This is a story I'm writing with a pal of mine. I felt as thought Triton himself was a little underappreciated, so I started talking about it with my buddy and this story was born. start the fic.

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The city of Atlantica was the most impressive and beautiful sight in the seven seas. Anyone who looked up at the shining palace would easily be awed, but it was an especially awe-inspiring sight to the thirteen year old Octopian girl who now stood outside its gates.

Ursula looked up at the impossibly tall structure before her, trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat. She had waited years for this day, but now that it had arrived she was terrified.

"Make your mommy proud dear," her mother Cecilia had told her before she left. Her mother was, perhaps, the greatest sea witch in the sea, and had trained Ursula and her sister Morganna well, but no one in her family ever dreamed any of them would have the chance to move into the palace! But, somehow, her mother had managed it, and sent her eldest daughter off to a new life (much to Morganna's annoyance).

Ursula placed her bags down a moment, looking at her reflection in the polished gold gates before her to make sure her hair was alright. She was about to meet royalty, after all!

"Don't be so nervous, you idiot," she told herself as she admired her reflection. "Mother always said you looked gorgeous no matter what. Besides, it's my magic that got me here."

So, squaring her shoulders and holding her head high, Ursula made her way into the palace. But unbeknownst to the young sea witch, she had a hitchhiker inside her luggage.

The top to her suitcase opened up and out came a small little red crab from Jamaica, his name was Sebastian. He had earned a scholarship to the music department of Atlantis but had no way to travel. Luckily he had come across someone else who was going to Atlantica and hopped into her bag. But this Octopian girl seemed a little...oh what was the word he was looking for? Oh right, that's it, scary! So instead of simply talking to her about it he decided to stow away in her suitcase. He had arrived unnoticed but now she was in the foyer of the palace and he needed to get out of there without her noticing. Jumping down quietly from the bag, he was in the clear, but when he landed on the ground on of his sharp little legs accidentally poked itself into one of Ursula's sucction cups.

Ursula's head snapped towards the little crab making him give out a high pitched scream, nearly giving the poor crustacean a heart-attack.

"You!" She shouted angrily as she picked him up by his small leg, making sure to give it an extra hard squeeze. "Exactly WHO are you and WHAT are you doing here?"

Before the frightened crab could answer, they both heard someone shout, "INCOMING TURTLE!"

Both Ursula and Sebastian turned their heads and said "What?"

What happened next was chaos in pandemonium as a turtle withdrawn completely into its shell came rocketing into the room, ricocheting off the walls nearly taking Ursula's head off twice.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ATLANTICA IS GOING ON HERE, MON?" screamed Sebastian.

It was then that a fourteen year old Merman with blazing red hair came into the room with a sea sponge pillow. "I GOT HIM! I GOT HIM!" he shouted, and with a daring leap he leapt into the fray and caught the turtle.

"You okay there pal?" The young merman asked the turtle.

The turtle's head popped out his shell and he gave an enthusiastic smile. "Are you kidding me? I'm adding that to my top ten thrills list!"

"I think that's enough turtle wax for you, Dudley," laughed the merman. It was then he saw Ursula and Sebastian, the crab seemed to be in a great deal of pain and the girl merely sneered at him. "Hey, why're you torturing that poor crab?" he asked.

Ursula gave another sneer. "This little piece of filth, dared to touch me!" she explained, as if that was all the reason necessary.

He narrowed his eyes at her. Obviously she was no stranger to dishing out cruelty.

"So? He asked. "Who cares if the crab touched you?"

"I care! And if he doesn't have a good enough answer he'll be steamed crab by tonight!" threatened Ursula.

The merteen bit his lower lip. This woman didn't sit right with him at all, and there was no way how he could let the little crab get hurt when there was something he could do about it.

"I sent him." bluffed Triton.

"And who are YOU supposed to be?" asked Ursula.

The young merman took a heroic pose trying to look as noble as possible. "Why I'm none other than the Triton."

Both Ursula and Sebastian's jaws hit the floor when they heard this. "Triton?" Ursula gasped. "As in the Crown Prince Triton of Atlantica?"

"That's right, and I sent this little crab out to greet you, so if you don't mind could you please put him down without harming him?"

"Why OF COURSE your majesty!" Ursula dusted Sebastian off hastily and placed him on the ground gently with a pat on the head which he didn't enjoy very much. "I was just uh..."

