The Veiled Descendants

by Sophia Menesini

  ​“Jo,” Shea groans.

  ​“Come on, what do we have to lose?”

  ​Shea’s words from earlier echo in her mind, the same words she said to Triton.

  ​“Nothing,” she tells her, but in truth they still have everything to lose.

  ​“Right. I’ll make it easy, three questions this time. Everything’s on the table, just like before.”

  ​Shea laughs, remembering that wonderful and horrible night from a year ago. When she’d asked Jo to stay and it hadn’t turned out the way she hoped. She wonders what Jo is planning here.

  ​“Why not. But I want more wine first,” Shea demands, and Jo happily pours her a second glass.

  ​Shea steals a grape off one of the trays and pops it into her mouth with a smile.

  ​“Who’s first?” Jo inquires.

  ​“Whatever did you do without me while we were apart?” Shea asks.

  ​Jo opens her mouth to answer, but Shea holds up her hand.

  ​“Sexually,” Shea finishes the question, and Jo smacks her on the arm.

  ​“Really?”

  ​“Yes.” Shea grins, taking another sip of wine.

  Maybe this will be fun.

  ​“Well I, um. I didn’t sleep with anyone, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” Jo tells her.

  ​“I’m not,” Shea says with mock offense.

  ​“Alright, then. Let’s just say I used a gift that Thetis sent me as a birthday present for while you were away.”

  ​“And it is?” Shea inquires, very interested in what kind of gift was sent.

  ​“None of your business. I answered, my turn.”

  ​“You know I’m remembering now; you were piss poor at this game,” Shea jokes and she gets another slap to the arm for it.

  ​“What was Triton like?”

  ​Shea sobers at the question; she takes another sip of wine.

  ​“I thought I’d find a monster, and in a lot of ways I did. But I found one that looked like me, and if things were different, I think he’d be here. He’s powerful and smart, Jo, really smart. And even after the fight, I just wanted to get to know him more. Because maybe I could fix him, the way you fixed me.”

  ​Shea studies the rips in her pants and goes to pull off her boots when Jo catches her attention.

  ​“Shea, I didn’t fix you. No one can fix someone else. They do that all on their own, the only thing we can do is be there when they’re ready. You gave him an option, maybe he’ll take it.”

  ​Shea sighs, then brings Jo’s hand up to her mouth and kisses the back.

  ​“My turn. How are Rhea and Gaea? I didn’t see them before we left. And I remember reading one of your letters where you said you replaced them? I’m sure that went over well,” Shea mutters, stealing another piece of fruit off the tray.

  ​Jo chuckles but Shea can hear the frustration in her tone.

  ​“It didn’t. It was more of a promotion, but also, I needed my own ladies-in-waiting. They were my grandmother’s and briefly my mother’s attendants. They practically raised me, but I needed my own advisors. They’re complicated. And I couldn’t stand hearing them talk badly about the person I love most in this world,” Jo justifies.

  ​Shea realizes what she means, and she smiles.

  ​“They love you, Jo. They want you to be happy, and the person you love”—she gestures to herself—“isn’t going to be an easy road. People—that is if we survive Perses, some royals aren’t going to agree with your choice. They’re trying to protect you, they’re your parents, Jo. They just want what’s best even if they don’t say it the right way.”

  ​Jo groans. “You’re supposed to be on my side, not make me feel worse.”

  ​Shea laughs. “Well as queen consort, I’m also your advisor so…take my advice.”

  ​“But I also love Beroe and Eione; they’ve become my closest friends. I wish you could have met them before we left.”

  ​“I’ll meet them when we get back,” Shea tells her, and Jo nods in agreement.

  ​“Okay. Did Triton know about Perses?”

  ​“Yes. It’s true what Poseidon said, he trained him. But not to be like he is. He found him in the Underdeep after the elves”—Shea stops—“after my mother banished him.”

  ​“Your mother?” Jo interjects.

  ​“Yeah. Ami, I guess she’s one of Erebos’s leaders.”

  ​“So, I guess you could say you’re an elven princess.” Jo laughs.

