Claus: The Odyssey of the Ocean
At the bottom of the ocean, a mermaid named Luna who had long platinum hair, piercing blue eyes and a long purple tail was in her grotto getting ready to wake up her young son to go hunting. She was about twenty seven years of age and had a beautiful figure like most mermaids do. "Claus! Claus! Claus!" "C'mon sweetie it's time to wake up" Luna said excitedly. Claus had opened his big blue eyes and brushed his shoulder length platinum hair away from his face to see his beautiful mother hovering over him. "Mmmm, mom? Is it time to hunt already" Claus asked in a half asleep tone. "Okay mom, let me sleep five more minutes" Claus said as he yawned, stretched, and flopped his purple tail around a bit. Claus was around eight years of age and had a healthy build for a merboy his age. "Sweetie, you can't sleep five more minutes" Luna exclaimed. "The salmon will only be here for a few more days." "We've gotta catch just enough to eat before they go back to the rivers that are on the big land masses where they were born" Luna explained. "That's odd mom, why would they do something like that" Claus asked as he looked at his mother with a puzzled expression. "The ocean's big enough for many creatures to live in." "It's because the salmon like to go back to the rivers where they were born to lay their eggs and then die" Luna said in a disappointed fashion. "Why do they die after laying eggs mom" Claus asked his mother with a bewildered expression upon his boyish face. "Well, that's just how their life cycle works honey." "If they lived after laying eggs then the rivers and streams would become overpopulated with salmon" Luna said and then continued. "The land and sea creatures wouldn't be able to eat all the salmon" "It's also our job to thin out their numbers so they don't overpopulate" Luna finished.
Claus looked at his mother's bare body and then her purple fish tail in a confused fashion. He then stared at his own purple fish tail. "Umm mom? Do I have fifteen other brothers and sisters that came out of eggs and were then eaten by predators" Claus asked and looked at his mother intently. "Fifteen, and out of eggs" Luna shouted in a surprised tone and laughed. "Babe, mommy can't pop out that many merbabies at a time!" "You're my one and only son" Luna replied in a proud fashion and hugged Claus. "Why would you ask such a silly question anyway" Luna asked and looked at her son with her blue eyes. "Well, you said that salmon lay eggs and since we have fish tails, I thought that you'd be an egg layer just like the salmon" Claus said. "No sweetie." "Mermaids are aquatic mammals just like whales and dolphins but unlike them, we can breathe underwater indefinitely" Luna explained. "Wait, how was I born then" Claus asked. "Mommy will tell you at a later time when you're ready to find a mate of your own" Luna replied. "Oh okay" Claus said. "Let's go hunting already" Luna said. The two of them went to a part of Luna's grotto where she kept all of her hunting gear. "Look at all this hunting gear!" "Isn't it great for catching prey?" Luna asked. "It sure is mom" Claus replied. "Hey, what's this one" Claus inquired and looked the silver trident. "That's mommy's trident Claus" Luna responded and then continued to speak. "I don't hunt with it that often." "I only hunt with it when we're going after big prey like a tuna or blue marlin." "I also use it to protect my little sea angel while we're hunting or taking a swim in the ocean" Luna said and looked at her son lovingly. "Wow, I feel so safe knowing that I have a loving mom with such a fierce looking weapon who'll protect me" Claus replied. "I'm glad I have a son who thinks so highly of me" Luna said and blushed. The two of them grabbed their spears, nets, and went to the hunting grounds where the salmon are. Luna grabs a big spear and Claus grabs a spear that's slightly shorter than hers.
Claus and his mother Luna arrived at the hunting ground and saw an abundance of salmon and the two of them began hunting. Claus grabbed a medium sized salmon with his bare hands and looked at its dull emotionless face as it opened and closed its gaping mouth. "They look like such dullards" Claus said. "Looks like they're not gonna be singing about how it's better under the sea down where it's wetter anytime soon." Luna looked at her son and laughed loudly. "Oh sweetie." "You really know how to make mommy laugh don't you" Luna said while she continued to laugh. "If they could sing then they'd be singing about how they're gonna get eaten by us" Luna said. "There's a saying that is shared amongst merfolk and those humans." "There's always a bigger fish!" "Even though we're aquatic mammals and not fish" Luna said. Claus then shared his salmon with his mother. "Thanks sweetie" Luna said. "Salmon sure does hit the spot at this time of year doesn't it" Luna asked. "It sure does mom" Claus replied. "I love sharing seafood with you." They finished eating the salmon Claus caught and then continued to hunt for more salmon. The pair would put any salmon they caught into nets to eat later. A boat became visible and Claus looked at it puzzled. "Mom, what's that strange structure above the water" Claus asked. "That's called a boat sweetie" Luna responded and spotted the net off in the distance. "It looks like a fishing boat too." "Do humans like to eat fish too mom" Claus asked. "Yes they do sweetie but sometimes they take too much and it's irritating" Luna replied in a vexed fashion. Claus sees a rather large salmon swim by. "Look at that one mom" Claus said in amazement. "I'm gonna catch it and kill it" Claus said and had a look of hunger in his eyes. The salmon had a look in its dull eyes as if to say "c'mon there little guppy!" "Let's have some finny fun and see if you can catch me." "C'mon bud, swim this way!" The salmon then swam off and Claus swam swiftly after the large salmon. "Sweetie!" "Wait for mommy" Luna screamed. Claus swam after the salmon but the two got near the fishing boat. The net lowered and caught the salmon, Claus, and a bunch more fish inside of it. "Mom, help me" Claus screamed and looked frightened. Luna tried to cut the net with her spear but was unsuccessful. "Sweetie. "Mommy's gonna go back home and get her trident to try to cut the net open." "If the net's above water then I'll threaten those wretched humans with my trident" Luna explained and then continued. "If the humans don't take my threat seriously, then I'll sink their boat!" "I'm your mommy so I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect you since you're my only son" Luna said. She swam back to her grotto as fast as she could to go get her trident. Claus looked at his mother with a face of hope as she swam back to the grotto to get her trident. The fishing net was then pulled to the surface.
