Authors note- We are very sorry this has taken us so long to update. Unfortunately sometimes school, life and work get in the way. We do want to thank everyone that has been checking up on this and leaving us reviews and messages. We appreciate it more than you know and it encourages us to continue. =) We love our story so far and enjoy writing it. We hope you enjoy it also and can connect with the characters! Again we apologize for the late update!

Disclaimer: We do not own The Little Mermaid or the songs we use in this chapter.

Profiles:

Name: Alec

Age: 17

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 150

EC: Sapphire blue

HC: Black

Skin Tone: Somewhat pale

Race: Human

Appearance: Has black short hair that reaches just below his chin. His eyes are a sapphire blue that always seem to make people want to smile. He is tall with an average body build. Has the same skin tone as Eric. He wears a white baggy-ish shirt and black pants.

Name: Damien

Age: 17

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 150

EC: Golden Brown

HC: Dark chocolate brown

Skin Tone: Somewhat pale

Race: Human

Appearance: Damien has shaggy chocolate brown hair the reaches the nape of his neck and serious and distant eyes that would make the bravest man shudder if he gazed into them for too long. He is tall and is slim but muscular because of his training that he has done to make sure he can protect his friends. He has a healthy pale complexion. He normally wears what Eric wears except with a black shirt.

Chapter 3: The hearts desires

Alena sat alone outside the cavern. Time seemed to be passing by slowly, but she didn't mind. She felt so calm and at peace. Her mind started to wander with thoughts that had occupied it countless times before. Zaire filled her head like he so often did. She thought back to the reef again, and began to slowly lift her fingers to her lips. I wonder what his lips would feel like against mine… She hesitated. Maybe these lips… Don't deserve to touch his… She brought her hand back to the floor beneath her and lightly grasped the sand. She opened her eyes and moved her gaze to her hand while raising it. Alena continued to look at it for a second before letting the sand gradually leak out of her grip. The sand dispersed and took a few moments until it gently landed back where it belonged. She stared at her open palm. He deserves better… She closed her hand. The perfect girl... And forced her eyes closed. I am not her.

She suddenly heard the echo of voices nearby and froze. She turned her body towards the sound and listened closely. The voices were singing. It was such a beautiful sound. She soon recognized the voices as Ariel's and Amira's. That cave must have thin walls... She smiled. Her sister's voices were always more than enough to calm her darker thoughts. She once again closed her eyes and relaxed, the tension in her body disappearing.

She thought back to Zaire and smiled as happy thoughts with him took over. She imagined kissing him again and unconsciously, without hesitation, brought her fingers to her lips. She smiled warmly and blushed. Alena pulled her long black braid over her shoulder and began to run her hands over it as her thoughts of him began to put her under her favorite spell.

Zaire swam quickly as he continued to follow Alena. She finally started to slow and came to a halt. He swam behind a nearby pillar so as not to be seen. She was turned away from him so he couldn't quite see her face. She floated there for a moment before suddenly taking off again in a different direction. He started to take chase again and followed her behind some huge rock. He turned the corner and saw that she had stopped again. His breath caught in surprise as he swiftly turned around and swam behind a nearby pile of rocks. Why does that keep happening… He closed his eyes and put his hand to his chest and tried to calm his breathing. Man that scared me… He opened his eyes and peered up over the rocks to see if she was still there. She was peeking around the corner to the big rock. Out of curiosity, Zaire also leaned out to see what she was looking at. He saw Amira, Flounder and the red flash of Ariel's hair go into what looked like the opening to a cave. He looked back to Alena. So that's why you were in such a hurry. "Well now I feel bad for following…" He mumbled to himself.

He noticed her talking to herself but he could not quite make out what she said. He watched as she leaned up against the rock and slid down. He stared at her for a while and nothing happened. She just sat there. Until he saw her expression change. He watched closely as she began to slowly move one of her hands up. It was moving towards her lips. He froze. Is she thinking about me? He smiled happily before he saw her hesitate. She sat frozen for a moment until she brought her hand back down to the ocean floor. Zaire continued to watch as she picked up sand in her hand and then let it fall. He moved his gaze to her eyes. So sad again… Is this how I make you feel…Alena… She stared at her hand before closing it and forcing her eyes shut. He didn't want to watch any longer and forced his eyes to turn away from her.

He remained still for a little bit and kept his eyes to the sand below him. His breathing seemed to be heavy once again. What do I do? What CAN I do? Have I waited too long…? Too long to tell her how I really feel about her… He shut his eyes and his hands clenched into fists. I'm such a coward… When he dared to look up at her again, he was caught off guard. She was smiling. Not just any smile, his smile, the smile he only saw when she was around him. She touched her fingers to her lips and continued to smile. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she pulled her braid over her shoulder and ran her hands over it. He smiled. She only does that when… It was time. It was finally time to tell her how he felt. And he was confident this time. More confident then he'd ever been. He would not fail and he would not back down.

He began to swim up over the rocks to her when he suddenly came to a quick halt. This caused his fin to knock off a little rock that was resting on top of the larger ones. Zaire moved back behind the rocks again and stared at the huge figure on the surface that had stopped his advance. It looked to be a huge shadow gliding silently across the waves. Colorful flashes above the water followed it. "What… Is that?"

All Amira could do was gape at all the treasures that surrounded her. She stayed frozen in place for a minute before snapping out of it and turning to Ariel. "It's amazing!" Amira exclaimed joyfully. Ariel showed Amira some of her favorites in the collection. The girls both chatted happily with each other for a short while. In the midst of their talk, Ariel grabbed the bag at her side remembering the new treasures she found that day. She set her bag down on a rock in the middle of the room and pulled out the dinglehopper with a quick smile before a frown overtook her face. She sighed unhappily causing Amira to glance over at her.

