Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“No! I just got Luca back, and now you want me to give him away again?”

Alberto took a deep breath. Maybe he should have had this conversation underwater. Daniela couldn’t read his human body language as well as she would have his monster form and it was crucial that she understood him, crucial that she agreed to this plan. “It would make him happy.”

“It’s not safe. Portorosso was bad enough, but a whole new city? An even bigger one? One where no one even knows about sea monsters, even to hate them?”

“I thought the vespa would be enough, but that’s just running away again. The school, though, that’s something he wants for himself.”

“But my guppy…”

Alberto bowed his head, unable to meet her eyes, “He’s not your guppy anymore. He’s grown too much. If you take this away from him...If I take this away from him…”

“You?”

A tear glistened down his tanned cheek and he absentmindedly rubbed the pale scar on his arm, “I still love my father. I hate him too, but mostly I love him. If he came back tomorrow, I don’t know if I would go to him. I might. I might even forgive him one day, but I wouldn’t be his son. I would just be the boy he abandoned. I love my father, but I don’t trust him. I can’t. And I won’t be the one to give Luca that pain.”

He looked up, but now Daniela couldn’t meet his eyes. “You could force him to come back and he would probably obey you. You could even force him to the Deep, but he wouldn’t be your son, then. He’d be the boy who obeyed you.”

He looked around at the other Paguros. They were sympathetic, but everyone knew it was Daniela who had to be convinced. “I can’t keep him either. I can only let him swim free and hope that when he comes back, I’m still someone he wants to come back to. You’re his family. You’ll never have him back the way he was, but you still have a chance with the person he’s become.”

Chapter Text

Luca started school at a huge disadvantage. He was born into an isolated, agrarian society with a frankly medieval level of technology and was only barely literate. Human printed books don’t do well in salt water and until he met Giulia, he had never even seen one. His time with the girl did help, of course, but the first time he saw the school’s library, he was astounded that so many books could even exist. How could anyone ever possibly read them all?

When Signora Marcovaldo enrolled Luca, she told the school about his limited education, though not his aquatic origin. She felt it wasn’t her secret to divulge, after all, and besides, she wouldn’t have wanted to spoil the surprise. His teachers conferred and decided that the best solution was to provide a tutor to help him get up to a reasonable level first. They thought that delaying his official introduction to the class would be an acceptable alternative to making him struggle to understand the most basic concepts. He would only be allowed to join the other children when he had demonstrated enough proficiency. They estimated that if he worked hard, the process would take about two months.

It took five days.

His tutor had underestimated him severely. She had seen the results of his assessment and brought first grade level reading and math resources to start him off. When she arrived, she discovered the assessment was already out of date. A low literacy society makes for a strong memory and Luca never forgot a fact once learned. As for the mathematics, numbers don’t change between the land and sea. He could do sums faster by memory than she could with a pencil and paper. His spelling was terrible but when the tutor returned the next day, she found he had spent all night reading a dictionary.

This was the child who had progressed in a week from never having seen a bicycle to competing in a grueling hill race. Who had looked at a room of junk and seen the potential for a working vehicle. Who had found a way to swim without touching water. Because of his upbringing, he had often suffered a lack of confidence, but once he reached a decision, he had a will of iron. Luca knew better than anyone how far behind he was but after all his struggles, the idea of spending even one more day away from the school grated on him. He demanded a new assessment test every evening and by the end of the week the tutor decided that further delay was unnecessary. He was introduced to the class.

Then he found out that academic assessment tests don’t cover everything.

“But I thought he had already been born. Why didn’t they have the party then?”

“No, a birthday is to celebrate the day you were born. To celebrate getting another year older.”

“Okay, so how does he know when that is? He was just a guppy, I mean baby.”

“Well, he has one every year so he knows by now.”

“Every year?”

“Of course! My birthday’s in Giugno. That’s why I’m named Giulia.”

“Um, but it’s Settembre.”

“What do you mean?”

“His name’s Giorgio.”

“Well, whatever. You want cake don’t you?”

“I do like cake.”

“And he invited us both, so we have to get him a present and he’ll have a cake with candles on it. He’ll blow the candles out and then we’ll all have cake.”

“They set the cake on fire? Why?”

“You know..? I never asked... So you don’t even know what day you were born?”

“Hatched. I was hatched. We come from eggs.”

"When were you hatched then?"

"I don't know. Maybe my mom remembers?"

"Well, when would you like it to be?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we don't know, we could make up a date. Then that would be your birthday."

Luca thought about it for a while, then he turned to Giulia, "When was the Portorosso Cup race?"

"Twenty eight Agosto."

"My birthday is twelve Agosto."

"Okay then. Um, why?"

The boy smiled in recollection, "It was the day I met Alberto. I was hatched twelve years ago, but that's the day I was born."

Chapter Text

The boys of Giorgio’s class milled around the field, chatting and waiting for the coach to arrive. The new boy was looking at the grass apprehensively, “What’s wrong, Luca?”

“The grass, isn’t it too wet, um...to run on, I mean?”

Giorgio clapped his hand on the other boy’s shoulder, “It’ll be fine. It just rained last night. Besides, we only need gym clothes for Gym. We’ll change back into our school uniforms when we’re done. They’ll be dry.”

He didn’t seem reassured, “I suppose...Um, Gigorgio, do you know what we’ll be doing? What does this have to do with school? And why aren’t the girls with us?”

“This is gym class. Didn’t you have Gym at your old school?”

“Heh, yeah my old school. No, not really I guess.”

“Well, the girls have their own gym class. When Coach gets here, he’ll tell us what game we’ll be playing, then we run around and get some exercise. Here he is now.”

The teacher blew two short toots on his whistle to get the boys’ attention, then dumped out the bag he was carrying.

“Oh, hey! I’ve seen those before.”

“You’ve played calcio, um, football before then?”

“Football...because you kick it, right? Yes, once in Portorosso. Um, I wasn’t very good though. The kids wanted me to kick it to them but it went, sort of sideways?”

“You probably tried to kick it with your toe. You kick it like this, see? That way it goes just where you want it to.”

The smaller boy smiled gratefully and Giorgio patted his shoulder. He wasn’t sure how old Luca actually was, but he had an innocence about him that made him seem younger, and Giorgio had quickly appointed himself the boy’s mentor in this new school. He seemed to need one. He was smart and an attentive student, but had curious gaps in his knowledge. The other boys speculated that he was an exchange student, but he never talked about where he was originally from, just that he had met their classmate Giulia Marcovaldo in Portorosso last summer when she was living there with her father and decided to come back with her to Genoa. They weren’t related, but he was apparently living with her and her mother.

Giorgio wasn’t convinced of the foriegn exchange student theory. For one thing, he spoke the same ligurian-italian they all did. Also, he was unfamiliar with some of the most basic concepts of modern life. How, for example, did a boy grow up without ever playing calcio? The sport was known by a variety of names, but the rules were simple, at least the way children played, and it was popular everywhere. Giorgio thought maybe the boy was from some very isolated, very rustic community deep in the hills, but was there even anything like that left in Italy anymore?

The coach divided the boys into two teams with Giorgio and Luca on the same side of the field and Giorgio’s friend Ezio on the other. With Luca having admitted to his inexperience with the game, Giorgio didn’t expect that much out of him, so he was surprised when Luca sent the ball flying into the net from a good three quarters of the field away. Both teams looked at him in astonishment and he blushed brightly, “I’m sorry, did I do that wrong?” The boy wasn’t being disingenuous either, he was honestly worried that the impressive display might be against the rules.

Giorgio clapped him on the back, “No, that was great, but you’re allowed to pass it to your teammates also. You don't always have to make such a difficult shot yourself.” He nodded, and for a while concentrated mostly on passing the ball to open teammates, but soon saw another opportunity to make a goal himself and the ball sailed in a long arc to the upper corner of the net, far out of the goalie’s reach. His teammates cheered.

Now the other team realized just how much of a threat he was and for the rest of the game concentrated mostly on containing him. This proved to be a mistake since it meant they were unable to score any more goals themselves. Ezio became frustrated and tried to steal the ball away, tangling their feet and tripping Luca up. The two of them fell to the grass in a tangle of limbs. The coach blew his whistle, stopping the game. “Penalty kick for Luca, and Ezio, be more careful. I don’t want anyone hurt here. It’s just a game.”

Luca shook his head as he rose and rubbed at his forearm. Ezio apologized but Luca said it was okay, he knew it wasn’t on purpose. They lined up for the penalty kick anyway and it was successful. They all shook hands, final score: three goals to one.

The game over, the boys headed back to class, but Giorgio lingered a moment at the spot where his classmates had fallen. From where he was, it had looked like Ezio fell with Luca under him, but when they lined up, Ezio’s gym clothes were soaked from the damp grass and Luca’s were dry. He also couldn’t see anything that Luca might have fallen into to produce that bright green stain on his arm, the one he had wiped away so quickly.

Chapter Text

“So you’ve never seen a televisione either?” Actually, Giorgio wasn’t surprised at this. Even in Genoa, not every family had one. Giulia didn’t either, which is why the three of them were at Giorgio’s house to watch his favorite program. Luca shook his head, his wide brown eyes fascinated by the images moving on the screen.

“Well, this is Superuomo. He looks like an ordinary man, but he’s really from another planet and he has super powers that he uses to help people. He’s very strong and can’t be hurt and he can even fly!”

Giulia whispered into his ear, “This is only a story, Luca. It’s not real.” The boy nodded, understanding. The human world was full of wonders and he didn’t always know which ones were real and which were fiction. Ventimia Leghe Sotto I Mari had seemed to him fairly realistic and he was surprised to find it wasn’t based on an historical account. The three of them settled down to watch the program. This adventure had the man and his friend traveling to some mining town where she became trapped underground in rising water. He rescued her, but not before changing into his other form. Luca nodded. His own transformations were automatic and involuntary, but he supposed he wouldn’t be able to swim as a human. This Superuomo probably couldn’t fly as a normal man.

The ending theme started to play and Giorgio shut off the set, “So, what did you think?” Giulia was excited. She liked how the woman was brave and adventurous, even if it did mean she had to be rescued. Luca seemed thoughtful, “I think he must be very lonely.”

“Superuomo?”

“Si, he’s from another planet, away from his family forever. His friends don’t even know.”

Giorgio considered, “I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right, according to the comics, his whole planet blew up. He’s the only one like that in the entire world.”

“Giorgio, if you were Superuomo, if you were from another world, would you want your friends to know?”

“I don’t know, I think so. He has the same friends as the hero and as the man.”

“You don’t think they’d be afraid of him? In La Guerra Dei Mondi the Martians were evil.”

“But Superuomo is a hero.”

“What if he wasn’t? What if he was just someone different? Had weaker powers maybe so he couldn’t always save people, at least no better than any other man.”

Giorgio considered, Luca seemed so serious about this, so he had to treat the idea as important. He looked at Giulia. She seemed concerned by this line of questioning but did not interfere. “I think...I think I would trust my friends not to be afraid. Not everybody has to know, but my friends would understand I was the same person if I had powers or not.”

Luca and Giulia exchanged a look and he seemed to reach a decision. He dipped his finger into his water glass and showed it to Giorgio. It was now a bright green claw with a suggestion of webbing at the base.

Giorgio gasped, “Luca! You’re a Martian? From another planet?”

“Not another planet, no. I’m from the ocean, un tritone, a sea monster.”

“Are you una sirena then?” Guilia giggled, “No, I’m human, but my brother Alberto is one of Luca’s kind.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“Adopted brother, sort of. He lives with mio papà in Portorosso.” She giggled again, “Actually he might not know he’s my brother yet, but he already calls my father “papà” too.” She grew serious, “I’m glad he does. His own father doesn’t deserve him.” She brightened, “But Papà does. We’re Family now, whatever our species.”

Giorgio clasped Luca’s shoulder, “Thank you for trusting me with this. Yes, I still want to be your friend.”

Luca gave his friend a quick hug, “Thank you for understanding. Hey, if you let me use your shower for a moment, I can show you the full transformation.”

“Sure, I’d like to see that! Um, you don’t turn into a huge sea serpent do you? Our apartment isn’t that big.”

Luca giggled, “No, I don’t get any bigger. I grow a tail, though.”

Chapter Text

Alberto sat at the top of the tower and looked out over the bay. He shivered, he felt the cold so much more in his human skin than he did under the water. He could have started a fire, but there was enough moon to see by, and besides, he deserved to be uncomfortable.

The letter from Luca and Giulia had arrived today. It told all about their new friend, a classmate that Luca said reminded him of Alberto. He had revealed himself to the boy and he had not been afraid. Perhaps it was possible to live openly as a sea monster in Genoa like they could in Portorosso. It was good news, so why did it hurt so bad?

It was that same jealousy that Alberto had felt for Giulia. Of course Luca deserved friends in Genoa. He deserved all the love and friendship he could gather. Alberto knew this. Luca drew people to him because he was a good person and people wanted to be his friend. If Alberto was jealous, it was because something was wrong with him, not Luca.

Alberto rubbed the scar on his arm. It was always there. As a human it showed as a pale mark against his tanned skin and as a monster it was a gap in his scales. It was a reminder of how useless he really was. Massimo might pity him, or feel some kind of obligation to him and Luca on his daughter’s behalf, but he would end up leaving Alberto too. Everyone did.

A flicker of light caught his eye. Someone had started a fire on the beach. That was strange. In all the years he’d lived here, very few humans ever tried to land on the island, and never at night. Perhaps now that sea monsters weren’t considered so dangerous anymore there were those who would brave these waters again. Alberto felt a surge of anger. For a moment he was tempted to become the Monster again. To chase these humans off and teach them to fear the dwellers of the deep once more. But, no, he couldn’t do that to Luca. They had worked too hard to make sea monsters accepted. He should probably still investigate though.

He approached the camp from the beach. If the humans proved hostile after all, he would want to make a quick exit to the ocean. The fire burned brightly but he saw no one. They wouldn’t leave the fire unattended, would they?

A low voice spoke out from the shadow of the boat, “Luca called tonight. He told me about this place. He said you would come here if you were hurting.” It was Massimo, he quietly moved toward the fire and sat down so that Alberto could only see his silhouette framed against the flames, “They thought about waiting to tell you. They knew it would hurt you, but they knew it would hurt you more if they lied.”

“I’ll be fine, I just want to be left alone.”

“Do you? If that is what you truly want, you can return to the tower. I cannot follow. I’ve seen the ladder you use and even if I could climb it one handed, it would not bear my weight. Or perhaps you could go to the ocean. I can not follow you there either. I will stay here then, and wait for you.”

He poked at the fire, sending sparks into the sky, “Or you could join me. The fire is warmer than your tower will be, and I could use the company.”

Alberto went to him and he drew the boy close, wrapping his great coat around them both. Alberto curled up in the pocket of the man’s massive arm. “Why, Massimo? Why do I feel like this? Why can’t I just be happy for Luca? I AM happy for him, why isn’t that enough?”

Massimo sighed, “You still think you need your father’s permission to be happy. You do not. He has no hold on you anymore, no hold but what you give him. He betrayed your trust, but we will not leave you. You can have a true family now if you want it. I love you as I would my own son. Giulia already thinks of you as her brother. And Luca? You were his first true friend. That will never change.”

The letter from Portorosso arrived in Genoa a few days later. There is still no substitute for a written page. You can’t keep a telephone conversation next to your bed to read over and over again or hold it in a book to save and cherish. Alberto’s letter described his encounter with Massimo on the island and how he was happy now that Luca was making new friends, ones he could trust and be open with.

It was signed, Alberto Marcovaldo.

Chapter Text

Ezio was the third Genoese child to learn about Luca’s aquatic form after Giorgio and Rosa. Giorgio had taken it in stride. He already thought that Luca was a little weird, but still a good friend. That he had fins and a tail didn’t change that. Giulia’s friend Rosa thought Luca was cute as a boy and even more adorable as a fish. Giulia laughed at that. She knew the girl had no chance as long as Alberto was waiting for him back in Portorosso. Luca, of course, was as clueless as ever with both of them.

Ezio was another of Giorgio’s friends and when he introduced him to Luca, the two of them quickly bonded over a shared love of learning. Ezio knew a lot, and had been the one to tell Luca what a paguro and a scorfano actually were. He was also the one who was able to explain Alberto’s handshake. Luca and Alberto had a good laugh about that over the phone that night.

When Luca decided to show Ezio his fish form, he thought the boy would be as accepting as Giorgio and Rosa were, but his first reaction was that it must be a trick. Even now, with Luca in his full transformation, Ezio was taking a long time to examine him. Long enough that Luca was starting to get nervous. What if Ezio thought he was a freak and didn’t want to be his friend anymore. Would he think Luca was dangerous? He and Giorgio had known each other for years. Would he insist that Giorgio stop seeing him too? Would it break them apart, or would Luca lose one of the only friends he had here?

Finally, Ezio stepped back, “W-Well? What do you think?”

“Well, you’re not a fish.”

Luca giggled nervously and shook himself to resume human form, “Not all the time! You knew that already.”

Ezio chuckled and tousled his now dry hair, “Ragazzo sciocco! That’s not what I meant. I mean I don’t know what you are, other than the boy that tried to introduce himself as a trumpet. You’ve got scales and fins, but you feel warm. Fish are cold blooded. You say you can breathe water, but I don’t see any gills, and you seem to breathe air just fine when you’re wet.”

“I hadn’t thought about it, I don’t even have to spit any water up to start breathing air. I mean, air tastes different than water, but other than that…”

“I never thought of air as having a taste. I suppose if you’re used to seawater, though.”

“So if I’m not a fish, what am I?”

“I don’t know. There’s plenty of sea creatures that aren’t really fish, though: whales, octopuses, crabs, stuff like that.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not a crab, though.”

“It’s a mystery, all right, and I love a good mystery. It’s your mystery to explore, though. I’d love to explore it with you but we have years and years to do that. What I want to know is why you’re so good at calcio. Giorgio told me you’d never played before!”

Chapter Text

Genoa’s sky was nothing compared to Portorosso’s. The lights of the city washed out all but the brightest stars and folding chairs on a rooftop was no substitute for Signor Bernardi's telescope, or even the view from her father’s tree. Still, the presence of her friends went a long way to make up for it, and long practice meant Giulia could point out the rusty smudge that was Marte, the bright white dot that was Giove and the tiny golden speck that was Saturno, her favorite.

“No anchovies, though, right Luca?”

Ezio looked over at him curiously, “Anchovies?”

Luca laughed sheepishly, “Oh, you’ll all think I’m stupido. When I first came to the surface, I had never seen stars before. I mean, tiny little lights in the sky? I never even imagined something like that. My friend Alberto didn’t know what they were either so he made up a story about how they were sleeping fish. I swear it made sense at the time.”

The other kids could hear the smile in Luca’s voice, “You guys would like him. He’s strong and brave and funny and reckless and…” His voice caught, “And he’s the most beautiful purple and blue you've ever seen, like the sky at dusk when the stars are only just starting to come out. The light catches his scales and it looks like he’s made of jewels. I miss him so much. He was the only friend I ever had until Giulia.”

Giorgio reached out and clasped Luca’s hand, “He sounds like he was a true friend. I hope I can meet him someday.”

“Why didn’t he come with you?” Rosa wanted to know. Giulia shook her head, unseen in the gathering darkness, “He knew it wasn’t for him. School would have driven him mad with boredom. This is Luca’s dream, but Alberto has achieved his own now, one he didn’t even know he wanted, a home and a family with a father that loves him though they share neither blood, or even species.”

“You’re right. Alberto needs Massimo, but I think Massimo needs Alberto too. Sometimes I think he must have gotten so obsessed with hunting sea monsters to distract himself from how much he missed you.”

Ezio sat bolt upright, “Hunted! He hunted you?”

“Everyone in Portorosso did. Not anymore, not now that they know we’re people, but before, yes, the land monsters hunted us whenever they could. You should see some of the statues there. Horrifying. They never caught us, though, not even Massimo.”

“Hmm, and yet Papà DID catch a sea monster eventually, now didn’t he? Brought him home and everything. So did I if you think about it. What can I say? It’s a Marcovaldo Family tradition.”

“Ha, I guess it was just a matter of using the right bait, after all. Astronomy and a father’s love, who knew?”

Chapter Text

“Okay, boys, hit the showers.”

Well the coach said to hit the showers, but as the locker room filled, only about half of them actually did. Teenage boys can tend to be body shy and many of them felt embarrassment more than hygiene and made do with deodorant and a change of clothes. Luca wasn’t one of them. After a game like that there wouldn’t be enough body spray in the can to cover up the fishy smell. He wondered about that sometimes. His own sweat didn’t trigger his change no matter how much he perspired, but it always left him smelling like low tide. Oh well, it’s not like sweaty humans smelled any better.

All things considered, he was glad the whole class knew about him now and he didn’t have to hide his transformations anymore. Actually, the whole school must know by now, and most of the neighborhood. Still, it meant he could just take a shower like a normal boy, even if the stalls were a little cramped. They were never designed for someone with a tail, after all. On the other hand, he didn’t need to dry himself with a towel. A quick shake like when he came out of the ocean and he was ready to dress for class.

Luca was buttoning up his shirt and thinking about how much easier it was with fingers rather than claws when Ezio spoke in a low voice, “Um, Luca? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Well, you’re a boy, right? and there’s boy monsters and girl monsters?”

“Yes, and I’ve got a mom and a dad just like you, just...more scaly.”

“So how come..? Uh, that is... why don’t you..? You don’t have a... Oh, never mind, it's not important.” He flushed pink.

Luca grinned at his friend's embarrassment, “Why don’t I have un cazzo?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I do, it’s just inside. I have to be streamlined for the water you know.”

“Oh, okay, that makes sense.”

“Yeah, humans swim with their arms and feet, but when I swim for speed I use my whole body. Wiggle it back and forth like a long tail.” He shimmied a bit to demonstrate and Ezio gave a little snort of laughter.

“So how fast can you go?”

“I don’t know, I never had anything to compare it to, but with enough speed, I can breach high enough to dry out and change until I hit the water again. Alberto and I did that back in Portorosso. It was fun.”

“The high school has a pool. Would you like to try it out sometime?”

“Sure! We’ll probably need to get permission, though. How about Venerdì?”

*******

“Man, this water tastes terrible, and it makes my nose itch.”

“Oh, I didn’t consider il cloro. Will you be alright? Do you want to call this off?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. It reminds me of the time Grandma took me to see that volcano in the Tyrrhenian. The water smelled even worse with the zolfo.”

“Okay, then if you’re sure. So, experiment number one: we’ll do one full lap and I’ll time you. Swim as fast as you can to the other end, touch the side and swim back. That will be one hundred meters.”

“And...time. Twenty three point seven seconds. I looked it up, the current hundred meter record for humans is fifty two point nine.”

“Well, Alberto is faster, but he probably couldn’t make the turn as quickly as I can. Sea monsters can differ quite a lot from each other and he’s more at home in the open ocean than I am. Ironic, since he spent most of his time on land even before we met.”

“Do you want to try an endurance run? The longest swim event for the Olympics is fifteen hundred meters. It would take a human athlete around twenty minutes.”

Ten minutes later Luca was resting, floating in the water while taking deep breaths of the higher oxygen air. Ezio had reported his time as six minutes and eight point four seconds. “That was fun, but I think I must be a little out of shape for swimming. I haven’t done it for this long in months and my tail is tired.”

Ezio considered his notes, “You know...we actually have a good data set here. I could write this up with some comparisons to human athletes and other sea creatures like sharks and dolphins, and submit the report to our science teacher. He’d probably give us credit as a research paper.”

“Oh, then this is schoolwork after all? That’s great! I thought we were just doing it for fun.”

“It is for fun, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get some extra credit too. On that note, I’m coming in too....andiamo!”

Chapter Text

A clear day early in the morning, and Massimo and Alberto were heading out to sea as usual. Now that Alberto no longer needed to hide his aquatic nature, they were an even more effective team. Almost too effective. Their primary concern now was not how many fish they could catch, but what kinds of fish could be harvested without depleting the population. They agreed, then, that instead of fishing on Martedì, they would instead take a look at where and how the fish were schooling. Massimo didn’t even put out the nets. He would just take notes as Alberto gave his reports.

Alberto looked out over the bay, “Huh, it’s Ercole. I wonder what’s got him so riled up this morning.” Massimo followed Alberto’s gaze to starboard. It was Ercole’s boat all right, and he could hear the shouting. It was too faint at this distance to make out any words, but the tone was definitely angry.

Massimo’s mouth quirked. It was the closest the stoic Italian usually came to a grin, “And you’re not even there for him to be yelling at.”

Alberto’s green eyes sparkled with mischief, “I could fix that pretty easily. A fellow could get jealous thinking he hates somebody more than me.”

“I should tell you not to antagonize the young man but you wouldn’t listen, and it’s true he does deserve it so richly. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

Alberto grinned and shed his coat and outer clothing. He habitually wore layers of loose clothes that he could quickly remove when he wanted to swim. His fish form could tolerate the cool water far better than his human could the chilly Novembre air.

Purple scales bloomed along his skin as he slipped beneath the waves. He dove deep, his powerful tail propelling him though the water. He wanted to approach Ercole’s boat from below for safety’s sake. He didn’t think the young man would actually try to harpoon him again, but why take the chance?

In addition to the boat itself, there was a figure in the water. Not Ercole, it was too large. It was the chubby boy that had hung out with him last summer. Ciccio? Yes, that was it. Strange, Alberto thought those two were done with Ercole. Did he win them back somehow?

He silently surfaced at the rear of the boat. He needn’t have bothered with such stealth. Ercole was making more than enough noise. He kept up a steady stream of abuse towards the other boy. He was weak, he was a coward, he was useless, no one but Ercole would ever be his friend and Ercole didn’t know why he even bothered.

“Please, Ercole! Let me back in the boat. I’m tired. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“No, if we’re going to win the cup next year, you need to practice. I was very disappointed in your performance last year. You were supposed to be the best swimmer in Portorosso and you got beat by a little girl and a monster. A monster who didn’t even swim. He walked! Those...creatures have taken over the town. They think they can just walk around like they’re...they’re...people!”

Alberto had heard enough. He quietly submerged and wrapped a frond of floating seaweed around the boat’s propeller. Ercole would be rowing home. He surfaced behind Ciccio, causing the boy to startle and shrink back.

“You know there’s only half a dozen of us. That’s hardly ‘taking over the town.’ Number one. And number two: You’re not seriously thinking of entering the Portorosso Cup again next summer are you? How old ARE you anyway?”

“Fifteen, because I’ll be sixteen next summer. Again.”

Alberto scoffed and turned to the other boy, “Why do you even hang out with this creep anyway?” He flinched back and Alberto looked at him with concern, “Okay, my lips are supposed to be blue. Yours aren’t. This water is too cold for a human to be swimming in. Come with me.”

Ciccio shook his head at first, but then looked away, “All right, thank you.” Alberto came up from beneath him and took his hands. “I’d give you a piggyback, but I’ve got fins in the way. Try to keep your head above water.” With a few sweeps of his powerful tail, he took off. He swam face-up just below the water’s surface pulling the boy by the arms. Ciccio found the ride exhilarating despite his nervousness. He was actually a very good swimmer, despite Ercole’s insults, but he had never moved through the water so quickly. Ercole’s boat was faster, but not by much, and that was nowhere near as exciting as actually being in the water.

It was only a few minutes later that they reached Massimo. The fisherman saw the situation immediately and Caught Ciccio in a blanket to dry him off as soon as he left the water. He made him put on Alberto’s warm jacket and then wrapped his own around the shivering boy.

“Come now ragazzo, let’s get you back to port. Alberto, go start some tea for the boy. He needs something hot.” The young sea monster sped off. Unencumbered, he could move faster than Massimo’s elderly boat motor.

When Massimo and Ciccio came into the kitchen, the kettle was just starting to boil and Alberto was heating up some of last night’s minestrone. Alberto’s clothes were much too small for Ciccio, so Massimo lent him one of his own shirts. It hung on him like a tarp, but at least it was warm and dry. Alberto passed out the steaming bowls of soup, “Just one more example of how everything great is on the surface! You know there was a time I didn’t even know food could be hot?”

With a mug of hot tea and two bowls of soup inside him, Ciccio was looking better. Massimo cleaned up the dishes and left the boys alone in the kitchen. Ciccio wouldn’t meet Alberto’s eyes and his voice quavered a little, “Why are you being nice to me? I threw a harpoon at you. You should hate me.”

Alberto laughed, “Threw a harpoon at me? Like you’re the first to do that! I had six people try to spear me in the last year alone. You guys were just the latest. Hopefully you’ll be the last.” Ciccio found his eyes drawn to the pale scar on the boy’s arm. Alberto noticed and self consciously covered it with his hand, “Yeah, that was different, and even so, it was only the second time someone pointed a harpoon at me. Hey, I’m still alive, aren’t I? No real harm done?”

“I suppose. I’m sorry, though.”

“Then I forgive you. You thought you were attacking a monster, not a person. And to be fair, I was trying to scare Giulia at the time. I can’t blame you for trying to defend her.”

“But I also gave Ercole the harpoon up on the hill. He knew who you were and tried to kill you anyway.”

“That’s Ercole’s problem, not yours. I know what it’s like to be under the control of someone who’s not worthy of your trust.” Alberto gazed off into the distance of memory and spoke in a soft, low voice that Ciccio had to strain to hear.

“It’s all for him. Every moment you’re together is devoted to keeping him satisfied. Every moment you’re apart you wonder what you did wrong. You would do anything for him and he accepts that without gratitude, because it's merely his due. There is no question of disobedience. Your smallest twinge of conscience is a weakness, a flaw, not in him, in you. He tells you you’re weak, you’re useless, worthless, pathetic, and you believe him because if you had any strength of your own, you wouldn’t need to beg for his attention. You know that he’s using you and it doesn’t matter, because in your heart you know that it’s what you deserve.”

He turned back and Ciccio was transfixed by the brilliant green eyes, “It’s a lie, Ciccio. All of it. It’s not true. It took me a long time to learn this, but here is the lesson: Massimo appreciates what I can do for him, but he does not determine my Worth. He cannot grant it on a whim, or withhold it in anger. It is mine and mine alone. It was not given to me by another and no one can take it from me without my cooperation. You have Worth too, Ciccio. Ercole hasn’t stolen it all. You can take it back now. It’s yours by right.”

Ciccio nodded, “You’re right. I’m done with Ercole. For good this time. Guido saw the truth about him already but I couldn’t. I only saw how everyone was still afraid of us even when Ercole wasn’t around.”

“And you thought even going back to him was better than being lonely.”

Ciccio made a sad little smile, “It wasn’t though. Frustrated Ercole is even worse than arrogant Ercole. He thinks you robbed him of his rightful sixth win.”

Alberto rolled his eyes, “Santa mozzarella! How old is he really?”

