It had already been five months since Melody began attending public school, though it felt like she had been there only a few weeks. Since their class schedules overlapped, she ended up having a couple real conversations with Hercules during (and occasionally after) their classes.

After school and weekends were reserved for their typical friend groups, but they didn't mind the time they spent together being so short. It was nice to revisit old memories together. Especially memories with him. Hercules wasn't shy about his enthusiasm to start talking again either. Despite the years apart, it was like they could easily pick back up from where they left off, go on and on about the endless things they were involved with. Their friend groups eventually stopped assuming their relationship, given now they knew their history.

   "I'm sorry, what?" Melody asked Ariel, their lockers closing in tandem with the rusty metal clang following suit.

"A bonfire. You know, to celebrate winter break." Ariel said again, smiling excitedly. All her friends were going to be attending. There was also the slim, though not impossible, chance that Eric would be in attendance as well.

"Dad's not gonna allow that, you know?" Melody groaned, starting for her history class. Ariel, however, quickly grabs her arm and twirls her sister back to face her.

"Ah-hah! But that's where you come in, my favorite little sister." she beamed even brighter, starting to lay the foundation for her scheme. Melody ducked away, concerned for her sister's mental wellbeing.

  "What? What do you expect me to do?" Melody begins walking, and Ariel followed behind her a bit slower, starting back on her scheme.

"I convinced him that you should come to school with us, so you convince him that it's okay for me to go to this seaside bonfire. A little 'I scratched your back, you scratch mine,'" Ariel proclaims, proudly strutting into history with her baby sister now in tow.

"Oh yeah, that'll definitely work. 'Papa, I know you hate it when we hang out at night without parent supervision, but Ariel wants to go to a big party with a ton of boys on a beach, where everyone's gonna be wearing bikinis and drinking underage,'"." Melody mocked her, snickering as she sat down in her usual seat, leaning back and pulling out the correct assignments for the rest of the day. Ariel bashfully pulls into her own seat, starting for her own assignments.

  "When you say it like that, it sounds stupid." The ginger pulled strands of hair from her face as she pulled out a seashell shaped stress ball and the class's assignment, half finished and half doodled on. Finally a spark of inspiration hit her midway through the last few questions of the homework.

  "You could say that you'll be with me. Dad doesn't mind you going weird places, because he trusts you."

  "That would never work. Remember the last time we hung out together? Plus I'm not even invited to the whole... Shebang." Melody groaned, placing her cheek in the palm of her hand, completely frustrated by her sister's pushiness.

"That's your cue. You've got this." Aladdin nudged Hercules, pointing to Melody. Hercules jolted quickly, his cheeks pinkening a shade as he nervously fidgets his fingers about.

  "What do I even say? It's not my event, I can't just invite people." Hercules responded, as hushed and secretive as Aladdin had done. Aladdin rolled his eyes, patting his bulky friend on the shoulder.

"Dude, all you have to do is ask her to come. This is a bonfire, not some fancy-shmancy VIP-only club. No one's keeping a list of people who are allowed in or out. Plus, I don't think Eric would complain if Ariel was there." Aladdin leaned back in his chair. "He kind of made this whole thing so that they could get alone time, you know that."

"Well, yeah, but he's got a thing going with her. Melody and I are just friends." His bulky friend flushed another shade darker. It was disappointing to hear, and even more to say, but it was the truth of the situation. Hercules sighed, setting his eyes back on Melody. "She is really gorgeous though. Pretty funny too."

. Aladdin realized how deep Hercules was in his affection. It was detrimental, wasn't it? The poor sod was head over heels for the little black-star. He had crushes before, and always found it hard to talk to girls, but this was different; Melody was different. He might have been able to talk to her in person easily enough, but when they were pulled away, Hercules became a blubbering puddle of emotions talking about her. Aladdin simply shook his head, extending his hand towards the oaf.

"Look, if you don't ask her, then I will. It's not that hard to ask girls out" The thief smirked, starting to stand. Hercules was quick to put him back in his place.

