The Age of Aquarium

The grounds seemed much more crowded than usual. No matter. This meeting was of the urgent variety and if I had to temporarily accelerate my speed to maneuver through these people, it would be worth it. I’ll just have to pay the price later. It’s still taking me a while to get used to the brief healing period after drawing on these new powers. I made a mental note to add that to the list of questions already swimming in mind.

This was it. My big opportunity! Finally, I was going to meet HIM!! After all the research, study, impossible and fantastical connections, and the waiting…he said he’d be here. I really hoped he hadn’t changed his mind, yet again. He had a way of being, shall we say, flippant? Slippery? Eel-usive?

“Hah!” I inadvertently laughed out loud at my own pun and simultaneously rolled my eyes for inflicting the agony on myself. Oh well. It calmed me down for the briefest moment. I’m almost there. Almost to the rendezvous point. It occurred to me that it was kind of strange for him to want to meet in such a public place, as he normally wasn’t a fan of crowds. Unless those crowds carried with them a rare, aged whiskey or a stout draught. I hadn’t brought either of those things. I silently cursed as I questioned whether meeting him, armed with nothing but my fascination and wits, was the best idea. I should have brought a present! A tribute? An offering? What does one bring to this deity? No, royal? Right. Not a God. Just a super-human type. Am I sweating?? Of course, I am. I’ve been waiting for this day for 6 years!

As I made my way to the entrance of what is commonly known as “The Shark Tunnel”, I could barely contain my excitement and nervousness. He didn’t say this would be a brief meeting, but I had to assume he had much more pressing business to get to. Plus, going back and forth with his rather verbose assistant left much to be desired in the way of defining a clear plan. It took three weeks and five meetings with said assistant, not to mention countless hours of translation and solving riddles, to sort out the particulars of today! Note to self…if this goes according to plan, remind me to think carefully before hiring a dolphin to handle my affairs. Are they some of the brightest?? Sure! But the mouths on these porpoises! That isn’t to say they cuss like Sailors. Well, some of them do. Usually, the ones who spend an unhealthy amount of time following Sailors around like groupies. What I mean is they LOVE to talk. And they think no being on the planet is wittier or has more to say than they do. Honestly, are we sure people evolved from apes and not from dolphins? I can certainly think of a few people who feel no sound is better than their own squeaks and babbles. And the riddles! Poseidon’s beard, they get old! Every bit of information, schedule planning, or meeting requirement must be wrapped in an intricate layer of code or fable meant to be deciphered. Did I mention this was meant to be a gift to my limited human brain??

“Yes, Delphin, I get that you are far cleverer AND an immortal in the service of the Demigod of the Sea! We can’t ALL be born with such a fantastical destiny! Some of us are just bipeds, destined to walk the dry Earth unless we HAPPEN across a magical stone that allows us to speak to underwater creatures such as yourself!” I sighed. I really must stop having sarcastic hypothetical conversations with myself. Pretty soon my self is going to answer back, and then I’ll really be in trouble.

I turned the last corner after pausing to let several open-mouthed human codfish exit the tunnel after they finally decided to look ahead of them, instead of staring up at the massive sharks swimming stealthily above them. I can’t really blame them. They’re pretty incredible. But if they knew what the sharks were saying about them, they might not be so keen. Another giggle escaped my lips, and I knew I had to get my amusement and excitement in check. I am immeasurably grateful for the stone that I found, as it allows me to understand and speak all languages of every being in every body of water in the world. But sometimes it feels a bit like I have that Babel Fish that gets into your brain and translates everything forever set to the “On” mode. So, instead of simply translating, it sometimes blasts a hundred different stations at the same time, in your head, for no one else to hear, and no way to turn it off! That is, until I met Delphin and he taught me how to control the frequencies, so to speak. It still goes haywire if I get too excited or anxious. It’s a learning process.

