The siblings were driving to Cape Fluffluff, which was a distance from the city. Back then, there was a lighthouse near the bay, and while it wasn't being used anymore, it's still a popular spot for sightseers and fishermen.
The siblings were in the car, on their way to the bay. While Bro and Zaire were there to fish, Amelia, Porter, and Lily were there to swim and enjoy the sunshine.
"This is gonna be so much fun! Those fish better watch out!" Zaire laughed.
"I think this place will be better than the beach," Bro said. "No birds swooping down to bug you, no surprise waves to splash you while you're sunbathing, no sand for kids to kick in your face..."
Bro glared at Lily, sticking her tongue out at him in response.
"And above all else," he continued, "there's no litter in the area, unlike the beach."
"Litter? There isn't any litter at the beach," Amelia stated.
"Tell that to the wildlife. I once saw a crab wearing a paper cup as a shell!" Zaire replied.
The car was parked near the water, and the five hopped out. While Porter and Lily raced to the lighthouse, the other three checked on the fishing supplies.
"Alright, fishing rods? Bait and tackle? Bucket? Lifesaver?" Bro asked.
"Check, check, check, and check!" Zaire replied. "But what's with the lifesaver? You can swim, right?"
"Wha- of course I can swim!" Bro snorted. "That lifesaver is clearly for Porter!"
"Isn't he here to swim, though?"
"You never know! We have lifeguards at the pool despite 98% of people there knowing how to swim!" he reasoned.
Zaire shrugged and helped Bro carry the rods and bait, while Amelia went off to join Porter and Lily. There was a small boat near the base of the lighthouse, and with a bit of effort, the brothers were on the water. Meanwhile, Amelia and Lily were playing in the water, opposite the lighthouse. Porter was treading water, unimpressed by the lack of activity in the area.
"You know, the beach may be chaotic, but the chaos is what made it fun! There's nothing to do here!" he complained.
"Why not check on Bro and Porter?" Amelia suggested. "It may be early, but they've probably caught something!"
"Yeah, right!" Lily scoffed. "The fish might avoid Zaire more than the girls already do!"
Still, with nothing better to do, Porter swam over to the boat, where he could overhear the two brothers as they prepared to fish.
"Remember Zaire, fishing is all about persistence, determination, and most importantly, patience," Bro stated, putting a worm on his line. "Don't expect to catch a fish in the first five minutes, or twenty, or an hour... or at all... Look, fishing is a waiting game, and only the patient ones will be able to catch something."
"I got something!" Zaire exclaimed, reeling in his line. Indeed, he caught a red fish the size of his palm.
"Not bad, brother. Put it in the bucket. Whatever we catch, we'll cook when we get home," Bro said, readying his line. Before casting, however, they noticed Porter swimming towards them.
"Porter! What are you doing?!" Zaire called. "Get in here, you might get hurt!"
The two helped him into the boat, where the three talked further.
"That was close. You could've been caught on the line if we cast them!" Zaire warned, casting his line.
"Happened to me once. Let me tell you, it's not fun," Bro agreed, doing the same thing.
"I wanted to see how your fishing is going. It sounded more interesting than just paddling around aimlessly," Porter explained. "So, caught any fish?"
"Zaire just caught one, but I was just explaining to him that fishing is all about patience-"
"I got another one!" he shouted, reeling in his line and pulling out another red fish, one bigger than his previous catch. He tossed it in the bucket and cast his line out again.
"Looks like the fish are more attracted to him more than girls are," Bro muttered. "Why don't you try your hand at this?"
"Oh, no, it's fine," Porter declined, "I just wanted to see how you're doing!"
"You sure? You might just catch a fish like your brother here!" Bro insisted, passing him the rod. Porter was going to refuse but decided it wouldn't hurt anyone and cast his line. While Zaire was catching fish after fish, Porter felt the line tug after fifteen minutes.