"You can't just ask her out! Don't you like Jazmine anyway?" Hercules refused to release him from his grip. He was nervous about talking to her, but even more nervous about his friend pulling a move on her.

"Look man, girls are girls. I like the black hair and pretty eyes. If you're too chicken to ask her to tag along, then I have no issue doing it," Aladdin shrugged his shoulders, taking a sip of unknown liquid from his hydroflask. Hercules looked from his friend to Melody again, before groaning.

"I'll do it during passing, then." Hercules moaned, finally giving in.

~~~~~~~~~

  "Nice going' dude. What convinced him?" Eric asked walking with Aladdin to class as he was woven the complete tale.

"So he actually bought it?"

  "I mean, it's not wrong." Aladdin shrugged, as Eric nudged his friend playfully, laughing with him.

  "Jesus dude, you're a total player!" Eric wipes a tear from his eye as Aladdin shrugged once again.

  "What can I say? Girl's a total hottie for a sophomore. She's nothing' I've ever really seen before. But I know it's just a little flame, it'll burn out at one point" Aladdin mused, knowing most of his feelings are fleeting and casual..

  "Yeah, but you should be wary. I think that James' kid has the hots for her too. Seems like everyone with a brain does." Eric said, taking a swig of water from his water bottle. They both had a small laugh, knowing out of the two of them, Hercules would definitely be her first pick of boyfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Wait, you haven't been invited yet?" Peter barked at Melody, working as a faux escort to their typical lunch seats. Peter had already told Melody about how most of his friends were already invited and going. It was just strange that Melody hadn't been yet since she was the sister of Ariel. Then again, they didn't want to make a huge fuss of it to the upperclassmen so as to seem like they weren't cool enough to go. Melody may have been a bit jealous, but her friends were happy to go so she tried not to seem phased by it.

. "I can't go, even if I was invited. You get how my dad works."</p>

  "You know Sam is gonna be there, right?" He grinned brightly, shouldering her a bit more to keep her spirits up.

"I guess if she's there, he might let me. But that doesn't solve the issue of 'I'm not invited'."

  "Well, if you're not going then neither are we!" Peter rebelled, loud enough to boom throughout the entire school. Melody started to protest, but he continued without skipping a beat.. "Mel, you're one of us. That means we stick together, like a ragtag team of outcasts. Plus, you know how Jim is. If you're not there, he's with you. And we know he needs to get out more." He teased. She pushed him playfully but appreciated his pep talk. It reminded her of a time when she was always anxious to be left alone, but now with her friends she became anxious about being clingy. But no one mentioned it, or even seemed to care. It lifted a weight from her shoulders, made her feel clear. Though there was something only Jim knew, a silent secret held only between them.

"Hey Mel, can I snatch you for a minute? I need to ask you something," Hercules interrupted their meeting, with a large goofy grin crossing his face.

  "I'll leave you two be. Don't wanna get between ya,"Peter backed away, smiling as he made his way to the bleachers. Though his eyes stayed poised on the two, suspicious of both of them. Melody shook her head in playful disapproval of her friend. Looking back at Hercules, he looked like a demi-god in the fluorescent glow of the school lights, though something about him was off. Maybe it was the sweating of his forehead, or the nervous jitter in his leg. But she could clearly tell he was anxious about something. When Peter was finally out of earshot, Melody spoke up.

  "Yeah, what's up?" She asked, Hercules felt his face heat up. Melody was still smiling brightly up at him, causing him to flush another shade pinker.

  "I wanted to ask you something, you see ... Well you know how Eric is having this huge bonfire at the beach, right?" Hercules shifted his feet a bit, trying not to fidget with his hands.

  "That is typically where bonfire's are held. But yeah, I know about it. It's kinda the talk of the school," Melody said sarcastically.

Hercules swallowed the lump lodged in his throat. Of course she would know about it. He gulps in a large breath. "R-right, well, has anyone invited you yet?" He internally groaned. Of course she hadn't been invited, that's why he was here.

   "Sorta," Melody shrugs her shoulder, pulling her backpack up an inch or two. Hercules quirked an eyebrow at her, ushering her to continue. "My sister's essentially begging me to convince my dad to let both of us go." She rolled her eyes into the back of her head. "Like that'll ever happen."

"Oh, really? Which one would that be?"

"The one that annoys me to no end, and thinks embarrassing me is great."

"So all of them, then." Hercules jokes, jabbing her ribs gently. Melody smirked, jabbing him back.

"Watch it buster, you might end up getting bruised if you think you can say that!" She began poking at his ribs a bit harder, starting to tickle his pressure points.

