by Kristen Day
An entirely new feeling swept over me as he let his own shorts fall to the sand, leaving only thin plaid boxer shorts. My heart hammered against my chest and my hands began to sweat as he stepped forward and touched my cheek lovingly.
“You are so beautiful,” he professed, amazement glittering in his eyes. His shaded features darkened even further as he became serious. “I’ve always just gone through the motions of life; always preparing for what was ahead of me and never letting myself feel too much. I never let myself hope for more.” His eyes searched mine and I felt my knees go weak, “But you. You’ve changed everything. You make me want to be something better. You’ve transformed my world in a way I didn’t think was possible and suddenly life has a million possibilities. Even normal day things are suddenly extraordinary just because I get to share them with you. You’ve taught me who I really am and most importantly, who I want to be.”
As I tried to figure out how someone like Finn could possibly feel that way about me, I realized he had no idea the impact he had made on my life. The walls I had held onto so tightly before had all been washed away by his love; leaving the door open for a new, happier me to emerge and flourish. This new life was exhilarating, if not scary, and I couldn’t believe I had someone as amazing as Finn to share it with. Unfortunately I had no idea how to put that into words. A tear escaped as I smiled up at him and gave it a shot.
“Everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve endured has led me back to you. I’m beginning to realize just how much I’ve lost. But I also can see how much I’ve gained. You’re my life now, Finn. You’re my home. The one place I truly belong is right here…with you.” Another runaway tear slid down my cheek as he kissed me lightly on the lips and gave me a lopsided grin.
“You’re breathtaking when you’re vulnerable,” he whispered and I started to squirm beneath his intense gaze, “and just as cute when you’re nervous,” he chuckled.
“I am not nervous.” I put my hands on my hips, but felt the heat rise to my face. I should just wear an electronic ticker across my forehead that broadcasts all of my emotions to the world.
“And you’re not bright red either,” he teased, reaching for me. I stepped back and smirked at him. I drew a line in the sand with my toe and glared back up at him.
“I stay over here, you stay over there,” I declared, but he reached across anyway. “That includes your arms,” I scolded him.
“I hate to tell you, but these arms are about to throw you into the water.”
“Only if they can catch me!” I challenged him and took off into the waves. The ocean spray chilled my bare skin and the rough, foamy waves crashed against my body, but with the splashes of my pursuer right on my heels, adrenaline filled me and I dove in head first. The water was clear and calm beneath the waves and I instantly felt at home. I took a breath of water and reveled in the comfort of my lungs expanding and filling my body with energy. I swam as fast as I could until I was sure Finn had stopped chasing me. I confidently turned to look back when a dark haired torpedo flew towards me; clasping his arms around my body and taking me on a spiraling, dizzying journey that left me disoriented and woozy, but not enough for me to give up on the fight. My spinning eyes found him and I lunged forward, grabbing his ankle. The tips of my fingers grazed the four onyx beads dangling from the strap of leather and pulsing warmth spread through my fingers and up my arm. He kicked free and I watched him swim around me; resembling a shark circling a potential meal. And if he wanted me, who was I to tell him otherwise?
Suddenly, slimy fingers wrapped around my legs and tightened with a jolt. I looked down to see a forest of kelp below me, several of which were securely twisted around my calves. This could not be happening again. I looked up at Finn in panic as I began descending at a rapid pace; pulled down by the massive seaweed that I was supposed to have an affinity for. I was beginning to seriously doubt that claim. This was the first time I’d been attacked by kelp, the largest of seaweeds, but that didn’t do much to calm my nerves. Even though there was no possibility of drowning, I still felt a twist of fear take hold of my stomach.
“Finn!” I yelled up at him. Unfortunately he just shrugged, grinned widely, and waved at me. Some dark Prince Charming he was. The thought of Nadia’s words sent my imagination running wild as a sharp image of Keto flashed in my mind; her kelp dress draped over her body. An entirely new sense of terror filled me and I began to struggle against my bonds. Trying to calm myself, I took a deep breath of cool salt water and closed my eyes. I concentrated on what I ‘felt’ from the kelp. Surprisingly, I only got a sense of playfulness and anticipation, so I focused on relaxing my body as it pulled me farther and farther down into the depths of the ocean.
