Taking a momentary break from cleaning the ship’s deck, Henry looked out to see over the starboard side. It had been five days since his merchant vessel had come under attack from the dreaded Captain Lucifer and his ship, the Goddess of Death. When the smoke finally cleared and their ship was plundered for all it was worth before being torched, Henry was the sole survivor. Now, he was free labor to the pirates. Mopping decks, managing the bilge pumps, and being fed scraps, he knew that his usefulness would eventually run dry, and Captain Lucifer would see Henry disposed of immediately once that happened. 

“Get back to work, bilge rat!” A deckhand snapped, kicking Henry in the shin. 

“Aye!” He replied, quickly dropping to his knees and scrubbing the wooden decking where he’d left off. 

Wiping sweat from his brow, the twenty-three year old brushed his long, light brown bangs from his eyes and tried to focus on the task at hand. If he was caught slacking off again, Captain Lucifer would use him as bait for whatever creature he’d been so fixated on finding. If he talked back or questioned the goal of the captain, specifically what they were searching for, he’d have his tongue cut out for sure. 

Suddenly, a voice rang out, “We got something!” 

The whole crew stopped their current tasks and ran to the port side, clearly excited. Choosing to stay back, Henry lazily scrubbed and watched as ropes were hooked up to the masts and the capstan began to turn. It took the might of twenty men to bring the enormous net in, causing the Goddess of Death to list a few degrees. There was a terrible commotion as the net bore an enormous creature. At first glance, it appeared to be a whale, roughly fifty feet in length. But as it was hauled onto the deck, Henry realized that it was something else. Something he’d never seen before. 

It was…a girl.

At least, mostly a girl. The first thing that stood out—apart from her size—was her pale, pink skin coated in a layer of shiny slime. Second were the three purplish-red, frilly gills behind both of her ears. She had a long tail between her legs, thrashing against the net that bound her. As she tossed her head back and forth to bare her serrated teeth at the crew, tangling her deep purple hair in the process, Henry could get a glance at her yellow-green eyes and vertically slit pupils. Despite her best attempts, she could not free herself from the net as she was hauled all the way onto the deck, suspended a few feet over it. It suddenly dawned upon him that she resembled an axolotl, a creature he’d seen only once but was sure she must’ve been related to, at least distantly. 

Henry was captivated by the creature. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It broke his heart to see such a majestic creature, never before having graced the eyes of man, being treated like this. She hissed and snapped at the laughing men who danced and taunted her. 

“We’ve found a sea beast!” Captain Lucifer declared, “And look at the size of her!”

The creature’s breasts were straining against the tight net, her nipples poking through the gaps. A few men helped themselves to a feel of her flesh, earning a ferocious growl and thrash from the creature. 

“Easy, sea bitch!” The captain warned, unsheathing his sword, “I intend to bring you to the mainland alive, but act up again, and I’ll slit your throat and gut you like any common fish!” 

Surprisingly, she appeared to understand his threat and kept her mouth shut, instead choosing to silently glare at the captain. Impressed with his success in making the creature obey, Captain Lucifer helped himself to a feel of her breasts. Henry scowled, seeing such an incredible and marvelous creature being reduced to mere entertainment. However, a part of him couldn’t help but be tempted to feel her breasts for himself, perhaps even attempting to drink any milk stored within. Shaking those thoughts from his mind and cursing himself for even imagining such an act, Henry noticed a knife sitting unattended on a barrel of gunpowder. 

Quickly and quietly, while everyone else was distracted by the half woman, half sea creature, Henry pocketed the knife. He wasn’t sure what use it would be exactly, but a reliable, four inch blade could come in very handy. As the shock of seeing the creature faded, Henry was quick to return to his work like nothing had happened. The Goddess of Death set a course for land, still at least a week out. 

Throughout the day, Henry stole glances at the creature whenever he could. She’d given up on trying to escape, occasionally wriggling around to shift her position or to look over at the calm sea. What she was wondering, Henry couldn’t be sure. The rest of the crew was in celebration, with music playing during supper and plenty of alcohol going around. As the moon crept higher and higher into the night sky, Henry decided that his chance to escape the wretched ship had come. 

There were the distant lights of civilization off the starboard bow. A dangerous journey for one man in the dead of night, but Henry was willing to take his chances. While everyone was below decks and celebrating their catch, Henry silently tiptoed across the deck towards the dinghys. Already loaded with some survival provisions, it was the perfect getaway boat. Unsheathing his knife, Henry was about to begin cutting the ropes away when he heard a loud whimper from behind. 

Nearly leaping out of his skin and dropping the knife, Henry spun around to see the captured creature staring back, whimpering again. Raising a finger to his lips, he urged her to stay silent. As he returned to cutting the dinghy free, he froze. Glancing back at the poor creature, he decided that it was wrong to leave her to her fate. Watching as the island began to pass by, Henry turned around and walked over to the creature to set her free. Now mere feet away from the massive being, he could see dark purple freckles on her otherwise flawless pink skin. He was compelled to reach out and caress her freckled nose, but remembering her four inch long teeth quickly made him sensible again. 

Henry went to work cutting the thick rope netting, doing his best to work diligently and silently. The creature understood what he was doing and kept silent, her enormous eyes studying his hand as the knife sliced through more and more net. After compromising the net enough, it finally gave way. Henry backed away quickly as the mighty sea creature fell to the deck, thrashing wildly to throw the rest of the net from her body. 

The impact of a fifty foot sea creature crashing onto the deck couldn’t be ignored. In moments, the whole ship was aware of the escape attempt. Some men burst onto the deck wielding spears and hooks, but they were far too late to stop her escape. With a final grunt, she slid free from the net and clawed for the side of the ship, sliding over with a tremendous splash without even glancing back to stare at her rescuer. Henry watched the spot where she’d entered, perhaps hoping she’d break the ocean’s surface one final time. Alas, she was gone, and the crew’s ire focused squarely on the cause for the creature’s escape. Throwing down the knife, Henry knew his punishment would be severe, but saving an innocent creature’s life for his worthless own was a more than fair trade in his eyes. 

The next morning, Henry was awoken by the brig’s rusty door opening. His headache was throbbing and his whole body ached, but he never once regretted his decision. That innocent creature deserved a long life away from humans, deep beneath the waves. As Henry was dragged out onto the deck, he hoped she’d get just that. Thrown face-down onto the deck, Henry winced as several cuts on his arms and face were reopened. Slowly rising to his hands and knees, Henry felt a firm hand grab his throat and force him upright. Choking for air, he was forced to look Captain Lucifer in his rage-filled eyes. 

“You slimy, good for nothing piece of shit! You can’t just let my monster go and not expect me to slit your throat! Don’t worry, I won’t kill you outright. No, it’s gonna be just enough to give you the slow, humiliating death you deserve. You’re gonna writhe on this deck like the fish you are, begging for me to end your suffering. But I won’t.” 

Forced to kneel, Henry watched as the captain withdrew his sword, gleaming silver in the late morning sun. As his breathing hastened, Henry closed his eyes and anxiously awaited the cut that would end his life. 

Before the lethal slash could be dealt, the entire ship crashed to a stop, throwing everyone and everything across the deck. Henry was quick to his feet, looking out to see they’d come to a dead stop. The others regained their footing, muttering about the cause for the sudden stop. With a loud crash, a massive object broke through the surface only a hundred feet off their port side, sending water cascading down to reveal what monolithic being had found them. 

It was a woman. She was visible down to her shoulders, with the tops of her massive, pink breasts forming a small shore as waves crashed against them. Henry couldn’t believe his eyes, but he knew he was seeing the truth. Her axolotl features told him that this larger creature was related to the one he’d freed. Her cold, calculated stare at their ship gave Henry a horrible feeling. Despite so little of her being above the waves, she absolutely dwarfed the Goddess of Death.

“Man the guns! Port side! Hurry, men!” Captain Lucifer commanded, snapping the men out of their trances. 

The ship rocked again, sending most to their knees. Henry managed to hide behind a stack of crates, peeking out to see the monster lowering herself to eye level. 

No, she was raising the ship to eye level. A glance over the side confirmed they were hopelessly trapped in the palm of her hand, the drop much too far to survive. The massive creature leaned in close, studying the crew meticulously.

“Is this the ship who tried to take you?” She asked, holding up her other hand to reveal the smaller creature that Henry had rescued. 

“That’s them! They had me in a big net!” The smaller axolotl creature replied. 

The larger creature, the mother, scowled upon receiving her daughter’s confirmation. Her hand closed around the ship slightly, causing a few planks along the hull to snap beneath the weight of her pink fingers. The crew had almost finished preparing the cannons, waiting for the captain’s order to fire. 

“Your punishment…” The mother glared, her yellow, slitted eyes staring through Henry’s soul, “…is death.” 

“Fire!” Captain Lucifer ordered. 

The Goddess of Death let loose her infamous broadside, strong enough to tear most ships apart in one salvo. Unfortunately for Henry and everyone else, this creature was far, far stronger than any vessel built. Cannonballs bounced harmlessly off her face and neck, some even becoming trapped against the thick layer of slime. 

The mother let out an unamused sigh that ruffled the crisp, white sails followed shortly by a cacophony of laughter from the daughter. 

“Go play, sweetheart,” The mother calmly stated, resting her daughter on the other side of the trapped ship. 

“Reload! Both sides! Fire at will!” Captain Lucifer shouted, his voice full of fear. 

An unlucky pair of men attempting to reload their cannon caught the eye of the mother. She pinched the two men and the cannon, her fingers tearing through the deck. Their cries of terror were snuffed out with a loud, wet crunch. Henry watched her fingers open, revealing a flattened cannon stained with crushed remains. Raising her hand up to inspect the viscous liquid, the mother licked up the stain, savoring the taste. 

“My turn!” Came a loud cheer from the daughter. 

Henry could only watch in horror as the creature he’d once viewed as a vulnerable victim grabbed a deckhand and jammed him headfirst into her mouth, muffling his cries of terror. Biting down with a horrific crunch that made Henry shudder, she pulled the man’s legs away, tearing him in half at the waist. Blood and entrails splattered the deck as she swallowed the upper half of the man, now only a large bulge sliding down her throat. Tossing aside his remains, she smiled maniacally and grabbed another unfortunate soul destined for a similar fate. Henry wanted to look away, to save himself from more horror, but he couldn’t. He could only watch as the second screaming man was mercilessly bitten into, each massive clamp of her razor sharp teeth shredding through muscle and bone. In a few short bites, nothing remained of the man save for a few trails of blood running down her chin. Swallowing the last of her second victim, she grinned to show the terrified crew the scraps of cloth and flesh trapped between her teeth. 

Although far out of reach from the smaller daughter, the men high up in the rigging were not safe from the mother. She grabbed at one of the masts, snapping it off at the base like a dried twig. Ropes and cables snapped like loose threads as the mast, along with the dozen or so men trapped on it, were raised up to her awaiting maw. Their screams were different from the rest down on the deck, as they knew exactly what their fate was. Tearing off the sails, the mother smiled at the long toothpick packed with terrified seamen. 

The daughter momentarily stopped her own massacre to eagerly cheer on her mother. Henry watched on, seeing how the poor men were hopelessly trapped with nowhere to go. The massive creature bit down on the crows nest, taking the man holding on for dear life and a good ten feet of mast along with it. Chewing for a moment, her mouth opened again to take another bite. And another. With every bite, another man disappeared behind her massive, serrated teeth, never to be seen again. Once the mast was gone, she bared her teeth and ran her forked tongue over their surfaces to wipe up any last splinters of wood and scraps of cloth. 

“Watch this!” The daughter grinned, forcing a flailing man into her mouth and clamping her jaws shut behind him. 

She struggled to swallow the man whole, her throat undulating and flexing as she closed her eyes, eventually forcing him down on her third attempt. With her pink, flexing stomach so close, Henry could just barely hear the man’s screams. 

“What did I say about eating large prey?” Her mother asked sternly. 

The girl sighed, “Always chew my food.” 

Either due to hunger, or perhaps annoyance about being lectured, she punched her fist through the lower decks, raising it up to reveal a man who’d been hiding below. To satisfy her mother, the creature raised him to her mouth and bit down on his neck, jerking her fist away to tear his head clean off. Blood shot out everywhere as the man’s arms and legs spasmed for a moment before going limp. Tossing the now lifeless body in her mouth, she chewed dramatically and muttered, “Happy?” With her mouth full. 

Out of the silence, a voice piped up, “Please! Leave my crew and ship alone! I’ll give you all the treasure we have!” 

Henry dared to lift his head from his hiding place to see Captain Lucifer waving a white handkerchief. To his surprise, the mother did not promptly crush or devour him whole. 

“Are you the captain of this ship?” The mother demanded, baring her teeth in a frown. 

“Y-Yes! I’m sorry for trying to take your daughter! I’ll pay you, I promise! Just please, let us go!” 

The massive woman considered his offer thoughtfully, each second dragging on longer than the last. Finally, a grin appeared on the creature’s face. 

“I accept! Order your men to appear before me on this deck with all of your treasure! And make it fast!” She ordered, snapping her fingers. 

Henry let out a shaky sigh of relief. The captain disappeared below decks, followed by the few crew members above deck who were lucky enough to have survived. Eager to help get rid of the monsters as soon as possible, Henry began to crawl out from his hiding space, but suddenly froze. 

The daughter had noticed his movement, her massive, yellow eyes focused directly on him. Barely detectable, she shook her head no. Confused, and more than a little worried, Henry backed into his hiding space, earning a slight nod from the smaller creature. Glancing at the larger one, he realized that her satisfied grin had turned sinister. She allowed herself a satisfied snort, causing her frilled gills to shift. 

It wasn’t before long that crates and chests loaded with treasure began to cover the deck; the most humble of chests containing more wealth than Henry had ever seen in his life. The men stood around their plunder, silently praying that it was enough. 

“That’s all we have! Please, take it and spare us!” Captain Lucifer begged.

“Hmm…” The mother thought, “While I do appreciate you collecting your bounty for me, I’m afraid that I cannot allow any of you humans to risk exposing the existence of myself and my daughter.” 

The crew erupted into screams, promising not to tell a soul and begging for their lives to be spared. All they received in return was a toothy grin. Henry began to shiver, the realization that the monster never had the intention of sparing anyone. With a wink to her daughter, the mother launched her plan into action. As chaos broke out on the deck once more, the daughter lunged for the captain. Trapping him in her arms like a doll, she excitedly pounded her tail against the ground, smashing apart the railing and knocking cannons overboard. 

The mother grabbed at the tightly bunched men, her fingers shredding through the decking and demolishing everything in her path. Gold doubloons spilled with a crash as the remaining crew, about thirty or so men, were trapped in the palm of her hand. Her gaping maw yawned open, revealing her rows of pearly teeth once again. The men all screamed in unison as she tilted her palm, dumping the men and the deck they stood on onto her purple, forked tongue. A few men were missed, falling a great distance and landing on the tops of her mountainous breasts, becoming hopelessly entrapped by the thick mucus coating.

