The Little Mermaid poked her head out of the water. The coast was clear. She breathed in the clean surface air and hauled her herself onto a rock. Up here she almost felt like she belonged, something she never experienced in the waters below. The only things that brought her joy in life were the soothing sounds the waves made when they ht the shore and the warm sensation of the sun smiling down at her. Leaning back she took in the view of the bright blue sky watching the pelicans as they flew upwards. O how she envied them. What she wouldn't give to be as free as the bird? For them the sky is quite literally the limit. They must be able to see the whole world from up there.
"It is quite a spectacular view isn't it?" a voice said. The little mermaid jumped up. A man was sitting on the bloulder next to her. She was certain that there had been no one there a moment ago.
"Who are you and how were you able to sneak up on me?" she demanded to know.
"Never mind who I am. The real question is what is a beautiful mermaid like youself doing gazing up at the sky longingly."
There was something different about this man but the mermaid couldn't put her flipper on it. For some reason she had the overwhelming urge to confide in him. And so she did. She explained out she was an outcast among the merpeople. Her father, Poseidon, made all of his followers treat her with contempt and distrust. The reason for this was because of her parentage. Her mother was Hecate, Goddess of Magic. Mermaids have always been suspicious of children of magic. Neither Hecate nor Poseidon were very attentive parents, in fact they completely forgot about their daughter's existence. The little mermaid strove to seek approval from even the lowliest of sea creatures but they all shunned her. As a result the little mermaid was wasting away her days in dark foreboding cave. In short after living sixteen years with no family or friends to talk to, her loneliness had finally consumed her and now she was pouring her heart out to a complete stranger who was a surprisingly good listener. When she was finished she was certain that he would leave her. Instead he took her hand.
"What is it you want?" he asked softly.
"Excuse me?" the little mermaid replied, no one had ever been concerned with her desires before.
"What do you wish for more then anything?" he clarified.
The little mermaid thought for minute and glanced at the pelicans above her, who were completely free to see the whole world.
"I want to be free from this place. Free to see the world."
"That's too easy" he said with a wicked grin.
He scooped up the little mermaid in his arms and jumped upwards. Instead of falling back down they kept going up. Past the pelicans and the clouds in the sky. Gravity ceased to exist. The little mermaid was speechless, she had lost her voice. From up here the whole world looked so small. All her problems suddenly rendered insignificant. She took a closer look at the man who had brought her here. He possess an aura of power that she didn't notice before. His features were stoic, he was defiantly not someone you would want to fight against. Yet she loved the way his golden hair danced in the wind and how when he smiled his teeth were whiter then a cumulus cloud. The little mermaid finally found her voice.
"How are you able to do all of this?"
"Pardon me I must have forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Zeus, the Lord of the Skies."
From then on the Lord of the Skies and the Little Mermaid developed a routine. Every sunrise, much to the mermaid's delight, Zeus would meet her at the rock where they first encountered each other. He would fly off with her each time to a new and exciting destination enabling the mermaid to finally achieve her goal of seeing the world. Then every sunset he would deliver her back to the sea and bid her farewell till the next morning. Both of them grew closer each time they saw each other until finally the King of the Gods had stolen the little mermaid's heart. One day after a journey to Niagara Falls, Zeus was setting the mermaid back into the water when something unprecedented happened. He bent down on one knee and proposed to her.
"I would be honored to marry you lightening bolt" she replied.
"Marriage won't be enough to show the universe how I feel about you. You're beauty is beyond compare mermaid and you deserve better then wife number seven-million-twelve-hundred-thousand and two. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen so I shall make you Queen of the Gods and swear to denounce all my other wives. Your hand is the only one I want to be joined to mine in marriage."
The Little Mermaid lost her voice. She didn't know what to say, so she kissed him. After a few minutes Zeus broke away from the kiss.
"I must head to Olympus at once to make sure Hermes will have everything in order for your coronation. I shall pick you up in the morning my dear mermaid and then we will begin the rest of our lives together."
The lord of the skies vanished in a flash of lightening and the little mermaid dove back into the ocean for what she thought would be the last time. Once they had left, a certain eavesdropping Goddess of Marriage emerged from the shadows, let's just say she wasn't too happy about what she just witnessed.
