The small pool room, at least relatively speaking for a room in the castle of Avalor, was not exactly an ideal place for a grand council meeting. But it was the only place in the castle where they could hear out their special guest. The mermaid Sonya floated in the pool as she let the grand council primarily Esteban, Francisco and Luisa settle in. The two girls she recognized as having saved where standing and Elena in fact was pacing a little. Beside the blonde were Isabel and Kara. Just outside the door where two young men.

"First off I would like to thank you for saving my granddaughters Sonya." Francisco said to her. "And Naomi as well. Your help is very much appreciated."

"You're welcome." Sonya replied, wrapping her one of her arms around her midsection and trying to find a way to get comfortable.

"So what brings you to Avalor Sonya?" Elena asked her. "My sister was saying that you need help. What can we do for you?"

Sonya let out a little sigh, surprising them all with how human the sound was. Sometimes with other life that weren't entirely human you never knew what sound you would get. "My home of Merroway Cove is under attack. Most of us have been taken hostage, few of us escaped." She revealed to them all.

"I've never heard of Merroway Cove." Mateo noted.

"Really there is no reason you should have." Esteban reminded Mateo somewhat haughtily before adding somewhat sheepishly, "But then again I haven't heard of it either."

"It is a real place." Luisa said. "But it is not publically known. It is mostly the heads of the kingdoms that know about it. Even Shuriki apparently didn't know it existed." She looked to Elena. "You would have learned about it in time, but I know right now you were more worried about Avalor."

Elena nodded; she didn't want to worry about what was too late to change. Besides unofficially she did know about Merroway Cove because she remembered Princess Sofia's visits to that same place on the Floating Palace when she had been trapped in the amulet, which had also allowed the young princess to become a mermaid. "Who invaded your kingdom?" She asked their guest.

"It's not my kingdom." Sonya corrected. "Queen Emmaline is ruler of Merroway Cove. But she along with her eldest daughter Princess Cora were captured. Her youngest daughter Princess Oona has disappeared. As for the invader, I've never heard of them, they called themselves envoys of the Neptune Kingdom."

"Hmm, never heard of them either." Elena said pointedly to her grandparents with a bit of a smile.

"We've never heard of this Neptune Kingdom either Elena." Francisco replied gravely. That brought the crown princess up short. She honestly wouldn't have been surprised if her grandparents knew everything and yet they just admitted that there was something they didn't know.

"It is truly a tragedy." Esteban agreed. "But what are we supposed to do about it?"

Sonya hesitated. "In truth I don't know. But I can't just stand by and let my people fall to those creatures that invaded us. And you shouldn't either." She said.

"Quite demanding." Esteban noted dryly.

"What did they invade you for?" Isabel asked her curiously.

"It's a long story." Sonya said. "For the longest time we had a powerful object, a comb with immense hydrokinetic ability to control all of the seas. But recently we found something else; Cora named it the Jewel of the Oceans that is just as powerful. They showed up not long afterwards, trying to find it." She frowned a little. "I overheard the leader of the invaders saying they needed to balance things out after they lost some sort of clam during a faux negotiation of some sort."

"A clam?" Gabe couldn't help but question skeptically. "They want a powerful jewel to counter a powerful clam?"

"Hey, your guess is just as good as any of ours." Sonya replied with a shrug.

"Do they have this jewel now?" Naomi asked the mermaid girl now.

Sonya nodded. "No. But they may have gotten a hold of either Princess Oona or the comb of Merroway Cove if she lost it. That would be how your party got ruined." She replied. Elena understood that one too. Sofia's first visit to Merroway Cove had resulted in a sea monster that she suspected had been the royal sorcerer Cedric trying to acquire that item for his own purposes. "They must have been experimenting with it."

"How do you know they don't have the jewel?" Mateo asked her now.

"Because," Sonya answered as she showed them her right wrist. On it was a bracelet and in the center was an aqua gem. "Queen Emmaline asked me to look after it when the invasion started. I'm one of the guards of Merroway castle."

"She's got the same job as you." Naomi teased Gabe.

"I hope you're better at it than I am." Sonya said remorsefully. "My kingdom is in ruins, my queen and one of the princesses are hostages with most of the people, and the other princess is…I just don't know." She looked down and Isabel could see her fighting back tears.

Silence blanketed the room for a minute as if everyone was processing what she had told them. Isabel looked from their guest to her sister. "Elena?" She inquired softly.

The crown princess was quite for another few minutes and then looked to her grand council. "I will not let Merroway Cove suffer from this Neptune Kingdom the way that Avalor suffered at the hands of Shuriki for forty one years." She declared. "I don't know how we're supposed to help an underwater kingdom yet, but we have to find a way."

