An instant brand of mortification took hold of CALLIE. She didn't have to be worldly to know exactly what her dad thought he walked in on. Flying up the stairs, she found the esteemed but humble Dr. Edward Moretti pacing behind his kitchen counter.

"Dad! I thought your flight wasn't coming in til three today."

"Oh. There was an earlier flight. I took a cab. Thought I'd surprise you." Instead, he was the one surprised. The man avoided looking directly at his daughter, fiddling with the pile of mail that had accumulated in his absence.

"Thanks for the donuts," she stammered, picking one of the glazed pastries out of the bag. He mumbled in response and they fell into an uncomfortable silence. Not knowing how to approach the topic, she chewed absently on her donut waiting for courage to overtake one of them. They were both quite introverted, so it took a few minutes.

Thankfully, her dad took the plunge clearing his throat. "I didn't realize you had a guest over... I would've picked up more doughnuts if I had. Is he... how long have you two known each other?"

"No, Dad, it's not what you think--"

"No need to beat around the bush. You're a pretty gi—woman now, I mean! I knew the day would come that you would get yourself a boyfriend–"

"No. He's not my boyfriend. We are just friends!"

He froze in shock. She quickly added, "He is just living with me while he is in town." This didn't seem to help. I think I broke my dad. "Dad?"

System rebooted, he blinked owlishly. "You're just friends? And you're letting him stay with you? Sleep with you?"

"Exactly. Nothing more than that. And nothing happened. So it's okay he stays with me til the end of summer?"

"Oh okay. And yes, it is your space to do with as you please. You're an adult after all." He sighed heavy with relief, a flash of guilt touched his eyes as if he couldn't believe he even thought his baby girl would be in that kind of relationship.

Confrontation about these kind of delicate issues are hard on any single dad. She hasn't seen him this bent out of shape since he had to take her on an emergency store run to buy pads and tampons when she was twelve. He'd been lucky that she was not a troublesome teenager, but the girl in front of him was grown. The boy he had seen under the same sheet as her was also... grown. He started sweating, again avoiding her eyes and fiddling with whatever was in front of him. "As long as you're careful. You see, Callie, men sometimes have certain expectations. Sometimes you may feel... feelings that are... my point is you should never do anything that you're not ready for–"

"Dad, I know how to defend myself. And don't worry, Aunt Marcy gave me the sex and birth control talk on my sixteenth birthday. You don't have to... you know."

"Oh, thank god! Wait, she did what now?"

"I assure you I have no such expectations." Triton's voice had Callie spinning around. I just calmed him down! Who said you could come upstairs? Callie conveyed her thoughts through her eyes as loud as she could, but the prince did not look her way. He walked forward with his usual confident stride and held out a hand over the kitchen counter. "My name is Triton. It is an honor to meet you, Doctor Moretti. Callie speaks highly of you."

"Triton?" Her father took the young man's hand hesitantly, baffled by this unexpected introduction. Triton gave her father's hand a firm shake before letting go.

"Yes. Callie has been an excellent host. I would've been lost without her guidance this past week."

"No kidding," Callie murmured.

"Week?" Dr. Moretti hooked onto that last word, his eyes widening.

"My mistake. Weeks," Triton corrected.

"Triton!" She drew out his name covering her red face in her hands.

"Callie," he mimicked her drawl. "I am standing right here. No need to be so loud."

Dr. Moretti looked back and forth between them trying to understand their strange dynamic. Clearing his throat again, he said, "I have some emails to take care of. You two enjoy the doughnuts. Callie, if you don't have plans, let's go out for lunch. Nice meeting you... Triton..."

Triton nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Dad," Callie stuttered out.

As soon as her father left, Triton snatched up the donut bag. He took out a cinnamon donut and bit into it, making a sound of satisfaction. "Mmm. This is delicious. How nice of him. I think that went fantastic. See? You were nervous for no reason."

"I could kill you!" She half whispered as they started back down the stairs.

"So violent. So human."

"I'm serious, Triton."

"As am I." He stopped and suddenly turned around. She was still on the stairs so that they were now the same height, eye to eye. Her eyes darted down to his lips that were coated in cinnamon. A peculiar craving for something sweet dried her mouth. Those perfect lips curled into a smirk. "You're staring again, Callie. What will your father think?"

She ducked under his arm. "Wipe your mouth."

🐳🐳🐳

TRITON had volunteered to go in Callie's place when Karen called asking if she could cover a call in. He insisted Callie spend time with her dad since he just got home. Now with the heat beating down on him despite the shade the red beach umbrella provided, he was regretting his noble sacrifice. He could be on the couch watching Clone Wars right now. Instead, he was sweating bullets beside Adam, a human who smiled, laughed and talked a little too much for his liking.

"This is your first time without Callie out here, right? No drama. I actually taught Callie everything she knows. I'd teach her more if she'd let me. You know what I'm saying?"

"Actually, I don't. Clarify."

Adam laughed. "You're funny. I like ya, mate."

"What's not to like?" Triton sighed, the infernal sun making this conversation even more unbearable. He could feel a pearl of sweat roll down his back.

"Hey. No need to get bent. Brandi said you and Callie were like long distance cousins or something, right?"

Did Callie tell her that? Triton didn't think she was going to claim he was family since her dad could easily disprove that.

"Aren't we all?" He said, hoping that ambiguous answer would satisfy the human so he would drop the subject. That strategy proved to be ineffective against Callie, but Adam seemed less intelligent than her.

"That would be bonkers," Adam chuckled. "So does Callie talk about me any?"

"Why would she?"

"Just trying to get a vibe off her, mate. You know what I mean? She is really shy. Ya think I got a shot?"

