Ariel sighed as she wandered across the beach, thinking to herself and simply enjoying being alone. Usually, she came down to the beach to just relax and get some time away from the bustle of the castle. This time, however, she was a bit distressed, and she needed to make a decision.
Recently, Melody had been spending more and more time with her aunts under the sea. One day, as they were exploring Atlantica, Melody saw the statue of King Triton and Queen Athena that was behind the castle in the sea-garden. Being as curious as she was, Melody had swam over to the statue and asked her aunt if that was her grandmother. She then proceeded to ask what really happened to her.
Ariel had never told Melody about what happened to Athena. It hadn't been a concern of Ariel's when Melody was younger, because she didn't even know of her under-the-sea relatives. After she learned about them, however, Ariel decided not to tell her. It was a tragic event, and therefore hard to talk about.
When Melody came home that day, she asked Ariel what had happened. All her daughter knew was that her aunts didn't like talking about it, especially Attina. Ariel had brushed it off that day, saying she would tell her soon, and she knew that eventually Melody would ask again. She had a right to know, anyways, what had happened to her grandmother.
But how could Ariel tell her the whole story? How could she tell her that humans, like her, had killed her grandmother? That the reason her Aunt Attina was tense a lot of the time was because she felt guilt for her mother's passing? It seemed to be too dark of a tale to tell her young daughter.
Ariel knew that, eventually, she would tell her. Maybe it would be in a few years, maybe it would be the next time she asked. She knew Melody would have a lot of questions, some Ariel wouldn't have an answer for, and the princess wanted to make sure that Melody, and herself, were ready.
As she looked out at the ocean, Ariel took a deep breath, remembering everything about her mother, from her looks to her beautiful voice. She knew that her mother would be with her spiritually when she told Melody what happened, as she always was. At the end of the day, Queen Athena was a beautiful, strong mermaid, and deserved to have her granddaughter know her story.