Triton's Academy, page 1
part #1 of Daughter of Triton Series
Triton’s Academy
Daughter of Triton Series
Book 1
Aleera Anaya Ceres
This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, people or places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Aleera Anaya Ceres
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
Cover design and typography image by: Killerbookcovers
Edited by: Lisa Nieves
Map design by: Lisa Nieves
Formatting by: Kassie Morse
Created with Vellum
Contents
Glossary & Pronunciation Guide:
Girls Of The Wild
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
About the Author
Also By Aleera Anaya Ceres
To all the women with the wildness inside
Glossary & Pronunciation Guide:
Atlantis: At-lan-tis. An empire near Greek waters that was sunk by the old gods and then salvaged by Poseidon, Amphitrite, and Triton. It is an island divided into sectors and smaller islands hidden from the rest of the world with magic. Place where the merfolk were born.
Atlanteans: At-lan-tea-uhns. The people/merfolk of Atlantis. On land they walk on two legs, in the water they evolve and transform to have gills, fins, and scales.
Poseidon: Po-sigh-dun. One of the three main Gods of Atlantis, husband to Amphitrite. His magic helped salvage what was left of Atlantis during its fall.
Amphitrite: Am-fuh-trite-ee. One of the three main Gods of Atlantis, wife to Poseidon. She is the mother of Triton and depicted as gentle with healing powers that helped salvage Atlantis during its fall.
Triton: Try-tun. One of the three main Gods of Atlantis, son to Poseidon and Amphitrite. He is the warrior God of Atlantis, depicted as a strong, bearded man with an armband and golden trident. His strength helped salvage Atlantis during its fall.
Atryans: A-tree-uhns. Priests who studied at Poseidon’s Academy. They are the law makers of Atlantis and reside in the Temple of the Gods. Politicians and religious priests.
Elyria: Uh-leer-rhia. Priestesses who studied at Amphitrite’s Academy. They evaluate the laws of Atlantis and are healers and nurturers.
Sons: Warriors who studied at Triton’s Academy. They are the law enforcers and military for Atlantis. They keep the peace, execute those who break the laws, and protect their empire from outside threats by keeping up barriers of magic.
The old gods: Gods with no faces and no names who originally sunk and attempted to eradicate Atlantis. It is illegal to worship them.
Atlantean cities
-Syros: Sigh-rose. One of the richer cities of Atlantis. Calliope is from here.
-Tinos: Tie-nos. An area known for its forestation and poverty. Rafe and Vitas are from here.
-Amphitrys: Am-fuh-triss. Named after the sea Goddess, Amphitryte, her academy is located here.
-Tethys: Teh-thiss.
-Elysium: El-lee-she-uhm. Capitol of Atlantis. Poseidon’s Academy is located here.
-Critias: Crish-she-us.
-Sikinos: Sick-ee-nos.
-Atlas Island: One of the poorer islands of Atlantis. Professor Elara is from here.
-The Timaeus: Tim-ay-us. Twin islands off the coast of Sikinos.
-Paras: Pear-uhs. A rich city of Atlantis. Ambrose and Maksim are from here.
-Isle of Elys: El-lis. A small island off the coast of Syros. Triton’s Academy is located here.
Syrosian: Sigh-rose-she-un. Atlantean who comes from the city of Syros.
Gods’ Day: The equivalent to Sunday. A day to attend the Temple of the Gods and worship.
Temple of the Gods: Set on the heart of the island, the middle sector, the Temple is the church of the Atlanteans. A place of worship for Poseidon, Amphitrite, and Triton.
Ancient Elysia: Uh-leesh-ee-uh. The old name and language of Atlantis before it was sunk by the old gods.
Chlamys: Clay-miss. A warrior’s outfit and cloak. A material that wraps around the body like a type of toga, leaving one shoulder bare, held together by a brooch, with a hem that reaches to the thighs.
Peplos: Pep-lows. Long tube dress for women where the top of the tube drapes halfway across the waist and straps along the shoulders.
Paras: Pear-ruhs (Paris). A long and wide cloak that can be worn like a shawl or headscarf around the body.
Palla: Pa-lluh. Toga-like garment/dress for women.
Pyrrhichios: Pih-rick-ee-o-ss. An ancient battle dance done in Ancient Elysia. It was traditional to meet your enemy out on the battle field and dance pre-battle in a way that mimicked fighting.
Girls Of The Wild
They won’t tell you fairytales
of how girls can be dangerous and still win.
They will only tell you stories
where girls are sweet and kind
and reject all sin.
I guess to them
it’s a terrifying thought,
a red riding hood
who knew exactly
what she was doing
when she invited the wild in.
