Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 35: So Close

After we all climbed out of Rocket, King Triton said to me, "You're Jamie Herinson, yes?"

"Yes."

"I've heard a great deal about you. You're supposed to be combating the "Lavas of Hell?"

I nodded. Then at that moment, something occurred to me. I was breathing. Underwater.

"Ummm...aren't I supposed to be drowning, or something?"

Triton laughed. "There is a magic shield around Atlantica that allows any creature to breathe properly. Though, it's only around Atlantica. If you were to step out of the shield, you would immediately stop breathing."

"Oh."

"I wish we could meet under happier circumstances, but at the moment, we need to figure out how to defeat The Firebird. Come with me to my palace."

The King of Atlantica swam back toward a large door behind him. I, and the rest of my companions, followed suit.

I noticed walking in Atlantica was kind of like walking on the moon. We didn't float up to the surface, we just kind of bounced in every step. It was kind of fun, actually.

When he opened the door to the kingdom, I realized I have never seen the inside of Atlantica before. And boy was it a sight.

The inside was larger than Agrabah by a lot. Thousands of merpeople swam right and left, into underwater buildings and out. There were hundreds of fish among the mix, as well. As many types of fish you could possibly think of. The inside of the kingdom was shaped like a large circle, with a huge fountain in the middle, and statues of beautiful mermaids circling it. Another thing I saw was the abundance of other Disney characters. I saw many, including characters from Cinderella, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Warriors from Atlantis were also strolling the sidewalk.

King Triton explained to me. "Atlantica is the fifth biggest realm in the World of Disney. In front of it are Notre Dame, The Hundred Acre Woods, Wonderland then Neverland, being the biggest. But of course the first two are gone, and the latter two are quite difficult to get to, so Atlantica gladly accepted the Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh and The Hunchback of Notre Dame characters, who all lost their realms. Agrabah got the Lion King characters, because it is getting a bit crowded here, but everyone is welcome here if needed be, unless they're trying to destroy the place, of course."

"What about Olympus?"

"Olympus is too small to accommodate more than the characters it has already, the Hercules characters. But it does have Snow White's Prince staying there, I believe. Snow White herself went to Earth."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Who knows?"

We strolled through Atlantica, headed toward King Triton's palace. No merperson gave us a second glance, probably because they see outsiders all the time.

When we reached the palace, King Triton swam up to the merguards blocking the entrance. They allowed us to go inside, opening the doors all the way.

"Come. We must discuss plans. And I want you to meet my youngest daughter."

We walked inside the great palace (though not as majestic as Agrabah's palace.)

The inside of the palace was built similar to the outside, but smaller, and no fountain. Just doors lining the large circular wall. The door directly ahead of us looked majestic. It was twice the size of the rest of the doors, and it's doors were dark green, with massive handles shaped like seashells. But we didn't go into that door. We went into the door directly to the right. In there was a long hallway, with more doors on the walls. We walked down the long hall until we came to another door. We went through it, and found a circular room with a rectangular table and chairs all around it. Only two of the chairs were occupied. By Attina, Ariel's oldest sister, along with the tiny red crab Sebastian. Like all the rest of the small characters I've met, he had no chair. In between Attina and Sebastian was a majestic looking chair.

King Triton huffed. "Where is Ariel?"

The brunette mermaid grimaced. "She had to go somewhere, father. She asked me to take her place."

The King sighed. "Very well." He indicated us. "Please, sit." Triton said, then he floated down to sit in between Attina and Sebastian.

And sit we did. The table had just enough space to seat all of us. I'll tell you the order we sat in, to help you visualize it. Starting with King Triton, and going toward his right. It was King Triton, Sebastian, Mickey, Kate, Tiana, Perry, Spring, Dad, me, Jasmine and Attina.

After we were all situated, King Triton asked me, "So, Jamie. If you could please, tell us your story. I've heard rumors, but I want to hear the real story from you."

And so I did. For at least the third or fourth time, I told the story of my adventures.

I told them about the safe house, Agrabah, the flamingos, New Orleans, Hotel Monteleone, New York City, The Hundred Acre Woods, King Louie, The Seven Dwarf's Cottage, The Beast's Castle, The Villains' Party, Aladdin, Belle and Hercules' death, escaping and finally ending up here.

They listened intently. Mickey and Jasmine both gasped after I had mentioned the heroes' death. After I was finished, King Triton said, "It seems we have quite a dilemma on our hands."

"What power capability could have been able to KILL three Disney characters?" Jasmine asked, almost to the verge of tears.

"The Disney Villains have powerful magic." Mickey said darkly. "Even more powerful than our's."

"Well, whatever we do, we certainly have to defeat this menace." King Triton concluded, looking over at me.

I was taken aback. "Don't expect ME to do anything. I can't. I don't have a ring or any sort of weapon."

"Oh that's right." Mickey pulled something out of his pocket. A box. Exactly identical to the box Kate's father had given me. "When I realized you didn't get the ring, I meant to contact you, but I didn't have a way to get a hold of you. Sorry I missed out on the morning you left. I was at Wonderland, checking up on things."

He slid the box across the table. However, since it was made out of wood, it didn't really slide. It sort of started floating away. Luckily, I caught it before it got too high.

I opened the box to find the REAL ring. It looked exactly like the one I had on now, all shiny and glowing crimson. I took the fake ring off and stuck the real ring on. I could tell it was real based on the feeling of power I now had. The feeling that I could win whatever battle I happened to get myself into.

"What do we do?" Attina asked, returning to the topic of The Firebird. "I don't see how we're supposed to destroy this monster."

"I agree. It's nearly impossible." Sebastian said.

"Maybe we could lure it into the water? Maybe if his fire goes out he'll disappear?" Tiana said hopefully..

"Unlikely. A being that powerful can't just disappear." Said Triton

"Well, we've got to decide something quickly. I'm afraid we're running out of time. The Firebird could very well be sending reinforcements to intercept us as we speak." Mickey rushed.

As soon as the word "time" escaped Mickey's mouth, a giant jolt shook the room, causing hundreds of bubbles to appear everywhere.

"What the-" I stammered as another earthquake rattled my brains.

"Something is shaking the protective shield!" cried King Triton. "They're trying to destroy it!"