Epilogue

Someone's phone was buzzing on the counter, but (Y/N) was still packing up her duffle bag with some waterproof pens and notebooks. Even after years of doing this, she still had happy jitters at the thought of going beneath the waves in one of the Atlantean submarines. Arthur had gifted her with her own watertight sub on hers' and Orms' first anniversary, promising that he'd work on making people watertight next. This attribute of the Trident still had not revealed itself to him, but it was a nice thought. It didn't matter to her in what capacity she could explore the depths, as long as she could come home to Orm every day.

Although relations were still somewhat prickly between her husband and his half-brother, she and Atlanna had worked to foster a sense of peace within the family—and she knew she had to credit Orm for his hard work too. He had chosen the long, difficult road of healing during his time in exile on the surface—something she hoped she had made into more of a sanctuary than a punishment. And, thankfully, the couple was allowed below the surface on a fairly regular basis—(Y/N) had received a grant in marine biology, specifically to study the unique life that called Atlantis home. This was something she could do comfortably from inside one of their elegant submarines, with Orm as her guide and pilot.

Nobody besides she and Jess knew who he really was, but it was an arrangement that kept them all safe. One day, when Arthur found a way to bring surfacers safely into Atlantis, Orm might return to his city. But for now, he insisted that (Y/N) was his home.