And so, the time for The Neptunes to split up for summer vacation had finally arrived. The Cartoon Network City bus drove very far away and came to ride over to a seaside town, almost looking like a beach with a pleasant-looking home within the town which was where Aquina and Thomas Starke lived: the parents of Biff and Jolene. Aquina wore a blue-green colored dress that went over her legs and seemed to droop just above her sandal-covered feet and she had long strawberry blonde hair with white pearl earrings and a matching necklace and appeared to be in a wheelchair. Behind her was her husband who had curly dark brown hair, wearing a dark gray collared shirt with khaki pants, brown shoes, with a black belt who was Thomas. Both looked very hopeful and eager, filled with excitement and anticipation to see their two children again after being away on tour for such a long time which came with having successful rock band members for children. The bus soon pulled over to where the happy couple was and out came Biff and Jolene with excitement and anticipation.
"Hello, my dears!" Aquina smiled warmly. "It's so good to finally see you again after so long."
"Mama! Daddy!" Jolene beamed as she rushed over, hugging her mother first before going to her father. "We missed you so much."
"We missed you too, kiddo," Thomas smiled, hugging his daughter right back as Biff came to hug Aquina while carrying his and his sister's luggage. "Hope you two had a good travel and summer tour in Cartoon Network City."
"Oh, we sure did," Biff nodded. "It was just a bit hard to leave Jabberjaw, Shelly, Clamhead, and Bubbles."
"I'm sure it was," Aquina replied. "You're all so close-knit, but it'll be good to take a break and see your family again after so long."
"I have no regrets already," Biff smiled. "Dad, can you help me out with our bags?"
"Of course I can, son," Thomas nodded as he came to do that. "We'll just have to accommodate with your mother's chair."
"Of course, I got it." Biff agreed as he was used to that anyway as he and his father got the bags ready as Aquina and Jolene stepped aside.
"It's so good to see you two again," Aquina smiled warmly. "We never really see you anymore since you tour with your fellow Neptune friends."
"Yeah, we know, Mom," Jolene smiled back. "We thought it'd be nice if we came to visit though this year for summer. I just hope that Clamhead, Bubbles, and Jabberjaw don't miss us too much while we're gone."
"And what about Shelly?" Aquina then asked, noticing that her daughter missed a certain member of the group.
"Yeah... I guess Shelly too..." Jolene shrugged off.
"Aw, Seastar... Shelly is your friend." Aquina reminded.
"Yeah... She is..." Jolene admitted. "...Most of the time."
Eventually, Biff and Thomas had the bags sorted out.
"All right, Aquina, come into the car and we'll get your chair." Thomas told his wife.
"Coming, dear." Aquina smiled before she wheeled herself over to her husband.
Thomas smiled back as he opened the door for his wife. Aquina beamed as she hoisted herself into the car and Biff then took his mother's wheelchair to put in the trunk along with his and Jolene's bags. Once she was settled, Thomas shut the door for Aquina who then buckled her seatbelt as Biff and Jolene came into the backseat of their parents' car and Thomas took the wheel, driving them back home as they were all fastened up and ready to go.
"Have a nice summer, kids!" The Mayor called out from the front seat of the Cartoon Network bus before he looked around. "Aw, phooey! Where did I put those keys now?" he then asked himself before sitting down and standing right back up. "YOW! Oh... Hey, whatya know?" he then remarked as he looked down and found the keys right on his seat before he chuckled sheepishly and went to drive back home.
"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Mayor!" Jolene called out from the window, waving from where she sat.
"That Mayor is quite a character, isn't he?" Biff chuckled.
"Yeah, Dad. You have no idea." Biff replied.
"I'm sorry we won't get to see your girlfriend this summer, but maybe at another time?" Aquina suggested to her son.
"Yeah, Mom, I guess we could do that," Biff nodded. "Maybe you can meet Jolene's boyfriend too."
"Huh?" Jolene gasped and blushed bashfully.
"Boyfriend?" Thomas and Aquina asked curiously.
"It's no one," Jolene shook her head. "Don't pay attention to what Biff is saying."
"I guess I'll have to tell you later," Biff replied before looking at his sister. "You seemed close with that one Chan boy during our last visit to Cartoon Network City."
"I don't wanna talk about it right now, Biff." Jolene muttered through her teeth.
"Oh... All right," Biff said with a small sigh. "I'll spare you the dramatics."
"Good." Jolene nodded in approval.
Eventually, after a while of driving, they began to make it back home. Biff and Jolene smiled in excitement as they were almost back at their house after so long. It was a really nice sight after such a long time being away from home, especially with the excitement of spending most of their summer vacation with their parents. Biff, deep down inside, just hoped that Shelly was having a tolerable vacation so far with her own family, though he hated being away from her especially when she was starting to become a better person after the Toon Bands fiasco back in CN City.