"I got a bite! I got a bite!" he gasped, struggling to reel in the potential catch. After a lot of work, Porter managed to pull his catch - a tiny blue fish almost as small as the hook itself.
By now, Bro was asleep, and the bucket was half full of fish.
"Not bad, Porter!" Zaire said encouragingly. "You might want to release that one and try again. That tiny fish couldn't even feed a seal!"
With a nod, Porter tossed the fish back into the water and cast his line again.
After an hour, the bucket was full of red fish, and Porter had still not caught anything else. Amelia and Lily were heading back to the car when they saw the three.
"Wow, Zaire caught all those fish? Guess fish really like him!" Amelia chuckled.
"What? No way! I'm sure Porter helped as well. Look at him, reeling in the big one!" Lily replied.
Indeed, there was finally another tug on Porter's line. Determined to catch a bigger fish, he tugged and tugged on his line to the point that the rod was about to snap. Instead, he was pulled off the boat and into the water below, screaming.
"...I stand corrected," Lily sighed.
"Come on, Porter! Come back and try again!" Zaire shouted into the water, to which he got no response. Porter wasn't resurfacing at all.
"Uh-oh," Zaire muttered.
"Uh-oh," Amelia and Lily repeated in unison.
The two girls jumped into the waters and swam towards the boat. They almost overturned it, waking up Bro as they climbed in.
"What happened? What are you doing? Where's Porter?" he asked, looking around.
"We don't know! We saw him trying to catch fish, and then he got pulled into the water!" Amelia explained frantically.
"Hang on, I'll try to fish him out!" Zaire declared, casting his line.
"What if the fish is fishing for humans?" Lily wondered. "What if there's a fish in the water pulling people into the water to catch, cook, and eat them?!"
The other siblings looked at her, unamused when Zaire felt a tug on his line.
"I got something! Hang in there, little brother!" he shouted, pulling hard on his line. Much like Porter's, Zaire's rod was also on the verge of breaking with the tension it was receiving. However, unlike Porter, the boat itself was being tugged along with his line, forcing the other siblings to hold on to him!
The boat crashed into some rocks, sending the bucket into the water and causing all of the fish to flee back into the water. It also sent the siblings into the water with a loud splash!
"See Zaire, I told you this lifesaver would come in handy!" Bro remarked. "If it wasn't for this thing, I would've sunk like a rock!"
"Wait, are you saying you can't swim, Bro?" Lily asked.
"I can swim, alright? I just haven't been around water for so long that I haven't had a reason to swim! But it's fine, I'll just take a couple of trips to the local swimming pool-"
As he was talking, he was pulled under the water, much to everyone's shock.
"The fish are out to get us! Let's get out of here!" Lily screamed.
But as they were trying to swim to safety, they were dragged down one by one. As they were pulled deeper underwater, they saw several mysterious figures with fish tails swimming up to meet them. They couldn't figure out what they were, as they blacked out soon after.
The four woke up tied to each other with surprisingly strong seaweed while on a giant turtle, the fishing rods laying right next to them.
"Oh, you're awake now," a green-haired mermaid said. "Stay there and don't even think of trying to run. We'll be heading to the city shortly."
They looked around and saw a school of red fish swimming around them. Several of the fish swam up to Zaire and slapped him with their fins.
"Guess the fish really like to hate you, Zaire," Lily smirked.
After about ten minutes, the turtle they were on passed the gates of an underwater metropolis. Mermaids, mermen, and fish swam throughout the city to their destinations, from office buildings to a hospital to a schoolhouse. It looked like a normal city, just underwater!
The turtle stopped at a building with a giant sea star on the front. From the looks of it, it seemed like a police station.
"We're here," the mermaid stated, freeing the siblings from their bindings. "Your cell has another land-dweller inside. I assume he's part of your party."
They were led inside and through a corridor containing multiple cells. Each cell had something or someone in it - one contained a shark, one a jellyfish, another a merman, and another a Clone for some reason.
