Chapter 11 – Atlantica Part 2

The next morning, the trio woke up and headed out of the kingdom. As they swam a bit, they saw Ariel pass by them. She was looking happy, singing to herself, and looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Morning guys!" she said happily as she swam off.

"What's her deal?" asked Ken.

"Looks to me like..." started Sarah. "Ariel's in love."

"Ariel... in love?" wondered Alex as another surge of jealousy went through him.

"Let's follow her." said Ken.

The three swam off and followed Ariel to a lone rock near a pit of beautiful sea flowers. When Heartless began appearing, they drew their Keyblades and eliminated any that drew near Ariel. When it was safe once again, she began to pick a flower. They saw her picking a flower and doing 'loves me/loves me not' game that all people do once in their lives. When she picked the last petal, she grew excited.

"He loves me! Oh, I knew it!" she giggled.

"Ariel, you all right?" asked Alex.

"Oh, hey guys! Yes I am!" she said, swimming around them with happiness. "I never felt so happy in my life!"

"Ariel!" shouted a voice. They turned and saw Sebastian.

"Sebastian!" said Ken. "What's up?"

"The other girls told me where you would be Ariel. I come to knock sense into you!"

"Why?" asked Sarah. "Can't you accept that she's in love?"

"I understand that Sarah, but it's with a human!" protested Sebastian.

"So what?"

"We here under the sea have customs, rules that need to be obeyed. The sea king would boil me if he heard of Ariel being in love with a human!"

"Sounds serious." said Alex.

"It is!"

The trio talked and admitted that life did seem better in the sea. Why she wanted to be in the human world confused them, so they would try to get Ariel to stay down her if they could.

"Tonight, I'll go to his castle!" said Ariel to herself. "Scuttle knows where he lives! Flounder can splash around to get his attention an-"

"Down here is your home!" shouted Sebastian as she swam to her. "Ariel, listen to me. The human world is a mess! Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there!" he then started singing. "The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake! Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you. What more is you lookin' for? Under the sea! Under the sea! Darling its better down where it's wetter, take it from me!

Over the course of it, fish began swimming around them still singing. Even the trio eventually joined, wanting to further explain the joys of living under the sea.

"Even the Sturgin' and the ray," sand Ken.

"They get the urge and start to play!" sang Sarah.

"We got the spirit, you go to hear it, under the sea!" sang Alex.

"The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp, the plaice play the bass, and they soundin's harp!" sang Sebastian.

Little did they know, Flounder was swimming through the chaos, eventually getting to Ariel and whispering in her ear. The two swam away and even the trio didn't notice. Soon, the song began coming to an end and the trio were still jamming with the other fish.

"Each little clam here, know how to jam here, under the sea! Each little slug here, cuttin' a rug here, under the sea! Each little snail here, know how to wail here." sang Sebastian.

"That's why it's hotter," sang Ken.

"Under the water!" sang Alex.

"Down in the muck here!" sang Sarah!

"Under the sea!" they all sang before posing at Ariel, who was no longer there.

"Ariel?" wondered Sebastian. The fish swam away and Sebastian looked down and sighed. "Someone's got to nail that girls fin to the floor."

"Sebastian!" yelled a voice. It turned out to be a small seahorse. "Sebastian, I got with news from the sea king!"

"The sea king?"

"He wants to see you right away, uh, something about Ariel!" he said before swimming off.

"Ah!"" shrieked the crab. "He knows!"

"He can't know!" said Alex. "Just... don't say anything and we will all be good."

"All right," said Sebastian as he calmed down. "You three, go to the grotto. Ariel is sure to be there."

They nodded and headed there quickly. When they arrived, they saw Ariel happily spinning around and admiring a statue of the handsome man from the ship.

"Ariel?" said Alex.

"Friends! Doesn't it look just like him? Even has his eyes!" she swam over and gave Alex a kiss on the cheek, just from the sheer excitement.

Ken chuckled as Sarah turned her head. Alex gave a huge shade of red and scratched his head. That all changed when they noticed someone had just arrived. In fact, two had arrived: King Triton and Sebastian, who hid behind him.

"Daddy!" shouted Ariel in horror.

"I consider myself a reasonable Merman. I set certain rules and I expect those rules to be obeyed."

"But daddy-"

"Is it true you stop a human from drowning?"

"Daddy, I had to-"

"Contact between the human world and the Merworld is extremely forbidden. Ariel you know that, everyone knows that!"

