by Kristen Day
“No!” Liam turned his fiery gaze to Finn and flinched away in outrage. “This is on me. You can’t tell me any different.”
I shared a tense look with Phoebe and knew the fear in her eyes was mirrored in my own. Carmen stood behind Ricker as the situation intensified. The waves of tortured agony rolling off of Liam’s normally airy essence continued to crash over me. Not only a Triton, but also the future leader of the Tritons, his presence was powerful and his authority undeniable. Unlike the other Orders, the current leader of the Tritons must step down before a new leader could be crowned. Liam would be in waiting until that time, and then he would become immortal like Finn and I. He and Finn had been best friends since they were kids, and rightly so. They both held the weight of the world on their shoulders. They could confide in each other when no one else would understand.
“You can’t blame yourself, Liam,” Ian attempted again. “I know it has to be hard for you-”
“Hard?!” Liam exploded with madness and I felt the ground shake. “You know it’s hard for me?! I’m in HELL! I will always be in hell! She’s gone! And I did it!”
“Liam-” Carmen reached for him gently. He stepped back and the malevolent flame that lit his blue eyes with self-hatred burned me to the core. The sick smile that followed unraveled the cord keeping my heart together.
“I thought I was destined for great things – good things,” he said with a deafeningly quiet tone. “But this isn’t good. I’m not good. My father was wrong. I was wrong.”
“That’s enough,” Finn demanded with ice. His stormy essence shot outward with intensity and thickened with resolve. “I won’t stand here and watch you destroy yourself.”
Liam’s dark maniacal laugh sent chills down my spine, and I could almost see the battle waging within him. Finn stepped forward and clenched his jaw. I watched in stunned silence as the two best friends continued a stand-off I wasn’t sure could be broken up by anyone but Poseidon himself.
“This is a defining moment staring you in the face,” Finn spoke sternly. “The Triton I know would stay strong and deal with this the right way.”
“Don’t pull your lecturing bullshit on me, Finn,” Liam spit at him. “I’m no fool. The Triton you knew is gone. I don’t deserve that title anymore. I don’t deserve to take another breath.”
With that, he stormed up the beach and disappeared behind the ever silent dunes. I felt Finn’s essence retract and cool as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Everyone sat back down on the sand in a writhing cloud of misery. I strode over to Finn and caressed the dark skull and crossbones trace adorning his forearm. When he finally opened his eyes, a lone tear trickled down his cheek and he searched my silent eyes for answers. But I had no answers. I had no magical cure.
Death had been something I’d almost welcomed for many years when I was younger. The cool reprieve appeared to be a viable answer to the utter hopelessness I carried around with me. But I’d learned that Death was a conniving creature. He swooped in when you were void of happiness, and he swooped in when you were filled with happiness. Death did not discriminate. Death did not ask permission. Death did not take into consideration the people left behind to conquer the mountain of hurt left in its wake. Death…was a selfish beast.
“Bring her back!” Carmen suddenly ordered. She glared at Finn with a new resolve.
“What?” Finn turned to face her with knit brows and a deepened frown.
“I said, bring her back,” Carmen reiterated. “Pop down into the Underworld like you do, find her, and bring her back to us.”
“Carmen, it doesn’t work that way.” Finn shook his head and watched her as he stated the brutal truth. “She’s gone. Her body is dead. She can’t be brought back to this world.”
“So where is she?” Phoebe whispered as we took our seat back down on the sand. “I mean, in the Underworld – is she in the Elysian Fields? Can we visit her? Because, you know, we went to the Underworld before. Why couldn’t we go again?”
“I wasn’t the one who delivered her soul so I can’t be sure, but I would guess she’s in the Elysian Fields.” He smiled sadly. “And it’s impossible to be unhappy there. Unfortunately, only unattached souls are allowed entrance. And you don’t fit that particular description.”
“So what’s it like? The Elysian Fields?” Phoebe asked in awe, but Finn just chuckled lightly.
