Mermaids were interesting creatures, in Jack's opinion. They managed to bridge the gap between humans and complete magical spirits, like sprites. In truth, they reminded him of Queen Elsa and Princess Rapunzel, whose elemental magic had merged with their human forms to enhance them. In this case, the water magic gifted them tails.

No two were the same though. He'd had the misfortune of meeting the mermaids around Neverland, the realm of that chaotic spirit Peter Pan. Jack had accidentally caused a raging blizzard when he'd met the mermaids in the lagoon on the island and learned one of the pastimes was drowning curious victims.

He avoided that cursed island as best he could afterward.

There were other mermaids, however, who were much more playful and kind. Snow was common even over the open ocean, and Jack became familiar with several of the King of the Ocean's daughters on his travels.

Attina was the eldest of seven sisters and told the best stories whenever he visited the Bering Sea. It was the largest of the seven seas as well, so she often joined him in traversing her region as a patrol of sorts. Her younger sister Arista was the guardian of the White Sea, and she was secretly Jack's favorite because of the snowball fights they would get into while darting between icebergs.

On occasion, he would see Adella in the Mediterranean, but he did his best to avoid her if possible. Her sisters had warned him she was a bit boy-crazy, but Jack thought they were joking until he'd actually met her. He'd thought he was unable to blush due to the chill of his skin, but Adella's saucy comments had his cheeks flaming red.

He'd met their other sisters on occasion, but because their domains were so near the equator, it was only when they visited their more northern sisters. Of them, the youngest was his favorite to interact with.

Ariel's scarlet hair was very out of place among the grays and blacks in the Bering Sea, but her enthusiasm to hear about the human world from Jack was endearing. He loved being the one to tell stories, and her childlike wonder at his tales had him puff up with pride.

"What's it like, having legs?" Ariel asked him once when Adella was out of earshot. "It's so strange seeing you move both at once, and in different directions!"

Jack shrugged. "Most of my time is in the air, actually, so my legs are just… along for the ride," he grinned sheepishly. "But when I do walk or jump, they hold all my weight and help me balance." An idea popped into his head as he tilted his head to observe her. "C'mere. Can you slide up onto this rock with me?"

Ariel raised an eyebrow in challenge but did as he asked. "What is it, JaaaaaACK!" Her question trailed off into a shriek as Jack used his staff to summon the winds and send them both tumbling through the air.

Jack laughed loudly and openly. It was truly watching a fish out of water. Ariel's arms windmilled as she kicked her fin, trying to regain control of her movement.

"Just go with the flow!" He shouted, hoping she could hear him over the roar of the wind and waves. "Don't fight the wind, let it guide you!"

"I hate you, Jack!" Ariel yelled back at him between her awed giggles, and she visibly relaxed as she tried to follow his instructions. The wind acted like a river, pushing them all downstream at its own whim.

Or at least it did until Adella's outraged voice filled the air. "What is going on here?!"

The wind paused abruptly, sending Jack and Ariel tumbling down to the ocean below with shouts of surprise. The cold of the water didn't bother him, but he certainly wasn't pleased to get soaked to the bone. He surfaced to be met with Adella's unimpressed glare. To his amusement, Ariel only peeked her eyes out of the water in an attempt to hide from her sister's ire.

"Oops?" Jack offered with a sheepish smile.

Adella sighed. "Don't tell Father."

Ariel noticeably brightened. "So we can do it again? Father told me to stay away from land, not out of the air?"

"Loophole!" Jack was impressed at the redhead's slyness. "Nice."

"Not in my sea!" Adella shot back, but waved them off nevertheless. "Go bother Attina with your hijinks. She might even join in," she added with a fond roll of her eyes.

(Attina did in fact join in, to Ariel and Jack's delights. These mermaids were okay in his book.)