The net that Claus and many other fish were caught in was dropped onto the boat. It was opened up and Claus grabbed his spear and recovered his bearings. He saw an odd sight when he focused his eyes. He saw a middle aged portly man wearing a red shirt and white overalls. The man had quite a bushy dark mustache. Beside him was a red haired, freckle faced blue eyed maiden who looked about sixteen or seventeen years of age. Claus and the pair of humans stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. Claus had never seen humans before and wondered about the strange sticks coming out of their hips. "By the gods Molly!" "It's a mermaid" the portly man said in amazement. "Umm, it's merboy" Claus said in a corrective tone while pointing his spear at the pair. "Y'hear that Molly?" "The little creature's squeaking at me" the portly man said. "Don't you understand what I'm saying you dope." "Just because there aren't as many mermen as there are mermaids doesn't mean you can lump us all into one group" Claus finished in an impatient fashion. "The little feller keeps squeaking at me but I don't know what the hell the little feller's tryin to tell me" the portly man said. While Claus understands what the two humans are saying, humans, real or fictional simply cannot read or see subtitles. Claus only knows how to speak mermish and hasn't been taught how to speak English yet. Whenever he tries to talk, he's not speaking in English but in mermish which sounds like a bunch of gibberish and squeaks. The subtitles are on but the portly man simply cannot see or read them. Molly then gets to Claus' level and pets him. "Hi there little one, my names Molly" Molly said in a calm fashion. "Did you accidentally get caught in the net" Molly asked. Claus simply shook his head in confirmation as it would be a lost cause to try to speak to humans who simply cannot understand what he's saying or read subtitles. Claus then points to the large salmon he was going after. "Oh, you were going after that salmon when you got caught in our net" Molly asked. Claus shook his head in a way that meant yes. Molly then petted Claus a little too close to a certain area and this shocked Claus for a few seconds. "Papa, I think he was tryin to tell us that he's a boy" Molly said. Claus shook his head in confirmation again. "Ya wanna go back into the ocean" Molly asked. Claus shook his head yes. "Molly!" "We could make a lotta money if we sell him to a circus" Molly's dad exclaimed. "We can't do that papa" Molly snapped. "What if he has a family?" "His mama and his fifteen brothers and sisters will miss him too much" Molly said while Claus put his hand to his face in disbelief. "But Molly" Molly's father said. "What if the mermaids caught me in a trap and tried to put me in a zoo" Molly asked and looked straight at her father. "Oh all right" the portly man said in disappointment. "Throw the little feller back." Molly picked up the young merboy and threw him back into the ocean. "Bye little merboy!" "I hope you can get back to your family okay" Molly yelled before Claus dove back into the ocean.
Claus swam under the waves but became disoriented after being above water for the first time in a while. "I guess not all humans are bad despite the fact that they can't understand us or are misinformed about our kind" Claus said. "My luck could have been worse and some other bad humans could have caught me in their nets." "Uh-oh, I don't know the way home" Claus exclaimed in a panicked fashion. "Mom and I haven't been too far from home before so she hasn't taught me how to get home yet" Claus said. "I'll try swimming this way." Claus then swam in a direction opposite from where his and Luna's grotto was at. Claus swam for a long time while seeing many schools of fish along the way and crustaceans that retreated into their little caves upon seeing the young merboy. After a lot of swimming, he eventually ended up at what looked like a grotto. "I hope this is home" Claus said. Claus then entered the grotto but heard some giggling coming from it. "Did mom have to get some girlfriends to help her out or something" Claus thought to himself. "Mom! Mom! Hey mom I'm back" Claus yelled. Claus' yelling for his mother got the attention of three mermaids that left their room to see what the yelling was all about. The three mermaids simply stared at Claus in adoration. "Hey, how'd a little merkid get all the way out here" a red mermaid asked. This mermaid had short red hair, a red tail, an athletic body, blue eyes, and fairly dark skin. "I don't know but he sure is a cutie pie" a yellow mermaid said while eying Claus in a loving fashion. The yellow mermaid had long golden blond hair, turquois eyes, a yellow tail, pale skin and a slender build. "There is a high probability that this boy is either an orphan or got separated from his mother." "I have these strange feelings of affinity for this particular merchild" a blue mermaid said. This mermaid had medium length blue hair, hazel eyes, a royal blue tail, a thin build, pale skin and wore glasses. "The blue one's right" Claus said. I got separated from my mom while we were hunting salmon" Claus said. "I thought this was the grotto where I live at but it isn't." "I need to be going now" Claus told the trio of mermaids and headed for the exit. "Oh no you don't" the yellow mermaid exclaimed as she grabbed Claus by the arm. "You're staying with us!" "We're gonna keep you here and when you're old enough, you're going to be our mate" Yellow explained with a hungry look in her eyes. "W-w-w-what" Claus stuttered. "Y-y-you're gonna keep me here against my will and not let me go back to my mom" Claus asked and looked at the yellow mermaid. "Yeah well something like that" the red mermaid said. "We're lookin for a mate and we're gettin kinda desperate." "Since mermaids and mermen age super slowly when they become full grown adults, we're gonna keep ya here till yer the right age to mate with the three of us" Red finished. "There is a ninety five percent chance that if we raise this merboy right, he will have attained the musculature and endurance to mate with all three of us" Blue said while Claus just had a confused look on his face from Blue's big words. "You should be happy" Yellow said. "You've got three lovely mermaids to mate with when you're older." "Hey Yellow, lemme hold the little guy" Red said. "No I wanna hold him a bit longer" Yellow screamed and gave Red a disapproving look. "You've been holdin the little calf ever since he swam in here!" "I wanna hold him" Red screamed back at Yellow. "I too would like to hold the small child" Blue said in a patient fashion. "No" Yellow screamed. The three mermaids then got into a tussle which caused an underwater dust cloud to form. "While those bimbos are going at it, I'll use this opportunity to escape" Claus said in a joyous fashion.
