REMINDER an index of all the character descriptions exist here:

archiveofourown

.

org

/works/13210260/chapters/30218163

I hope it helps! (freakin links on this website man)

...xXx...

Staring out at the glittering expanse of coral, Diedrich leaned against a moss-covered column.

The Great Alcazar was as grand as he remembered. It had been several cycles since he'd last been to visit, and yet nothing had changed with the large stone and coral fortress. Despite the fact that it was nighttime, the undersea palace was lit up by hundreds of wisp lanterns hanging on ribbons crisscrossed between the towers, or sat upon the edges of pebbled pathways. Tall spires of carved, twisting coral and granite curled up towards the surface high above them. The tallest spire sat in the middle of a circle of a dozen shorter towers, shining with shades of gold and reds. Rays of sunlight would cast down from the surface and light up the entire acropolis in a plethora of pastels and bright colors. A shimmering, translucent barrier was placed over the whole area, arching above the coral like a dome to keep out any threats.

Diedrich preferred his crystal caves nowadays, but he wouldn't deny his own nostalgic fondness for the Alcazar. After all, he'd helped build it.

The Alcazar was meant as a central safe haven for all their kind, where pods from all over the globe could stay in times of crisis. Alexius and his pod maintained the palace and used it as their permanent home, and the alpha merman made sure to keep an eye on any potential threats to their species so he could send out warnings to the other pods.

Thankfully, both he and Alexius had been able to lead his own family through the gates of the fortress just after the sun had set. The black-tailed merman had been anxious enough leaving behind some of his children in the shipwreck filled trench, and he was mildly relieved to at least insure the rest of his pod was now safe.

Alexius' own family were welcoming enough, and merging them had went a tad smoother than previously with Vash and his sibling. Gilbert and Antonio had reunited quite loudly and enthusiastically, having been close friends since childhood. Gilbert was his eldest son, and thus had lived with him here at the Alcazar until Roderich had been born and they had moved to find their own nest.

Too put it simply.

Antonio was Alexius' eldest, as well, and despite not being of the same blood, his wide-finned tail bared a great resemblance with his father's in that it had many decorative fins and spines. Truly the only difference was in color, as his was a dark crimson with lighter red and white splotches. He was nearly as large as Alexius himself, and took to his contagiously cheery personality—Diedrich still found it hard to believe they weren't actually related. Seeing Antonio next to his own son, with his sleek silver tail with black stripes down the side, almost an exact inverse of Diedrich himself, definitely only highlighted the oddness of their pairing.

However, Gilbert and Antonio had got along famously as pups, and the two stayed attached at the hip every time they visited the Alcazar.

Diedrich ran a hand over his pelvic fins, smoothing them out as he stared down into an illuminated arena. The ring of stone and steps of coral sat directly in the center of the largest tower, around fifty tail-lengths in diameter, and the space was mostly used as a meeting site for whenever the pods got together.

Now, it was just bustling with the two merged pods as everyone acquainted themselves with their hosts.

Abel had the twins on either side of him as they picked out fish to eat from a nearby granite bowl. On the other side of the bowl was Alexius' second eldest son, Fausto. The male was a year younger than Antonio, paler red in color with darker red and white splotches, and had more spines than fins. He and Abel were chatting casually, and then the red merman smiled easily as he began telling some exciting story to Bazil and Evicka. The twins looked riveted, almost forgetting to eat their dinner as Abel nudged them closer.

Gilbert was introducing Elizabeta to Antonio as his mate across the way, and the mermaid was currently being berated by enthusiastic congratulations and questions. Diedrich gave a small smile at the sight, crossing his arms as he leaned more against the column. Elizabeta had been a welcome addition to his pod, and when it was revealed that she and his eldest turned out to be soulmates just last cycle, he was even happier. The mermaid was a strong fighter, had a quick wit, and could easily keep Gilbert in line when his mischievousness got too out of hand.

So yes, he was indeed glad that circumstances allowed him to find her and bring her home. Hard to believe that was only three cycles ago, he thought, tucking a hair behind his ear. He thought back to his littlest boy, Killian, and tensed up. So much has happened since then.