  "Wait wait! Please don't! I give, I give!" He chuckled, now hiding his ribs as Melody resumed her natural confident stance. She smiles, glad to know they could just pick up where they had left off as kids. Hercules stood towering above her again, finally popping the necessary question he had been itching to ask.

  "Would you like to come to the beach with me?" Hercules quickly realized what he said, smoothing it out. "With us! I meant with us." He sighed in relief, it was a close save. Melody jumped a bit, equally confused and flattered by the gesture.

"I mean, I would love to join. But isn't Eric supposed to be the one inviting people? It is his party after all." she asked, not entirely sure if Hercules is even allowed to do that. But maybe in public school you just show up to certain parties, or multiple people ask others to join.

  "Yeah. Wait, I mean... Eric said it was okay if I bought a couple extra friends, as long as he knows them," Hercules smiled, trying to explain as best he could.

  "Well if that's the case... Hm" Melody thought for a moment. She turned her nose down for a moment to think it over, before her head perks up again. "Might as well, no harm in going then. Now I get to experience a bonfire with my bud, and Ariel gets to smooch Eric." she elbowed his side again, grinning from ear to ear.

  "Then, yes I would be pleased to go sir Goddess." she mimicked a posh british accent . Hercules was cringing at the mere sound of it, trying not to smile or giggle at how poor it was.</p>

"Oh God, no, stop it, please! I thought you were done with those kinds of names." he begged of her.

"Never!" She replied to him before saying farewell and going to meet up with her friends in the bleachers.</p>

  Hercules released his breath that was held in anxious lungs. He was overjoyed, completely blissful that she said yes. He was walking in the sunshine. But he felt a pang in his stomach as he remembered that she referred to him as "bud.". He tried to shake the strange emotional jealousy from his mind. It wasn't a date after all, it was just him and his friend having a fun time at a bonfire together. He caught one last quick glance of Melody, smiling in her group of friends, before heading back to his own posse.

  Once Hercules was completely out of sight, Jane and Sam crept away from their hiding spot, a dimly lit part of the bathroom that was in severe need of lightbulb changes. They looked over at each other, thankful Jim hadn't heard a word of what just happened. They didn't know where he was or what he was doing, but they know he would have flipped his lid had he heard what just happened.

"Please tell me that you heard what I just heard." Sam turned to Jane, internally begging God she was just hearing things. Jane nodded very slowly and swallowed a lump that was lodged in her throat, she wasn't sure if she should have expected it or not.

"I honestly didn't think he would have some feelings for Melody. But we could be way off base-" Jane wanted to look at the more optimistic answer, rather than assume anything incorrectly.

"Jane, he just said, 'Want to go to the beach with me?'" all dopey eyed like that. That's not just some friendly gesture," Sam groaned, knowing far too well what he was going for.

  "People make mistakes, Sam-"

"Something like that is definitely not a mistake." Sam rolled her eyes, Jane huffed and pressed her knuckles against her hips in frustration.

  "Let's go, before the boys start bickering with each other," Jane started moving, watching Sam lag behind very shortly. She knew far too well that Sam would try and 'coerce' answers out from the ginger given any opportunity.

  "You know Jim and Melody are inseparable, right? Melody only really has eyes for him." Sam remindedher. Jane baffled at the silly question.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they're already dating." she responded, coy as ever. "They're like the pirate and the princess."

   "Oh god Jane," Sam cringed. "Please tell me you did not just quote another song."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melody was fidgeting with her fingers anxiously as she faced her father, having just finished explaining their plans to go to the bonfire. Ariel was standing next to her, holding onto her baby sister for dear life as they awaited the judges verdict.

  Trident had a straight face, having his arms crossed over his surprisingly large chest. It always seemed like he took way too long to make these sorts of decisions. He perked a smile, and caved in.

  "Since your friends will be there, by which I mean Sam, mostly I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to let you girls enjoy-" Before he could finish, his daughters were attacking him with hugs, relieved and bubbling with excitement.

  "Thank you daddy, you're the best!" Ariel gleefully shouted, her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace.

"We promise we'll be on our absolute best behavior!" Melody released her own grip from his waist, and Ariel begrudgingly did the same. The statue of a man that was their father cleared his throat, pulling out his famous conditions.

"Just make sure to stick together. Stay in a group and-"

"Away from boys." Both girls answered, smiling widely. Their arms crossed behind their back, both holding their fingers crossed.

