"Ariel," Eric said with a smile as he ran his hand down her warm belly. The sun was shining directly above them and the ocean water was calm and blue. Her eyes were closed as she lied there, basking in the hot rays. He stared at her delicate features and bright red hair and wondered what she was thinking.

"Hmm?" she let out with a raised eyebrow, eyes still closed.

"Do you remember the last time we were here? Like this?" he asked. She nodded. "I was so nervous," he added.

"Why?" she smirked at him. He propped his head up in his hand. "What did you think when you first found me?" she asked. He laughed to himself and looked off into the distance.

"Well, when I saw you I knew you needed help. There was a connection we shared when you'd look into my eyes. I couldn't explain it, I still can't explain it. It wasn't as strong right away, but the more time I spent with you, the faster it grew. You know, I was obsessed with finding the mystery woman. But at the same time, I had you here with me. I'd catch myself thinking of you more often," Eric recounted. Ariel watched intently as he spoke, she was fascinated by what was going through his mind at the time.

"And when we took the boat ride," she said.

"That was a great day," he smiled, "Remember when we danced in the town square?" She nodded. "Then we went for the boat ride down the blue lagoon. That night was intense. I was fighting strong feelings for you inside me."

"Fighting? Why fighting?"

"I hadn't given the mystery woman up completely. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about you. I almost kissed you that night, you know. Something kept telling me to," his voice trailed off. He squinted trying to recall the night. Ariel giggled to herself, knowing very well it was Sebastian.

"What made you realize you loved me?"

"I went to bed that night with strong urges for you- for your body. I had a dream that night that you were mine and I woke up happy. I was anxious to see you that morning. I tried to get you away from everyone for a while, somewhere we could be alone. So I brought you here- to the beach. I knew I had feelings for you and they hit me like a bolt of lightning. I hadn't thought about the mystery woman once that morning until…"

"Until when?" she asked with much anticipation.

"Until you saved me again. I found the mystery woman hovering over me again- I found you. The feeling of losing you was the worst I had felt in my entire life. At that moment, knowing it was you all along, it was you I'm meant to be with. I didn't plan on saying I loved you. I just loved you and I would forever," Eric looked down at Ariel who had a tear escape her eye. He wiped it with his finger. She parted her lips slightly and Eric knew just what to do. He kissed her tenderly, gently brushing his tongue on the tip of hers.

"Imagine if I had never met you, Ariel?"

"I don't even want to think of it," she agonized.

"I'd be dead," he said seriously as he looked deep into her eyes. "Thank you."

They lied on the sand for a few more minutes in complete silence. Eric suddenly rose and began to remove his pants.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, a little concerned.

"Let's go for a swim!"

"Let's just stay here on dry land. It's such a great day out," Ariel tried to persuade him.

"Why don't you want to go into the ocean?"

"Eric, we're having such a nice time. Let's not ruin it," she smiled, ignoring his question.

"Do you not want me to see Atlantica?"

"It's not that," she said.

"Well, what is it? What are you so afraid of?"

"No! It's just not safe for you there!" she shouted a little frustrated.

"What? Not safe for me? You've spent your whole life in the ocean. I'm sure I could manage as much as you could. If not better," he jeered at her.

"You're like a child in the water. You don't listen, you're not careful, and you just swim off to do whatever you want! It doesn't work that way," Ariel rose to her feet and began to gather her dress that was on the sand next to her.

"Stop trying to mother me, Ariel. If I had wanted that I'd go back to the palace," Eric muttered, sitting up with his knees bent into his chest.

"Fine. I'm sorry," she said flatly. "Let's find something fun to do in town." Eric didn't answer. "Eric?"

"I'll be in in a second," he said without looking up at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped herself. Letting out a long dramatic sigh, Ariel walked back toward the castle- leaving him behind.

It will go right this time, Eric thought as he swam further out into the ocean. He dove beneath the water and this time wasn't scared. He trusted his body and reassured himself everything would be fine. His body's natural reflex to panic underwater went away and he inhaled, magically transforming his two legs into thick, strong blue fins. He laughed to himself, amazed at how easy it was. He felt an intense rush come over him as he swam quickly as far as he could in one direction, and then another. The ocean was such an enormous and magnificent place with so much for him to learn and explore.

"Hello, Eric!" a friendly pink and gray salmon smiled at him.

"Hi!" Eric said, in disbelief that he could understand fish.