"I'm with Elena on this." Naomi said. "No one should suffer that way."

Out of all of the grand council Esteban was the only one who really understood what being under Shuriki's reign was like. Yes, Naomi had some experience but she was only a teenager. Esteban had grown up during that harsh reign. Rather it was surprise to anyone or not he said, "I agree with the crown princess. We must lend whatever aid we can."

"I agree as well." Luisa said.

Francisco nodded. "Then it is unanimous." He declared. "We must decide how we can go about helping Sonya and the people of Merroway Cove."

"How many invaders are there?" Gabe now asked Sonya, apparently his Merroway Cove counterpart.

"Assuming they haven't called in for reinforcements, and they shouldn't have had to," Sonya started, sounding somewhat upset and even a little angry about it, "There are only a dozen of them plus the man who led the invasion, who called himself the Magistrate." She looked to them now. "Without magical means we mermaids have a really hard time surviving out of water. But the Neptunians as I've called them are amphibious. They can survive out of the water."

"Then I suggest we ready a ship and take it to Merroway Cove. We can use that Jewel of the Ocean that you have to lure them to our turf and so that we may defeat them and force them to leave your kingdom." Esteban proposed.

"I'll lead the team myself." Gabe volunteered.

"And I might be able to provide some kind of magical assistance too. You never know what we could find around there." Mateo added.

"Great idea." Elena said. "Except one thing. I'm going with you."

"That is not a good idea crown princess. This is a combat situation and one that I might add for once does not directly affect our family. There is no reason to be coming along." The chancellor protested.

"There may not be a good reason, but I'm coming along anyway." Elena countered. "I can't just stay back and hope that everything works itself out if me being there could change the outcome in anyway."

"Well if that's the case then I'm going too." Naomi said. "I can't let my best friend do something stupid by herself." She looked to Esteban. "Besides, harbormaster's daughter. I'm thinking I might be able to lend a hand somewhere."

Francisco sighed. "Oh, Elena." He mused. But he found he wasn't sure he could really argue with her anyway. To an extent she had a point. As unlikely as it sounded perhaps his granddaughter could find a diplomatic solution, something that the chancellor didn't seem too inclined to pursue. "You must be careful."

"If we're going to successfully lure them on your ship then I'll have to be with you." Sonya said. "On the ship."

"But won't that be uncomfortable for you?" Kara now asked the mermaid girl. "If we could have had this meeting outdoors I know that would have been preferable for you." As if to prove her point thunder shook the palace a bit, also verifying the odd weather that had ruined Isabel's party.

Gabe was already sure he knew what Sonya would say if she were really a royal guard. Sure enough she shrugged. "It doesn't matter how I feel. What matters is giving them the bait they need to give us the chance we need to turn the tide for my people."

"So you won't be traveling in the ocean then." Elena relented. "But we can still find a way to make it more comfortable for you." She ran her hands through her hair a moment as she thought. "Is there a spell that could be used Mateo? One that could be used on the ship to allow her more freedom?" She asked.

Mateo thought a moment then nodded. "My grandfather had a spell that we can use. It will replace the mass of the ship with ocean water. To anyone else on the ship they'll walk on the water but Sonya can swim right through it." He answered. "I can exclude a section of the ship that can be reserved for the crew."

"How long will it take to get to this Merroway Cove?" Esteban questioned.

"A few hours." Sonya said. "It won't be too long."

"Elena, I want to come with you too." Isabel stated.

"Isa." Elena sighed a bit. She had no idea the same reluctance she had matched the reluctance that her grandfather had just exhibited with her mere moments ago. "This really isn't the best time to be…" She didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"I can keep Sonya company during the voyage." Isabel said. "And who knows if I can help. Everyone needed me to shut down that shadow portal." Everyone knew the young princess had a point there.

"If we let Mateo do that spell, we don't entirely know what kind of effect it will have on the ship." Gabe reluctantly pointed out to Elena. "If some kind of improvising needs to happen who better than Isabel?"

Elena knew he had a point. "Alright Isa, you can come." She said to her little sister. She looked to Mateo. "Get the ship ready with the spell and then see what you can find out about the area surrounding Merroway Cove, maybe we can use something there." She looked to Gabe and Esteban. "Ready the guards; we have no idea what we're going to be up against."

The three of them left the room to get the ship ready for the journey. "I'll get some arrangement to get Sonya to the ship." Naomi said to Elena and then left as well.

Elena looked to her grandparents. "I don't feel like I'm wrong about this…but you think I am, don't you?" She asked.

