This is largely unedited. I can't remember the last time I sat down to scan it for typos, so forgive me if there are a lot. But the reason is at the bottom. I just don't want to clutter the top with an endless Note.

PS: For anyone confused, I changed my name from Crymson Onyx. Honestly, I probably won't keep this one, either. It just doesn't fit.

Hazel smiled at the stranger. She had pale skin as if she had never been out in the sun, and brown slightly unkempt hair. But her smile seemed genuine and her eyes were friendly.

"It's nice to meet you, Hazel," Piper said as a boy came up behind her. Hazel recognized him as the blacksmith's son, Leo. They had never really talked, but she had seen him around town many times.

"Hey," Leo saluted her with a goofy grin. "You're Hazel, right?"

"That's correct," she said. "And this is Molly," she said, turning to the girl, who curtseyed.

"Well, nice to meet ya," he bowed. "I've been showing Piper here around town; she'll be here for a few days."

"Well I hope you enjoy our town, Piper. It isn't very big, but it's beautiful the whole year."

"Thank you," Piper smiled. "So, do you want to come along with us while we finish Leo's "tour"?"

Hazel returned the smile. "I would love to." She turned to Molly again. "If you'd like, you can return home to your duties."

"Are you sure?" The girl's eyes widened.

"I'm sure," Hazel handed her the muffin, giving her a reassuring look. Honestly, she didn't enjoy the idea of always being accompanied, even though most of the servants were kind and pleasant.

"Yes ma'am," Molly said, curtseying to them one last time before turning and going back the way they came.

"Ready?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Hazel nodded. She had never done something so strange before, but there was something about these two that intrigued her. Not only that, but Leo seemed almost familiar somehow, but not like she had seen him just on the island. Almost like she had seen him somewhere else. "Lead on."

"I'm thinking of going to the docks now," Leo said.

A sharp intake of breath escaped Piper's throat, earning two confused looks from the other two. She wasn't sure if she could handle being next to the water. A knot formed in her stomach; she missed home.

"Sorry," she said. "I am… Just afraid of the water. The trip here was close to a nightmare."

"Oh," Leo frowned. "Then we'll not go there, if you're uncomfortable."

"Thank you," she smiled somewhat pathetically.

"Where do you think we should go?" Leo asked Hazel.

She thought a moment. "What if we try the public gardens? This is the season for the white roses. They grow in abundance, and they look lovely."

"I wouldn't argue with that," Piper said.

"Okay, then the gardens it is!" Leo grinned.

While they walked, they fell into a somewhat awkward silence, Hazel focusing on the sounds of the birds and conversations from strangers. The wind smelled like roses, and it grew stronger as they neared the gardens.

"So, Piper," Hazel broke the silence. "Have you visited the island before?"

Piper shook her head. "No, this is my first time."

"Where do you live, if I may ask?"

The brunette seemed to think a moment. "A town, a-across the sea." Hazel wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Piper pale the slightest bit. But the moment passed and she smiled.

"Have you always lived here?"

Hazel nodded. "Yes. My father moved here after he met my mother, and I was born on the island."

"And you, Leo?"

"All my amazing life," he responded with another silly grin.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sure I'll enjoy this town during my visit." She thought about doing more investigating, but she didn't want to rush it. However, she didn't have much time. She inwardly sighed. This was going to be difficult.

"Here they are," Hazel said as they came upon a green wall with ivy growing all over it. She pushed aside some of the ivy to reveal an iron gate. "The gardener could have cut away the ivy, but it looks so beautiful, and everyone knows where this gate is, anyway."

She pushed it open and stepped through, Leo and Piper behind her. Not only were there roses, but many other flowers as well - asters, geraniums, sand lilies, and more that Hazel couldn't remember the names of. They were all woven around the green bushes and the trees, rimming intricate paths throughout the gardens. People were milling around, enjoying it.

Hazel heard a small gasp from Piper. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

"It's an island favorite," Hazel laughed.

"I can see why," Piper agreed.

"Do you have any gardens where you live?" Hazel asked.

Piper's eyes lit up. "Oh yes! There are flowers and trees of every color and type, and the currents make them look like they're alive."

"Currents?"

"Ahem," Piper cursed her slipup. She couldn't let her feelings of homesickness outweigh her caution. "Yes, we have water gardens. I can really only describe them to you, but we have regular gardens like this too. Although, not as magnificent as this one."

"I'm sure it's lovely."

Leo strayed ahead, grinning at a girl smelling a white rose. She smiled back politely.

"So, Hazel," Piper started. She was slowly running out of time. Her mother had told her one of the first places she should look is with a magician or someone who deals with magical items.

"Yes?"

"What kind of traders do you have here in town?"

Hazel thought a moment. "Well, as you already know we have the blacksmith. And then there's the general store, run by a nice couple with a few children. And then there's the tailor run by an older woman, although she has more of a…" She searched for the right word. The woman was nice enough, but her personality was more reserved. "She's a little different."

"Different can be good," Piper said.

"Yes," Hazel agreed. "But anyway, besides that, there are also a few smaller shops for produce and other necessities."

