Raj waved his arms, trying to get her attention. After Darya did her hundredth twist and turn she stopped when she noticed him trying to get her attention. Gliding over to Raj, a thought hit Darya...How was she supposed to talk to him?

Using his hands, Raj pointed to the side of his head. When Darya looked at him in a confused manner he just kept pointing to his head. She suddenly realized he was pointing at his temple and when she realized this she felt a slight tickle and when she looked at Raj again who had a weird smile on his face.

"Can you hear me?" A voice boomed inside of her head making her eyes go wide when she realized it was Raj speaking to her. She focused her own mind and tried to respond to him in thought alone.

"Loud and clear, am I doing this right?" She asked through her thoughts and received a smile in response.

"Okay, now that you know how we communicate you'll need to know how to transfer your thoughts to someone that is not in your immediate family. For people like that, which will be just about everyone in the kingdom, you will have to ask permission using a certain sign. Then you touch foreheads and it creates the connection. You'll be able to speak with just them until you bring others in." He explained to her which she eventually understood. She was still getting over the fact that she could speak to someone telepathically.

"The kingdom is not much further, with our speed we should be there in about twenty minutes. It's actually quite far from where you live right now. How are you getting along with your tail?" Raj asked her through their link. He knew that she was getting along just fine but he still had his concerns. There has never been someone brought in from the human world to his kingdom. He wasn't sure how his people would take her there was even the fear that they would reject her completely.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's basically like using a monofin when I free dive, except now I'll be able to keep going and never go back up. It's freeing really." She thought back to him which made his heart swell. He wanted nothing more than for her to fit in with his people. She was apart of it now and it would break his heart if she rejected everything he was.

"I didn't know you free dived. Looks like the ocean called to you harder than I thought." He told her as he glided up next to her while they swam through the ocean. She took in the life that grew around her and the fish that didn't mind her swimming with them.

"Ever since I was a baby my mom took me to the ocean. The moment our house became available she bought it as quickly as possible. An elderly couple lived in it before us. Mom wanted to be as close to the ocean as she could. When she wasn't working we would be at the beach swimming and learning about the ocean life." She told her father who was even more interested in what happened after he left.

"I know I didn't say this much when we were on the mainland, but I really am sorry I wasn't there for you two when you were growing up. I loved your mother for those few months that we spent together. I knew very little about her except that she was briliant and perfect and of course her name. I hated that I couldn't tell her much about myself but our world has to be a tight secret." Raj explained to her which helped her see the situation from his side a bit.

"Why did you allow us to tell Marty and his fathers then? Why is it such a secret, it's not like people would believe you. I mean I really didn't at first." Darya confessed along with her questions for Raj.

"A long time ago, before I was born, we had issues with humans. You've heard of dolphin potchers, and ones that take other creatures illegally from the ocean, yes?" He asked her while the water pulled them forward towards their goal.

"Of course, we learn about it in school, my mother told me about it she even helps fight the poachers, and then in diving lessons, we learn how to 'keep our hands to ourselves' so to speak. Are you telling me mermaids were once being poached?" She asked with a very worried tone.

"Unfortunately, yes. Sailors mainly, they would catch them in their nets by luring them with a trapped sea creature. They would kill them and put their bodies at the front of their s.h.i.+ps. It meant they were the best of the best in the sailor community. We began to fight back and when people from the mainland began to disappear we got in more trouble. That just led to more and more issues that we are still cleaning up today but that's a conversation for later." He spoke from the heart and she could hear the pain in his thoughts. She had a bit of apprehension when it came to joining her father and his people, and that conversation didn't help it any.

"That's a lot to take in, there's more too?" She asked him as a few little fishes swam around her making her smile. She reached out to touch one of them and they let her. She let the small fish go in between her fingers and when she dove down towards the rocks to let the fish go back to its school.

"Yes there is, but it's for another day. We're here." He announced making her stop mid-swim. She looked in front of where they were suspended in the water and saw nothing.

"There isn't anything there." She said while she kept looking around for something.

"It's not here, it's down there." He pointed down towards a very dark drop off from the surrounding rock and sea life. She was worried that he was leading them to certain death but at this point, she had to trust him.

"It's hidden for a reason. Are you ready?" He asked her and she just nodded, she was ready to go.

He dived straight down allowing his long pearl white tile to guild him from the rear. She followed his lead and pointed her head down and swam as hard as she could so she didn't lose him with his speed.

She kept following until there was no light in her vision at all. Then when she was almost ready to turn around and head back up there was a break in the darkness. If air could fill her lungs again they would be filling rapidly. She took in the scene in front of her with wide eyes, this was way more than what she was expecting.

"Holy c.r.a.p." She thought. A few air bubbles escaped from her wide open mouth which made Raj stifle a laugh. He suspended himself there while Darya took in the literal city in front of her eyes.

"It's beautiful." She told him with a shocked tone.

"It's our kingdom and it's been waiting for you for a long time," Raj told his daughter as she continued to look around with a very wonderous expression as she watched actual mermaids and mermen swim around like people walking on the streets of her hometown.

"Our kingdom." She stated with a more steady thought process.