"KILL THE LIGHTS!"
Cora said to the captain of the submarine. The twin beams dulled and three hoverboards were ejected out of the vessel's iron hull. Three furious women hopped down the submarine to the boards embossed in the maroon and black gold Emberfall colors. Rafel could see them clearly now.
Cora was in the lead.
Ay, his Corazón! It was obvious they'd come to rescue him.
Cora held the arrow with the flaming laser point, nocked and ready to loose. On both sides of his androgynous platinum blonde, Rafel could also see Ravenna and Aya Naamah. Such gorgeous and sexy deliverers they were!
Little Raven, he thought. Apparently, he had missed her return from school. It made him grit his teeth.
The gorgeous trinity of femme fatales had bowls of transparent air that allowed them to breathe under water. Magical bubbles really. They each gave Rafel their own version of an accessment for harm, and once for the Hell Lord, it didn't hurt to be the one being cared for. Granted, Rafel was an Alpha male to his hellish core, but it didn't mean he hated being dotted upon.
Like they say: it's the thought that counts.
Finding no harm to Rafel, the girls' collective eyes' went nuclear on Yemaya who was caught dead with the ruby diamond ring in her grasp.
Cora pulled back her nocked arrow another tight inch. The bow's string sung in the water.
"Wait! It's not what you think?"
Yemaya held up her hands, cautiously taking a step back.
"Step away from him, fish woman. You think you can come into our home and take one of ours? Huh! But you're too big of pussies to do it at daytime." Ravenna brandished her silver dagger. It sliced through the water like butter. "You want some of this, Queenie?
Step back. I said step away from him!"
She made a mock jab at Yemaya and the water queen flinched. Her hands were still up in surrender. Cora's hoverboard was now close enough to theirs that Rafel could see clearly the rage in her blue eyes through the bubble of air over her head. She was wildly beautiful. He easily likened her to the semi-divine Valkyries.
"What's this?" She roughly plucked the ring off Yemaya's clenched fingers. "You trying to force our Lord to marry you, bitch? Is that why you took him? I guess fucking fish must be getting old, huh."
Cora turned back with a smile and laughed along with Aya and Ravenna.
"Fish fucker!" She tossed the ring behind to Aya who caught it expertly.
When Cora really moved to release the arrow, Rafel spoke up.
"Wait, Corazón!"
The silver-haired babe turned to him and Yemaya peeked through one of her tightly shut eyes, grateful she wasn't dead.
"Let's talk," Rafel continued. "Lower your weapons!" He instructed the women. He gave no room for questions and turned to Yemaya. "You have a place we can use, Your Majesty?"
Yemaya nodded. And then she took Rafel to her house: the Castle of Atlantis.
It was a sprawling magnificent Ottoman wonder. The designs and crafts were off Persian scripts, and several arcane water runes glinted blue magic into the passing aqualife. They all settled in a spacious oval room made floor to ceiling in complete gold.
The Atlantean realm never lacked for treasures, for all the sunken ships, pirate and cargo ended up in her domains, merfolk free to fetch from the drowned loot as they saw fit. A few even made underwater homes of the mighty capsized frigates.
Once in the lavish room, it took Rafel a while to iron things out with between his women and the water queen. Ravenna was the hardest to handle. As they all sat around him on the long banquette in a protective pose, she was the one savagely cutting eyes at the calmer Yemaya.
"Remember, she's a goddess. You can't hurt her," he persuaded with his eyes.
When he finished explaining things and convincing his sidekicks not to stake some fish, he was finally able to turn to Yemaya and give answer to her long unanswered question.
"Yes, Yemaya. . .Queen of the Seas, Bringer of Seasons, and Empress of the Atlantean Colonies. I accept you as my Bride."
To ease the tension rolling off massively in the room, Rafel added, "—you don't need to ask twice!"
Everyone laughed—smiled at least, but it didn't reach Ravenna's leafgreen eyes. She would never like the water queen. The bitch mermaid had hitched herself to the greatest man—and lover she'd ever known. It had to be some kind of sin for one woman to keep Rafel all to herself. Convincing her mind it was a sham marriage, was enough to keep her from pulling her dagger on Yemaya.
Plus, it wasn't like Rafel was going to live in Atlantis. It was a union of convenience.
[???? Queen of The Waves – Barbie (Performance in Barbie, A Mermaid Tale).]
The water wedding as it turned out was only a reason to drink, party, fuck shit up, and fuck people too. In the excitement of some truly nudist rave, everyone was eager to forget the near assassination of the water queen. The marriage was a fake; every mermaid from marina to coast knew it. But the ceremony wasn't!
