Chapter 2: Sweet Salmon
Present Day…
Three years after veterinarian Sasha Robinovitch saved Levi.
It was midnight. Time for Levi’s nightly swim and top secret mission a.k.a free as many dolphins, whales, sea lions, and leatherback sea turtles from the drift gillnets that floated along the West California Coast.
The nets were around one mile long. Fishermen would put the nets out at night and let them drift for twenty-four hours. By the time the nets were hauled up the sea creatures that had been captured by the net were mostly dead. Levi knew that the nets were supposed to be for swordfish and sharks, but those curtains of death did not choose their victims - just killed whatever sea creatures were unlucky enough to come across its path.
Levi had calculated himself that just thirty years ago 2,200 tons of swordfish were being caught, but in the last year that number had gone down to 60 tons. Thousands of whales and dolphins were being killed by these nets and the foolish humans were still debating on whether or not to get rid of the fishery that did this! Levi had one thing to say to the fishermen that would lose their jobs as a result: Suck it up. Be a man. Get a new job, lowly humans.
Levi estimated that for every five swordfish caught - one marine mammal died in a gillnet because it would suffocate or die from wounds inflicted from the net. Gillnet fishing needed to be banned for the sake of the ocean and its future.
This personal mission would have been a hell of a lot easier if he could bring his trident along with him but…walking around San Francisco holding an enormous golden trident while wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
To rescue as many marine mammals as he could before sunrise would have to be done with nothing but his claws. Once Levi arrived at the beach, he stripped off his swim trunks, rolled them up, hid them behind a rock, and dove into the ocean. As soon as the saltwater hit his human legs they transformed into his enormous blue and green scaled tail.
In order to locate gillnets Levi reached out his mind. If a whale or dolphin or sea lion was trapped in a gillnet Levi would be able to telepathically communicate with the creature and gain its location.
Levi’s mind connected with several sea creatures, but so far none of them were in distress. Until…Levi heard a call for help in his mind. Following the direction of the call he encountered a long drift gillnet and spotted a trapped sea lion. The net was tightly wound around its neck and it was suffocating. Really hate humans. Levi thought as he approached and mentally sent out: Hey there, it’s going to be okay. The merman raised his hand and willed his nails to turn into claws. With a few slashes of his hand he was able to free the sea lion in seconds. It was bleeding profusely from where the net had cut into its neck but it would live.
Not too far down the net, a leatherback sea turtle was caught in the net and Levi quickly freed it too.
Help…Levi…are you out there? Came a familiar female voice in Levi’s mind.
Levi’s eyes widened as he recognized the mental voice of a female Blue Whale he’d known for more than a century. Hey girl, I’m coming. Just hang on. Levi telepathically sent out and swam as quickly as he could in her directly, his powerful tail propelling him through the water at top speed. Half a mile down the driftnet was the whale. She was greatly entangled in the net. Crap. Freeing her would take all night. But she didn’t have all night.
Hey girl, I’ll get you out of here in no time. Levi greeted as he approached the she-whale.
Hurry Levi…I’m running out of air.
How long have you been stuck here?
Almost an hour.
Crap! Levi knew the she-whale probably only had twenty minutes of oxygen left. Levi raised his hand and caused his nails to extend into claws. He quickly began to slash his claws at the gillnet, cutting the net, and tried to free the whale from as much of the net as possible.
While Levi worked the she-whale sang for Levi and the merman couldn’t help but think it was a goodbye song. He frowned. Hey, don’t give up, Undine. I’ve almost got you free. Levi said as he began to work on freeing her enormous tail.
Thank you, Levi. Did you ever happen to find one of your kind? A pretty mermaid, perhaps? There was a note of curiosity to the whale’s voice.
No.
You can’t remain alone forever. You need to find a mate.
A mate? Ha! Whatever for?
Why, to reproduce of course. So you won’t be alone anymore. You need a family.
I’ll always be alone. I’m the last of my kind. The only merman.
I’ve seen you walk on land. Maybe you should try mating with a human female.
You saw me? A human female? Ha! Never. I hate humans! Look at what they did to you!
Don’t hold this against them, Levi. Not all humans are evil. I’ve always enjoyed watching the humans who came to gaze upon my magnificence on their boats. I can remember the children smiling and waving down at me. Don’t be so hard on them, Levi. We both live on this planet. Together.
The planet would be better off without the humans. They’re a plague upon the Earth. I’ve watched them for the last five hundred years and I know this to be true.
That…would be…lonely.
Hey! Hang in there, girl! Levi continued cutting away pieces of the gillnet but…there was still so much left and he was only one man - merman. No, no, no…
Goodbye Levi…and thank you. Please look after my son, Deniz. I was just beginning to teach him how to hunt on his own. He will need help learning how to survive out in the ocean.
No! Levi shouted back as he continued to try and free the she-whale in time. He watched in horror as she closed her eyes and began to sink to the bottom of the sea. You can’t die! Not you…my friend.
Friend. The she-whale agreed with one final burst of thought.
Nooo! Levi mentally shouted as he watched her sink. Even after the she-whale Undine died Levi didn’t stop his mission of freeing her from the gillnet. His friend would be buried properly. She would be free in death. He wouldn’t let those barbaric humans cut her to pieces for research purposes or worse. The merman wouldn’t allow the humans to collect her. Levi worked all night and finally just before sunset he was able to free the blue she-whale. She sank to the very bottom of the ocean where she would have her final resting place.
I hate humans. Levi thought angrily as he stared at Undine’s unmoving body. His hands were shredded, and throbbed in pain, but would soon heal. His wounds always healed quickly. Immortality could be really…tiresome. Goodbye, my friend, may you find peace and freedom in death. And worry not, I will watch over your son Deniz and teach him how to hunt fish.
Weary to the bone, utterly exhausted, and in low spirits, Levi swam back to the beach and prepared to greet a new day. He pulled himself up on the beach, and ran his hands over his tail to speed up the drying process. His transformation always disgusted him to watch. From merman into…primitive two-legged beast.
In just a few minutes, his tail transformed into two human legs and that odd rod of flesh appeared between his legs. Such a bothersome tool for defecation.
