No one liked Tethys's plan but no one else had any ideas whatsoever so they reluctantly agreed to try it. Of course they knew, if something went wrong, they might not have a 2nd chance. Peter tried to convey how much he hated the idea but he still could not speak and Tethys lay her hand on his arm.
"If we die, we die for the Prince of Neverland. I would gladly give my life for your cause, Peter." Peter swallowed, with some difficulty, and his gaze bore into hers. Oceane sighed.
"Very well. Let's get this over with." Tethys emerged first and darted off in the opposite direction. Oceane, Sedna, and Peter remained hidden until they caught sight of her gray tail swimming back. Sedna's eyes flicked upwards to the beasts above and saw they still had not noticed anything. Tethys swam back into view and her arms seemed to be full of something. She smiled down at her sisters before darting upward and throwing something into the air.
It was chaos. Black ink exploded out of the pods in Tethys's arms and spread out all around them. The beasts roared when the ink reached them and they swam around frantically, swiping at their faces. They roared in pain as the ink reached their eyes and they became blinded. Tethys shot a thumbs up to Sedna and she quickly grabbed Peter's arm, yanking him out of their hiding place. Oceane and Sedna gripped Peter's arms and swam toward the entrance to the cave. He tried to hold his breath as the smell became unbearable and Oceane clapped a hand over her nose. Sedna's eyes remained hard and resolute as she swam forward, her strong tail kicking aside the waves. The black ink was starting to seep into the cave and the mermaids quickly crossed the threshold of the cave, staying away from the burning walls. Once inside the cave, the most horrendous sounds imaginable reached them. Screams of pain and torture pierced their ears and Peter clapped his hands over his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Sedna tugged his hands down and shook her head.
"Think of her. And what we're here for." Peter swallowed and nodded, following her further into the cave. Outside they could still hear roars from the iku-turso and Peter worried about Tethys. He turned back to the entrance to the cave but both mermaids turned him back around and forced him to swim on.
The cave was a long narrow pathway that was completely black, save for the burning embers on the floor and on the walls. Shadows writhed on the walls and Peter hoped he would never see the owners of those shadows. He glanced down once or twice to make sure his own shadow was still there and he shivered. He had no idea how long they had been swimming for but the sounds of iku-turso had faded and now the screams of the trapped souls were louder than ever.
"It is surely in her lair," Oceane whispered. Sedna nodded in agreement and glanced sideways at Peter.
"Peter, if anything happens to us, you swim as fast as you can to the surface. Do not look back, whatever you do. And once you break the surface, get into the air and fly back to your home. Do you understand?" Peter stared at her sadly but nodded. They heard a loud roar ahead of them and they all froze. It echoed through the cave and even the shadows on the walls seemed to tremble.
"Sedna," Oceane whispered in fear. Sedna's eyes were wide and glassy.
"We have to keep moving," she whispered back without looking at either of them.
"Sedna, if she sees us—"
"We have no choice, Oceane. We have to keep moving." Sedna started forward but Peter held her back and Sedna turned to him, about to say something but she froze. Peter's entire form was shaking; his body had become rigid and his lips were turning blue. White froth had formed at the corner of his mouth. Oceane gasped.
"Sedna!"
"I know. Let's go." They immediately grasped his arms and swam as fast as they could the way they had come in. Peter felt his lungs on fire, his heart about to hammer out of his chest. Sedna leaned in close.
"Hold on Peter. Please hold on." He felt weaker than he had ever felt in his life and he closed his eyes and allowed the mermaids to steer him around. Sedna did not even hesitate; she swam out of the cave and toward the surface, completely forgetting about the iku-turso. But the ink had cleared and they clearly saw the three figures exiting the cave. Tethys, too, saw them.
"SEDNA!" Sedna turned as all three beasts chomped their jaws and headed straight for them.
"Peter, kick! Kick your legs, we have to get you to shore." But Peter had slipped from consciousness and hung limply in the mermaids' arms. Oceane gasped and slipped her arm around his waist. One of the creatures was about to close in when a powerful tail swung out of nowhere and knocked its jaw. It looked stunned for a moment and looked around angrily. Tethys was swimming away as quickly as she could, her fins beating the water around her. The others were ahead of her; she kept her eyes peeled on them, willing them to swim faster.
