by Elon Vidal
The trio shuffled down the hotel hallway, all ready for a good night’s sleep. As much as Dawn felt overwhelmed by the whole adventure, she was excited to be in a hotel room. They stopped at their room, and once Damon slid the key in the lock, Dawn and Elijah barreled in as quick as they could.
“What’s the rush?” Damon asked.
“Little soaps and mini fridges! What more could a girl ask for?” Dawn hollered as she swung the little door open.”
“Oh, mini sparkling waters.” Elijah’s fingers danced over the cool glass containers. He was just about to open one when Damon swatted their hands away.
“I know we’re here on the council’s dime, but let’s not get carried away, shall we?”
“Hmph,” Dawn folded her arms. “I’m protecting the Earth from the Underworld’s possible demise, the least they could do is let me drink fancy sodas. Should we let them know what we’ve found out?”
“Nah, I think we should try to see what else that pearl does, or better yet, where else it takes us,” said Elijah. “Maybe it can take us to otherworldly places too.”
“I agree. I wonder if Black Mere Pool is a gate to Hades,” Damon said, plopping down on one of the firm hotel beds. “Or maybe the mermaid is trying to get to Hades too, so she can rescue her sailor.”
“What I want to know is what that siren stone does,” Dawn replied as she pulled the tight sheets loose. She caught a whiff of a lovely, cotton smell. She relished in it for a moment. “Ah, Egyptian cotton.”
Damon blinked. “You were saying?”
“Ah, sorry. I just love hotels. Anyway, if the pearl leads us to the mermaid, maybe the garnet will lead us to Hades. Like you said, Damon, since the sailor would be there with all the other lost souls.”
“Or maybe...Davy Jones’s locker!” Elijah said with a sheet over his head, creating a ghostly silhouette.
“Alright, you two. We have all day tomorrow to find out. For now, let’s get some shut eye.” Damon switched off the lights, and just like that, the three were off to a deep sleep.
A stream of light caressed Dawn’s face. She opened her eyes, watching little bubbles glitter and burst as they rose to the distant surface.
“Daughter of light, I seek you,” a sweet voice whispered in Dawn’s ear. “Time is running out, you must hurry to the West Gate.”
It was her, the mermaid. Dawn looked around and realized she had been treading water. She waved her arms and legs to keep from sinking.
“But I have to get the siren stone. It’s a garnet, right? It’s so dark it’s almost black?”
“Yes, child, but if you look close enough, it’s as red as my lover’s heart.”
Oh brother, Dawn thought. She better not ask me for a favor too, I’ve got enough on my plate as it is. Dawn swished around, looking for the mermaid.
“Hey, where are you?” Dawn asked.
“I have to hide, or he’ll find me.”
Shivers went up Dawn’s spine. There was nothing around her except the blue, boundless ocean. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.
“I think I’m getting close, I promise.”
“Good. Hurry, Dawn—”
The rays of light filtering the water dissolved. Dawn looked up, to see if there was a little sky left on the surface, but she saw nothing. Pure darkness engulfed her, taking her breath away. A pair of red slitted eyes emerged from the cold waters.
“Before it’s too late,” a deep, ominous voice croaked just over her shoulder.
Dawn screamed herself awake. She coughed up gulp loads of salty sea water, still cold from the dream. Gasping for breath, she sat up, feeling the water drip down her back. I’m never going to get used to that. She got up and went to the bathroom to look for a towel. God, what did I just see? She wrung her hair out with the fluffy white towel.
She turned to see if the boys had woken up. Nothing but drool and steady snores. Must be nice. Dawn walked over to the window and looked down at the glowing blue pool below her. Her heart skipped when she saw a man standing in the corner, his back to her. She let the tension in her muscles fall. C’mon, Dawn, get it together. You saw Mr. Tithum, the potions professor after school hours, and you made it through!
She pressed her head against the glass, her eyes fixed on the man. Are you still in my head now?
Dawn lifted her eyes from his shoulders to the back of his skull. It had turned dark, as if a shadow had been cast over him. Those same slitted red eyes grew from his skin. They gave her a wink.
