Hi everyone! it's been a while. So I noticed some spelling errors in the last two chapters so I went ahead I took care of those. I also noticed that in the second chapter I didn't notify about Aqua's spear, she still has it! I also changed a little bit around Aqua, in her age and appearances. I know it must be a pain that I go back and re-fix things, you don't have to go back and reread them. Anyway, hope you enjoy chapter three!

A week had past sense the meeting with the Kraken, Aqua took her directions and traveled north. Finding a whale or a shark or even anything to hitch-hike with was becoming difficult if not impossible. She was exhausted, swimming for a solid 72 hours, she was losing energy fast. Not only that, she had run out of food, and if she didn't rest or eat soon her body would give out.

As she swam along, she heard someone singing, looking up ahead she saw a humpback whale with her cafe. The baby nuzzled his mother under neath her head as she sang a lullaby to her cafe. It was such a beautiful sound, and the way she saw them together reminded her of home, back when her mother was with her.

"Where are you?" Aqua's mother called out, smiling. She looked through the the crevices of coral trying to find her little merchild.

Hiding under some coral, five year old Aqua muffled her giggling. She was playing hide and seek with her mama, her favorite game.

"Where has my precious pearl gone to?" Her mother asked, swimming through the crevices. She unknowingly swam right above Aqua's little hideout, before swimming around the corner.

Thinking that the cost was clear, Aqua came out from hiding. She giggled swimming backwards in the opposite way keeping an eye on where her mother went. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her pulling her close to someone.

"Gotcha!" Aqua squealed and laughed as she and her mother tumbled down the little hill of coral before landing in a bed of soft anemones.

Aqua laughed as her mother started tickling her. "Mama, stop!" She begged, flapping her tail around in a attempt to escape. Her mother giggled, but listened. Aqua got comfortable in her lap, resting her head against her chest. "Hey mama, can you sing me a song, please?"

"Which one?" Her mother asked, smiling down at her child, while stroking her daughter's hair.

"The one you grew up with, from the North Sea?"

Her mother smiled, she wrapped her arms around her child and said, "Of course my pearl." She then started humming the tune, before singing.

~Upon one summer's morning I carefully did stray
Down by the walls of wapping where I met a sailor gay

Conversing with a young lass who seem'd to be in pain
Saying: "William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again...

My heart is pierced by Cupid I disdain all glittering gold there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold
His hair it hangs in ringlets his eyes black as coal my happiness attend him wherever he may go

From tower hill to Blackwell, I'll wander, weep and moan, all for my jolly sailor until he sails home
My heart is pierced by Cupid I disdain all glittering gold there is nothing can console me...but my jolly sailor bold~

Aqua smiled, turning around to face her, she wrapped her arms around her neck hugging her. "I love you mama."

"I love you more my precious pearl." Her mother said, hugging her daughter back.

Aqua sniffled her nose, if mermaid could cry underwater Aqua would be sobbing. But she had to stay strong, she will find her mother and the pod, she will bring them back, all of them. Pressing on, Aqua suddenly felt uneasy. Groaning, she breached the surface and floated on her back trying to keep herself from sinking, she held onto her spear in her hand the best she could. "If I don't find food or land soon...I'll die." She sighed out, gazing at the sky. It was very cloudy and she could not see the sun, without it she couldn't tell if she was still going north, but she was too tired to care now.

"I'll just...rest my eyes a little...Then I'll right back to swimming..." Aqua whispered to herself, she was losing it. Closing her eyes, she listened to the water drifting around her. Everything was so quiet...so peaceful...

Suddenly there was an awful squawking noise startling Aqua from her rest. Blinking she looked up to see a gull flying right past her. Flipping back she watch it fly off, she new birds don't travel very far to open sea, so that must mean...

"Land..." She gasped, there's land near by! Suddenly finding her strength she swam like a best following the gull.

She probably swam after it for about twenty minutes till she saw a shape off the distance. A small rocking island, and not to far. Using up the last bit of strength she had she swam up to it, and pulled herself up on the beach she threw her spear on the sand and clasped.

She slept for half an hour, small waves washed over her tail so she didn't dry up. Groaning she slowing pulled her body up, dusting away the sand that stuck to her scaly skin. She looked around the island, if she could all it that it looked like nothing more then a pile of rocks with a beach, and some bit of green, other then that it was nothing more then a bird pit stop.

"I wonder where I am now." Aqua sighed, looking back to the water. Her stomach growled, as she hug her torso. "I need to find food fast." She then saw something that looked curious, watching the water she saw something moving and it was fast. Not only that but where was some commotion happening, that's when she released what it was. "Feeding frenzy!"