"Have a great day!" the fish said as he swam by in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Eric stopped him, "Do you know how to get to Atlantica?"

"It's only about 20 leagues away," the fish informed him.

"Oh! Ok!" Eric said cheerfully, "Which way?"

"That way!" he pointed into the deep blue distance. "Just keep going. You'll pass a cave and then a tunnel- don't go in the tunnel, but above it. You'll know you're on the right track when you see a rock with a circle through it."

"A rock with a circle through it?"

"Yeah! I saw a shark stuck there once. Not sure what made him think he could fit through that hole. But you'll see what I'm talking about. It's easy!"

"Thank you very much!" the prince said gratefully.

"I'd take you, but I have to go. Oh!" the salmon looked up at a school of fish swimming above him. "They're probably on their way there. Just follow them! Good luck!"

Eric listened to him and followed the school of fish that seemed to be very determined to get somewhere. He'd stop every so often to explore and look around, keeping the fish in eyesight. But their pace was much too slow for him. He wanted to be in Atlantica as soon as possible. For a moment he felt bad for leaving without Ariel, but he knew she'd never let him visit and wasn't sure why.

He swam ahead of the school of fish impatiently, he could go five times as fast as they could. He saw the shining gray tunnel the salmon fish had mentioned. It wasn't too long before he passed the rock with a circle through it. He was so excited to see the rock, he swam through it himself as fast as he could. The ocean's darkness soon started to lighten up. He saw more and more fishes, rays, jellies, crabs as he swam further along. He could feel Atlantica growing closer.

A few minutes later, he turned a bend and there it appeared: An underwater city made entirely of gold. Its brightness made him stare in awe. He smiled, breathless and a bit beside himself. His heart raced as he took in the moment. He couldn't believe it. Less than a month prior, Atlantica and mermaids were all myths. And now there he was about to discover an entirely new world in a completely new form. He wished Ariel were there to share it with him and guilt quickly came over him. What would he say to the king if he showed up without his daughter? Triton would not like that at all, he promised to never leave her. He knew he had only been gone for less than an hour.

He thought that if he headed back now, she'd never have to know where he had gone. He swam straight up to the surface to try to see where he was, but there was no land in sight. The sun was west, but he wasn't sure sure which way was north. He watched as a group of dolphins swam by, jumping in and out of the water. He laughed and began to chase after them, swimming alongside with them. Before he knew it he grew tired and the dolphins continued at full speed ahead of him.

Feeling more lost than ever, Eric dove back into the water but he couldn't see a single living thing. He started to swim back the way he came, but then realized he wasn't sure which way it was. He regretted now more than ever not listening to Ariel. After a few minutes, he suddenly saw the group of dolphins appear.

"Hey guys!" Eric waved loudly as they swam in his direction.

"Swim away, prince!" one squeaked while quickly swimming by, leaving a trail of bubbles behind them.

"Wait!" he called to them as he tried to catch up. Before he knew it, a net appeared in front of him. He touched it and tried to move it out of the way before swimming in the opposite direction. The dolphins reappeared and tried to push at the net to free him. A machine whirled behind him, sucking the ocean water into its metal trap. Eric felt his body beginning to get sucked into the large contraption. He held on to the net as the force of the machine pulled his body backward. The dolphins began chewing at the ropes to free him.

"Just hold on, Eric!" one of the dolphins shouted. Eric pulled at the chewed ropes, loosening their tightly bound mend, but it was harder to pull apart wet rope. They chewed a hole big enough for Eric to squeeze through, but one of the dolphins came too close to the machine's suction.

"No!" Eric yelled, holding the dolphin by his fin to try to help him out of the swirling vacuum. The other dolphins joined in to help as well. Eric, being too light, became trapped in the vortex as the dolphin swam away.

"Prince Eric!" the dolphin screeched.

"Tell the King!" Eric shouted before being completely sucked into the whirling trap.

Ariel felt frustrated by Eric's stubbornness. Why does he want to go out into the ocean so badly?she thought. There's so much to do and see here on land. Ariel walked to the servant's quarters and down the narrow corridor. When passing by Greta's room, she noticed the door was wide open with Carlotta and another maid changing the sheets and dusting the furniture.

"Your highness," the maid bowed. Ariel smiled politely.

"Carlotta, have you seen Greta?"

