Jerric pressed his nose to the tank. Long, elegant, colorful fins trailed behind like streamers in a gentle breeze. He watched them for a moment, then stepped back and glanced at the price tag stuck to the glass.
"It's a fucking fish," he muttered under his breath. He turned away from the tank and moved down the aisle, passing various other tanks with other brightly colored fish.
"Anything I can help you with?"
Jerric paused and turned to the employee. "What happened to plain old goldfish?" he said loudly.
The store employee blinked at him for a moment. "Uh," he started. "We have some of those." He pointed to the tank at the end of the aisle.
Jerric sighed and stepped around him, moving to the tank the employee indicated. He stared through the glass, watching the brainless goldfish swim in circles. After a moment, he got the strange sense he was being watched, and he peered over his shoulder. He was alone in the aisle. He turned back to the tank, only noticing then the odd little goldfish that had stopped swimming and was seemingly staring at him.
Jerric's gaze narrowed and he stared back for a moment, then sighed. "I'm having a staring contest with a fish," he said under his breath. "This is where my life is at these days."
The fish moved side to side, as if wagging its tail.
"You're a weird dude," Jerric said.
"Do you… want the goldfish?"
Jerric turned to see the employee, watching him hesitantly. He pressed a finger to the glass. "That one."
The employee hesitated. "That one?" he asked. "I can't just… grab any dumb fish?"
Jerric sneered at him. "No," he said slowly. "I want the stupid one that's staring at me."
The employee shrugged, then moved to the side of the tank, retrieving a net. He stood on his tip toes as he reached into the tank, and to both of their surprise, the fish remained still as he scooped him into the net. He dropped the fish into a bag of water, sealed it, then handed it to Jerric.
"What is it? Fifty cents?"
The employee sighed. "Dude, just take it, I don't even care."
Jerric grinned. He held the bag up to his face. "I'll call him… Fin." His lips pursed.
"I don't care," he said. "I'm on break and I'm gonna get high." Without another word, he turned and left Jerric alone.
"That's a dumb name," Jerric muttered to himself. "Gill?" He grinned suddenly. "Sir Swims A lot. Swim Shady!"
Jerric looked around, but no one else seemed to occupy the store. He strode out the door, goldfish in hand and out into the parking lot. He slipped into his car, plopping the goldfish down on the seat beside him, and drove home.
He fumbled with the lock to his apartment, then stepped inside, dropping his keys on the nearby table. He held up the bag with the fish, examining it.
"Welcome home, Mister Shady," he said. "It's not much, but it's somewhere to crash after a twelve hour shift." He placed the bag on the table, then moved to the fridge. "Listen up, Swim; if there's a sock on the door knob, that means I got a lady friend, so please do not disturb, alright?" He pulled out a frozen burrito, then dropped it into the microwave. He tapped the numbers on the pad, then turned around in the kitchen. He grabbed an empty glass bowl, filled it with water, placed it on the counter, then dropped the goldfish inside.
Swim swam around, seemingly getting acclimated with his new space, then turned to stare at Jerric once more.
"You're fucking weird," Jerric muttered. "I give you three days before I see you belly up." He sighed, then straightened. He dropped a few flakes of fish food in the bowl, then stepped out of the kitchen and dropped onto his bed. He turned his head to the side, staring at the tv, then stretched for the remote, clicking the tv on. He reached for the bowl on his nightstand, packed it with the contents in a small baggie, then flicked a lighter. After a few minutes, he was snoring on the bed.
It was early when he woke. The sun was streaming through the half opened blinds and across his face, and he groaned softly. He draped his arm over his eyes, then sighed.
"Hey, Swim," he said. "You up, man?" He smirked to himself. He pushed himself upright as he spoke. "I was thinking we could get some seafood for dinner. You in?" He snickered to himself, then blinked in the morning light. His gaze settled on the old couch in front of him. He stared dumbly at the merman that was stretched out, then slapped himself in the face.