She grabbed her spear and dove right back into the water. Swimming out to deeper water she saw a bait ball of sardines, and circling around it were giant tunas, blue sharks, marlins, even gulls diving down trying to get a share. Not wanting to miss out of the buffet she swam straight through the ball, sardines swam every which way trying to escape the attack while also trying to stay together. Aqua also had to be careful and mind the other creatures that were feeding as well. Weapon out, she speared three sardines like a shish-kebab, but she wasn't finished she put the fish in her bag to catch some more.

After catching her fill and more, Aqua sat back on the beach enjoying her seventh sardine. She sighed happily now full. The rest she didn't eat were in her bag as a later meal. "Much better." She smiled, leaning back on her hands, after getting some rest and food she was ready to start traveling again.

But the sand under her hands got her thinking, she was on dry land, and if this Emperor was on a rocky island that would mean she would have 'walk' on land. She remembered what the Kraken told her, how she would dry out her tail and it would turn into legs. Could she really do it? Can she become human? At first she didn't think she would ever need to, not to mention want to be, but she did always wonder what it was like, humans were interesting creatures.(but not that interesting to be one) If she could become human, it could give her an advantage.

Looking down at her golden tail, the image of it splitting in two sounded like it would hurt badly. Shivering she knew she didn't have many options, so she decided to give it a try.

Pulling herself further on the beach till the water didn't touch her she took off her Atlantis armor, and waited for her body to dry. Aqua immediately felt very uncomfortable as if she was going to suffocate or burn. (Even though there was no sun out) She gasped out even though her gills would do nothing, as she flipped her tail back and forth from the discomfort of dry scaly skin. When she was completely dry, her body started to tingle, her scales started fade into skin, her gills started changing to lungs. She gasped out her first breath of air which felt like dried up water. The scales around her breast and tail faded away, her tail were now soft skin and the fin changed into feet, but it wasn't over yet. Aqua cried out in pain as her skinned tail started to break from between her hips down to her new feet as they split into five round toes. Trying to make the progress go faster she tried to rip her knees apart from each other, it worked but the pain was too much.

Aqua screamed out in pain, and collapsed on her back painting, she was sweating and her legs shook uncontrollably. "I hope this gets better the more I do this." Aqua gasped out. "Otherwise...I'm going to have to think of a new idea." She lifted her hand up to her face studying it, the scaly gold skin now showed more on her far skin color. Sitting up she tucked her dry hair out of her face, finding it annoying on how easily it got in her face. She looked down to her chest her scaled covered chest her now bar, but what she was very interested in was her 'legs'.

They were long, slim, and fair like her skin, she moved them up to her torso and kicked them back, her kicked her feet, digging them in the sand. She smiled in astonishment lifting the right one up, she bent it up to her face, and wiggled her toes. "Wow...this is," she tried standing but her legs shook causing her to fall back, "Ow! This is...incredible!" She tried again using a rock for balance. "Holy Neptune!" She cried.

Her legs wobbled but she kept her balance, pushing off the rock she took her very first steps. "One in front of the other, one in front of the other." She told herself, till she started getting the hang of it. Giggling she twirled around and jumped into the air, then losing her balance and fell on her butt. She laughed some more, looking back down at her legs but something didn't feel right, she was completely bare.

She never saw humans without their clothes on, (and the thought of it disturbed her) looking back at her bag she walked over to it. Thankfully it was compliantly dried, she pulled out the sarong skirt and top and wrapped it around her hips and chest, the skirt was an inch above her knees. Smiling she twirled again.

Her happy moment was cut short when she suddenly heard a voice grumbling. Thinking quick she grabbed her bag and spear and hid behind the rocks. Peaking over she saw a human male very large and muscular from any other males she had seen, his body was covered in tattoos, he had long curly back hair, and wore a skirt mad out of leafs and a tooth necklace. He held a piece of string with a tiny man made hook in his and he stomped over to the rocky edge on the island, he sat down and threw his line out in the water.

To Aqua's point of view; he looked like he was trying to fish, but with that kind of line he'd have better luck hunting sand flies. Now, at this point Aqua would have let the human be and swim off, but following the gull to the island caused her to go off course, not to mention the sky was still clouded so she couldn't turn to the sun again. Not only that but something about this human seemed off to her, like he looked human but his ora wasn't, and he seemed to be the only person on the island, so if he attacks she can easily escape.