Once dry, Levi grabbed his hidden swim trunks and put them on. He headed back to his restaurant Poseidon’s Trident. Because of Agent Darkhart and the ADTF, Levi was forced to live on land now and through of series of unexpected events he’d become a seafood chef. Agent Darkhart had the technology to track aquatic demons and as a result the seas were no longer safe for Levi for extended periods of time.
In order to live among the humans, Levi had adopted the name Levi Devlin, and was the owner of the popular seafood restaurant, Poseidon’s Trident, which was located just a few blocks away from the ocean. His restaurant didn’t serve swordfish or shark, of course. Levi had one rule for the human customers of his restaurant: Don’t waste food. Those that didn’t follow this rule and left food on their plates would be unceremoniously thrown out of his restaurant. Literally. This had earned him the nickname: ‘Th
e Brawler Chef’.
Levi entered his restaurant and went upstairs to take a shower in fresh water, so that he wouldn’t transform into a merman. He entered his bedroom and made sure to feed his pet red-eared slider turtle, Raphael, before heading for the bathroom. After his shower he dressed in his white chef’s jacket, black pants, and boots before heading down to the kitchen to begin prepping ingredients for the day.
A few hours later, Levi’s fellow chefs joined him in the kitchen and began their own prep work. There was Derek Dearg his rotisseur or grill chef. Malakye Sterling his potager or soup chef. And lastly, there was Garth Mackenzie who was their confectioner. Levi’s fellow chefs weren’t exactly ‘human’ and because of this he had no other employees. Although he did have a few friends who liked to help out occasionally. Levi or Derek would take the orders from the customers and bring them back to the kitchen. Because of this Levi liked small dining crowds best.
At seven o’clock Levi flipped the closed sign to open on the front door, and the workday began. Things were going smoothly until noon rolled around, and a large, rowdy group of humans entered the restaurant. They had a lot of high-tech electronic equipment with them that immediately put Levi on edge. Levi squeezed the handle of the frying pan he was using and nearly bent it in half. “What’s their deal?” He asked Derek. Derek was the most knowledgeable of the four of them when it came to humans.
“I believe they’re a film crew of some kind. They must be filming a movie around here or something. We do live in San Francisco, Boss.” Derek informed Levi helpfully. Derek was an expert on humans and their culture, and his knowledge of such things had saved their butts on several occasions.
“Ah, I knew that.” Levi relaxed his grip on the frying pan and looked down to realize he’d ruined yet another black steel pan. Darn it. Those things weren’t cheap. He tossed it into the nearby garbage can and grabbed a new one to start over.
“Hey, Boss, think you could go take their orders?” Derek questioned. “I’m not done basting this pork roast.”
Levi scowled darkly. The merman hated dealing with the humans but saw that Derek was indeed busy. He looked over at Malakye who was simply too shy to take orders from the humans, and Garth who’d just scare their customers away with his height and ferocious glare. He sighed. Apparently, there was no help coming from that end. “I hate you.” Levi grumbled before making his way out onto the restaurant floor.
Levi approached the tables the team had chosen that happened to be close to the front windows. There were cameramen, people who appeared to be in charge of lighting since they were setting tall light posts down on the floor next to them, and those in charge of special effects that were also setting strange devices down on the floor next to them.
Their group consisted of both men and women. Some of them were obviously actors and actresses since their clothes appeared to be from the 17th Century. The men were dressed in embroidered jackets, pantaloons, and shiny boots with cuffs. The women were wearing low-cut, satin gowns with laced-up corsets that gave them extremely thin waists, and showed lots of cleavage.
The attention of the film crew seemed to be focused on one man in particular. Levi followed their line of sight and spotted a tall, muscular, tanned male with shoulder-length blond hair who looked like a surfer. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, board shorts and flip-flops. The blond was surrounded by the females in the crew and when he smiled at them he flashed teeth that were so white they hurt to look at.
Levi approached their tables and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Are you all ready to order? I can start with drink orders if you guys need more time.”
The females turned their attention towards Levi, and their eyes widened with admiration as they had to tilt their heads up to get a better look at Levi at his towering height. His sky-blue hair was unusual, longer in the front, and razored on the sides. His stainless steel mohawk ear piercings screamed ‘bad boy’. His pale skin appeared to be dusted with gold. His physique was as muscular as a Spartan warrior, and his features were very masculine. A lot of the girls were picturing Levi with a spear in hand ready for battle.
Hearts seemed to form in the females’ eyes and they began to excitedly whisper amongst themselves. “Sweet Jesus, who is that hottie?” “He’s Levi Devlin the Head Chef and owner of this restaurant.” “He’s also known as The Brawler Chef.” “He’s so…otherworldly.”
The blond with the perfect teeth frowned when he noticed that all of the female attention had suddenly shifted from him to Levi.
“Yes, we’re ready to order.” A plain, brown-haired female spoke up in an authoritative tone. She began to effortlessly recite everyone’s orders while Levi silently wrote them down on the pad he had with him. This particular young woman seemed to be more serious than the others and appeared to be unaffected by Levi’s good looks, or those of the blond movie star for that matter. Not that Levi particularly cared.
Levi nodded at the female once he’d finished writing the orders down and walked away without saying anything to fulfill the orders. He could feel the blond’s glare on his back. Celebrities. Such arrogant, egotistic humans. Levi thought to himself with disgust.
Levi and his fellow chefs immediately got to work on the film crew’s orders, making a variety of seafood and meat dishes, salads for the ladies, soups, fresh bread and dessert. Levi handled the fish station, Derek the meat station, Malakye the soup station, and Garth the dessert.
Levi and Derek carried the plates of food out to the crew once they were ready and set the plates of food down on the tables as the brown-haired female directed them which order belonged to whom.
“Bon appétit. Enjoy everyone.” Derek said with an easygoing smile on his face.
Levi remained silent, and the two chefs headed back towards the open kitchen and started washing the pots and pans. However-
“Excuse me, waiter!” The blond movie star called out.
Levi glanced across the restaurant at him from the open kitchen and raised a blue eyebrow. “Yes?”
The blond crooked his finger at Levi. “Get over here.”
