Chapter 9.

After flinging the sharp edge of her scepter into Ahlecco's head, Goddess Charlotte heard Simon's cries. She rushed to the depths of the sea, where the sickly Esperanza laid in Simon's arms. She gently Embraced Esperanza into her arms. She spoke to Esperanza’s gray body:

“Esperanza, my daughter. I love you so much. We love you. Please remember who you are. You are a Goldenheart goddess of the sea. Power always lives inside of you. You are always mesmerizing, and made of gold…”

A tear fell from Goddess Charlotte's face and onto Esperanza's right cheek. Esperanza's left eye shed a tear. Her eyes began to turn golden, her skin sparkled brighter than the sun, and she slowly arose from the floor level of the sea. Her body floated to the top of the sea, and sprung into the air above the ocean, flying in mid air. Esperanza sprung her arms up to the sky, and aimed golden lights from the sky down onto the sea creatures and people below. Her golden eyes pierced through the body of Ahlecco. The waters rumbled. The war halted. The electric snakes vanished, and Ahlecco fizzled into the abyss. The ship rocked one last time, completely collapsing into the water. Danny and the ship fell into the ocean.

The mermaids helped the people in the sea to the land's surface. Esperanza's body sparkled, her eyes regained life, and ger tail turned pink once again, as she flopped back into the waters. She fell into her mother's arms, and they hugged each other as tears of love, joy, and happiness streamed down their faces and the faces of the other sea creatures.

Queen Charlotte replied, “please don't run away again. You can have your freedom, but I want my daughter. I want all of my daughters.” Esperanza, her mother, and her sisters embrace each other in a group hug.

After showing their love for each other, Esperanza warmingly hugged and embraced Simon and the other sea creatures. As Esperanza hugged a dolphin friend, she saw Danny’s body falling in the water. She rushed to grab him and bring him to the surface. The sea creatures helped her to get him to land. They laid him down on the sand. His eyes would not blink. His eyes would not move. His face had begun to turn gray.

Esperanza hugged Danny's chest, as she cried out, “Danny, please come back… I didn't mean for this to happen.” As she caressed his face, a cough came from his mouth. Danny coughed his way back to life. He looked into Esperanza's sparkling eyes, and was beyond estatic to see those eyes again. 

“I really love your sparkling eyes,” Danny said.

Esperanza and Danny continued looking into each other's eyes. Still at the surface, Mother, the goddess daughters, and the sea creatures looked concerned.

Simon blurted, “Esperanza!”

Esperanza looked down at her pink tail, and took a deep sigh. “I would love to be with a mermaid,” Danny replied. “I don't think that's how things work,” Esperanza replied. As they continued looking into each other's glistening eyes, gold entities in ghostly forms, sprung from the waters and hovered around Esperanza and Danny. After a few seconds, they had magically vanished and Esperanza was once again in a human form. 

“Thank you, ancestors,” Esperanza spoke to the sky. The ancestors granted her the right to roam under the ocean and on land as freely as she would like, in both human and mermaid form, whenever she would like. From that day on forward, sometimes Esperanza would spend time guarding the sea, and other times she would spend roaming land. Esperanza had finally got her wish to travel, adventure, and explore, but maintained her responsibilities and duties of being a goddess of the sea. Alongside her mother, sisters, Simon, and ocean friends, they lived happily ever after… and alongside Danny, her Earth family, and land friends, they lived happily ever after.

(THE END)