Chapter 3

As I drew nearer to Eel Cavern, the ocean"s chill seemed to intensify. A shiver coursed down my spine, extending to the tips of my fins. At that moment, I couldn"t tell whether it was caused by the icy embrace of the water or the apprehension of encountering the sea witch. It was likely a potent mixture of both. My heart banged loudly against my ribcage at the mere thought of defying yet another of my father's rules, but what did it matter? I had already broken the most sacred law of the sirens. How much more trouble could I be in by going to parlay with a sea witch?

The lush, vibrant vegetation gradually surrendered to a grim terrain of jagged rocks and menacing boulders. The waters grew somber, as if the sun itself refused to cast its light upon this forsaken part of the sea. My certainty in being on the right path deepened as eels cautiously emerged from the rocky crevices, their dagger-like teeth gleaming menacingly. As much as I tried to avert my attention from them, I couldn't help but be drawn to their disturbing presence, their beady black eyes fixated on my passage.

Finally, I came upon the entrance of a colossal cave, an unmistakable sign that I had arrived at my destination. I drew in a deep breath, attempting to summon the remnants of my courage before daring to enter its dark maw.

"Hello?" My voice shook as I was swallowed by the cave's darkness.

A sudden movement to my left caused a tight constriction in my chest.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, princess?" a voice called from behind me.

Terror crept up my fins. The speaker had stealthily approached from behind, effectively cutting off my escape route. Summoning a deep breath, I slowly pivoted, my eyes fixing on a silhouette drifting through the murky water. The dim light failed to unveil any details.

"How do you know who I am?" I asked as the being drifted closer to me.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the figure swam past me and deeper into the cave. With its departure, a profound sense of ease settled over me, now that it no longer blocked the entrance.

"I am Morgana, the sea witch, dear. Ask me a harder question," she singsonged.

I nervously gnawed on my lower lip, my apprehension growing by the second. "Very well. How do I find the gorgon that has a piece of Poseidon's heart in its locket?" With a sense of urgency, I plunged headlong into the matter, for there was no time for pleasantries or idle talk.

At my inquiry, she stopped moving. "Now, that is an interesting question."

I didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice.

I gasped as a spark of magic surged through the cave. The eerie, dim cavern transformed, bathed in an otherworldly green glow. Blinking rapidly, I allowed my eyes to adapt to this newfound brightness.

I struggled to keep my mouth from falling open as I could now see her features. Inky black tentacles drifted around her, forming a twisted, aquatic halo. She appeared elderly and frail, with a sickly paleness. Her skeletal frame made it all too easy to count each rib along her side. With a graceful flick, she swept her flowing mane of white hair over her shoulder, unveiling more of her pasty gray skin.

I caught myself gawking at her and quickly averted my eyes. My attention shifted to the smooth cave walls, which were adorned with countless shelves, each crammed with an assortment of potions and mysterious objects I did not recognize. With measured movement, I eased closer to a particular shelf adorned with glowing magical bubbles. There had to be over fifty of these shimmering orbs.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" she asked, plucking one from the shelf and holding it out for me to see.

I leaned in closer, captivated by the enchanting spectacle. The lower portion of the bubble was filled with water, while a miniature ship floated serenely on top, mirroring its existence on the ocean"s surface. Startled, I shifted my gaze back to hers. She offered me an insincere smile, her jagged, razor-sharp teeth grazing across her blood-red lips.

"Are these real?" I asked in awe as the tales of her escapades came flooding back to me.

I had heard fables of how she sank ships and of her deep hatred for the above dwellers, but it looked as if she had been collecting them, not sinking them.

"Of course. Can't you see the skeletons of the sailors who shriveled up to nothing after I trapped them in my magic?"

I peered inside the bubble again and then reared back, disgust pulling at my lips. I hadn't noticed the bodies before. They were nothing but skin and bones scattered among the ship. She must be more powerful than I could have possibly imagined to cast a spell like this.

"Enough of my treasures. Tell me why the princess of the sirens seeks information about a gorgon and a locket?" she asked as she delicately laid her trinket back on the shelf.

I held my breath and tried not to move as she reached up and ran her bony fingers through my hair.

"My father told me that with the locket, there was a chance of stopping the Dark Hydra and its Dark Water," I said barely above a whisper, observing her with careful eyes.

Something dark and menacing flashed across her face. I desperately wanted to pull away from her touch but refused to show her my unease. The sea witch smiled at me, dropped the strand of my hair, and returned to the darkest corner of the cave.

"Is any of this true about a gorgon and a piece of Poseidon's heart?" I asked again, summoning additional courage as I ventured further into the shadows. My confidence grew with each passing moment, for it seemed she had no intention of harming me. At least, not at the moment.

"The king told you this?" she asked, interest lining her tone as she ignored my question a second time.

My hesitation did not go unnoticed, and her eyes darted to mine. I sensed a pulse of something I could only assume was magic, weaving through the water. It delicately glided along the currents, its ethereal touch lightly brushing against my skin.

"You are a wicked little thing, aren't you?" She smiled and ventured closer to me from out of the shadows. "Don't you know it is punishable by death for a siren to influence another with her song?"

My spine stiffened as she revealed my sin. Fear lodged in my throat, preventing me from speaking a single word. I wanted to deny her accusation, but what good would it do? Her magic had already brought my treachery to light. I swallowed past the dryness on my tongue as she continued to venture closer.

"How powerful you must be to influence the King of the Sirens. Never have I heard of such." She stopped a few inches before me and touched my hair again. I could not fathom her fascination with my hair, which made me uncomfortable. She stared into my eyes as if considering me.