Piper nodded. "Alright. Are there any other shops?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"I want to know the layout of the town, so I don't get lost."

"If Leo doesn't mind, we can go to the market street next."

Piper nodded.

"Hey!" Leo called. He'd gone on farther ahead, and was jogging back to them. "So what are you ladies chatting about?"

"Shops," Piper answered.

"Uh… Interesting," one of his eyebrows rose.

"Would you mind if we went to the market street next, Leo?" Hazel asked.

"I would love to find something for my mother when I return home," Piper added. Partly true.

"Whatever you'd like." Leo said. He then slumped his shoulders. "I'm not gonna have to carry all the bags, right?"

Hazel smirked. "Probably. We need some sort of outlet."

Leo said something in another language.

"Well, you agreed," Hazel laughed.

"What did he say?" Piper asked.

"He's just being a boy," Hazel replied.

Leo shrugged.

Piper looked at them. They definitely didn't look like strangers.

She then looked at the sky. The sun was already high above her. She only had one day and a half. She examined her bracelet. Starting in a small spot in the silver, she could see what looked like rust. It was starting to lose its magic.

"It's already noon? Wow, time seems to not be on our side today," Piper said nonchalantly.

Hazel looked up, and her eyes widened. "Oh. I need to return home before my father starts to worry." She smiled at them apologetically. "You know how parents are."

"Will we see you again?" Piper asked. She glanced at Leo, and he bobbed his head.

"I hope so," Hazel said. She started to turn and go back. "It was very nice meeting you both."

"You too!" Piper said, giving her a little wave.

"Yeah, see ya, Hazel," Leo saluted her once, and then winked.

Hazel laughed before rounding the corner of the garden.

They walked to the market, but suddenly Leo stopped. "I hate to do this, but I also have to get back and help my father with the forge." He laughed. "He says I'm better at keeping it going than he is. Do you want to come with me?"

Piper shook her head, silently thanking the fates. "No, I think I'll look around a little more. I still need something for my mother, after all."

He tilted his head. "You sure?"

She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Even if I do get lost, I'll just ask someone for directions."

He slowly nodded. "Ok, then. I'll see you later." He grinned one last time. "Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try," she said sarcastically with a smirk as he walked away back towards his house.

She waited until she couldn't see him anymore, and then walked to the side of a dress shop, reaching for her satchel and rummaging around in it. After a minute, she pulled out a small pendant. It was enchanted by her mother, and could sense magic. Piper could see magic well enough by herself, but her mother felt it would be helpful if she had an extra boost. She clasped the pendant around her neck, and then set off through the market, looking for any sources that she could find.

She decided to first visit the tailor, whom Hazel had mentioned was a little different. She wasn't sure what different was to the girl, but Piper figured it would be the best place to start, so she walked around for a little while until she spied clothing through a shop window. The sign above the door had a spindle on it, but what also looked like the needle of a poker fish. The meaning of it was lost on her, but opened the door anyway, stepping into the dim building.

When her eyes adjusted she saw shelves upon shelves of fabric, with boxes of all manner of human things. She walked around them to the front counter, where a woman stood slightly turned away from her, winding red thread around a spindle. She looked up as Piper approached.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss. I didn't hear the bell ring. My ears aren't what they used to be." She seemed friendly and had a genuine smile. Her graying brown hair was combed into a messy bun, but her eyes of the same color sparkled with youth.

"That's alright," Piper said. She suddenly felt like a fool. She didn't even know what to ask about.

"I'm, er, looking for something for my mother," she said. Well, it wasn't a lie.

The woman put the spindle down. "Of course. Anything in particular?"

Piper tried to think of something that would be infused with magic, or something that was the symbol of magic, that could be found in clothing stores. Her mother didn't know that much about the surface world, but she did tell Piper about human enchantments. They were oftentimes not very useful, and were very dramatic and difficult, their desire for flair overcoming simple magic.

She only had a day and a half. She would certainly need to take risks.

"I'm looking for something unique," she finally said. "I've heard that you supply… Unusual items." Of course she'd heard nothing of the sort, but when a look of recognition crossed the woman's eyes, Piper knew she understood.

"Ah, well that's another story then," the woman smiled, moving to another part of the counter and reaching underneath it. After searching for something, she rose a few moments later and placed a rather large box on the counter, opening the thick lid and turning it to face Piper.

The Siren leaned closer, inspecting the box. Inside lay a simple small cloth, despite the size. She peered over at the merchant, confused. But she only stared back, as if waiting.

Piper shuffled on her feet nervously, rubbing her bracelet with one hand. Did this human expect her to do something? She tentatively reached into the box, eyeing the woman for any change in her expression, although it only seemed more knowing. Piper brought her eyes to the cloth as she pulled it out; consequently, she'd grasped it with the hand that the bracelet was under, and her eyes widened when both items began to glow with a blue light. She dropped the cloth and snatched her hand away as if burned, clutching the bracelet in the other hand as if hiding it would erase the look the merchant was giving her.

"So, you do know of magic," the woman said.