  He nodded in agreement. "Please wear something that covers you, as well. Wouldn't want anyone getting ideas." He held a hand to his lips and coughed, but both girls knew exactly what he meant.

  "Papa, you know I always wear a one piece swimsuit with trunks over." Melody reminded him.

   "You're the one who buys our swimming suits, we can't have anything you don't buy." Ariel reassured him, patting his thick stomach with her comparably small hands.

  "I suppose. It's just hard to accept that both my littlest girls are going and making such adult decisions." He hugged them both as he tried to suppress his waterfalls of tears, though his daughters hugging him back let the gates flow.

   "We're still your little girls Papa, we're just in high school now." Melody wiped a stray tear from his rosy cheeks, his beard now soaked with them.

   "Glad to know that." he answered, still partially delighted to have both of his babies clinging to him. Ariel knew she was gonna be a rule-breaker tonight. Melody was only a complicit pawn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  When the day finally came, the devious sisters waited patiently on the end of the street, ready to go when their secret ride arrived. After a few minutes of waiting in the cold California night, their friends arrived in their large and comfortable van. Melody pulled her smartphone out and took a photo with Ariel to send it to their dad, per his own request.

   "Have I told you that you're my favorite sister?" Ariel asked Melody, smiling wider and brighter than the moon.

  The younger sister rolled her eyes. "Maybe a few too many times, but it's greatly appreciated still." Her voice was a bit tired, but not nearly enough to seem unappreciative.

"Is it me or do I actually see the sirens sisters here?" Sam teased,genuinely surprised at their entrance into the van. As the car began jolting forward, Melody snuggled next to Sam.

   "Oh yeah, all thanks to me name dropping you in front of the old man." Melody shrugged and laid her head against her shoulder, platonically basking in her friends warmth and strongly defined arms.

  "It'll be my pleasure, then, to protect the princess from the ravenous wolves that are high school boys," Sam bared her teeth and made claws with her hands as she spoke, making Melody laugh and Ariel roll her eyes.

  "We were like six when he told us about the dangers of boys, and why we need to stay away from them. He didn't say we had to kill 'em, Sam."." Ariel emphasized the last point, as she adjusted her beach bag a bit more as the beach came into sight.

  "I didn't say anything about killing the guys. But I make no promises about not killing them, Ari." As they entered the smooth sand of the beach, Sam quickly pulled Melody to the place their group would establish as 'their terf.'. Ariel waved at the two, giggling at their behavior, before recouping with her own friends.

  "What did I miss?" Melody asked her friends, adjusting the contents of her bag as well as the rest of her friends finished talking amongst themselves and greeting each other. Some of them were already wearing their swimsuits, and Jim of them even had a surfboard handy.

  "Nothing much. We're just waiting on some people to come by. Though I'm more concerned about why we are here in this hour?" Jane answered, not a complete fan of night swimming, given the water was going to be frigid and surely no one would want to swim in such cold conditions. Peter tries to tell her.

  "It's not a bonfire if it's during the day. Besides, it's harder to get caught when no one can see your face. The dark is the best way to enjoy a bonfire.".

"But it's better to be safe than sorry." Jane argued, crossing her arms.

"We have Sam, she's like a safety net." Peter pulled their Sam's sleeve up, showing the bulk of her flexed muscles.

"Oh, so she's a killer now, is she?" Jim remarked, watching Peter stick his tongue out at him in retaliation.

"Wow I feel so loved now that I'm useful to you guys." Sam grinned, pulling her arm back. It was amusing watching them bicker and argue non-stop. The sound of barking breaks their friendly quarrel, followed by other teenage squeals and shouts.

  "Hey watch it!"

"Where did he come from?"

  "Awww a cute doggy!"

"Rapunzel, be careful with that dog, you don't know if it has some rabies."

"Hercules, control your dog!" Aladdin shouted. They frantically tried to grab the Boxer's collar and leash, though he kept bolting away playfully.</p>

"I'm trying! He's never acted like this before! Pegasus, come here boy!" Hercules tried whistling at the very large puppy, though he wouldn't come down from his energy hype.

  "Pegasus?" Melody's thoughts seemed to echo out loud, before she felt herself get tackled to the cold sand of the beach, feeling the large dog begin licking her face and arms. Everyone was some variation of shocked or amused, watching Melody giggle and struggle to push the ninty or so pound dog from her torso. Ariel attempted to hide her amusement most of all, having to turn away and hold a hand over her mouth as she nearly convulsed with laughter.

