On the coast of the seaport town of Nauplia in the Peloponnese region, a wistful young lady prayed.

A strong wind ruffled Meleph’s clothing as she stood clasping her hands together in prayer near the edge of a cliff by the ocean. The view of the full moon was clear and unobstructed.

“O Goddess of the Moon, Selene. I have come again tonight to ask for the good health and safety of my dearest mother. Please watch over us as we devote ourselves to your benevolence.” She prayed.

“Ah, Meleph is here!” Moon Goddess Selene smiled lovingly at the human from her position on the full moon. “Ever since her mother fell ill, she has been coming every night to the same cliff to pray to me.”

This filled the goddess with so much joy that she squealed. “Ah, I’m so happy! I hardly ever get any worshipers.”

For this reason, Selene had been supporting Meleph’s family with small blessing. Despite not being able to cure the mother’s condition, the goddess was happy to fulfil the prayers of the loyal young lady to the best she could.

Suddenly, because of a powerful gust of wind, Selene saw Meleph trip and fall from the cliff’s edge.

“Ahh!” the young lady cried as she plummeted into the rushing waves below.

“Oh no!” Selene cried as she witnessed the tragedy.

Immediately, the goddess clasped her hands together and commanded a spell. “Dearest Meleph, you must survive! For your mother’s sake, I shall turn you into a sea nymph!”

With this, the drowning woman’s body glowed, and the transformation began. From this moment forward, she would cease to be human, and her body’s internal structure morphed into that of a sea nymph. Fortunately, since humans and sea nymphs looked no different externally, Selene knew Meleph could return to her mother without issues. However, there would come a day when she would have no choice but to live in the ocean…

“Be well, little Meleph,” Selene whispered.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Meleph woke up lying on the beach to the sound of waves crashing. The moon was glowing high in the night sky.

She was alive. The fact surprised her; she clearly remembered falling off the cliff and into the sea. She remembered being fearful that she would leave her dear mother behind to fend for herself.

But as seawater rushed up and brushed against Meleph’s body, she felt a soothing sensation run through her, as if the sea was calling her, urging her.

“Come, little one, come home.”

Meleph sat up and stared at the receding waves. She could hear it speak! That was not normal. Somehow, she knew, she was no longer the same as she had been before.

The waves wash up to caress her once again.

“Little one, come home, where you belong.” There it was again. The ocean whispered to her every time it touched her.

Meleph backed away from the water and was relieved when the voice disappeared. Before she could hesitate any longer, she quickly rushed back to her home in Nauplia. Whatever had happened to her, she decided she would worry about it later. Her priority was getting back home, where her dear mother was waiting for her.

“Oh, Meleph, what happened? You’re all wet.” Sitting up from her bed, Meleph’s mother noticed her state as soon as she walked into the house.

“I’m alright, Mother. I just tripped and fell into a puddle, that’s all.” Meleph lied. “Please don’t worry about me and lie back down to rest. You should be asleep by now.”

“I know, dear, but I got worried when you didn’t come back at the usual time.” Her mother coughed before continuing, “I’ll sleep now, but make sure you dry yourself before you go to bed.”

“I will,” Meleph nodded while helping her mother lie down. “Sleep well, mother, and may the gods bless your health.”

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

That night was the night that everything changed. One year later, Meleph returned to the same beach she had woken up on. She stood on the sand as she stared listlessly out at the ocean.

Within the year, her mother’s illness had grown gradually worse. She could only watch in heartbreak as the fragile woman who raised her fell into a deep coma and then eventually passed away in her sleep. For several days, Meleph mourned her loss until she finally succumbed to the urge to see the ocean.

Since ‘that’ night, the calls of the ocean spirit—while faint—continued to whisper in the back of her mind. She could not fully escape them even on land, but she had successfully ignored them for an entire year, until now.

Dipping her feet into the seawater, Meleph felt the same soothing sensation she had felt a year ago.

“Come home, little one. Come…”

With her mother gone and no other worldly attachments keeping her in the mortal world, Meleph now found the whispers very enticing. Perhaps she could find a new home in the ocean; she no longer had anything holding her back anymore.

With that thought, Meleph bravely walked towards the sea. Somehow, she could tell that she would not drown. Every fibre of her being was tingling with a sweet sensation as more of her legs touched the ocean.

Eventually, Meleph simply dove into the water, her body completely submerged. It truly felt like coming home.

Just moments after she submerged herself, Meleph realised she could breathe easily underwater. Swimming also came naturally to her, as if she had been born to swim all her life and was finally in her natural element. These facts cemented it for her; she really was not human anymore.

“Welcome home, little sea nymph,” the ocean whispered one last time before finally fading away.