She stumbled away from the window, tripping over her own feet as she shouted. Elijah and Damon woke up, their eyes crusted shut from their deep sleep.
“What are you doing down there, Dawn?” Elijah asked.
Dawn peeked out the window, to see if Hades was still there, grinning with those menacing crimson eyes. Elijah got down from his bed to join her. “What are you looking at?” Dawn grabbed Elijah’s wrist, pulling him back with all her might before he got too close. “Hey, what was that for?”
“Hush!” Dawn peered out the window once more, but all that she saw was the same man as before. Looking vacantly through the window, through her, more confused than she was.
“He was there,” Dawn whispered.
TEN
The morning light and a whirring hair dryer woke Dawn from her troubled sleep. She jumped up, seeing Elijah out of the corner of her eye, squeaking his ears with a towel.
“You know, I used to bug humans a lot for their weird cleaning rituals, but I have to hand it to them, this feels pretty good.”
She grabbed her chest, as if slamming her hand on her heart would contain it from flying out her body. Was everyone including her best friend trying to give her a heart attack? What was the big idea? “Jeez, Elijah, give a girl a warning before you come in here babbling about your waxy old man ears.”
“Sorry,” Elijah said, putting his hands up.
“It's fine. I don't know what’s gotten into me.”
“Well Hades is stalking you, that would bother me too. You also haven’t had your morning coffee.” Elijah grabbed the coffee machine behind him. “Should I try and make some?”
“No, don’t worry. I’ll do it later.” She sighed. “Will you just hug me, please? I feel like my heart’s falling out of my butt.”
Elijah sat next to her and patted her on the back. Dawn crashed into his lap, thankful to take refuge somewhere for once. It reminded her of spring days at school, when she used to get stomach aches, and Elijah always stayed with her during recess when he could have been out playing with the other kids. His warmth always made her feel so safe and cared for.
Dawn smiled. “Do you remember that time Anna-Maria made fun of me for wearing the ‘wrong’ shoes to school?
“I don’t think so, what are you talking about?”
“We were still really little. I think we were like, eight maybe. Well, I didn't have the charm shoes everyone else had. So you took some of the charms off yours and gave me half, in front of everybody.”
Elijah’s eyes lit up. “That's right, I forgot all about that. They were little mini vials with different colors right?”
“Yeah, I think Anna-Maria’s dad gave them to her and she only gave them to the people she liked. They lit up if you shook them too.” Dawn laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “They called you halfling after, but only for a little while.”
“I’m sorry we teased you so much. I mean, even now. And hey, now I’m kind of getting it. Humans have some pretty cool stuff.”
Damon walked in, donning a white hotel robe. He shook out his silvery white hair, freshly blown and silky. “What are you two talking about?”
“How you and Elijah want to be humans now.”
“Well, I enjoy my magical abilities, but I will admit, I love the warm gusts of wind that comes from that contraption over there. I mean look at me!” Damon swished his hair back and forth. “Alright, before we get back out there, let’s call back home and catch them up to speed.”
“And have breakfast,” Dawn said.
“Yes, we’ll all have a lovely, delicious breakfast,” Damon assured. “I want some more of those pancakes. What were they called?”
“Oh! I remember, I remember! Uh… boxty!” Elijah shouted as he picked up the phone to call room service.
Damon picked up a silver bowl and filled it with water. He placed it in the middle of the table and waved his hand over it, whispering a contact spell. In the water, Dawn watched her mother and Ezekiel appear in what looked like an aquatic hologram. She stuck her hand through it, fascinated by how subtly the water formed their faces.
“So you’ll use water magic to make a call, but use a human hair dryer?”
“We all have our preferences, Dawn.” Damon ran his finger over the surface of the water, giving Isabel and Ezekiel color. “Hello?”
“Hello?” Isabel smiled as soon as she saw Dawn. “How are you, sweetheart?” Dawn tried to smile back, but the corners of her mouth fell. She wanted to stay strong and happy for her mother’s sake, but she couldn’t shake what she saw last night. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Impervious to her mother’s sweet Fae voice, Dawn let it out. “I saw Hades last night.”
