The freezing temperature paralyzed Krampus's body. Sinking to the blue abyss, he swam forward aimlessly to gain control of his movements. He then looked up, aware of the microorganisms that burned when coming in contact with his eyes. Nothing but a vibrant array of fish swam in front of him. The moon's rays glimmered against the waves, creating a veil of dim light. It's nice down here... for a fish. Still, Hell has its―

A sweet and pure voice interrupted his thoughts. The voice was clear and light, humming the song engraved into the crevices of Krampus' mind since the time of his adolescence. Soon afterwards, silver locks sparkled under the ocean, flowing along the waves. The strands were similar to arms stretching towards him with all of their might.

Shit, I'm too late. Indeed, he was. The elusive mermaid had already sensed his presence in the watery depths. Her jade-tinted eyes watched him from the abyss. The wavy silver hair clung to her porcelain skin with grace, complementing her eyes that glowed through the night.

She stopped humming and swam towards him, abandoning the comb that was once in her grip. Her fingers brushed against his cheeks when she chuckled. "You again, hm? Came back for our honeymoon? Too bad our last rendevous was cut short."

Krampus glared at the dazzling woman with a deep hatred. Before, he would've fallen into her embrace. Ravished her luscious body for nights on end and marked her as his. Now however, his eyes were no longer shadowed by lust. He only shook his head. I'm not interested in your games, woman, he thought, knowing full well she could hear him.

"Oh, really?" The mermaid smiled before wrapping her tail around Krampus to pull him closer. "Funny, you were so adorable all those years ago when you died in my arms. Remember that?"

Forced to look into her hungry eyes, Krampus smiled back as an idea lit in his mind. How could I not, Marie? You were beautiful.

Her hands gripped his shoulders when she pushed him closer, his head practically smothered in her breasts. "You were always such a charmer. I'm so delighted to have you back. Whenever I sang for you, only elves came. I thought you didn't want me anymore."

She patted his head, singing in her native tongue for a moment. Her chest was bare, leaving nothing to his imagination. He had to admit; drowning in her embrace was tempting. Nonetheless, he fought his urge to rip himself from her grasp and have his way with her right there. There was too much at stake. I was simply away on... vacation. The last word was thought in spite when Krampus remembered the tyrannous king.

Marie laughed after nuzzling his neck. She looked into his onyx eyes with furrowed eyebrows. "Now that you're back, you'll stay, right?"

Krampus smirked at her, then shifted his focus to her large tail that prevented his movements. He had to be careful with his thoughts, for he would rather die a thousand fold than be stuck with Marie. The sadistic woman stole what innocence Krampus had left as a naive boy when she called him to sea and showed him things no one else dared to.

He was beginning to panic. Not only because of the haunting mermaid in front of him, but also the sensation of cold sea water seeping past his clenched teeth and travelling down his throat. He was running out of air. Before he realized it, he shook his head in response to the mermaid's plea. I can't, Marie. You drowned me twice―I won't let it happen a third time.

Despite his rejection, she didn't care. Marie placed a long, cold kiss on his lips and traced the outline of his lower region. Her smile held a grim undertone when she licked her lips. "If that's the case, then die. Your king ate my sister, if I remember correctly." She wasn't looking at Krampus' face. Her attention was instead on the bulge in her grasp. "Maybe I should do the same as compensation?"

The pearls encasing her tail soon came into his vision. Her green fin swung when she sunk in front of the goat demon's crotch. Her teeth were dangerously close to him. He could feel her nail digging into his skin. Marie, he trailed off, losing track of his thoughts for a moment. However, he quickly shook out of his trance and kicked her away with what strength he had left. I never said you could touch me, dear. Besides, it was her fault for getting caught.

Marie growled and opened her mouth to say something but halted once she spotted his cold stare. He was serious. She let her arms sink to her sides and muttered, "All right, fine. Maybe next time." Marie then flipped her hair over her shoulder with a huff. "Where do you want to go?"

First, up. I need to breath, unlike you damned fish.

"Hm, fair enough." She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the surface. When they were inches away, she looked at him. "Are you sure you don't want to die again?"

Krampus glanced at her body. Her flesh shined brighter than any opal. Her wanting green eyes seemed to always gaze at him. And her plump coral lips; those were what made him ache for her warmth. Even so, he had no reason to stay. With one last grip of her arm, he swam ahead. Positive. When I'm done, take me to the cave with the poisonous flowers.

"Mm, with pleasure. You've sure grown," were the last words he heard before rising his head above the waves. Krampus took deep breaths to fill his lungs with air.

When he regained his composure, he dived under once more. Marie was little ways ahead of him. Krampus swam after her. Even if he was aware of her intentions, he knew she would do what he asked. So the goat demon blindly followed her in swift movements.

All was silent. No words were exchanged between them; everything she said was spoken through her suggestive movements. But Krampus wouldn't be swayed. He had to get that flower. Who knew what would happen if he didn't.

Time always seemed to move slower in the ocean; everything swam at its own pace, only relying on the gentle waves to guide them. But Krampus knew that was just the way they tempted you to go deeper. The ocean and its inhabitants wanted him to drown under the illusion that he was in his own Atlantis City. He refused to accept that fate again.

Marie glanced back to find Krampus swimming faster, determined to conquer his fear. She chuckled and took his hand. "I'll make this trip faster for you. But in return, let me kill you once more. You know what they say; third time's a charm!" Her eyes glowed at his disgusted expression.

How about something better? Me ripping you to shreds. He snatched his arm from her hand and scowled. Just hurry up and take me there.

Marie flinched and bit her lip. "Damn. You're much harder to pull in than when you were a kid."

His eyes were staring into the abyss with an unwavering calmness. Kids have to grow up sooner or later.

Without another word, she took his arm again and brought him to the entrance of the cave. "This is as far as I can take you. The flowers are beautiful but incredibly toxic, even for us. Have fun."

Krampus watched Marie swim away until her silhouette vanished. If he wasn't underwater, he would've sighed in relief. Finally. He then turned to the entrance resembling a tunnel and forced his body upwards. A shiver crawled through him when he noticed the purple gas at the end. Let's get this over with.