A muscle ticked beneath Levi’s eye in irritation. He was so not in the mood to deal with lowly humans today. Especially after the loss of his friend Undine. And waiter? Surely the man knew who he was. Levi took a deep breath before walking back out to the restaurant floor and approaching the man’s table. Chill, Levi. Don’t kill your human customers no matter how much you want to, and no matter how irritating they may be. Try to stay chill, as Derek would say. “Is there a problem, Sir?” Levi asked through gritted teeth.
The blond pointed a finger at his soup. “Just what do you think that bug is doing in my soup, huh?”
Levi looked down at the blond’s soup and sure enough there was a small green beetle that was struggling to make it to the other side of the bowl. “Looks like the backstroke to me.” Levi commented dryly.
The females at the blond’s table immediately began to giggle with amusement. The blond flushed with anger.
Levi glanced over towards Malakye who was in charge of the soup. Malakye was wringing his hands together and looked incredibly nervous. The man was a perfectionist. There was no way this bug had been in the soup before it’d been served. Which meant that the blond must have put the bug in the soup himself.
“I’m not paying for this crap food!” The blond burst out angrily and with a swipe of his hand he sent the bowl crashing to the floor. The bowl shattered and soup was spilled all over the floor. The blond’s lip twitched as if he were trying to hold back his smile.
Levi looked down at the spilled soup, his blood beginning to simmer in his veins. Humans are so wasteful. Levi would never forget those times at sea when because of hurricanes Levi had had to hide out in caves below the sea and go for twelve days or more without food. The sensation of starving to death was not a pleasant one. And not one he’d wish upon anyone. Food was a gift. Food was to be respected.
Levi looked up at the blond and his blue eyes flashed gold. “You could have just removed the bug and continued with your meal. You’ll pay for wasting food in my restaurant, punk.” Levi growled before he reached out, grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, and lifted him out of his chair one-handed. The blond must have weighed over two hundred pounds with all those muscles, but Levi was unfazed.
The movie star sputtered in disbelief and grabbed at Levi’s hand as he tried to pry himself loose. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“I’m taking out the trash.” Levi snorted. “And nope, I have no idea who you are, buddy.” The merman strolled over to the front door of the restaurant, kicked the door open, and tossed the movie star right out the door. The blond went flying over a car and landed on the ground, moaning in pain. The nancy.
Several of the male crewmembers had stood up at this point and many were looking incredibly angry. “How could you do that? That was Dax Fisher!” “What are we going to do about the movie if he’s been seriously injured?” “You might have just cost us millions of dollars!” “You jerk! You can’t treat Dax Fisher that way!” “Let’s teach this punk chef a lesson, boys.” “Yeah!”
The men lunged at Levi, and the merman ducked and dodged their punches before he stood still and yawned in a bored manner. “Man, you guys are slow.”
“Eat this!” One man threw a right hook at Levi’s face.
Levi didn’t even bother to move, and didn’t flinch either when the fist connected with the side of his face. “You bore me.” The merman grabbed the man by his shirt and tossed him out the front door next. The man screamed like a little girl as he went sailing through the air. The corner of Levi’s mouth twitched in response.
“You jerk!” The man’s friend aimed a punch at Levi’s chest. But when his fist connected he winced in pain. “Ow! Dang it! What is this guy made of? Steel. Ow…my hand…my hand!” The man waved his red, throbbing hand through the air. Levi picked this guy up next and threw him out the front door to join his friend.
Meanwhile, Derek, Malakye and Garth were watching the unfolding scene worriedly. “Shouldn’t we go help him?” Malakye asked nervously.
Derek shook his head. “No. We’d only draw unwanted attention to ourselves. Let Levi take care of this. He can handle it. After all they’re only human.”
“Man.” Garth cracked his knuckles; he was just itching for a fight. “That’s a shame. I’d love to get in there and body slam some humans.”
“May I remind you guys that those humans are our paying customers? Don’t forget that, Garth.” Derek chided.
“Yeah, yeah…but they better not hurt Levi or else they’ll make me angry.” Garth said, his golden eyes glowing.
Malakye shook his head with a frown on his face. “Can’t we all just get along?”
A man screamed as he was launched through the front door to join his fellows.
Malakye sighed.
“Does that answer your question?” Garth asked dryly.
“There is only one rule at my restaurant and that I expect my customers to follow. And that is: don’t waste food.” Levi rumbled loudly so that everyone inside of the restaurant could hear him.
***
Action heroine, Vivien Tempest, had just arrived at Poseidon’s Trident in time to see one of her film crewmen being thrown out of the front door of the restaurant, go sailing over a parked car, and land on the ground with a bone-jarring thud. What the hell? Vivien thought as she exited the black Escalade she’d just arrived in, and shut the door behind her. With swift, purposeful steps she approached the front door of the restaurant and could hear car doors being shut behind her as her bodyguard, Urban West, and stylist, Teresa Brown, followed close behind her.
Vivien’s sister and manager, Audrey, was already inside of the restaurant along with her film crew. She spotted actor Dax Fisher on the ground moaning and shook her head at him, wondering what trouble he’d caused now. Vivien didn’t feel bad about leaving him there either.
Vivien took a moment to admire the restaurant that her friend, Ambrose Rune, had recommended to her. Poseidon’s Trident was quite large with a lighthouse attached to the main building. The exterior wood panels had been painted a vibrant, canary yellow. Dark blue awnings hung over the windows, and the front porch.
The sign that was attached to the exterior of the restaurant and twenty feet up was rectangular shaped, and had been painted dark blue with the restaurant’s name: Poseidon’s Trident in swirly, yellow letters. Just beneath the sign an enormous, five-foot-long, golden trident had been attached to the wall.
Vivien burst through the front door and the scene that met her was five of her film crewmen had lunged at Levi and were whaling punches on the man. Levi just stood there and took their blows for a moment before raising his arms. As two of the crewmembers dangled from Levi’s arms he started to spin. When Levi abruptly stopped the two men who had been holding onto Levi’s arms went flying through the air.
One of the men landed on the floor right in front of Vivien and skidded to a halt at her feet. Vivien took her large, round, black sunglasses off and glared at the guy. “Just what the hell is going on here, Tom?”