Claus swam out and away from the grotto of the mermaid trio as fast as he could. He swam and swam and swam until he bumped into something. When he regained his senses he saw a strong looking merman towering over him with long dark black hair, crimson eyes, tanned skin, a dark red tail with a few scars on it, a muscular physique and he was carrying quite a few hunting weapons with him. "Hey kid, watch where you're going, you coulda hurt yourself" the jacked merman said in a rather disgruntled tone. "You don't understand mister." "There are these three bimbo mermaids after me and they're holding me against my will till I'm old enough to mate" Claus panted and continued. "They won't let me leave to look for my mother and and and and and" Claus was trying to finish but the jacked merman put a single finger over Claus' mouth. "Shh shh shh!" "Alright kid I get it" the jacked merman said in an understanding tone. "Could I have yer name kid?" "It would sound better than callin ya kid" the jacked merman said and looked at Claus. "Oh, my name is Claus and I'm looking for my mom Luna" Claus responded. "Claus huh, my name's Atlas and I was hunting around these parts till ya swam into me all of a sudden" Atlas said. "Oh sorry mister Atlas" Claus said to Atlas apologetically. "Its fine Claus and just Atlas will do" Atlas said back. The two of them heard screeching in the distance. "Little merboy!" "Little merboy where are you." Claus froze when he recognized the sound of the voices. "Oh no it's them" Claus uttered in a frightened manner. As the three bimbo mermaids came into view, Claus hid behind Atlas. "Hi there ladies, what can I do for you today" Atlas asked. "Well, we got into a tussle and this little merboy that we were keeping as our future mate gave us the slip" the yellow mermaid replied. "Oh you mean this little guppy" Atlas asked. "Sorry, you can't have him." "Why not" Yellow responded angrily. "Well first off ya scared him, secondly he's too young to think about mating and lastly he's someone else's kid" Atlas finished. "He's tryin to look for his mom too." Are ya really gonna keep him from looking for his mom" Atlas asked the bimbo trio in a vexed fashion. "We're sorry little fella" Yellow said to Claus. "Its fine" Claus responded. "By the way, my name's Claus not little merboy or little fella" Claus told the mermaid trio. "Okay Claus" Yellow responded. "I hope you find your mom Claus" Atlas said to Claus. "Moms are important to merboys and mergirls." "They teach em all they need to know about how to survive under the ocean so be good to her when you're both reunited ya hear" Atlas said. "Okay then" Claus responded. Claus then swam off to find his home and his mother Luna. The three mermaids that we're chasing after Claus looked over Atlas and let out gleeful squeals. "Oh he looks so handsome" Yellow exclaimed. "I know and we don't have to wait ten years for him to get bigger" Red said and then continued. "He's got such a sturdy chest." "There is a ninety nine point nine percent chance that this merman is a suitable mate for all of three of us" Blue said. "Hey, wanna be our mate" Yellow asked and looked at Atlas with puppy dog eyes and a smile. "Yeah sure" Atlas said. "Finding a mate or two was on my to-do list but I've been so busy surviving that I haven't gotten around to it." "Oh yay" the three mermaids squealed in unison. "Let's go!" The three mermaids and Atlas swam back to the trio's grotto.
Meanwhile, back at Luna's grotto. "Here it is, my silver trident" Luna said and looked proudly at the weapon. "Now I can save Claus from those dirty humans" Luna swam back to the salmon hunting grounds and saw that the boat was still there. "Good" Luna exclaimed. "It's still there." "First I'll threaten them to give my son back and if they don't listen I'll sink their boat." Luna surfaced and got Molly and her Father's attention. "Look papa" Molly yelled in excitement. "I think it's another mermaid." "That's right humans, now gimme back my son or I'll sink your boat" Luna threatened and pointed her trident at the two. "That little feller was your kid?" "Oh we threw the little feller back" Molly's father told Luna. "The little feller was squeakin and squealin and looked all sad so my daughter threw him back." "Hmmm, looks I should teach him some English when I find him again" Luna thought to herself. "Those humans probably couldn't understand him since the fat mustached one said he was squeaking and squealing." "Which way did he swim off too" Luna asked. "We're not sure" Molly responded. "He looked frightened and wanted to go back into the water real bad." "Very well" Luna said in a disappointed tone. "Thanks for letting him go and not making him a part of a circus." "You're welcome" Molly replied. "Good luck finding your boy." "By the way, where's your clam top miss mermaid" Molly inquired. "Clam top" Luna asked with a puzzled expression upon her face. "Yeah, that article of clothing that mermaids wear over their breasts for modesty" Molly replied. "Sorry, mermaids have no need for clothes or modesty" Luna explained. This is true, mermaids have no need for tops or clothes because there are no sewing machines under the sea so all the merfolk of this short story are in fact naked. "Anyway, thank you for releasing my son red haired human and I'll need that luck to find my son." Luna dove back into the water and tried to think about her next move. She then caught Claus' scent. "He swam that way" Luna exclaimed and swam towards the direction of the bimbo trio's grotto. "I should probably teach him how to find his way home next time this happens" Luna said to herself and continued to swim in the direction of her son's scent.
