The next morning soon came. Thomas and Aquina made a special breakfast for their family to share, making eggs, toast, bacon, and even waffles. Biff and Jolene yawned and stretched as they stumbled out of bed and soon came downstairs, following the scent of breakfast and came into the kitchen.
"Hey, kids!" Thomas smiled as he looked over at them. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah... Mostly..." Biff smiled back. "Mostly about swimming under the sea with the other merpeople of Atlantica."
"Yeah. Same here." Jolene added.
"Interesting... But not unwelcome," Aquina replied. "We hope you two are hungry. We have a big day ahead of us."
"A big day?" Biff and Jolene asked curiously.
"For what?" Biff wondered.
"Come in and get some breakfast," Thomas replied. "We'll tell you once you sit down and get comfortable."
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all." Aquina added.
Biff and Jolene looked at each other before shrugging and soon came to sit down to have breakfast with their parents. Thomas and Aquina smiled as they continued to cook the breakfast until they soon served it to their children and soon helped serve themselves to breakfast. The Starke family smiled at each other all around as this seemed like it was going to be a wonderful experience for all of them.
"So you slept well at least?" Aquina asked the kids.
"Yeah, we did," Biff nodded. "That was probably the best night of sleep we've had in a long time."
"After all, there's no place like home." Jolene added.
"Well said, Jolene," Thomas smiled. "We slept great having you two back home with us."
"So what's the big idea and what's going on?" Jolene asked. "The suspense is killing me!"
Aquina and Thomas chuckled a bit.
"Well, I suppose we should tell them before their heads explode." Thomas said to his wife.
"Yes," Aquina nodded before looking over. "Well, kids... Your father and I went out onto the beach after you fell asleep last night."
"Just remembering old times?" Jolene guessed.
"Something like that, yes," Aquina nodded. "But that's not the only thing."
"Then what is it, Mom?" Biff asked.
"Yeah, tell us." Jolene added.
"It was just that I went to find your Aunt Saleen and luckily for me I was able to," Aquina began to explain with a small smile. "She said she would help us all visit Uncle Triton and his daughters this summer probably today or the next day."
"Whoa! Summer vacation under the sea?" Jolene gasped in amazement.
"Sounds like it, kiddo." Thomas smiled softly.
"Count me in!" Jolene smiled. "They'll never believe this in CN City."
"Though I think we should keep it secret for a while, Jolene." Biff suggested to his younger sister.
"Huh?" Jolene blinked.
"That might be a good idea," Thomas agreed. "And especially don't tell your Uncle Triton about us being humans on land."
"Because of what happened to Aunt Athena?" Biff guessed.
"Exactly," Thomas nodded. "I know it's hard to keep secrets, kids, but this is very important. We promise that we'll make it up to you."
"Well... I hate to keep secrets from people I care about, especially family, but all right, Mom and Dad," Biff nodded. "We'll keep our family secret a secret, to both our friends and with Uncle Triton."
"We promise." Jolene added.
"Good," Aquina replied. "Now, let's eat up and see what we can do for the rest of the summer."
"Okay, Mom." Biff smiled as he continued to eat the wonderful breakfast with his younger sister.
And at that, the Starke family continued to eat up their breakfast. Shortly after breakfast, Thomas and Aquina decided to wash the dishes. Biff and Jolene took that time to call their friends and tell them what was going on, especially Biff calling Shelly since they were boyfriend and girlfriend after all. However, during those activities, Thomas and Aquina noticed that something was erupting and glowing in the ocean.
"You don't think it's a seaquake, do you?" Thomas asked his wife.
"No, I don't think so. At least I hope it isn't," Aquina replied. "I think that might be Saleen."
"Should we go check it out?" Thomas asked.
"Yes," Aquina nodded. "Maybe she has help for us to cross into the ocean with the kids."
Thomas smiled softly. "Okay, dear," He then agreed. "Let's head over to the beach then."