  ​Triton’s words echo through her head from earlier.

  ​“I’m not a princess,” Shea snaps.

  ​Jo stops laughing. She looks at her, concerned, as Shea brings her hand up to her head.

  ​“I’m so sorry,” Shea apologizes. “It just reminded me of something Triton said.”

  ​“It’s okay, if this is too much, we can do this later,” Jo tells her.

  ​Shea almost wants to take her up on it, but there’s something about all this, the picnic, the game, she has to see this through.

  ​“No, I like being here with you,” Shea says, scooting closer to Jo.

  ​“Final question, right?” Shea asks, and Jo nods.

  ​“Okay. What’s this picnic all about?”

  ​“Funny you should ask, because the answer is my next question,” Jo answers, standing from the blankets.

  ​She holds out her hand, prompting Shea to take it and they head closer to the balcony till they’re standing near the edge.

  ​The sun is shining on the sparkling pool and the animals are racing across the grounds.

  ​Shea chuckles at the display. She closes her eyes and lets the wind wander through her hair.

  There’s an eerie sensation on the back of her neck, like she’s being watched both from outside of her body and inside her mind.

  She reaches out to the presence in her mind and sends a feeling of peace and warmth to them.

  ​The connection stutters and then disappears.

  Shea opens her eyes to confront the outside sensation and just about falls off the edge of the balcony.

  ​Jo is down on one knee beside her, she’s smiling up at Shea and in her right hand she has a ring.

  The ring is beautiful. A white band made of what looks like pearl, as it shimmers in the sun.

  ​Shea swallows, her breath caught in her chest. “Jo.”

  ​“Before you say anything, let me,” Jo tells her, and Shea keeps her mouth shut because she’s really not sure what to say.

  ​“While I was hoping to do this under happier circumstances, I knew there was a possibility that might not be the case. I had this made after you left, and I’ve kept it with me everywhere I’ve been so that I’d always have a part of you close to me,” Jo explains.

  ​“I know what’s happening out there, and I know this is probably crazy…but, Shea, I think everything happening is even more reason for us to do this. I don’t want to leave this island not married to you. Because when we leave here, we can’t possibly know what’s going to happen.

  ​“I want to marry you before we go back. Before we have to go to war. I want to have one last good thing in case this is it. And I want everyone to know how much I love you. I’m not selfish often, I’ve put my country before us times before. But I’m not doing that this time. This time I’m going to be selfish and I’m asking you to be selfish with me, just for one night.”

  Jo finishes her speech and gets up from one knee; she holds her hand out for Shea’s left.

  “So, what do you say? Will you marry me, will you marry me now?”

  There are a million reasons to say no. A million reasons to tell Jo to get her head out of the clouds, to scream we have to go to war, and now? Now, Jo wants to stand in front of their friends and family and say I love you beyond all of the reasons they shouldn’t?

  Well, Shea was never one to listen to reason.

  “Yes,” she answers.

  “Yes?” Jo asks, her eyes filling with tears.

 
; “I should probably say no to get back at you, but Hades, yes. I want you; I want you for the rest of my probably very short life.”

  Jo laughs loudly.

  Shea grins and hands Jo her left hand.

  Jo slips the pearl band onto her finger and it’s perfect. She takes Shea into her arms, holding her close, and Shea feels her own tears start to fall.

  Cheers break out from down below, and Shea and Jo look out into the garden to see everyone standing there.

  Dari is kissing Phoebus, Caen is clapping, and Aster hugs Beck, who is looking up at them with a soft smile.

  Semele is even in the garden, and when Shea catches her eyes, she gives her a small nod before leaving them all alone.

  “I guess we have a wedding to host,” Phoebus announces.

  “Which means those two need to be separated immediately,” Dari shouts, leaving her limping husband in the garden and racing inside to find them.

  “I’ll tell the crew,” Aster says before bouncing off into the house.

  “I better brush up on my marriage vows, since I’m guessing you can’t perform it,” Caen sighs, talking to Beck, who ultimately laughs.

  “Don’t look at me.”