'Ariel…' Amira thought sadly as she swam over to her elder sister, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Are you guys okay?" Flounder questioned swimming up next to them.

"If only I could make him understand. I just don't see things the way he does." Ariel started, staring at the dingglehopper. "I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things…could be bad." She said, setting the dinglehopper down in a candle holder near her.

"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collections complete?" Ariel sang to Amira, while gesturing to all the wonders in the cavern.

"Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?" Ariel carried on as she looked up into the light.

Amira smiled at her sister before beginning to sing as well, continuing Ariel's thought.

"Look at this trove, treasures untold, how many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around here you'd think, sure, she's got everything." Amira motioned to everything around her.

Ariel smiled at Amira and picked up where she left off.

"I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty, I've got whosits and whatsits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty," Ariel continued while showing the box full of trinkets to Amira and Flounder.

"But who cares, no big deal, I want more…"

Ariel went over to her sister and grabbed her hands.

"I want to be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancing," She sang while twirling Amira.

"Walking around on those, what do you call 'em?" She asked as Amira pointed to her fin. "Oh, feet." Ariel giggled the word.

Amira released her older sister's hand and swam a loop around her and Flounder. "Flippin' your fins you don't get too far, legs are required for jumping, dancing, strollin' along down a, what's that word again?"

"Street," Ariel answered. The sisters looked at each other and smiled before singing in unison:

"Up where they walk, up where they run

Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wanderin' free - wish I could be

Part of that world."

They let their voices ring out as they looked up towards the sun through the water with a longing only they could understand.

The girls and Flounder heard a loud crash.

"Ahh!"

Flounder hid under a helmet he was near while the girls looked for the cause of the sound. They were not very happy when they spotted a small red crab on an accordion with a cup on his back and snarfblat (pipe) hanging out of his mouth.

"Sebastian!" Ariel exclaimed, horrified to see him spying on them. Sebastian spit out the snarfblat, crawling closer to them before responding.

"Ariel, Amira… what, are you both mad? How could you…? What iz all dis?" The very irritated crab questioned.

Stuttering slightly Ariel responded. "It, uh, it's just my – collection…" She pulled her hair outward with her hands.

"Oh. I see. Your collection. Hm." Sebastian said smiling as he held up a hook and stared at it. "IF YOUR FATHER KNEW ABOUT DIS PLACE HE'D-"

"You're not gonna tell him, are you?" Flounder asked getting really close to Sebastian's face.

"Oh, please, Sebastian, he would never understand." Amira said with big, sad eyes.

"Ariel, Amira. You're under a lot of pressure down here. Come wit me, I'll take you home and get you something warm ta drink." He grasped Ariel's hand who grabbed Amira's hand and they let themselves be steered in the direction of the exit. Until, a shadow passed over them, causing the girls to look up in wonder.

"What do you suppose...?" Ariel mumbled before removing her hand from Sebastian's claw and pulling Amira along with her –who happily followed- towards the surface.

"Ariel? Amira?" Sebastian called after them.

Alena sat quietly for a while until she jumped at the sound of something. Her eyes snapped open. She looked over by some boulders and saw a little rock bounce off them and fall to the sand below. "That's weird…" she said to herself as she began to swim over to them. A huge shadow that seemed to overtake the entire ocean floor caught her attention and she froze. She looked up and stared at the dark figure gliding along the surface. She also saw flashes of color from above the waves that seemed to be obediently following the figure. That… Doesn't look good… Her heart began to race, but she didn't understand why. She jumped again at the sound of someone's laughter that rang out through the silence. Alena looked a little to the left and saw Ariel and Amira swimming towards the dark figure. No no! She panicked and began to swim as fast as she could after them.

Ariel's red hair followed by the rest of her head slowly broke the surface. Amiras head popped up quickly after. Ariel moved her hair out of her face and just stared in wonder. A magnificent smile appeared on Amiras face. She giggled which in turn caused Ariel to smile and let out a little giggle as well. Flounder and then Sebastian popped up next.

"Ariel, Amira, what-what are you-"Sebastian began until he saw a flash. He turned and gasped. "Jumpin jellyfish!" he said as he jumped out of the water and put his claws to his head.

"So beautiful…" Amira said in wonder.

Alena just about sprang out of the water when she reached the surface. "Ariel! Amira! Let's go!" she said as she grabbed their hands to drag them back down.

"No!" Ariel yelled as she yanked her hand out of Alenas.

Alena looked at Ariel in shock.

"I… I'm sorry… I want- no, I have to see this!" Ariel pleaded.

"Alena… Look." Amira said pointing to the scene in front of them. Alena forced herself to look at the scene she was already sure she didn't want to see. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open a little. She stared, unmoving. The moon was huge, the biggest she had ever seen it. The dark clouds formed a circle around it so as to let the moon grace the world with its brilliant light. Flashes of colors came out of the figure on the water and exploded in the sky. Some of the colorful lights went out in straight lines, while others forced themselves out into a circle. Flashes of blue, red, purple, white, and green… It was… It was….

"Beautiful…." Alena said out loud.

Amira and Ariel smiled with victory. After Alena snapped out of it she looked at her sisters. Confusion on what she should do became obvious on her face.

"Alena… Come on. How often does this happen? How often do you see something THIS amazing?" Ariel began.

Amira backed her up. "Yeah Lena… If we pass this up, we will be wondering what could have happened and what we could have seen for the rest of our lives! You don't want that do you?" Amira smiled her sweetest, most innocent smile. It was hard for Alena to resist that smile and Amira knew it.

"….Ok! Fine…" Alena said in defeat.

