InsaneJournal

The City of Atlantis, it was their first port. With all of her world traveling, Cassandra had never come across a place called Atlantis. She wasn’t surprised, though; the city supposedly sank to the bottom of the ocean. That’s how the stories went, anyway. Jason read to her, something she appreciated. He shed no judgement, not look of pity was sent in her direction. He read and she listened, soaking in every word, every detail. Information that was delicately tucked away in her mind.

Steph also helped. They didn’t officially share rooms, but Cassandra was in Steph’s room more often than not. The beds were big enough for two people to share and Cassandra hardly took up much space. Always curled in, slept tight and small. Steph was more enthusiastic, a ball of energy that never ran out. Cassandra was used to it and even though her face was very stoic like a marble statue, she was thankful that the light never taken from Stephanie.

She had missed her best friend so very much.

It didn’t take too much convincing from Stephanie because Cassandra already wanted to step foot off the boat the moment it docked. A bikini was purchased beforehand. Stephanie wanted Cassandra to try on a few (her attempt at trying to get Cassandra way from black more than likely), but Cassandra couldn’t steer away from it. It may not be an actual color, but it was Cassandra’s favorite.

The sun was out, the clouds were sparse and scattered along the sky of soft blue. Waves from the ocean gently rolled onto the shore, and quickly pulled back into sea. Steph and Cass were set up not too far away. An umbrella was blocking the sun from hitting the girls directly and that’s where Cass was, under the umbrella.

Steph didn’t like being cooped up on a ship. She needed room to roam, even if the ship did have plenty to see. She felt like she had seen everything there was to see and now with the prospect of exploring the lost city of Atlantis, she was very excited to stretch her legs. But first: Swimming with the mermaids! This was more exciting to Steph than the city itself, because she hadn’t ever thought mermaids could possibly be real. She had every intention of growing some temporary gills.

But first, lounging under an umbrella and relaxing a little. Really, she was just enjoying herself and building up some energy (not that she was ever lacking in it) before they plunged into the sea.

Whenever Cass wasn’t in Steph’s cabin, Steph was in Cass’s, or they were off wandering the ship during patrols or looking for something to keep them occupied. There was something very boring about a ship full of people and no one to save. A little voice suggested that the mermaids might need saving, but then Steph also wanted to just swim with them and be able to tell the tale.

Steph sat up and looked around, brushing her fingers through her hair to put it up into a bun. “This is so cool,” she said enthusiastically. “I can’t believe Atlantis really exists.” She glanced over to Cass before sitting back once more. “When do you want to go swim with the fishes and the mermaids? Because I’m ready whenever you are.”

Cass had an arm resting over her eyes, concentrating on the sounds the waves made when they rolled onto the shore. She listened to the people around them, the soft buzz of chatter and laughter in the distance. Cass may have looked as though she were sleeping, but was fully alert.

Her arms moved when she felt Steph sit up and slowly pulled herself from lounging across her beach towel. “It’s okay,” she said softly, nodding her head in agreement. The hints of a smile touched the corners of her lips as she watched her friend, feeling the enthusiasm that radiated from her. “We can go now.”

Slowly Cass got up on her feet, hands brushing away any sand that managed to cling to her body. It may have been strange for Steph, witnessing Cass so scantily clad. She didn’t even seem to care that all her scars were bare for all the world to see. Some were nearly faded, all a lighter color than her complexion. Soft and raised.

“I thought I saw one over there,” Cass said confidently enough, lazily pointing in the general direction. She moved away from their position, ducking out from under the umbrella to take steps towards the ocean. There was a pause in her step, however, and a little smirk curled on her lips. “Race you to the water.” It was less of a question and more of a challenge, one that she knew Steph would accept because a heartbeat later Cass was making a dash towards the waves.

Steph repositioned again when Cass responded. She sat with her legs crossed, waiting for Cass to make some movement to get up. When she confirmed they could go now, Steph beamed happily at her friend. She was just so happy to have a chance to just hang out with Cass. No fighting criminals. No hunting anyone down. No having to buddy up in a fight. It was a nice change of pace.

Steph looked out at the water as she waited patiently for Cass to get ready. Okay, maybe she was a little eager to get out there. Who could blame her?

She looked in the direction Cass had pointed, squinting to see if she could find any hint of a mermaid. Hey, as long as she had a starting point to begin searching she would find some mermaids. It was then that Steph stood up, resting her hands on her hips as she peered out at the water. It was truly a beautiful place. She couldn’t believe it really existed. Then, a moment later Cass’ words hit her ears and before she knew it, Steph began running after Cass. “Hey!”

Cass spun around on the heels of her feet in what seemed like one fluid motion. Her stride did not hitch, not even once, as if she always jogged backwards. “Hay is for horses,” she said, something she remembered Tim saying once to her. She turned around again a heartbeat later just in time for her feet to hit the water. Cass stopped then, taking a moment to scan the horizon line. A hand pressed itself above her eyebrows, blocking out the rays of sun that made it hard to see out into the ocean.

“I see one!” Her eyes going wide at the sight of something leaping out of the water to only disappear as it dove back in. “Let’s go,” she encouraged Stephanie. Cass was taking slow steps and more cautious steps. The gentle waves of the ocean creeping higher and higher with each step and soon Cass was able to crouch down into the water, letting her body float.

“Merpeople are nice, right?”

Steph wasn’t as fast as Cass, but she was fast in her own right. She sped along after her friend, only stopping when she came to the water. She barely broke sweat and she could still breathe easily. It had been a long time since heavy work caused her too much discomfort. The training she had been through with Oracle had helped her in more than just the skills front. She had more endurance, a little more speed, and she could kick ass pretty well now. She had Oracle to thank for that.

Steph took several steps into the water until it was knee-deep. She squinted as she looked out at the horizon, looking where Cass had indicated. “Aw, I missed it,” she said with disappointment. But that was quickly outlived as she saw another surface in the same area. “Oh, another one! Or the same one,” she said cheerly.

“Beats me, but I sure hope they are.”

“I guess we are going to find out,” Cass said with confidence. She continued to float deeper out to sea, using the strokes of her arms to keep herself propelled above the water. The waves were gentle today and their bodies bobbed everytime another rolled past them.

In the distance another mermaid made her presence known, but this time she hadn’t dove back into the water. She lingered above the surface. Her hair was long and wavy. The tone of blonde seemed unnatural to Cass. It was even brighter than Steph’s. “Let’s go!” This time Cass pulled her arms out of the water, cupping her hands as they slipped back into the ocean to push herself forward.

“Let’s do this!” Steph exclaimed before dropping into the water. She spotted the next mermaid and a look of pure joy appeared on her face. They were really going to swim with the mermaids! This was probably the best day she had had in a long time, and the best part was that she got to share it with Cass.