Ciccio chuckled, “Nineteen. I’m sixteen and even I’m getting too old for the Cup. I can’t say ‘no’ to him, though, or at least I couldn’t.”

“You know, you really are a pretty good swimmer, for a human at least. That ride I gave you to Massimo’s boat? I’ve done it before. I’ve been helping out as a lifeguard some afternoons and the kids love it. I can keep them safe in the water, but there’s one thing I can’t do. I can’t teach them to swim like I can. They don’t have tails. You could teach them though. You’d be good at it.”

“I think I’d like that.”

Alberto offered his hand and Ciccio clasped it, “Piacere girolamo trombetta.” Ciccio laughed, “I haven’t heard that one in years!” “I know! I just found out what it means a few weeks ago. I’m still gonna use it though...with my friends.”

Chapter Text

“So I understand I missed some excitement this morning. There was un'ambulanza as I was coming in. One of our students was injured?”

The secretary nodded, “I’m afraid so, Principale Clemente. Marco D’Agostino.”

“He injured someone? He’s the worst bully in the school, but he’s never gone so far as to send someone to l'ospedale before.”

“No, he was the one in l'ambulanza. Broken clavicle.”

“How did that happen?”

“D’Agostino chose the wrong victim. One who fought back. You’ll likely want to interrogate the boy yourself, but he claims the injury was accidental and I for one believe him.”

“Who?”

“A student of Signora Ginesi: Luca Paguro.”

“Paguro? Why do I know that name? Has he been in trouble before?”

“No, never. He’s the exchange student that’s been staying with the Marcovaldos. You remember, we had to send a tutor to make sure he was ready and he went through six grades in a week?”

“Oh, yes, very impressive. But then someone started a ridiculous rumour that he was some kind of merman? Was that part of D'Agostino's bullying too?”

“On the contrary, the rumour is true. The boy is not human. It’s no secret, the whole class has seen him transform. And the boys in his gym class see him turn into a fish and grow a tail whenever he showers.”

“Interesting, was this the source of the conflict, then?”

“Probably. I’m sure it influenced D’Agostino’s choice of how to abuse the boy. You are familiar with ‘the swirly?”

Clemente scowled, “You stick the poor child’s head in a toilet and flush. When I was in L'esercito, we called it ‘waterboarding’ and it was a form of torture.”

“Well it’s humiliating certainly, but apparently a poor choice of prank to pull on a sea monster. A human boy would have the instinct to sputter and cough. Paguro breathes water. He inhaled.”

“And he wasn’t harmed?”

“No, it seems that if a sea monster tries to breathe water while his lungs are human, he transforms immediately even if dry. That is how D’Agostino came to be injured.”

“Paguro is dangerous in that form?”

“Well, he is a sea monster. He’s not vicious or hostile, but he does have claws, teeth, a tail. Just because he chooses not to hurt people doesn’t mean that he’s incapable of it.”

“I see. I will have to discuss it with his guardian and D'Agostino's parents. I have a responsibility for the safety of all my students. But how do claws and teeth result in a broken clavicle?”

“Oh, he didn’t use his claws or teeth. Do you remember me telling you about my trip a year ago last summer? My husband and I vacationed in America.”

“Yes, of course. Florida, you said.”

“We saw a form of entertainment they have there called ‘alligator wrestling.’ A man subdues a large alligator by forcing its mouth shut. Apparently its bite is very strong but the muscles to open its jaws are weak.”

“What does this have to do with D’Agostino and Paguro?”

“Well, one of the wrestlers told me that he considers the teeth to be only the second most dangerous thing about an alligator. The most dangerous thing is its tail. Luca’s tail is very strong. He was already struggling, and when the tail appeared, flailing around, well…”

“I see. Yes, I will have to talk with the boy, but this doesn’t seem like a problem that would be repeated. Especially since it was the injured boy who was ultimately responsible for his own fate, an unintended consequence to be sure.”

“True, but I doubt the parents would see it that way. They could be a problem.”

“The D’Agostino boy was already a problem, and one that seems to have solved itself at least for the next few weeks. Until he recovers he won’t be harassing any other students. I said I have a responsibility for the safety of all my students. Human or otherwise. If Paguro was targeted because he was a sea monster, The D'Agostinos will find I do not tolerate racism in my school.”

Chapter Text

“They’re pretty, are they safe?”

“What? Of course they’re safe, they’re flowers.”

“Well, I don’t know! If you see something that colorful in the ocean, it usually means it’s poisonous or will sting you. You ever touch a sea anemone? Some of them can really hurt.”

“I suppose so. Hey, wait. You and Alberto are pretty colorful. Does that mean you’re poisonous?”

“Not really. We look colorful on land, but It’s camouflage for the ocean. I’m green because I grew up in shallow water with a lot of seagrass. Alberto is adapted for deeper water, so he’s darker. Grandma is too, which is why she’s also purple. A lighter shade than Alberto, but that’s because she’s old. My uncle lives in the Deep where there’s no sunlight. He’s transparent in some places and really dark green in others. We all hatch the same way, though: silvery gray when we come out of the egg.”

Giulia giggled, “I bet you were a cute little silvery hatchling.”

“I’m sure my mom thought so. What do human babies look like?”

“Kinda squashed and ugly, at least right away. Mom said there’s really not enough room inside the mother for them to finish developing, which is why they’re so helpless at birth.”

“Not enough room? Is that why you don’t have any other siblings?”

“Well, you can get twins sometimes, or even more, but yeah, there’s usually only room for one child at a time.”

“We don’t get siblings very often either. A mother sea monster might lay up to a dozen eggs or more at a time, but most won’t be viable. When you do get twins, you have to separate them before they hatch.”

“Why is that?”

Luca blushed, “When I hatched, the first thing I would have done was to try to eat the other eggs. If one of them had a brother or sister inside…I...probably would have eaten them.”

“Oh! That’s...well...I was going to say, ‘that’s horrible,’ but it’s not like you would be doing it on purpose.”

“No, of course not. But that’s why the parents divide the clutch when there’s two. The non viable eggs are always kept though. They’re a guppy’s first meals. And once all the viable eggs hatch, it’s safe to bring the guppys back together. Families often deliberately extend this period by providing fish eggs from other species. In the case of twins, it’s necessary or there won’t be enough eggs for both.”

Luca giggled, “Honestly, I’m glad to hear about the occasional human twins. I know humans develop inside the mother and not in an egg where they can be kept apart. I was a little afraid that you not having sisters meant you ate them. Some sharks do that: give live birth rather than lay eggs and eat their siblings before they’re born.”

“Eww, but I suppose that’s just their biology too. So you’d be able to eat another creature so soon after hatching? Human babies only drink milk for the first few months. They don’t start with actual solid food until they’re at least a year old.”

“Well, you’re a mammal like a dolphin or seal. Sea monsters don’t nurse, but the parents will chew the food for the guppy until his teeth are big enough. That takes about four to six seasons. Our diet is almost all meat then too. We need a lot of protein to grow. After two or three seasons, the parents start adding plants to the guppy’s diet but they’ll still chew for them for at least a year. They’re always able to eat fish eggs, though. And older sea monsters like the eggs too, just like how you and your mom still drink milk even though you’re both way past nursing age. I’ve had what you call eggs, though. They’re tasty, but I don’t think a guppy could eat one. Fish eggs don’t have a shell. ”

“Neat! So when does a guppy turn green, or purple or whatever?”

“In around a season. Then their color is pretty much set. It can change over time, though. Older sea monsters tend to be less...vivid? I suppose? Not as bright anyway. Grandma probably looked like Alberto when she was my age. Then there’s...um...never mind.”

“Luca? What do you mean ‘never mind’?”

“It’s embarrassing, and you’ll probably never see it anyway, at least I hope not.”

“Luca...tell me.”

“Okay, well...do humans ever undergo changes when they...mature? I mean when they’re old enough that they could...have children?”

“Sure, it’s called puberty. I’ll develop breasts. Boys get facial hair. Stuff like that.”

“Okay, well my puberty will include temporary color changes around my...um…”

“Oh! Okay. I get it. Only in fish form though right? Not when you’re human?”

“Oh Cod, I hope not! Scales would be bad enough. I can’t show up in the locker room with a bright orange…”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you guys were ever scared of Luca. I mean, he’s so cute! Like a little green frog.”

Giulia laughed, and Luca wished he were in his fish form where his blushes weren’t so obvious. He liked Rosa, but sometimes it was like she thought he was Giulia’s little brother, and sometimes it was like she thought he was her pet. The girl’s first reaction on seeing his aquatic form was a high pitched squeal of delight. That was admittedly better than a scream of fear, but still...

Alberto’s most recent letter came with a stack of photographs. Apparently, Portorosso was taking down some of the statues. That terrible murder scene in the middle of the town fountain? Gone. It rested in a museum now, along with other artifacts of the town’s bad history with its neighbors in the sea. In its place was the “Smuca” decoy, of all things. Luca suspected his grandmother was behind that one. It would definitely have been impossible to get without help from the sea monsters.

“The problem was always that there was never any real interaction between the land monsters and the sea. Every human that we saw was assumed to be there to do murders and every sea monster was assumed to want to eat them. We never had the chance to just talk to each other before Giulia.”

“And it led to misunderstandings on both sides. It’s true, though, you do have claws and teeth. It would be easy for someone to fail to look past them. And we do have the harpoons, not all of us, but enough. We can’t see through the water like you can, and you can’t really see us past the surface can you?”

“Even so, I mean, look at this one. It’s not even a fish, it’s a snake. And huge! How could you mistake Paguro for that?”

“It’s easier than you think.” Giulia fell silent.

“You’re thinking about that night, aren’t you.”

“He scared me. I know he was just trying to make a point, and I know he would never actually hurt me, but in that moment Alberto was genuinely terrifying.”

“I know. And I know that he’s sorry for that. Almost as sorry as I was for my reaction. I was afraid too. Not of him, of you. Afraid that if you knew, you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.”

“I realized the truth almost immediately. You were so close. There’s no way he could be a sea monster and keep it a secret from you. You had to be one too. And my reaction? That’s not even really his fault. It wasn’t the claws or the teeth or the spiny fins that scared me. It was because he was purple.”

“Huh? What’s that got to do with it?”

“When I was a little girl, I had nightmares about a giant purple snake that lived in my closet. I know what it really was now. It was my parents' break up. They both loved me, but they fought all the time. I blamed myself and invented a scary monster because I couldn’t understand why they didn’t love each other anymore. It was one of the things that made mom move back to Genoa and take me with her. She thought that the purple snake monster was because of Papà’s stories of sea serpents. When Alberto turned purple and scaly, I thought he was that monster coming back again.”

“Could he have been?” Rosa asked, “I mean, no, obviously Alberto would have been too young, but could your snake monster have been a sea monster after all? We know they were around. Could you have caught a glimpse of one and based your nightmare on them?”

“I suppose it’s possible. Alberto’s father maybe? He would have still been around then. He can’t have actually been lurking in my closet though. The thing that made me realize the monster wasn’t real was that I was still having nightmares. There’s no way a real sea monster could have followed me to Genoa, or would want to.”

“I never met him and as far as I know he didn’t talk to any of the other sea monsters either. Alberto doesn’t like talking about him, but we could at least ask if he was also purple. Knowing he scared you as a little girl could hardly make Alberto hate him more.”

Chapter Text

Luca was not a morning person, this had been a problem back at the farm too. The goatfish rose with the sun and If he wasn’t ready, they would start without him and need rounding up before he could take them out to graze. Sleeping in a human bed didn’t change that, it was nearly as comfortable as the seaweed. It still took him a while to wake up completely. That Giulia would “help” him get up with her trumpet impression did not significantly improve his mood in the morning.

“Giulia, per favore, I’m up! I’m up!”

“Well, mom’s already up and she’s starting breakfast. Hurry up!”

“I’ll be down in un minuto. I want to take a shower first.”

“That reminds me, are you shedding? There were some little green scales in the shower this morning.”

“Sorry, I’ll clean them up.”

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t because you were sick or something.”

“No, It's just getting colder out and I’m growing thicker scales for the winter. I’ll do it again in the spring.”

“They’re actually kind of pretty. Mind if I keep them?”

“If you want. Um...if you plan on making jewelry, though, don’t wear it where my parents can see.”

“Why not?”

“They’ll think we’re dating.”

“Ha! With Alberto in the picture?”

“W-w-what do you mean?”

“Nothing. No, I won’t wear them if it’ll be weird for you.”

*

Alberto had quickly acclimated to Massimo’s habit of an early start to the day. They rose before dawn and were headed out to sea by the time the sun was fully over the horizon. Massimo had gotten into this schedule because when he was alone, it would take him many hours to bring in a large enough catch. Now with Alberto as his partner, Massimo was limited only by the weight of the fish his boat could carry. By the time some of the other fishermen were headed out to sea, they were already headed back to port. Alberto was usually finished with his deliveries before noon. He could help out at the pescheria, or hang out with friends. Guido and Ciccio found him a lot easier to get along with than Ercole ever was, and they had made other friends too. It was too bad that it was getting too cold to swim, though. He could handle it of course, but humans couldn’t tolerate the chilly water so when he swam, he swam alone.

*

Freshly showered, the kids came down to breakfast. Luca did have a fishy odor before he bathed, Giulia noted, but it wasn’t a particularly unpleasant one. He smelled like salt water and sand, and it put her in mind of the Portorosso ocean. He was still a little embarrassed about it though, and he showered every morning. So did she, though if Luca found her human body odors unpleasant, he was too polite to say so.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with sausage, toast and peach jam. Giulia liked her eggs cooked, though. Luca loved the human invention of toast and jam, it’s impossible to bake bread underwater and there are few foods that were this sweet in the ocean.

Giulia reminded her mother that they would be late coming home from school. Luca and Ezio’s pool experiments had become a regular biweekly swim practice and had attracted other students. There were enough of them now that the school had formalized the group into a swimming club and signed them up for competitions with other schools. Luca couldn’t compete along with them, though. It wouldn’t be fair and he didn’t want to expose his sea monster nature to other schools. Instead, the club took him as their mascot, calling themselves the Mostri del Mare and placing his image on their posters. He even appeared at matches in fish form and the other teams were amazed at the quality of his “costume.” The team admitted both girls and boys, meaning all of Luca’s friends could join. If they chose to compete in the Portorosso cup next summer, Giulia would be hard to beat in the water.

*

Under Alberto’s direction, Guido and Ciccio brought the boat up to the stony beach. The waters around the island were rocky and treacherous, hard to navigate for an inexperienced boatman. With guidance from someone who could see the hazards from beneath the water, though, the safe path was easy to find. The natural defenses of the island and its reputation as a haunt for fearsome monsters went a long way to explain why Alberto had been able to live here for years, undisturbed by human visitors.

Guido and Ciccio were helping him fix up the old lighthouse. When Luca and Giulia returned, they would all be able to hang out here. They had already unblocked the door and started to rebuild the platform at the top. Alberto’s first improvement was to paint over the hatch marks on his wall. He was determined to see to it that the renovated tower would be free of the ghosts of his past.

*

Luca’s first class of the day was mathematics. It was a good way to make sure his brain was fully awake now. Sea monsters had no problem with basic arithmetic, but the idea of algebra was new to him and took all his concentration. His hardest class, though, was world history. It had little impact on the lives of the sea folk. He could memorize whatever facts and dates the teacher gave him, but he had no context for how or why things happened. Biology was...strange sometimes. For the background information, he was no better or worse than any other student, but when it came to animal behavior, he was ignorant of land based animals but knew more about the ocean than the teacher herself. How could someone ride a horse? Or would even want to? Seahorses are tiny and slow. No, the reason you don’t see baby eels in the river is because they spawn in the Sargasso. Yes, I know for salmon it’s the other way around.

*

Luca called on the phone that evening and he and Alberto talked for nearly an hour. Massimo wondered what the phone bill would look like, but that was Sophia’s problem, not his. “Don’t stay up too late, figlio. We have an early start again tomorrow.”

“Buona notte, papà, we won’t.”

“One other thing, Alberto, we were wondering...was your father, I mean your biological father…was he purple? We think Giulia might have seen him once when she was little.”

“...”

“Alberto?”

“...No. My father wasn’t purple. My mother might have been. I don’t know, he never said. My...my father didn’t have a s-sea monster form. He was...he was a human.”

Chapter Text

“Santa Mozzarella! This Lovecraft guy does NOT like fish people.”

“I noticed that, but given some of the other things he wrote, I suspect he didn’t like a lot of people. Nicely creepy stories, though, which is kind of the point.”

“Well, if the Deep Ones are supposed to be sea monsters like you, he seems to be a little closer than Anderson's mermaid. They can look human and walk on land even in fish form.”

“And they can interbreed with humans, which is why the librarian got this for me. I worked it out, if Olmstead is a hybrid and will eventually become aquatic too, the only purebred sea monster in his family is a great-great grandfather, one sixteenth of his ancestry. I think we can safely call that a dominant genetic trait.”

“This is important to you?”

“It’s important to me, because it’s important to Alberto. He was so worried that I wouldn’t like him as much if he was part human. He’s my best friend in the world, and most of my other friends are human anyway. Why would that make any difference?”

“Would it have made a difference?”

“You mean, what happens when he meets a nice sea monster girl, or a human one for that matter, and wants to get married? I don’t know. It shouldn’t. Any girl who’s good enough for Alberto would have to accept him as he is. I know I would...um, if I were a girl, that is. Giulia, what are you smiling about?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing. So speaking of dominant traits, Alberto’s got green eyes. That’s pretty rare for humans. Signora Genesi said it’s recessive in favor of brown.”

“But dominant over blue, though. Blue eyes are actually pretty common for sea monsters. Hmm, I wonder if brown is still dominant though. Mom and grandma both have pinkish eyes, but mine are brown like dad’s.”

Giulia giggled, “Well, humans don’t have eyes like your mom’s. When you say somebody’s eyes are red, it means something different.”

Luca snickered, “Yeah, and when the teacher told us that we could get pinkeye from the microscope if we weren’t careful, I wondered what was so bad about that. Come to think of it though, I don’t know any other sea monsters with eyes like Alberto’s. Maybe they came from his human father. Green might be recessive to brown, but dominant to red.”

Giulia grinned, “Hey, another research project! Do you know why Galileo made so many discoveries? It’s because he had the best telescope of the time. Pretty much anywhere he looked, he found something new. You could be the first scientist to study sea monsters.”

Chapter Text

And then while I’m away
I’ll write home every day
And I’ll send all my loving to you.

Luca pulled the folder from the shelf and opened it to the last page. He read the letter once more and then carefully slid it into its protective sleeve. The page was soft from multiple readings but he was careful not to tear it. Once the folder was back in its place, only then did he carefully slit open the envelope that came that afternoon.

Caro Luca,

We have kittens! I mean Machiavelli had kittens. Machiavelli’s girlfriend had her kittens and some of them look just like him! There They’re so cute! Massimo says we need to find homes for them but I’m hoping we can keep one or two. I want to keep two. I don’t want the kitten to be lonely. Two kittens can play together.

Oh sad news though. Ercole crashed his shiny red vespa. And he broke his arm too! I sent him a note saying I hope the vespa gets better. I didn’t say anything about the arm. Guido said “fuk him and his dam vespa.” Massimo won’t say what that means. Do you know?

I miss you. I’m glad that you didn’t mind that I lied the first time we met. I said I’m not a human, but that’s not all true. I am a little and if that had made you not like me I would hate that. I could forgive my father for a lot of things, but I wouldn’t forgive that.

---Alberto

Luca gave a little sniff and rubbed his eye. He knew enough now to read on his back. Too many letters still sported smudges from errant tears. He read the letter again, and then a third time, then brought it down to the kitchen table where Giulia could find it. She would probably laugh at the story about Ercole. The girl could hold a grudge and had not forgiven him for trying to kill the sea monsters last summer, let alone all those years of mockery and abuse he had given her.

Luca went to his desk and pulled out his notebook.

Caro Alberto

That’s as far as he got.

When he first left, he promised to write every day, but that was impractical. Not because he was too busy, or couldn’t get the postage, though both were true. The real reason was that it would take him at least two days to think of what to say. In some ways the phone calls were easier. He could tell him funny stories and interesting things he learned at school, or just sit and listen to Alberto talk. He would happily do that for hours if Sophia let him. Or Giulia for that matter. Giulia could easily fill an hour of conversation all on her own.

Actual letters, though, took some planning. The first time, he had tried to write like he talked but the result was rambling and incoherent. He got so flustered, he spilled a glass of water and between the running ink and the ripping claws, his effort was ruined. His second attempt was so stilted and formal, it was like writing a school essay. Since then, he had been keeping first drafts in his school notebook, composing his words until they were ready. The notebook never left his possession. Most of it was simply schoolwork, but he couldn’t risk people finding the rest. Some of it was simply boring, but some of it was like ripping out his heart and putting it on a sheet of paper. He had to tone it down before he could send it off. Fortunately, the scrawl that he took notes in was close to illegible for anyone else.

Giulia’s distinctive laugh rang out from the kitchen. She must have found the letter, “Yes! Him AND the vespa. And the harpoon too.”

Luca smiled, and started to write.

Alberto took the box out from under his bed, read the letter once more and placed it on top of all the others. He closed the lid and replaced the box. Only then did he carefully slit open the envelope.

Chapter Text

“Luca! Relax. Alberto will be here soon. The train’s not even late yet.”

“I can’t help it! What if something happened? What if he missed the train? Fell asleep and misses his stop? It’s been months, what if I don’t recognize him?”

“It’s a three hour trip to Genoa. If there was a problem, we would know about it by now. And it’s only been four months. He can’t have changed that much.”

“What if I’ve changed? What if he doesn’t like it, doesn’t like me anymore?”

Giulia rolled her eyes, “Did you, or did you not spend an hour and a half on the phone last week?”

”I did.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have to worry!”

“Look, we’ve got a week off for Natale. That’s plenty of time for us to hang out before we have to go back to school. Alberto wanted to spend it with you. You wanted to spend it with Alberto. You promised to introduce him to our friends here, remember?”

“I remember. So, explain to me again about this Natale. It sounded like it was somebody's birthday party.”

“It kind of is, sort of. It’s the birthday of a very wise and important man who lived a very long time ago. He was so wise and important that people still celebrate him. Some people do it every week or even devote their entire lives to his memory. Mamma and I aren’t as observant as that, but we still go to church on Natale and Pasqua. You’ll come with us this year and you’ll see. We get to hear stories and sing songs.”

“I’ve never sang before. Not with other people anyway.”

“Don’t worry, there’s enough people singing it doesn’t matter how bad you sound. It all evens out when we sing together. Anyway, like with birthdays, we exchange presents. Papà bought Alberto’s ticket as a present to all of us, but he’s probably sending something else too.”

“That’s why you had me get something for Alberto?”

“Yes, what did you give him? Actually, don’t tell me, I’ll see it tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, Hey! Look! It’s the train!”

They saw the smoke approaching, but it still seemed like forever for the locomotive to come to a stop and the passengers disembark. They saw Alberto with two suitcases. He had put on a little muscle in the past few months, but he still looked like he was made of elbows.

When he spotted them, he dropped the trunks and ran to sweep Luca up in a hug. Luca gave a little chirp in the back of his throat and buried his face in Alberto’s narrow chest. Giulia let them cuddle for a while, but eventually: “You know we do have to get home at some point. You have the rest of the week to hang out.” She gave one suitcase to each boy, which meant they could still hold hands as they ran for the car.

“So you’re the Alberto that makes my phone bill so high each month?”

Alberto blushed, “Sorry about that, Signora Marcovaldo.”

“Ragazzo sciocco, I don’t mind. I’m glad Luca and Giulia have such a good friend. I suspect you’re hungry after your trip. Let’s get home and I’ll make some supper. The traditional meal for Vigilia di Natale is fish, but I’m sure you’re used to that with Massimo. I could make a nice soup instead if you like.”

“Oh, could I help make it? Massimo has been teaching me. We could do a fish stew, then it would be both!”

“Of course, that would be wonderful. You kids can help too if you like.”

Alberto’s knife blurred as he minced the fish and onion. Sophia raised an eyebrow in surprise, the boy did know his way around a kitchen after all. They made a hearty soup with potatoes, carrots and small meatballs of minced fish. It was delicious and Alberto beamed with pride to see Luca enjoy it so much.

“The meatballs remind me of my mother’s cooking, except they’re warm.”

“She’s been teaching me too, and your grandmother as well. It’s not like fish is a rare food in Portorosso, even in winter.”

After supper the three of them sat together, trading news and reliving their adventures of the previous summer. Alberto took a deep breath, and turned to Giulia, “I’m...I’m sorry I tried to scare you that time. I was jealous and angry. I thought the reason Luca liked me was because I knew so much about humans, but you knew even more and I was afraid he would replace me. I couldn’t stand the thought that he would leave me too.”

“Oh, Alberto, I never meant to come between you two. I forgive you if you can forgive me too. You’re my brother now and I love you.” They hugged, tears brimming in their eyes. Luca wrapped his arms around them both.

Alberto broke away, desperately trying to pretend he wasn’t crying a moment ago. His voice still cracked a little, though, “Well, now that that’s settled, I have to tell you the news. You know how your parents couldn’t come to the phone last week because they were still in the ocean?”

“Yes, they usually try to join us. What happened?”

“Well what happened was that your mother was too busy...busy laying eggs! You’re going to have a little brother or sister!”

“What? That’s wonderful! I always wanted one.”

“Oh, I wish I could see them. When will they hatch?”

“In about six months. It’ll be summer then and you should be back in Portorosso in time to see.”

“I do want to see it. Whatever happened to that diving suit you used for the swimming race, Luca?”

“Oh, it broke. It won’t hold air anymore.”

“Not true. Massimo repaired it. He’s used it a couple of times to visit the Paguros at home.”

Giulia squealed with delight. Sophia heard it from down the hall, “Now kids, it’s getting late. Don’t you want to wake up early tomorrow for Natale?”

“Yes, Mamma. Buona Notte, boys. Sleep well.”

Chapter Text

Giulia peeked into Luca’s room. He had insisted that Alberto could use the bed and he could sleep on the floor. Alberto had insisted that the bed was Luca’s. They hadn’t settled the argument by the time she left, so it was no surprise that they were both in the bed. Obviously, their compromise was for Luca to cling to him in his sleep like a baby sloth.

She saw the gleam of Alberto’s green eyes, “Don’t you dare wake him.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she whispered, “Mamma is still asleep. We can’t open presents anyway until she’s up.”

“I missed you guys so much. I’ve got other friends now too, but none like Luca. I missed you too. Massimo is trying to officially adopt me, so we’ll be brother and sister for real.”

“I’d like that. I always wanted a little brother.”

“I’m older than you.”

“I’ve been human longer.”

He snorted with suppressed laughter, “That’s hardly fair. I’m as human as the next boy.” He glanced at Luca, “More human than the next boy.”

“I missed you, ‘Berto. You’re so much fun to tease.”

“Same to you, mia sorella.”

Luca did eventually wake up, as did Sophia. She made coffee, but knew her charges were too excited for breakfast yet. They chatted together, still in their pajamas. She glanced over. It had never occurred to her to question why Luca had chosen pajamas of a soft periwinkle color, but she now noticed Alberto wore a pair in the same vibrant teal of Luca’s scales.

“Shall we open presents first then?”

Alberto handed an inexpertly wrapped parcel to Giulia.

“A mirror?”

“It’s a piece of Ercole’s vespa. I found it in the field where he crashed. Santa mozzarella, he was so drunk! Signora Marsigliese had just found out what his actual age was. She not only told him he couldn’t race next summer, she stripped him of his last two wins for being too old.”

“How did she find out?”

Alberto evaded her eyes, “Um...someone might have told her?”

“Well, it’s perfect, grazie.”

Luca handed him a box. It contained what appeared to be a large rock.

“Open it, it’s hollow.”

The inside of the rock was covered with tiny purple crystals, “It’s called a geode. The crystals are called amethysts.”

“It’s beautiful! I love it!”

Giulia gave him a book on vehicle maintenance, including a section on repairing a vespa. The largest present, though, was from Sophia, a framed portrait of Luca in his sea monster form. It perfectly captured his look of mixed curiosity and apprehension. “Luca is a great model, and I’ve sold a few paintings of him. This was the first I ever did, though. I wanted you to have it so you could bring him home, even when he stayed here.”

For Luca, Alberto brought some seashells, “I figured you’d have plenty of human stuff now and you might miss the ocean.” For Sophia, he brought a ceramic jar decorated with a painting of men running on one side and a robed woman on the other. It had clearly spent a long time in the water.

“Alberto, where did you get this?”

“Found it in an old wreck. I thought you might use it for something.”

“Alberto, this is a Greek amphora. It must be thousands of years old.”

“I could find you something newer if you want.”

“No, I mean archeologists would love to study it.”

He shrugged, “There were lots of jars there. I just thought this one was pretty.”

“Well, it’s beautiful. Grazie.”

There were several more practical gifts as well. Sophia had knitted each of them hats, mittens and sweaters.

“There is one more present here, and it’s for Giulia, but really it’s for all of you.” She handed her daughter an envelope. It was a Christmas card signed by Giorgio, Ezio and Rosa, “This isn’t the present though. The real present is in the closet. It was too big to wrap. Your friends all helped with this one.”

She went to the closet and pulled out a strange apparatus. It was a metal cylinder with tubes sticking out and a mask like Giulia had worn for the swim competition in Portorosso. The boys had never seen something like this before and couldn’t imagine what it would be used for, but Giulia gasped.

“A scuba tank? How?”

“Like I said, your friends helped, but also those paintings of Luca sold for quite a bit. I signed you up for lessons. By summer, you’ll be able to swim freely with the boys. It was Ezio’s idea.”

Chapter Text

“So do you want to enter the Portorosso Cup next summer? It would just be for fun, you know. The Evil Empire of Injustice has definitely fallen.”

“It would be fun, though. Yes, I think I do. I’ve had a lot of practice swimming this year. And we never really got to enter as a team like we wanted to.”

“It would have to be with our original roles: you swimming, me eating and Luca on the bicycle. I talked with Signora Marsigliese and we agreed that it wasn’t fair to ask a human kid to swim against a sea monster. If one of us took that portion we would have to walk like Luca did.” His eyes glittered with mischief, “As a compromise, though, she relaxed the requirement for having to eat with a fork. Apparently that rule was added in response to something Ercole did the first year he competed.”

“What did he do?”

“He, umm…’helped’ his teammate eat a bowl of penne. Nearly choked him. If you read the official rules, what it actually says is that the pasta can only be eaten with the fork they provide. Nothing else. They also added a rule this year that you can’t use lubricants to enhance your swimming speed. Ercole again, and his stupid olive oil. You would think that Ciccio being attacked by sardines would be enough to discourage that, but they had to make the rule.”

