by Renee Field
“What have you done?” she said to Retan, clearly surprised to be back with him again.
“He tried to kill himself to get my attention, and I must say he succeeded.”
“Oh,” said Sesta. She quickly bowed her head. “Poseidon my God, it is all my fault.”
“Yes, yes, yes, he has already explained that, but what surprises me is his willingness to end his life to save yours.”
Sesta turned to her husband, distressed. “Retan, this is my fault you should stay out of things.”
“You are my wife, my soulmate, and I would do anything to keep you safe.”
“Well both of you heed me now,” said Poseidon. “I will stop the plague, and both of you need not sacrifice yourselves. I am feeling especially nice today, but don’t try my patience. You, Sesta, are now relieved of your duties as the Sister of the Future and I strip you of your power. You, Retan, must work with that son of yours and get him to fix the sharks he’s played with. I am going to talk to Medusa about that damn box you opened, and next time you find something buried deep, leave it be. I believe, Sesta, you have Gaia’s tears. I will take those now.”
Sesta held out her hands and dropped the two crystallized pearl tears into Poseidon’s hand.
“You honor us, Poseidon.”
“Think that for now but remember you are now powerless. A mere Siren.”
Sesta smiled and swam closer to Retan. “I will love being a mere Siren for all my days.”
Retan pulled her closer to him and smiled at his wife. “Thank you, Poseidon.”
In the blink of an eye, Poseidon departed. Retan swept Sesta up into his arms. “Will you be content to be my wife again?”
“Oh, Retan, this was always my heart’s wish but I felt I had a duty to make things right.”
Retan wasn’t interested in hearing about rights or wrongs. All he wanted was the feel of his wife’s lips…and that was exactly what he claimed with all his might.
Nine months later
Darius cursed in all the languages he knew, which was quite a number. “Get these babies out!”
His father calmly smiled at him, and his brother, Seth, smiled broader, which made Darius’ skin crawl. Both smiling doesn’t bode well for me.
When his father pulled a sharp knife he’d kept hidden behind his back, Darius realized that, while this would hurt like hell, he’d also feel relief. Carrying his twins for the last trimester, as was his duty, had been hard. Worse, he’d looked like a beached whale or a hippo, as his darling wife liked to point out.
“This will hurt for a minute but trust me, you will heal.”
Gritting his teeth, Darius said, “Just do it.”
His father quickly cut into his extended belly and Seth scooped out one child who quickly screamed his head off. His father pulled out the second. Darius waited for the second wail. When nothing happened grief hit him.
“She isn’t breathing,” said his father.
Seth quickly switched babies and set about trying to breathe life into the small Siren. Darius couldn’t move. His body was trying to heal itself.
“Get Kassandra. Get Mother. Get someone who knows what they are doing!” yelled Darius, struggling with all his might to get up to reach his little Siren.
About to rise and kill himself in the process, he halted when a roar bellowed through the cave he’d been hiding in for the past three months while he’d been carrying his twins.
“Get that dragon out of here,” said King Sadok.
The dragon moved straight up to Seth who held the lifeless Siren in his hands. Before Seth could do anything, the small sea dragon breathed blue fire on Darius’ little girl.
And all hell broke loose. Amid the chaos of Darius, Seth and King Sadok shouting out all at once, a little cry soon became a loud wail, causing all three men to shut up. Seth smiled. King Sadok stopped trying to kill the sea-dragon. Darius calmly—as calmly as possible, anyway—said a thank you to the still unnamed dragon and asked to hold his little girl.
Seth immediately gave Darius the tiny Siren and the sea dragon settled down on the bed next to them. King Sadok handed him his son and with a babe in each arm and a sea dragon preening at his children, Darius finally mustered his courage to tell King Sadok to let his wife, the mother of his twins, enter.
Kassandra swam towards him so fast that he worried she’d bump into the bed, but at the last moment she stilled. The other sea dragon moved to the side by his son and proceeded to lick his son’s small head. Darius was at least thankful no blue fire came from its mouth and that the dragon didn’t try to eat his son.
“Oh, Darius, they are so beautiful.”
“Just like their mother,” he said, winking at his father and brother who were making a hasty exit.
“What shall we name them?” he asked, praying with all his might that she wouldn’t pick some lame human name.
Kassandra picked up her son and held him close to her heart. “His name shall be Naveed.”
Darius smiled. They’d been going back and forth between Jack and Naveed and he truly hated the name Jack.
“Husband, I have named our son and now you get to name our daughter.”
“Well, my dear, there is only one name our little Siren should be bequeathed, and that is Magali.”
Kassandra laughed. “Perfect names for our children. Magali, which means daughter of the sea, will probably get nicknamed Maggie and Naveed will probably be called David if my mother has her way with things.”
“Oh my god, please tell me they are not visiting.”
“I could, but that would be a lie. Your father promised my father three visits to this realm, and both he and my mother are on their way. It’s not every day they get to meet their grandchildren.”
Darius couldn’t argue that. A lot had happened over the course of nine months. He was about to say something when all the hairs on his body electrified. The two sea dragons on either side of him moved their bodies in front of each baby and tried to appear deadly. They were still so small it was a somewhat comical sight.