At the end of the corridor was the cell containing Porter and a stingray-like creature. Porter had a large bubble around his head, which is when the other siblings realized they also had bubbles around their heads, allowing them to breathe.
"Guys! Get me out of here! I don't want to be a criminal!" he cried.
"Too late. You became one the moment we saw that fishing rod in your hands," the mermaid hissed. "You think it's fun to abduct innocent fish from their families? Do you know how much heartbreak it causes them, that they may never see their loved ones again? Scum like you disgust me."
"Calm down, lady," Lily suggested. "Don't fish have an attention span of like, eight seconds?"
"That's eight more seconds longer than yours, Lily," Bro joked as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"You land-dwellers make me sick," the mermaid hissed. "Get in."
They were thrown inside, where the warden, a blue-haired merman, thanked the mermaid for bringing the culprits here quickly.
"It was nothing, Morgan. Just keeping the Aquapolis safe one day at a time!" she chuckled.
"And indeed you do, Sally," Morgan replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Now get out there and make it safer! Now, about you guys..." he said, turning to the cell. "What you guys did endangered the lives of several fish and traumatized several others. The only reason we were able to catch you was because of a witness."
"Witness? What witness?" Bro asked.
At the moment, a familiar tiny blue fish swam up to the cell.
"This witness. He was caught by you, but he claims you let him go in an act of mercy," Morgan explained.
"More like he was so small, we didn't want to cook and eat something so tiny," Zaire corrected, "that's a waste of oil." This response made Morgan flinch.
"So, that's what you do to our beloved friends? You torture and eat them on the surface above?! The judge ought to send you to the abyss for this!" he shouted, storming off.
The five looked over at the stingray, the only other thing in the cell with them. It stared at them with a smile on its face.
"What are you smiling at?" Zaire asked the stingray, the creature giving him a dopey smile in return. He asked it several more questions, to which it responded by giving Zaire a one-thousand yard stare and a smile.
"You think our situation is funny?!" he growled, drawing his katana.
"Word of advice," Sally called, watching them, "you might not want to upset the ray. They're cute and stuff, but they have a violent temper."
She continued further, approaching the cell. "Listen up, legs! We're going to transfer you to the court, where the judge will decide what to do with you. You better hope they let you off easy, because what you did was serious!"
The five were taken out of the cell and brought back onto the giant turtle they used to get to the station. Together, they traveled out of the city and towards a castle-like structure.
"Wowie, what a beautiful castle!" Amelia exclaimed, eyes full of amazement.
"I don't suppose that's where the ruler of your city lives?" Bro jested with Sally, her grunting in response.
"Actually," she replied, "that's exactly where our king, ruler, and your judge, King Ceruloch and his royal family live. You better hope he's in a good mood during your trial!"
"I feel like you're exaggerating our case to be worse than it actually is," Bro admitted.
Sally let out a scoff and resumed guiding the turtle to the castle, stopping in its courtyard. Crowds of fish and merpeople were jeering at the five as they dismounted the turtle. Or maybe they were jeering at the clownfish that was entertaining the crowd at the time.
"Wow, Porter, they really don't appreciate you kidnapping their friends!" Zaire stated, nudging Porter's arm.
"You caught more fish than I did, so shut it!" Porter whined.
A large door leading into the castle opened slowly, and a squire walked outside, holding a scroll.
"The court is now in session! We request you turn off or put your shell phones in a setting that will not disturb others. The trial of the land-dwellers versus literally everyone in the Aquapolis will now begin!" they announced.
A large, burly merman with piercing blue eyes, a long silvery beard, and a giant golden gavel swam out and observed the scene from his balcony.
"That must be King Ceruloch!" Lily pointed out in a whisper.
The king began to speak, his voice high in authority. "Thank you, Finn. There's been a report that these five have committed acts of harassment and fishnapping on the border that separates their world and our world."
The siblings looked at each other, concerned.
"Plaintiff, please present your testimony," King Ceruloch ordered.