And at that, the Starke couple went to go outside to go and see Saleen who lifted her head out of the ocean and waved her auburn hair before it dripped a little from the water she just came out of.
"Hey, Shelly," Biff smiled on his cell phone. "Yeah, we made it in alright. We were just getting ready for a-"
Jolene bit her lip and made gestures to remind her brother to be careful of what he would say next.
"Erm... Family reunion," Biff quickly covered up. "Yeah. That's it. A family reunion."
"Well, that at least sounds interesting," Shelly shrugged as she sat at the kitchen table with DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle as they were eating from bowls of cereal. "I'd give anything to meet your family, Biff~"
"Daddy~... Shelly's talking on the phone at the table~" Michelle piped up.
"Shh! No one asked you, Michelle!" Shelly hissed as she lowered her cell phone in annoyance and narrowed her eyes.
"Shelly, you know you're not supposed to take phone calls during family meals unless it's an emergency." Danny reminded his eldest daughter as he walked by.
"This is an emergency!" Shelly defended. "I'm bored without Biff!"
"Oh, brother." Stephanie and DJ rolled their eyes in response.
"Shelly..." Danny darkened his voice slightly.
"Ugh..." Shelly groaned as she put her cell phone back up. "Biff, I'll have to talk to you later. Apparently, this is family time."'
"Oh, yeah, sure. I understand," Biff replied. "I'll talk to you later too. Mom and Dad probably, uh, have an idea of when we should get ready for our family reunion anyways."
"Okay then," Shelly nodded before smiling softly. "I wish you could be here."
"I wish you could be here too," Biff smiled back. "Love you very much."
"Love you too, Biff~" Shelly beamed before nodding and hanging up. "Bye."
"Ooh~... Biff~..." Stephanie smirked playfully.
"I love you, Biff~..." DJ added.
"Shut up!" Shelly snapped at them.
"Daddy, Shelly said a bad word!" Michelle gasped and turned to their father.
"Daddy will take care of that later, Michelle," Danny reassured before facing his eldest daughter. "Shelly, don't be mean to your sisters."
"Yeah, Dad... Sorry..." Shelly replied softly as she put her phone back down and sat up to eat her cereal.
"I just want you to be on your best behavior when we visit Eric, all right?" Danny reminded before facing the other three girls. "That goes for you too, all right?"
"Yes, Dad./Daddy." DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle promised sweetly.
"Good," Danny nodded. "I don't want there to be any trouble, especially on summer vacation."
"We won't, Dad." DJ reassured.
"Yeah. We won't cause trouble." Stephanie added.
"Though it might be hard for Shelly~" Michelle said innocently.
Shelly growled in annoyance before Danny flashed her a warning look to make her stop.
"Finish up your breakfast and then we'll get going," Danny smiled at his daughters. "It'll be a lot of fun. You'll see. You'll even get to live like royalty for a while."
"Now that's a life I can get used to, even if it's just for summer vacation." Shelly smiled hopefully.
DJ and Stephanie rolled their eyes.
"Do I get to be a princess, Daddy?" Michelle asked hopefully.
"You'll always be one of my little princesses, Michelle," Danny smiled warmly at his youngest daughter. "Even to Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey."
"Yay!~" Michelle beamed and clapped her hands in excitement as Shelly rolled her eyes slightly.
"Oh, brother." Shelly muttered to herself.
"Just remember to be on your best behavior and have fun," Danny smiled fondly at all of his daughters. "This is going to be fun for all of us."
"I sure hope so, Dad." DJ nodded.
"Yeah, it should be interesting." Stephanie added.
"I sure hope so." Shelly remarked quietly under her breath.
"I should hope so," Danny smiled. "It'll be a summer vacation to remember, even when you're all grown up with your own kids in the future."
The Tanner girls lightly smiled back as they soon went to finish up their bowls of cereal before they would leave for their destined vacation with their father.
BACK WITH THE STARKE FAMILY...
"All right, are we all here?" Aquina asked before looking over to her husband and daughter. "Wait. Where's Biff?" she then asked.
