Chapter 3: Truths Revealed & Plans Set in Motion pt. 1

First off, I'm really sorry this took so long. I would've had it finished sooner if not for work and chores taking up most of my day. Originally chapters three and four were going to be one chapter, but it had a word count of over 13000, and I thought that would be too much to read in one sitting.

Port Royal

Thatch Residence

8am (Friday)

Despite the lack of sleep from the question of why destiny chose him, Eric was able to get a semi good rest as he came out of the bathroom. An hour after Ariel left, he had spent it staring at the sky for a sign for the answer to his question, but it never came. He and Dax returned to bed for the remainder of the trip home. The ship arrived in docks of Port Royal by 6am and then everyone went their separate ways home. Eric, Kida, Dax, Wally, and a still sleeping Sebastian all returned home by 6:45am, unpacked, and now going through their morning routines which would later include cleaning a very dusty house.

After leaving the bathroom, Eric walked through the hallway heading for the stairs when he passes by the open door to Ariel's room. Eric knocks on the door, "Ariel," he asked as he moved his head in to see if she was home yet. Only to find the room empty of life. 'She must still be at Atlantica,' he thought to himself as he walked past the room and headed for the kitchen for a morning shake, 'I hope it doesn't end like the last time,' he thought as he walked down the stairs remembering Triton's anger at his youngest daughter's tattoo.

Suddenly, Max came running out of Eric's room after just waking up, and seeing his master had left the room. "Arf Arf," Max barked happily around Eric who could only smile and laugh. "Good morning to you too Max," Eric said as he headed down the stairs with Max following him in order to gain breakfast and hopefully plan with him later on.

Kitchen

As soon as the Seablade Bearer walked into the kitchen with his faithful dog, his somewhat tired expression changed to that of surprise. At the table sat Kida with a plate of at the table eating a freshly made set of toast and eggs while reading a newspaper. Eric smiled as he takes in the good feeling of things back to normal, as if the adventure in China never happened, and they all had just returned from Atlantis for the first time.

"Good morning Eric," Kida said with a smile after putting the paper down.

"Good morning Kida," Eric answered happily as he walked over to the fridge for breakfast, "I hope the early wake up call didn't ruin a good night's sleep for you."

"No," she said as she went back her breakfast and the paper catching up on what happened in Port Royal since they were gone, "It was no different from morning practice where we had to be ready to be up at anytime for the hunt," Kida explained referring to her time with her uncle learning how to hunt before meeting the group. "However it was the mornings without any prey that made them hard," Kida added to that fact as there were days where no prey was out so it made the early wake up call a waste.

"I think everyone hates that," Eric mentioned as he looked through the fridge, "I really need to thank Mr. Whitmore for sending over food on our way back from Atlantis. We've been away for so long, all the food from the last grocery trip are probably rotten by now." Before they left the newly risen Atlantis, Mr. Whitmore had sent over food for the group to have when they got back. Just another good gesture from the long time friend of the Thatch family.

"He is a good man," Kida said after finishing a mouth full scrambled eggs, "I wish my father could have met him and your grandfather."

Eric smiled as he pulled out the fruits and vegetables out for the fridge, "Me too." He wished his grandfather was alive today so he could show him so much. Ariel, his girlfriend and future wife, his new friends, Atlantis, and now share all the adventures he'd been on.

"By the way," Kida said hoping to change the subject, "Have you seen Dax this morning? He was not here looking for clams this morning like he usually is." When she came for breakfast, Kida found the kitchen clean, no signs of left over clams anywhere which was strange for morning with Dax as a roommate. Normally there would be a pile of clam shells from his breakfast in the sink or on the table along with the lingering smell of clams in the room. Today however, there was no trace of the otter, shells, or the smell in the kitchen.

"He came home with us this morning," Eric said as he put wet dog food into Max's bowl, and placed it on the floor for him who happily began eating it. Eric looked around and noticed the lack evidence that Dax had been there as well, "Maybe he's still asleep somewhere."

"He left a while ago..."

A muffled and monotone voice responded as Eric and Kida looked around for the source. Until they found it lying in the middle of the table. It was Sebastian with his legs and claws spread out and his face flat on the table. "He woke me up with his search for clams this morning mon. When I woke up though to tell him to stop, he told me he was going to look for clams and that he'll be back after Ariel gets back from the-" his voice stops for a moment as if the reminder was a dreadful thought for him, "...ocean," he squeaked in fear.

"Sebastian," Eric asked surprised he was on the table of all places, "What's the matter and why are you lying on the table? I thought you would be sleeping in Ariel's room," he asked as he didn't notice that Sebastian was on the bed where he left him when they came home.

"Indeed," Kida asked, "If you are feeling sad, shouldn't you be in the garbage area?"

'She must be talking about down in the dumps,' Eric thought to himself with Kida having trouble with some sayings on the land. "Kida, down in the dumps means he's depressed-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH EEEEEEEEAAWWW WAAAHHHHH WWWAHHH!"

The two were interrupted from Eric attempting to clear up the meaning behind the saying by Sebastian crying out in horror.

