How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(23)

He understood my hesitation, empathized with me. I thought about my own dad, who definitely wasn’t scary. My mother was though. Maybe she and Finn’s dad would get along well, not that I could ever imagine my mother as a mermaid. It wouldn’t be sensible enough for her.

“Are you ready to go in?” Finn asked.

I swallowed. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

We swam downward, entering through one of the open corridors that connected the various buildings of the palace. I was open-mouthed the entire time at the amount of detail that was squeezed into the place. Every square inch was covered with intricate designs and ornamentation. Shells, sand dollars, and coral were the decorations here, and while that stuff would have been present at a cheap resort on land, it was a work of art here.

“We don’t have to go directly to my father,” Finn told me. “You can rest, get used to being here a bit more. I don’t know what mood he’ll be in. He’s a bit unpredictable.”

I thought about it and then shook my head. With Christine waiting for me and the impending trip to Portland, I couldn’t afford to waste any time. “If he can see us now, that would be best.”

“I’ll be right with you,” Finn said.

“And me too,” Ponce added, although his demeanor had changed slightly. He looked as nervous as I felt.

As soon as we turned a corner, I could see why Finn didn’t like being there. A swarm of gorgeous mermaids descended upon us like a pack of wolves. Descended upon Finn, rather; they had no interest in me or Ponce.

“Finn!”

“Finn’s back!”

“Oh, my goodness. Hello, handsome!”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only girl to notice Finn’s good looks. There were at least twelve mermaids all vying for his undivided attention. He was a celebrity to them. Human girls would have acted the same way around Prince Harry, and for the record, I thought Finn was far better-looking.

At least I wasn’t as brazen as they were, getting up in his face and throwing myself at him like they were.

They were all gorgeous, each and every one of them perfect in her own way, whether she was slender, athletic, a bit curvy, or didn’t appear to be human at all.

Their long hair swept all about them in swirls that seemed to be choreographed around their lovely faces. Under the sea, it didn’t matter if your hair was frizzy or thin, because in the water, it all looked gorgeous. While the upper half of some of them could have passed for human, some of them certainly couldn’t be mistaken for humans. Some were definitely humanoid like they were real versions of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, while others were more fishy in appearance. Evidently, the definition of “mermaid” was very loose. Some of them were completely covered in fish scales, their skin reflecting off the glow of the plants that lit the hallways. Some had human skin tones and hair colors, while others were all sorts of different colors, from blue and green to lilac and magenta.

Though I hadn’t been prepared for the sheer variety in their appearances, they didn’t frighten me. If anything, I felt jealous with these beauties throwing themselves at Finn. Not that he was my boyfriend or anything…

Maybe they were just friends, right?

The mermaids were wearing various forms of clothing fashioned from kelp to shells and old, thin sailcloth which covered up their breasts, thankfully. After everything, I wasn’t sure if I would be comfortable with a bunch of naked mermaids surrounding Finn.

Silly Tara. There’s nothing going on between you and Finn.

I frowned. It certainly did feel like we had shared a moment or two in our time together. My cheeks burned and I crossed my arms in front of me. It could never work out, so I shouldn’t even get my hopes up.

“See why he doesn’t want to come back?” Ponce said to me. “So much attention from the ladies.”

“It’s to be expected,” I remarked, feeling my blush deepening.

“It’s made even worse because he is the Protector of the Seas.”

I glanced back Ponce. “I thought you said he was a superhero. Don’t superheroes get a secret identity?”

The snapper flicked his fins in what I suspected was his equivalent of a shrug. “Not when you’re the son of King Oceanus.”

I silently agreed.

In the middle of the crowd, Finn looked back at me, his face pleading with me to save him. It would have been comical if he didn’t look so darned desperate.

While I wasn’t comfortable enough here to really do anything or make a scene, I decided I was going to give it a shot.

I swam over to him, which was hard since the mermaids surrounded him in three dimensions. I grasped his hand and pulled him along with me.

“Come on, Finn,” I said, hoping I sounded like a servant or something. “You, uh, have business with your father.”

Thank you, he mouthed gratefully to me, and I smiled at him. I guess my mental Mermish translator can read lips, although anyone could read the gratification on his face.

I thought we were scot-free until a fully-scaled beauty with piercing magenta eyes blocked my path.

“What’s wrong with your tail?” she asked me, distaste evident in her voice.

I froze, unable to think of a good reason as to why I had a fake tail. Finn and Nereia had acted like it was the worst thing ever for a human to be dressed up as a mermaid, so I didn’t want to come out and say it. Was I supposed to be completely disguised? Was it a bad thing if I was a human?