Under the Sea

Chapter One

Harry should have known something was up when the Dursleys brought him along on their trip to Denmark. But the five-year-old was too excited to question the niceness of his relations.

"Fweak," Dudley spat as they walked along the beach three weeks into their visit. Harry frowned; he'd been better about his freakishness. Uncle Vernon even commented on it when he wasn't commenting on how backwards and primitive these Danes were ("I mean really. No hotels at all! They expect us to stay at an inn!) and Aunt Petunia smiled at him last night. But Dudley still hated him.

"Dudley, look at that wock!" Harry smiled and pointed at a strange looking rock a ways away. "Wace you to it!"

Dudley rolled his eyes but still ran with his cousin, resulting in him becoming red-faced and out of breath while Harry's eyes gleamed with excitement at beating Dudley in a race.

"Bet your fweakishness caused you to win!" Dudley exclaimed. "I'm telling Dad!"

Harry wasn't listening as he climbed on the rock to have a better view of the ocean. It was beautiful and calm. It was weird, the way he was attracted to the sea. Maybe that's where his mother and father went. Maybe they were mere-people and not the drunks Uncle Vernon said they were.

"I said," an impatient Dudley said with a glare to Harry's back, "I'm telling Dad! So get going!"

With that, the larger boy shoved Harry off the rock and into the ocean. Despite its shallowness, Harry did not resurface; his glasses being the only part of him to return to the land.

"DAD!" Dudley shouted and ran back to where they were staying. Under the water was a completely different story. Harry was struggling to get back to where he could breathe but Dudley's hand-me-downs were preventing him from returning to his home on land. A glimpse of red was all he saw before Harry's emerald eyes shut.

000

A five-year-old mermaid with red hair did not expect to come across a human when she performed border patrol with her father. That could be the reason why she brought the boy to the Sea King instead of helping him to the surface.

"Daddy!"

"What is it, Ariel?" Triton turned to his youngest and his eyes widened upon seeing the human his daughter was dragging behind her.

"Is he sleeping Daddy?" Ariel asked when she stopped. Triton didn't answer her question; instead he pointed his trident at the human while ignoring his daughter's gasp. Using some of the qualities of the trident, he provided an air bubble for the human. While most humans ate fish and killed his people, Triton would not kill a guppy. Or a child.

"W-whewe am I?" the young boy asked upon awaking. Triton could see emerald green eyes that looked so much like those of his wife Athena. "What happened?"

"Daddy, can he stay with us?" Ariel turned to her father and begged with big eyes. She longed for someone her own age to play with—it stunk being the youngest. No one wanted to play with you. Triton sighed.

"Ariel..." but he cut off upon seeing the hopeful look on the boy's face. Shaking his head, Triton continued. "I can't take this boy away from his family. I know I'd be worried terribly if I was in his parents' place."

"Please!" the boy begged. "I'll do anything. I'll work in youw home, I'll be good. Please don't make me go back to the Duwsleys!"

"Who are they?" Ariel asked before Triton could say anything.

"My aunt and uncle," the boy replied, rather bitterly. "Please!"

Triton sighed. "I'll need to talk with my wife. You can accompany us back to the palace while I talk it over."