Diedrich combed over the bonds connecting him to his three children resting back at the shipyard, not for the first time that evening. He was pleased to sense that they were peaceful and safe, probably sleeping now at the late hour. He was glad that Roderich had insisted on having Emma stay with them—not only to help heal Vash, as he surely didn't wish any more pain on the young merman, but to help protect them should anything happen. The mermaid specialized in healing and protection magic, and was more than capable in a fight. He knew Roderich, too, could fight, but it seemed his son was at quite the peculiar disadvantage, considering the situation.

All in all, they should be safe enough as long as they stayed inside the old shipwreck and didn't surface until morning.

I hope they stay hidden from its eyes.

Diedrich shook away his dark thoughts and let himself look over the rest of his family. Most were chatting with a few of the others or sharing a meal. He spied Ludwig hanging back on the outskirts of the arena, looking warily over the crowd of merfolk. Despite him trying to look stoic, he knew the younger merman was pretty hesitant around strangers.

The black-tailed male pitched his voice low and whistled, calling him over.

Ludwig looked relieved for something to do and quickly swam up to where the older merman was perched on the top of the arena. "Yes?"

Diedrich pushed himself off the column and leaned over the edge of the coliseum, pointing down at the menagerie of flashing tails. "Have you talked to any of the others yet?" His son blanched and looked away, holding his midsection as his shoulders hunched up. He chuckled a bit at the pout; his son looking like a dejected pup. He grabbed his hand firmly and dipped down over the edge, pulling him along. "Come on. I'll introduce you."

He felt Ludwig tense up even more, but when he glanced over his shoulder he saw a look of determination on his son's face that caused a stab of pride in his heart.

The larger male lead his son down until they were coming up beside Elizabeta. The mermaid looked over at him, seemingly grateful for his interruption. He just pulled Ludwig up between them and nodded at the flashy red merman opposite them. "Ludwig, I hope you at least remember Antonio here."

The silver-blue male hummed and met the other's olive gaze. "No."

"No?" Antonio covered his heart and gasped in mock horror. He fell to the side through the water as if he were fainting. "How cruel! I've known you since you were born."

Ludwig just shrugged. "Gil talks about you, but I don't remember anything."

"Don't worry, Toni!" Gilbert barked a laugh, patting his friend on the back as he helped him stay upright. "We can take Lutz out for a hunt tomorrow and tell him some stories of you pupsitting for him."

Ludwig attempted to protest but his voice went unheard as Antonio piped up happily, looking rejuvenated from his despair. The two friends proceeded to fall into a discussion about what areas to show him and which fish would be the most fun to chase.

Diedrich sent a pitying look to his younger son and began to usher him away for more introductions, but Elizabeta caught his eye. She flicked her gaze back and forth between him and Gilbert, mouthing the words, Take me with you. He dipped his head, and the trio quickly parted from the excitable pair.

He raked his eyes over the expanse of the arena, spotting Klaus alone across the way talking with two of the Alcazar pod. His son looked a bit intimidated, so he decided to lead Ludwig and Elizabeta over to defuse anything that might have been happening. As they approached, two more younger merboys crept up on Klaus out of the darkness of the steps, sharing grins with each other.

Diedrich slowed to a stop and held out his hand to halt Ludwig, who seemed ready to stop the sneak attack, and tilted his head at the small group. "Just watch."

The two merboys slunk through the dark crevice until they were close enough to touch his younger son, and they sent smiles to the other two who were keeping him distracted. Klaus had a naturally nervous disposition around others, and so he backed away from the young merman and mermaid in front of him who were chatting away animatedly, waving their arms and fins. As soon as his back touched the carved granite step Klaus instantly perked up. A second went by and the two merboys lunged out to try and grab him, but the teen quickly twisted to the side and the two barreled into their siblings, all four of them falling into the sand with squeaks of surprise.

Diedrich decided to swim over then, chuckling lightly as Klaus noticed his approach and beamed at him. He ruffled his sandy brown hair and looked over towards the other younglings, settling his focus on the largest one. "Beppe, aren't you a little old to be playing with these tricksters?"

