Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1926 Yucatan, Mexico 

“What is that?” 

Shuri glanced up at her brother who was looking down at her sketchbook. Mayan pyramids took up most of the page but in the middle there was a design of a string beaded bracelet. The drawing was uncolored, but Shuri knew the bracelet would be made with white and gold beads, with squares of jade.  

“Jewelry, I think.” She tapped her pencil to paper before shutting the book, looking out the open window without really seeing anything. The bracelet had been a centerpiece of her dreams lately. A gift between lovers. She couldn’t very well tell her brother that bit of information but she did tell him most of it.  

After their parents had passed, they were left with a large legacy to protect that also came with a hefty inheritance. T’Challa had a family of his own so he saved it for them, but Shuri used it to quite literally chase after her dreams. 

Her dreams were filled with visions of an underwater Kingdom, of people whose skin changed from brown to blue when they came to the surface, of a sun under the sea. 

And more embarrassingly, a man whose face was kept hidden from her with a beautiful jewel encrusted helm decorated with a crown of feathers, who turned towards her in front of the ocean's sun. A man, who she wasn’t quite sure was a man, that made her feel breathless. 

Her dreams had led them to this coastal town in Yucatan, Mexico. All her life she had these strange dreams, but one day she found something in the vast libraries of Wakanda, about a myth of an underwater kingdom called Talokan. All of the details about the place felt eerily similar, there was even a sketch that had matched one of her drawings. 

A feathered serpent. 

They had been there for a week, asking the locals if there was any information to be given about the myth, but as soon as they asked, the people immediately clamped up or acted like they could no longer understand what they were talking about.

Shuri didn’t push, knowing full well that it would only aggravate things. 

So she did the only thing she could do when she hit a wall. She went to the library. “I’ll be back.” She declared suddenly, pulling on her brown coat and matching hat with a plum scarf wrapped at the base. Her brother sighed and laid back on the shared room's bed near the open window, knowing full well where she was going. 

“I think you’ve already scoured every book in that library sister. I think it’s time to call it quits.” He covered his face with his hat, his words coming out slightly muffled as he settled further into the bed. 

Shuri paused at the door, gripping the round brass handle hard. He was right, there were absolutely no leads, all the books, although rich with history, were sadly useless in her search. 

Maybe he was right. 

But something clawed inside of her, pleading her to stay. She couldn’t explain it. And even if she did, she wasn’t even sure it would be something he could understand. 

“Just a few more days brother.” She glanced back at him and smiled, seeing that he was already half asleep. “You don’t have to stay with me, you know. You could go home?” 

This got a reaction out of him, as he moved his hat just enough to side eye her. “And leave you unattended in a foreign land? Please, Baba and Mama would come back from the ancestral plains just to beat me senseless.” 

Shuri laughed and walked out the door, calling out, “True!” 

They had purposefully chosen a hotel near to a local library, so the walk was not a long one. When she walked in the attendant there simply gave her a friendly knowing smile. She had been there so often that she could easily name everyone who worked there. 

The library itself was not very big, and the organization system left something to be desired, but something about seeing the books stacked and shoved into the shelves gave it a more lived in quality to it. As if she was visiting a friend who simply loved to read. At Least they were organized enough to have their own sections. There of course were absolutely no books with any mention of Talokan, so Shuri looked through a selection of local folk tales she had already read through, which were very few to select from, and chose one that had left the biggest impression on her. 

She found a desk in the far corner and flipped through the pages again, reading the lore of a few of the gods and goddesses, but she always ended up reading about the god K’uk’ulkan. At the end of his story there was a curious drawing that had no real description. It was just there, as if someone had accidentally attached it to the wrong book. 

It was a drawing of a man with pointed ears and wings on his ankles, entangled with what looked like a black panther. Or maybe a Jaguar? Were they dancing? Fighting? Shuri had asked everyone who had worked at the library about it, but they simply shrugged. 

However their eyes glinted with information that they were unwilling to part with. 

Shuri sighed heavily at the thought that this entire journey would be a fruitless one. She pulled out her sketchbook and quickly made a copy of the strange man and panther, then decided to just walk back to the hotel. 

When she left the library, her feet led her past the hotel and straight to the beach, which was about a ten minute walk. The weather was warm, but the cool sea breeze that blew through the town was enough for a light jacket. The beach itself was mostly deserted, so Shuri sat down and looked out to the sea, finding a small comfort in the sound of the crashing waves. She left her notebook next to her. 

“ Ba'ax ka wa'alik?” A small voice sounded out. 

Shuri blinked out of her daze and looked up to see a young girl with large expressive eyes staring at her. “Oh hello.” 

The girl flicked her eyes down at her notebook that had been blown open without Shuri noticing, the page had landed on a sketch of the bracelet. Shuri was about to ask the girl a question when the quiet stretched a tad too long but the girl beat her to it. “Namor, Pájaro Sol.” 

“Eh?” 

“Fen!” A woman’s voice called out. The girl, presumably Fen, turned towards it immediately and ran off  in the direction of the voice, without a single glance back. 

“W-wait!” Shuri cried out confused, but the girl was long gone. So she quickly picked up her book and scribbled down the cryptic sentence, unsure what it could possibly mean. A surge of hope filled Shuri then, and she dusted herself off and ran back to the hotel. 

—

“T’Challa!” She squealed as she barreled through the room. “I think I have something!” 

T’Challa was where she left him earlier, but now sleeping peacefully on the bed, his hat tilted off to the side on his face. Unfortunately he slept like the dead, so Shuri's loud entrance did nothing to phase him. She quickly leapt onto the bed next to him, bouncing on the mattress and jolting him awake. “Brother! Wake up!” She slapped him on the chest for good measure, even though she could see his eyes were already open. 

“W-what?!” He looked at her in angry alarm. 

“Namor Pájaro sol!” 

His anger softened to pure confusion. “...What?” 

“I don’t know, but it’s something.” She grinned, recounting her time at the beach with the little girl. About how when the child saw her drawings she suddenly told her that strange phrase. Shuri could translate some of it, but the word Namor had her a little stumped. 

Her brother sat up, putting his hat back on, a look of realization on his face. “You know…I don’t know about Namor…but Pájaro Sol sounds familiar.” 

“Yeah it means sunbird.” Shuri nodded eagerly. 

“No, no bookworm.” He teased, pinching her cheek and she slapped his hand away. “I mean…I think that’s a place.” T’Challa took a second longer to think on it, pinching her cheek again before snapping his fingers. “A bar! I saw a bar called Pájaro Sol.”

—

T’Challa led them a few streets away from their hotel, leading her to the less touristy area of town, but the faces were still friendly when they saw her brother. Even going as far as to say hello to him while he called them by name. Shuri snorted at this, her brother had a way about him that could even make his enemies friendly towards him. It was somewhat annoying but eternally useful. 

The bar T’Challa spoke of was indeed called Pájaro Sol, and even had a sunbird painting on the side of the building. Inside, the bar was a comfortable size for the locals to visit, a bar set up right when you walked in, tables along the walls and 2 tables directly in the middle. There was a lot of natural light from the open windows installed near the ceiling, tiled floors, and dark wood fixtures. The place looked moderately busy that day. Shuri let her brother do the talking, who seemed to know the bartender and asked him if he knew anything about a ‘Namor’. They were instantly directed, with a slight nod, to a table in the middle of the bar.  

There was a lone man sitting there, laying his head down on the table with a half empty bottle of liquor in one hand and a small single glass in the other. His hair was a mess of dark curls. 

“Maybe Namor is a name?” Shuri ventured, and her brother shrugged in response as he stared at the seemingly unconscious man. A less than promising start, but it’s a start

They walked up to the table, T’Challa boldly sitting down while Shuri stood, arms crossed. “Namor?” He asked. 

“What do you want foreigner?” Namor grumbled, pushing himself up to glare at the two of them. He looked exhausted and his beard was slightly long and scruffy. “Who are you?” He continued, then glanced at Shuri. “And who is the princess?” 

“Princess?” She bristled. This was their lead to Talokan? Less than promising indeed. 

T’Challa intervened before Shuri could say anything more, already sensing an argument brewing, and opted for his tried and true friendly method. “My name is T’Challa and this is my sister Shuri.” 

“We are looking for Talokan.” Shuri slid heavily into the last empty chair. Getting straight to the point and looking Namor directly in the eye. Unfortunately she had said it a little too loudly since the entire bar went dead silent. The attention suddenly and entirely on the three of them. 

The air thickened with a tension the siblings did not anticipate. 

Namor looked over at the barkeep, waving his hand nonchalantly, which seemed to appease the patrons who went back to their conversations. Both brother and sister look at eachother with raised eyebrows. It seemed like this drunk had a little more importance than they realized. 

The man chuckled lowly at them, shaking his head as he poured himself another glass. “Talokan is not a place for tourists.” 

“So it exists.” Shuri whispered excitedly, sliding in closer. 

“It does not matter if it does or not, go home.” Namor responded, sliding in closer to her as well. The two of them simply glare at one another, their faces a handbreadth apart. T’Challa decided to break the tension by taking his sister’s book from her bag, flipping it open and sliding it in between the pair. 

“My sister has been having dreams about this place. That’s why we are here.”

“T’Challa.” Shuri hissed, reaching to take her book back, but Namor snatched it from her before she could reach it. He looked stricken at the sketch of the bracelet, making Shuri’s stomach twist with anticipation.

Namor slowly lifted his eyes to Shuri. “You...” 

Two officers, one mustached and the other short, cut their conversation short as they barged through the door, looking wildly around until their eyes landed on Namor. “Namor Almehen, you are to come with us, finally caught you you little bastard” The short officer who spoke held out a wanted poster with a crude drawing of Namor along with a hefty reward price near the bottom.

Instead of being alarmed, Namor just looked mildly annoyed.

One of the officers, the mustached one, walked forward and roughly hefted Namor out of his chair by one arm. Without thinking Shuri immediately launched herself at his other arm, gripping him tight and pulling him towards her. Both the officer and Namor looked at her like she was crazy. 

“You can't!” She yelled, frantic. This was her only lead, the only person who had even acknowledged Talokan’s existence. She would be damned to lose him now. Even if he was a giant drunk jerk. 

T’Challa jumped up, holding his hands up as he stood between everyone. “Hey hey hey, let’s just calm down and figure this out. What could our friend have possibly done wrong?”

The short officer who stood alone sputtered out a laugh, holding his hand up to count out a finger for each crime. “Arson, Theft, Murder of a Spanish soldier.” 

“Ah..Yes well.” 

“T’Challa!” Shuri called out frustrated as she struggled with holding onto Namor, glaring daggers at the much taller soldier. 

“Right. Um, how much is the reward?” He asked, taking the wanted poster from the officer. “How about we pay you a quarter of this price, right now. If you let our friend go.” 

The short officer paused, staring at Namor unsure. “Well…” 

“My sister and him are in love! They were planning their wedding before you two came in” T’Challa suddenly blurted, shrugging helplessly at the said couple when they shot him an incredulous look. 

“Well that’s sweet and all senor....” The officer was beginning to look uncomfortable, looking at his partner who merely shrugged back. “I’m sorry-” 

“And she’s pregnant!”

“T’Challa!” Shuri screeched, her face feeling hot with embarrassment. 

“Look at me Princess.” Namor suddenly spoke, keeping his voice low for only her to hear. She did and he leaned forward quickly, yanking the arm that she held onto to pull her towards him. He used the momentum to plant a searing kiss on her lips. 

There was a beat of silence before-

The entire bar erupted in cheers, making cat calls and whistling out their enjoyment at the unfolding scene. Both of the officers looked equally embarrassed by the sudden turn of events. When the couple pulled back, the two of them looked surprised at one another, not expecting the sudden shock that had gone through them when they kissed. It felt almost familiar.