The dog was wagging his tail non-stop, happy to see this familiar face and get to appreciate her more with kisses everywhere. Melody smiled and giggled, trying to push him even more, reminded that she was ticklish by how much of her he was licking and snuggling into.

"Okay okay! You can stop, I missed you too, buddy." She rubbed the dog's head with a hand that managed to wriggle free, scratching right behind his collar; the sweet spot. He crumpled like an accordian onto her lap, panting and groaning, begging for more scratches.

"Welp, Jimmy, it looks like you got some competition from our furry friend." Peter elbowed his best friend, grinning deviously. Jim rolled his eyes, knowing very well he was the only man for Melody. He still felt guilty for not telling anyone about their relationship, but it felt suspicious to him that Hercules' dog was so affectionate towards Melody.

Hercules sighed. He had trained Pegasus to be better than this. Though he did have to admit, it was pretty fully watching Melody playing with him and getting absolutely slobbered with kisses and puppy love. It had been years since that dog had seen Melody, so he cut him a bit of slack. Eventually, Pegasus rescinded (not without a little interference from Hercules) and Melody stood up on her wobbly legs.

"Sorry about that, Melody. It seems like he's still super attached to you." he eyed his dog warmly, while both groups of friends listened in curiously. Something about their friendship enticed both parties, albeit for polar opposite reasons. Melody brushed it off.

"It's fine, really. It was nice to see him anyway, he's gotten so big. I remember seeing that cute little Boxer puppy when we were kids and now he's a big chunky boy," she pet his head enthusiastically, and Pegasus couldn't stop wagging his tail and trying to jump on her again.

"Still spoiling him like we used to." Hercules grinned widely, pulling his pup down with each bounce. Aladdin threw his arm around his bulky friend's shoulder, interjecting into their conversation abruptly.

"So, Herc, care to spill your history with Mel now? I'm very curious as to how you two got so close," He asked, the thin veneer of friendly banter felt very uncomfortably gossipy. It wasn't without merit however. Hercules cleared his throat a bit, not sure where to start. Peter could feel Jim becoming uneasy with the way Aladdin spoke and how Hercules was looking at Melody. He felt like he was objectifying her almost, while Melody was oblivious. 'I guess it is pretty weird how we know each other,' She thought to herself.

"Like I said Al, it's a very long and weird story." Hercules brushed him off, becoming uncomfortable from their skeevy stares. Eric broke through his defense easily.

"Okay, well, since we aren't busy right now, why don't you spin us the tale?" But before Melody could even interject, Sam offered to change with her, and pulled her away. Her eyes never left their group, unsure how to even feel about their conversation. It certainly wasn't a pleasant feeling, but she couldn't name it.

Hercules swallowed the lump that had lodged itself square in his throat, as Sam's glare sunk into his chest. Aladdin whistled low in disinterest, and Eric conked him in the back of the head, knowing he was the reason for this..

"Nice going, smart guy. They seemed to have quite a bit of 'alone time.'"

After changing into their swimsuits, Melody was already the first in the water. Being submerged under the cold waves of the ocean is where she felt most at home. The smell of strong salt felt so natural to her, and the way she swam just felt right. Even in pitch black water, she knew where she was going and what she was looking for; treasures.

"How can you get in, just like that? It must be freezing!" Jane exclaimed, rubbing her arms together as she continued wearing her purple sweater with her swimsuit underneath. Peter just chuckled at the small brunettes complaints.

"Do you expect anything less from the princess of the ocean?" Peter asked rhetorically. Sam and Jim just watched in admiration at her almost dolphin-like precision and swimming. It was like watching a professional swimmer or a mermaid even.

"Since you're in the water Mel, why not try to break another record?" Jim pulled out his phone, setting up his stopwatch as the challenge was proposed. Melody barked back in the dark of the night, waving her arm at them playfully.

"You're on." she starts to prepare herself, taking deep breaths and preparing her lungs, all while Jane panicked.

"Oh no no no, not this time Melody! It's dark down there, what if you get lost? What if you drown and we don't know where to find you?" She attempted to reason to with Melody, anxiously begging her from the beach, though Melody was long past reason. She just wanted to beat her record. Jim was waiting with his stopwatch, while Peter and Sam started betting on the time it'd take for her to come back up.

"You worry too much, you know that? My sisters and I are called sirens for a reason." Melody reminded her, from stepping back into the cold embrace of the ocean water, her breathing synchronized with her heart. Her muscles were prepared and her lungs could hold it. Before long, she was completely submerged underneath the dark blue sheet of water. The timer was started, and Jane's anxiety skyrocketed.