Claus swam across the ocean trying to find where his grotto was located at but had no such luck. When he became hungry, he would spear a fish or two and eat them. He also remembered what his mother said about Lionfish so he tried not to spear any of those if he found any. "Awww, I haven't found where I live yet and I'm so tired" Claus said in an enervated tone. He then spotted an undersea garden and took a nap for the evening. The next morning an eel mermaid with long violet hair, blue snake like eyes, porcelain skin, and a green eel tail was hovering over Claus. "Hey little fish tail merkid wake up" the eel mermaid yelled. Claus woke with a start to see the eel maid staring at him. "Hello miss eel. What do you need" Claus asked. "Miss eel?" "My name is Noriko and I wanna know why you're sleeping here" Noriko said. "Well I was trying to find my way home but I got lost" Claus told Noriko. "Lost huh." I think my mentor can help you get home" Noriko said to Claus. "What's your name anyway" Noriko asked. "My name is Claus and I'm looking for my mom Luna." "We got separated while hunting salmon" Claus explained to Noriko and he also explained the rest of his story so far to Noriko. "Wow, you must have had a helluva day yesterday Claus" Noriko said. "You probably should have waited for your mom to save you from those three bimbos" Noriko said and gave Claus a stern look." "I got scared when the bimbos we're looking at me like I was genuine sashimi" Claus replied to Noriko. "Anyway, didn't you say your teacher could help me get home" Claus asked. "Yes, yes I did" Noriko responded. Let's go back to my place. The pair swam out of the underwater garden.
The two swam around for about a ten to fifteen until they reached an underwater cave. "Y-y-you live in there" Claus asked in a terrified tone. The cave that Claus and Noriko were at looked kind of scary. "Yes I do Claus." "It actually looks nice on the inside" Noriko said. "C'mon, let's go on inside to meet my mentor Celia." Claus and Noriko swim into undersea cave. When they got there, they saw a cecaelia (Octopus Mermaid) named Celia putting some aquatic herbs into a stone cauldron. "Noriko, where'd you find that cute little merboy" Celia said in a sweet voice. Celia had short blue hair, blue eyes, soft white skin, the lower half of an octopus, and like Blue she also wore glasses. "I found him sleeping in an undersea garden." "His name is Claus and he got separated from his mother while hunting for salmon" Noriko told Celia. "I heard you can help me find my way home" Claus said and looked at Celia expectantly. "Yes I can you sweet little sea angel" Celia responded and patted Claus on the head. "I'll brew up a potion in my cauldron that can help you find your mother." "Wow really, you can do something like that" Claus asked. "Of course I can dear." "I can whip it up in about an hour but it'll have to sit for a long while" Celia told Claus. "I bet you're tired hon." "You wanna lie down for a bit" Celia asked and looked at Claus. "Yes, that would be nice." "It would be better than napping in an undersea garden" Claus said. Celia takes Claus to a guest room in her cave. "Here's a clamshell bed for you to sleep on hon" Celia said. "Okay, thank you for letting me stay here" Claus replied. Claus then got onto the clamshell bed and quickly fell asleep. Celia went back into her lab like area with Noriko and began to create the potion to find Claus' mother. "That merboy looks cute but he also looks kind of impulsive" Celia said. "Yeah he is" Noriko replied. "He said he got lost while trying to find his way home when he got thrown back into the water by fisherman." Noriko told Celia the rest of Claus' story so far. "Hmmm, he's had quite an exciting few days then" Celia exclaimed. "That he has." "Hopefully when the potion is finished he'll wait here for his mother to come pick him up" Noriko said. "I hope so too" Celia responded. "Looks like it's done." "Now we just gotta let it sit for a day" Celia said and looked at the mixture proudly. The two of them let the cauldron sit on the table and retired for the night.
Claus was sleeping soundly that night but had a bad dream about Noriko and Celia stealing his voice and turning him human. "I gotta get outta here" Claus exclaimed. "What if they try giving me land legs?" "Then I won't be able to live with mom anymore or do other mermish things" Claus thought to himself in an anxious fashion. "I'll leave tomorrow morning before they get up." Claus slept for a few more hours before leaving Celia and Noriko's cave in the early morning. Noriko went to fetch Claus but was rather annoyed to find that he had left. Noriko swam into Celia's lab area with a vexed look upon her face. "Well, the little brat just swam off when we we're trying to help him" Noriko told Celia. "Well crap" Celia replied. "The potion's finished too." "Let's see if it works." "Did he tell you anything else when you first met him" Celia asked. "Well, he told me his mother's name was Luna" Noriko replied. Celia recited an incantation into the cauldron that showed an image of Luna swimming towards the bimbo trio's grotto. "She's pretty" Noriko said. "I know Noriko." "She must be going after her son's faint scent." "We need to prepare another mixture" Celia said and continued. "His mother will probably come here and ask where he went. Noriko and Celia then prepared another mixture for when Claus' mother arrives.