“Look we really don’t want to break up a family but-” 

“A third! A third of the reward and you and your friend can split it, and no one will ever know, and you give a young couple a fighting chance of being together.” T’Challa looked imploringly at the officer who was beginning to soften. Shuri was shocked to see that her brother’s crazy plan was actually working, when both of the officers showed a crack of interest.

The officer finally let out a loud groan. “Alright fine, but if we see that man again we can’t guarantee it will be the same outcome. C’mon.” 

T’Challa quickly paid the money and Namor ripped his arm free of the larger man who had grabbed him, leaning closer to Shuri who simply held his arm tighter. The bar cheered and laughed, somewhat jeering at the officers as they left, but quieted down when the owner barked his annoyance at them. 

Namor and Shuri quickly look at eachother, before pulling apart. Grabbing the still full shot glass of liquor, Namor downed it and slammed the glass down. “Fine, I will help you. Let us go before they come back.” 

“Wait.” T’Challa reached out to take hold of Shuri’s hand, bringing her to stand slightly behind him. “They said you murdered someone, I saved you for my sister’s sake, but we need to know if we can be safe with you.” 

Taking a deep breath in and out, Namor leveled them with a dark look. Shuri wondered if he was even really drunk earlier with how clear his eyes were. “That soldier they spoke of had taken… ‘advantage’ of a local girl. Then boasted about it like it was something to be proud of. Understand?”

Shuri knew her answer and looked to her brother to see him nodding his head.  

“Good. We need to leave. You two caused too much commotion.” 

“We caused a commotion? We weren’t nearly arrested.” Both Shuri and Namor continued to bicker on their way out, not noticing the group of men sitting in the corner of the bar, who had been watching them intently the entire time.

Chapter Text

Namor led them deeper into the village to his home, nearly at the edge. It was small and looked barely lived in but clean, and it was clear that this was simply a place he occupied and not lived in. His bag was already mostly packed, and he shoved a couple more things inside of it, completely cleaning the home out. 

“Do you not live here?” Shuri asked, genuinely curious as she looked around at the lack of decor. There was a cot for sleeping, a small desk that she was sure was empty, and a table with a clay jug sitting in a matching shallow clay bowl. There was even a small cloth with some leftover food which Namor wrapped up securely and placed it in his bag as well. 

“This is my home, yes, but only when I pass through. A woman who keeps it clean for me rents it while I am away.” He hefts his bag onto his shoulder and takes a quick look around before gesturing for them to go. “We have to travel a few towns over, hopefully you two have not made too much noise and we are not followed. I will make arrangements for a boat to take us to Talokan.”

“Wait.” Shuri placed a hand on his arm to stop Namor from opening the door, he immediately stilled at her touch, his eyes boring into hers. She snatched her hand back. “How is it you know of Talokan?” 

“I have been there.” 

The air seemed to suck out of the room for Shuri, all sound and temperature simply gone. For all of the years that Shuri has been dreaming and searching, there was someone standing in front of her claiming to have actually been there. She wanted to cry in relief. “Prove it.” Shuri said instead, trying to keep her composure. 

Without breaking eye contact with Shuri, Namor reached into a pocket on his pack and tossed an item onto the table. When Shuri didn’t look, he tilted his head to the object. “Go on, Princess.” But for whatever reason, Shuri couldn’t break her gaze away from his. The pull from when he first kissed her at the bar was there again, and that strange familiarity came back with it. 

What ended up pulling her out of it was her brother’s gasp. 

“Shuri. It’s the same as your drawing.” 

Shuri took a step closer to the table to see the bracelet from her dreams, every bead, every piece of jade, the exact color, the exact length of string, even the bit of string that seemed shorter than the rest. Every bit of detail of the bracelet was exactly how she dreamt it. She looked up at Namor, who had been watching her reaction intently, and asked breathlessly, “May I?” 

“As you like.” 

With trembling fingers, Shuri touched the edge of one of the beads, a cold shock of lightning went up her arm when she made contact. An image of two hands gently tying the bracelet to her wrist hit her so hard that she quickly snatched her hand away. That was new. 

Shuri’s eyes whipped back to Namor, he had somehow gotten closer. He was now leaning on the table, angling his head to get a better look at her face. She swallowed at the proximity but refused to step back. “Where did you get that?” 

“Where do you think?” 

“How-” T’Challa began. 

But Shuri cut in with “Why?” 

Namor let out a breath, which almost sounded like a laugh, before taking a step back from Shuri to lean on the desk behind him. He glanced from brother to sister before settling his eyes on Shuri, crossing his arms. “The story and location of Talokan has been passed down in my family from generation to generation, until it was just my mother and I. A Spanish General got a hold of the story and demanded my mother show him the way.” 

His voice was slow and careful with each word, and both siblings were completely enthralled with the story, but with the way Namor tensed after a short pause, Shuri could guess with a sense of dread at how the story would end. 

“My mother only agreed to take him when he had threatened my life. They took the two of us, and she took them all the way, and opened the way for them and…I can not remember the rest of what happened, but when I came to everyone was gone. Including my mother. And all that was left was this.” Namor gestured to the bracelet on the table.

“How do we know it’s really from Talokan?” T’Challa’s question sounded from far away, as if underwater. Shuri was still caught up in the words of Namor’s story, feeling as if she could almost see the memory itself. 

The metallic click of a gun quickly brought her back out. 

Namor pointed a six shooter towards the bracelet and-

“Wait!!”

-pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot caused the two siblings to flinch, quickly covering their ears.  

“What were you thinking, you horridly big giant…” Shuri trailed off as she stared at the unscathed bracelet. “...buffoon. It’s-It’s not harmed.” 

“One of the reasons the Spanish were so interested was that there is a rumor of a metal in Talokan that is indestructible. Is that enough proof for you?” Both brother and sister just stare at Namor speechless. “Great, get your things from where you are staying, we are leaving town within the hour.” 

They spent the next two days switching between buses and horse drawn carriages, to reach a much busier port town. The siblings had to put most of their belongings in storage at the hotel they left. Namor advised them to take only what they needed. On their second bus, Shuri was grateful to have listened, only keeping one carpet bag and her sketchbook with her. 

With the much busier town, there were many more tourists and cars about, and Shuri could see the line of ships along the port. Ranging from cargo ships, to steamers, to luxury cruisers. The roads were packed and Shuri kept her arm looped through her brother's arm tightly as they followed closely behind their new guide. Who set them up at a small hotel to stay for the night.

It was small and quaint, with a lot of warm dark wood furniture and a courtyard with a marble fountain. Shuri watched as Namor spoke with the older woman who owned the place, and suspected that they must know each other, because the room was much cheaper then the running rate that she saw at the door. 

Once inside the spacious room, Namor led their attention to a map that he rolled out onto the table. “You two will stay here for the night while I arrange a way for us to get to the Isle of Talokan. I know a man that will take us, but it will cost quite a bit-” 

“That’s fine. I’m willing to pay.” Shuri cut in. They had gotten this far, she wouldn’t let money deter her. Although money wasn’t really an issue for her at the moment.  

Namor nodded, and moved his finger along the map, showing the boat's travel path that would pass a cluster of islands. “The boat will pass here and this is where we will be dropped off.” His finger stopped on a spot that was simply the ocean.

“There’s nothing there?” 

“The Isle will not be on any maps, but do not worry. The map is all up here.” He tapped the side of his head with a small smirk. 

Shuri scoffed at his smug face. “Well that’s a relief.” 

Namor’s eyes flicked to the side behind her for a moment then back to her. “Get your rest, princess. I will have everything arranged by tomorrow morning.” 

“Where will you be staying?” She followed him to the door, reaching out to stop the door from opening. The light from the lamps around the room gave everything a soft yellow glow, but with his back to the light, Namor’s face was thrown into shadow. He took a step closer to her, forcing her to take a step back away from the door, her hand no longer blocking him. 

His image overlaid with the man in her dreams, the man who wore the feathered helm, before she blinked and he was Namor again. 

“Well…” He began, his voice a soft caress against her senses that sent her stomach pleasantly flipping. From this close she could catch the scent of the ocean from him. “I have lodgings elsewhere. See you tomorrow.” Namor said with a jarringly light voice, then he suddenly opened the door and left just like that. 

Shuri blinked, her cheeks flaming hot at his abrupt change in mood and leaving her body in a confused nervous state. She huffed and then whipped her head around in horror as she realized her brother was in the room with them the entire time. Thankfully Bast seemed to smile on her because, bless her brother but he was passed out on the bed, with his hat on his face. 

“Men.” She sighed.  

The next morning the siblings received word from Namor at the front desk, detailing the port where their boat would be leaving. It was only a five minute walk from their hotel and they seemingly beat him there. 

“Do you think he would just disappear on us?” Shuri asked her brother, looking around warily. The thought had crossed her mind more than once and it bothered her greatly to think that that could be a possibility. 

“I think it will be fine, little sister.” Responded her brother, forever the optimist. 

“I mean he was just some scruffy drunk that we found-” She cut herself up abruptly when Namor sidled up right next to them. Shuri’s entire face went hot in embarrassment for she hadn't recognized him when he walked up. His clothes were pressed, his beard was trimmed short, and his hair was combed back out of his face with just a few curls that fell forward on his forehead. 

Shuri opened her mouth to say something, then simply just shut it.

“I apologize for being late, I had to make myself a little more presentable, because,” Namor pointed to a beautiful two tiered luxury cruiser with white railing and a large open deck that wrapped around a glass windowed interior. There were plenty of seating for food and drink, and by the looks of it probably a few gambling tables inside as well. It was essentially a restaurant on the ocean, “that will be our ride to Talokan. The trip will be a slow one, so we will probably reach the isle by sun down.” 

“What will we do till then?”

“Relax.” 

Namor led them up to the ramp, waiting with the giant crowd that was lining up to make their way onto the boat. It was mainly a bunch of tourists, excited for the night ahead. The air was warm enough to leave her jacket in her bag, and Shuri looked down at her tan traveling skirt, white blouse, and touched the purple scarf tied around her neck. The other guests looked a little dressed up so she hoped this would be fine. 

She glanced up to see Namor watching her, who gave her a small affirmative nod as if to answer her unspoken question, to which she returned with a small scowl and looked away. He could have told us beforehand that the boat would have a nicer dress code. Shuri thought somewhat sourly, but immediately deflated when she looked to her brother. 

T’Challa was completely enamored with the boat, his eyes glittering in excitement. 

Once they stepped on the walkway and reached a midway between land and boat, right above the water, Shuri stopped suddenly when her heart beat once heavily. It felt as if something had given it a hard tug towards the sea, and it momentarily made Shuri feel as if she was outside of her own body. 

“Shuri?” 

At the sound of her name, Shuri looked up at Namor who had called to her. He reached over, pressing a hand on her lower back, to keep her moving slowly up the ramp. Her brother was still ahead so he hadn’t noticed, but Namor was giving her a look that shocked her into realizing that it was recognition. 

“Are you alright?” 

“It felt…” 

“Like the sea was calling you?” 

Shuri would have stopped again, so stunned she was by his answer, but Namor kept them moving. A million questions rested on the tip of her tongue. She suddenly felt like a fool for not having spent their time traveling together asking every single one. 

Then remembered why she hadn’t asked. 

“Come sister, let us get breakfast and then explore the entire boat.” Her sweet brother grabbed her hand as soon as they were on deck, and led her to the dining hall. They spent the next few hours eating, exploring and resting in a common area below deck. 