The two sisters hugged their older sister with excitement. Alena hugged them back.

"We better hurry before it leaves us behind!" Amira exclaimed. And at that the three girls started to swim toward the ship.

"Girls!" Sebastian called after them. "Girls please come back!" They ignored him and kept on.

As they got closer the sounds of music and voices filled the night. They swam alongside the ship for a moment before Ariel grasped the side of it. She began to pull herself up it and was followed closely by Amira. Alena grabbed it last and slowly pulled herself up behind her sisters. Ariel reached the small opening in the ship and slowly pulled her head up so she could see. Alena and Amira pulled themselves up quietly next to Ariel. They all stared and mused over what was happening in front of them. They saw people, humans they assumed, jumping around all over the floor. It all looked very strange, but Ariel and Amira smiled anyways, clearly entertained.

As they were watching they noticed a weird creature with fur running around everyone and making a weird sound. The creature suddenly ceased its jumping and stuck its nose up in the air. Then it put its face to the floor and began to walk towards the three sisters. Ariel and Alena gasped and pulled themselves back beside the side of the ship. Amira did not move however and Alena was about to pull her down off the ship until she heard her youngest sister giggle. Ariel and Alena looked over in shock and saw Amira smiling and laughing while the creature licked her face. Ariel leaned out towards it and it turned to her and licked her face also. Alena just stared and didn't dare move towards the furry thing.

They all three heard whistling and this seemed to have gotten the things attention. "Max, here boy!" They heard someone say right after the whistling. The creature turned away from the girls and ran towards the voice. Ariel smiled and touched her cheek where she'd been licked.

"So cute…" Amira whispered as she touched her cheek also.

Ariel looked over to where the creature went. "Hey, come on, mutt" the man spoke as the furry thing circled him. "Whatcha doing, huh Max?" he continued as the creature jumped up on him and licked his face. He laughed "Oh come on Max." He continued to laugh and pet the creature. "Good boy, good boy" He smiled kindly at it. Ariel stared at the human and at once was taken by him. Her eyes warmed as she smiled.

All of a sudden, Scuttle flew in out of nowhere. "Hey there, sweeties!" He pretty much shouted causing the girls to jump in fright. "Quite a show, eh?" They all turned to him. Alena rolled her eyes.

"Scuttle, be quiet!" Ariel said waving him away. "They'll hear you."

Amira giggled and turned back to the scene, as did Ariel. Alena slowly turned back to watch as well.

"Oooh, I gotcha, I gotcha" He said and then suddenly appeared under Ariel's and Amira's hair. "We're being intrepidatious. WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!" He screamed as he threw himself up into sight. Ariel glared at him as Amira grabbed his beak and pulled him down. Alena sighed.

"I've never seen a human this close before." Ariel said as she watched the human play music and jump around with the furry thing. "Oh," she began as she laid her chin down on her arms. "He's very handsome, isn't he?" she asked to no one in particular. Alena flinched at Ariel's words, not recognizing this tone in her voice. She looked over to her young red headed sister. Handsome…? She looked over at Amira, but she hadn't seemed to notice the change in Ariel's voice. So Alena decided to ignore it for now.

"I dunno," Scuttle said rubbing his neck. "He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me."

Amira started to laugh. Even Alena couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at the silly remark.

"Not that one!" Ariel laughed out. "The one playing the snarfblat." She said holding Scuttles head in the right direction.

"Silence! Silence!" someone on the ship yelled out. All the sisters' attention turned to the tall thin older man. "It is now my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present!" he said crossing the ship and gesturing to a large thing.

Amira looked at everything on the ship excitedly, ignoring for the most part the single man talking over the rest. Everything was all so heightened, and she was too busy taking in all the sounds, people, colors(and dog) to be paying attention to any one single thing. Her gaze finally landed on a man who seemed to have separated himself from everyone else. She drowned out all other voices as she stared at him, taking in all his features.

Amira looked into the eyes of the strange human, and the moment her eyes reached his, she became entranced. His warm yet distant eyes seemed to be as deep as the depths of the ocean itself. An unfamiliar feeling began to take form inside her. She touched her hand to her heart. It was beating in a pattern that was also unfamiliar.

"…Happy birthday, Eric" The older man continued as someone else on the ship uncovered a huge statue.

A look of almost disgust appeared on his face. Max growled at it. "Gee, Grim." Eric said as he walked over to the large statue. "It's, uhh, it's, err - it's really something'…"

"Oh ho ho! Man!" Another strange man said as he came out from behind the sculpture. "This is just beautiful." He said smiling. "Really." He put his arm around Eric. "I couldn't think of a better gift for you!" he half laughed out. "Happy birthday!" The young human said with a huge grin. "You're getting old!"

Eric gave him a quick glare. "Thanks Alec." He said sarcastically. Alec just laughed more. After a minute though, Eric smiled and laughed too.

Amira still had her eyes on the quiet man off to the sidelines. He was smiling as he watched the two men who could be brothers. He seemed to be happy for their happiness. She liked that. She smiled. Ariel, who seemed to be just as taken, could not take her eyes off the human who appeared to be named Eric. Alena sat and watched the scene as well, but was getting rather bored.

"They don't seem all that interesting right Amir-", Alena began to say but froze as she glanced at her younger sisters.

They were not paying any attention to her. They hadn't even noticed she had said a word. She looked into the eyes of her sisters and was caught off guard. They were… lost. As if time had stopped for them and they were taken somewhere she could not reach. They're eyes were empty… Only containing the reflections of the men they could not break away from. She knew those eyes. She has the same eyes for a certain young merman. Alena's heart began to pulse with pain. But these are humans… Not mermen. She looked back at the men. She looked at the one to the far left, who was sitting and watching the stars, not seeming very interested in the party. The one who had Amira under his spell. His eyes were a golden brown. His hair took on a darker chocolate brown. He seemed a bit… cold. And quiet. Possibly shy. But she did not care one way or the other. Alena then turned her gaze to the two men that resembled each other enough to be brothers.