At one side of the court, the tiny fish acquainted with a merman opened a scroll and began to read. "I was hanging out with my friends this morning on the border when I smelled something delicious! It didn't take me long for me to realize it was a worm! I didn't have anything to eat this morning, so I thought it was a gift from the skies above! But when I tried to grab it, I was pulled into their world!"
The jury let out a gasp, some mermaids were shouting in anger, and one threatened to beat up the siblings.
"Order in this court!" King Ceruloch demanded, his gavel causing thunderous noise in the court. "Continue your testimony, please."
"I felt cold, and I couldn't breathe," the merman resumed. "I saw the face of a young boy and heard the voice of someone saying to put me back! It was only through this act of mercy that I am able to swim free today," he concluded, rolling the scroll back up.
"Okay, that's only half the truth!" Zaire complained. "I told him to release that fish and try again because that fish couldn't even feed a seal!"
In an instant, the jury erupted into a mass of angry statements.
"Zaire! I think you've just made things worse for us!" Amelia whispered.
"Order! Order in my court!" King Ceruloch boomed, banging his gavel a second time. "You'll all be relieved of your duties if this continues! Defendants, please present your testimony."
"What, we don't get an attorney?" Bro asked.
"You think any attorney would dare to defend you?" Sally responded, answering from the turtle she was still sitting on.
With a sigh, Bro spoke up on behalf of the other siblings.
"It's true, we were planning to fish today, but if we knew there was an underwater city here, we wouldn't have done that in the first place. While my brother, Porter, was the one who caught that fish, the whole idea was mine. The girls are innocent, and when he disappeared, we tried fishing to get him back."
At this point, the jury was looking at the siblings with less aggression, despite still not liking them. Murmurs between them were tossed while Sally let out a scoff at the ordeal.
As the court fell silent again, Bro continued. "Me and my family deeply apologize for the chaos caused, and we'll do everything we can to make things right."
"You can start by never showing your faces around here again!" a member of the jury shouted. Needless to say, he was dragged out of the court with a net.
"They never listen," King Ceruloch sighed. "Jury, have we reached a verdict?"
"We have, your honor," a mermaid replied. "We find the land-dwellers guilty of harassment, attempted murder of fish, and disturbing the peace."
"You would've found us guilty regardless of what we did here!" Lily complained.
Ceruloch glared at Lily and stated, "Our laws set the righteous free and punish the unjust. Your sentence is fifteen days in the abyss."
"The abyss?! I don't want to go to the abyss! Get me back to the surface!" Porter screamed. He began to hyperventilate, and the bubble around his head started to shrink.
"Porter, Porter, breathe!" Zaire exclaimed, putting his hands on Porter's shoulders. "Relax. Maybe it won't be so bad. It's just a few days underwater, we'll be able to get back to the surface soon, and LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" he shouted.
The five tried to swim up, but it felt like the gravity around here was the same as it was above the surface. To everyone else, it looked like they were trying to fly.
"Enough lollygagging!" King Ceruloch ordered, his voice silencing the area. "A guard will be here to escort you shortly. This court is adjourned," he added, banging his gavel.
As the jury started to disperse, a female voice asked, "Wait! Isn't there an easier solution?"
The castle door opened again, and a teenage mermaid with light blue hair and a tiara swam out to the courtyard. "This all feels like a big misunderstanding. Isn't sending them to the abyss a bit too extreme?" she asked the king.
"Cyan, my daughter..." King Ceruloch sighed, taking hold of her hand. "Our laws are applied to everyone, regardless of standing or whether or not they know them. You know this."
"But our laws are meant to defend the good and punish the bad! You said this yourself!" Cyan stated. "What's more..."
She swam up to the siblings, inspecting them and taking in their appearance.
"...They don't look like the type of people who would willingly commit crimes," she added.
"It's true!" Amelia confirmed. "We're not bad guys! In fact, there are bad guys above the surface, and we fight them too! Can't you let us prove ourselves in some way?"