Taking a deep breath, she came out from her hiding place and walked/wobbled over to his rocky perch. Clearing her throat, getting a little nervous sense this was her first time interacting with humans she wanted to make a good first impression. "Excuse me." She called out. The man jumped started by her voice, he turned around eyes wide. "Hi, sorry for startling you, but I'm a little lost here can you point me to where north is?" She smiled politely.

The human opened and closed his mouth trying to find his voice the way he was acting it seemed like she was the only 'human' he had seen in years. "Who-how, how did you get here? Who are you?" He asked.

"My names Aqua."

He suddenly got this big smile on his face, which creeped her out a little. "Well then Aqua did you paddle all the way out here on your boat just to come gazed a pond the great Maui?" He said standing up and started flexing his arms.

"Uh...no, I didn't paddle and swam." Aqua didn't really care if she told him what she was, seeing as that he wasn't really a threat, or at least she thought so. "And I've never heard about you."

Maui's smile turn frown, feeling a little pried hurt. "Don't be silly, there isn't an island for miles, no way you could have just swam here." He looked her up and down. "For a human, you sure are pale."

Aqua frowned her brows together. "So what makes you the great Maui? You look like any normal human I've seen." She asked, wondering what he really was and why he called her human.

"Okay, you must have been living under a rock if you've never heard of me. I'm Maui: shape-shiftier, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of man." He flashed her a smiled. Aqua got the feeling he like telling people that a lot.

Aqua had heard of a few demigods but she lived far south-west so demigods weren't really a big deal from her territory. "Okay then demigod Maui I've been traveling and have lost my way, can you please point me to where north is?" She tried again.

Maui looked at her trying to figure out what she was, like he said she was way too pale meaning she came from somewhere far, and had never heard of him. She had shimmering flowing hair covered in pearls. Was she a goddess? If so she's one he's never seen nor heard of before. If she didn't have a boat and really did swam out here then he had to see some proof.

"Okay then goldie, you want to know where north is?" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the sea. "Prove to me you actually swam here by getting me some food. If you can do that, then I'll tell you." He gave a smug smirk.

That it? She just had to bring him food and he'd tell her? That literally was the easiest thing she could do. "Okay then." Aqua walked back to the edge of the beach, she picked up her bag swinging it over her shoulder and grabbed her spear. She turned back to the demigod. "What kind of seafood do you like?" She smirked, feeling positive.

Maui had sat back down on the rock trying to fish again. "Whatever makes it easier for you." He waved his hand not really paying attention.

Aqua looked down at her feet as a water touched her toes the tingling feeling came back she ran into the water before diving down. In just a few seconds, her skin felt slick and wet as her scales covered her body, breast and legs, her lugs turned back into gills gasping for water, and her legs joined back to become a tail once again.

Aqua let out a sighing feeling cheery to see her golden tail again, she even hug her fin. "Now then." She swam back to where the feeding frenzy was. If she was lucky there might still be some creatures out to get some left overs. And she was right, the giant bait ball was had shrunken down to a third of its size but was still quite big, and lucky for her some tuna were still trying to get their fill. "This is a bit larger pray then I'm use to..." She said watching them swim like torpedoes. "But I like a challenge."

Maui hummed to himself still trying to get even a nibble on his tiny fish hook, but no luck. And what was even more humiliating was seeing the fish swim right under him. "Alright that's it!" He growled, throwing away the hook he tried to catch them barehanded, but they just slipped out of his hands. Groaning, laid down on his back gazing up at the cloudy sky. "Please gods, I know I'm being punished, I can live with that, but please just spare me some food. Anything I'm begging here!" He pleaded.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure leaped out of the water above the demigod, he didn't have a chance to react till the figure landed on top of him with a thud. Groaning in pain, Maui pushed the slimy thing off him at sat up to see what the heck smacked him in the face. His eyes widen as a six foot long tuna in his lap, there was an injury in the gills that looked like it was stabbed.

Maui stared at it for a moment before shouting to the sky. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Called a voice, Maui looked down by the edge to see Aqua smiling up tail and all. His mouth gaped opened. "So, which way do I go?" She asked.

"Ah...ah..." Maui gaped trying to find the words, he had heard of mermaids but they kept hidden so well not to mention for off west where he never had traveled before. "It's that way." Keeping his promised he pointed to his right.

"Aqua looked to where he was pointed feeling confident again. "Thank demigod Maui." She gave him a nod, but before she could leave Maui called out to her.

"H-Hey wait! Where are you going? What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked getting curious.

Aqua turned back to him with a serous look in her eyes. "I have traveled far from my home to find my family, and to find the other mermaids. Wish me luck!" She waved goodbye before diving back down disappearing in the water.