"Because Heather was my mate. Because the merfolks eventually realized that Mariane had lied. Mariane wrenched Heather away from all of us." Ursula said emerging from her hiding place, "And we wanted to take revenge from her."

"How'd you know about Mariane's schemes?" Poseidon asked to calm the air as Marilla breathed fire up at Ursula.

"After Heather was sent away, the former king and queen died soon. We never knew what happened to them exactly. When Mariane took the crown, she forbade the entire kingdom from mentioning Heather. She went as far as beheading the ones who spoke of her. Naturally, everyone started doubting. We all liked Heather much more than we did Mariane, but the woman had made such a convincing ploy that we couldn't quite not believe what was in front of us. Everyone knew in heart Mariane was the wrong one. But the cowards just accepted the vile queen out of fright for their lives," Ursula eyes blazed with anger.

"You didn't accept her, did you?" Zander parroted rubbing Marilla's shoulder in a comforting way.

He knew what she was upto with just a glance at those anger and pain filled eyes but he wanted to make sure they knew everything before Marilla unleashed herself on Ursula.

"I could never." Ursula agreed, "After Mariane found her mate, got married and had a child, Layla was the most important thing to her. I knew if I wanted to truly hurt Mariane, it would be through her daughter."

"So you decided to use Layla?" Marilla asked in disbelief, her fists clenching, "She didn't even do anything!"

Apollo's glance slowly slid to the green-haired mermaid who sighed as if it were an old tell-tale for her. His eyes narrowed but he stayed put. He had no say here.

"But her mother did." Ursula retorted nearing Marilla, her sight drifted to the cold lifeless Layla and she smiled. She fucking smiled.

Apollo's jaw ticked. He had the immense urge to dislocate the woman's wrist as she leaned down and tapped Layla's cold cheek harshly.

Marilla swatted Ursula's hand away, her blue eyes glaring at the woman, "Don't touch my sister." She gritted through her teeth.

"Not sister. Cousin sister." Ursula corrected before standing back on her feet and casting her gaze on Layla, "I killed her once, you know. I waited till Mariane grew attached to her daughter before I couldn't wait anymore and drowned the child when her mother wasn't paying attention. I wanted to see her agony over her dead child but instead of wallowing, she—"

"Came to me." Poseidon completed, "You were the one to kill Layla that day."

"But imagine my surprise when I see Mariane enter a house with a dead child and return with the child very much alive and another newborn in her arms." Ursula beseeched, "I was curious. I sneaked in to check what or who was inside that house who'd bought a dead child back to life. Only to find the Sea God himself crying, holding onto the mate I've been searching for years and clinging onto her dead self."

"As Marilla grew up, I understood just whose child she was because of the similarities. She looked like Poseidon but she behaved like Heather. Marilla was the living proof of what Poseidon and Heather shared after she left me. I wanted to hate Marilla. But I just couldn't. Even Mariane had come to grow fond of her despite Marilla being her rival sister's daughter, then who am I?

"I swore since I couldn't protect Heather from Mariane, I'd do anything to protect Marilla from Layla. To keep her away from danger, I let Layla live as an upfront to the assasins who wanted to kill the crown holder and convinced Mariane that the court should know her daughter would be the future Sea queen. Mariane had objected but when I pretended in front of the court to doubt what would be the reason she wouldn't want to declare, Mariane had no choice then to go with the flow. She let Layla believe the lies. She couldn't kill the entire court now, could she? She'd already killed so many people to hide Heather's trace. . ."

For a brief moment, Ursula's voice was lidded with sadness but then they turned angry again, "The Sea God revived Layla. You could revive that worthless piece of shit," Ursula fumed pointing to Layla before fixing her furious eyes on the said Sea God, "But you couldn't revive Heather?"

"You think I didn't try?!" Poseidon's eyes buzzed with a blue electric current before immense sadness took over them, "Zeus is a God. The Prime God. We Gods can fight against any force but we can't fight against each other. If a God kills someone, another God can't revive them! They enter the afterworld instantly. And you can't bring them back."

"Some God you are." Ursula taunted.

Poseidon's eyes blazed wilder but he stood stand still as Marilla gently placed Layla's head down on the floor, kissed her sister's forehead and rose to her feet.

"What was Layla's fault in any of it?" Marilla asked calmly, her eyes fixated on Ursula.

Suddenly his daughter looked like cold death as her eyes turned a bright blue. Poseidon was amazed how she was powerful enough even with him holding back half her powers.

"Her fault was that she's Mariane's daughter." Ursula replied as if it were obvious.

Apollo almost lost it. The woman was sick. She was so very sick in her mind.

"What did Layla ever do to you?!" Marilla yelled, her hair flying in a fit of rage as the air around the room dropped, "You sold her to the slave establishment! You ruined her life! You took her away from me! You killed her!"

Apollo sucked in a sharp breath as his gaze drifted to Layla. Her silver hair was spread out on the floor in a wavepool around her face. Blood stained few of the strands and her face was as pale as a ghost.

Slave establishment? Is that where she was during the seven centuries he couldn't find the information about? Whatever happened to her there. . .was it the reason she was the way she was? Was it the reason of that pain she felt all the time? That sadness she tried to coat with anger?

"She deserved it." Ursula shook her head as if explaining it to a stubborn child.

Marilla's rage mirrored Apollo's but the siren took a dangerous step towards the woman who stood unfazed.

Apollo walked over to Layla's form splattered on the floor and leant down to pick her up in his arms. Zander turned to him just as Apollo rose back on his feet, that shock as if seeing a ghost filtering his features all over again.

"How are you alive. . ." Zander began.

"He's a God too. We can't die." Poseidon cut in, "He's Apollo."

Zander's eyes widened, realization sinking in, "Apollo as in. . ."

