Mer Dance (Touch Draft Chapter)

Thalia wasn’t exactly sure what she expected when they told her the Mer were about to have a ‘party’. It couldn’t be like the events she was used to. The ones that were held every summer, mostly for the tourists, with dancing, burgers roasting on the towns largest grill and music blasting across rooftops, played by the towns most popular ( and only) DJ? Surely not?

Just thinking about it made her her mouth water. Oh, she’d kill to sink her teeth into anything other than raw fish right now…

The tunnel opened up into a larger cavern, blue light illuminated the walls that stretched upward, seemingly disappearing into a dark void filled with little shimmers. The whole chamber was roughly shaped like an upright cylinder. At the center of it all, there were Mer everywhere. The most she’d seen up until now. A plethora of their bright colorings darted around the room. To Thalia’s surprise, most of them had patterns similar to her own swirling across their tails, fins and midsection. Suddenly the pink flowers she’d drawn on her limbs didn’t seem all that silly anymore. Her breathing hitched when she swam forward, and the blue glow illuminated the paint on her skin. They glowed the brightest shade of neon pink, and it was stunning… She looked stunning. Warmth surged through her belly, the corners of her mouth fighting their way upwards. Okay, so not bad at all.

“You like the paint now, don’t you?” Midas swam past her into the light, his own painted markings turning a shade of purple that was made to match the gold of his scales. She couldn't fight it anymore and smiled brightly.

"Yeah, yeah. You were right. I love it!" One booty shake later, Thalia was spinning in the water, smoothing her hands across the largest flower at the base of her tail. The imperfections of her strokes didn't even show underneath this light, and because her scales were naturally pretty dark, the paint stood out even more. She started giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Careful, don't smudge them, what a waste of hard work that would be." He tried to lecture her, but fell silent halfway through. When Thalia was done admiring herself and finally turned around, she found him staring at her with this stupid happy grin on his face. Instantly her hackles rose. "What? Do you find me amusing?"

A second passed.

"Aye, Amusing." He finally chuffed, ears flicking upward in that puppyish manner of his.

That tickling sensation in her stomach returned tenfold.

"Come." With one push of his tail, Midas shot forward, ushering them further into the chamber where more of his kind were gathered. Then she heard...music?

Thalia’s head snapped towards the sound, and what she saw puzzled her. There weren’t any instruments playing, pérse, at least not the ones she was used to. A grey-scaled female attentively smoothed her claws across what looked to be a set of pink glowing rocks. Each stroke drawing a whiny sound from them, almost like the strings of a violin, yet still so different. Across from her, a large green male beat a leathery black hide, stretched across some type of drum with a series of parallel holes in the sides. As his palm beat down, a pulse vibrated through the water that rippled pleasantly across her skin, scales, and made her shudder in delight. The male was so engrossed in the rhythm, he didn’t even look up at the mer who had crowded around him, big reverent smiles on every one of their faces.

Several other musicians were spaced along the walls in their separate little alcoves. Each with another unfamiliar, but marvelous instrument. Though they were spaced apart from each other, the shape of the cave guided the sound upward, building a bigger harmony that filled the chamber with sound.

Thalia yearned to swim up to them, figure out how those instruments worked. Would they even work above water? Musicians all across the world would marvel at the novelty...

Then the singing started, and she was well and truly charmed. A teal female was humming words she didn’t know the meaning to. Each syllable dulled her focus and brought about this pleasant haze. Two males joined in, yet neither came close to outshining the females piercing song…

“Careful, Mirana is a Siren… They can be pretty overwhelming if you’re not used to their song." Midas’ voice brought back a little bit of clarity.

“Huh? What did you say?” She mumbled, having difficulty to tear herself away from the songstress.

“Yeah, you need a distraction, before you embarrass yourself.” Midas grinned, his smile much more soft than she was used to. “Here…” Wrapping his hands around her waist, he spun her, sending more butterflies up her stomach.

Oh… Oh shit.

“Mind keeping an eye on her while I get Ambrosia?”

A familiar raspy voice chuckled at her side. “Indulging already are we?” Charon gave her a pat on the head, his body seemingly appearing out of the darkness.

