Chapter 5: Breaking Out

Hey everyone I'm back with a new chapter. This was really fun to write and I'd like to give a shout out to Nitro Zeus who gave me the idea for the big confrontation in this chapter. I hope you all like it. Please Review and Enjoy.

In King Triton's throne room, all his daughters were lined up as he gave them their punishment.

"You are all confined to the palace." Triton said.

"Yes father." Attina sighs.

"Why don't you just lock us in jail?" Ariel whispers.

"Ariel you are confined to the palace until you realize what you have done." Triton said hearing her.

"What did we do? Matter of fact what did Leo do? He didn't steal Mom's mirror." Ariel said.

"Ariel, leave it alone." Attina said trying to stop her.

"No! I want to know what we did wrong. All we did was listen to music." Ariel said swimming up to her father.

"Which you know is forbidden!" Triton said.

"But why? Why can't we have music?" Ariel asks causing him to pause before shaking his head.

"This discussion is over." Triton said.

"Just tell me." Ariel said.

"I don't understand. We love music." Ariel said.

"I will not have music in my kingdom!" Triton snaps.

"I may not remember much about my mother, but I know she wouldn't have wanted this." Ariel said swimming away.

In her room, Ariel was looking at herself in the mirror before she slowly started to cry when her sisters swam in but just ignored her.

"Attina?" Ariel asks turning to her eldest sister.

"You just don't know when to quit." She sighs.

"Just give up Ariel, it's over." Adella said as they all swam to bed.

"But we were having so much fun." Ariel said.

"Look around Ariel, no one's having fun. Especially not Leo." Attina said causing Ariel to frown at the realization.

Down in the dungeons, Leo was sitting in the corner worried he would never see his mom or Ruby again.

'Why did I have to pick up that stupid mirror in the first place?' Leo thought as he looked to see Ray-Ray throwing a ball around, Cheeks was trying to dig a way out, Shellbow was trying to shive through the bars and Inkspot was panicking.

"Hey Leo you alright?" Flounder asks swimming up to him.

"I gotta get out of this cell Flounder and get my mirror back." Leo said.

"What?!" Sebastian scuttles over to him. "Leo I understand wanting to get out so you can get back to your family, but you'll never get that mirror back. King Triton is probably never letting that thing out of his sight." Sebastian said.

Leo sighs before he looks to see Ray-Ray pulling out a harmonica.

"I got them jailhouse blues. Low down jailhouse blues." Leo sang to the music when a guard turned the corner.

"Hey quiet in there! No music!" He yells.

"Or what?! You're gonna throw us in jail?" Leo asks sarcastically.

"There has to be a way out." Flounder said as the guard swam away.

"Wait a minute, Sebastian you're smaller than the bars, why don't you slip through and open the doors?" Leo asks getting everyone's attention.

As all of them mutter in agreement Sebastian tries to talk some sense into them.

"Come on guys, this looks a lot worse than it is. I'll get an audience with the King and I'll fix this." Sebastian said.

"But he fired you." Leo said.

"And no offense man, but you had 10 years to fix it and this is where it got us." Shelbow said.

"In Jail." Inkspot said.

"Wait, 10 years?" Leo said surprised.

"I say we do Leo's plan and have you open that door." Ray-Ray said as the band nodded in agreement.

"Guys if we break out of this jail there ain't no coming back. We'll be fugitives." Sebastian said.

"I'm fine with never coming back here again." Leo said as the band agreed.

"What's a fugitive?" Flounder asks.

"But what about Ariel? Are you just going to abandon her? Leave her to deal with all the trouble we've tied her up in? You think that small, weak, innocent little girl can do anything by herself?" Sebastian asks as Ariel swam in, picked up an large rock and smashed it against the lock freeing them. "Ariel?"

"Come on Sebastian, let's go." Ariel said opening the door.

"But Ariel, if we leave it will break your father's heart." Sebastian said.

"There's no place for me here." Ariel said.

"No!" Sebastian said closing the cell. "No one is leaving."

"Except you." Inkspot said as they noticed Sebastian had slipped through the bars.

"Look Sebastian, without music, this place just isn't home." Ariel said.

Pausing to think Sebastian paces back and forth before letting out a gasp.

"Are you alright?" Ariel asks worried.

"Ariel, you're right and I know just where to go." Sebastian said as the door swung open.

Swimming out Leo hugs Ariel surprising her. "Thanks for coming back."

Giggling Ariel hugs back. "I'm sorry you got tied into this. Where will you go?" Ariel asks.

"First things, first I need that mirror back." Leo said.

"You do know my dad won't let it out of his sight." Ariel warns.

"Well like you I'm a lot tougher than I look." Leo smirks causing Ariel to giggle.

As Leo was about to swim out Sebastain stops him.

"Leo, I need you to do me one small favor." Sebastian said before whispering the plan.

Later that day, Marina who was wearing a hideous outfit that resembled a parade dancer was giving Triton the report, but he didn't seem very interested as he gazed at Athena's mirror when Benjamin swam in.

"Marina." He whispers but Marina ignored him.

"I think I was too hard on them." Triton said.

"Huh?" Marina asks.

"It's about Ariel." Benjamin said but Marina swatted him away.

"Not now." She mumbled.

"Perhaps I went too far." Triton said.

"Not possible." Marina said when Benjamin swam up to her again.

"Marina."

"What?!" She asks when the rest of Triton's daughters swam in.

"Daddy! Ariel's missing!" Attina said.