"Cyan..." King Ceruloch smiled, shaking his head. "You've never seen land-dwellers up close and just want an excuse to get to know them."
"But dad! I know you're curious about them just as much as me!" Cyan protested. "You're the king. You can give them a pardon, and I can watch over them and make sure they don't cause trouble. If you do, you're welcome to send them to the abyss," she proposed.
"How about this- I won't pardon them, but I'll leave them in your hands. They can prove themselves to you," he said before glaring at the siblings and adding, "If you do anything to my daughter, you'll face a punishment far worse than a life in the abyss!"
The siblings all shuddered but nodded in agreement. Excited, Cyan grabbed Amelia's hand and hopped on Sally's turtle, the others closely following.
"Come on, Sal! To the city!" she ordered.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Princess Cyan?" Sally replied, hesitant. "Being in the city with these land-dwellers in our presence is sure to destroy your reputation!"
"Nonsense! Feel free to draw your own conclusion, but when the citizens see these people doing good things, their opinion is likely to change of them!" Cyan disagreed in earnest. "Remember, the only thing that makes us and them different is that we have tails."
Sally shrugged but complied with Cyan's request and helped the others onto the turtle before swimming back to the city.
"So, what are you guys hungry for?" Cyan asked.
Zaire, while being sarcastic, had to resist the urge to say sushi or any other seafood. Instead, he asked what the locals eat.
"Oh, I get it! You guys are asking what we eat so you can brag to your legged friends that you've eaten Sea Cucumber Soup and Salad under the sea!"
"Wait... Aren't sea cucumbers living beings?" Porter pointed out.
"They're grown for food," Sally replied. "Same way you people raise those cow things for hamburgers, if that's what they're called."
The turtle parked outside of a restaurant, one that seemingly rich merpeople would dine in to prove they have sand dollars to spend.
"Princess Cyan," Bro started to speak. "I apologize if this is a rude thing to ask, but don't you have chefs in the castle? Why come down to a restaurant?" he asked.
Cyan looked over at Bro and laughed. "What kind of princess do you think I am? You think I like wearing poufy dresses and like to talk all royally mighty? Nope, not me! I wanna see all the sights of the Aquapolis and beyond!" she answered in a smirk. "Now, come on, let's get inside and eat!"
The seven walked inside and were immediately seated. Cyan ordered the Sea Cucumber Soup and Salad for everyone, along with some seaweed wraps as an appetizer. Her presence coupled with the siblings quickly drew attention to their table.
"Are those the land-dwellers that were in King Ceruloch's court?" an onlooker asked.
"What is Princess Cyan doing out with them?" another onlooker wondered.
As they gained more attention, their food was served, which looked alien to the siblings.
"I'm not so sure about this..." Zaire groaned to himself, looking at the soup. He looked over at the crowd, then at Cyan and Sally, who were eating their food without a care.
Lily, while hesitant to eat, was the first to take a spoonful of the soup, taking care not to let the bubble around her head pop. To her, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.
"Guys, you've got to try this!" she ordered, eating faster.
Looking at each other, the siblings also ate, much to the onlookers' surprise.
"This stuff is actually pretty good!" Amelia exclaimed. "My compliments to the chef."
"I wonder if normal cucumbers will work the same for this recipe..." Bro said.
"Wait, you guys don't have sea cucumbers above the surface?" Cyan asked.
"N-no..." Porter answered. "Our cucumbers are what we call vegetables. And... they're not living beings."
The onlookers were taking in their information, seemingly fascinated.
"Vegetables? What are those? And there's more than one kind of cucumber?" an onlooker asked.
"I don't know about you, but I sorta want to learn more about what it's like above the surface!" another onlooker added.
While they were talking and eating, a black, spherical object smashed through the window and landed on the table everyone was sitting at. After a second, the ball exploded into a cloud of black ink, engulfing everyone. When the ink cleared, Cyan was gone!
"Um, where's Cyan?" Amelia asked.