Around lunch time, Namor excused himself to speak with the captain and Shuri didn’t see him for almost two hours. 

Shuri sighed into her tea cup, taking a sip of her creamed black tea, flavored with three different types of cinnamon. It was comforting, or would have been if her mind didn’t feel so frazzled. There was a small array of desserts between her and her brother. T’Challa had eaten more than half of the tray, so she quickly grabbed a small slice of cake that smelled delightfully of roses. 

“Shuri, you should be having fun. This is supposed to be an adventure.” 

“Yes, well, I hardly believe stuffing your face would be considered an adventure.” She snorted, reaching over to flick off the crumb on his cheek. 

“Eating the cuisine of a foreign country is very much a part of the experience.” 

Shuri rolled her eyes, and took a large showy bite of her cake, resisting the urge to close her eyes at the surprisingly rich flavor. She would rather choke than prove him right. As she chewed her brother smiled at her like a panther with its prey. 

“I know you would much prefer your new beau to be here.” His timing got the desired effect, and Shuri immediately began choking on her food. She wondered if this was karma. “Don’t bother denying it, the two of you are less than subtle with the way you too stare at one another.” 

“T’Challa!” 

“Just please do me the favor and don’t kiss in fron-augh!” T’Challa scooted his chair back, to grab onto the ankle that Shuri had just kicked, hard. He only grinned at her in response as he rubbed his leg. 

Shuri tried to kick him again but he moved further out. “There is nothing, nothing, between us. This is all just business.” 

“I mean you seemed to enjoy that kiss-” 

“Brother I will throw you off of this boat.” 

“Alright Alright.” He polished off a small custard, before standing, placing his white hat atop his head. “Did you want to go to the gambling tables with me.” 

“I would rather be anywhere else than there.” 

T’Challa laughed and kissed her cheek, taking her fork and eating the rest of her cake despite her protest. “Say hello to Namor for me then.” And then bounced away lightly before she could swing at him again. 

Alone with her thoughts, Shuri ordered another cup of tea, and took out her sketchbook. Mindlessly flipping through the pages. Each sketched image would overlay with what she saw in her dreams. If anyone were to glance through it, they would believe that it was all fantasy. And maybe it was. What else could explain the drawings of people riding on whales, children with gills swimming between the kelp, a half naked man who wore a large heavy serpent helm made of jade, gold and feathers. 

Inexplicably, each image brought on Namor’s face, but the last drawing almost looked like him. Shuri traced the profile she had drawn, right down the bridge of the nose. Actually he looked exactly like him. 

“Excuse me miss?” 

Shuri blinked and looked up to the server who was giving her an apologetic smile. She then looked around to see the dining hall had been cleared. Her still full cup was ice cold and the sun had reached a point in the sky that was turning everything into a deeper orange. How long had she zoned out? 

“We have to clear and get ready for the dinner service. I’m so sorry to have to bother you.” 

“Oh. No, of course. I’ll leave right now.” She downed her drink, not willing to waste a perfectly good cup of tea, got her things and quickly left. 

There were small tables set up all along the railing on the lower deck, speckled with guests who were simply enjoying the view of the ocean. On the front end of the boat were where the poker tables were set up so she decided to go in the opposite direction. 

She eventually came upon Namor set up at a small table with two chairs, cleaning an array of weapons in front of him. When he saw her coming towards him he immediately stood and pulled his bag off of the other chair, motioning for her to sit. 

“How are you enjoying your time, Ms. Udaku.” 

“Shuri is just fine.” She laughed at his mock bow, sliding into the offered chair. 

Namor rolled his weapons back up in the small tan hide pouch and placed it back inside his bag, allowing her the space to place her sketchbook on the table. “May I?” He reached out towards the book. There was a nervous flutter in her stomach before relenting, realizing that he was going through the trouble of giving up his secrets that the least she could do was let him peruse through her literal dreams. Namor carefully opened the book, gently turning each page, and took his time to study each drawing. His posture looked tense but his eyes were curious, glancing between her and the sketches. “How did you come to hear of Talokan?” 

“I’ve been having dreams about that place for as long as I could remember, and they’ve been increasing the older I’ve gotten. In Wakanda, my family owns and protects one of the largest libraries in the world. I would go through as many books that I could in that library for any scrap of information, and then finally one day I found my first clue of Talokan that led me to your village.” Shuri watched Namor’s fingers, curving along one of the edges of her drawings. When his fingers stopped, she looked up to see him watching her with a small smile. “Eh.Oh. Um. When my parents passed away they left us some money and I used it to follow the one lead I had.” 

“So you're a librarian then?” 

“I-I’m more than that!” 

He chuckled and looked back down at her book. “My mother told me about that particular library. She said if there was ever a place worth protecting it would be there. One day I would love to visit.” Namor flipped to the next page in the book and froze. 

Shuri leaned forward to get a better look at what he stopped on, seeing that it was a page filled with Yucatec Mayan hieroglyphics. It was a phrase she saw over and over again in her dreams recently. “The moon reveals the path to the underworld.” 

Namor looked up at her. “You speak Maya?” 

“Mainly read and write.” 

“Go on, let me hear it.” 

The challenge in Namor’s eyes was the only thing that spurred her into trying. Which was a mistake because she butchered it completely which in turn had him laughing infectiously loud. “I told you I mainly read and write it!” Shuri laughed despite her embarrassment. When they settled down, and were simply smiling at the other, Shuri couldn’t help but ask, “I was wondering…why did you kiss me?” 

“Ah…well. Your brother made up such a ridiculous story, it just seemed like a good idea at the time.” 

Shuri let out an annoyed huff, swiftly kicked Namor’s ankle and stalked off angrily. He sighed quietly to himself, watching her go and touched his lips. The memory of her mouth on his had burned into his skin and he hadn’t wanted to admit that to her. It baffled him that he had just met her a handful of days ago, but it somehow felt impossibly longer. 

Carefully, he flipped through a few more sketches before placing it in his bag to keep it safe. He would have to give her back the book later. 

Out of the corner of his eyes he caught a glimpse of a familiar red vest, lurking among several crates that had been placed out of the walkway. Namor stood up, placing his bag casually on top of the table before turning quickly to shoot out a hand to grab onto the back of said vest. The man let out a surprised yelp as Namor flipped him around and gripped onto the front of his clothes, bringing them face to face.

“H-hey Almehen!” The man gave Namor a nervous friendly smile. He was slightly smaller than Namor, with a trimmed mustache and goatee, and a red vest that Namor never saw him without. 

“Bueno si no es mi amigo, Luis.”  Namor growled, giving his friend a small shake. “Last time I saw you, you left me for dead in the middle of a desert. What are you doing on this boat, Luis?”

“Nothing much.” Luis responded flippantly. And Namor, not one to waste time with this particular man, dragged Luis closer to the edge of the railing. “Oh right so about a year ago I had this thought-” 

“Keep it to the past two days.” 

“Yeah ok, right. I’m taking a group of Americans to Talokan.” 

The sound of the ocean lapped loudly against the boat to fill the moment of silence. Namor pushed him back slightly to get a better look at him. “...That is not possible, you do not know where it is at.” 

“Well not really, but I paid that captain to figure out where you go to when you make your visits, and then I just tell tourists that,” At this part Luis made his voice go dramatically low, “‘The gods have decided not to reveal themselves’ and they eat that crap right up.” 

A deep disappointment settled in Namor’s bones at the reveal of Luis's source. He knew it was  only a matter of time but it was unfortunate that it had to be the biggest mouth in Mexico that happened to follow him. Atleast Namor was confident that Luis wasn’t aware of the exact path to Talokan. 

“It’s good to see you my friend. Last I heard you were being arrested.” 

“I-...Let me guess. You were the one to tell those officers where I was?” Without another thought, and without waiting for an answer, Namor hefted Luis up by his red vest and threw him over the side of the boat. His scream abruptly cut off with the sound of a splash. “Adios Luis.”

With that done, Namor looked to see that the sun was almost fully set, and they would need to prepare to leave soon. He grabbed his pack and threw it over one shoulder, and slid with a squeak on the wood floors when he took a step forward in the direction that Shuri had run off to. There were puddles of water that made a path up the walkway that confused Namor. He glanced over the railing to see Luis scrabbling on the side of the boat, and a small coil of dread filled him. 

He quickly made his way around the boat, hoping to find Shuri, but instead found the other sibling first. Playing a round of cards with a group of three men. 

T’Challa caught sight of him and waved him over. “Namor, my friend, please join us for a round.” 

“Namor? Oh is this the gentleman that you’ve been telling us about?” The man who spoke gave Namor a friendly look. A sense of foreboding filled Namor when their eyes met, putting him on edge.

“Oh?” Namor shot a glare at T'Challa who looked suddenly sheepish at Namor’s face, quickly realizing that he may have made a mistake. 

“Yes we’ve been telling him about how we are headed to Talokan.” It took everything in Namor not to whip his head towards him at the mention of Talokan as he listened to the man continue. “And to our astonishment we heard that you were going in the same direction. Maybe we can be of help to one another. My name is Johann Schmidt.” 

This must be Luis’s group of Americans. Namor thought bitterly, as he hitched his bag up higher. “I think not, excuse me.” As he turned to move Johann tsked loudly, and a very familiar click of metal sounded out. Namor slowly turned to see the man to Johann’s left had discreetly pulled a barrel of a gun to rest on the table between them, pointed directly towards Namor. 

“But I think so. I have a feeling that you would make a much better guide than the one we hired.” 

Before Namor could think of a way to get out of this mess, a piercing scream cut through the tension like a bucket of ice water. Everyone on the boat froze and looked towards the scream. Then several people leapt from the sides of the boat, coming directly from the sea, with dangerous looking spears and shockingly blue skin.  

The entire deck was thrown into chaos as people scrambled out of the way of the coordinated attack of the blue warriors. T’Challa took advantage of their appearance and flipped the table up towards the three Americans and kicked the table forward to knock them all down. 

Without speaking to the other, both Namor and T’Challa ran in the opposite direction. 

“That was my sister’s scream!” T’Challa yelled frantically, skidding to a stop as a body was thrown past him overboard. Gun fire began erupting behind them, spurring them into movement again. 

“I know!” Namor called back, barely pulling his head back to miss the butt of a rifle coming from around the corner. He reached up, grappled onto the rifle and used the momentum that the man had used to yank the gun out of his hand. Flipping the gun around, Namor did what the other man had intended to do and successfully smacked him solidly in the face. 

When the man fell to the ground he revealed one of the blue warriors behind him who had been simply watching. Her armor and headdress were decorated with stiff orange fabric that reminded Namor of a tigerfish. She stood tall and proud, and for a moment Namor thought she might use her spear on them, but then she did the oddest thing. 

She bowed her head to them. 

No. 

To Namor.  

And then she just walked away, further into the boat. 

“Come on.” Namor could not afford to focus on that right now, or the fact that his hands were trembling as he held the stolen rifle closer to his chest. 

They heard Shuri arguing further ahead, causing both Namor and T’Challa to run faster to find a giant hulking man with a hammerhead shark bone headdress. Namor lifted the rifle but paused. The blue giant had Shuri bent over one wide shoulder. She was screaming and struggling so wildly that Namor was afraid he might hit her, so he flipped the gun in his hand and swung it hard like a bat against the giant’s back. 

It was like hitting a boulder. 

The shock of the hit vibrated up Namor’s arms in a painful jolt, causing him to drop the weapon to the floor so that he could grab onto the wrist that took the brunt of the jolt. He stumbled back when the warrior slowly turned back to look at him. 

“Namor!” Shuri shrieked when she saw him, reaching for him. 

“Give her back.” 