Triton pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know. I am sure if you asked Callie directly, she would be more than happy to tell you exactly how she feels."

When their shift ended, Adam called out to him as he was waiting for Callie to pick him up. "Hey! Triton! Are ya waiting for Callie? I may stick around to say hi. Have to wait for Hayden to come in from surfing anyway."

"Hayden?"

"My brother. You haven't met? Here he comes. Oy, Hayden. This is Triton!"

"Sick name," the boy mumbled as he fitted his surfboard on top of his brother's car.

"How were the waves today?"

"Beauty. I got in a barrel a few times."

"Don't brag, ya dag. I had to work," Adam pouted.

"You asked."

Triton stood watching the brothers, paying particular attention to the younger one. Kashimur had reported to the prince the name of the human Delphi was infatuated with. Hayden. Looking at the pathetic human who stole his bride now, Triton had to fight hard not to laugh. Delphi wanted this guy? Really? He examined Hayden's scrawny arms and indifferent, doe-eyed expression. The human boy would flip his head back every thirty seconds to get his wet, shaggy bangs out of his eyes. The MerPrince could easily take him in a match, with or without weapons. If he was another Atlantean, he would've. But he made a deal with Delphi.

Your deal did not include the safety of said human, Your Majesty, Kashimur had said when he unearthed the human's identity. I can get rid of the problem at its core, then her highness will have no reason to resist coming back.

Triton thought he was lucky to have such a smart, loyal guard, but he declined. What Callie had said influenced him more than what he would like to admit. What if Delphi does resent him if he forced her to return? No, he made a deal. He is confident Delphi would see she was wrong. In fact, coming face to face with Hayden, Triton was even more sure than ever. This human was barely an adult, not capable of making sound decisions. He will inevitably break Delphi's heart.

🦀🦀🦀

CALLIE and her dad walked down the boardwalk together, ice cream cones melting in their hands. They were laughing as her dad reminisced about how Callie always loved "straw-bobby" ice cream as a two year old, that is until she tripped and face planted into her cone. She was pretty sure she just had a fondness for chocolate every since she started her monthly curse.

She knew they would end up here, which was why she had her Canon X wrapped around her neck. It was their favorite spot since moving here. They would just sit and talk while she snapped pictures of the horizon, the seagulls, the people, the giant ferris wheel, whatever caught her eye. The moment came that she had been dreading. But she had come up with some acceptable answers for her father's questions.

"Okay. Now tell me about Triton. Is that really his name?"

"Yes. I had doubts, too, at first. There isn't much to say, Dad," she claimed.

"You say he is your friend, but you've never mentioned him before. It's strange. What do you know about this guy?"

"We met online... on a Marvel Forum. He is just here for the summer to reconnect with an estranged girlfriend and his housing plans fell through. He didn't know anyone here, so I couldn't do nothing..." She tried to stick close to the truth. Looking back at it, Triton had gotten hurt and he was more or less confused. Yes, he has been bossy and unreasonable about some things, but Callie realized he really didn't know much about the human world. "Sorry I didn't tell you before. It was just hard to explain over the phone..."

"Don't be sorry, Calypso."

"Ugh! Dad!" She groaned with a fake annoyance when he used her full name. Her mom wasn't a marine biologist or anything like her dad. She was just a first grade teacher who always had a fondness for the ocean and its wonders. She met Edward Moretti when she was in school, who seemed to know everything there was to know about the ocean. They just clicked. It was as close to love at first sight that one could get out of a fairytale, atleast for him, her dad would say. Those two nerds named their daughter after a greek goddess associated with the sea.

"I just wanted to make sure you were being safe. I'm proud of you for helping him out. And I trust you. You have a good head on your shoulders. But let's not make a habit of meeting people from the internet. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So how is school going?"

"Good," she said, going through the pictures on her camera. She regularly uploaded them onto her computer to edit, so there was just a few she took in the past couple of days. One picture made her blush and she quickly clicked her 'next' button hoping her dad didn't see it. If Triton knew that she took a picture of him sleeping, he would tease her mercilessly, more than he already did. She couldn't help it. He was so photogenic! She wasn't going to post it anywhere. She would just keep it for herself. As if that sounds any better! "How was that job? It took you forever to get back!"

"I know. It was supposed to be just a consultation, but I ended up being roped into contributing more." He shook his head. "Some rich guy is pushing the laws of science."

"Can't make any scientific groundbreaks without a little pushing."

"And financial backing. You are going to be a hell of a ground breaker one day, Otter."

She gripped the camera in her hands. Of course pursuing a degree in a science field was the sensible choice. Who was she kidding? She couldn't make a career out of taking pictures. Triton's words yesterday lingered in her mind, resurrecting a childhood dream. She had a taste of it, doing what she loved for a living. When she was sixteen, they lived in London with her Aunt Marcy. There, she had the opportunity to temporarily work alongside a photographer as her assistant. She got to take pictures of a wedding party, a newborn baby, and of a little league team.

"I would love to dive in the Silfra fissure one day," she sighed, changing the subject. She wanted to take pictures in the deep ocean. In the Silfra, the water was crystal clear. It was a rift in Iceland formed by tectonic plates between the North American and Euroasian plates.

"You are certified in deep diving, but you may want to get some more dives in before going on that tour. You're probably rusty," he laughed, ruffling her hair. "Keep dreaming big."

"There is something I have been wanting to show you."

Callie: Triton!

Triton: no..

Callie: oh, come on! This one is actually funny.

Triton: Fine but I better laugh.

Callie: why does it take pirates a long time to learn the alphabet?

*crickets*

Because they spend years at C!

Triton: Vote if you didn't laugh.
Callie: Now vote if you did.