Small Twists of Fate

Chapter Thirty Four

Ariel sighed softly as Hercules drove the car across the bridge to the Isle of the Lost. She didn't know why but there was something in the back of her mind telling her that something was wrong.

She hoped she wasn't right about that.

"Are you okay?" Hercules asked and Ariel looked over at him. "It's me Ariel, I know royals have to keep decorum but if you can't talk to your cousin when we're the only two in a car who can you talk to?"

"That's an excellent point," Ariel said, giving her cousin a small smile. Okay granted he was really her first cousin once removed since Hercules would have been her father's first cousin, being the sons of Zeus and Poseidon respectively. But after having six sisters with children of their own, Ariel didn't rightly care about what branch on the family tree someone fell on. Family was family.

"So?" Hercules prompted. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just...I'm worried," Ariel told him. "What if something happened to Aunt Persephone? Aunt Demeter doesn't react like this for just any reason after all."

"But that's why we're going to the Isle," Hercules said. "To talk to Hades and see if something did happen. Father always says that Aunt Persephone and Hades are inseparable and if something happened to her, you know Hades would react about it."

Ariel couldn't help but smile as she heard that, though the smile faded as she took in the view in front of her.

"Has...has the cloud cover over the Isle always been that dark?" Ariel asked. "That would get depressing for the kids, wouldn't you think? Never being able to see the sun?"

"Didn't you come up with the barrier?" Hercules asked.

Ariel shook her head. "A committee came up with the Isle, Eric and I only signed off on things as they needed approval or funding. And I knew there'd be a bit of cloud cover but I didn't think it would be this severe..."

"Maybe it's impacted by the weather?" Hercules suggested as they opened the barrier and officially drove onto the Isle of the Lost. Ariel almost fell to her knees as she got out of the car upon seeing the state of the Isle.

Oh dear Gods...what happened? This...no one could live like this! I have to figure out what happened! Surely the Isle that the committee set up hadn't fallen into such disrepair so quickly!

"Right...where's the Underworld? That would be the best place to look for Hades," Hercules said and Ariel couldn't have been more grateful for her cousin in that moment. His question at least had pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts and back onto the task at hand.

"Right, right," Ariel nodded and handed Hercules a spare cloak she'd put in the car. He would be more recognizable than she would, it'd be important for him to avoid being recognized.

"Queen Ariel?" A voice hissed in the shadows and Ariel looked over her shoulder. They hadn't even been there five minutes, who had spotted her?

"...Yes?" Ariel asked softly as she continued to look for the voice.

"What are you doing here, your highness?" Cassandra hissed as she stepped out of the shadows. "At least you had the common sense not to come alone, seeing as you've got Lord Hercules here but still!"

Ariel sighed in relief upon seeing the elder Gothel daughter. "Oh Cassandra! Thank Gods it's you. At least now I can get some answers as to what happened to the Isle."

"What do you mean? The Isle's been like this for years, maybe not this bad but typically in a state of disarray..." Cassandra said as she began to fall in step with Ariel and Hercules. Not an easy feat but Cassandra was determined to at least protect Ariel. Hercules at least had the common sense to wear a hood!