Luca peeked his head into Giulia’s room, “We’re almost ready to go. Alberto, do you want to come too?”

He hesitated, “You said it was a church, right? Wouldn’t it be boring?”

Giulia shook her head, “Not this one. It’s mostly stories and singing. It’s okay if you want to stay here though.”

“No...no, I’ll come. It’s just...okay, silenzio bruno let’s go.”

The cathedral was crowded and warmer than the street outside. It was still colder than the Marcovaldos’ apartment, though, and the kids kept their jackets, only tucking hats and mittens in their pockets as they gazed at the colorful stained glass windows and elaborately decorated columns.

Giulia kept up a steady stream of chatter, as they made their way to the pews, explaining the stories behind some of the imagery. Luca and Alberto were quickly out of their depth, having no experience with the underlying lore. Luca still found the architecture beautiful, but he came to realize Alberto was uncharacteristically silent.

He excused himself and drew Alberto into a more private corner, “Alberto, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if it's making you unhappy. I…” He drew a deep breath, “You gave Giulia your apology for scaring her and I’m glad for that, but I need to apologize to you too.”

“You already did. I wasn’t ready to hear it that night, but I realized I was as much to blame for forcing you into it.”

“Not that part. Not for when you showed yourself to Giulia, although I still owe her an apology too, for ever letting her think you were dangerous. I mean for before that. For ever letting it get so bad that you thought you needed to scare her away. I was so caught up in what she was showing me, that I never saw how much it was hurting you. I lo..You’re my best friend, and I wasn’t there for you. I swear to Cod, that will never happen again. I can see that something is bothering you. I want to help. Tell me.”

“It’s stupid.”

“Then we’ll be smarter than it. You once told me, ‘you and me, we can do anything’ and you were right. We won the Cup. We ended the war between land and sea. There’s nothing you can tell me that will stop me from being your friend. Whatever this is, we’ll fix it together.”

“It’s this place. It’s a church. It was the last human place my father brought me and it’s what killed my mother.”

“Here?”

“Well, no, not actually here, not in Genoa. In Livorno, that’s where we lived. I don’t remember much about my mother, and I never saw her fish form though I know she must have had one. What I do remember, though, is the last time I saw her. My parents were always a little...I don’t know, sometimes they wanted to play with me, and sometimes they couldn’t be bothered. There was always one day a week, though, that my father would just leave without a word. My mother said it was a human thing and I shouldn’t worry about it. I loved my father and I wanted to be a human for him, as much as I could. So I asked if I could come with him.”

“He was going to church?”

“He was going to church. It was a smaller place than this, and not as richly decorated. It was also boring. So very boring. I fidgeted, I tried to talk to my father and he kept whispering for me to shut up. Finally, he just picked me up and started to carry me out while I struggled and kicked. It disrupted everything and I could feel all the people staring at me. That’s when it happened.”

“What did?”

“I kicked the font. You saw it when we came in but Giulia knew we couldn’t use it so she passed it by. If we had been in this church this wouldn’t have been so bad. The font here is made of stone, but that one was just a bowl on a metal stand. It splashed me.”

“And you transformed. In front of all those people.”

“They called me il Diavolo. We fled. My mother saw us with the mob close behind. She ran past us towards them. I assume she transformed herself because the mob started chasing her instead while we escaped. It was the last I ever saw her. My father was so angry. He beat me harder than he ever had before. Told me I should never have come with him. Why would I need a church? I didn’t have a soul.”

“You were right. It’s stupid.”

“Luca!”

“Not you, your father. Of course you have a soul. I forget sometimes that you never had a proper sea monster upbringing, or you would know about C'odu D’va.

“What is that?”

“It comes from the ancient sea monster language. It means something like ‘Speaks to the Heart’ or ‘Voice from Within.’ It’s the little voice in your head that tells you to do good things and not to do bad ones.”

“You can’t mean Bruno!”

“No! Definitely not. Bruno doesn’t...Bruno doesn’t actually like you very much. It wants you to be safe, but it doesn’t want you to be happy. My grandmother said Cod, C'odu D’va, wants you to be happy, but even more it wants you to be good. Not just polite or obedient or even nice. Good. Good is sometimes dangerous but the risk is worth it.

“Bruno would not have told you to bring me an umbrella when it started raining in the middle of the race. Bruno would not have told you to sell the vespa to buy me a train ticket. It would not have told Massimo to let you stay, or Sophia and Giulia to welcome me to Genoa. Bruno would not have…

”Bruno would not have told me that I love you.”

Chapter Text

“Where were you boys?”

“Sorry, Signora, we were just looking at the church. It’s very pretty.”

“Well come and sit down, the service is about to start.”

“Where were you really?” Giulia whispered, “You ran off and then...Santa Mascarpone! You did, didn't you? You confessed. You’re a couple now.”

“No we...wait, we’re that obvious?”

“Santa Gorgonzola! Ten minutes ago Alberto looked like he expected the roof to fall in on him. The two of you run off and now you both look like you did after we won the Cup. What else am I going to think?”

“All right, fine! Luca confessed and then I told him I’ve loved him ever since I saw him flopping around on the beach. If you’re gonna tease us about it, get it over with.”

“Not a chance. It’s about time you two realized you were meant for each other. And teasing material like this will be good for years.”

“Ah, Giulia, you’re such a sister.”

“I’ll take that as a complement.

Astro del ciel, Pargol divin (Star of the sky, heavenly child)
Mite Agnello Redentor (Gentle lamb, Redeemer)
Tu che i vati da lungi sognar (You, of whom the prophets dreamed for so long)
Tu che angeliche voci nunziar (You, who angelic voices announce)
Luce dona alle genti (Illuminate the people)
Pace infondi nei cuore (Peace fills the heart)

The congregation was led by a man in elaborate robes. Giulia identified him as the Archbishop. The actual singing was directed by another, a woman in a long dress of black and white. She led the similarly dressed choir and encouraged the churchgoers to sing along. Giulia was right, the sound was wonderful. Even the boys’ inexpert voices blended into the music. Not lost or covered up, but brought together in harmony.

Luca was overcome with joy. Alberto was right about everything good being above the surface. Even if the entire sea monster village came together, they could not have created such beauty. There weren’t enough of them. He glanced at the green eyed boy. He knew he loved him, and his love was returned. It felt like a harpoon in his heart, but in a good way. He sang the songs, listened to the readings and to the Archbishop’s sermon on love and peace, and reflected that yes, the humans must know Cod as well, though they might call it something else.

Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum;
Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus, Dominum

The last notes of the hymn echoed through an otherwise silent cathedral. Luca looked around. No one moved. All throughout the church the people were frozen in place and every face he saw held the same expression of joy and awe. For several minutes Luca was the only one who could move, then the others started to stir as if waking from a dream. The Archbishop crossed himself, “Mio Dio, era un angelo!”

Giulia whispered, “Luca, what was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you, it sounded like you were singing in two different voices.”

“You must have heard me and Alberto.”

“No, Alberto was singing too, but your voice was...I don’t know, doubled and harmonizing with itself, and I felt...I felt like I was being hugged by my dad. Love and joy. It was wonderful.”

Alberto nodded, “I felt it too. I think everyone did. Look: there's some who haven’t woken up yet.” Several of the parishioners still held that pose of joyous paralysis, and needed those less affected to bring them around.

The parishioners dispersed into the cold December night. Most of them attributed the event to the oratory skills of the Archbishop or the music of the nuns. Some few of them attributed it to outright divine intervention, but there was one who stood in the shadows of an ornate pillar, and frowned as he considered the group of three children and a woman. It had not escaped his notice that they were among the first to recover, and one of the boys had been the only one unaffected by the ethereal music.

Chapter Text

Luca’s friends were familiar with his aquatic form. They saw it at least twice a week at swim practice, and for the boys, the locker room after gym. Alberto’s was new, and remarkably different. They felt the rougher texture of his scales, and the sharp points of his spines. The shy Luca might have been embarrassed by such close attention, but Alberto preened.

“It’s hard to believe you’re even the same species. Is it like dogs, where you have different, I guess, ‘breeds’ and the children look halfway between the parents?”

“Probably not. My mom has spiny fins like Alberto and my grandma is purple. It might be like cats where you can have a black and white, and an orange tabby in the same litter sometimes. I’m sure there’s features that are genetic, but I think the color is mostly from the habitat where we hatched. Shallow water tends to produce yellow and green colors, deep water gets darker colors and purple. My dad came from deeper water and is a pretty dark green, for instance. I do know that some features can change according to a change in habitat. My uncle lives in the bathypelagic zone, without sunlight. He’s actually bioluminescent. If my parents had actually sent me there, I might have eventually become like that. On the other hand, I might get darker or lighter over time, but I’ll never turn from green to purple.”

“Now don’t take this the wrong way,” said Rosa, feeling the weight of Alberto’s tail, “You’re a handsome fellow as a boy and as a fish, but I can see why someone might get scared if they saw you. Luca is just too cute, but I get why someone could be intimidated by the tall spiny fins.”

Alberto gave a mock growl and loomed over her with claws out. They all laughed. “Right, like that.” Luca pouted, “I could be intimidating if I wanted to!” He tried to growl too, but he couldn’t keep a straight face, and Giulia broke into giggles.

“You know, it’s a pity that the pool is closed for the winter break,” said Ezio, “I’m kinda curious about how you swim compared to Luca.”

“I’m faster, but he’s more maneuverable. I’ve had to do a lot of fishing on my own, and I found I do best if I can ambush prey. I’ll hide at the bottom and wait for a target. It’s harder if they see me coming and can dodge. I’ve got one advantage over other hunters, though. Sharks don’t have hands. I’ve caught plenty of fish that only tried to dodge my teeth.”

“What kind of prey do you like?”

“If I’m hunting for myself, I’ll usually go for something around twenty to thirty centimeters long. Much bigger than that and I can’t eat it all in one meal. I’d hate to waste it, and half a fish really doesn’t keep. I can actually take down much larger prey, though, if I want to. Last month I killed a bluefin tuna. It was about a hundred and fifty kilos.”

Luca’s eyes widened, “How did you manage that?”

Alberto grinned, “I used a harpoon, something else no shark can do. By the time we got it into the boat, we couldn’t fit anything else. We cut it up for steaks at the pescheria. That fish ended up paying for my ticket out here.”

“Do you have any favorite fish to go for?”

“That tuna was delicious, but too big for just me. Mackerel is good, and plentiful around Portorosso. They were mostly what I lived on when I was on the island. My favorite, though, is orata. They’re a little too big for me to eat on my own, so I usually only caught them when my...when my father was there. The day I finally admitted that he wasn’t coming back, I caught one and it was like I was eating sand. But now I get to eat them with Massimo and they taste even better than I remember. Of course, they’re cooked now.”

Ezio smiled, “Yeah, any food tastes better when you eat it with loved ones. My rabbi said once that every holiday in the Jewish Calendar is the same story: Somebody tried to kill our people. They couldn’t, so let’s eat.”

Giorgio spoke up, “Speaking of holidays, Giulia, were you at the Cathedral on Giorno di Natale? There’s been rumors that something weird happened. We always go on Vigilia, so we missed it.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“I’ve heard a lot of different ones. Somebody said they saw Cristo, another said a choir of angels appeared and sang the hymns, somebody else claimed the Archbishop was taken up into Heaven. That one can’t be true since he’s still there. Were you there? Did you see anything?”

“We were there, all three of us.” She paused, “If I tell you, can you keep it a secret? I don’t want this added to the rumors going around.”

The three friends nodded, “Then this is what really happened: during the last hymn, almost the entire congregation became paralyzed by a sense of overwhelming joy. It felt wonderful, but it was so intense that no one could even move for several minutes. There was no angel, no saints or visions, and certainly no one taken up into heaven, but I could certainly see how after that experience some people would claim it was a miracle.”

“Was it?”

“No. It was Luca. He was the only one in the church unaffected, and just before I was paralyzed, I heard him singing. It sounded like he had two voices. I think he somehow hypnotized the whole church.”

“Is that something you can do?” asked Rosa.

“I didn’t think so. The closest thing I could think of was the old legend of land monsters luring innocent sea folk onto the shore by singing. I figured, that was just a story.”

“Huh, we have legends like that too. Odisseo and the Sirens, for instance. Sometimes mermaids are supposed to be able to charm sailors and make them run aground. But if you say it isn’t something that sea monsters in general can do, it certainly isn’t something humans can do either.”

“No, although, come to think of it, that is how you’re supposed to defend yourself if it happens.”

“If what happens?”

“According to the legend, if a land monster tries to lure you onto land or onto one of their boats, you’re supposed to sing back. I guess if you can’t hear the music, it won’t affect you.”

“Hmm, that works for our legend too. One version of the Odisseo story has the great musician, Orfeo, play his lyre to drown out the Sirens. Another has the sailors using earplugs made of beeswax.”

“I thought that was the Argonautai.“

“You may be right. I might have my legends mixed up.”

“Either way, it does give us a starting point for the experiment. We’re going to try to see if Luca can hypnotize one of us.”

“I don’t know, what if it actually works? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“It didn’t hurt, it felt good.”

“But if it’s real, then it’s dangerous. I seriously hurt Marco that day, but when he first grabbed me, I told him ‘Go kiss a shark.’ What if he had obeyed?”

“Then if it is real, you need to practice so you can control when you’re doing it. You remember Superuomo? In the comics he has enemies, people who have strength or powers of their own but they use them for selfish or wicked purposes. It’s not the powers that make Superuomo a hero, it’s that he uses them for good. If you can lure a sailor to his doom, you can also quell a riot, calm a panicking crowd or make a criminal surrender without harming him. Any police department in the world would love to have an officer who can end a hostage situation without firing a shot.”

“All right, what should we do?”

Ezio thought, “Well, we know it works on humans. Alberto, were you affected?”

“Yes, but I’m half human, remember? It might not work on other sea monsters.”

“Then the two of you have heard it before. We should also have a control group. Someone who can’t hear it and can wake the rest of us up if we’re all affected. Giorgio and Rosa, could you go down to the kitchen? If you don’t hear anything from us in five minutes, come back and check.”

“All right, try to give us an order. Giulia, listen for that double voice you said you heard.”

“Okay, come over here.”

“No, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Try to sing it, and concentrate on being obeyed.”

“Come over here.”

“I thought I heard something that time, try it again.”

"Come over here."

“I definitely heard it that time, but I don’t feel any compulsion.”

Luca took a deep breath, "Come over here.” Ezio and Giulia stood, and with dreamy expressions, walked over to where Luca sat.

Alberto called out to their friends in the kitchen. “It worked! I heard the double voice, and I kind of felt its pull, but it doesn’t seem to affect me as much.”

Rosa went to wake them, but Alberto stopped her, “Wait, most of the people in the church recovered on their own. Let’s see how long it takes.”

Giulia came out of it only a short time later, but Ezio remained in his trance for nearly ten minutes, “That was weird. I could hear all of you, but I didn’t feel any desire to wake up until it wore off.”

“Then the Siren’s Voice is real. I don’t know how I feel about that. Alberto and I went to a lot of trouble to make sea monsters seem harmless and friendly. But if it turns out we’re dangerous after all? What then?”

Chapter Text

Luca and Giulia were doing homework together. History was still the sea monster’s weakest subject, but he was in the top of the class for everything else. Giulia wasn’t about to be left behind, though. They were currently working on algebra programs and barely heard it when Signora Marcovaldo answered the telephone. They did hear her gasp, and call to them with a shaky voice, “Giulia, Luca, it’s Giorgio on the phone. Something happened to Rosa. She’s in l'ospedale.”

“Giorgio, what happened?”

“She’s not hurt, but la polizia are here. Her piano teacher is dead. Murdered. She found the body. It was...it was not good. She wants to see you. After a shock like that, she needs some friends with her. Mio padre is sending an officer to pick you up.”

“Salve, Ispettore. I am Sophia Marcovaldo. Can you tell us what happened?”

“Salve, signora. I am Riccardo Garibaldi, Giorgio’s father. We are still trying to find that out. When Signorina Verdino arrived for her lesson, she discovered Sorella Francesi bleeding on the floor. She had been attacked. Rosa tried to administer aid, but it was too late. She is dead.”

“How terrible, but Rosa is unhurt?”

“She is shocked, naturally, and the doctors want to keep her overnight, but my son seems to think you can help when we interview her. We don’t want to upset her further, but the more she can tell us, the faster we can catch this killer.”

Rosa was sitting up in the hospital bed and had clearly been crying, but her color was good despite the shock, and she greeted her friends warmly. Her hand trembled only slightly as she gestured them forward. Under the cover of a hug, she whispered into Luca’s ear, “I need you to use your Voice. Make me forget everything after I tried to save Sorella Francesi. Just for a little while, though. Tell me to remember once I am out of the hospital.”

Giorgio was shocked at the request, “You can’t mean that! We have to help find her killer.”

“I’m sorry, Giorgio, we can’t let the poliza learn what I know, not even your father. Trust me.”

“All right, Rosa, forget,” Luca hummed, “We trust you.”

“And when I got to Sorella Francesi’s room, I found her in a pool of blood. I know a little first aid, so I tried to help her. It was too late. She never regained consciousness.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“Not until the ambulanza arrived. I had locked the door in case the killer returned and unlocked it when the medici came.”

“Grazie, signorina. You’ve been very brave.”

The investigators filed out and a nurse came in, “Signorina Verdino needs to rest now.”

“Per favore, can my friends stay? Just for a little while?”

“Ten more minutes, then you should all go.”

“All right, Rosa, the adults are gone. Remember. What couldn’t you say before?”

“Rosa gasped, as the missing memory returned. Her expression hardened with determination, “Sorella Francesi wasn't dead yet when I arrived. When I tried to treat her, she said something: ‘il diavolo è blu.”

“The Devil is blue?”

“Si, and il Sorella’s wounds were made by no knife. Three long parallel gashes from her shoulder to her throat. There was water all over the floor from a broken vase. I’m sorry, Luca. I think...I think she was attacked by a sea monster.”

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Principale Clemente. How was your Natale?”

“Very good. I had my grandchildren for the holiday. I told them I have a clever little fish in my school. Naturally they thought I was joking. Is there any news I should be aware of?”

“Well, first of all, Marco D’Agostino gets his cast removed next week.”

“Oh...well, I suppose that’s good. I do hope he learned a lesson though. Smaller does not mean helpless.”

“Paguro was far more patient with him than I would have been. I think, though, that most of the problem may be over. D’Agostino lost many of his lackeys during his recovery. He won’t be the threat he was a few months ago.”

“I disagree. Knowing D’Agostino, he will take his loss of power as a personal insult.”

“That is...unfortunate. Especially considering Signor Patelli.”

“The science and maths teacher?”

“Si, he tells me that Paguro has completed his astronomy unit and wishes to join his friend, Giulia, in the advanced class.”

“Then promote him. I don’t see the problem.”

“The problem isn’t the astronomy unit, but the maths. The astronomy unit will require some calculus. Paguro is more than ready for that too, but it would put him in the same class as D’Agostino. It’s difficult enough when they just pass in the halls. But to have them in the same room?”

“Merda! I almost wish sea monsters did eat people. It would make it so simple.”

Chapter Text

“The case is not going well. Their best guess is that Sorella Francesi was killed by an animal claw. The place was ransacked. It can’t be a simple animal attack, so they’ve been interviewing taxidermists and pawn shops trying to find someone who bought a stuffed crocodile or something similar. Father’s worried too. Il commissario is upset at the pace of the investigation. Francesi was an important woman, assistant choir director for San Lorenzo Cathedral.”

“Well Luca and I had some better luck. His command for me to remember was even more effective than we thought. I can recall every detail of the room now, even to the drying footprints through the spilled water. We make them out to be size nine. Sorella Francesi must have thrown the vase to defend herself. The killer struck her, then searched the room even as the poor woman was dying. I remember smears of blood on the curtain where he wiped his hands.”

“I think we need to tell my father.”

“Does he know about sea monsters? Is there any chance he could solve this without our help?”

“I never told him what you are. It wasn’t my secret to reveal, and it didn’t seem relevant anyway. Ezio’s a jew, Rosa and Giulia are girls, you’re a monster. You’re all my friends, though, that’s what’s important.”

“I’m afraid it’s relevant now. If he doesn’t know, he’ll never be able to capture him. The slightest hint that the police are closing in, and the criminal will disappear into the sea. We’d never find him, not even if the whole Genoese police force could swim like me.”

The argument had been running for days, ever since Rosa left the hospital. Giorgio hated lying to his father, even by omission. Ezio thought they had a responsibility to come forward with what they knew. Rosa wanted justice for her teacher, but she and Giulia were concerned for Luca’s safety and wanted to keep his inhuman nature a secret. It was one thing for other kids to know, but this was the police. They had full authority to capture or eliminate him if the ispettore thought he was dangerous. Luca thought all of their points were valid and lacked the confidence to break the tie.

Luca wrung his hands nervously, “We have to help them somehow. What would Alberto do?”

Giulia scoffed, “Bad example. He’d try to track down the killer himself. I love my brother, but he doesn’t think things through sometimes.”

Luca smiled ruefully, “You’re not wrong. But he also wouldn’t let fear stop him from doing what’s right.”

Ispettore Garibaldi looked up at the knock on his office door. His son and his friends entered and stood by respectfully, “We think we have some information about the Francesi case. Rosa...um, remembers some more and we’ve been thinking about it. We’ve come to some conclusions if you’d like to hear them.”

“Son, I don’t want you and your friends to obsess about this. I know it was upsetting for Rosa and you want to help, but you should let the police handle it.”

“We’re not obsessing, but we know some things that you might not. Rosa never saw the culprit, but we think we can help you find him.”

Garibaldi sighed, “All right, let’s hear it.”

Luca stepped forward, “The killer wears a size nine shoe, but it’s actually a little larger than he would normally use. He wants to be able to remove them quickly.”

“How do you know that?”

“I do the same thing for the same reason. He’ll show a marked phobia where water is concerned, even in small amounts, but he’ll live where there’s ready access to the ocean. He probably works or lives at the docks but not at a job where he risks getting wet. He won’t ever risk that where people will see him. He’ll avoid going out at all if it’s raining. If you do manage to get him wet, you’ll know you have the right man."

“What do you mean?”

“We’re pretty sure he’ll turn blue. Not ‘holding my breath’ blue. Actually blue. He’s not human.”

“Not this fantasy again! One of your classmates tried to claim he was attacked by a monster in the boy’s bathroom.”

“I didn’t attack him! It was an accident. Anyway it has nothing to do with this case. Your killer is a monster, though. A literal one, not just somebody who’s dangerous. We can prove it.”

Inspector Garibaldi’s eyes narrowed, “How?”

Giulia handed him an old book. On the cover were three deep parallel scratches. They were smaller than Sorella Francesi’s wound, but Garibaldi saw at once that they were made by the same sort of weapon, “Where did you find this?”

Luca pulled back his sleeve, whispered, “Silenzio bruno” under his breath and without another word, poured a glass of water over his arm.

Chapter Text

The small brass bell at the top of the door rang as the policeman entered, and he saw movement from behind the counter, “Buonasera, agente. We are alone. Are you buying or selling?”

Officer Buiolli relaxed a little, but he still looked around the cluttered shop. He saw no one else. It seemed an odd place for a pawn shop and he rarely saw other customers here. Perhaps it mostly catered to sailors and fishermen, at least publicly. There were some rumors of Signore Anguilla having Cosa Nostra ties though nothing was ever proven. Those sorts of things never are.

“Neither, signore. I came to warn you of something.”

Anguilla came forward. He was a small man, slight of build with short, dark hair and a thin moustache. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to indulge in criminal activity, but successful criminals rarely do. Even so, it seemed for a moment that something predatory lurked in the man’s eyes, before he stepped fully into the light with a wide, friendly smile.

“Warn me, Agente Buiolli? Why would a fine officer like yourself be concerned with a poor dealer in trinkets?”

“There is increased scrutiny of the harbor region. I realize a fine upstanding citizen like yourself has nothing to be concerned about, but you should be extra vigilant for the next few weeks. It would be unfortunate if some unsavory person tried to pass you any items of uncertain ownership.”

“Hmm, I am always careful, but your concern is appreciated. Would you like a cup of tea? I realize you cannot drink on duty or I would offer something stronger.”

“Grazie, Signore. I do have a moment to spare.” It was a delicate dance. They both knew that whether the mob ties were real or not, Anguilla was definitely a fence for stolen merchandise. He paid Buiolli a good amount of money to conceal this fact from the rest of the department.

Anguilla poured the tea, and wound up an old Victrola. Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia would cover their conversation nicely in case there were any evesdroppers. “Tell me, Agente, why is the department so interested in mio dominio?”

“It has nothing to do with your...business. Ispettore Garibaldi is desperate to solve the Francesi murder, and he has somehow become convinced that the killer resides near this area. He offers no proof, of course, but it means there will be increased police presence at the docks until he determines it is a fool’s errand. You remember how I had to ask if you sold a tiger’s claw recently? It was this same case, and the same idiota who made me ask.”

Anguilla frowned, “How tiresome. I don’t suppose it would be feasible to direct his attention elsewhere?”

“Unlikely. I don’t know why he thinks the killer resides in this neighborhood, but he is adamant about it. He has circulated what he thinks is a profile of the criminal, including the shoe size and his suspicion that he harbors a fear of water. Why an aquaphobe would live near the docks, though, he does not explain.”

Anguilla stiffened and Buiolli looked at him curiously. Perhaps he had something important in the works that could not tolerate police scrutiny. Perhaps if Buiolli could learn what it was he could extort more money from the man. Would it be worth the risk? Being fired from the police was the least of his concerns if his superiors discovered his association with the pawnbroker.

Anguilla scowled and muttered to himself. Buiolli had to strain to hear him, but understood little, ”It must be the puppetmaster’s doing. Could it really be that child? So powerful at such a young age? To dominate an entire church, it's inconceivable. It’s useless to fight the slave when the master is so well concealed. He’s looking for me too now. I must find him first.”

The pawnbroker snapped his head up and stared at the policeman intently, “Tell me, agente, this ispectore, was there a boy there to see him recently? Possibly with a red headed woman or other children?”

“Ah...yes. His son and friends. Why do you ask?”

He reached over and turned the music up a little, “You will tell me everything you know about these children. And then you will forget we ever had this conversation.”

Chapter Text

Giorgio heard the knock at the door and looked up. He could see through the window that the man on the porch was wearing a policeman’s uniform so he answered, “Buonasera, Agente Buiolli. My father is not at home. What can I do for you?”

Buiolli smiled and touched his cap politely, “Actually I’m here to see you. Your father sent me to get you, if you could just come with me, please?”

Giorgio nodded, but waited for a moment. When Buiolli didn’t say any more, his eyes widened and he stepped back from the door. Buiolli didn’t know the password. If his father had actually sent him he would have spoken it to tell Giorgio that he could be trusted. Before Giorgio could slam the door and escape, though, the policeman forced it open and went to grab him. Buiolli was well trained and Giorgio was only a boy, so the fight was short lived. Giorgio kicked and bit, but the policeman quickly overpowered him and forced a rag into his mouth, “If you do not struggle, you will not be harmed.” The policeman’s voice was expressionless and his face showed no anger as he bound the boy’s hands and dragged him to the car.

“Che cazzo! This is not him! This is only one of his slaves.” The man roughly pulled the gag from Giorgio’s mouth and was rewarded with a loud scream for help, “Bah, yell all you want. No one will hear. You’re not the first to be questioned in this room. Cooperate and it won’t be the last place you’ll see.”

“My father will find me. And when he does, he will show you no mercy.”

“Your father does not concern me. Who is your master? Where can I find him?”

“Bastardo! I have no master. Let me go at once!”

The man snarled, “You don’t know what he is then. He is a sea monster and a puppetmaster, a demon from the darkest depths of the ocean. You are merely a human. If you are not his servant, you are but his food. He will kill you when he tires of you.”

“Never! He is my friend and I know exactly what he is. He would never hurt me.”

The man smiled cruelly, “Your friend? Well, I can be your friend too. You will tell me everything I wish to know. Who is he? Where can I find him? What other slaves has he surrounded himself with?”

“Andare a puttane, coglione! I will tell you nothing!”

The man leaned close and whispered into Giorgio’s ear, “Oh, but you will, for I am a sea demon too. You cannot resist me.” His smile widened and he began to sing.

When you're the best of friends, having so much fun together,
You're not even aware we're such a funny pair, we're the best of friends.

Life's a happy game, we could clown around forever,
Neither one of us sees our natural boundaries. Life's one happy game.

If only the world wouldn't get in our way, If only people would just let us play,
They'd say you're both being fools, You're breaking all the rules,
They can't understand the magic of our wonderland.

When you're the best of friends, sharing all that you discover,
When these moments have passed, Will that friendship last? Who can't say there's a way?
Oh I hope, I hope it never ends, Cause we're the best of friends.

The boy gritted his teeth. No, this man was not his friend. Luca was. Giorgio recognised the sound of the Siren in his voice, and felt its seductive pull, but Luca could be trusted and this man could not. Giorgio had spent weeks being exposed to Luca’s voice, but by choice and with the knowledge that his friend would never abuse his influence. That knowledge gave him the strength to resist. The longer the man sang, though, the more pressure he felt on his mind. Then it came to him, Luca had said singing back would help to counter the Voice. Perhaps by freeing his mouth to interrogate him, the man had given him a weapon. He thought of his friends, and the fun they had exploring Luca’s new talent. It gave him strength. He gathered his will and he sang.

Don't you disrespect me, little man
Don't you derogate or deride
You're in my world now
Not your world
And I got friends who are on my side

Listen to my song, now
Put your minds at ease
If you relax you will enable me to do anything I please
You will free me now and
Free your servant too
My will is mine, my heart and soul
For friends loyal and kind and true

The smaller man’s eyes widened in shock and the policeman standing behind him shook his head in apparent pain.

Are you ready? Can you feel it? I hope you're satisfied
But if you ain't, don't blame me.
I can thank the friends always at my side

Enraged, the man reached for Giorgio’s throat, but Buiolli knocked his hands away, “Anguilla, no! I didn’t agree to kill children!”

“Idiota! You will do whatever I say.”

“No! I don’t know how you talked me into this, but I won’t be a part of it anymore.”

“Then you’re of no use to me!” He drew a small pistol, but for whatever his faults, Buiolli was an experienced policeman and reacted before Anguilla could shoot. The gun blew out a window as it hit the floor and discharged. Giorgio flinched from the sound, but used the distraction to start to loosen his bonds.

The two men struggled, but Buiolli was larger and stronger, and soon had the upper hand. That is, until Anguilla managed to reach the fire alarm and pull the lever. Water sprayed from the darkened ceiling and drenched the space below. Buiolli recoiled in shock and horror from the creature he now fought. Indigo scales and crimson fins like wings of blood. Blue and yellow eyes, and a mouth filled with shark-like teeth.