Piper wasn't sure what to do as she stared at the woman. Was she dangerous? She didn't look so, but she knew all too well the capabilities of beautiful things; she was the daughter of one herself.

"I…" Piper squeaked.

"It's alright," the woman said, holding up both hands. "You have nothing to fear from me. I only needed to make sure it was you."

"It… Me?"

The woman nodded before bowing once. "I am your highness' humble servant."

…

Piper was annoyed. More than annoyed actually, but she wouldn't show it. Her mother had told her she would be alone. Piper believed Aphrodite trusted her with such an important task. But then she sent a servant – a servant! – to manipulate memories, set up a shop, and scour for any magical artifacts in case her oh so precious daughter could not find any.

She slumped against the counter. The way her mother treated her sometimes made the girl feel as if she were in a whirlpool.

"I'm sorry," the servant – Piper was too angry to try and recall her name at the moment – said. "Your mother was worried. You have not made any progress."

"It has only been a day and a half," Piper said quietly.

The servant shook her head, but said nothing.

"How did you acquire legs?" Piper finally asked.

"I didn't…" The woman hesitated, her eyes darting anywhere but at Piper as if she wasn't sure how much she could say.

"How much magic did my mother have left?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowing. Now she was suspicious.

"She… I… They couldn't…" The woman's eyes looked like they would roll out of her head with all the movement they made.

Piper glared at the servant.

Finally, she sighed. "I have been human for several months."

Piper gasped.

The servant rushed on. "Your mother had noticed a change in her magic, and before her mirror lost its power, she immediately sent me here to search for it. But with my cover and my age, I could not do much. I gained a reputation for being 'odd'. Her Majesty then sent me a message, telling me that no one would question a child as much."

Piper winced at being referred to as a child. She was almost fifteen! But she ignored the comment. "Why did my mother never say anything?"

The servant shrugged. "I do not know."

Piper sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Well, you're supposed to help me, then."

The servant nodded vigorously. Without another word, she rose from her seat and disappeared into the back room. A few moments later she reappeared with a small box in her hand. She set it on the counter and opened it, much like she had with the bigger box, but this time she pulled out the item. It was a thin golden ring with a tiny sapphire.

"This is one of my most powerful magic items," she explained. "It works much like your pendant, but instead of magical energy, it will pull you towards magical users. Even beings that have been infused with magic."

Piper nodded. "I see."

"Yes, it should be quite helpful. And I know a few places where you can start, too."

So, I have something to say.

First of all, I know it has been over a year and a half since I've last updated, and really I have no excuse because even Rick Riordan doesn't take so long, and he has the whole book and not the chapter. I thought that it was a procrastination problem, but I finally figured out that it wasn't. It's actually an outlining. I realized that I don't plan my stories very well. I usually think of a premise, and the beginning, and usually the ending, but the middle ground (or act 2, whatever you wish to call it) is completely out of my head. I didn't even realize that it was an issue, but I just struggle so much with getting from point B to C. So I've started trying to plan out my stories.

But even so, I always tried to have an endgame with my stories - always tried to know exactly what I wanted. But this story? I had, and still have, no clue. The only premise I had was that the characters from HoO would be in a Little Mermaid story, and that it would vaguely adhere to the details of the movie. But unlike my other ideas, I just jumped right in before I had a solid idea. And the issue with posting chapter by chapter is it's very hard to change little details for whatever purposes.

So, in general, I don't have a way for this to go. I tried to think of something, but my ideas and my writing have changed in the past year and a half, and I literally haven't touched this story in months. I'm immensely sorry to everyone who was reading this and am grateful to those who took the time to review and favorite/follow, but I'd rather discontinue it than try and write what I just don't have, for everyone's sake. This is the last chapter I wrote and finished, and this will probably just sit in my stories tab set as incomplete.

Oh, but anyone can really take over if they wish - Heck, you can even rewrite the entire thing. The idea to put these characters in wasn't originally my idea anyway, only the plot and their races (Like, whether they were Mermaids, Sirens, other mythical creatures, etc.). Just let me know if anyone's interested? I just completely lost interest in this, since it was never really going anywhere.

The only semblence of the plot I had was this: The characters from HoO would eventually meet up and befriend each other, and then (somehow) defeat Ursula and the Wizard (Kronos, if I wasn't vague enough about his identity so far lol). Percy had control over water, Ariel kind of had some power over emotion with her voice, Hazel still had her powers that she can't control yet (she was born with it or something), Piper was the same, but her powers came from being a Siren. Jason was... I don't know, actually. Leo had fire powers like usual, but he was born with it (like Hazel). I don't know what was going on with Frank, either. Annabeth was just a genius, and Eric was his normal self.

The idea was based off of another story with the characters in this world - I tried finding it again, but I couldn't, so I unfortunately don't have the name - but I mostly switched them around so it wouldn't be plagiarism or something.

So, again, I am so so sorry about this (and for the fifty million words of a Note). This definitely isn't the end of my writing, but it is the end of my writing this story. Who knows, maybe I'll do something like this again one day. I don't really want to say I'll never write this again, though.

Happy Writing!