With an audible gulp, the men were gone. Swallowed whole by the grinning creature, satisfied with her work. As the men slid down her throat to inevitably be digested alive, she turned her attention to the ones clinging to her massive body. 

The first man she saw was near the water line, utterly stuck to her left breast. Henry watched as she lowered herself just enough so he slipped beneath the waves, left to drown. The second man was higher up, trapped against her right breast. With a casual poke of her finger, she reduced him to nothing more than a red smear against her otherwise perfect skin. That just left the final man. 

He had the misfortune of falling between the gargantuan, pink hills called her breasts. Using the same finger that had just snuffed out the previous life, the mother pushed him deep into her cleavage, grinning wildly. Using her free hand, she pushed her breasts together, no doubt crushing the man in an instant. 

“That’s that. All taken care of, except for one.”

“You said you’d spare my crew, you foul beast! Why have you kept me alive?” Captain Lucifer demanded, being set back on the deck by the daughter. 

“You see, Captain,” The mother spat, “My daughter and I could not decide which of us should claim your life, so we agreed to a…well, a sort of game.” 

“P-Please! Don’t do this! I don’t wanna die!” Captain Lucifer pleaded, sinking to his knees to beg. 

“You may not wish to die, but you seemingly had no trouble with dooming my daughter. You worthless, rotten human! How dare you believe your life has meaning?” She snapped, globs of spittle the size of buckets splattering the deck as she talked. 

The daughter again snatched Captain Lucifer up, this time holding him by a single leg. He screamed and begged for forgiveness, but the two creatures had made up their minds. Hooking her pinkie around his free leg, the mother grinned and winked to her daughter across the deck. With a nod, they began to pull. 

The captain’s cries for mercy grew louder as he was being pulled apart. After witnessing their brutality, Henry knew they were prolonging his torture. The captain’s clothes began to tear and his blithering turned into higher and higher pitched shrieks. With a sickening crack and subsequent tear, Captain Lucifer let out a blood curdling wail as his leg was torn off at the hip, the rest of his body remaining with the daughter. 

“Yay! I won!” She cheered, dangling the bleeding man above her head. 

Taking a moment to savor her win, the daughter began to eat her prize, starting with his remaining leg. The captain’s screams had faded to squeaks akin to a rat, his vocal chords having been torn to hell. Working her prey to the side of her mouth, she bit down on his femur, crushing the bone like it was nothing. Slipping his chest between her teeth, she bit down again. As her teeth shredded through his ribs and organs, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering on the deck below. Before his head disappeared, he locked eyes with Henry. As Captain Lucifer opened his mouth, perhaps in an attempt to call out to the final survivor, the creature’s teeth clamped down, sealing the captain’s fate. 

It was too much to bear. Despite his best efforts, Henry couldn’t restrain from leaning forwards and throwing up on the deck. So much blood, so many deaths, such cruel fates, he couldn’t take it anymore. Coughing a final time and spitting, Henry turned to face the mother, who bore a look of surprise and anger at the sight of a final survivor. 

“What’s this? One last man, daring to hide from us? Well, no sense in drama, I’ll just finish him off,” She decided, grabbing Henry between two massive fingers and lifting him above her head. 

Despite knowing it would do no good, Henry instinctively kicked his legs and tried to free himself, if only to turn his slow descent into a freefall straight down the monster’s throat.  

“Mother! Wait!” 

Henry’s descent was violently brought to a stop as the mother snapped her head to stare across the ship at her daughter, “What? The job is almost done.”

“He…He’s the one who saved my life. You can’t kill him! Please!” She pleaded, her hands brought together with fingers interlocked in a similar fashion to the captain now in pieces within her stomach. 

“You know the rules. No witnesses,” Her mother replied, tilting her head back once more. 

“No! Out of all the humans aboard that ship, he was the only one who felt bad for me! Why should he have to die like them?” 

“Abyssus,” The mother began, “Even if I did allow you to bring him, he cannot survive at the bottom! These humans only breathe above the surface. Even if he could breathe underwater, the force of the ocean would crush him. I’m sorry, but you cannot take him.” 

The daughter, apparently named Abyssus, sighed loudly, “Let me hold him!”

Her mother obliged, and soon Henry was quickly scooped up and hugged by Abyssus. Her slime quickly stuck to his face as she smothered him in a big embrace, soaking his clothes in the clear goo. Any attempts made to escape her ironclad grip were futile, as he’d seen before. Before he could get too comfortable, he was suddenly lifted up to her mouth. Henry began to panic, wondering if perhaps Abyssus had decided to eat him after all. Instead, she chose to rub his face against her lips in an attempt at a kiss, smearing his head in the blood of her former victims. Henry could do nothing but keep his mouth closed and wonder whose blood was now covering his face. Her breath smelled awful, like a thousand rotting fish in the hot July sun. 

“I know! I’ll take him to the…” Abyssus stared down at Henry for a moment before shoving his face into her cleavage.

Forced between her globes of soft, squishy flesh, Henry began to suffocate. He could faintly hear Abyssus and her mother discussing something they clearly did not want him to hear. Right as Henry began to fear he would die smothered in her cleavage, Abyssus released him. Gasping for air, he looked up to see her grinning from ear to ear. 

“Fantastic news! We’re going to take you to The Island!” She beamed, giving him an excited squeeze.

“I mean…is my only other option her stomach?” Henry pointed to her mother’s belly, earning a confirming nod from the larger creature. 

“Awesome!” Abyssus cheered, “Let’s go there now!” 

Climbing into the massive palm of her mother’s other hand, Abyssus held Henry as they watched the destruction of the once mighty Goddess of Death. With no more effort than crushing a piece of paper, her mother reduced the vessel to a mess of splinters. The bow and stern survived somewhat intact, only to break apart upon impact with the water. Churning the sea to a frothy swirl, her mother washed away the remaining pieces stuck to her hand. When all that remained of the pirate ship was a few stray barrels and shattered planks, she was satisfied with her work. 

“There we go. It’s as if they were struck by a typhoon, or perhaps hit by a rogue wave. Now we can go,” Her mother stated. 

“Here! Get on my back, I’ll carry you!” Abyssus began, but was stopped by her mother shaking a finger. 

“No, it’s far too dangerous for you to be on the surface.”

“But…how will I breathe then?” Henry asked nervously. 

The enormous creature sighed, making no effort to hide how annoyed she was. However, it appeared her love for her daughter was stronger, evident by the fact he was still alive. 

“Abyssus, make sure he stays put. If I swallow him, then it’s his fault,” She instructed. 

As his chest was compressed in her daughter’s crushing grip, Henry barely managed to croak out a fearful, “S-Swallow? W-What do you mean?” 

His answer came moments later, as her enormous maw yawned open; her purple, forked tongue slithering out over her enormous teeth. With Henry pressed firmly against her stomach, Abyssus eagerly jumped onto the squishy, flexing muscle and sat down.

Henry’s nose was assaulted by the foulest odor in his life. He struggled to avoid throwing up, wondering just what diet the enormous creature lived on to produce such a smell. To say it was like death was an understatement. Where the breath of Abyssus was awful, physically being inside her mother’s mouth meant he couldn’t escape it. As her mouth closed, Henry caught a final glimpse further back of her uvula and the flexing tunnel that would surely lead to a painful death should he fall in. 

Finally, the toothy cave entrance slammed closed, bathing the mouth in complete darkness. Henry could faintly detect movement, a telltale sign that they were now underwater, and moving fast. His ears were filled with sounds he mostly couldn’t identify, but the deep growling coming from further back was most likely the stomach. It was as if her belly could detect the presence of a human and was now vocalizing its anger with being unable to digest him. Surrounded by such an alien environment after everything he’d just witnessed prior, Henry began to shudder in the arms of Abyssus. Perhaps detecting fear in her human, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. 

In an eager voice that echoed in the chasm that was her mother’s mouth, Abyssus said, “Hang on, little guy! You’re gonna love The Island! I’ll visit you every day! And the best part? It’s super remote so nobody will ever find you! Aren’t you excited?”

Henry had lost track of time inside the mouth of the massive creature. How long had he been in there? Minutes? Maybe an hour? If he were alone in this pitch black cavern, he’d probably go mad, either from the sounds of her stomach or her foul breath. Fortunately, the crushing grip of Abyssus reminded him that he was not alone in her mother’s maw, and that he was safe. At least, as long as he stayed with her. Everything jolted as the massive tongue they sat upon began to shift, thick pools of saliva sloshing towards the cavernous throat behind them. 

“We’re here!” Abyssus cheered.

Her mother’s mouth finally opened, causing Henry to wince from the bright sunlight. Unphased, Abyssus carried him through the gaping jaws and jumped into the water, only about waist high for the large creature. Before Henry lay an island full of palm trees and lush undergrowth. The island didn’t appear very large, maybe a square mile or so in area, but it was definitely uninhabited. More than likely, a passing ship would sail right by and not consider the island to be of any worth investigating. 

“Welcome to The Island!” She exclaimed, setting Henry in the sand as she danced about. 

Henry watched Abyssus dance, finding himself particularly focused on the way her bare, pink breasts bounced as she jumped up and down. Before he could enjoy the sight of her nude body too long, Henry was suddenly grabbed in her embrace, lifted up as she squealed in delight and spun in circles. Through all of the commotion, Henry could see the hint of a smile on her mother’s face, happy to see her daughter’s excitement. 

“Anyway, I guess we should finally introduce ourselves! My name is Abyssus, and that’s my mom, Ira,” Abyssus pointed. 

With her attention squarely on Henry, Ira’s slight smile disappeared. Henry couldn’t help but feel she was casting a glare similar to the one she’d given the Goddess of Death shortly before the crew’s annihilation. 

“I’m H-Henry,” He replied, watching Ira’s pupils narrow into thin slits. 

“Henry…” The colossal creature spoke, trying out the name on her tongue, “I believe I owe you thanks for saving my daughter. It was a noble thing, choosing to release her, even if it meant your own demise.” 

“But it didn’t!” Abyssus quickly added, “Because you spared him!” 

“Indeed,” Her mother replied, although Henry was given the impression she still viewed his status with them as merely temporary. 

The three entered an awkward silence, only broken when Ira’s stomach bellowed out a deep growl. Henry nervously looked in its direction, wondering if the sailors she’d eaten had completely dissolved by now. 

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you two alone for a bit while I go find something to eat. Those pathetic humans were hardly the energy it took to digest them,” She announced, confirming Henry’s morbid wonder. 

“Oh! Catch something for me, too!” Abyssus called, making Henry wonder how filling four men were to the smaller creature. 

Ira turned and nodded to her daughter and cast a final glare at Henry before turning around and disappearing with a massive splash, the resulting wave reaching all the way to Henry’s knees. 

“Your mother’s not a fan of me,” Henry muttered, stating the obvious aloud. 

“Oh, it’s not your fault,” Abyssus assured him, “Mom’s never been a fan of humans. She’s never really said why. She almost never eats humans, only when they see us. Or like today, when she wanted revenge.” 

“H-How many humans have you eaten?” Henry asked nervously, eyeing her flexing stomach.

Abyssus smiled innocently, “This is actually my first time! And wow, were they delicious!” 

While Henry silently took in how Abyssus found humans alarmingly tasty, he noticed her pupils narrowing into thin slits. Her humorous grin turned sly as she lunged for him, wrapping her hands tightly around his torso and raising him up to her mouth as she licked her lips. 

“A-Abyssus? W-What are y-you doing?” Henry nervously asked, fearing she’d decided to have him as a snack.

“Don’t worry, Henry. You’ve just got a lil’ something on your face…” She grinned, letting her forked tongue slowly snake out towards him. 

Wondering what she could’ve meant by that, Henry realized that his face was still smeared in the blood of the sailors Abyssus had devoured. 

Holding his breath, Henry tensed up as he felt her tongue sliding over every inch of his face, its abrasive, squishy surface rubbing against his forehead. The copious saliva helped to scrape away all of the dried blood caked to his skin. When she retracted her tongue for a moment, Henry took a cautious breath, only to end up tasting her slightly salty saliva which had made its way onto his lips despite his best efforts. 

“Mmm! Delicious! I could just eat you up, now couldn’t I?” 

Eager to test her theory, Abyssus opened her mouth wide and slowly began to shove Henry inside. Instead of holding his breath, he screamed as her lips closed around his neck, one of her teeth coming to rest right over his Adam’s apple. Her breath was putrid now, but still several times better than Ira’s. Just as Henry thought she’d clamp her teeth down the rest of the way and decapitate him, Abyssus opened her mouth and pulled him out with a laugh. 

“I’m just teasing! I’d never purposefully hurt you! Even if you would probably taste delicious…” She trailed off, licking her lips, “But that reminds me. There’s something stuck in my teeth. Could you do me a favor and check it out?”

Seeing how he couldn’t exactly say no, Henry nervously nodded before Abyssus shoved him back inside on her own accord. She laid down on the sand, hanging her mouth open for him to inspect her pearly white teeth. Henry slowly approached and cautiously reached his arm between her large teeth, each one sharper than a steak knife. Seeing something wedged between her bottom front teeth, he grabbed onto what he discovered was a strip of cloth and pulled. After a firm tug, it slid free. 

Inspecting the soaked object, he discovered it was actually part of a coat. Dropping the black strip of fabric with a shudder, Henry tried to block out the image of the man it belonged to being eaten alive and returned to his task. Taking a deep breath to avoid smelling her horrible breath, Henry reached towards the back of her mouth to retrieve part of a belt, its buckle and the person it belonged to now long gone. 

“Ah, much better! There’s just one last thing I can’t seem to get. It’s really far back on my left side. You might need to climb in to reach,” Abyssus giggled, seeing Henry’s eyes widen. 

Despite her previous teasing and having seen her devour four men, Henry decided to trust Abyssus and carefully climbed inside her mouth, taking special care not to cut himself on her teeth. Not wanting to spend another second longer than he needed inside the mouth that could kill him in an instant, Henry desperately searched for the source of her discomfort. Thick ropes of hot saliva dripped down onto his arms as he grabbed the object wedged between her back teeth. After a bit of force, he pulled it free and backed out of her mouth. 

“Thanks! That’s loads better!” Abyssus smiled. 

Looking at what he’d just retrieved, Henry’s blood ran cold upon realizing it was Captain Lucifer’s boot. Daring a look inside, he confirmed that his foot was still there, having been severed at the ankle. Dropping the boot in horror, he stumbled back and slammed his eyes shut.

“Henry? What’s wrong?” She asked, reaching out to rest a single finger on his shoulder. 

“I-It’s nothing. Just…” Henry stammered, glancing back at the boot. 

Following his gaze, Abyssus saw the spit-covered shoe and promptly dug a deep hole. Once it was as deep as a grave, she pushed it in and promptly buried it, pounding her fist against the sand before smoothing it over like nothing had ever happened. 

“Don’t worry, those mean men are gone. They won’t hurt either of us anymore,” She assured him. 

Henry didn’t reply, still in shock from having witnessed so much death. How long he was zoned out for, he couldn’t tell. The only thing that broke him from his trance was being embraced by Abyssus. Unlike every other time she’d hugged him, this time was slow. Delicate. 