The older male grinned and rolled out from under his siblings to float upright once more. He shook out his bright orange tail, the red stripes and spines flickering in the light from a nearby lantern. He gestured behind him at the pile of pups still disentangling themselves from each other.

"Just having a bit of fun," he snickered, smiling now back at Klaus. "Didn't mean anything by it."

"Of course." Diedrich glanced at Klaus as he came up beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I see you've already met Klaus, here. This is Elizabeta, Gilbert's mate, and Ludwig, who's around your age now that I think about it."

Beppe's green irises glinted excitedly and he twirled around in a circle. "Eh, really? Has he met Feli and Lovi yet?"

At Ludwig's quiet, "No," the bright orange male grabbed his arm and dragged him upwards, chattering away excitedly about his brothers. Ludwig tried sending pleading looks at his father for help, but the black-tailed merman just waved him away to go have fun. He could introduce him to the rest of the pod later, since it was important for his son to bridge out with others his own age.

Elizabeta nudged him and Diedrich looked at the triplets now sitting up on the sand, eyeing him timidly. He gazed over their wide pelvic and tailfins, and as they pushed off the sand to straighten up their long spinal fins arched high away from their chubby tails. One of the merboys had light brown hair with blue-green eyes, and the other two were blonde with blue eyes.

The last time he had seen these three was several cycles ago when they had all been smaller newborns curled around each other, hardly distinguishable from one another. He remembered the names Alexius had chosen for them, but not who they belonged to aside from the mermaid.

He decided to start there, reaching out a hand towards the little one. "Adora?"

Teal eyes blinked at him in surprise and she squeaked, automatically grabbing his hand with her two smaller ones. "You know my name?"

"Yes, I remember you three," he said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. He looked at her brothers. "Livio, Marcello. I was here when you were born."

Judging by how they reacted, he determined that the brown haired merboy was Livio, and the blonde Marcello. Each of their tails matched in shape and size, but differed slightly in color. Adora's scales were turquoise with teal stripes and tiny white speckles, and her aqua-colored and white webbed hands stood out vibrantly against his larger ebony colored one. Livio was a lighter blue shade with pale green stripes and similar white spots, his blue-green tint matching that of his eyes. Marcello stood out the most from the other two; his tail, hands, and eyes were a much darker blue, and his fins and webbing were a bright white against the navy that matched the light speckling he had down his flank.

They were only about half as old as Klaus, and they closely matched him in color—his own son's dirty white tail had blue tiger stripes down the spine and spotted across his fins. The triplets were more close in age to Bazil and Evicka, though, and he debated whether or not to call them over.

The three now looked much more relaxed than they had a moment ago, looking him up and down. Adora still held onto his hand, tugging it this way and that as she eyed him and Elizabeta. "Who are you?"

"I'm Klaus' father, Diedrich." The black-tailed merman urged the teen out from behind him, tenderly pushing him towards the three. Klaus stiffened as Adora moved her attention to him, running her hands through his hair and over his scales. He flinched away when Livio popped up to join her, asking why he didn't have bigger fins like them.

Diedrich huffed a small laugh at his son's expression, Elizabeta giggling beside him. The older mermaid decided to help Klaus out and lifted away Adora by the waist, twirling her around until she was laughing. "Look how beautiful you three are!" she cooed, picking up Livio next as she inspected him with a twirl. "I've never seen such radiant shades of blue before."

Klaus looked at her with relief and snuck beside his father's hip once more. He didn't push him away again.

"You know papa?" Marcello asked quietly, hanging back farther than his siblings. Diedrich watched as Elizabeta spun around and picked up the darker blue pup with ease, not wanting him to feel left out, and soon he was giggling along with his brother and sister.

"Yes, I grew up with him," he still answered diligently, unable to help his small smile as the mermaid easily swayed the triplets over to her side.

As if on cue, he felt a buzzing in his mind and a shift in the water. He looked directly above them to see Alexius in all his golden glory descending upon them with another youngster hanging off his neck.

He thought he felt a thread of unease echo through his thoughts, but decided to ignore it for the moment.