No paint for him, huh?

"Hey, It’s not for me. Distract her so she doesn’t assault Mirana, would you? I can see it in her eyes. She'll pounce!”

"I will do no such thing!" Thalia gasped, only to feel her ears turn towards the songstress as she moved.

Fuck.

Midas shot her a playful wink before disappearing into a crowd of colorful bodies. All Thalia could do was stare after him trying to slow her treacherous heartbeat.

It was wholly unfair how pretty that man was…Thalia bit her lip. So, so unfair…

“Hmm, perhaps you do need some distracting?”Charon bumped his shoulder to hers, bursting her little bubble and snapping her attention back to reality. “But not from Miranas song...How are you finding the new ‘klo-thus’?

“Clothes.’ She corrected him. Fuck, he was right, she really did need distracting. Or at least something to stop her from drooling all over herself.

“They are marvelous Charon, I can’t thank you enough” Her hands slowly flitted across the makeshift skirt now covering her tail.

Perhaps it was silly of her to be ashamed. After all, none of the other Mer wore anything to cover themselves. Well, other than jewelry and adornments, such as Midas’ earrings. But the modesty these scraps of cloth offered her gave her such unimaginable relief. For the first time in several days, she didn’t feel like she was stark naked… Exposed.

Charon shone as she lovingly patted the fabric, clearly proud of his handywork and the joy it brought her.

“Perhaps later, I’d like to make some adjustments. There has to be a better way to drape the fabric. Some way that gives you more mobility…” his eyes narrowed, the gears behind them already spinning as he inspected the stitching at the back of her top. “After you left, I came up with a design that could be tightened with knots… Very simple really. Just give me a second.”

If nothing else, she’d introduced fashion to a whole new species. Go forth and make garments, my fish children! Thalia couldn’t help but grin as Charon started fiddling with the back of her top. It was a credit to him, being so passionate about creating. Not to mention kind.

“You and you’re brother really couldn’t be any more different, it’s astounding.”

Charon adjusted the back of her top, his focus on tightening the stitching.

“How do you mean?” He mused, while looping a loose string around one of his fingers.

“You are actually nice” she coughed a laugh. “Unlike him.”

He just got me cursed and stuck at the bottom of the sea. No biggy.

“Hmmm…”

Something about that tone sounded like he disagreed. “What? What does 'hmm' mean?”

"Oh? Uhm- The clo-thus were Midas’ idea-” Charon mumbled after some time. “Not mine. I think maybe, you are being too hard on him.” Another loop and a rather brisk tug happened at her backside.

Midas' idea? That peaked her interest.

"Sometimes he comes across as rather...aloof, but in reality, my older brother cares waaaay to much what others think of him.”

That didn't sound like the Midas she'd witnessed up until this point. In fact, carefree and irresponsible suited him much, much better.

“He's prideful, for sure, but he really does just want everyone to get along and be happy.”

“Right. Keeping me trapped down here, in the dark, surrounded by strangers and monsters is him trying to make me happy?”

Charon ponders for a moment. “I can’t say I agree with his decision, but whatever it is, I’m sure theres a reason he keeps you down here. For your protection perhaps?”

A slight tug pulls the cloth covering Thalia's breasts upward, and she let’s out a high pitched shriek.

“Ah, apologies, just another knot and I am finished, I promise.” His deft hands pinch the fabric some more.

“You know, before Scylla was born, Midas was next in line to lead the pod.”

Thalia quieted down, her ears swiveled towards the male at her back.

“As second-born, mother wasn’t nearly as hard on me as she was on him. She taught him everything. How to lead. How to compose himself. How to be perfect. Generally, she tolerated very few mistakes from him.."

Charon's tone turned somber. "And inevitably when he did mess up, it was like she became another person entirely. Nothing like a mother at all. Those days were rough on all of us, but Midas more than any of us.”

There was a heavy pause before Charon spoke again. “See, Males are not supposed to lead. It only really happens if there are no female heirs. So, when after years and years of training, as if by some miracle, Scylla was born, mothers attention shifted completely to her new precious daughter, Midas was free.” A pat on the back signaled he was done, and Thalia spun to face him.