-Nikita Gill
Chapter One
Calliope
Teacups clinked against their saucers with the same careful precision an assassin might use when swiping a blade across a throat. Laughter flittered through the room like the soft drift of a current through the sea, and the plans being made by my aunt and her inner circle of society friends cleaved through my soul bit by painful bit.
I sat, taking it all in, just another silent spectator in a game between queens.
Perfect. That’s what I always had to be. My aunt would accept nothing less. And even when I gave it my all, it never seemed to be enough.
“I hear the Sons of Triton are ferreting out traitors to the Temple of the Gods.”
The very subject change was sudden enough to have the carefully practiced smile fall from my mouth. My interest was piqued; unfortunately, I had to pretend otherwise. It was not lady-like to take an interest in political affairs. Not for someone of my rank, anyway. Rank could straight up go fuck itself—a thought I’d never dare mutter aloud. It was dangerous enough to think vile words in my mind without fearing my aunt would wrench the secret utterings of it straight out of me with nothing but a glare.
I angled my body towards the older woman discreetly.
“Really, Liandra, that’s hardly an appropriate subject for the table,” my aunt admonished. Her tone had the same brute force as a shark tearing through flesh, yet there was an elegance in the lull of her words that made them seem falsely polite.
Liandra looked briefly chagrined; she sank into the plump cushions of her chair, then straightened, her hands gripping the handle of her teacup before bringing it to her lips to take a dainty sip.
I slumped back into my own seat with a silent sigh that barely pushed past my lips. A quiet glare from my aunt had me adjusting my posture immediately.
I tried to tune out the endless stream of chatter that came from them. They seemed to speak about nothing and everything at once. I couldn’t make sense of any of it, but I was forced to smile through anyway. It was a torture I was forced to endure daily, unfortunately.
Distracting myself, I swept my gaze across the table, staring down into the depths of my porcelain mug, as if I could see past the tea and the emptiness beyond. I couldn’t, because my cup, like my life, was always full.
Everything at the table was newly imported from the capital, Elysium, from the delicately painted cups and saucers, to the teaspoons, even the silver tongs. Decadence was familiar to me. It was all around my home. The plush couches, the marble busts of our Gods, and the silk-spun curtains before the doors of the terrace.
A soft breeze shifted past the balcony doors, swaying the golden threaded fabric and drifting in the scent of the sea. Salt and sunshine permeated the air; my skin beaded with small pebbles of sweat from the heat.
It was a nice day. A nice day for swimming through the waters, for reading a book above the grass, for imagining a life different from the one I had.
Alas, I was taking tea indoors.
“Calliope? Call
My gaze snapped away from the window at the sharp, irritable sound of my aunt’s voice and to Peregrina. The woman was as old as my aunt, with matching long white hair and wrinkles pulling at the features along her face, making her look like saggy wet cloth.
“I’m sorry, I fear I drifted a bit. What were you saying, my lady?” My hands clutched tightly at the folds of my skirts.
Peregrina smiled. “I was wondering if you looked over the list of prospects your aunt gave you? Have you found anyone you’d like to wed?”
I’d rather tie my webbed feet to the fucking ocean floor and let sharks devour me alive, the answer screeched through my mind. It raged and screamed, spit magic and fire.
And yet my smile didn’t falter.
I held it in place so tightly, I was surprised my lips didn’t bleed from the strain. “Not yet,” I replied.
Not fucking ever, I wanted to add.
I couldn’t say that. It would bring questions that were too hard to answer, and I already knew the replies they would give.
They would ask, Why not?
I don’t think I want to marry, I’d reply.
They’d laugh at me then and look at me with piteous eyes. You are twenty-two now. All young women must marry. You’ve taken too long as is.
And that would be that. Next question, next subject. Close the book.
My feelings be damned.
It was better to clamp my mouth closed, smile, and agree. Dreaming was restricted for the quiet solitude in my chambers. It was for a wild imagination drifting off into sleep. It was a passing fancy, things that could never be.
And even if they could, I didn’t know what I’d want of my life anyway.
When I was younger, Triton’s Academy had been my goal. It was where warriors were forged, and the students graduated as the Sons of Triton.
Sons.
Not Daughters.
It wasn’t until my aunt came to raise me preceding my mother’s death that those dreams were beaten from me entirely, shoved aside to make room for dresses and embroidery, propriety and suitors.
But my dreams were never far behind. They clawed their way out in the forms of wishes on starfish or hallucinations while I slept.
They were the desires I kept deeply buried, that even I was sometimes too afraid to take out and look. Desires that sometimes made themselves known in those sparse moments when my father came home to train me like he would a son.