Finally, my legs were freed; allowing me the chance to evaluate my surroundings. I’d never been claustrophobic, but that was quickly changing amidst the giant swaying stalks of kelp. It towered around me in every direction and blocked any view of the world above. It reached towards the surface as a whole, searching for any inkling of sunlight that may filter down to those depths. I suddenly felt very small and insignificant. All at once an overwhelming sense of infinite patience and wisdom drenched my soul and instantly calmed my nerves. I got the odd feeling that the forest was welcoming me.
As I parted the thick curtains of kelly green, tiny electric sparks shot through my arms; making me smile. That’s when I realized I was far from lost. If anything, I’d been found. As the soft blades brushed against me, I began to catch glimpses of a clearing up ahead. As I swam through the edge of the dense forest, a hauntingly tragic scene stretched out before me; taking my breath away.
Naked planks of iron splintered up from the ocean floor, which had created an eerie skeleton that would forever point accusingly up at the surface it would never again see. Several algae-covered cannons lay near the main wreck, along with other bronze and iron structures I didn’t recognize. The entire wreck site oozed with history and reverence, shadowed by a tragic end. Amidst the field of debris, one object in particular had my full attention. She was poised at what used to be the bow and she was looking directly at me.
She was a dark garnet hue; rusted and aged to perfection by the waters of the Atlantic. Her eyes were kind, gazing at me with a look of serenity and truth. She had long, flowing hair that elegantly disappeared behind her shoulders with a crown of flowers adorning the top of her head. Her body was at least ten feet tall and the scales running down the length of her were intricately crafted, leading down to a sweeping fish tail. She was magnificent. I swam closer, completely mesmerized by her enchanting presence. She was made that much more magical by the effects of the ocean slowly devouring her surface. Algae and moss clung to her features, while tiny sea creatures made their homes within her nooks and crannies. I slowly reached out and ran my hand along her side.
A litany of images assaulted my mind in the span of two seconds. Raging seas. Colossal waves. Dark skies. I pulled my hand away in surprise and stared up at her serene face with wonder.
“She was attached to the front of the ship. They believed she would give them protection and safe seas.” I turned to find Finn several yards away, partially hidden in the shadows of the kelp forest. I was reminded of the first time I had seen him at the Hole. I’d been right. He didn’t belong amongst the flowers, birds or sunshine. He belonged beneath the waves; where the sun scatters instead of shines, where time becomes muted, and darkness protects. He was a part of the ocean as much as the ocean was a part of him. Just like me. Just like the forgotten Sea Goddess before me who was lost to the sea so many years ago.
“She’s amazing…” I grinned at him, contemplating the irony of her final resting place, “…apparently not very effective, but still amazing.”
“You wouldn’t believe how many ship wrecks are off the Outerbanks of North Carolina. It’s referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.” His eyes seemed far away, “So much history…so many souls lost…”
“When I touched her, I saw a
bunch of images…just like I experienced with the sea turtles.”
“You have an affinity for all things connected to the ocean, not just the animals,” he explained. I immediately reverted back to the memory of Nadia accusing me of violating her mind. That’s when I remembered something else much less threatening.
“What about the coffee table in the living room? I felt something from it, too. Where did it come from?”
“This shipwreck,” he grinned and swept his arms out encompassing the whole wreck site.
“This shipwreck? It’s the wood from this ship?” I stared back at him.
“Pretty cool, huh?” he grinned.
“Very cool…” I said; inspecting a circular object below.