"…it isn't me alone." The older man, Grimsby shed heard, said. "The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl." He continued to the one named Eric.

"Yeah bro! You need a girlfriend or something! Seriously!" Alec, as she caught his name to be, joked. "Someone to clean up after you!"

Eric knocked Alec's arm off his shoulder. "I think that's what you need." He mumbled to himself as he walked forward away from them.

Alena stared at Alec, who had surprising blue eyes. There wasn't much of a difference between him and the one named Eric. Eric appeared to be a bit older, but Alec was a little taller. Alec's hair was also a bit shaggier, not as nicely styled as Eric's. Alec was petting the furry creature named Max, if she remembered correctly. Ariel and Alena leaned closer into the ship as Eric came closer.

"She's out there somewhere." Eric said sitting on the edge of the ship, too close to where the girls were hiding. "I just - I just haven't found her yet." His voice was filled with a sort of longing and hope.

Alena's eyes shot to Ariel. And she didn't like what she saw. Ariel had that same kind of longing and hope that he did in her eyes and in her smile. Alena looked to Amira next and she was still hooked on the other human, not even noticing how dangerously close Eric was getting. She looked from the men, to her sisters, and then back to the men. Her heart thumped with the pain again. She glared at them, and a hatred she had never felt before began to rise to the surface. She hated them. She hated them so much. She hated them for making her feel this horrible feeling. She loved her sisters. More than anything. She couldn't lose them now. She wouldn't lose them now. Not to these humans. I won't…

The sudden sound of thunder and the flash of lighting made Alena jump and lose her train of thought. Ariel and Amira jumped along with her. The girls looked up to the sky as the wind began to whip their hair around their faces.

"Hurricane a'commin'!" Someone shouted. And that was all Alena needed to hear. She grabbed her sister's hands and yanked them off the ship back into the water. Ariel's and Amira's look of shock didn't matter to her. She knew there was danger. That was all she needed to reassure her that she needed to get herself and her sisters away from here.

"Wait!" Amira shouted as she gently pulled her hand away from Alena's. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

Alena was surprised at the fierceness in Amira's voice.

"We have to see what's gonna happen! What if… What if something bad happens… We can't…" Amira looked down and couldn't finish.

"Alena please… We have to make sure they will be alright." Ariel said quietly.

Alena couldn't believe her ears, and stared at them in disbelief. She looked up at the raging sea above. Where they crazy? Apparently! She shouted to herself.

Amira saw a bright flash of yellow and orange and looked up. No! She frantically swam up towards the surface. Ariel's heart sank and she quickly swam up after her.

"Ungh…" Alena groaned as she curled up a little, holding her stomach. The pain was strong. She didn't want this. Couldn't stand this. They already cared for these humans. She squeezed her eyes shut. After a moment she pulled herself together and swam up after them. She came up just in time to hear a loud shattering sound as the ship crashed into a large rock.

"No!" Amira's cry was ear piercing, almost painful.

The force of the crash caused quite a few men to fall from the ship. Maybe even all of them. The sisters watched in horror at the destruction. They had never seen anything this bad before. Ariel's panicked eyes found Eric. He wasn't in the water, to her relief, but on a smaller version of the bigger ship. Amira's eyes also found the human she'd been looking for. He was also on the small ship. He was safe. Her breathing calmed a little, until she heard the strange yelping sound that Max had made earlier that night. Oh no! He's still on board! The fire was raging on with no end in sight.

"Where's Alec?" the human Amira fancied shouted. Eric whipped his head around the small ship and his eyes widened with horror. "No, don't tell me he stayed with-"

"Max!" Eric shouted as he jumped into the water and swam towards the burning ship.

"Eric!" the same strange human shouted as he was about to jump in after him.

"No Damien! You'll all be killed!" Grimsby warned grabbing his arm.

"I'm not going to let them die." Damien stated flatly. He shrugged Grimsby's arm off him and jumped in, swimming as fast as he could towards the ship.

"Damien…." Amira sighed. Even in all the chaos, she had time to ponder his name. "Beautiful…"

Eric searched the inferno frantically, but it was hard for him to see. The wind and water stung his eyes. Smoke was everywhere. "Alec! Max?"

"Eric!" Alec shouted somewhere nearby. "Here!" Max barked to back Alec up.

Eric squinted and saw the outline of the precious things he was looking for. He ran to them.

"Eric! Max is all tangled up!" Alec said pointing to Max, who was entangled in ropes. "Help me-" he coughed a few times. "Get them off!"

Alec's hands were shaking and as he desperately tried to set the little creature free. His eyes burned causing water to fall from them as if he was crying. The flames threatened to consume everything in their path. They didn't have much time, and they knew it. Eric knelt down and began to help, trying just as hard to release Max. Eric suddenly felt something land on his shoulder and he jumped and twisted around.

"Calm down. It's just me."

"Damien." Eric said in relief as he went back to work.

Damien looked at the situation. He watched as both brothers crazily pulled and yanked at the ropes. Both shaking. Both panicking and unable to calm themselves long enough to really untangle the ropes. He let out a quick sigh and knelt down to help also. "You both are hopeless. How could you expect to get him free when you're shaking so badly? Get out of here. I'll free him." Damien's words were strong and fortified. He was not shaking and he showed no sign of fear in his features. The brothers stared at him in disbelief while Max continued to bark away.

"They'll all be killed!" Amira shouted in horror. "We have to do something!" She turned to her older sister. "Alena!"