"ARIEL WENT TO SEE THE KING! WITHOUT ME! HE'S BOUND TO HAVE KNOWN WHAT BEEN HAPPENING IN CHINA BY NOW," he yelled out as tears like waterfalls fell from his eyes, "THE KING WILL KILL HIMSELF A CRAB FOR ALL THE DANGER THE GIRL HAS PUT HERSELF IN FOR SURE!" He finished yelling before he put his head back down on the table as he continued to cry at his impending doom.

'Oh that's right. You were still asleep when we came back to the house,' Eric thought as he looked at Sebastian crying remembering that he carried him in and put him in Ariel's bed without waking him up. "Well she ask me to say sorry for leaving you when she was called," he said while awkwardly smiling hoping that would help. It didn't though as Sebastian's wailing only became worse. Eric walked over to the table and began to pat Sebastian in support, "Don't worry Sebastian. I'm sure that King Triton understands," Eric says to cheer Sebastian up, "It was supposed to be a simple exploration trip. No one was expecting the Mandarin to awaken at the same time." Unfortunately this did not work as Sebastian continued to weep in fear. Eric looked out the window at the view of the beach, "Besides the ocean is really calm today," he said as he picked Sebastian up with his left hand, "If King Triton was angry, the ocean would show it like in the legends," Eric explained as he showed Sebastian the sea.

Sebastian stopped sobbing to see that Eric was correct. The sea was currently calm. As if it was the aftermath of a storm and the sea was resting from the force of the storm stirring it up. "You're right mon," Sebastian said with a sense of calmness in his voice and hope in his eyes, "Whatever they are talking about must be going well," he said as he looked at Eric and Kida with relief, "I bet they're having a great time right-"

"SLAM!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH WWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHH WWWWWWWAAAA!"

As soon as the sound of the door was heard, Sebastian's confidence ran out the door as he jumped down and started to cry at the feet of the one who opened the door, "I'M SORRY YOUR MAJESTY! SHE WAS TOO FAR IN BY THE TIME I CAUGHT UP WITH HER! I TRIED TO STOP HER AFTER THINGS GOT OUT OF CONTROL! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEEE," he yelled out while crying and begging for forgiveness due to thinking it was the King or another one of his daughters sent to retrieve him.

"Sebastian..."

Sebastian stops crying from the sound of his name from above him as he looks up to see the owner. It was Ariel back in her casual attire minus her boots and slightly wet as she had just come out of the ocean. Sebastian looks at Ariel and chuckles nervously, "Ummm... Good morning Ariel. We were just saying that the meeting with your father would go off without any trouble," he said nervously as she hid his claws behind him before awkwardly smiling. Ariel doesn't say anything for a minute, then she picks the crab up, and placed him on the table for his own safety. As he is lifted up, Sebastian's awkward smile becomes one of confusion and concern when he sees Ariel's expression which goes unseen by the two other teens.

Eric and Kida smiled at seeing their friend home. "Welcome home Ariel-," Eric happily said as he always felt a relaxing energy when with his future wife, "How did the-" he stops when he sees what made Sebastian's expression change. A very sad look in Ariel's eyes as if her confidence had been damaged. "What's wrong Ariel," he asked worried that something had happened back under the sea.

She looked at Eric's concerned expression along with Kida's and Sebastian's who were worried about her. She sighed as the feeling of anger and her hurt feelings slowly faded away at their presence, "Well it could have been a lot worse," she replied as she put Sebastian on the table, walked over to Eric, and hugged him. Eric was caught by surprise by this but soon returned the hug thinking the meeting didn't go well. She rested her head on his shoulder, 'I could stay in his arms like this forever,' she thought as she took in the warmth of Eric's body, and the feeling of safety she felt whenever she was near him.

Eric was blushing at his future wife suddenly hugging him, the warmth of her body, her arms on his chest, and the sweet smell of the ocean breeze coming off of her hair. He could tell when Ariel was happy, sad, or bothered about something, and right now she was bothered with something. "Ariel," he started to ask what was wrong.

"Thanks," Ariel broke the hug and smiled at her fiance, "I needed that."

Eric nodded his head, "I could tell," he said with a smile, "Are you ready for some breakfast," he asked her in case she didn't eat anything back in Atlantica.

"Am I ever, thanks," she said as she walked over to the cupboard for some bread to make toast with jam on it. That was something else she discovered about the surface, about fruits and vegetables that was found on trees or out of the ground. One of her favorites was strawberry jam with toast.

Eric and Kida smiled at the return of Ariel's positive mood even if slightly as she gathered all she needed for her morning meal, but Sebastian was still worried about what he kind said, and it was driving him nuts waiting for the answer. The two other teens sat back down at the table as Kida continued to eat her breakfast.

"So was everyone able to get a good night's sleep after getting home," Ariel asked as she put the bread in the toaster as she was hoping to not have to bring up the family meeting quite yet.

