by M. R. Polish
“You’re not going anywhere,” one of the men said. He tightened his grip on Brady and tugged.
“You don’t understand, I need to breathe.” Brady pleaded with his eyes, but neither man budged in his resolve to keep Brady. Okay, just stay calm and think. I don’t need air. I’ll be just fine. Brady chanted to himself, hoping to calm his nerves and stave off the panic.
Each abode they passed reminded Brady of a sunken ship. Shells and barnacles crusted over the outside. Schooling fish swam in and out as they pleased.
The two men swam to a smaller dwelling and thrust Brady inside. They closed the door, and that’s when Brady realized it was made of bars. They’d tossed him into a cell of sorts. “Wait. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I need help. I need Poseidon. Please, let me out of here.”
“No one knows about Poseidon,” one man with a green tail said as the guards swam away. His long brown hair floated up and around him in the water.
“Well, I do.” Brady locked eyes with the man. “It’s important that I find him.”
“No one has been here in years. How did you get here?”
Brady looked around. Was the guy serious? “I swam.” He glanced down at his tail. “How’d you think I got here?”
The man shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. All Syrenae here on earth have been hiding in the water for centuries. You aren’t new to earth so how did you get here?”
“I left earth and went to Perditus. There I was given the gift of the Syrenae. Myself and Karis, the queen of Shamike.” He hoped it didn’t hurt Karis to throw her royalty in the mix or tell anyone about her gift, but looking at the stern look the man had, it couldn’t do any more damage.
“Perditus perished years ago. You’re lying.” The man turned his back to Brady.
“No, I was there.” Brady grasped a bar on the door and tugged. “Let me out so I can find Poseidon. We need his help.”
“You’re a spy.” The man hissed, showing yellowed and broken teeth.
“No. I just need to talk with Poseidon. Please, I promise I’m not a spy.” Brady shook the bar but it was no use. The door or the bars weren’t budging. He hit the bar, but the impact was less than hard in the water.
“We’ll have to see about that. We aren’t going to let just anyone into our city.” The man turned and swam away.
Brady paced in the small holding cell, his tail flicking occasionally to propel him across the tiny room. He didn’t know what to do. Somehow, he’d gone and got himself arrested in an underwater secret city. He ran his hands through his hair the best he could, out of habit. The bottom of his tail tingled alerting him to a possible danger. What if he couldn’t last days in the water?
And Karis, what about her? What if he couldn’t save her? His heart cried out against the anguish. He should have gone after her, not swam away into the sunset looking for some mythical guy. Damn. But if Karis were with him, then she’d be arrested too, so maybe it was a blessing.
Sweet Karis. The beautiful woman, who held his heart. He closed his eyes and pictured her. He’d memorized every curve and every soft inch of her skin. He could remember the last time he kissed her. Her lips had tasted like cinnamon.
Brady stopped swimming, letting himself fall to the rocky ground. What if he was too late and he’d never get to taste her sweetness again? What if could never run his fingers through her hair, or tell her he loved her? His heart shattered across the sea floor.
No. He refused to give up. He sat up and pushed himself over to the door again. He wasn’t giving up until he died or they killed him.
Chapter Fifteen
“Wake up,” a man’s voice yelled in Brady’s head.
Instantly, Brady was up off the stone slab that he used as a makeshift bed. He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but it didn’t matter because it was a fitful rest. The awkward feeling of water all around him, and stressing if he’d change back to a man while sleeping because he was no longer conscious of holding on to the gift, wouldn’t let his mind rest. And, sometime during the night his arm stopped burning, making him worry more about Karis.
He swam over to the barred door. Wishing more and more that it would be open and he could race to the surface for a fresh gasp of air. Just a single breath. He wasn’t made—or born—to survive and live in water. Not like this.
Brady looked into the eyes of a young Syrenae with short green hair. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen. But then again, at one time Brady thought he was only in his twenties. “What’s going on? What have I done?”
“I need you to come with me. We have questions for you.” The boy unlocked the door and nodded at Brady.
