Chapter 57: JACOBS POV.

I smiled even more when I saw her flash me an irritated glare. It wasn’t a mean look; it was that familiar, annoyed face she always made when I was being a bit of a goof.

I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I was glad to know my advances were working at least. Even if she was sad, she was still the same Artria I knew.

Artria was still a bit hesitant. She looked at my hand, then at my face, then back at my hand.

She seemed to be weighing the options in her head. But under my patient stare, she finally gave in.

She slowly placed her hand in mine. Her skin was cool, and her grip was light, as if she was ready to pull away at any second.

"Alright, but you better not try anything," she muttered, though she didn’t sound very convincing.

’If only I could,’ I said to myself. My mind drifted back to the house for a split second. With Persephone around, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Her sister was a lot of things, but "understanding" wasn’t really one of them when it came to people getting close to me, that I was very much aware of.

If only I could dissuade her though. I thought, feeling a tad helpless.

Who knows what she’d do if she found out I was out here holding Artria’s hand in the moonlight.

I didn’t say anything out loud, though. I just held her hand firmly in mine, letting her feel the warmth of my grip.

I then began guiding her upward. I didn’t swim fast; I just tilted my tail and started to rise toward the surface.

We swam for a long while. The deeper we were, the less darker the water felt, as we moved up, the light from above started to get a little clearer.

At some point, I noticed Artria glancing about as if unsure. She looked at the shadows of the reef below us and the empty water around us, looking a bit nervous about being so far from the bottom.

And yet, she still didn’t let go. She held onto my hand, seemingly filled with trust towards me.

Eventually, we reached the ocean’s surface. It’s a strange feeling, breaking through the top of the water.

One moment you’re in the heavy, quiet world of the sea, and the next, you’re in the cool, crisp air of the night.

Unlike the dark ocean floor where everything is blue and shadowy, the moment we surfaced, a look of astonishment emerged on Artria’s face at the sight she saw.

She gasped sharply in the quiet night air. Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped open as she looked up.

From the ocean floor, it wasn’t possible to see the beauty of the night sky. Down there, the "sky" was just a dark ceiling of water. But now that we’ve reached the surface, she got a great view.

I myself was still amazed by it, even when I’d seen it several times during my days aimlessly on that metal boat.

The stars of the world at night were just too dazzling. They looked like thousands of tiny diamonds scattered across a piece of black velvet. The moon was a bright, silver coin hanging over us, reflecting off the gentle waves.

"Wonderful, isn’t it?" I whispered. I didn’t want to speak too loudly and ruin the moment.

"First time seeing stars?" I asked, chuckling as I glanced at Artria.

She didn’t look away from the sky. She just nodded slowly, still looking like a girl seeing gems for the first time.

Artria looked so peaceful in the moonlight, the silver glow reflecting in her eyes and making her blue hair shine.

All the sadness and the tears from the reef seemed to vanish, replaced by pure wonder.

"Want to know something else?" I said, an eager tone in my voice. I felt like a teacher showing a student a secret world.

"What?" she asked, finally looking at me. She sounded genuinely curious, her voice soft and full of interest.

"Do you know that some groups of those are called constellations," I said, gesturing towards the stars above us.

I pointed to a cluster of bright lights that formed a clear shape. "And each constellation also has a story behind it."

"Moreover, People from the world above used them to find their way home or to remember famous heroes."

" You know about surface dweller’s?"

Artria’s eyes became amazed once more.

" A bit." I said, not elaborating, it would only ruin the moment if I delved into my past now.

For now, let Persephone be the only one who knows, I doubt she’d tell anyone else since she’d probably want to keep that knowledge all to herself.

Artria looked back up at the sky, trying to see the shapes I was talking about. Seeing this, I smiled even more.

I was happy that I could give her this moment, at least now, her worries weren’t present, and she could enjoy something stress free.

"Want me to tell you a story about that one?" I chuckled, pointing at a constellation shaped like a horse and a dog. It was one of the easier ones to spot, with bright stars marking the legs and the heads of the animals.

"Really? You sure?" she asked, sounding skeptical. She looked at the stars and then at me, as if she couldn’t believe that a bunch of dots in the sky could actually tell a story.

"Of course, why not," I chuckled. I adjusted my position in the water, floating comfortably on my back while still holding her hand, Artria did the same, the both of us floating hand in hand.

Artria moved a little closer, her shoulder brushing against mine as we floated there. She didn’t look like she wanted to run away anymore.

She just looked like she wanted to listen. I took a deep breath of the salty air and started the story, my voice steady and calm.