Reborn In Pjo/ Hp

Chapter 16 - Sea You Again... Sometime

After messing around for a while, including many water fights, canoes being flipped over, and both of us being completely drenched, we finally reached shore, and both of us collapsed onto the ground. Digging my fingers into the tiny grains of sand, I looked up at the sky.

"How do you swim so fast though," I asked for the hundredth time today. "Like, I just don't get it." Actually, I do know how he swims so fast - but I wasn't supposed to know, was I?

He chuckled. "That," Poseidon said, "is a family secret."

"Family secret? Like, do your family do secret rituals to boost their swimming powers or something?" I let my childish brain wander. "Oooh, I know! You're probably in a secret mermaid cult that sacrifices seaweed and drinks kelp juice!"

Dad gasped dramatically. "How did you guess! Now I must silence you using the secret weapon my fellow mermaids have invented! Behold! The great tickling fingers!"

He leapt up and started tickling me on the soles of my feet. "S-stop! I s-surrender!" I laughed and twitched around, trying to kick off Poseidon's hands which kept a tight hold on my ankles. 

"Do you really?" The sea god asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Y-yes!"

He relented his tickling and sat back, trying to keep his twitching lips still. After taking a deep breath, he pretended to be serious - although the corner of his lips still spasmed now and then - and said in a deep voice. "Very well then. But you will have to take a vow of silence for me to trust you."

I nodded quickly, not wanting the tickling to start up again.

"Now repeat after me. I promise,"

"Me, I promise," I said cheekily.

Dad sent a mock glare at me but then decided that he will ignore the jab and continued. "That I won't reveal to anyone,"

"That I won't reveal to anyone," I parroted.

"About the existence of the mermaid cult,"

"About the existence of the mermaid cult,"

"And that I officially state that I'm an idiot." Poseidon finally lost control of his stern expression and burst out laughing.

Quickly taking the lapse in his attention to escape, I dashed off, shouting back at him. "And that you officially state that you're an idiot!"

"Wha-" He blinked for a moment, confused before his brain finally processed what had just happened. "Hey, take that back!" Dad scrambled up and chased after me.

We ran around the beach, sand and saltwater spraying up with every rushed step that we took, just enjoying the father-daughter moment until - Bam! "Girl! what do you think you are doing!"

I gulped as I slowly raised my head to see one very angry uncle. From the maternal side, of course. If it had been from the paternal side... I wasn't sure if I would still be alive right now. "Sorry, uncle Vernon..."

Vernon huffed and grabbed my arm. "We're leaving now, so you'd better get the sand off you and get into the car within five minutes, or those people or not, I will leave you here!" He marched off after finishing his threat, going back to pack up the picnic they had prepared for Dudley.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Dad finally caught up to me, concern evident in his voice. 

I shook myself out of the trance that my uncle had put me in and grinned up at him, starting to pat some of the sand off me. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked unconvinced. "Really, I am. He didn't actually hit me or anything. I just got told off. That's it."

"Alright then... from what he said, I'm guessing it's time for you to go now?" Poseidon asked, a sad look coming over his face. 

"...I suppose it is. But... we'll meet again-"

"Girl! If you don't come now!"

"-Yes uncle! Coming!" I turned back to Poseidon and urgently spoke. "Sorry, Mr Aquarius. I've got to go now. My address is 4 Privet Road, Little Whinging. Send me letters-"

"GIRL!" Vernon started the engine.

"I'm coming!" I started ran back to the car, jumping into the backseat and rolling down the window. "Goodbye Aquarius! Send me-" My voice was cut off again as uncle rolled up the window and drove off. "-Letters..."

Poseidon blinked, and put down his outstretched hand. "Well... sea you again... sometimes. And I'll make sure to send you letters-

-my daughter."