"Indeed," Kida said as she finished another bite of her eggs, "At least we did," Kida said as she referred to everyone in the household, "Once we arrived at port, Mr. Whitmore had a ride ready for us to go home with all our souvenirs." It was no surprised that during the trip, Eric and his friends had found many treasures over the travels in China on their quest to stop the Mandarin. Including the experiences they gained in their skills and the bonds that grew stronger between them and the new friends they made such as Ralph the gentle giant and Olette the former mad mermaid.

"Yep," Eric added after he finished his shake, "All your bags of things are safe in your room waiting to be added to your collection."

Ariel smiled with joy at this due to her love of collecting new things from the surface. After the managing to survive the army of the Mandarin, the heroes were able to celebrate and really treat their trip to China as a vacation and collect a large amount of treasures. "Thank you. I can't wait to sort them," she said as she finished setting up for breakfast with the plate, butter knife, and jam by the table. She then sat down at the table waiting for the bread to pop out. She then looked around at Eric and Kida smiling and enjoying the peace of the moment. 'They want me to talk about it,' she thought knowing that was the subject on their minds even if they didn't mean it to be. She then looked at Sebastian who was smiling but his eyes were asking her what happened in order to calm his nerves. She laughed a little bit, "You all want me to talk about what happened with Daddy don't you," she asked knowing that was on their minds.

'Boy am I easy to read,' the Sea Blade Bearer, the Child from Atlantis, and the Court Composer of King Triton thought in defeat.

Eric exhaled in defeat, "Yes," he admitted but he then reached for Ariel's hand, "But only because we're worried it didn't go well," he said remembering how sad she was when she walked in. "When you're ready to talk about it," he said with a reassuring smile on his face, "I'll be ready to listen like when you listen to my problems."

Ariel blushed at his words as he was willing to wait until she wanted to talk rather than force it out. She looked at Kida and Sebastian who gave the same assuring smiles that they would wait even if Sebastian was going mad with wanting to know if the King was angry at him. "Thank you," she said as she looked at them with a smile of renewed confidence, "all of you." The Youngest Daughter of the Sea King took a deep breath as she prepared herself to tell them. "Okay, the truth is that when Flounder and I went to see Daddy, he was angry at me for going into danger. Especially when Eric was off on his own training," Ariel started to tell them. This however lead to Sebastian biting his claws in fear of what would be said next.

"But that was not yours or Sebastian's fault," Kida said knowing that events unfolded beyond their control, "No one could have been prepared for what we found there. In fact Eric was telling Sebastian the same thing before you returned."

"So did I," Ariel replied to that, "I was expecting the usual angry yelling from him to be honest... But then he said how proud he was of how far I've come since leaving home and that my mother would be too," she finished with comfort in her voice at the better part of the conversation.

"Pheeewwwww," Sebastian said after he stopped chewing his claws in fear when he heard the King wasn't as angry as he thought he would be.

Ariel then sighed sadly as she looked down, "But then he and Arista said they wanted another set of eyes along with Sebastian to make sure I didn't get into any unnecessary danger. Even after hearing about my reasons to train with the WaterBending Masters," she finished remembering how angry she was at that.

"I KNEW IT! THE KING WANTS-" Sebastian started to yell in fear of his doomed fate. Until he processed what Ariel had said as he went bug eyed, "He wants me to have a partner," he asked clearly stupefied by the king's plan.

"More like a babysitter," Ariel said with a mix of anger and sadness in her voice as she looked down at the table. If Eric and Kida could see past Ariel's hair which was covering her face, they would see a sad expression on her face, "I just don't understand it," she started to say, "I've fought against dead pirates, trained with WaterBending Masters, helped fight off an immortal army, and even helped raise a lost continent. Yet my father and even my sister still treats me like I'm a five year old," she said feeling like she would always be seen as the Max walked over and placed his head on Ariel's thigh as he whimpered trying to comfort her. Ariel slightly smiled as she began to pat Max's head.

Kida who had a sympathetic expression on her face, walked over, and patted Ariel's right shoulder. "I know what that is like Ariel. It took many years before father allowed me to learn how to hunt and fight, let alone going on hunting trips with my uncle," Kida revealed as her father's need to protect her was just as strong as King Triton's.

Ariel looked up and smiled at her friend, "Thanks Kida," she said, but then Ariel looked to the side where a silent Eric was sitting, "You don't think I need extra protection," she asked her boyfriend and true love worried he would take her father's side in this discussion, "Do you?"

Eric was quiet as he looked at Ariel's nervous expression at his answer along with Kida and Sebastian as they looked at him waiting for his answer as well. "Of course not," Eric immediately said, "If anything, the bad guys are the ones that need protecting from your waterbending skills," he said while smiling admitting how skilled he saw Ariel as with her bending. This earned him a beautiful smile of happiness from Ariel who was glad that he wasn't underestimating her. "But I can also understand why his highness brought it up," Eric continued as the others became silent to hear his reasoning, "I mean, I did leave the group after the City of the Mandarin to protect everyone from Seifer, so I can understand his reasoning behind it."