“Where?” Ezekiel shoved his head into the bowl, a little too close to be flattering for anybody.
“Grandpa, take a step or two back. All we see is your forehead,’ Elijah said as he joined the others at the table.
Ezekiel pulled back, revealing his and Isabel’s faces. “Where did you see Hades, Dawn?”
“In my dream— I saw the mermaid again. She was scared of him. I think he’s getting closer, guys. That must have been why she ran away.”
“Well I did a little reading, and apparently, the Black Mere Pool mermaid leads you straight to the West Gate,” said Damon.
“Weird—why her?” Isabel wondered.
“Her sailor,” Dawn whispered. “That must be why Hades is targeting her, it’s the same as Fisher. He targets people who are grieving.” Dawn was impressed that she made that conclusion out loud, but it made perfect sense. Her pride was immediately swallowed by a terrible thought that entered her mind. What if Hades was manipulating the mermaid already? The way he had to Fisher? Harnessing her grief, the loss of a loved one, to get her to do whatever he wanted.
“Well if that’s the case, you three need to get to that mermaid before Hades does. We can’t let him get to the West Gate. He’ll destroy his brothers at the same time, and that will devastate our world.”
“Actually, I think Cronus is his dad. Poseidon is his brother though!” Everyone frowned at Damon. He sunk in his chair. “What? They’re different!”
“Anyway—how do we know the mermaid isn’t already possessed and we just haven’t realized it?” Dawn asked.
“Well how did she behave when she saw him in your dream?”
Dawn thought for a moment. “She was scared of him, like I said. But last night, I actually didn’t see her. I only heard her voice. The water was blue like normal, then it turned black and I saw Hades’ red eyes staring back at me. What could that mean?”
“Well, she has been mourning for centuries. Hades must have had plenty of opportunities to possess her, but he never did.”
“Yes, but we never had the Eos incarnate until now,” Ezekiel said, gesturing to Dawn. “But perhaps it’s true, Hades must have tried to use the mermaid in years past, but wasn’t successful. She must know something about him that we don’t.”
“In any case, Hades is getting closer,” Isabel said, waving her little hands in the air to rally the group. “You need to open the West Gate and seal it with the magic of Eos before he can get through. I don't mean to cause an alarm, but—”
“Yeah, yeah the end of the world as we know it, I know.”
“Well, I would suggest finding that siren stone. Ask around the fisherman’s towns and see what you find. In the meantime, your mother and I will talk to the djinn to see what the Black Mere Pool mermaid knows. There must be a record of it somewhere, perhaps even in Leah’s book.”
“Maybe we can ask Handsome Jimmie!” Elijah said.
“Who?” Isabel asked.
“Pirate guy. It’s a long story.”
“Okay…”
“Or we could use the pearl,” Damon said as he nudged Dawn’s shoulder. “Since someone’s starting to get a hold of their light magic.”
Isabel’s mouth hung wide open. “Dawn is that true?” She covered her mouth, squealing with excitement as she heard about Dawn’s improvement. “What happened?”
“A lot has happened, but basically, this statue told me if I whisper a place to the pearl, or if I can even just imagine it without knowing where it is, the pearl will transport me and anyone I want there.”
“That’s excellent news, Dawn,” Ezekiel said.
“Thanks everyone,” Dawn said. Her eyes met Elijah’s, dropping to his closed smile. She knew he was trying to be happy for her, but she wished it didn’t have to be so touchy.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Room service!” called a bellhop. Elijah answered the door, wheeling in a cart loaded with greasy bacon, fried eggs, buttered toast, baked beans, fresh squeezed orange juice, and of course, boxty. Elijah grabbed the coffee pot and poured a mug for Dawn.
“Your lightliness,” he said as he served her the mug.
“Thank you, sir.” Dawn grabbed the mug and set it down beside her. She took her fork and knife and got ready to dig in.
“The council won’t be pleased with your indecent purchases,” Ezekiel warned.