  “When?” Shea asks, turning back to Jo.

  “Tonight?”

  Shea smiles at her. “Gods help us. Tonight.”

  And Jo kisses Shea, deeply and passionately.

  Because even if they die tomorrow, at least Shea knows she really is loved.

  Chapter 32: The Wedding

  Jo

  Dari moves Jo to a separate room. She tells her she’s welcome to look through any of Dari’s dresses and see if she finds one she likes, but Jo decides that she wants to wear her naval uniform. It keeps a piece of Arethusa with her for the ceremony.

  ​After that, Dari sends Aster up to keep her company and to help with anything she needs. What she doesn’t expect is for Beck to be with him.

  ​“Hello, boys.” Jo smiles as she opens the door to the guest quarters to allow them in.

  ​“You’re not wearing a dress? Aren’t girls supposed to wear a dress?” Aster asks.

  ​“I don’t think it’s written anywhere,” Beck tells him. “Besides, I think Jo looks very regal this way.”

  ​Aster shrugs and takes a look around the room.

  ​“Thank you,” Jo tells him, and Beck nods.

  ​“How are you doing?” she asks.

  ​“I’m happy for you both, truly,” Beck states.

  Jo decides to believe him.

  ​“So, what can we help with?” Aster asks.

  ​And suddenly Jo understands what Shea meant—he has grown. He’s just about the same height as Jo, at six feet, and most of his baby fat has left his cheeks.

  ​“Well I’m trying to decide whether I should leave my hair down or put it up?”

  ​“Up,” both of them reply.

  ​“Right,” Jo snorts.

  ​“I can help,” Aster says.

  ​He walks over to where Jo is standing near the door and brings her to the vanity in the room. He sits her down on the seat and they both look into the mirror.

  ​“Venus taught me a little when I was younger. There wasn’t much for kids to do in brothels. I helped her with Shea’s hair for the ball last year.”

  ​Jo tries not to wince at the mention of V.

  She smiles instead. “Well that was very beautiful, I think I’d like that.”

  ​Aster confidently grabs the brush off the vanity table and starts gently brushing out Jo’s hair.

  ​Beck strolls over and takes a seat beside her, watching the process.

  ​She can see him playing with something around his neck. She turns a little to see what it is.

  ​“What have you got?”

  ​Beck, who seems to have been lost in thought, startles and looks up at Jo, blinking until her question filters through.

  ​“Oh.”

  He holds up the necklace and there’s two rings attached to it; one is silver and looks male by the size. The other is a smaller gold band with dolphins carved into the metal.

  “My parents’ rings,” Beck states.

  “They’re beautiful,” Jo notes, looking them both over.

  “Thank you.”

  She can tell there’s something else on his mind and she bets she knows what it is.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  Beck chuckles.

  They’re both two young leaders of large countries, responsible for many people, but in this moment, Jo sees a man with the world on his shoulders.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I’m not in the slightest.” Jo laughs.

  Beck grins at her.

  “But I have to hope because I’m not allowed to give up. As a queen, that’s not an option. So, I’m going to marry the woman I love and then go fight a war.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Beck croaks, clearing his throat.

  “That’s because I’m an excellent liar, and trust me, you’ll be one too someday. It comes with royal practice, I’ve just been at this longer than you have,” Jo confesses.

  ​“What do you think?” Aster inquires, having finished Jo’s hair.

  ​Jo looks in the mirror.

  “Aster, it’s perfect!”

  ​He plaited two loose braids and then laid them over her head, bringing them back around so he could cinch them at the top of her neck. Small blond tendrils frame her face.

  ​She stands, brushing off her suit pants, and gives a little twirl for them to see.

  ​“Well?” she murmurs.

  ​“You look amazing,” Aster tells her.

  ​Jo reaches her hand out to him and he takes it with a smile.

  ​“Beck?” Jo asks.

  ​He looks up at her in acknowledgment.

  ​“Could you step outside? I want to talk to Aster privately for a moment,” Jo explains.