The man and the monster regarded each other. Buiolli could overpower him if he got close, but he wouldn’t risk the sharp teeth and claws. He fumbled for his weapon, but as he drew, he heard the door slam to the rear of the building. They both glanced to the side, the boy was gone. Anguilla snarled, “Fool! If he escapes, we are both doomed. Follow him, quickly!”

Chapter Text

The door slammed harder than Giorgio would have hoped. They must know by now that he’d escaped. Still, he risked a glance back at the door. It read Warehouse A-113. He still didn’t know where he was, but it would be a trivial matter for the police to find this place. Assuming he lived long enough to tell them.

He fled through the darkened alleyways and into the night. This area was a maze, but if he could get to a thoroughfare, he might be able to get help. He paused for breath in the shadow of a dumpster and heard a sound from another alley.

Come to me. Come to me. Come to me.

The Siren’s Voice again. Not near, but not far enough away for comfort. He hummed quietly to himself and the compulsion faded. Did Signore Anguilla really think he’d be so easily captured? He must know that Giorgio could counter his commands. Luca’s Voice was easily as strong, and all his friends could resist it now if they chose, at least for a time. Luca had spent weeks making sure of that. Even singing could be resisted, he’d just proved it.

The singing. Giorgio had hoped his own singing would protect him, and he was right. He didn’t expect to free the policeman’s mind, though. Even Anguilla. He tried to kill him when he heard Giorgio sing, but succeeded only in loosening his bindings, allowing Giorgio to escape. He probably didn’t even know he had done so.

“This way! He is close!” Giorgio glimpsed movement in the moonlight and shrank back into the deeper shadows of the alley. “Do you hear, boy? I have spent months planting suggestions in my neighbors’ minds. They are all my slaves now. You cannot free them all, and you’re not powerful enough to take my mind, not yet.

Could he? The Voice worked by sound, and Giorgio proved he could break the sea monster’s control. If he sang, it would tell his pursuers where he was, but it might also gain him allies. He crept down the alley. Escape was the priority, but he readied a song in case he was captured.

A group of men were coming up the alley, checking every shadow. It was too late, he had to flee. He broke cover into the wide thoroughfare. No! It was the dock. He was trapped against the water. Months of practice had made him a strong swimmer and he could easily escape his human pursuers, but his enemy was a sea monster. To enter the water was death.

The tall figure of Agente Buiolli rose up, pistol drawn, “You can’t escape now. Surrender. Tell us what we need to know. Which one is the sea monster? Is it Ezio? That new boy? The others are girls and Anguilla swears it was a boy who dominated the church. He will kill them all if he has to, but he wants the puppetmaster. He says a duet will be more powerful than either of them alone. You could join them too. He will spare you if you serve him. Add your Voice to theirs and you could all rule the country. We would be powerful and rich.

Giorgio grabbed a nearby longshoreman’s hook and brandished it. Buiolli might take him down, but Giorgio swore he would not go easily this time. Buiolli chuckled at his bravado, “He fears you, you know. I know the truth now. He is a sea monster like your friend. They are both vulnerable to your Voice. You could be the one who controls your triumvirate, a Caesar to his Crassus. Be my ally. I will protect you, make you more powerful than you ever dreamed.”

“So you can be Antony to my Caesar? I think not! I could never trust you. You would be Brutus, not Antony.”

“Not so! We are both human, natural allies. I can protect you from the monsters and you can shield my mind. Together we will make these sea demons serve us. They will influence those we wish. Control whomever we say. Anguilla thinks too small. Control the right people and the world is ours. And when Anguilla has taught your friend all he knows? Perhaps it is he who will become unnecessary. Consider it, won’t you?”

With that he stepped back and called out, “I’ve found him! Anguilla, come quickly!”

The sea monster emerged from a nearby alley with several of his human puppets, “Good work. Has he told you who the sea monster is?”

“No, but do we really need him? We have another Voice right here. Can you not make use of him just as easily?”

“Hmm...perhaps. I still want him, but yes, to have an extra…” He smiled, “We should take the rest of his friends, though. One of them is the sea monster and the rest will serve to keep them cooperative.”

“No! We will never serve you.” He looked around at the human slaves.

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a horror softly creeping
Left its seeds while you were all sleeping
And the evil that was planted in your brains
Can’t remain
Within the sound of silence

“Enough! Sleep, all of you! You can’t free their minds if they don’t hear you.”

The humans dropped where they stood. They were useless to Anguilla as long as Giorgio could speak or sing, but they would not become the boy’s allies either. Buiolli was unaffected. He might be an untrustworthy ally to the sea monster, but he was a villain by choice. Giorgio was still outnumbered, one boy against two grown men. He gripped the hook in his sweaty hand and prepared for their attack.

Before they could charge him, they saw the seas around the pier boil and froth. Shadowy figures breached from the water and something struck the policeman, sending his weapon flying.

They were surrounded by sea monsters. They wore what at first seemed the armor of an ancient Roman, with a close fitting helmet and a short spear, but as he looked closer, he saw it was made from sharkskin. They approached, weapons pointed at Anguilla. One stepped up next to Giorgio and placed a golden scaled claw on his shoulder, “Are you all right, ragazzo?”

“Ah...si. I’m okay, who are you?”

“Portorosso isn’t the only town with neighbors in the sea. Your friend sent us. He heard your Song, as did we just now. We’re here to help.”

“That’s right!” snarled Anguilla, “You heard his Voice. He’s a puppetmaster, a human one! Silence him or he’ll steal your mind.”

“It’s true, son. You have the Odu sK’antinno. The Voice of Command. It’s rare enough in our kind, and rarer in humans. You could force any sea monster to your will, even your friend. With enough practice you could do the same to us all. Do you want to?”

“No! Luca is my friend and I wouldn’t betray his trust anymore than he would mine.”

“Good. It proves he was right to trust you. The Odu sK’antinno is the source of much of the conflict between our two peoples, but it can be the canal that connects our oceans.” He turned to a red scaled female, “The criminal is captured. Go get the others.”

The sea woman returned with Giorgio’s father and his friends. Luca was in his fish form and rushed to him with a damp hug. The rest of the kids joined them, babbling their relief to see him unharmed. Ispecttore Garibaldi stepped forward to shake the golden sea monster’s hand, “This is him then? Francesi’s killer and my son’s kidnapper?”

“Yes. He committed his crimes on land, and should face human justice. But before he can, we must take his Voice.”

“You can do that?”

“Not I, your son and his friend. A human and a sea monster working together can take the Odu sK’antinno from him. He has proven himself unworthy to wield such power.”

Chapter Text

Quanta fretta! Ma dove corri? Dove vai?
Se ci ascolti per un momento, capirai
Lui è il gatto ed io la volpe, stiamo in società
Di noi ti puoi fidare

Luca and Giorgio sat across from each other, eyes locked together as they sang. It was a contest of wills. Luca could control any human with his Siren’s Voice and Giorgio had discovered he could now do the same to any sea monster. They were each vulnerable to the other, but they were each resistant too. The legend was true. Singing increased the power of the Voice, but it also served as a defence.

Noi scopriamo talenti e non sbagliamo mai
Noi sapremo sfruttare le tue qualità
Dacci solo quattro monete e ti iscriviamo al concorso
Per la celebrità

They felt the power of the music as they dueled for control. The winner would take that control for himself and the loser would be at his mercy.

Avanti, non perder tempo, firma qua
È un normale contratto, è una formalità
Tu ci cedi tutti i diritti e noi faremo di te
Un divo da hit parade

Sweat beaded on the boys’ foreheads. The Voice was not effortless, especially when opposed. Someone would fail eventually, though. It was the third song on the album and the farthest they’d gotten yet.

Quanta fretta! Ma dove corri? Dove vai?
Che fortuna che hai avuto ad incontrare noi
Lui è il gatto ed io la volpe, stiamo in società
Di noi ti puoi fidar, di noi ti puoi fidare, di noi ti puoi fidar

Giorgio’s Voice faltered in the last line and Luca grinned with victory. He relaxed and enjoyed his triumph for a moment, then spoke his suggestion: You’ll be stronger next time. It was both a command, and a promise. Giorgio would be stronger the next time they fought. He would both be harder to overshadow, and have a more powerful Voice himself. They had come up with this strategy weeks ago and it worked for all of them. Luca’s other friends lacked the Voice, but every time one succumbed, he would make their minds stronger and harder to dominate. It was the goal of these exercises, that they could never fall victim to another puppetmaster. Now with Giorgio sharing the talent, Luca could receive its benefit as well.

Ezio jotted down his observations in the notebook. With their increased resistance, it was safe now for the friends to hear the Voice. Unless Luca specifically concentrated on them, they would be unaffected. The same was not true for anyone else who might overhear, so this exercise was held in Rosa’s room, away from anyone who might intrude.

The afternoon duel over, the friends listened to the rest of the record, then flipped it back to the A side. Giulia went to move the needle back to the start, but Rosa stopped her, “Wait, I have another record.”

“Beatles? Okay, we can learn English songs too.”

“That’s not why I got it. Supposedly, there’s music in the run out groove. It’s only a matter of time before someone runs out of record to carry his Voice. If I don’t lift the needle, the last song will never actually end.”

Luca nodded, “Good idea, Rosa. I should probably learn an instrument so I can get the benefit without a fonografo, but I would want one I can use underwater too, or at least won’t be damaged by salt water.”

“Do sea monsters play music?”

“Of course, but our instruments don’t work as well on the surface.”

“What kinds of instruments do you use?”

“Signor Branzino plays a sk’eena. It’s this airtight sack with tubes attached, weighted so it can’t float away. You fill it with air, either from the surface or by blowing bubbles into it. Then you release the air over vibrating linguette. It’s meant to imitate the sounds of a dolphin. You have to keep blowing bubbles to keep it filled and I doubt it would work on land.

“There’s also a shark harp. Like the name says, it’s traditionally made from shark’s bones, and set in a frame made from its jaw. It’s a row of thin slats in different lengths so they vibrate when you pluck them with your claw.”

“Why a shark?”

“Their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone, so it’s much more flexible when you pluck it. Sharkbone has a lot of uses. The skin too. The meat has to age for a bit, though, or it tastes really bad.”

Giulia nodded, “Papà said the same thing. Sharks are edible, except for the liver, but you have to soak the meat in milk or it tastes like ammoniaca.”

“Salt water works the same way. We don’t use milk though. No cows in the ocean, and you wouldn’t want to drink whale’s milk if you’re not a whale. It’s also true about the liver. In general, you don’t want to eat the liver of any predator. It can be poisonous, but small amounts are sometimes used as medicine.”

“For what?”

“I don’t actually know, I’m not a guaritore. Nonna might know. She gave me some once. I was really young and I don’t remember what it was for. I’ll ask when we call tomorrow.”

“You know,” said Giorgio, “those sea monsters that captured Anguilla wore sharkskin armor. Were they soldiers or something?”

“They were a town militia. The community that lives near here is larger than the one in Portorosso, but it’s still not large enough for a standing army or full time police force. The militia patrols the area to protect the town from sharks or other dangers. My dad has armor just like it for when it’s his turn to patrol. When I’m old enough, I’ll have a set too.”

“I need to thank them for rescuing me. Especially that bell'uomo with the yellow scales.”

“Signore Tonno. I promised I would keep him informed about the Francesi case. He’s a little worried that Anguilla will reveal too much about the sea monsters.”

“Oh, he doesn’t have to worry about that. When we took that bastardo’s Voice, I planted a suggestion to keep him from talking about the sea folk or the five of us. Buiolli was right about a Siren’s duet. We are very powerful together.”

“We are, but I think by now you could accomplish a feat like that just on your own. Has your father determined why he would kill that poor woman?”

“No, but it doesn’t really matter to the case. They have enough evidence between the crime scene and my kidnapping to put him away forever. From what he was saying, though, I’m pretty sure he was looking for you. He wanted another Siren that he could control, to make himself more powerful.”

Rosa frowned, “I don’t want to waste another thought on that coglione. Giulia, put the Beatles record on.”

They listened to the album and as the last song on that side played, Luca looked up, “That instrument...does anyone know what it is?”

“You mean the calliope? The one that sounds like a baby pipe organ?”

“No, the one that sounds like metal bells being struck.”

“Probably a campanelli, why?”
It sounds like it’s a percussion instrument with multiple tones. Sea monsters don’t work metal, but there’s an instrument that uses an array of pieces of jetsam from the human boats. It sounds a lot like that. If I had one that was deliberately tuned, I might be able to use it underwater.”

Chapter Text

Alberto gazed out over the water, bright green eyes hidden by the reflective lenses of his sunglasses. He smiled a little to see the children playing on the beach and in the shallows. It was a much more colorful sight these days. Almost a quarter of them sported scales in every color of the rainbow. Away from the water, the scales were gone, but Alberto could see the distinctive green of seaweed woven cloth, marking the sea folk in their human guises.

It was good to see them all playing together, human and monster alike. He hoped that they would grow up to think of their neighbors as just another kind of people, but it did mean that the bagnini had to be even more careful of roughhousing than usual. Sea monster children had to be gentle with their human friends in the water. Humans still couldn’t breathe underwater and even a child’s claws could scratch tender human skin.

Not that the responsibility was only on the monsters’ side, though. Human skin was softer than scales, but they could easily tear the delicate fins of their aquatic friends. Their sensitive snouts could be hurt by a careless elbow, and their deep water adapted eyes were vulnerable to bright lights. Twice already since the monsters started coming, Alberto had to confiscate mirrors from people trying to use them against the reef dwellers.

Yes, it was true. Not every resident of Portorosso was enamored of their amphibious neighbors. Alberto had found harpoons lodged in the door of the pescheria and fishhooks on the seat of his bicycle. Even the Aragostas, those nice old ladies on the hill, had found nets strung across their walkway. The most serious incident had been a fisherman spreading chum over where he suspected the sea monster village was, hoping to attract sharks. The trick backfired. Not only did the malicious prankster fail to locate the village, one of the sharks he attracted attacked his boat, damaging the rudder. The fisherman was stranded among the gathering predators, and to his shame, had to be rescued by the sea monsters themselves.

After this incident, Poliziotta Maggiore made it known that she considered the protection of the Law to extend to the sea and that harassment of the sea monsters would be treated the same as with any other resident. This did not stop Ercole from swaggering up to Alberto’s lifeguard chair and making snide comments about the fishy smell emanating from the beach.

“It’s the ocean, Ercole. It’s supposed to smell like fish.”

“I’m not talking about the water, fish boy!” he snapped, “I’m talking about these...these..”

“These nice people trying to enjoy the most pleasant day we’ve had here since last autunno?”

“They’re not even people! They’re monsters like you.”

“Hmm, and yet, here they are. Enjoying this wonderful day with their human friends. And here you are, sputtering and stewing in your own anger like a catfish in a pan. Which of you do you think is having a better time?”

Alberto glanced down at the young man by his chair, and returned to watching the children play in the water. Ercole’s face was noticeably red and blowing up like a puffer fish. It was amusing to watch, but if he actually managed to give himself an aneurysm or something, Alberto would have to administer first aid. Not a prospect he looked forward to.

Farther out into the water, some splashing caught his eye. He stood up and lifted his binoculars to his face. No, it wasn’t a swimmer in distress after all. Actually, it was Ciccio. Nothing to worry about there. The boy was probably the best swimmer in the ocean today, at least among those lacking fins and a tail. He was with another swimmer, though. A female sea monster in brick red scales with tall, spiny, gray fins. The two of them were laughing and splashing at each other playfully. He saw the boy catch her hand, draw her to him and plant a kiss on her scaly cheek.

Alberto grinned widely, “Looks like Ciccio found a friend. He has good taste, she’s a lovely young sirena. I hope they hit it off.”

Ercole sputtered in horror and disgust, “Sirena! You mean he’s dating a sea monster?”

“I certainly hope so. He’s been feeling like a tag-along ever since Guido started seeing Eduardo. At least now they can double date.”

Alberto was happy for them both. Eduardo was a friend too, one of the other lifeguards that protected this beach. He remembered, though, how jealous he had been over Luca and Giulia’s growing friendship and felt a little sorry for Ciccio when Guido started to date. To be fair, Ciccio handled the situation a lot better than Alberto had. Of course, he had plenty of other friends too, now. Including Alberto himself.

From his perch, Alberto saw the third lifeguard arrive for her shift. He smiled. He enjoyed baiting Ercole, but Martina could verbally flay the boy to his bones. She had no patience for his arrogance and bigotry, and had told him once that the sea monsters might not want to eat him, but something would. The next time he touched her breast, she would carve him up for fish bait.

“Martina’s coming over. Do you want to stay and say hello...chum?”

Ercole looked up in panic, “N-no, I really should be going. I’m a busy man, I can’t stay and laze around on the beach all day like some people. Ciao, fish boy.” He scuttled off like an overgrown crab.

Martina waved to Alberto and jogged across the sand to meet him, “Did I just see that snake, Ercole, slithering off?”

“I think you scare him. I swear, when it comes to that boy, your claws are sharper than mine.”

“He deserves it. Did I tell you I caught him smuggling in gallons of bleach yesterday? I think he was planning to use them on the sea folk.”

Alberto scowled, “That could be dangerous, and not just to us.”

“Well, I confiscated it all. The clinic can use it to sterilize equipment. Which reminds me, Dr, Ragusa asked if he could talk to one of the sea folk’s healers. He thinks that with so many Visitors, it’s only a matter of time before there’s an emergency outside human medicine’s experience.”

“Easily done. I’m sure Nonna Paguro would be happy to speak with him. I’ll mention it to her.”

“Thanks, oh...why is she Nonna Paguro? I thought she was Daniela’s mother.”

“She is. Sea monsters take the wife’s name, not the husband’s. Lorenzo’s original surname was Piovra. He has an unmarried brother that still uses it.”

“So Scorfano was your mother’s name?”

“I honestly don’t know. My father never mentioned having another name before he met her, but...well, we didn’t talk a lot, even before she died.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave an affectionate squeeze, “So anyway...have you met Ciccio’s new girlfriend yet?”

“Red scales, gray fins? No, not yet. You?”

“Yeah, Arianna Gambero. We met yesterday. She seems nice.” She grinned mischievously, “So when do we start calling him Ciccio Gambero?”

“Not until they kiss for real. Then they’re fair game.”

Chapter Text

"Ispettore Garibaldi, you have a visitor. An Erik Tonno? He says he knows you.”

“Show him in, please.”

The man was unfamiliar, with a solid, athletic build and blond hair. He seemed to know Garibaldi, though, and greeted him respectfully, “Buon giorno, Ispettore. I see you don’t recognise me yet. The last time we met, I was dressed differently.” He smiled, “And I was yellow.”

“Santa Maria! The sea monster. I owe you a great deal, signor. You helped bring a very dangerous man to justice. And you saved my son. That is a debt I could never repay.”

“Grazie, Ispettore. I came to speak to both of these issues. Anguilla can wait, though. The matter of your son is more important.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that Anguilla was an odu sK’antinno, si? That he once had the ability to control human minds?”

“Yes, Giorgio said as much. But he no longer has this power?”

“No. The boys took it from him at my request. I could not take the chance that he might dominate his jailers and escape. Odu sK’antinno is very rare, and as you might imagine, easy to abuse. It can be a force for good, though. All those who Anguilla enslaved, your son set free.”

“So Giorgio has this power as well? It’s not limited to the sea folk?”

“He does. And his power is far greater than Anguilla’s. The villain could only dominate a single victim at a time. He had spent months collecting slaves. He would capture a target and release them once the suggestion had taken hold.”

“How do you know this? We have not been able to draw any information from the man since his capture.”

“His victims can be made to remember. I have the Voice as well. That is why I came to this city. Like Anguilla, I could hear the emerging Voice of another odu sK’antinno when they Sang for the first time. When they had power, but not the experience to wield it.”

“Giorgio?”

“Not then. He had not yet Sung. Nor had his friend Luca. No, I believe that the Siren I heard was Sister Francesi.”

“Francesi! Then that is why Anguilla killed her?”

“Yes. He and I had the same goal, to contact her and try to convince her to join us. But I would not have slain her if she refused. I would only have made her forget. Without a human Siren to aid me, I could not take the Voice away, but I could limit the damage she could do. Suggested that she dislikes the ocean. Kept her from using her Voice against the sea folk. Warned them that a true Siren lived here. If she proved to be truly evil, a danger to all like Anguilla was, I might have exposed her crimes to someone like yourself and let Justice take its course.”

“How many are you? Should I worry about more Anguillas now? Will my son have to fight them his whole life?”

“Until recently, I knew of only two others. Both were human. One captured me when I was a child, new to my power and ignorant of it. I know then, what your son has gone through. The other heard my Call and came to my rescue. We were far more powerful together than we could ever be alone, and together we defeated the murderer of my family and took his Voice away forever.”

“And your friend?”

“He was a good man, but not a young one. He died twelve years ago. He was like a father to me.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Grazie. After he died, I rejoined sea folk society, but I have always listened for another Siren. A pity that I was too late for Sister Francesi. I have talked to her friends. She was a good woman. We could have accomplished much together.”

“And what of my son?”

“I do plan to talk to him, with your permission, but I am satisfied that he can be trusted. Both him and Paguro. It is good that they found each other, and that they were friends before and after they discovered this power. They will strengthen each other and also serve as a check, to keep them on Cod’s path. Even if they disagree as to where that path should lead.”

“Then you intend to teach them to use this power?”

“If they choose to accept my tutelage. They have done well already, but I can teach them what I know. For one thing, I can hear their experiments from the ocean. I suspect Anguilla could as well, which is why he was so desperate to capture Luca, and why he mistook Giorgio for him. I can teach them how to be silent to any other Siren, and how to Call to each other. Captain Andersen and I could use the Voice to converse from many leagues away, even if I was below the water. It is more versatile than just a weapon.”

“I cannot speak for Luca or signora Marcovaldo, but I think this is a wise offer. You have my permission to speak with Giorgio, and my thanks. So...about the other matter. Giorgio said to tell you that when he and Luca took Anguilla’s Voice, they also forbade him to speak of them or your people. Your secret is still safe.”

“Grazie, the Va’tinni will be pleased to hear this. It was indeed a concern. They also had a request. I know you cannot influence Anguilla’s trial, but they would be grateful if you did not ask for his death. They fear the precedent. There are centuries of ill will between our two people, and as you might imagine, elements within the sea monster community that still hate humans and would make Anguilla a martyr if he were slain.”

“Do not fear that. Capital punishment has been forbidden in Italy since the fall of Il Duce. The Pubblico Ministero is unaware of the unusual nature of the accused and will treat him as any other criminal.”

“Perhaps that is for the best, but if you wish, the Va’tinni has authorized me to offer another option. The sea monsters can jail him in the Deep for as long as necessary.”

“Va’tinni?”

“A council representing the communities throughout the Mediterranean and parts of the Atlantic. There are other va’tinni elsewhere in the world. Sea monster communities are sparsely populated and widely scattered, but we still number in the hundreds of thousands.”

Chapter Text

“Luca, relax. Signora Genesi said we weren’t in trouble. She just said that Principale Clemente wanted to see us after class.”

Giulia laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Luca was not reassured. He gripped his notebook with white knuckles like he was trying to hide behind it. She recognised the gesture as the same way he would sometimes hold his tail when he was nervous.

“But the last time I was called in to see him it was when I hurt Marco. I know I haven’t touched him. I’ve tried my best to avoid him, even in matematica. It hasn’t been easy. I have to bring two copies of my homework in case he’s able to steal one.”

“That only happened once, and Signor Patelli caught him at it. He wouldn’t dare try the same trick again. Anyway, you’re too nice about it. If it were me, I’d tell him to stop bothering me in a way he can’t ignore. You know you could do it. Just one little Song.”

Luca looked around nervously and whispered, “Shh! I can’t do that! I...oh Cod! Could that be it? Could Clemente have found out about the Voice? Does he think I’m using it to cheat somehow? I swear I’ve answered every question fairly. Even that stupid history test! Why do I care when Julius Caesar died? I didn't stab him. I didn’t even eat his salad!”

“Luca, you’re panicking.”

“Of course I’m panicking! It’s the logical response to this situation. I’m being sent to il principale and I don’t even know what I did!”

“Maybe you didn’t do anything. Maybe he’s gonna tell you that he’s finally expelling Marco. Wouldn’t that be nice?

“I don’t want him expelled. I just want him to not pick on me. He’s actually pretty smart. If he wasn’t just so angry all the time, I think we could get along.”

“He put a fish hook on your chair.”

“And the school nurse got it out with only a little blood. Hey, it wasn’t a harpoon, right? Look, I’ve had to deal with Ercole. At least Marco hasn’t actually tried to murder me.”

“Someone tried to kill you?” Ezio joined them, “I know you said that Portorosso was dangerous, but I thought you meant just from the fishermen.”

Luca shrugged and Giulia was grateful for the distraction, “The town was a lot less hostile once they realized we were intelligent. Ercole was different. He knew us as humans first and hated us then. Killing a sea monster was just an excuse. I mean, he couldn’t possibly have missed the fact that we were just people with scales. He saw us both transform and chased us down while we were all riding bicycles.”

The three friends arrived at the Principal’s office. To Luca it seemed that the door loomed larger than usual, “Hey, Ezio, I don’t suppose you know what this might be about?”

“We’ll find out in a minute. It can’t be too bad or he would have sent Signora Rinaldi to fetch us.”

He opened the door and there stood the Assistant Principal. Rinaldi’s face was carefully blank, “Ah, here you are. I was about to come looking for you. I was concerned you might not have gotten the message. Il Principale will see you now.”

Luca gave a quiet little squeak and clutched his notebook tighter. Giulia rolled her eyes and pushed past them both to knock on Principale Clemente’s door. She opened it and shooed the boys inside before the Principal had a chance to respond.

Clemente was at his desk, of course. Their science teacher, Signor Patelli, was seated in front of him. Clemente rose, and gestured to three empty chairs, “Buon pomeriggio ragazzi. Please have a seat. Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.”

Signor Patelli gave a sour look, “No, Luca, this isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”

Clemente shook his head, “I can’t blame you either. You didn’t know yet. Neither did I at the time. The secret is out now, though, and the most important thing is to keep Luca safe.”

The young sea monster seemed to shrink further and Giulia cut over Ezio’s exclamation to demand, “What happened? Did someone outside the school find out about sea monsters?”

“I’m afraid so. When you submitted your paper on sea monster biology, Patelli had not yet heard about Luca’s aquatic nature and didn’t realize that your subject was a student here. Patelli was so impressed with your research that he showed it to a friend from University. He showed it to his professor who recognized it as a new species, but not as an intelligent one. Doctor Bellocci is coming soon. He wants you to show him where you found these sea creatures so he can capture a specimen for further study. Obviously, we can’t allow this.”

“Bellocci!?” Ezio exclaimed. He sighed and sank back in his chair, “No, we can’t. It’s too bad, though.”

Giulia looked at him curiously, “You’ve heard of him then?”

“You kind of know him too. He was one of the authors of this year’s biology textbook. I’ve also seen him mentioned in Il Giornale di Biologia Marina a few times. We share the same first name, so of course I noticed him.”

Curious, Luca opened his textbook and flipped to the marine biology section. Sure enough, the editor was listed as Ezio Bellocci. “W-we could talk to him, I suppose. We wouldn’t want him to think Signor Patelli was lying...or that we were and fooled him. What has he actually seen? Could we convince him that we were studying an ordinary sea creature?”

Patelli looked thoughtful, “It was the report on your swimming mechanics. The one with the speed trials and the sketches Giulia made of your fins and tail. You couldn’t pass it off as a dolphin or shark...but I suppose...if you told him it was some kind of eel...That’s what I thought it was when you first submitted it.”

Luca frowned, “The only eels close to my size would be conger or moray. They don’t chase down their prey in open water, so why would we care what their swimming speed is? Oh! That’s why Bellocci is interested. He thinks we’ve discovered an eel that hunts like a shark instead of ambushing prey from a hole in the reef.”

“Is there such a creature?” Ezio asked.

“Not in the Mediterranean. There’s one that lives farther north in the Atlantic, but I don’t know what a k’nyss would be doing this far south. This water is much too warm.”

“What’s a k’nyss?”

“I don’t know what humans call it. They can live in freshwater or salt and get up to six meters long. Mostly eat small fish, but I wouldn’t want to fight one.”

“Could we come up with a good story about how we spotted one? If they’re not normally native, it could explain why it’s not there anymore.”

“Oh, that’s easy!” said Giulia, “I spotted it. I’ve been taking scuba lessons. I was out by the reef and saw it swimming. That’s how we knew how fast it was. I got a good look at its tail and fin, but not much else. As long as he keeps away from the sea monster town, he can look for it for as long as he wants.”

Luca nodded, “That could work. The sea monsters don’t live near the reef. Too many humans there. The town is in deep water well away from the noisy shipping lanes. I’ll see if anyone there has seen a k’nyss first hand. Best case scenario is that Bellocci knows what it is and thinks it’s just a displaced animal. I don’t like lying to him, but…”

“But the last thing we want is for him to hurt some poor innocent sea monster. You can just stay out of the water for as long as he’s here. We can’t make the whole town do that.”

Chapter Text

Luca swam through the dark, murky water. Back in Portorosso, his family had always lived in the sunlit shallows by the reef, but Genova del Mare was in far deeper waters, hidden in a shadowy crevasse at the edge of the mesopelagic zone. A twilight world even on the sunniest days, where his echolocation was of more use than his eyes. It was no hardship. Luca could tolerate far deeper water than this. Still, as he approached the forbidding chasm, he repressed a shudder that had nothing to do with the water temperature.

He passed a patrol of sharkskin armored sentinels who recognized and greeted him respectfully. As an odu sK’antinno, Luca was the closest thing to royalty that the sea monsters had, a fact that he still wasn’t used to. Honestly, he didn’t think he ever would be. He could hear the clicks and whispers of the guards as he swam on and knew that they were speculating on his presence, their voices hushed in awe.

He turned a corner and saw the city spread out before him. Bioluminescent jellyfish and corals cultivated for that purpose outlined the rift like underwater stars. It was a beautiful sight, and one which no human had ever seen.

He spoke, “It’s Luca, sir, can I speak with you?” and saw the ripple in the water from his words. The ways of the Siren’s Voice were strange sometimes. It was a sound and not a sound. The message was for Signor Tonno, and only he would be able to hear it. The response was immediate, Velkommen, Luca, come in. and those brief words were enough to show the boy exactly which of those glowing lights marked Signore Tonno’s home.

Signor Tonno gestured the boy inside as soon as he arrived and introduced him to his wife, Emilia, and their two boys, eight year old Moreno, and Ettore, a guppy barely out of his first molt and still showing the occasional silver scale amongst the mauve, “Our daughter, Giana, will be home shortly. She inherited my odu sK’antinno and is with the va’tinni helping them talk to their counterparts in the Aegean. It’s one of the tricks I want to teach you and Giorgio. He’s currently the only human with the Voice that I’m aware of, but between him and the late Sister Francesi, it may be that the talent is on the rise again.”