“I wasn’t pleased about being assigned a death mission. I think they can handle fronting a couple of meals before I save the world,” Dawn said with a mouth full of boxty.
Ezekiel looked at Isabel, who responded with a shrug. It’s true isn’t it, she managed to say without speaking. Ezekiel got up and left the room. Isabel leaned closer to the water bowl. “I think he’s a little upset that you didn’t like his bat droppings surprise,” Isabel whispered.
Ezekiel returned to his chair and Isabel sat back as if she hadn’t said anything. Dawn giggled. That was something she missed about home— her mother’s goofy antics.
“Anyways,” Isabel continued. “Take care of that pearl. You’re in unknown lands, with pirates everywhere. You know how they like their treasure, so keep an eye on it.”
Dawn nodded, hardly looking at the water bowl because she was too busy wolfing down her breakfast. “Got it.”
“Oh and Dawn?”
Dawn swallowed her food and wiped her mouth. She looked up from her plate to meet her mother’s eyes. “Yeah?”
“Please be safe. I love you. We all do.”
Dawn smiled. She wanted to ask about her dad and her brother, but she knew they had to go. Even if she did ask to see them, it would make her too homesick, which would make her cry, and that just wasn’t something she wanted to do at that moment. Dawn looked at her mother’s rosy cheeks.
“Bye mom.”
Damon placed his hand over the bowl. Isabel and Ezekiel became transparent, and before Dawn knew it, their faces disappeared in the water. “Well,”” Damon said, clapping his hands together. “Who’s ready to catch a mermaid?”
“Where should we go first?” Elijah asked as he opened the map. “Grandpa said fishing towns, but there’s so many. I mean, the whole town’s on the coast!”
Elijah laid the map on the table, deciphering its codes. Damon stood up to look at it from above. He placed his fingertips on it and traced the lines with his fingers, making ripples and wave patterns on the weathered page. For some reason, Dawn got some serious deja-vu. She took a step closer, watching Damon. Without thinking, she put her own finger on the page, following Damon's pattern.
Dawn couldn’t believe it. It was as if the map pulled her finger, showing her the way she needed to go. She felt like she was playing with a ouija board. It reminded her of a sleepover she went to a few years ago. All the girls from school were there, even Anna-Ma
ria. Dawn had her eyes closed, feeling the piece move across the board. She remembered how her heart fluttered, feeling connected to something supernatural. When she opened her eyes, all the girls were laughing at her. In the corner, she saw Anna-Maria moving the piece with her magic.
But this time was different, she could feel her fingers slowly following some force that was beyond her. It kind of tickled.
“Are you doing that, Dawn?” Elijah asked.
“No… you guys aren’t messing with me are you?”
“Why would we do that?”
“I don't know, just asking.” Dawn suddenly felt a zap run up her finger. “Woah!” she yelped. She sucked her fingertip, stinging from the shock.
“Look.” Elijah pointed to a charred mark on the page. The three gathered around it. “Here.” It was a little cove, barely noticeable from all the rest. Yet it had to be that one. Whatever took her finger and zapped her only did it for that one location.
Damon squinted at the little black dot. “That’s about fifteen minutes from here, I believe.”
“Are we sure we want to trust this random act of… navigation? What if it’s Hades trying to get us to go where he wants?” Elijah asked.
The thought had crossed Dawn’s mind too. She remembered where she saw the movements the last time, just before the Hydra struck. But when she thought about it deeper, or rather, how it made her feel to move her fingers across the paper, she felt as if someone was protecting her. It was like hugging her mother, playing with her brother, or goofing off with her dad. It felt too familiar, too pure to be a ploy. It came from a place of love.
“No,” Dawn said. “I don't know why, but this feels right to me. I wonder if the mermaid is sending me this signal… or Eos.”
“Well no need to rub it in,” Elijah grumbled. He left the table to get dressed for the mission. Dawn felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. She knew how badly Elijah wanted to be in her place, but this close to the mission, she couldn’t keep getting worried about stepping on his toes. They had to get to the West Gate fast and open it before Hades did.