There was a beat of tense silence as Namor stared at the larger man, who simply tilted his head, a strange thoughtful expression crossing his face at Namor’s command. He turned and placed Shuri gently down and Namor reached out grabbed her to him as they both stared in shock as the blue warrior bowed his head to them both and just stepped away, bringing out the giant ax that Namor had somehow had not noticed before. 

The man walked towards the gunfire that sounded like it was getting closer. 

“We need to leave now ! The isle is just right there.” Namor pointed to the cluster of islands a mile off. “We can swim-”

“Swim!?” 

“We don’t have time to secure one of the small boats.” 

“Might I remind you, you just stopped that rather large blue man from taking me to the ocean, and now you want me to just jump in!?” Shuri struggled as Namor dragged her by the arm towards the railing, T’Challa helplessly following behind. 

“Well unfortunately, T’Challa here made sure that we cannot stay on this boat either-” 

Gunfire near their feet cut their argument short, and Namor simply lifted Shuri up into his arms and tossed her off the boat. It would have made Namor laugh to think that this would be the second person he threw screaming into the ocean in one night, but there was no time. Securing his pack tighter to his back he lifted himself over the railing and jumped. 

The cold of the ocean bit into his skin, and he thankfully found Shuri in the water immediately. It was almost pitch dark, but thankfully there was enough sunlight to outline the islands in the distance, giving him a way to swim too. 

“Wait! Where is my brother?!” Shuri cried, clawing onto Namor’s arm to stop him from going any farther. 

They both looked back at the boat to see that her brother had never managed to get off, watching as he struggled with the Americans he was just playing cards with less than an hour ago. The chatty one came up behind him, bringing out a small handgun and whacking T’Challa in the temple with the butt of it. 

“T’CHALLA!!”

Chapter Text

By the time they reached the beach of the island the moon was high and astonishingly bright in the sky. It gave more than enough light to see across to the other islands where they could see a couple dozen men unloading a small boat with supplies. 

With a cold recognition, Namor could see the glint of guns on the backs of the men. An uncomfortable feeling of foreboding spread through his chest at the sight.

Why are there so many of them?

A man in an easily recognizable red vest came forward, a large friendly grin on his face as he waved towards Namor and Shuri. "Hey Almehen! Looks to me like we have all the supplies!!"

“Hey Luis! Looks to me like you are on the wrong ISLAND!!” Namor yelled back. Smirking when Luis wildly looked around, cursing loudly in Spanish when he realized that Namor was right. Needing to get a head start now that the men with guns would make quick work of crossing to their side, Namor grabbed onto Shuris hand and dragged her deeper into the trees of the island. 

"Why would you tell them that!? Those men are dangerous." She yanked back her hand, but stayed close behind him. The moonlight was still bright but the shadows from the foliage above made the path more unpredictable.

"It Is because those men are dangerous that I want them to come here. If they do not find what they are looking for they will start getting violent." Namor glanced behind him to give Shuri a wary look, her screaming in the ocean for her brother still stark in his memory. "And they still have your brother." 

They continued on, Namor weaving them through the trees. He had the isle committed to memory. Every landmark, every tree, every hidden relic of Talokan, everything but the kingdom itself. Ever since the day his mother disappeared he never dared opening the portal. 

But he never forgot a single detail of that day.

The sound of a waterfall could be heard close by, signaling to Namor that they were going in the right direction. Shuri picked up their conversation again as they began to walk up the incline. 

"Do you really think they'll hurt my brother? Those men on the boat?"

He could hear the panic rise in her voice, but he was too focused on trying to get them a safe distance to dwell on it. Not to mention he was still quite angry at her brother, putting the blame entirely on him for their current predicament. "The large group of men with guns? Yes."

“We helped you to protect us!” Shuri screamed up at him, as they made their way up a small cliff, the waterfall getting louder. She slipped on a wet rock before righting herself. They were screaming at each other at this point, both in anger and in necessity as they got closer to the roaring water. 

“ No Princess, you helped me to take you and your brother to the lost city of Talokan,” He turned to look at her then, pointing an accusing finger at her, “and your brother decided to tell a group of Americans where we were going!”

“He is overly friendly!” 

“He is overly trusting! There is a BIG difference! Look once we find him we can thank him for the mess we are in!” 

Shuri didn’t immediately respond and he looked back to find her looking distressed back at him. Gripping her tan traveling skirt, before to have an easier time climbing, but now the fear of her brother being gone was starting to set in. “....What if we can’t find him!?” 

“Shuri…”

She began to hyperventilate, a wild panic showing in her eyes. “What if they kill-” There’s a large cracking sound, before the ground gives way and Shuri suddenly disappears falling towards the lake below screeching his name the entire way down. “NNNAAAAMMOORRR!!!” 

Namor only took one step toward the edge before he heard the same cracking sound. “Mier-” He was pitched forward in the same trajectory as Shuri. 

Even with the clear view of the moon above the lake it took nearly ten minutes of finding each other in the water, and then swimming to the edge to find a dry spot. They were already exhausted from their swim earlier in the ocean, so their limbs felt like lead by the time they got to land. Namor managed to get a fire started, cooking two fishes that he had caught spiked on sticks.

His pack was thankfully waterproof, something that was necessary when coming to this place, so he had the supplies needed to set up a small camp. 

Unfortunately it was a small camp meant for one. 

He was already stripped down to his underwear with a blanket on his shoulders, trying his best but failing to not watch as Shuri stripped out of her skirt, her white button up shirt, and stockings. Leaving her in a white dress slip, that revealed her long legs and made partially see through from their trip in the lake. 

“Don’t look!” She snapped, catching him as she was walking over. 

“Yes mam.” He held out his arm, holding out the blanket, and she quickly curled in against him. Namor wrapped his arm around her shoulder, feeling every bit of exposed skin against his, and he tried his best to forget that she was probably one of the most beautiful women he had seen in a long time. 

“Sorry about getting you in this mess, Namor.” She whispered, her arms tentatively wrapping around his middle. 

He knew she was meaning to do it for warmth, but the press of her breasts against his side made him shiver. Namor pulled her closer, putting his chin on her head. “We will find him.” 

“You know you spoke Maya to that big blue man.” 

The fire crackled and popped loudly from oil drippings of the cooking fish, as Namor let Shuri’s words sink in. “What do you mean?” 

“When he was about to take me away, you spoke to him in Maya…and he listened.” She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes studying his face with interest. 

Namor knew the language fluently, but he had not realized that he had switched when he spoke. The way the giant had instantly obeyed unsettled him. Especially when the warrior looked almost amused by his command. It also struck him as odd that they had not been pursued in the water when it was clear that the warriors that had attacked the ship had no issue navigating the sea. 

He chewed on his bottom lip in worry, but Shuri shuddered so violently against him that it broke him out of his train of thought. Their clothes were still damp and it was getting late. They would need to sleep and the fire was only going to alert the soldiers to where they were, so the fire would need to be put out soon. 

There was only one solution for warmth and Namor was sure that Shuri was going to hate it. 

With a sigh he leaned forward to give her her fish. “Eat quick. I have to put this fire out and hide all our things before bed.” Namor wolfed down his food quickly and stepped out of the warmth of the blanket and Shuri’s body. Hiding their clothing and dousing the fire with dirt and water. 

To Namor’s surprised relief, Shuri helped by covering everything she could with foliage. Making their small tent look like a bush at a passing glance. However Namor didn’t miss how her body was shivering when she did so. 

“Two options, Princess.” Namor settled the extra blanket inside of the tent, creating a warm dry cocoon for them. He looked at her curious face as she hugged herself. Her body was clearly eager to get inside the tent he was blocking. “One, we go in those blankets as we are now in our wet clothing. Or two…we keep the blankets dry.” 

“You mean we get naked.” 

“Yes.” 

“Together?” 

“Again yes.” 

“You’re joking.” 

“Sadly no.” Although to be completely honest, he was not sad in the slightest with this predicament, but with the look of murder in her eyes he would refrain from saying so. “Look, we can be uncomfortable the rest of the night and possibly risk getting sick, or we have a warm night's rest. I will keep my back to you if that makes you feel better.” 

Shuri opened her mouth to argue, looked inside the tent, down at her sticky wet clothes, then back to him with a grim resignation. “FINE. Look away and I’ll let you know when to come in. If you look I’ll claw your eyes out”  He did as he was told, feeling a wisp of air as she quickly dropped her undergarments and dove into the tent. After a few seconds of silence she finally let out a small, “Alright.” 

He wasted no time shrugging out of his own undergarments, gathering their things and hiding them with the rest of the clothing, and carefully crawled into the tent, closing them in. It was pitch dark with the flaps closed and there was an awkward moment where his hand found her stomach and she let out a squeak as he crawled under the blanket, but other than that they managed to fit snugly in the one man tent. 

True to his word Namor kept his back to Shuri, who pressed her back to his. It would have been warmer to hold her, but he wasn’t about to push his luck. He was thankful that she agreed to do option two in the first place. 

They were quiet for a long time, a nervous tension filling the air. 

Shuri was the first one to break it with a frustrated groan. Her body was still shivering against his.. “Don’t make me regret this, but…could you just hold me?” 

Without a word, Namor turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her. She tucked her head under his chin and placed her hands on his chest, keeping a small space of distance between them. The change in warmth was noticeably instant and she sighed in contentment.  

She may not regret this, but he sure did. Namor was not some teenager holding a naked girl for the first time, but he for sure felt like he was one. The warmth of her skin on his was beginning to make him go crazy.

“Tell me about Wakanda.” He blurted. Please, a distraction. ANYTHING. 

And she did. Shuri was very passionate about the libraries of Wakanda, as she animatedly described the many gleaming towers filled with books and scrolls ranging from history, folklore, and advanced technology. It would take multiple lifetimes for the average reader to go through their entire collection, and she proudly boasted that she could finish a book within hours.

She spoke warmly of her parents, and how generations of the Golden tribe had collected more knowledge and protected it for centuries.  

Namor absentmindedly grazed his fingers along her spine as he listened, imagining the wide satisfied grin on her face when she would talk about something she was interested in. A different type of warmth filled his chest as he pulled her a fraction closer. 

“You should come back with us. After all this.” Shuri whispered, her small fingers nervously tapping his chest. 

He was surprised at the invitation. “To Wakanda?” 

“As a guest of course.” 

“Of course.” He chuckled, falling asleep in the comfortable heat they created, her forehead pressed into his neck. 

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and her heart sung loudly through her skin, responding to his touch. A song that was clearly meant for only him as he responded with the hum of his own skin against hers. 

It was Namor but it wasn’t Namor, and she was certain that she wasn’t quite Shuri. 

The memory felt like it was hers but she also felt like an intruder. His touch felt all too familiar for her to not have experienced this with him though. She felt the palm of his hand as it slid down her arm, leaving a trail of heat on her skin.“K’uk’ulkan.” She whispered against his lips, cupping his face. 

The look of love that he gave her left her feeling breathless. 

He took her hand in his and carefully tied the beaded bracelet to her wrist, kissing her pulse on the inside of her wrist. She felt his lips move against her skin as he whispered, “B’alam.” 

Shuri woke first, her eyes blinking open with the dream still imprinted in her mind. This felt different. Before all of her dreams were like little films that she would watch in her mind's eye. This felt…personal. It felt as if she was really there. 

B’alam?  

She swallowed, her skin still buzzing from the sensation of the kiss. It didn’t help that Namor was pressed so firmly against her, skin against skin. The morning light was strong enough to seep through the tent, peeking through the foliage that they had placed all around the tent to hide it.  

