The Secret of the Emerald Sea

by Heather Matthews

  “I was pierced by Cupid’s arrow, and bound to Jane?” he said, bewildered. “I had no need of that for I would have given her my heart anyway.”

  “I did not bewitch you,” Jane said heatedly, glaring at the Cupid. “I swear to you, I knew nothing of this.”

  “She did not know...” the Cupid said, retreating into the darkness. “It was my doing alone, and I am sorry.”

  His voice was cold now, disembodied. Jane looked on as he went and sat by the shore, his wings folded around him. She turned away from him; she could not face him. He had deceived her and led her to ruin.

  “You must take Blake away, Diana,” Minerva said heatedly. “Somewhere where he cannot be found, and hide him well.”

  Diana nodded. “But you will need my help, will you not?” she asked. “For I can feel the evil closing in on us, and I know what that means, and so do you...”

  “Yes, I can feel it, too. There isn’t much time.” Minerva rubbed on the ring on her finger, blew on it again. The pearl’s colors were changing and shifting.

  “I have help, don’t worry,” Jane said, and Diana took the boy’s hand and led him away.

  “I will hide him well, with the animals, and stay with him until this is over.”

  “It will be over soon,” the Cupid said, his back turned. The sea in front of him was turning wild and rough. “Tomorrow, take him to his mother.”

  “She is gone...I sent her away,” Blake said, crying a little. He gazed at Jane, and her heart filled with longing.

  “She waits for you,” the Cupid barked. “I feel more powerful now. I can always feel love, but all is stronger now, and I know she waits. She is there, in your house, and she will not leave until you come. Her love is so strong. She sent others to look for you instead, but they will not find you here. You must go back.”

  Jane took Blake’s hand, and she shook as she raised it to her lips and kissed it gently. “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” she said, tears streaming down her face. He let her go, watching her walk down to the shore.

  I will do anything to keep him safe, she thought as she nodded at Diana who swept the boy away again into the darkness.

  “Diana will take care of him. She is powerful, and she can hide him well. He will be safe,” Minerva said, walking with her.

  “I believe you,” Jane said, and she held the goddess close, burying her face in her shoulder.

  “It’s time to go now,” Minerva said simply.

  Jane took off her boots and she sat at the edge of the shore, touching the water with one hand. The full moon lit up the night sky. She looked back at the Cupid, still angry with him, but her anger melted as she saw his face. He stared at her with sorrow and with longing, and with true love. She felt the mixture of confusion and attraction that always overtook her when he was a man. He came over to her then, and held her gently in his arms, his white wings enfolding her.

  “I will see you again, I swear it. I would die for you, Jane. I took you to the village because...something made me take you there. We were all meant to be in this place, together, on this night. I was meant to bind you to Blake so that you would stay. The Great War is coming, and we were meant to be part of it. That is all.” He let her go, and stepped back, watching the waves froth behind her.

  “Why us?” she asked, dreading the sea, and unwilling to leave him

  “Pluto destroyed me. Perhaps I am meant to destroy him in kind,” The Cupid said. “I have one arrow left, Jane, and I will use it well...”

  “Come with me,” she said, suddenly. “I want to be with you.”

  “One day, perhaps, but not this day.” He smiled. He held her gaze, his eyes intense.

  As Jane turned to the water, she saw a legion of creatures rising out of the surf with great, thick manes of hair like Neptune’s, and strong chests covered in golden scales. She smiled, for she knew her father had sent them to help her, to help all of them. The soldiers waited in the water, scanning the edge of the forest. Cupid nodded at them, and one of their kind came forward.

  “I am here to take you home, my princess,” he said, reaching out for her hand.

  “Goodbye,” Jane said, looking at Minerva. “Thank you, goddess.” Then, Jane went deeper into the water, which seemed to glow turquoise and green and gold, and then opal white. The full moon glittered against the sea as the soldier led her under the waves, and Jane sank down with him, into the depths.

  She knew they all watched in wonder from the shore as her bright tail flicked up to the surface and then disappeared. At once, stillness of the Emerald Sea would return, but she would be gone from all of them...

