"Now this seems unfair." Vanessa pouted evilly.
"How unfortunate." Ursula chuckled darkly.
"You're gonna pay." Atticus glared at the octopid women.
"Listen here, how's about we make this a fair fight, even if we are octopid women?" Morgana said.
"You have a good idea for once." Ursula mocked her sister.
"So, what do you goody merpeople say? Three against three?" Vanessa smirked, extending her right hand to them.
"Either way, we're gonna triumph over you..." Urchin narrowed his copper brown eyes as he swam up with Darla, coming behind Eloise.
"We want to fight against strong merpeople, not wannabes." Morgana said.
"You've asked for this," Darla glared. "Beat them, Atticus."
"I sure will." Atticus said.
"Okay, so it'll be Atticus, his youngest son, and Urchin against me, Morgana, and our mother, Vanessa." Ursula smiled evilly.
"Darla, you protect Eloise, this won't take long." Urchin told his future wife/childhood crush.
Darla nodded firmly before Urchin went to join his future brother-in-law and nephew. Eloise looked firm, but her mother told her to stay back. Morgana, Vanessa, and Ursula laughed at their competition. Unknown to anyone, Akito secretly made his Uncle Urchin as strong as him and his father and his grandfather without anyone noticing.
"You can do this, Uncle Urchin." Akito whispered once they were ready.
Darla decided to take Eloise, Estelle, and Vincent back to Triton's place for safety. Melody was the only one really there as she stayed for her safety as well, but also to be a babysitter for her younger cousins who would soon come.
"So, who do you want to face against, my favorite daughter?" Vanessa asked Ursula.
"Hey!" Morgana scowled.
"I'll take that Atticus fellow," Ursula replied. "If it wasn't for him, my plans of ruining that little mermaid Ariel's life probably would've worked!"
"Alright then," Vanessa smirked. "So, Morgana who will you face?"
"I'll fight his brat." Morgana glared.
"Looks like I'll be getting Little Orphan Blonde Brat." Vanessa said then.
"I have a name, you know..." Urchin sneered.
"His name is Urchin." Atticus glared at Vanessa.
"Like it matters," Vanessa laughed darkly. "You're all going to be finished off and the ocean will be ours. Perhaps I could turn that Darla girl into our maid and when your daughter is old enough, she will have the same fate, she's such a spoiled brat like her mother."
"Enough chit chat, let's fight!" Akito glared.
"You're so one, little man." Morgana challenged.
With that, the three merman moved out to the three octopid women.
"Let's see how strong you three are." Vanessa smirked before she wrapped Urchin with her tentacles while her daughters did the same with Atticus and Akito.
Urchin grunted and growled.
"Haven't you been taught to never harm a lady?" Vanessa taunted him.
"Yeah, but you three are evil, so you three are an exception." Atticus said before he broke free from Ursula's tentacles and then grabbed them before starting to spin her.
"How dare you!" Morgana growled to him.
"Yes, we do!" Akito smirked darkly.
Akito and Urchin both did the same, surprising not only the octopid women, but also Urchin himself. The women glanced to Urchin. Urchin looked to himself, very curious, but he smiled in determination as he felt even more motivated about fighting these women than he had before.
"Time to send these witches flying." Atticus, Akito, and Urchin said in unison while spinning the trio sea witches at full speed.
Melody's mermaid friends who she had met during her first time under the sea poked their heads out as they watched the action. The brunette girl with a flower in her hair clung to the boy with short black hair for protection while he and the other blonde, green-eyed boy looked like they were enjoying the fight as Atticus, Akito, and Urchin were beating Vanessa, Morgana, and Ursula.
After spinning the trio sea witches for a while Atticus, Akito, and Urchin let go of them, sending them flying out of the ocean. The boys and one girl cheered that the sea witches were gone. At least, for now... Eric and Ariel looked out from their castle which wasn't too far from the sea and the barrier from the land and ocean was of course brought down as they waited in the safety of their home while Melody insisted on being a chaperon for the kids under the sea. And where they saw the sea witches being launched out of the ocean and out to a new area far far from Atlantica. Atticus, Akito, and Urchin laughed and high-fived each other in victory.
"I didn't think it'd be that easy, I was kinda hoping for a bigger competition." Akito pouted.
"Sometimes, some enemies are easy to defeat when you have incredible strength." Atticus said.