Everyone froze and the men who’d somehow managed to keep their hold on Levi’s legs let him go.
Recognition lit Levi’s eyes for a moment as he spotted Vivien. He’d seen Vivien Tempest once before from afar at the Grand Opening Party of Dolly’s Tea Party Bakery where his ‘friend’ Ambrose Rune worked as an assistant patissier.
Vivien also recognized Levi. She’d seen him at the party, but had been so swamped by fans asking for her autograph that she hadn’t had the opportunity to be formally introduced to the chef.
Later, when Vivien had asked her friend, Ambrose, who the handsome blue-haired man was the Patissier Prince had informed her that his name was Levi Devlin, and that he was the Head Chef and owner of a popular seafood restaurant called Poseidon’s Trident. Levi was also known as The Brawler Chef and had a reputation for literally tossing out ungrateful customers from his restaurant. Ambrose had recommended that Vivien go to the restaurant and try the food there. He’d also told her that Levi Devlin was incapable of telling lies. Vivien met Levi’s eyes and awaited his response.
“The blond guy with the good teeth…wasted food.” Levi said as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the broken bowl and spilled soup on the floor. “My restaurant has only one rule, lady. Don’t waste food. Those who can’t follow this rule are thrown out - by me. End of story.” Levi crossed his arms over his broad chest in a defensive stance and waited to see what Vivien’s reaction to his statement would be.
Vivien looked at the spilled soup and frowned. As a conservationist and supporter of Greenpeace - she was also against human wastefulness. She always recycled when she could, and cut plastic six-pack rings so that creatures wouldn’t get trapped in them later on. More importantly she went on coastal cleanup events. “I’m sorry.” Vivien said. “Allow me to apologize on behalf of Dax and my film crew. He shouldn’t have done that. He was wrong.”
Levi’s eyes widened in surprise. The last thing he’d expected was for Vivien to believe him, or apologize.
“But hey, can we still eat here?” Vivien asked hesitantly with a cute pout on her lips. “I’m kinda starved. And I was really looking forward to trying your food here, Levi.”
“You know my name.” There was heat in Levi’s gaze.
Vivien nodded. “I saw you at Dolly’s Tea Party Bakery’s Grand Opening Party. I’m friends with Ambrose Rune. He was going to introduce us, but I got swamped by fans. I’m-”
“Vivien Tempest.” Levi cut in. “The famous action heroine. I’ve seen a few of your films.”
In the open kitchen, Malakye’s jaw dropped when he heard what his boss had just said. Derek grinned and used his finger to close Malakye’s mouth.
Vivien looked surprised by his admittance as
well and even a little suspicious. “Really? Ambrose said you don’t like to watch TV and that I shouldn’t be offended if you had no idea who I was.”
“Big mouth.” Levi grumbled to himself. “Ah, well, a friend recommended to me that I should watch them.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Is it really true that you do all your own stunts?”
Vivien beamed. “Yep. I have a black belt in karate and have studied various other martial arts.”
“Maybe we could spar sometime.” Levi couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Had he undergone a personality change? What did he think he was doing being all friendly with a human female? “I’m kind of a martial arts buff myself.”
“Sure.” Vivien readily agreed. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“I’m surprised you remembered me.” Levi blurted.
Vivien laughed and Levi really liked the sound of her laughter. It was happy, upbeat and melodious. “Really? You’re kind of hard to forget! What with that blue hair, piercings and those muscles, er, yeah.” Levi Devlin was even more handsome than Vivien remembered and she had to bite down on her lower lip before she said something she’d later regret. His most impressive feature was his powerful, commanding presence.
Levi was also taking the opportunity to check Vivien out again. Vivien was almost six-feet-tall. Her body was toned, fit and in shape. She had no bulky muscles though, just the lithe, graceful strength similar to a female panther. Vivien had straight blonde hair that was as bright as the sun and that reached the middle of her back. Her eyes reminded Levi of the ocean - a beautiful green-blue swirl. She was wearing a short, black leather jacket with fringe on the back, a white tank top, tight blue jeans, and a pair of black ankle boots. Her sunglasses were on top of her head like a headband.
“Where can I sit?” Vivien asked, pulling Levi from his staring.
The tips of Levi’s ears turned red and he hoped to God that she didn’t notice. “Uh, anywhere you wish.” Like my lap for instance.
“Okay. Thanks. Come on, Teresa, Urban. Everyone, you can all come back inside now too!” Vivien directed her bodyguard and stylist over to a round table with a crook of her finger. She picked up the menu and looked it over with interest. The actress felt like having fish…and noted that swordfish wasn’t offered on the menu. This made her smile.
After Levi had given the entire film crew permission to continue eating in his restaurant the guys who Levi had thrown outside reentered the restaurant sporting minor bumps and bruises. Only Dax was acting like he’d been seriously injured, moaning and groaning and limping overdramatically as he came back inside of the restaurant.
Vivien took notice and frowned at his immature behavior. “Oh, give it a rest, Dax. You’re such a drama queen.” The actress rolled her eyes. “I know you’re not hurt. I go to the gym with you, so I know you’re not that weak.”
Dax flushed, straightened, a haughty look crossed his face, and he put his nose up in the air. “Fine, I’m okay. So sue me.”
“Good. Now I want you to get your butt over here and apologize to Levi for spilling that soup.” Vivien said as she crooked her finger at him.
Dax’s eyes bulged and his tan complexion blanched. “You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.” Vivien challenged, before she tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. “I’m waiting.”
“Gah, alright, fine.” Dax strolled over and stopped in front of Levi, clenching his fists at his sides. “Look, dude…I’m sorry I spilled your soup, okay?”
Levi nodded once. “Apology accepted.” The merman walked over to a closet, took out a bucket that already had soapy water in it, and the mop. He then made his way over to the spilled soup and began to mop it up. After that he leaned over and began to pick up the pieces of broken porcelain.
Vivien noticed what Levi was doing, hopped out of her chair, made her way over to Levi, and crouched beside him. “Hey, I should help you with that. After all it was my coworker’s fault.” The actress offered as she reached out to pick up a piece of porcelain.
