The beach. It didn't have a real name; just a small cove hidden by cliffs on either side, the colorful reef out in the water precluding approach by the ocean, and the only path out involved a slow and terrifying climb up a slick streambed. He wasn't sure what had ever possessed him, as a child, to come down in the first place. He did remember what brought him back.
The young man carefully stepped down on the dry stones exposed by the summer heat. It had been nearly fifteen years since he last set foot in that place, and it hadn't changed a bit. The sand was still as soft, the summer heat still as baking. He still remembered the last summer he came out to the small beach town, before his parents had sold the house. The melancholy of saying goodbye to it still stung, not least because he'd never gotten to say goodbye to her.
He didn't know what became of her after he left. He'd wanted to stay in touch, but he'd never met her anywhere but this beach. Since he was young, he could remember coming to visit the beach, and she would always be there, the strange but kind-hearted girl. She said she lived up the coast, but she'd never given more details than that, and he'd never thought to ask her about it. He regretted it now. She'd been strange, obsessed with the ocean, but she'd been beautiful, and he realized now that he'd never quite gotten over it.
He slowly stepped down onto the beach. His bare feet dug into the sand, and he sighed softly at the feel of it, sinking his feet slowly into the warm sand, almost too hot to bear. He quickly spread out the thick woolen blanket, lying down on it slowly, closing his eyes to relax. The sun felt good, the surf pounding into the sand with slow, steady rhythm. It soothed him, as he felt his head drop down, his arm over his eyes, soothed into sleep under the warm sunlight.
He awoke, gradually becoming aware of something warm and wet pressed against his body. He jerked suddenly to wakefulness, sitting up, shock putting his brain into a sudden rush of overdrive.
The woman smiled. Her skin was a brilliant cerulean blue. She was humanoid, but impossible to mistake for human. Dark green hair hung over her shoulders in messy curls, still soaked with water, clinging in intriguing ways to her nude body. She had the fine lines of a swimmer, all streamlined muscle, curving but hard to the touch, and strange features. A spray of horns, almost like a crown, rose from her hair, fading from cerulean to black, and a pair of extended ears twitched lightly, her irises yellow like a cat's eye.
His eyes drifted downwards. Her chest was full, much larger than it should have been, with her build, each soft breast too large for a single hand to cover. Her hair hung over them, clinging and preserving her modesty, though frankly he might feel more comfortable if they were covered. And then, below the waist, things became significantly more inhuman.
She had a tail. About six feet long, it was covered with fine, smooth scales, ending in a blossom of long, flat fins. Her legs were similarly scaled from the thighs down, ending in slender, shimmering fins. He stared for several long seconds, until she reached out, and gently patted his cheek. "Hey. You look like you haven't seen me in fifteen years!"
He stared for a moment. "Thetis?"
She grinned, her arms sliding around his shoulders. "I go through all that work of getting to know you and falling in love with you, and you disappear on me the one week I'm sick? That's pretty unfair, you know! But I guess I can find it in my heart to forgive you." She smiled brightly. "But since you left me pining away for the last fifteen years, you've got to take responsibility for making up for lost time." The smile across her face was nearly inhuman, showing sharp teeth, as she began tugging him off of the blanket, and across the sand, standing awkwardly on finned feet.
Even as he was pulled along, unable to muster effective resistance in response to the girl's forceful personality, he tried to remember. It had been a long time, and she'd been strange, but had he really forgotten blue skin? Suddenly, however, she was tugging his clothes off, and dragging him into the surf. "Come on, you scaredy cat! I won't let you drown." She gave him a grin, and he came to the conclusion that all those Greek sailors couldn't be wrong.
At first, the water closing over his head was frightening. Then, her lips met his, and warm, incredibly sweet air filled his lungs. She smiled, as she took his hand, swimming downwards, the air escaping his lungs as the pressure built. The water was clear and glassy, and though it stung at first to open his eyes in the salt water, as they acclimated, he stared around.
The multicolored fish and the delicate structure of the coral reef sat nearby. Thetis hung in the water easily, her legs drifting back and forth, as she kept her lips close, sweet kisses arriving on his lips every couple of minutes. He gradually became aware of a soft, smooth-skinned hand wrapped around him, slowly stroking him. His face went red as he felt the delicate fingertips trail up and down, moving slowly, gently, slicker than the skin of a human. It almost felt as though her hand was covered with lotion as it stroked him, and he found himself wrapping his arms around her, his lips meeting hers.
She teased him for what felt like an eternity. The alien sensation of being underwater for so long was strange, but the comfortable sensation of floating, perfectly supported by the water, was... perfect. Her body moved, until she straddled him, her body pressed against his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, his lips resting against hers, taking deep breaths from her lungs. He wasn't sure how she was producing the air, but it tasted too good to give up, the taste of her lips and saliva sweet, with just the barest hint of sea salt making his mouth water.