My hand grazed up my bicep, encircling the bare skin there. I used to imagine the gleam of an armband there. Bronze, silver, gold; they were symbols of the Sons.
“You’re not getting any younger, dear.” Peregrina sniffed, picking up the teacup by two fingers. “Your child-bearing days will fade if you don’t make a decision soon.”
“What about Lieutenant Fariss’s son?” Liandra leaned forward excitedly in her chair. “He’s of age, and I hear he’s a prime candidate for Triton’s Academy.”
One of the greatest accomplishments someone could have was admission into Triton’s Academy. Not just because it was exclusive, but because it was the oracle of the sea Gods, Poseidon, Amphitrite, and Triton, who did the choosing. Only adults who were worthy were admitted into the all-male school to become warriors for the Empire of Atlantis and for the Gods who reigned over it. They were bringers of peace and justice, protectors of our home.
If they survived the Academy, of course.
“Lieutenant Fariss’s son is as cowardly as he is,” a cool voice interjected into the conversation. “My daughter deserves a real man, not a sniveling, pompous ass.”
I stood up quickly, my chair scraping loudly across the floor. Losing all sense of well-mannered propriety, I ran straight into my father’s arms.
He gripped me against him and lifted me, twirling in a circle like he always did when he came home from missions.
“Papa!” I buried my face into his chest, inhaling the scent of sweat, the warmth of sunlight, and the salt of the sea.
“Put her down this instant. Such embraces are improper in front of company,” my aunt admonished.
My father laughed and set me on my feet.
I looked up into his deep-set blue eyes. In them, I found my home. When he was gone, there was a chasm of emptiness in my chest, a hole where my heart should be. Like something in the space of my wandering soul was missing.
“I missed you, Guppy.”
“I missed you too, papa.”
He’d been gone for weeks now, off on some secret mission with the other Sons of Triton.
“Come sit with us. Tell us of your mission.” I pulled him by the arm, urging him to sit in a spare chair at the tea table.
With a polite snap of my fingers, a nearby servant quickly came over and began serving him tea and placing sugar cakes onto his plate.
He took one in his big hand and munched on it. I took him in like it was the first time I was seeing him.
His hair, like mine, was long and dark, reaching down to our waists. We had the same high cheekbones and pointed nose, but where his eyes were the blue of a sparkling ocean, mine were violet.
Like flowers or blooms of tube worms beneath the sea.
Like my mother’s.
Most of my facial features I inherited from my father. My body, however, was purely my mother’s. At least, that’s what my aunt said. Lithe, delicate, she praised. Even when I didn’t want to be.
Delicacy wasn’t a trait for warriors.
Nothing about my father was delicate.
There were times I wanted so badly to be like him, it hurt.
My aunt sniffed in his direction, as if she knew the pathway in which my thoughts wandered and berated my father for them. “Well?” she snapped in an impatient tone. “Out with it, Torin. I’m sure you’re going to regale us with tales of your travels that are entirely too inappropriate for your daughter’s ears.”
He flashed her a blindingly white smile. “As a matter of fact, I do have a story…”
He started recounting the tale, enthralling me with every word about patrols around the Empire, about sinking ships and swashbuckling pirates that fought with every breath, before the arms of waves and magic pulled them to their deaths.
I thrived on my father’s tales, much to my aunt’s disappointment. They were exciting. Hearing about the bravery of the Sons and their mission to keep Atlantis protected from the outside world filled me with ravenous cravings.
The magic that lived and breathed through the veins of every Atlantean wove its way through my father’s tale.
“Your stories are becoming far more barbaric each time.” My aunt turned to me. “I do hope you aren’t taking his nonsense to heart.”
My lips pressed tightly together to avoid replying but when I surreptitiously looked up at my father, he winked as he took a bite of a scone.
“Now that you’re back, I assume you’ll be joining us tomorrow morning at the Temple of the Gods?”
“You assume wrong. Tomorrow I have a very important meeting with the Sons of Triton. I shall see you there and retrieve you afterwards.” Taking one final sip of tea, he rose and bowed low and properly to each woman seated around the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like a few words with my daughter alone.”
My aunt flicked invisible dust from her skirts, her glare a prominent part of her features. “You’re off to counter my lessons with your own, aren’t you?”
I stood up quietly and curtsied to the ladies, my heart pounding in my chest. Please let me go, please. I refused to look in her eyes, but she sighed just as she shooed the both of us away.
Following my father out of the golden and pink tearoom with a skip in my step, I forced myself to contain my excitement at least until we were away from my aunt.