"What?" Triton said surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Marina mumbled to Benjamin.

"We looked everywhere, but we can't find her anywhere." Aquata said.

"Get me Sebastian." Triton orders.

"Won't work." Leo said entering the room surprising everyone.

"You." Triton glares.

"Sebastian's gone too, but I know where he's going." Leo said.

"Your highness, he's obviously lying I mean he's a thief." Marina said when Leo noticed her for the first time.

"Who's the old lady that's scary beyond all reason?" He whispers.

"That's Marina, our babysitter." Arista whispers causing Leo to shudder when Triton swam up to him.

"Tell me before I punish you even more." Triton orders readying his trident

"Not so fast, I have something to get off my plate and you're going to listen." Leo glares back.

"Is he standing up to dad of all people?" Attina whispers.

"He is…that's kinda hot." Adella sighs.

"I am the King, I don't take orders I give them." Triton said.

"You may be a King but you're also a father and a pretty lousy one at that." Leo said.

"Excuse me?" Triton growls.

"Sebastian told me everything, how your wife died 10 years ago and she loved music so much you couldn't stand to be reminded of anything about her so you banned music hoping it would make you get over the loss, but it just made it worse." Leo said.

"Enough! You could never understand what I went through!" Triton said.

"Not understand?! I've been in the exact same position as you. I lost my father when I was a kid!" Leo declares surprising everyone. "And like you that death nearly destroyed me, but I got through it because I had people who depended on me who needed me to be strong for them. You on the other hand forgot the most important thing." Leo said getting in his face.

"And what is that?" Triton asks.

"YOU WEREN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO LOST SOMEONE!" Leo snaps causing Triton's eyes to widen. "Your daughters lost their mother and your kingdom lost their queen, but you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself to help either of them. You just took over your kingdom and gave your kids to a very VERY creepy babysitter." Leo said gesturing to Marina.

"Hey! Your highness, are you just going to let him talk to you like that? He is rude, disrespectful, he's—"

"Absolutely right." Triton said interrupting her.

"What?" Marina said not liking where this was going.

Triton turns to his daughters and for the first time in a long time hugged each and every one of them surprising them.

"I'm sorry girls. I wasn't there for you when you needed me and I truly hope you can forgive me." Triton said.

"Of course, father." Attina said as they all hugged him back.

"Watch over your daughters, they're ohana." Leo said causing them all to look up.

"Ohana...I like the sound of that." Andrina said.

Arista looks to Leo who smiled at them and she pulls him into the group hug.

After a few minutes, they separated. "Now I believe you still have one more daughter to apologize to." Leo said.

"You're right. Ariel, where is she?" Triton asks.

"Follow me, I know where Sebastian is taking her." Leo said as they swam off leaving Marina with a shocked look on her face before a look of rage appeared.

"Sebastian." She growled.

Meanwhile far away from Atlantica, Sebastian was leading everyone somewhere.

"Are we there yet?" Flounder asks.

"No." Sebastian said.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes." Sebastian said surprising them. "This is it."

Everyone looks ahead to see it was like a barren wasteland.

"Are you sure?" Flounder asks.

"Yes." Sebastian said.

"Are you sure?" Ray-Ray asks.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" Ariel asks.

"Yes!" Sebastian snaps.

"Oh man, we can't live here." Inkspot said.

"Yeah this place is creepy." Shellbow said.

"Nonsense it has everything we need. Just listen to them acoustics. Do ray me fa so la ti do." Sebastian said as the last part echoed. "Solid." He smiles.

"Still beats the dungeon." Ray-Ray said.

"But not by much." Cheeks said.

"It'll do for the time." Shellbow said as they all laid down to rest.

"Sebastian, be honest are we lost?" Ariel asks.

"No, there's more to this place than meets the eye." Sebastian smirks before scuttling away to rest.

As they laid down Flounder started to beat box.

"Knock it off." Everyone else said.

"Sorry." Flounder said stopping.

Back at Atlantica, Marina was pulling some locked door.

"Give me the key!" She orders.

"I said no." Benjamin said.

"Look, I haven't worked my tail off for the last 12 hours just to have it snatched away." Marina said.

"How about a nice relaxing bath?" Benjamin said trying to calm her down.

"Benjamin."

"Kelp wrap?"

"GIVE ME THE KEY!" Marina yells.

"But you said never to give it to you in a fit of rage." Benjamin said.

"I'm perfectly calm." Marina said trying to fake it.

"Doesn't sound like it." Benjamin said as Marina tried to take the key from around his neck, but Benjamin wouldn't budge.

"Ooh look at the pretty fishes." Marina points.

"Ooh where?" Benjamin asks turning his head allowing Marina to snatch the key and open the cage.

"Yum yumms come to mommy." Marina said as 6 large electric eels swam out of the cage. "Are you hungry? Who wants crab cakes?"

"What are you going to do?" Benjamin asks horrified.

"Whatever it takes to get rid of Sebastian." Marina said.

"But what about Ariel?" Benjamin asks.

"Ariel? You're right, she'll tattle. I'll have to get rid of her too. That's brilliant Benjamin!" Marina said.

"That's not what I meant." Benjamin said.

"I never really liked her anyway. I'll make it look like an accident. An accidental underwater ambush. Maybe while I'm at it I'll get that boy who told off Triton. Just to get back on his good side." Marina said.

"You've lost your mind." Benjamin said in horror.

"Sic'em boys." Marina said.

"Oh what have we wrought?" Benjamin asks as the eels swam off in search of them.