The black leather of his shoes falls to shredded fragments to the floor as his feet grow larger and larger fattening out into two large fins in the place of feet.

"Woah." Claudia says in shock.

"Pete stay awake try to please you have to stay awake."

"I'm trying but I don't know if I can the pain is so great I don't know how I can stay awake much longer. Ahhhhhhh!" Pete screams again as pain courses through him again.

"Artie his fins are becoming larger can't you find info on that stone age computer of yours? I told you should try mine it's faster and you'd be able find things a lot easier."

"Don't nag me right now Claudia I'm working here go be annoying some where else."

"Claudia get a damp cloth for me I need to try to wipe away some of the sweat from his forehead."

"Right away Myka hold on Pete sorry about earlier I didn't mean to sound mean."

"I know you didn't thank you for staying." Pete says his voice weak.

Running off into a small kitchen Claudia comes back to the office with the cloth for Myka. "Here this should help." Claudia says handing Myka the cloth.

Pale and weak he screams again as his legs are pulled together forming a long tail scales painfully appear on his legs as it is turned a soft dark blue fading to a light blue at his fins.

"Ok I've got it 24a section 48f that is were most of the sea artifacts are kept ones that hold great power but in this case this artifact did much more than just making Pete weak."

"What do you mean Artie in English please?" Claudia says a little sarcastically.

"What I mean is Claudia is that the shell Pete knocked off the warehouse shelf was not an ordinary shell. It was the shell from the story The Little Mermaid."

"For real?"

"Yes for real Claudia as you say in your own youthful way. It was brought here years ago after the story was written."

"I know but in the story Artie it turned her into a human so why would it affect Pete this way?"

"The liquid that was in it when it fell on Pete it had the reverse effect on him any human who gets any of that on them would slowly painfully turn into what she was in the story a mermaid but in this case…"

"A merman interesting in an odd sort of way I'm sorry Pete."

"Ahhh! What is happening to me how am I going to go out tonight like this I'd end up on a fish platter."

"Well you're not going out at least not for a while not until we can figure out a way to und this and turn you back into a human again. For now Myka take care of him look after him and try to keep him out of trouble." Artie says lecturing again.

"Whoa ouch!" Claudia shouts falling over after Pete's growing fin knocks her off her feet.

"Sorry Claudia." Pete says his voice barley above a whisper.

"It's not your fault Pete I'm fine." Claudia says getting up.

"At least now I won't have to worry about finding scuba gear if I want to go diving." Pete says quipping as pain surges through him. "Ahhh!" he screams again his tail becoming longer and scales painfully covering it as he can't stay away any longer he passes out on the chair Myka had set him in.

"We have to get him out of here but without drawing attention to him he needs to be in water and lots of it how are we going to do this." Myka says.

"I'm sure if you give me a few moments I can rig something up in Pete's room for him a way he can still be in comfortable environment."