"He would've died!" protested Ariel.

"One less human to worry about!"

"You don't even know him!"

"Know him? I don't have to know him! They're all the same! Spineless, savage, harpooning fish eaters! Incapable of any feelin-"

"DADDY I LOVE HIM!" she quickly shut her mouth and the trio backed away. Sebastian grew scared.

"No..." said King Triton. "Have you lost your senses completely?! He's a human, you're a mermaid!"

"I don't care!"

"King Triton-" started Ken.

"And you three!" he shouted, pointing his trident at them. "Didn't I say I wanted you gone?"

"Your Majesty, Heartless are still around and we haven't found the Worlds Keyhole. We ain't leaving until everything is sorted out!" Sarah admired Ken and his attitude.

"Oh, so help me!" shouted King Triton. "I am going to get through to you all!" his trident began to glow. "And if this is the only way... SO BE IT!"

Using his glowing trident, he began destroying everything in the grotto, including the statue of the handsome man. When it was all over, Ariel laid down and began sobbing heavily. King Triton regretted it all and sulked away. Sebastian, Flounder, and the trio moved slowly to Ariel.

"Ariel, we're sorry-" said Alex.

"Just go away." she sobbed.

He frowned and all five of them left the grotto without another word. Outside, they came to attention as Darkness swarmed in front of them and the rage from King Triton became a Heartless. Drawing their weapons, the trio darted to the shadowy enemy and attacked. In no time, the Heartless was gone, disappearing into the air.

Sebastian and Flounder came from hiding and looked relieved. Ken pointed out that Ariel was leaving with two blueish gray eels. Sebastian led the way and was near Ariel.

"Ariel, where are you going with this riffraff?"

"I'm going to see Ursula."

"No! No, she's a demon, she's a monster!"

"Why don't you tell my father, you're good at that!"

Sebastian drew back and looked to Flounder.

"Who's Ursula?" asked Alex.

"She's a Sea Witch!" said Flounder.

"King Triton had her exiled a long time ago. Still, that doesn't stop her from causing mayhem for Atlantica once in a while."

"And those two eels?" asked Sarah.

"Jetsom and Flotsom, her minions." said Flounder. "They're bad news."

"Come on!" said Sebastian. "We better follow them before its too late."

Swimming through the gloomiest parts of the sea, the eventually came to a large skeleton of an unknown animal and carefully ventured inside. Below them were brown creatures that looked uglier then anything they ever seen. The group eventually came to a room and heard Ariel talking to a female octopus creature with blue skin and white hair, who was singing and talking about turning Ariel human.

"No Ariel!" said Sebastian, but he and Flounder were silenced by the eels.

"We got this!" said Alex as he and his friends drew their Keyblades.

The witch snapped her fingers and the trio were tied up by dark tentacles, preventing them from using their weapons.

"Have we got a deal?" Ursula asked Ariel.

"If I become human... I'll never be with my father or sisters again."

"That's right, but you'll have your man." she laughed. And there is only one thing I want from you: Your voice."

"My voice?"

"You got it. No more talking, singing, zip!"

"But-"

"You'll have your looks! Your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language! Hah!" she began singing again. "The men up there don't like a lot of blabber. They think a girl who gossips is a bore! Yes, on land its much preferred for ladies not to say a word. And after all dear, what is idle prattle for? Come on, they''re not all impressed with conversation. True gentlemen avoid it when they can."

She kept on going, putting potions in her cauldron and making crazier explosions from different colors. Eventually, she made a golden contract appear in front of Ariel, who looked to the trio. They shook their heads no, but Ariel was selfish and signed it. Ursula clutched it in her hand and began the words. When she was done, green hands appeared and took Ariel's voice from her throat and into Ursula's shell that she kept around her neck. The tentacles let go just as Ariel began transforming.

The trio went after Ursula, but Ariel needed more help. Alex and Ken took her arms and began swimming fast toward the surface, trying to get Ariel to the surface so she could breath now that she was human. They made it without a second to spare and carried her to the shore of a castle.

*I'm not sure if any of you noticed, but this first trilogy is focusing (minor) on Alex, who's Darkness keeps on growing. By the end of the third story, his transformation will be complete, but I'm not saying whether he accepts the Darkness or dispels it.

*If you haven't noticed, I made each of the Atlantica chapters longer because I started before the "Part of your World" song and am ending after Ursula's defeat. Stay tuned for the 3rd and final part of Atlantica! Please Review, Follow, and Favorite!