Namor was thankfully still asleep, his mouth parted slightly as he breathed softly. Shuri was sprawled partially on top of him, with their legs and arms tangled around the other. She had never been so intimately pressed to another like this, and she did not want to move in fear of waking him. 

However, that wasn't the only reason she didn’t want to move. 

Her eyes were glued to his mouth, swallowing thickly at the memory of the kiss from both her dreams and the bar, making her thrum with want. Carefully she leaned over his face and pressed her mouth to his, a pleasant shock of electricity from the soft touch sent her heart into a frenzy. 

When she pulled back he was staring up at her. 

There was no shock or embarrassment, just a bridge of understanding as they stared at the other. Shuri wondered if Namor had had the same dream as her as his hand slid up her back to cup the back of her neck and pulled her back down to him-

A twig snapped near them, breaking whatever spell had cocooned them in their own bubble. 

Dozens of footsteps sounded around them, Luis’s incessant chattering filtering through as he explained the route they were taking. Clearly attempting to reassure the large group of men holding guns. Namor pressed Shuri closer to him, the two of them unconsciously holding their breath. 

“How much further Luis?” 

Namor instantly recognized the man who had spoken to him on the boat, Johann Schmidt. 

“Not much further just a few miles west past this waterfall and we’re there.” Luis's speech pattern was always on the rushed side, but Namor could hear the edge of nervousness to it. 

“It better be there Luis.” At that, Namor assumed that Luis must have walked on ahead due to the continued conversation of Johann. “If that man is lying to us we kill him. We at least have that young man to lure out his sister and this Namor if need be.”

“Do you think he would really know the location of Talokan?” Another voice spoke. 

A coil of dread unfurled within Namor when he realized that as soon as Luis had left, Johann’s American accent had left with him. Melting into something more clipped and guttural. “It was clear that he was withholding the information as soon as we mentioned the word Talokan. We were blessed to be in that bar when those siblings found him. Clearly this is the path meant for us to take.” 

“Hail Hydra.” 

Both Namor and Shuri went rigid. 

Hydra was a nightmare made real to most countries. A militant group whose only goal was power. Knowing that this was the dangerous group that they were dealing with only made Namor pull Shuri closer to him, as if it would be enough to protect her. 

They waited for several minutes after the stomping of dozens of footsteps disappeared, allowing the sounds of birds and animals to come back.  

“Hydra?” Shuri whispered, her eyes wide as she looked up at Namor. 

“At Least we know your brother is still alive, but we need to leave right now.” He sat up, piling the blanket on top of Shuri and crawled out of the tent. “You stay here and I’ll get our clothes.” 

Due to the momentary shock, Shuri had forgotten that they had been completely naked still, and as Namor crawled out she had been given a generous view of his backside and thighs. Her mind short circuited and her entire body flushed with heat. She immediately muffled a squeal of giddy embarrassment and hid under the cover as she waited for Namor to come back.  

This was not the time to be reacting this way, but Shuri could not help but admire what she just saw. Letting out another embarrassed squeal. 

“Are you alright in there?” Namor asked, placing her dried clothing at the mouth of the tent. 

With an instant reply of “Yes.” Shuri scrambled to gather her clothes and quickly got dressed. When she was done and climbed out of the tent, she was distressed to see that her skirt had a giant hole ripped in the back. 

Namor reached inside of his bag and pulled out another pair of pants, handing them to her. “Here.” 

It was almost comical how big they were on her but she cinched the pants to her waist with her belt as best as she could. As she was rolling up the pant legs, Namor was rolling up the tent and hooking it back up to his pack. 

“What are we going to do?” Shuri asked, watching the broad back of Namor as he worked. 

“Get your brother and leave this island.” 

Her heart dropped at his words. She wouldn’t fight it, knowing that it was the logical thing to do, but she was here. She was right here and so close, after years of searching. “Leave before seeing Talokan?” 

Namor stopped at her broken tone, giving her an honest look of sympathy. “I know this is important to you, but right now it is too dangerous. We cannot lead those men further than they have already gotten.” 

“Alright.” 

“Look…” He reached into his bag, bringing out the sketchbook she had thought she lost when they had to abandon the boat. “I promise to bring you back someday.” 

Her heart swelled at the sincere promise and quietly nodded as she hugged her sketchbook close to her. 

Namor stared at her, his hand still in his bag before pulling out the beaded bracelet as well. “Here, you hold onto this.” He took her hand in his and tied the piece of priceless jewelry, that she knew to be important to him, to her wrist. “Not like you could destroy it or anything.” 

Shuri rolled her eyes at his feigned nonchalance, seeing the gesture for what it was, but she froze when she looked down at their hands. 

The present view overlapping with the memories of her dreams when K’uk’ulkan gave B’alam the bracelet.

Chapter Text

This time when Namor offered his hand to help Shuri over some rocks, she gladly took it, their hold lingering before letting go. 

Their night together, although completely innocent, had seemingly changed their current dynamic. Although they still bickered as they walked through the densely wooded area to sneak around the Hydra soldiers, they also always found a way to touch the other. Even if it was to step over a small pile of rocks. 

“Is this route really the fastest?” Shuri asked, tripping over a root and catching herself on Namor’s back. Without looking, Namor simply reached behind him and took her hand in his, this time not pulling away. 

There were no complaints from Shuri. 

“We should be able to get there right before they do. From what I can tell, Luis is taking them down the smoothest path, which means the longest way.” Namor pulled her along, turning to a small clearing where a slab of stone was directly in the middle. It was curiously covered with fresh kelp, but Shuri was sure that the ocean wasn’t close enough for this to happen. “Here, I wanted to show you this first.” 

“Do we really have time?” 

He didn’t respond and began cleaning off the kelp to reveal that there was something on the stone itself, carved deep within the hard surface with the edges worn smooth to show its old age. It was at Least a few centuries old, but the markings were still clear enough to read. 

Shuri was so shocked that for a moment she forgot the dangers of the island and simply remembered all of her dreams. The scattered images of Talokan and its people. Of the man who looked so much of Namor.

It was the entire reason why she was there in the first place. 

Her fingers trembled as she traced the Mayan hieroglyphics. “The moon reveals the path to the underworld. My drawing…” She pressed her palm flat against it. The stone was cold and smelled strongly of the ocean. Shuri turned to him and smiled. “Thank you.” 

“If I cannot take you to Talokan, this is the least I can do.” Namor lifted his hand up to hers and she took it, intertwining her fingers with his and followed his lead. His hand felt like the sun compared to the icy cold from the stone. 

“You know…” Shuri began, curious to see what Namor’s opinion would be, remembering the feel of his fingers on her wrist as he tied the bracelet on. It was inexplicably intertwined with the ghost of a memory. “I had the strangest dream...” 

“That I gave you the bracelet?” He glanced back at her, squeezing her hand. “Before today I mean.” All she could do was mutely nod at him. Too shocked to speak further on it. Namor seemed to understand, giving her his own quiet nod, and kept moving forwards. 

Again she wished that they would be able to stay despite the danger, wanting more than anything to get answers to all of her questions. Why did she dream of Talokan? Why did it feel like she had been there before? And most of all, what was the connection between her and Namor?

She wanted to see Talokan with her own eyes, but she wanted Namor to be there when she did. 

It just felt right. 

They managed to reach the location at midday just a few minutes before the soldiers did, giving them plenty of time to find the best vantage point while remaining unseen. 

Shuri looked around curiously, taking in the surroundings that on the surface, although lovely, didn’t look like much. But upon closer inspection there were strange little details. There was a small lake in the middle of the clearing, framed by two mountainous looking islands further out towards the sea. What was curious was the amount of kelp and sea foam that seemed to cling to the surrounding rocks. 

There were even some colorful coral formations and plants that should have been seen only under the ocean. As well as plenty of differently sized pearlescent shells. 

She wanted nothing more than to explore, but the crunch of oncoming boots made her quickly kneel down near Namor to better hide. There were a few dozen men that piled into the clearing. Looking frighteningly comfortable with their weaponry. 

Namor had to hold onto Shuri’s arm as she unconsciously moved forward the moment she saw her brother, hands tied behind his back and blindfolded. He looked unharmed for the first most part, but he looked uncharacteristically grim. Shuri’s heart clenched painfully at the sight, letting out a shaky breath. 

The soldiers seemed to collectively understand that this was the place they were meant to be and began setting up a small area to rest. They placed T’Challa on a crate along the edges of the brush. 

“Stay here. I’ll try to get your brother.” Namor whispered. Shuri looked as if she was about to protest, but ultimately nodded. Showing her trust in him with just her eyes. Without much thought, other than to comfort her, Namor kissed her quickly on the cheek and took off. 

He walked along the edge of bushes and trees, keeping in the shadows. His bag was left with Shuri in a further attempt to remain quiet, but he kept his eyes on the center of the clearing. 

The ground was soft and moist, as if recently watered, making Namor’s footsteps silent. Giving him the opportunity to keep his eyes on the most dangerous person in his view. 

Johann Schmidt.  

“Luis.” Johann called out, staring at the pool of water in front of him. Not impressed in the slightest. 

“Y-yes sir?” 

“Where is Talokan?” 

“Well it’s here. This is the front door.” 

“Here?” 

Luis gave a small placatory smile. “Yes, well it seems that the Gods are fickle today.” 

“Hmm.” Johann nodded to a soldier that was behind Luis. At the command the soldier used the butt of his rifle to smack Luis solidly in the temple, effectively knocking him to the ground with a wet thwack. Johann watched with an unsurprised indifference, “What a disappointment. Let’s try a different tactic shall we.” 

By this point Namor had made his way directly behind T’Challa, but could not make a move towards him as he watched Johann pivot on his foot and stalk his way towards the two of them. He flicked off the blind fold from T’Challa.

“Now Mr. Udaku. I’m in need of your help. Did your friend ever tell you how to get into Talokan?” 

“He was a guide, the whole point was for him to lead us to Talokan. Much like your friend. ” T’Challa nodded to the groaning Luis, still on the ground a feet away. 

“I’m sure he told you something.” 

“Quite the opposite.” 

Surprisingly quick, Johann’s hand shot out and smacked T’Challa viciously in the face. To T’Challa’s credit, he simply spit out a glob of blood and looked back at his assailant steadily. With a sigh Johann pulled out a gun and pointed it at T’Challa’s forehead. “I was going to use you as a bargaining chip, but who knows where your friends are. Unless you suddenly remember something that Mr. Almehen may have told you, then by the time I reach one I’m pulling this trigger. 10. 9. 8.” 

“I told you I know nothing!” 

“7. 6. 5. 4.”  

Namor tensed, ready to reveal himself but Shuri, of course, beat him to it. 

“STOP!” Shuri skidded through the brush, holding up her hands to show her unarmed. One of the soldiers nearby grabbed onto her arm and wrenched it behind her. It took everything in Namor to keep from revealing himself to break that soldier's neck. 

“Shuri!” Her brother called out, his concern for himself gone as he tried to stand, but was shoved back down by Johann. 

“Ah the sister, perfect timing.” Johann motioned for her to come to him, which she was promptly dragged in his direction. Once in front of him, the soldier shoved Shuri away. Clearly put out with his brutish behavior, Shuri turned and socked him in the jaw hard. The other men jeered and laughed at the scene, thoroughly embarrassing the soldier who had just been struck. Enough so that, wanting to save face, he lifted a hand to strike her back. 

Namor didn’t give him a chance. 

He burst out of the brush, and tackled the soldier to the ground. Namor got one solid punch in before being bodily yanked off of the man. 

Johann was more delighted than upset at the sudden violent appearance of Namor, clapping his hands stiffly. “Again. Perfect timing.” He reached over and patted T’Challa on the cheek. “I suppose you were useful after all. Let’s try this again shall we!” 