Once I found the section of tunnel where the meeting was supposed to take place, I quickly checked that I looked presentable, that my breath was fresh; though how a person who literally spends all his time with fish would rate “breath freshness” on his list of priorities is beyond me. Then, as I was mid-concentration, attempting to temporarily block out the multiple conversations happening around me, he was there; seemingly seven feet tall, with eyes that could see straight through your soul and intricate tattoos covering most of his body. Half Human. Half Atlantean. My mind was suddenly filled with the mental buzz and an eerie stillness as the sharks and other aquatic neighbors stopped to look at him. Then, within the quickest of flashes, it was as if ALL the underwater creatures were attempting to fit into the same cubic foot of space directly above his head. He noticed with amusement and glanced up with a wink and an “Oh, pish tosh!” wave of his hand. Immediately, everyone scattered and resumed their conversations, elsewhere. This left me bemused, and I pondered the motivation behind the Shark Tunnel’s residents’ behavior. Certainly, he was revered. He had helped many of their families and friends find better living conditions and fight the Humans’ lust for overfishing…but I had the feeling this particular exchange was treading into E! True Hollywood Story terrain. Allowing a few words of the conversations around me to enter my thoughts, I realized my intuition was correct. They were waiting for gossip!! They were eyes wide, gills flapping level excited to hear the news of the day! I knew many of these sharks had taken this indoor aquatic assignment to study the behaviors of humans more closely. This was in an effort to come up with better ways of avoiding them and not mistaking them for lunch. They must be chomping at the metaphorical bit for the whispered morsels of all things Ocean life! It’s not just people that get caught up in the glamour and drama of celebrities and politicians. Who else are you supposed to secretly judge, then let slip your plan to do things differently, and certainly better, if you had the wealth and fortune, instead of them!

I laughed a third time and clapped my hand over my mouth, hoping I didn’t just screw up my chances of being invited to visit the city. The Atlantean let out a deep “HaHAH!”. This made me feel slightly better. And, perhaps, a little like he could crush me between his hands like a tiny gnat. He seemed to realize my mental dilemma and said, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Emily. I’ve been following your work for some time and Delphin has been very impressed with your ability to wield the power of the stone after such a short time. Remind me, how did you come by this very rare object? It’s said to be impossible for humans for find.” His calm voice tinged with light, humorous notes made me blush a bit and suddenly forget how speech worked.

“Oh! Of course!”, I squeaked. “The pleasure is all mine Aqu…..erm, Arthur!”. I remembered Delphin mentioning he preferred to be called Arthur, as he felt his “Superhero” name was too mainstream and tolerated it only because the trending hashtags made it easier to keep up with crisis needing help, or celebratory to-dos in his honor.

“I was visiting Aruba a little over six years ago, and as I was free diving near a secluded beach, some kind of underwater tornado picked up all the sand from the ocean floor and began swirling it around me!”

“I wasn’t moving, and it didn’t seem to be affecting me physically, other than the weird noises I was hearing, so I just kind of froze and waited to see what would happen. I can only hold my breath for three minutes, so my first thought was the remaining minute or so I had before I needed to get to the surface.” I paused briefly to gauge his reaction so far. He just looked at me, one eyebrow slightly raised, with a half grin on his face. Guessing that his was his version of “Go on…”, I continued.

“Once I was completely surrounded by a hundred-foot-tall cylinder of sand, everything seemed to almost stop, moving ever so slightly, in slow motion.” I glanced around briefly to see if anyone was listening, but the only eyes on me were on the other side of the glass as the sharks and fish conveniently swished by extra slowly to listen in to our conversation. A few of them knew this story already, but maybe they were also waiting to judge Arthur’s reaction. Keeping my voice low, but directed up at him, I explained further.

“The noises I was hearing began to grow louder, and then as if someone was turning a dial, the overlapping sounds became words I could understand. The voices were saying “She’s here! She’s going to find it! I told you it was going to be her”. Then, just as abruptly, others were saying, “No way! She’ll never pass the test! I don’t care how much training she’s had. No human in a thousand years has been able to reach it”!

“Naturally, I was freaked out and almost swallowed some water! Who was talking to me?? I think deep down I knew, but I would have to unravel that a bit later. Just now I needed desperately to get to the surface. But I stopped myself. No! THIS is what I’ve been searching for! They’re talking about the Ocean Jasper! The last known gift given to the Humans by the Atlanteans! It’s here. I began looking around frantically thinking maybe the sand tornado had brought it up from the floor and it was somewhere around me. I could feel the knot in my stomach growing as I realized I still needed to pass the last test. I needed to defeat my greatest fear and look directly into the eyes of Death. Death was here. I needed to breathe! I could feel life beginning to drain from me as I looked directly beneath me and froze. I found it all right….my greatest fear. A hundred-plus feet of pitch-black abyss. The sand had blocked out all light beneath me, yet I knew this was it. I knew the stone was just below me. Waiting for me. This was the final test. I was going to die at any moment, but I had come too far. I used the last ounce of will I had left and gave my fins their final kicks to start propelling me down. There was no way I would make it! I had come so close only to die moments before becoming who I was destined to be!”