"What is going on here?" All heads turned when they heard a deep, commanding voice, and saw a large merman with flowing brown hair and a long beard, both tinged with gray. On his head he wore a golden crown, and in his hand was a golden trident. He, along with a blonde mermaid who wore a matching crown, another mermaid with black-hair and a twelve year-old mer-girl, with reddish-brown hair swam into the room and he looked around at the mess Dudley had made before his harsh gaze came to rest on the teenagers before him.

"Oh, hey dad..." Triton said sheepishly.

Ursula and Sebastian's eyes widened at the sight of him, and they both bowed immediately. "King Poseidon!" Ursula gasped. "Oh, your highness, it is such an honor to meet you!"

Poseidon turned to her and Sebastian, looking them up and down as if inspecting them, and his frown seemed to show he found their appearance displeasing. "Who are you supposed to be?" Ursula bowed again. "I am Ursula, your highness, this is my first day of living at the castle."

"At the castle?" repeated Poseidon in confusion.

"Darling, I do believe she is our new cleaning servant." said Hyppolita.

Now it was Ursula's turn to repeat in confusion. "Cleaning servant?"

"Oh yes of course! How silly of me to forget! Hyppolita why don't you show her to her room, I think I need to have yet another talk with our son."

Hyppolita swam over to Ursula giving her a welcoming smile.

"Leave your bags here and we'll have another servant deliver them to your room." said Hyppolita as she lead the way.

"Fine but about this 'cleaning servant' thing..."

"As for you my son!" Poseidon said in a gruff voice. "You want to explain to me why Dudley appears to have lost his equalibrium?"

Triton turned around only to notice that Dudley was walking rather wobbly, and while his face had a very big smile he still looked pretty dazed.

"Oh, um well, that, yeah. I can explain that."

"You were trying to louge on the railings again weren't you?"

"What? No, of course not!"

Triton avoided his father's gaze in hopes of escaping it, but it proved fruitless as he could still feel it judging him.

"Turns out only Dudley is small enough for Railing Lougeing." blurted out Triton.

"I knew it! One of these days your stupid little stunts are going to get somebody hurt! I have no choice but to GROUND you for two weeks!"

"But dad I..."

"No buts! You are grounded and that is final!" Poseidon steeled himself and took a deep breath to calm himself. "But I can think that can wait until after your goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

Poseidon nodded his head. "Athena and her mother will be leaving us soon."

Then Triton actually took the time to notice that Athena and her mom were floating there with fully packed suitcases. "Leaving? Why?"

"Sorry Red," Athena said sadly. "My Grandma is sick and we need to leave Atlantica to take care of her."

Triton blushed slightly, when he was a little kid he kept telling everyone to call him Red because he thought it sounded cool, but Athena was the only one of his friends who still called him that.

"Do you really have to go?"

Athena nodded her head. "She needs us. But I'll miss you."

Triton blushed again, though he tried to hide it.

"Why don't you and Athena go spend time together," Athena's mother suggested. "We'll leave in a few hours, you can take that time to say goodbye. That is, if you don't object, your highness?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Triton, you and Athena may go. But I expect you back before nightfall."

Triton nodded. "Sure thing, Dad. Come on, Dudley." He and Dudley were about to swim away with Athena when he noticed the little crab again. He stood there, all six knees knocking together nervously. "Hey, what's your name?" Triton asked.

Sebastian jumped a bit, still nervous to be in the presence of royalty. "M-m-me?"

Dudley and Triton laughed. "Yeah, you," said Dudley. "Lucky Triton and I crashed in or you'd be crab cakes by now." Triton laughed. "Yeah, man."

Sebastian finally managed a smile. "Tanks for dat, mon-Uh, I mean, your mahjesty. Um, I'm Horatio Thelonious Ignatius Crustaceous Sebastian."

Dudley, Triton and Athena all exchanged looks. "No way am I gonna remember that," Dudley muttered to Triton.

Triton nodded in agreement. "Hey, dad? Can, um...Sebastian here hang out with us?"

Poseidon looked the young crab over a moment. "Very well. Just stay out of trouble, all of you."

Triton and Dudley gave him a mock salute before they swam away. Athena stopped to pick Sebastian up and carried him with them.

"Is everything alright Sebastion?

"His majesty is not what I expected him to be."

