Nate swam out a safe distance from the shore, then rose back up to the surface to hide behind one of the rocks protecting the cove water. Peeking around the rock but staying close to the water, Nate stroked the rock with his fingers as he watched Prince Sean with a deep longing. A woman in flowing colored material, leaned over him to cup his face. Her voice full of concern as she asked him. "Prince Sean? Are you ok? Can you hear me?" Sean put a hand to her wrist weakly, staring blankly up at her as he groggily asked. "Who are you?" The woman giggled a little, before answering. "I'm Princess Verlaine. Remember?" Sean coughed, sitting up as he put a hand to his forehead like his head hurt. Lowering his hand, Sean uttered out confused. "What...? How?" She grinned, telling him in a sweet voice. "I... I took a crew and followed you. We saw the lightning strike your ship. My men rescued your crew and I... I came to rescue you." Sean looked at her with distant eyes, asking perplexed. "You saved me?" She nodded, pulling him close to her chest in a comforting hug.

Nate dug his claws into the side of the rock, growling out. "What? That liar! I saved him!" Nate released the rock as anger flooded his veins, surging toward the shore. He wanted to drown her! He didn't get far though, because Mark used the wave to tackle him down into the water from behind. Shoving him down to the sand beneath the waves, Mark hissed over his shoulder. "Nathan! Stop! We must go! You promised!" Nate pushed himself up off his chest, growling back darkly. "But she's lying!" Mark rolled off him to sit in the sand as he grabbed Nate's biceps. Staring into his eyes, Mark panted out through his pain. "It doesn't matter. We've got to get back before anyone realizes that we are missing... Nathan, please?" Nate saw the blood drifting through the water around Mark's body. They were both hurt. Nate's ear fins fell back with defeat, upon mumbling out. "Ok... Just one last look." Mark rolled his eyes but gestured back up to the surface. Rushing back up to the surface, Nate leaned back against the rock.

The Princess had helped Sean up now and was escorting him toward a group of more humans in a small vessel that was farther down the shore. Nate leaned his head on the rock feeling heartbroken. It wasn't fair. Nate started to feel tears brim his eyes, until Sean suddenly stopped. The Princess called out to her people for help, while Sean slowly turned to look back at where he'd come from. Nate's ear fins perked up as he watched Sean's eyes scan the land for something. Sean then looked out to the water and Nate froze up. He wanted him to see him. His heart leapt at the idea of Sean seeing him and knowing the truth deep down. The Princess pulled away from Sean to beckon her men over. Letting Sean walk slowly toward the water. Nate sank a little in the water, blowing little nervous bubbles in it. Could he see him? Sean stared out at the horizon with a troubled look. Nate stayed still, watching him with wide eyes and battling the urge to swim up to him. Then Nate tilted his head as a soft sound drifted out across the water. The song pulled at Nate's heartstrings and made him want to cry from pure bliss. Sean was humming his song!

The Princess's men broke the moment by running over to wrap their arms around him. Taking the Prince safely back to the small vessel. Nate hugged the rock as he watched them take Sean away. He felt like he really could swim in the moon now. His heart was pounding stronger than ever and he felt like splashing around like a little kid. Smiling so brightly, Nate couldn't stop himself from giggling. Sean had liked his song enough to sing it back. There was just something so magical about that. He felt like nothing could upset him now. Pushing away from the rock, Nate sank backward into the water. Getting back out into the open water, Nate took Mark's wrist and dreamily took him home. The whole way back, Nate kept singing the song to himself over and over. He barely noticed obstacles around him because all he saw was Sean singing his song, causing Mark to yelp and snap out. "Nate! Watch what you are doing! Swim straight, damn it!" Nate only chuckled, looping and twirling around the water whenever he got the urge.

As the Sea Prince returned to the Trench Kingdom, the two black moray eels that had been hiding in the reef of the cove shared a sinister grin of sharp teeth. Flotsam turned his bright glassy yellow eyes on Jetsam, hissing out to him softly. "Ursel will LOVE this." Jetsam let out a wheezing laugh, before hissing back quietly in a purring tone. "Yes. This should please him greatly." Jetsam winked one of his bright green eyes, then led the way. Slithering along the bottom of the sea and using tunnels in the reef, they left the Trench Kingdom behind to go out to deeper waters. A place known as the barrens. Slithering though what appeared to be foggy sandy floor, they made their way down to warmer waters. Down here, vents of scolding water shot up around pillars of jagged rocks. The Eels knew this place well. It had always been their home. A land built like a maze. Navigating it easily, they came upon the skeletal remains of the Serpentine. A creature that Ursel himself had created with dark magic to swim the maze barrens and eat his prisoners for his entertainment. The Serpentine protected all of Ursel's experiments... until Triton learned of it and had it destroyed with the trident.