“Oh, I’m so happy they finally came,” said Rylan, popping as usual into the sea realm, where he was forbidden.
“Get lost, Rylan,” said Darius.
“Don’t be rude to him, Darius. If Rylan hadn’t done what he did, we wouldn’t have met, and we wouldn’t be holding these two adorable babies today.”
Darius realized Kassandra’s line of thinking worked for her, but she hadn’t been the one stuck inside a damn book for a decade. “Get lost, Rylan,” he repeated.
“I just popped in with a small gift from my uncle.”
That got Darius’ attention. A gift from the gods was never good. One, you couldn’t refuse it, and two, gifts from gods tended to attract way too much attention.
“That’s lovely,” said Kassandra, blissfully unaware of these facts. “What is it?”
“Oh, sorry, these,” said Rylan, and with a snap of his hands both babies had two gold bracelets around their wrists. Darius tried not to growl and failed.
“Those had best just be bracelets that your god gifted my children,” said Darius.
“Oh, they are far more than that.”
And that was what Darius was afraid to hear.
Before Rylan could say another word, a power the likes of which Darius had never felt before materialized in the core of his being.
“Get those stupid things off my children!” bellowed the largest Titan Darius had seen.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Uncle.”
“Uncle?” asked Kassandra.
“Rylan, I told you before to stay out of this realm. Take your gifts back to Zeus and tell him to stay away from my children.”
Rylan might have wanted to say something but the Titan, who was obviously Poseidon, snapped him back to who-knew-where. All that mattered to Darius was that the constant mischief-making semi-god was gone.
“Beautiful children, Darius and Kassandra, but I have a better gift than some stupid gift from Zeus.”
Kassandra gasped. Darius bowed his head and, speaking the old language, thanked the god when two jewel-encrusted Tritons materialized.
“These are special Tritons for two of my latest creations. Now my little sea dragons, do me a favor and gift them with a breath of your fire.”
The two sea dragons snarled comically, and then both breathed fire on the Tritons. Poseidon, the God of the Sea, thanked them and then handed the Tritons to Darius. “They can’t break, and if they ever have need of me, they need only ask.”
Both Kassandra and Darius said thank you, but before the words were out of their mouths, the God of the Sea had left them without a word. Darius was finally alone with his children and his wife. All he wanted on the bed with him was his Sokhan – his wife –Kassandra, the mother of his children. The one woman he should never have met who had turned out to be the one woman who had helped him find a cure for the plague. She was his gift, and he couldn’t be happier.
“You promise you won’t leave me when your father gets here,” asked Darius.
“What, you the big He-man, wouldn’t be afraid of my father, would you?”
Hell yes. “I’m not afraid. It’s just that I think he might not like me at first.”
“He probably won’t, but Mother will adore you,” said Kassandra, scooting into the bed with her daughter curled protectively tight in her arms. “I can’t believe I ever thought to get rid of these two. They are so beautiful and such precious jewels.”
“Life is precious,” said Darius, meaning it, while he nuzzled the top of his son’s small grapefruit-sized head.
“Times are good. The plague is stopped, thanks to Gaia’s sacrifice, and the last I heard, Sesta and Retan were having a large party to celebrate,” said Kassandra.
“We’re not going. It’s been months since I’ve had you all to myself.”
Kassandra laughed. “You won’t have me to yourself. The twins are going to change our lives.”
“Of that I have no doubt, but you, my Siren, I plan to worship for days.”
“Only if you promise I won’t get pregnant again anytime soon.”
This time it was Darius laughing. “Trust me I will ensure it. Plus we’ll get Mercka to babysit the twins.”
“Darius, Mercka hasn’t been the same since that terrible boating accident off the south shore of Nova Scotia. Even Jamie has noticed it. I tried to talk with her, but she’s avoiding it.”
“I had no idea when Gaia died that it would create such a storm to rip through the seas. It still grieves me to think of those fishermen’s lives tossed to the waves.”
“They weren’t all tossed to the sea as you know it. Some have found new homes thanks to the Sirens Mercka sent to help. You would think knowing she’s saved some of the men would make her happy, but something still isn’t right.”
“I will speak with her,” said Darius, weighing his Sokhan’s words. Mercka was the baby Siren in the family, and she’d always been the light in the darkness. If his wife was worried about her, he needed to pay attention.
“Thank you,” said Kassandra with a sigh.
Darius turned to claim her lips, and at that precise moment his son opened his mouth with a loud wail. Well if that’s how it’s going to be, little Titan, you and I will be having a long talk soon, because loving your mother is my right and duty.
Darius laughed when his son blinked and quickly shut his mouth. Now, that’s a good son. Darius used the quiet to steal a scorching kiss from Kassandra who quickly used her tempting hand to wake all of him up, reminding him she might have been born a human but she was a Siren to her soul.
Epilogue
Mercka was pleased with her brother and his wife and adored the fact that she’d become an aunt to twins, but nine months ago her life had changed drastically, and she couldn’t tell anyone.