"She's- she's gone, dear," Carlotta said ,barely able to look at her. Ariel felt her heart sinking. The flash of Greta from the previous night mind came to mind. Greta's hot body pressed against her breasts while Eric buried himself deep inside Ariel. She remembered kissing Greta before falling asleep, but she wasn't there in the morning.

"But why? What happened?" Ariel asked, puzzled as to why Carlotta was acting strangely.

"I'm not sure," she replied.

"Where did she go? Where can I find her?"

"I don't know," Carlotta continued to tidy up the room.

"It was the Prince's orders," the other maid blurted out without thinking. Carlotta gave her a piercing glare, which made the maid immediately regret her honesty.

"What? Why?"

"Not now dear, food will be ready soon if you're hungry," Carlotta rushed out of the room, leaving the thin maid behind. Ariel stared at the maid until she made eye contact with her.

"No, princess, I can't," the maid said as she kept herself busy around the room.

"Please," Ariel walked over to her and touched her arm.

"The word is Greta liked women more than men," the maid whispered as she looked toward the door, scared of being overheard. Ariel pretended to be shocked.

"So, what happened?"

"Rumor is they saw a girl in her room, the pretty little brown girl from the flower shop," the thin maid said matter-of-factly. She then began to whisper, "They were a little more than friendly."

"Oh," Ariel feigned. "Who asked her to leave?"

"Carlotta did. The prince commanded this morning," she nodded.

"The prince?" Ariel was confused.

"Prince Eric. The order came from him," the maid continued to clean.

What is Eric's problem? she thought to herself as she stared at Greta's bed.

"Hello? Are you alright?" a voice echoed softly in Eric's ears. He opened his eyes slowly as he rubbed his forehead and groaned in pain. He saw a familiar face with big, bright green eyes staring back at him.

"Ariel?" he mumbled to himself.

"He's fine," another, deeper voice called out. Eric realized he was staring into the face of an older woman with gray streaks in her auburn hair.

"There you are," she said as she helped him up. He suddenly realized he was underwater and instinctively swam away from her grip.

"I have to go!" he shouted as he swam off into the distance, headfirst into an invisible barrier. He heard the laughter and chuckling of others behind him. He rubbed the throbbing spot on his head fervently with one hand as he swam, frantically pushing against the hardened glass.

"It's no use, stupid," a voice laughed from below.

"Huh?" Eric turned to see a group of merpeople scattered about, all eyes on him. "Where are we?"

"We don't know," one mermaid sighed hopelessly. She was a little plump, wore red seashells and had a yellow tail.

"Where are you from, kid?" a strong, blonde merman with a deep voice asked as Eric swam down to the crowd.

"Huh? Are we in tank?" he quickly swam straight up as far as he could go. Once his head was out if the water, he realized thick metal bars covered the top of the tank. He tried to move the bars as much as he could, but they wouldn't budge.

"Is anyone there?!" he shouted, face pressed against the bars. He heard the sound of clanking and footsteps. "Hello? Can you help us?" The footsteps grew faster and nearer.

" 'ey! Get back in there!" roared a hoarse, raspy voice. Eric heard the clanking of a metal object against the bars and saw sparks appear right above his head. He suddenly felt a pull on his tail from below.

"You'll shock us all!" shouted the strong merman.

"I don't understand. Where are we?"

"You should probably rest," the first, older mermaid swam to him, taking a hold of his arm and leading him to a group of clam-beds below. Eric didn't resist as she pressed his shoulders back against the bed. There was something reassuring about her presence. She placed a hand over the throbbing redness on his forehead and began to hum quietly.

"What is that tune? What are you-" Eric asked a bit panicked.

"Shh. Rest now, darling," she whispered and continued to hum.

"That should take care of him," Eric heard a man comment in the distance. He suddenly felt the pain on his head begin to fade away as his eyelids grew heavy. Eric watched the warm green eyes sing to him. He felt a strong bond with the kind mermaid through her beautiful voice.

"What is your name?" he could barely speak as he grew more tired.

"Athena," she whispered with a smile.

Sorry for the delays in updates! I can update more frequently but the chapters will be shorter like they used to be. Up to you guys what you prefer to read!

"Daddy, what if he's- dead?" Ariel hesitated to say the word aloud. She sobbed against her father's strong shoulder.

"Don't think that way," he said, embracing her in his arms. "We have every creature under the sea looking for him. We've spent the entire afternoon looking for him. You need to rest now, Ariel." He carried his youngest daughter to her bedroom, where her six sisters suddenly grew quiet. He placed her on her clam bed while the mermaids quickly surrounded them.