“I wondered about that. Could my Voice have been triggered by hearing hers? Can that happen? One Voice creating another? Giorgio never showed any signs of it before Anguilla captured him, and we had been experimenting with mine for weeks.”

“I wouldn’t say no signs. I could hear that there were multiple new Voices in Genova. Francesi caught my attention last summer, but then in Ottobre, I started hearing fragments of two other emerging odu. Like Anguilla, I was scouring the city looking for you all. A pity that he found you first.”

“Ottobre? That’s before the incident at the church. I met Giorgio in Settembre. Maybe we triggered each other? I know that in our experiments, he was always the hardest one to hypnotize.”

“Perhaps. It seems to be an inborn trait otherwise. No human I’ve ever used it on has developed a Voice of their own, and hundreds of k’tos have heard my Voice and the only other odu in this city is my daughter. Genova del Mare is one of the largest communities in the Mediterranean, the largest in Liguria and second only to Skyros sti Thálassa in the Aegean.”

“Even so, you must admit that sea monster populations are small compared to human ones. This city isn’t that much bigger than Portorosso.”

“True. Even Na’uur, the largest sea monster city in the world, has a population of under a half million. Na’uur is on the other side of the Atlantic, off the Brazilian coast. It’s thousands of years old, but even Genova della Terra is larger.”

“You’ve been there?”

“A few years ago. I’m originally from Savanger fra Havet in the North Sea. The humans call the area Norge or Norway. The community is sadly gone now. It was attacked by a human Siren seeking to use the k’tos to help fight his war. Most of the survivors moved to Scotland. They call us selkies there, and for the most part leave us alone.”

“The North Sea? Have you ever seen a k’nyss?”

“Oh, yes. They’re pretty shy, though. Why?”

“I have a problem. My science teacher accidently let slip that there were unusual sea creatures in the local waters. There’s a professor from l'Istituto di Oceanografia who’s coming to investigate. We don’t think he knows what he’s looking for, just that it’s something new. We thought we could trick him into looking for k’nyss over by the reef. As far as we can tell, humans don’t know about them at all.”

“Not a bad notion. They normally like colder water, but Gibraltar is within their winter range. A lost k’nyss would be unusual here, but not impossible. I assume you want information you can feed the professor to support your story?”

“Not me, I’m a terrible liar. Giulia’s the one who saw the k’nyss. I’m plan-B: use the Voice on him. I don’t want to, though. He’s an honest scientist and this would muddy his research.”

“Hmm, I suppose then, the best solution is a real k’nyss.”

“A real one?”

“Min kjære gutt, you need to understand. You, and I mean you, personally, are the most dangerous creature in the sea. When is this professor coming?”

“Two weeks.”

“By then every k’nyss still in Portuguese or Spanish waters will be headed towards Liguria. You can Command more than humans, you know.”

Chapter Text

Three sea monsters rose up from the ocean to join the children gathered on the beach.
They knew Luca, of course, and recognized the golden scaled one as Giorgio’s rescuer. He shook the water from his scales to reveal a blond haired man who greeted them politely, “Buon pomeriggio ragazzi!” He indicated the third sea monster, a female about Luca’s size with scales of a deep red-orange, “This is my daughter, Giana. She too is an odu sK’antinno.”

The young sea monster shrank back nervously. Luca laid a gentle claw on her shoulder, “It’s okay, these are my friends. They would never hurt you.” She emerged from the water, but nearly collapsed from the unfamiliar weight.

Luca caught her before she could fall, “Oh, first time on land, right?” She nodded, “Don’t worry, I had to learn this too. It’s easy once you get the hang of it. Walking is just like swimming.”

Giulia waded out to them and helped Luca support the young siren, “Hey, don’t worry. Even humans have to learn this stuff, you know. It takes babies just a couple of years to figure it out.”

The girl giggled, and between them they managed to show her how to walk on the land and maneuver without a tail as the rest of the kids encouraged her. Her father watched them affectionately. It would be good for the girl to be making human friends.

“Giana is learning to control her powers too. She can already communicate at a distance, but I haven’t taught her hypnosis yet.”

“Luca hypnotises us all the time,” said Giulia, “I could let you if you need a human to practice on.”

“You would trust me for that?”

“I trust Luca. And your father too. If they vouch for you, that’s good enough for me.”

Giorgio nodded, “And I could break it at any time if there’s a problem. It was the first thing I learned.”

*******

“If you thought a duet was powerful, you’ll love a chorus.” Tonno gazed out over the wide expanse of ocean. “I’ve actually never tried it, myself, but I’ve heard there were four odu sK’antinno in Na’uur at one time and they could reputedly affect the entire Atlantic. There’s four of us here now, we should at least reach Iberia.”

Giana looked at her father curiously, “I just talked to someone in the Aegean yesterday.”

Signor Tonno shook his head, “You talked to another odu. I can reach Australia if there’s someone there who can hear it. What we’re doing today is different. I’m going to show you how to summon and control an animal. Humans, and in Giorgio’s case, k’tos, have intelligence. They can resist if they realize what you’re doing, but once you’ve penetrated their minds, their own reasoning ability will help you maintain control. Any command you give them, they will find a reason to obey.

“Animals don’t have intelligence, they have instinct. You have to first contact their minds like you would a person’s, but then convince them that your desires are in line with their own instincts. Let’s be honest here, what we do is Mind Control. We steal the minds of our victims and force them to act against their wills for our own benefit. This is a somewhat more ethical exercise of our powers, especially since you can’t make an animal act against its nature. A shark is a predator. It will always want to eat, but you can tell it that you’re not edible and there is better food elsewhere.”

He turned to Giorgio, “Did you bring it?” The boy produced half a loaf of bread. “We’re going to start with something easy: feeding birds.” He took a slice and tore it into small pieces which he scattered across the beach. A dozen seagulls appeared and immediately began squabbling for the treats.

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs"

"Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry, their nests are so bare
All it takes is tuppence from you"

"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
Feed the birds", that's what she cries
While overhead, her birds fill the skies

All around the cathedral, the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares

Though her words are simple and few
"Listen, listen", she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag"

By the time the first verse ended, the seagulls had stopped fighting and lined up in a neat row before the singing Siren. He made them parade in front of him and wait in turn as he fed a scrap of bread to each. The children were delighted and copied him. Singing to the docile birds and feeding them one at a time. The flock grew until the bread was gone, then Tonno released them back into the sky.

“Good work, ragazzi. Now that we’re warmed up, we’re going to try something more ambitious. We’re going to summon the k’nyss. Before we do, though, I want you to tell me why we shouldn’t. Just because we can do something, it doesn’t mean we should. It’s our responsibility to not use our powers to bring harm to others unless it’s truly necessary. So, is there anyone who could be hurt by this?”

Luca raised a hand, “Um...introducing another predator to the area...could a k’nyss harm one the sea folk...or a fisherman? What about the prey fish? Could they eat enough to harm the local population?”

Tonno nodded, satisfied, “A good question. K’nyss are opportunistic predators and typically eat small fish and crabs. Their favorite food, though, is carrion. They use their long eel-like bodies to enter the carcasses of dead whales. They are in turn preyed upon by other large predators such as sharks. Only the largest of sharks will attack a full grown k’nyss, though. The risk posed is not that the k’nyss will eat someone, but that nothing in the bay will eat them. I would not suggest summoning a school of great white sharks to do so.”

Luca frowned, “If they prefer colder water, won’t they leave in the spring?”

“They might. They only come this far south to breed. When the season is over, they’ll try to swim north again. Since their home ocean is to the west, some would likely try the local rivers instead. If they remain, they could establish a breeding population here. Is this a good thing or not?”

“Probably not. They’re out of place. And chasing them back to the Atlantic would be exhausting for them.”

“They’re used to long migrations. It would disrupt the mating cycle, though.”

“Do they mate for life, or raise the babies as a pair?” asked Rosa.

“No, the males will compete with each other, but a single male might father multiple children if he’s lucky. The female gives live birth but abandons them shortly after.”

“Then there will inevitably be extra males, the losers of the competitions. Can you target just them?”

“Ah, perfect. Yes, if we tell them there’s available mates here, the frustrated males would be willing to attempt the journey. There won’t be, of course, but the greater availability of food here will give them an advantage for next year. They would be well paid for their service.”

He smiled proudly at his students. They had done well, human and k’tos alike, “This is the key to any exercise of Power: Understand your subjects. Command them for their own benefit and not only yours. This was Anguilla’s error. He had slaves, not friends or allies, and it made him weak. Your friends are your strength, Voiced or not.”

He turned to gaze out on the bay, “There has not been a Working this great in nearly a century. It is rare for so many odu to be in one place. I have confidence we can accomplish it though. We all have a part to play. I have seen k’nyss before and am familiar with their ways. I can locate them, but alone, I could not reach them at this distance. Giana has plenty of experience in contacting a distant target but she can only affect a single mind at a time. Luca and Giorgio have proven themselves able to overshadow dozens at a time but have never seen a k’nyss. Even the four of us together would exhaust ourselves affecting so many minds at such a distance. Fortunately, we have help. We will all sing together.”

He chucked slyly, “Now remember: to the k’nyss, we are a bed of unattached females, looking forward to meeting some handsome young eels.”

Somewhere beyond the sea
Somewhere waiting for me
My lover stands on golden sands
And watches the ships that go sailin'

Somewhere beyond the sea
She's there watching for me
If I could fly like birds on high
Then straight to her arms
I'd go sailing

It's far beyond the stars
It's near beyond the moon
I know beyond a doubt
My heart will lead me there soon

We'll meet beyond the shore
We'll kiss just as before
Happy we'll be beyond the sea
And never again I'll go sailing

I know beyond a doubt, ah
My heart will lead me there soon
We'll meet (I know we'll meet) beyond the shore
We'll kiss just as before
Happy we'll be beyond the sea
And never again I'll go sailing

The singers were flushed from their efforts, but with the backing of their friends, exhilarated rather than exhausted, “Excellent work, ragazzi! We should meet again in a few days to be sure, but I think the k’nyss should begin to arrive in about a week. Then it’s just a matter of keeping them and the professor away from Genova del Mare and your visitor will have his pick of subjects to study.”

Giorgio grinned, “That was fun! I could feel the k’nyss as they swam. Almost like I was there with them. There were about a dozen of them in total. I think we’ve earned a treat after all that work, though. Giana? Have you ever tried tiramisu?”

Chapter Text

Doctor Bellocci shook hands with each of the children in turn. He was a little surprised. Only three of them had been listed on the paper that he’d seen: Ezio Luzzatti, Luca Paguro and Giulia Marcovaldo. But another boy, introduced as Giorgio, and a pair of girls, Giana and Rosa, had joined them. They all showed him their notebooks, filled with observations of the creatures’ behavior, far more detailed than the simple swimming data that had piqued his interest. He was impressed. His own research assistants couldn’t have done better.

The Paguro boy’s observations were especially detailed, almost as if he had caught one of the creatures and was able to examine it scale by scale. That was clearly impossible, though. A wild animal would never allow novice divers like them so close. The children had also managed to produce some photographs, all from above the water, of course. Even a high quality school like this one couldn’t be expected to have an ocean capable camera lying around.

Well, the school might not have such a camera, but Bellocci had arrived well equipped. It had been a few years since he had strapped on a tank and taken to the water himself, but it would be worth it to be able to observe this new fish. It apparently was a new fish too. The children and their teacher had interviewed local fishermen who swore no such creature had ever been observed in these waters before. Perhaps it would prove to be something familiar, albeit displaced, but even from the photographs, Bellocci could not recognize it as any sea creature he was familiar with. An eel larger than a moray that seeks out prey instead of taking them by ambush? Unheard of.

Ezio spoke up. Bellocci had been a little amused to find he shared a name with the boy, and that he was familiar to him for that reason, “Now, before we bring you to the reef, we have a couple of requests. First of all, we don’t want to harm the creatures. From what we’ve observed, they seem shy and harmless, at least to people. They’re also either so rare that nobody’s ever seen them before, or they’re lost. I would hate to find out that we discovered them only to watch them go extinct. So no hunting. The other thing is a little selfish. We’d like some credit. you're the professor, so if you publish, your name will be on top, but the rest of us would like to be able to show this to a university some day.”

Bellocci chuckled, “Understandable. Don’t worry, you’re all going to be cited as research assistants at least. I would also like to use your notebooks as an appendix. They’re very good.”

The boy nodded, “I think that would be acceptable. Let’s show you the reef, then.”

*****

The Marcovaldo girl introduced him to Capitano Marchesi and Luigi, their diving instructor. “Oh, yes, Giulia has been an excellent student. They all have, really. Luca swims like he was born in the water.”

Bellocci glanced over to the boy in question. He was gazing out at the water and humming softly. The child had been quiet for most of the professor’s visit. Ah well, some children were just naturally shy. He did seem to have a habit of humming quietly to himself sometimes. It was a harmless habit, and Bellocci found it oddly relaxing to hear. (Wait, what was I thinking about? Wasn’t there another girl here earlier? There’s Giulia and Rosa. Wasn't there another? She must have stayed behind on the dock.)

Bellocci shook his head, “So have you seen this mysterious sea creature, Captain?”

“Oh, yes. It fled from me, but I’ve seen it a few times. Just when the kids are here, though. They seem to have a knack for finding it.”

“I’m sure it’s just shy.” noted Giorgio. Yes, that was probably it. It’s not like the creatures could be deliberately seeking the children out. Let alone the idea that they could somehow attract them.

Capitano Marchesi brought the boat to an unremarkable stretch of ocean just off the reef. Ezio gestured vaguely, “This is the area where we’ve been seeing the k’nyss.”

“That’s what you’ve been calling it?”

“It kind of reminded Giorgio of that monster that’s supposed to live in Scotland, so we were calling it the quasi-kin-to-nessie, or k’nyss for short.”

“Hmm, well, it wouldn’t be the first animal to be named after a mythical beast. It’ll get a real latin name once we prove it exists and determine where it belongs taxonomically.” He gave the camera one last inspection and reached for his tank. Until he determined what it really was, “ka-ness” was as good a name as any. Odd, though, that he didn’t name it something that sounded more italian. The way he spoke the name gave it a little click after the first syllable. Almost like…

No…it wasn’t possible.

They said they were taking diving lessons.

“So are you all diving with me?” he asked casually.

The kids had already started to pull out the gear. “Giulia has her own scuba suit.” Ezio answered, “The dive class has two others in our size, so we share. Luca and I will stay up here with the captain.”

“Will you trade off then? The two of you take your turns later?”

“No, we’re good. We want to give you plenty of time to look for the k’nyss. We figured you’d be down there until your oxygen started getting low. We’ll have plenty of other chances.”

“Hmm, if you’re sure. I’m sure my research budget could handle a couple more dive suit rentals if Capitino could obtain them.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We don’t mind. I’m actually saving up for a suit of my own.”

The divers entered the water. The girls’ forms were perfect, as were the more experienced adults’, but Giorgio had only been learning for a few weeks and his technique was still a little shaky. Luigi was the last in line and made him watch as he demonstrated the proper form. Bellocci thought he heard a splash from the other side of the boat. A fish perhaps? Or something else.

The professor checked over his camera again and followed after the children. They led him to a reef teeming with red and yellow coral overlooking a forest of seagrass. It was a lovely spot, worth the trip even if no k’nyss appeared today. He did see some movement in the seagrass, though. A fairly large fish of some sort was hidden there. Could it be the k’nyss? His perusal of the kids’ notebooks made no mention of such behavior, but they couldn’t have observed everything the animal was capable of. Even an experienced researcher like himself would never make such a claim.

Giulia gestured to him to catch his attention, then pointed off to his left. He saw movement. A pod of dolphins? No, behind the dolphins, a long, undulating shadow. It dove behind an outcropping of rock. Giulia signed to him not to move. The shadow darted out from behind the rock to seize a large crab. It was about fifty meters away now, slate gray with large, platelike scales and a pale belly. It was eel-like, but not an eel. The fins were all wrong. They were lobed rather than ray finned like a proper eel. The mouth seemed smaller than usual, too. The kids all produced wax tablets and styli, and began taking notes and sketching. A clever solution to the problem of writing underwater.

Bellocci was better equipped than that, though, and took several pictures. The k’nyss accommodated them, ignoring the swimmers and continuing to feast on the hapless crabs. The professor was excited. It was undoubtedly a new creature, not part of any existing taxonomy of eels.

He frowned behind his mask. That bothered him and he couldn’t think why. A new sea creature unknown to the discipline. Sarcopterygii were very rare. Most of the lobe finned fishes were extinct, known only through fossils. The only one known to still swim the ocean was the African coelacanth, discovered as recently as 1938. To find another was a great discovery. So what was the problem? The coelacanth had survived the Cretaceous, why not another?

Bellocci glanced over to where Giulia was sketching the creature’s small head. She was a decent artist, a fact he knew well from the report that drew him here. He turned his attention back to the feeding quasi-eel. It finished the crab and with a lazy flip of the tail, undulated back out to the deeper ocean, its mottled gray scales disappearing into the dark water.

The tail. That’s what was wrong. The creature’s tail was lobed like its fins, with a thick, fleshy tip fringed above and below with short fin rays. That wasn’t how the report had shown it. The diagram of the creature’s fins was very detailed and showed that it had a dorsal that extended down the length of its tail, but only on the dorsal side. Soft spined, but clearly ray-finned. Not unusual for some eels, but not the fish that he just observed. Either the girl was far less observant than he thought, or this was another fish entirely. Two different eel-like predators newly arrived?

Unless…there was another possibility.

Ezio had been one of the original authors of the report, and was clearly well read about marine biology to have recognized Bellocci’s name. Yet, the boy didn’t insist on being one of the divers today. It all fit. The creature described in the report wasn’t this fish, but it did remind him of another. He had to get back to the boat.

Always the professional, he swam over to the outcropping to photograph the area where the k’nyss was sighted. He found some broken shells of the crabs it had eaten, but no other evidence. He signaled to the other divers that he was returning to the boat. The dive wasn’t so deep that decompression stops were necessary, so it wasn’t long before he was climbing up to the deck.

Ezio was helping Bellocci stow his gear and the camera. The others were starting to come up out of the water, but it was the perfect opportunity. “Does the captain know? Or Luigi?” he asked quietly.

Ezio looked confused, “About the k’nyss? Of course. they’ve seen it too.”

“Not the k’nyss. The one from that report you helped write. It’s not the same creature.”

The boy’s eyes widened in panic, “Of…of course it is.”

Bellocci flicked a drop of water from his damp suit onto the boy’s cheek. No change. “Not you then. And Luigi said he’d seen Luca swim. It’s the girl, isn’t it? The one we ‘left on the dock?’ That was her watching us from the sea grass. She’s a k’tos.”

Chapter Text

“No, I understand how it is. You met a creature out of legend. A mermaid, for all intents and purposes. You think she’s your friend, and for now, at least, you’re right. But never forget that she’s a k’tos, a sea monster. More deadly than any shark in the ocean. They can’t be trusted.”

Ezio’s voice firmed, “Giana isn’t a monster, she’s a person. Just…just a person with fins.”

Doctor Bellucci looked grave. “Ezio, what is the most dangerous animal in the world?”

“Um, a tiger maybe? They’re pretty big.”

“You don’t have to be big to be dangerous. The most deadly animal on Earth is a mosquito. Even if it doesn't kill directly, the diseases it spreads have caused more human deaths than any other creature in history. You’re unlikely to come into contact with a tiger. Even in places where they live wild, there are typically fewer than a hundred deaths per year. Attacks by dogs kill thousands. So…of all the animals in the world that are able to kill you, which one is most likely to do it?”

Luca gave a little sigh and whispered, “Humans.”

“Exactly right. The k’tos aren’t dangerous because they’re monsters. They’re dangerous because they’re people. They have claws and teeth, yes, but they also have intelligence. Motives. Jealousies and desires of their own. A shark might try to eat you, but it won’t follow you out of the water and try to find out where you live. It kills, but it doesn’t murder. K’tos can choose to hurt you. That makes them as dangerous as a human. Add to that the fact that they can breathe underwater and survive in nearly any environment, plus the aforementioned deadly teeth and claws. Giana probably won’t try to hurt you. As you say, she’s a friend. But can you say the same for the rest of them? You’re taking a tremendous risk.”

The kids all turned to look at Giorgio. He sighed and shook his head, “I know what an evil k’tos can do, but he was a criminal, and would have been just as dangerous if he were human. Not all people are killers or we wouldn’t have a civilization at all. If intelligence makes the k’tos dangerous, it also makes them reasonable. You can’t talk to a shark…make friends with it. Giana is our friend, and would be with or without the scales.”

“I hope you’re right. I really do. But I thought Tommaso was my friend too. I still have the scar from where he bit me, and I don’t even know what I did to make him attack. Perhaps it’s just this: they’re people, but they’re also not human. Perhaps we can never really understand each other.”

*****

Luca had been unusually subdued on the trip home. The other kids had run the gamut from pensive to angry at the professor for his distrust of the k’tos, but none of them could deny that the sea monsters held the potential for risk. Giorgio’s encounter with Anguilla weighed heavily on their minds and even Signore Tonno had told them that he’d been keeping them secret from the other sea monsters. There were still some k’tos who would feel threatened by the children, especially Giorgio’s Siren ability. Even Luca’s choice to remain on land and go to the human school was only barely tolerated.

“But what if Bellocci’s right? I’ve gotten pretty good at pretending to be human now, but the fact is…I’m not. My instincts are still those of a sea monster. When I get really mad at someone, I don’t think about hitting them, I think about biting.”

Giulia snorted, “You think I’ve never wanted to bite Ercole? Believe me, I have. But I never did, and neither did you. You haven't bitten Marco either, and if anything, he deserves it even more. Ercole at least had the excuse of a lifetime of being afraid of you guys. If Marco actually thought you were dangerous, he wouldn’t have spent the last six months harassing you. We all have instincts, but we’re better than them. That’s what civilization is for right?”

“I suppose so. I wish I knew what happened between the Professor and his friend, though. They must have fought. Bellocci said Tommaso bit him.”

“Yeah…um…do sea monsters usually fight with teeth? Humans are more likely to use fists.”

“Well...yeah. We’d only use fists on land. There’d be no point underwater. My claws would be a much better weapon, even if my opponent also had scales. Besides, the water would slow a punch down too much to be effective. As for teeth, Alberto even bit me once. We were both in human form though. Tommaso must have used his sea monster teeth to leave a scar after all this time.”

Chapter Text

“A language teacher? Why, yes, we could always use another language teacher. What language?”

“He says, and I quote, ‘All of them.”

“What does that mean?”

“Apparently that he can speak and is able to teach any language you could name and quite a few that I’ve never even heard of.”

“Such as?”

“A number of indiginous languages. Any time he finds a native speaker he makes an effort to learn the language. He knows a dozen of them that have only a few hundred speakers left in the world. He’s even willing to teach k’tosi to anyone who wants to learn.”

“What’s ka…? Oh…that chirp…he’s a sea monster.”

“Yes.”

“So no accreditation or official degree. Probably no official record that he was even born.”

“I believe they’re hatched, actually.”

“I don’t care. I’ll take him.”

“Just like that?”

“A sea monster willing to teach human children? Of course. The sea folk won’t stay secret forever. When they finally choose to reveal themselves, it will be the most significant diplomatic event in history. Our students will be the ones to write that history. The legacy of this school will last for all time.”

Chapter Text

Achille Visconti glared at the banner with a sneer of revulsion. An outsider would be hard pressed to guess the reason for his disdain. The flag seemed an innocuous thing, six scalloped stripes in the colors of a rainbow. Indeed, the same flag draped from a number of houses and businesses in the town square, and could be found all over Portorosso. If a tourist noticed them at all, they might assume it was simply a colorful decoration, but Visconti knew what the banner indicated. Every resident did.

The monsters. The flag marked those within as friends and allies to the hideous beasts. The scalloped stripes represented scales and beckoned a welcome in every unnatural color. Visconti scoffed. If only his boy had succeeded in harpooning them, those colorful hides would even now decorate their parlor. Famiglia Visconti had a fine tradition of hunters and the walls already boasted a number of trophies. By rights, the sea monsters’ heads should be up there with the tigers and gorillas. Alas, it was not to be.

It was all that Marsigliese woman’s fault. Ever since the Portorosso Cup race, when she acknowledged those hideous creatures as the winners. He couldn’t really blame the monsters themselves, they were only animals after all. Still, she should have disqualified them the moment they revealed themselves. The race was intended for humans. His son was the rightful champion and the monsters attacked him out of jealousy and spite, costing him his victory. And then, THEN she had the gall to disqualify the boy from future races. Yes, she said it was because he was too old, but Visconti knew the truth. It was an attack on him through his son.

Well, he would have his revenge. Today was the meeting of the board of directors for Giorgio Giorgioni Corp. and Marsigliese was scheduled to speak. No doubt it was a report on next summer’s race. She had been in charge of it too long, and it showed in the decisions she’d made over the last year. He would force a vote to remove her and set up one of his own lackeys to take her place. Signor Giorgioni was old and weak. He would not resist it. He would likely not even be there. He hadn’t attended a meeting in person for close to a year, leaving the operation of the company to its board of directors.

He spotted Marsigliese in the plaza outside the factory and recognized the man she was speaking with as the manager of the nearby fish cannery, Signore De Stafano. Besides the pasta makers, Portorosso was a fishing village. The townsfolk couldn’t possibly eat enough seafood to keep all the fishermen in business so most of the catch went to the cannery for export. Why would the man be here now though?

He strode up to them to catch the end of their conversation, “...is such a good boy…most of the time. I’ll tell you a funny story, though: I once saw him accidentally dump a whole barrel of mackerel into the sea, followed by his father. I think he must underestimate what things weigh on land.”

Marsigliese chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds like him. Signor Baresi caught him dancing on top of the juke-box once. He said he thought that was why it was so big.” She noticed Visconti’s approach, “Oh, buon giorno Signor Visconti. I see that Ercole has his vespa back from the meccanico again.” Out of the corner of his eye, Visconti saw De Stefano roll his eyes and mutter, “Yes, a pity that.” Visconti ignored him.

“So I suppose you’re going to tell us all about next summer’s Cup? I hope you’re taking steps to avoid a disaster like last year’s.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I didn’t think it was necessary before, but I should make it more clear that you can’t throw harpoons at your fellow racers.”

Visconti snarled, “I mean keeping those monsters out of it. They’re dangerous and I don’t want any more children attacked by some beast pretending to be human.”

Marsigliese fixed him with a cool gaze, “If you’re referring to your son’s ‘accident’ before the finish line, it was Giulia who hit him, and he was trying to murder her friends at the time. No, the race is open to any child who wants to compete. Human or otherwise. The only restriction is that sea monsters can’t use their tails to swim. Alberto has already indicated that they intend to race next summer. Giulia will be the one swimming.”

She waved her hand dismissively, “In any case, preparations for the Cup are well on track and there’s nothing that the Board needs to worry about. No, the agenda for today is the opportunity we have to expand into a completely new sales market.”

Visconti blinked, “Outside Europe? Why haven’t I heard about this?”

“Not overseas. Under the sea. The sea folk. They find our pasta delicious, but they can’t cook it underwater. De Stafano and I have been experimenting with canning precooked pasta. It’s a completely untapped market.”

“You can’t be serious!” Visconte spat, “They’re stupid ignorant savages. They don’t even have a concept of money.”

Marsigliese smirked, “It’s clear you’ve never played cards with Nonna Paguro. There’s a reason they call her the Shark, and it has nothing to do with being aquatic. No, it’s true that they have no tradition of currency among themselves, but the ones who come to land pick up the idea pretty quickly.”

Chapter Text

Achille’s face was a careful mask of quiet attentiveness, but inwardly, he seethed. Marsigliese had somehow outmaneuvered him. He had assumed that her presentation to the Board was yet another update of the Portorosso Cup race, but no. She made only a brief mention that the planning was well on track, then launched into a detailed proposal for a line of canned pasta, complete with samples for the board members to try.

Marsigliese hadn’t even mentioned the monsters yet, describing the product as a convenience food marketed to families with children. The proposal was well researched and the pasta itself was delicious. Visconti could see immediately how popular it could become. It could be prepared in only minutes and he knew that lazy housewives would seize the chance to feed their brats quickly and get back to their televisori. That the sea monsters would also enjoy it revolted him, but he saw no way to object without looking foolish and short sighted.

Signore Giorgioni wiped his lips with a linen handkerchief. The great great grandson of the legendary monster hunter turned pasta maker smiled, “Excellent work, Marina. I’ve been looking for opportunities for expansion. Our profits for this last year were quite good, and the timing is perfect for a move such as this.”

Visconti briefly clenched his fist in irritation, though his expression did not flicker. “Our profits?” Giorgioni had all but abandoned the company this past year and the Board had been making all the necessary decisions. Visconti had been exploiting his absence by consolidating his position and gathering allies. Merda! He wasn’t ready yet. If only the old man had stayed away for another six months, Visconti could have engineered his retirement and taken control of the company for himself. It would have been the culmination of a campaign begun over two decades ago with his marriage to the old man’s daughter.

Giorgioni stood, “In fact, I have some news for the Board of my own. I know I haven’t been here for some time, but I haven’t been idle either. I’ve been overseas lining up distributors. We are about to take Giorgioni Foods international.”

The news shocked and delighted the Board. It was a gamble, but success meant tremendous profits for all concerned. Only…hmm, perhaps this could work in his favor after all. “Can we afford a new line of products then? An international market will mean vastly increased production. Retrofitting or constructing new equipment will be expensive. We can’t afford that plus a cannery, can we?”

“Actually, this could work out even better. One of the factories I had considered buying has a cannery already present. I thought of removing that equipment or trying to sell it, but we could use it instead. We could be at full production within eighteen months. Marina, since you’ve done such a good job with this prototype batch, I’d like you to head the new canned pasta line. We’ll need artwork for the label and advertisements.”

“Thank you, sir. I do have a few ideas…also…since we’re going to be designing a new label for the cans, there is one other matter I’d like to bring to the board. I think we should consider updating the packaging for our dry pasta. The expansion to an international market is a good time for a redesign and we can use the same artist for that and the canned pasta. I have a certain artist in mind but I have to talk with her first.”

Giorgioni nodded, “It has been some time since our packaging was last designed. As long as the box is still recognizable as Giorgio Giorgioni Pasta, a more modern look is not a bad notion.”

“What could that woman be playing at?” thought Visconti. If it was a maneuver, it didn’t seem to be directed at him. He had no interest in the packaging. Perhaps she had an artist friend who needed work. Would it be worth the effort to oppose her and rob her of the victory? Probably not. Art didn’t interest him, so he had no alternative artists at the ready. He would first have to find one and then convince the Board that his artist was superior. Marsigliese was a rival, even if she didn’t realize it, but it only made sense to weaken her if it also strengthened him.

