He told them it was all for his Jane, who had disappeared only a short while ago. They told him ruefully that they wished she would simply return and claim her rightful place—which any of them would have given anything to occupy—on the small throne that rested alongside Neptune’s larger, more ornate seat. Did she not know that she could never be happy away from the sea and away from all of them? They said they longed to serve her, to comb her long, rippling hair with brushes made of the finest corals, and they wished to drape her in the necklaces they made especially for her from rare pearls and seashells. Would she never return?
They were not really complaining, Neptune knew. He was not angry with them. In their hearts, they longed for her as he did, but it made them frightened to think that the men could fight on the land and lose their lives. So they enjoyed the whole display of this new sea army, but they were also wary.
Neptune knew he could be rash. They had experienced his rage so many times. He explained that his temper had obviously made his daughter too afraid to come back.
Things were changing. Neptune was changing. And with this new army beside him, anything could happen, anything at all...
Neptune barked at the mermen when they missed a single step, or failed to raise their tridents in perfect synchronization.
Chapter Thirty-One
Minerva had been a rare but occasional visitor to the watery depths as of late, and sometimes, she would bring along Venus in order to show her the army as they trained and marched in careful formations. Minerva smiled as Neptune glowed while the goddesses floated around his domain, and he wasted a lot of his magic and power ensuring they were comfortable in the deep. For them, he created the most stunning mermaid tails in a rainbow riot of colors. He made the tails with his best magic, and this ensured that they would be as comfortable as his true mermaids were while they were on the premises.
For Minerva’s tail, he chose vivid purple and blue...to honor her, he had said. These royal colors were meant to symbolize his reverence for her as the very highest of goddesses. For her friend Venus, he chose a tail of ruby red and rich gold, and he also fashioned for her a necklace of freshwater pearls so thick and lustrous that the Goddess of Love gasped as he placed it around her slender neck. Minerva wore no baubles, ever, and so Neptune did not make her a pretty necklace of her own. He murmured to her, so that Venus should not hear, that it seemed an insult to even consider festooning her in baubles. But Venus, being Venus, loved beautiful things, and so he had made the necklace for her. Minerva laughed with Neptune as Venus complained over and over again that she could not take it up into the sky with her, or wear it on the land.
Venus and Minerva had become closer lately, and she always enjoyed seeing the world of Neptune with her friend at her side. Venus mentioned to her that Neptune did not seem as affected by her Venusian charms as he had been previously. She teased that he only had eyes for the Goddess of Wisdom!
Neptune would sit with her and talk with her for hours when she did visit, and he would sometimes go to her home near the Sunlit Cloud, which Venus had recently decorated with pretty wildflowers and art.
For Minerva, Neptune told her, he would train his army well, as he suspected the old crone wished her ill, and all because of him. Witches were dangerous and he had always mistrusted the oracles and their motives. The army would protect the women he cared for when the time was right. He must continue putting them through their paces every day in order to be sure they were ready for battle.
“How are you, Neptune?” Minerva asked the next time she appeared under the waves. She had come to talk about Jane. She sat down on the throne intended for his lost daughter. Venus had not come this time. Minerva was not ready to confide in her about the princess, and so she had not invited her along. Today, Minerva needed time alone with the Sea God.
“I am doing well. My army is impressive, is it not?” He beamed, gesturing with his best trident at the mermen who tried to stay still, rigid, and at attention in the moving waters in order to show respect for the Sky Goddess.
“Impressive. You’ve done well,” Minerva replied, brushing aside a tendril of hair, her russet locks floating free about her face. Neptune had told her adored the ribbons of dark auburn that seemed to dance, and the way they suited her amber eyes so well. The goddess blushed at the memory, then nodded pleasantly at the mermen, acknowledging their excellence.
“At ease,” the king barked at his mermen, and then they quickly scattered, glad to escape from their unceasing labors. They swam off to visit with the mermaids and enjoy themselves until Neptune churned the waters gently with his trident staff—this was their cue to meet once more near his throne for maneuvers.
“What of the witch, Minerva?” Neptune asked quietly, for they were alone now. “Have you consulted other oracles about her? If you have, then what do they say?”
Minerva shook her head sadly. “None of them will talk much about the crone, though they told me her name is Liesel, and that, of all of their ilk, she has wrought the most havoc and done the darkest spells for the townspeople.” She felt angry as she spoke of the witch. Her mean spirit had kept her from rescuing Neptune’s daughter, who could have been with them now, safe and sound, if only the crone had told what she’d known.
Minerva was used to getting her way, like most goddesses were. Also, she was unused to resistance because the paths she chose in her own life were usually the wisest pathways to travel. She was relatively unschooled in obstacles and hindrances. However, Neptune was more familiar with battles and woes, and he seemed more stoic as they talked. Minerva thought for a moment that his army was good for him. It somehow calmed him. She began to tell Neptune her story, gazing gently him.
