"So, ready to get your legs on?"
Boomer had driven the King Cruiser onto the main plaza. Brady had taken one of the smarter mermaids, who called herself Aerosol, in his arms. They stood in front of the main castle entrance – the threshold between the mermaid and her legs.
Boz watched from a distance, his arms folded and a frown permanently on his face. He couldn't stop the kings nor help them. If he carried one they'd be getting legs, too, and he did not want to tempt Fate. But he could watch and try to think of a plan to get these ladies out of the castle as quickly as possible.
"I was born ready!" the mermaid with the orange tail exclaimed. She was too excited to get a pair of legs. Brady stepped over the threshold. The tail disappeared in a flash of light and two legs came in its place. Excitedly Aerosol jumped out of Brady's arms and stumbled around, testing out her new legs. As she had trouble standing straight, Boz figured none of them had ever had legs prior to today. Boomer walked in with the second mermaid, Amazonia. Soon, all five mermaids had legs and they fawned over each other's legs and feet-fingers.
Boz shook his head. The kings were idiots. He had to forgive their naïveté, though – if he was honest with himself, he hadn't expected the kings to be perfect right away. Of course, they'd make these obvious mistakes from the get-go. That didn't mean Boz couldn't be annoyed.
The first thing the mermaids wanted to do after they got used to using their legs, was to play limbo. Brady and Boomer indulged in their wants and got themselves a stick. Funnily enough, Lanny was holding it. he seemed to be enjoying himself. His eyes were on Amazonia and only her; the other mermaids did not interest him. Did he even know they were mermaids?
Boz watched it all unfold from the side. He was just waiting for disaster to strike. He didn't have to wait too long, however. Aerosol had a request for the Kings.
"What is it?" Boomer asked. Boz moved closer to the brothers and support them.
"We all want you—" Aerosol began, "to get your little human feet—" she still smiled, but that did not last. Her airhead appearance changed in an instant, became serious and smart, cunning even. "—to get your kingly butts out of this castle!"
Brady and Boomer barely understood what was going on. They stared blankly at the mermaid and her friends. Lanny beamed with joy.
"What do you mean?" Brady asked and Aerosol rolled her eyes.
"Never come back!" she shouted. "We're done with you."
Brady blinked once and turned to Boomer. "That is not where I thought she was going."
"I told you they smelled bad," Boz added. He just wanted to have his 'I-told-you-so' moment. He had been right. But the kings weren't going to acknowledge that so early in their reign. For now, they would look for excuses instead of addressing the real problem: themselves.
"What happened to you all being grateful and staying at our side?" Boomer wondered.
Because they lied. The mermaids had wanted their legs. They only wanted that – they never vied for the kings' affection or attention and never planned to stay with them long-term. And because they had their legs, they needed to get rid of the kings.
"I can't believe we've been used," Brady said.
"Please, this can't be the first time," Aerosol commented. Boz shook his head. That was enough of that. They've had their fun – both the mermaids and the kings – and it was time to step in.
"Guards!" Boz yelled. "We have intruders!"
Mahuma and Roger, two senior guards, came running into the throne room, their machetes drawn. Boz stayed with the kings for protection. The two guards rightly assumed the girls were the threats and charges. But Aerosol and her friends were fearless.
Aerosol spoke in a melodic tone, like an ocean breeze. Not a second later, Mahuma and Roger were exiting the throne room, slapping each other's faces in a silly way.
Boz stared at it wordlessly. What just happened?
"It's our Siren Song," Aerosol told the kings. "It makes men powerless."
Boz never expected they would use their gifts, one of the most dangerous in the world, to make men slap each other in the face. They could do so much more with it than these silly jobs. Were they just toying with their victims or did they legitimately not think to do worse with their gifts?
"But we're Kings," Boomer said. "You can't control us."
Aerosol took it as a dare. She used her siren song and before the boys knew what hit them, they could feel the ocean power surging through them, losing control of their actions. Boz laid his hand on his machete's hilt. He hoped he didn't have to use it.
