The summer sun was generously basking the beaches of the Atlanean capital of Paxa. For many centuries, this city and its riches had been hidden from the wider world, fearing what consequences it would have had if they were to expose their advanced technology to the world, a world that was not ready for its power. But times have changed, now that the world has caught up, and the threat of war has ended for good, the formerly secret islands of Atlantis have opened themselves up to the world, along with its many diverse people. It has become a popular destination for tourists to get their little share of paradise, attracting some history fanatics, enjoyers of sunny weather and scuba divers enjoying the rich underwater world in the clear blue waters surrounding the archipelago. With all these tourists around, you would almost forget that this was a place that people would call home. Not just on the islands, but also beneath the waves…

On one of these beaches, a strange couple was walking down the beach towards the water. One guy wearing swimming shorts had the upper body of a fjord horse, contrasted by his lower body of a Philippine eagle. Two scars on his chest were a reminder of a life altering choice he had made to become who he was now. In his arms he was carrying his partner, a blue seahorse with fins coloured in bright corn yellow, lively colours that would fit right in this tropical paradise. He held his arms around the neck of his partner, looking at him affectionately, but he saw that the inverted hippogriff was having trouble carrying him.
“Come on, Tys, just a few meters more to the water,” the seahorse said.
“This would’ve been so much easier if you’d have worn your Landswimmer Belt, Endi,” Tys puffed.
“I can’t swim with it underwater, dear. It will just pull me out to the surface.” He looked down below as his friends’ talons left dry patches on the wet sand. “There, you can put me down here. I can drag myself the last few meters to sea.”
Tys gently put Endymion down on the sand, and puffed and sat down when he had released him.
“Man, you really should cut down on snacks!” he said.
“Oh please, that would be an insult to Zakara’s cooking,” Endymion replied. “And you’re a strong man, in more ways than one.”
Tys smiled. “Thanks, darling. Well, at least you’re at sea now. I guess you’ll go see your family, while I’ll see if I can find something fun to do here. Perhaps some beach volleyball or something.”
“I wasn’t planning to go alone.”
Tys raised his eyebrow. “Really? There’s someone else joining you?”
“Yeah, and he’s sitting right next to me now.”
“Me? Oh, I’d love to see your home, but… I can barely hold my breath for half a minute under water, and these -” he flexed his talons “- are not great for swimming.”
“No worries, I have something for you to help you with that.”
Endymion removed a bracelet with a blue crystal brightly glowing from his wrist, and showed it to Tys.
“I got this from Tria, who got it from a mage she knew. It’s enchanted with a Merform spell.”
Tys took the bracelet from his friend. “So, if I put this on, I’ll turn into a mer?”
“That’s what Tria told me. Of course, it didn’t work on me, because… you know…”
“So I’ll get a tail then?”
“Well, she said that it would reveal your mer form. That doesn’t mean you end up with a fishtail. Someone else used this before and ended up with a sea turtle lower half while wearing it. You know, maybe you end up with a seahorse lower half like me.”
“Oh, you tease!” Tys laughed. “Well, let’s find out then…”
He put on the bracelet, and suddenly, a bright blue glow engulfed his bird legs. He felt his legs shrink and flatten, while his tail grew thicker and longer. His legs were now a pair of fins, and he felt a dorsal fin digging into the sands as a tail fin grew at the end of his elongated tail. The glow went away, and Tys gazed upon his new lower half.
“A dolphin!” he cheered. “I’m half-dolphin now! Oh, Dr Finley will be thrilled to see this!”
“Your tail looks beautiful,” Endymion said.
“It surely does,” he flicked his tail. “Wow, it even feels like it has always been part of me.”
“It will feel even better underwater. Shall we go?”
“Oh right…”

Tys looked at the waves rolling in ahead of them. Without his legs, he too would have to drag himself along the beach into the water. He followed Endymion, who had already started to crawl towards the sea. It was tougher than he had expected, as he had underestimated the weight of his new lower body. Water splashed in his face from the waves. Usually he found that a bit annoying, but this time it was different. He felt he could still breathe. He crawled deeper into the shallow water, now with his head fully submerged. It was a surreal realisation that he was instinctively breathing, and he wasn’t drowning. The water was calling him, drawing him further away from the shore. The water was deep enough now to submerge his whole body. Here in the water, his heavy body was starting to feel light, but he needed to go further until finally -