Alena could only stare at the scene. She didn't know what to do. She looked to Amira and Ariel. They were both staring at her, looking for an answer. "I…." She began, but couldn't finish and looked down. "There's nothing we can do… But watch…"

"No…. No I won't accept that!" Amira yelled.

Ariel shook her head in agreement with Amira. She grabbed Amira's hand and they swam closer to the ship. Alena floated frozen in place, unsure of what to do, and unsure of her own feelings. Did she really want to help, or not? In this moment, she felt her heart harden.

Ariel and Amira swam closer to the sip, but stopped far enough away so they could still see some of what was going on onboard.

"Please be alright, please be alright…" Amira said.

Damien looked around and saw the fire closing in on them. Amidst the flames, he suddenly saw his mother and father, as well as his little sister. They were screaming, reaching out to him, calling to him for help. His heart filled with pain as he reached out for them instinctively. It took him a moment to realize he was not actually seeing them, but instead seeing memories of his past that still haunted him. He looked back at the brothers and saw them not as they were now, but as little boys. Two brave little boys that ran blindly into a fire to try and save people they did not even know. Two little boys that had found him lying in the house, surrounded by flames. They risked their lives to save him, and dragged him out just in time, just before the house collapsed. The three boys looked at the house, terrified. Damien remembered the silent tears that fell down his cheeks that night, for that was the first and last time he had ever cried. And although he knew the brothers saw, they never said a word. They just looked to him and smiled, saying "It will be alright, you'll see. You can live with us now. We will be best friends forever."

"Damien?" Eric questioned looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

The images faded away. He didn't respond and looked back at Max. The ropes weren't coming undone fast enough. "This is ridiculous. Move!" He commanded the brothers. They quickly moved aside. Damien pulled his sword by his side out of its sheath. The yellows and reds of the flames reflected off the sword, making it take on a shining orange glow.

Amira gasped. Did he have a sword on him before? She thought to herself. I must not have noticed… Because she knew she had been too caught up on his handsome face.

Damien swiftly and gracefully cut the ropes off. Not a single hair on Max's body had been touched by the action. Eric picked Max up and they started running to the other side of the ship. Eric heard a cracking sound and suddenly found himself not running anymore. He looked down and saw his leg stuck in the wood of the ship. Damien and Alec turned to help. Eric handed Max to Alec and put his hands to his leg and began tugging.

"This is just great! Could things get any worse?" Alec yelled.

"Shut up Alec." Damien demanded.

They pulled and pulled, but to no avail. "Just go!" Eric shouted. "Get Max and Alec out of here Damien!"

"You know I won't do that." Damien said firmly. "You and Alec saved my life. I will not let either of you die. Not now. So keep pulling!" They kept trying but his leg was wedged in the wood pretty good. Damien glanced over and saw the fire creeping to the barrels that held the gunpowder and the fireworks. He looked back at Eric and Alec and knew he had to make a quick decision. His eyes stayed on Alec.

"Damien?" Alec questioned seeing the change in Damien's eyes.

"Goodbye Alec." Damien said quietly.

"Wha-" Alec began but it was too late.

Damien pushed Alec over the edge of the ship along with Max. Max yelped as they made the fall and crashed into the water. Amira saw them fall into the infuriated ocean.

"They will never make it to the smaller one…" She realized with fear. She ducked under the waves and began to swim over to them. Ariel followed.

Alec popped up above the water and gasped for air. He turned and looked back to the ship with terror. He considered going back for a mere second before he changed his mind. He knew they were going to be alright. They had to be alright. They would survive. Damien owed him that much. And he had to make sure Max would make it. He spun around and saw the dog struggling in the water to find where he should go. He looked in the distance but he couldn't see the small ship with all the waves and the rain. Alec heard Max make a small whimper and he forced his gaze back to the dog. Max was all of a sudden swimming forward, as if he knew where he was going. Alec thought it strange but decided to ignore it and followed the dog.

"Lead us to the rescue ship Max." Alec said while swimming close behind the mutt.

Amira held her palms gently against Max's wet stomach as she pushed him forward towards the small vessel from beneath the waves. "Is he following?" Amira asked Ariel, who was swimming beside her. Ariel glanced back and saw the headless body traveling close behind them.

"Yes… But swim and lead Max faster. He's getting too close" Ariel said.

Amira picked up speed. She knew they were close. Almost there…. She thought anxiously.

Alec could see the small boat come into sight and he swam faster. "Good boy Max." Relief clear in his voice.

Amira quickly let go of Max once she was sure they were going to make it and backed away. Ariel backed up with her.

"Good thinking Amira." Ariel said smiling at her sister.

"Thanks." Amira said smiling back.

The two girls swam back to the surface and locked their gaze on the a blazed ship.

"Alec! Max!" Grimsby yelled, waving his hands.

Alec swam up and began pushing Max on the boat. Grimsby pulled Max aboard and then reached out to help Alec up. As he was being pulled up he suddenly heard a loud explosion. He half fell back into to the water as his head snapped to the ship. "No…." He whispered. All hope and assurance he'd had before disappearing.

Ariel and Amira stared wide eyed at the eruption of flames. They were speechless.

Alena's shock at what had just happened snapped her out of her stubborn unwillingness. She hastily swam closer to the ruin. "Ariel… Amira…" She whispered in fright. Please be alright! She pushed herself faster.

Ariel gained her awareness back and grabbed Amira's arm. "Come on! Help me find them! They could still be alive!" Ariel said urgently to her sister. Amira just shook her head and they both set out in the wreckage to find the men they already cared for. The girls swam quickly, dodging large pieces of wood that were once a part of the magnificent boat.