  ​Beck nods and leaves the room without a word, but not before giving Jo a quick hug and whispering into her ear, “Don’t trip.”

  ​She laughs at him and waits until he shuts the door to turn to the teen.

  ​The elf is watching Jo curiously, probably wondering if he’s in trouble. Like mother, like son.

  ​Jo gestures for him to follow her to the long wicker bench at the end of the bed. She sits him down beside her and takes his hands into hers.

  ​“I didn’t do this properly,” Jo tells him.

  ​Aster cocks his head, confused.

  ​“What do you mean?”

  ​“Well, I asked Shea to marry me, but there’s more to it than that. She becomes my family but then so does her son.”

  ​Aster’s eyes widen in realization and he smiles at Jo with affection.

  ​“Aster, you…are…brilliant. And becoming an amazing young man. I know Shea has been a mother figure to you, and to her you are her child, and she loves you. Which means I do too,” Jo enforces, squeezing his hands.

  ​“I want you to know that you can count on me, and that when Shea comes to live in Arethusa after this is all over, I want you to come too. You are Shea’s son, and so I recognize you as mine, if that’s alright with you. I want to ask your permission. Do you mind if I marry Shea?”

  ​“You make us better, Jo; you make her happy. And I want her to be happy. We’re a family now, and I’m happy to be a part of yours. I just,” Aster stutters.

  Jo squeezes his hand, letting him know it’s okay to continue.

  ​“I guess I didn’t realize that, you guys getting married would be the end of Shea as captain of the Duchess. I always had it in my mind, that you’d marry and then we’d sail away, but we’d come home to Arethusa after each voyage. But we…she…can’t do that, can she?”

  ​Jo sighs and offers him a wistful smile.

  “No. When she becomes queen consort, I’ll need her in the capital. She’ll have duties in Thalassa and responsibilities to uphold as my wife.”

  ​“Like having a baby
?”

  ​“James tell you about that?”

  ​Aster blushes. “Yes.”

  ​“That’s one duty. I’ll need a successor, and unfortunately you’re a man.”

  ​“You’d pick me?” Aster gasps, his eyes widening.

  ​“If things were different, yes. But Arethusa can only be ruled by a woman. It’s better that way,” Jo states, thinking about Mariner.

  Her expression darkens as she imagines her father’s cruel smile. She’ll never let a man rule Arethusa as long as she’s alive.

  ​“I wouldn’t know the first thing about running a country anyway.” Aster grins. “Besides, I have James, and well, it’s hard to imagine settling down so soon.”

  ​“You truly love your life as a pirate.”

  ​“We’re called pirates because we live by our own laws, but I like to think of myself as an adventurer,” Aster explains. “There’s so much world out there. I’d hate to never see the rest.”

  ​“You’ll always be Shea’s first son, any child we have will never take that away, and you’ll be a brother to them. You have a place in the royal family in Arethusa.”

  ​“But what about James? And Caen? And Nol and Strom? And the others, the crew? Will they have a place in the court?”

  ​“Perhaps,” Jo starts, but Aster shakes his head.

  ​“But you can’t guarantee it, and even if you could, half of them wouldn’t take it.”

  ​“Are you talking about James?” Jo asks knowingly.

  ​Aster blushes then stands, breaking their touch. He puts his hands on his hips and chuckles.

  ​“I wasn’t meant for royalty. I’m a sailor, Shea raised me that way, and at my age…”

  ​“She never would have settled down,” Jo finishes his sentiment.

  ​She walks over to him.

  ​“You will always be welcome in Arethusa, and for your mother’s sake, you better visit often,” Jo orders.

  ​Aster laughs. “That is if we survive the coming war.”

  ​Jo chuckles and hugs him close. “We’ll make it, son. I promise.”

  ​Aster hugs her back, and Jo has to wipe a couple tears from her eyes.

  ​“Okay, well enough about that. I also wanted to ask you something else.”

  ​“Okay.” Aster smiles.

  ​“Well, if you’re not already spoken for, do you think maybe you could walk me down the aisle? If you don’t want to or can’t, it’s no big deal, I can ask Beck…”