“I’m sure you’ll find out someday,” he averted expertly. “But I can promise you she’s happy.”
Phoebe considered his words for a long moment, and then grinned and leaned back into the arms of Ian.
“You said you weren’t the one who delivered her soul,” Carmen questioned him. “So, who did?”
“I don’t know,” Finn admitted. “It would have been one of my ancestors. We hold different responsibilities once we return for good.” His choice of words made me shiver, and I listened to the roar of the waves as we fell into a weighty silence. I pictured my mother welcoming Willow into the Elysian Fields and my heart instantly swelled with love. I told myself Willow was going to be just fine. And so were we. I turned to my friends.
“I think I have an idea that’ll make us all feel better,” I announced with growing excitement.
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“Now I know why you were Chosen to be our leader.” Carmen nodded in approval and popped a grape into her mouth. It was later that night, and Carmen, Phoebe and I were lounging around my living room watching The Goonies. How Carmen had gone her entire life without seeing it boggled my mind. Unfortunately, she wasn’t seeing it this time either. She sat up and tossed another grape at Phoebe’s open mouth. From her spot beside me on the couch, she wasn’t a very good shot. Phoebe had commandeered the love seat across from us, and was taking full advantage of its fluffy armrests and oversized cushions.
“Now I know why you didn’t play basketball,” Phoebe muttered when the grape smacked her in the eye instead; splattering juice all over her face.
“Besides the fact I’m only 5’2? Thank you for that stunning revelation, Captain Obvious,” Carmen piqued with sarcasm, and turned her attention back to me with a sly grin. “Anyway, like I was saying, there aren’t many people who can make quitting school sound so responsible.”
“You’re not quitting school.” I shook my head at her with chagrin. “You’re skipping graduation. Big difference. Not to mention, I can promise you that working with Olivia on the pre-selections for the Games isn’t going to be your idea of a good time.”
“There’s a good chance I may never forgive you for that,” she threatened, and shook a finger at me dramatically. “But a vacation to Atlantis is a good start.” My grand idea had been sort of a pre-Games getaway to Atlantis. I couldn’t fill the gaping hole Willow’s death left in our hearts, but I could soften the blow. We’d be leaving a week before the Games and a couple days before graduation. Just as I suspected, Carmen, Phoebe, Olivia and Avery didn’t object to taking their exams from Atlantis and missing the graduation ceremony.
They could have skipped graduating altogether since the honor of being appointed as a member of my Council was considered a lifelong responsibility, but it was important to me that they graduate. Receiving that little piece of paper stating that they’d achieved the honor of graduating high school could never be taken from them. I’d already been informed that the amount of classes I’d missed wouldn’t allow me to graduate without repeating my last year, but that ship had sailed the moment I became Leader of the Tydes.
“You know you actually have to be productive, right?” I prompted Carmen. She tapped her chin in thought.
“Looking at sculpted, sun-kissed Atlantean boys…being productive,” she contemplated with a smirk. “Same thing.”
“I thought Ricker was coming out after his exams?” Phoebe narrowed a suspicious eye.
“He is,” Carmen said matter-of-factly, and went back to eating grapes. We both waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, I couldn’t help but laugh. Ricker and Carmen had a
tumultuous history, but no one could deny how they felt about each other. Their feelings ran long and deep; sending them into a ferocious tailspin almost daily. It was exhausting just watching it play out, but they somehow always came out on the other side of it unscathed and still in love.
“Just don’t forget,” I reminded them. “We’re going to be there for almost a month. And it’s not like we can rent a boat to the nearest town and go shopping.”
“They don’t have stores?” Phoebe didn’t hide the disbelief in her voice. “Where do they get their clothes?”
“I heard they make them. Or just go around naked,” Carmen informed her, and then snickered when Phoebe’s mouth dropped open with surprise. “I’m telling you, we’re headed for uncharted territory here. They grow all of their own food and I heard they only shower once a month.”