“No, don’t. It’s sharp-” Levi tried to warn her.
“Ow.” Vivien exclaimed when she accidentally cut her finger on the sharp porcelain shard.
“Silly female.” Levi tsked before grabbing Vivien’s hand, bringing her bleeding finger to his mouth, and sucking on her finger.
Vivien’s eyes popped at what Levi had just done and found herself holding her breath as the handsome chef licked and sucked on her finger. She could feel his hot, wet tongue running over her flesh and shivered.
Levi looked up at Vivien and their eyes met. He seemed to realize what he’d done and quickly released her finger. “There, all better.” The handsome chef’s voice was deep and husky.
Vivien looked down at her index finger and saw that her cut had been sealed. “Yeah…wow. You’re right.” She stood up and cleared her throat. “Ahem, I’ll just go…take my seat.” She returned to the table, sat down, and picked up the menu again. Levi followed her and waited patiently next to their table.
Vivien looked up at Levi when she was ready to order. “I’ll have the Honey-Ginger Grilled Salmon and a Coca-Cola.”
“That sounds good. I’ll have the same.” Teresa said.
“And I’ll have the Barbeque Steak. Medium.” Urban said. “And a Budweiser.”
Levi wrote their orders down. “I’ll be right back with your orders.” The merman entered the kitchen and he could feel the questioning stares of his fellow chefs upon him. “Derek, I’m going to need one Barbeque Steak.”
“You got it, Boss.” Derek said before entering the cooler where a huge piece of Prime beef was hanging from the ceiling. He whipped out his gleaming, meat cleaver and began to chop at the meat slab with precise strokes, cutting the perfect piece of meat for the steak he was going to prepare.
Levi hadn’t failed to note the amused tone to Derek’s voice, and shook his head as he got out the ingredients he would need to make Vivien her Honey-Ginger Grilled Salmon. When Derek exited the cooler Levi couldn’t help but snap: “What?”
“What was that out there? I’ve never seen you interact with a human female like that before. So…politely. You know her or something?” Derek asked casually.
“She was at the Dolly’s Tea Party Bakery’s Grand Opening Party. She’s…Ambrose’s friend.” The merman grit out.
“I’m surprised you remembered her.” Derek said as he began to marinate the steak with a homemade barbeque sauce.
Levi gave Derek an incredulous look. “How could you miss a spectacular female like her?”
Malakye gasped at Levi’s words and dropped the spoon he’d been holding. It fell to the floor with a clatter. “S-Sorry.” Malakye apologized as he bent over to pick up the spoon and toss it into the sink.
Levi’s eyes widened when he realized what he’d just said aloud.
“Spectacular, huh?” There was a teasing glint in Derek’s blue eyes and he reached out to whack Levi on the back amiably. “You go get her, tiger.”
Levi shrugged Derek’s hand off his back. “Shut up.” The merman continued to prepare Vivien’s entrée with extra care. He made sure to chop up the vegetables at rapid speed to impress her in case she was looking over there, and to cook with a little bit of flair. He could feel her eyes upon him and smirked.
***
As Vivien waited for her order she looked around the interior of the restaurant with interest. The décor was really amazing. The ceiling was covered with a blue net that had preserved sea creatures attached to it: starfish, puffer fish, and enormous, fearsome looking sharks. There was a wooden mermaid attached to the wall that looked like something that had been ripped off the front of a 17th Century pirate ship.
Vivien’s eyes landed on an old chest covered in barnacles that looked just like a treasure chest. The actress’ fingers were twitching with the desire to open the chest and find out if it was filled with gold doubloons. Shells, jars
filled with sand, and colorful pieces of coral decorated nooks and crannies here and there inside of the restaurant. An old ship’s steering wheel was leaning against the wall.
The overall effect of the decorations was that Vivien felt like she was under the sea. Vivien was an expert scuba diver and loved the ocean. Apparently, Levi did too. It was a shame he was only the owner of a restaurant though. Her parents would never let her date someone so…common. Even if he had several good points in his favor. When the scent of sautéing butter and vegetables hit her senses, Vivien’s attention was drawn towards the open kitchen where she could see the four chefs cooking.
Vivien’s eyes widened as she watched Levi chopping vegetables at Mach 4 speed. Whoa. His skill with tossing ingredients in his frying pan so that they cooked evenly was also really impressive. Her gaze was inevitably drawn towards the other chefs. She vaguely remembered seeing them at Dolly’s Grand Opening Party too.
There was the six-foot-three, Goth chef with the long, black hair, startling emerald green eyes, and quiet demeanor whose face was painted white. He also had black lipstick on. The Goth was wearing a white chef’s jacket, black leather pants, and boots that had buckles on them. He was currently stirring a soup he was working on in a very peaceful, calm manner.
Vivien’s eyes were then drawn to the six-foot-four, bohemian chef who was cooking Urban’s barbeque steak. He was more muscular than the Goth, had long, wavy, brown hair with scattered braids, sky-blue eyes, and a charming smile. The sleeves of his white chef’s jacket were rolled up to his elbows revealing his blue, Celtic, animal tattoos.
The third and final chef was hard to miss at his towering six-foot-eight height. He had spiked orange hair, golden eyes, and a jagged scar running over the bridge of his nose. He was wearing a white chef’s jacket, jeans, and sneakers.
“It’s hottie overload in here.” Teresa said as she fanned herself with her hand.
Vivien looked over at her stylist Teresa Brown and smiled. “Can’t argue with that.” Teresa was a pretty, African-American girl with a large Afro of black hair. Her skin was a light brown color, and she had a curvy physique. Teresa was dressed in a trendy, purple dress.
Urban West, Vivien’s latest bodyguard, seemed annoyed by Teresa’s comment as if he were pouting. Her new bodyguard was ex-military and had served in Afghanistan. He was an incredibly handsome African-American with chocolate-colored skin, short black hair, kind brown eyes and kissable lips.
“But the one you have your eye on is Levi, isn’t it?” Teresa teased as she leaned over the table.
“Shhh!” Vivien shushed her and shot a worried look over to the table where her sister Audrey was seated. “Do you have any idea what my sister will do if she thinks I’m interested in him?”