The loss of the Serpentine had hurt Ursel greatly. For without him, Triton easily dispatched all but two of Ursel's experiments. Banished from the kingdom after that, Ursel remained in the barrens maze. Choosing to live in his once great beast. For it was the only place that made him feel comfort. The skeleton of the Serpentine glowed with an eerie purple light as they slithered their way inside the maw. Along the throat of the beast, laid the large garden of polyps that writhed about in agony. Ursel's latest restructured experiments to combine a soul with oceanic properties. Reaching the large belly of the beast, Flotsam and Jetsam slowed to a stop. The walls of the belly were laden with ingredients for potions and lobster cages that bore the bright shimmering souls of humans and merfolk. In the center of the belly sat a cauldron that bubbled and leaked a cloudy water. At the very end, Ursel's large shell throne hung from the hips of the beast. However, Ursel himself was sitting before a vanity. Tracing a shaking finger across his red lips with a distant look. The long tentacles around him were curled tighter than usual. He was hurt and brooding.

Flotsam brushed his body against Jetsam's scared one to calm him. Neither of them liked to see him like this. Approaching cautiously, Flotsam purred out to him with a deep respect. "Your highness. We bring news." Ursel lowered his hand from his lower lip, glancing over his shoulder to grumble out. "What is it?" Flotsam bowed, moving closer as he answered promptly and to the point. "The prince. We know how you can use him." Ursel winced but turned to face him as he smirked out. "Show me." Flotsam slithered up to Jetsam, wrapping himself around him. Pressing their heads together side by side, the single eye closest to their partner began to glow with a bright lime color. Ursel grabbed a crystal ball off the wall with a tentacle, setting it over the cauldron. The large crystal ball hovered over the cauldron, starting to swirl with the lime green light. Ursel groaned, clutching his bleeding and bruised side as he rose to stare into the crystal. Once the crystal had the memory, it pulsed and began to play it.

Ursel watched Triton's son save a human and sing to him as they laid draped across the beach. Then saw Nate's reaction to the human humming Nate's song. Wrapping his arms around his chest, Ursel began to laugh as he said aloud. "Well now... Isn't that something. It must run in the family... This will be too easy." Ursel laughed a bit more, making his way over to his throne before blurting out to his friends. "Falling in love with a human. And not just any human... but the child of the one he HATES the most. Oh, his daddy will LOVE that!" Using his long tentacles to pull himself up into his giant cone shell throne of soft pinks and brown colors, he slumped down along the curled edge to purr out lightly. "Poor lovesick boy. His daddy is going to break his heart..." Ursel huffed to himself, looking over his nails as he said absently. "He has no idea what he's done to that human. Stupid child. Such a nice voice though... And yet, he doesn't know how to use it properly. Such a shame." Smirking, Ursel looked at Flotsam and Jetsam as he laughed out. "The boy would be better off becoming a charming addition to my garden! At least then, he'll have something to live for after he gets burned!"

Flotsam and Jetsam snickered with him. Sitting up properly, Ursel told them with a wicked grin. "Poopsies? I think it's time to reel him in. Tail the prince. And if you see an opening... bring him to me. I think I'll help him get his prince. And then I'll kill him... and his father." Flotsam and Jetsam rushing in to brush their bodies against Ursel, who kissed them before waving them out. Sliding from his throne, Ursel moved to the cauldron to remove the crystal. Putting it away, Ursel strolled over to his garden. The polyps all moaned loudly in fear as his shadow loomed over them. Slithering one of his tentacles over to one, he slowly curled the limb around it. The polyp wailed in fear but couldn't go anywhere. Yanking the withering polyp from the garden, Ursel stared into its big eyes as he said aloud to himself. "I better get started on the potion... And for that. I guess, I'll need to harvest a human soul. I was going to save you for something else... but sacrifices have to be made." Ursel moved back to the cauldron, tossing the withering and wailing polyp into it.

Watching the polyp liquify, Ursel absently reached up to stroke his neck. It had been so long since he had heard his own singing voice. The very memory of how his father had taken it as his punishment for falling in love with a pirate brought tears to his eyes. His singing voice had been the envy of every mermaid in the sea. Losing his singing voice had been the first blow that drove him to a life lived utterly alone. For without his beautiful singing voice... his love no longer loved him. His father had known that his love had been enchanted and to punish him for loving a man... he'd taken his voice to prove that the love he felt wasn't real. Ursel dropped his hand to hug himself, listening to the haunting wails of the polyps in his garden and the bubbling of the cauldron. It felt like fate that the young prince was going to suffer as he had. Although, he doubted the young prince had the balls to go to the lengths he had to get his revenge. Pulling ingredients down to mix into the cauldron, Ursel tried to fight off the memory of his sisters agonized screams that was brought on by the polyps incessant wailing.