~~~~~~~

Eric, Aladdin, Hercules, and a few of the other boys in their grade were starting to get tinder and wood for the bonfire. Hercules felt the gaze of his friends on his back as he rested the wood in a pristine pile. Pegasus was resting on his sand coated dog bed they brought along as some of the girls began petting and spoiling him. Everyone else was driving to a grab food and other items they wanted for the long night ahead of them.

"We met at the park," Hercules started, dropping his wood as the shuffling of Eric and Aladdin was more than obvious to him. They froze in place as Hercules urged them to sit down to hear about how he knew Melody. "We were about eight when we started talking."

~~~~~~~

Melody swam around, her eyes adjusting to the stinging dark as she rummaged for old treasures. It was usually a split of garbage, nice shells, and things people lost while boating. The occasional motor, a swimsuit or two, old water bottles, nothing anyone would consider 'treasure' persay. Her eyes had adjusted to such things as just garbage. Ariel, however, would have loved to see it, take it out, maybe rework it if possible, and then sell it or keep it for herself. As she continued floating around, enjoying the cold atmosphere she became comfortable with, she found herself staring at a silver looking chain and necklace. 'That's treasure,' she thought to herself, diving a bit deeper and grabbing hold of it, the silt and dirt on top of it brushing away easily. It was intricately carved with a treble clef and small music notes, lovingly made. Someone had obviously lost it a long time ago, and probably wouldn't miss it, she thought, and clipped it around her own neck as she started towards the surface..

"You okay there, dude?" Sam asked the ponytailed boy, watching him perk up in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why'd you ask?" Jim responded, his voice cold and flat. A clear sign he was not, in fact, fine. She rolled her eyes, patting his back.

"You aren't fooling anyone with the tough guy act. I know that you were eyeing Herc when he was talking to Mel." Sam sat him down in the sand with her, watching him stare out at the ocean, avoiding any and all eye contact as his grip on his phone tightens.

"You're imagining things, Sam," He groans in detestment, peering down at the stopwatch to make sure that it was still working.

"I smell bullshit!" Peter said loudly. Jane smacked his shoulder just enough to leave a red mark, but nothing more. He yelps and jumps back from her violence. "What? You saw it too! Better get your game on Jim before the demi god takes your siren away." Peter barked at Jim, as Jim simply tried to calm down, taking long breaths, and cracking his knuckles. If it really got to him, he felt like everything might come out, all their secrets.

"Look, Pete you make it sound like it's a game, and it really isn't. If Melody wants to be with someone who isn't me, I won't stop her." Jim said, curt and honest. He didn't want her to be with someone else, but if that made her happy then he couldn't stop her from being happy. "They're just friends, and I for one trust Melody's word." He reminded them, trying to extinguish his own thoughts and doubts.

Sam and Jane looked at each other nervously, still not sure about telling Jim the conversation they heard between Hercules and Melody. As everyone silently brooded on the question of the strange love triangle that had formed, Melody burst from the water, gasping for air.. Carrying some things to her bag from the shore. She was clutching the necklace tightly, her knuckles shining white from how badly she wanted to keep it. Peter and Sam crowded around Jim's phone screen, trying to catch a glance at the time. Eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Sam gleefully jumped, nudging Peter's shoulder.