With Namor now securely held between three soldiers, Johann yanked Shuri to his side, digging the barrel of his gun under her chin. Hard enough to have her whimper. Namor strained against the three men, forcing a fourth to latch on to him as well.

“Ah. Ah. Mr. Almehen.” Johann placed a finger on the trigger of the gun, making Namor still completely. “Now. Will you tell us how to open the way to Talokan. 10-” 

“Yes.” Namor rasped out, staring directly at Shuri who hadn’t taken her eyes off of him for an instant. Her eyes wide, an unspoken apology at having to force Namor’s hand, but he shook his head slowly in response. “But we must wait for the full moon to rise.”

“The full moon isn’t until another week.”

“It works differently here.”

Johann took a long, assessing look at Namor, then glanced around at all of the strangeness of sea life clearly thriving on land. He pursed his lips in thought before shrugging and removing the gun from Shuri’s neck. “I suppose you're right. We will rest here for the time being then.”

The soldiers set up a couple of areas to make food, allowing the siblings and Namor free to roam. With the amount of artillery, it was clear they wouldn’t get very far if they tried anything. So Namor and T’Challa lounged around the firepit where some food was cooking, as Shuri was looking at the various kelp, plants, and coral around the vicinity of the lake. 

She marveled at a large conch shell and excitedly brought it over to the fire pit, twirling it in her hands. 

Namor noticed her coming closer and nudged Luis who had been sitting next to him on the crate, nursing the goose egg on his head. “Estás en su asiento.” 

Luis looked up at him and chuckled, thinking it was a joke. 

“NOW.” 

“Yup.” 

Quickly, Luis moved out of the seat just as Shuri distractedly, still looking at the conch shell, sat down right next to Namor. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful shell!” She held out the shell to Namor who took it from her with a small secretive smile and passed her a plate of canned flavorless beans, which she took blindly. Still too excited by her surroundings. “And the-Eh? Oh thank you. And the plant life is all aquatic, it’s like the island was just under the ocean yesterday.” 

“How is it that you're only excited about the adventure when we are in complete and total danger?” T’Challa chided affectionately. 

“There’s still food.” She responded to her brother with a cheeky grin as she held up her unappetizing plate. 

Their playful banter was momentarily interrupted by an eruption of excited cheers. One of the soldiers came into the clearing with a large grin. “There’s a hot spring over here!” A few of the soldiers who were taking a break immediately stood, shrugging off their clothing as they walked towards the direction of the happy soldier.

Namor noticed that one of the soldiers walking with the small group was the one who had almost backhanded Shuri, so when she moved to get up, curious  to see the hot spring, he placed a firm hand on her arm to still her. “Just a moment.” He whispered. 

Once past the bushes the five soldiers that had gone to the spring were laughing and cajoling the other before there were multiple splashes of water, sounding that they had just jumped into the nearby hot spring. 

And then the blood curdling screams began. 

Namor continued to hold onto Shuri as several soldiers went into the direction of the screams, guns ready, and disappeared into the brush. The screaming died down to just one man moaning painfully. He was brought back into the clearing and Shuri tensed at the sight, quickly placing her hand on top of Namor’s hand that was still holding onto her arm. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from gasping out.

The man they brought back was still in his boxer shorts, but his exposed skin was an angry bright red and littered with large white boils, going as high as his neck. He was crying out, twisting painfully in the hands of his comrades. The ones who brought him back had a shocked grim expression, clearly baffled at the situation. 

“T-They were boiled alive…The waters must be boiling hot underneath the surface…but he managed to climb out.”   

Johann stared at the moaning man that was placed on a rolled out sleeping mat, then whipped his head towards Luis. “Did you know about this?” 

“N-no sir!” Luis sat up straighter, looking as shocked as everyone else. Everyone except one person. 

“And you?” Johann turned his head slowly to Namor, who stared back unflinchingly. 

“It must have slipped my mind.” Namor grinned back with a shrug. 

The man visibly bristled at Namor’s audacity, his face going slightly red, but altogether stayed calm. “Withhold information again and I will make sure to take my time with your friends. Especially this lovely woman here” Johann bent low to grab Shuri’s hand, looking almost the gentleman as he brought her hand to his lips. 

Shuri immediately swiped her hand away in disgust before he could press a kiss to her hand. She leaned her body closer to Namor. 

Namor absentmindedly waved with one hand towards a man who had been passing around some purple berries that were freshly picked from one of the surrounding bushes, while he simultaneously wrapped his other arm around Shuri, pulling her flush to his side. “Then I would start by not eating any of the plants here.”

The soldiers that had been already snacking on them began to violently spit them out, using their personal handkerchiefs to wipe their tongue clean of the fruits juice.

Johann warily looked at his men and asked, “What will it do to them?”

“Nothing.” Namor breathes out a laugh with another large grin. “Except it will be difficult to go to the bathroom for a bit.” 

The partially boiled man did not make it to sunset. 

“Well I’ll be…” 

When the moon began to rise high above them, Namor had been right. What should have been a half moon, was full and round and blindingly bright. Shuri looked up at it in wonder, the smell of the ocean stronger than ever. 

Namor grabbed the conch shell that Shuri had given him to look at earlier, whispering softly into the shell, “Le ujo' revela le bejo' ti' le inframundo.” It had been the words from the stone, the Mayan hieroglyphics from her dreams. His Maya much more beautifully spoken than Shuri could ever manage. 

Shuri wondered if he thought of his mother, whispering those words like a lover hiding a secret within the shell. 

If that was the last image that he would always have of her.  

He stepped towards the lake and submerged the shell in the water. The pool had been so still that the ripple from where Namor had touched the water could be seen stretching to the furthest edges of the lake. 

There was a sudden sensation of being simultaneously pulled but stationary, like when you stood in the sand as the tide pulled away. A blue haze washed over their vision as the the two shadowed islands in the distance that had framed the lake, blurred to what looked like Mesoamerican pyramids, the sea reaching out to the lake as it began to spill and empty onto the surface. 

A large hole replaced the lake, revealing glowing blue caves and spiraling brightly colored architecture, dripping with seaweed and barnacles. It looked impossibly deep. 

Johann smiled, a slash of upturned skin, his eyes maniacal. “Well done, Mr. Almehen. Well done.” He stepped away from the group  to stand on the edge and looked down into the depths of Talokan. “I demand an audience with whom you see as your God. I would like to strike a deal.” 

There was nothing for a long moment and then the hiss of a snake began getting closer, louder. Johann quickly stumbled back as a man emerged from the emptied lake, landing softly on the ground. Remarkably the wings on his ankles had been the ones to have made the noise. 

A shuddering chill went through Shuri as she stared wide eyed at the man. All of her drawings, all of her dreams, the man with the serpent helm now stood before her in the flesh. Quite literally flesh, a lot of revealed flesh. Shuri blushed at the sight of his bare skin, his red cape and loincloth hiding VERY little. 

Shuri still couldn’t quite see his face, but he was an impressive sight to behold all the same. Next to her Namor went very still, save for his hand that shot up to grip onto Shuri’s arm. 

The man in front of them seemed to catch the movement, his head snapping towards them. On either side of him, several blue warriors, both men and women, ascended from Talokan to stand next to their leader. Namor immediately recognized the lionfish woman and the hammerhead shark giant. 

Without breaking his gaze away from Namor and Shuri. The serpent helmed man spoke, his words in unison sounding Maya, Xhosa, Spanish, English, German. All of it impossibly discernible. “ You are not welcome here .” 

“We simply want the ore that we know to be within your caves. That is all.” Johann spoke back, following the God’s gaze, landing his eyes on Shuri.

The God scoffed, “Is that all?”

“Here,” Johann wrenched Shuri from Namor’s hands, who had been pulled back by several soldiers to keep from interfering. “A gift, for your…cooperation.” He then shoved Shuri in front of him towards the God who caught her easily, his hold surprisingly gentle as he lifted her to standing and held her close. Much like a lover. 

Shuri looked into his face and is shocked to see Namor’s face looking down at her, but she knows it isn’t him. K’uk’ulkan.

“B’alam.” He whispered in awe, touching her face before reaching down for the wrist that has the bracelet. The god smiled ruefully at the piece of jewelry and pressed a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. Without looking away from her he spoke to his warriors. “ They want our resources? Please Attuma, Namora, Let them have it.” 

And they do. Violently. Showcasing just how well the ore worked as a weapon.

“SHURI!!” Namor screamed out as Shuri suddenly disappeared into the underground realm of Talokan, being held tightly by K’uk’ulkan. With the chaos of fighting, Namor untangled himself from the soldiers holding him. They were too distracted from the sudden fight to care. 

He grabbed onto T’Challa, who had been knocked back on the ground, and yanked him into standing. Namor ran in the opposite direction of Talokan with T’Challa close behind him. 

“What about my sister!?” T’Challa yelled to be heard over the bloodbath behind them.

Namor slid into the area where Shuri and him had hid hours before, finding his pack. He reached into the bag to find his guns, taking one to hand to T’Challa. “We-” He paused briefly to shoot at an oncoming soldier that had followed them, and then shoved the gun into T’Challa’s hands. “We are going to get her back.” 

Although clearly nervous, T’Challa nodded, holding the gun steady in his hand. Namor strapped two guns within their holsters and put on his pack, breaking into a run towards the emptied pool to where Shuri had been taken. Looking down into Talokan they find a path along the stone wall, to climb down, but before they could move forward Luis grabbed onto Namor.

“Please, take me with you-!” Luis was yanked away, tossed back into the battle by one of the blue warriors. The warrior glanced back at Namor before ignoring him completely. 

“Adios, Luis.” Namor breathed out, and both he and T’Challa began their descent into Talokan.

Chapter Text

The sharp sound of rumbling bombs blasting from above brought Shuri out of the strange daze she was in. It had felt as if she had been floating weightlessly. She blinked her blurred vision coming back into focus as she looked around the room that she was in. Shuri looked around her surroundings slowly, one moment K’uk’ulkan held her close, whispering something in her ear, and the next she was sitting in what looked to be someone's home. 

She was sitting on the floor on a pile of blankets and cushions with the strong smell of incense wafting around her and the taste of sea salt on her tongue, it made her feel too dizzy to stand right away. 

The home had a small wooden table with chairs, a dark red hammock, and cubby-like shelving that held several scrolls that Shuri’s fingers instantly twitched at seeing. There were also dozens of Mesoamerican artifacts that Shuri could tell from just a look that they dated as far back as the 16th century, but they also looked to be in perfect condition. 

What had really caught her eye was the giant wall of murals all along the back of the hut. Shuri stood to get a closer look at them, but abruptly stopped when she realized she wasn’t wearing the clothing she had come down in. She was wearing a billowing white dress with the most intricate jade beaded collar that she had ever seen. Carefully, Shuri grazed her fingers over the beads, wondering briefly how one would even put it on. It was beyond beautiful, but the amount of collarbone she was showing was a bit embarrassing though. 

With a shake of her head, Shuri walked over to the murals to inspect them closer. Recognizing a lot of it from her dreams, but the one that shook her the most was the one at the end where it showed a Man with winged ankles entangled with a black panther. 

Her fingers shook as she touched this particular painting. Real and alive under her hand. 

“ I painted that, the day you left me. It was the last painting I ever did.”  

Shuri whipped her head back towards the entrance to see Na- no, K’uk’ulkan standing there. A small smile gracing his features. He had taken his serpent's helm off, but he still had an aura about him that made him imposing. She swallowed thickly as he got closer to her. He really looks exactly like Namor. Or I suppose Namor looks like him. “I don’t think I’m who you think I am.” 