“Hey! I know what’ll be fun! How about I show you around a bit?” Abyssus offered, “After all, this is your new home!”

As eager as she sounded, Henry still knew that he was effectively trapped on this island. Even if he wanted to leave, Ira would absolutely make sure any escape attempts were swiftly stopped. 

“Uh, sure. Might as well get a lay of the land,” Henry shrugged. 

“Awesome!” Abyssus cheered, “Hang on tight!” 

With one hand, Abyssus grabbed Henry and put him over her back. He reached his arms around her neck, holding on to her slimy skin. It was so slick, one slip and he was sliding down her back and off her tail for sure. Without checking to see if her passenger was secured, Abyssus bounded off into the jungle. With every footstep, Henry felt his grip failing. Just as his arm felt ready to give out, the massive axolotl came to a stop. 

“We’re here!” Abyssus declared, grabbing Henry from her back and setting him down in the clearing. 

Surrounded by palm trees sat several old ships, the largest being an old merchant ship. It had clearly spent some time on the bottom of the ocean, made evident by the faded planking and damaged hull. The stern had been ripped open; not from the elements, but by something else. As Abyssus crawled on her hands and knees, Henry could confirm that she’d hollowed out the ship and turned it into her own little hut. 

“This is my hangout spot! Oh! Check this out!” She cheered, eagerly backing out of the old ship and bounding over to a pair of anchors. 

“What are these for?” Henry asked, curiously approaching the massive piece of metal. 

“Don’t tell my mom, but it’s a gift for her! They’re a pair of earrings. At least, they will be,” Abyssus explained.

As Henry stared at the anchors and tried to imagine how they would look dangling from the earlobes of a two thousand foot creature, Abyssus reached inside another partially destroyed galleon and dragged out an enormous chest. 

“This,” She huffed, dragging the clearly heavy chest over to him, “Is where I keep my favorite stuff!” 

With grand showmanship, Abyssus fling the chest’s lid open to reveal the treasure inside. What greeted Henry was the most incredible stash of treasure he’d ever seen in his entire life. The contents of this one chest alone dwarfed the worth of everything aboard the Goddess of Death. Bejeweled crowns, pearl necklaces, jewels that put the stars to shame, and the most pristine gold and silver to ever grace the eyes of man. 

“Woah! Where did you get all of this?” 

Abyssus shrugged, “Found it over the years. Plenty of shipwrecks in the sea.” 

“You and your mother have…sunk a lot of ships then?” Henry said, wondering just how many unknown wrecks had been caused by them. 

Abyssus had a look of offense and confusion, “We haven’t sunk any ships! Today was the first time in my two hundred and fourteen years of life I’ve seen my mother destroy a ship. Even then, she’s been around for thousands of years and can probably count on one hand the number of shipwrecks she’s responsible for.” 

“Oh. It’s just that…all those stories I’ve heard about sea monsters…I thought it was you.” 

“There’s some creatures that occasionally attack ships, but don’t worry, none in these waters. My mother and I are the scariest things in the Pacific,” She assured him with a toothy grin. 

Before Henry could wonder what other creatures lived in different oceans, his attention was caught by Abyssus reaching into the chest and holding up a handful of pearl and jewel necklaces. Slipping a few over her wrists as loose-hanging bracelets, she slid the rest onto her tail. After hanging a pair of bracelets on her nipples and dangling another handful of necklaces over her frilly gills, Abyssus donned a jewel-encrusted golden crown and loudly declared, “Look! I’m a human!” 

Henry let out an amused huff, watching as Abyssus danced around in what he could only imagine was her interpretation of what humans acted like. As he focused on her hips, he began to feel a new sensation inside him. The thought of intimacy with the giant creature wasn’t one he could quickly refuse, although he could imagine Ira not being too happy if she found out her daughter was having sex with a human. 

“My mother should be back soon. Let’s go to the beach and wait for her,” Abyssus suggested, beginning the process of removing her jewelry. 

“Okay,” Henry shrugged, watching as she placed the assorted accessories back in their chest, now with an extra layer of her slime. 

Once her jewel was safely stowed, Abyssus picked Henry up and put him on her back like before. The walk back to the beach was slightly more pleasant for him, primarily due to Abyssus being more careful with her walking. Back on the beach, Abyssus held Henry in her arms as she sat down to watch the waves. After a few minutes where the only sounds were the crashing waves and her breathing, Abyssus yawned. 

“I think I’ll close my eyes until my mother returns,” She declared, laying on her back. 

Her grip released just enough to allow Henry to squirm up her body enough to rest his head within her cleavage. The sun quickly warmed her soft, slimy skin, turning it into the most comfortable bed Henry had ever been on. Closing his eyes, he made himself comfortable and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to doze off for a minute. 

——

With a deafening roar of water, Henry was awoken from his nap. Spinning towards the source of the noise, he saw Ira emerging with a torrent of water cascading down her body. Abyssus eagerly jumped to her feet and ran to see her mother, dropping Henry in the sand. 

“What did you bring?” She asked excitedly, her tail swishing back and forth as she ran up to her knees in the water. 

“Whale,” Ira replied, handing the back half of a whale to her daughter, the head having been eaten in one bite by herself, “I’ll be back at dusk.” 

Watching Abyssus accept her meal, Henry couldn’t help but notice how unhappy Ira was. He was clearly the reason, and that made him fear for the day he and Ira would be alone together, with Abyssus nowhere in sight. Seeing how she’d decimated an entire ship with one hand, she could easily crush him and label it an ‘accident’. Glancing around to ensure no ships were nearby, Ira slipped below the waves again as quickly as she came. Henry silently stared at the spot where she’d submerged, imagining just how little effort she’d need to snuff out his life. 

“Something bothering you?” Abyssus wondered, holding the whale’s tail casually over her shoulder. 

“Huh? What? N-No, it’s fine,” He lied, staring into his hands as he sat down. 

Sitting down beside him, Abyssus went to work on her meal. Just like the men she’d devoured only hours ago, she bit into the meat and tore off huge chunks. It was almost as if she was eating an oversized turkey leg, except each mouthful contained his weight in meat. Watching her eat, Henry began to realize just how hungry he was. It had been nearly a day since he’d last eaten, and even then a few scraps could barely be considered a meal. Catching him by surprise, his stomach let out an angry growl. The sound didn’t go unnoticed by Abyssus, who snapped her head to stare at the source of the noise. 

Her eyes studied him for an uncomfortably long moment before she spoke, “Hungry? Wanna bite?” 

The half-eaten chunk of whale was suddenly thrust into Henry’s face, still several times larger than himself. 

“N-No, it’s fine. I don’t eat raw meat,” He replied, waving away the offering. 

Abyssus shrugged before taking another bite, “So, what do you eat then?” She asked with her mouth full. 

“All sorts of things. Cows, chickens, pigs, grains, vegetables, bread, cheese-”

“I have no idea what any of those are,” She cut him off, shaking her head. 

“Well, fish is good too-”

“Fish?” Abyssus exclaimed, “Why didn’t you just say so! I could get you anything you want! Sharks, swordfish, rays, you name it, I’ll catch it!” 

“Maybe not something too big,” Henry suggested, “I’ll have to cook it, after all.” 

Abyssus cocked her head to the side in confusion, causing her gills to bounce, “Cook? What’s that?” 

“You know, fire? I have to cook the meat first,” Henry explained. 

“Fire? What’s fire?” She wondered. 

“Don’t worry about it. Just get me some fish, and I’ll take care of the fire.” 

Abyssus jumped to her feet, quickly finishing off the last few bites of whale before bounding into the ocean, “I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere!” She called, diving beneath the waves. 

Henry watched the pink creature disappear before looking to either side. All alone, he muttered to himself, “Not like I can go anywhere.” 

Sighing, Henry rose to his feet and began walking towards the tree line. Knowing that the fire wasn’t going to make itself, he set out into the jungle to gather up the materials. 

By the time Henry had finally gathered the materials to start a fire, Abyssus had already returned with some fish. With two huge Yellowfin tuna in her hand, she paused for a moment to lift one of the still flapping fish up, tilt her head back, and swallow it whole. Sitting down with her legs crossed, she curiously inspected the circle of rocks and cone of sticks that Henry had erected on the beach. 

“Is this fire?” She asked, poking the pile of kindling and accidentally causing it to collapse. 

Henry sighed, rebuilding it quickly, “No. I haven’t made the fire yet. That’s where this comes in,” He explained, holding up the stick he’d found along with a stray piece of driftwood. 

Abyssus laid down on her stomach, resting her chin in her hands as Henry rubbed the stick against the groove in the plank. After about a minute of hard work, the first wisps of smoke began to form. Before he could get the flame he’d been so desperate for, Henry had to stop, undoing his work. His arms were burning, but the wood was not. 

“Want me to try?” Abyssus asked as he caught his breath. 

“Sure,” Henry shrugged, “Just push down with that stick and rub it back and forth. If you do it right, smoke will come out, and you’ll see a faint glow. 

Abyssus eagerly copied him, her huge size able to create more friction faster. In only a few moments, she’d managed to get smoke. A few moments later, the hint of an orange glow. 

“Yes! That’s perfect!” Henry cried, eagerly picking up the plank to confirm a few hints of fire.

Quickly adding tinder and delicately blowing, he was rewarded by more smoke and finally a flame. Cheering, he added the small ball of flame to the kindling pile, watching as it rapidly spread. Once the kindling had caught, he added larger pieces of wood he’d found from a fallen palm tree. 

“Woah! That’s so cool!” Abyssus gasped, leaning in close to the fire as it quickly grew into a respectable blaze. 

“Yeah. Feel that warmth?” Henry replied, holding his hands out. 

Abyssus suddenly reached for the fire, grabbing a burning log and holding it in her palm. Before Henry could warn her, she let out a yelp of pain and dropped the log into the sand, promptly pushing a small hill of sand over it to smother the flames. 

“Ouch! Why did it bite me?” She whined, rubbing her palm. 

“Yeah, you don’t grab it. It’ll burn you,” Henry explained, “Let me see your hand.” 

Reluctantly, Abyssus lowered her massive palm into his arms, presenting quite a nasty burn against her otherwise perfect, pink skin. As he carefully looked over the blistered skin, Henry noticed that it was actually…moving. Upon closer inspection, he confirmed that the burn was actually receding, replaced by uninjured flesh before his very eyes. 

“H-How is that happening?” He stammered, amazed as the wound continued to heal. 

“I can heal injuries,” Abyssus shrugged, like it was no big deal, “Now that you have fire, what do you do with the fish?” 

“Well, that part is a bit more complicated. I need to gut the fish…” Suddenly he eyed her fingernails, or rather, his new knives, “Slice it open along its belly.” 

“I don’t see why humans need to do all of this nonsense. Just eat,” She muttered, but obliged, “So you need to remove all of the guts?” She asked, using her pinkie nail to slice the fish’s stomach open. 

“Yes. Then I can—”

Before he could finish, Abyssus lifted the fish to her mouth, locked her lips around the cut she’d just made, and loudly sucked on it. Swallowing, she smiled and presented the freshly gutted fish to Henry, with traces of her saliva still lingering behind. 

“Uh, I guess that works, too,” He shrugged, picking up the branch he’d intended to use as a spit, “Would you…want to cook it too?”

——

“Wow,” Henry sighed, laying back in the sand, “I’m full. Don’t think I can have another bite.” 

Unable to help herself, Abyssus licked her lips and eyed the remaining fish. Deciding not to let it go to waste, Henry motioned for her to eat it. As soon as she was given permission, Abyssus’s eyes lit up as she eagerly grabbed the cooked fish and raised it to her mouth. Her purple tongue slid out, the forked tips delicately testing the flavor. Thick strands of saliva dripped into the sand as she guided the massive fish into her mouth. 

She chewed with her mouth open, shredding the meat and bones apart with her razor-sharp teeth. Henry still couldn’t block out the images of her devouring those hapless seamen alive, but it was at least a bit easier. Swallowing with an audible gulp, she licked the remaining grease from her fingers and let out a refreshed sigh. 

“Did you like it?” Henry asked, suspecting her answer would be in the affirmative. 

As he guessed, she rapidly shook her head, bobbing her gills, “That was delicious! I’ve never tasted something like that before! Is that what all human food tastes like?”

“Not all of it,” Henry replied. 

Abyssus let out a deep belch, patting her belly once it trailed off, “Ah! That one felt good! I think I can do better.” 

Before Henry could understand what was happening, Abyssus leaned over him and let out an even louder belch directly in his face. The air around his head became contaminated by her burp, smelling of rotting fish in the hot sun. Choking and fanning the air around his face, Henry watched as Abyssus giggled at her idea of a ‘harmless’ prank. 

“Well! How about I take you to more of the island? Maybe a nice walk along the beach?” She asked, quickly jumping to her feet. 

“Okay. Maybe there’s a better way to transport me than just having me hang on for dear life?” Henry wondered, knowing there was no way he could make another trip hanging around her neck. 

“Well…” Abyssus trailed off, considering Henry’s size, “I guess this could work as well.”

Grabbing his torso with one hand, Abyssus lifted Henry up and into her arms and cradled him like a baby. With Abyssus carrying him down the beach, Henry decided to relax. As she pointed out all of the different rock formations and different parts of the small island, he decided to close his eyes for a minute. 

“What’s your home like?” 

“Huh?” Henry asked, realizing he’d dozed off. 

“What’s your home like?” Abyssus repeated. 

“Oh…it’s…” 

Henry wasn’t sure just how to go about explaining his life. How was he supposed to explain what it meant to be an orphan, or working on a trading vessel from the age of fifteen just to guarantee a meal? 

“It was okay, I guess. Boring, not worth a story.”

“What about those pirates? Why were you with them?” 

“I did want to be with them. They attacked my ship. Made me join them.” 

“So that’s why you set me free?” Abyssus guessed. 

“I didn’t want you to end up a prisoner like me,” Henry smiled. 

Abyssus gently hugged him before rounding a bend in the beach to reveal the same fire, albeit not as large. 

“Wait. We went around the whole island?” He asked, glancing up at Abyssus. 

“I walked around the whole island. You were asleep. Don’t worry, you’re extra cute when you’re sleeping!” She giggled. 

Walking up to the fire, Abyssus gently set Henry down before taking a seat herself. Tossing more wood onto the fire, he turned it into an enormous blaze. Abyssus eagerly held her arms over the flames, still taking care to not burn herself again. Content, Henry laid back and closed his eyes. He was surprisingly at peace at that moment. With the sounds of cracking wood and crashing waves, he felt like spending the rest of his life on the island would actually be pleasant. Unfortunately, that tranquility only lasted for about a minute. 

“Henry,” Abyssus groaned, “My feet are sore.” 

Sighing, Henry sat up to see Abyssus with her legs extended out, her pink soles only a few feet from his face. 

“I assume you want a foot rub?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow. 

Abyssus eagerly nodded, “I mean, I did carry you all around the island. And I’m rarely on my feet like today. Seems only fair.” She shrugged, wiggling her webbed toes. 

