Chapter 2
"Reasoning with Her Father"
As the last of the destroyed ships were burned, Ariel sat in her private quarters reading from a bible that was given to her by Vanessa. It seemed that during this whole ordeal, the acceptance of learning what God had to say was something that was of great comfort to Ariel. Each word that was read had almost given the strength for Ariel to stand up to her father and convince him to call off this personal rampage that he had instilled.
"I just hope he listens to me," sighed Ariel as she closed the bible and placed it on the nightstand. "There has been enough bloodshed to last us all a lifetime."
Rising to her feet, Ariel left her private quarters and walked up to the deck where she could see the light from her father's trident glowing under the water. This was of great discomfort to Ariel, for the sinking ships were now nothing more than target practice for her father for when he would finally confront the ship at last. Finally, the waters exploded as Triton rose up to the surface along with several other mersoldiers.
"I don't want any destroyed ship left floating," he ordered the mersoldiers. "We must be prepared for when the time comes."
"Yes, sire," replied the mersoldiers, leaving Ariel in disbelief. It was finally at that moment that Triton turned and saw his daughter with a look of disappointment in her face.
Triton knew that he was going to get the same lecture from Ariel as before, about backing off from his quest to find and destroy the ship that killed Athena.
"Ariel, I know what you are going to say to me," said Triton. "And you know what I am going to say to you, my answer is no. I will not rest until the ship that killed your mother is destroyed."
"Daddy," replied Ariel, standing steadfast. "Didn't today teach you anything at all? You really believe that all of this is worth one ship?"
Triton grunted in disgust over what Ariel had just said. In his mind, nothing was more than one ship, the same way that nothing was over the life of one human. He began to think back to that moment in his daughter's grotto, when he learned of Ariel's love for Eric and became angry to the point of destroying everything that Ariel collected, including the statue that was given to Eric for his birthday.
"Nothing is worth anything," replied Triton, firmly and gripping his trident tightly. "We both know that, Ariel. Why do you think I joined this battle to begin with? Because I know that the ship that killed your mother is among these ships."
"Daddy, please listen to me!" begged Ariel, banging her hand on the railing. "Do you realize how many people died today? My daughter could have been killed, Eric could have been killed, and I could have been killed! Just because I am human doesn't mean that you care about us anymore?"
Triton looked down in disbelief upon hearing those words from Ariel. It seemed at that moment that he had to understand that what was trying to tell him was indeed true. He had neglected the one true importance in his life and that was the safety of his family.
"Ariel, you will always be important to me," sighed Triton, floating over to her. "When I saw you near death during the battle, I had to realize that whether you are human or a mermaid like your sisters, you will always be important to me. In the ten years since you married Eric, I have seen you grow into a beautiful young woman and give birth to an equally beautiful daughter."
Ariel shedded several tears upon hearing this, for knowing that her father truly cared for her family's well-being and overall safety.
"My battles are truly lost if something were to happen to any of you," continued Triton. "And I hope that you understand that. Never forget that my kingdom will always protect you, my child."
Triton floated away from Ariel and sunk back down into the surface, but not before saying to Ariel that he would continue his hunt for the ship that killed her mother, much to her displeasure.
Once he was back under the water, Triton floated to a platoon of mersoldiers, scouring over the destroyed wreckage of French and Spanish ships, trying to find any survivors. Triton was trying to gain information about the whereabouts of the ship in question, but was getting nothing.
"We can't find any survivors, sire," said a mersoldier. "I suppose we will just have to follow the humans until we do find the ship."
"Keep looking," barked Triton, gripping his trident tightly. "No one rests until the ship is found, is that clear?"
The mersoldiers saluted and Triton floated away, looking down at the bodies of several dead soldiers in French uniforms, some with their limbs gone from cannon blasts and such. Rather than treating them with respect, Triton stuck his trident into one of the dead bodies and picked it up like a fork in a meatball.
"When I find that ship," he said, looking at the body. "Every single human on it will be like this human and my thirst for revenge will be completed. Only then can I sleep soundly once again, knowing that my family and my kingdom will truly be protected."
Triton then activated his trident and fired a blast into the body, blowing it to smithereens. As the bits and pieces of flesh and blood floated back down to the surface, Triton then clutched his locket that he had of him and Athena from when they were younger.
It was then that Triton realized that maybe Ariel was indeed right. Maybe he was putting his family at risk of being killed, something that Triton didn't want to do, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. This was war and humans and merpeople die all the time.
However, what cost would Triton have to pay if he did get even with the ship that killed Athena? That was the question that not only went through his mind, but also the minds of his mersoldiers as well…