He stopped spinning, out of breath, and said, “You’re even more beautiful than this place. If you were mine, I would have a crown and jewelry made for you from these crystals just so that everyone in the kingdom would look at you and say, ‘She is more dazzling than any jewel.’”
Athena’s breath caught, and she pulled herself closer to him. He felt himself becoming mesmerized by her bright green eyes, but then Serena’s face flashed in his mind. What was he doing? He started to pull back, to push her away and tell her he could not see her again, that she would have to leave and continue her travels. But before he could do any of that, she whispered his name, and he froze as a tingle of ecstasy raced up his spine. He wanted to kiss her, wanted it so bad it hurt, but something held him back, like an invisible but powerful hand pressed against his forehead, keeping him from bending his lips down to hers. But she wrapped her fingers in his golden hair and brought her mouth up to his. The water seemed to go taut around them, as if a great power was surging through it, thickening it. Both of their hearts sped up, sending a rush of blood to their heads, and then they began to beat in time as one.
Everyone in the palace heard Serena’s scream. Hazel jumped in surprise and screamed herself. Moira clenched her hand around a potion vial so hard that it shattered, cutting her hand and sending the potion swirling into the water. Serena’s daughters were all gripped with terror at the sound of their mother in agony. Servants all over the palace dropped things and whipped their heads around and looked at one another, their hearts racing with fear.
Casius was with Serena when it happened. A cracking sound rent the water and hurt his ears. Serena gasped in pain and surprise, and her hand shot up to the locket. She yanked it from her neck, breaking the chain, and looked down at it in horror as it lay in her palm. Casius looked too. A pink wisp of liquid smoke puffed out of the jagged crack that had appeared down the center of the golden heart and disappeared with a small poof.
Serena felt as though her heart exploded into a million knife-like shards that ripped through her whole body. The locket was silent and cold, no longer thrumming with power. That was when she screamed.
Casius wrapped his tentacles around her and tried to soothe her, but he could find no words. Serena sank to the stone floor with her tail bent under her and threw back her head as she let out another anguished scream. This time, Casius thought he heard rage in it. He let out a quiet gasp as the first tear leaked from her eye. He could see it; it did not blend in with the water. It was filled with blue electricity. The pain and distress were so great that she was leaking magic, unable to contain it in her shattered emotional state.
“Serena? Serena! You must calm down! You’re going to hurt yourself.”
But Serena just screamed—again and again and again.
— — —
“Citizens of Adamar!” Triton’s voice boomed against Serena’s eardrum, magnified by the Trident’s magic so that the large crowd of gathered subjects could hear clearly. “It is with great pleasure that I announce that the royal family is about to get bigger!”
Serena watched, fighting back tears, as many of the merpeople’s confused faces softened and began to smile. They thought Serena must be having another baby. Others kept their eyes locked on Athena, floating on Triton’s left, wondering what she was doing up there if the announcement was about the royal family.
“Though it has not been done since the days of my great-great-grandfather’s reign, Adamar shall soon have two queens,” Triton said. His smile was so large it stretched his face. It was as though he was trying to turn all of the puzzled and suspicious looks below him into smiles simply by smiling extra forcefully himself. “I present to you your future queen, Athena!”
A rumble came from the crowd as the merpeople began to murmur amongst themselves.
“Two queens?”
“Poor Serena.”
“And what about the princesses? Will they have to call her Mommy too?”
“I’ll tell you why it hasn’t been done for decades,” said one old merman near the front. “No two mermaids can peacefully share a man, much less a crown. King Triton’s calling down a hurricane on his head.”
Serena listened to the buzzing of the crowd with malicious glee. These were still her merpeople. They would object to her being replaced. Serena looked behind Triton’s back at Athena. Her upper lip curled in a gleeful snarl when she saw that Athena was blushing, embarrassed, her eyes downcast as the crowd muttered rather than cheered. The hate rolling off of Serena was palpable, like a warm current flowing from behind her, rolling over her shoulders, swishing her hair, and reaching out to Athena, boiling as it went, trying to scorch her. Just looking at Athena put a bitter, iron taste in Serena’s mouth. She wanted to claw her face until she bled, rip out her pretty red hair until she screamed, put her hands around her throat and never stop squeezing.
Triton was frozen, that massive smile still on his face, but his eyes showed his distress—darting over the crowd, unsure, perhaps even a little afraid. It made Serena was to laugh. Perhaps this would teach him that Athena was more trouble than she was worth. Perhaps this would knock some sense back into his head.
Then Athena raised her head and put her shoulders back. Serena’s breath caught. She wouldn’t! She wouldn’t dare! That little tramp was going to speak to them—speak to her merpeople. Who does she think she is? That crown isn’t on her head yet, and it never will be if I have anything to do with it!
“I know what you all must be thinking,” Athena yelled into the crowd. Triton snapped to life and pointed the Trident at her throat so that her next words carried over the merpeople, who grew instantly silent. “I know you must be thinking that I’m an outsider. That I’ve come from a distant city with the sole purpose of snatching away your king, of usurping your beloved queen. I want you all to know that the truth is, I love your king dearly. I came here as an adventurer. I came here to discover what I could do, who I was, and who I could be, and I discovered that who I truly am is intertwined with this merman floating next to me. I didn’t plan on finding love, but I did. I did not plan on becoming friends with a lovely, powerful, and intelligent mermaid, either.”