Back on Luna's end. Luna swam towards a familiar looking grotto and heard giggling coming from it. "I wonder if my son is in that grotto." "He'd better not be fooling around with any older mermaids." "He's too young to think about finding a mate" Luna exclaimed and swam into the grotto. Inside, she saw the bimbo trio with Atlas. "Hey, what's up little lady, you lost" Atlas asked. "Yeah auntie, you lost or something?" "Sorry, but Atlas is taken right now" Yellow said. "No I'm not lost and I'm looking for my son whom I got separated from while hunting salmon." "Also, I'm about as old as you and not even old enough to be your auntie" Luna snapped back at Yellow. "Whoa easy there lady" Atlas said. "You said you were looking for your son?" "Is his name Claus" Atlas asked. "Yes, yes it is" Luna responded. "He was here a day or two ago but left to find you" Atlas said. Luna looked at Atlas with her big blue eyes and asked "He was" Luna responded in a hopeful sounding tone. "Yeah but you'd better leave here quickly." "He looked like he was dying to find you and had an impatient look in his eyes" Atlas told Luna. "Very well." "Thank you for the help" Luna said. "Don't mention it" Atlas replied. Luna swam out of the Grotto and followed her son's scent.
Claus swam through the ocean and saw many beautiful seascapes and many schools of fish and other aquatic creatures that live in the ocean. "Wow" Claus said in a tone of amazement as he looked at the seascapes and aquatic creatures in awe. 'The ocean sure is a beautiful place to live." "I hope I can come back here one day with mom and see all of this" Claus said. Claus kept on swimming until he approached two underwater valleys. "Hmmm, which one to I go through to get to the other side" Claus asked himself while stroking his chin. He was quite tired from all that swimming and wasn't too sure on the direction he should take. Claus sat on a nearby boulder and mulled over the decision. Suddenly he heard a voice call out to him. "Hey there little one, what seems to be eating at ya?" Claus turned around and saw a Green Sea Turtle with a long white beard swimming towards him. "Sea turtles c-c-can talk" Claus stammered in disbelief. "Well some of us can young one" the wise old sea turtle said. "What brings a little fella like you out this far" the wise old sea turtle asked and looked at Claus. "Well my mom and I were hunting salmon and then we got separated when I got caught in a fishing net." "The nice humans threw me back but I didn't know where home was so I'm searching not only for my home, but also my mom as well" Claus said and told the wise old sea turtle the rest of his tale so far. "That sounds like quite an adventure Sonny Jim" the wise old sea turtle responded. "My name's Claus not Sonny Jim" Claus told the wise old sea turtle. "Sorry about that young Claus." "You look a little tired though." "Would you like a ride on my back?" "I'll take you as far as the outskirts of the shark maid village" the wise old sea turtle said. "Sure that'd be great" Claus responded. Claus then got on the sea turtle's back and they swam into the right valley.
While swimming, the wise old sea turtle noticed Claus' look of impatience. "Y'know there sonny, you need to be a little more patient" the wise old sea turtle said and then continued. "You could've been home with your mother a day or two ago." "Patience is a virtue and good things will happen when one is patient" the wise old sea turtle finished and then looked closely at Claus. "Y'know sonny, you look just like a little mergirl that use to play with me many moons ago." "She was just as impatient and impulsive as you are now little one if not more" the wise old turtle said as he reminisced about the days when that certain mergirl who looked like Claus played with him. He then went beet red in the face when he thought about the days when that same mergirl still played with the wise old sea turtle but she had matured into a mermaid. "What was her name again?" "Lana, Lani, Lunar, Lula, or Sun?" "Maybe it was Ariel, no that one's not it at all" the wise old sea turtle said to himself as he thought harder about the mergirl's name. "My mom's name is Luna" Claus interjected as the sea turtle was trying to remember the name of Claus' mother. "Did you know her?" "Luna that was it" the wise old sea turtle shouted as a light bulb appeared above his head. "No wonder I recognized that impatient look in your eyes." "She had that same look in her eyes when she was your age" the wise old sea turtle said. "Wow, that's so neat that you knew my mom when she was little mister sea turtle" Claus responded. "I never knew she mated or had a kid." "She stopped playing with me about nine or so years ago." "Probably was busy raising you" the wise old sea turtle said. "I hope I can find her and go home" Claus said and looked a little sad. "You will sonny, you will." "You just need to be patient and wait for her to come to you" the wise old sea turtle assured Claus. "Thanks for the encouragement" Claus replied. After much swimming, the two of them wound up at the outskirts of the shark maid village. "Here we are sonny" the wise old sea turtle said. "This is as far as I can go." "See if the shark maids will let you stay in their village for a while." "I'm warning you though, they don't get along well with the dolphin maids." "Why's that" Claus asked and looked at the wise old sea turtle. "They're all mermaids aren't they?" "I'm not sure sonny." "I think they've forgotten why they're in a feud." "Well, I've been here long enough." "See ya around Claus, Son of Luna." The sea turtle swam off and left Claus on the outskirts of the shark maid village. Claus swam over to a coral bench outside the village to contemplate his next move.
