"I've done everything you've asked me to do. I brought one of the demigods to you. Now it is time for you to uphold your end of the bargain, Ursula."
"Yes Ariel you have done well but the job is only half finished. I will uphold my end of the bargain only when we have two sacrifices: one male and one female, just as the earth mistress requested."
At first Piper thought she was dreaming, but the scene in front of her was too bizarre. She doubted her imagination was that creative. She was underwater but she could breath just fine. Piper suspected that some sort of magic was at play here, but it was far more powerful then her charm speaking abilities. A red-haired mermaid and an older woman with octopus tentacles were arguing about something. The mermaid seemed sad and kept directing sympathetic glances over at Piper. The octopus on the other hand was scary beyond all reason. Behind the octopus were two eels that eyed Piper hungrily. She gulped.
"Look our guest has awaken" the octopus woman sneered. "I do hope you had a nice nap. Ariel, how exactly did you kidnap her?"
"It wasn't really a kidnapping per say. I was swimming towards the ship, looking for the son of Poseidon, when I found the girl floating motionlessly below the bow. I simply grabbed her and brought her down to you."
"Hmm…interesting. Say child. Why would you leave all your widdle friends? Realized that they are all doomed did you now?"
Piper remained silent. She didn't need to talk to this monster. Any minute now Jason and the others would show up and rescue her. Then he would apologize for mistreating her and swear to always be faithful. But of course no such thing happened and she was stuck in the octopus' lair.
"Fine if you don't wanna talk I will find out myself." The octopus woman held up a yellow shell she had tied around her neck and opened it. A white mist emerged and formed an image of Piper and Jason. The vision quickly morphed into Jason kissing Nico then into Piper's despair personified as the doves flying out of the cornucopia.
Ursula laughed, "This is too funny. A child of Aphrodite spurned by her lover. O the delicious irony. You see Ariel you aren't the only one susceptible to heartbreak. Now daughter of Aphrodite I'm willing to make a deal with you. I possess potent magical powers and I would be willing to end your suffering. All you would have to do is give me the object that is in your back pocket."
Piper pulled Katoptris out of her pocket. "This is what you want?"
"Precisely, that blade was once owned by Helen of Troy, who was a powerful enchantress in her day. For some reason they left that out of the myth. The point is you haven't even begun to unlock its magical potential. The knife is of little use to you. Hand me the blade and I will make all your troubles go away."
"You can have it" Piper croaked. "I don't want it anyways." Piper tossed the blade to Ursula who caught it with one of her tentacles.
"Excellent now I believe I promised to relieve you of all your suffering."
Piper nodded.
"Hahaha I thought so, Ariel." Ursula yelled throwing the knife to a surprised mermaid. "Slit the girl's throat and I will reward you. Slit her throat and you will be free of me. Slit her throat and I will bring your Prince back to you."
In a matter of seconds Ariel had pinned Piper to the ground and was holding Katoptris to her neck.
"I have to do this quickly before I change my mind" Ariel thought.
Just as Ariel applied pressure to her knife hand, Piper let out a squeal. "Please don't do it." Tears were rolling down Piper's cheeks. "I'm not ready to die."
Ursula kept encouraging Ariel to go on. "Don't listen to her Ariel. She was willing to drown herself, how is this any different? Kill her and you will have everything you've ever wanted."
Ariel was torn. She didn't know how to proceed, but looking down upon the tear stained face of Piper Mc Lean Ariel knew she must follow her heart. Ariel released her hold and tossed the knife to the side.
"I can't and I won't" Ariel said turning defiantly at Ursula. "I'm not like you."
"What a shame. Maybe if you were more like me you would have to strength to do what must be done. You are weak Ariel. And do you know what happens to the weak in this world? They get exterminated."
Ursula picked up Katoptris and with perfect precision threw it at Piper's chest. The blade pierced her heart. She died before she could shed another tear. Ursula triumphantly moved over to the body. She picked up Katoptris. The blade had cut Piper's heart it two.
"The broken heart, both literally and figuratively, of a child of Aphrodite. This seems like a worthy sacrifice to Gaea. Don't you agree Ariel?"
Flotsam and Jetsam voiced their approval.
"Ariel, thus far you have disappointed me and shown yourself to be utterly useless. Prove to me that you have some minuscule value to my cause so I have a reason not to kill you. I will temporarily give you legs so that you may perform this simple task. Take the girl's heart and bring it to the surface world. When you've arrived go on the land, take the heart and squeeze out every drop of blood. Make sure that the blood hits the ground so that Earth mother will be closer to rising. And just so you aren't tempted to warn her demigod friends what we are up to, I shall take your voice. Now go Ariel. Just remember: fail me and there will be serious consequences." Ursula turned her attention to her pet eels. "Flotsam and Jetsam would you be so kind as to clean up this mess?"
"Yyyeesssss UUUrrrsssuuulllaaa." they said in unison.
Ariel averted her eyes as the eels feasted on the mutilated corpse of Piper McLean.