Eric smiled, "Of course. And I know you, Ariel...We can and will have two wonderful and healthy children together to raise, teach, and most importantly, to love.", rubbing her belly with a fond, loving smile, glancing at the bubble of his children, his son and daughter with an amazed smile as they kicked, and he felt them against his hand.
Ariel nodded, "Yes, we will...", with a smile, glancing at the bubble with happiness and joy before Attina soon had to stop as keeping it up is taking a bit out of her, and the bubble disappeared, yet the family is happy nonetheless, overjoyed for the newfound parents as they congratulated and talked.
Unseen by the family, with golden eyes, is two dark, giant stingrays, watching with devious looks on themselves, with a voice echoing, "Very good, boys. This is very good for them, yes, but also very good for me...".
Deep in the Mediterranean Sea, miles from Atlantica and Tirulia, in a combination of whale bones and a cavern, a strange yet unique being is watching through a dark magic orb, the manifestation of his stingray friends' magical eyes, a trick he has borrowed from his mother, Ursula.
A very pale, almost ghost white skinned man with a purple eye and a hazel eye, black hair with a streak of gray, and a combination of dark blue scales on his otherwise black tentacles. He's a hybrid, born of a merman and a caecilian; a foolish, cowardly father, and a wonderful, powerful mother.
Few knew his name... of which he was very careful to keep it. But to those who knew it, the name Cetus would always ring fear in their hearts and minds. He had spent many years scouring the oceans, in a lust for more power; far from the Mediterranean, he had been exploring the Atlantic and the Pacific, and only recently had returned this his 'home' of the Mediterranean, to find out only recently what had happened.
He was raised in secret by Ursula, and oh, sure, there was strict respect for her, but oh, he loved her so. He heard of the tragic beginning of his mother, and he was enraged at Triton for doing that to her, banishing her. Who cared about a mermaid queen when Ursula was the right heir, not Triton?
He felt the power of Ursula rising up so much that night that he was overjoyed for her, excited to work together with her, dividing the world in half, and then he felt empty...He was confused when he couldn't find Ursula's magic anywhere...It was like she was gone for good.
Having been so far away, it took him a long time to get home, and with the aid of his stingray minions' help, he soon found out that Ursula was killed by a ship, and by a human! Sure, he would have understood if it was King Triton, but a pathetic human?! And then to find out that the human is together with the youngest daughter of King Triton, and she's human!
He headed to Ursula's lair, to grab all he could, having sensed that the dark magic shielding it is weakening, and it would be sooner or later that Triton would barge in, destroying everything, but fortunately, he got everything that remained, including her personal journal.
He was damn impressed of his mother's initial plan, and then the plan changed on her, something that would have surely upset her as she is never one to lose, ever...Well, she lost, and permanently...He loved Flotsam and Jetsam like his pets, and was upset of their demise, but he has friends, his stingray minions; Ink and Gash that he has found in a net in the Atlantic, rescuing them, and now they're working for him.
Cetus growled lowly, "Hmm, this calls for a very detailed plan, but how to start? Those spawn of that princess surely has to go, but not soon for I want to see heartbreaking pain on that princess's face, along with that human...", before hearing Ink and Gash's clicks and whistles.
"Yes, yes, along with King Triton...He deserves to be heartbroken again...I need to somehow hit where it hurts the most...Wait, wait, I have it...Yes, that's it! Where is it, where is it?", Cetus replied before muttering, searching among his shelves before grinning with a wicked laugh, pulling out Ursula's most beloved potion book, and flickering through the pages before finding it...
Poison... how quaint and simple it almost was but always a true destroyer, especially if the victim wasn't saved fast enough. Of course, there was the decision of making the victim suffer or quickly end them fast; as well as planning on how to distribute it and who would be the best target to strike Triton.
Cetus drawled a finger down the page, "Slow-acting poison...Quick-acting poison...Food poisoning...sun poisoning...oh, how ironic...wait...infant poisoning...Hmm.", before glancing at the orb of dark magic, still showing the family laughing and smiling as they happily occasionally touched Ariel's belly...
"Let's see...She couldn't be more than three, four months along...Perhaps down the road some...Finding the ingredients to combine a slow-acting, infant poison would take some time...The human would be so confused and scared to see the princess hurting and feeling sick, and the princess would be so terrified out of her mind about the babies...", Cetus mused thoughtfully...
Cetus then glanced at the ingredients he had recovered from his mother's shelves, "Yes, I can disguise myself as one of the household servants, along with some dark magic to make myself invisible when needed...Yes, if I pour it in one of the princess's drinks during the day, she would be soon wringing out in pain at night...Triton would be sleeping, too late to save the spawn and stop the poison...".
Cetus chuckled to himself: it would be a good plan, but it would only be the beginning of his revenge against Triton and his family in order to avenge his mother. And the worst part was that they had no idea of his existence.