Soon, the family made it back home. Biff and Jolene stepped inside and smelled something cooking which made them smile.
"Hope you kids are hungry," Aquina smiled as she rolled herself inside. "I made a roast for your welcome home dinner."
"Awesome, Mom!" Biff and Jolene beamed.
"I was sure you'd be excited," Aquina smiled at them. "It should be ready very soon, so why don't you go in your rooms and get settled?"
"Okay." Biff and Jolene nodded as they went to go do just that as they collected their bags.
"This is going to be a great summer," Thomas smiled at his wife. "I just know it."
"Oh, it definitely will be," Aquina nodded. "Would you help me out with getting dinner set up?"
"Of course, my dear." Thomas agreed.
Aquina and Thomas smiled as they began to help each other out.
Jolene was in her room as she put her suitcase on her bed and took out some shirts to hang up in her closet. She hummed to herself on the way and took out her saxophone to go with it. As she was about to turn away, she heard her saxophone fall over and hit something that fell on the floor. "...That's weird. What could that had been?" she then muttered to herself, thinking that her closet was emptied except for a few winter clothes and went to pick up her saxophone before she found something else on the floor. "...What is that?" she then wondered before coming closer and took out what looked like a music box. She then shrugged at herself and opened it up before gasping and flinching as a bright light came out from it and there seemed to be a gold-looking palace that seemed to be underwater and it had people swimming around it, but not just any ordinary people, these people had tail fins like fish! "...What is this...?" she then whispered to herself and the music box began to play a special little tune.
Biff was soon unpacking his own stuff. He then looked around as he thought he heard some music playing that almost sounded like a lullaby. He felt like he recognized the tune, like something from a dream, but he wasn't sure.
"Biff?" Jolene called as she came into the room and knocked on the door.
"Huh?" Biff blinked, forgetting where he was for a moment before looking over. "Oh... Hey, JoJo. You settling in okay back home?"
"Yeah... I guess." Jolene replied.
"...You guess?" Biff asked.
"I found something I don't think I've seen before in my closet," Jolene replied. "I was hoping maybe you could help me out with it a little?"
"Jolene, aren't you a little too old to believe in monsters in your closet?" Biff asked, not understanding at first.
"No, no... It's not that," Jolene shook her head before she brought out the music box. "It's actually this."
"Oh... An old music box..." Biff said as he came over. "It's probably Mom's or some-"
Jolene then opened the music box to show Biff what she saw.
"...Thing," Biff finished with a blink before he grew wide-eyed. "...What?"
"I don't get it either," Jolene replied. "It's a kingdom of mermaids or something. And that song."
Biff listened closely to the music playing and soon hummed along to it as he seemed to know the tune.
"Do you know that song?" Jolene then asked her big brother.
"I... I feel like I do..." Biff said softly. "I'm not sure from where though... It's like... A memory from a dream or something."
"Oh... I was hoping maybe you could explain it to me," Jolene replied. "...Should we talk to Mom about it then if it's hers?"
"That's probably best," Biff agreed. "Come on. Let's go and see Mom real quick. Dinner's almost ready anyway."
"Yeah... Good point." Jolene nodded.
Soon, Biff and Jolene came to go downstairs to meet their parents. Thomas was soon sorting out the roast dinner to dish out while Aquina was setting the table.
"Mom? Dad?" The Starke siblings called.
"Hey, kids," Thomas smiled playfully. "You must be psychic."
"Yeah. Dinner's about ready too." Aquina giggled a bit.
"That's great," Biff replied. "We were hoping we could talk to you about something."
"Oh? What would that be?" Aquina asked as Thomas got the next plate ready.
"...Do you guys know anything about this music box?" Jolene soon asked as she brought out the mysterious music box that was in her closet.
Thomas and Aquina were both suddenly wide-eyed. They were so shocked that Thomas ended up dropping and smashing the plate in his hand by accident.
"Dad!" Jolene gasped.
"Mom...?" Biff asked in concern.
Soon, Biff and Jolene helped calm down their parents. Biff was fanning Aquina who fainted right in her chair, luckily she was already sitting down and Jolene had helped Thomas onto the couch.
"Ugh... What happened?" Aquina groaned as she slowly woke up.
"You and Dad passed out, Mom," Biff replied. "Are you okay?" he then asked before handing his mother a glass of water.
"Yes... I think I'll be okay..." Aquina said softly before she took the glass of water and drank from it instantly. "Oh. Thank you, sweetie."