“You are.” Was his simple yet firm response. The God placed a hand on her lower back and led her to the beginning of the mural. “ Would you like for me to tell you our story?”  

“I-” 

The cacophony of gunfire and explosions from above contrast starkly against the calm blue glow and warm firelight of the hut. Shuri glanced at the entrance nervously, hoping her brother and Namor were safe. 

Warm fingers slide across her chin and bring her gaze back to K’uk’ulkan. He looked so untroubled by what was happening outside that it gave Shuri conflicting emotions of calm and turmoil swirling within her. 

In the end Shuri’s curiosity won out when K’uk’ulkan asked her again. She nodded her head once, tensely, and he gave her a mesmerizing smile that sent her heart beat wildly in her chest. With her being so close she noticed the details of his jade jewelry; the straight septum in his nose, and the large square earspools on his curiously pointed ears. 

The God K’uk’ulkan and the mortal Namor, continued to merge and separate in her mind's eye. 

It was altogether dizzying. 

Kulkukan lifted a hand to one corner of the mural depicting a large feathered serpent amongst his people, not with the cool blue skin that Shuri had come to recognize but a warm brown. She could almost feel the sun on her skin, the smell of the fresh turned earth so long ago. “ Once, many years ago, I created and ruled a kingdom on the surface, Talokan. There was a wealth of resources, food, ore, medicine, enough to be distributed freely and without greed. My people thrived.” 

His hand moved to show another scene, similar but with a violence that made Shuri’s blood go cold. The memory of screams echoing across time. “ And then the conquistadors came. Believing in their,” The God scoffed softly, “ their own divinity, that what was freely given should belong to them alone, because their god told it was so. They killed so many of my people…and in return I killed so many of them.” He was calm in this moment, but Shuri could see the rage pouring from his eyes.

“I took the dead and moved my city so that my people could have a much better life in death, to better protect our traditions, our stories, our resources. A daughter of a Goddess called Bast, who came from a land an ocean away, heard of my plight and came to our aid.” Shuri looked to K’uk’ulkan in shock, hearing the name of the Goddess her family worshiped to come from his lips. The God simply looked back at her with a soft adoring look, tilting his head towards a mural that showed a man wearing a serpent's helm on his knees and a woman reaching down to him, wearing a dress similar to the one Shuri was wearing. 

She realized numbly that it was K’uk’ulkan and B’alam. Shuri could almost feel the dirt and grass under her bare feet walking towards the distraught and broken God, sunlight filtering through the trees. 

The next image he showed Shuri was of B’alam holding a blue plant, surrounded by people who bore the now familiar blue skin. “ She took the name B’alam, and with Chaac’s help, brought the ones slain back from the dead. Although they were forever altered.” At this Shuri could remember how the plant felt in her hands as she ground it into a paste, the smell sweet and briney. 

K’uk’ulkan went quiet and Shuri turned to look at him, his face looking somber before finally turning to her. “ We fell in love.” He was no longer touching her, but she could feel his hands and lips everywhere. The heat of his eyes on her. The swell of her heart was about to burst. Shuri broke eye contact quickly to look back at the mural, her eyes locking onto that of a solitary black panther, large and lurking through the woods. 

“...is that Bast?” Shuri pointed to the image, directing K’uk’ulkan’s burning gaze away from her. 

“ Yes.” He hissed, with barely concealed contempt. “The Goddess did not approve of our union, and when she heard her daughter would stay in Talokan she became enraged.” He did not point to the next mural, but he didn’t have to as Shuri’s eyes caught on a feathered serpent in battle with a black panther. “ Bast threatened to reveal Talokan’s secrets if her daughter did not return, and I told her I would kill her if she harmed either Talokan or B’alam.” 

An image of Bast roaring so loudly that ships were coming for Talokan. The people, now blue, ran into the ocean’s waves to hide. Shuri felt a peculiar feeling of shame, realizing that this was the reason that people still knew of Talokan’s existence. Even if it now sounded like some children’s story told before bed. “The Goddess stayed true to her word, and I had to move Talokan yet again, this time into the depths of the ocean.” 

He placed a hand solidly on an image depicting Bast, broken into seven pieces. K’uk’ulkan floating, body coiled, above her. “ …and I stayed true to my word as well.”

“But how can you kill a god?” Shuri asked breathlessly, a rush of grief hitting her so strongly that she reached out and grabbed onto the God’s arm mindlessly. The thought of her own mothers death, Ramonda, suddenly at the forefront of her mind. She felt like she could have drowned within that grief. 

“It is not a true death. I simply took her body away for a time.” K’uk’ulkan placed a hand gently over hers, and the familiar warmth of his hand brought her some comfort. “ In the end Bast still got what she wanted. Ek B’alam could not forgive what I had done and I would not apologize because of what her mother had done to my people. However, because she understood the magnitude of her mothers actions.” He turned to Shuri, moving his hands to her shoulders to turn her to face him as well. “…she said she would one day return and we would be reunited as one again.” 

Shuri stuttered out a panicked response as he brought her closer to him. “B-but I’m not her!”

The God didn’t seem to hear her, as he pressed his forehead against hers and the familiarity of it had Shuri fluttering her eyes shut. The memory of this gesture being done a thousand times before overwhelming her senses. 

“You are her and you will stay here with me. Just as you promised.” He whispered and leaned down to kiss her, and she almost let him, but a familiar voice cut through the haze Shuri was in. 

“SHURI!!” 

She blinked at the sound of her name outside of the hut. Shuri recognized Namor’s voice and immediately pulled away from K’uk’ulkan. “I-I’m sorry. I have to-” Shuri turned and ran out of the hut. The beating of drums sounding from a distance. 

Thankfully the cavern opening into Talokan wasn’t just a straight drop down. There were multiple intricate carved red platforms and walkways to make one's way down with glowing blue rocks embedded into the stone walls, along with the moon, kept everything well lit. 

Down at the bottom, at the very center, Namor could see a round pool of water that reflected the full moon from up above. There was something else there as well, but Namor couldn’t quite make it out with how bright the moon's reflection was. 

The problem was the amount of water making the pathways dangerous to walk on. 

Bombs of fire and water exploded above them as they made their way down, pelting them with a mixture of heat and ice water. And although both of them were trying their best to keep from falling, it was T’Challa who was constantly slipping on to the ground with Namor hefting him back up. 

“How are you not falling!?” T’Challa yelled, disgruntled after having fallen flat on his backside when jumping down to a different platform. 

Namor had noticed that he felt more grounded and stable then ever before, but he didn’t have time to think on it when Shuri was somewhere below them. So instead he teased back, “Probably because I spend more time outside then crammed in those libraries of yours!” 

“I get out!” T’Challa responded back indigently, before slamming into the back of Namor who was frozen still, and slipping back to the ground. There were two blue warriors standing before them, spears ready to attack. T’Challa went to raise the gun in his hand but Namor stopped him. He had wanted to test out a theory. 

“ Leave us be. ” 

When Namor spoke in Maya the Talokanil guards lowered their guard and gave Namor an assessing look. They then saluted to Namor, fingers splayed to look as if they were holding a sphere, before jumping with inhuman grace and strength to the higher platforms to attack the oncoming Hydra soldiers. 

“How-” 

A screaming soldier flailing as he fell to his death below cut off whatever T’Challa was about to ask. 

“No time!” Namor called behind him as he continued on, not looking to see if T’Challa was following. Despite the two of them getting down into the spiral of Talokan’s entrance first, there were still soldiers making quick work of the distance between them.  

Namor and T’Challa alternated between shooting back at them and continuing to make their way to the bottom. It wasn’t clear where Shuri was exactly, but Namor had the insane thought that he could sense her far below. That same instinct was telling him to hurry it up. 

They came upon another Talokanil warrior, but before Namor could speak to her they were shot down by a spray of bullets. Both Namor and T’Challa dove for cover behind a square raised platform just before the spray was directed towards them.   

“What do we do?!” T’Challa panically asked, holding the gun in his hand but unsure whether to fire or not. The gun being used by the soldier clearly having the advantage as compared to his handgun. When he received no answer T’Challa looked to the man next to him. “Namor?” 

Namor sat frozen, staring at the downed warrior across from them, a simmering rage beginning to boil over. Without much thought, Namor dove towards the body as soon as the bullets ceased, the soldier with the gun quickly moving to load in another clip. Namor grabbed for the spear that was still limply held by the dead Talokanil, and with all of his strength launched the weapon at the soldier. 

The spear stuck solidly in the Hydra soldier’s neck, forcing him to drop his gun as he reached up towards the spear in shock, stumbling off the edge of the walkway. 

T’Challa looked over at Namor in amazement. “Nicely done, but why not use your gun?” 

“Not sure.” Mumbled Namor, looking back to the warrior to see that the bullet wounds were beginning to seal shut. There was a small moment of relief as Namor realized the warrior would be standing again soon. Talokan had its own rules of physics it would seem. 

He glanced down to a netted pouch filled with small hexagonal objects. A passing familiarity had him taking one out to get a closer look. The sides of it were covered with a blue tinted glass and it made a curious gurgling noise. They’re bombs. Namor thought distantly as a flash of orange caught his eye. 

Across from them on another walkway, he saw the woman from the boat, the one that reminded him of a lionfish. She was being backed along the edge as three men with guns got closer to her. Namor had a feeling she would be fine, but he didn’t want to chance anything. 

He placed the bomb back in the net and took the whole thing in his hand, swung the net in his hand to gain some momentum and tossed it towards the group. The bombs exploded on impact with a strong spray of sea water blasting them clean off of the walkway. 

The lionfish woman looked at Namor in surprise, tilting her head down slowly in thanks. 

T’Challa carefully stood up, looking between the woman and Namor. “Well that was-” Another explosion, this one of fire, went off near them and shook the ground enough to make T’Challa lose his balance. 

However this time he had no ground to fall on. 

Before Namor could even take a step forward, T’Challa slipped over the edge. “T’CHALLA!” There was a moment of horror as Namor ran to the edge, feeling helpless as he heard the man’s screams until it abruptly stopped. 

Nervously, Namor looked over the edge and nearly collapsed in relief at the sight below. 

T’Challa was still alive and in shock as he dangled from a single unwavering blue arm. It was the giant Namor had met on the boat. The warrior carefully placed T’Challa down next to him and looked up curiously at Namor. 

“ Thank you my friend!” Namor called down in Maya, slipping his backpack off and tossing it down. “Please pass that to the man you had just caught.” The warrior easily caught the bag, gave it an interested once over before handing it off to a still stunned T’Challa. Switching back to english, “Stay there! I’ll come to you!”

He made it down a few platforms and walkways before T’Challa screamed up at him-

“Look out!!”

Namor turned his head just in time just in time to get socked in the jaw. The blow sent him reeling back, his sure footing the only thing keeping from falling, but that too was taken from him. A foot landed solidly square in the middle of his chest and he fell off the current walkway he was on and onto a platform that was luckily not too far below, but he landed on his back which knocked the air out of him. 

The air came back slowly into his lungs at a painful crawl. A spray of sea water helped revive him enough to watch as his attacker jumped down to his level. Namor groaned in annoyance as he pushed himself up. 

“Mr. Almehen.” Johann said in way of hello, standing stiffly with his hands behind his back as walked around Namor with a predatory stroll. 

Namor sucked his teeth and spat out a bit of blood. “I was hoping you would have managed to die up there.” 

“Sorry to disappoint.” The man gave Namor a feral manic grin, his mask of professional calm finally cracking. “These people seem to listen to you! I was thinking we could make a deal-” 

“I think not.” 

Johann clicked his tongue, looking more irritated that he was interrupted then by Namor’s instant decline. “A pity.”