After swimming out of bimbo trio's grotto, Luna swam in the direction of her son's scent. She even visited the same undersea garden he took a nap at. "He was definitely here alright" Luna confirmed to herself. "Hello fish tail mermaid, how may I help you?" Luna turned around and saw Noriko. "I'm looking for my son whom I got separated from while hunting" Luna told Noriko. "Hmmm, platinum hair and blue eyes." "I think I know that child." "He was looking for his mother but then left early" Noriko said. "That has to be my son" Luna said excitedly. "My mentor and I were making a potion to help him find you." "We made another one because we thought you'd come to our home." Noriko said. "I'll take you there." Luna and Noriko swam to the cave that she and Celia lived in. They swam into the lab area of Celia's cavern. "I brought the boy's mother" Noriko said to Celia. "Good work" Celia said to Noriko in a praising tone. "Come over here and look into the cauldron" Celia commanded. Luna did exactly as Celia told her and looked into the cauldron. Luna saw her son on coral bench outside the shark maid village. "He's at the shark maid village" Luna said. "Thank you for the help you two." "I don't have to give up my voice or my tail or anything like that" Luna asked. "No dear, we're just happy to help you reunite with your sweet little boy" Celia said in a gentle voice. Luna then swam out of the cave and headed towards the place where Claus met the wise old sea turtle.
Noriko and Celia looked at Luna as she swam off. "Do all fish tail merfolk think we're evil and forcibly turn them into humans" Celia asked. "I don't know but those two had a wild imagination" Noriko replied. "I mean turn them into humans and take away their voices and tails really?!" "I'd have a twin sister and you'd be singing a boring villain song about how evil you are" Noriko said and laughed. "Right...I think you have the wild imagination" Celia said and giggled. "Anyway, those two will be so happy when they get back together though" Celia rejoiced. The pair went back to making potions and relaxing. As the narrator, I know I have been referencing the Disney version of "The Little Mermaid" a lot. You will not be seeing these again for the rest of the story.
Claus was still sitting on the coral bench outside the shark maid village contemplating his next move. He closed his eyes and looked down for a few seconds but a loud, girlish, and slightly obnoxious voice greeted him a few minutes later. "Hi there fish tail!" "Why ya sittin there on that bench lookin all glum!" Claus opened his eyes and raised his head in a startled fashion. When he came to, he saw a young mergirl right in his face with red eyes, pointy ears, pale skin, burgundy colored hair that was in pigtails, a fang, and what was most unusual at least for Claus at the time was the mergirl's silver shark tail. She looked about nine years old. "Y-you're a shark tailed mermaid" Claus said. "That's right fish tail!" "I have a name and it's not fish tail, it's Claus" Claus retorted and looked quite annoyed at the shark tailed mergirl. "Geez, you don't have to get so angry" the shark tailed mergirl answered in an apologetic tone. "My name is Nana and I'm a shark maid that lives in this village." "Can I ask why you're sittin on this bench all alone" Nana then looked at Claus. "I got separated from my mom while we were hunting salmon." "I was searching for her and my way home but I wound up all the way out here" Claus explained and then told Nana his tale up until this point. "I was thinking about what I need to do next and to see if the shark maids will let me stay in their village but then you came out and startled me" Claus said and gave Nana another annoyed look. "Sorry" Nana said. "Its fine" Claus responded. "I'll take you into the village and see if my big sister Sharla will let you stay at our place" Nana said. "Thank you for your assistance" Claus replied. "You look kinda cute for a fish tail merboy" Nana told Claus. "I-I-I uh um thanks" Claus stuttered and became rosy red in the face. "Awww, you're welcome Claus." "You don't need to blush honey" Nana said and winked at Claus causing a heart to come out of her eye. "Let's just go into the village" Claus blurted out. The two swam into the shark maid village.
Claus looked at the village in an awestruck way as he swam in the village with Nana. He had never seen so many shark tailed mermaids in one place. The denizens of this village looked at him odd at first but stared lovingly at him when they saw him with Nana. The rest of the shark maids found this cute. "Here we are" Nana said as she approached a large structure in the center of the village. The two went inside and were greeted by Nana's older sister Sharla. Sharla looked like an older version of her little sister Nana except without the fang and was very beautiful. She also wore her burgundy hair in a ponytail. "Who's that little fish tailed merkid you've got with you Nana" Sharla asked and eyed Claus. "His name's Claus and he got separated from his mommy while hunting salmon" Nana told Sharla. "He needs a place to stay for a while." "Can he stay here for a while big sis?" "Pleeeaaaassee" Nana asked and had puppy dog eyes on. "Very well Nana" Sharla responded. "Just don't destroy the place kid that's all I ask while you stay here." "How long will you be staying" Sharla inquired and looked at Claus. "I don't know ma'am a few days maybe until my mom comes to pick me up maybe" Claus replied. "Okay then" Sharla said and looked at Claus "My name's Sharla, tell me if you need anything okay." Claus simply nodded in confirmation. "Hey Sharla" Claus said. "Hey what" Sharla responded in a playful fashion. "Do you lay eggs" Claus asked. "No I don't Claus." "I reproduce in the same way you fish tail merfolk do" Sharla finished. "Anyway, I'm gonna go to my secret training spot." "Look after Claus while I'm away" Sharla said to Nana. "Okie dokie big sis" Nana responded. Sharla took her spear and then left to go to her training ground.
Half an hour later. Claus was taking a nap in one of the clam shell beds that was in the guest room. "Hey!" "Wake up Claus" Nana demanded. Claus looked at her with a half asleep look on his face. "Mmmm, Nana, what do you want" Claus asked and yawned. "Do you always have that dopey look on your face when you wake up" Nana asked and was right on top of Claus. "I wanna go see what my big sister's doing and I know just where her so called secret training ground is at" Nana said in a proud fashion. "You're coming with me!" Nana pulled Claus out of bed and the two headed off to Sharla's secret training ground. The two swam to a part of the ocean near the shark maid village. When Nana saw her older sister in the distance, she and Claus hid behind some rocks. The pair saw Sharla with a dolphin maid which shocked the two. "What's big sis doing with that dolphin maid again" Nana asked herself. "Have you seen them together before" Claus asked. "Yes, they always train here in secret because of the feud between our villages" Nana responded. "The dolphin maid is Delphina and she saved me from a shark once." The two then listen in to the pair's conversation.