"Cough it up, you lost boy." he handed over the crumpled twenty from his swim trunks pocket. Jane hung around Melody's side, staring at the rusted chain and charm.

"What is that?" she asked, looking closer at it. Melody tried to pry open the doors of the locket, but it stayed firmly shut.

"Pretty sure it's a locket, but it won't budge." She huffed, caving for the time being. It wouldn't be long before she managed to open it. Peering over at Jim, she could see her new time, smiling widely. She knew this meant that Jim was going to treat her to something, and he knew it just as well. Sauntering up to Sam, Peter sat devastated on the cold and grainy sand, completely penniless. Melody plopped the locket into her friends hands.

"Do you think you could open this?" Melody chimed. Sam stared at the necklace for a long moment, finding the rusted locket crease where it should unlatch. Though, it seemed like it might have been down there for months, perhaps even years.

"I could try." Sam started trying to tug it open with her nails, fruitlessly. Then with her palms. Then her palms and a piece of her shirt. Nothing seemed to open the damned thing. "Seems sealed shut, nothing can get in or out." She gritted her teeth, watching Melody pout. But Melody remembered who was still at the beach.

"I'll see if Herc can then, he should be strong enough to!" Melody started walking in his direction, before Sam snatched the locket from her hand, sprinting down the dunes to Hercules' friends.

"I'll ask him, you guys can just enjoy the beach!" Sam didn't want them to even have her trailing behind her so she took off so quickly. But the padding of another set of feet followed behind her.

"No way I'm letting you steal that!" Melody's tone was still playful, completely unaware of what was to come.

~~~~~~~~~

"Then she had to go boarding school. We stopped hanging around each other. I tried to keep writing letters but she got so swamped with school and stuff. We stopped talking after that." Hercules sighed, laying back with the knowledge he wasn't being totally honest. His friends could tell that the story only made sense until the end.

"So why didn't you ever talk about her before?" Eric asked, stoking the rising fire a bit more. Hercules felt the guilt rising in his chest, like vomit ready to spew. But he kept it down.

"It's complicated."

"We could've helped you, that's what friends do" Aladdin chimed, starting to lay down the larger pieces of wood.

"It's hard to talk about, guys-," Hercules started before being cut off rather abruptly with a locket being forced into one of his open hands. Sam stood above him, sweating and panting and gasping for breath.

"Beef cake, can you get this thing open? Melody wants to know what's inside." Sam said it, straight forward as always.

"Oh, yeah I'll take a crack at it." He sat upright, bringing the locket to his face. In the crackling and quivering light of the fire, he could just barely make out the treble clef and small music patterns behind all the rust and grime sewn into the metal at this point. His eyes widened and he practically hunched over as he stared at it, confirming in his mind that he did in fact remember it. Anxiety was gripping every fibre of his being as he glanced back up at Sam.

"Where did you find this?" He tried not to shake in front of Sam, turning towards the fire to avoid looking at her.