"Daddy did use that example in the meeting," Ariel admitted as the king used that as an example of the danger she was in, "But I stood up for you since you did that to protect us."

"Thanks Ariel," Eric said as he knew Ariel would stand up for him just as he would do the same for her, "I know that what your father and sister said sounded hurtful, but I don't think they meant it to be. For them, you were miles away from the sea, and they had no way of getting to you in time. I think even if they had the wrong idea for how to protect you, they had the best intentions at heart."

Ariel looked surprised at Eric's answer, he wasn't taking her father's side but Eric could see the reasons behind her father's idea. "I never thought of it that way," she admitted as she looked down at the table feeling saddened for what she said, especially Arista who were only trying to help her, 'I went through the same thing worrying about Eric and the others, but my family had it worse since they were even further away...'

Eric looked at Ariel's sad expression as he then felt bad about his answer making it worse without meaning to, "Ariel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it-" He was stopped by Kida holding her hand in front of him. Eric looked at Kida who had a sad yet serious expression on her face. Kida shook her head no as if trying to tell Eric he didn't do anything wrong. He understood that but still didn't feel any better about it.

Kida on the other hand didn't like seeing her friend like this anymore than Eric did. 'There must be something we can do,' Kida thought as she looked at Ariel feeling blue from her meeting. She then noticed an article in the paper that caught her eye. She picked up the paper and took a closer look at the article, 'This could work,' she thought in excitement at the idea.

"Eric," Kida said getting the couple's attention as she looked at a particular article in the paper, "The morning parchment mentions an event of some sort for the end of the Sokumr."

Eric who was unsure what Kida was talking about walked over as she handed him the newspaper to see what she was referring to. After a quick look, he found the article, and suddenly understood what Kida was talking about. "Oh yeah. The Summer Festival. I completely forgot about this," Eric said as he looked at the picture with the date and time.

"The Summer Festival? What's that," Kida asked as Ariel walked over and looked over Eric's right shoulder at the article while Kida looked at it from Eric's right side.

"It's a weekend party that's held at the end of the summer that everyone is invited to," Eric began to explain, "There are games, different kinds of food, activities, a live band, and fireworks on the last night. It's sort of Port Royal's way to saying goodbye to summer vacation since school starts that week."

Ariel gained an excited expression on her face, "That sounds a lot like the carnival I went to once with Arista," she said as she remembered the time she was beached when she argued with Arista in front of Triton. It turned out to be a good thing when alligators tried to rob the royal treasury. The sisters were able to overcome their differences, stopped the robbery, and earned their father's permission to go.

"I remember dat day," Sebastian who was on Ariel's shoulder said as he remembered being kidnapped and amazed at the teamwork the two bickering sisters showed that day.

"I have never been to one of these festivals," Kida admitted as she looked at the paper as well, "Atlantis was always struggling to survive, so the closest thing to that would be the coronation and wedding of my sister and Milo, and the celebration of Atlantis returning to the surface. Have you ever been to this party Eric?"

"Not for the last few years. I usually went surfing all day before school started and the weather became cold again," Eric explained as his hopes of seeing Ariel again was stronger than going to the fair. He had hoped that when the beach was empty all but him, he would get his chance to see her again with the beach being empty. Eric than chuckled, "That and Frey kept trying to get me to date of the girls that came to visit Port Royal for the summer," he admitted as he remembered all the times that Frey would try to get him to forgot the mystery girl and hook up with a real girl, 'Fortunately for me, my patience was rewarded with a one of a kind girl,' he thought to himself.

"In that case," Kida said as she stood up straight with a smile of enthusiasm on her face, "We should go to festival and give our goodbyes to the summer the best we can," she finished as she looked at the others for their responses.

"That's a great idea," Ariel said with a smile on her face, "A festival is just the thing we need to relax and let loose after our adventures in China."

"As long as it's not like that time we went clothes shopping," Sebastian said getting Ariel's attention, "Than I'm all for it too," he finished as he remembered the kitchen where he saw all the cooked fish. He shivered from the chill in his spine caused by the memory of it.

Ariel smiled at Sebastian's answer as she looked at Eric, "Will you come Eric," she asked hoping his answer would be yes.

Eric nodded at the idea, "That's not even a question," he responded as he put the paper down, "Of course I'll come. A day without the world in danger with everyone is just what I need," he finished as he saw it as a time to spend with Ariel and the others and get his mind off his destiny.

"Fantastic," Ariel said with the idea of the joys of the festival going through her mind, the new kinds of food, activities, music, and time alone with Eric went through her mind as she imagined the two of them kissing under the light of fireworks. Ariel snapped out of her daydream as she had an idea as shown with her face becoming bright from it. "I just had an idea," she started as she headed for the door.

"Ariel," Eric started as he tried to stop Ariel, "Wait a minute-"

"Don't worry," she said as she headed for the door outside, "I'll be back in a little while. I'm just going to take care of something to make the festival even better." She walked out with Sebastian holding on to her shoulder strap and then stuck her head back in a second later, "See you both later today," she said as she waved goodbye before moving away from the door.