“I heard their houses are made out of gold,” Phoebe gossiped in a hushed tone. “Plus, they all have this freak mutated gene that makes their DNA closer to trees than to humans.”
“Dirty, naked tree-people living in houses of gold.” I laughed at them. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Chapter 13
Finn
“Days like today make me love my job,” Sloan insinuated with a shrewd grin. I joined him on the bank as he watched the newest group of souls trawl across our father’s lake.
“I think you’ve been down here too long.” I punched his arm lightly. “You’re getting desperate.” I recognized the flash of hunger that brightened his keen, blue eyes but he simply shrugged his shoulders and winked at me.
“Just wait until you’ve been down here for a couple centuries,” he cautioned dubiously. “It’s not every day an entire coven of young, ripe witches show up on your doorstep.” At the mention of witches my thoughts quickly drifted to my mother. Although half Tyde, she was also descended from the Goddess of witchcraft and magic, Hecate; making her half witch as well. She had refused to return to the Underworld after the accident, but I never held it against her…unlike some of our ancestors. Descendants of Hecate were infallible and extremely cunning. They were not quick to forgive, nor were they easy to catch. To wipe out an entire coven would take a great deal of mastery. Or another horrific accident. I shivered at the thought.
“What happened to them?” I prodded as the rolling fog swallowed the last of their shadowy forms.
“Does it matter?” he scoffed and licked his lips eagerly.
“Seriously? They just died and all you can think about is getting in their pants?” I rolled my eyes at him and stepped closer to the bank. “Get your head out of your ass and come on.”
“I bet they’d be up for a little girl-on-girl action. You can’t tell me it gets much better than that,” he exacted with a doubtful eyebrow.
“You haven’t met my fiancé,” I countered. With a cavalier smile, I dove headfirst into the murky water below, and a vibration rippled through the water as Sloan followed my lead. He was nearly two thousand years old and arguably one of the best Leaders of the Sons. He had chosen the responsibility of escorting newly released souls to the Underworld once his time was up as Leader. Most people thought he was crazy, considering that was usually a job reserved for Scions putting in their dues or newly deceased Sons. It was far from one of the esteemed jobs such as providing security within the many realms of the Underworld, punishing the souls of Tartarus, or assisting Charon with judgment and assignment. But then again I’d always thought he simply craved an excuse to escape the Underworld on a regular basis. It wasn’t in his nature to be strapped to one existence. A born leader and one of the strongest fighters the Sons had ever known, he singlehandedly sent three Scions to their death before being overthrown. For that reason he had also been appointed the sole guard for the Book of Souls; which is precisely why I’d decided to come pay him a visit.
I immediately took a deep breath of water and felt my essence blossom from the rich darkness harbored within the lake’s shores. It was the place our father had called home for ages, as well as the core of the very essence that connected all Sons. It was in our blood, hearts and souls. The all-encompassing liberation I felt when submerged was beyond explanation. It felt like coming home after a long, hard-fought battle. It soothed the worst afflictions and reversed the most sorrowful moods of despair. I closed my eyes for a brief moment to revel in my inertia before pushing forward.
After a short swim, I located the angular entrance to the underground cavern at the east side of the lakebed. It measured roughly three feet in circumference and I was able to swim through with ease. I kicked to the surface with Sloan fast on my heels, and pulled myself up onto the ledge overlooking the small pool. By sheer location, the cavern wasn’t accessible by any other means; making it an extremely appealing refuge for former leaders of the Sons.
“So it’s true?” Sloan eyed me as he lifted himself up and sat next to me. “Thetis’s daughter?”
“It’s true.” I nodded and waited for the inevitable bashing. I didn’t have to wait long.
“Damn, dude.” He shook his head. “You’re one lucky bastard – I hear she could have whoever she wants. And she chose…you.” He looked me up and down; unimpressed. “On the other hand, I have heard you have a big-”
I shoved him back into the pool before he could finish and hopped up from the ledge with satisfaction.