"The princess is missing!" a merman shouted. "Princess Cyan has disappeared!"
"Oh, we're in for it now," Bro groaned. "The king warned us if something happens to her..."
"Maybe not!" Zaire replied. "We just need to find her! But where do we start?"
As if on cue, a mermaid swam into the restaurant shouting, "The Wusskraken is back! I just saw a group of octowusses kidnap the princess!"
Sally growled in frustration and muttered, "I swear, these guys come back and cause trouble every month!"
"Octowusses? The Wusskraken? What is everyone going on about?" Lily asked.
"They're a species of cowardly octopi," Sally explained. "They're led by the Wusskraken and carry out deeds by his command. Normally, they're too cowardly to actually commit crimes, but I guess something about the princess being out in public gave them a strange sense of bravery. Stay right there, I'm going to stop them!"
She swam towards the exit, but was stopped by the five.
"Not so fast! We're going with you!" Lily protested.
"Yeah! We want to help!" Porter agreed.
"I don't think so," Sally replied. "The last thing I need is to babysit a bunch of near fugitives while fighting the Wusskraken."
"We did say in the court that we fight bad guys above the surface," Bro stated. "Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot, er... fin, but this issue concerns us too. Right now, we all need to rescue the princess, and I promise, you're going to need all the help you can get."
"...You just want to help so you can be pardoned by the king," Sally pointed out, narrowing her eyes.
"Not true. We want to make things right and help the Aquapolis."
"And then be pardoned by the king," Zaire added.
Bro glared at Zaire while Sally shook her head. "As much as I don't want to accept your help, I don't think I have much of a choice."
"So we're helping?" Porter asked.
"Sadly," Sally admitted. "Fortunately, I've dealt with the octowusses for so long, I know which way they're going. If we intercept them, it'll be easier to rescue the princess."
"They probably keep forgetting they take that route," Amelia reasoned. "A month can be a long time depending on who you ask."
The six hurried out of the restaurant and hopped onto the turtle, heading after the Wusskraken's minions. After fifteen minutes, they arrived at a canyon dotted with urchins.
"We're here," Sally stated, grabbing a patch of seaweed. "In a few minutes, the octowusses will pass through this canyon. This'll be where we'll stop them and rescue the princess before something disastrous happens."
"Look! There they are!" Lily exclaimed, pointing at a group of purple octopus-like creatures.
"Lily! Keep your voice down!" Zaire shouted, putting a hand over her mouth.
Upon closer inspection, the group of octowusses were in a wagon, carrying a cage covered with a cloth.
"Sally, just sit back and watch how we take of things," Bro offered, jumping down into the canyon and in front of the group.
Startled, an octowuss started to scream and asked Bro not to hurt it. The other octowusses were confused at Bro's two legs and asked what kind of merman he was.
"Not a merman, just human," he answered. "I see you're hauling that thing around and I'm wondering how much you want for it."
A couple of octowusses were about to answer when another bluntly stated whatever's in the cage is not for sale and warned Bro he has no business being around here and to back off.
"Alright, I see how it is," Bro sighed, shooting a ball of light at the octowuss, sending it backwards.
"Wha... Who are you?" another octowuss asked, drawing a lance.
"Why ask who I am when you could ask who we are?" Bro asked back.
In that moment, Amelia, Lily, and Zaire jumped down into the canyon and joined Bro. Sally swam down and lassoed the octowuss's lance away with the seaweed.
"It's an ambush!" one screamed. "There's Sally!"
"How does she keep finding us?!" the others shouted, as if arguing.
The five surrounded the wagon and the octowusses, all shaking but their lances at the ready.
"This is your last chance. Hand over the princess," Sally ordered.
"And if they don't?" A voice boomed from behind them. When turning around, they saw a black and purple squid-like being, noticeably bigger than both the octowusses and themselves.
"I assume that's the Wusskraken?" Zaire questioned.
Sally's expression went grim. "I thought you would still be in your domain! You came out here to close the gap and catch the princess quicker?"