He was swimming! Actually swimming with his new dolphin tail, as if he was born with it. He was able to move in ways he could only move in zero G environments when he would be training with his sister. The water felt liberating! He was absolutely ecstatic as he swam to the surface. When he felt himself rising out of the water, he felt more refreshed than ever before, the water dripping from his manes. Endymion had risen up to the surface next to him.
“Having fun?” he asked Tys.
“Oh, Endi, I can’t describe how this feels! It’s like a dream!” Tys answered.
“I knew you’d love it.”
He gently kissed his partner on his lips, who surrendered to his affection for a brief moment until he let go again.
“So where’s that underwater city of yours?” Tys asked.
“Follow me. It isn’t that far from her, though… would you mind carrying me again? You can swim faster than me.”
“Anything, darling.”

The two of them dove deeper, passing the lush and colourful coral reefs. Endymion pointed the way, while Tys was carrying them both swimming forward. Although the surrounding water became darker as they descended, there was a light in the distance glowing. An underwater city, hidden from the surface world, whose technology had all been adapted to function in this environment. Tys couldn’t see any streets; the whole city was designed to be navigated in all three dimensions, effortlessly swimming from floor to floor. The city looked to be partially made from stone, with some metal constructions of which Tys had no idea how they could build such things underwater.
“Is this your home, darling?” he asked the seahorse.
“Welcome to Atlântida-sob-o-Mar,” he answered. “I’ve wanted to show you this for so long.”
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen!”
“Come, I’ve told my family you were coming with me. They’re waiting for us.”
“Then let’s not keep them waiting, shall we?”
As they went into the city, they found themselves surrounded by a diverse crowd of mers. Tys had never realised merpeople could have so many different lower bodies; not just fish, but also crabs, lobsters, octopi, and even someone with the lower half of a sea slug. Endymion led Tys through the corridors running criss-cross across the city until they reached a small apartment. Endymion knocked on the door, and another seahorse with yellow scales opened the door.
“Endi, you’re back!” he smiled. “Come in!”
They swam inside the apartment. The walls look like they had been carved out of stone, with no real corners or edges at the floor and ceiling. Several glowing orbs lit up the room. Tys noticed a complete lack of chairs, and the tables were rather tall. The other seahorse approached them. “So, how’s space been?”
“Oh, space has been fine, Miklos,” Endymion answered back. “A bit hectic at times.”
“And who’s that handsome fellow with you? You don’t look from around here,” he turned to Tys.
“Umm… no, this is my first time, hehe,” Tys nervously replied. “I ummm… I’m Tys.”
“Tys, huh? That does sound exotic. So, where are you from? Chesapeake Bay? The Marmara Sea? The Gulf of Khambhat?”
“I’m from Auckland, actually…”
“Which bay?”
“No, the city.”
“Your friend is a land dweller, Endi?”
“Yeah, but he’s a fun friend and colleague.”
Miklos noticed the scars on Tys’ chest. “Oh poor thing! What horrible monster did this to you?”
“I did, when I became a man for good,” Tys said, now slightly more annoyed.
Miklos turned to Endymion, whispering: “I thought your friend was a he.”
“He is a he!” Endymion whispered back with a sneer. “I guess you still live in isolation from the surface world more than you think…”
“You insulted our guest?” a deep voice sounded. An older seahorse, in the same blue colour as Endymion, came around the corner.
“My apologies, father,” Miklos bowed to him.
“You should apologise to our guest.”
Miklos blushed as he turned to Tys, avoiding eye contact. “S-s-sorry. I-I didn’t mean to disrespect you. If Endi says you’re a good friend, you must be a good fellow.”
“And so he is,” his father said. “Endi told me about your condition. I admire your bravery with your decision. Welcome to our house.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I just hope you like seafood, though. My wife’s preparing some.”
“Don’t worry about that. Endi helped me to refine my taste for it.”
They went to the dining room to introduce Tys to Endi’s mother and have lunch together. Even though Tys was a stranger at sea, he was sure this family would help him make it feel like home.
__________________________

This is a commission drawn by  roxlyde-art, which was worth the wait. Atlântida-sob-o-Mar is an amazing underwater city built by the mer-people themselves and is part of the Atlantis archipelago. They are frontrunners when it comes to underwater technology, and it's the most advanced underwater city on the entire planet. The artist did a splendid job to bring this wild idea of a sci-fi mer-city to life!

Have a great Sum-Mer!