Myths, Mermaids, and Monsters by Tera Lynn Childs

Author:Tera Lynn Childs [Childs, Tera Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fearless Alchemy

A Shore Thing

Astria Rubicundum was about to do something she had never done before. Until recently, she had never even thought about it. Her world was perfectly fine how it was and she didn’t need to expand her horizons, explore her limits, or test her boundaries, thank you very much.

But something in her had changed.

It all started when she helped Thalassinia’s princess rally the rulers of the Western Atlantic mer kingdoms to work together to address ocean warming and climate change. Suddenly her view of the world was very different. She saw her place in it as far more connected than she used to.

She hadn’t been able to shake an overwhelming sense of responsibility for and connection to the rest of the planet.

Which was why, when she learned about the beach cleanup on Kelpberry Cay today, she decided to join the humans in their efforts. After all, dirty beaches and dirty oceans were two sides of the same problem.

At least she intended to join the cleanup. That was her plan when she left home that morning.

But for some reason, she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave the water. She had been floating in the gentle waves offshore for several minutes, mentally debating whether to go through with her plan.

The scariest part? She was doing it alone.

She hadn’t even told Venus and Piper about her plan. Her best friends wouldn’t understand. Not really.

The three of them had been inseparable since guppihood. They were unwaveringly loyal to each other, brutally honest with the rest of the mer world, and at times—she wasn’t proud to admit—not exactly the nicest girls in the ocean.

Princess Lily had made her see that, too.

Now look at her. Floating offshore, about to transfigure and walk herself up onto a beach to help humans with a Clean the Scene campaign.

She barely recognized herself.

Then again, she hadn’t managed to transfigure yet. Maybe she would fraidy-fish out. No one had seen her. They wouldn’t even know she’d been there.

She could swim home, pretend like this never happened, and try to go back to the life of palace gossip and underwater fashion that she used to love.

Yes, definitely that. What was she thinking?

She was just about to kick off and dive for deeper waters when a dark-haired mermaid breached the surface just to her right. An instant later—because, lord love a lobster, Piper was always half a beat behind—a blonde head popped up on her other side.

“There you are.” Venus shook her head and then ran a hand through her thick black hair to squeeze out the water. “We’ve been circling this stupid island all morning looking for you.”

“All morning,” Piper parroted.

Astria was so shocked by her friends’ arrival that she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“I don’t—” She shook her head and tried again. “Why were you looking for me?”

“Because we’re your best friends,” Piper replied. “Duh.”

The blonde flicked her long, curly hair over one shoulder.

If she weren’t so embarrassed to be caught, she might have smiled at Piper’s response.

Instead, she clarified.

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