As much as he didn’t want to give Abyssus a foot rub, he did have to admit that she probably deserved one. Shrugging, he got up to tend to her seven foot-tall feet. Placing his hands directly onto the arches of her feet immediately brought out a round of giggling from Abyssus. Seeing as how such a terrifying sea creature could be tickled, Henry decided to take full advantage of it. Her laughter drowned out the crackling fire and crashing waves as he relentlessly ran his fingers up and down, watching as her toes curled and she squirmed around, begging between her giggles for him to show mercy. 

Deciding she’d had enough, Henry let up with the tickling. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Abyssus sat up and extended her feet out, lowering her toes so Henry could reach between them. Working his hands around her toe joints, Henry carefully extracted bits of coral and crushed seashells trapped between her toes. 

“That feels good. I might need you to do that more often, what do you say?” Abyssus asked once she was satisfied. 

“Uh, I’ll have to think about it,” Henry replied, hoping it was only a one time thing. 

Abyssus smiled, extending her arms out, “Come. Let’s cuddle.” 

Henry laid in Abyssus’s embrace until dusk, when Ira finally emerged once again. Water cascaded down her body, reflecting off the sunlight like orange and pink gemstones as droplets rained down. Dragging her body ashore so that her head was above them, she looked down at the fire and promptly frowned. Sensing something had pissed her off, Henry slid free from Abyssus and stood emotionlessly to avoid angering Ira further. 

“What is this?” She demanded, hovering a massive finger high above the bonfire. 

“That’s fire! Henry made it! Well, actually, I helped,” Abyssus grinned.

Henry saw the faintest of twitches on Ira’s frown before she brought her finger crushing down on the fire, promptly smothering the flames and pushing the embers deep beneath the sand. Abyssus looked disappointed and confused, looking up at her mother for an explanation. 

“What were you thinking?” She growled, sending chills down Henry’s spine, “A passing ship could’ve seen that! None of this fire business, you hear me?” 

Ira towered over two thousand feet tall, but as she scolded him, Henry felt like she was two million. He would’ve crumbled into a ball in the sand if Abyssus didn’t rest her finger on his back reassuringly. 

“Mom, he was just doing it so he could cook his food!” She protested.

Ira raised her eyebrow, her eyes darting between her daughter and the human beside her. She worked her jaw side to side, taking great care with her eventual response. 

“Fine. You can make a fire to cook. But only a small one, and it cannot be during or after sunset. Understand?” 

Henry rapidly nodded, glad that he’d still be allowed to have any fire at all.

“Good. Come on Abyssus, it’s time for bed.” 

The finger on Henry’s back quickly turned into an entire hand as Abyssus picked him up and held him against her stomach, nestling his head between her breasts.

“Can I stay above the surface tonight? Please?” She pleaded, “I just wanna cuddle him all night long!”

“Abyssus,” Ira began, her tone a clear warning her patience was wearing thin, “I think it would be best if you slept beneath the waves tonight. You can see him bright and early tomorrow, though.” 

“Oh,” Abyssus frowned, her gills drooping slightly, “Well, can I at least give him a little bed to sleep in?” 

Ira silently worked her jaw back and forth as she glared at Henry, “Fine.”

Abyssus quickly bounded off into the trees, leaving Henry and Ira locked in an awkward silence growing more uncomfortable by the second. He felt like Abyssus was gone for an hour, when in reality she emerged from the trees not even a minute later. Using a scrap of sail and some rope scavenged from her collection of ships, she fashioned a hammock which she suspended between two trees. Gently picking Henry up and setting him down inside, she waved goodbye before running into the ocean. 

“Bye, Henry! See you tomorrow!” She called before diving beneath the waves. 

Ira have one final glare before she too pushed off the beach, backing into the ocean and vanishing without a trace. Making himself comfortable, Henry closed his eyes and let the soothing sounds of the crashing waves lul him to sleep. 

Henry’s peaceful rest was shattered by Abyssus’s early morning arrival. One moment he was fast asleep. The next, he was being hit by stray water droplets as Abyssus shook his hammock to wake him up. 

“Good morning, Henry! I brought you breakfast!” She greeted, holding up a bigeye tuna. 

Rubbing his eyes, he looked at what was soon to be his morning meal, “I guess I’ll go get a fire started then,” Henry shrugged, sliding out of the hammock and beginning his search for the materials he needed. 

Fortunately, he was able to quickly get a fire going without needing Abyssus’s help. He was tempted to keep tossing wood on and make it a raging bonfire, but Ira’s disapproving scowl from the night before kept replaying in his head. 

“So, I was thinking we could go back to my hangout spot for a bit. There’s some stuff in one of the shipwrecks I want you to check out.”

“What is it?” Henry asked, wondering what Abyssus could be so excited to show off. 

“It’s a surprise,” She winked. 

Skewering the gutted fish onto a spit, Abyssus held it over the fire and slowly turned it like Henry had shown her the day before. She was a fast learner, he was discovering. While Abyssus was busy cooking, Henry went to scavenge for coconuts on the ground. After collecting an armload, he brought them back to the fire and began using a pointed rock to break them open, eager to get at their water. 

“Oh! I love these!” Abyssus cheered, grabbing a coconut and tossing it into her mouth like it was merely a grape. 

Holding her mouth open for Henry to see, Abyssus used her forked tongue to maneuver the coconut around her mouth, coating the husky shell in a thick layer of saliva. Pushing it against the side of her mouth, Abyssus bit down with her back teeth, completely shattering the coconut like it was nothing. As she chewed what remained of the coconut, Henry felt a shiver down his spine as the crunching sound reminded him of her devouring the screaming pirates. Shaking away those images filled with blood and guts, Henry returned to the coconut in his lap and continued trying to break it open. 

“Let me get that for you,” Abyssus offered, reaching down to pluck the coconut straight from Henry’s lap. 

Still concentrated on cooking the tuna, Abyssus lifted the coconut into her mouth, positioning one of the eyes over one of her front teeth. Pushing down with one finger, she then handed the coconut back to Henry, now with a bit of saliva at the opening. Cautiously taking a sip, he found the traces of her saliva made the coconut water taste…better?

Glancing up at Abyssus, craning his head all the way back to look up at her face, Henry simply took in her massive stature. There was something about her, about the way she possessed strength he would never come close to achieving, that captivated him. Whether it was crushing a coconut between her teeth or effortlessly carrying him around an entire island, the way she casually displayed her power was just breathtaking. Realizing he had gotten an erection, Henry awkwardly moved to hide it. 

“Let’s see how this tastes,” Abyssus announced, raising the skewered tuna to her mouth and taking a bite that took half the fish with it. 

Chewing thoughtfully, she swallowed before finally smiling. Nodding her head, she ripped out a large piece of meat for Henry to eat. Taking a bite, he was relieved to find it tasted delicious. Unfortunately, he knew that only eating tuna and coconuts would get old very fast, but there wasn’t much else available on the island for him. Finishing off his breakfast, he washed it down with the rest of the coconut milk. 

“That was delicious!”

“Thanks! Is it okay if I have the rest?” She asked, motioning to the tuna.

“By all means, go ahead,” Henry nodded. 

Watching Abyssus devour nearly twice his weight in fish was still a little unsettling, knowing just how easily she could eat him should she choose to. Using the enormous spit as a toothpick to dislodge any remaining bits of meat, Abyssus jumped to her feet and motioned for Henry to do the same. Grabbing one of the coconuts still by his side, she popped it into her mouth and nonchalantly bit down before picking him up. With a smile on her face and a bounce in her step, Abyssus set out to find her collection of treasure. 

Returning to the shipwreck-laden clearing, Abyssus gently set Henry on an overturned longboat. Retrieving the chest of treasure from its hiding place, Abyssus dragged it closer and flung the lid open. Curious as to what Abyssus was up to, Henry leaned in close to observe the treasure closely. 

Abyssus held up various necklaces and bracelets made from precious stones and metals, curiously holding them up to compare against Henry. Deciding that a pearl necklace best suited him, Abyssus dramatically draped it over his head. Before Henry could admire his new accessory for too long, another handful of necklaces rained down on him. It appeared Abyssus had chosen assorted blue gemstones in addition to yet more pearls. Soon, there were a few pounds worth of necklaces hanging from Henry’s neck. Their worth in gold was too mind boggling to imagine, and it was still only a fraction of her total treasure. 

Stepping back to admire her decorated human, Abyssus’s tail softly thumped against the ground as she thought. Her whole face seemed to light up as she walked up to him and seized his stained white shirt between her enormous fingers. 

“A-Abyssus? What’s this for?” Henry asked, nervously feeling the threads of his shirt becoming strained. 

“The shirt’s color doesn’t match,” She said calmly, before tearing apart his shirt like it was parchment. 

Henry’s resistance proved futile, as his shirt was torn away in seconds. She inspected the tattered strips of fabric, but then dropped them to the ground and focused on the now shirtless Henry. Grabbing him with one hand, Abyssus carefully studied every inch of his bare chest. Henry’s heart was racing with anticipation, wondering what her next move would be. Gently resting a finger on Henry’s navel, Abyssus checked her own stomach and found nothing of the sort on herself. 

“Why do humans have this…thing?” She asked, pointing to his navel. 

“It’s from when we’re born. You don’t have it because you were born from an egg,” He replied, silently wondering how she was able to have nipples if that was the case. 

“Hmm…” Abyssus thought, “Interesting.”

“What happened to your father?” Henry asked, changing the subject, “Is he like you and your mother? How come I never see him?”

Abyssus cocked her head to the side, causing her gills to bounce, “I never had a father. Ever since I can remember, it’s just been my mother and I. I’ve asked a few times about him when I was younger, but she never told me much about him. Just that he was human.” 

Silently taking in what he’d been told, Henry couldn’t help but feel suspicious about her father’s disappearance. Seeing as how Ira acted towards humans, the possibility she’d killed him wasn’t impossible. Was that all these axolotl creatures thought humans were good for? Just a means of reproduction? Was that why Abyssus was being so nice to him?

His worrying was interrupted when Abyssus returned to the treasure chest and began digging around for something else. Bent over at the waist with her back to Henry, Abyssus was presenting a fine view of her ass to the human. Arousal was the dominant force in his brain as he took in the sight. Even though Abyssus was constantly in the nude, he never tired of stealing glances. 

“Check this out!” Abyssus declared, turning around to present Henry with the most beautiful crown he’d ever seen. Adorned with the most beautiful gems he’d ever laid his eyes upon, coupled with the shining gold, it was positively amazing. Henry couldn’t even begin to imagine how much a crown like that was worth as Abyssus carefully placed it upon his head. Wobbling slightly as he adjusted to the weight, Henry looked up to see Abyssus grinning from ear to ear, showing off her pointed teeth. 

“Okay, now it’s your turn!” Abyssus pointed towards the treasure chest. 

“My turn? My turn for what?” 

“Now you dress me up! I’m curious to see what you pick out.” 

Henry slowly slid off his seat atop the overturned longboat, walking over to the treasure chest. Glancing back at Abyssus, he watched as she attempted to sit down in his spot, but the weight from the fifty foot sea creature proved too much and instead Abyssus was left sitting on a pile of splintered planks. 

Letting out a laugh that earned an unamused frown from Abyssus, Henry focused on the treasure chest in front of him. No matter how many times he stared at it, it just didn’t seem real to him. Grabbing a handful of necklaces and bracelets made from assorted gemstones, Henry walked over to compare them against her skin. It didn’t take long for him to realize that emeralds worked best. The way the green stones caught the sunlight compared to her soft, pink skin was perfect. Rushing back to grab more jewelry, Henry began combining several necklaces so Abyssus could wear it around her neck. Fortunately, the chest proved to be a seemingly endless source of treasure. 

Finally, Henry had a necklace that he felt was worthy to place around Abyssus’s neck. Along with some golden bracelets and additional emerald necklaces for her wrists, Henry presented his collection. Her slitted pupils went wide as she admired his carefully picked out treasure. Carefully accepting the large necklace, Abyssus delicately draped it over her neck, pushing her purple hair back to allow it to sit against her collarbones. Once the remaining necklaces were draped over her wrists, all that remained were the bracelets. 

Suddenly, Abyssus leaned forwards, thrusting her chest towards Henry. Surprised to see her bare breasts moving towards him so quickly, he instinctively flinched. Upon seeing her breasts had come to a halt a foot above his head, Henry realized that she wanted him to do the honor of placing the bracelets over her nipples. 

Her areolas were like purple dinner plates, with nipples that were roughly the size of apples. As his hands began to shake from a combination of nervousness and excitement, Henry reached out to place a bracelet over her right nipple. As he was retracting his hand, Henry accidentally brushed against the sensitive flesh. From above, Abyssus stifled what sounded like a moan. Right before Henry’s eyes, her nipples began to swell. Feeling his member begin to press against his pants, Henry quickly placed another bracelet over her left nipple. Abyssus drew in a sharp breath and bit her lower lip. 

“C-Could you put a few more on?” Abyssus asked, her voice just above a whisper. 

As Henry continued to place bracelets over her nipples, he could tell Abyssus was growing excited. He began to ‘accidentally’ brush against her nipples more and more, each time coaxing a twitch or quick gasp from the sea creature. Just as he finished up, a heavy, musky odor filled his lungs. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but he found himself drawn to it. Glancing down at her barely visible crotch, it wasn’t hard to know it was the source. Although he didn’t react to the new smell, he silently took it in with ever deeper breaths. He’d made Abyssus aroused just by gently touching her a few times. Eyeing the stiff, purple nipples just within reach, Henry wondered what would happen if he just reached up and grabbed one. Deciding not to test that theory, he backed away and admired Abyssus with her jewelry, trying to push away any sexual thoughts in his head. Abyssus appeared to do the same, jumping to her feet to admire her new jewelry. 

“I would’ve never thought about choosing all of the emeralds!” She exclaimed, twisting from side to side and letting the precious metals and gems clatter against each other, “I look so cute!”

“You really do. Unfortunately, there’s no crown large enough,” Henry replied. 

“I feel…important! Is this what humans feel like?” 

Henry shrugged, “Maybe the kings and queens, but normal people don’t wear this sort of stuff.” 

As Abyssus danced around to the sound of gold chains and precious stones knocking together, Henry leaned against the treasure chest and watched. Royalty didn’t quite fit how Abyssus looked. Deity was more fitting, the way she looked covered in jewelry and possessed such power. He could almost see himself kneeling before her to offer his services. Almost. 

As Abyssus admired herself in the faint reflection of the stern’s windows, she appeared to notice something inside. Spinning around, she marched over to the treasure chest and began removing her jewelry.

“I was so excited about dressing you up in treasure, I forgot about why I brought you here! There’s these…things inside the ship that I think you might be able to help with,” She explained, tossing her jewelry haphazardly into the chest. 

Confused, Henry agreed, “Alright, sure.” 

Once he’d removed all of his own jewelry, feeling a bit sad to part ways with the crown for now, Abyssus carefully picked him up and brought him over to the galleon. Carefully setting Henry down onboard the ship, Abyssus pointed towards the stern and motioned for him to go inside. Cautiously opening the door, Henry stepped into the dark environment that was the chart room. The windows helped to provide some light, but the room was still bathed in darkness. Walking around, Henry began to feel unsettled by the eeriness of everything. This ship had been on the bottom of the ocean, was dragged back up by a titan of the sea, and now he was probably the first human to step foot on it again. 