  * * * *

  Minerva stood with the Cupid, and they turned and faced the woodlands, the mermen behind them all in a long row. Everyone was watchful and silent. The Cupid reached for his quiver and held the gold-tipped arrow in his hand. Its symbols glowed now, and its tip was razor sharp. He hid it in his cloak, but held onto it all the same. His hand grasped in under his rough cape so that it was invisible.

  The sky lit up in a flash of scarlet and gray smoke as Pluto floated over the tall trees and came toward the sand. He landed about fifty feet from them, and the merman fell into position, marching in formation. They had lay on the beach, just for a moment, as their new legs grew strong, then quickly stood up as they had been trained to do with barely any awkwardness.

  As they saw Pluto, they formed a barrier around Minerva, and tried to usher the Cupid in, too, but he shook his head. He walked toward Pluto, feeling the terrible fear that assaulted his senses and left him overpowered. He tried to clear his head, for the man was huge, and menacing, and seemed somehow familiar.

  “Cupid,” Pluto said, “it has been a long time. My, how you’ve grown.”

  “It was you,” the Cupid said. “All this pain, and this curse, and for what?”

  “For revenge,” Pluto said, and he raised his hand, gently blowing on a ring on his third finger. It was a flat onyx stone, and when Pluto blew onto it, it seemed to come to life, becoming a crimson river, flowing with dark blood. Shadowy figures emerged from the river, moaning, and began a solemn march as the Cupid held tight to his arrow, watching the river dwellers grow and change.

  “He’s sending his creatures,” the Cupid yelled, floating up into the air. “Take Minerva and go!”

  “I will not go!” she yelled. “We will stay and fight. Pluto cannot hurt me now,” she said.

  “So the girl is under the water now,” Pluto said, “but she will come back for the boy, and I will be waiting.”

  “She will never come back,” Minerva said. “I will see that she does not, and you will leave the boy alone. He’s of no matter to you.”

  “If she comes, I will know,” he said. He grinned as he watched his men transform. Cupid drew in his breath as they made a great legion of warriors. All of them were decomposed to some degree. They were terrible to behold. Their broken bodies were obviously held together only through Pluto’s black magic, conjured forth from the jaws of death and damnation.

  They moved toward the mermen on the shores, and they fought one another. The mermen swung great, iron tridents to fend them off. Cupid ducked in and grabbed Minerva, and they rose in the air over the soldiers as Pluto stared up at them, his face a mask of calm. In truth, he was angry, for the girl had gone back under the water now, and he was not powerful there.

  He grimaced at the Cupid, who heard him yell out that he should have destroyed him long ago. Cupid watched the mermen fall to their deaths as his creatures smothered them. Their tridents were useless against the magical beings who spewed hate and bloodlust. Pluto’s warriors were stronger—just as he knew they would be. Would hate always win out over love?

  Cupid flew over the sea, as high as he could, with the goddess in his arms. He had never before climbed this high, and the ascent was dizzying. He ignored Minerva’s protests as he carried her up into the night sky, far away from danger. He could no longer see the battle that raged below him, but he would soon go
back and fight. This woman had rescued them. She had saved his dear Jane’s life, and he would ensure her safety above all things.

  “Where do I go?” he yelled to her as they flew. She knew what he meant, and he told him to close his eyes and repeat the secret words she said. He did as she asked, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a cloud shining with golden light as though it were high noon. He was startled by the brightness, and almost dropped the goddess, but she clung to him.

  “Take me there,” she told him, pointing to the center of the cloud. “Fly above it and just drop me. And go and use your arrow on Pluto, for it may be all that will work.”

  He let her fall into the cloud, knowing she would be safe there.

  “Remember the words. Use them when you are done down there! They will bring you back to us!” she called out to him, and he nodded to her and began his descent. He closed his eyes, and soon found himself back in the dark night, nearing the shores where the mermen lay dying.

  The battle still raged. The mermen were partly human, and they were vulnerable for that reason.

