Melissa/Ariel
A man of 20 stands at the water's edge. He peers at the shapes floating under its surface. He doesn't know the extent of what lies under its depths. If he did he would not sit down and dip his feet in the cool water. If he knew he would run for help. Screaming all the wildlife away. But it is to our advantage he does not know.
He sees a shadow much bigger than others. It is unusual. Something is wrong. He looks around for the shadow but cannot find it. Then out of the corner of his eye he sees something sparkling. It looks like a tail of a dolphin, but there are scales like a fish on it. He turns swiftly but again it is gone. He gets his feet out of the water. He looks out scanning carefully for the creature. He sees a shadow behind the waterfall. He stalks closer. Curiosity bringing him closer and closer. When he steps through the curtain of water he sees her. She is turned away from him but she hears him coming. She turns and he stops. His mouth gaping open at her sheer beauty. Her black hair seemed to take the color from the room and store it in her hair. Her face was soft with big green eyes, a small nose and full red lips.
He takes her in and sees a tail. Long and majestic. Powerful. The scales on her are white but when the water shines on them they seem to glow bright. She jumps into the water and is gone. He goes out and calls to her. He promises he is not dangerous. He begs to see her. She does not show. He screams till he is hoarse. Then he sees her head poke above the water surface. He is stunned. He slowly moves closer as she raises herself higher.
He goes on the farthest rock he can. She comes close enough to touch. He reaches to touch her cheek and she leans her head in his hand. She comes closer and reaches to put her hand on his neck and bring him closer. He leans in to kiss her. It is all he wants and he gets it. As soon as their lips meet she drags him under the water. His eyes snap open. He sees her change. he sees the most horrible creature ever. He struggles but her grip is strong. When she pulls away water fills his lungs and he lets the blackness take him as long as he does not have to see that creature.
More join the mermaid and crowd around him. They quickly eat his flesh and each mermaid is given a bone. They chew eat easily and soon leave the place where they have brought the end of the poor man's life.
"Mmmmmm" I said. "That was wonderful" and she had to admit that he had been tastier than others. And the way he acted. Ha. He had been much more fun to trick than the others. My name is Melissa. I am also known as Ariel to the humans, the princess of the ocean to all the merfolk and The Seducer to my fellow warriors. I am the best they have. Even the people who are gay fall for me easily. I am Poseidon's first choice in the offensive line against the humans.
I walked back to the palace with my twin sister Nerissa. We seemed to share a special bond with each other. One that could never be broken. She was our best choice for singers. Her songs held such power that even mermaids even had a bit of trouble resisting.
When we stepped into the room they saw our father sitting in his elaborate throne talking to his advisor. Nerissa and I both walked in and heard that we had found an advantage over the human women. We rushed over
"Is it true?" we asked at the same time. For some reason human women were not as easily swayed by beauty as their male counterparts were. We had tried many different tactics with the mermen but it never worked.
My father smiled. "Yes my dear's we have found an advantage over them." he paused, "what we must do is this"
We huddled over and smiled. The humans wouldn't stand a chance.
"Those merfolk have taken our friends, our family and our sister and brothers. Mothers and fathers. Daughters and sons. Will we let them bully us like this?"
"No" we all said in unison
"We are humans. Superior to all other life forms. We will not let some fish beat us will we?"
"No" even though I heard this speech every day for training, I never got over it. It was true and every day, if I doubted what we did this speech made me remember my father and it renewed my energy.
I would dispatch of those monstrous creatures. Soon the world would be rid of them. And only when they were gone would she let herself cry over her father's fate.
We marched toward the little pool of water and hid behind bushes. We waited a long while. Maybe we needed bait.
We quickly decided I was the best choice. I would not be so easily won over with looks. I sat on the rocks and looked in the calm reflection of the water. My face the perfect mask of calm and peacefulness.
My face was framed with unruly brown hair and my brown eyes and hollow cheekbones with fat lips made me seem skeletal. Isabella seemed like an unworthy name for me. My father had always said this to me when I told him that my name didn't suit me 'Is-a-bella. You don't have to be pretty on the outside to be beautiful' he would then carry me around the room, pretending to be a horse and we would laugh.
I closed my eyes for a second and imagined the beautiful sight of the blood filled battlefield. All the merpeople dead, bloodied on the floor with arrows and swords sticking up from them like poles. I would bathe in their blood when that happened. I would be the happiest to see all of those horrible, devils die from my capable hands.
It took a while, but finally I saw something ripple. I looked up. Slightly unnerved now. When I saw it's head I was surprised to see not a merman but a mermaid. What were they sending her up for. She did not do the shy act I had heard mermaids do to lure people to them.
Instead, she quickly went out of water and sat beside me on the rock. I scrambled up and put some great distance between us. I wanted to dive into the bushes, but I was stuck to the spot from fear and the thought that she may be the mermaid that killed my brother.
"I am not going to hurt you." It said its voice silky smooth and I felt a little part of me loose defense. How could she hurt me? She couldn't grow legs. She couldn't even leave the water. Even now, her tail was dipped into the water.
"I have come to make a deal with you." I had never read or heard a mermaid doing this before. There were no records…
"I can make you a mermaid,"
"Why would I want to be a mermaid?" I nearly shouted.
Its face was calm. She shrugged her elegant shoulders. If you don't I know at least one person hiding behind the bushes would. You would stay young, beautiful and you would actually be able to do some magic." She said. She demonstrated by shaping water. It became a boat, then me and then it became a unicorn. Why that?
I heard rustling from behind me. Marie, a scared soldier stepped forward bravely toward the thing.
"I would like to be a mermaid." She said confidently.
Its eyes twinkled with delight and she threw a glamorous smile toward Marie and once again I was taken aback. No wonder men had trouble resisting her. I had to have an inside battle with myself why not to let her make me a mermaid.
"Sit down…"
"Marie." Marie said.
"Sit down Marie. Put your feet in the water and just keep your mind empty."
I couldn't pull my eyes away as the mermaid started to transform Marie into a mermaid.
I could see a bright, watery blue light cover them. When they were done it drifted away like mist. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Marie had been ugly as a human. She had black, lifeless hair that fell in clumps on her head, a big nose that shadowed part of her face and her front teeth had stuck out like a bunny's.
Now her hair had volume and curled gracefully down her shoulders. Her nose had shrunken down considerably and her teeth went into her mouth now. And every part of her radiated with beauty. She still was not as pretty compared to the other mermaid, but she was a million times prettier than she had ever been.
"Come on Marie. I need to introduce you to the other mermaids." She said and they left and went down into the water and I stared at the place two mermaids had disappeared. Why hadn't we done anything? Now they had another person to help them. One of our own, so she would know our plans and would tell the other mermaids!
I felt the others leave the bushes and we left. I could sense that others were shocked like I was, but I could see some want to follow Marie down into those waters. If there were any more encounters like that our whole army would soon be under those waters with the mermaids.