The Secret of the Emerald Sea
Page 25
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “I think she will be there, and I would like to you tell her that...she is like my mother now, and I would be honored if she became your wife because I love her so well.”
Neptune smiled shyly. “I will give her your message, if I can find the courage.”
“Find it,” Jane said. “For I know she cares for you, and you should be as one.”
“We must find you a proper groom, but our men...are lost,” he said. The mermaids hung their pretty heads and cried as he said the words, for these men were their lovers. “They are heroes,” he told the mermaids, who nodded in agreement.
Neptune cleared his throat and began to speak to the group amassed before him. “The little children of the sea will be heartbroken when they learn that the mermen are gone. As you know, they have been sequestered in a cave for some time, to protect them from all the dangers around them, and they are guarded closely by three of my mermaids and the reef sharks who do my bidding. Never forget that this new generation will still rise... Our men died to spare us from the rule of Pluto and the Underworld,” Neptune continued, “and not for the Princess Jane alone. Remember that. You would all be dead if Pluto had his way...and your children, too.”
Jane cried as the mermaids nodded and bobbed in the water, smiling at her through their own tears. They said that they could not be angry with her, though their tears poured down for their lost men...for Jane was one of them, and she would lead them and care for them as a daughter of Neptune should.
Neptune floated toward the surface as Jane sat quietly on her throne, taking in the murky beauty that was everywhere around her. She would not live on the land again, she knew. She was certain she belonged in this place. She would let Blake go, to find happiness elsewhere, for she loved him and wanted him to be happy. She would not take his humanity from him for her own selfish reasons.
And, of course, there was something else, too. Something that held her back... She knew it was the Cupid, her mysterious friend, with whom she could be fully herself. It was always the Cupid who seemed to understand her in a way that others could not. She would go to him, if he lived—and she felt sure that he did—and find out if he used his other arrow at last.
He had not always been straight with her, but he was the one who fascinated and intrigued her above all others, even above the beautiful human boy whom she still adored.
I cannot love both, she thought, confused. It must be one or the other, or none at all.
She told the mermaids to be at ease, and they scattered into smaller groups, talking sadly about their men. And she drifted up the surface where the skies were clear blue, and the air felt heavy and thick to breathe. She floated on the Emerald Sea, staring up at the sky and dreaming.
I cannot love two, she thought again. There can only be one, and I will wait here for him. If he comes, I will know that it is real...
* * * *
The Cupid was up in the Sunlit Cloud when he heard her silent call. He had been thinking of her anyway. He was surrounded by love, and his mother was more perfect than he could ever have dreamed. He was the son of Mercury and Venus, a full-blooded god, and he was at peace in the sunshine and the warmth of his family. All his dreams had come true, and yet...he had heard her call, and he knew he could not stay away.
He went to Venus and his strong, charismatic father, who wore wings upon his ankles, and he explained that he must go, but that he would soon return. They listened to him, and then they nodded their assent and kissed him fondly.
“You are my son. You are born to love,” his mother said, smiling. “Go and be in love, but come back to us as soon as you can for I cannot bear to lose my son twice.” Mercury smiled proudly as Cupid unfolded his huge, white wings.
“I will,” the Cupid said, and he smiled like a boy. There was no more cunning and no more curses or spells to spin his head. He stretched his wings, luxuriating in the heat of daylight, and he looked down from the Sunlit Cloud, down to the Emerald Sea, which glittered like a jewel in the distance.
He jumped from the cloud as Jupiter waved goodbye, and smiled at Mercury and Venus. All would be well, for now. Pluto might survive, but he would need time to regain his strength. For now, he could celebrate the victory that had been won.
The sea was smooth and still as the Cupid approached it. His broad wings stirred the surface ever so gently, causing pretty ripples upon its surface. Then, he saw her. He did not need to look for her, for she was just where he knew that she would be. Jane was a part of him, and without her, he was incomplete. Jane was a half-blood goddess, it was true, but her humanity seemed to fulfill him and stimulate him, always leaving him wanting more.
He floated over her and she smiled up at him. He noticed the little crown of hammered gold that rested upon her beautiful pale hair even as she floated. Her tail was blue and green and glistened in the sun. She looked relaxed and happy now. Her eyes were warm and bright as she stared up at him. The joy in her face was all the reassurance he needed. He told her that the battle had been won, and that Minerva was safe. She just smiled.
He floated down to her, moving his wings gently so that he hovered just above her body, and then he reached down to touch her face. She pulled him closer still, both arms around his neck, and she kissed him, closing her eyes. He felt his heart swell with love as he returned her kiss.
* * * *
Oh, how I love him! Jane thought as they kissed.
In the days that followed, they would meet there, every day, always, and later, when they were nostalgic, they would also go to the island and play in the sand. The curse was removed now, and the island was safe. In time, it became their refuge. It was the perfect meeting point between the sea and sky. Jane could not be with the Cupid every moment, but she longed for him every day of her life, and their love grew deeper and stronger over time. He had told her that they would each be as themselves and live out their lives, and then they would meet and share their lives with one another.
Jane knew there was no need to change and no need to explain. In perfect understanding, they grew with one another, always bewitched, and always in love.
Jane returned to Royalton only once, for her grandmother was gone now: It was too late. Minerva traveled with her, and took her to the grave. Together, they placed lilies upon the grass, and Jane cried. For hours, they rested there, and Jane told Minerva all about her young life and what her grandmother had meant to her. She had never had the chance to say goodbye, and for years afterward, she would sometimes cry and long for the woman that she had left behind.
But Jane knew now that she had truly been bewitched, and so she learned to forgive herself. Still, she would never forget the way her grandmother had cared for her and loved her.
Nor would she forget Blake, the boy she had thought she loved. But she knew he was safe, and she also knew he would be happier with his own kind. Just as she needed the understanding of Cupid, who knew her mind, Blake would need someone who could truly understand him. She knew she was not that person because only the Cupid could fill the empty spaces in her heart.
THE END
About the Author
Heather Matthews is an author and full-time freelance writer based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. She has written for Canadian Living Magazine and West Coast Families Magazine, and popular websites such as Toptenz.net. Her first novel (romance, Carolina) is now available at www.Amazon.com.
Sugar and Spice Press
Where romance is everything nice.
www.SugarNSpicePress.com
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