"We should split up." The youngest of the girls stated. Ariel gave a quick nod and swam in a different direction. Amira kept searching, her chest tightening with worry as her eyes frantically searched through the wreckage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark haired figure slowly sink. Her heart nearly leapt to her throat as she sped over to the figure that she quickly recognized as Damien. Amira grabbed Damien and began to haul him to the surface.

Damien opened his eyes a little, but everything was blurry. He was barely aware of what was going on, he couldn't feel his body or move. Even so, Damien did know that he was no longer burning and was now grateful for the coolness that encased him. He saw bright light from above the water. The fire was still going, he figured, but then something else caught his attention. The bright shining glow of emerald. Two emeralds that were right in front of him. Staring at him. What were they? He tried to stare closer and make out what the magnificent gems were, and as he did that he thought he saw a face beginning to form, a beautiful face. The tug of unconsciousness however threatened to pull him back under before he was done determining what the strange emeralds were. He tried to fight it, but the tug was too strong. He let himself be sucked back into the blackness.

As Amira broke the surface she glanced at Damien. Her eyes were drawn to his face but her attention quickly adverted to his left arm which looked badly hurt. She gasped and called out for her sisters. "Alena! Ariel! Where are you?"

"Over here Amira!" Ariel responded swimming over to her younger sister, with Eric gently held in her arms. Alena popped up out of the water and immediately caught sight of her sisters. They were alright. She let out a sigh of relief. Then she noticed what they were holding, and her relief instantly turned to anger. Her sisters were touching them. These… these barbarians, as she recalled her father's words. Father was right… Alena was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Amira calling out to her.

"…ena…ALENA!" Amira finally yelled after trying to get her older sisters attention for the past few minutes. "Did you hear a word I was saying?" Amira said with slight annoyance.

"What?" Alena replied with the same annoyed tone.

"I said you need to take Damien so I can see where land is." Amira said, ignoring Alena's tone.

Disgust rose in Alena's chest. She was going to interrupt but Amira kept going.

"You know I'm the fastest swimmer." She continued.

"That doesn't matter, why should I-" Alena began before being interrupted again.

"I know where land is. I've… been to the surface…a lot." Amira said looking down. She was quiet for a moment and let that sink into Alena's head. She lifted her head after a few minutes and went on. "Do you know where land is?"

Alena was silent and at a loss for words. She stared at her sister, furious, confused, and a little hurt at this confession. But it was true. She did not know where land was. She looked down.

"Please Lena…for me…please?" Amira looked at her sister with hope shining in her eyes.

Alena was defeated. "Fine…" She swam over, grabbed Damien with discomfort, and watched as her youngest sister swam away. Ariel watched as well.

As Amira swam away from her sisters she thought about what she had just admitted to her eldest sister. The hurt and confused expression that crossed Alena's face when she told her that she has been to the surface many a time. She felt guilt grip her heart. She knew her sister felt somewhat betrayed by keeping this secret. She glanced up to the stars trying to figure out where the nearest land was. She had always admired the stars, that was in fact one of the main reasons she started to come up to the surface when she was younger. Amira remembered when her family used to come to the surface and her mother pointed out all the constellations to her and her sisters; although at the time she was the only one that was really interested in it. She was glad now that she really paid attention.

We were all so happy then….so carefree….even Lena. She started to think about how Alena has changed over the years and even how much she has changed in the last hour. She seems so different all of a sudden…I wonder why she seems so angry…What could be bothering her so? She questioned herself.

Quickly shaking all thoughts of her older sister's recent change in attitude, she returned to looking at the stars. She found the constellation she was looking for and swam further out to make sure. After spotting the barest hint of land she turned around and swiftly swam back to her sisters and the two men in need.

Ariel and Alena waited in silence. Every once in a while Ariel would glance over at Alena, but she was too scared to say anything. She looked Alena up and down, and noticed that she looked incredibly uncomfortable. And maybe a bit angry for some reason, but she stopped thinking about it as soon as she heard the sound of Amira's return.

"This way." Amira said as she turned and began to swim back in the direction she had just come.

Alena and Ariel obediently followed, both of them struggling to keep up with Amira. As they were swimming away from the disaster scene, the sun began to creep up over the waves. The light caused the sky and clouds to turn a pink orange. The ocean seemed to be unusually still, the calm after the storm.

When they got to land Ariel pulled Eric up onto the shore while Alena helped Amira get Damien up also. Almost as soon as they were on land and laid the men down, Scuttle appeared. He flew right up to Ariel and Eric. Amira was staring at Damien. It was almost impossible for her to take her eyes off him. Her gaze however kept shifting between his handsome face and his injured arm. Worry took over her expression. Alena was sitting on the other side of Damien, she was so still she was barely breathing.

Ariel leaned over Eric with her hand gently resting on his chest and her other hand holding his head. "Is he…dead?" she questioned, her voice filled with concern.

Scuttle opened Eric's eyelid and peered into them. "It's hard to say…" he said while hopping over to Eric's feet. Amira hardly heard a word they were saying, too caught up in Damien to notice anything. Scuttle picked Eric's foot up and put his head to it. Alena rolled her eyes at the dumb bird.

"Oh, I… I can't make out a heartbeat..." Scuttle said quietly.

Alena saw the look of worry on Amira's face and she reluctantly put her ear to Damien's chest. He was breathing and she heard his heartbeat.

"No, look! He's breathing." Ariel said excitedly the same time Alena said "This one's alive."

Happiness filled the younger sister's faces.

"He's so, beautiful…" Ariel said while moving Eric's hair out of his face.