"Elena, you are quickly turning into one of the most unconventional rulers that Avalor has ever had." Francisco stated simply. "That is not always a good thing, but you defeated Shuriki. You figured out how to help the Noblin's and our people, you made an alliance with another kingdom through your own actions with Isabel, you helped uncover spies working against us, and you've been able to stay one step ahead of Juan and his plans." He reminded her. "To dismiss your methods out of hand would be a great disservice to you and those you lead."

"Thanks." Elena said with a small smile. She wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just an attempt to avoid answering the question but decided he had a good point. "Will you two be coming with us?" She now asked.

"Adventure is for the young." Luisa stated simply with a small laugh. "And while we may not be ready for the grave just yet, we are anything but young. Besides, someone must stay here to take care of Avalor while you are out saving Merroway Cove."

Esteban chose a bigger boat that would allow his men to have some sort of comfort even as it would allow Sonya her own freedom, at least as much as she could since it was basically a giant tank. Still he understood what they were trying to do in order to make it as easy as possible to stop the invaders.

"If only we could do something about the weather." Esteban noted. "It will not be easy to travel in this disaster."

"I know what you mean." Mateo agreed. "But there's not much we can do about that. Weather effecting spells are few and far between and I don't know them at all."

Mateo cast his spell and it was with some shock that the boat filled with water, the wood all but disappearing from the deck to be replaced with something that seemed as transparent as glass. With Naomi, Kara and Isabel beside her Sonya was brought to the boat, and immediately the surface disappeared and Sonya dove right in. "This is so neat." She conceded. "Possibly the next best thing to the ocean."

Elena and Gabe came aboard after that. "Wow." Elena said softly as she saw the results of the spell. "This looks so cool." She held in her hand her scepter, the one she held the day of the coronation. She still wondered what it meant that it had glowed in her hands. It wasn't doing so now.

"We are ready to take off when you are crown princess." Esteban announced to her as he took the wheel. He did enjoy sailing the ocean but so rarely got to do so for pleasure; it was usually for some quest or another. "Or at least as ready as we will ever be." He amended.

"Then let's make it so." Elena replied. "Set a course for Merroway Cove." Elena had been slightly impressed originally with her cousin's sailing skills when they had gone to the island of Santa Los as a distraction for his birthday party but this was a whole new level that greatly impressed the crown princess.

"Is there anything else you could tell us that would be helpful?" Gabe asked the mermaid girl.

Sonya frowned. "I'm afraid not. Anything that has happened since I left to find help I wouldn't know. For all I know my people could be…" She let the thought trail off.

"They're not Sonya." Elena said. "I promise." It was one that they all knew technically they could not keep but it was a nice thought.

As they grew closer to where they expected Merroway Cove to be Gabe was sent to arm the guards and prepare them for the fight they expected to come. Within five minutes they were ready and waiting though were currently concealed since they didn't want to show all of their cards in one hand.

"Isabel, go inside the ship." Elena now said to her little sister. "You'll be safer there."

Isabel hesitated only a moment before relenting. She already knew that in a fight there wasn't much she could do to help out. She and Kara started inside. Elena noticed that Sonya swam with her as if keeping her protected until she was safe. Elena appreciated that.

"Perhaps you should go inside to as well Princess Elena." Esteban suggested.

"I can handle myself in a fight." Elena replied simply. As if proving that point Gabe approached her with a spare sheathed sword for her. "Besides, maybe we can avoid the fight if somehow I can talk some sense into their magistrate." She strapped the sword around her waist and held the scepter.

"I appreciate that sentiment." Sonya said as she swam back. It amazed Elena to see the glass surface all but dissolve around Sonya's body only to reform behind her when she was past the area. "But I don't think you can talk sense into them Princess Elena."

"You may be right, but I have to try." Elena responded and then added, "By the way, speaking of appreciating a sentiment, thank you for keeping Isabel safe." Sonya smiled her understanding.

The boat rocked and everyone tried to ignore it since it had been doing that all trip. Then Naomi, who was out right now because she wanted to present a united front with Elena and Esteban as the three present members of the grand council of Avalor, let out a gasp as a big green skinned creature leapt onto the ship.

Peaking outside Kara murmured, "It looks like a gill man."

"A what?" Isabel asked, never having heard of that creature since it didn't exist in Avalor.

"Wow, that one big monster." Gabe said softly. The look on Sonya's face clearly showed her agreement with that.

"Gabe, don't call him a monster." Elena chided half-heartedly. In truth she wasn't sure she could disagree with her royal guard's assessment. It had been proven with Charoca that one couldn't assume that a life form that looked so different from a human could automatically be called a monster but she wasn't sure that same logic could apply here.