  The Cupid hid in a high tree, hoping Pluto had been too distracted with the battle to notice his return. He strung his bow and waited, and as he did so, Jupiter plummeted out of the night and landed softly on the sand. Minerva must have warned him, or perhaps he had been watching and waiting for the perfect moment to do battle against his brother. Jupiter faced his sibling, and they were so alike in the Cupid’s eyes. One brother fair, and one dark. They stared at each other, ignoring the cries of the mermen as they succumbed to the undead.

  “So it is you and I,” Pluto said, and the Cupid felt a chill in his heart. “Where is your army, my brother?”

  “I have no need of assistance,” Jupiter answered. “Do your best, Pluto, and you will find that it is not nearly enough.”

  “Nonsense,” Pluto snapped.

  Jupiter turned to the shoreline, and stretched out his hand. The skies lit up as flashes of lightning shot from his fingertips, immobilizing the creatures of death. They stumbled wildly as Jupiter’s magic overpowered their own spells. They spun, confused, and fell into the surf where they seemed to melt into the water.

  Pluto looked enraged. He muttered spells and called them back, but they did not come. The Cupid realized that Jupiter and Pluto did not fight because they knew they could not kill one another. Each could only damage the other by lessening their power. They stared at each other, hate plain on their faces, and Jupiter began to reprimand Pluto.

  “Look at those bodies,” he said, pointing to the mermen who lay dead on the shore. “All good men, all of godly, royal blood. You kill your own people, Pluto, and that is why you are despised.”

  “They are not my people. My people are in the Underworld.”

  “You tried to take the daughter of Neptune himself, and you failed. You were too slow, and you were too sure of yourself.” Jupiter was angry, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity as he spoke. Rain was coming down now, and the Cupid knew that Jupiter was unable to control his rage. Soon it thundered, and lightning criss-crossed the sky.

  Cupid held on to his perch upon a nearby tree, and wondered if the lightning would kill him. He did not know his father, and he could be just like Jane, a half-creature of mixed blood. Or he could be a full god, and invulnerable. He found it odd that Minerva had never mentioned his father, but he could do nothing about that now. He must risk death. It was his destiny.

  He stretched back his bow, for it was time. As Pluto and Jupiter raged and screamed at one another, he swept down out of the sky, an avenging angel once again, and shot his arrow straight into Pluto’s black heart. The god stared down at the arrow and laughed. No weapon could wound him. But then, he looked up at the sky, and he saw the Cupid hovering in the distance, watching him. He crumpled onto the sand.

  “Jupiter,” Pluto said weakly. “He is but a half-deity, is he not? He cannot hurt me.”

  Cupid waited for his answer, but Jupiter did not answer at all. Instead, he turned and walked to the shore, leaving his brother writhing on the ground. He stopped for a moment, then turned around and walked back to the spot where Pluto lay with his face streaked in sweat. He wrested the flat, smooth onyx ring from his brother’s hand, and crushed it in his powerful fist. The hard onyx shattered like glass. Pluto groaned, unable to move. The arrow had rendered him helpless.

  “Who is his father?” Pluto demanded, his voice weak and thready.

  “Another god. Not me. No half-deity is Cupid. You best remember that!” Jupiter answered, and he walked away from his brother, who might live or die, without a backward glance. The Cupid sat down on the beach and waited for the Great God of the Sky. He stared out to sea, away from the broken bodies of the dead, and he felt peace in his heart.

  Tomorrow, he would go to Jane, if his curse was broken, and meet her above the water. He would go to her, again and again, and he would find a way to show her that his love was true. If she chose to love the boy, and go to him, then so be it, but he must try.

  “Hello, my boy,” Jupiter said, striding over to him. “It seems the Great War has not yet occurred, for we are the only ones left and the poor mermen and those wretched river dwellers are the only casualties. You have done well.”

  “I don’t think it’s over yet,” the Cupid said. “I am not strong enough to destroy someone like Pluto.” He glanced back at the strong body, which lay crumpled further up the beach.