"C'mon loosen up a bit you're not gonna be able to catch fish when you're all tense like that" Sharla told the nervous looking dolphin maid. "I'm sorry Sharla I'll try again" the dolphin maid answered. The dolphin maid that Sharla was talking to had long black hair, blue eyes, pointy ears, porcelain white skin, and had a smooth blue dolphin tail. The dolphin maid aimed at a fish with her spear but just barely missed it. "Aww, I don't think I'll ever be a good huntress and all the other dolphin maids will laugh at me" the dolphin maid pouted. "C'mon Delphina, chin up and keep trying" Sharla said and then hugged Delphina. "Ooooh" Delphina squealed. "I think I can do this now!" Delphina tried again and speared a fish. "I did it! I did it! I did it!" "Did you see that" Delphina shouted as she swam around Sharla. "Yes I saw that" Sharla responded. "Catch one or two more and then we're done for the day" Delphina did just that and had a beaming look upon her face. "I feel like I can do anything with you around" Delphina exclaimed and hugged Sharla. "I'm glad you feel that way" Sharla replied. "Ummm, Sharla." "I also have another talent that's useful for hunting" Delphina said. "Yeah, what's that" Sharla answered. "I can see fish and other things swimming from far away." "I can also see that this training session is no longer private" Delphina said and pointed in the direction of the rock that Claus and Nana were hiding behind. The pair swam over and found the two children hiding behind the rock. "What the hell are you doing out here Nana and what's the fish tail kid doing with you" Sharla screamed at Nana. "I'm sorry sis we-we-we" "We were just concerned about you that's all" Claus interjected. "We just came to check on you." "The wise old sea turtle that brought me here said that dolphin and shark maids don't get along." "What is this then" Claus inquired. "Well, I met Delphina at this hunting ground two months ago." "She said that the other dolphin maids poked fun at her for not being able to catch fish as good as them" Sharla told Claus and then continued. "I took it upon myself to make her a better huntress so she's more accepted by her own kind" Sharla finished. "I also saw the two of you hug." "Do you two like each other" Claus asked. "Wow Sharla!" "Not only is this little fish tail merboy adorable, he's also quite astute" Delphina said and giggled. "Yes, Sharla and I like each other despite the feud between our villages." "Nana was spying on us just like she was just now but this nasty shark came after her and I gave it a good dolphin kick in the nose" Delphina said proudly. "She must've been very lucky you were there to save her Delphina" Claus said. "We should probably head back to the village before everyone worries about us" Sharla said. "That sounds good to me" Nana answered and Claus nodded in agreement.
The four of them headed back to Sharla's village but were stopped by a large mob of dolphin and shark maids right outside both villages. The two groups were simply irritated at each other's presence. "Sharla, what are you doing with that dolphin maid" One of the shark maids asked. "You know we don't like their kind and they don't like ours." "I-I-I-I" Sharla simply stuttered and could not find any words to defend herself. "Were you giving out information about our hunting grounds" another shark maid fumed. "Delphina, you know shark maids are bad company" a dolphin maid said to Delphina. "But I, but she's my-"Delphina also found it difficult to find words to defend herself. "We'll fight these dolphin maids and force them into another part of the ocean" one of the shark maids exclaimed. Delphina and Sharla reluctantly went to their respective groups and got ready to fight each other. Before any fighting could happen, Claus got in between the two groups. He saw how much Delphina and Sharla cared for each other and was ready to stop the two groups from possibly killing each other. He also remembered something his mother told him about how mermaids were aquatic mammals and the question he asked the sea turtle when he was outside the shark maid village. "What's that fish tailed merboy doing" both groups asked and looked at Claus in a puzzled manner. "Why do you fight" Claus asked. "Aren't you all merfolk?" He looked at both groups with innocent eyes. "We-we-we" the two groups stuttered and looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "We can't remember why we don't like each other or why we fight." "It's funny what time does to all of us" both groups continued to look at each other in a befuddled fashion. Claus then continued "real sharks kill real dolphins but neither of your groups are actual sharks or dolphins." "You're all merfolk and you just have different looking tails." "I have a fish tail and I get along fine with Nana." "You should all try to get along too no matter what your tails look like" Claus finished. The two groups looked at each other and the animosity disappeared from both groups eyes and changed to a saddened look. "That fish tailed merkid is right" one of the dolphin maids said. "Yeah, I think we should try to get along and share our hunting grounds with the dolphin maids" one of the shark maids suggested. "The reason we were fighting each other was probably a stupid one anyway" both groups agreed and began to peacefully interact with one another. Claus approached Sharla and Delphina. "Well, don't you two have something to say to each other" Claus asked. "You two look like you're dying to tell each other something" Claus finished. "You're right Claus" Sharla responded. "Delphina, I like the way you try so hard to become better at whatever you wanna do, it inspires me to try my hardest at whatever I do" Sharla said and blushed. "Sharla, I like how you helped me out despite being a dolphin maid." "I also like how you help me relax" Delphina said and also blushed. The two kept complimenting each other back and forth until they got very close to each other. "Delphina, I love you" Sharla said. "I love you too Sharla." The two of them embraced and shared a passionate kiss. The two groups saw this and clapped. "Wow Claus, I never knew you had it in you to stop our two groups from fighting and to get my sister and Delphina to admit their feelings for each other" Nana said. "I bet your mom would be proud of you." "She would be" Claus responded. The dolphin and shark maids celebrated the union of their villages. Claus began to swim out and Delphina and Sharla blocked the way. "Hey, what do you think you're doing" Claus asked the pair. "Nana told us everything" Sharla said. "Yeah, we can't have our fish tailed hero leaving on us." "Also, this should teach you some patience" Delphina finished. "Your mom will come pick you up." "The two of us have this hunch that she'll come her looking for you" Sharla said and then kissed Delphina. "Love exists in all different forms kid." "I'll let you be Nana's mate one day okay?" "She kinda likes you" Sharla said and winked approvingly. "O-o-okay, I-I-I'll take you up on that offer" Claus answered and simply blushed. He swam onto a clamshell bed and crashed for the night. Claus went to sleep that night feeling exhausted from the long day.