“You make it sound like freedom was a bad thing?”

“In most cases it wouldn't be. In some aspects it wasn't. But Midas didn’t know anything besides the control and undivided attention. Good or bad. And just like that-, mother could care less about anything he did."

The green male hesitated for a moment. "He was… very lost for a while.”

"Oh." That would be hard for a child. Thalia caught herself thinking.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, be patient with him. He’s trying”.

“Are the two of you gossiping about me?” Both Charon and Thalia glanced up as Midas is heading back in their direction. In between his claws are what look to be half a dozen disfigured green lemon-looking fruits.

“Not at all!” Charon grins. “Just telling sweet Thalia here what a menace you were as a pup.”

Midas scowls, pushing two of the lemons into Thalia’s hands before turning towards his brother. “Sweet? Really? Her?”

The two men share some looks and unspoken words. Clearly something is being communicated via sibling telepathy, which she isn't privy to...

So much so that Thalia is starting to feel annoyed at being left out.

“Sooo, are you supposed to eat these?” She’s halfway put one of the fruit between her teeth when Midas swooped in.

“Noooooo, no, no, no. Bad human, unless you want to spend the next few days utterly miserable and retching up your dinner.” He swiftly pried the fruit from between her teeth and turned it over in his palm.

“Like this.” With an elongated finger, he poked the peel. A claw, which would have freaked her out at first, but now slowly started to fascinate her, sunk into the fruit, creating a small hole.

“And now, you suck it.” He stated matter-of-factly, before handing the it back to her.

He’s talking about the fruit.

She knows he's talking about the fruit.

Then why does her treacherous gaze follow that claw, down to his slender fingers, to the corded muscles of his arms…

Thalia caught herself licking the inside of her teeth. Please, Please stop thirsting over the golden fishman.... she tried to reign in her thoughts. But he looked kinda fine as a human too, and now...

Tentatively, she placed the Lemon at her lips and gave it a gentle slurp.

And now his golden eyes beam at her like she's the most interesting thing in the world, fangs on full display in a wide smile,and it's making her insides do funny acrobatics.

The taste is sour, somewhat as expected. It’s Okay. Pretty tasty. Not fishy, which is a bonus…

Then the spice hits her tongue. And her first reaction, which should’ve been to toss the clearly toxic plant into the abyss, was to suck in a deep breath. Which of course caused her to inhale another definitely too big gulp of the sap.

Her tongue tingles in her mouth, then goes numb. Then it turns scalding. “WhattheFwUCK!!” The words stick together like glue as she loses the ability to swallow.

Both men are laughing loudly, even Charon, which stings a bit.

“Youactually-like this-stwuff???"

"What? Not quite as refined as human drinks, is it?"Midas cackled.

"You are supposed to take small sips." Charon grinned, clearly feeling somewhat guilty about the late warning. "Very, tiny small sips."

I take back what I said about Charon. He's just as evil as his brother.

It took about twenty whole minutes for the feeling in Thalia's lips to return. Time Midas spent mingling with the other Mer. She couldn't possibly hear their conversations from her little nook of the cave, but she could see him peacocking around the room, showing off the purple paints that contoured his golden markings and drawing the attention of every woman in his immediate vicinity.

Should she be jealous? Absolutely not. Still this weird little itch crept up the back of her neck every time one of the females preened her scales just as Midas swam by. The word 'hussy' came to mind. As well as other things.

More time passed. At home she would be dancing, chatting, having fun. Things were different down here though.

She could just join in the festivities? Above her, some of the Mer had started twirling about the space in what must be their equivalent of a dance. Thalia threw her head back as she watched the elegance in their movements. Their bodies gliding through the water, meeting little to no resistance. Every fin and tail perfectly choreographed to form this amazing underwater ballet. Meanwhile here she was, butterfly stroking everywhere with about as much grace as a soaked tabby...

Yeah... Pass.

With extreme caution, she took another sip of the demon fruit. She didn't like the spicy taste that much, but the slight buzzed feeling it gave her was a very welcome one. The sap also warmed her body in a way she hadn't felt since waking up underwater...