"We'll take care of her, daddy. And make sure she rests," Attina said as sat on the bed, placed Ariel's head on her lap and ran long soothing strokes over her hair.

"Eric will turn up. Daddy will find him," Andrina said, placing a hand on Ariel's arm.

King Triton watched from afar as his daughters bonded together. He realized how great they all were to support and help each other in their time of need, despite the daily fights and arguments.

"Your majesty," a frantic little sea horse called out as Triton left the room.

"Any word?"

"Yes, there's a dolphin who wishes to speak with you. He says he knows something about Prince Eric," the sea horse huffed and puffed. King Triton looked back at his daughters and a sobbing, exhausted Ariel. He decided to not get her hopes up, the rest would do her well.

"Your majesty," the dolphin bowed his head hurriedly, "I would have gotten here sooner, but your guards detained me and held me in a cell for hours,"

"Where is Eric?"

"He was taken, near the western current. My sister and I followed the machine to the north seas."

"What machine?" Triton asked, "A ship?"

"It was bigger, made of metal. I can take you there!"

Eric woke up in the dark waters of the quiet tank and for a moment couldn't remember where he was. He saw movement from the waters above and watched as a pair of fins disappeared out of the water. Around him, other merpeople slept scattered about the the base of the tank. He counted twelve soundly sleeping bodies. He could hear the faint sound of a gate rattling above. He decided to swim up to see what he could discover. Poking his head out of the water, he listened closely for signs of any activity.

"How much longer?" a woman's voice said.

"Soon, my love," a man spoke calmly. "Any day now." Eric saw an opening in the metal bars that was not open the day before. He swam over to it quietly and slowly lifted his head out of the tank. It looked to be a dark and cold laboratory with medical and fishing devices hanging from the walls.

"I love you," she said tenderly. It was the voice of Athena, he realized, watching her lying calmly on a surgical table. The tall, thin man stood beside her and placed a soft kiss on her lips; her blue fin flopped slightly. The man ran his hands over her shoulders and down her seashells. He kissed her neck as if he had done it a million times before.

"We will be together. I promise you," the man whispered in between kisses.

Eric saw no one else around and used the moment to pull himself out of the tank, quietly, to not make a sound. As soon as his fins touched the ground, his bare legs magically appeared. He hid out of sight, trying to not slip on the wet floor. The laboratory smelled of stale fish parts. Completely naked, Eric found a lab coat and a rubber apron hanging from a hook on the wall by the door. He rushed to it and slipped them on quickly and quietly. He focused his attention back on Athena and watched as the man took a clamp that rested on the table beside him.

"Same as always. I've given you an ointment to numb the pain," he said to her. She nodded. Eric wasn't sure what was happening. The man carefully ran a hand over her fins and held the tool nearby with the other. "Deep breath," he coached her, gripping one of her scales in the clamp. Athena closed her eyes and did as instructed. Eric's eyes widened with curiosity as he watched the man yank the shiny blue scale from her tail with one swift movement.

"Oooww," she shrieked in pain. Eric felt his blood pressure rising with anger.

"There, there," the man whispered calmly, stroking her cheek. Eric found a thick metal chain lying on the ground. He took it in his hands and quietly made his way behind the mostly gray haired man.

"No!" Athena gasped as Eric uncoiled the chain in both hands and wound it tightly around the man's neck. The man struggled for. He clawed at the chain in an attempt to loosen it and then Eric's fists behind his neck. "Please, stop!" she shouted at him, "Christoff!"

"Christoff?" Eric repeated, puzzled and confused. He eased his grip on the chain around Christoff's neck. "I won't kill you. But I need you to tell me everything. Do you understand?!" The man nodded in fear. Eric removed the chain. Christoff held his throat, gasping for air and his eyes blood shot as he fell to the floor. Athena lunged off the table and to the floor at Christoff's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, kissing and caressing his face.

"Where are we and why have you captured us?!" Eric demanded.

"This is Arctica," the man said in a hoarse voice as Athena held his head in her lap.

"Arctica? Why?"

"Merpeople can't survive in these waters," he confessed.

"What is this? What are you doing here?" Eric asked motioning to the table.

"Her scales. They contain healing powers. I'm just a scientist. A prisoner. I've been captured- like you, to harness the healing powers from her scales," he explained.