Eric just looked at Ariel leaving as he waved weakly, "It's just-" he started just as the toaster popped with her toast, "You forgot your breakfast," he said weakly before he sighed in defeat. "I'll just leave it for when she gets back. I wonder what she had in mind though," he asked out loud wondering what Ariel had in mind. He looked at Kida, "What do you think Ki-" he started to ask only to see Kida staring into space with a blush on her face. She was currently imagining spending her first festival with Frey and then the two kissing under the starry sky. A Confused Eric and Max looked at the Atlantean Warrior Princess unsure what to think of this. He finally chuckled to himself before sighing to himself while putting his hands behind his head, "Its good to be home," he finally said out loud enjoying this peaceful time.

Atlantica

At the same time in the palace, Arista swam through the hallways on her way to her room. 'Why don't you understand Ariel,' Arista asked herself in confusion about Ariel denying her family's help, 'We're all just worried about you. So why are you taking the Seablade Bearer's side over your family's?' She finally arrived at the door to her room, only to see a large pile of letters addressed to her and her sisters next to her door. She sighed in exhaustion knowing what those were, 'Oh no. This is the last thing I need right now,' she thought as she entered her room ignoring the letters.

Inside was the shared bedroom the sisters had used for years, the same old room with all of their things and beds in the same positions. However unlike the last few days when it was usually filled with girls getting ready for the day, it was an empty with only Arista in it. She swam over and fell onto the bed with her back up and a look of frustration and sadness on her face as her head rests on her pillow.

'Why did she have to leave us for that fish eating human,' she thought to herself. Ever since Ariel went to live on the surface, things weren't the same in Atlantica. Sure Ariel being there didn't affect her royal schedule along with her sisters' schedules, but seeing Ariel happy, and going on an adventure with her from time to time was fun for her. A way for Arista to get away from her royal duties. But after Ariel traded Atlantica for the surface, things slowly changed. The happiness that Ariel brought to them, the same that saved the kingdom from Triton's guilt over his wife's death slowly weakened. The sisters were shocked to learn of what happened to their sister, even more so that their father would allow it. Their greatest fear was their youngest sister being a victim of humans, however news of that never came from Sebastian. When the stories of Ariel and her friends adventures reached Atlantica through the residents of the sea, the citizens were amazed and inspired by her achievements, and began to look at Eric and his friends in a new light. Her family however despite being proud of her, was also shocked by how much danger she ended up in.

She exhaled as if trying to get the feeling of defeat out of her system. Unfortunately this didn't work. She looked to her left of her bed to see her old sea clarinet that she used to play when she was in the Cat Fish Band. "Aaahhh," she sighed as she sat up on her bed, picked up the instrument from the floor, and looked at it with nostalgia in her eyes as she smiled at it. 'Those were some of the best times,' the third youngest daughter of Triton thought to herself, 'Being in front of the cheering crowd, the music from the band all around me, and just being a part of it,' she thought as she remembered all of her time with the band. Unfortunately, it didn't last due to the band going on tour. She had to leave the band due to her royal duties in Atlantica. Fortunately, her bandmates understood, and said she would always be a member of the band to them. That made her leaving feel better but all of her duties kept her from practicing her instrument. 'With helping daddy with appearances, my sisters with their problems, and Ariel, I feel like all that would come out is noise,' she thought as she put her instrument back by her bedside dresser.

Unfortunately, the warm moment she had ended as she remembered her present problem with Ariel. Arista's eyes formed an angry glare as she the thought of Ariel's actions played out in her mind, "Does your family's concern mean nothing to you," she asked herself in anger as she grabbed her pillow, placed it on her face, and screamed her without disturbing anyone else in earshot of her frustrated scream. As if the scream had all her strength put into it, Arista fell backwards onto her bed out of exhaustion, only to feel a pain in the back of her head. "Oww! What the-" she started to ask as she got up to look at what her head landed on.

As she looked at the spot, her face becomes surprised at what she saw. There sitting where her pillow would usually be was a familiar looking square green object. She reached out and picked up the object as she moved so she was sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at the object with wide eyes, "So this is where I hid it last," Arista said out loud as she turned the object around to see a familiar cover. It was none other than the book Ariel found all those years ago, the Legend of the Giants. After that first night, Ariel would read it out loud every night. That made it hard for Arista to sleep due to how much the story of giant monsters scared her, so when Ariel was away one day, Arista hid the book in a different hiding place each day. When Ariel asked if she'd seen it, Arista said she probably misplaced it somewhere. After Ariel had given up, Arista stopped moving it, and forgot all about it.

Despite feeling uncomfortable holding something she knew scared her, the mermaid opened the book, and skimmed through the pages as she looked at the illustrations of the story. Only to cringe in fear of the ones of the giants eating people. Her face showing awkward fear on it after seeing the parts of the story that scared her when she was younger, 'It was scary when I was younger and it's just as nerve wracking now,' she thought as she closed the book 'Aside from Ariel, who would believe such a-'

Knock Knock

Arista's train of thought was derailed by a knock on the door which caused her to jump in surprise and hold the closed book tightly to her body.

