“What… What is that?” I asked, not looking at the others. My heart was racing and suddenly I felt more alive than ever before. “What is that music?”
“Uh-oh,” the Djinn smiled, giving a knowing look to Bub. “Someone has a secret admirer.”
"A secret admirer?" I asked, still distracted by the hauntingly beautiful melody that seemed to be calling directly to me. "What do you mean?"
Bub laughed, a deep rumbling sound that reverberated through the bathhouse. "The merfolk. One of them has taken a liking to you."
"Merfolk?" I repeated, trying to remember if I'd ever encountered one during my previous visits. "I didn't know there were merfolk here."
The Djinn's purple lips curved into a knowing smile. "They tend to keep to themselves in the deeper pools. Not everyone can hear their songs… only those they wish to...entice."
I found myself standing without even making the conscious decision to do so, my body drawn toward the source of the music like a moth to flame. My still-hard cock bobbed in front of me, but I barely noticed as I grabbed my towel.
"Where are they?" I asked, wrapping the towel around my waist, though it did little to hide my obvious arousal.
Bub and the Djinn exchanged amused glances.
"Down the corridor, past the steam rooms," Bub said, gesturing toward a doorway I hadn't noticed before. "There's a series of deeper pools for the aquatic types."
"You should be flattered," the Djinn added. "There’s only three, and they're quite selective about who they call to."
I nodded absently, already moving toward the doorway. The music grew slightly louder as I approached, more distinct—a haunting melody that seemed to wrap around my very soul, tugging me forward with gentle insistence.
"Hey," Bub called after me. "If the fish doesn't work out, I'll be around later. Could show you what this cock feels like in places other than your mouth."
I turned back and gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks for the offer. Maybe I'll take you up on it."
But even as I said it, I knew I was already committed to following that song. It called to something deep inside me, something primal that had been dormant for far too long. Perhaps it was something that had never been awakened at all.
The corridor was dimly lit, the walls tiled in deep blue mosaics that shimmered with an almost phosphorescent glow. The air grew more humid as I walked, the scent of salt water becoming more pronounced. The music grew clearer with each step, resolving into a melody that seemed to match the rhythm of my heartbeat.
I passed several steam rooms, glimpsing various activities through frosted glass doors. There was a tangle of limbs here, the flash of scales or glowing eyes there. Any other time, I might have been tempted to join, but the song pulled me onward, deeper into the bathhouse.
The corridor opened into a cavernous space that took my breath away. Several large pools were set into the floor, each deeper than the main bath and illuminated from below with soft blue light. The ceiling arched high above, painted with a mural of an underwater scene depicting Poseidon ruling his kingdom far below the sea, his trident in hand.
The moment I stepped into the room, the song stopped followed by a splash. I glanced up just in time to see the glint of a scaled tail in the dim light as it disappeared below the surface.
I rushed to the edge of the deepest pool, my heart hammering in my chest. The water was crystal clear and seemed to glow from within, casting rippling patterns of light across my skin.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing in the cavernous space. "I heard your song."
No response came. The surface of the water remained still and unbroken. I crouched down, peering into the depths, trying to catch another glimpse of that tail.
"I know you're down there," I said, softer this time. "Your song was beautiful."
Just as I was beginning to think I'd imagined it all, a pair of bright green eyes appeared beneath the surface, staring up at me. They were luminous, almost phosphorescent, and utterly inhuman. I gasped, unable to look away.
Suddenly, a hand shot out of the water, grabbing my wrist with surprising strength. Before I could even shout, I was yanked forward, plunging headfirst into the pool.
The shock of the cold water hit me first, followed by the panic of being dragged downward. I thrashed instinctively, trying to break free and return to the surface, but the grip on my wrist was iron. We were moving fast, far too fast for normal swimming, shooting through the water at a speed that made my ears pop.
My lungs began to burn as we descended deeper. Just when I thought I couldn't hold my breath any longer, we made a sharp turn, and suddenly we were ascending again. I broke the surface with a desperate gasp, sucking air into my starving lungs.
I found myself in what appeared to be a small underwater cave, illuminated by the same phosphorescent blue light that had lit the pools. The ceiling was low, with stalactites hanging down like nature's chandeliers. The water here was warmer than in the pool, almost bath-like in its comfort.
As I treaded water, trying to get my bearings, a figure surfaced a few feet away from me.
"You heard my song," he said, his voice melodic yet masculine, with an accent I couldn't place. "Few humans do."