“They are afraid of the crone, and they won’t use their crystal balls, or any other magic, to figure out where she has gone, though I am sure Liesel is trying to find the girl. I visited her cave and it is all but gutted. All her potions and powders are gone, her crystal ball has disappeared, and the place is darker and colder than you could ever imagine.” She shook her head at the mere memory of that terrible place. “How...unwise of me to go there at all. I am sorry, Neptune.” Minerva was angry with herself, for she had made a serious error. Perhaps she should have given this...Liesel...what she wanted.
“No matter,” Neptune said heartily, patting her arm. “I am training my army well, and they will help us once we have some idea of the girl’s location.”
“Well,” Minerva said, “there is one thing I did manage to get out of the oracles, and that is the direction Liesel was traveling in when she left the area. They did not need to use magic to know this as they saw her walking with her bundle, all wrapped up and hidden in her special brown robes they know so well. They said she was headed east, possibly toward Lynnshire.” Minerva smiled. She could see the hope on Neptune’s face as he heard the name of the town.
“Why, I have been there!” he exclaimed. “Long, long ago...I remember the town! Jane’s mother took me there, and dressed me in common clothes and placed a workman’s cap upon my head to disguise me! For the festivals...” He trailed off, obviously lost in memories. Minerva took his hand and smiled.
Neptune’s voice was choked with sadness as he continued. “The thoughts and memories are like pictures in an old storybook now...a storybook with faded, yellowed pages...I have to work to make them bright in my own mind.”
“I understand,” she said gently. “I, too, have visited the town. It is a lovely village indeed, and it seems like a safe place, but we don’t know that the witch will go there. There are many towns and a larger city, Allanshire, also close to that area. It is simply a guess, but one of the oracles feels quite strongly that she may be headed there.”
“Then I must go!” Neptune said. “I will find my daughter myself and bring her back before the crone can harm her.”
She looked at Neptune, who was truly godlike with his huge, bulky body and long, white hair. His eyes were as aquamarine as the seas of the Caribbean, and
he seemed all too conspicuous.
“I will go,” she said gently. However, she was careful in choosing her next words because she did not want to offend his pride. “You should stay here and continue training the men in case I need them. I can pass for human quite well. I have done it so many times, and the Sky is not so different from the Earth in many ways...not as different as the Sea, in any case. It is wiser if I go, and I will report back to you every few days along my journey. I will find a messenger or someone I can trust to bring you news.”
Neptune nodded his agreement. “Yes, I have often had trouble on the land,” he said wearily. “I always feel so strange, like a fish out of water. It’s true, you would do better than I. But you needn’t find a messenger for I have a better solution for you.” Then, he reached into his robes, opened Minerva’s hand so the palm was flat, and placed upon it a ring adorned with the biggest, creamiest pearl imaginable. It was dark gray and shining, surrounded by a setting of pure gold! Minerva thought that it was the most glorious pearl she had ever seen!
“Take this ring, Minerva, and always wear it. No human can see it, but while you wear it, I will know you are safe. If you blow on it gently, I will know that you need me, for I have bestowed the pearl with my own magic. If you do need my help, I will come for you immediately, along with my army. I will be there to help you. Go to the nearest shore, and I will appear.”
No god, or man, had ever given Minerva such a thing. Most men, including some of the gods, seemed intimidated by her. Although the ring was intended to act as a signal between them, the pearl itself was lustrous and magnificent, and it shone upon her pale hand as she slid it on to her fourth finger, where it fit perfectly. She said nothing at all, but she leaned toward the Sea God and gently kissed his cheek. They smiled at one another, and Minerva rose gracefully from her seat, her posture as straight and as proud as always.
“I will go to the village this evening. I shall travel by foot to blend in with the townspeople,” she said. “The journey will not take long, but I may not be successful. Nonetheless, I will try, and I will blow upon the pearl at the first sign of trouble.”
“Thank you, Minerva,” Neptune said, and his cheeks were still rosy pink after the kiss she had given him.
Then, Neptune told her that the ring was one of his greatest treasures, and that the pearl had been guarded carefully for centuries. It was the biggest and most splendid gray pearl he had ever seen, and he had found it himself when he was but a young god. It had been nestled inside of a huge oyster that yelled at him in protest when he pried it apart and claimed its contents.
Since then, the pearl had represented to him his lost youth...a time when he had been full of adventure and hope. He had blessed it with his trident and with magical words that made it a living thing for always.
Minerva had known instinctively that the pearl was of special significance to him. She blushed as she learned of its provenance. She tried not to look down at it as she swam away and headed back to the surface of the water, near the shore. Once she was on land, she rested for a moment on the sand and watched the dolphins Neptune had sent as her escort jump and frolic in farewell to her.
She touched the ring, exploring its smooth surface with her fingertips. Her skin seemed to tingle where the pearl had touched it, and it was a pleasant tingle that made her smile. She stood up and straightened her robes, which were bone dry even though she had just come out of the water. Her hair was dry and every strand was in place. She waved to the dolphins, and then they disappeared under the Emerald Sea, swimming back to their master.
It is a glorious world below the Emerald Sea, she mused, her eyes scanning the smooth, dark green water. Then, she turned away, for there was work to be done and there were preparations to be made.