Teresa raised a quizzical eyebrow at her friend. “What? He’s a business owner. Surely he’s good enough for your fussy parents.”
Vivien shook her head sadly. “He wouldn’t have enough social status or money for them to accept him.” She sighed. Vivien was twenty-nine and lately her parents were frantic about getting Vivien married off before she became an ‘old maid’ as her sister had so eloquently put it. To them finding Vivien a ‘good’ husband meant a husband that had money and social status. Basically her celebrity parents wanted Vivien to marry a fellow celebrity just as her parents had done. It was simply expected.
Vivien’s parents, Clark and Marilyn Tempest, had been sending her on several arranged dates lately too. It was truly the pits.
“What does crap like that matter as long as he can protect you?” Urban spoke up. “The guy’s tough. I saw him tossing those guys around like they didn’t weigh a thing. He’s got my vote.”
“Mine too.” Teresa readily agreed. “We’re officially on Team Levi. High-five!” She held her hand up to Urban, who didn’t leave her hanging.
“You guys!” Vivien chided them. “Geez!” Teresa and Urban didn’t know it but…Vivien already knew who she was going to marry. Well, she knew whom she wanted to marry or had set her sights on at least. The famous actor, Dylan Black. And Dylan was going to be in the movie Vivien was currently filming - the long awaited, highly anticipated, remake of The Little Mermaid - The Little Merman!
The Little Merman - a Disney Production - was going to be a live action movie with a twist on the plot of the original story. Instead of there being a mermaid princess there was going to be a reckless, hotheaded merman prince, who falls in love with a free-spirited, spunky princess that would be played by Vivien. Dax Fisher was currently playing the merprince. And Dylan Black was going to be the antagonist and villain of the story. Dylan was going to be playing the prince from a neighboring impoverished kingdom, who would ultimately get to marry the princess.
Dylan Black was known for his touching performances in romantic dramas and romantic comedies. This would be the first time Dylan had taken on a somewhat ‘dark’ role. Dylan was handsome, rich, and successful. He’d be the perfect fiancé to bring home to her parents. And all Vivien ever wanted was for her parents to finally accept and acknowledge her.
Vivien glanced over at Levi thinking to herself that even though she’d sensed something between her and Levi their relationship was over before it could even begin.
“Mmhmm, you can’t stop looking at him, girl.” Teresa teased.
Vivien quickly averted her gaze and glared at Teresa. “I’m just hungry! Geez.”
A few minutes later, Levi set the plate of Honey-Ginger Grilled Salmon down in front of Vivien. “Bon appétit.”
The smell was divine and made Vivien salivate with anticipation. She cut a bite with her fork, stuck it into her mouth, chewed and swallowed. “Mmm!” Vivien moaned in bliss. She had the sudden mental image of being drenched in sticky honey and Levi licking it off her. Vivien flushed at her own lewd thoughts. Levi’s cooking was simply orgasmic.
A cocky smirk formed on Levi’s face as he watched her reactions. “You look like you’re enjoying that.”
“I’ve never tasted anything so delicious before.” Vivien admitted breathlessly as she gazed up at the chef.
“It wasn’t much.” Levi rumbled with a glint in his eyes. “I’m glad you liked it. Please come again to Poseidon’s Trident.”
***
That same night at midnight, Levi went to the beach, stripped off his swim trunks, and dove into the ocean. As soon as the saltwater hit his legs they transformed into his magnificent, blue-scaled tail. Home, sweet home. Levi thought as he gracefully swam through the water like a bullet. He reached his mind out into the ocean and waited to see if there were any marine mammals that needed his help.
As he swam, his thoughts drifted to Vivien Tempest. He couldn’t believe how he’d acted around her. Sucking the blood off her finger. Inviting her to spar against him. It was like aliens had temporarily hijacked his brain or something. His body had also reacted strangely to her close proximity. His heart rate had sped up, his blood had heated in his veins, and warmth had pooled in his lower abdomen. It had been very…strange, indeed. Levi had never felt like that before. Maybe he was coming down with something? This was his ninth day on just a few hours of sleep after all.
But Levi couldn’t afford to take the time to sleep when someone needed to be out here helping the sea creatures trapped in those God-forsaken gillnets. Several minutes passed and surprisingly there were no calls for help. Just nothing. Until…Levi heard the excitement in the fishes’ mental thoughts. Strange. Apparently, the fish were all watching something that they considered to be very interesting.
Equally curious, Levi followed the sounds of all the excitement and spotted the hull of what looked like a 17th Century pirate ship just like those he remembered encountering centuries ago. But…that couldn’t be right. What the hell. A shiver of déjà vu traveled up Levi’s spine. Levi decided to get closer in order to investigate.
Levi swam closer to the pirate ship, and surfaced three yards away. As he rode the crests of the waves, he was ev
en more confused by what he saw on deck - humans - men and women dressed in 17th Century clothing. Did I pass through a rip in time? Levi decided to get even closer, neared the railing, and pulled himself up to peer over the deck.
The large camera crew, light crew, and movie director with his trademark bugle in hand were all revealed to Levi, and it suddenly became clear what was going on. They were filming a movie. I’m an idiot. Levi let out a breath of relief that he hadn’t gotten transported back in time. The merman was about to leave when the sound of oddly familiar feminine laughter drew his attention.
Levi’s gaze was drawn to a blonde female dressed in an incredible blue and green gown with golden embroidery. The dress had a laced-up corset that made the girl’s waist incredibly tiny. Her hair was braided in a complex up do with a braid wrapped around her head like a crown, or Greek Goddess, and the rest of her hair was loose, falling around her shoulders in waves. The woman was dancing with a twelve-year-old girl in a simple black dress who had brown hair that was braided around her head.
When the blonde princess turned in his direction, that’s when he recognized her as being Vivien Tempest. “Vivien.” Levi breathed as he watched her giggle and dance in the moonlight. His heart felt heavy inside of his chest as he watched her and he rubbed at his chest unconsciously.