Suddenly, a massive hand squeezed through the door, “Check out over there!” Abyssus yelled, causing Henry to nearly jump out of his skin.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he focused on the drawers Abyssus was pointing to. Opening it carefully, he was rewarded with navigational equipment, a bunch of charts kept in waterproof sleeves, and books. Studying the titles, most were purely informative regarding ocean currents and marine life. One managed to catch his eye, a romance novel he’d heard about but never had the chance to sit down and read for himself. Henry held onto the book and turned around to show Abyssus his find. 

“Yes! You found them! Come here, show me!” 

Walking back out on deck, Henry saw that Abyssus was the most excited he’d ever seen her. She couldn’t stand still, there was just too much energy in her for that. 

“I’ve always wanted to know what those were. Unfortunately, they’re too small for my fingers and…I can’t read,” She admitted with a sheepish smile, “Could you read it for me?” 

“Uh…” Henry trailed off, looking down at the book in his hands, “I guess I can. It’s pretty long, though,” He said, motioning to the hundreds of pages. 

Abyssus promptly sat down on the dirt, bringing herself eye level with Henry onboard the shipwreck. Seeing that he now didn’t have a choice, Henry sat on the railing with his legs dangling over the side and opened the book to page one. Clearing his throat, he began to read. 

And read.

And read. 

The sky began to turn the faintest shades of orange and pink, and still Henry read on, with any attempts to stop or break being met with an overly excited Abyssus insisting on him continuing. She’d even forgone her lunch, and as the hours stretched on, her stomach became more and more vocal. Henry was becoming quite hungry as well, but he blocked out his own stomach’s protests for food and read on. And when his voice began to scratch and croak, she scooped him onto her shoulder so that he could continue reading while she searched out nourishment for his ailing throat. Once sated with a swig of coconut milk, he was back to reading, now sat in her lap, now lying atop her head, and then finally nestled against her breast as she carried him back to the beach.

Soon the sun began to kiss the horizon as the waxing moon climbed higher into the gradually darkening sky. The growling beast that was Abyssus’s stomach began to overpower Henry’s fading voice as he struggled through the pages. All the while, Abyssus hung tight to every word. By the time Venus had made itself known in the twilight sky, Henry’s eyelids grew heavy. Fighting back yawns, it was soon made clear it was a losing battle. Finally finishing the chapter, Henry simply collapsed into Abyssus’s soft flesh, unable to read another word. 

“I’m loving the story,” Abyssus whispered, her words like silk to Henry’s ears. 

Nestling his head between her breasts, Henry quickly passed out. It was as though resting on Abyssus put him in a trance. Any resistance to falling into a relaxing slumber was simply sucked away, replaced by her soft, slimy skin. Even his hunger was dulled by the assurance of a large meal come morning. 

Unfortunately, Henry’s hopes of a peaceful sleep were dashed when the deafening roar of water signaling Ira’s arrival jolted him into a sitting position. In the last rays of dusk, he could barely make out the titan’s face as she eyed him and her daughter. Her yellow-green eyes seemed as if they were almost glowing in the fading light. Sliding off of Abyssus’s stomach, Henry stood slightly behind the smaller axolotl as she jumped to her feet. Fear replaced tiredness, as he dreaded what Ira would inevitably have in store for him. 

“Did you two have fun today? Did you behave?” She asked, although Henry knew she was singling him out. 

“It was absolutely amazing! Henry was reading a story to me!” Abyssus replied eagerly. 

“Hmm…” Ira thought, with the slightest hint of disapproval in her tone.

It wasn’t long before her enormous eyes focused in on the book in his hand. Henry shrank away from the looming colossus that was Ira, putting himself closer to Abyssus’s legs. Ira studied his movement, no doubt calculating her next move. Finally, a smile appeared on her face. 

“Well, you go along, Abyssus! I’ll be right behind you!” Ira said cheerfully, but Henry knew he was in big trouble. 

“Bye, Henry! See you tomorrow!” Abyssus cheered, bending down to give him one final hug before running into the water.

With his only source of protection from the pink titan now hopelessly gone, Henry was left utterly to the mercy of Ira. In a poor attempt to retreat from her unyielding gaze, he took a small, nervous step backwards. Such a display of weakness was swiftly detected, and Ira planted her hand behind him like an impenetrable wall. Dragging herself further onto shore, Ira loomed directly over the now terrified Henry. 

Her purple hair drooped down on either side, still wet from having just emerged from the depths. Stray droplets rained down from her nose as her yellow-green eyes focused on the young man. Directly ahead of him were the twin hills of flesh that made up Ira’s breasts. 

“H-Hello, I-Ira,” Henry stuttered.

He looked around, expecting Abyssus to come bounding from the ocean to give him a final hug goodbye. But she was nowhere to be seen. 

Unable to coax a reply, he continued, “Uh…what's the matter?” 

Ira’s nostrils flared as she exhaled with enough force to shake the palm fronds, “Nothing,” She replied flatly, “Yet. Just wanted to have a quick…chat.” 

Henry shrank back against the palm of her hand, finding himself stuck for a moment against the slimy surface, “A-About w-what?”

“I want to make sure you’re not becoming a bad influence on my daughter. Teaching her all of these things about humans is dangerous. She may want to explore them more and more, getting closer and closer to their ships.” 

“She’s just curious, that’s all. She wants to know what life’s like for a human. I-I could read to you as well if you’re-”

“Don’t bother,” Ira snapped, seemingly offended by his offer. 

Henry would have argued his case further, but the threatening aura given off by Ira’s massive, looming stature compelled him to shut up. Satisfied with his silent submission, Ira turned around, presumably to return beneath the waves. Before Henry had the chance to let out a sigh of relief, Ira swung back around, her face only a few feet from his. Terrified by her sudden movement, Henry fell back against the sand, staring up at the massive Ira. She somehow looked even more furious than ever before. Leaning in close to the terrified man, her mouth came within a few feet of his shivering frame. Just a quick movement of her tongue, and he’d be pulled inside her mouth. As she leaned in close, Henry could smell her rank breath and was quickly reminded what was in store should she decide to eat him. 

“And if I ever catch you having sex with my daughter, by the North Star I’ll tear you to shreds. Understand?” 

“Y-Yes ma’am,” Henry whimpered, holding his hands up in a desperate attempt to protect against an attack from the massive leviathan. 

Baring her teeth one final time, Ira stormed off into the ocean, leaving behind a terrified Henry. Ira could kill him a thousand different ways, and all without so much as breaking a sweat. 

It took a few minutes for his pounding heart to calm down, and a few minutes more to build up the confidence to stand up again. His sleepiness returned, but it wasn’t the same as before. Cuddling up to Abyssus didn’t feel the same in his mind now, knowing how Ira would feel should she catch them. Climbing into his hammock, Henry slipped into an uneasy sleep. 

When Abyssus emerged from the sea the next morning, all Henry could think of was Ira’s rage. One wrong step, and that titan of the ocean would see to it his miserable life ended without wasting another second. Throughout the night, Henry would jolt awake from the sound of particularly large waves crashing against the shore, fearing Ira had decided to kill him in his sleep. The only reassurance he had come morning was that at least he would have something to eat, seeing a large tuna hanging from Abyssus’s fingers. 

“Sleep well?” She asked, looming over him. 

“Y-Yeah, slept well. Slept fine,” He lied, rubbing his eyes. 

Abyssus motioned to the fish, her quick movements shaking her gills, “Well, you better eat up! I could hardly sleep because I was so excited to see how the book ended!” 

Rolling out of bed to grab his fire starting equipment, Henry coaxed a small flame into existence inside a small pile of kindling. With every added piece of driftwood, he flinched as the flames licked against the newfound fuel and climbed higher. Glancing out at the ocean, Henry couldn’t shake the fear that Ira would emerge, see the fire was too big, and snuff out his own life along with the blaze. 

“I’m barely able to cook this thing,” Abyssus grumbled, tossing a large handful of wood onto the fire as she hovered the speared fish over the dancing flames. 

“No!” Henry shouted, reaching out as if he was about to pull the burning logs out with his hands.

Glancing up at Abyssus, who was still sitting calmly with the fish over the fire, Henry caught her confused glance from the corner of her eye. Clearing his throat and retracting his arms, he forced a smile. 

“Sorry, it’s just that…your mother told me not to have the fire be too high. We don’t want a ship to spot it and come to investigate.” 

Abyssus let out an amused snort, “Don’t worry, ships never come around this area. And my mother would never hurt you, either.” 

Henry debated telling her about what Ira had threatened to him the night before, but ultimately decided against it. If Ira didn’t want her daughter to be part of the conversation, then Henry shouldn’t tell her about it. Unaware of the internal battle raging in Henry’s mind, Abyssus reached back towards his hammock and retrieved something. Dropping the romance book from the previous day in his lap, Abyssus motioned for him to read. 

“Okay, I guess we can continue,” Henry shrugged, opening the book to where he’d left off the day prior. 

With one hand still carefully cooking the tuna, Abyssus reached over and grabbed Henry before he could read a single word. Dropping him into her lap, she let out a giggle as she returned her attention to ensuring their breakfast didn’t burn. Leaning his head all the way back, Henry’s view of her face was obscured by the underside of her breasts. Staring longingly at the gap between her pink, soft, pillowy breasts, Henry desired nothing more in that moment than to bury his face in her cleavage and fall asleep. 

Suddenly, Abyssus leaned her body forward, a look of confusion on her upside down face as the two made eye contact. After a few awkward seconds of silence, it dawned on Henry that he’d been so caught up in eyeing her cleavage that he’d forgotten to continue reading. Feeling his cheeks go red with embarrassment, Henry quickly opened up the book. His whole body gently shook as Abyssus chuckled to herself, her belly pushing against his back. 

Reading with confidence, Henry continued the story where he’d left off, much to Abyssus’s excitement. Words spilled from his mouth like a waterfall as the pages flew by in a blur. He only paused when Abyssus would hold out a small chunk of tuna for him to quickly eat before continuing. The sun climbed higher into the blue, cloudless sky as the fire slowly died out from lack of attention. With her attention diverted solely on Henry, and more accurately, the story, Abyssus didn’t make a peep for hours on end. She hardly even moved, except to occasionally give Henry a sip of coconut milk for when his throat grew scratchy. Finally, as the sun was well past its highest point in the sky, Henry reached the conclusion.

“The end,” He declared, slapping the book closed and sighing in relief. 

“That was an amazing story!” Abyssus cheered, nearly knocking Henry from his perch in her lap, “I’m so glad the man and the woman ended up together. But I do have to wonder what happens to them after.” 

Henry shrugged, “Probably get married, have kids, and live the rest of their lives content.” 

“What is…marriage, exactly?” She asked, her gill stalks wobbling as she tilted her head. 

“Marriage is when a man and a woman decide that they love each other so much, they want to be together for the rest of their lives. Then they have children, and raise them. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Henry finished with a frown. 

Abyssus pounced on the change in his tone, “What’s wrong? What do you mean ‘supposed to’ work like that?” 

Henry sighed, “My parents decided that they didn’t want to raise me. Dropped me off at an orphanage right after I was born. Never even got to know them.” 

“Oh, right,” Abyssus frowned, “Sorry for bringing it up.” 

“It’s fine,” Henry shrugged, “Can’t change the past.”

Abyssus sat back, silently taking in the sight of a sad Henry in her lap. After a few moments, her face lit up with an idea as her tail eagerly thumped against the beach. 

“How about I show you a new part of the island!” Abyssus declared, jumping to her feet and cradling Henry in her arms. 

“Sure! Of course!” He replied, glancing back to make sure Ira wasn’t lurking just off shore. 

“Is something wrong?” She asked, cocking her head to the side and shaking her gills. 

“What? No, it’s fine,” Henry assured her, hoping Abyssus wasn’t good at detecting a liar. 

“Well,” Abyssus held him up to her breasts, “Let’s go! This is one of my favorite spots on the island, you’ll love it!” 

As Abyssus began making her way through the trees, Henry was able to spot the resemblance of a path. Clearly, she’d made this walk hundreds of times, if not thousands. She navigated terrain that would’ve taken Henry fifteen minutes to get through like it was nothing, her huge legs easily carrying her along. After a brief walk up a gently sloping hill, Abyssus let Henry down just behind a wall of tall ferns. Too short to see over them, Henry guessed that Abyssus wanted the reveal to be a surprise. Abyssus was bouncing in place, barely able to contain her excitement. 

“Ready? Here it is!” She cheered, pulling open a gap in the ferns. 

Henry’s eyes went wide as he stared into the huge clearing. It was a large pond, with the clearest water he’d ever seen. Slowly walking up to the edge, it was almost if the water wasn’t there all. A quick check with his hand found the water to be surprisingly warm, no doubt due to sitting in the sun every day. It felt like paradise.

“Thought you’d like it,” Abyssus said, stepping over Henry and letting her tail graze against him. 

Dramatically shaking her hips and letting her tail swing, Abyssus stepped into the pond. At its deepest point, it barely made it to her waist as she turned around to smile at Henry. Dipping her whole body beneath the water, she dramatically surfaced and pulled her purple hair back and shook out her gills. 

“I love the way freshwater feels on my gills,” She declared, stretching her arms high above her head. 

With a heavy sigh, Abyssus rested on the opposite shore of the pond, arching her back to stretch her spine. Her eyes settled on Henry, her slits narrowing slightly. 

“Come on in! The water’s fine,” She smiled, motioning for him to join. 

“Uh, okay,” Henry shrugged, removing his shoes and socks before taking a cautious step into the water. 

“No. Take off everything,” Abyssus demanded, before adding a quiet, “Please.” 

Henry froze for a moment, considering whether or not he wanted to strip down. Given how Abyssus had treated his shirt, it was likely his pants would be given the same treatment if he didn’t comply. Sighing, he slowly unbuckled his pants. 

Resting his clothes on a flat rock, Henry felt his face going red as he stood before Abyssus, fully nude. Her eyes were focused on him, studying him from head to toe. He couldn’t help but notice her yellow-green eyes lingered around his pelvis a tad longer than he liked. Stepping into the crystal clear water to find it was the perfect temperature, Henry slowly swam over to where Abyssus was resting. 

However, upon reaching the giant, pink sea creature, he found that resting was the last thing she was doing. She was fidgeting with her hands, unsure whether to hold them at her sides, together, or crossed. Her butt moved side to side, as though she couldn’t quite find the perfect spot to sit. As he took a seat beside her on the rocks, he noticed Abyssus’s tail was twitching back and forth. Something was clearly on her mind. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Henry asked. 

“Hmm? Oh, uh, nothing!” 

Henry was unconvinced, but decided not to push it and change the subject, “This spring is beautiful.” 

“It truly is,” Abyssus nodded.

“It’s not a bad place to wash up,” He added, rubbing his arm to find the grime didn’t wash off easily. 

“I could help you!” Abyssus eagerly offered before collecting herself, “I mean, if you want me to.” 

