Through her explorations of the deep tunnels in the lagoon of Pisces, Lethe had found a tunnel. Not a small tunnel that she could use as a sort of den, no, it was a very, very big tunnel. She had been curious, a little daring, but wary of Tenzin's lessons of currents and undertows. If this tunnel somehow led to the core that he had told her about, then she would be at the mercy of the river. But she felt very little force or current coming from the tunnel, so she had decided it would be safe.

And safe it had been, although the water had grown progressively more murky as she swam deeper and deeper until it was almost black in color. Not that she had a problem with this - she could see perfectly fine, but the darkness made her feel more at home. At least, more at home then she'd been in the crystal waters of Pisces. The only problem was the strain the heavier water put on her gills. The muddy water didn't go easily into her lungs and, at one point where the black became so thick she could barely breathe, she looked forward to sticking her head above the water and absorbing the moisture in the air.

However, as the tunnel finally opened up, she found the water a lot more manageable. It was still murky and hard to breathe, but it was better then the tunnel. She wasn't sure what, exactly, she had stumbled upon but she curiously began to explore her surroundings. Something began to echo in the water, a deep base note that caused ripples in the deep. For a second, her heart trilled with excitement. It sounded like her language! She cried back, an eerie, echoing song. Hello? Is there someone there?
She didn't want to wait for a reply, though, and swam towards the place where she had heard the voice. Ahead was blackness thicker then the water had been before, but she simply assumed that it was just murkier water and prepared herself for the travel through it. However, as she reached it, she ended up bumping right into a slimy, slick hide that wasn't at all just a patch of water. She reeled back, confused. Strange noises came from her throat, songs of questions and curiosities. She reached forward and touched the oily slime, examining it between her fingers. This was very strange.

As soon as the slime began to shift, Lamia immedaitely floated back, but it was too late. The undertow flipped her away and she screeched into the water with surprise. But she didn't go far before she fought hard enough to keep herself going. However, she made no attempt to go back closer to the thing that she now realized was a creature. A very very large creature. Almost as big as Tenzin!

Her heart skipped a beat. Tenzin had mentioned twelve ancients, including himself, spread across the world. She had asked if any of them were fish, but he had told her no...but this! This was a fish! Or fish-like, at least. The fact that she was completely sure she had discovered another Ancient was the only reason she wasn't swimming for her life.

"I am...Lamia," she echoed into the water. And, of course, like Tenzin, it could understand her speech. Or maybe because it was a giant fish. Could all watery creatures understand and speak the same thing? "I am small but I will grow. Tenzin told me. I am his friend." As if Phlegethon should absolutely know who Tenzin was. But of course he did! Didn't all the Ancients know each other. "I do not know what I am. I swim and breathe water, but I think and speak as well. I eat fish," she added on the end, as if this would justify her not being a fish herself.

Lamia was also confused, but her eyes did no such brow-furrowing. She did not have brows. She did not have lids. Just big bulging globes that regarded the slime monster for a moment. Did not all of the Ancients know each other? Perhaps she was mistaken and Phlegethon was not an Ancient. But it was so big!

Friendship is good, she responded. You...do not know Tenzin? He said there were 12 in the beginning. And they all are great big creatures. Do you know who the others are? She hadn't yet caught on.

But now she understood a little more - Tenzin had said that none of them were fish. Well, Phlegethon wasn't a fish! It simply dwelled in the water. But it would breathe air. Was that right? But its head was here...how was it breathing and speaking to her? You do not breathe water? Do you breathe the air-above-water? How do you do this? It was a conversation she realized she'd never had. She knew how she breathed - she took in water through her gills. She breathed it. She let it go and took in more. But how did air-breathers breathe?

Lamia's eyes brightened at the sight of the bubbles shooting out of Phlegethon's back. She liked bubbles! Tenzin had blown bubbles for her when she hatched. She actually started forward to go and play with them, forgetting about Phlegethon for a moment before she stopped. They were all already gone. She moved back, a little disappointed, but her attention was caught again as the giant slime monster explained to her how it breathed.

It was fascinating, though, to know that it took in air and held it. Like holding its breath? Or it trapped air in its body and breathed that? Whatever the case, that was absolutely incredible. A little mind boggling as well. Although she had no idea what a nose was. Tenzin's face had a big sharp thing on it. Was that a nose? Was that how he breathed? A nose is like gills? But not flat? And another question. Speaking needs air? But I speak and I don't need air either. Is that odd?

As soon as Lamia started, the water around her shifted as the monster moved as well. Nervous, she swam back a bit to stay in calm waters although a small wave still washed over it. She was prepared for it, though, and managed not to drift too far. Tenzin's lessons had, apparently, imparted some nervousness around waves to her. Calm water was more her things.

As Phlegethon began to drift up, Lamia followed, preparing magic to breathe while out of water. As soon as her head breached the surface of the water, she began to collect the moisture in the air and, to her surprise and delight, the air in this room was damp and chilly and the mist around she breathed in happily. This is a good cave, she echoed beneath the water, if Phlegethon could still hear the voice beneath the water.

But now that she was above water and thinking about it, she wondered if she could speak as she did beneath the water. She opened her mouth, her pointed teeth glistening in the light, and tried to release air the way Phlegethon had told her others did. Her vents, after all, were similar to noses and allowed her to breath out from her mouth, but all that came out was a raspy hiss that greatly surprised her. She snapped her jaws shut, a little startled by the sound of her voice. It was so different from the eerie, echoing beauty of her voice beneath the water. It was chilling and sharp and she greatly disliked it. My voice is different...it is sad. My beautiful voice is ruined above the water