“After it sank, the Sons salvaged the wood from it. It had been sitting piled up in storage, so we decided to make something out of it. We’re good with our hands,” he winked at me and I rolled my eyes, even though I was highly impressed. I swam closer to the main skeleton and marveled at how large it had been. The spine of the ship remained hidden beneath the sand, but its ribs were massive. I swam inside what would have been the belly of the ship and imagined what it must have looked like. Out of the corner of my eye, something glinted in the sand. I kicked down further; zeroing in on the unknown object. I could tell that only part of it was sticking out, so I plunged my hand in the soft, forgiving sand and plucked it out.
“Wow,” I breathed in pure amazement. The stone fit into my hand perfectly and warmed as I gripped it. Its iridescent white color was enhanced by the tiny striations throughout. It was smooth and shimmered even more than my trace as I turned it back and forth in my hands. It was simply beautiful.
“Find some buried treasure?” Finn asked with an amused smile. His dark hair danced in the current and his deep blue eyes had swirls of light blue, courtesy of the ocean waters.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I arched an eyebrow at him and closed my hand around my find, putting it behind my back.
“I’ve already found my treasure,” he inferred with a wicked grin.
“You are so cheesy,” I shook my head at him and smiled.
“You like it,” he accused me.
“That’s completely beside the point,” I said at the same time a yawn took my mouth hostage. I didn’t even know it was possible to yawn underwater. Finn came up behind me and hugged me; leaning down and kissing my cheek.
“I think it’s time to go back up to the beach,” he said with a suspicious smile.
Chapter 13
If I thought the breeze was chilly on my bare skin before swimming in the ocean, I obviously wasn’t thinking about what it would feel like after the fact. Still only wearing bra and underwear, Finn had wrapped me up in a huge, fluffy beach towel decorated with snowmen, which I found wildly ironic, and the icicles on the end of my nose had slowly begun to melt away. Huddled on the blanket with only my nose and eyes peeking out, I observed Finn emptying the mystery canvas bag of its contents. First to come out was a round Tupperware container. Next was a small black box, a corked bottle of liquid, and a small shot glass. If he thought I was about to do shots with him, he was sadly mistaken. I’d be asleep before I could set down the glass.
“It’s not what you think,’ he said without looking at me, but I knew he was referring to the highly skeptical look plastered all over my face. “It’s coconut milk…from the Fortunate Isle.” This time he glanced up at me and smiled knowingly. Relief washed over me, quickly replaced with curiosity and excitement. I had no idea what this was all about, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
He sat up straighter and something resembling devastation rushed into his eyes, “I have some bad news.”
“Okay…” I unwrapped the part of the towel cocoon covering my head; giving him my full attention. Coming in second to ‘we need to talk’ were conversations starting with ‘I have bad news’. The devastation I saw in his eyes had travelled across his features, which caused my heart to break.
“The day you’ll have to take your journey to the Underworld will be November 2nd.”
“November 2nd…got it.” Sounded like a harmless date to me, “Why is that bad?”
“It’s the Day of the Dead,” he clarified, paused, and then took a deep breath, “it’s also my eighteenth birthday.”
“Your birthday’s on the Day of the Dead?” Realizing quickly that wasn’t the piece of information I was supposed to get out of his explanation, I hastily continued, “What does that mean for my journey?”
“What that means is that I won’t be able to go with you.” Yep. Definitely bad news. My heart sank to my feet and I felt the blood drain from my face.
“But…why not?” I asked slowly, even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“I’ll have to fast in solitude for two days leading up to the night of my birthday, which is when I’ll be required to kill my brother; making me the new Prime. So, I’ll be taken somewhere to begin fasting October 31st; All Hallow’s Eve - or as everyone else calls it - Halloween.”
“I can’t do this without you,” I declared, as an overwhelming dread began to fester in my gut.
“You’ll have to Pasha. I’m so sorry.”
“But I don’t know anything about the Underworld! I don’t even know what to do if, by some miracle, I do find the river and I definitely don’t know how to get past Persephone!”
“We have two weeks to prepare. I’ll make sure that you’re ready and my mother will be there that day to help you. She’ll be able to get you into the Underworld, but you’ll have to do the rest on your own.” As my own destiny began to fall through the cracks, I thought about the risks Finn would be taking.