Brady wasted no time, and pushed past the young man, flipping his tail as fast as he could to the surface. It was lighter, and he could see the sun’s reflection creating dancing rays in the water. He pushed faster. He was almost there. His heart leapt in joy at the thought of breathing again.
Hands grabbed him, weighing him down. “No! Wait. I need air.” Brady could feel the panic rising. Could he hyperventilate in the water? He fought the hands and twisted trying to break free. He looked up; he was only a few feet away from the surface.
He pushed at them again, his eyes wide as he felt the need for oxygen press harder on him. “Air.” It was all he could say.
Instead of dragging him under, or letting him go, the three men who subdued him pulled him to the surface with them. Brady’s head broke through the still waters and he gasped, taking in the longest, most relished breath. He could breathe again.
The men who held him came up out of the water, too. The patch of colored skin on their faces and upper arms brought back memories of when Brady first saw a Syrenae in Perditus. One man had blue hair, another had fire red. The other was blonde, almost white.
Brady nodded at them, his way of thanking them. All too soon, they tugged on Brady, pulling him back under. He wanted to fight them, but thought better of it. If he needed air again, he didn’t want them to deny him.
The silent men flanked Brady on his sides, and behind. At least they no longer held him, and let him swim freely with them. They stopped at a large structure and gestured for Brady to enter. A group of all male Syrenae watched as he swam in.
Tiny schools of fish darted around the men. An old anchor was fixated at the front of the room, where an older man, whose wise years shined in his eyes, floated. His hair was still dark, and no graying was visible, but Brady knew by his the way he held his head high and shoulders back that he was a man to revere.
It was quiet, with only the soft sound of water swishing as a tail was flicked to keep the men treading the water. The three men who brought him in, pushed him to the front of the room to float before the older man. The muscle that the man had, shamed Brady’s. He wouldn’t stand a chance in a ring with the guy.
“I am Poseidon,” the man said, startling Brady. “I’ve heard you are looking for me. So, exactly who are you?”
So that’s him. The revered Poseidon. Brady gawked at the man. “I’m Brady. I’ve come to ask you for your help. There is a war of the worlds and we need your assistance finding Zeus. We need you and anyone that will help to join our militia. And, personally, I need your help finding Karis, the queen of Shamike. I believe she was taken by Hades.” Brady tried to say everything in one breath, so to speak, just in case he wasn’t permitted to speak again.
“The war has started?” Poseidon straightened, looking even more menacing than before. His aqua blue eyes danced as he thought about what Brady said.
“It has. Coron,” Brady started, but Poseidon flared at the mention of Coron’s name.
“Take him away! He must be a conspirator. Coron is a traitor and stole my throne.” He roared and slammed a fist down on the anchor.
“No, wait. Coron is dead!” Brady hollered in his mind, looking over his shoulder.
“Stop.” Poseidon swam gracefully down to Brady. “Is this a lie?”
“No.” Brady shook his head. “Karis
killed him. Perditus needs you. We need you. That’s why I came here.”
Please believe me. Brady wasn’t sure what his fate would be if he didn’t.
“How did you get here? There hasn’t been any new Syrenae for centuries to arrive here. I’m sure you can see our side of things, and why we are so cautious. Our world under the sea is precious and has remained a secret for so long.” Poseidon’s peck muscles tensed and flexed.
Shouting from multiple men slammed into his mind. He gripped his head and applied pressure, but they were too loud.
“Silence,” Poseidon yelled, quieting the mass. He returned his attention to Brady. “How are you here?”
“I was given the gift of the Syrenae. See?” Brady pointed to his marking that ran from his neck down his chest.
“I can see that, I’m not dim.” Poseidon swam back to the anchor. “You received a gift. That is something that has rarely been given in Syrenae history. So the question is, how did you receive it?”
Brady told him how he crashed on Terpesona Island and met Karis, and how the portal took them to Perditus. “Coron tricked us. He gave us both the gift because he knew Tharious was going to come in another part of Perditus. He wanted us dead. But to get there, he had to give us the gift to swim there.”