"You're welcome, Mom." Biff smiled softly.
"What's the big deal?" Jolene asked as her father was waking up next. "It was just a music box."
"So we did see that..." Thomas said to his wife.
"I thought that was long gone after... The incident happened." Aquina nodded to her husband.
Biff and Jolene looked at each other, still confused and concerned. "What incident?" they then asked their parents.
"Oh... Should we tell them?" Aquina asked. "Biff probably doesn't remember."
"There's no way he could remember." Thomas shook his head.'
"Remember what?" Biff asked.
"Mom, Dad, what's going on here?" Jolene demanded.
Thomas and Aquina looked at each other in concern.
"Please tell us..." Biff said. "We can handle whatever it is. We're not little kids anymore."
"Besides, it's just a music box, right?" Jolene added with a small shrug.
"...Well, it's a music box, yes... But it's not just any music box." Aquina said as calmly as she could.
"Huh?" Biff and Jolene asked.
"Get to the table, kids," Thomas lightly instructed with a sharp sigh. "We're going to tell you a little story."
"Are we in trouble?" Jolene asked in concern. "We shouldn't spend summer vacation being grounded."
"No, no, you're not grounded or anything like that," Thomas replied. "This is just a lot to talk about, especially concerning our family and our family history."
Biff and Jolene just looked at each other before shrugging as they continued back over to the table.
"I just can't believe the time has come so quickly." Aquina said to Thomas.
"It had to happen sooner or later, my dear," Thomas replied. "I just hope that they accept and understand."
"Only one way to find out," Aquina said before taking a deep breath. "Push me."
Thomas nodded and soon pushed his wife across the floor to make it back over at the dinner table with their two children.
"All right, kids..." Aquina said, taking a deep breath. "This may be a very long and complicated story. Feel free to ask us any questions during it, but please be patient and be calm when we tell you this."
"It's very important," Thomas added. "We just hope that you understand."
Biff and Jolene looked at their parents before they looked at each other and firmly nodded together before looking back at their parents.
"All right," Thomas replied. "Dear, would you like to go first since this is a bigger concern for you than it is for me?" he then prompted his wife.
"Oh... Very well then," Aquina said before she took a deep breath. "Once upon a time, there was a king named Poseidon born in the world of mythology between himself and two other brothers, the sons of The Mighty Cronus, who each ruled part of the world from the Heavens such as Mount Olympus, to The Underworld, and then under the sea. He was in charge of the sea and soon had three children."
"Mom, isn't it kinda early for a bedtime story?" Biff spoke up.
"And don't you think we're both a little too old for that?" Jolene added.
"Yes, I understand, but I'm getting to that," Aquina replied before she continued the story. "King Poseidon had three children: two princesses and a prince. They ruled the sea together, but the prince, as he was the oldest, was given the throne to become King of the Sea. He was known as King Triton of course and I'm sure you've heard of him."
"Yeah... Probably." Biff replied, trying to be patient.
"I suppose you could say that," Jolene added. "Is he related to the Chicken of the Sea tuna mermaid?" she then asked.
"No, that's a different mermaid family, my dear," Thomas replied. "We'll tell you about that one another time."
Biff and Jolene looked confused at why their parents would say that, but shrugged as they waited for their parents to continue their story.
"One of the princesses wanted more out of her life and wanted to explore other places," Aquina soon continued. "Such as the land and the people from there, especially from visits to a special and magical place named Neverland. She had met many human children in that world and wanted to know more about them and even made friends with a human boy who she knew she could trust and they became close in life. Even closer later on."
"It was a very special time between the mermaid princess and the human prince." Thomas smiled softly.
"So what does this have to do with the music box?" Jolene asked.
"Yeah, and why are you telling us this too?" Biff added.
"Because I was that very mermaid princess." Aquina then said.
"And I was that human boy she befriended." Thomas added.
This suddenly made Biff and Jolene gasp.
"No way!" Biff gasped.
"Oh, yes way, my dears," Aquina nodded. "We can prove it too, but we'll wait until after dinner."
"That's just... No way..." Jolene shook her head, even if her parents never lied to her, it was still a big shock to think about. "So, where did this music box come from?" she then asked.
"And what did you mean by me not understanding or remembering what happened?" Biff added.
"Well... Biff... When you were very young, a certain incident happened," Aquina replied. "Which is another very big story."
"Can you tell us that story too then?" Jolene asked.
"Why, yes... Of course we can," Thomas nodded as he soon began. "The world above is a wonderful place, but everyone knows the true magic lies under the sea, where the water is clear, the fish swim free, and the merpeople live in the beautiful kingdom of Atlantica."