"In the ocean, genius. Where else?" Sam rolled her eyes, though cautiously watched him. The pale in his cheeks seems unnatural, though it could just be the flicker of the fire. Melody finally managed to catch up, wheezing and gasping for air as her hands clutched her knees tightly.

"Did he open it yet?" She gulped down another breath, barely even noticing the sooty taste in her mouth. As she continued to smile at the both of them, Hercules just dropped the locket into Sam's hands, not even attempting to open it.

"Looks sealed. Nothing will get it to open, probably." he stood up, shrugging his shoulders. "Just throw it back into the ocean." Sam continued eyeing him like a hawk, while Melody snatched the locket and turned it over in her hands.

"Hell no, do you know how hard it was to find this? Something will be able to open it, I'm certain," Melody smiled, determined to find out what was locked away. She found Jim cruising behind them, finally standing close enough for her to talk to him "Hey! Do you think you might be able to open this? I'm sure you have tools to crack it open!" Jim looked closely at it, turning it over in his hands before shrugging.

"Pretty sure I'd be able to. When we get back to our base, I'll give it the good ol' college try." He placed it back into her palm, watching her fingers curl over top of it and clasp it over her neck for safekeeping.

"I'll put it in my bag when we get back, but it does look pretty here." Melody didn't notice how Hercules was sweating nervously. He attempted to keep calm, but something was starkly different in his composure.

"Poor guy who lost it lucked out.That thing must've cost a fortune." Peter said in between gulps of air.

"It probably got dropped and swept away. Or it somehow unlatched while they were swimming" Jane tried to find a more reasonable explanation. Beside the warm crackling of the now monstrously sized bonfire, they could see the rusty silver clasps, the worn old notes, and the creaking chain that held it all together.

"Well whoever dropped it, it's mine now; finder keepers." Melody said, clutching it as if it was a gemstone, preciously stroking it. Jane rolled her eyes, wondering if Melody was even an actual sixteen year old or some crazy old hoarder or jewelery.

Aladdin and Eric, however, could only focus on how nervous Hercules had become. How sweaty and uncomfortable he seemed as Melody stuffed the necklace back into her bag again.

"Let's just go get something to eat, you whingy baby." Jane pulled Melody back to their little campsite, just to grab the remaining food to roast by the fire. Jim and Sam were eyeing Hercules for a bit before following suit.

Before Eric could ask if he was okay, Hercules had gripped Aladdin's shoulders, pulling him in close as his eyes practically quaked with fear.

"You gotta steal that necklace back!" Hercules's voice was cracking, speaking almost too quickly for them to understand.

"What? Slow down man, you're all good." Aladdin patted him on the back, nervous as to why he was acting so scared. The bulky guy cleared his throat, trying to calm down and spoke again, slower this time.

"Look, I know that I've condemned you for stealing before, but I need you to get that before she manages to crack it open."

"What do you mean? What's so wrong about her opening a silly old necklace?" Aladdin crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, finding everything about his behavior extremely strange.. Eric was also a bit quizzical as he stood next to Aladdin. Hercules felt his heart sink, unsure how to even begin to explain what it meant to them, knowing he would be caught. But Eric finally asked, a theory crossing his mind.

"Hercules... Was that necklace yours?" Eric watched Hercules shift in his place, the sand starting to shift under all of them.

"I guess, but it wasn't meant for me..." He ran his fingers through his hair, anxiously turning his gaze towards the ocean.

"Could you give us something more to work with here, Herc? You're leaving us high and dry with your cryptic stuff." Aladdin asked, starting to get frustrated.

"Look, I just need you to get this necklace. There's more that I left out, but this is really important right now. I'll explain after you get it, I promise." he pleaded with Aladdin.

"Wait, what do you mean there's more?" Aladdin barks, and Hercules begged him to quiet down.

"Why don't you want to tell us now?" Eric asked, equal parts frustrated and worried.

  "Because I thought I could forget. I wanted to forget and for everything to go back to the way it was." Hercules choked on his tears, biting his tongue at even the thought of what had happened.