Its business completed for the present, the meeting broke up. Visconti tried to corner Giorgioni, but the old man had too many others around him. His return, and the news he brought, gathered a great deal of support, and Visconti felt his plans crumble under him. His mood soured, and he looked out at the plaza.

And saw the fountain.

In a flash, he realized Marsigliese’s plan. For decades the fountain had featured a majestic statue of the company founder and his legendary victory over the horrific sea monster. The same triumph was featured on the label of every box of Giorgio Giorgioni pasta. Marsigliese wanted to change that artwork, remove the sea monster or the trident or both. Rob Giorgio of his feat of heroism. It was an insult. He had to warn Giorgioni.

“Andrea!”

The old man looked up, “Ah, Achille, I wanted to talk to you too. It occurs to me that we should find a place in the company for my grandson…unless he has other prospects?”

“Yes, yes, whatever…are you aware of what’s been going on in this town since that travesty of a race last summer?”

The old man lowered his voice, “If you mean the sea monsters, yes, I’m aware. But not everyone here is, so keep your voice down.”

“How can you stand for it? It’s your family’s legacy as monster hunters. Marsigliese is a monster lover. She’s plotting to take Giorgio’s greatest achievement away. I’m certain it was she who was behind the removal of his statue.”

“She asked me about it first. I was glad to hear about the peace with the sea folk. Friendship is always preferable to conflict.”

“But la Famiglia! The Legacy! My son…your grandson…the monsters humiliated him!”

“I love my grandson, but he’s a spoiled brat! He had no business being in that race at all and you know it! And Giorgio’s legacy has already cost me dear. It is long past time we moved beyond it.

“I was stationed in Sicily before the War. That's where I met her. She was beautiful and smart and witty and I would have made her my wife. When I told her of my hometown of Portorosso, she was intrigued. Then I told her about the legends. She was skeptical, of course, and I had to admit to her that there had been no confirmed attack in living memory. There was still the occasional sighting, though, and we had to remain vigilant. Then she asked a question that I brushed aside, but it has haunted me ever since:

“Why do you want to kill them?’

“Even in Portorosso, not everyone believed in them. They might be long dead, or never existed at all. Even if they were real, why did we want them dead? We’ve never tried to exterminate every shark in the ocean, and they, at least, are known to kill. What harm does it do to us for them to exist?

“I realized later that she wasn’t talking about the monsters then. She was an antifascist, opposed to the injustices of Il Duce and the Nazis, especially their persecution of ‘undesirables’ like gypsies and jews. I learned that she had been helping them to escape to the coast. I wish now that I’d had the courage to join her, for heroism such as hers was the salvation of Italy.”

“Did you ever find out what happened to her?”

“No, she vanished shortly after that. I doubt I even knew her real name, since the one she gave me was probably an alias: Angelica, Angelica Paguro. A paguro is a hermit crab, hidden and protected, but a wanderer with no permanent home.” He chuckled, “She was calling herself ‘guardian angel’ and she was right.”

Chapter Text

Marsigliese intercepted signore Giorgioni on his way to the limousine, “Sir, do you have a moment? There’s something else you should know that I didn’t want to say in front of outsiders.”

“About the monsters?”

“Yes, sir. They’ve had quite an effect on this town. They were the original inspiration for Portorosso Pasta. The point was to create something that they could eat underwater.”

“Without cooking it?”

“It’s perfectly edible cold and straight out of the can, but we’re used to warm sauces so that’s how I served it.”

“Interesting. And you think it would appeal to their tastes as well.”

“I know it does. I’ve been using them as taste testers, both above water and below. The Marcovaldo boy is actually quite a good cook, you know. He’s been helping me perfect the recipe.”

“Marcovaldo? He’s one of the sea folk? I thought he was a fisherman.”

“You’re thinking of Massimo. Alberto is his adopted son. One of the winners of the Portorosso Cup last Agosto. I’ll introduce you if you’d like.”

“Oh yes, of course. I remember Massimo as a boy. I knew his father, rest his soul. I’d like to meet this boy. Anyone who could manage to humble that grandson of mine is worth knowing.”

“Hmm…he certainly did that. I realize Ercole is your family, but there were a lot of people around here that took a lot of enjoyment in his defeat.”

“He wasn’t always that way, but I think my son in law has indulged him far too much. I’m the grandfather. Spoiling him is my job, so if I say he needs discipline, you know it’s a problem.”

A huge one armed man answered their knock. Little Massimo had certainly grown up. “Oh, Marina, come in. Would you like to join us for supper?”

“We wouldn’t want to impose.”

The young man at the stove grinned, “Eh, it’s no trouble, we’re having ziti and focaccia. It’ll feed however many show up. Hmm, unless one of ‘em’s Guido.”

“You’re expecting guests then?”

“Luca is calling home tonight. His family usually joins us for supper. As the boy said, it’s no trouble to feed two more.”

“Well, Massimo, Alberto, this is Andrea Giorgioni. My boss.”

Alberto grinned and displayed the box he was holding. Andrea was amused and gratified to see it was one of his own. On the other hand, Marina was right about the artwork. It was a considerable irony for the young sea monster to be holding what he must regard as a picture of a murder.

“Heh, that’s right. He wanted to meet our resident expert in sea monster/human fusion cuisine. We just finished the presentation of Portorosso Pasta. It’s confirmed, we’ll be starting production within a year.”

Alberto sprinkled a generous portion of rosemary on the focaccia and slipped it into the oven. He wiped his hands on a towel and joined the adults at the table, “The secret is muschiorosso algae. The monsters use it all the time as a thickener. That’s how we can make something that can be eaten underwater. When you make it on land, you just mix in a can’s worth of water and heat it up. You have to take it out of the can first, though. Makes a big mess otherwise.”

Andrea smiled wryly, “That sounds like an interesting story.” Alberto blushed and Massimo gave a low rumbling chuckle.

“Well I’ve put Marina in charge of the new canned pasta division. She’s told me how much of a help you were.”

“Thank you, signore. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad I could help.”

“So I thought you deserved a reward. A bonus for a job well done. Marina suggested something you might like.”

Chrome gleamed in the golden light of the setting sun. Lemon yellow, albeit with a few patches of light rust attesting to its pre owned status. It didn’t matter. It was the most beautiful thing Alberto had ever seen. Better than the blue rust bucket he gave up for Luca’s train ticket. Better even than Ercole’s candy red “piccolina” because it was his now.

“Now this does come with some conditions, you know. I’ve heard a little of my grandson’s behavior with his vehicle and I don’t want you to imitate him. Drive it responsibly and sober, and if you abuse the privilege, Massimo has every right to take it away.”

“Yessir, it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to show it to Luca.”

“The other sea monster who won the Cup last year,” explained Marsigliese. “He’s going to school with Massimo’s daughter in Genova. They used the prize money to pay for his tuition.”

“He’s doing well there,” said Daniela, coming through the gate, “We’re all very proud of him.”

“Oh, Daniela! This is Signor Giorgioni, head of Giorgio Giorgioni International Foods. Sir, these are the Paguros: Daniela, Lorenzo and Nonna.”

Daniela started to greet the man, but he was frozen in shock. She looked behind her to see what could cause such a reaction and saw her mother wearing an identical expression.

“Andrea?”

“An…Angelica?”

Chapter Text

The pan of ziti had been thoroughly devoured, though there were still a few pieces of the focaccia left. If they survived the night, they'd make a fine breakfast in the morning. Nonna Paguro and signor Giorgioni had been making eyes at each other all throughout dinner, until Daniela set down her wine with an exasperated sigh, “Ma, just go talk with him, all right? If Luca calls, we’ll keep him busy ‘till you’re done.”

“I thought you had died. I heard a rumor that OVRA had discovered your activities. They never interrogated me, but I wouldn’t have been able to betray your location anyway, thank heaven. I prayed you had escaped, but I never knew for certain. Then Sicily fell to the allies and I spent the remainder of the War as a prisoner.”

“I was in the ocean, of course. If a sea monster doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be. Not all the armies of Europe could change that. I had an advantage over other spies in that I have literally no true identity to be discovered. No old friends that could recognize me from a photo. No family that could be made to betray me. I could even use my real name as my alias.”

“Was it real…? What we had…? Did you love me, or was I only an assignment?”

“Oh, yes…I kept a great many things from you. My work…my secrets and lies…the…the fact that I was never human. But I did love you. I didn’t lie about that.” she chuckled ruefully, “Frankly, you weren’t that great of a target anyway. You had no great secrets to betray, no strategies you were privy to. With you I could forget the War for a few hours. Pretend I was just an ordinary woman.”

“Could we? The War is long over. Could I see you again? Discover who you truly are now that we no longer need the secrets?”

“The greatest secret is still with us. I am a sea monster.”

“You smuggled jews and activists out of Austria under Hitler’s very nose. Compared to that, being able to breathe underwater seems a lesser feat.”

“I’ll grant you the breathing underwater part was a lot easier than the smuggling. I remember this one resistance leader from Czechoslovakia. Just escaped from a concentration camp and three quarters dead from fever. We were held up for weeks. If his wife hadn’t shown up to help care for him, I doubt either of us would have made it out.”

“You did though.”

“Yes, last I knew they had emigrated to America. The Americans were still neutral at that point, but the goal of every expatriate hoping to escape war ravaged Europe. They too entered the conflict not long after.”

The sun had long set as the Paguros swam home. Marsigliese and Giorgioni had excused themselves when Luca’s call arrived, though Marsigliese stayed long enough to relay to Sophia that she wanted to commission new art for the pasta labels, both canned and dry. Alberto sang the praises of his new vespa, though he hadn’t actually ridden it yet. Luca had to talk him out of trying to drive all the way to Genova to show it off.

“So, ma, an old boyfriend, eh?”

“If it wasn’t for that damned human war, I would have married him. Of course, if not for the War, we probably would have never met.”

“He seemed nice. You planning on seeing him again?”

“Oh definitely. And I’m glad you liked him.”

“He’s your father.”

Chapter Text

“So what did you think of my maftir?” Ezio chuckled, “It’s okay if you didn’t understand a word of it.”

Giulia grinned, and started to answer. Then she stopped and gave a thoughtful little frown, “Actually, that was a little strange. I did understand it. I mean, I don’t speak a word of Hebrew, of course, but I could still understand most of what you were saying. I even recognized the Bible passage. Well, Torah, rather.”

“Huh…it hadn’t occurred to me, but the Hebrew lessons were a lot easier than I was expecting. Back when I was learning English, it seemed to take forever.”

“Giana says she can talk to any Odu in a thousand kilometers and doesn’t have to worry about the language. Her father is even stronger. Of course, he’s had more practice. He knows dozens of languages and he says he’ll start teaching K’tosi at the school next semester.”

Ezio glanced over to the table where Giorgio and Luca were filling their plates, “I wonder…Signor Tonno said that the Voice was inborn and not learned, but we’ve been listening to a pair of very strong Odu for months. Maybe it’s having some effect. I mean, beyond just getting more resistant to the influence. For all that it works via sound, the Voice is mostly a mental power. Telepathic even. We know that the two of them together can permanently block another Siren. Maybe they can create one too and we’ve got just enough of it now to hear the thoughts behind the language. I wonder if we could…”

“Ezio, no. This is a party. We can do experiments later.”

“But…”

“I don’t need telepathy to know what’s on your mind. Well, forget it. This is your bar mitzvah. You’re supposed to be a responsible adult now. You can’t ditch it and go after some shiny new line of research like a dog chasing a squirrel.”

“Do I really do that?”

“You do. I’m not saying it’s not cool. Believe me, I’m as excited about this stuff as you are and…argh…it is cool. Learning any language…that’s practically a superpower of our own. But later. After the party. It’s not just us, you know. You’ve got family here that’s been looking forward to this day since you were born.”

Ezio sighed, “You’re right, I know. This isn’t a birthday party. It’s more for the family than anything else.”

“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, it’ll be the same for your wedding someday. The groom doesn’t care nearly as much about the ceremony as the bride’s mother does.”

“Ha! That’s true. I helped out when my cousin got married last year. His bride and mother in law nearly got into a fistfight over the wedding decorations.”

“I hope he was smart enough to stay out of it.”

“We both were. Hid in the kitchen until the screaming stopped. Of course, then Aunt Emma started crying and we had to go calm them all down. Family is stressful sometimes.”

“I’m a little jealous, though. Papà doesn’t have any living close relatives.”

“What about your mother?”

Giulia frowned slightly, “I’m not actually sure. Mamma said she comes from a big Catholic family, but we haven’t seen any of them in years. I guess they must not like the idea that Mamma e Papà are separated. I kinda understand. I’d rather they were together too, but I’d much rather have them be happy, even if it means being apart.”

“Well, I suppose families can have fallings out over a lot of things, but that still seems like an overreaction. I mean, they didn’t even divorce did they?”

“No, they’re still legally married. Mamma said she didn’t want anyone to be able to call me a bastard, and she liked the name Marcovaldo better than her own maiden name. She would give it up, though, if Papà found someone else to marry.”

“What’s her maiden name?”

“D’Corleone. They’re named after this little town in northern Sicily. She said she never liked it as a girl. Being named after a place she’s never actually been to, though apparently her father was born there.”

“Yeah, I can see that…oh…uh oh.”

“What?”

“Here comes Aunt Emma. She’s going to want to pinch our cheeks. I can’t dodge it, she’ll only chase me, but you can still save yourself.”

Chapter Text

Luca and Giorgio brought their plates back to the table. Humans and sea monsters had their differences, but the instinct to mark a celebration with quantities of food was universal. It even reminded him of sea monster cooking, though the flavors were unfamiliar. Almost everything was bite sized and most were eaten without utensils, just like a sea monster meal. There were even some dishes that were recognizably seafood, though not prepared like a sea monster might. The red flesh of a salmon with a strange sharp flavor, and a whole fish only a few centimeters long and packed in oil. Luca watched Giorgio as he ate and copied his behavior. Most of Ezio’s family were unaware of his aquatic nature and he didn’t want to shock anyone.

Giorgio demonstrated how the salmon was intended to be eaten, on a small round bread spread with a thick, soft cheese. It was delicious.

“I’ve never been to a bar mitzvah before,” noted Giorgio, “I suppose all the human ceremonies are new to you, though, right?”

Luca nodded, “Your birthday party was my first ever. Then the Natale that Giulia’s family celebrates. We have our own holidays of course. The whale migrations, the greater and lesser tides, and personal events like hatching day, c’ska avi, and vask’anna. They mark when a young sea monster changes color and grows limbs, and when he reaches sexual maturity. Alberto might have had his vask’anna by now. I wonder if that’s why…no. No, it wouldn't have happened yet. He might still be too young. I know it couldn’t have happened back when…”

“When what?”

“Alberto’s father…Alberto’s father left him. Said he was old enough now to be on his own. He was alone for well over a year, maybe two. He was about our age when it happened. That’s not…that’s not something humans just…do is it?”

Giorgio’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with anger. “No. No it’s not. I”ll leave home to start a family of my own someday, but not until I’m much, much older, and even then we'll remain a family. The idea that a father, especially a sole parent, would just…leave?…abandon someone Alberto’s age and never return? It’s awful…cruel…how could someone do something like that?”

“I don’t know. I thought that maybe there might be some innocent explanation. Maybe his father intended to return but was prevented. Before I knew he was human, I thought that maybe he had been exposed as a sea monster and killed, but even then…why didn’t he try to contact the village? We would have welcomed Alberto, even half human as he is. And even if he intended to return, why would he leave Alberto alone so much? Did he hate him for being a sea monster? For reminding him of his murdered wife? Did he blame Alberto for her death?”

“It doesn’t excuse him. Maybe he thought adoption by humans would be too dangerous for a sea monster, but he should have done something. Told him to go to the sea folk, or find someone else to care for him.”

“Massimo is more of a father than that bastardo ever was. He’s a good man, and he loves him as a son. It worried me, though. In the ceremony today, there was a place where Ezio’s father seemed to be saying he wasn’t responsible for him anymore.”

“I’m sure that’s not what he meant. I don’t know a lot about Judaism, but I know that they take Family and Community very seriously. We could ask someone to explain it, though.”

They approached the older gentleman who had presided over the ceremony in the synagogue. He reminded Luca of the Archbishop from the Cathedral at Natale. His robes were not nearly so elaborate, but he had that same aura of respected authority and humble kindness. He noticed their approach and excused himself from the group he was with.

“Buon pomeriggio, ragazzi. You must be Ezio’s friends from school. Did you have some questions about the ceremony?”

“Yes, sir. I’m Giorgio, and this is Luca. We were wondering about the speech by Ezio’s father.”

“Not the reading? Usually it’s the maftir that gives Gentili trouble.”

“No sir, that was clearly a passage from the Torah, the vecchio Testamento to a Christian. We were wondering about the part where his father said he was no longer responsible for Ezio’s sins.”

“Ah, well, the purpose of this event is to acknowledge that Ezio is now a full member of the synagogue. He became so the moment he turned thirteen, but this is to tell the community. Traditionally, worship only requires that a minyan be present. That is, a minimum of ten jewish men. A month ago, Ezio, and for that matter, either of you, would have been welcome, but would not qualify as one of the ten. Today he does, and can even lead the prayer if he chooses.”

“Oh, so sort of like my Confirmation then?”

“Hmm, roughly analogous, yes. The most important thing for both is that you are old enough now to have a meaningful relationship with your Faith. It grants no honor to a religion for its adherents to worship out of fear alone, or because there is no choice.”

Luca nodded and whispered to Giorgio, “I suppose it’s the same for us, then. I can attend a va’tinni if my parents are with me, but I wouldn’t be able to speak until my vask’anna except through them.”

“Then Giana…?”

“If she’s talking to other va’tinni, she must have passed her vask’anna, Odu or not. That’s not surprising. Vask’anna marks a physiological change, not a set amount of time, and girls mature faster than boys.”

The Rabbi was looking at them curiously, “Vactini?”

“Oh, um…”

“Are you two…are you katozi?”

Luca looked up in panic, “What? Where did you hear that word?”

“I probably have it wrong. I only heard it once as a boy. The woman who brought my family out of Vienna used it. She was talking to a man she called her brother and said that the katoz should help the jews because they faced the same threat. He said that he thought she was right, but that the vactini disagreed.”

“Did she…did she say what a k’tos was?”

He shook his head, “No, and though you might not believe it, she had some kind of magic. When the Germans chased us with dogs, she spoke to them and told them to hunt elsewhere. She could also tell if someone was lying to her and once, I saw her arm change to purple scales like those of a serpent. I thought perhaps she was a golem sent to protect us and guide us to safety.”

“She was a friend then? Someone you could trust?”

“I owe her my life. My parents and I made it out of Austria thanks to her, but my father’s brother perished in Mauthausen.”

“Then you should know. The k’tos are sea monsters. Giorgio is human, but I’m not. Like your friend, I revert to my natural form when wet. Ezio knows all about it.”

Chapter Text

“Buongiorno, Angelica. Did you sleep well?”

“Like an oyster, graze. Alberto tells me you wanted to talk?”

“Yes, but we have time. Would you like to join me for breakfast?”

She smiled, “I’m a farm girl, I’ve been up for hours. But I would have coffee, and perhaps a bombolone.”

They sat at the plaza with cappuccini and lemon filled pastries. Andrea told her about his life since Sicily, and his late wife and daughter. Angelica amused him with tales of the farm and her own family. “Luca always complained about how the male goatfish liked to wander off. Giuseppe finally managed to escape once he left. Enrico had disappeared months before. I’m…pretty sure Alberto ate him. He looked a little guilty when I showed him the flock. Daniela thought it was just because he had tempted Luca away from his chores.”

“So, your daughter…is she…?”

“Yours? Yes.”

“I thought she seemed the right age. Does she know?”

“Yes, I told her that night.”

“How did she take it?”

“Hmm…better than she would have a year ago. Perhaps it was a mistake keeping her from the surface as a girl, but there was a war on, as you know. I could risk myself, but I didn’t dare risk her. She grew up learning to fear the land, and it only got worse when she had a child of her own.”

“I…didn’t realize…that humans and sea monsters could…”

Angelica grinned, “It surprised me too, at the time. But there’s no mistake. She’s not the only hybrid, though. Alberto also has a human father. It makes me wonder how many sea folk have human ancestors. How close are we anyway? Our legends claim we were monsters first, and became people later, but what if that’s wrong? Maybe we’re just humans after all, either blessed or cursed.”

“Perhaps it’s we humans who are cursed, exiled from the mother ocean for some ancient sin.”

She chuckled, “If so, you’ve done well despite it. We’re at home in the sea, but we cannot bend it to our will as humans do the land. It is too big, and we are too few.”

“I would not care to underestimate you, though. Alberto has told me stories about Luca in Genova. If humans and sea monsters have different strengths, the boy seems to have inherited the best of both. I would be proud to call him my grandson.”

“I think he will like you too. I haven’t told him yet, though. I think that‘s something the whole family should be part of.”

“I’m sure it would be quite a shock, but he has human friends too, right?”

“Lots of them now. And the half human Alberto is his best friend in the world. I think he’ll be delighted to find they have something in common.”

“Hmm…I’m not sure the same will be true of my other grandson, though. He…doesn’t like the sea folk very much.”

Angelica’s expression darkened, “The feeling is mutual.” she growled. She shrugged, “but Alberto forgave Guido and Ciccio, I suppose. They’re good friends now. And Tomasso and Giacomo too. They also tried to harpoon him once. They can all joke about it now, though.”

“Heh, I’m not so sure I’d forgive it so quickly if a sea monster tried to eat me, though. But you don’t actually do that.”

She chuckled, “No, we don’t. Although it's possible we did once, long ago. The sea monsters have a legend that we were true monsters once, but were given minds and souls by a miracle.”

“You believe in God, then?”

“Yes. We call it C’odu D’va, but it dwells within each person, not in some far off heaven.”

“And what of il Diavolo?”

“Oh, She is there too. C’odu Shakask. They fight all the time. D’va tells me to be kind and good, Shakask, to be selfish and wicked. One day, one of them will kill the other and take my soul.”

“D’va, I hope.”

“Only if I feed Her.”

Chapter Text

“Buongiorno, Giulia! You slept late. You’re usually up before me.”

“Ugg! Morning, Luca. Yeah, I know. I just…oh, nevermind.”

“Are you alright? You sound terrible. You look terrible. Are you sick? Do you want to stay home?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I just didn’t sleep well. I was expecting this. It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Expecting what? Giulia! I smell blood! Are you hurt? Let me get your mom. She’s in the studio.”

“No! no, it’s fine. I’m not hurt. I’m…I’m having my period.”

“Your what?”

“Sigh, my period. It’s part of a girl’s puberty. Since I can get pregnant now, my body starts making preparations for a baby, but since I didn’t get pregnant, it gets rid of the blood and stuff it would have used. It’s perfectly normal. Annoying…uncomfortable…but normal. The blood is part of it but it also comes with some side effects. The hormones make me even more short tempered than usual. I didn’t mean to snap at you, sorry.”

“Oh, so a human thing?”

“A girl thing. Boys don’t get them.”

“I…kinda do. Well, I will at least. I haven’t had my vask’anna yet, but I’ve seen my parents’.”

“Vask’anna?”

“Yeah, I don't know about human boys, but sea monsters have vask’anna seasons. Both sexes do. Remember when I was telling you about the orange scales? That was it. It lasts for around six to ten days and repeats usually four times a year.”

“How does it work?”

“The scales are the most obvious part, but it’s not like we would go around showing people. It’s also when a k’tos is most fertile and ends when the female lays an egg. If she hasn’t mated, the egg is dead and the vask’anna symptoms fade in a few days. If she has, her vask’anna doesn’t end until about the time she would have her next cycle. That’s when she lays a clutch of around a dozen or so, including the one that will become a guppy in half a year.”

“You’re right. It sounds a lot like a girl’s period, but boys get it too?”

“Kind of. We don’t lay the egg of course, but we get all the other well…symptoms, I suppose. The orange scales the…um…other things.”

Giulia’s eyes narrowed, “What other things?”

“Vask’anna has a reputation for making you…emotional. People get mad or cry over little things, or get depressed, argumentative…”

He blushed brightly and whispered, “...horny.”

Giulia giggled and Luca blushed brighter. “It can be uncomfortable sometimes. And embarrassing, especially as a fry watching your parents go through it. And of course, since there’s pheremones involved, everybody in the house gets it all at once.”

“So there’s fights?”

“Sometimes, but usually they just go for a swim. I hear exercise helps with the excess energy. They chase each other around the reef, play hunter-camouflage. One time dad decided to go hunt a shark. I’m glad mom was with him, because the shark fought back.”

“What’s hunter-camouflage?”

“It’s this children’s game where everybody hides in the seaweed or behind rocks and coral, and the one chosen as the hunter tries to find them.”

“Oh, hide and seek!”

“So humans play it too? I’m not surprised.”

“Well, I suppose that means this is my first vask’anna, then. That…actually makes me feel a little better. And, hey, at least I’m not turning orange, right?”

“Yeah, actually, you should talk to Gianna. I’m pretty sure she’s had hers by now. Girls tend to get it sooner than boys do. Also, signor Tonno said she’s been talking to the va’tinni. If she’s part of the council, even if she’s only relaying messages, she must have already had her vask’anna. It’s an important event in a young sea monster’s life and means they’re becoming an adult. Actually, would you like it to be official? You know a lot of sea monsters, not just me. We could have Gianna and her family over, get some clams and shrimp for dinner, call my family so they can join in, have everybody wear the hats, all of it.”

“There’s a party involved?”

“Giulia! What do you take us for? Of course there’s a party involved.”

Chapter Text

“Father Eugenio, could I have a private word?”

“Of course, signora. Do you want the Confessional?”

“I…don’t think it’s a matter for Confession exactly, but you may be right. I need some advice and I would prefer Achille not know about it.”

“Come back to my office then. I can keep it in confidence even if no actual sin is involved.”

“And if there is?”

“I’ll offer whatever absolution or penance is appropriate. Either way, whatever you say will be between us and God.”

“Grazie. It is about my father. He has been seeing one of…one of the sea monsters. I am torn. They are…they are not human. And yet…and yet, he is the happiest I have seen him since my mother passed.”

“Are you concerned for his own sake, or is it only the conflict between them and your husband?”

“It’s true that Achille and Ercole do not trust the monsters, but I also worry for my father. She broke his heart once, and as I said, she is not human. They are so different. Can they truly forge a relationship over such a divide?”

“Would you have the same concern if he was dating, say, a Chinese woman?”

“...Perhaps not, but a Chinese woman would still be a woman. Could he actually marry her? Would you even be allowed to consecrate such a union? Do monsters even have souls?”

“Do we? I’d like to think so, but I cannot prove it to a true agnostic. I know, however, that like us, they believe in a benevolent and caring God.”

Electra was shocked, “You consider them Christian?”

“Pinuccia and Concetta have been coming to this church for nearly forty years. They’ve been here longer than I have, and they’re as Catholic as either of us. It’s true though, that they are in the minority. The sea folk have traditions of their own, and a religion as well. Whether that religion is a Christian one is debatable. It does not, however, follow il Papa and so cannot be considered Catholic. Hmm…or Protestant either since it almost certainly predates the schism. If I am right about their Antinno, it may even predate the Resurrection itself by a few years.”

“Antinno?”

“Antinno is a figure from their mythology…or history…it’s difficult to say which after all this time. It was he who made the sea folk what they are today. It is my belief that he was Gesù before he became Il Cristo. Part of the unrecorded ‘lost years’ before He began His ministry in Galilee. If this is true, then the sea folk appear human because they were remade in God's image and deliberately chose to be.”

Electra was intrigued despite herself, “Then why ‘Antinno?’ Should it not be Gesù or Yeshua or something like that?”

“Names are a funny thing across languages. In this case, it seems to be more of a title than a proper name. According to Nonna Paguro, a tinno in the sea monster language, is any person invested with authority on behalf of a community. So I am a tinno because I represent the Church. Maggiore is as well since she represents the Law. The same would be true of any politician, soldier, or judge. Anyone entrusted with the power of the state. The militia that guard the ocean around Portorosso are tinno. Did you know we have not had a shark attack here in over three hundred years? The sea folk have been protecting us, even if they were doing so inadvertently.

“The legend of Antinno begins with…well, the Beginning. The word the sea monsters use for the Creator is C’odu. Like Antinno, it contains a word in the sea monster language that shows its meaning. Odu means word or voice, and C’odu’s first actions involve commanding Creation to come into existence.

“Our own lore agrees, with God’s first command being Let there be light. C’odu’s first action though, was to speak His own name, thus creating Himself out of nothing. He then called both light and darkness into being, and placed the light in the sky above and the darkness below the ocean. He formed the land to give the light something to illuminate, and the water to cover the darkness and protect it. He then set out to populate them both.

“Now there is one significant difference in the dogma. C’odu does not dwell in a Heaven that is separate from the Earth. Instead, He has chosen to inhabit the world around us and is within each living thing. Because He is infinite, He can divide Himself indefinitely without diminishing. Living things feel His presence in the joy of being alive and true to their natures. For an animal, this means its instincts, for the most part. People, though, are more complicated…which brings us to Antinno.

“Mankind, it seems, was something of an experiment. We alone, among all the animals, had true intelligence. It meant we had the potential to understand more of C’odu’s nature than a common beast, but there was a problem. The urge to find joy in life had become corrupted, and became arrogance, moral cowardice and greed. The monsters refer to this aspect of the Divine as C’odu Shakask, or the selfish voice. This made mankind destructive and wicked but rather than destroy us, C’odu sent, or perhaps became, an emissary to bring us into balance.

“Antinno was to bring us the C’odu D’va, the voice of love to balance Shakask and allow us to choose between them freely. Of course, we would have to accept such a gift and our selfish nature made that difficult. Antinno’s first attempt was met with violent resistance.

“They tried to feed Him to the sea monsters.

“Now these were not the sea folk of today, but true horrors, huge, wild and terrible. Every awful thing you ever feared about the sea was true in them. But Antinno saw these monsters and did not fear them. He spoke to them with compassion.

“And they listened.

“The monsters were the first to receive C’odu D’va and it made them kind and benevolent. Unfortunately for them, they were still predators and Antinno realized that an unopposed D’va would destroy them. To save them, he gave them the gift of Avi, the Change. This was the ability to leave the water and become like the humans. It gave them the human’s C’odu Shakask, but also the free choice to accept or reject it from moment to moment. It is the balance and conflict between our selfish and loving natures that allows humans and monsters to both live in the world and to look beyond it. It is, for example, Shakask and not D’va who tells us when we are hungry, but it’s not a sin to be hungry, only to be a glutton.”