Sea nymph. She was a sea nymph now. No, since that night a year ago. A memory suddenly surfaced, and Meleph remembered hearing the voice of Selene while she was drowning. It was the Moon Goddess who turned her into a sea nymph!

A blessing in disguise? Meleph was uncertain, but as she continued to swim further into the sea, she discovered the ocean was a vast and unfamiliar place compared to the surface.

What an odd feeling; to feel the comfort of home, yet her new home was never more foreign.

The seabed was vast, beautiful and untouched. Coral, sea life and various fish and creatures swam and populated a rugged seascape that Meleph had never seen before, not even in picture books. It was both wondrous and scary.

Down here, everything was completely different.

In the distance, she could also see other naked humanoid beings swimming and drifting, minding their own business. They noticed Meleph and openly gawked at her.

“Are they sea nymphs like me too?” she whispered to herself.

Steadily, she swam closer to a group of sea nymphs, but as soon as they noticed this, the group quickly swam away from her. This repeated with other sea nymphs as well until it was clear no-one wanted to be near her.

“Oh! They don’t like me…” Meleph sighed.

Disheartened, she continued to solemnly drift around her new home. The other sea nymphs could probably tell she was different compared to them. That’s why they wanted nothing to do with her; she was not a nymph by birth after all.

However, the human personality that remained in her urged her to find some form of shelter to claim as her own for the time being. She could not remain lost forever, so she searched among the rocks and coral for a place to stay. Fish and sea creatures of all different kinds swam past her, mostly ignoring her while she inspected the area.

“Who’s there?!” Until she accidentally intruded upon claimed territory.

The large boulder she was touching immediately began to quiver and move. What she thought was a mere rock turned out to be the head of a giant squid! The gigantic sea monster must have been slumbering under sand and coral before Meleph disturbed it.

“Oh my, a little nymph.” It remarked as it towered over her like a menacing predator. “You’ll make a nice snack for me.”

Meleph shrieked as she swam away as fast as she could. The giant monster laughed as it chased after her in hot pursuit.

“That’s right, swim away! It makes the chase so much more fun for me!”

Fear pounded in her heart as she darted around the seascape to escape the giant squid. Her new environment was far more dangerous than she realised! How could she possibly make a home here?

“Help! Someone! Anyone!” Meleph cried as she found herself backed into a corner. Was this how she was going to die? Alone and as fodder for a sea monster? Her pursuer gleefully took the opportunity to lunge at her when it was suddenly tackled to the side by a giant crab.

“Vamari! How dare you attack an innocent nymph for your amusement!” The giant crab lashed out with its mighty claw.

She was saved! Meleph watched as her saviour viciously fought off the squid. What it lacked in range and speed, the crab made up with its armour and strength. Venomous tentacles could not harm the rock-hard shell, but pincers could claw at the enemy’s arms, causing a loud screech in pain.

“Begone, vile squid!” The giant crab finally drove the other into fleeing.

It was finally over! Meleph sank to the ground in relief.

“Are you alright, little nymph?” A pincer carefully moved under her to lift her back up. “This area can be dangerous if you’re not careful. Did you get separated from your sisters?”

Gingerly, she shook her head. “No, I’m alone…”

“You’re not a daughter of one of the sea titans, or perhaps Poseidon?” The crab asked carefully.

“No… I have no family.” She admitted mournfully. Just the thought of her mother could bring tears to her eyes if she weren’t underwater.

“I see, you’re a regular Haliai then.” The crab nodded in understanding. “I am Carcinus. Do you have a name?”

“Meleph.”

“The sea is a big and dangerous place, Meleph,” Carcinus began. “If you’d like, I can be your guardian until you are ready to face it alone.”

For the first time since her mother’s passing, Meleph finally found a reason to smile. “Thank you, I would like that.”

From that day on, Carcinus taught Meleph all he knew about the sea and the creatures that live in its depths. The two grew closer in the process until eventually both crab and nymph came to regard each other as family. They were so inseparable that even the gods admired their connection.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

It took a few years before Meleph could say that she was finally well-adjusted to living life under the sea, and she credited it all to Carcinus’ tuition and guardianship. Without the giant crab’s support, she could not imagine where she would have ended up—probably in someone’s stomach—and for that, she felt indebted to Carcinus and stayed by his side even when she no longer relied on the other for survival.

She could not read her guardian’s hard exterior, but she discovered he was strong and highly respected amongst the gods, and would at times be called upon to act as a guard or go into battle. Meleph would never take part in these assignments, nor would Carcinus allow it, but she would always be there to nurse his battle wounds once everything was done.

So it was no surprise to Meleph when one day, Olympian Goddess Hera came seeking Carcinus for a task.