If Ursula was here, she would be so proud of her son, and very, very impressed of Cetus's brilliant mind. Cetus nodded and went to call the boys back to him. Let the family enjoy every moment while they can. After all, prolonging the happiness to the worst pain ever for the family ever since Athena's death would be so heartbreaking for them, yet deliciously devious for him.
Meanwhile, the newfound parents enjoyed every moment of their twins kicking, and in peaceful moments, they are ravishing each other to their desires. Two months has passed, making Ariel six months along, with the occasional visit by Triton or her sisters, to see the progress of their twins in the magical bubble of the trident.
It was incredible for Eric to see the growth of Ariel's belly every week, feeling the kicks of the twins, and he cannot wait to see them soon, and hold them in his arms, yet it's much more to Ariel who is so happy to feel them moving so much during bath time, knowing that only lullabies or the sound of the waves crashing puts them to sleep, and starting to look at books she had read for names that sounded suitable for the twins.
Finally, Cetus's potion is completely perfect for executing his plan, and to even make it more deviously wonderful for him, the day he chose was King Triton's birthday. He realized that Ariel would be very distracted by the planning for the beach reunion in the afternoon, and under Triton's nose, Ariel would have the poison in her then, and he wouldn't even know it!
"How are you doing?", Eric asked her that morning as Ariel groaned; already the twins were starting to truly show on her and certainly taking quite a lot of weight on her.
Ariel huffed shortly, "Managing...Now I know why mermaids doesn't have trouble underwater since it makes it easier to carry them while having a tail and such...I hate gravity right now.".
Eric chuckled softly as he rubbed Ariel's shoulders warmly, massaging them as Ariel sighed slightly in relief as the tension is disappearing away, and Eric spoke softly, "You sure you're good for a bit of dancing on the shore, celebrating your father's birthday?".
"I don't know about that. I don't think Daddy would be upset if I just skip it out this time since I clearly am carrying for three.", Ariel chuckled as Eric placed his hands on her belly.
Eric smiled as he felt two kicks, and chuckled softly, "I think they are overruling you right now. They clearly want to hear their grandfather's voice, and we can always sit down and just talk with the family without needing to dance.", kissing her on the lips warmly.
Ariel rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "Alright, you two, but don't make a habit of it.", rubbing her belly warmly, "Good thing that I'm stubborn. I already came up with a name for our daughter last night, and I hope Daddy likes it...".
"Oh, what is it?", Eric asked curiously, and Ariel smiled softly, "Melody.", and Eric felt a big kick in turn.
Eric blinked, "Oh, you sneak. You agreed with your mother before talking to me, eh?", and a kick again, and Ariel giggled softly, "She couldn't help it when I suggested it out loud in the library. Now, I am still stuck on our son's name...".
"Melody, I love it, it suits her actually as she and her brother love music and the sea...How about a name in honor of your father? It could be our birthday gift of sorts.", Eric smiled brightly.
Ariel looked at him in surprise before asking, "What is it?", and Eric rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I...I like Tazio.".
"Tazio? Is that something common around this land?", Ariel asked. "Italian? Yes and no in some ways.", Eric explained. "It's derived from Latin, means honorable.".
" 'Honorable', huh? What do you think of that, son? Do you want to be Tazio?", Ariel smiled gently as she stroked her belly, and she and Eric felt a kick on the other side of her belly, where their son is.
"That settles it...Melody and Tazio...", Ariel smiled brightly as Eric laughed heartily, "Princess Melody and Prince Tazio. Yep, they're perfect...", with a kiss on her lips softly before sighing, "We better get out of bed before Carlotta gets us for breakfast.".
"Oh, I know. I'm too comfortable, but yes, I'm quite famished, and I think our little ones are hungry.", Ariel nodded, and two kicks answered her, and Eric chuckled warmly as he got up, going out and around the bed, and helped Ariel to her feet.
Eric smiled, helping her get dressed before getting dressed himself, and replied, "I have a meeting with Grimsby this morning after breakfast, but I will be surely done before noon, and help you with some last details for the beach birthday picnic this afternoon, okay?".
Ariel smiled warmly, "That sounds good to me.", and so they got out of their quarters and headed to the dining hall for breakfast, and so a few hours later, as Ariel was distracted talking to Carlotta while having lunch, with Eric picking up some peaches for Ariel in town, figuring she'd appreciate having them as a snack during the picnic with the family, that was when Cetus made his move.
It was almost completely quiet. Just posing as one of the staff, no one was even batting an eye even if his disguise wasn't truly perfect. All the others just assumed he was some new help or someone that was already let in.
After noticing what Ariel had preferred for her drinks as she's pregnant, Cetus carefully went to the tray of drinks, and after hearing that the simple silver goblet belonged to Ariel, he poured the potion into the drink, in the grape juice, watching the potion glow black for a moment before vanishing.