The grandiose alpha chirped an enthusiastic greeting to them, nuzzling his cheek against Diedrich's and grinning when the male swatted him away.

Alexius settled easily beside him and Klaus, watching as his three pups tackled Elizabeta into the sand in a mock attack. "How's everybody getting along?"

"Fine so far," Diedrich muttered, rolling his eyes as the other tucked a strand of his long blonde hair behind his ear for him.

"Good! I'm glad there's been no fighting." Alexius' smile softened as he carefully took the youngling off of his back, untangling his arms from around his neck. "My new girls are sleeping right now, so I'd hate it if they were woken up by shouting."

New girls? Alexius spied his surprised look and winked at him. "I'll show you my little pearls later."

Diedrich was about to protest when his attention caught on the youth now floating in front of the golden alpha. He swiftly recognized him as the sweet Stefano, and he was beyond pleased to see how much he'd grown. The smaller teen leaned upright against his father's chest, eyes cast downward. His chest, tail, and hair were a stark white, and his fins were soft and round, his tailfin quite large and flowy for his size. A sparse smattering of black spots ate at the edges of his tail, pelvic, and pectoral fins, leaving his body still mostly white. He had a rare ink spot over his left eye, standing out sharply against his paler than pale skin and scales.

Alexius ruffled his son's hair and tilted his chin up. "Your favorite visitor is here, Stef."

The adolescent blinked his icy blue eyes, milky with blindness, and gave a shy peep of excitement. "Vati?"

"Hello, young one." Diedrich felt himself melting, slightly peeved that Alexius knew this weak spot of his. However, he couldn't help the gentle purr that started up in his throat as the merboy reached out to him, and he easily took him into his arms. He pressed a soft kiss to the youngling's cheek. "You've gotten so big, I can hardly believe it."

"I have?" Stefano chirped, leaning back to vaguely look at him with those intense blue eyes of his. "I don't feel like it."

"Well you have." Diedrich glanced down to see Klaus looking at him quizzically, and he smirked at the jealous look he was giving the pale merboy.

He and Alexius had found Klaus and Stefano on the same day, in separate locations. Humans had been spotted fishing nearby for merfolk and disrupted nearly two whole pods before they could intervene. That's when he'd found Emma and Abel, and they had been younger than Bazil and Evicka were now, left orphaned after the attack. They kept them there in the Alcazar while the two alphas continued to search for survivors. They'd found Klaus hidden among some small rock formations, and Stefano curled up under some bleached coral. The two weren't siblings, so Diedrich decided to take his three pups home while Alexius kept Stefano for his own, both deciding that it would be safer for the blind youngling at the Alcazar anyways.

He didn't regret the decision, even if the blonde male had a severe fondness for the spotted pup, and was happy enough to see that both Klaus and Stefano were now only a few cycles away from adulthood.

Klaus tugged a bit on the teen's tailfin, causing him to squeak and look around. Diedrich gave his son a look, but Klaus was just staring over at the other youngster curiously.

Diedrich lowered Stefano in his arms, turning him towards his son. "In fact, you're as big as Klaus here. You two are the same age."

"Really?" The white youngling reached out cautiously, jumping slightly when Klaus grabbed his hand.

The white-blue tailed teen looked between Diedrich and Alexius as he let the other feel up his arm and shoulder, both hands now coming to rest on either side of his neck. He looked pointedly at the other youngling now, studying his eyes.

Diedrich sent him a quick mental note, He can't see.

Oh. Klaus raised his eyebrows, eyes wide in understanding.

"H-Hi," Stefano stammered bashfully, ducking his head.

"Hi," Klaus chipped, unsure what to do with someone more reserved than him.

"Can I . . . um?" Stefano tapped his cheeks lightly, flicking his white tailfin up against the merboy's blue striped one. Klaus just nodded and allowed the other to feel up his face, cheeks burning bright red at the curious treatment.

Alexius laughed beside him, leaning against Diedrich's shoulder. "No need to be so embarrassed, Klaus. Stef is just gettin' a feel for ya!"