“By my guest,” Henry shrugged, rolling onto his stomach. 

With a wide, toothy grin, Abyssus pushed herself from the shore and swam into the spring, making a wide arc as she slowly crept up behind him. Were he not aware of her originally, Henry would’ve been completely oblivious to the fifty foot girl sneaking up behind him. Rather than pounce on her prey, Abyssus carefully reached out and placed the pads of her fingers on his back. Lubricated by her slimy skin, her fingers effortlessly glided across his back. 

Closing his eyes, Henry took in the sensations of Abyssus gently massaging his shoulders. Her hands moved masterfully over his aching back, his pain vanishing beneath her touch. He’d seen her rip a man in half with the same hands now carefully running across his skin, and he didn’t worry for a minute she’d abuse her strength over him. 

Cupping her palm, Abyssus gently poured a handful of water across his back, washing away the last of the grime. It was like a weight had been lifted from Henry’s chest. The last remnants of the Goddess of Death and the pain Captain Lucifer had subjected him to were gone like sand in the wind. 

“There we go!” Abyssus declared, “How did that feel?” 

“Amazing,” Henry sighed, feeling like he was as close to heaven as could be, “Thank you, Aby.” 

The leviathan quickly laid down beside him, rolling to her side with a quizzical expression, “Who’s ‘Aby’?” 

Henry rolled onto his side to meet her expression with one of his own, “You’ve never heard of a nickname?” 

“No,” Abyssus shook her head, leaning in closer with eager eyes, “Tell me more.” 

“It’s pretty simple, really. Just take someone’s name and shorten it. Abyssus is shortened to Aby. You can give me a nickname if you want.” 

Abyssus thought for a long moment before ultimately shaking her head, “No, I like Henry! It’s…unique. I haven’t heard many names, to be honest. Just mine, my mother’s, and—” 

Henry saw something inside Abyssus as her eyes went wide. The realization she’d ventured somewhere she shouldn’t have, most likely at the instruction of her mother. Before he could pry further, Henry realized that possibly invoking Ira’s wrath was the last thing he wanted to do. 

It seemed Abyssus had the same idea and quickly changed her position from laying down to sitting up, pulling herself almost entirely out of the water. Copying her, Henry sat down beside her thigh and looked up at her, marveling at just how tall she was. No matter how many times he looked at her, he’d never get tired of the sheer size difference between them. And that size difference would only grow, until she was the size of her mother. 

After getting lost daydreaming what Abyssus would look like, Henry realized that she’d gone oddly silent. Casting a glance up at her face, he saw Abyssus staring off into the distance, her mouth barely twitching as though she was reciting a line to herself. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Henry. 

“Henry…” She paused, swallowing nervously, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while…” 

A burst of fear shot through Henry’s body. He could already tell where Abyssus was heading, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

Abyssus took another deep breath in a clear attempt to calm her nerves, “Whenever we’ve been hanging out, I just feel this certain way. I’ve never felt like this before in my entire life, just when I’m…with you.” 

Shock had taken hold of Henry, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move, there was nothing he could do but listen. 

“I-I want to kiss you, Henry. A real kiss. I just felt like I had to finally tell you about how I feel,” Abyssus confessed. 

Even if Henry knew what to say, any words he managed to form were doomed to get caught in his throat. After a few agonizing moments of silence, Abyssus made her move. 

She dropped down to her hands and knees, slowly creeping towards her target. Henry’s heart was pounding against his chest so loudly he swore Abyssus could hear it. He tried to lean away from Abyssus, but her hand was quick to reach around his back, holding him in place. Her breathing became hastened, ripe with anticipation. Abyssus’s mouth slowly opened, just enough for him to gaze inside and see her forked tongue lying in wait like a snake preparing to pounce. 

As her face inched closer, Henry could feel her breath on his skin. His hair fluttered with every exhale. Her yellow-green eyes closed as she took a final breath. Henry was excited, but fear was forcing its way into his mind until all he could think about was what Ira would do if she suddenly appeared and caught them. With her lips merely a foot away from his face and closing in fast, Henry panicked and put his arms up to block her, his palm pressing against her pillowy lips. 

Abyssus’s eyes shot open, her pupils narrowing into thin slits as she focused on Henry. Upon realizing what was happening, her entire body seemed to change. Her shoulders dropped and her bottom lip began to quiver. Turning away and sitting up straight, Abyssus released her grip on Henry and let him fall back against the rock. It was the first time he’d seen Abyssus sad since he’d set her free. The two of them entered a long silence that seemed to stretch on as the shadows grew along the ground. 

“I-I…” Abyssus began, her voice shaky, “I guess I should head back now.” 

Abruptly standing up, she waded through the spring to the other side and began walking through the trees without saying another word. Chasing after her, Henry realized he stood no chance of making it through the forest in time to catch her. Bursting through the tree line to the beach, all he was met with were a few massive footprints heading into the ocean. 

Guilt tore through Henry as he watched the sea, hoping that maybe Abyssus would come back and he could explain himself. Sadly, it proved to not be the case. He’d done what Ira wanted, and in turn kept himself alive, but seeing the way it crushed Abyssus made Henry wish he would’ve just kissed her. Head hung low in shame, Henry returned to his hammock, wishing he was falling asleep in the warm, comforting arms of Abyssus. 

Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, far from the eyes of mankind, Ira was lying in wait. Resting on an enormous underwater ledge, she glanced over at an old galleon shipwreck beside her, sitting upright and still intact after a hundred years on the bottom of the ocean. An enormous swarm of krill were above her, eagerly feasting upon phytoplankton as day turned to night. Licking her lips, she rolled onto her back to gaze upon her future meal, her growling stomach begging to be filled with tons upon tons of meat. Such sounds, while mundane and commonplace to her, sent fish of all shapes and sizes fleeing. One such creature was a great white shark, roughly twenty feet or so, which grazed against her right nipple as it fled her growing hunger. 

A bolt of pleasure shot through Ira’s body. Her heartbeat suddenly quickened, drawing in more oxygen through her gills. Reaching with her left hand, she gently massaged the nipple that had just been grazed. Almost instantly, it tripled in its height and became harder than volcanic rock. Were she on land, she would’ve inhaled a sharp breath; but instead she only inhaled sea water and a few fish unlucky enough to be near her lips. Looking around, Ira confirmed that Abyssus was nowhere in sight. Still hanging out with Henry, no doubt. Casting a final glance up at the swarm of krill, the titanic leviathan decided that she could afford to put off supper for just a bit longer. After all, she deserved a little self-indulgence. 

While her left hand was preoccupied, Ira’s right hand had already migrated towards her legs. Her clit was exposed from behind its hood, begging to be toyed with. Hovering her finger just above it, Ira began to stir the water in a slow circle, creating a water vortex that encircled her clit. Muffling a moan by biting her lower lip, Ira was again reminded why masturbating underwater was so incredible. Her clit beckoned her hand closer, like a lighthouse guiding a ship to shore. 

“Hmm…a lighthouse…” Ira mused, slipping a finger inside herself and rubbing her palm against her clit as she drifted off into a fantasy.

Ira burst from the sea, setting her sights on the island’s lighthouse. Wading through the bay, each step exposing more and more of her gorgeous body to the shocked humans, she moved with determination towards her target. Her thighs churned the ocean and left whirlpools in her wake. Perhaps a ship desperately opened fire as she walked by, but of course their weapons would do nothing against a leviathan such as herself.

Reaching her target, Ira considered its size and shape for a moment before flashing the humans a toothy grin. The structure was mostly wood, a bit of a shame if Ira was honest. Wood was so weak. Then again, it didn’t need to hold up for very long. Making an “O” with her hand, she confirmed that it was suitable for her needs, maybe a bit on the small side. Not wanting to put off the fun any longer, Ira stepped onto dry land, positioning herself directly above the lighthouse. Water cascaded down her body like a saltwater waterfall for any humans down below. Regarding the structure for a final time, Ira wondered if perhaps there was a man or two still inside. 

Well, they should’ve run when they had the chance, Ira thought, slowly lowering herself onto the lighthouse. 

Spreading her outer lips wide, Ira felt the roof slip inside her dripping pussy, quickly becoming enveloped in her folds. Throwing her head up towards the midday sun, Ira let out a shameless moan that rattled the windows of the nearby town. As she took in the entire length of the lighthouse, Ira could feel it creaking and groaning from within. Leaning back, she gasped in delight as the structure rubbed up and down her inner walls. 

It was too much for the lighthouse to handle. With a muffled snap, the lighthouse was ripped from its foundation as easily as one picked up a shell from the beach. Seeing her toy was free, Ira laid down and wrapped her hand around the base of the lighthouse. Pumping harder and harder, she could hear the wet, sloppy sounds of her sex as she cried out in pleasure. An errant twitch, an insignificant clench, was all it took for the lighthouse to buckle beneath the crushing force of her pussy. Such a marvel of human construction, able to weather typhoons and crashing waves, was reduced to rubble from her masturbation. 

Ira’s eyes shot open, bringing her back to reality underwater. Fantasizing could only get her so far. She needed more. 

With lightning fast reflexes, Ira’s left arm shot out and seized the first thing she could grab: the shipwreck just within reach. Her fingers wrapped around the old vessel, causing the wrecked hull to creak and groan, threatening to pulverize it immediately. Exercising just enough restraint to not reduce the galleon to splinters, Ira transferred it to her right hand, lining up the bow with her cave just begging to be filled. Now she was like the lighthouse, and she intended to guide this ship to its final destination. 

The time for teasing was over, she wanted to feel something inside herself. Slowly easing the bowsprit past her nether lips, Ira inadvertently twitched her mighty muscles and snapped the front-facing spar like it was nothing. Undeterred, and even more excited, Ira slipped the bow of the long sunken ship inside. 

Ira let out an uncontrollable moan as foot after foot of the ship became swallowed by her hungry pussy. The galleon was creaking and groaning, struggling to keep from buckling beneath the crushing forces of Ira’s vagina. The forecastle was swallowed up by her folds soon after, and before long the only thing stopping her progression was the forward mast. Reaching forward with her other hand, Ira tore away the mast like it was a blade of seagrass. 

Ira had to commend the shipbuilders who constructed such a sturdy vessel. Most others crumbled apart before she’d get too far, but this one had handled whatever she threw at it. Of course, that was only because Ira wasn’t trying to crush it. Deciding to test the limits of what her toy was capable of, Ira tightened her core. At first, nothing. The ship proved resilient, but Ira had not a doubt in her mind that the sunken vessel would eventually yield to her pussy. Saving a ship for later was never a concern when humans never seemed to stop losing ships. 

The shipwreck had finally reached its limit inside Ira’s pussy. The bow simply collapsed in on itself, no longer able to withstand the crushing forces of her inner walls. This vessel, once a testament to man’s conquering of the seas, was quickly crumbling inside her sex. With immense self-restraint, Ira managed to control herself just enough to avoid crushing the entire ship with a mighty clench. As much as she wanted to give the shipwreck the humiliating destruction it deserved, she had another fate in mind. 

Carefully easing the wrecked galleon out from between her lips, Ira admired the damage she’d caused. The bow was completely crushed, forced to yield to her nether walls. Supplying her now empty sex with her free hand, Ira brought her toy over to her left nipple. Without wasting another second, she pushed the shipwreck down onto her engorged, sensitive flesh. Her nipple struggled against the sturdy keel, but the ship ultimately yielded. As if the ship had struck a mighty rock, her nipple punched through the old wood with a heavenly crunch. 

Ira felt the last bit of restraint leave her body as her palm crushed the old wooden ship against her breast. Its long sealed stores of gold split open, scattering shiny doubloons all over her left breast. Smirking, Ira brought the last remains of the ship over to her right nipple for a similar treatment, dispersing the treasure further. Hundreds of golden coins fell into her cleavage and thousands more became trapped against her slimy skin. To Ira, it was though she had acquired thousands of golden freckles to compliment her pale, pink breasts, and she couldn’t be more ecstatic. The shipwreck’s annihilation had pushed her beyond the point of no return. 

Ira threw her head back and bellowed out a rumbling moan so loud that loose sections of the rocky ledge broke off and plummeted into the dark abyss below. She bucked her hips, humping her clit against her palm as shockwaves of pleasure exploded throughout her body. Like a wave crashing against the shore, her orgasm eventually subsided and all was normal again. 

Sitting up, Ira admired the thousands upon thousands of gold doubloons stuck to her breasts. She could brush them away as though she were brushing away sand, but she decided to let them be. With enough surfacing and diving, they’d eventually all fall away as though they were merely barnacles. 

With her sexual urges satisfied, Ira’s stomach roared with fury. Patting her toned belly and flicking away some debris from the shipwreck, she turned her attention back towards the swarm of krill high above her head. During the time she’d spent pleasuring herself, two blue whales had moved in to feed on the krill. Ira was impressed, rarely seeing two at once and so close to each other during feeding. She wasn’t going to complain, it just meant less work to catch them. Licking her lips, the pink leviathan got into a crouching position on the seafloor before jumping up and launching herself towards the whales. A few dozen gold doubloons fell from her breasts, slowly drifting down amongst the fractured remains of the ship they were transported in. 

With her stomach full of an entire food chain’s worth of sea life, Ira returned to her spot on the ocean floor. Gazing up at the shimmering orange and pink reflections of the sunset on the water, she sighed and rubbed her belly as it was a tad bit more rounded than it was a few short minutes prior. Yawning wide and inhaling dozens more fish that didn’t even register to the leviathan, Ira rested her arms behind her back and cleared her mind. 

Just as she felt ready to take a quick nap. Ira noticed the small pink figure of Abyssus swimming over. Confused, she’d expected to be the one to yet again tell her daughter that her time hanging out with Henry for the day was over. Sensing something out of place, Ira’s mind quickly jumped into thought. 

“You’re back early. Is everything alright?” 

Abyssus laid down in her seagrass bed facing the sheer cliff wall. Curling into a ball and tucking in her tail, she muttered back an unenthusiastic, “Yeah.” 

Ira saw through her daughter’s lie immediately. Two hundred years meant a lot of time to pick up on her daughter’s tells, and this was certainly a lie. And she had one suspect for who was responsible for Abyssus’s sadness.

“Did Henry do something to you?” Ira demanded, ready to push off from the seafloor in an instant and eradicate the source of her daughter’s sadness. 

Rolling over to face her mother, Abyssus let out a defensive, “No! I’m just…tired. And besides, you’d want me back soon anyway.” 

Sensing another lie, Ira scowled at the almost certainty that Henry was still somehow to blame, “Are you absolutely sure? You know you can be honest with me.” 

“I’m sure. I just…want to sleep now, okay?” Abyssus replied, rolling back over to face the rock. 

Frowning, but ultimately deciding to let her daughter rest rather than press for more information, Ira nodded, “Okay. Goodnight, Abyssus.” 

“Goodnight, Mama.” 

Silently watching over her daughter until she was fast asleep, Ira took up a spot on the rocky shelf next to Abyssus and closed her eyes. With limbs outstretched and her gill stalks flared to take in as much oxygen as possible, Ira slipped into sleep. 