"Arista?"

She knew that voice anywhere, it was her father's voice coming from outside the door, "Yes Daddy? You can come in," she said giving the okay for her father to come in. The King of the Seas without his trident swam into the room and over to Arista's bed.

Triton looked at his third youngest daughter who had her back turned and head down showing she was depressed. Not that he could blame her after how Ariel responded to their idea of another set of eyes to make sure she was safe. "How are you doing," he asked her as he sat next to his daughter.

"Fine I guess," Arista admitted as she knew Ariel response could have been a lot worse, "How about you daddy," she asked.

"Fine," Triton admitted, "Although I realize I could have handled my request to Ariel a little better," he said feeling like he might have had a better response if he did not make it sound he wanted a babysitter for Ariel.

"You didn't handle it wrong daddy," Arista protested as she looked at her father's depressed expression, "Ariel is the one who took it the wrong way. I think she has become overconfident from her time on land."

"Yes. She has come a long way since leaving home," Triton admitted, "But I'm still proud of her as I am of you Arista and your sisters. I know it's been hard though with your sisters being away, I'm in royal meetings all day, and you being here by yourself," Triton said comforting his daughter knowing how lonely she must be feeling.

Arista thought about it for a moment before a memory flashes back before her eyes.

Flashback

Two days earlier, the bedroom of Triton's daughters was filled the sounds of teenage girls packing in a hurry.

"Hurry girls," the eldest sister, Attina said as she grabbed the last few things she needed to pack from her shelf, "Our ride will be here any minute," she finished as she swam over to the window to see if the ride had arrived yet.

As the eldest kept an eye out for their transport, four of her seven sisters were getting ready. Alana was packing as many beauty products she needed for the trip, Adella was packing accessories to get the boys attention, Aquata was carrying her bags of things and hiding other items of hers to ensure Arista didn't use them while she was away, and Andrina was packing all the things she needed including her joke notes.

"We're hurrying Attina," Aquata said as she packed her night mask, "But you didn't give us much notice about this plan of yours."

"She's right," Alana said as closed her bag, "You only told us about your plan yesterday," she finished as she carried it over to the door.

Attina swam back over and moved her bag by the door. "There was no time. Besides with how the news has been moving through the sea lately," Attina explained as she moved her own bags by the door, "We would be followed for sure by more royal messengers."

"Oh come on. It's not that bad," Adella said as she sat on her bag in order to fit everything in, "I mean sure, Ariel gets tons of fan mail and wedding proposals, but we've been getting them just as much. Sure we keep having reporters ask us about Ariel making it hard to have any privacy but it's better than bad publicity, right," she asked her sisters. With Ariel being on land most of the time, her sisters had been approached my reporters and fans for questions about their younger sister. That and their popularity also sky rocketed to the point of receiving marriage proposals as well. "Besides some of the reporter merman are pretty cute," the boy crazy Adella said with the idea of so many boys to choose from.

This caused her sisters to sigh at Adella's search for a boyfriend. Andrina, the jokester of the family simply made a funny face by pushing her cheeks in with her index fingers behind her boy crazy sister's back. "I for one am all for this trip," Andrina said after stopping as she picked up her bag, "Ever since the reporters and royal messengers started to show up, it's been harder and harder to enjoy an afternoon of swimming with the dolphins without a request to talk popping up." Aside from joking around, Andrina loved swimming with her dolphin friends, and exploring like Ariel except around the ocean rather than the looking for items from the surface. "Most of them are killjoys who don't seem to take jokes at all," Andrina finished as she put her bag with the others after swimming over with it.

"Right," Alana said not really taking that last part seriously. She looked at Adella, "So how did Arista take the plan when you told her Adella," she asked her sister wondering how Arista reacted when she was told about it.

Adella snapped out of her boy daydream as she gained a confused look on her face while looking at Alana, "What? I- I thought Aquata told her since it she talks to Arista the most," Adella answered as she referred to Aquata and Arista's arguing over Aquata's things.

Aquata put her bag down just in time to hear her sister's answer and gain her own surprised expression. "But I thought Attina was going to tell her since it was her idea," Aquata said as she looked at the eldest sibling who gained her own surprised expression.

"I thought Alana was because of her going with her to the store this morning," Attina said referring to when Alana asked Arista to help her buying groceries and helping her avoid the royal messengers in town.

The four girls gained became worried thinking that Arista wasn't informed of the plan as a silence of hurried thinking filled the room.

"Why didn't anyone assume I was going to ask her?"

The silence was broken by Andrina who was the only one who wasn't assumed she was going to tell Arista. Before they could answer the second youngest daughter, the loud slam of the door filled the room.

The girls looked in the direction of the door to see Arista who has her back against the door with her arms spread across it, and a look of panic on her face shown by her wide eyes, and open lips revealing her clenched teeth. "What do I have to tell the royal messengers that my answer is no," she asked out loud before taking in a deep breath from quickly swimming to avoid their requests. She looked at her sisters to see all of them with their packed bags and surprised looks as they looked at Arista at the door. A confused Arista looked at her sisters as they were now caught red handed, "What's going on here? Are we going somewhere and someone forgot to tell me," she asked both confused and slightly annoyed at that.