“This could be a trick,” Poseidon said loudly. All the Syrenae nodded around him. “Take him back to his cell until it can be proven that he is not a spy for Coron.”
Brady clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth. “It’s not a trick! I can’t stay here. I’m not full Syrenae. Karis needs your help!” His pleas were ignored as he was pulled from the structure just to be tugged along, back to the cell.
He grasped the bars of the closed door and hung his head. How was he going to prove that he wasn’t the bad guy?
Chapter Sixteen
Karis stepped out of the house with Hades’ arm draped through hers. The sapphire gown fit her like a glove and ended just before touching the ground. It had been years since she wore something so extravagant.
Her head still pounded, but it was a dull throbbing compared to earlier. Her arm still burned fiercely, making her worry even more about Brady. What was wrong with him that he needed her so badly? Did Hades’ men beat him so badly he was unable to recover without the help of her healing powers?
One of Hades’ men held a back car door open for them to get in. The black car reminded her of the one she saw while at the casino. She didn’t doubt that Hades owned that too. He was probably the “boss” those men worked for.
“Where are we going?” she asked as the engine purred to life.
Hades shifted in his seat. “I told you, we’re going to a fight.”
Karis tried to recognize her surroundings as they left the forest. She hoped that she’d see something familiar to tell her where she was. Of course nothing was recognizable, she wasn’t from Earth. Catching a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, she gasped. The right side of her face was swollen with a welt the size of Hades’ fist to the side of her eye. She gingerly touched it and winced.
“Hey, boss, Jerry says that the club is really packed tonight,” the driver said over his shoulder, pressing the end button on his cell phone.
Hades rolled his shoulders and neck. “Good. That means the bets will be in our favor tonight.”
Karis frowned at Hades. Up ahead, a building stood out. A building she knew. She contained the squeal of joy as she saw the casino come into view. She was right, Hades did have something to do with the building. What, she didn’t know, but he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.
The car stopped near the entrance. Hades stretched his hand out for her to take as he got out of the car. She hesitated but thought better than to piss him off again. Her head was the simple reminder that he wouldn’t care that she was a lady, or royalty.
The driver was right, the casino floor was packed full of gamblers. Both young and old, male and female.
“This way,” Hades said as he led Karis through the throng of people.
He stopped at a door that had security guarding it, near the back. The man stepped to the side and opened the door for them. A different crowd filled the secured space. Whistles, hoots, and catcalls filled the arena. Women in scanty, red and black outfits walked around, handing out bottles of alcohol to the patrons.
The mass parted for Hades, once they saw he was in the room. Hades nodded and grinned at most, but only giving his dashing smile to the women. They swooned at his presence, touching his arm, his shoulder, anywhere they could make physical contact. He acted as if they weren’t there and kept walking. He didn’t stop until they reached the outside of the ring. If she could even call it that.
The mass of people stood in place of a rope, making an arena out of bodies. It was a great way to see the fight up close, but Karis hated standing so close. Hades brought her right to the edge, making her part of the makeshift ring boundary.
He turned to Karis, taking off his jacket and holding it out for her to take. “Hold this for me. I’d hate to get blood on it.”
Karis grabbed it. “What do you mean blood? Are you fighting?” She wanted to smile. She wanted to do a jig to show the world how happy she was. But most of all, she wanted him to get hurt.
“Don’t act so worried. It might make me think you care about me.” Hades flashed her a smile. He unbuttoned his black silk shirt and handed it to her as well. “Don’t get any ideas about leaving. You do remember what I said earlier? Evan is counting on you.”
Yes, she remembered. How could she forget? She nodded.