“Dax, get ready to save the princess.” The director called out. Or at least Levi assumed the man must be the director. He was wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt, jeans, sneakers and was holding that bugle up to his mouth as he shouted orders at the film crew. The director had a commanding presence that Levi immediately respected. The man may have been young for a director, maybe in his late thirties, but he sure as hell seemed to know what he was doing.
“Yes, Sir.” Dax said as he sat down on the deck. He was dressed in only a tight, blue Speedo and pulled on an intricately made blue and gold fishtail over his legs while a couple of girls assisted him.
Levi’s eyes bulged. What the hell? Dax is playing the part of a merman? Just what movie is this?
As soon as Dax had the fishtail on he was carried over to the edge of the ship and helped to dive down into the water. Dax managed to execute an impressive dive into the water below. He had perfect form.
“Okay, get ready everyone. And remember, the actual kraken will be added later with CGI so it’s very important to remember your rehearsals and where you should be attacking the tentacles. Cue kraken attack!” Director Scott Maverick bellowed at the actors and actresses through his yellow bugle.
Kraken? Levi wondered, looking around worriedly. He’d faced a number of kraken back in the day. But that had been centuries ago. As far as he knew there shouldn’t be any kraken left.
There was a monstrous roar that rocked the ship and then the actors and actresses on deck began to panic. Everyone began acting as if they saw ‘something’ moving over the deck and coming up the sides of the ship. The men picked up spears and harpoons, and began to attack thin air with them.
Levi let out another breath of relief and his expression turned bemused. Ah, apparently they would be adding the ‘kraken’ to the scene later. Levi watched intently as Princess Vivien picked up a harpoon. “Get behind me, Lucinda!” She told the young girl and acted as though she were protecting the girl from an approaching tentacle.
Vivien was such a good actress that Levi had to resist the urge to pull himself up on deck, crawl across the deck, and wrestle the tentacle away from Vivien and the girl. So fearless. Levi thought as he watched her.
“My lady!” Lucinda cried out in concern as she clung to Vivien’s gown.
At that moment, an explosion rocked the ship. Several of the actors and actresses stumbled and fell to the deck and screamed. “The creature…it’s destroying the ship! Everyone…to the lifeboats! We must make our escape!” Princess Vivien directed everyone who was onboard.
Holy hell! Levi thought as he held onto the railing with a death grip. That had been a very real explosion. Surely, this crazy director wouldn’t actually blow up this entire ship just for the sake of the movie? Wouldn’t that also be incredibly dangerous? And also incredibly expensive? Levi thought.
Everyone onboard the ship began to make his or her way to the lifeboats at a run until it was only Vivien and Lucinda running across the deck towards the remaining lifeboats. Lucinda tripped and fell, but Princess Vivien failed to notice as she reached the lifeboat. A man, who was playing the part of Vivien’s Uncle Richard, offered Vivien his hand and pulled her inside of the boat. As soon as the princess was inside, the boat was lowered to the ocean’s surface. After that the camera crew got into the remaining lifeboats and lowered them down to the ocean below.
Levi was beginning to get worried that everyone had completely forgotten about poor Lucinda. Is this part of the script? Or has that little girl been left behind accidentally? Levi was about to pull himself up on deck, when he heard Vivien’s voice.
“Goodness, where’s Lucinda?” Princess Vivien exclaimed as she looked around the lifeboat. “Lucinda!”
“Princess! Help!” Lucinda cried out, even as another explosion rocked the ship. A hole was blasted in the side of the ship, pieces of flaming wood debris flying through the air dramatically. The ship’s deck started to catch fire with very real flames.
“Oh my God, Lucinda! She’s still onboard. I must go back for her!” Princess Vivien exclaimed as she prepared to leap out of the lifeboat.
Richard grabbed her arm to try and stop her. “Princess, you cannot go back for her. She’s just a mere handmaiden. It’s much too dangerous. Now that your parents are dead…it’s up to you to rule the Kingdom of Sol.”
“Let me go, Uncle Richard. I don’t care. Lucinda is my only friend!” Princess Vivien argued before she wrestled her arm free from her uncle’s hold and dove over the side of the lifeboat and into the water.
Levi held his breath as he watched Vivien swim back to the ship and grab a line, which she used to climb up the side of the ship. She managed to do all of this in a soaking wet gown that must have been incredibly heavy. Vivien hopped on deck and ran over to Lucinda. “Lucinda! Just hang on!” Vivien ripped Lucinda’s dress free and took the girl’s hand, leading her to the ship’s railing. Vivien lifted Lucinda up by the waist and tossed her overboard.
Vivien put one foot up on the railing and was just about to jump into the ocean next, but another explosion rocked the ship causing Princess Vivien to stumble backwards and fall over onto her butt.
“Blow the mast!” Director Maverick shouted through his bugle from his position in one of the lifeboats.
“Blowing mast!” A crewman said as he pressed down on the red button of his handheld detonator.
Another explosion rocked the ship, and the mast toppled over, and fell towards the fallen princess. Vivien! Levi was just about to reveal himself once again, when he realized that the mast looked odd. Lighter than a real mast would be, as if the thing were made out of rubber or plastic.
The plastic mast fell right on top of Vivien, but she didn’t appear to be harmed - just effectively trapped. Vivien struggled to push the mast off of her but acted as though it were too heavy to do so.
Around the same time this was going on a fierce wind had begun to blow and storm clouds began to gather overhead. It looked like a tropical storm was brewing. A very real storm. “Director Maverick, it looks like it’s going to rain. Shouldn’t we stop filming for tonight?” Lucinda asked with a worried expression on her face.
Director Maverick frowned and stroked his black goatee. “I already checked the weather. It’s supposed to be clear skies tonight. Besides, we can’t stop now. The ship is already sinking and needs to go with a bang. Blow the rest of the ship!” Scott called out. “You’re up next, Dax!”
That director can’t be serious. Levi thought wildly. They’re going to blow the ship with Vivien still on it? No way.
I do all my own stunts. Vivien’s words banged around the inside of Levi’s head.
/> “Blowing ship!” A crewman said as he pressed down on the red button of his detonator.
Blazes! Levi was forced to let go of the ship and swim away from it as the ship literally began to blow up. That director is freakin crazy.