"Indeed, I have!" the Wusskraken answered." For months, I've been watching the Aquapolis, planning to take it over somehow, but not a single opportunity has risen," it stated. "That is, until now. With Princess Cyan in my captivity, King Ceruloch will have no choice but to give in to my demands to get her back!"
"Let me guess- you're going to demand to be ruler of the Aquapolis, and when you are, you're just going to throw everyone who's not an octowuss into the abyss," Lily deduced.
The Wusskraken frowned. "I was getting to that!" it said, extending a tentacle toward the cage. "Well, let's make this quick. The sooner I capture the princess, the sooner I can make Ceruloch beg for his beloved daughter."
As the Wusskraken slowly pulled the cage towards itself, the siblings were doing everything they could to stop it. Zaire lunged at the tentacle with his katana, only to have it bounce off its stretchy arm. Amelia and Bro were busy keeping the octowusses at bay, but used their abilities to try to stop the Wusskraken. However, Amelia's hearts also bounced off the Wusskraken's skin, and Bro's orbs of light left no effect on it.
The Wusskraken pulled the cage close to itself and swam out of the canyon, blasting everyone with a cloud of ink. "Well, that was easy. Ta ta!"
Porter, the only one who didn't fight or jump into the canyon, saw the Wusskraken departing with the cage.
"Oh, dear, it's getting away! We're doomed!" he cried.
He sat down in despair when he noticed the fishing rods from earlier laying on the turtle's back. Looking back at the Wusskraken, he got an idea.
Grabbing a fishing rod and hopping on the turtle, he ordered it to pursue the cage. The turtle swam so fast that Porter had to hold on to its shell. When they were close enough, Porter cast his line, the hook sticking to the cage's cloth. He reeled himself towards the cage and looked under the cloth to see what was inside.
It was Cyan alright, but she was tied up. She looked at Porter with relief and tried to speak, but the kelp around her mouth muffled her words.
"Don't worry, princess! I'll get you out of there, I just hope this works!" Porter said.
Bending the hook on his line, he picked the lock until the door swung open and the two tumbled out and off the cage, unbeknownst to the Wusskraken.
As the two fell back to the canyon, Porter struggled to free Cyan of her bindings. In a last-ditch effort to slow their fall, he popped the bubble around his head. With limited air, he used the last of his strength to pull off the seaweed around her.
Cyan grabbed him and safely swam to the ground, barely avoiding a patch of urchins.
"That was too close," Cyan said after pulling off the kelp from her mouth. "Thanks for saving me. I can't imagine what the Aquapolis would be like under the rule of the Wusskraken!"
Porter was trying to reply, but he was red in the face as bubbles came out of his mouth.
"What's wrong?" she asked, until a realization came to her. "Ohh, that's why you guys have those bubbles around your heads!"
She blew a large bubble around Porter's head, allowing him to breathe again. He still managed to give her a "thank you" through all the coughing and gasping.
"Princess! Are you okay?" Sally called from atop the turtle, the other siblings accompanying her and and the group of octowusses dangling from a bunch of seaweed.
"Indeed I am, thanks to Porter here!" Cyan answered, hugging him.
"Yep, that's our Porter- always getting the attention of the girls," Zaire joked.
"Now that the princess is safe, what do you think the Wusskraken will do?" Bro asked.
"Doesn't matter," Sally responded. "They won't bother us again for some time. Now, let's get the princess back home before King Ceruloch puts an end to your freedom!"
15 Minutes Later, Wusskraken's Domain
The Wusskraken swam above its castle and into the courtyard, where an entire crowd of octowusses were waiting in anticipation.
"Citizens of my domain, thanks to your octowuss brethren, we've captured Princess Cyan!" it announced, much to the octowusses' excitement. "With her in our hands, we will make the king beg for his daughter and force him to give up his rule of the Aquapolis to us! Behold!"
The Wusskraken pulled back the cloth, revealing an open and empty cage, to its shock.