“Good.” He turned and left her to stand there alone. Well, not entirely alone. Hundreds of men and even some women surrounded her, but she was free of a guard. Her feet itched to run away. Fidgeting, she stood there and contemplated whether Hades would really kill Evan or not. He was only one man, and the entire universe needed her, surely she could sacrifice one man. Besides, Evan was immortal. Wasn’t he? Maybe Hades didn’t have what it took to kill someone like that? Then again, she was certain he didn’t get to be the God of the Underworld for no reason.
She started to turn away to flee when a hand caught her shoulder. She gasped as she slowly swiveled on her heel. Letting out a sigh of relief, she hugged King. “You scared me!”
He laughed. “Didn’t mean to do dat to ya, girl.”
She laughed with him as she pulled back. “I’m glad to see you.”
He frowned, and leaned in so she could hear him over the noise. “I’m sorry ‘bout the other day. I wasn’t payin’ attention and when I looked you was gone.”
Karis waved him off. She spoke up loud, “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
His eyes lit up and he smiled. He cupped his hands around his mouth to push his words out louder. “I won’t let it happen again.”
“It’s alright, King. Really.” She gave him her best fake grin. The noise was getting to her, making her head pound even harder.
“It’s a big night. We just learned that Hades here was gonna fight. I hurried on down here as fast as I could.” King flashed a ticket from a bet he placed. “I’m a bettin’ man and I couldn’t resist.”
Karis smirked. “I bet you couldn’t.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome you to the Sith Street Fight Club,” an announcer said using speakers so everyone heard. “Tonight we have two brackets for the tournament fighting. The winners will move on to fight in the Gold Shaft Club next Tuesday.”
Karis’s heart fluttered a hundred miles per hour. She’d seen a few fights before, but this was a new scene of Brady’s old life that she took in. She was sick yet intrigued.
“The first fight is between Jose’ and Hades,” the announcer continued. “To win you must get your opponent down for a minimum ten seconds. The only rules are there are no rules. May the best fighter win.”
Karis gulped. No rules? No wonder this was a secret club.
Hades and Jose’ stepped out into the ring. Standing at the edge, Karis had the best seat in the house.
King nudged her and gestured to the men. “This is gonna be good.”
She wasn’t sure good would be the word she’d use. Music thumped through the speakers, blaring a string of profanities and deep bass across the crowd, raping her ears. The crowd cheered and became just as loud as the music. Lights flickered and multi colored LEDs danced around the room.
King was lost in the ecstasy of the moment, and Karis nearly laughed. This truly was his addiction. She glanced out over the arena. Hades locked eyes with her. His icy glare made her stomach twist. One minute he acted fine, the next he looked as if he could kill someone.
The music continued to boom but the lights stopped flickering. A woman in nothing more than a string running up her backside, and chains covering her nipples walked out to the men. Her flowing red hair hung down her back and tattoos covered her arms. She looked more like a warrior than a lady, Karis mused. She couldn’t help but wonder about the woman’s life. Was she immortal? Was she here because she trained? Or was she one of the prizes? The last thought made Karis squirm. She hated thinking about that.
The woman’s hard stare went through both men. She lifted a red cloth and while backing up, she tossed it to the floor. Neither man wasted time. Hades rammed Jose’ in the middle with his head, sending him back into the crowd.
As fast as Brady, Jose’ rushed and was in front of Hades. He gave a right jab and a left uppercut. Hades grinned at the man’s efforts, but his hit was much harder. He drew blood on Jose’s mouth.
Jose’ wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Back and forth, they continued to assault each other. Karis couldn’t see any weariness from either competitor. King and the other betters cheered on their winning tickets.
Just as Jose’ was ready to throw a left upper hook, Hades disappeared. Karis stared, wide eyed, scanning the ring for Hades. “Where’d he go?”
King grinned. “I don’t know, but it was cool.” He searched around the crowd looking for him too.
Jose’ took a step back, his eyes wide as he tried to figure out what happened. In a blink of an eye, Hades appeared where he was a few moments before he disappeared. Behind Jose’ he grabbed around his neck and twisted. Karis could hear a snap and Jose dropped to the ground. She gasped and her hands went to her mouth, covering her open jaw.