"He's trying to save humans and merpeople alike," Athena shouted angrily. Eric kicked his leg, hard and the man moaned in pain.

"Don't lie to me!" Eric shouted.

"It's the truth!" Athena exclaimed.

"Let me show you something," Eric said to her, extending his hand. Athena looked at Christoff and then looked Eric.

"How are you a human and a merman?" she asked.

"The sea king, Triton. Gave me the power," Eric explained. Athena's stare went blank in shock.

"Triton?" Athena felt her entire body go faint. She blinked hard and exhaled deeply.

"He's lying, Athena, my love," Christoff began to panic.

"T-Triton is alive," she said, almost to herself. Eric nodded, wondering what her interest in Triton was.

"There's a room full of the remains of merpeople in the other room. Were they slowly disappearing from the tank?" Eric asked, hoping she'd realize she was in danger. Her eyes began to swell up with tears. There were footsteps echoing throughout the metal halls.

"Christoff, how could you?!" she yelled.

"No! It's all lies. Please, listen to me," Christoff pleaded, holding on to her tightly. The metal door slammed open and three other men with harpoon guns appeared.

"Boss? What's going on here?" one shouted. Eric grabbed Athena by the hand and carried her mermaid body in his arms.

"Kill him! Don't harm her!" Christoff shouted from the ground. Eric ran barefoot away from the door and across the lab, into the room with the mermaid tails and closed the door behind him, jamming a metal harpoon from the floor to the handle. The men banged on the door, trying to force their way in.

"No!" Athena cried at the sight of it of the remains. The once multi-colored tails were now pale and rotting. Some were just bones. The stench was enough to make her stomach turn. The men were busy pounding against the door.

"Don't look at it," Eric whispered as he scoped the room for an exit, but there seemed to be none. The door suddenly fell flat to the ground; the men had removed the hinges that held the door to the frame. They approached with harpoons guns in hand. Eric took a spear from the ground and lunged it at the man in the middle, but missed his head by an inch.

"Shoot them!" one of the men called out. They propped up their guns and aimed at a frightened Eric against the wall, with Athena in his arms. Eric didn't know what to do, there no were windows or exits or ways to shield himself from them. All he could do was save her. He heard the sounds of the triggers clicking and knew it would be over for him soon. He turned toward the wall quickly, in an attempt to shield Athena from the harpoons.

"No!" Christoff screamed from the other room as he watched the harpoons fly through the air from behind the men. Eric closed his eyes tightly and covered her body as much as he could.

Suddenly, there was dead silence. A few seconds went by and Eric opened one eye and then another. Athena was hanging over his shoulder, arm straight out toward the door. Eric turned his head behind him slowly and gasped in disbelief. Athena released a bright golden light that froze the harpoons and men in place. Eric panted, amazed to be alive.

"H- How?" he whispered to himself. Athena reversed the harpoons in the other direction with a quick hand gesture and struck each one of the men in the chest, piercing their hearts. She let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed her body over Eric's shoulder. He brought her down closer to him and held her head. Feeling her thick long hair reminded him of Ariel.

"Wait in here," he whispered to her, knowing Christoff was still out there somewhere.

"No, I'm going with you," she said firmly with furrowed brows. He almost smiled to himself, the look on her face also reminded him of Ariel. He carried her across the the room and over the dead men.

"My tail is drying," she whispered as she saw her bright blue tail beginning to lose its color. Eric looked around the room and saw no Christoff, but that the door to hallway was wide open. He carried her over to the tank and placed her in the water.

"One of those thing-a-majigs opens the tank," she said to him, pointing to a control board on the wall. Eric rushed to the control and tried to figure out which button did what. He pushed one that made the lights in the tank go bright, waking all the merpeople below.

"It's the black one!" Athena called out from the top of the underwater tank.

"Don't touch it!" Christoff yelled. He stood at the opposite end of the lab, harpoon rifle in hand. Eric watched him, careful to not make a move. "I've spent thirty years looking for her and the last twelve years taking care of her. You can't take her away from me!"

"Christoff, my love," Athena said passionately as she reached out her arms for him.

"Give me just a second. Everything will be back to normal," he said to her, pointing the rifle at Eric.

"But, I'm not going anywhere. See? I'm here! Come to me."

"If you open the tank to the frozen ocean water, they will all die," Christoff laughed.

Suddenly, Eric's ring began to glow on and off. Eric looked at the ring, puzzled- unsure of what it was doing. He wondered if it was losing it's powers.