"Atlantica?" Biff and Jolene asked.
"Yes," Thomas nodded as he continued from there. "King Triton ruled the seas with a fair hand and an open heart. No one loved music more than Triton's beloved queen, Athena. She and their seven darling princesses filled his life with joy and song."
Aquina then took the music box and it began to play its music and she soon nodded her head along to sing along to the song. "Oh, the waves roll low, And the waves roll high, And so it goes, Under a bright blue, Endless sky, Waves try to measure, The days that we treasure, Wave hello, And wave goodbye~" she then sang a sweet-sounding song that almost sounded like an underwater lullaby.
"...I know that song from somewhere." Biff muttered in realization.
"Yes, you do," Aquina nodded at her son. "You and Ariel were very young when it happened, but we visited Athena and Triton to celebrate their anniversary together and meet their daughters."
"Ariel?" Biff asked.
"Yes," Thomas nodded. "Triton and Athena's littlest mermaid princess and your cousin."
"Which means... She's my cousin too... Right?" Jolene then asked their parents.
"Of course she is." Thomas smiled softly.
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Wait... I've been to Atlantica?" Biff asked.
"Like I said, you were very young, but Triton's other sister... Our sister... Helped us bring you down with us so that my brother could meet you and your father before Jolene was born," Aquina nodded and confirmed. "Your Aunt Saleen has a bit of her own mermaid magic and she helped us out if she promised to keep our secret since your father is a human and left the home he came from before to be with me."
"So Uncle King Triton and Aunt Queen Athena don't know that Dad is a human?" Jolene asked.
"No, they didn't," Aquina shook her head. "We were going to tell them, but it seemed to be in bad timing because of... The incident which we're about to tell you about."
"So what happened during this incident you guys keep talking about?" Biff asked.
"It isn't a very happy part of the story we're afraid," Thomas replied before he took a deep breath and let it out as he began to talk about the sadder part of the story. "Well, like we said, it was your Aunt Athena and Uncle Triton's anniversary, so Biff, you were playing with your mermaid cousins and we were all having fun, enjoying both the land and the sea, though without turning back into humans of course because Aunt Saleen helped us out. It was a magical time! The pure joy of song filled life in Atlantica, but even the brightest days can be darkened by an unseen tempest."
"...The incident?" Biff and Jolene guessed.
"Yes." Aquina nodded.
"We were attacked by human pirates and we had to get away before they could see us," Thomas added, taking his wife's hand and squeezed it gently. "One of your cousins was stuck and Biff, you were trying to help her, but Aunt Athena saw you both struggling and about to be crushed, so she saved you and found the music box that Uncle Triton gave her that played their song... Only for her to get run-in by a pirate ship that crushed her to death."
Biff and Jolene gasped fearfully and worriedly.
"...Athena didn't make it..." Aquina said softly and sounded like she was about ready to cry.
"Each note of that lovely melody seemed to deepen the king's anguish. He couldn't bear to hear it," Thomas added lightly. "From that moment on, the king's heart stayed dark. And music was banned from Atlantica... Forever... Until your cousin, Ariel was able to bring music back."
Biff and Jolene frowned, both looking quite emotional and heartbroken from the story.
"...Thank you for telling us that story," Biff said, emotionally, but trying not to break down. "I'm sure it was very hard."
"Believe me, it was," Thomas sighed sharply and shakily. "We haven't seen them since, but we were told that Ariel was recently able to bring back music with the help of her new friend named Flounder."
"Gosh..." Jolene said softly. "I had no idea."
"I wish that we could visit them now." Biff added once he and Jolene knew the truth.
"Well... We can..." Aquina said lightly.
"Huh?" Biff and Jolene then asked in surprise.
"If you two would like," Aquina replied. "Your Aunt Saleen gave me a special way to keep in touch with the sea... That is, if you trust us and believe our story about mermaids and Atlantica."
Biff and Jolene looked soft and distant a bit, though the story really touched them deeply. It was still weird and crazy to think about being true, but their parents weren't liars of course.
"Perhaps we shall show you after dinner," Aquina suggested. "And then we can go and see Atlantica up close for this summer vacation."
"That sounds like a good idea." Jolene replied.
"It's crazy, but stranger things have happened," Biff shrugged. "Especially in befriending a shark, but I guess this is how I came up with our group of The Neptunes when we met Bubbles, Clamhead, and Jabberjaw."
"Eat up then, kids," Aquina smiled sadly. "This is going to be an adventurous summer vacation."
Biff and Jolene smiled back and soon began to eat up their dinner. Aquina and Thomas nodded as they joined their kids in having dinner before they would do anything else as the music box was set down right now for the time being.