Sedna was the first to break the surface and she yanked Peter up, pushing him onto a rock. Oceane climbed up beside him and lay her head on his chest.
"Sedna…he's—"
"NO he's not. Come on, Peter, breathe." Sedna leaned down and pressed her lips onto his, willing life into him. But his chest did not move.
"Oceane, the healing water! Around his neck. Quickly." Oceane grabbed the shell necklace and pulled it from his neck. She glanced at her sister and bit her lip.
"I don't know if it will work—"
"It will. Just pour some onto his face. Hurry!" Oceane did as she was told and poured a few drops over the boy. They watched him anxiously and gasped when he suddenly had a fit of coughing and leaned over to expel the water from his lungs.
"Oh, Peter. Oh thank Neverland you are alright." Sedna's hand rested on his back as he continued to be sick into the sea. Tethys's head popped out of the ocean and appeared right beside the rock and the mermaids' faces were lined with worry and relief at her reappearance. But their relief turned to horror as Tethys let out a blood-curdling scream and a pool of red appeared all around her. The mermaid lifted her fin, which had been all but bitten off, and she turned white as a sheet.
"Tethys!" The mermaid looked on in horror and dove beneath the water, watching as the dreaded iku-turso was circling them, making its way to her again, no doubt to finish her off. She resurfaced and shook back her hair, her body shaking in pain.
"Get out of here. All of you!"
"We're not leaving you, sister!"
"You have no choice! It will kill us all! GO!" Peter's shaking hands dove inside his bag and pulled out a small leaf and poured something into his palm. He blew it onto the two mermaids on the rock, then into Tethys's face. All three mermaids slowly started to rise into the air. They gasped.
"How—"
"Fairy dust. Let's get to a safe spot before it wears off," he said shakily, shouldering his bag and jumping into the air beside them. The mermaids beat their tails in the wind but of course it did not good. Peter grabbed their hands and lead them away from the rock and from the horrid monster that was waiting underneath the waves.
Once they had landed in a shallow pool several miles away, Peter had immediately poured the healing water onto Tethys's mangled tail and watched it heal. The mermaids sighed with relief as Tethys splashed around and Peter sank onto all fours.
"Peter, you saved my life."
"And you saved ours! I'm sorry I put you girls into such danger. I guess I didn't think about the consequences of bringing someone to Neverland." Sedna looked quickly at him, her brow raised.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Peter shrugged miserably.
"I was pretty selfish when I asked Wendy to stay with me. I didn't think about what she really wanted, I didn't ask her how she would feel, living in Neverland. And when I brought her…things changed. I felt her changing me, making me grow and I didn't like it. So I tried to distance myself but of course I failed. No one has ever made me feel like she does. And I didn't think about the balance of Neverland if I brought a mortal to live here. I didn't think about the danger I would be putting you girls in on this stupid quest. I want to save her but I wish I could return her to her home. And forget all about her."
"You don't mean that, Peter," Oceane whispered. Peter glanced up at her and shrugged again.
"It doesn't matter what I say or mean. I can't do either of those things."
"And why not," Sedna asked, leaning on her hand.
"The fairies flat out refused to let her go home because they think she'll tell about Neverland. Which I know she wouldn't. And I know in my heart I could never forget her. I'll never be able to get her out of my head."
"Then why bother trying? Why do you insist on staying here? There are other places you can be together." Peter frowned.
"Not anymore. Not unless I can turn her back into a girl. If she stays a grown up…I've lost her forever."
"Not necessarily," the mermaid said quietly. Peter's head snapped up and he frowned.
"Yes necessarily. There's no other way. If she stays a grown up—"
"I heard you Peter," Sedna said tiredly. He gaped at the mermaid.
"What were you suggesting?"
"Nothing."
"Yes you were. What were you getting at, Sedna?"
"Forget I mentioned it, Peter. We should all probably rest," she flicked her tail and stretched out in the shallow waves. Tethys and Oceane, too, looked exhausted and stretched out, laying their heads on the rock. Peter watched them sleep for a moment before he too lay down and closed his eyes. His hand went to the thimble around his neck and Wendy's face entered his mind as he drifted off to sleep.