Athena cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"He saved me, Mon. A scrawny little puny crab like me. I don't understand why he would even care."

"Red er I mean Triton, has never really been a judgemental type of merman. He's always cared more about being fair and just, he never really looks down on anyone and he hates those that do. He treats everyone in Atlantica almost as if they were family. It's one of the many wonderful things about him that I can't help but love."

"Love huh?" Sebastion asked Coyly.

"I-I-I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"If you say so, but I think you should know that your face is turning redder than your hair."

"Here at last!" proclaimed Triton.

Athena snapped out of her thoughts as Triton stood proudly in front of a very familiar setting.

"Riding clams? You know how much I think it's a foolish waste of time." said Athena.

"Yeah, it would be more exciting if it was sharks instead of clams."

"...Tell me he's kidding." said Sebastion.

"Trust me, you'll know when he's kidding." said Duddley

"But you know Athena as fun as these things usually are they're going to become pretty boring when you're gone."

"You mean that?" she asked sincerly.

"Of course I do, we've been practically joined at the hip since the day we've met." Triton picked up a large shell and stared at it sadly. "You, not being here to try to talk me out of all the crazy stuff I do, that's a little hard to picture..."

Athena smiled lovingly at him. "Especially since there are some crazy things that you end up talking me into joining you on."

She places a hand on his shoulder giving him a smile, Triton smiles back and holds her hand.

Hey!" Dudley called as he hopped onto a large clam, "are we gonna stand around talking all day or are we gonna ride clams?"

Triton and Athena both blushed when their moment was interrupted and Triton climbed onto another clam, letting Athena sit behind him. She held his waist tightly while Sebastian held her arm. "Are you ready?" Triton asked.

"As read as I'll ever be," Athena answered, and Sebastian swallowed the lump in his throat.

Triton and Dudley exchanged daredevil grins before they pushed the clams forward. Gravity soon took over and the clams slid down the hill, quickly picking up speed.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Sebastian howled, but Triton, Dudley, and even Athena let out shouts of excitement as they flew down the hill, faster and faster.

When the ground started to even out at last the clams slid to a stop, and the teens all laughed together. All the teens, that is, except for the young crab, who finally let out the breath he'd been holding and fell to the ground.

"Anybody wanna go again?" Triton asked with a smile.

Sebastian, barely managing to raise a claw, gasped out, "let's not and say we did, mon…"

When the sun began to set and the water became tinged with orange and red light the four youths finally came to rest in the sand together after a long day of fun. Triton and Athena sat together watching the final rays of the sun filtering down through the waves, a tense silence settling between them.

"You're gonna come back some day… right?" Triton finally managed to ask.

Athena smiled. "I hope so…" The silence settled again and Athena began to hum her favorite tune.

"When you do come back," Triton said slowly, "let's have a day just like today."

Athena smiled at him. "Okay then. It's a promise. Someday I'll come back, and we'll have a day just like today." She held out her hand, and Triton shook it.

"Remember," Triton told her, "you promised."

Athena nodded her head. "I won't forget." Her smiled turned to a frown as she got up from the sand. "It's time to go…"

"Okay…" Triton frowned as well, as did Dudley and Sebastian.

Athena, seeing them frown, gave them all a smile and hugged each goodbye. When she gave Sebastian a little kiss on the head she said to him, "I wish we could have gotten to know each other. But promise me something?"

"What's dat?" Sebastian asked.

Athena smiled and whispered to him. "Promise me you'll take care of Triton for me…?" Sebastian blinked in surprise. "Me? But, but I'm not… I mean…" But one look from Athena was enough to melt his heart and he nodded his head. "Alright… I promise."

She smiled and kissed his head again before she swam away, waving back to them one last time before she was gone from sight.

"There she goes, mon." said Sebastion as he sat on Triton's shoulder.

"I'm going to miss her."

"She was a very sweet child, mon. She was also a girl hard to say no to."

Triton mumbled "Got that right..." before turning to sebastion. "What about you Sebastion? What's next for you?"

"Well..." Sebastion cleared his throat. "I was hoping, your majecty, you would allow me to continue my accompaniment with you and your little turtle pal?"

Triton stared at Sebastion as he allowed the words to processed in his brain. "Oh! Yeah, sure, you can hang with me and Dudley."

"Really?"

"Of course, you're a really wavey crab, Sebastion."