“Carcinus the Giant Crab, I need you to act as reinforcement for a battle that will take place in Lake Lerna,” Hera commanded, standing before them. “The hydra that I have raised will soon go into battle with a man named Heracles.”

Hera spat out the name Heracles with so much vermin that it caused both Carcinus and Meleph to sweat.

“You will distract him as the hydra takes his head. If you can, make sure he never gets back up.” Hera added.

“A-as you wish, O Hera, Queen of Olympus.” Carcinus nervously bowed.

“Yes. Now please hurry over to Lerna as fast as you can.” With a nod of her head, Hera disappeared as quickly as she had come, leaving both crab and nymph to glance nervously at each other.

“I take it Queen Hera doesn’t like this Heracles person.” Meleph could not help commenting.

“That would be a story for another day, little one.” Carcinus gently patted her head with the side of a pincer.

Another quality Meleph admired about her guardian, he took his duties seriously and without hesitation.

As the goddess had instructed, the two hurried over to Lake Lerna as fast as the giant crab could carry them. While Meleph never took part, she would almost always come along anyway to provide aid where possible and emotional support for Carcinus.

Despite the crab’s size, it still took them a couple of hours to navigate the seafloor of the Gulf of Argolis to get to the coast of Lerna. They then found a river stream that directed them to their lake destination, where they needed to find the hydra that Queen Hera mentioned.

The moment the duo broke out to the surface, Meleph realised it was the first time in many years—since she had left her human life—that she had finally stepped back onto land. To feel air touching her body once again gave her a feeling of nostalgia, but that feeling was quickly pushed aside once they found the battlefield at Lake Lerna.

Hera’s black Lernaean Hydra was so enormous, the lake was like a puddle in comparison. Its nine heads stared down, towering over a tall man wearing a cloak of lion skin, the man named Heracles. The smell of bloodlust was so thick in the area, both Carcinus and Meleph hid nearby to watch the scene.

The tall man must have casted a spell, because Meleph suddenly saw him glow and then he rapidly started growing in size. In just a few moments, the warrior wearing his lion-skin cloak became the same size as the monstrous hydra and could meet it face to face.

“Whoa!” She could not help but gasp out loud.

At first, Meleph was dismayed by the hydra’s monstrous size and its nine heads. Was there even a need for reinforcements? It seemed the hydra could handle everything itself. But as soon as the man, Heracles, magically grew in size, she was utterly shocked. What kind of man could grow his size just like that?

Sensing her bewilderment, Carcinus provided an explanation. “Queen Hera called him a man, but in reality Heracles is a demigod. A son of King Zeus and a human woman, he has powers that normal men could never have. His illegitimacy is why the Queen wishes for his death.”

“Oh…” Meleph slowly nodded as she continued to stare. The world truly was a larger place than she could ever imagine.

Moments later, both the hydra and the giant Heracles lunged at each other simultaneously. The clash was as loud as thunder.

From their hiding place, both crab and nymph watched as the hydra tried to bite at Heracles but could not penetrate the demigod’s lion-skin cloak. Seeing the opportunity, the giant man used his sickle to hack at the hydra’s multiple heads, but it was ineffective as the heads simply regenerated back. It appeared as if the giant and the hydra were evenly matched, unable to get the upper hand over the other despite their obvious strengths.

This was where Carcinus decided he needed to step in and aid the hydra.

“Stay hidden, Meleph. Don’t come out until the battle has ended.”

Every time the crab left for a task, he would recite these very words to her. This time, however, she felt a heavy feeling in her stomach as she watched her guardian rush out of their hiding spot to do his part.

The scene still bewildered her in many ways. In the hero and monster stories her mother would tell her as a child, she would wish for the hero to defeat the monster. Yet how bizarre that in this scenario, she was on the side of the monster and wished for the defeat of the ‘hero’.

Meleph watched as Carcinus’ mighty pincers attacked Heracles’ feet and ankles; his giant crab size neutralised by the enormous size of his enemy.

But it appeared to have an effect! The attacks on his feet distracted Heracles enough to get him caught and entangled within the hydra’s grasp. The monster must have decided that since it could not pierce its enemy with its bite, then it could crush it instead!

“Heracles!” a voice called out.

Oh no, the enemy has reinforcements too! Meleph felt the heaviness in her stomach grow heavier.

While Carcinus continued to dart swiftly from side to side, attacking the giant’s feet, another person joined the battle with a flaming torch in hand. This new addition, addressed as Heracles’ nephew, helped his uncle out of the hydra’s grasp while giving the idea of cauterising its decapitated heads.

“Carcinus… Please be safe.” Meleph prayed as she saw the enemy figure out how to counter the hydra’s regenerative heads.