——

Ira was swimming through the murky waters, curiously wondering when she’d reach the bottom of the undersea ravine. Each time she’d tried to find the bottom, she would end up turning back out of hunger or worries that it simply didn’t end. But today, she was determined to find out the truth about the last spot of ocean she had left to explore. 

Finally, out of the black abyss, emerged something Ira wasn’t expecting. A portal, rippling with dark purple waves as though it were an undersea volcano. But it couldn’t be. The water was far too cool for it. Approaching the portal’s edge, she tilted her head to the side and inspected the strange phenomena. 

Ira's heart raced with a mix of curiosity and apprehension as she floated before the enigmatic portal, its violet ripples casting an eerie glow that danced upon the water's surface. She extended a webbed finger tentatively, the faintest brush against the portal's edge sending a shiver down her spine. This was unlike anything she had encountered before, defying everything she thought she knew about the world. The water around the portal remained cool, unaffected by the potential heat of a volcanic eruption.

Determination to see what lay beyond the ethereal border finally compelled Ira to journey through the portal. As her massive body passed through the swirling matter, a strange tingling sensation covered her body. A moment later, Ira breached the surface. Gasping in breathable air, Ira gazed out of the underground lake she found herself in. Glowing plants, in a wide range of colors that simply did not exist on Earth, dotted the dark rocky walls with their vibrant light. 

But despite the beauty of the new world she found herself in, the Earthly leviathan felt no joy or excitement at her discovery. 

A foreboding feeling washed over Ira like a tsunami. From the tip of her tail to her gill stalks, her entire body warned her that something was wrong. She’d ventured into a place not meant for creatures of Earth. A feeling was worming its way into her conscience, forcing itself into her mind and drowning out any thoughts she had. A thousand voices all twisted and contorted into one, an otherworldly presence in her head demanding to be heard. Despite not knowing the language this ethereal voice spoke in, Ira could feel in her very bones the name of the strange realm she’d stumbled into. 

The Depths

Suddenly, Ira heard a horrible roar. Like a myriad of souls all bellowing out in a horrible cacophony of agony, the sound echoed through the chasm and piercing straight through her heart. A chilling cold sensation ran through Ira’s veins as she realized she was not alone. Worse yet, she had no idea what to expect. Her heart was pounding against her chest like typhoon thunder as she anxiously looked for where the source of the sound was coming from. 

Finally, the source of the horrific cry lumbered into view. The hulking figure rounded a corner walking on six legs, each one stalky and rippling with muscle. Ira was quick to note the three sharp claws on each appendage. It’s ashy gray skin was rough and callous, with nasty scars and some gaping wounds that had yet to fully heal. A veteran of combat, whereas Ira knew nothing of fighting. 

Eyes covered its face in a seemingly orderless fashion akin to the stars in the night sky. Ira counted at least two dozen glowing red orbs, each with its own pitch-black pupil. But the most prominent feature on this creature was its massive horn, easily longer than her forearm. The horn formed a sharp, narrow tip, a foreboding weapon that Ira suspected had been used to great extent in this creature’s lifetime. 

The creature roared in anger, squaring its shoulders at its target: Ira. Realizing what she’d just gotten herself into, the Earthly leviathan only had moments to prepare herself before the creature charged forwards. Dodging out of the way too late, Ira felt a sharp pain in her left arm as the beast’s horn stabbed through. 

Clutching her left bicep as violet blood seeped through her fingers, Ira looked back at the swirling portal. Her only escape back to Earth. But she knew that if she fled, the creature would only follow her through. She needed to end the fight there, rather than on Earth. 

Pushing the charging beast’s head away, Ira watched as it crashed into the rocky wall with enough force to cause sizable boulders to rain down around them. A horrible wail came from the creature, and it dawned on her that it had broken off its horn. Leaping at the opportunity, Ira jumped for the beast only to miscalculate it being vulnerable. With the jagged base of its horn, the creature reared its head and slashed through Ira’s side as it tossed the two thousand foot leviathan like she weighed nothing. 

Caught in the grip of desperation, Ira's vision blurred with pain as she crashed against the rough cavern floor. Agony radiated through her body from the deep gash on her side, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Purple blood mingled with the puddles of water on the cave floor as she slowly recollected herself. 

Gritting her teeth against the searing pain, Ira forced herself to her feet, every movement marred by stinging pain all over her body. She refused to let herself be defeated, her mind frantically searching for a strategy as she assessed both her healing injuries and the creature before her. The broken horn lay between them, a potent reminder of the beast's vulnerability. A plan began to emerge from the typhoon of thoughts swirling in her brain. 

The creature roared again, a symphony of fury that echoed through the dark expanse of the chasm. However, there was pain in its wail that wasn’t there before. With Ira in its sights yet again, the beast charged with determination to kill. Ira lunged for the broken horn, her hand clenching around the sharp-edged spike. With a deep breath, she lunged forward, every ounce of her strength channeled into a single, focused strike.

The makeshift weapon found its mark, sinking deep into the creature's side. A mix of pain and surprise flashed across its many eyes, a stark contrast to its earlier anger. Ira gritted her teeth and wrenched the blood-soaked horn free, unwilling to relent even as her own injuries throbbed.

The creature staggered, its six legs faltering as its furious charge slowed to a staggering stumble. Ira didn't hesitate, pressing her advantage with a series of well-aimed strikes to where she imagined its heart lay, each one driven by her determination to survive. To win. Blow after blow rained down upon the beast, her exhaustion forgotten in the heat of battle as she bellowed out a cry of pure, unbridled rage as she brought the horn down upon the creature’s head for a final blow.

With a final, resounding roar, the creature collapsed to the ground, its many eyes rolling back and its strength spent. Ira stood over the fallen adversary, chest heaving and bloodied, her breaths a mixture of triumph and disbelief. The cavern was silent once more, the weight of the encounter settling in as the adrenaline slowly ebbed away. 

Turning away from the defeated creature, horn still wedged firmly in its skull, Ira turned and ran back the way she came. Having just survived her encounter, she didn’t wish to see what else was waiting for her in The Depths. She had come to this realm ignorant and unprepared, an outsider stumbling upon a battleground meant for beings far more accustomed to its dangers.

Clawing her way through the otherworldly barrier, Ira gasped as seawater once again surrounded her. Immediately, her gills felt better as the familiar feeling enveloped her. Collapsing in the soft mud of the trench, Ira cast a final glance back at the swirling portal, a gateway to another realm, before finally passing out. 

——

A deep rumbling ripped Ira from her sleep. Her eyes widened as her pupils dilated to take in as much light as they could. Spinning around to locate the source of the sound, she ultimately concluded it came from the black abyss below her. Her heartbeat hastened as she peered down into the chasm, straining to catch any sight of what could’ve caused such a sound. 

Her mind immediately assumed the worst. She had returned. Come back to settle what had been started. Ira hastily glanced over at Abyssus, deep in slumber. Should she warn her now? Tell her daughter to run and never look back before she hurled herself down into the darkness? 

Ira listened carefully, hearing the rumbling echoes taper off into nothing. The ocean fell quiet once again, until the only thing Ira could hear was her own thundering heartbeat. No otherworldly roars, no claws reaching out from the blackness. Figuring that somewhere, deep below, rock had given way to a landslide, Ira returned to her place before deciding to move closer to Abyssus. Still not satisfied, the leviathan carefully scooped her daughter into her palm before placing the still slumbering Abyssus onto a soft patch of seagrass and promptly curling into a protective circle around her. 

“I need to talk to The Gatekeeper,” Ira muttered to herself, being careful not to wake Abyssus. With her guard raised for any loud sounds, she slipped into an uneasy sleep. 

——

The next morning, Ira slowly opened her eyes, still feeling tired. She hadn’t slept well, but any sleep was better than no sleep. Glancing down at where she’d placed Abyssus, the leviathan was rather surprised to see her daughter awake and still in her seagrass bed. Something clearly troubled her, and Ira suspected it to be the product of whatever had happened with Abyssus and Henry the night prior. 

“Abyssus? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be finding Henry a fish?” 

Glumly lifting her gaze from a small fish near her face, Abyssus sighed, “I guess you’re right.” 

As Abyssus slowly swam away to find the pain in Ira’s behind something to eat, Ira went to work obtaining a shipwreck. Recalling from her expansive memory of shipwrecks, Ira quickly dashed for one she knew Abyssus would enjoy. It was a quick swim to the wreck, located nearly a mile below the surface. Soon enough Ira had found her prize. An impressive, three-masted vessel likely stocked with treasures and trinkets for her daughter to discover. How it had come to lay upright on the seafloor, Ira neither knew nor cared. Likely a storm had claimed it, like so many ships before it. All she knew was that it had sunk in the recent weeks, and as such had only just begun to show signs of sea life turning it into a home. 

Reaching down into the soft mud, Ira carefully wrapped her fingers around the ship’s keel. With a gentle tug, the vessel was lifted away from what would’ve otherwise been its final resting place. Exercising great care to ensure the ship didn’t break in her hands, the leviathan carried her gift with both hands, admiring the impressive colors still visible. A gentle squeeze of her fingers showed that the merchant vessel was sturdy. For only a moment, the idea of testing it out crossed Ira’s mind before she quickly shut it down. As tempting as such an act was, she needed the vessel intact. Glancing down at her gold-covered breasts, Ira smirked and recalled the sensations of crushing the last vessel against her nipples. 

Reaching the rocky shelf she’d grown to call her dwelling, Ira looked around to see Abyssus not too far off, chasing after a blacktip reef shark before quickly making it her breakfast. Smiling at her daughter’s swift kill, Ira gently laid the shipwreck down where it settled on the rocks at a slight angle. 

“Oh Abyssus! Come look what I got!” 

Abyssus eagerly spun on the spot, spotted the shipwreck, and promptly swam over, “Woah! This one’s amazing!” She cried, eagerly positioning herself on the main deck.

The wood resisted her weight initially, but after a few ominous cracks and groans it failed beneath her, causing the pink leviathan to crash through into the lower decks with a heavy thud. Sticking her legs through the sides, Abyssus giggled and began searching through the wreckage for anything interesting. 

“Abyssus dear?” 

Abyssus ceased her exploring to look back, her long, flowing hair caught up in the current. “Yes?” 

“I’m going to check on The Gate. Take care until I’m back, okay? It should only be two or three days.” 

Abyssus momentarily thought over the prospect of a few days to herself before she replied, “Okay! Say hello to The Gatekeeper for me!” 

“I will, dear,” Ira smiled, happy to see Abyssus’s face light up. 

“Oh! Wait!” Abyssus added, jumping from the shipwreck and swimming for her mother. Reaching Ira’s face, Abyssus wrapped her arms and legs around her nose in the best hug she could manage at such a size difference. Nuzzling against her mother, Abyssus gently whispered, “I love you.” 

Hearing those three magical words was all Ira needed to keep her through the days she was about to spend apart from Abyssus, though it made parting ways that much more difficult. She would have gladly stayed put if she could’ve, but The Gate was of more importance. Reciprocating with a gentle finger over her daughter’s back, Ira slowly pushed off into the vast expanse of the sea. 

All day, Ira swam along at a brisk pace dizzyingly faster than the fastest of vessels. After a quick stop to sleep and eat, she continued along her way, using her vast memory of the Pacific to find her way to The Gate. Finally, late in the day, Ira approached the deep trench carved into the Earth. Looming over the edge, Ira gazed down into the deepest section of ocean on the planet. Gritting her teeth, Ira said goodbye to the last glimmers of sunlight before descending into the trench. 

The descent was fast, and soon Ira found herself touching the ocean floor once again. Her eyes adjusted to the low light, barely able to make out what lay just ahead of her. The water pressure was tremendous, and any humans would’ve been crushed long before they ever made it down. Finding her bearings, Ira set out for The Gate. 

Through the dark, murky water emerged the otherworldly portal. It was dark, cold, and seemingly lifeless. But beyond the swirling typhoon of energy was an entire world unlike Ira’s. On the edge of the ethereal border sat a pale white figure. A thin, frail, feminine body elegantly resting mere feet away from the unspeakable horrors that laid beyond Earth’s realm. Though she seemed weak and small compared to The Gate and what laid behind it, the figure herself stood at a hundred feet tall. 

“Vantesia?” The leviathan called out, slowly creeping closer to the otherworldly border. 

Ira was forced to wait agonizingly until, slowly, the pale figure turned her head. Her eyes were a milky haze, having failed their owner many thousands of years prior. But despite her lack of vision, the Gatekeeper was aware of all. She had the uncanny ability to warn of a threat approaching The Gate long before it finally entered their world, a power Ira never truly understood but did not complain about, enjoying the knowledge that any otherworldly beings would be detected long before they posed a danger. 

Ira could recall the time she’d watched Vantesia dispatch a Megalodon silently charging towards her. In moments the hunter had become the hunted, and Vantesia didn’t even comment on the matter. Those supercharged senses were what kept her alive when she would choose to journey through The Gate, for which Ira held the utmost respect. 

Her barely visible pupils appeared to focus on something behind Ira, causing the latter to quickly snap her head around to check nothing had crept up on her. Turning back, she saw a small, weak smile creep onto the figure’s face. 

“I was wondering when you’d come by again,” Vantesia began softly. 

Sighing heavily, Ira nodded, “I know, it’s been a while. I meant to come by sooner, but there was this…thing with Abyssus.” 

“Ah. How has she been? Staying out of trouble, I doubt,” Vantesia joked. 

“She got too close to a ship. They trapped her in their net and dragged her aboard! I don’t know what horrible things they would’ve done to her, but fortunately she managed to escape and find her way back,” Ira explained, leaving out the part where her daughter only made it back safely because of Henry. 

“Ah, it seems you’ve raised quite the fighter!” Vantesia commended, “Well, I’m glad she was okay. And what about the humans who captured her?” 

“With the help of Abyssus, I tracked them down and taught them their overdue lesson,” Ira grinned matter-of-factly. 

“I suspect they won’t be making their mistake again?” Vantesia replied, clear she knew exactly what punishment Ira subjected them to. 

Ira couldn’t help but turn her grin into a toothy smile, “It was the last mistake they made.” 

As the two shared a brief laugh over the foolishness of humans and their belief to be above all else, Ira realized how badly she missed Vantesia’s company. However, she’d come for a reason. 

“I need to know something,” Ira began, assuming a serious tone. 

Vantesia nodded her head slowly, “As I expected. And to answer your question…no.” 

“No? But I haven’t even asked you yet!” 

“You’re wondering about her, am I right? You ask me every time you visit. I rarely hear but an echo of her name. And as for her whereabouts, it’s still the same it’s been for the last millennia. Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” Ira repeated, unconvinced, “I doubt that.”

Vantesia shrugged, “I only know what I can hear. And I assure you I’ve heard nothing.” 

“Well…maybe she’s plotting something. Preparing for something. Or maybe—”

“Ira,” Vantesia said, calm but with an intonation that the discussion was over. 

“Right,” The leviathan nodded.

A long silence fell between the two. Glancing at The Gate periodically, Ira momentarily considered peeking her head through again, just to see if anything had changed. That idea was almost immediately tamped back down as she reminded herself of what she’d seen the first time, and the times such creatures had come through in the past. 