"Holy fuck I smoked too much," he muttered. But when he looked again, the merman was still on the couch.
"You know, I actually don't really like seafood," the merman said. "And my name's not Swim, you nimwit."
"It… talks," Jerric muttered.
"Yes, it talks." The merman rolled his eyes. "Call me Pisces."
Jerric blinked at him. "What?" He hesitated. "Oh my god. Did I find you on Tinder?" He jumped out of bed. "Dude! What the fuck?!"
Pisces peered up at him. "Tinder?" He scoffed. "You're the one that picked me up!"
Jerric shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Dude, get out before I call the cops."
"Well, that's just rude," Pisces said with a frown. "You brought me here. I'm your guest."
Jerric ignored him and made his way into the kitchen, stopping when he felt water under his feet. He stared at the ground where the glass bowl lay shattered.
"Naw! Swim Shady!"
"I said it's Pisces."
Jerric whipped around to face the merman. "You ate my fish?"
Pisces narrowed his gaze on him. "I am your fish."
Jerric blinked at him. "I… WHAT?!"
"You're just as stupid as those damn pet store employees," Pisces said.
"You're… a goldfish."
"Technically, no," Pisces started. "I'm actually a collection of cosmic dust who has been transformed into a zodiac symbol to help the mortals of this world survive an age-long war between the gods and the gigante."
Jerric continued to stare at him. "A… WHAT?!"
"I really don't like it anymore than you do," Pisces said frankly. "I mean, why is it our problem to clean up after their mess? Half of the problems in this world are a result of Zeus being unable to keep his dick in his fucking pants." He sighed. "But I digress. They're unable to fix this on their own, which is where I come in. The fate of the world, unfortunately, relies on twelve mortals, such as yourself. Only you can save the world, Master Jerric. Gods help this world if the other eleven are as stupid as you."
Jerric stared a moment longer, then burst into laughter. "Holy shit, man," he said between breaths. "That's fucking wild. Look. I don't know where the fuck you came from, but you need to get out right the fuck now before I call the cops!"
Pisces frowned. "I see you are going to make this more difficult for me. What do I have to do to convince you?"
Jerric hesitated. He turned his gaze to the bowl on his nightstand. He fell against the bed, then lit up. He inhaled deeply, sighed, then offered the bowl to Pisces. "Smoke?"
Pisces looked at him with an unamused and exasperated expression. "That's just going to make you freak out more."
"Nah," Jerric said. "I'm gonna need some serious drugs if you want me to ride your wild ass train."
"You know," Pisces started. "This whole quest of your's comes with super powers."
Jerric snorted. "Yeah? Like, what? I can fucking talk to fish? No thanks, Aquaman. I'm not being the lame ass superhero in this fantasy of yours."
"Offensive."
"Bite me."
"You have the ability to alter the subconscious mind," Pisces said. "I suspect this will come in handy to unite with the other eleven."
"Sounds as useless as Aquaman," Jerric muttered.
"I'm done with you. When you're ready to listen, you know where to find me."
Without warning, Pisces transformed suddenly, right before Jerric's eyes, dropping to the floor as a goldfish once more.
Jerric dropped his bowl and leapt to his feet. "Jesus fucking Christ!"
The fish flopped onto the floor for a moment until it fell still.
"Swim Shady!" Jerric dropped to his knees, then with his index finger and thumb, he picked the fish up by its tail. It dangled limp from his hand, and Jerric peered at it with a frown.
"Fuck," he whispered. "My high ass killed it already."
The fish began to twitch suddenly and Jerric yelped and dropped it in surprise. The fish grew and transformed suddenly, taking the shape of the merman once more. Pisces's tail slapped Jerric in the face in the process.
"Will you stop man-handling me?" Pisces hissed at him.
Jerric sat on the ground, his back against his bed, and stared at Pisces, mouth gaping. His phone rang, causing him to jump, and he turned around to climb on his bed, reaching for the phone on his nightstand. He brought it to his ear.