"Hades created the Dark Hydra to terrorize the oceans," she said. "Poseidon trapped it centuries ago in the deepest part of the seas. Only he could stop the Dark Hydra."

My muscles quivered as I anxiously awaited her next words. I remained perfectly still, fearing that any movement on my part might cause her to cease speaking.

"Your father was correct, of course. There is a small piece of Poseidon's heart left in this world." She released my hair and leaned back against the cavern wall.

"Where?" I exclaimed, drawing nearer to her.

"That first bit of information was a free history lesson. The next will cost you." Her voice was sinister and filled with hate. The little glimmer of hope she baited me with was instantly snatched away.

"What is it you want?" I asked, watching her every movement.

She eased from her spot and edged closer toward me, stopping when she was inches from my face. "Once you get the locket and use it to stop the Dark Hydra, you are to bring it to me." She held out her hand, intending to shake mine.

I immediately retreated a few feet. "What do you want with the locket?"

"What difference is it to you?" she gibed.

"It will do me no good to stop one evil only to create another," I answered, forcing calm into my tone. I knew she was cunning, but I would not allow her to trick me that easily.

"Smart and beautiful. How refreshing." She paused and considered me again before she continued. "Did you know I was once a beautiful siren?"

Shock rendered me speechless as I absentmindedly shook my head. My eyes wandered over her form and tentacles in disbelief.

"I want that piece of Poseidon's heart to turn me back into my true form."

"How is that possible?" I sputtered.

"Let's just say playing with dark magic has its consequences." She turned away, indicating she was done with the conversation.

Panic welled up in my chest like a sponge soaking up water. Was it really such a terrible idea to let her return to being a siren? Maybe. I couldn"t begin to comprehend how her magic could be so vile that it had transformed her into such a monstrosity or if that was the true reason she wanted the locket.

"You will perish as well if the Dark Water reaches you." I was desperate at this point, trying to threaten her with the approaching Dark Water.

She threw her head back and laughed. Her evil pitch sent a shiver down to my soul. She straightened up and lashed out at me with her tentacles. I moved to avoid her, but she had much more speed than I would ever credit her for. She grabbed both of my wrists and pulled me close until my nose touched hers.

"I have been exiled in this cave for eons, wasting away to nothing. Do you not think that I long for death?" She hissed in my face. "Besides, Dark Water has no dominion over me. I am too powerful."

I held perfectly still, refusing to flinch, even though the pressure she applied to my wrists threatened to snap them in two. Her eyes bored into mine, but I refused to relent. This monster would not terrorize me. She slowly pulled her tentacles from my wrist, leaving the embossment of her suckers on my skin. She threw out her hand again.

"Do we have a deal, princess? Or will you allow everyone to suffer because you are afraid to make a deal with a sea witch?"

I stared down at her hand like it was a great white shark. My gut told me to leave this place at once and forget all about this nightmare, but I could not let everyone perish. I wondered for a fleeting second if my siren song would work against her, but something within warned me not to try. I could always lie. Once I had the information I needed and left here in one piece, would she truly seek me out for vengeance? The answer to my question stared me in the face.

"We have a deal." I reached up, clasped her hand, and gave it an unsure squeeze.

A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Around the neck of the gorgon, Medusa, hangs a locket, and in that locket is a piece of Poseidon's heart, just as your father said. It's the only piece of Poseidon left in this world. Get the locket, find the Dark Hydra, and kill the thing with it." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Then bring it back to me, as per our deal."

I scoffed. She made the task sound like a leisurely swim on a warm summer day. I was not so naive that I had not heard the name Medusa. When I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I had so many questions that they all jumbled on my tongue.

"How exactly am I supposed to find Medusa? She is more myth than legend. No one knows her whereabouts. No one has ever seen her and lived to tell about it." With each word I spoke, my voice rose an octave as my panic reached new heights.

"Never say never." She smiled. "There is a rumor floating around the human world that one man encountered Medusa and lived to tell about it."

"A man?" I repeated in disbelief. "How do you know this?"

"I've been known to walk among the humans," she answered vaguely.

"Who is this man, and where do I find him?" I eased toward her, refusing to ask what she meant by walking among the humans. Some questions were best left unanswered.

"Blackheart Kai," she said, and my heart flopped in my chest like a fish on dry land.

"The sea monster hunter?" I sputtered. Bubbles flew from my nose as I tried hard to breathe.

Blackheart Kai was a living nightmare for all creatures beneath the ocean"s surface. His kind was the very reason my father prohibited anyone in Aquarius from venturing to the surface. People like him had wreaked havoc, leading to the mass slaughter of hundreds of our beautiful sea brethren. Since we, as sea creatures, lived longer and were slow to reproduce, they were single-handedly pushing all of us toward extinction. The malicious smile on the sea witch"s face only grew wider, relishing in my distress.

"There's no one else who knows Medusa's whereabouts?"

"No," she answered, easing back into the shadows.

"Where can I find him?"

"He sails the Caribbean Sea, or so my pets say." An enormous eel eased its way from the shadows, and she lovingly stroked her long nails down its body. A tremor rippled down my scales as its beady eyes watched me.

I started easing my way out of the cave before the situation became grimmer. "The Caribbean Sea is massive. How will I find him?" I stopped at the entrance of the cave, peering back at her.

"Don't worry, dear. If you enter his territory, he will find you and most likely kill you before you even have a chance to speak."

Her wicked laughter lingered in the currents as I rushed from the cave. Fear clung to my every movement just thinking about facing Blackheart Kai, the terror of the seas. Yet, driven by the urgency to protect my kingdom, I ventured into the unknown waters, even though my determination flickered like a luminous jellyfish about to burn out.