"I'm here! Wait!" Biff called out as he rushed over before panting. "Sorry about that, Mom. I had to make an important phone call."
"Oh. I hope that everything's alright?" Aquina replied.
"Oh, it's just fine," Biff smiled. "Just had to touch base with Shelly first before we would leave."
"I suppose that makes sense," Thomas nodded. "Are we all set to go? Jolene? Do you have anyone you have to call?"
"No, I think I'm good," Jolene replied. "So, what do we do out here anyway?"
"Aunt Saleen will be here any second now," Aquina explained. "Then we'll begin our family vacation together under the sea."
"Awesome." Biff and Jolene smiled at each other in excitement.
"I'm a little nervous," Aquina softly said to Thomas. "It's been so long."
"I know, dear, I know, but remember, we're all here for you and for each other," Thomas reassured. "We're all family after all and families stick together."
"Right... You're right." Aquina smiled.
"Remember that, kids," Thomas smirked playfully. "Your dad was right when discussing with your mother. Mark this day in your calendars to remember forever."
Biff and Jolene chuckled a bit.
"Oh, Thomas..." Aquina rolled her eyes playfully.
"I'm a man, I can't help myself sometimes." Thomas shrugged before the water began to bubble and glow a bit.
"Oh," Aquina said as she looked over to the ocean. "Looks like your Aunt Saleen is on her way."
Biff and Jolene smiled at each other in excitement.
"Don't worry about your stuff back home, you won't need too much of it," Aquina told her children one last time. "Just keep your backpacks and I hope you two packed the essentials."
"We did," Biff nodded. "And since Uncle Triton doesn't mind music in Atlantica anymore, we hope it's okay that we packed our instruments."
"You two should be fine," Thomas smiled. "Just remember your manners and be good for your uncle and cousins."
"We will, Dad." Biff and Jolene promised.
"Good." Thomas nodded at them.
Eventually, the bubbles in the water cleared and out popped a familiar face. "Hello, Thomas and Aquina. Hello there, kids."
"Hey, Aunt Saleen," Biff smiled. "Good to see ya."
"We're looking forward to our underwater family vacation." Jolene added.
"I'm looking forward to you coming under the sea too," Saleen smiled fondly. "Thomas, Aquina, shall I do the honors?"
"You may," Aquina smiled back at her sister. "In fact, I highly insist upon it."
"Deal." Saleen nodded as she took out her starfish necklace and it soon began to glow so that she could shoot her sister and her brother-in-law, niece, and nephew with her very own mermaid magic.
Eventually, in a big bright light, the Starke family was instantly transformed. Jolene now had a white tail-fin and an orange seashell bra, Biff had an ocean blue tail-fin as Thomas and Aquina had their own tail-fins too, removing their shirts as Thomas was topless and Aquina had a seashell bra too. Saleen smiled as she swam backwards out of the way as the family soon dove into the ocean instantly, laughing and splashing in excitement.
"All right, everybody," Saleen smiled once she saw her family. "Come follow me. Today is going to be a very special day in Atlantica."
"Oh?" Biff asked.
"Indeed," Saleen nodded. "King Triton, my big brother and your uncle has a very special treat."
"Ooh. What is it?" Jolene asked hopefully.
"I shouldn't say." Saleen replied.
"Why not?" Jolene pouted.
"Because the best kind of 'prize' is a 'sur'prise." Saleen replied.
"Darn it." Jolene pouted and crossed her arms.
"Come on now," Saleen said as she began to swim to lead the way. "I'll take you over to where you'll be staying for your summer vacation."
"This is gonna be so cool~" Biff beamed in excitement.