"What is that magic you're trying to use against me?" Christoff demanded.

"Athena, what is happening?" the strong merman popped his head out of the water. Athena pulled him back down and swam toward the merpeople.

"Everyone, you must listen carefully," she started, "You mustn't panic. Soon the tank will open and we will be released into the frozen Arctic waters. You must remain calm and save your energy. We will make it through this. Put on as many seaweed blanket layers as you can and huddle together in small group. If you see any humans or unknown objects, separate and swim away. You may need to leave without me. I won't be far behind. Does everybody understand?" She looked around at each of the scared faces below her. Before any of the merpeople could utter a word, a section of the glass had separated and a wave of freezing cold water made its way into the tank.

Athena swam up to the lab as quickly as she could, just in time to see a harpoon shoot across the room, striking Eric to the ground. She shrieked in horror.

"Athena, darling! You're still here! I knew you'd stay!" Christoff walked over to her with a grin from ear to ear. She noticed a scalpel on the ground and lifted herself out of the tank, falling to the floor. "Let me help you," he kneeled down to her. In that moment, Athena took the scalpel and jammed it straight into the base of his neck. Her hands shook violently as he stared in shock. He clawed at the scalpel as he gagged on the blood shooting from his neck and mouth. Christoff slowly fell to the floor, reaching out for Athena. She couldn't help but to shed a couple tears of sadness and anger for the man she was tricked to love.

"Oh, no!" she remembered Eric was hurt. She crawled her way across the floor and to his wounded body. She turned him over on his back and realized he was still conscious.

"Athena," he said quietly, with his eyes half opened. The harpoon pierced straight through his left shoulder and the floor around him was covered in blood.

"It's ok," she tried to smile and remain calm as she looked around the room. She took the harpoon in both hands and slowly pulled it out of his shoulder.

"Ahhhh," Eric screamed and nearly jumped off the ground

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's ok," she pushed his body back flat on the floor. She crawled over to the table, dragging a trail of blood behind her with her tail. She pulled herself up and took the shiny blue scale from the solution it floated in. She dragged her way back over to Eric, her elbows and fins sore. She panted tirelessly as she shoved the scale deep inside the wound.

"Mhhhh," Eric muffled another scream. Athena applied pressure to the wound and closed her eyes. Eric couldn't bare the pain any longer. He felt as if he were fading. He closed his heavy eyes. Athena noticed his ring glowing again.

"Stay awake," she said to him, "Please." Eric opened his eyes again for a moment. Everything was a blur, all he could notice was the sweet voice, the thick hair and the faint smell of the ocean.

"Ariel," he whispered before closing his eyes completely. Athena felt her heart sink.

"Ariel? Did you say Ariel?" Athena patted his face a few times. "Please wake up," she cried, "I can't carry you." She rested her head on his chest and sobbed.

A wave of water shot up straight from the tank, blasting the iron gate off the top, making it hit the ceiling and fall back down again. Another stream of water came out of the tank and found its way to Eric's glowing ring. Athena was surprised as the water completely surrounded him and lifted him up off the ground and back down into the tank quickly.

Below, King Triton waited heavily geared for the chilling waters with an army of a dozen mermen and Delfins. Eric's unconscious body transformed back into a merman and was being pulled closer to the King.

"Oh, my son," Triton sighed and held Eric's body closely. "He's alive!" Triton bellowed happily and shook Eric's face by the chin. Eric opened his eyes and smiled to see a familiar face smiling back at him.

"King Triton!" Eric shouted, surprised to see him. Triton laughed and gave Eric a long warm hug, twirling him around. Eric's chin was resting on Triton's large shoulder when he noticed a quiet, auburn-haired mermaid waiting in the distance.

"Athena!" Eric said happily, relieved to see her safe. Eric felt the king's embrace around him loosen. The king turned around sharply.

"No," he said quietly in disbelief. "No. No," his heart raced as his body trembled.

"Triton," she slowly swam closer from a distance.

"A- Athena?" tears filled Triton's eyes. "Athenaaaa!" he yelled into the depths of the Arctic ocean, making the ice around them vibrate. He swam to her, the fastest he ever had in his life. She smiled with open arms and inviting eyes. He embraced her, not with her body in his arms, but with his head on her chest and arms around her hips, "Oh, Athena!" the big, strong king cried in the arms of his mermaid like a baby.

"Oh, my love!" she cried as well, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing the top of his head.

