Everything To Me - Orm Marius/Ocean Master

Chapter Seven - Unexpected and Unwanted Guests

"So.  Dry..." Aurelia, Arthur, and Tom all watched as Orm downed four huge glasses of water in a row.  "I can feel myself shriveling up."

"Like a raisin," put in Arthur. "Or a prune."

"See, look at that." Orm held up his hand, which looked fine to everyone else. "It's cracking open it's so dry. I haven't had enough exposure to water."

"Oh, come on, you have the nicest complexion I've ever seen," Aurelia scoffed.   "Relax, Drama Queen. You don't get out much, do you?"

"Not out of the water, no." Orm gulped down yet another glassful.

"Yeah, you can just use your creepy stalker tech for that, huh?"

Thump.

"What was that?" All four shared a glance as the sudden pounding continued.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"The T-Rex from Jurassic Park?" said Arthur.

There was the sound of tearing and splintering wood as something came through the front door, but it wasn't a dinosaur. Though, they may have preferred a T-Rex: it was a group of Atlantean guards.

Aurelia immediately jumped in front of her father and cousin.

"Aurelia, Daughter of Atlanna, by the order of King Orvax you have been charged with high treason," came the voice of the head guard. "Prince Orm, you have been charged with high treason, by the order of King Orvax."

"What?!" cried Orm.

"Friends of yours?" yelled Arthur.

"Definitely not!" She dove out of the way of another blast. "Get you and Dad out of here!"

"Aurelia!" Tom tossed her the pieces of Atlanna's trident to defend herself. She swung them like batons.

Something behind her shattered, but she couldn't tell what it was. All she knew was that she was surrounded by armoured and heavily-armed guards. She kicked one guard, sending him flying through the front window. One guard elbowed her and sent her flipping over the back of the couch.

Disoriented, one quick glance made her see that the guards had cut off Tom and Arthur, and that they were separated. Arthur wrestled with the one guard, while the other held Tom at gunpoint.

"DAD!" she screamed.

There was a blast, only it didn't strike Tom - it struck the guard. Aurelia, Tom, and Arthur turned to see Orm had taken a blaster from a fallen guard and shot the other guard before he could shoot Tom.

"T-thank you," Aurelia cried.

He nodded. "Those were my father's guards."

She turned to the two humans.  "A-are you both okay?"

"Still in one piece, at least," said Arthur.

She nodded.  "Dad?"

Tom still looked understandably shaken and leaned against his nephew for support.  "Watching you fight them - I was flashed right back to the day they came for your Mom."

"They know where we live, Dad. I think you should go stay with Arthur and Uncle Henry."

"But what if she comes back? I have to be here."

But she's not! She's not coming back!  She wanted to scream.  She's never coming back to us! She can't.... But she forced herself to hold her tongue. Now was not the time to tell him of Atlanna's fate. She still hadn't decided whether or not she would ever tell him the truth, and that she knew said truth.

She also knew her father, and knew how stubborn he was.  There was no way she was getting him to leave his home.

"I'm very sorry," Orm said, surveying the damage.

"Not your fault," Aurelia assured him.

"They were looking for me."

"They were looking for us."

"I had no role in this," he said.

"I know you didn't." Aurelia picked up a side table, standing it back up despite the piece of furniture now being cracked. "Fine, Dad. You can stay. W-we'll help you clean up though-"

"Aurelia, go," her father insisted.  "We'll be fine here. You have a mission to complete. Go."

She looked around at the disheveled living room.  "But-"

"Aurelia, go." Tom handed her the map and bottle, pressing them into her hands. "You go, and finish this."

She nodded, but was still conflicted.  She really didn't want to leave him now. "All right." She turned to Orm, who was still holding the blaster.  "Let's go."

(Shorter-than-usual chapter, I know. I had more I wanted to add, but it's more light-hearted and funny, so I didn't think it quite fit with this more serious chapter (it will be in the next chapter though!)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) And school is finished now so I'm hoping updates will be more regular, yay! ;) Thanks again!)