Last meanwhile back on Luna's end. Luna swam to the same two valleys that Claus was at and saw the old sea turtle. "Why hello there Luna" the wise old sea turtle said. "You look a bit more grown up from the last time I saw ya." "Yes I am wise old sea turtle." "It's so nice to see you again" Luna said excitedly. "I'm going to the shark maid village to pick up my son." "Can I ride on your back like old times" Luna inquired. "Sure thing Luna" the wise old sea turtle said as his face went red. The two of them swam into the right valley and talked about old times and Luna also told the wise old sea turtle about her life up till now. Luna and the wise old sea turtle arrived at the shark maid village but it was nightfall. "Here we are" the wise old sea turtle said. "Thanks again" Luna said. "Don't mention it" the wise old sea turtle then swam off. Luna swam into the shark maid village and saw Delphina and Sharla taking a nightly swim. "That's unusual, I thought those two groups were in a feud" Luna thought to herself. "Hey, I think that's Claus' mother" Delphina said as she spotted Luna. "She looks kinda like him." The pair swam over to Luna. "Hi there" Delphina said. "Are you Claus's mommy?" "Why yes I am" Luna replied. "You're little boy is here in this village" the two of them said excitedly. "You should be proud of him" Sharla said. "He ended the feud between our villages." "My son did that" Luna exclaimed with a surprised look upon her face. "He sure did." "Why don't you stay the night and give him a nice surprise in the morning" Delphina said. "I'll do just that" Luna replied. The three of them swam to Sharla's place and went to sleep for the night.
Luna swam over to the guest room that Claus was sleeping in to give him a surprise. "Claus! Claus! Claus!" Claus awoke and saw his mother hovering over him and looked at her with surprise and disbelief. "M-m-mom?" "Am I dreaming" Claus asked. "Please pinch me!" Luna playfully gave her son a light pinch on the cheek. "Hey, I didn't mean literally" Claus screamed as he put his hand on his face. "I know sweetie." "I just did that because I'm your mom" Luna said. Claus tackled hugged his mother and began to cry. "Sniff sniff sniff I thought I was gonna be lost in the ocean forever and never find my home or you again" Claus sobbed. Luna simply hugged her son tenderly and cooed her crying boy. "Sweetheart, mommy's been looking all over for you." "I went to all these places you wound up at and they all were willing to help me find you" Luna told Claus gently as she held her son and looked at him with her blue eyes. "I'm so proud of you sweetie." "You got the shark and dolphin merfolk to stop their feud" Luna said. "I just don't like seeing mermaids fight each other" Claus responded. The two of them stayed in that guest room for about an hour talking about the sights they saw while looking for each other.
The pair stayed in the shark maid village for a few more days but the day finally came when the two needed to return home. "Are you gonna come visit again" Nana asked and looked at Claus. "Of course we will, maybe even a couple times a month" Luna said and looked at Nana. "Okay, I look forward to it" Nana said and looked right at Claus. Claus then hugged Nana. "I'll see you again soon" Claus said to Nana. Claus and Luna left the village with many of the dolphin and shark maids telling them good bye as they left. Nana stood at the entrance of the village until Claus and Luna were out of sight. She then looked down with a face of loneliness. "Don't worry little sis, you'll see Claus again soon" Sharla said. "I saw that you really like him." "I know I'll see him again" Nana replied and smiled. The two joined up with Delphina and went back to Sharla's home.
After a day or two of swimming in the ocean, Claus and Luna arrived at their grotto. "Here we are sweetie, home sweet home" Luna remarked. "It looks about the same as when we left to hunt salmon a few days ago" Claus responded. "Mom, I promise I'll be more patient from now on" Claus told his mother. "I'll help teach you that patience sweetie and I'll also teach you some other things about surviving in the sea such as learning the language of humans for when you get caught or how to find your way home without my help" Luna declared. "I look forward to it mom" Claus replied. "What're we gonna hunt tomorrow" Claus asked. "We'll hunt lobster and shrimp tomorrow sweetie and also gather some coral and kelp" Luna replied. "Sounds good to me mom" Claus answered. "I'm still a little tired though, can we nap" Claus asked. 'Sure thing little guppy" Luna responded. Claus and Luna got on Luna's clamshell bed and cuddled together for the rest of the day. Before napping Claus said in a sleepy tone "I love you mom." "I love you too Claus" Luna answered as the two fell into a deep sleep. Both of them slept peacefully after that long journey the two of them had searching the ocean for each other.
Fin
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