Cetus then grinned momentarily, and took the empty vial back in his coat, murmuring, "Treasure the moments with them while you can, princess.", before turning invisible with his dark magic, and watched Ariel for a few moments as one of the other staff bought the tray of drinks in as Ariel was talking to Carlotta, and Ariel took some long sips, unknowingly of the poison flowing through her, at a slow pace.
Satisfied, he then headed out, an excited and wicked smile on his face as he headed back to the sea, soon changing back to his normal self after he canceled the invisibility and the disguise, and his stingrays took him to his lair. He will soon send the boys out to watch the interesting entertainment tonight.
Having slightly increased senses thanks to pregnancy, Ariel only presumed that the grape juice was a tad too strained, and continued to talk with Carlotta, soon welcoming Eric home who surprised her with a basket of peaches.
After figuring out a few things to take along with a picnic basket, Ariel and Eric headed to the usual spot where the family meets with them to catch up, to talk, enjoy the kicks, and watch the games of the girls, and of course, the birthday gifts.
"Calm down, Eric... you're acting like Daddy will have you executed if you don't give him a good gift.", Ariel joked as Eric rubbed his neck.
"He doesn't do that sort of thing, does he?", Eric was also somewhat joking but he never really knew if Triton was truly one for executions; aside from Ursula of course.
Ariel shook her head, "No, as he's better than that, but there were a few ones Grandfather, his father had trouble with while Daddy was in training.", and Eric nodded with a hum, relieved at least, and he figured that it could only be for extreme situations which he could understand.
Soon, Triton and the girls appeared, hugging and reuniting with Ariel and Eric, and so, the family enjoyed the picnic, having fun and enjoying the warm shade of the sun and the breeze, wishing Triton happy birthday.
Ariel smiled, "Daddy, your birthday gift is the name of your granddaughter, and I hope you like it as it actually is related to the sea.", and Triton smiled warmly, "I'm curious to hear it.".
"Her name is Melody.", Ariel smiled, rubbing her belly as she felt a soft kick, and she figured that Melody is tired out from all that activity earlier, and Triton beamed happily, "Oh, that's perfect! I love it, Ariel.".
The girls nod in agreement, "Yeah, that suits her! So pretty! I bet Mother would love that! Perfect for a girl born of the sea and land. She would be a wonderful girl. I wonder if she sings really good one day. Melody is perfect for her, sis.".
Triton then glanced at Eric, "I presume your birthday gift is the name of my grandson, then?", and Eric nodded with an anxious gulp, "Yes, it is... His name is actually in honor of you, sire, ironically. His name is Tazio, the meaning is 'honorable' ".
"Tazio?", Triton raised an eyebrow. "It's Italian.", Eric chuckled as Triton gave a smile.
"Then it is a fine name for such a fine young man.", Triton said as Ariel took a deep breath as she needed to sit back down. "Everything alright, Ariel?", Triton asked.
"I'm okay, Daddy... just feeling that sort of sickness human mothers have when carrying.", Ariel said.
Attina nodded, "That's right. Ariel and I talked with Carlotta one time on the ocean steps, and through it's called morning sickness, it happens anytime until about seven months, so Ariel still got a bit to go. Something about the baby/ies disliking one of the foods even when the mother loves it.".
Triton nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, either way, those names are perfect. Princess Melody and Prince Tazio, quite a good ring to it...Of course, we'll have to see what they want to be when they grow up. Does Melody or Tazio want to rule? Does one of them want to see Atlantica more than the surface?".
Ariel smiled at him, "We will figure those things out, Daddy, in time, but they will be babies first, needing lots of love and care...heck, they are free from so many worries and troubles.".
"I bet they would be the cutest babies ever in the history of the surface or Atlantica!", Adella giggled excitedly, and Aquata smirked, "When they're not crying for food, which is dramatic.".
Arista snorted, "There's quiet babies and there's noisy babies, Aquata.", and Eric nodded, "You have a point, but knowing myself and Ariel, I think the twins would be a mix between quiet and noisy.".
Triton nodded in agreement, "Indeed. You seven girls were a combination of quiet and noisy when you were merbabies.", with a chuckle, and all the girls including Ariel blushed, "Daddy, not in front of my husband!".
Eric chuckled, kissing Ariel on the cheek, "Oh, I think it's adorable, Ariel, and sure, I wish I could have seen that, but hey, I would have been a toddler, so I wouldn't have remembered, anyway.", and Ariel smiled, "True.".
And so, some more happy conversation came around, and eventually, it was soon time for the couple to return back to the palace for dinner, waving goodbye to the girls and Triton who returned back to Atlantica.
Ariel became better during dinner, and she was glad that it was only some morning sickness, though she got a bit concerned when she felt that the kicks became softer, as they're usually active during dinner, but thought that the activity of playing games and talking with the family must have exhausted the twins out, sending them to sleep earlier.