Chapter 54: Third POV

Yet, she could count on one hand the number of times she had received that much praise from the hunting team.

She had thought she would be able to get rid of her sister by showing everyone how dangerous she was.

Thinking that once Persephone was back in the village, people would see her as a freak or a threat.

But it seemed Persephone was getting along with the others much more than she expected.

Her sister wasn’t acting like a monster; she was acting like a hero.

Once their group finally split apart from Garin and the others, Artria revealed herself and the three of them headed home.

The walk, or rather the swim, was awkward for Artria.

Jacob was still buzzing with excitement, telling her all about the hunt, while Persephone stayed quiet, simply smiling with satisfaction throughout.

When they reached the house, Artria saw the pile of fish they had brought back. She saw it as an opportunity to reclaim her place.

She wanted to offer to prep the items they’d gotten on their hunt.

Artria wanted to show Jacob that she was still useful and that she was the one who knew how to run this house. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But before she could even open her mouth, Jacob had already turned to Persephone.

"Hey, Persephone, do you think you could help me prep these? The way you handled the fish today was amazing, and I’m sure you know the best way to clean them."

Of course, her sister happily obliged.

"I’d love to. It’s the least I can do after such a fun trip," Persephone said, her voice dripping with sweetness.

Artria stood there, her hand half-raised, feeling like a ghost in her own living room.

She watched as they moved toward the kitchen area, already talking about which herbs to use.

Only after some time did Jacob finally noticed her standing there, looking like she had been turned to stone.

"Is something the matter, Artria? You look like you have a lot on your mind," Jacob asked, stopping for a second to look at her.

"I-It’s nothing..." Artria denied his claim, shaking her head lightly. She forced a smile on her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She felt like her heart was being squeezed by a giant claw.

Jacob was skeptical. He stayed there for a moment, looking like he wanted to ask more, but he dropped the matter when Persephone called out to him.

"Jacob? Could you help me with this bone? It’s a bit stubborn," Persephone requested, asking for his help in the kitchen.

Jacob gave Artria one last look before swimming over to join her sister.

All Artria could do was watch from a distance. She sat on a small rock ledge, her hands folded in her lap, as the both of them spent more time together.

They were conversing with one another in low voices, and every few minutes, they would break into laughter at jokes each of them would bring up from time to time.

The more time passed, the more Artria felt the pain in her heart grow even more. It wasn’t just a small ache anymore; but had turned into a deep burning sting.

She felt like she was being pushed out of her own life. She tried to shake off the feeling and instead remained positive.

She told herself that it was just a phase, that the novelty of Persephone’s return would wear off soon.

But alas, in the following days, things only got worse.

It started with small things but soon, Jacob hardly called for her help anymore.

Whether it was to cook a meal or take care of the place, he always seemed to turn to Persephone first.

If the floor needed cleaning, Persephone was already doing it. If food needed to be made, Persephone was already prepping it.

Artria felt more and more like a guest in her own home, a person who was just taking up space while her sister ran the show.

Even Garin and her other friends would come looking for Persephone when they needed to go out and hunt, rather than her.

They would knock on the nest and ask, "Is Persephone ready?" or "Tell Persephone we’re heading to the eastern part of the reef today."

They didn’t even ask if Artria wanted to come along anymore.

It was happening again... Just like before, it wouldn’t be long now before everyone forgot about her and only focused on Persephone.

The dark memories she had tried so hard to bury started to bubble up to the surface, clear and painful.

*****

Some years back.

The village looked much the same back then, though Artria was much smaller.

The coral was bright, and the water felt full of magic.

"Mama, Papa, look what I made!" A young Artria held up a seashell necklace.

She was swimming as fast as her little tail could carry her toward two mermaids who had a striking resemblance to her.

They both had that same deep blue hair and tails, along with soft, kind features.

The man was more than half the woman’s size, a strong merman with broad shoulders, while the woman looked a bit on the petite side.

However, despite her small size, the vigor she emitted made one think twice about calling her weak.

She had a sparkle in her eyes that showed she was the one who really ran the family.

They were none other than her parents.

"Oh sweetie, it’s amazing," Artria’s mother said, her voice full of warmth. She bent down in the water to take a closer look at her daughter’s necklace, her long hair floating around her like a cloud.

The necklace itself wasn’t splendid. It was a bit of a mess, really. It had several shells that lacked any similarities, some were jagged and brown, others were smooth and white.

In truth, it was just a mesh of shells put together with some old seaweed string. It was the kind of thing only a child would think was a treasure.