Thomas and Aquina smiled fondly before they followed after Saleen which led to Biff and Jolene following their parents. It was so odd and yet really interesting to see sea creatures up close like this, aside from maybe SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star in Nicktropolis, plus there was also Squiddly Diddly, but you know what I mean. Biff and Jolene looked all around in wide wonder as Aquina smiled fondly, being back where she came from a very long time ago before she met and found Thomas which changed both of their lives forever. It was going to be very interesting, especially as they passed a random clownfish who seemed to be frantically swimming away with a blue tang fish as a random shark seemed to be lurking, glancing at Saleen, Aquina, Thomas, Biff, and Jolene as they swam by.
"Mom, Dad, can we explore the ocean?" Jolene asked hopefully.
"I think you should wait until we find your uncle and get settled in first." Aquina suggested.
"Oh... Okay..." Jolene sighed as she tried to be patient, but it was hard.
"Be patient, my dear," Saleen smiled to her niece. "You'll have plenty to see during your vacation."
"Okay. Okay." Jolene replied as they continued to swim around.
Of course, the swimming took quite a while until Saleen came to a stop which made the Starke family stop too. "My dear sister, my dear brother-in-law, and of course my darling niece and nephew... I give you... The Kingdom of Atlantica." she then told them as she gestured right in front of herself.
"Whoa..." Biff and Jolene muttered in amazement.
In front of them was a grand and shimmering golden palace where fish swam about alongside the merpeople who swam by. There were festivities going on right now that seemed to be just for the Starke family. A small crab was shown to be going over what looked like a checklist.
"Is that a crab with a checklist?" Jolene asked.
"You'd be surprised," Thomas smiled. "Though you kids shouldn't really talk. You have a shark friend in your band."
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Jolene admitted.
The crab looked over and gasped with wide eyes. "Whoa... I cannot believe it... Is dat...?" he then began to speak in a Jamaican accent.
"He sounds like The Grim Reaper in Cartoon Network City." Biff whispered to Jolene who nodded in agreement
"Hello, Sebastian, it's been so long." Aquina smiled at the crab.
"Indeed it has," The crab named Sebastian nodded. "Dere's a lot goin' on, especially since Saleen has spoken of your arrival and your brot'er has a special surprise for all of you."
"Oh?" Thomas asked.
"Oh, you know," Saleen shrugged innocently with a small smile. "No big deal. I thought that it would be nice."
"What's going on?" Biff asked.
"Actually, there's a concert that will be going on that my daughters have been practicing for and it'll be even greater with your company there." A new voice said before the Starke family looked over to see what looked like an elderly merman with silvery-white hair with long flowing hair and a beard with a gold crown on his head.
"Triton... Long time no see." Aquina smiled.
"Indeed it has been," King Triton smiled back before hugging her and placed her in the middle between him and Saleen. "Isn't this nice? We're all together again after so long."
"It's just a shame that Athena won't be able to see this." Aquina frowned softly.
"I'm sure she's happy wherever she is right now," Saleen said to them. "We shouldn't be sad on a day like today. Aquina is here with her family after so long."
"You're right, Saleen," King Triton nodded in agreement before smiling. "And it's so good to see you. Biff, you're getting so big and strong. You must have a lot of girlfriends."
"Oh, uh, I don't know if I would say that, Uncle Triton." Biff smiled bashfully with his hands behind his back.
"You remind me of myself at your age, of course that was a very long time ago," King Triton smiled back before looking over. "And who's this here by your side?"
Jolene blinked before smiling bashfully and waving. "Hello." she then said to her uncle.
"This is your niece, Jolene," Aquina introduced. "She's 14 now."
"And Biff is 16 now." Thomas added.
"The same as my little Ariel," King Triton nodded. "The youngest, but still very special in her own special way. I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful summer together."
"We look forward to it, Uncle Triton." Biff and Jolene smiled.
"Splendid! Very splendid," King Triton smiled back warmly. "Saleen mentions that you two play your own musical instruments in a group together with friends of yours? Even including a shark?"
"That's right, sir," Biff nodded. "I play the guitar and Jolene plays the saxophone."
"We brought our instruments over if you're interested in seeing us play someday." Jolene added.
"Oh, I think I'd like that very much," King Triton smiled. "Maybe I can see you and your friends play in your little band someday."