"Is that his sister?" Eric asked one of the guards.

"It's the queen, you fool," he responded tersely.

"The- queen? Ariel's moth-" Eric couldn't believe it himself. That entire time he was with Ariel's mother and didn't even know it. He saved her. She saved him. He couldn't believe it, but the similarities all made sense. The king and queen held each other a few more minutes before pulling apart to look at each other's faces.

"You are so beautiful," he beamed at her, holding her face in his hands. He kissed her soft lips and couldn't stop.

"Your majesty," one of the guards swam to them, "I'm sorry to interrupt. But we must go. The Arctic waters are too cold."

"Yes, let's head home," the Triton said gazing into Athena's eyes.

"What should we do about the hunters, King?"

"Drown them all. Destroy the facility and all of their ships," Athena commanded. Triton smiled, he had always loved her passion and fire as well as her tenderness.

"Get those merpeople some blankets and keep them warm, please. Find out where they belong and make sure they get home safely," she added.

They both made their way toward Eric and Athena gave him a big hug.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she said to him. "He saved me. He saved us all," she told Triton.

"She saved me your majesty. I was dying and she healed me," he smiled.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Eric."

"Prince Eric," Triton said as they got into the clam that was then pulled off by two of the Delfins. The queen sat between the two merman.

"Oh. Prince? Did you take on another wife?" Athena asked disappointedly.

"No! Never. Never even crossed my mind. I could love no one else but you," the king said, wrapping his arm around her. The queen looked at Eric with guilt in her eyes. They were the only two who knew about Christoff.

"My girls! How are my girls?!" she smiled.

"They're all safe at home," the king said.

"Ariel?" Eric asked.

"Yes, Ariel is in Atlantica," the king smirked. Eric felt terrible. All of this trouble because of him.

"Oh, my sweet little Ariel. How is she?" the queen asked.

"She's fine," the king said, "She's free-spirited."

"Like me," the queen smiled.

"She's also stubborn and head-strong," he added.

"Like you," she laughed.

"She's also married," the king said, looking at Eric.

"Married? But she's so young!" she said. Triton nodded. "Who did she marry?"

"A human," Eric scoffed sarcastically.

"Oh," she thought about Christoff and how for the last twelve years, she had loved a human of her own. "What human?"

"A prince," Triton smiled, motioning toward Eric.

"Oh! Oh, my son!" she cheered and pulled Eric's head down into her chest. "I've always wanted a son!" Eric laughed and shortly pulled away, feeling a little awkward.

"Well, I love your daughter," he said sincerely into her eyes. Athena smiled and looked up at Triton who nodded.

"I have a lot to catch up on," she said.

"Well, it's a long trip home, my dear."

It had been two days since Eric had disappeared and the longest him and Ariel had gone without seeing each other. Triton had left the previous day with the Delfins.

"Ariel, you have to eat something," Adella said to her, pushing a seaweed roll in her face. Ariel pushed Adella's hand away.

"Leave her alone," Attina called out, "Give her her space."

"Yes, Adella. Leave daddy's little mermaid alone," Aquata jeered.

"Stop it, Aquata!" Attina scolded. "How would you feel if someone you loved went missing?"

"Aquata, enough with your middle child nonsense. We're all very sick of it," Ariel said from her clam.

"Says the little mermaid. Besides, I wasn't speaking to you, I was speaking to Adella," Aquata insisted.

"Aquata, go away!" Attina yelled.

"Why should I have to go? She's the one that left. It's not like it's her room anymore," Aquata turned up her nose. Ariel immediately got up and swam out of the room, making Aquata feel instantly remorseful.

"You see what you did? You should apologize to her. How would any of us deal with a loss?"

A few minutes later, trumpets blared outside the palace, making the young mermaids all scramble with excitement. Ariel swam back into the room and looked at Attina with hopefully eyes.

"It's probably daddy!" Alana shrieked. The seven sisters swam outside and waited anxiously for their father to appear. Ariel wanted to see Eric, safe, sound and beside her. As the giant clam approached from above, Ariel noticed Eric's head peek over the side.

"Ariel!" Eric called and left the slowly moving clam, swimming toward her as fast as he could. The sight of his smiling face made her heart melt. He took her in his arms tightly and held her close to his chest. "Ariel, I'm so sorry," he started remorsefully.

"Let's not talk about it right now."