That next morning somewhere under the sea a little mermaid woke up giddy with excitement. Not only had she found true love but as the new Queen of the Gods she would be free from her underwater prison. She hummed contently as her tail propelled her towards the surface. When she broke the water's surface she expected to find her beloved waiting for her on the rock as he had done for many days now. Instead an elegant looking woman was sitting there, she wore an elaborate dress made of peacock feathers and had a knowing expression on her face.
"Well if it isn't Ursula, the little mermaid who miraculuously swam her way into my husband's heart and who now has the audacity to try to steal my throne. Allow me to introduce myself I'm Hera, Queen of Heaven. But I'm sure you were already aware of that" she said in a tone of superiority.
Ursula's heart sank. She knew that if Zeus didn't make an appearance soon then things were about to get real ugly real fast. Somehow she managed to find her voice.
"Pleased to meet you Lady Hera."
"No need for formal introductions child of magic. Politeness will not save you now. I'm sure you've heard the stories of what I do to women who come between me and my husband."
"Lady Hera please I mean you no harm."
"If you believe that then you are not only lying to me but you are lying to yourself as well. I've been kind and fair towards you, Ursula. I turned the other cheek when Apollo informed me of your daily flights with my husband. But how do you repay me? By taking advantage of my mercy. In all of Zeus's many affairs he had never suggested replacing me until now. I don't know what kind of spell you manage to put on him but I'm here to tell you I've had enough. I'm going to make sure he finally sees you for the vile creature you really are."
Ursula left out a yelp of pain. She tried to swim away but the pain in her tail incapacitated her. It felt as if Hera had taken a chainsaw and repeatedly sawed her tail into halves. She then felt her body swell up like a pufferfish. Her hair began to wither and turn grey. She looked down at where tail used to be and to her absolute horror saw eight tentacles instead. Hera laughed, reveling in Ursula's misery.
"Did you really think a mere mermaid could get the best of me. HA! Would you be so kind to let me know what Zeus thinks of your new makeover? I'm sure it will be something he will never forget." Hera laughed, leaving Ursula on the rock sobbing her eyes out.
Zeus had finished all of the wedding preparations and flew down from Mount Olympus to retrieve his beautiful bride. Instead he found the most revolting creature wailing on the rocks. His first thought was that Ursula was scared away by this awful beast and it would be up to him to dispose of it. Just when Zeus was about to summon a lightening bolt to strike it down the beast looked up. They made eye contact. The Lord of the Skies heisted. He knew those eyes from somewhere.
"Ursula" he asked.
The creature wiped its nose, letting out a pint of ink in the process. "I knew you would recognize me."
"What happened to you Ursula?"
"Hera came and turned me into this monstrosity. She says this is my true self. But you know better don't you Zeus? You can change me back to normal and we can be together. Nothing can keep us apart not even Hera."
"I'm afraid there is little truth to that statement. Hera's curse is strong, no amount of magic could permanently alter your appearance back to its original state. Heck even my powers couldn't break the curse."
Ursula wailed "But we can still be together right?"
"No we can't. Do you remember the reason why I wanted to marry you and make you queen?"
"Because you love me. Why else would you make such a gesture?"
"Well love is a fickle thing you see. I know this firsthand as Aphrodite is a close associate of mine. Anyways I wanted to make you Queen because you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. That is obviously no longer the case so I revoke my proposal."
"So that's it then. You are just going to leave me like this?" her voice wavered.
"Let me impart some wisdom upon you Ursula. Emotions get in the way of success. People who act on feelings and passion merely expose their Achilles Heels, begging for others to take advantage of them. Do you think that love made me ruler of the universe? BA! I murdered my own father for power and I would gladly do it again a million times over. My flirtation with you was merely a ruse to put Hera in her place. She needed to know that even she is disposable. I am the only one who possesses absolute power. I think she got the message so I thank you for your services."
Ursula let out a pitiful sob. Zeus leaned in close and wiped away her tears.
"You must always remember that love is weakness."
Zeus disappeared in a flash of lightening. Leaving Ursula a sheer mess of emotions.
"So much for true love" she screamed up at the sky. Ursula was overcome with hatred. Hatred for parents who never loved her. Hatred for the merpeople who never accepted her. Hatred for Hera for turning into an octowoman. But most of all hatred for Zeus for callously abandoning her. From that day forth she swore to get her revenge on the Olympians. And that is how Ursula the Sea Witch came to be.