"Not exactly but I'm sorry," Attina said as she swam over to Arista, "We all thought one of us told you what was going on. But no one did."

'Although Alana had the best chance,' Adella, Aquata, and Andrina thought to themselves.

"The truth is Alana won a contest at the store she goes to the Winter Land Resort and we only found out about this yesterday," Attina explained to her sister as comfortable and reasonable as she could.

"I see," Arista said understanding the late notice as she had been trying to avoid the messengers all morning after picking up some items at the store. "I can start packing now and be ready in a few minutes though."

"No you can't," Alana said looking sympathetic for her sister, "You see, the prize was only five tickets. So only five of us can go."

Arista looked disappointed at this new piece of news, "Oh... So basically I'm being left behind to deal with the suitors while the rest of you go and hide from them," Arista said pretty much seeing what her sisters were up to. The fact that they didn't try to deny it and looked nervous from her seeing through their plan didn't help either.

"Well that's one way to look at it," Andrina said smiling nervously at this, "But there's actually another really good reason why you're staying- I mean we need you here," she explained while correcting herself.

Arista looked confused by her younger sister's comment as Aquata swam over to her.

"You see I heard Daddy said he plans to call Ariel back when she's on her way back from Atlantica to talk to her. This will be the first time Ariel has been home in months and could be the best time to convince her to stay here rather than on the surface," Aquata explained the details of Arista's role in the plan.

"But she won't listen to me let alone agree to that," Arista argued as she saw the uselessness of this plan, "She's too in love with that human Eric, especially now that they're engaged to each other. Besides that didn't work last time when you went to get her Aquata."

"True," Adella responded while she was at the window keeping an eye out for the bus, "But last time Eric was here to talk with Daddy as well. This time, he won't be here to distract Ariel. Just convince her to stay until we get back in a week and we'll all be here to help you fully convince her."

"Besides," Aquata said getting a still unconvinced Arista's attention, "You're closer to her than we are, so you have a better chance of getting her to stay here."

"We haven't been that close since the concert though," Arista brought up as she still didn't believe she could do this, "Besides, how do I get her to-"

"The bus is here," Adella said out loud as she swam for bag with an excited expression on her face, "See ya Arista."

"Bye."

"Good luck."

"Have a good week and please don't tell the messengers where we are."

Aquata, Andrina, and Alana said as they followed after Adella out the door past Arista and Attina. She picked up her bag and swam over to Arista who had a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry we dopped this on you out of the blue," she apologized to her younger sister, "I know you'll be able to do it Arista," she said before hugging Arista. She broke the hug and swam out the door, "Good bye," she said as she swam down the hall.

Arista floated there feeling defeated in this and felt like this wasn't going to work, "Bye," she said weakly feeling like she had just gotten the short end of the coral. She sighed in defeat before swim over to the window to see the girls pile in. She waved goodbye doing her best to maintain a smile despite the sadness in her heart. The bus pulled away and Arista was left alone with the most difficult job she ever had.

End of Flashback

Arista snapped out of the memory that played before her eyes, "Yes... It's been so lonely," Arista said as a part of her didn't mind the quiet after her sisters made their request to try and keep Ariel in Atlantica. 'I'm in no rush for them to get home to find out Ariel isn't here,' she thought to herself as she sighed and looked down. "Daddy, do you miss Ariel," she asked him.

"Every day," he answered while holding Arista's shoulder, "I miss her everyday just as I would miss you and your sisters if any of you were away."

Arista turned to face her father, "But why do you allow her to stay up there," she asked him, "Ursula hasn't been seen in months and she could appear anytime. Wouldn't Ariel be safer if she was here with us and not on the surface," she finished. She thought that since Ariel would be targeted by Ursula at anytime, she would be safer with her family rather than on the surface far from them.

The king looked at his daughter, an example of his prejudice way of thinking of humans. Years of hating them for hunting fish and polluting his ocean, "There are times I think so as well," King Triton said, "But I always remember that keeping her in one place is what caused all of this. My law of staying away from the surface and destroying her treasures is what led her to go to Ursula. I may not like the fact that she's living on land, but I know she's happy there, and with her new friends. That's enough for me," Triton admitted to his daughter showing that he had a great deal of guilt for causing all this.

Arista looked surprised by this as she looked away taking in the fact that her father was okay with all this while also taking responsibility for what he did. 'Still... She could still be,' Arista thought in concern for her sister of the surface world and humans.

King Triton looked at his daughter knowing she was feeling lonely without her sisters around her the band she was in on tour in another part of the ocean. He then noticed the book next to Arista's side. "Arista, what's that next to you," he asked her.

Arista snapped out of her train of thought from her father's voice as she looked at what Triton was referring to. "Oh this," she asked as she passed the book to him, "It's something Ariel found when she and I were still kids. She wanted to explore a sunken human ship but I was afraid she would get hurt, so I went with her," she explained as Triton looked at the book.