“And what if your brother kills you first?” The festering dread had now morphed into hysteria and fear. “I can’t lose you, Finn.” I tried to push down the massive panic attack I could feel coming on.
“I can assure you that won’t happen. I’ve been working out.” He tried to make me laugh, falling short, “And that’s why I brought this with me.” He picked up the small black box and opened it carefully. He produced a bracelet of small black beads from the velvety lining inside.
“Give me your foot,” he instructed, and I stuck one leg out. Apparently what I thought was a bracelet was actually an anklet. He secured it around my left ankle as the beads glistened in the moonlight. The same pulsing warmth I had felt earlier from Finn’s beads began to flow up my leg; encasing my entire body and lifting my frenzy of emotions. Black onyx. “Since I can’t be with you, I wanted to give you something to remind you how important you are to me. I have no doubt you’ll be successful.”
“It’s beautiful, Finn.” Not to mention its protective energy was bringing my heartbeat back down to a normal speed.
“Just one more thing. We’re going to head back to Lorelei tomorrow, knowing how soon the date of your journey must be. However, we will begin preparing…tonight.” He reached for the bottle of liquid and I realized how old it looked. It was in the shape of a wine bottle, but had no markings or labels on the outside; just a single cork in the top. It had turned hazy with age and I noticed that Finn handled it with care. He shook it gently before uncorking it, filling the shot glass with the coconut milk, and handing it to me. Expecting it to have a milky quality to it and smelled just like well…coconut.
“The closer you get to your eighteenth birthday, the stronger you will become. The rest of your abilities will begin to show themselves and sharpen. However, we need to speed up that process. Anything connected to your ancestry will help pull out your abilities and strengths. So coconut milk from the Fortunate Isle will be a part of your diet for the next month. One shot glass worth each day,” he instructed.
I’d never had pure coconut milk before, but I liked coconut, so it couldn’t be too different, right? I turned up the shot glass. It tingled my throat on the way down and steadied my nerves even more. It didn’t have much taste, except for a hint of coconut.
“Not too bad,”
I smiled.
He took my glass and placed the bottle, shot glass and black box back inside the canvas bag. He held the Tupperware container with his palm like a waiter, swept it in front of me dramatically and pulled the lid off; bowing his head formally. Hoping for dessert, I was disappointed at what I was presented with.
He just smirked and in his worst British accent announced, “Next on the menu for my lady: an exquisite course of fresh Atlantic seaweed from the Fortunate Isle.”
“I’m allergic,” I tried.
“And I’m British,” he snickered sarcastically; making me laugh.
“You couldn’t have brought some oranges or mangos? Maybe a kiwi or two?” I asked cynically.
“You have the strongest connection to seaweed…as did Thetis. So just like the coconut milk, you’ll need to eat some each day.” I inspected the slimy mass of green in the container.
“Why do I feel like I’m on ‘Fear Factor’?”
“The tarantulas and cow intestines are next,” he warned; his tone overly foreboding. I would have to keep my gag reflex in check around him. I wouldn’t last a minute on that show. I shoved his shoulder lightly and tentatively selected a short string of seaweed to eat. It was slimy to the touch and I had no idea what it would taste like. I tried to convince myself that it was no different than lettuce. It didn’t work.
“Okay, here goes…” I closed my eyes and dangled it above my mouth dramatically; head back, eyes closed, and dropped it. The taste exploded in my mouth, but to my surprise I didn’t immediately spit it all over Finn. It was similar to collard greens, just a lot more salty. And uncooked. And cold. But besides that, it wasn’t terrible. I opened my eyes to catch Finn in the middle of a gigantic yawn.
“Leave some oxygen for the rest of us,” I teased him. He just laughed and spread out another blanket. Was he making a makeshift bed for us? When he pulled two pillows I recognized from the couch out of the canvas bag, I glanced up at him in surprise.