The explosions were strategic, however, and the ship began to sink straight down with Vivien trapped beneath the mast. Vivien took a deep breath just before she got sucked under water.
As the ship began to sink with Princess Vivien still trapped against it, Levi swam in for a closer look, but then he noticed the underwater camera and light crew, and had to hang further back so that he wouldn’t be spotted.
Feeling frustrated, Levi watched as the professional merman, Dax Fisher, swam down and prepared to rescue Princess Vivien. Everything appeared to be going smoothly, until-
Chaos.
A huge wave seemed to come from out of nowhere and the ship was blasted forward through the water. The cameramen and light crew were scattered throughout the water, and began to panic, making their way back up to the surface.
Dax spotted the still sinking Vivien but…the timing was all off because of that wave. Dax knew that he wouldn’t be able to continue holding his breath long enough to swim down and rescue her. What a pity. Guess she’ll just have to save herself. She’ll be okay. After all she’s the famous action heroine Vivien Tempest. Dax mimed to Vivien that he was running out of air and would be heading back to the surface, and that she should do the same.
Vivien nodded in understanding, and Levi watched as she simply pushed the broken mast aside. Vivien began to swim up towards the surface after Dax, however-
A piece of driftwood attached itself to Vivien’s gown and began to drag her down due to its weight. Vivien struggled to free the gown from the piece of driftwood but…was running out of air. Her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen and she put her hand over her mouth as she tried to stop herself from taking in a breath. Her body wasn’t obeying her, however, and her mouth seemed to open of its own accord.
Levi watched as Vivien gasped frantically and inhaled a ton of water. Vivien’s eyelids began to drift close soon after as she sunk into unconsciousness. Freakin perfect. Levi swore as he watched Vivien sinking down towards the bottom of the ocean.
Levi hated humans but…he couldn’t just let the fearless Vivien Tempest die! I can’t believe I’m about to do this. Levi thought as he swam down after Vivien, his tail propelling him through the water faster than a dolphin could swim. He reached her in seconds, and quickly ripped the gown free from the enormous piece of driftwood in an angry manner.
The merman wrapped his arm around Vivien’s waist and began to swim her back up to the surface. Minutes later, they broke through the surface and Levi searched around for any sign of Vivien’s film crew. However, it had started to rain. A tropical storm had blown in from seemingly out of nowhere as these types of storms tended to do, and Vivien’s film crew had all decided to take off for the shore.
Those useless idiots probably hadn’t even realized that Vivien was missing. Freakin selfish jerks. Useless pieces of crap. Only the star of the movie has disappeared and you guys don’t even notice! Levi began to swim Vivien to shore on his own, through the storm and choppy waves. It didn’t take Levi that long to reach the shore. He crawled onto the beach and dragged Vivien along with him.
Levi hovered over Vivien and checked her pulse. Her heart was beating…but she wasn’t breathing. “Why isn’t she breathing? Should I perform CPR?” Levi wondered aloud as he began to lean over her body, but then-
Vivien’s eyes snapped open. “Levi?” She questioned as she blinked up at him. There was just enough moonlight and starlight for Levi’s form to be illuminated clearly.
“Oh crap!” Levi exclaimed as he began to push himself backwards across the sand and towards the water’s edge.
But Vivien wouldn’t let Levi escape that easily. She reached out and grabbed Levi’s wrist, effectively stopping him. “Whoa, wait! Hold it right there! You’re not going anywhere…merman.” She gave his tail a pointed look.
“Aw hell.” Levi swore as he tugged on his wrist. “Let me go, woman! I already saved your life. What more do you want from me?”
“Saved my life? I was conscious the entire time you saved me.” Vivien smiled impishly.
“You…? How…?” Levi gawked at her.
“Actress, remember? Anyways…” Vivien looked at Levi’s tail intently and then reached her hand out to touch the shimmering fish scales. They were really beautiful, a mix of blue and green scales. “Your tail…is real isn’t it? You’re a real merman, aren’t you?” Her tone was giddy.
“Crap, crap, crap…” Levi swore as he ran a hand back through his mohawk of blue hair. “I should kill you for seeing me like this.”
“But you won’t, will you?” Vivien gave Levi a keen look. “Because I think you like me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Levi scoffed. “I don’t like you. I hate humans!”
“Then why did you save me? Hmm?” Vivien poked his arm teasingly.
“Why? Hell if I know. Aliens hijacked my brain or something.” Levi muttered as he turned his face away from her.
“Well, now that that’s settled and I know you won’t kill me...I get to blackmail you.” Vivien rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Let’s see, if you want me to keep your secret…”
“What the? What the hell do you want, woman?” Levi growled at her.
Vivien’s blue-green eyes glittered with anticipation. Levi gulped at that intense look. “I want you, Levi Devlin, to play the part of the merprince in the Disney movie The Little Merman!”
“What? The Little Merman? You can’t be serious. And besides, you already have a merprince - Dax or whatever the hell his name is. You don’t need me.” Levi huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Vivien waved her hand dismissively through the air. “Dax Fisher…is a royal pain in the butt. He totally left me to drown back there too…that cowardly jerk! And the merprince needs to be way more…manly than he is. I read the script and the merprince needs to be someone more powerful…dangerous. More like you.”
“Blazes…” Levi shook his head. “Can’t you just hire another professional merman? Why does it have to be me?”
“It’s exactly because you are a real merman that it has to be you. You’re probably the last of your kind. To really reach people’s hearts in this movie the merprince should be a real merman. Just look at how well Keiko was able to reach people’s hearts in the movie Free Willy. This movie has to be perfect. I will finally make my parents proud. And the movie will only be perfect with you in it!” Vivien insisted passionately.
“I’m so screwed.” The merman groaned.
“I’ll keep your secret and you play the merprince. Frankly, I’m letting you off easy.” Vivien reached out and shook Levi’s hand. “Nice doing business with you!”
Levi glared back at Vivien. This is why I hate humans.
To be continued in…Fish 3: Divine Angel
Levi: “Interested in sampling the dish I prepared for Vivien? Type in Honey-Ginger Grilled Salmon at allrecipes.com.”
Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version Page 2
