Page 5 of Triton

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Aria

Seven Months Earlier

“Bye Flounder.Mommy will be home in a few hours.” I rubbed my beagle’s ears, threw him a toy, and locked my rented beach cottage.

Flounder was my right-hand companion. He was now in his twilight years, and my heart ached thinking about the day when I would have to endure my life without him. That dog had been through everything with me. Homeschooling, attending Stanford, training for the Olympics, and ultimately winning the gold in synchronized swimming. When I’d discovered him at a shelter with an ear tumor, a skin infection, and droopy eyes, I knew I had to rescue him. I’d named him Flounder as a joke. After all, my nickname was America’s Little Mermaid.

Sure, the redheaded synchronized swimming champion named Aria would draw comparisons to the beloved fable. But my journey had been more than a coincidence. It was almost as if my fairy tale had been predestined. My teenaged mother had been a synchro competitor but had to quit training when she had become pregnant with me. The second she found out that I was a girl, she had planned my entire life. I started swim lessons when I was an infant, began synchro classes with the world-renowned Marin Mermaids when I was four, was recruited to compete for Stanford at eighteen, and was selected for the Olympic team when I turned twenty-one.

After I had won the gold last summer, reporters constantly asked me if I planned to take a break. Travel. Relax. Go on Dancing under the Stars. Experience life, fall inlove.

But I didn’t know the meaning of the word break.

I was only twenty-three. I wasn’t done achieving my goals.

In fact, I had just joined theNavy.

I had considered many positions in the military. A linguist, due to my love of foreign tongues and travel, an intel officer, due to my desire to discover secrets, and a diver, due to my love of the water. But ultimately, I kept focusing on onejob.

A United States Navy SEAL—the first female in Naval Special Warfare. Why? All the usual reasons. Serve my country, save lives, free hostages, defend freedom. Competing around the world as an American had filled me with such pride. Standing at the podium hearing the national anthem when I was awarded a gold medal was one of the few times in my life that I had been brought to tears. I knew that none of my accomplishments would’ve been possible if I had been born in a totalitarian regime. At that moment, I vowed to give back to the country which had given me somuch.

But the true reason for my desire to fight terrorists went deeper. So deep, I dared not utter it to a soul. Not to my own mother, not to my friends. Only Flounder knew my truth, and luckily for me, he would remain silent.

I just knew I could pass BUD/S. I would have no problem during Second Phase diving instruction since I was an excellent swimmer and could hold my breath. And I was physically fit and had spent my entire life training for competitions.

But another element drove me. So many people thought it was impossible for a woman to pass BUD/S.

I was determined to prove them wrong.

My own mother scoffed at me when I suggested it. “Who would marry you?” she asked. As if marrying a man should be a career goal. Her statement was even more irksome because she had cut my father out of my life, and had chosen to be a single mom. While I resented her for alienating my father, I did appreciate all the sacrifices she had made for me. But for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why she would then turn around and think that I should give up a goal of mine for a man I hadn’t even met. Marriage was the furthest possible thing from mymind.

But my mom wouldn’t let up with her nagging. “No real man wants to date a female warrior.”

That may be true, but I didn’t care. Her statement was even more infuriating since she had always been so independent and was constantly saying that she didn’t need a man. Either way, it didn’t matter. I didn’t need to earn the title ofMrs.

The only title I cared about was Naval Special Warfare Officer.

Today I was taking my first step toward that journey.

I walked along the shore of the stunning Coronado beach. After residing in woodsy Northern California my entire life, I was thrilled to be living so close to the ocean. My rental was only for a month, but with any luck, I’d be moving here after boot camp. And with hard work, I’d be stationed here, or in Virginia Beach, for the foreseeable future.

I located the office at the Hotel Del Coronado and checked in. A stunningly gorgeous girl with long black hair framing her heart-shaped face greetedme.

“Aria? I’m Isa. I’m happy to meet you. Oh my god . . . you’re so talented! I saw you win the Olympics and was blown away by your routine. I’m beyond thrilled to have you as the celebrity mermaid fitness instructor!”

Isa handed me my bright green sparkly tail and a purple bikini top. Yup, the hotel was milking The Little Mermaid connection for all it was worth. My hand stroked the scaly and shiny material. It would take a while to get used to swimming with my legs bound in a tail, especially since I was known for my legwork.

“Thank you. Nice to meet you too, Isa. I’m happy to be here. Are you a synchro swimmeralso?”

Isa shook her head. “No, I’m a former professional ballroom dancer. Normally, I teach barre and Pilates. But I’m a decent swimmer, so I thought teaching mermaid fitness would be a great way to switch up my routine, though my husband isn’t very happy with me working so close to the SEAL base. He’s a Marine . . . he’s not a fan of SEALs.”

Husband? She looked to be around my age. I couldn’t even fathom being married.

I smiled. “Oh really? Why?”

“Hubby’s a war hero—jumped on a grenade. He hates to talk about his deployments—was asked to write a book but declined.” Isa bit her lip. “He’s very private and just doesn’t like that some SEALs brag about their missions.”