6 The Test (Part 3)

"No more, please!"

You'd think spending the amount of time I do around aunt Sophie I would be used to makeovers. But this guy is a WHOLE different story. Wrapping me in stinky seaweed like a mummy to "cover up my human smell" wasn't enough. No. he HAD to then cover my body in crushed pearl paste to give it "shine", powder my face with a "special" crushed shell which took FOREVER to find, braid my hair so intricately that when it got caught on a rod from a ship wreck and a curl unraveled he had to redo the WHOLE thing. AND that was not even the end of it but I won't describe it all because that would finish the chapter.

Anyway, only after what must've been TWO HOURS did he relent and even then he seemed dissatisfied. I insisted we go on, saying they must've surely drowned Lei by then but he waved off my worries insisting Lei would be fine.

We swam through tangled seaweeds, intricately patterned sea shells, and a variety of coral. Along the way I briefly wondered what I looked like. But I quickly dismissed the thought. What did it matter what I looked like as long as I blended in with the sirens.

Then we arrived at a large grey wall and Oceanus seemed to be looking for something. He placed his hand on the wall and swam along it muttering, "it should be about here..."

Then with a shout of "Aha!" he pushed away some seaweed on the wall and there was a secret passageway. Oceanus motioned for me to go in first and I eyed him skeptically.

"It looks dark and dingy. You really think flashy Sirens would be in there?"

He pushes me in.

"Wow, great teamwork there..." I mutter sarcastically having to stoop to get through all the tangled seaweed and cobwebs. Wow, this place could supply all of aunt Sophie's potions. I swim forward and in the distance a flash of light blinds me then...whoa.

Girls, of every singly type of appearance, hair color, eye color, skin color, all with nothing in common except their breath taking beauty. And all chattering loudly and cheerfully-until they catch sight of me.

Every eye in the room turns to me.

I freeze. Shoot. Can they recognize that I am different?!

But in their gazes isn't the cold gazes turned to intruders but rather...envy? What?

Then suddenly they all part at the middle like a wave and through the path they made comes one of the absolute most imposing woman I have ever met, second only to aunt Sophie on a bad hair day.

The woman-well mermaid has long silver hair. Her piercing silver eyes are ice cold. Her skin glimmers with an ethereal sheen. Her lips, tail, and jewelry are all bright red. The aura she gives off could kill and so could her expression for that matter as she seizes me up.

Our eyes lock, each daring the other to make the first move. Finally, she speaks up.

"You dare to challenge I, queen Scylla of the Sirens?"

"Um...."

"You dare to just strut within my own home and challenge me?!"

Challenge, challenge whats with this challenge? Have they found me out or not?? What is going on here??!

The queen is still ranting about the so called "challenge", and as she is doing so, she gets in my face to intimidate me. I stagger back a step and bump into the rock wall behind me. When I do so I happen to catch sight of my reflection in a piece of sea glass. And only then do I understand why the Siren queen seems so mad.

In the sea glass I catch sight of my reflection. And it stops me dead. What did Oceanus do to me??! I look gorgeous. And I'm not being narcissistic. At all. Every part of me seems flawless and perfect and I shimmer with an ethereal aura, rivaling even the queen's.

Being a royal, my private tutoring has of course covered magical creatures to some degree. And even if it hadn't I am an avid reader and almost all books mention the same thing about Sirens.

To them, beauty is power. And I think I just discovered the way to get Lei back.

Villain mode on.

"Hmm..., well I don't feel like a challenge today, but there is something else I feel like doing." I smile as fake a smile as I can.

"What?" The queen bites out.

"You know..., right about now I'm in the mood to play with a human..." I say, my voice silky smooth, and this time I'm the one getting into the queen's face.

"Especially young boys..." I gaze into the queen's eyes. "They're my favorite."

"And why would you think I'd give you any of our humans?"

"Hmm...then maybe I do feel up to a challenge today." I imitate aunt Sophie's dark smile and lightly run my fingers down the queen's arm.

She clearly doesn't want me staying otherwise considering how pretty I am her authority may be undermined. So, she has no choice but to give me what I want and get me out as quickly as possible.

As she leads me to their stash of humans I glare daggers at Oceanus who is now a large grouper, floating peacefully beside me. Great job leaving me to the sharks but thankfully I have things under control...or so I think until the queen changes her mind and decides to kill me.

It turns out Lei was a birthday present to her daughter and since it's her "precious little KatyCat", she now is trying to kill me.

Which leads to now, me frantically swimming with an unconscious Lei in tow. Oceanus seems to have disappeared off to somewhere but just wait till I get my hands on him!

I frantically swim forward but suddenly bounce back. Lei's clothing has caught on to something! I desperately yank but then I feel another strange sensation my legs-no fins! They're shimmering and that can't be good!

I manage to untangle Lei and now, rather than trying to find the place I was at, my goal is to simply go up. I shoot up, straight for the surface. (By now I'm out of the cave).

BAM!

I hit the surface gasping for air, my legs and lungs have now returned. I make a mental note to really get Oceanus back.

"You're a...human?!"

I was so enveloped in my immense sense of relief that I failed to remember something critical. A few things actually. The mermaids don't know I'm human. They hate humans. I'm in the water. The water is their turf. So basically, I'm screwed. Whoops. Plus, although I can swim, despite the fact that I am not your typical sheltered princess I still am one. There's no way I have the strength to swim to the shore in my human form with Lei in tow.

Only one choice now.

I turn and face the mermaids.

"I may be a human but I'm no ordinary human. I'm actually the disciple of the Great Witch Sophie." I boast my tone full of confidence.

The mermaids hiss, unsure how to proceed. My confident tone confuses them and they have to have heard of Sophie. They couldn't not have. She is famous.

"Then you must be accomplished in magic??" The queen inquires suspiciously.

"Yes!" I blurt out fumbling with my words. "Yes, in fact my magic is so strong Sophie herself has raved about my potential and how I could one day beat her!"

Of course Sophie has said no such thing but oh well, whatever works.

The mermaids hiss. Prove it.

I look around but Oceanus is nowhere in sight. What can I do? What can I do?? Ugh.

"Prove it prove it prove it..." The mermaids chant.

"Oceanus..." I mutter, hoping he will just pop out of somewhere and get me out of this mess.

"Prove it PROVE IT PROVE IT..." Ugh...

Then I recall something else aunt Sophie once said. "Villains are always alone."

I turn back. That's right. I'm a villain. I'm meant to be alone and I have to face my challenges head on. I turn to the mermaids and raise my voice. "OK! I WILL PROVE IT!"

I raise my finger and wave it, with no thought in mind except one; I want to crush my enemies.

POOF-A puff of green smoke and-A giant green elephant helplessly sinks trumpeting helplessly as all the screaming mermaids swim for dear life to avoid getting crushed by its massive buttocks.

This isn't the type of crush I meant-Is my last though as my massive elephant body sinks.