"Where's the princess?" a confused octowuss asked.
"The princess escaped!" another shouted. "How will we make the king meet our demands now?!"
The Wusskraken let out a yell of anger, its purple skin turning a shade of red briefly before calming down. "Citizens, this is nothing more than a setback of our plans. In another month, an opening will present itself, and we will strike! Mark my words, the Aquapolis will be ours!"
Aquapolis, King Ceruloch's Castle
"What?! My daughter's been kidnapped?!" the king yelled.
"According to our sources, she has," a messenger replied. "She was taken by a group of octowusses."
Furious, Ceruloch banged his gavel against the wall, causing the walls to shake.
"Those land-dwellers! They caused my daughter to be kidnapped by them!" he growled, covering his face with his hands. "If I see their faces again, I will-"
"Hi dad!" Cyan greeting, the siblings and Sally following. "I'm home now!"
"Cyan, my daughter!" he gasped, swimming up to her and hugging her tight. "I was so worried about you!" He looked over to the siblings, fury blazing in his eyes. "Don't think you're safe just because my daughter is here! Expect a hard life in the abyss!"
"Wait, dad, you don't understand! They rescued me from the Wusskraken's clutches!" Cyan disagreed.
"It's true," Sally confirmed. "Much as I hate to admit it, I believe we'd be in big trouble if it wasn't for these guys, especially Porter."
King Ceruloch looked at Sally, then Cyan, then Porter. "You, land-dweller... saved my daughter?" he asked, his angry look softening.
Porter, while nervous, nodded his head. "It was nothing, really."
"Aw, come on, Porter!" Lily shouted. "Stopping the octowusses was nothing! You rescued a princess!"
"Yeah, man! Own it!" Zaire added.
King Ceruloch rushed towards Porter and also hugged him, whispering, "Thank you. I am in your debt."
"Well, could you please pardon us for what happened earlier?" Porter requested.
The king looked at Porter, then at his siblings, then nodded at him, smiling. "Done. I'll see to it that you and your family is pardoned and that the Aquapolis hears of your deed for generations to come," he announced.
The other siblings cheered, garnering a blush from Porter.
"Oh, look at the time! It's been a long day, you should probably get back to the surface," Sally announced, looking at her watch. "And the next time you come back, bring us one of those vegetable things."
"Indeed, you should get back home," King Ceruloch agreed, banging his gavel against the wall again.
Before the siblings could reply, a giant bubble flew across the hall and engulfed them. They tried to pop it in protest and talk about not leaving yet, but it was too late. Sally, the king, and Cyan waved goodbye as the bubble carried the siblings out of the castle and rushed to the surface above. The bubble popped on impact, briefly sending the siblings into the air before they splashed back into the bay of Cape Fluffluff. While it was bright under the water, the moon was high in the sky above the surface.
"Well, Porter, you're a hero of an underwater city!" Amelia said. "I think you can count that as your good deed for the day."
"Don't let it get to your head though, like that seaweed," Zaire added. This made Porter scream, flailing to get the seaweed off of him.
"This has been a fishing trip to remember," Bro groaned, holding onto the lifesaver. "Next time, we're fishing at the lake. Wait! The fishing rods! The bait and tackle!" he exclaimed.
"What do you think they're doing with that stuff?" Lily wondered.
Meanwhile, the fish below were having a field day with the bag of worms they dropped, not so much with the fake bait, something that King Ceruloch was separating for the fish.
"Those land-dwellers caused a lot of trauma for the fish," he mumbled, "but I look forward to their return."
"I wanted to spend more time with them," Cyan complained. "Why'd you eject them so fast?"
"My daughter..." he started. "Everyone has a place in the world they call home. Ours is right here, and theirs is somewhere else. When the time is right, they'll come back, I know it," he stated, looking out of the balcony.
Cyan smiled as she and her father swam outside and admired the view of the Aquapolis below.
"I hope it's soon," she said.