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Nico POV

Aphrodite's lair is a lot more bright than I thought it would be. And pink. "This way." Silena said, turning to the right. There was Aphrodite, the siren, doing her makeup at a vanity in the center of the room. Well, cave. It was almost impossible to miss her. Although I don't like girls, I had to admit, she was gorgeous. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and lots and lots of freckles. Like Will. 

"Ah, Prince Niccolo. How nice of you to join us." She didn't turn around, but she caught my eye in the mirror. She finished putting on her lipstick and went to face me. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

I crossed my arms. "I think you know." I told her, still sniffling. 

"Yes, yes, I do, and trust me when I say I feel just terrible for you. I would love to help in any way I could." She said, pursing her lips in a pout. 

"So? Get to it. How could you help?" I asked her, irritated. 

"Why, now, don't be so impatient. Let me think about what I could do for you..." She lifted her finger up to her chin, obviously faking. "Oh, of course! I have a potion. One that would allow you to become human, just like you always wanted, for 3 whole days. If you take it now, it will start the timer tomorrow so that it is 3 whole days, plus whatever is left of today. When the sun sets on the third day, you will become a merman again. Unless, of course, if you get a kiss of true love from your soulmate before the timer runs out." 

"You...you can do that?" I asked. I could really meet him? Kiss him? No. The fates hate me way to much for that to be possible. 

"Why, of course. I am one of the most, if not the most, powerful being in this ocean." 

"And that's it? Just kiss them?" I asked. This was too good to be true. 

"Well nothing is free, Prince Niccolo. There are two conditions to this spell; One, you have to give up your voice, just for the three days, and two, you have to erase your soulmark for the time being. You show your soulmate that and they'll plant one on ya then and there. You need more of a challenge to show you're worthy of being human. And remember, it has to be a kiss of true love. Now, if you agree to those terms, I have a contract for you." She opened a drawer in the vanity and got out a yellow-tinted paper. It could easily be two times the size of both of us combined. "Nothing important, just stating the terms of the challenge, what I get in response if you fail." 

"And what is that?" I asked, bring handed a quill and the contract. 

"You'll have to work for me. Nothing much, just maybe dusting around a little bit, organizing my cave, that sort of thing. It seems worth it, doesn't it?" I hesitated to sign. 

"But...my dad, and Jason, and Thalia, and Percy..." I said, the realization hitting me. "I'll never get to see them again." Aphrodite pouted. 

"Well, that would be a bit unfair. A soulmate and a family? Princess Bianca didn't have that, why should you?" I looked down, partly in shame and because I didn't want her to see the tears that gave me. I didn't even know Bianca. Why did I miss her so much? 

"But I can be on land? I'll have legs? My soulmate?" I asked. 

"Of course, I'm nothing but honest." I looked at the contract. I lifted the quill to the signiture line, closing my eyes so I didn't have to look. I had barley written anything in my life since paper couldn't really work under water without getting soggy, but I knew how. I pressed the quill down to write Niccolo di Angelo in fancy letters like I was taught. Aphrodite laughed, at what, I don't know. 

"Perfect! You've made the perfect decision, Princey." She grabbed different potions from her shelves, one pink, one blue, and one green. And combined them in a cauldron. How potions worked underwater, I didn't know. The same way as paper contracts did? She kept mixing different potions and trinkets together and swirled them with her way-too-pink tail. She stirred the concoction for about a minute before swimming up and back to the side of the cauldron. She grabbed an empty bottle and put some of the potion into it. She handed it to me. "Drink this and you'll become human for what could be forever if and when you succeed." 

I stared down at the purple-y mess of a potion in my hands. I closed my eyes once again and quickly chugged it. My tail got hotter and hotter until it felt like it was on fire. A gold glow sprouted beneath each of my scales and quickly surrounded my lower half. When the glow went away, I immediately got a mouth full of water, making me choke. I went to grab my throat, trying to make the pain go away, but couldn't. I didn't even look down at where my tail once was, too focused on my breathing. I felt 6 hands lift me up by my arms and try to get me out of there, but I couldn't tell who they were. My vision started going black. Endless darkness. 

This was it. 

I was dead. 

At least, thats what I thought until at the very last second when we broke through the surface. I was dragged onto the sand by someone. I coughed and coughed, spitting out more sea water than I thought was possible. I felt a hand pat my back, helping get some of it out of my lungs. 

"Are you an idiot?!" Jason's voice said. I was finally able to look up and see my cousins, all surrounding me, Thalia's hand on my back. 

"Aphrodite!? Even I know not to make deals with her!" Percy said, throwing his hands in the air. The deal. That's right! I grinned and looked down at my feet. Legs. I have legs. In place of where my tail used to start was a pair of black shorts. I heard that humans use cloth to cover certain areas, so I assumed that was what that was since it didn't seem to be a part of my body. I wiggled my toes (toes!) and tried to stand. Unfortunately, I underestimated how easy it would be to do that and fell right back into the sand. Sand! I ran my fingers down the grainy material, just to feel what sand was like when it wasn't under the water. Thalia, Percy, and Jason were laying on the beach, just letting their tails touch the water so they could technically argue they didn't go on land to my father. 

I went to say 'How did you know what I was doing?' but all that came out was a pathetic wheezing noise. The deal. Right. 

"Do you remember what happened?" Thalia asked. "About the deal with Aphrodite?" I nodded. "Well, these two girls, Piper and Silena, told us what was happening when they were sure you would sign the contract. And you did. Because you are so unbelievably stupid." She rolled her eyes at me. Before I could respond with another wheezing noise, we heard footsteps running up to us. My cousins' eyes all widened and hurried to get in the water, Jason sending me an apologetic glance. I nodded, saying it was okay and they all swam into the water, which if I was lucky, I would never have to go in again. 

Soulmate Little Mermaid AU- SolangeloWhere stories live. Discover now