  “You are fully a god, young man, and rather a powerful one, at that,” Jupiter told him watched the smile spread across Cupid’s face.

  “Who is my father?” he asked, his curiosity powerful.

  “I will show you tomorrow. There will be a great celebration in the Sunlit Cloud, and you shall take your place whether Pluto lives or dies, for you have been brave this night.”

  “I am immortal!” the Cupid marveled. “Truly?”

  “Oh, yes, indeed,” Jupiter said. “But since you came back, even when you were unsure, you have proven yourself the best and bravest of deities. Your mother will be proud.”

  Just then, the sun began to rise, and the Cupid sighed, waiting to change back into his cursed form. Jupiter seemed to read his mind. In an instant, he put his huge hand on the Cupid’s forehead, and the Cupid felt the elder god’s power flood through him, filling him with the strength to resist the curse, or even to break it.

  He saw the sun rise, and yet was still a man as Jupiter continued to press his palm tight against his forehead. Cupid felt pleasure run through his body as the sun warmed his skin. This was the best sunrise of his entire life. He stood and looked down at his manly body.

  Gone were the death-white pallor and the glowing eyes that made him monstrous. Now, he had only the beauty of the gods and goddesses...

  Cupid smiled and Jupiter nodded his head, as though acknowledging his silent gratitude. Then, Jupiter took his hand and stared down the beach where Pluto lay. “Hecate will be devastated,” the elder god whispered with a smile. “All her scheming has come to nothing. And what of my lost Proserpina? Will she grieve, or exult?

  “I’m taking you home,” Jupiter said, and then he said the three words, the magical words, that only the full-blooded gods could say.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Jane followed the merman deep into the sea. They held hands as the sea creatures cried out their welcome. Jane felt the joy rise up in her breast as she went faster and faster toward the bottom of the sea. She was not afraid any longer. She was who she was, and she would be happy to see her father again. It was time.

  Jane watched as the mermaids waited, their eyes filled with tears. She knew they cried for their men who had not returned. But they welcomed Jane all the same, covering her in necklaces like pretty garlands. They were made of pearls and tiny seashells. They bobbed gently in the water and sang for her as she greeted them.

  Neptune came down onto the seabed, his robes swirling around his body. His eyes were soft as she stared into his face. He embraced Jane an
d held her close, and then stood back from her. He reached into his robes for a little golden crown, blew gently upon it, and watched it float through the waters until it landed upon her head. She nodded her thanks, and he led her to her throne where he said she would rule alongside him in whatever fashion she wished.

  “Minerva,” Jane said haltingly, for her voice was choked with tears. “She saved me, Father.”

  “I know she did,” he said, and he took her hand as the cheers of the mermaids rose and fell. They chanted her name. She smiled in gratitude. “Is she hurt?” Neptune asked, and his voice was full of pain.

  “I am certain that she is well,” said Jane, “for she is wiser and stronger than all of us, and we will all be together soon.”

  “But you do not know for certain?” he asked her, and his voice was filled with anxiety and pain. “I must go to the Sunlit Cloud and look for her...”

  “No, I am not sure,” she said softly. “May I come with you?”

  “You cannot,” he said sadly. “It is for full-blood gods and goddesses only, and you would not survive the journey.”

  “I will wait,” she said. “I will rule in your place until you return.

  Neptune nodded, and then placed his trident in her hands. He called out to his courtiers—or such that remained. “All hail the princess...Princess Jane, of the Emerald Sea.”

  “All Hail,” they chanted, over and over and over again, and Jane sat and watched them. She felt their love wash over her and cleanse her soul.

  “Thank you,” she whispered to her father, kissing his cheek.

  “It will be different now, my daughter,” he said. “You need not fear me anymore, for I will never harm you, and you may come and go as you please.”

  “I think I will stay here now,” she said, and her mind turned to Blake, who must be safe with his mother, if all was well. Her heart still ached for him.

  “Then fare thee well, and I shall see you as soon as I can. Is there any message you would like me to take to my dearest Minerva?” he asked. “If she is there...and safe...” he added, his eyes filling with tears.