"I love you," he said to her. Ariel wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. Ariel's sisters smiled with relief as they watch the two young lover's affectionate display. The clam finally pulled into the gold paved runway that led to the gold castle. As the clam drew near, the chatter from the girls began to cease.

"Mommy?" Arista asked aloud.

"Mom… mommy!" the girls cried as they rushed toward Queen Athena who was waiting with open arms.

"Oh, my beautiful princesses!" Athena cried. Ariel held on to Eric's arm.

"I found her!" Eric said to Ariel. Ariel didn't react, she only stared from afar.

"That's... my mother?" she asked him quietly.

"Yes. She's amazing!"

"She… looks like me," she thought aloud. Ariel watched as her sisters crowded her mother, fighting for her attention.

"Of course, she does, she's your mother," Eric said, noticing the strange reaction.

"No one else looks like her- just me."

"Ariel, go greet your mother, the Queen," Eric nudged her. Ariel resisted. She studied Athena's face, her smile, her interactions. She saw the way everyone looked at her, especially her father who seemed to have a glow in his eyes. After a few moments of emotional embraces, Athena began to wonder.

"Ariel. Where is Ariel?" she tried to peek above the heads of her daughters. The girls cleared the way and all eyes were set on Ariel.

"Go to her," Eric released her nervous grip from his hand. Ariel smiled and Athena swam over to her gracefully.

"Oh, my darling! Look at you! You're all grown up and beautiful!" Athena said, taking a hold of both of Ariel's hands.

"Hi… mom," Ariel said softly. It was eerie for her to look at her mother, it was like looking into a mirror. She remembered her mother and her music. She just could never remember the details of her face as well as her sisters.

"Oh, my little mermaid!" the queen pulled her in for a long hug. Ariel closed her arms around the queen and exhaled deeply. Athena began to rock Ariel softly in her arms and stroke her head as she hummed a sweet lullaby.

"Oh, mommy!" Ariel brightened up and hugged the queen more tightly. It made Triton happy to see his family complete again.

"Will you be staying for a while?" the queen asked as she pulled away and held Ariel's hands again. Athena looked at Eric and smiled. "I know Eric just arrived in Atlantica for the first time and should probably get a proper visit," she added with a wink.

"Oh. Yes, of course we'll stay," Ariel looked at Eric for reassurement. Eric nodded with much excitement, anxious to discover the new aquatic world.

"Oh, wonderful!"

"Come, dear," Triton swam by and put a hand on Athena's lower back, "Let's get you some rest." He led her along toward the entrance to the golden castle, followed by six chattering mermaids.

"If I were the King, I'd want some alone time with my queen as well," Eric smiled at Ariel and put his arms around her waist.

"With my sisters around, they won't be alone," Ariel grimaced.

"Ariel, go with them. Spend time with your mother," Eric encouraged her.

"Do you really want to stay?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, we'll stay as long as you'd like," Eric said, placing his forehead to hers. Ariel smiled and tilted her head forward, touching her nose against his.

"Eric!" a soft voice called out, the couple looked to see Queen Athena approaching.

"Your majesty," Eric nodded politely.

"Athena to you, my brave merman," she said, "Ariel, is it alright if I borrow Eric for a moment?" Ariel released Eric and he extended his arm for the queen to hold on to. Ariel watched as they slowly moved their way away from the castle and out of earshot.

"She's so beautiful," the queen said to him a few minutes later.

"She is."

"You're a very lucky man."

"I am," Eric smiled.

"Eric," the queen stopped moving and looked closely into his eyes, "They can never know- about Christoff and the magic of my scales."

"Oh," Eric was surprised for her to have such a serious tone. Her eyes looked fearful and deep with worry.

"I- I really did love him. All those years," she looked down with embarrassment, "I tried to escape, many times. I swear, but it was no use. Every new merman or mermaid who came, I'd ask if they knew of Atlantica and my family and no one had any news to share. Christoff told me they were dead, do you understand? I had- lost hope." Her voice locked up and eyes started to swell as she began to tear.

"It's ok, now, Queen Athena," Eric placed a hand on her shoulder, "You're safe now. I won't tell a soul," he reassured her. She immediately threw her arms around him.

"Thank you! Thank you for everything you've done for me. And for Ariel," she added. The two made their way back toward the castle and saw Ariel and a frowning Triton waiting by the entrance.

"Take care of her for me, please, Eric," she said.

"I will, your majesty."

"Also, call me mom."