Fatal Flaw: Empathy (Nico di Angelo)

Chapter Twenty Seven

I groan in annoyance as the merman from before washed up on my beach. "Triton, why the fuck do you keep on showing up here! I'm not going in the water, so what's your problem!"

"Why does dad favor you and that brother if yours so much?!

"Why'd he give the kingdom to a whiny brat like you?!" I scowl. "You're like a beached whale but heavier."

"Aren't sisters supposed to be nice?!"

"What century were you born in again? This is the last time. Next time, I'm just going to feed you sand." I say, humming a light tune, the one that's constantly stuck in my head. "La regione per cui vivo... non ti scordar di me..." the water rolls with my movements against Triton, then I make sure to raise my volume and make sure to hit the high note, belting. The water grips him violently before tossing him into the water.

"Hey! I could've done that myself!"

"I know. And stay out!"

"I just figured you'd want company—!"

"Not company that smells like a dead skunk had a child with a dead fish."

"You do love describing things as dead, don't you?"

"Would you like me to test the description on you? Get out!"

I kick a tree in vain, before I instantly feel bad. "Sorry!!" Something about these tiny situations (i.e, apologizing to a tree) makes me question my sanity. To explain; there is no one on this island. There is nothing to do on this island. And so I'm on the verge of just withering away. And I have no clue why I'm here but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades being argumentative with each other again. Dear gods, it's annoying.

I sit down at the very tree I kicked and notice the flowers growing around it. I ignore them and in classic Aletha-fashion, decide no, I don't want to sit down anymore!! What the fridge?! This is so annoying!! I throw my shoes off, and launch myself at a rock, throwing myself higher onto the rock formation that makes the cave I sleep in. "Tell me that there's something new in this horizon." I demand no one in particular.

I climb until I've reached the peak of the island. The trees are higher... hmm... i jump into the hole at the top of the mountain, which leads into the cave, but where the pool of the cave is. Dad went all out with this cave house. But I dive into the water, hum myself out, and shake my wrists. The bracelets, Charybdis and Scylla, as Triton told me ( apparently one of them is a wearable version of his daughter. Hi, Scylla, it's your aunt that's way younger than you! ) are meant to be weapons. I tap them questioningly but ignore them. They're not going to unlock while I'm here.

Why am i being punished, anyway? No one will tell me. I take some sharp rocks I found and put them in a sack i made for easy access, and make my way to the tree. I stab a rock into it and use it as a foothold to climb the tree higher than the mountain. I look out over the horizon, and there isn't any more or less fog than usual.

Of course, there's also Triton. And he looks really distraught... cuz i kicked him out... oh, shoot. "TRITON!!" I wave, but, he can't hear me. Frick, i made my brother feel bad... I groan. This is gonna be so stupid. I climb down the tree and swim after him. "TRITON! I'M SORRY I WAS MEAN!!"

"What— Aletha, get back on the island!!"

"I'm really sorry, Triton."

"It's fine! I was just— messing around. You're gonna get in trouble!" I shrug. "I'll take you to your cave." Triton grabs my hand and leads me through a narrow strait of water to my cave. "There."

"Thanks, and I'm sorry Triton."

"Don't be." He says. I don't miss the glances he sends at my bracelet on my left hand.

"Can she talk to you? Scylla?"

"I can hear her. She likes you a lot. Says you've never overused her powers, but you're a troublemaker." Triton says fondly. "But you mean well, don't you?" This realization seems to stress him out, since the waves in the pool churn. "You always mean well."

"Is that bad?"

"It's definitely frustrating. I could just strangle you sometimes, but I could never and you know why? Because you never mean anything bad. You're just... too good for yourself."

"Okay?" I don't quite get what he means.

"And oblivious as Tartarus, like, what even?" Triton laughs, sprays me in the face with water. I splutter good-naturedly. "Look alive, lil' one. I got to go make sure no evil creatures are coming in."

"Wait, can you tell me one more thing about myself before you go?"

"You and your amnesia. Hmm... I'll be honest, we have two other siblings. Tyson and this idiot that looks like dad if dad didn't hit puberty. They know more of you than I do." I sigh in disappointment. "Okay, yo, chill. I have to go, I'm getting a summons from—!"

"Can you at least tell me what body of water we're in?"

"Take a guess, merbrains." Triton shouts, diving into the water.

Well, the water is warm, and I know that I can see across to two sides of the island... no ships seem to see my island, but there are ships and people... they're usually very tan... I see some mirages here and there... really...

I'm in a strait, and I get Grecian and Italian fruits... Italy... has the strait of Messina!! I'm in the strait of Messina!!! And the mirages are Fata Morgana, of course!!

"THANKS, TRITON!!" I yell into the water. At least I know where I am! Now, I have to figure out why I'm here in the first place...

or if I've got a soldatino of my own.