As much as Namor disliked the man, he had to admit that the man was deadly fast.  Namor barely managed to block the man's onslaught fists and kicks, the biting sting of each block showcasing how strong he was. 

Johann's fighting style was calculated and precise. Almost clinical.

But Namor quickly saw the predictability of it. 

There was a millisecond of an opening and Namor rushed in, pushing all of his weight into shoulder checking the man, toppling them both over the edge of the platform and into a shallow pool of water far below. 

The water seemed to revive Namor as he got up much quicker than his last fall. He looked up and realized that they had fallen into the center pool that Namor had seen from up above. However it wasn’t very deep, atleast not where Namor was standing where it only reached up to his ankles as he stood near the edge. 

It appeared that the rounded platform was slightly concave, the water going deeper the closer you got to the center of the circle. Well that’s what Namor theorized as he saw Johann, who had fallen further in, rise to stand with the water at mid calf. They both looked towards the center to see a strange blue glowing plant at the middle of the plateau. 

Namor’s eyes widened at the sight, remembering his mothers story of Chaac’s gift to the people of Talokan. The plant that had brought the dead back to life. He realized with a chill that Johann seemed to know exactly what he was looking at, no longer interested in fighting Namor as the true prize stood before him. 

Blindly, Johann walked towards the plant, walking deeper into the pool.

A raw instinct to stop him ripped through Namor, but he couldn’t even take a step forward when a few Hydra soldiers jumped onto the platform, sending waves of water to dance up into the air before falling back down. There would be no stopping Johann now. 

There were four altogether and they all looked equally exhausted and beaten down, but Namor could tell that they still had a fight in them. At Least one more. And because it was their last one Namor knew it wouldn’t be an easy fight. He felt for his gun at his hip but quietly cursed to himself when he realized it was soaking wet from when he had fallen into the shallow pool.

“Well this just keeps getting better and better.” Namor muttered to himself. 

As the soldiers closed in, and Namor’s mind was racing with possibly running instead of fighting, a spear came from above and struck through the water with a slap to stick firmly in the ground  in front of Namor. The sudden appearance of the weapon momentarily stunning the group of men. 

The spear was a mixture of jade and gold, Mayan hieroglyphics decorating its surface. Namor felt a familiar pull to it, but looked up to where it had come from, finding the Tigerfish woman giving him a small nod. The soldiers chose to move forward again, and Namor wasted no time in grabbing the spear and spinning it in his hand to prepare to fight. 

It felt surprisingly light and balanced in Namor’s hand and made quick work of taking down the first soldier that chose to attack first. Stabbing the spear deep within the man's stomach with a yell and then yanking him to the side to rip him off of the platform. 

Namor had fought with all types of weapons before within his life, but there was something about this one that made Namor feel like an expert. He swung the spear around, bringing the blunt cylindrical end of it crashing into the side of another soldier’s temple. There was a loud crunch as the hit landed before the soldier limply fell into the water. 

One of the Hydra soldiers made the mistake of trying to grab the spear from Namor, who simply reverted to his normal fighting style and punched the man off of the plateau with a solid right hook. 

The final soldier stumbled back keeping his distance. “If I’m going to die then you're coming with me!” He screamed in panic at Namor as he brought out a grenade, taking out the lynch pin. Namor took a few steps back, getting ready to flee, but as the man lifted his hand to throw the grenade an axe came flying through the air, cutting cleanly through the arm. 

Both severed arm and grenade fell off the side of the platform, the soldier stumbling along with them in shock. A second later the blast of the grenade went off, the distance keeping Namor unharmed. 

He looked up towards the giant with the hammerhead shark helm, who merely shrugged in response to Namor’s look of shock. 

With all the soldiers dealt with Namor whipped his head to where Johann was neck deep in water, struggling to get to the center to where the plant was. The sounds of beating drums steadily increased the closer he got to the plant. Namor looked up at the opening of the cave to see storm clouds closing in around the full moon before completely covering it. 

Johann climbed up onto the small platform at the center, the drums sounding almost like thunder now, but he didn't seem to notice. His wide crazed eyes were too focused on what was in front of him 

Ocean water began spilling into the opening from above, completely taking over Namor’s attention from Johann. We have to leave NOW. Namor dropped the weapon in his hand and he quickly jumped from the center plateau to another platform. His head quickly whipped around, all of his thoughts on finding Shuri until his eyes finally landed on a small hut. 

She was there. He knew she was. 

“SHURI!!” 

Namor was instantly relieved to see Shuri running out of the hut a few moments later, looking relieved herself.  She was still at a lower level then him and they both begin making their way to the other, him climbing down and her climbing up. The water rising just after her. 

Unfortunately she was a lot like her brother in the sense that when she was just about to reach Namor she slipped with a yelp as a rush of seawater hit her from the side and slid off of the edge. She shot out both hands to grip onto the ledge just before she could fully fall off and looked down, realizing that the hut was not the lowest level of Talokan. 

Down below, between all of the platforms was an even deeper part of the ocean, and Shuri could see the faint outlines of an underwater kingdom glittering softly below, like a cluster of stars in the night sky. There was a single bright sphere floating between them and the kingdom and Shuri’s memory momentarily blurred  with the image of K’uk’ulkan floating in front of it, turning to look at her. 

Come back to me, my love. 

Shuri’s fingers slowly began to loosen its grip, the call of the deep becoming louder with the rising water.  

A warm hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her back up onto the platform. Grounding her solidly to the present. She looked up to see Namor softly smiling at her. 

“Hey princess.” 

“Namor!”

In a surge of giddy relief at finally being back together, Shuri wrapped her arms around Namor’s neck to hold him close and the two shared a brief but affectionate kiss. Communicating everything that needed to be said in that moment.

From a distance an old God watched in somber understanding, whispering, “Ah…I see what you meant by ‘reuniting’ my love.” 

With the drums sounding louder than before, K’uk’ulkan brought his attention to the center plateau where Johann had finally managed to climb up onto the ledge where the blue glowing plant was growing. 

The God raised into the air with a hiss of his wings, flying a slow circle around the plateau, transforming with a blur of fabric and feathers into a giant feathered serpent, his large body coiling around the platform before stopping right before Johann. 

A single low hum began to intertwine with beating drums up above, several dozens of blue Talokanil warriors standing stock still on various levels of platforms and walkways up above. One by one the warriors join the singing, the drumbeats getting louder from the sky above. 

Johann quickly glanced away from the ancient God in front of him, realizing that not a single Hyrdra soldier was anywhere to be seen. He squared up his shoulders and looked back to K’uk’ulkan, who hadn't taken his eyes off of the intruder once. “This belongs to me! I made my way to this lost kingdom and I know the power of this plant. I was chosen to be here at this moment.”

“Belongs to you?” The serpent's mouth did not move as he spoke, but he narrowed his eyes at Johann. A low rumbling clicking in the back of his throat. “ Are you saying your god chose you to be here? ”

“I'm saying that I earned the right to take this plant.” 

The humming turned into chanting, echoing throughout the cavern, until it reached an almost piercing pitch until it suddenly cut off. 

During that time, both Namor and Shuri managed to climb up to T’Challa, but the sudden silence caused them all to stop to watch the interaction between Johann and K’uk’ulkan. They glanced up quickly to see the warriors suddenly gone.

Shuri gripped Namor's hand as she realized what Johann was standing in front of. "Chaac's gift." She whispered, her mind recalling a memory of how the plant had felt in her hand. 

The feathered serpent let out a warm chuckle that reverberated throughout the caves, sea water continuing to fall around them. “ Then by all means. Claim your reward, oh chosen one.”

Without waiting a second longer, Johann kneeled down and yanked on the plant, but it didn’t budge. He didn’t get a second chance to pull again. 

A bolt of lighting shot directly from above and straight down at Johann, continuously hitting the spot over and over again. The sound and light were so violently assaulting that the trio that were still watching, pressed themselves as close as they could to the wall behind them. And just as the singing had abruptly stopped before, so did the lighting.  

What was left of Johann was a burnt and mutilated body, although his clothing was perfectly intact. His face was a bright red and bloody mess. He had fallen back into the surrounding water on the platform and to their horror they realized he was still alive as he took a ragged breath in. 

“...ha..il…” Was all Johann could manage to say before several blue hands reached up from beneath the surface of the water and dragged him down beneath.  

K’uk’ulkan instantly brought his attention back to Shuri, slithering his way to them until he reached the platform they were on. He changed back into his human form, the body and tail of the snake shrinking and forminging into the cloth of his cloak. 

After setting his feet down, the water having risen to ankle deep now, he strode straight to Shuri and pulled her into him, muffling her surprised yelp with a firm kiss. That only lasted a brief moment before Namor yanked Shuri back behind him, scowling at the mirror version of himself. The God didn’t give him any attention as he continued to stare at Shuri, his eyes memorizing the details of her face. 

The water rose to their knees before K’uk’ulkan finally tore his eyes away to finally look at Namor, not saying a single word to him but Namor seemed to understand the intense expression on his face. 

“It will be different.” Namor promised in earnest. Not an ounce of fear on his face despite the water being at waist level now.

The God gave him one nod of acknowledgement before turning back to Shuri, his eyes softening with a small smile on his face that made him look heartbreakingly human.  “ Until we meet again…B’alam.” He raised his hand to them and everything disappeared in a flash of white light. 

A collection of images assaulted them in rapid succession, a blend of moving murals and reality. 

Images of Talokan as it was in the beginning before the sea rushed to cover and hide the kingdom from the world. 

Of people thriving and alive. 

To being massacred in their own home. 

And then being brought back to life, their brown skin turning blue. 

The final image was that of a man wearing a serpent's helm on his knees reaching towards a woman wearing a black panther’s helm reaching down to him. 

Water rushed around them, pushing them further onto the sandy beach and waking them up from their strange slumber. One moment they were in Talokan, the next they were on a beach. Namor let out a sigh of relief when he recognized the beach they were on, which was not too far off from the town they had originally met in. 

He looked down to see Shuri wrapped in his arms, lifting her head up to rest her chin on his chest. His heart swelled at the sight of her smile. 

T’Challa was the first to hop back to his feet as the couple took their time to sit up. He ran into the waves to grab his hat that had been snatched away with the surf. “I can't believe this survived the trip!” 

He managed to grab it and quickly flipped it over to fit on top of his head. Only to be immediately drenched with more sea water. T’Challa stood frozen with the water continuously dripping from his hat before ripping it back off of his head, his nerves finally getting the better of him. 

“We almost got killed!” He pointed accusingly at both Shuri and Namor who were finally standing, trying their best not to laugh at the clearly freaked out T’Challa. “AND we have nothing to show of our adventures because we saw Talokan all of what 10 minutes? Well I guess that was a waste of time.” 

Namor hummed thoughtfully and wrapped an arm around Shuri. She looked up to see him looking lovingly at her and she knew her face mirrored his. “I wouldn’t say that.” They both leaned into the other sharing a kiss that felt almost overwhelming with how long it truly took for them to find one another. 

T’Challa instantly made a loud gagging noise that didn’t seem to phase the couple as they only deepened the kiss. The brother rolled his eyes, “Oh please,” and placed his hat back on his head only to be sent sputtering as he was drenched in seawater again. “HOW?!”

As they finally left the beach to make the trek back to town, the sun gleamed brightly on the intricate jade beadwork of Shuri’s dress. 

On the Isle de Talokan

A bush jostled violently until a man burst through it, touching his chest until he was content that he had been unharmed. With his red vest still intact, Luis let out a giant sigh of relief that turned into a yell of excitement. “I’m alive!” 

He glanced around looking a little dazed but still smiling. 

“How am I going to get home?”