"Turn around." The brothers obeyed the command.
"I think they can control us," Brady commented.
"Walk out of the door." The brothers walked at the same pace. "Wave goodbye." With that, the kings were officially thrown out of the castle. Aerosol closed the doors behind her. The girls clapped and cheered and Boz became ten times more uncomfortable. Brady and Boomer were safely away from the mermaids, but they were still inside with Lanny and could get access to dangerous information and artifacts. What should he do?
"You guys just kicked out the kings!" Lanny exclaimed incredulously. "Lanny likey!" The six celebrated their victory.
Boz decided the kings needed him more and started to walk to the back entrance. He hoped that they wouldn't spot him.
"Stop!" Boz's legs obeyed the command and he stopped. Unable to move his feet, Aerosol walked up to him. The other mermaids and Lanny continued the celebration while the once orange-tailed mermaid looked at Boz.
"Where do you think you're going?" Boz couldn't decide whether that tone was playful or serious.
"I'm going to the kings." They need me – the volcano, ocean, and island spirits know they'll need me. But Aerosol shook her head.
"No, you're not. You're staying."
Boz frowned. "Sorry, what?"
Aerosol looked at him with desire, such that it made Boz even more uncomfortable. She checked him out like men more than often did with pretty girls.
"You're staying here. There's something about you that's just…" She placed her hand on his chest to feel for abs, which he had. She bit her lip lightly. "… so attractive. Animal-like attraction."
Boz started to sweat nervously. This was not good.
"You know, that's not a good idea," Boz said. "I'm pretty sure the ocean hates me, and since you were a mermaid, I don't think we're a good match. Like, at all."
"I don't care," Aerosol said and she grabbed his hand. "Come dance with us."
Boz's feet were released from the floor as the mermaid pulled him back to the center of the throne room. He obeyed the command and danced with the mermaids, though he was the only one who didn't enjoy himself. The minutes dragged by slowly and while Boz tried to stay friendly – even now, he thought it was better to stay on their good side – he needed to keep his distance. He needed to figure out what he should be doing.
Maybe, if he'd read the Great Book when he still was a king, he might have known what to do in this situation. Maybe he could also have prepared for the double-crossing. Since he never had any interest in reading that book after Kaita was eliminated and the island became peaceful, he never did.
When the mermaids were back in the water, Boz should read the Great Book. If not to prepare, then to better protect the kings from what might be coming for them.
After half an hour, they were still dancing, and Aerosol couldn't get her eyes off of him. They danced closely together, Aerosol doing some suggestive moves Boz did not like. He wondered when this dance party was going to end, and if he was going to jinx it by asking the girls how long they planned on dancing.
"Kiss me," Aerosol told him using the Siren Song. Boz's mind went into panic mode as he leaned in closer to the girl. At least he stopped dancing, but if he had to choose between kissing a mermaid or dancing, he'd gladly pick the latter.
Someone knocked on the door. Aerosol's concentration broke and Boz gratefully pulled away from the mermaid before he could kiss her. She walked to the front door and opened it.
"Mikayla!" Boz exclaimed, a smile on his face. Finally, help has arrived! Despite the confidence she portrayed, he could see the nerves in her eyes. this was still her first day as the head guard, and this must be nerve-wracking.
"What do you want?" Aerosol asked.
"Leave at once or face the consequences," Mikayla told them firmly, pointing to the courtyard. Aerosol studied the girl before her, and Boz awaited the answer.
"You know, you're really pretty."
"Well," Mikayla responded, taking the compliment, "be that as it may, as head of security I'm officially asking you to leave the castle immediately."
Aerosol pulled a sad face, and the other mermaids followed suit. Boz sighed in relief – they accepted their fate. That was a good thing.
"Okay," the mermaid said. "I'm sorry we acted this way. We're from the sea – there's a lot of pressure down there."
