Rhea was tired.
Mentally and Physically tired.
But emotionally, she was at a great place.
She groaned internally as her brother went through the rules of the Atlantian court...again.
"Are you listening to me?" Triton asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Of course I am. Are we finished yet?" she asked pleadingly yet quickly.
"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" he asked, brows raised.
"Yes?" she answered with uncertainty.
"Is that a question Rhea? Or an answer?"
She sighed, "Okay, look, um... so I made a few friends in Atlantis..." she ebbed off.
"And?" he quirked his brow.
"I want to go see them. I'll be heading to camp in a few days. And not that I don't appreciate our lessons on customs and...stuff. It's just that it's boring, and I really want to see my friends," she replied quickly.
"Our lessons are important Rhea. You need to know this, especially if you want to gain the respect of our people," he sighed, knowing she is still young, and he too, remembered feeling bored out of his mind with his own lessons.
"I already have the respect of our people," she stated.
"Yes, until there is a battle, a war, a time where father or I can't be here. The kingdom of Atlantis falls under your ruling as the princess of Atlantis until either one of us returns. You need to know what to do, who to appoint in a certain role, the criteria, battle strategies, which sea-creatures work best with who, etc," he added.
"I don't want that role. I don't want to have that responsibility," she said softly.
"You have no choice Rhea. You have responsibilities as the daughter of Poseidon, princess of Atlantis, of the sea. I am not saying that I won't be here, or that dad won't be here. Chances are that nothing will happen. It's good to be prepared though," he said, knowing he was being tough on his little sister.
There is a reason he is giving her these particular lessons. His father will take one look at her shining eyes, her pleading eyes for the lessons to end, and his father, without fail, will give into her.
"I understand," she replied glumly.
"Your lessons are finished for today. You may visit your secret friends...but I must know who they are," he said.
"Really?" she exclaimed in surprise, "I can go?"
"Yes," he replied, laughing at her expression. "I am serious though, who are your friends?"
"Will you tell dad?" she asked sheepishly.
"It depends on who it is?" Triton said attentively.
"I have two friends, a mermaid and a merman, they are twins. Muriel and Wilton," she said, which surprised her brother.
"The twins?" he pondered, "Children of Drano, head strategist?"
"Yes?" she said, "they are the first ones who aren't really scared to be my friends. I really like hanging out with them."
"Father won't like it, you know this. Especially the fact that you hang out with Wilton," Triton stated, half amused, half annoyed.
"I'm not dating him. And I am not hanging out with only him. I am thirteen, almost fourteen if you think about it. And that's not even counting my mental age from my previous life," she said lightly with a twinge of frustration in her voice.
Her brother chuckled at her response.
"Don't worry Rhea, you can go hang out with your friends," she smiled brightly and hugged her big brother. She rushed out of the room, transforming into her mermaid tail as she headed to her friends' home.
Triton stood alone in the massive underwater library, his mother appeared at his side.
"You are a very good brother, Triton," his mother, Amphitrite said.
"She'll be upset to know that her 'secret friends' weren't actually a secret to us. She will be upset that she had guards following her in the shadows," he said sadly.
"It's necessary my son. Drano is the head strategist for a reason. He is prideful and willing to accomplish anything he sets his mind to. You and I both know that his children befriending Rhea was no accident. It is political," Amphitrite stated.
"I don't want Rhea to be hurt by this. Or to be used, especially by someone as shallow as Drano," Triton said.
"Let's hope that his children won't be foolish to hurt Rhea. And that Wilton will keep himself in check. I do believe that Drano wishes to marry Wilton to our little Rhea one day," she told her son.
"None of us will allow it," he said and she agreed. The matter was settled.
Days passed, and it truly was time to head back to camp for Rhea Jackson.
She was excited, yet she felt apprehension. Will she be judged? Will she be accepted? Will one of the gods try to kill her again?
The fear of the unknown was looming over her head. Her foreknowledge is fading. Her presence has changed the outcome of what she knew.
She didn't need to go back to camp. Not really, especially since she already has so much training already, and had lessons throughout the year with her family members.
She had met her estranged cousins in the underworld. Nico and Bianca.
They bonded well over the year. She and Bianca would often spar together. They would go to camp, even though Hades didn't want them to go. He loved his children and feared for their lives. Zeus is known to be trigger-happy with his lightning bolts.
Rhea reassured her uncle that she would look out for them at camp (and that they could stay in her cabin, even though Poseidon didn't like that very much).