It was held in the grandest Hall Dome Rafel had ever seen. Every single gemstone was featured on display. Arrogance and glory. Because what's the point of having 'fuck-you' money if you can't throw it in people's faces and say, 'Fuck You!'
Rafel liked it.
He could buy out the Atlantean Colonies but then he'd probably go broke. It was worth billions of Eldorian gold coins. And it wasn't even on the open market.
Luckily, marrying Yemaya would give it to him on a platter.
The wedding halls were majestic. Rafel beheld sturdy white pillars and floors of smashing ivory. A chandelier of pierced silver and furnished walls made in rhinestone, rubies, sapphire, and jade. It was moneyed, down to last plucked dew petal of water lilies. Starfishes basked under the warm lamps of archways.
Ravenna expected nothing less of Rafel's wedding—even a sham one.
Ravenna only smiled, Cora along with her. "You're King of the seas now! Don't you forget it. . .YOUR MAJESTY." She smarted.
"Please, I prefer Your Grace." Rafel gave back. "Your Majesty sounds phony. Besides, I'm ceremonial King only."
"—That doesn't mean you didn't get the ring," Ravenna teased.
"Hey!" Rafel rubbed her head playfully.
She was right though. A massive red diamond glinted off his fourth finger. Sham marriage or not, his fortune had received one luscious creamy topping. Rafel took Ravenna's hand in one of his. He took Cora's also, in the other. And the three of them walked out from the ongoing orgy of breathless raspy voices.
Cora softly shut the doors behind them.
"And the spitfire returns," she said, grinning meaningfully at Ravenna. "We missed ya!"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"Sorry I wasn't there at the docks earlier to pick you up." Rafel offered out of nowhere.
They were walking across the long glittery landing belt for underwater vessels to their submarine on the east hangar.
"It wasn't your fault," Ravenna replied gently before mischief entered her eyes. "—you were busy getting your ass kidnapped!"
"What! How dare you!" Rafel rounded his eyes to match her histrionics. He was playing with her too. "Just because you TRIED to save me ONE time doesn't give you bragging rights."
Cora was laughing out loud as he continued,
". . .besides, I was fine when you arrived. It doesn't count."
Ravenna scoffed. "Uh, yes it does!"
"It doesn't!" Rafel fired back.
"It so does!"
"You know what? Come here!" Rafel grabbed at her. "I'll show you kidnapping. . ."
Ravenna tried to run but she was already up in the air, flailing her legs, giggling and teary-eyed as Rafel hoisted her up to his shoulders. From his height, even their submarine in the distance looked small.
"CORA CAN'T SAVE YOU!" Rafel taunted a screaming Ravenna.
They were all playing and laughing as they ran to the vessel that would take them home.
What an adventure? Rafel was thinking to himself. And then his system pinged with new notifications, making it even better.
[Ding!]
[Upgrades Identified!]
[Union with a Rank S Marine Deity has granted you quick advancement into the next Celestial Circle.]
[Current Level: Third Celestial Circle.
Current Ranks: HELL ANOINTER, MANSLAYER.
Newest Rank: ATLANTEAN KING!
PROWESS: You have gained control over an immense variety of marine life. Telepathic connection to all magical and nonmagical sea creatures. New subjects under your Atlantean system include: Concubine Nymphs, Sirens, Sea Horses, Messenger dolphins, War sharks.
ABILITIES: Aqua Telekinesis, ability to control and shift water.
Aqua Telekinesis can be leveled up to BLOOD BENDING. Currently available for upgrade in your current Third Celestial Circle.]
[Ding!]
[GIFTS RECEIVED!]
[Namely: One BLESSED RUBY DIAMOND RING – One LEGENDARY SEA HORSE SCALE CHAINMAIL – One EPIC ELEPHANT SEAL ARMOR – The DIVINE TRIDENT, FROSTBLADE – The DIVINE CROWN OF ATLANTIS.]
[You are hereby named Lord Husband and Consort of Yemaya the Radiant, Controller of the Seasons, and Imperial King of the Atlantean Colonies.
Privileges enjoyed from this union extend to the Water Queen's bed, and to infinity.]
[Ding! Updates ended!]
"Judging by your smile, I see you've leveled up, Your Grace." Cora read Rafel's expressions easily.
He smiled warmly as he replied, "Between you, my dear Corazón, Little Raven, and my Sea Bride. . .like fuck I have!"
He pulled Cora into the submarine's hatch with him. As the metal door shut with a machine hissing, their sounds of laughter could be heard echoing out underwater and up to the surface.