*The merman art above is taken from pinterest, the artist is Josie.*

*********************

Conner took in a deep breath. Hold for one-two-three-four and exhale for eight counts. He focused on the gentle sound of the waves lapping at the beach, the soft feeling of the wind caressing his face.

After the third time Robin had catched him watching static all by himself, the boy had suggested coming out here whenever Conner felt overwhelmed and needed something to ground him.

Some days it seemed like there were new sensations just waiting around every corner with the sole purpose of overloading Conner's senses and then there were of course those cursed constant noices of eight billion people just living their daily life laying siege to Conner's ears.

A fresh sea breeze brought the smell of salt and tang and Connor felt himself relax, his body finally letting go of some tension he wasn't even aware he was carrying around until now. He lost himself in the mumbling of the ocean, breathe in, breathe out, rinse and repeat.

Robin really gave good advice when you weren't on his current prank list.

„Hi there, sorry for interrupting, but you wouldn't happen to know where Kaldur'ahm is at the moment?"

Connor almost fell from his rock.

The young man -no merman, if those blue-green scales shimmering on his lower torso were anything to go by – so, the merman looking up to him from the surf politely ignored Connor's undignified struggle.

„I've got a letter for him and I can feel his general presence closeby, but I can't really pinpoint his exact location."

„I can give it to him." Connor stated, because as new to this world as he was, even he knew that inviting strangers into a top secret superhero base was a Big No-No. No matter how handsome that stranger may be or how open and honest the look in his mesmerizing green eyes seemed.

The colour darkened when the stranger narrowed his eyes and searched Conner's expression in a way that reminded him uncomfortably of Batman assessing a potential threat. Conner barely managed not to squirm.

Whatever the merman was looking for, he must have found it, because the next moment he gifted Connor with the most beautiful, heart-stopping smile he had ever seen and stretched up to offer him a small bronze tube.

„That's a letter?" They look a lot different in movies, Conner almost added.

The other didn't look deterred by the question and Conner put a lid on the surge of embarassement attempting to rise in him.

„Yep", the merman answered deliberately popping the p, „it's an Atlantean letter. They use these bronze tubes because paper envelopes don't really do so well in saltwater." The sparkle in his swirling eyes made Conner feel warm and welcome like he was just let in on a joke meant for close friends.

The tube lay cool in his hands from its journey through the ocean and Conner wondered wether Atlanteans ever got cold. He knew Kaldur had thick skin, but were there like merpeople in the arctic sea?

Wait, how long had he been now silently staring at the stranger? M'gann said he had a broody resting face. Please don't let the guy think I'm scowling at him!

„You look like you're doing some heavy thinking. Anything I can help you with?" The merman still had a sunny smile on his face Conner was relieved to notice, he didn't seem intimidated at all.

„Are there Atlanteans in the arctic?", Conner blurted out just to immediatly blush afterwards. The merman – he really needed to ask him for his name -looked stunned for a second and then started laughing. Like heartfelt, doubling over, straight from the belly, there-is-not-enough-air-but-I-can't-stop laughter. Conner wanted to melt into a puddle of embarassement and drain into the earth.

The other seemed to notice his discomfort and managed to reign in his emotional explosion. Admittedly, if Conner hadn't been so busy scowling he might have been tempted to smile, just to be able to hear the other laugh for a little bit longer. It just sounded so genuinely happy and was almost dangerously infectious. Conner couldn't help but feel like he should commit this scene to memory, to look at in decisive moments like in those mooshy movies M'gann loved so much.

„I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", the merman wheezed out, „it's just that normally I'm the one with the wandering mind and the random questions and you were looking so serious the whole time and then you – you just surprised me. Dam, I haven't laughed like that in months, so thank you, really, I needed that."

„You're welcome?" Conner offered tentavely. The other took one last calming breath before focusing his attention back on Conner and explaining: „Well Atlanteans usually live in and around Atlantis, but I know there are merpeople living along the coast of Norway. And there are definitely tribes around Iceland and near Alaska, but honestly, I don't know if there are merpeople living directly around the arctic ice. I really should ask my Dad next time I see him."

„So are you Atlantean then?" Conner was now genuinely curious. He had just assumed the other was from Atlantis, even though - objectively speaking - the stranger and Kaldur looked almost nothing alike. There was the tail for starters.

„Ahm, no, I guess? My Dad's from Poseidonis and we were on a business trip to Atlantis where I offered to deliver the letter on my way home. Most of the time I live with my Mom, so I see myself as New Yorker?"

Now Conner really wanted to know how the guy lived mostly in New York when there was the obvious issue of his sparkling merman tail. Unfortunately before he could ask, the other send an apologetic smile his way.

„Well, I gotta go now or I'm gonna be late for dinner. Thanks for passing on the letter! It was really nice talking to you. Maybe we will meet again someday!"

The setting sun bathed his bronze skin in a golden glow as he turned to dive into the waves.

„Wait! What is your name?", Conner shouted, his own voice bellowing in his ears.

„Percy. My name is Percy." The stranger shot him one last smile before he vanished into the oncoming tide.