"Beautiful." Amira agreed while continuing to stare at Damien. She was happy he was alive, but she still worried about his injury. She gently ran her fingers over his hurt arm. Alena sighed and looked to the sky, not wanting to hear or see any of this nonsense. The sooner they got out of here and away from these humans, the better.

What would I give to live where you are? Ariel began to sing while softly caressing Eric's cheek.

Alena froze.

What would I pay to stay here beside you? Amira sang continuing the thought while slowly running her fingers over every curve of Damien's face, almost as if she was memorizing it.

Alena's eyes shot back to Amira.

What would I do to see you… smiling at me? Ariel sang out.

Alena quickly glanced over at Ariel, her eyes wide.

Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun? Amira sang out next, longing and hope filling her voice.

Alena's throat became dry and her chest tightened. Her heart was pounding violently against her chest with the pain again.

Radiant rays from the sun shone down on them, making the girls appear to have a faint glow around them. The younger sisters, both smiling, both singing to the men they now wanted to share their lives with, let their voices ring out together:

Just you and me

And I could be

Part of your world!

Alena saw Eric grab Ariel's hand and horror struck her. Just as Alena was about to lose it and let all her anger and disapproval out, there was that same barking sound again. All three girls jumped and looked in the direction of the sound. Max was running up to them excitedly.

"Eric! Damien!" They heard some shouting.

Ariel quickly pulled herself back into the water. Amira looked back at Damien and didn't move.

"Eriiiiic! Damien!" They heard another voice shout.

"Amira!" Alena whispered fiercely, grabbing Amira's arm and pulling her towards the waves. Amira tried to fight her older sister, but Alena was determined to get her into the water. She succeeded just as Max ran up and licked Eric's face. The sisters disappeared under the blue ocean.

Max seemed to be chasing them, as he ran into the water and tried to swim after them. They swam far enough away and came up to a rock. They all popped their heads up and peeked around the rock back at the shore to make sure they had not been seen, though Alena wondered if Amira even cared. They watched as Grimsby and Alec, mostly Alec, came running up to Eric and Damien. The men noticed that Eric was awake. Alec sighed in relief.

"You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?" Grimsby said as he was helping Eric up.

Alec went up to Damien. "Damien…" Alec began. Fear gripped him for a split second until he saw Damien's eyes start to inch open.

"A girl - rescued me. . . . " Eric started say as he got up. "She was…singing . . . she had the most - beautiful voice." Eric was about to fall over but Grimsby caught him.

"Girl?" Alec said looking up at Eric. "Guess your fine if you're thinking about girls…" He mumbled to himself.

"Ah, Eric, I think you've swallowed a bit too much seawater." Grimsby laughed, clearly glad that the boys were ok. "Off we go. Can you take care of Damien Alec?" He asked putting Eric's arm over him and carrying him away.

"Yeah. Get Eric into bed or something." Alec said rolling his eyes.

Damien slowly began to sit up and Alec helped him.

"You alright?" Alec asked.

"Yeah… Is Eric alright?"

"He's fine. He was babbling on about some girl that was singing. I always knew he'd lose it someday…" Alec said looking thoughtfully at the sea.

"Good… A girl huh?" Damien questioned. "Well I thought… I thought I saw emeralds…." Damien said a bit dazed.

"Emeralds?" Alec said confused. "Alright… You need to get to bed too. Come on, up you go." He said grabbing Damien and helping him stand. As soon as Alec had Damien standing he froze. His eyes had landed on Damien's left arm.

"Damien…."

"What?"

"Your arm… That was so stupid of you! How could you be that stupid? Why did you push me… Stupid I tell you! Stupid stupid!" Alec shouted at him.

"You just said stupid about 5 times. It sounded stupid." Damien said smiling.

"This is serious Damien… How did… How did you get this hurt?" Alec said looking down.

"The fire was closing in on us. The fire burning up the wood was about to reach Eric's leg and we were running out of time… I had to stop it and free him. So I just grabbed the wood and broke it so it wouldn't… Can we talk about this later? It's not that big of a deal. I'm tired." Damien said in his most serious voice. Alec knew not to argue with that.

"Fine…" Alec said. "But don't think you've gotten out of this just yet!"

"I'm scared." Damien said sarcastically.

"You should be." Alec said smiling. "Damien?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" Alec said looking away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Damien laughed a little. "Sure."

"Come on Max!" Alec called behind him.

They watched as the humans left, and somehow in the midst of everything, Sebastian and Flounder had appeared next to the girls.

"We just gotta forget dis whole thing ever happened." Sebastian said as he was sitting ontop of Flounders head. "The sea king will never know. You won't tell him, I won't tell him. I will stay in one piece."

Everyone seemed to be ignoring him except Flounder. Ariel and Amira climbed up onto the rock to get a better look at the humans. Alena stayed floating in the water.

I don't know when….I don't know how... Ariel began to sing quietly.

But I know something's starting right now! Amira continued. She looked at Ariel and they smiled at each other. Alena shrank down further into the sea until she was completely submerged so she didn't have to listen.

Watch and you'll see

Someday I'll be

Part of your world!

They sang out together. The waves seemed to be encouraging them and pushing them forward. And from that moment on, their lives took a new path.

Zaire stayed frozen as he watched the dark figure pass overhead. It took a moment before he realized that Alena and her sisters were swimming up to the figure. Then he saw Flounder and Sebastian following after them. Sebastian? Why is he with them…? He only thought this over for a second before he moved on to more important matters. What are they thinking? They're gonna get themselves in trouble again…He slumped against the rocks and slid down them until he was sitting on the sand. "What should I do…?" He asked himself out loud. "I feel bad for sneaking around like this…but…" A flash of light appeared again and he looked back up at the figure that was now a little ways ahead of him. Zaire's eyes searched for the girl's in the water but he could not see them. Where did they go? He thought as he got up and was about to swim over to where they should have been.

