THE POWER OF THE KRAKEN: Mermaids' perspective.

The cruise ship left the dock. A girl ran to the front of the ship, craning her neck. Whoomph! A dolphin burst out of the water, soaking the wide-eyed child. Her pupils darted around, searching for any more signs of the magnificent creature. The calm, placid animal cut through the water like a sword through foam.

The girl ran to her mother and tugged her arm, saying, "Come on, mum, look at that dolphin!" Mia pulled her mother towards the deck.

"Okay darling, slow down... oh my!" her mother broke off as the dolphin leapt past again. She followed the creature as it swam over to the side of the boat. Meanwhile, someone was creeping up on the girl, and menacingly said, "Hiya pal..." Mia spun round, and cried, "MUM!" but it was too late. Ryan, the town bully, shoved her over the railings and she plunged into the ocean. Mia just glimpsed her mother shouting, "MmiAa!" as she hit her head on the rocks of the seabed...

Mia's eyes shot open. Where am I? she thought. Mia realised she was breathing underwater! She turned and found she had a mermaid's tail! Dazed and confused, excited and thrilled, she started to swim to the surface to climb back on the ship -- but it wasn't there. "MUM!!" she yelled. But there was no reply. She had obviously been under the water longer than she thought. Suddenly, bubbling to the surface about 50 Mer-people appeared around her. A rise of gossip surrounded Mia.

"You're the key to--"

"Finally! You're here--"

"Mia! The Jade--"

"They've been stolen--"

"SILENCE!" came a voice.

"Sorry, your highness." chorused the other Mer-people.

"I am so sorry about that, Mia. I am Queen Berfandy, leader of the Sea-weed clan of mermaids. What my people were trying to say is... oh seaweeds and shells... look!"

Revealing itself from the mountainous coast in the distance, a ship lumbered its way past, a huge giant octopus clinging onto it as it attacked. Then it disappeared, and they heard the muffled cries of men being dragged below the surface with their ship.

Urgently, Queen Berfandy spoke, "Mia, do this with us, ok? 3,2,1 SING!!" so they sang, and Mia instinctively fell into the tune with the others.

Suddenly, the god Poseidon, rose from the depths between them and the mountains and surged over towards the ship as they all disappeared over the horizon.

"Poseidon will aid those poor souls, I'm sure." noted Queen Berfandy. There was a period of silence as everyone gazed at the horizon in the distance before the Queen spoke again, "So before that happened, as we were saying, the Jade stones have been stolen by the Kraken, under Hades command. They provide the power for the Gods' immortality, and you are the only one who can retrieve them. Because you are the only ever Mer-person ever to have a human mother."

"You mean, my dad was a merman?" asked Mia.

"Yes." replied the Queen.

"Come with us." said Queen Berfandy quietly. Mia and the Queen held back as the gaggle of