The Lost Merman

What Do We Do Now?

On the edge of the island, on the golden sand, Eric's army were resting, eating and checking their weapons. Triton's army was in the sea and they were also saving their energy for the battle coming over.

Eric, Triton and their lead soldiers were talking about the plan. Triton got out a map and gave it to Eric. "This was found by the last merman who ever swam to this island to spy on Jaco-Palo," Triton sighed sadly. "My best friend, Lord Coral, who died giving this to me years ago. I was hoping this day would never come."

"Well, if we defeat him and save the world, he will not die in vain," Eric assured him calmly. "But we must plan carefully."

"What plan?" asked Eric's general. "I mean he could come anytime. I mean he come when you least suspect it."

King Triton thought suspiciously. Then, with his triton, he fired at the Officer, who shot back! Then the power form the triton withdrew and backfired on the Ruler of the Oceans.

"Hey! I'm on your side!" protested the officer. "Why would you hit an ally?"

But Eric had ideas off his own and he saw a feather on his chest. He tried to pull it off, but it stuck. But it proved his theory. "Got something you'd like to get off your chest, Jaco-Palo?" he asked.

The officer sighed and, with a flash, there stood Jaco-Palo in his true form. "Well done, Eric, my friend!" he smiled. "That was very good. And a good joke, too, I must admit."

"Why are you here?" Eric demanded. "You know we would rather die than serve you. But why do you want to rule us?"

"Because this whole world was once in the power of my family!" Jaco-Palo snapped. "My great-great-great-about-twenty-times-more-great-grandfather was ruler of the world; then some skymen overthrew us of the power and freed themselves and the land and the sea creatures and separate everything so things wouldn't be complicated. So I'm only getting what's entitled to me back!"

"Wait a minute!" Triton had an idea after he just heard. "So what did you do with those skymen who betrayed you?"

"You don't want to know!" yelled Jaco-Palo. "And you don't want to be like them either! So one last chance: Live in my world or move on in the next world. Your choice!" Then he vanished.

What could King Triton and Prince Eric, the rulers of the Land and the Sea, say, do or even think?

That was nothing compared to how Chris felt in the dungeon. Never mind the cold and the darkness, he was thinking about what he could've been and the terrible things he did.   

Meanwhile, the mermaids were thinking a plan to escape.

"Mom, if I could reach that piece of rock, I could break the chain and we'd be free and free everyone," Melody exclaimed. "If I could just reach it."

But she couldn't. Then Chris seemed to try to reach it and he did! He threw it near Melody.

"Thank you, Chris," she said, trying to break the chains with the rock. "But why didn't you free yourself?"

"Because I'm where I belong!" he snapped.

"Don't say that!" begged Ariel.

"Yeah, I mean there is no one who could find the Three Orbs together," Kevin joined in.

"But to give it to who I thought was a friend but was the true enemy all along?" Chris was really losing it. "I thought I could save the world or do a good thing in this world, but instead I bring the end of it!"

"Well, no one is perfect," Clo-Yehn sighed. "I'm sorry I thought you were the enemy. Jaco-Palo was the one who killed my family when he tried to protect himself from the power to rule everything. Luckily, I hid the Orbs and have been protecting them for years so I couldn't take chances with anyone and hearing the name of Jaco-Palo shakes the feathers of my wings. I'm very sorry. Friends?"

Chris thought and smiled, shaking hands with him.

"I almost ended the world myself, Chris," Ariel confessed. "I gave myself and nearly turned my father King Triton and his whole kingdom over to Ursula."

"And I gave the powers of the sea to her sister, Morgana," Melody said, remembering when Morgana tricked her into stealing her grandfather's trident, "but my grandfather and I sorted it all out."

Chris took her words in himself and he said, "And that's what I'm going to do!"

"Yeah, that's more like it!" cheered Barry and Berry.

"Oh, no, that's less like it!" Cuckoo teased as he and Talon flew to him. "You're in chains and you can't get out."

"Neither can you!" Chris cleverly said back.

"What do you mean?" Talon demanded to know.

"Well, what do you every day?" Chris went on.

"Well, at six to eleven in the morning, we do training, and, from about twelve to nine in the evening, we patrol the whole island and then we rest for the rest of the time," Talon answered.

"And does Jaco-Palo give you any rewards, money, food or praise?"

"Well, apart from my promotion, no," confessed Talon. "In fact, I don't know how I got to be Captain."

"And why are you guys sitting here, allowing yourselves to get crushed by the falling roof?" Chris went on, keeping a cool head.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Sebastian, Flounder, Tip, Dash, Kevin, Barry and Berry. They looked up and saw that Chris wasn't lying; the roof started to crack!

"Maybe it's because you're under a spell!" smiled Chris. And, with a slight flash out of Talon, Cuckoo and the bird armies' heads, he was proved right. The birds had lots of headaches and could barely stand.

"Who am I? Where am I?" asked Cuckoo.

"I'd say we've done something wrong and earned a trip to a dungeon," moaned Talon. He turned to Chris. "Hey, friend, what's going on?"

"Look up, you'll find your answer," Chris told him.

The birds looked and the roof began to fall off!

"Come on, free us and we'll help you get your lives back before Jaco-Palo arrives!" ordered Clo-Yehn.

"Jaco-Palo?"

"He did this to us?"

"I'll show him!"

"Er, guys, a little help?" The prisoners were getting impatient.

"Come on, guys! Hurry!" ordered Talon, as he and the birds rushed to free them. At that same time, the roof came down at once!