"Hey Zaire!"

Zaire jumped back with shock. He looked at the little thing in front of him and recognized him at once. "Oh… Hey Bubby." The little orange seahorse floated in front of Zaire's face, as happy as ever.

"Whatcha doin?" Bubby asked smiling.

"Um…" Zaire said trying to look around him. "Nothing…"

"What's wrong? You're acting weird… Wanna go find Honey and Aaron? We could play in the reefs and poke the sea anemones!" Bubby said excitedly.

"No, not today Bubby…" Zaire said quietly.

"Why not?" Bubby asked a little hurt. "You never play with us anymore… You're always off with Alena and her sisters…" Bubby began to float back, getting further away from Zaire.

"Listen… I want to. I'm just really busy right now." Zaire said looking around him again. The figure was getting too far away, and there was still no sign of the girls. "Later ok?" He said turning back to look at Bubby.

"But-" Bubby was cut off by a bright flash, and the low rumbling that followed.

They both looked up and saw the waves beginning to twist and turn. "A storm…" Zaire whispered. They need to get away from the surface! He thought with some panic. But Alena… Alena will be smart enough to get them away from there… This thought calmed him a bit. "But would Ariel and Amira listen..?" He said out loud absentmindedly.

"What?" Bubby asked.

"Nothing… Listen I have to go. I'll see you later ok?" Zaire said with a bit of urgency in his tone. "You should get back to your family."

"Alright… I'll see you later then I guess." Bubby said quietly as he turned and swam away.

Zaire waited until he was sure Bubby was gone before he set out after the figure. He wasn't even sure if he could still see it or not with the storm, but he followed in the direction it was headed. Suddenly a bright yellow orange came into view ahead of him above the water. Now he knew exactly where it was at, but he knew this wasn't good. He pushed himself faster. You better be alright Alena!

When he finally arrived he slowed to a stop. Random pieces of wreckage were floating and sinking everywhere. Above the fire still seemed to be going strong. The light from the fire was causing the ocean to take on an orange green glow. Zaire's eyes frantically scanned over the scene until they finally landed on Ariel's bright green tail. She was at the surface, but she seemed fine. He looked to the right of Ariel and saw the faint red glow of Alena's tail. "She's ok…" He said in relief. He started to swim over to her until he saw two legs floating next to her. He looked further upwards and could make out the body of a man. No not a man… A human. His heart stopped. Alena was holding a human. What is she doing with him… With a human! He yelled to himself. Out of the corner of his eye another pair of legs appeared. He looked back over at Ariel and saw that she was holding one too. Two!? Fear and shock took over every part of him. Memories of a certain night from years ago came rushing up to the surface. He tried to shut them out of his mind. He could not move, he was not even breathing. To any passerby he would just appear to be a floating statue. He didn't know which he was more mad or confused about… Alena holding another man or the fact that he was a human. He did not like humans, and had a good reason not to. Zaire slowly moved his head to the side and stared at the scene of the ruin. He observed it for quite some time before he started to calm down. He began to breathe normally again and his heart rate returned to normal.

"This was a human vessel…" He looked back to Alena and Ariel. They're… rescuing them… Yes that must be it…Of course they want to help them… I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that… He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. They would be too stubborn to listen if I just told them to leave the humans… He sighed again. "Well I better make sure they get them to land and that they stay ok…"

Zaire considered going to the surface and showing himself. He could carry at least one of the humans for the sisters and get them onshore. The faster they all got away from them, the better. But Alena… Would she know I was following her? He thought this over. On one hand he wanted the humans to be as far away from the girl's as possible… But on the other, he did not want Alena to know that he was sneaking around and watching her. He put his face in his hands. "What should I do?" He looked up and saw that Amira had appeared, and right after her appearance, the girls set off with the humans. …I'll just keep following them… Out of sight… The guilt rushed through him. He decided that he just didn't want Alena to figure out that he had been following her, but in the back of his mind, he just wanted to see if anything would happen between her and this human.

By the time they got to land, it was already morning. He slowly brought his head out of the water and watched as the girls hauled the men onto the shore. The thing that confused him most, was that they didn't leave right away. They sat there next to the men. A white bird flew up next to Ariel and the dark haired one. That must be Scuttle… Zaire thought to himself. He remembered Alena talking about how mindless the bird was. He noticed how Ariel seemed to be very concerned for the dark haired human… Maybe even as if she actually cared for him. A disgusted look overtook Zaire's features. He then noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look. The moment his eyes reached the movement, he gasped and ducked back under the water. He floated unmoving, his eyes wide with shock and dismay. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. Nothing. The next thing he knew he was speeding off back to Atlantica. He didn't even notice he had been moving until he reached the same reef he was at before he started on this whole adventure, which he now knew was a nightmare. The same reef he and Alena were at not that long ago. The same reef he could have kissed her at… He slowed to a stop. It only took a moment before he felt the pain coursing through his entire body. And the anger. The scene played in his head over and over again, Alena, leaning towards the human, going to kiss him. I knew it! He shouted at himself. You're not good enough for her Zaire! His hands clenched into fists. The whole world seemed as if it was pushing against his chest, a giant weight crushing him that he knew he would never be able to lift. Not if he couldn't have her. He looked over at the reef and something caught his eye. It was a flower. A very beautiful flower with red and purple petals. It stood out on its own, completely separated from all the other flowers.

"Perfect…"

He swam over to the flower and gently touched the petals. The pain pulsed through him and he slowly sank onto the reef, his body curled around the flower. He kissed the flower and closed his eyes. Zaire knew he wasn't going to move from this spot for a while, and he wondered if he would ever want to move again.

.