“Yacht!” he spewed with water streaming out of his mouth, along with uncontrollable laughter. “I was going to say big yacht!”
I could still hear his snickering and quick-paced footsteps behind me as I ducked into one of the many passageways. He clapped a hand onto my shoulder once he caught up to me.
“So tell me, Finnster. Who do you think could have done this?”
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping to find out.” I cut my eyes at him suspiciously just to see what kind of reaction I could get.
“I wish I could take the blame,” he admitted gravely. “Because unfortunately every video I’ve studied so far shows nothing. No door opening. No figure. No nothing.”
“So the Book just walked out by itself?”
“It just…disappeared.” He scratched his head in frustration. “You’ll see on the surveillance tapes. It beats anything I’ve ever seen, especially with our highly sensitive security systems. We could hear a mouse fart and see the dust cloud come out of its ass from ten miles away.”
“Thanks for the scientific explanation,” I chastised him as we entered the security room.
“That’s what I’m here for.” He grinned and took a seat beside me, and then pressed a finger to one of the room’s many control pads; causing the twenty screens on the wall in front of us to come to life with a low hum. Each flat screen was dedicated to a different area of the Underworld inhabited by the Sons: the lake, the entrance to the cavern, the pool, and all of the different security and gathering rooms throughout. The only place not surveyed were the individual living quarters of the former Leaders like Sloan.
He keyed in several security numbers and pressed his palm to the heat sensitive pad to his right. The room in question was suddenly broadcast across all twenty screens as one giant picture. He ran an expert finger across the monitor to rewind the footage. When he found the date and time he was searching for, he let go and the video automatically began to play.
“This is the room a couple minutes beforehand,” he recounted for me. “Now watch.”
We both focused all our attention on even the smallest of details within the room broadcast on the screen. I knew Sloan had revisited the footage at least a hundred times, so I inspected the room with what I hoped were fresh eyes. An increase in energy would show as a reddish glow, a decrease would register blue, while the tiniest of movements would set off the motion detector.
The cavern’s stone walls glimmered with a silver and copper residue that could be found throughout the Underworld, and the smooth rock floor was untouched by energy. A locker-sized cabinet pressed against the back wall held a number of relics kept be
hind individually locked cubby holes. There were also three podiums positioned in the center of the room. The first held a collection of onyx jewels, collected over the centuries by Charon. To appease the ferryman, souls would bring stones with them to the Underworld when they died. Little did they know, no amount of bribery would change their destination once Charon decided upon it. But he gladly kept all the offerings under lock and key.
One piece in particular had always caught my eye. It was a silver skull ring with two depressed onyx jewels as the eyes. My father had worn it for years until he tired of it. Menacing and alluring all at once, it was a fitting representation of the onyx itself. I was unaware of the story behind the ring, or if there even was one. Either way I made a note to not leave without it.
Another podium held the centuries old Chalice of Ruination. The Chalice itself was made of titanium and could withstand almost anything. It held a smoky liquid so potent it could not only destroy someone’s soul, but their essence right along with it. It had only been used twice in the history of time, and Charon made sure it was not known outside of his direct descendants. The fact that someone had taken the Book of Souls and left behind the Chalice was a very compelling mystery I intended to solve. Something just didn’t add up.
The third podium provided the resting place for the monumental Book of Souls. It had been left open to the last page, where Charon had recorded the souls he’d ferried. Each page was a running tally of any and every soul to cross the lake, their ancestry, the means of their demise, and any abilities that could be deemed a threat. Charon didn’t trust any of the modern technology, so there was no back up, and no way of replicating the Book.
After another moment of eerie stillness, the book suddenly snapped shut and promptly disappeared into thin air. I blinked several times in an effort to understand what I’d just seen. Or more accurately, what I had not seen.