"Yeah..." Akito folded his arms. "You really should've been there when I was with Slam Tasmanian, Dad, it was incredible."
Atticus chuckled as he ruffled up his younger son's hair. "We'll visit them sometimes, I bet they miss you in Acmetropolis, but not as much as your mother and I missed you and Estelle."
Akito smiled back to that.
"Come on, let's tell everybody the good news." Urchin told his soon to be official brother-in-law and nephew.
"Yeah, because the sooner we tell them, the sooner the wedding can continue." Akito smiled.
"Come on then, let's go." Atticus told them.
With that, they all swam off.
"So, if you and Daddy get married, I won't have to live in the hotel anymore?" Eloise asked her mother.
"That's right, dear," Darla replied. "I know you'll miss it, but you only lived in the hotel because that was where Nanny lived and I was away at Paris while your father was down here under the sea, but after we get married, you'll be with us loads more than ever before! I don't know where we'll live after the wedding, but we were thinking of staying with your Uncle Atticus and Aunt Mo until further notice."
"Yay!" Eloise cheered.
Darla giggled to her daughter's excitement.
"So, Nanny's coming with us to live with Uncle Atticus and Aunt Mo?" Eloise then asked.
Darla frowned to that, but she should've expected that question since Nanny had been raising Eloise for the majority of her young life.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Eloise then asked.
"Eloise, I'm afraid that Nanny won't be coming with us." Darla frowned.
"Why not?" Eloise frowned back. "Nanny's family, isn't she?"
"Well, in a way, yes, but Nanny lives in the hotel," Darla explained gently. "Oh, I know you love her very much and she loves you just the same, but she should be in her own home away from home... I'm sure her older brother will visit her, and you can visit her too."
"Promise?" Eloise asked.
"Promise." Darla said.
Eloise held out her pinkie. Darla smiled and linked her pinkie into her daughter's to make an official pinkie promise.
"I'll miss her..." Eloise admitted sadly.
"I know, dear, I know." Darla soothed.
Eloise buried her face in her mother's hold. Darla gently put her arms around Eloise to comfort her.
"They're coming back." Estelle said as she looked out the nearest window to see her father, twin brother, and uncle coming back from fighting off the octopid women.
"That was fast." Vincent said.
"Guess Dad and Akito kicked their butts." Estelle smirked.
"And by the looks of your Uncle Urchin's new muscles, your father or your brother must have gave him an extra boost of strength." Mo said.
"Of course that would happen," Melody smiled back, then looked to see the mermaid children who had watched the fight come with her extended family, she then gasped and ducked down once she spotted the blonde boy around her age. "Alex!"
"Melody, get back up here at once!" Mo demanded sharply.
"I can't let him see me... No, not yet..." Melody sounded nervous.
"Melody." Mo sighed.
"What're you nervous about?" Estelle asked the black-haired girl.
"It's him..." Melody pointed to Alex. "I-I-I'm too nervous to talk with him, you go talk to him for me."
"Oh, no, you don't." Estelle said before dragging her cousin out to the blonde merboy.
"Hey!" Melody yelped. "Estelle!"
"You are talking with this boy," Estelle insisted as she dragged the older black-haired mermaid girl. "I may not have a boyfriend myself, but I don't want you to be afraid of your feelings!"
Melody began to get more and more nervous as they got closer to the blonde merboy.
"Let go!" she begged.
"Nope." Estelle refused as she kept bringing Melody closer and closer to the merboy.
"So, what do you guys wanna--" Alex was about to ask his friends until Melody was shoved into his face. "Oh!"
"You've met my cousin, right?" Estelle grinned as she pushed Melody against Alex.
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Hi, Melody, or should I call you Mel-Mel?"
Melody chuckled nervously as she stroked some of her raven hair behind her earlobe. "Oh, you remember that, huh?" she smiled bashfully as her face turned red slightly.
"Yeah." Alex laughed a little, but not in a mean way.
"So then, I guess I'll just leave you two alone." Estelle said before swimming away from them.
Melody hid a glare to Estelle while Alex merely smiled. "Little cousins..." she mumbled to herself.
"So Melody, how've you been lately?" Alex asked.
"Oh, you know," Melody smiled to him with her hands behind her back. "Same old, same old."
Alex smiled back to her.