“Then they acknowledge that humans received…God’s Grace, I suppose?”

“Yes, the more traditionally minded of them attribute more of it to themselves since they received it first. This is understandable, we have a long history of conflict after all. Even so, the ones that choose to associate with humans do not hold this view and ascribe both voices to seafolk and mankind in equal measure. This makes more sense theologically anyway, since they hold that a decisive victory of one aspect over the other would kill the individual who is Their battleground.”

“Thank you, Father. You’ve given me something to think about. If you see Signora Paguro, you can tell her that she will have my support.”

“I will see her tonight. I told you that the sea folk regard me as a tinno. Alberto and Giulia are celebrating something called a vask’anna and have asked me to offer my blessing. They sent me a very odd hat to wear, but I suppose it’s no stranger looking than our bishop’s miter.”

Chapter Text

“Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Dr. Bellocci. I realize this isn’t your usual subject.”

“A television show about pseudoscience? I should think not. You do realize the k’nyss is just a fish right? New and rare, perhaps, but an ordinary animal?”

“Of course. That’s actually the point. If sea monsters are real, then they’re real. And if they’re not, they’re still interesting. Even the famous monster of Loch Ness. If she exists at all, she’s a living creature, not a ghost or alien. We’ve done plenty of shows about them too and we do know the difference.”

“I’m glad. I’m a respectable scientist and I don’t want to lend my name to any little green men codswallop. That said, I’d be the first to admit we have a better understanding of deep space than we do of deep ocean. I doubt my fish is the only interesting creature waiting to be discovered.”

“It’s quite a fascinating one, though. When our researchers heard about your discovery, they thought it could be a candidate for a real life sea serpent. How big do they actually get?”

“Hmm, I can’t tell you for certain, but it’s unlikely that they could grow as large as the legends. The few that I was able to observe were all around three to four meters long. There have been tales of sea serpents larger than ships who would attack sailors on the deck.”

“That could simply be an exaggeration. Or for that matter, a different but related species. After all, sharks come in all sizes, as do whales.”

“I suppose so, and to be fair, the k’nyss is a predator. It wouldn’t attack a man unprovoked, but I suppose a sufficiently large enough creature could. In contrast, the oarfish is much larger at eight meters in length. That would be my choice for a real life sea serpent. The oarfish eats mainly zooplankton, though, and rarely comes to the surface.”

“Ah, for the benefit of our viewers…zooplankton?”

“Krill and tiny shrimp. The occasional small fish. Basically what a whale eats. The k’nyss hunts, though. I observed it feeding on crabs at the reef, and chasing down a swimming mackerel. I have footage if you’d like to use it.”

“Definitely. Do you have any of the oarfish too?”

“No, they appear to live mainly in the mesopelagic zone and are consequently hard to observe in the wild. They’re occasionally observed and caught with other fish, but most of what we know is from dead specimens. Almost nothing is known of their daily behavior.”

“How mysterious!”

“It just goes to show how much we have to learn. For all we know, they could be as common as field mice but without being able to observe them? Meanwhile, something like a tiger is really quite rare, but its behavior is well documented and understood, and you can visit one in any major zoo.”

“But you’ve been able to observe the kiness? Why is it called that?”

“It was first discovered by a group of schoolchildren. Perhaps they’re fans of your show because they thought it resembled the alleged creature in Loch Ness. They’re the ones who named it. I was able to observe the creatures a few times and collect some samples, but not an actual specimen. I hope to be able to study them more. There’s still a lot I don’t know. Their migratory habits, their life cycle, even their genus. They look a bit like someone stretched out a coelacanth, but I haven’t determined yet if they’re actually related. If they are, the name will likely be Latimeria kinessi. I’m rather hoping that’s the case, since it would expand our knowledge of that otherwise extinct lineage.”

“Any chance you could introduce us to those kids, then?”

“They’re children, it’s not my decision to make. But if you leave a phone number, I’ll call their parents for you.”

“So tell us about the…sea-la-canth?”

“Coelacanth. It’s a living fossil. They evolved around four hundred million years ago and are the ancestors of the tetrapods: modern amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. As such they are not in the lineage of the more familiar ray finned fish, having diverged in the Silurian period. Until recently, they were believed to have gone extinct in the Cretaceous along with the dinosaurs. That was until one was caught off the coast of Africa in 1938.”

“That’s good. We can use that for a plausible ‘what if?’ If the coelacanth and kiness could survive extinction, it’s possible some other sea creature could too.”

“There are strange enough things in the ocean without populating it with mermaids and krakens, but good luck.”

“Thank you, doctor. You’ve given us a lot.”

“Prego, are we done, then?”

“Yes, if you give our cameraman that kiness footage for the editors, we’ll be on our way. There’s another story we wanted to look into while we’re in Italy. You might appreciate it. This little town on the coast that has legends of sea monsters that look almost human.”

“Ah…are you…sure you want two stories about sea monsters so close to each other?”

“Oh, we can save one of them for a future show if we need to.”

“Hmm…even so…I don’t think you should go to Portorosso.”

“Why not? And…how did you know…?”

“Good day, gentlemen. Best of luck, but I have some calls to make. Feel free to call on me again if you want to hear about non mythical sea beasts.”

Chapter Text

“I…I think I’m ready.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“I know. But it’s time. Even my little brother has made the Change. It just…it just seems so embarrassing the first time. Watching a sea monster flop around on the beach like a fish in a net.”

Ciccio smiled gently, “It can’t possibly look worse than the first time I tried to swim.”

“What! You’re a great swimmer. You could chase down a tuna if you had a tail.”

“Sure…now. But I learned to swim when I was six, and I had all the grace of a…a whale trying to climb a tree.”

Ciccio sat down on a large rock and dangled his bare toes in the water, “The truth is…I’ve always been afraid of the ocean. And, yeah, part of that was always you guys. Scary monsters, always lurking in the deep, unseen and waiting to attack. I worked hard to be a good swimmer, but it’s really just me trying to pretend it’s something I can control. I’m not…I’m not brave. I’m big and strong, and it’s easy to just rely on that and let somebody else do my thinking for me. That’s why I spent so many years under Ercole’s thumb. He could control Guido by physically dominating him. Or by making me do it more and more. But that’s how he got into our heads. He set us against each other.”

He scowled at the distant horizon, “He never tried to hit me,though. He knew I could have broken him. But what he did hurt more than any slap Guido ever gave me. He made me hate myself.”

With an effort, Arianna crawled up out of the water and sat next to the boy. She drew him into a hug and wrapped her tail around his waist to complete the embrace.

“The day of the race, I let him coat me in oil in the hopes of shaving a second or two from my swimming time. It was a blatant and obvious cheat. I didn’t need it, I was already faster than any other swimmer in town. That it ended up costing me the race was only justice, but it didn’t matter. Ercole still blamed me. Then, once I managed to pull off the biting sardine I headed up the hill because I knew he would expect me to follow him down. I could have stayed to cheer Guido on, or even stay to watch the end of the race, but Ercole expected Giulia to fail on the uphill and he wanted me at the top so I could hear him gloat.

“Luca beat him to the top, though. Actually passed him on the uphill. No one’s done that in years. I didn’t understand then why he stopped at the peak. It was only a little rain. Not even enough yet to slick the stones and make the ride down hazardous. Then I saw Alberto run up with that great big umbrella and I had a treacherous thought: they’re actually friends. They’re here to support each other. Alberto had left the race. They’d obviously had a fight, but here he was. Not because of some advantage or domination, but because they genuinely liked each other. With all my heart, I wished I could have a friend like that.

“Then…it happened. Ercole kicked the umbrella away. Exposed Alberto as a sea monster. Caught him. He…let himself be caught. To keep Luca safe. But Luca rescued him. Exposed himself despite the danger. I saw it. I saw it all. These were the boys we’d been tormenting all week. They were monsters. But if they were monsters…why didn’t they fight back? Even then…their only goal was to escape. They didn’t try to attack anyone, just get away. But Ercole couldn’t let that happen. He demanded the harpoon and I…I…”

Ciccio curled up and buried his face in his hands, “...I gave it to him.”

Arianna held him as he quietly wept, the ocean water drying to reveal her human face for the first time. Neither noticed.

“I watched Ercole chase after them, and I realized what I just did. I’d murdered those boys as surely as if I’d stabbed them myself.”

“But they’re fine. Ercole failed. And even Alberto says he forgives you.”

“I know. He’s a good person. A good friend. Better than I ever was, even to Guido. But I don’t have the nerve to even ask if Luca agrees. If he still hates me, I deserve it.”

“I…don’t know. I haven’t actually met him yet. But I don’t think he’ll hate you. You’re not that person anymore.”

“I…wish I could be sure of that. But sometimes I’m afraid that Alberto will remember what I did and realize I’m not…not safe…not a good friend. I’m afraid that you will. You didn’t know me before. You don’t know what I was like.”

“I know you lied to me.”

He looked up, shocked.

“You told me you weren’t brave. But it takes a lot of courage to tell me this. To let me into your heart.”

She reached into a pocket of her seaweed woven tunic, “I was going to wait and give this to you after our date. After I, you know…embarrassed myself trying to walk while you tried not to laugh.”

“I would never…”

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have been able to help it. I saw my brother’s first steps. They were hilarious. You might notice he’s not here to see us right now.”

“Okay…point.”

“So, I think I’ve caught a good fish here in Portorosso della Terra and I don’t plan on letting him slip away.”

She held out her hand and showed him a cord of braided seagrass strung with iridescent red beads like bright garnets. He recognized them immediately as her own shed scales.

Chapter Text

A conspiracy can meet anywhere. There’s no real need to lurk in dim and cramped rooms, shadowy back alleys or smoky bars. A sunny park or a friendly bistro will serve the purpose just as well. Indeed, the best conspiracies, the ones that bring about genuine positive change rather than simply being a forum for petty grievances, take place in full and open view and invite the public to join in. They hold joyful rallies and parades, wave banners, and laugh at their oppressors.

This group met in shadows so thick each was only a vague shape to the others.

“They’re monsters. Even if they look like people it’s a lie, a foul blasphemy.”

“Their existence is a blasphemy. And now there’s talk of…relations. Rumors that the two races can even interbreed. Polluting our pure blood with that of those… creatures.

“Who would dare?”

“It’s true, I know of one who took a human lover. She’s even offered him a courting necklace.”

“Disgusting! How is such a thing not a crime?”

“We have to take action. This can’t be allowed to continue.”

“They should both be punished for this atrocity. All those monsters should.”

“What can we do? We can’t destroy them all, they’re too widespread. Far more of them than we ever suspected.”

“Open war would do us as much harm as the enemy. We can’t risk it.”

“Not to mention there will always be some of the creatures out of reach.”

“We don’t have to actually kill them all, though. The ones who are trying to corrupt our children, perhaps. But for the rest, it’s enough to keep them apart. To preserve our way of life free of their filth. We were never intended to mix.”

“Yes! Let the land monsters stay on land. Let them wallow in the mud where they belong, and leave us the oceans as C’od intended.”

Chapter Text

“Y-you wanted to see me, signora?”

“Yes, Luca. I just wanted to say, I’m impressed with your progress. I know it hasn’t been easy.”

“T-then the quiz?”

“You passed.”

“Oh, thank Cod.”

“You still seem to have trouble with dates B.C. or A.D. though. And…there’s something else. I know why it is that history is your weakest subject. It’s because it’s human history. Not yours, right?”

He sighed, “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll try harder.”

“Oh, Luca, I’m not mad. I know you work hard. I’ve talked to the other teachers. They all tell me you’re one of their best students. I know it’s difficult for you, and I know it’s because you simply don’t have the deep immersion in our culture. It would be the same for any other foriegn student. But it does mean your essay project will be very difficult. You can’t just rely on your memory of facts and dates for this one. You need to come up with a theme and defend it in writing, and for that you need context.”

Luca made a little grimace of displeasure. Signora Genesi was right. “Context” was always the problem in this class. It was one thing to know when something happened. It was something else to know why. Perhaps a less dedicated teacher would be content with the first, but not Genesi.

“Context is the reason we even study history. Understanding the cultures that came before us is key to understanding our own. People are people whatever their era. It’s occurred to me more than once that history should really be taught for what it truly is: a ten thousand year long soap opera.”

“So what can I do?”

“As I said, people are people. And that includes sea monsters. How well do you know your own history?”

Luca’s head snapped up, “You mean like the Tiny-Sea War or the Abysial Empire?”

“There you go. I have no idea what those are. And yet, they’re important enough that you remember them. There were over seventy men who became Emperor from the time Octavian became Caesar Augustus and the fall of Rome in A.D. 480. They were all immensely powerful rulers. And yet, most people can name at best half a dozen of them. Father Capone wouldn’t appreciate me saying it, but popes can be the same way sometimes. Other than ones you’ve personally lived through, there’s only a handful that are remembered for very long. The emperors that are remembered though, are famous. Or infamous, at least. As Shakespeare said of Julius Caesar, the evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.”

“What about the year of four emperors? It’s…um, in the book. I try to read ahead”

“Each one rose to power by engineering a coup that destroyed their predecessor. That part is worth remembering. The men themselves are…irrelevant, really. They followed Nero, who was frankly much more interesting. There was also a year of five emperors and one of six, but in both cases it was because multiple men claimed to be Emperor at the same time. Unless you were to choose one of those events to study, I’d never ask you to name any of the men in question.”

“I could, though. The four Emperors anyway: Galba, Otho, Vitellus and Vespasian. Just their names, is easy. I hadn’t gotten to why there were four of them, though. They were all killed by their successors?”

“Galba was slain by his own bodyguards on Otho’s orders. Otho killed himself after losing a battle to Vitellus. Vespasian’s troops killed Vitellus, and he was the last of the four and the only one to die naturally.”

“It sounds like a dangerous job. It’s a wonder anyone even tried it.”

“There were some periods of relative calm, but yes, far more Emperors died of Intrigue than peacefully in their own beds.”

“It reminds me of the Master of Snakes. He was known for hunting down rivals before they could become a threat.”

“A sea monster emperor? Fascinating! When was this?”

“Oh no, the Master was human. And this was only a few years ago. If you want a sea monster emperor, though, there’s Xiphias. He’s the one that created the va’tinni system that we use today. That was at the end of the sixteenth century by the k’tosi calendar, so…around A.D. 65. Oh! So Nero would have been Emperor at the time.”

“Interesting. And how long was his rule?”

“Twenty seven years, so A.D. 38. That would be the reign of Caligula.” Luca gasped, “Wait! Didn’t you say that Caligula once declared war on the sea?”

“Well, it’s more legend than verifiable fact, but there’s a story that he ordered his men to stab the waves and then collect seashells as proof of his victory over Neptune.”

“Well, one of the stories about Xiphias is that he fought a human king and defeated him by driving him mad.”

“Contemporary sources do claim Caligula was mad, but how much was genuine insanity and how much was simply political character assasination is debatable. Certainly he was never diagnosed while he was alive.”

“But he and Xiphias might have both considered the other a threat. Perhaps the ‘War on Neptune’ actually happened and Caligula lost. The winning Emperor would have used his powers to alter the humans’ memories.”

“Powers? This Xiphias claimed to be a sorcerer? Your transformations aside, there’s no such thing.”

“Umm…right…of course. sigh No, I can’t lie to you. His powers were definitely real, though they might have been exaggerated. Any of the Abyssal Emperors would have to be odu sK’antinno in order to give distant subjects their orders. The va’tinni system was created because they were becoming more rare.

“What’s an odusk…?

“Odu sK’antinno. It’s someone who can do magic with their voice. It’s pretty rare, but there are still a few sea monster communities that have one and they use them to communicate across the ocean. An odu can send his voice vast distances to anyone he knows. Sometimes they have other powers too. The Empire used them to rule distant communities, but they were apparently more common then.”

“So sea monsters have magic, aside from the transformations, I mean?”

“Some do, but then so do some humans. Antinno was the most famous, of course, but it’s hard to say how much is truth and how much is myth. The most infamous one was the Master of Snakes. We’re used to humans wanting to hunt or kill us, but he wanted to enslave and exterminate us all.”

“Che brutte!”

“He wasn’t even after us, either. He wanted an army of monsters to fight his war for him. He failed, but it was a close thing.”

“Why was he called Master of Snakes?”

“The job of an odu in k’tosi society is to link distant communities, but they can possess other powers too. Human odu, especially, are known for having the Voice of Command, the ability to charm sea monsters so they’re forced to obey the odu’s orders. How common this actually is, I don’t know. Especially since I’ve learned that humans have similar tales about us.”

“You mean the Sirens?”

“Yes. However rare or widespread this hypnotic power is in humans, the Master definitely had it and his victims described the effect as a constant whispering like the hissing of a snake. He was also said to use charmed venomous snakes to attack his enemies and his army wore an angular symbol that resembled two snakes crossing. He supposedly had a bunch of other powers too and was especially feared because he didn’t have to sing to activate them. In legend, at least, humans are said to charm using music, so children are warned to beware of any human singing or whistling.”

“Hmm…there’s an old sailor’s myth that says you shouldn’t whistle or sing while on the deck of a ship. My grandfather said it would attract storms or… or sea monster attacks… Luca, if a sea monster heard a sailor singing, odu or not, would he consider it a threat?”

“Definitely. Most k’tos would flee, of course, but I could certainly see how someone might choose to fight instead.”

“Especially if there were children present or a home to defend, even if the offending sailor didn’t know it. Parents can become quite unreasonable when their children are threatened, and I imagine k’tosi parents are no different.”

Chapter Text

Giorgio spotted Giulia and Rosa as they entered the library and gestured them over to a study table.

“Isn’t Luca with you? I thought we were going to do research for our theme papers.”

“Nah, he’s doing his own research. From original sources no less.”

“From the Imperial Roman period? That’s pretty ambitious, even for him.”

“Ha! You don’t know the half of it. Signora Genesi suggested he write about k’tosi history in that era, and Genova del Mare has a library of its own. I have to admit, I’m intrigued. Apparently, one of the Odu powers is a way to preserve someone’s voice so it can be replayed later, like a recording. K’tosi libraries are collections of preserved speeches and interviews, some dating back thousands of years.”

Giorgio’s eyes widened, “Wow! Can I do that too?”

“Signore Tonno can probably teach you. He’s the one who told Luca about it. But you don’t need to use your Odu powers for that. We humans have tape recorders, remember?”

Giorgio grinned ruefully, “Yeah, I suppose so. And I suppose that a fonografo would be just as magical as an Odu to someone of that period.”

“Heh, my brother calls it his ‘magic singing lady machine.”

“Signore Ginesi? I have a question.”

“About your paper, Luca?”

“Sort of…um…what do you do when you find something out in your research that you kind of don’t want people to know? I mean…it’s historical…it happened, but it’s kind of bad. And it kind of says something bad about the people it happened to.”

“History is full of both heroes and villains. They are often the same person depending on who you ask or when. Every general is a terror to the soldiers on the other side, of course, and there are many respected historical figures with personal failings. Sometimes it’s only a matter of time’s passage. A great military victory a few hundred years ago might be considered an atrocity today.”

“I found an account of a man named Marcus Corallium. His family came to the surface in the first century B.C. and lived in Rome. He became a successful commander under Mark Antony, but later fought against him under Octavian. He defeated Antony’s navy in a battle in the Ionian sea with the help of the ”Nereii.”

“Nereii are sea monsters, I assume?”

“Yes. Later on he became a close ally of Augustus and was famous for bringing k’tosi architectural techniques to Rome.”

“Wait…are you talking about Agrippa, the famous general and architect?”

“Oh, yes. He took the name Marcus Agrippa. The chronicler mentioned it in his introduction, but he generally referred to him by his k’tosi name. The record was mostly about the battle, though. Antony had allied himself with Queen Cleopatra of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. He had been contained in Actium by a blockade of Corallium’s ships and nereii allies, but managed to escape with the help of Cleopatra’s fleet. Corallium pursued him to Alexandria and defeated them there. All this is in my theme paper.”

“Very impressive work, Luca. Your description agrees with the history I know, though, of course, the role of the sea monsters is not generally known.”

Luca winced slightly. “Yeah…that’s…kind of the problem…I mean, sure, it’s an example of where k’tosi history and human history overlap, but it’s no surprise that Octavian and Corallium don’t directly acknowledge their involvement. Especially with how they were able to gain their allegiance.

“Now, Corallium chose to live primarily on land and as Agrippa, worked for Octavian, but the nereii had no real allegiance to the Roman republic. They also had no interest in money, so it’s not like Octavian could hire them.”

“So how did he secure their loyalty?”

“He…let them eat the enemy soldiers.”

Chapter Text

The coach stood looking over his charges and nodded, satisfied.

“All right, ragazzi, our opponents for today are the Mostri del Mare. Don’t underestimate them. I know their coach, and Signore Rosso was a top rated swimmer, himself, at your age. I’m sure he’s advised them well, but we’ll still beat them. We have a 6-1 record this season, our best in years.”

The boys gave a ragged cheer. Emilio paused, his costume half on, and shook his head. “Come on, cheer like you mean it! squali tigre!, squali tigre!”

The rest smiled, and took up the chant. ”squali tigre!, squali tigre!”

Emilio donned the final piece of his costume, a fearsome shark’s head with a toothy grin. The theater club had done a great job with its construction. He could see through the gaping mouth and had spent hours practicing his routine to amuse the crowd. The addition of a mascot to swimming events was relatively recent, but the fans loved it and the practice was now widespread.

Emilio led the team out of the locker room to line up at the pool. The crowd applauded as he pumped his fists and danced. He tugged at a hidden string, making the jaws of the shark mask gnash and bite menacingly. Laughter and cheers rang out at the display.

The visiting team entered the arena. They too had a mascot, a boy dressed as a fish with green and blue scales. He waved politely, then suddenly ran forward to perform a cartwheel. Interesting. Like most mascots, Emilio’s elaborate mask and costume were far too bulky for such a feat. The Mostri’s costume must be mostly makeup rather than a mask. The boy did have a tail, though. Odd that it seemed more snakelike than fishlike, with a long dorsal fin, but no flukes. Perhaps he was meant to resemble a sea serpent.

The visitors took their places and Emilio noticed that nearly half of them were girls. The Squali Tigre were a boys team, but the league as a whole admitted both. Emilio hoped that wouldn’t be a problem. Their only loss this year was to a team that included girls. They shouldn’t underestimate them again.

The first event was a relay. Teams of four swimmers lined up at the ends of the pool. Each would swim a length in turn, with the next team member starting when the other reached them at the far end. The Mostri fielded a team of three boys and a girl, now tucking her red curls beneath a tight fitting swim cap. The girl lined up last. She was probably the fastest, then. Fernando lined up opposite her and gave a little smirk. He was the fastest swimmer in the Squali, but Emilio hoped he wouldn’t come to regret his arrogance.

Emilio stood back to watch the match. The etiquette for mascots was to caper between heats and stay quiet during the race itself to avoid distracting the swimmers. He glanced toward the other team’s bench where the Mostri’s mascot stood. He was holding something, a bottle of something? Oh, it was a water spritzer. He sprayed a fine mist around himself. How odd. Wouldn’t that smear his makeup?

The heat was underway. Fabio and the Mostri’s swimmer were neck and neck for the length of the pool, but Alessandro was a fraction of a second faster on the return and pulled slightly ahead. Unfortunately, the Mostri’s third swimmer was faster and they lost the lead again. Fernando and the redheaded girl dove in at the same time. It was all up to him now.

They matched each other stroke for stroke. Fernando started to pull ahead, but at the last moment, the girl surged past him for the win. It was a great match, and Emilio couldn’t help but cheer with the rest, despite the loss for his team. The swimmers all shook hands, even if Fernando did so with a slightly fixed smile.

With the first heat over, though, it was time to perform. It had become tradition that the mascots would “fight” between races. All in fun, of course. Emilio started to circle the pool in a sinuous path, like a hunting shark.

The mostri’s mascot noticed his approach and grinned. He quickly sprayed the mist again and set the spritzer aside. He mimed an elaborate expression of fear and fled. Emilio laughed and gave chase. The boy stayed just out of reach as Emilio gnashed his jaws. When they reached the end of the pool, he ducked under the diving board where Emilio couldn’t follow. Now “safe,” he thumbed his nose and blew a raspberry.

The crowd loved it.

Emilo gnashed his jaws at the boy over the diving board and murmured, “Hey kid, you’re ‘attacking’ me next time, right?”

The boy grinned and nodded, and Emilio was again struck by how detailed his makeup was. There were even painted freckles on his face and he could see individual scales on his arms. He wore a set of pointed teeth and even the eyes were altered somehow, with slitted pupils and yellowish whites.

The individual races were next. Six swimmers could race at a time in this pool, so there would be four heats to accommodate them all. They would be swum in quick succession, so the mascots wouldn’t perform until they were done.

Fernando was in the second heat and had his best time yet. The redhead won the third race, though, and beat his time by point-three seconds. It seemed he had a rival.

It was time for the “sea monster” to attack, but Emilio couldn’t see where he had gone. Admittedly, his mask restricted his vision somewhat, but the boy seemed to have vanished from the bench. He scanned the crowd and noticed that they were looking at him expectantly. Even the boys in his team were slyly glancing his way. He spun around in time to see the rival mascot looming up behind him. The boy growled and bared sharp pointed teeth and claws. He fell back startled, and the boy grinned and playfully bopped his shark mask on the nose.

The meet over, the swimmers all shook hands with their rivals and headed back to the lockers. Fernando glanced over to the redheaded girl a little wistfully, “Dios mio, she’s beautiful.” he whispered. “I wonder if she has a boyfriend.”

Chapter Text

The Librarian of Na’uur looked up as the junior archivist swam to her, chirping excitedly. Age had dulled her scales nearly to gray, and she looked like a pale ghost in the bioluminescent glow of the jellyfish over her head. Her gaze was still sharp, though, as the archivist floated before her, still quivering with excitement. “What is it, Vaan?”

“It’s from the Golden Konge!”

The Librarian examined the tiny shell and nodded. A recording from any odu sK’antinno was important, if only for its rarity. Only around a hundred Odu currently existed, and not all of them could create the permanent recordings that the Library housed. The Golden Konge, though, was special. He was the strongest Odu to survive the horrors of three decades ago. The fearsome Master of Snakes had brought the humans’ war to the k’tos and exterminated most of the already rare odu sK’antinno.

The Master’s paranoia proved well justified, though, as the Golden One had been instrumental in his downfall.

New additions to the Library of Na’uur were more rare than ever, with so many of the Odu slain. The new generation showed promise, though. The Golden Konge had a daughter who had inherited his power, and he reported finding another, a boy not yet in his vask’anna, but already possessed of a Voice capable of overshadowing dozens of minds at once.

There was a complication, though. The boy lived on land.

It was not unheard of. Every generation had its rebels, after all. The boy was enamored of the world of humans and insisted on attending one of their schools. It was risky, especially if the humans discovered his powers. On the other hand, the reports of his curiosity and intelligence made The Librarian’s heart leap. How could she not encourage such a love of learning? It was the entire purpose of the Library, and her life’s work.

The Golden One’s solution was to join the human school himself. As a teacher, he could protect the boy as he learned to master his powers. His plan was somewhat controversial, though. An odu of his skills could have easily impersonated a human teacher, but the boy’s friends already knew of his aquatic nature and had accepted it. The Golden One believed that this was a unique opportunity to finally unite Land and Sea. He joined the school openly, and would teach k’tosi culture to the next generation of humans.

The tiny shell in front of her held the first lesson, recorded in the hope that it would be cherished by future historians as part of the unification of all the Children of Antinno.

She regarded the tiny shell.

”Speak to me.”

“Jinnova, t’aurin, and welcome to our first class in k’tosi language and culture. I am Signor Tonno, and yes, I’m a sea monster.

“Over the next few weeks, we will be learning how to both speak and read the language of the sea folk. This class is possibly the first of its kind, or certainly the first in at least several hundred years. K’tosi is seldom taught to humans, and by the time we are done, you will represent around eighty percent of human k’tosi speakers worldwide.

“But while this may be the first class of its kind, we may hope it will not be the last. When two cultures come together in peace and friendship, both will emerge stronger for the encounter.

“Let’s begin

“As a spoken language, k’tosi is very old, and except for a few loan words, it has not changed a great deal in the last several thousand years. We know this because the ancient k’tos could preserve the sounds of their voices, and they can be replayed even today. I’ve brought an example with me and we’ll listen to it a little later.

The Librarian nodded in agreement. Many of her records might sound quaint and old fashioned to the modern ear, but even the very oldest were perfectly understandable for a modern k’tosi speaker.

“K’tosi serves as a common language to most of the larger sea monster communities, though it’s quite common for them to use local, human languages in their day-to-day lives and only speak it on ceremonial occasions or when no other common language exists. There are, however, some communities that speak k’tosi almost exclusively. The deep dwellers, especially. K’tosi is not a dead language like Latin or an exclusively liturgical one like the Lashon Hakodesh.

“I will note, however, that while the spoken language is very ancient, and has many living speakers, the written one is much less common, and only around two thousand years old. There are two reasons for this. First, because k’tos live underwater, often below the mesopelagic zone, vision is less important than sound. Deep dwelling k’tos often never learned the written language because there is not enough light to read it. More recent innovations have mostly solved that weakness, however.

“The other reason is historical. As I noted earlier, the ancient sea folk could preserve the sound of their voices for future audiences. With the actual words available, producing a written copy capable of surviving underwater was not a priority. It was only when the skills required to make these recordings started to be lost, did the written language develop.

“This history did leave an interesting artifact, though. Because it developed so late, there were plenty of human writing systems to use as a model. The original written k’tosi used a system of latin and greek based letters, modified to account for sounds and syllables that are common in k’tosi but not in either Latin or Greek. The most obvious of which is the aphonon, a plosive modifier of a consonant.

“The aphonon is believed to be a remnant of the original sea monsters’ echolocation. It is still used as such by many individuals since it produces a sharp, clearly defined sound. Like many creatures that are adapted to a low-light environment, k’tos can echolocate. There is no magic in this. it’s an acquired skill, and one that humans can, and have learned. For cultural reasons, and because it is a very useful skill underwater, echolocation is learned by k’tosi children from an early age, alongside whatever other languages are used by their communities.

“The aphonon is very important to the k’tosi language, even though it is not typically present in most other language groups. It is the difference between kitashio, a building material used in the construction of underwater cities, and k’t’shi oh. K’t’sh is a species of deep sea crab bred by the k’tos as a food source. The i suffix makes it an adjective. Oh is simply an interjection, so it would be like a human asking for his new house to be made of like a chicken, gosh!”

The laughter of his young students issued forth, and the Librarian grinned along. She had no idea what a chicken might be, but she still appreciated the pun.

“So to get us all used to the sound of the aphonon, let’s have a little tongue twister.