Is she talking about me? Serena’s scream of rage was internal, but her eyes came alive with blue sparks. What could she do? If she denied it, if she screamed it wasn’t true, if she shouted curses and ugly names, she would look like the lesser mermaid, and that was not going to happen, ever.
“I am not here to usurp Serena. I look forward to working alongside her to serve you, the citizens. I look forward to learning from her, for we all know she has much to offer. Merpeople of Adamar, I did not come here to be your queen, but I will accept that title with joy and determination. That is, if you’ll have me.”
Utter silence followed. A smile began to twitch at the corners of Serena’s mouth, but Athena kept her head high. The roar of applause that burst from the crowd was deafening. In seconds, they were chanting her name. “Athena! Athena! Athena!” Serena felt as though she might vomit. The name stung like a poisonous blade as it filled her head.
Triton’s smile was warm and genuine now. He gazed at Athena enraptured, like her face was the only thing keeping him alive.
The way he used to look at me, Serena thought, and her rage turned to a sorrow so great that she could not even cry. It filled her up so thoroughly that it seemed to stopper all emotion, all action. She felt empty, carved out like a mollusk ripped from its shell.
In that same moment, Triton looked at Athena and thought, She’s the most beautiful being on the planet, and she’s mine. Somehow, she’s mine. And for the very first time since their first kiss a month ago, he was sure he’d made the right decision.
He had fought with the idea since that day in the cave. From the moment he’d kissed her, he knew that Athena was the perfect mermaid for him. But didn’t I think t
hat about Serena? Don’t I still think that about Serena? he had thought. But upon consideration, he had realized that he did not still think that about Serena, and the realization startled him, even frightened him. Was he really so flippant? Was he shallow? Was he insane? From the moment he had kissed Athena, Serena became a mystery to him. He was no longer sure how he felt, and he had no idea why. It had kept him up at night. He had scolded himself, yelled at himself, fought with himself. The change was so sudden that it was disorienting. He’d felt half-deranged.
Finally, he could no longer deny it. He no longer loved Serena, at least not in the way he loved Athena. Serena was an astounding mermaid. She was the smartest merperson he knew, and the most talented. She was a fantastic queen, and he felt a warmth in his chest when he thought of all the wonderful things she had done for Adamar. He respected her more than he had his own father. She was the mother of his children. She had given him the greatest treasures in the sea. His daughters’ faces were his definition of love, and they would not exist without Serena. He cared for her deeply. She was his friend, his fellow ruler. He did love her, but not in the same way. Not the sort of soaring, swooping, can’t contain his joy when he sees her face sort of love that he once felt—that he now felt for Athena. When he had a thought, it was Athena he wanted to share it with. When he wanted to have fun, it was Athena’s name he called.
But, he had thought, did that justify what he was thinking of doing? He wanted to marry Athena—wanted it so bad that he could hardly think straight. But Serena was his wife. Serena was queen of Adamar. Could he really take those things from her just because he’d lost that warm, tingly feeling in his gut when he looked at her? Could he really throw away fifteen years of marriage for a mermaid he had just met? The answer, of course, had been no. He was not that kind of merman, and he did still care for Serena. He couldn’t do that to her.
And then the idea had come to him. It had come in one of the moments when he was looking at Athena and needing her so bad he knew it would drive him mad if he could not call her his wife, share his life with her. Why couldn’t he give Athena the same things Serena had—his hand in marriage, a crown, a title—without taking them from Serena? He could have two queens. It had been done before. It had been the norm just under a century ago. There was no law against it.
But Serena wouldn’t like it. He didn’t have to ask. He knew it. He knew she wouldn’t just dislike it; she would hate it. In fact, it might crush her. He could not hurt her. Would not. So he had kept the thought to himself, but it had grown like seaweed in his head.
To drive it out, he had tried to spend more time with Serena, tried to reignite the old spark that had been blown out so suddenly, feel the way he had just a few days befor. But even from that very first day, right after he had come back from the cave trying to hide what he had done with a smile and a kiss, it seemed that she knew. He could not understand how she could know. Female intuition? Or something to do with her magical ability?
At first, when he had tried to speak with her, do things with her, she just turned and swam away, tossing some weak excuse over her shoulder at him. Each time she had done this, his guilt was nearly unbearable. He could see the pain in her eyes. She felt betrayed. But she wouldn’t speak with him, let him explain. Finally, after a few agonizing days she had suddenly started acting normal again, as if nothing had happened. She smiled at him at breakfast, lovingly brushed crumbs from his beard, laughed with him about old jokes, and went on their usual picnic. He had let himself believe that she had just been busy over the past few days, or not feeling well, and that his own guilt had made him perceive her mood incorrectly. She had no clue what had passed between him and Athena, and he would keep it that way until he had decided what to do about it all.