This time, Minerva vowed, I will not fail.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hecate sat with the other gods of the Underworld, in a dark corridor where they discussed Liesel’s pact. Hecate hated the Sky Gods, and she welcomed the chance to prove them weak and foolish through the old witch. She knew that Minerva had angered Liesel and pushed her toward the deal she had chosen to make.
She would assist the witch any way she could by giving her magic extra power and by sharing her thoughts and influencing her actions—with or without her knowledge. When she had laughed at the crone as she left the river’s shores, she had also been laughing at Minerva, who had always looked down on all of her own kind, seeing the denizens of the Underworld as nothing but mere vultures who waited on the dead.
The Goddess of Wisdom was powerful, but Hecate, too, was strong. The Goddess of the Crossroads welcomed the chance to test her power against the Sky Goddess.
The Gods of the Sky were spoiled from living in such beautiful surroundings and from all their feasting and dallying with humans. They did not understand death, and they had little knowledge of the shadow world that Hecate inhabited every day of her existence. Hecate felt elation as she imagined the daughter of Neptune—for she had foreseen it all, and so gleefully—brought to ruin by a mere servant of her own Lord Pluto, the God of The Dead.
Hecate was never invited to the councils in the Sunlit Cloud. She and all of her ilk were always excluded, as they were thought to bring darkness and ill fortune wherever they walked. Hecate did fear Jupiter, whose power was supreme, but still, she had longed to be accepted, and she had grown bitter at the constant rejection. After all, what could be more important that guiding humans on their final journey...their final step toward destiny? The worthy would pass, and she must decide on Pluto’s behalf. What greater purpose could there possibly be? The sun was strange to Hecate, and the green grass...all of it was a mystery to her, as she had spent her life here, close by the shores of the River.
Her power was her only solace, and so she gloried in the new alliance with Liesel. She would take pains to explore the old woman’s mind and all of her thoughts. Now, the crone belonged only to her and to Pluto. This access to the outside world was a rare opportunity, and Hecate planned to use it well. She would manipulate the old witch in order to gain on her enemies and in order to demonstrate the force of the all of the gods of the Underworld.
And so her companions sat around her, listening to the groans of Sisyphus, who could never cease his labors, and they were rapt with attention as she told them of this new development. They agreed instantly to help her any way they could. They, too, had felt the derision of the Sky Gods and the Sea Gods, and they did not wish them well.
Pluto ruled the Underworld with an iron fist, presiding over the entire realm. He was Hecate’s true god, the one she feared the most and revered the most. She decided to tell him about Liesel and her association with Minerva and the other Gods of the Sky. She rarely visited with him, but this was an important chance to drive a wedge between all of the gods and goddesses who spurned their kind and to lessen their power.
She went to Pluto later that night, traveling deep into the dark heart of his domain with only a single torch held aloft to light her path through the unending blackness.
Pluto was Jupiter’s brother, but they were estranged. They had become separated by their vastly different fates. Their father had made them choose shares in the world and Pluto had lost, and he been given the Underworld while Jupiter reigned in the skies. Neptune was also their brother, and he had been given the beautiful sea. Pluto grew fierce and vengeful in his new role, and he demanded that Hecate bring him new subjects as often as she could. He wanted to increase his power in all ways, and she knew he would be pleased that she had enticed the old crone and brought her to his realm.
Pluto was a god of greed and a god of cunning. He was never satisfied with his fate or his level of power, and so Hecate devoted all of her time to pleasing the dark lord.
He would often appear by the shores of the River to watch her work, but sometimes she did not know he was there. He had a special helmet, which rendered him invisible to everyone. She could feel his presence at times like a cold shiver
that tore through her body, and she used this sensing of him to protect herself. She only wanted to please him, of course, but he was fierce and unrelenting and though she adored him, she also knew he was ultimately dangerous.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Pluto loved death. Anyone who brought about death and ruin increased his number of subjects, and thus, amplified his power.
Pluto lived with his beautiful wife, Proserpina, in a house high upon a slope in the heart of his domain, just off the River’s edge, directly opposite the shore where Hecate always stood watch. His dark temple was filled to the brim with all the symbols of his power. Skulls from humans and all manner of animals decorated the place where he lived, and everything was in his preferred colors—dead black, deepest midnight blue, and blood red.
Even Proserpina was forbidden to wear any other colors, so her gowns were rich and draped, but in funereal tones. Their furniture was also luxurious, but macabre. The chairs had bones for armrests and their deep cushions only made the overall effect more unsettling.
The art on the walls of their riverside aerie was likewise disturbing as it depicted scenes of death and torture through the centuries. They were painted by the masters who had bribed Pluto with their art, as well as the coins that were placed under their tongues, to pay their passage to the other side.
In the center of Pluto’s home there was an altar where curse tablets made of lead were displayed reverently along with black candles that flickered but never burned out. Tiny lead coffins with tiny lead figures lying inside were arranged in careful, ordered rows. These lead tablets and coffins were the spoils of witchcraft, and they demonstrated the hatred that lurked in the heart of humankind.
The Secret of the Emerald Sea Page 11