“Repeat after me: tu c’lat t’sk’at a v’at c’lat c’kat tui, c’lat c’kati c’lati c’lat t’eraki.”

“Too calat taskat a vat calat cakat tooie, calat cakatie calatie calat teraky”

“C’lat listen for the click.”

“C’lat?”

“That’s right tu c’lat t’sk’at a v’at c’lat c’kat tui, c’lat c’kati c’lati c’lat t’eraki.”

“tu c’lat t’skat a v’at c’lat c’kat tui, c’lat c’kati c’lati c’lat teraki.”

“Better. tu c’lat t’sk’at a v’at c’lat c’kat tui, c’lat c’kati c’lati c’lat t’eraki.”

“Tu c’lat t’sk’at a v’at c’lat c’kat tui, t’sk’at c’kati c’lati c’lat t’eraki.”

“Excellent! It means, I tasted the skate that tried to taste my toes, and the toe tasting skate tasted terrible.

“Let’s break that down: t’sk’at is a skate, a fish with a flat body, related to sharks. Tu c’lat means I tasted. Literally I did a small mouth. C’lat could also mean lick or even kiss so don’t be confused if you hear someone say Tu c’lat ibu. It would mean the speaker kissed his mother, not that he tried to bite her.

“A question, Paolo?”

“So does that mean that you kissed the skate?”

He laughed, “Sure, it could be read that way. But in context, taste makes more sense. ”C’lat t’eraki is tasted bad. T’erak is bad, and the i turns it into an adjective modifying the taste. And yes, that would be a way of saying someone was a bad kisser if you went on a date and found the experience disappointing. I don’t know why you expected the skate to be a good kisser, though. They’re not usually known for their romantic charm.”

Chapter Text

”...considered Caesar's assassins a priority, but this meant ignoring another incipient threat. Sextus Pompey, the son of Pompey the Great, was able to consolidate power in Sicily and raise a powerful navy. It was able to blockade ports and disrupt food shipments to Rome. Pompey had full control of the Roman navy and consequently, control of the Mediterranean as a whole.”

Signora Genesi made a notation in her folder. Signor Tonno had suggested that the children read their essays out loud rather than simply writing them. Apparently he had a way to record them so the sea monsters would be able to learn from them as well. She agreed provided that he also recorded her grading and responses. These were children’s history themes, after all, not primary sources.

”...Marcus Vispansius Agrippa Corallium, known to the Republic as Agrippa. He decided that since Pompey controlled the navy, the Triumvirate needed a navy of its own. The problem, of course, was that he could not train them on the ocean without being attacked by Pompey. His solution was to dig a channel between Lake Lucrine in southern Italy, and the Tyrrhenian, thereby making a port and training site safe from Pompey. He used freed slaves for the oarsmen and built ships that were larger than Pompey’s and held more men. The soldiers were a mix of infantry loyal to the Triumvirate, new recruits…and nereii, a tribe of k'tos inhabiting the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas.

Ah, this was the aspect that most interested Genesi. She’d always been fascinated by this era, the transition from Roman Republic to Empire. It was one of the bloodiest periods in European history, full of civil war, intrigue, betrayal and outright murder, but it was certainly not dull. Years of study meant she was intimately familiar with the period, so the opportunity for completely new knowledge excited her. Until now, history had never acknowledged the contributions of the sea monsters, and considered them mere myth.

”...at the battle of Philippi and ended the threat to the Triumvirate’s power. They described this to the Roman people as having finally brought the murderers of Julius Caesar to Justice.”

Ah, if only it were that simple.

”If only it were that simple. With the threat of the Liberators gone, there were none to challenge the Triumvirate’s power…except each other. The Triumvirate split the territories between them. Octavian controlled the West, including Italy itself, Antony had the East, primarily Greece and Egypt. Antony allied with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, who had a substantial navy of her own. This was a mixed blessing, though, since the accusation that Antony was under Cleopatra’s control served as the focus of the propaganda campaign against him. This allowed Octavian to claim to be restoring Roman territories from foreign control and not simply engaging in yet another civil war.”

Bravo, Luca. If this was the quality of k’tosi sources, she was eager to study them for herself. Unfortunately, while Signor Tonno had been kind enough to offer his lessons to the teachers, as well as the students, her proficiency in the language was far too poor as of yet.

“...in Actium in Greece. Had Antony been able to cross into Italy, he would have been able to march on Rome. Octavian still had the loyalty of Agrippa, however, and consequently, his nereii allies. They were able to keep Antony trapped in Greece and disrupted his supply lines through Corinth. The battle, when it came, was fairly anticlimactic. Antony fled to Egypt, but he couldn’t free his army. They were captured and neutralized, and Octavian was able to return to Rome to consolidate his power. Antony committed suicide, a fairly common death for a defeated Roman general, leaving Octavian in sole control. Octavian would have liked to bring Cleopatra back to Rome to demonstrate his victory over the foreign threat, but she suicided too, rather than subject herself to this.

“The Tiny-Sea War, as the k’tos refer to it, had a lasting effect. Until then, while it was rare for k’tos to fight among themselves, when it did happen it typically took the form of scattered individual combats. The idea of large-scale, coordinated attacks was a new thing, and Corallium’s military skills, developed in the Roman army and adapted for the ocean, taught them a new way to fight. He trained them in the tiny sea of Lake Lucrine, to coordinate their attacks from below the water as the humans attacked from above. Even today, the tonno patrols wear sharkskin armor based on that of a Roman soldier and full troop training together can kill a great white shark with minimal risk of injuries.”

His performance over, Luca scuttled to his seat, blushing furiously at the applause. Genesi smiled and clapped with the rest, “Very good, Luca. and next up, we have Paolo Rossi.”

”The patrician, Lucius Qinctius Cincinnatus was famous not for taking power, but for giving it up. His decision to set aside absolute power when it was no longer needed was hailed as the epitome of civic virtue. In 458 BC…”

Chapter Text

The weather was sunny and pleasant, and the plaza was thick with tourists. With so many countries represented, Giulia knew that one more unfamiliar language in the air would pass without notice. “(Here, try this.)”

“Ac’in.” (thank you) Giana took a tentative lick of the green gelato and smiled in appreciation. (This is very good. What’s it called?)”

“Pasom.” (you’re welcome.) Giulia sat and tasted her own, a coffee flavor. “Gelato. (It’s made from frozen milk. The flavor is pistachio. It's Luca’s favorite. He said it was the very first thing he ever ate on the surface.)”

“You like him, don’t you?”

“(In k’tosi, please. I still need the practice. And, yes, I like him. Not as a flounder, though. More like a brother. Anyway, he’s in love with Alberto.)”

“Hmm, (true. But I think you meant to say ‘not as a boyfriend.’)”

“Santa fontina! (It’s that tone-change again, right? Say them again.)”

“Vakinnas, va kinnas ‘good boy,’ boyfriend. Vaikinnas, vaiki nas ‘fish who is flat.’ (Don’t worry, every language has weird-almost-homophones. It’s the reason puns exist.)”

“Giulia jinnovi. Jinnova Genova, Giana!” (Hi, I’m Giulia. Welcome to Genova, Giana.)

“Ha! (Every k’tosi kid in Liguria knows that one. Nice that we both alliterate, though. Usually kids have to make up names to fit.)”

She took another lick of her gelato and grew serious. “(Terrible puns aside, you’re progressing a lot faster than I would have expected. I’m an odu sk’antinno. I can understand any language after hearing enough of it, but it would still take months to learn enough to actually speak it. And not even my father can give the ability to someone else.)”

“(I wonder why Luca can, then. Is it just because there’s two of them? Luca and Giorgio always work as a team.)”

“(Maybe, but I’ve supported Dad’s Voice before. Of course, we’re both k’tos. Giorgio is a land monster. Maybe that’s what makes the difference. Dad did say his best tricks were from when he was with Captain Andersen.)”

“(Who was he?)”

“Tinno, um…soldier? (But for on a ship. Before the war he was) a fisherman. Huh, that’s interesting. (I never noticed before, but k’tosi doesn’t have a word for someone whose job it is just to catch fish. There’s one for someone who raises them.)”

“Nassemu. I know that one. It’s what Luca’s family does.”

“Shakazot is a hunter, but that implies you’re going to eat the fish.

“(Oh! I know that one too.) Shakazot slepziot. The children’s game. Hunter camouflage, or hide and seek.”

“(I suppose it’s just too familiar a concept to make note of. I mean, everybody eats fish.)”

“(We could invent something. That’s how languages develop, after all.) Pescatore. Pescare. Nas. Nask’tos?”

“(Not that. That’s the creature that looks like a land monster with a dolphin’s tail instead of legs.)”

“Sirena, or mermaid. (Are those real?)”

“(I’ve never seen one, or heard of anyone who has, but I used to think land sharklings were mythical too.)”

“St’radi c’shaka. Umm…shark…on land..but small?”

“You call them ‘cats.’ (An obligate predator kept as a pet. It’s one of those stories kids tell each other about how weird and dangerous land monsters are. That they keep a hunter in the house to eat disobedient k’tosi children. It’s the stuff of nightmares.)”

Giulia giggled, “(Oh dear. So when I brought Luca home and he met Machiavelli…)”

Chapter Text

“Dios mio! It’s her!”

Emelio looked up from his pizza, but Fernando had already lowered his gaze and hissed, “No! Don’t stare. The girl two tables over. It’s the swimmer from theMostri Marini, the redhead.”

“Really?” Emelio glanced over subtly, “Oh, you’re right. You should introduce yourself.”

“But what if she has a boyfriend already?”

“Then she does. That doesn't mean you can’t be friends. It’s too soon to think about that kind of thing anyway, you don’t even know her name yet. Hey, you know you have at least one thing in common, though. Invite her to the beach for a swim.”

“...but…”

“Adiamo,” Emilio stood and strode over to where the redhead sat with her friend, leaving Fernando no choice but to follow. Fernando was a bit shy around girls but Emelio knew he had been curious about the redhead since the swim meet. Not least because he knew he would get to see her again in the Championship. The Mostri Marini and Squali Tigre were the two topmost rated teams this year and their rematch next month was both inevitable and highly anticipated.

Emilio and Fernando approached the table where the two girls sat. They were enjoying cones of gelato and chatting. Emelio paused for a moment. The language was strange, with the occasional chirp or click. He knew some English and Spanish, and at least knew what French, German and even Chinese sounded like, but this was none of them.

The strange speech cut off as they noticed the boys and both girls turned to face them.

“Ah, hello. I don’t know if you remember us. I’m Emilio and this is Fernando. We’re from the Squali Tigre. We competed last month?”

“Oh, right. And you were the mascot, right? I’m Giulia, Giulia Marcovaldo. And this is Gianna Tonno.”

“Buon pomeriggio. Would you like to join us?” The other girl’s Italian was flawless, but she did have a slight unfamiliar accent. She must be a foreigner, and the reason they spoke the strange language.

They sat and there was a moment of awkward silence until Emilio gave Fernando a small kick under the table.

“Oh! Umm… would…would you like to go swimming? With us, I mean. I mean, I know you like to swim, right? And the beach is pretty close.”

“Oh,” Giulia glanced at her friend, “but Giana can’t…”

Giana gave a mischievous smile, “I’m amazingly bad at swimming.”

Giulia gave a little snort of laughter and Fernando’s ears turned red. “We…umm could teach you. I…I’m pretty good at it. And I know Giulia is. She’s the only one who could outswim me in the competition.”

“Thank you anyway.” She turned to Giulia and said something in that strange language. “Kinnas meilli, e ak’ivazdi va.”

Giulia blushed and gave Giana a playful swat. “So…we’re not really dressed for swimming anyway. Maybe another time. What else do you like to do?”

“Oh, umm…a movie, maybe? Or…I could show you my radio?”

“Radio?”

Fernando grew more animated, “Oh yes! I have a ham radio base station at my house. I can talk to people all over Europe. I have friends in Switzerland, France, Austria and Spain. We’ve had it for years. My dad said we could hear Sputnik back when I was little. I don’t remember that, but I was only two.”

“Huh, now that sounds interesting. Gianna? Odui vatinni ke odu sk’antinno.”

Chapter Text

Luca folded the last page of the comic and placed it on the pile already read. He reached for the next one. [One more, do you think?] he signed.

Giorgio nodded, [We’re not tired yet, right?] Ezio and Rosa shrugged and agreed.

Luca held out the comic, “Superumo comic 136. Human fiction. Read by Luca Paguro, Giorgio Garibaldi, Ezio Luzzatti and Rosa Verdino.”

“The Man Who Married Lois Lane. An alien sits in a flying saucer. He is humanoid with green skin, pointed ears and antennae. He speaks to Superumo and Lois.”

He handed the comic to Ezio who took the alien’s role, “I’ve come to take you to the 23rd century, dear Lois! Future history says that I will marry you and that we will be very happy!”

Rosa took the book. She had been taking the role of Lois Lane, and Giorgio, Superman. They had been at this for over an hour and had already finished eight of the books. There was certainly nothing odd about four friends reading comics together in Giorgio’s room. If anyone asked, that is certainly what they would say they were doing. Even that they were reading them aloud wouldn’t raise interest. An onlooker might wonder, though, why they seemed to be performing for the benefit of a small, brown snail’s shell.

What this hypothetical onlooker wouldn’t realize, though, is that the shell was actually listening. Giorgio and Luca were sirens, and Luca had imbued this shell with the ability to record sounds. They had already collected several. A box of similar shells on Giorgio’s desk held several other comics, some piano performances by Rosa, as well as her album collection, and some of Giorgio’s favorite books. He too could create these records and enjoyed the fact that they might entertain future listeners for centuries.

The box of shells was destined for the ocean, and from there to the Great Library of Na’uur. Na’uur was across the ocean, a few hundred kilometers off the coast of Brazil. There, the sea monsters would copy them and send them to hundreds of other libraries across the world. Only odu sk’antinno like Luca and Giorgio could enchant the shells, but anyone could use them.

Only their teacher, Signor Tonno, had actually been to Na’uur, and he described the Library as a magnificent structure, filled with artifacts and relics lost to human history. “Perhaps one day we’ll be able to share it. Even with the humans’ advanced technology, there is still more to learn.”

Ironically, though, while the Library housed a collection to rival even the greatest human museums, the literature it also housed could fit in one room. Granted, that room was sizable, but there were no physical books there. Instead, the room was filled with piles of the magical shells, which whispered to each other constantly. Anyone who came, could take one of the shells and it would contain the entire library, from the most recent arrival to the most ancient of accounts. Each of the libraries across the world would update whenever they received new shells, though most of these satellite libraries lacked an odu sk’antinno and so could not produce new shells to loan out or give away.

Genova was not so limited, though, with four odu now in residence. All of the friends had shells of their own, and they were available to any student or teacher from the school’s own library. As a compromise to the sea monsters’ security, though, Signor Tonno had programmed those not to speak with anyone outside the school.

“End of recording.” Luca sat back with a sigh. “I think that’s enough for today.”

The other kids were supportive of this notion. Acting out the comic was much harder than simply reading it to themselves and they were ready for a break. Giorgio picked up the shell and brought it to the box on his desk. The other shells seemed to greet the newcomer when he dropped it into the box. They could hear a murmuring as they updated each other. By morning, each one would be a complete Library. More so even than Na’uur since the Great Library would be missing these most recent entries, at least until Signor Tonno could ship them out.

“We’re almost done with the Superumo comics.” Giorgio noted, “Do you want me to try to find more? Or should we start something else?”

Luca shrugged, “Pretty much anything we send them will find an audience eventually. Did you know the shells have a bunch of plays from somebody named Shakespeare? They were recorded from the Globe Theater in London starting in 1600. In English, of course, but Signora Genesi nearly fainted when she heard them. Apparently, the guy was really famous and nobody even knew he was a k’tos!”

Chapter Text

Ezio watched Luca’s reactions as he read the comic to himself. As he turned the last page, he cleared his throat and asked, “Well, what did you think?”

Luca pondered, “He’s another superhero like Superumo?”

“Well, yes. The same writers do both. They’ve even met each other sometimes.”

“But he’s clearly a k’tos. An odu sk’antinno even.”

“That’s what I thought too. He doesn't transform, or at least the artists always show him with a human face, but that could be because they don’t know.”

“Orange scales, though.”

“I suppose so. At least if you assume his superhero outfit is supposed to represent how he looks as a sea monster. Even the green trunks and tights could be seagrass clothes. Why? Are orange scales unusual?”

Luca snorted with amusement, “Unusual? Well, that depends. Remember when you asked about why I don’t have external genitalia in my aquatic form?”

“Yeah, you just have a kind of pouch where you keep it.”

“Well, the reason we bother with clothes at all is because of that pouch. It’s embarrassing and immodest to show in public, especially during vask’anna.”

“Like Giulia’s party last month?”

“Well, that was her c’ska vask’anna, the first one. A coming-of-age ceremony kind of like your bar mitzvah. If she were a sea monster, it would be the first of a cycle that would repeat every few months. It outlines the genital slit in bright orange scales to show that the sea monster is umm…ready. It’s definitely not something we would want to show the neighbors. Or anyone else but a wife or husband, for that matter.”

“So a k’tos with orange scales all over his body would seem like he was saying ‘look at me, I’m so sexy’ all the time?”

“Yeah, but they’re also really, really rare. In fact, I don’t know if anybody even has them in real life. The only time you ever see something like that is in ceremonies and historical plays. Then it’s somebody in costume playing Emperor Xiph…”

He cut off and Ezio looked at him, puzzled, “Luca, what is it?”

“Santa Ricotta! That’s who it is! Ezio, didn’t you say he was supposed to be a king?

“Yes, he’s supposedly the king of Atlantis. An underwater empire.”

“He’s Emperor Xiphias, the last of the Abyssal Emperors. The one who transitioned the k’tos from a monarchy to a republic. He’s remembered as a hero! We have to add these stories to the Library.”

Chapter Text

“What are we doing out here?”

“Prasi odu k’tosi, Paolo. T’aurin lik’ti.”

(Sorry, sir. Why there we of ocean?)

“You mean, (Why have we come here?)

(Yes, sir.)

(We’re here to meet someone. And to give them these.)

Signor Tonno indicated the pack he was carrying. It was clearly the work of the sea monsters, tightly woven seagrass, and streamlined to make it easier to move in the water. They also knew what it contained, a dozen small shells, packed in a protective bundle and marked with a red cross, reminiscent of the Genoese flag. The class knew that these shells somehow contained the sea monsters’ library, though how they were created was not generally known. Now, though, they also contained information that the students had provided.

What this information involved was wide ranging and varied. The students had been free to offer anything they liked, and the shells held traditional songs, family stories, fairy tales and jokes. The capacity of the shells was limitless, or at least the limit had not been reached in 3500 years. Archeologists had found examples of human writing systems that were older, but the k’tos had records that were far more complete.

Tonno wondered about that. The k’tos had a complete history available to any who asked for it, and yet too many of them lacked the curiosity. Some of their greatest innovations had come from individuals with close contact with the surface, and yet the society as a whole was so conservative and isolationist. And the humans were no better. So much potential was wasted in conflict with other humans. The Americans’ budding space program was truly inspiring, but they had made it a proxy war with the Russians. What could they accomplish just by working together?

A wordless song hovered at the edge of his hearing. He glanced over to where Luca and Giorgio stood and they met his gaze with curiosity in their eyes. They heard it too. He nodded and spoke “Lik’ti st’rada. Saugi e jinnovi.”

The response came quickly. (The surface? Will the humans not see?) Full odu were very rare, but most of the messengers of Na’uur had just enough of it to talk to other odu, at least within a few kilometers.

(They are children, and my students. They will not hurt you.)

The messenger was silent for a moment as they considered. Then, (Very well. I trust you, Golden One.)

The deck of the boat shifted beneath them, a movement no wave had caused. Vito paled slightly and swallowed. Tonno looked at him, concerned, but he gave a rueful grin and wave. Tonno knew he became seasick sometimes, but he had refused to be left behind. A wake cut through the water on the port side and a long, dark shape briefly surfaced.

Paolo gasped, “Is…is that a whale?”

It was in Italian, not k’tosi, but Tonno didn’t bother to correct him again. He recognized the dark scales and white spots of the messenger. It was Tevra Tubarão. She was not a whale, just another k’tos, but her appearance was still likely to be shocking.

Her gray head broke the water at the stern of the boat and her blue, slit pupiled eyes scanned the deck, nervously checking for weaponry. Seeing none, she relaxed and rose up out of the water. The children gasped in awe. Tonno bowed, “Jinnova, Tevra. Vai mergin grazint” Belatedly remembering their manners, the children greeted her as well and she smiled shyly.

“Tevra jinnovi."

The class had met sea monsters before. Besides Signor Tonno and Luca, there was Tonno’s daughter, Giana. She was fluent in k’tosi and did not need this class, but they knew her from some of the other classes and she was on hand today for this meeting. Tonno had also invited other k’tos from Genova del Mare to the school as guest speakers. Tevra, though, was unique in their experience. She towered over them, even mostly submerged in the water. Nearly three and a half meters from snout to tail. If she stood up, she would be over two and a half meters tall.

She wouldn’t do that, though. Tevra never left the water. She couldn’t. K’tosi of her size were rare, but Tonno had met several individuals and families like that. There were even land monsters of that size, but they were even rarer. In both cases, though, their bulk came at a cost. Human giants often suffered from back pain and heart disease. K’tos would too, but for the buoyancy of the water. Tevra could presumably make the Change if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t be able to stand or walk on land. In the water, though, there was no difficulty, and she could swim faster than a dolphin. Her route spanned thousands of kilometers, from Na’uur, around the Mediterranean and back again.

Tevra giggled at the wide-eyed children. She was used to this kind of reaction. Most k’tos of her size tended to live in the vast sunless deep, but although her family in Na’uur had several members like her, she had never met any on her Mediterranean route. These were not the first group of children to find her fascinating.

(You said these are your students?)

Tonno nodded, (They are learning k’tosi. They have also contributed to the library we have for you. I hope you enjoy the new additions.)

(It is my favorite part of this job. That I can spend weeks or months traveling with a shell in my ear, with no concern other than my entertainment and the promise of more at the end of my journey.)

With that she reached up to her ear fin and removed a shell like the ones the children had prepared. She then unstrapped a pack and placed them both on the deck of the ship. Tonno opened it and removed two of the shells, replacing them with the contents of the pack they had brought. Not all of her stops had odu, he knew, and it was his responsibility to insure she had enough to supply them. He handed her one of the new shells and she placed it in her ear. She intended to sample the new songs and stories as she swam on to her next destination.

(Most of this new material is from the surface. The land monsters have their own way to record sounds and the students collected stories and histories from their own families. I hope you enjoy them.)

(I am sure I will. Thank you, children.)

Tonno took one of the shells and placed it in his pocket. It would be added to the ones at the school library to update them with the contributions of the rest of Tevra’s route. The other would go to the library of Genova del Mare. That was where he usually met Tevra or one of her colleagues. She would spend a few days resting, then continue on. The full circuit of a messenger could take years to complete.

For now, though, she had time to chat. This was the other reason Tonno had brought the class. Tevra spoke no Italian, and the students would have to use their k’tosi, limited as it was. He helped them both with the conversation, correcting their wording and translating phrases that they were not yet familiar with. He activated the shells so this interview could be added to the record. The Librarian of Na’uur had expressed interest in the progress of this class. She had been very supportive of his plan to bring Land and Sea together.

The sun was starting to dip lower, and it was time to return to port. The children waved to Tevra and wished her a safe journey. They had, predictably, asked why she was so large, and she told them about her mother who was even larger. Her father, though, stood only 148cm tall and loved his gigantic wife deeply. Rosa sighed in appreciation of this romantic tale.

As a final treat, Tevra dove deep to gather speed and then launched herself out of the water. Her breech was so high she was able to change at its apex, giving the children a brief glimpse of her human face. They cheered and waved. Vito ran for the starboard rail when her wake hit the boat, but he was still smiling afterwards, even as he wiped his mouth. Ezio patted his shoulder and handed him a cup of water to rinse.

Chapter Text

Ezio sat next to Luca in the lunchroom. As usual, the boy’s attention was primarily on the book in his hand. Ezio could probably replace that sandwich with a handful of leaves and Luca would never notice.

Ezio glanced at what he was reading. “Biology? But we already took that test. You don’t need to study any more for it.”

“I know, but…”

Ezio looked over his shoulder. Luca was on the chapter about human evolution. He grinned, “Looking for the chapter on k’tos? You know we could end up writing it one day.”

Luca smiled and nodded. “It’s no surprise it’s not here yet. Not many people know about us. Actually, though, I was thinking about Alberto. Humans and k’tos are so different, you would assume we must be totally different species. But he’s half human. That means we have to be at least in the same genus or he would have never hatched.”

“Well, we always knew you weren’t actually a fish. You’re warm blooded for a start. And you have hair, at least some of the time. Only mammals have that.”

“We come from eggs, though.”

“So do platypuses.”

“Scales?

“Pangolin.”

“What’s that?”

“An anteater from, I think, India. They have overlapping scales like you do and they roll up into a ball if anything tries to eat them. The scales are too tough to bite through, so it’s safe.”

“Neat. Um…what about milk, though?”

“Sea monsters don’t nurse?”

“Not directly. The mothers lay a lot of eggs, though, as food for the guppy. And they excrete a thick paste that they can also eat.”

“That could be the milk analogue, then.”

“I suppose so. They don’t really have breasts, though. At least not in aquatic form. The paste just seeps up out of their scales.”

“That’s not unusual. Plenty of mammals have flat mammary glands. Most of the reason women have breasts is because humans have such flat faces. Without a snout or muzzle, the human baby would be in danger of suffocating against a flat chest.”

“I wonder if a sea monster would nurse on land, then. They do have breasts then. The question then is if the guppy can transform. They don’t have legs yet.”

“I don’t suppose there are any other animals that transform so radically when they leave the water.”

“Not that I know of. But we were supposedly given the ability by Antinno.”

“You’ve mentioned him before. Who was he?”

“He originally created the k’tos from a giant sea serpent. That’s a legend, though. I can’t actually prove that it happened.”

“Is that where the term odu sk’antinno comes from?”

“Yeah, he was the first human Siren, at least in some tellings.”

Luca pulled out his library shell. “We only had one of these in my village, and C’od knows how old it must be. I’ll have to send some to Alberto to distribute, now that I can make them.”

He addressed the shell, “Legend of Antinno, please.”

The shells had no minds of their own and only obeyed orders. The fact that they spoke, though, gave them the illusion of intelligence, and Luca was as habitually polite as he would have been to a person. Luca had enchanted this particular shell, so it spoke in his voice, flat and toneless as it was.

THERE ARE 17,498 ENTRIES

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

Luca nodded, “It’s a popular story.” He shrugged, “Are there any in Italiano?” After all, they could probably follow the story in k’tosi, but why make the effort? This was perhaps a weakness of the shells. They could follow orders in as many languages as their maker spoke, but the entries themselves were in whatever language they were recorded in.

THERE IS ONE ENTRY. CONTINUE?

“Yes, please.”

“How does this work?”

“You just talk into the shell. It’s simple enough.”

“No, I mean, how does it work? There’s nothing to record.”

“Magic. Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s not a very satisfying answer.”

Ezio and Luca shared a knowing grin. This kind of introduction to a recording was all too common.

“Do you want me to tell the story or not?”

“Fine, sorry. Go ahead.”

“Okay, so Antinno was out hunting and he saw this weird thing up on the surface. It was long and wide like a whale, but it had a bunch of stiff little legs that it swam with. He was curious and swam up to see what it was. It had a bunch of creatures on its back like he had never seen before.”

“It was a boat?”

“Yeah, that’s how he first met humans.”

“Pause.” Luca turned to Ezio, “That’s a new one. I’ve never heard a version before where Antinno was already a sea monster. There’s one where he became one, when the humans tried to drown him.”

“That’s common enough in oral legends. There must have been a hundred different Cinderellas before the movie came out, and Disney would never use any of the versions where the stepsisters try to cut off pieces of their feet to fit the glass slipper.”

Luca grimaced at the image, then ordered the shell to resume.

“Okay, so Antinno was curious about the humans and followed them, but he couldn’t leave the water. He could hear them up on land singing and having fun, and wanted to join them. So he asked all the wisest people he knew. The dolphins agreed that the humans sounded like fun, but they lived on land and that sounded awful. The turtles liked both land and sea just fine, but thought the humans were dangerous. Finally, he asked the tern. She’s the most widely traveled bird, migrating from the arctic to antarctic every year. She sees everything.

“The tern told him that C’od had made the land creatures for the land, the sea creatures for the sea and the air creatures, like herself, for the air. That’s why she needed the air’s permission to fly for the first time. If Antinno wanted to walk on land, he would have to ask the land to let him.

“So Antinno swam up to the land and asked politely to be able to walk, and the land agreed.”

“So sea monsters can make the Change because they asked to?”

“Apparently.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s a legend. It doesn’t have to. How were humans made, then?”

“Oh, um…kicked out of a garden for eating an apple. That’s kind of silly too, now that I think about it.”

Luca nodded as the recording came to an end. “That was interesting, and a different version than I’m used to. It’s nice to know, though, that there have been k’tos with human friends before.”

“When was this recorded?” Ezio asked the shell.

ENTRY RECORDED SEVEN AGOSTO, NINETEEN-FOURTEEN BY TOMMASO OSTRICA AND EZIO BELLOCCI

Chapter Text

“So that’s it. Fourteen entries in the Library by a human boy named Ezio and a sea monster named Tommaso. All dated between 1914 and 1918. If that’s really Professore Bellocci, then they met when he was at most ten.”

Ezio put the shell away. The recordings had spanned a wide array of topics, mostly the everyday lives of Italian and k’tosi youths. In some of their conversations, though, they touched on their families’ worries about the intensifying European conflict of the time, what would become known as the First World War. Italy had been mostly neutral for much of the early years, but the conflict still dominated the news. The k’tos, of course, could ignore the conflict completely by retreating to the ocean, but Tommaso was unwilling to leave his friend.

“They were such good friends.” said Rosa, “What could have happened to separate them?”

“Bellocci said Tommaso bit him,” noted Luca, “but I have to think that was the culmination of the split, not the original conflict.”

“We could ask him,” suggested Giulia, “he dosen’t…he doesn’t seem to trust the sea folk anymore, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person. If we could get him to talk about it, maybe we could help.”

“I could ask in Genova del Mare if anybody knows what happened to Tommaso. If he’s still around.”

Ezio agreed, “We can contact the Professore and tell him about finding his old recordings. I wonder how they did them, though. It didn’t sound like there was an odu with them.”

Giorgio shook his head. “No, that’s easy. We can program them to record for a specific non odu. We don’t do it for the class because it has to be done along with the person who will be using it and we’re still trying to keep the existence of the odu sk’antinno a secret. Especially me and Luca. Not even the Librarian of Na’uur knows that I’m one too.”