But her cheery mood had not lasted for long. The longer Athena stayed in the palace, the more morose she became. She was always saying things like, “If she doesn’t leave soon, she’ll be travelling in cold waters,” and “I thought she wanted to travel, not hole up permanently in a new city,” and “It’s sort of rude of her to stay in the palace on our hospitality for so long, don’t you think?” Each new comment had a sharper edge behind it. Each time he dismissed her comments with things like, “Summer is just now coming to an end. The water will be fair for months to come,” and “She wants to fully experience the places she visits. You can’t do that in a day,” and “It’s not as though she demands much or takes up much room. And besides, the kids love her,” her face grew more and more angry. Her eyes narrowed to slits. Her lip curled in disgust to go along with the ugly noise she made.
She had grown more and more unpleasant to be around as the weeks went by. When he had asked her to do things with him, she snapped back with things like, “Do you really think I have time for that right now?” or “I’m tired of that,” or “I have more important things to do,” or “Will she be coming along? She’s dreadfully dull; I won’t be doing anything if she’s coming along.”
She belittled his opinions, second guessing him in front of citizens during audiences and talking over him. He had begun to suspect that he had been wrong, that she did know something was going on between him and Athena. It had been a while; if she hadn’t known in the beginning, she had certainly figured it out. He had wanted to talk to her about it, but he dreaded being around her more and more. Instead, he had found himself confiding it all in Athena. When Serena turned him away with a harsh word and an ugly look, he swam off to find Athena.
Eventually, though, he had gritted his teeth and told himself he had to talk to Serena, tell her the truth of what he felt. He planned to do it during one of her good moods, which were becoming rarer by the day. But still, every now and then, he would hear her call his name and he would turn around only to have her swim into his arms with enough force to knock him backwards. She would kiss him and tell him she missed him, that she loved him and they should take some time to be together. But oftentimes, when he tried to suggest something to do or tried to talk about something, she would ask, “Have you already done that with her?” or “Did you already tell her this? You did, didn’t you?” Before he could answer one way or the other, she was already mad at him again, or her face would fall and she would be unbearably gloomy for the rest of the day, no matter what he did.
The next time she had approached him with a smile, though, he kept his word to himself.
“We haven’t spent time together in ages, Triton,” Serena had said, entwining her fingers in his and drawing his hand up to her lips. “I have lots I want to talk about.”
“Me too,” he had said, and her brow had instantly furrowed in suspicion.
“About what?” Her voice had suddenly become hard and cold.
“Athena and I—” he had started, but she had shoved her palms against his shoulders, propelling herself away from him, disgust on her face.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already heard it all, and what I haven’t heard, I already know.” Sparkling blue tears had appeared in her eyes, and he had actually felt heat coming off of her. “You and that little slut can do whatever you want! I don’t give a damn anymore!”
“Serena! I’m trying to talk to you,” he had said, his nerves turning to anger at yet another cast off from her. “Just listen to me! Can you at least do that for me? After everything?”
“You’re telling me what I should do for you? You’re bringing up the past to me?” Her voice was high and cold, and her hair took on a life of its own, standing on end in thin strands as though she was being electrocuted. “How dare you? How dare you look at me like I’m betraying you, your trust, your feelings? Don’t even look at me! Get out of my face! I don’t want to see you. Go find your little slut and have all the fun you want!”
A mixture of anger and sorrow had swirled in his gut as he’d stared after her, making him feel sick. It was then that he had m
ade up his mind. He didn’t love Serena anymore. He loved Athena. And if Serena was going to act this way and try her hardest to fight with him all the time and make him unhappy, he might as well go ahead and bring some happiness into his life. He still could not divorce and dethrone Serena. He wouldn’t. She had a point, even if she was getting it across in a poor way. He had hurt her, and he didn’t want to hurt her any more than she was already hurt by taking away her throne. And who knew? Perhaps she would come around. Perhaps they could be partners again.
Floating on the balcony overlooking the crowd, his gaze fixed on Athena, he was sure it would all work out.
— — —
“She’s what?” The words were barely a whisper, much like a hiss.
Serena’s teeth were gleaming in a snarl, but her eyes were wide with terror. Hazel flinched back, afraid of the animalistic look on Serena’s face.
“She’s…she’s pregnant. I overheard her handmaidens talking about it. It seems she just found out. I’m sure they’re going to tell you soon. Probably any minute now. I thought you might want to hear it from me first.”
Hazel’s head drooped like a wilting flower. Lately, she had started to feel guilty about sending Athena and Triton off that day, the day the spell was broken. At first she had been giddy, the envious monster inside her purring with satisfaction. She had reveled in Serena’s pain. Finally, Serena knew what it was to come in second. But as she had watched Serena change over the past six months, the joy had turned into a gnawing guilt, munching at her insides. Though still convinced that Serena secretly looked down on her, Hazel realized that what she had done was completely unwarranted. Serena had never purposefully caused her pain, and she certainly had never found joy in it. And yet, Hazel’s actions had perhaps been the final tip of the scale that led to Serena’s misery. So Hazel had begun to make it her mission to make Serena smile (something she rarely did anymore) at least once a day. But now she was delivering news that would shatter her already broken sister into even tinier pieces.
The Sea Witch (The Era of Villains Book 1) Page 16