City of Fairtide in the Mortal Realm

It took time, as it always did, but eventually Sophia settled into a new rhythm in Fairtide. The 80s were different from any other decade she’d experienced. Music was rockier. Clothes were brighter. Hair was curlier. And Sophia loved every minute of it.

Sophia fiddled with her locket. She could feel the power that radiated from it and wished to speak with Aphrodite about what she’d done. Yet no matter how many times Sophia sought her out in the water, Aphrodite never appeared.

“Show me a sign!” Sophia screamed one night into the abyss of the ocean. The wind picked up around her, whipping her hair around her face. Just as quickly, it calmed and the water in front of her stilled.

In a fit of anger, Sophia threw a pebble into the water. But with her tiny figure and terrible aim, it only landed with a thunk about a foot in front of her.

A chuckle sounded behind her, followed by a voice that sent a happy shiver down her spine. “Rough day to be a rock, hm?”

Sophia turned around, her gaze landing on the dark-haired man who approached. The cuffs of his pants were rolled up past his ankles and he wore a denim shirt.

“I’m not even sure how to respond to that.” The corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile.

The man stuffed a hand into his back pocket. “Name’s Thomas, by the way.”

“Sophia.” She shook his hand, a familiar feeling tingling over her skin when they touched.

“You’re new in town, yeah?”

Sophia nodded. “Family travels a lot for my aunt’s work. But likewise, I haven’t seen you around much either.”

Thomas scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I’ve just moved here recently as well.”

“Do you come out here often?” Sophia asked.

“Yeah. I’ve found it’s a good place to clear my head.” Thomas pointed out in the distance. “Sometimes I’ll swim out to that rock and lay on top.”

Sophia sucked in a breath. “Me too.” Do you remember me? Please, tell me you do.

Thomas grinned cluelessly. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime, Sophia?”

Her heart pounded against her chest. “I’d like that.”

***

A car horn honked outside the stone cottage in Fairtide, alerting Sophia to the arrival of her new beau, Thomas. She grinned, grabbing her bag and rushing out to meet him.

“Hi,” she greeted him, leaning over to kiss his cheek from the passenger seat.

Thomas grinned back, his green eyes filled with mischief.

“How much do you think Louise will hate me if we actually go through with this?” he asked, referring to the plans they’d made in secret the night before.

Sophia tugged a loose curl around her finger before drawing the sides of her jean jacket together.

“She won’t like it,” Sophia replied. “But Lily will despise it even more.” She scoffed. “Lily is all about us blending in but I mention one little thing about a tattoo and that’s what angers her.”

Thomas entwined their fingers together over the center console. “She warmed up to me though, didn’t she? Especially with me knowing that you’re an Aquarid.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Yes, but that’s because I threatened to run away with you.” Sophia glanced over at him. “Aquarids and Syfires are still sworn enemies. If Lily ever found out that you’re the latter…”

“Hey, we’ve made it work this far, haven’t we?” Thomas reasoned.

Sophia swallowed, staring into his innocent green eyes, but didn’t reply. She hoped that this time with Thomas would be better than all the rest.

The car pulled into the parking lot. Thomas and Sophia walked with interlocked fingers down the boardwalk where shops and food carts sold souvenirs and hot dogs. They arrived at Tattoo Palace, the sole tattoo shop in Fairtide with great prices and wonderful designs. Thomas had booked their appointments with the tattoo artist Jessamine. The place had soft dim lighting and classic rock music played on the speakers above.

As they approached the desk, a woman with dark hair and striking blue eyes walked forward to meet them.

Sophia frowned. There was something about this woman that was oddly familiar.

“Welcome,” she purred. “How can I assist you?”

“Yes.” Sophia cleared her throat, fixating her gaze on a plaque behind the woman. “We have a dual tattoo appointment this morning.”

The woman opened a binder and trailed a perfectly manicured finger down one of the pages. “Ah, yes. We have you right here. Sophia and Thomas?”

“That’s us.” Thomas flashed her a smile.

Jessamine called over a second artist so they could go at the same time. She sat Sophia down in one chair then took the seat opposite.

Sophia and Thomas held hands as the women stenciled on the matching seahorse designs. They’d done it such that, when Sophia and Thomas were holding hands, the tattoos on their forearms would form a heart shape. Once the design was complete, Jessamine took out the tattoo gun to solidify the design. The needle pricked her skin in a series of shocks. Sophia glanced over at Thomas, who smiled.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered. He brushed his thumb along the back of her hand in a comforting gesture.

Sophia tried not to focus on the hum of the needle or the mild pain in her arm. She watched as the design unfolded along her forearm, as Jessamine traced each delicate scale from the design onto her skin. It was almost peaceful, and at one point, she could’ve sworn the ink glowed.

Sophia blinked her eyes.

Wait. Glowed?!

She looked down again; normal colors of ink stared back at her.

You’re just imagining things. Everything is normal.

“All done!” Jessamine announced cheerfully a little while later.

The other artist finished up too, and Sophia went to show off her tattoo with Thomas.

“Perfect,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “You want to go to lunch?”

Sophia nodded. Should she tell Thomas what she thought she saw? He’d probably think she was seeing things. That had to be the only logical answer anyway.

After Thomas paid for the tattoos, they walked out hand-in-hand down the boardwalk past couples on bikes and rollerblades.

And that’s when she saw them. Sophia wasn’t sure at first, but upon further inspection there was no doubt in her mind.

Two young water sprites splashed each other playfully, dodging in and out of the sprinkle of water from one of the misting stations that lined the boardwalk before chasing after one another.

“Do you see them?” Sophia clutched at Thomas’s arm and jutted her chin in the direction of the sprites.

Thomas frowned, following her gaze. “See who?”

“The water sprites.”

“Soph, water sprites are a myth.” Thomas bit his lip. “Are you feeling ok?”

“I’m fine.” Sophia waved off his question. “And we’re a myth too, but we exist.”

“Babe, I really don’t see anything. Maybe we should get you checked for ink poisoning.”

Sophia rolled her eyes but didn’t want to start a fight. Maybe they really weren’t there. But Sophia couldn’t mistake their image for anything else.

As they continued to walk, Sophia saw the small figure coming right in her path.

“Pardon me,” she said softly, quickly moving out of the sprite’s way.

It gasped, pointed ears twitching and retractable wings fluttering rapidly. Sophia watched as the two sprites nearly collided.

“Merial, watch it!” the sprite exclaimed, staring in awe at Sophia. “She can see us.”

Sophia let her dark curls fall into her face as she listened to their interaction.

“That’s impossible, Linnet,” the second replied.

Sophia continued to watch their conversation unfold from the spot she found on a bench next to Thomas. After a minute, she excused herself, hoping to speak with the sprites.

“Excuse me,” she said as she approached.

The sprites shrieked, flapping their wings in a panic.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Sophia continued. She wrapped her hand around one sprite’s wrist. “I just need some answers.”

“Y-you’re the chosen,” Merial said. “Only the marked can see us.” She started chanting a spell and Linnet joined in.

Before Sophia knew what was happening, the world collapsed around her.

What had that tattoo artist done, and why wasn’t Thomas affected?