"What?" His eyes widened as he listened, then he turned to look at the clock on the wall. His brows furrowed and he frowned deeply. He coughed. "Yeah. Sorry. Sick. Okay, bye." He ended the call, let the phone drop onto the bed, then rolled onto his back and sighed.
"My fucking shift," he muttered.
"Well, since you have the day off," Pisces started. "We can go look for the others."
Jerric got up from the bed and made his way to the door. He took his jacket from the hanger and threw it on quickly. "I'm getting out of here," he said. "And when I come back, you'll be gone."
"What am I supposed to do here?"
Jerric glanced over his shoulder, then stepped out of his apartment. In the hallway, he hesitated, then opened the door again and peered inside. Pisces was still sitting on the floor, looking at him expectantly.
"Dammit," Jerric muttered.
"Can I come, too?"
Jerric stepped inside. "Excuse me?"
"Just throw me in your pocket," Pisces said. "I'll be fine. I don't really need water to survive."
Jerric frowned. "Then why were you half dead on my floor?"
Pisces grinned. "Just fucking with you."
Jerric sneered at Pisces, and the merman quickly took the form of a goldfish once more. Jerric picked up the fish, then shoved him into his jacket pocket.
I said quit man-handling me!
Jerric jumped at the voice in his head. "Dude! Seriously?"
How else am I supposed to talk to you?
"Don't!" Jerric stormed out of his apartment, downstairs, and outside into the cool, early spring air.
Where are we going?
"Taking you back to the damn store."
Pisces whined. That place smells funny.
Jerric ignored the voice in his head. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, jumping when his fingers touched the cool, slippery skin of the fish he carried with him. Pisces snickered in his head, and Jerric yanked his hand back, muttering to himself.
He took the alleyway shortcut he always took away from his apartment, strolling across the large, empty parking lot of a long abandoned business complex. A few buildings several stories high made up a majority of the complex, but there were two taller buildings as well, just behind these buildings. They weren't nearly as tall as some of the skyscrapers in New York, nor were they as nice. They were in an older part of the district, likely built almost a hundred years ago, and had fallen into the ruins over the years. An old, rotted for sale sign swung lazily in the breeze. It was only a matter of time before the city would succumb to purchase it and rip it down for something new.
He hadn't even gotten halfway across the lot, however, when a large shadow caught his attention. He turned his gaze to the tallest tower curiously. Most of the windows were dirtied and broken, but there was no mistaking the shadowy figure he saw moving passed the windows. Even from the distance, Jerric could see it was much too large to be human.
Gigante, Pisces hissed.
"You've gotta be fuckin-"
But before Jerric could finish, a mighty roar came from the building, nearly causing the ground beneath his feet to tremble.
"This isn't happening," Jerric muttered.
You need to stop it before it destroys the city, Pisces said.
"Excuse me?" Jerric pulled the fish from his pocket and held him in front of his face. "You saw the size of that thing, right?"
I'll help you, Pisces said. That's the whole reason I'm here. To help you and protect you, alright?
Jerric snorted. "And how the fuck is a fucking fish going to protect me, asshole?"
Will you just trust me?
"No!"
Listen to me, Pisces started. Taurus is close by. There is another who can help you. I can sense them. But you will need to reach out to the mortal yourself. You can send her a message through her subconscious. She will come and help you.
Jerric hesitated. He turned his gaze to the building once more. He cleared his throat. "How… do I do that?"
I will teach you. Go home; you will be safer there. We will return tomorrow. I think I can hold it off in the meantime.
Jerric sighed. "Oh, what the hell," he muttered. "Alright. Fine. I'll go home. Take a nap. Wake up from this nightmare. Sounds good to me." He dropped the goldfish back into his pocket.
And what if you wake up and the nightmare remains?
Jerric turned back toward his apartment. He glanced over his shoulder as the shadow of the Gigante walked passed another set of windows.
"Then I guess I embrace the nightmare and go giant hunting."