"I got that," the juvenile huffed, closing his right eye as Stefano slowly thumbed over it. "I don't mind," he added quietly. His blush, however, darkened when the pale teen pressed the length of his tailfin against his own, sizing him up carefully.

"He's still bigger than I am," Stefano commented simply, turning his head to look the general direction that the two alphas were.

Klaus piped up quickly, spinal fin raising up frantically. "Ah, um, it's only a little bit longer. Your tailfin is wider than mine, though."

"Yeah?" Stefano looked back to him, smiling.

"Yeah, way wider!"

Diedrich watched the two teens affectionately as they got over their collective shyness and began eagerly talking with one another. He felt Alexius pull one of his pelvic fins, and the two of them floated a few meters away to watch over their combined families. It was surprisingly comforting to see all of them getting along, swimming and chatting and eating with one another. The black-tailed male didn't foresee how delighted it would make him feel to see both pods fully meeting each other for the first time. Usually, whenever he ventured to the Great Alcazar he would only bring Gilbert with him, and sometimes Roderich, though the violet male tended to prefer to stay home.

His thoughts returned to his missing children, his mood falling. Feeling over their bonds, he could sense . . .

Diedrich stiffened. His instincts kicked in and he instantly dashed out of a nearby window cut into the coral, ignoring the surprised yelps behind him. His heart rate sped up and he forced his tail to kick faster, propelling him hastily through the lantern filled acropolis. The sparking in the back of his mind urged him on, faster and faster, as he swam towards the barrier.

Emma was screaming for him. Desperate, unspoken pleas racking through his skull along the line of their bond. His littlest one, Killian, was nothing but a tightly constricted ball of distress, too frightened to reach out. Roderich was—

Diedrich stopped cold at the edge of the barrier, blood spiking with horror.

He could no longer sense his son.

"Diedrich! Aye, slow down, will ya?" Alexius called out to him, weaving around a coral tree to stop beside him. The golden merman fixed him with a confused look, shaking out his ruffled tail. "What the hell are you doing?"

The blonde merman just stared blindly out at the dark sea in front of him. He clutched his hands together, mind churning desperately for a coherent thought.

"Hey." Alexius grabbed his shoulder, gently paddling in front of him to catch his gaze. "Hey, asha." He forced himself to meet softening auburn eyes, unable to help his trembling body. "Tell me what happened."

"My son—" Diedrich couldn't even bring himself to be angry at his voice break, and he grabbed desperately at the merman before him. "I-I can't sense him anymore. Alexius, I can't—"

The golden male tensed up, eyes narrowing as he glanced over his shoulder. Diedrich could no longer keep himself upright, slumping forward into the other's embrace as a cry escaped him. He shouldn't have left them, he shouldn't have! Of course this would happen that night, of course. That's exactly what he'd been trying to avoid by rushing his family to safety. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying desperately to reach out to his children.

Emma had stopped calling for him now, but was still wrapped up in as much fear and dismay as her sibling. Killian was louder now, incoherently calling out across all their bonds. And Roderich . . .

A sharp, choking pain suddenly pierced his heart and seized his lungs. Diedrich doubled over, vision blurring as he gasped. All at once his strength was leaving him, and the bracing cold of nothingness was spilling into his veins. Alexius ducked down and held him by his shoulders, worried voice dull to his ears.

"Diedrich! Are you alright? What is—" The blonde cut him off, forcing his chin up to meet warm brown eyes.

"It has Roderich," he croaked out. "Alex, it has him. M-My baby, it—It has them all. Oh, Alex, my babies—!"

Golden tail fanning out in fury, the brunette lifted him up from the sand and held him close. Fingers danced through his hair, and Alexius embraced him tightly as he growled into his ear and heart, "I'll go."

Diedrich slumped weakly against a cool granite rock as the other alpha released him, before his glittering fins flashed brightly and he was gone.

...xXx...

Antonio - Spain
Fausto - Portugal
Beppe - Seborga
Adora - Andorra
Marcello - Malta
Livio - San Marino
Stefano - Vatican City

Don't worry, I'm dying inside at all the characters with you guys... (and there's even more to come, believe it or not *sweats*)

Most of the main pods for this fic have been introduced finally, yay~!