As if losing his singing voice wasn't enough. Poseidon had passed his trident to his young brother... and Ursel made a choice. The Nautilus Shell was to go to his eldest sister. However, in his rage. He'd poisoned all his sisters and took the shell for himself. After all, if he wasn't manly enough to carry the trident. Then he was more than woman enough to bare the Nautilus Shell. Ursel curled his fingers around the Nautilus Shell, inhaling deeply to calm his storming emotions. Upon exhaling, Ursel uttered out with a menacing smirk. "I'm going to enjoy this... immensely. Such a poor unfortune soul." Losing himself to the irony, Ursel laughed loud and proud.

Back in the Trench Kingdom, Nate and Mark were escorted to the medical tunnels the minute they crossed the border. Many of the other young merfolk had gotten hurt in the storm and were being treated for cuts and bruises. However, because Nate was the prince, himself and Mark got a small tunnel room all to themselves. Mark's mother was one of the many mermaids that had abilities and knowledge in healing others. So, it was no surprise that she chose to see to her son and Nate's wounds. With Nate laying on a smooth rock, she applied strips of fresh fish skin to his cut up back to help him heal. Afterward, she was called away to help others but told them to relax for a bit since their wounds by far were more serious than those she had seen to so far. Mark couldn't sit still though, swimming off his slab, he told Nate shakily. "Ok. So far so good. We can put this whole thing behind us." Nate rested his head on his arms, rolling his eyes as he mumbled out dreamily. "You worry too much."

Mark stiffened, shooting a light glare at Nate upon retorting. "What we did was dangerous and completely insane!" Nate started humming to himself again, tracing patterns on the rocky slab absently. Mark doubted that he'd heard a word he'd said. Dropping his shoulders, Mark swam up to Nate's slab to tell him seriously. "Nate? Are you listening to me?" Nate sat up with a blush as he asked close to his face. "Mark? I think I'm coming down with something. I feel... different." Mark put his forehead to Nate's, informing him in a tone that was a bit upset. "Ya... I noticed. And you need to snap out of it." Nate laid back across the slab, sighing out blissfully. "I can't, Mark. I can't stop thinking about him. I can still feel his touch on my skin." Mark swam up over Nate, lowering his hands down above Nate's shoulders. Watching Nate blush and act so giddy for someone else hurt. Yet, he understood how Nate felt perfectly. Shaking his head, Mark whispered down to him. "Nathan, listen to me. Save yourself before its too late." Nate rolled his eyes, giggling out. "What are you talking about?"

Mark brought his lips closer to Nate's but forced himself to hold back as he answered in a distant voice. "Nate... You don't want to crave something you can't have. Trust me." Nate stared at him, uttering out in sudden sad realization. "Oh, Mark... I'm so sorry... I wasn't-" Mark's heart couldn't take it. Seeing Nate look guilty was worse than seeing him happy. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Mark pressed his lips to Nate's to stop him. Nate accepted his kiss, but he could tell that he wasn't thinking about him. Laying down over him, Mark broke the kiss and pleaded into his ear in a whisper. "Nate, I'm begging you. Forget him. Before you get hurt..." Nate pushed Mark's shoulders up a little to look him in the eyes as he told him honestly. "I can't... Mark, I... I think I love him." Mark looked away, feeling suddenly drained of all joy. He could feel himself crying but the ocean was taking his tears away. Unable to look Nate in the eyes, Mark cleared his throat and forced himself to say in a broken voice. "You don't know anything about him..." Nate sat up, replying very gently. "I know. But I want to know more about him. Mark... please understand. If I could control how I feel... I'd pick-"

Mark put a hand to Nate's lips to stop him, swimming away from him. Nate jerked up, grabbing the edges of the slab as he said in a panic. "Mark, please don't go... I need you..." Mark stopped at the room entrance, putting a hand on the wall. It took everything he had to muster the ability to glance over his shoulder and tell him lovingly. "I'm still your friend, Nathan. And I'm happy that... you are finally happy. I just... need to be alone for bit." Swimming slowly from the tunnel, Mark tried to keep himself together. Behind him, Nate started to rush after him, saying in a pained but hopefully voice. "Mark...? Can I see you tomorrow?" Mark inhaled deeply, unable to answer, but he reached back. Nate's fingers touched his and Mark squeezed them with a nod. Releasing him, Mark swam home. He was used to the pain and knew that he'd bounce back once he had time to process this. Part of him had always hoped that HE would be the one to make Nate happy. His head knew that wasn't going to happen, but his damn heart was so fragile.

He knew he was strong enough to get over this though... but he didn't know what a broken heart would do to Nate. No good would come of him loving a human. Yet, he found himself hoping that it would work out... for Nate's sake. To Be Continued...