Rita Santos

**Rita Santos** is a major supporting character in the series *Mako: Island of Secrets.*

Rita was the principal of Suncoast High and also a mermaid but far stronger and much more experienced than the other merpeople.

## Pre-Series

Rita was born to an unnamed mermaid in the Mako Pod in late 1970s. During her childhood, she met another hatchling named Veridia, and the two quickly became best-friends. Rita began attending Mermaid School in the Mako Pod with her, and eventually they both graduated and received their own Moon Rings. One day, she met and fell in love with a human named Harry. Knowing their love was strictly forbidden by mermaid laws, Rita cast the Legs Spell and eventually the Mermaid Council realized what she was doing, and who she met. Her best-friend, Veridia, became the head of the Mermaid Council, and furious, she had no choice and banished Rita, breaking their friendship. She left her pod, and began to live on land with Harry, who was already her fiancé. Before their marriage, Harry tragically passed away, leaving Rita alone. At some point before or after his death, Rita had a pet cat named Poseidon, who became her new best-friend. Rita eventually became a teacher in Suncoast High, and later, she became the principal. Despite this, Rita promised herself to never return to her pod, a decision she ultimately breaks many years later.

## Biography

Although Harry passed away, Rita has been successful on land and was the principal of the local high school. She has survived and protected her true identity by keeping a somewhat cool and distant outer image.

Although a bit lonely sometimes, Rita has more or less adapted to her life.

That is until three young mermaids turn up and ask for help. Rita is torn- she gave up mermaid life, and she doesn't want three reckless young mermaids blowing her cover, but Rita can't turn them away. As she becomes their mermaid mentor and guide, Rita discovers that although there are complications, the mermaids bring companionship and laughter back into her life. Though she truly loved being a mermaid, she still refused Lyla's offer to return home and become one of the pod again, stating that her life now was on land.

Rita's usual role is to provide knowledge and wisdom on magic whenever the merpeople need it and does not usually get involved in their adventures. The one exception is in "Reunion" when her ex friend at the time Verida, reveals her intentions to deal with Zac personally when she learns he has unlocked a merman chamber. Fearing for Zac's life, Rita follows her and threatens Veridia with her own powers when she nearly attacks Zac. Rita and Veridia make amends after Veridia realizes that Rita was right about Zac being a friend and that some land people can be trusted, even agreeing with her when Rita expresses hope that one day the world of land and sea will become one.

In season 3, Rita quit her job as Principal of Suncoast High and decided to go back to the pod. Now Rita teaches at mermaid school, replacing Ondina in her position while maintaining residence on land.

## Physical appearance

Rita is a very pretty adult mermaid with red hair in Season 1 and brownish-auburn hair color in Season 2 &3, and green eyes. She wears clothes in different colors and she is seen wearing a seahorse necklace. At school she wears her hair in buns and ponytails and at home her hair is loose in natural waves or half up. Her hair length changes over the season being longer medium length in the first season to passing her shoulders. As a mermaid, her hair is let down and she has an orange-scaled tail with an orange-scaled top. She’s the only mermaid with pierced ears.

## Mermaid Powers

Rita possesses the ability to transform into a mermaid ten seconds after physical contact with water. She turns back into a human a few minutes after she is out of the water and when the water on her has fully dried. Once her body is completely dry, she turns back into a human along with the outfit she was wearing before the transformation. As a mermaid, Rita has the ability to swim at a super speed, and dive at depths no human being is capable of, completely protected from its cold and water pressure. She is also capable of holding her breath for at least fifteen minutes.

Rita has all regular and weather powers, and she displayed the powers of Hydrokinesis, Volume Reduction and Atmokinesis. Rita can speak the language of dolphins. As a powerful mermaid, she is vastly skilled with magic and even invented methods of her own.

Rita also has the natural ability that all merpeople have to turn herself invisible. Also, she was the only merperson to display the power to detect fellow invisible mermaids. Rita owned her original Moon Ring, which she used to kept sealed for years in a seashell, and gave it to either Lyla or Nixie when they mastered their powers. However, by the events of Season 3 and her reconnection with her pod, the Mermaid Council gave her another and she wears it ever since.

## Weaknesses

Rita has all the typical weaknesses of a Southern mermaid. However, she is still susceptible to Mako's Moon Pool's well-being, meaning if it is destroyed or deprived of its powerful, magical Moon Water, she would perish and die with it.

## Trivia

* Rita is the second mermaid to get a second Moon Ring. The first being Aquata.
* She has a pet cat named Poseidon, whom is only liked by Zac, Evie, Erik, Sirena, and Weilan.
* Rita is a close friend with Weilan's Grandmother and she welcomed her in her house when Rita visited Shanghai.
* Harry died before they got married as revealed in "*Lyla Alone*", although it is unknown how Harry died.
	+ It can be implied she took on Harry's last name to complete her human identity. Its unknown if she was originally called Rita or shortened it; either way, it gave her a Hispanic sounding name.
* While not stated, Rita likely sleeps in a bed at her house, since Weilan and the girls never mention her sleeping in the grotto.
* She owns a grill, implying she cooks her seafood sometimes or its for having guests over to both maintain her cover and be polite.
* Rita is the only mermaid seen using the power to reveal invisible merpeople.
* Rita wears tortoiseshell jewelry as revealed in "*Close Call*."
* Rita loves lobster and seafood.
* Rita doesn't want to go back to the pod, however, by the end of Season 3 she quits her job and goes back to the pod, while also maintaining her residence on land.
* Rita becomes the teacher of the hatchlings in Mermaid School after Ondina gave up her job.
* Rita was in mermaid school with Veridia and was top of the class.
* Rita wrote a thesis on dolphins.
* It seemed that she and Veridia were very close before Rita left the pod, as stated in the episode "*Stay or Go*".
* She seemed have made her own potion for mermaids to cure the common cold.
* Rita is the only mermaid with pierced ears.