Her ears shot forward. A female now clung onto to Midas arm. The one Thalia had seen before, with the blue scales and orange face. What was her name? Renata? The perfect name for a siren.

She took another sip. Really, the female shouldn't bother her, and she didn't. Really didn't. But Midas was being a shitty host, leaving her all alone down here.

Charon had stuck by her side for a bit, but eventually he had drifted off to go watch the musicians play. As much as Thalia wanted to join him, she didn't trust herself enough to not to swim into one of them and knock over the entire orchestra... So here she was, clinging to the safety of the wall. Alone.

Renata's dainty little hands had traveled up and now rested on Midas shoulders. She was laughing at some joke Thalia didn't hear, all the while drawing circles on his chest with her fingers.

Thalia's ears flicked again. From this distance it wasn't so obvious, but Renata's fingers were in fact coated with orange paint. Paint that was now being spread around on Midas' chest like some kind of territorial finger painting.

Thalia stared up at the pair for a second.

Something very strange was happening in her new body. Changes she didn't understand.

Her fingers cramped, so she curled and stretched them. Relaxing and balling her fist until she could feel the prick of her claws inside her palms.

Her mouth thrummed, more specifically her newly elongated canines itched. So she parted her lips ever so slightly and soothed her tongue past her gums. She willed the feeling to go away.

Thalia wasn't a confrontational person. No sir. But right at that moment, something was egging her on.

He's Mine.

Except he wasn't, Midas wasn't anything to her except her involuntary babysitter. Until she could go home. If she could ever go home.

Those grubby orange paws slipped down from his chest, lower. Unbothered by the crowd or the clear lack of privacy.

Almost imperceptibly, Midas posture shifted backwards. Just ever so slightly, he positioned himself to push back. He really wasn't interested in Renata like that. He'd told Thalia as much before, but she hadn't believed it back then. After all, the woman was gorgeous. Almost his equal when it came to looks.

Renata kept pushing, stroking the flat of her hand down...

Instinct took over.

Midas didn't belong to her.

But Renata couldn't have him either.

The next few seconds were a bit of a blur. When Thalia blinked, she'd somehow swam up and shoved herself in between Midas and Renata. For once she was glad about her curvy body, her tail was quite a bit thicker than Renata's, so pushing the other woman aside had been a breeze.

A mixture of fury and confusion was plastered across Renata's face.

"What in the depths does this little slug think she's doing?"

The insult didn't mean much to Thalia. Sure, she didn't swim fast.

Big fat whoop.

Facing Midas, Thalia put on her best customer service voice.

"You take me to a party, only to leave me all alone once we get there?" Her eyes wandered to the orange streaks littered across Midas chest. Again her fangs started to itch. A bodily reaction she would need to thoroughly investigate later. Right now, she was a bit preoccupied. "At least ask me to dance,-" She gestured wildly at the Mer spinning just behind. "--Or whatever that is!"

A single fin drooped in front of her face and she blew it away dramatically. Glancing back and forth between Thalia and Renata, Midas gaze softened.

"Of course! How awful of me. I almost forgot." In one smooth motion, he snaked an arm around Thalia's waist. "I did promise, didn't I? Excuse me dear. It seems my attention is required."

Before Renata could even utter a rebuttal, Midas had swooped the both of them away towards the dancing Mer. The arm around her gave a slight squeeze.

"How did you know?" He whispered right next her ear. The mer equivalent of goosebumps fluttered across Thalia's skin. "Know what?" She played dumb.

"That I needed to leave that situation."

Honestly it had seemed obvious at the time. Then again, Thalia had seen him and Renata do things way worse than a little touchy feely...

"Just a feeling." She tried to sound nonchalant, despite her heart thumping like a jackhammer.

"Well, thank you..."

(Afterword: I'm likely to change a bunch of this chapter, but right now it has most of the elements I want it to have. How do you guys like the first real glance into Midas and Thalia's Relationship? :P I still need to flesh them out a bit, but the idea is there. For the music, I imagine something like this. Feel free to ask me questions, as it helps me with worldbuilding. I've been doing a lot of reading lately, so hopefully my writing has improved a little by now.)