Boz was sure there was a joke in there somewhere, but it solidified the idea they just wanted to have some fun, which happened to include kicking out the kings. As Mikayla led them outside, they walked past the kings.
"That's right, keep walking," Brady said with resentment. Boomer nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, we gave you those legs, use 'em!"
Before she walked out through the gates, Aerosol turned to Mikayla.
"Maybe, under different circumstances, we could've been friends."
"I suppose," Mikayla responded.
"Before we go, let me least give you this!" Aerosol took the amulet from her neck and handed it to Mikayla. She smiled as the mermaid put it around her neck.
"It's so pretty," Mikayla noted. Boz nodded – it did look pretty.
"And powerful." Any friendliness disappeared from Aerosol's voice. With one fell swoop, Mikayla landed on the ground. Her legs were gone and had been replaced by a purple tail. Brady and Boomer gasped, and Boz put a hand to his mouth. Oh no, she didn't…
But it happened and Mikayla stared at her lower half in disbelief.
"What have you done?" she exclaimed. "My legs!"
Aerosol showed no mercy. She pushed Mikayla into the water and the girls laughed. Brady and Boomer, now vastly outnumbered and realizing so, ran to the safety of the outside of the castle. Boz tried to join them and sprinted a couple of feet. Aerosol's siren song stopped him and they lead him back inside. Lanny was exceptionally happy to see the mermaids' return – especially Amazonia's.
The girls continued their party, and Boz raked his brain in search of a plan.
While Boz was not allowed to leave the castle – the siren song was a real pain in the butt – he was allowed to walk around freely. That was at least one positive to his imprisonment.
Another positive was the girls were distracted when Boz returned from the toilet. Boz looked through the double doors – Boomer was talking to the girls. No, he was distracting them. He'd drawn them out of the throne room. But why?
A rope fell from the ceiling to the ground. Boz turned around and looked up. Mason and Brady were up against the ceiling and Boz sighed. Why couldn't Mason have just done this alone? Why didn't Brady also distract the girls, so Boomer wouldn't have to do it alone?
Either way, it was too late to comment. Mason climbed down the rope and landed softly on his feet.
"Mason!" Boz said, quiet enough so the mermaids wouldn't hear it. "I'm glad to see you. Do you have a plan?"
Mason nodded. "We grab the Great Book and—"
A scream interrupted Mason and Brady hit the ground. Brady stood up, seemingly without injury.
"Forgot to grab onto the rope," Brady explained, holding a hand on his stomach. He must have really hurt himself – he was lucky that he wasn't hurt any more than he wanted. Luckily, the Parker boys have always been resilient and Brady easily bounced back from a horizontal fall from the ceiling.
"Watch out for mermaids while I get the book," Mason said. Brady and Boz looked over to where Boomer was doing a great job at distracting the girls. When Boz turned to look at Brady, he'd gotten himself in quite a situation. His shirt was twisted and his arms somehow got stuck in weird positions. He tried to get out of this situation but failed.
Mason gave Brady a confused look.
"I don't know how this happened," Brady confessed. "I was just trying to scratch my elbow—"
"Distract the mermaids," Mason told Boz, not willing to listen to Brady's experiences while they were on a schedule. "We're going to look into the Great Book and formulate a plan. Hang in there."
Boz nodded. "I'll try. Get out of here now."
Mason placed the book in Brady's hands and then swung the king over his shoulder. It was a strange sight, and the two easily escaped the castle. As Boz watched them leave, a thought crossed his mind.
Man, I should really read that book.
If Boz was going to protect the kings, he needed to know the threats of the island, be they humanoid in nature or just plain nature. If Boz was going to protect the kings, he needed to know what he was dealing with. If he'd read the Great Book entry on mermaids, he might have been better prepared for today and he would have acted more swiftly – maybe he'd have prevented this from happening overall.
But it hadn't. So Brady and Boomer were still kicked out, Mikayla still a mermaid, and Boz still a prisoner to the mermaids who had quite enough of Boomer and returned to the throne room.