“I sense there’s something else on your mind,” Vantesia guessed. 

“It’s Abyssus. She’s become infatuated with this…human,” Ira spat.

“A human?” Vantesia echoed curiously, “Do tell more.” 

“His name is Henry. He was on the ship that captured Abyssus. He set her free, and in return Abyssus begged me to spare his life. But now she’s becoming obsessed with him! Every morning, the first thing she does is go catch a big fish and take it to him. Then she spends the whole day with him! I don’t like it one bit.” 

“What’s there to not like? It seems Abyssus is happy, is she not?” 

“But it’s every day! The more comfortable with humans she gets, the more likely there’s a chance she’ll approach more ships, which means there’s a higher chance she’ll get captured again!” Ira’s rant was suddenly interrupted by the tiniest of amused chuckles from Vantesia. Freezing to do a double take, the leviathan found a look of amusement on her small friend. The corner of Ira’s mouth opened to reveal her razor sharp teeth as she demanded, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Vantesia grinned, “It seems not that long ago you’d come to visit me and talk about your human. The things you describe Abyssus doing with this ‘Henry’ remind me of you.”

Ira snorted, “Times have changed. I was an idiot back then. A fool. I should’ve disappeared after that first night and never gone there again.” 

Vantesia gracefully swam up to Ira’s left shoulder before taking a seat. Twirling her tail around a few stray strands of the leviathan’s purple hair, she looked off into the darkness ahead with a blank expression, “I remember the nights you’d come to visit, thumping your tail against the seafloor as you told me about him. All of the things you’d done together, and all the things you’d want to do the next time you saw him. You used to think that a human was what you were missing to truly be happy.”

Ira felt her face go flush. She remembered those nights. Not only that, but she remembered them fondly. How could she forget them? But looking back on how happy she was, now with the knowledge of hindsight, made her warm, sweet memories turn cold and bitter. Ira’s expression quickly soured as her hands balled into fists. Although Vantesia couldn’t see the massive scowl being directed at her, she could clearly sense it. Her tail curled around Ira’s hairs a bit tighter as Ira shot back, “Well, it doesn’t matter what I used to think! We both know what actually happened. What makes you think Henry would be any different?” 

“And what makes you think Henry will be the same?”

“Because humans are all the same!” Ira snapped, “I’ve seen them up close! It doesn’t matter how much time has passed, they’re all a bunch of selfish sea slugs! Abyssus doesn’t need to go through that like I did. Or are you forgetting about the nights I spent crying, wondering how I was supposed to raise a daughter all by myself?” 

Vantesia’s eyes slowly turned away, focusing on something that wasn’t there as she lowered her head. Watching as the pale creature fidgeted with her hands, Ira could practically see Vantesia’s mind formulating a suitable answer. Finally, once the Gatekeeper had come up with a response in her head, she turned back towards Ira. The leviathan momentarily thought Vantesia’s vision had returned as her milky eyes locked with her own. 

“I recall those nights, yes. And I know raising Abyssus by yourself wasn’t what you wanted. Though I must say, you’ve done an amazing job. She’s matured quickly, perhaps enough to know the full truth about…” Vantesia motioned to The Gate. 

“Maybe…” Ira mused, gazing into The Gate, fearing she’d see movement on the other side, “Although I’d prefer if she were older. Maybe after a millennia, when she’s had a few growth spurts and is capable of handling herself. But…” She paused, feeling her heart skip a beat, “But that might be too long to wait.” 

Vantesia carefully walked along the leviathan’s shoulder to pat her on the cheek, “Ira, I assure you she’s not going to come back.” 

“Show me her body. Then I'll rest easy.” 

A wry smile spread across Vantesia’s lips, “Oh, if only it were that simple. I’m afraid you will need to instead take my word for it.” 

Ira sighed, “I want to take your word for it. Truly. But I can’t. Why would any of those monsters, especially her, just…stop fighting?” 

“If I could ask her, I would,” Vantesia shrugged, “The Depths are a strange place, and its inhabitants are practically impossible to understand.” 

“Almost as difficult to understand as humans,” Ira quipped.

Vantesia grinned again, though this grin hid a pain Ira often saw in her friend. Loneliness. 

“If only humans could breathe underwater. Or survive the crushing pressure. Having someone to talk to whenever I get lonely would be nice…” Vantesia mused, casting her head towards the surface far above them. 

Ira felt a twinge of guilt for not coming down to check on her friend as often as she’d done in centuries prior. Vantesia’s failing eyes forced her to stay in eternal darkness, having grown hypersensitive to sunlight as the centuries passed by. More times than Ira’d bothered to keep track of, she’d come to visit only to interrupt Vantesia gratifying herself. With not much else to do to kill the time and loneliness, Ira couldn’t exactly blame her. 

“Maybe you could come to the surface one night,” Ira offered, “You could feel the sand between your toes, listen to the waves, and meet Henry. Assuming he hasn’t grown to be too big of a barnacle on my ass before then.” 

“I’d like that very much. Perhaps I could question him if he knows of The Gate.” 

Ira’s head snapped back to Vantesia, “You think humans might know about…” She glanced back at The Gate uneasily. Humanity’s knowledge of such a threat hadn’t ever crossed her mind. She’d been so careful to keep her existence a secret, eliminating any witnesses, but…the fights she’d had with those otherworldly beasts. It was possible humans could’ve seen her. 

“It’s not impossible,” Vantesia shrugged, “Are you sure this is the only Gate? Maybe humans know of another. Perhaps on their ‘land’ you speak of?” 

Ira’s mind quickly jumped to Henry, and what possible information the infuriating human could possibly hold. Though, if her efforts over the course of several millennia had failed to bear results, she highly doubted humanity, who still relied on the wind and the mercy of nature to safely cross the seas, would be able to close a Gate. 

Opening her mouth wide to yawn, Ira realized just how tired she was. Though natural light was all but gone, her body told her it was getting late. Glancing to her shoulder, she saw that the sound of her own drowsiness had prompted a yawn from Vantesia as well. Gracefully pushing off from the larger leviathan’s shoulder, The Gatekeeper swam down to a cavity in the rock, just large enough that the one hundred foot tall denizen of the deep could comfortably curl herself inside. 

“Goodnight, Ira. Please, try to get some sleep. You’ll feel much better in the morning, I assure you,” Vantesia called out, her eyelids closing over her hazy eyes.

“Goodnight, Vantesia,” Ira replied, looking around for somewhere suitable to sleep. Eventually, the leviathan decided to sleep where she already sat. 

Ira uneasily settled in to rest. The deep sea silt was uncomfortable to say the least and sank through her toes, clinging to her skin. Though she much preferred the stable surface of rock, it would’ve been manageable were it not for the knowledge that she was sleeping so close to The Gate. 

Ira wasn’t even sure why she agreed to sleep so close to it. At any moment some horrible beast could break through and she’d be as vulnerable as a single krill. Glancing over at Vantesia’s cave, she saw her friend curl into a tight ball not unlike Abyssus did every night. 

——

When Ira finally awoke from her post-fight nap, the first thing she saw was a pale figure staring back. 

“Gah!” Ira cried, jolting back before realizing that the stranger was only a fraction of her size. In fact, the pale figure looked no taller than her foot was wide. Confident that she was in no harm, Ira recollected herself, “W-Who are you?”

“Vantesia,” She replied, squinting her eyes as she carefully swam up to Ira’s face, “You are from Earth, correct? Who are you?” 

“I-Ira. And yes, I’m from Earth. Do you know what in the world that portal is?”

Without even flinching, Vantesia reached out and snatched a squid right out of the water to her side. Unceremoniously devouring the creature and waving away the ink cloud it left behind, she continued, “It’s a gateway to another realm. The Depths. A frightful place. I particularly don’t enjoy the creatures who call it home. I hope you didn’t run into any.” 

Ira sighed, pushing back Vantesia and dispersing the ink cloud around her face, “I did, actually. Wasn’t what I’d call easy, but I killed it,” She replied, still feeling the pain fresh in her mind despite her wounds being gone. 

Vantesia’s eyes went wide before she turned to the side and raised a clawed finger to her chin, mulling over what Ira had just told her. Finally, a grin grew across her face as she turned back to face Ira, squinting again as though to extract as much detail from her body as Vantesia could, “This is very helpful indeed. You killed it near the gateway, did you not? That should provide me with more than enough food for a while. Thank you, Ira!” With a polite nod, Vantesia began swimming straight towards the gateway.

“Wait!” Ira cried, lunging forward to grab Vantesia’s tail between the pads of her thumb and forefinger. Vantesia wheeled around with a scowl. “Let go of me,” She demanded icily.

“You can’t go in there! It’s certain death!” Ira insisted, reluctantly letting go out of fear of angering her new companion. 

To Ira’s complete surprise, Vantesia began to chuckle. “I appreciate the concern, but I’ve ventured into The Depths far more times than you have. You’re welcome to join me and chow down, there’ll be plenty of meat to go around!” 

Ira froze, considering the offer. A tempting invitation. She could learn more about this hard-of-vision leviathan and The Depths, not to mention get a filling meal out of it. However, the wounds were still fresh in her mind and merely remembering the beast’s roar sent shivers through her gills. Nodding her head, Ira declined. 

“Well, if you ever feel like dropping by, you know where I’ll be!” Vantesia smiled before quickly tucking in her arms and diving through the portal. 

Alone again, with nothing but the crushing, dark depths of the ocean around her, Ira thoughtfully considered the prospect of returning. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to, even if those conversations would take place besides the gateway to another realm, filled with monsters ready to tear her apart. 

“Yeah, I think I might drop by,” She whispered to herself. 

——

Rolling onto her side, Ira opened her eyes to find herself staring at The Gate. Jolting into a sitting position, Ira frantically kept her head on a swivel as she confirmed she was still in the trench. Remembering why she was there, Ira’s heart rate slowed back to normal. She was on the correct side of The Gate, and Vantesia was still asleep in her cave. Sighing in relief that she’d merely had a dream about her time in The Depths, Ira decided that she’d had enough of The Gate. She needed to be back with Abyssus. Quickly swimming over to Vantesia’s cave, Ira carefully reached a finger into the entrance to tap her small friend on the shoulder. 

“Vantesia?” Ira whispered, receiving a groan of displeasure from being awoken as The Gatekeeper crawled to the cave entrance with a yawn. 

“Ira? What’s wrong?” 

“Vantesia,” She began politely, “Thank you for letting me discuss things with you, but I’m afraid I must be going now.” 

“I understand,” The Gatekeeper dipped her head, “I wish you and Abyssus luck. And please, go easy on Henry? He sounds like a good human. You need to just give him a chance.”

If Vantesia could see, she would’ve watched the largest eyeroll of Ira’s life. Planting her feet against the seafloor, Ira squatted down before pushing off with everything she had, propelling herself towards the surface. As The Gate faded from view, Ira felt as though a massive weight was already being lifted from her chest. 

After a few hours of mindless swimming only interrupted to devour a few schools of tuna, Ira slowly surfaced to find it was early morning. As she regained her bearings, narrowing down the direction she’d need to travel in to get back to Abyssus, Ira suddenly felt a yearning to go East. Staring at the rising sun, she tried to understand the feeling in her chest to journey there. She hadn’t visited that part of the ocean for two centuries, there was nothing left for her there. But still the feeling remained in her heart. She needed to see the village again. Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to take another day getting back to Abyssus, Ira dove back down beneath the waves and journeyed East. 

Reaching her destination, a large island off the coast of mainland Asia, was a simple task. But once she was there, she was forced to lurk beneath the surface and wait for the cover of darkness. Appearing off the coast in broad daylight was a rash action she would never commit, no matter the circumstances. Making herself comfortable on the ocean floor, Ira watched the small vessels that sailed above her, each one small enough to be swallowed whole if she felt like it. Once night had befallen the region, and merchant ships no longer sailed in and out of the bay, Ira slowly rose to the surface. 

To her surprise, not much in the town had changed over the course of two hundred years. The beautifully constructed ornate houses were like works of art. To see them again after so long brought about a feeling in Ira she hadn’t felt in centuries. She could just barely make out their majestic, pointed rooftops against the dark backdrop of the forest. 

Were it not for the lanterns adorned on every house, Ira wouldn’t even be able to tell a village was so elegantly nestled on the shore. Their soft orange gleams cast reflections across the surface of the harbor, a charming sight that made Ira feel something in her heart she couldn’t quite place. Drawn to the lights like prey to an anglerfish, she couldn’t hold back the urge any longer. 

She needed to get closer. 

Under the cover of a moonless sky, Ira slowly crept into the bay. It was a large, natural harbor that had kept humans safe for centuries. In addition to providing a safe place to dock their ships and construct a flourishing village, it was also perfect for allowing a creature the size of Ira to sneak in undetected. 

Ira wasn’t sure what had prompted her unscheduled visit. Certainly not to see her old lover. Even if she didn’t feel a burning hatred every time she imagined him, over two hundred years of time passage all but ensured he was gone. Gazing out towards the village, Ira suspected she was the only one left on Earth who even remembered what he looked like.

Crawling along the floor of the harbor, Ira stopped once the waters grew too shallow to keep her body submerged. Laying down with only her eyes visible above the gently rolling waves, nestled between two wooden docks reaching out into the sea, she stayed perfectly still. Silently studying the town, Ira began imagining the lives of those who lived there. Most were likely asleep, some possibly working, but nobody was near the harbor. They were all blissfully unaware of such a powerful creature of the sea lurking so close. 

Gazing dreamily at the twinkling lanterns, Ira began to envision how her life could’ve been different. Perhaps what she saw now would’ve been what she saw every night. Her heart quickly grew bitter at the thought of what she could’ve had. The life Abyssus could’ve had. 

The life she could’ve had, if Minato hadn’t abandoned her. 

The creaking of wood alerted Ira that she wasn’t alone. Slowly turning her head towards the direction of the noise, she saw a young girl standing on the flimsy wooden pier. Ira’s eyes went wide, realizing the human had been there the whole time. No doubt the poor soul was frightened by the leviathan’s presence into not moving a muscle. 

Without breaking eye contact with the girl, Ira slowly backed away without even causing a wake. Ira, for some reason she couldn’t determine, couldn’t eliminate the witness. Whether or not the girl told the entire town what she’d seen was of little concern to her. With only one witness to her existence, it was unlikely anyone would believe the girl’s story. And so, as Ira backed further and further away from the girl who still watched silently from the pier, she found herself content to let this particular loose end go free. 

Silently slipping below the waves, Ira wheeled around and faced the open ocean. Digging her claws into the bottom of the bay, she pulled herself forwards as fast as she could as she pushed with her tail. Ships of all sizes strained against their moorings as Ira no longer cared about the wake she left. Why should she care about it? She was leagues stronger than humans. Clearing the entrance to the bay, Ira followed the ocean floor down, down, down into the crushing depths. Pushing away the thoughts of what her family could’ve been, Ira focused on the family she had now. The one she’d give her life for in an instant to keep safe. 

Abyssus.