I took a sharp breath in, held it, then let it out with a whoosh, remembering what it was like to feel literally breathless. A chill went up the back of my neck as I relived the sheer terror, and undeniable certainty I felt that life as I knew it was over. Arthur’s grin began to widen, and his eyes twinkled as he waited for me to catch my breath. I couldn’t quite tell whether he found my plight amusing, or if was inwardly as excited as I was, but it occurred to me that he might be the only person I could tell this story to without giving the impression I was a few fries short of Happy Meal. And here I was, telling him. The Superhero of the Sea. The Demigod of the Oceans, and he hadn’t interrupted me once, or even really changed his expression, until now. He knew what happened after that. He knew the magic this stone held and that for some mysterious reason it had chosen me; a nerdy Marine Biologist with too many History degrees and a face full of freckles from all my hours spent on and in the water. He already knew the purpose I was meant for, and he slowly nodded. I needed to speak it. I needed to speak it to him.

I drew a slow breath in this time, composed my thoughts, and told the last of what occurred that day.

“The urge to pass out was overwhelming. Everything began to go dark, though in my oxygen-deprived state, it was hard to tell if it was me dying, or if I had made it into the abyss. Then, the sand cloud that had been barely moving began to swirl more quickly around me, lowering me to the ocean floor. At first, I had no idea how far I’d gone, or if I’d already lost consciousness. Then I saw it. The stone. It was glowing with swirls of gold, yellow and white. I heard it calling me. Not with words, but with emotion; with love and the promise of adventure. My body relaxed and I was no longer scared about anything. I didn’t need to swim. I didn’t need to breathe. The ocean was carrying me the rest of the way. I was being moved so gently, all fear left, and a sense of belonging filled me, instead. I reached the Jasper and scooped it up, letting the sand trickle through my fingers. It was smooth and beautiful. It contained a thousand oceans and fit in the palm of my hand. Something whispered to lift it above me and, as I did, I floated back up the surface, watching the pillar of sand softly disperse and make its way to the depths.”

Without realizing it, I had closed my hand around the Jasper again, this time hung from a silver chain around my neck. Arthur’s eyes darted to the Jasper, then back at me.

“Well…that was it. Well, ok, that’s not it.” I gave a single, nervous “Heh”.

“After that I floated in the water for several hours, listening to the fish and the urchins and all other beings around me. Recounting for them the journey I’d be on that led me there. I came back to that spot for days until I realized I could communicate with the sea life no matter which body of water I was near. I guess news traveled fast, because soon after Delphin found me and, once I was able to read between the riddle-filled lines, I learned so much more than I could have ever hoped. I know I have SO much more to learn, but it would be an honor to serve the Ocean and to heal the wounds Humanity has so recklessly caused. Plus, I’m like, really good at cleaning up oil spills and repairing the reefs and….Oh. Um… Or, whatever else is needed.”

Arthur placed a giant hand on my shoulder, and I suddenly realized that absolutely every shark, fish, snail, and amoeba was gathered around the Shark Tunnel Tube with their faces pointed directly at us. The only movement they made was a gentle bob up and down as they floated in place. There were still people around, but they were mesmerized by this odd behavior in the aquarium and didn’t even notice the inhumanly large Sea God standing there. Granted, he was wearing normal, if somewhat boho, clothing. So maybe they thought he was just a regular man-bun wearing giant of an Indie-Music lover.

“Emily. Pah-geh-sheh-nen”, he said, eyes still twinkling. I knew this was Atlantean for, “Thank You”.

“That…story…was…epic. It has been too long since the Oceans have had an advocate such as yourself. I invite you to be my apprentice, and, when you’re ready, speak on my behalf to the world in matters of the Seas. Plus, there are so many more cool languages to learn! Wait until you hear the Anglerfish! They may look like the stuff of nightmares, but they are truly some of the funniest creatures you’ll ever meet! I hope you like puns! They have some truly nauseating ones.” He chuckled to himself and shook his head, clearly recalling said jokes.

“Shell yeah, I like puns!! Are you squidding me??”

At this, Arthur groaned and planted his face in his hands. New superpower unlocked. I got a Demigod to facepalm! Hah!!! Winning. I beamed and we both got a good laugh in, as the sharks groaned and swam away, clearly mortified at the sheer depths to which I had now sunk.

“Alright then”, he said with a bit of a mischievous smile. “Let’s start making plans. We’ve got a lot of ruckus to cause.”

“Bring it”, I said, narrowing my eyes and lifting a brow of my own. I was ready to begin the greatest chapter of my life.

The End