool of swirling, vibrant blue energy where the Secret Realm’s ocean poured continuously back into the gate.
The air here smelled crisply of salt. Seabirds wheeled through the bright sky, and entire flocks of wild Sky Soaring Rays glided peacefully through tropical clouds, occasionally diving nose-first into the endless ocean below to feed or wet their wings.
Adjacent to the swirling blue portal was a solitary, massive mountainous island. Nestled inside a volcanic-crater summit at the very peak was a sprawling, pristine freshwater lake—the literal source of the twin waterfalls on the other side in Myst. A wide, rushing river snaked its way down the mountain slopes, tumbling over countless smaller waterfalls before plunging cleanly into the ocean abyss. Tropical palms grew thick and wild across the island, revealing exactly where Atlantis got its endless supply of coconuts.
The Cloud Soaring Ray hovered gracefully near the island's sandy shoreline. Queen Blue turned to face me, her expression turning entirely unreadable.
"The trial begins now," she whispered softly. "I am forbidden from telling you where the Trident is hidden. Locating it is the very first part of your test. Good luck... Loki."
Frigg’s eyebrows shot up at the casual mention of my real name, but she kept her mouth shut. I gave them both a roguish, confident smile, stepping right up to the very edge of the ray's massive wing.
Sara looked at the massive landmass, hinting silently. "Why not search the island first?"
"Neptune is the god of the seas," I shouted back over the wind, my eyes locked on the endless blue below. "Followed by oceans, and only then freshwater. I'm going where my gut tells me to go—the vast blue! See ya!"
Swoosh—Splash!
I dove off the wing, plummeting through the tropical air before crashing cleanly into the deep, welcoming waves.