One, two, three. One after the other, the hydra continued to lose its heads as Heracles slashed at them and the nephew burnt each decapitated stump. All the while, the giant crab did his best to hinder the giant’s movements. Even he knew the situation was not looking good, so in one final effort, Carcinus clamped down onto Heracles’ foot and refused to let go.

It was at that moment that Heracles tolerated the crab no more. With a swift look at his feet, the giant used his free foot to stomp down on the irritating giant crab. Fortunately for Heracles, the nuisance was gone quickly.

There was nothing but solid rock under Carcinus. His hard shell smashed in, and the giant crab died instantly.

Meleph could only cover her mouth in horror.

It took all of Meleph’s will not to scream the instant it happened.

Once Heracles’ foot lifted from the ground, it revealed the crab’s crushed shell and lifeless body. The pincer that had latched onto his foot became detached from the body, but it still held on tight despite that fact. As if the crab’s iron will transferred into the pincer and refused to leave. Heracles had no choice but to continue fighting the hydra with a pincer in his foot.

All of that went unnoticed by Meleph, however, as all she could see was the trampled body of her guardian, her family since she gave up the human life. She has lost her family once again.

The battle that continued to rage on became background noise. It pained her that she could not rush out to Carcinus’ body the moment she realised he was dead, but her guardian’s words rang in her mind.

“Stay hidden, Meleph. Don’t come out until the battle has ended.”

The battle had not ended yet. The area was still dangerous, so she could not come out. All she could do was stay hidden and suffer in her misery alone in her corner. So until the end had come, Meleph refused to let her tears fall, least they cloud her vision.

Irrespective of her feelings, the battle continued on with no regard for the crushed crab. Without any further distractions, Heracles was able to attack quickly and precisely, further decapitating the hydra’s remaining heads, while his nephew cauterised the wound to prevent regeneration. Before long, the monster only had one remaining head left; the immortal head that contained all its powers.

Meleph did not bat an eye when giant Heracles slashed at the final head of the hydra, she did not look away when he dipped his sickle into the hydra’s blood wound, and she merely waited patiently when both nephew and uncle walked out of the swamp with the hydra’s final head as they prize.

Only then, once the coast was clear, did she make a beeline towards Carcinus’ crushed body. Only then did she see the heavy damage and broken pieces of shell. Only then did she allow herself to mourn, slumped over her guardian’s corpse, tears rolling down her face.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Hera felt various emotions when she saw Heracles alive with the decapitated head of her beloved hydra. Anger, amazement, grief. The bastard even buried the head under a huge rock to make sure her hydra never rose again.

But the one emotion she did not expect to feel was regret.

When she saw Meleph the Sea Nymph mourn over the death of Carcinus the Giant Crab, she realised she may have committed a grave mistake. As the goddess of family, she did the unthinkable.

While both the hydra and the crab fought bravely for her cause to rid her of her unfaithful husband’s illegitimate son, she neglected to think that others might be inadvertently affected by her mission as well. At this point, the goddess was not sure how to comfort the grieving nymph, since she had been the one who sent the giant crab into battle.

“Meleph dear, I am sorry for your loss, but please know that Carcinus served his duty well and his tenacity was greatly admired.” Hera tried to offer the nymph consoling words, but Meleph did not want any of it.

“Queen Hera, you best of all should know that words could never fill the void made from the loss of a loved one.” She glared at the goddess. “Carcinus was not blood, but he was still family to me. As a god of this world, are words the only thing you could offer to someone you’ve caused much grief to?”

Hera was shocked. She did not expect a mild-mannered nymph to have such a shrewd attitude. While reviving the deceased was not impossible, it was a very tedious process, one that even her husband King Zeus rarely ever allowed. But the goddess knew there was an alternative method that she could offer.

“Alright,” Hera sighed, “I can help you bring back Carcinus if you will offer your body and half of your life to the process.”

“You can do that?” Meleph gasped, her eyes immediately lighting up. “Yes, anything! I’ll offer anything you need!”

“Then so be it. Take this as my compensation.” Hera raised her hand.

In a snap, both Carcinus and Meleph merged to form a half-crab half-human body; a beautiful female with crab pincers and legs sprouting from her head. Aside from new physical features, Meleph was pleased to realised that she could now feel Carcinus’ memories and love for her within herself. The very emotions that his hard crab exterior could not convey.

“Thank you.” Meleph whispered gratefully.

Hera smiled, pleased that the merging was a success. “And now, one more thing. I will make you the personification of the fourth zodiacal constellation.”

“Huh?” The crab-human Meleph stared at the goddess confused.

Hera continued, “From now on, you’ll be called ‘Cancer the Crab’!”

END