"She was looking at human things even back then," he asked in shock. He was angry when he found out about her collection, but he never thought about how long she had been doing it for.

"I don't know how long, but I only went once with her since you were away that day," she answered honestly, "I didn't know she continued to collect them either because she didn't really invite me."

"I see," Triton he said as he looked through the book when a thought occurred to him, "Was that why you and Ariel were arguing during the last carnival," he asked remembering when he had to beached Ariel and Arista from the carnival.

Arista looked away, "That was... part of the reason," she said remembering that day. It started out bad, but then became great when the two were able to mend their bond by stopping alligators from robbing the royal treasury. 'That was probably the last time she and I did anything together,' she thought sadly at how her sisterly bond with Ariel was weakening again even before she left Atlantica. She then noticed her father looking surprised by the book's contents, "It's a ridiculous story isn't it," Arista said out loud showing she didn't believe it, "A land filled with giant human eating monsters and coral that can reach the sky," she continued while comparing the beanstalk to coral, "Only humans would think of such a far fetched story as that," she finished while laughing to herself.

"The story is real."

Arista stopped laughing when she heard what her father said. She looked at the king a little surprised by his words, "You mean it's a real big lie right," she asked him hoping she misheard him.

"No Arista," King Triton said as he closed the book and looked at the cover nostalgically, "It's a true story. I never thought that humans would remember it though."

Arista was now filled with a mix of fear and confusion as she took this in. Finally she weakly laughed a bit, "Okay, I get it. You're joking daddy," she said while continuing to laugh, "That's a good one. You- you had me going there for a few seconds."

"I'm serious Arista," Triton said with no sense of humor in his voice as he looked at his daughter. He looked back at the book, "This book is the human side of the story my grandfather Neptune told me when I was very young," he explained to his daughter, "Of how monsters from the sky invaded the land, how a noble human king asked for Neptune's aid along with the King of Atlantis to protect the world." He opened the book and turned to the page of the battle with the three armies, "One of the first kings of Atlantica and wielder of the Trident led the army of the sea," he explained as he pointed at the army using water to fight the giants. He then pointed to the army calling down lighting, "The army of the skies were the Atlanteans," he continued as he turned the page to the page with the three kings, "When the war ended, the world celebrated like never before. It was a time when humans, Atlanteans, and Merfolk lived in peace. However before departing, the three leaders agreed to take, and hide each relics of the war to ensure they never be misused. We kept the Crown of Giants, the Atlanteans took the Stalkman Staff, and King Erik kept the seeds and agreed to take them to their graves." He closed the book again and traced his hand across the book.

"So there are giants that eat humans in one bite out there," Arista said calmly as she took that in while trying to hide the fear from her childhood, "The whole story is true."

"Yes," Triton admitted, "But the giants are trapped in their homeland and the only way to bridge the gap between the surface world and theirs is hidden in King Erik's grave. Just like how the crown is buried with the previous king of Atlantica with the tomb hidden from our records. Besides, the humans have most likely believe it's just a fairy tale."

"Yeah, but still," Arista said as she was still taking this in, "To think something so unbelievable-"

"Excuse the intrusion your majesty..."

King Triton and Arista turned to see Horace the Seahorse by the door bowing in respect before looking up again, "But the rulers of the other seas have arrived for the yearly meeting."

"Thank you Horace, I'll be right there," the king said as he saw Horace bow again before she swam to the royal meeting room. "We'll talk later tonight," he said as he hugged Arista. After a minute, he let go, and swam for the door.

"Daddy," Arista asked before he left the room, "Do you trust the human Eric," she asked him wanting to know his answer.

"Before all of this, my answer would've no," he said, "But after all I've heard of his actions, about how far he'll go to protect Ariel and his friends, and how much he truly loves her. Yes, I do along with his friends. I now believe that there are some good humans and I'm happy knowing my daughter is with one of them," he answered honestly without a sign of lying on his face.

A wide eyed Arista took that in but didn't say anything for a moment. "Thanks Daddy," she said with a smile, "For listening to me. Have a good meeting." She saw her father nod and swim out of the room, she exhaled heavily and sat back down on the bed. 'Wow... This day is just full of surprises,' she thought to herself as she took in her father's new look on humans and his feelings about Ariel on land. But the one thing that was the biggest shock to her was the story that scared her being non fiction. 'Aside from that though, if I don't do something and soon, Ariel may never come home even if Ursula is captured. But how can I talk to her without Eric in the way,' she thought to herself as she tried to think of a way.

The deep in thought mermaid looked to her left where Aquata's bed was along with her bedside table. On the table, left behind by Aquata was the bracelet, the very same one she used to visit Ariel on land with legs. Arista swam over and looked at it as an idea began to flow into her mind, one that made her feel uncomfortable, "If I can't bring her back... I'll just have to go to her," she said to herself knowing what she had to do as she picked up the bracelet.

Chapter 4: Truths Revealed & Plans set in Motion pt. 2