Biff and Jolene just smiled sheepishly as they were unsure about that considering that their friends lived on land and they were trying to keep a secret.
"Shall I show you around my home?" King Triton offered.
"That sounds great, Triton," Thomas smiled. "Lead the way."
"Come right this way then." King Triton nodded as he swam ahead.
Biff and Jolene followed after as the tour was about to begin. Jolene looked around before seeing a blue and yellow fish following a long crimson-haired mermaid with a purple seashell bra with a green tailfin. There were young merkids with her. One was a boy with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a green tailfin, a long-haired blonde mergirl with what looked like a pearl crowning around her head with an aqua-colored bra and an ocean blue tailfin, and the final one had long brown hair with a pink seashell bra and a pink tailfin as well as beside her being an octopus who followed her. There was a friendly-looking dolphin. Jolene found the tour to be a bit boring so far, but she was curious of where those others were going and decided to sneak off to go and follow them instead, trying to be quiet as her family had the tour.
Saleen seemed to notice that, but didn't say anything to her sister, brother, and brother-in-law. "Oh, my dear... Just following Ariel like that is going to get you into trouble, my dear..." she then tutted to herself before she went to go after the others to carry on with the tour of Atlantica.
MEANWHILE...
The yellow and blue fish, octopus, dolphin, and the young mergroup continued to swim until they got the sense that they were being followed.
"Ah! Um... Guys! Something's following us!" The fish panicked. "I-I think it might be a shark! We should head back!"
"Oh, Flounder... When will you learn that there's nothing to worry about?" The redheaded mermaid replied with a small smile.
"Sure... That's easy for you to say..." The fish shivered nervously.
"Hey, there is someone following us," The octopus pointed out and showed the others as he pointed with his tentacle. "Look!"
Jolene soon swam over and put her hands up. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, no need to panic about me," she then said as all eyes were on her. "I won't hurt anybody."
"Who... Who are you?" The redheaded mermaid asked.
"I could ask you the same question," Jolene replied. "Whatever you're doing looks more interesting."
"Well, if ya must know, we're about to look for treasure." The blonde merboy smirked and crossed his arms.
"Real treasure?" Jolene asked.
The dark-haired mermaid nodded as she soon signed.
"Uh...?" Jolene blinked.
"Gabriella says 'Yes, we are. Would you like to come with us?'" The octopus translated.
"Oh... Okay, yeah. Sure," Jolene nodded at the octopus before looking at Gabriella. "I guess you're deaf?"
The mermaid named Gabriella nodded as she signed more.
"'Yes, but I can read lips'." The octopus explained.
"I see," Jolene nodded. "Oh... By the way, I'm Jolene."
"Jolene... That's a nice name..." The redheaded mermaid smiled. "I'm Princess Ariel of Atlantica."
"Princess Ariel?" Jolene repeated before gasping as she knew what that meant as she cupped her mouth. "I found one of my cousins."
"So that's Gabriella and I'm her friend, Ollie." The octopus then told Jolene.
Gabriella smiled and nodded warmly.
"I'm Lena," The blonde mermaid spoke up. "And this is my little brother Urchin and our dolphin friend, Vink."
"Pleased to meet you!" The dolphin smiled at Jolene.
"Sup, girly?" Urchin smirked as he ruffled up Jolene's hair.
"Hey! Cut that out!" Jolene cried out suddenly.
"And this is Flounder." Ariel then said, showing her fish friend.
"Wow. Hello there, Flounder." Jolene smiled at the fish.
Flounder still looked rather nervous.
"It's really nice to meet all of you," Jolene smiled. "So where is this treasure you were talking about?"
"Just come with me," Ariel replied. "I know just where to go."
"Okay, Ariel. Lead the way." Jolene smiled at her cousin.
And so, the young group swam off together as the tour continued at The Kingdom of Atlantica as Thomas, Aquina, and Biff didn't seem to notice that Jolene had gone missing.