She’d felt the storm brew deep and harsh and used her ability to foresee the future to do as much help as she could. She knew the fishermen on the south shore of Nova Scotia well, even though they didn’t know her. Since she’d been a freshling she’d called those seas her second home, and over the long years she’d come to think of the fishermen and the women, who lately had taken to the job, as friends.
That was why, when the storm brewed lightning fast through the seas and she felt it would break where she knew the men would be casting lobster traps, she’d called upon her fellow Sirens.
The sea liked to claim champions, and that’s what had happened. The boats had been tipped and the men, who had not been wearing life jackets because they too often thought they were invisible to the gods, were in the water and fading fast. Each man had been given a choice – death or life in the sea as a Titan tied to the Siren who gave them the kiss of life. Not all the men choice life. Funny how that is, thought Mercka. But of the five men, four had taken her fellow Sirens’ offerings and now called the undersea realm home.
Unlike Jamie and Kassandra, who had had Siren blood in their cells, the men had no memory of their previous lives…but to her, they were a constant reminder of the one man she’d let go.
“Take my hand. I will help you,” she’d said to the young man, and only when his cold fingers had touched hers did she understand why she’d been drawn so often to the south shore. He, the man holding on to her with pale purplish lips, was her Sokhan – her other half.
She had been so stunned, Mercka let go of him and then dove fast and hard down to the sea to regroup, which of course left the near-to-death man floundering in the sea.
Mustering her courage, Mercka rose up again beside him. It was February, and the ocean was brutally unforgiving. As a Siren she could regulate her temperature, but not the man’s.
“What are you?” he’d called out to her.
She’d smiled. His voice, a low timbre in spite of the panic he must have been feeling, caused her insides to quiver. “I’m Mercka, a Siren. I will give you the kiss of life and claim you, or you will die.”
He shook his head, which tore a small part of her to shreds. Maybe he didn’t want her.
“I can’t die. She needs me.”
An intense emotion rocked Mercka. Was he tied to another? She hadn’t felt that, but she didn’t have a lot of experience with human males either. “If I don’t save you, the sea will claim you and you will die.”
Through chattering lips she heard him. “I’m all she has. She needs me.”
“Who needs you?”
“My daughter. She’s got cancer. I’m all she has.”
Mercka had known what cancer was because Jamie had equated the plague killing her mardom with the horrible human disease. With her heart constricting and her emotions torn, Mercka circled the man. She spotted his small, 24-foot vessel bobbing away. It was only about two miles out to sea, but he wouldn’t reach it.
She was about to speak again when a large wave crashed over them, forcing the man under the sea.
She dove down and looked at him. His thick dark hair was wild as he struggled to breech the surface. Mercka had done the only thing she could, knowing he’d not like it, and it went against his wishes. She captured his face in her hands, looked into his dark brown eyes and kissed him, breathing a part of her essence into him, binding him to her for eternity. His memories floored her. His life hadn’t been easy. The child whom he loved with such a vengeance, he’d discovered only a year ago when the woman he’d slept with had died in a car accident and her will had left instruction about her four-year-old daughter. This man, this human, was full of honor, duty and integrity.
Only when the man’s arms captured her body, hooking her to him when he finally returned her kiss, did she let go, watching in awe as the rapture transformed him from man to Titan.
His piercing scream as the change took hold, forcing his clothing to be ripped to shreds left her quaking. Did I do the right thing?
Within seconds, the change was complete. He was magnificent. His hair grew to shoulder length and flowed behind him, ebony black. His torso and arms were all mus
cle, and his tail was a solid dark blue. He quite literally took her breath away.
“What have you done?”
Speaking telepathically, Mercka said, What had to be. You are alive.
“I must get back. You don’t understand. I’m all she has.”
Mercka did understand, and that was why she had done what had to be, ignoring the fact her actions would doom her for eternity. Swim with me to your boat and you will get back.
It was then he realized how much he’d changed. His hands, those magnificent thick fingers of his, which were used for hard work, felt his tail.
“This is real. I’m not really dead?”
You’ve been changed into a Titan.
“Like a merman or something? And why can I hear you in my head?”
We can speak mind-to-mind. You can, too. Your boat is just ahead. I’m going to get you to grip the sides of your vessel and hold on while I tie something around your neck. You can’t take off this necklace. The jewel will keep you in human form, but the minute you take it off you will return to this form.
Mercka didn’t tell him she’d stolen the jewel from Poseidon’s treasury. That little bit of information he didn’t need to know.
Mercka used compulsion to make him, the man the Fates had decreed was her other half, understand. She forced a deep-rooted fear within him to take hold so he’d know never to remove the necklace.
He took hold of the boat and Mercka quickly took hold of his lips to bespell him. Then she undid the necklace her mother had given to her to tie it around his neck. Within seconds the rapture took hold of him, changing him back to a human man. A naked man who had seconds to get on board and call for help.
Her last push into his mind was to erase her from his memory. The act left Mercka drained, but she smiled when he scurried on board his boat. Like many fishermen, he had extra clothing. Within seconds, she could see he had clothed himself against the wet and the cold. He kept casting his eyes to the sea, but Mercka made sure to remain hidden.