Poseidon nodded while Apollo simply spared both of them a glance before turning on his heel with Layla still in his arms.

"Where are you taking her?" Poseidon asked, his brows furrowing but he made no effort to stop the other God.

"To her soul." Apollo gave a curt reply.

Poseidon frowned, "You can't revive her. Even Hades can't spare her soul now that its already taken or help get her back to this realm."

"I know." Apollo agreed before glancing over his shoulder at Poseidon with a secret look on his face, "Not this realm, doesn't mean not others."

Poseidon stared intently, his mind clicking with a thousand possibilities before his eyes softened. Apollo was attached to Layla, that much he could tell. Why, Poseidon didn't know but he wasn't going to stop Apollo if he had something in mind.

So he simply said with an encouraging smile, "Good luck annoying Hades' ass."

"Thank you." Apollo returned the smile before gesturing with his eyes towards where Marilla stalked towards Ursula, "Give her back her powers for once. Let her make that vile woman pay. You can take it back again later. We'll cover up the power surge like we do for Hades."

Then Apollo was dissapearing into thin air with Layla, leaving golden shimmers in its wake.

Poseidon didn't wait to look at Zander's stunned face caused by Apollo's dissapearance. Instead, he focused on his daughter.

Marilla was now standing right in front of Ursula, her expression wild, "You could never forgive Mariane for what she did to your mate, right? Okay I get that part. But Layla was innocent in all of it. You caused her so much trauma. Just like you couldn't forgive, I can't forgive you for what you did to Layla either, especially when I know she didn't do anything but still paid because you're sick."

Ursula's face morphed into annoyance, "I'm sick?! Mariane was sick!"

"Right, Mariane. Not Layla." Marilla rebuked, her powers appearing to its surface.

Without wasting a breath, Poseidon strode towards them and placed his large palm over Marilla's head.

Marilla looked up at her father in confusion as he tapped his fingers over her scalp and she felt a zap of power rush through her.

"Just giving you your full powers." Poseidon explained tapping his fingers few more times before stepping back.

Marilla's head whooshed with the energy that she felt in her veins. She looked down at her palm that glowed a translucent blue before looking up at Poseidon, "Why did you have them taken away?"

"To prevent Zeus from sensing it and approaching you whilst you ever used your half-goddess powers." Poseidon answered casting his eyes down, "I'm sorry I had no other choice to keep you safe."

Marilla's eyes softened the tiniest bit, "Will Zeus know if I use now?"

"Apollo and me will put up a facade of a fight and burst some isolated island up so that Zeus believes we caused the energy surge like we always do. Apollo and I pretend we never get along well in front of Zeus and he buys the act. We'll cover it for you." Poseidon shook his head remembering the stupid things he'd done to cover up Hades whatever business when the underworld God used his full powers.

But atleast unlike Zeus, Hades had always returned back the favor in any form he could. Backing Marilla's fake death up in case Zeus ever found out about Poseidon having a daughter, being one of them.

Marilla didn't particularly know what he meant by pulling a fake fight facade but she trusted Poseidon enough as the Sea God. Although her mind clung to the words 'burst some isolated island up'. . .

Island. . .Sea. . .

"Can you lift the curse on the Black Sea?" Marilla asked.

"You could do it too. You have my blood and the curse is bound to me." Poseidon explained before halting, "But make sure everyone's cleared out of here in case you wound up bursting something up."

Marilla glanced around at the possessed merfolks in the ballroom. Their eyes seemed to keep switching between sanity and obliviousness.

Charlotte's magic that kept them ensorcelled must be vanishing with Layla's. . .death. All these people could be returned back to their homes, sane and normal.

Marilla quickly looked towards Zander and Derek standing a few feet away, "Could you both clear the isle? Zander, teleport the people out of here maybe?"

"We'll do that. Don't worry about it." Zander assured, quickly turning around on his heels and dragging Derek along.

Marilla waited till Zander started clearing people out before casting Poseidon a glance, "Thank you for power boost, Father."

"My pleasure." Poseidon smiled, his heart warming at hearing his daughter addressing him as father.

Marilla passed him a quick smile of her own before turning to Ursula who processed everything with furrowed brows.

Marilla's lips quirked at the sides, her eyes shone bright blue as she took a menacing step towards the second-in-command.

Rubbing her palms against one another, Marilla felt the skin lighten up to its translucent glow.

Marilla passed Ursula one lethal look, "You'll pay for what you did to Layla."

***

On the other side of the isle, beyond a darkened cave opening to the entrance of the God of the Underworld's territory. . . .

A woman woke up from a deep slumber within the Forest of Lethe. Her stormy grey eyes took in the darkened sky above her.

With ease, she sat against the tree trunk where she'd been laying at and glanced around her surrounding in confusion.

A warm current passed through her body making her rise to her feet as huge midnight grey erupted out of her back.

The woman's eyes widened at the power she felt in her blood after their absence for so so long. Had the treacherous witch who stole her powers and captured her died?

To test whether she'd really gotten them back, she shut her eyelids trying to will her mind to—

A loud bark had her eyes snapping open.

In her sight, she saw a terrifyingly huge three-headed dog run towards her before halting a step in front of her and plopping its bottom down on the dirty ground.

The woman looked at the the creature with stone cold eyes as the dog stared at her, it's eerie six eyes all set on her.

"Cerby sensed a power surge in the woods of Lethe and bought me here to check." A deep masculine voice drawled, "The best pet, isn't he?"

The woman looked past the dog's giant form to find the God of Underworld striding towards her, his hands in his black jean's pockets, brown eyes accessing her face.

"Your son was right. You were indeed hidden in Forest Lethe. Whatever voodo got you awakening, it's good to have you back," Hades tilted his head as a fiendish half-smile stretched on his lips, "Queen Annabeth."