The magistrate seemed amused at what he was seeing. "Humans and mermaids." He growled with false amusement. "Now this is a familiar sight."

"Familiar?" Mateo echoed in confusion. Elena shared that sentiment. She recalled from her time trapped in Sofia's amulet that for the longest time mermaid's had a huge distrust of humans until the young princess of Enchancia had helped to change that.

His eyes then fell on Sonya. "Ah, one of our rogue mermaids." He said gleefully. He looked to Esteban. "Have you come to return her?"

Elena stepped forward. "I am Crown Princess Elena of Avalor. Sonya has come to us for assistance in resolving this incident where you have attacked Merroway Cove." She informed him. "I am hoping for a peaceful solution to this."

One look from the Magistrate told them all what he thought about their leader being a teenage girl. "The only way you can resolve this peacefully is to give us the Jewel of the Ocean so that we may exact revenge on our enemies." He told her almost dismissively. He then looked to Sonya. "Yes, I know now that you have the jewel we're looking for." He revealed. "As for Merroway Cove as you call it, it is our base of operations now."

"I don't like the sound of that." Gabe noted.

"You should not." Esteban replied. "Calling something a base of operations implies a military campaign. Which in turn implies they have plans beyond what they have already done, expansion undoubtfully among them." He didn't point out that not long before Elena had defeated Shuriki the evil sorceress had started making expansion plans of her own.

"The Jewel of the Ocean does not belong to you." Sonya stated simply. "It belongs to Queen Emmaline and she has already refused to hand over such power to you."

Based on what she had heard Elena wasn't sure she could sanction giving the jewel over to them even if it were hers to give. "It's not mine to give Magistrate." Elena agreed. "I'm more than willing to help you figure out something else though."

"There is nothing else." The Magistrate said with a shake of his head. "If your mermaid pet will not give me what I want then we have nothing more to discuss." With that he got ready to pounce and both Esteban and Gabe stood in front of Elena as if to protect her.

But when he jumped he did not jump at anyone, he instead dove into the water. At first it confused them all as it didn't make any sense for him to just retreat like that.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Naomi noted dryly. Even with Sonya, Gabe and Esteban there were only another half dozen visible guards. It should appear to even ground for the Magistrate and the army they knew about.

"And too easy." Gabe added uncertainly.

Then one of the guards let out a comment of, "What is that?" They all turned to see a large tentacle coming out of the water. It reminded Elena of an octopus tentacle except that it was much larger than any she had ever seen.

"Naughtikus." Sonya said in fright. "How did…"

From their place indoor Kara gasped, "No, the Kraken. It's awake…"

Isabel looked to the frightened little Chamster in shock. "Isn't that just a myth?" She asked.

Naomi could see other tentacles just below the surface. Elena looked to Mateo "Is there any spell that can help us here?" She asked him.

He just shook his head. "I don't know of any spell that could contain something that big." He answered grimly.

"We must take evasive action." Esteban ordered the man who he had left at the wheel.

"Yeah, that will work." Naomi commented. "That thing is huge."

Even as the helmsman tried his best to maneuver the ship away the tentacle came striking down at the ship, nearly smashing it into two with one blow. Already being the water Sonya slipped away almost immediately.

Naomi grabbed the banister of the ship in order to try to delay tumbling into the cold ocean water. There was no sign of Gabe and Elena had to take a moment to force her worry for him down.

Esteban was at the wheel now but he knew it didn't matter what they did now.

"Elena!" Isabel shouted even as she poked her head from behind the door she was hiding behind. She held Kara in her arms tightly.

"Isabel!" Elena exclaimed and she started over to her sister. The ship was splitting in between them and the crown princess made the jump between the two pieces. She almost didn't make it between the wide gap, and only grabbing onto a piece of wood stopped her from plunging into the water.

"I've got you." Mateo said as he grabbed Naomi's wrists and started to help her up. But a huge wave from the descending tentacle swept up and knocked both royal sorcerer and the young blonde off the boat as well.

Elena climbed back onto the other half of the ship and ran over to Isabel, throwing her arms and picking her up in her arms. "I'll protect you Isa." She said. It was kind of a hollow promise since there was nothing to be done at sea. She then looked up to see the tentacle of the kraken swirling around and striking through the ship's sides, completely breaking down the ship. With nowhere else to go but down the two sister's fell into the dark waters with a splash. The last thing Elena felt was Isabel clinging to her. The last thing she saw was the blackness of the ocean where she expected somewhere below lurked the Neptunians and the Kraken.