Deep Water

by Nicola Cameron

  Except that deformed humans don’t explode into gore when you chuck a boathook into them. Whatever that was, it wasn’t human.

  So what in God’s name was it?

  Chapter Five

  Poseidon deposited Griffin at his cottage with a promise to return for movie night. Once he was sure the mortal had moved away from the windows, he turned and jogged to the water, diving cleanly into a wave.

  It was below his station to do something so physical, but he had to do something to work off the fury that coursed through his veins. Thetis, you bitch. How dare you send one of your foul beasts after us?

  He had no particular fear for himself. Even a pod of ilkothelloi would be no match for the God of the Sea. But Griffin was not only mortal and vulnerable to the ilkothella’s venom, but already deathly ill. If the creature had bitten him...

  His fists clenched as he arrowed through the water towards Sthenios and Skylla. The seahorses lifted their heads at his approach, golden manes floating in the current.

  He quickly hitched them to the chariot and threw himself in, summoning his trident. “Home, as fast as you can.”

  The seahorses whinnied and shot out of the cove, chariot in tow. The trip across the Atlantic sped by in a flash, Poseidon fuming all the way. Soon enough they were pulling into the magnificent stables attached to his undersea palace.

  A triton stable hand swam up, catching the reins Poseidon tossed him. “Welcome home, my lord. Lord Aphros and Commander Kasos are waiting to see you.”

  Just the individuals he wanted to see. Grunting acknowledgment, Poseidon stalked into his palace. Unlike his Olympus mansion, his underwater home was far more colorful, with Doric columns of dark-grained basalt setting off walls of nacre gleaming softly in every shade of the rainbow. Normally the beauty of it soothed him, but today all he wanted to do was find Thetis and wrap his hands around her putrid throat.

  He reached the main foyer and swung right, into the large audience chamber that now served as a war room. Inside, Aphros and the triton commander were poring over a map and conferring quietly. They both straightened at his entrance, Kasos thumping a fist against his breastplate in salute.

  Aphros simply nodded. “Father. We weren’t expecting you for a few days.”

  Poseidon scowled. “My schedule was changed.”

  He recounted the attack by the ilkothella. Kasos’s dark eyes narrowed in concern. “You have my deepest apologies, my lord,” the triton said. “The area around the cove is supposed to be kept clear of the beasts. I’ll have my squads do another sweep immediately.”

  “Do that, commander,” Poseidon said brusquely. The triton saluted again and swam out of the room.

  Aphros frowned. “You think this was a deliberate attack,” he said without prologue.

  “I do. The damned thing spoke to Griffin in Éthlé. It’s Gaia’s own mercy that he didn’t recognize it as language.”

  “If the creature can still talk, it’s one of Thetis’s new and improved beasts,” Aphros noted. “What did it say?”

  Poseidon clenched his fists. “‘Time to die, Gorgon.’”

  His son’s eyes widened at that. “How in Tartarus could she know that?”

  “An excellent question, seeing as there are only four people in the world who know about Griffin—you, your brother, Ian, and myself.”

  Aphros drew himself up stiffly. “None of us have said one word about Griffin, Father. To anyone, much less Thetis. We gave you our word.”

  “I have faith in your word, and that of your brother.” He left the obvious unsaid.

  Aphros shook his head, red curls swirling in the water. “Ian wouldn’t betray you like this.”

  “I find it hard to believe myself, my son, but as far as I know we four are the only ones who know that Griffin was Medusa—”

  Poseidon stopped, words drifting into his mind. I wouldn’t dawdle with your wooing, Lord Poseidon. The Mad Nereid is unpredictable and may strike again at any time.

  Something cracked loudly. Looking down, he saw a chunk of the polished onyx tabletop in his hand where he’d snapped it off from the table.

  “Father?”

  Poseidon placed the broken onyx chunk on top of the table with a muted click. “I just realized who else knows about Griffin’s true identity,” he said as evenly as he could. “And they are by far the most likely sources of this leak. I apologize for doubting your agapetos. I will trust Ian’s word as I do yours and Bythos’s. In the meantime, I want you to assign a triton squad to Griffin. Any time he’s out on the water, even in the cove, I want them in guard formation around him.”

  “It will be done,” Aphros said, nodding. “If I may ask, who is the leak?”

  “Unless I’m greatly mistaken, the Fates. I hadn’t expected that.” And if the three divines were communicating with Thetis, they might be communicating with Amphitrite as well. The time for polite scheduling was past. “I need to speak to your mother. Do you know where she is?”

  “She’s taken a residence in Olympic Beach,” Aphros said. “She said she wanted to be nearby. Just in case.”

  There was a wealth of meanings, most of them contradictory, that could be read into that. “Understood,” Poseidon said. “And thank you, my son.”

  Aphros seemed startled by the praise. “For what?”

  “For being tolerant of your foolish father.” There was no time to go up to dry land. Amphitrite would simply have to live with some seawater on her floor. He reached out with godsense to find his consort, then opened a portal and swam through in a shower of blue sparks.

  ****

  Amphitrite propped her chin on her hand, trying not to smile. “It sounds … very interesting,” she said. “But I don’t see how I can help with this.”

  The three individuals currently in her living room appeared to be beautiful young career women in designer outfits, expensive haircuts, and flawless makeup. A certain similarity in bone structure and eye color would have suggested to mortals that they were relatives of some sort.

  Amphitrite, of course, knew the truth—not one of the three Nereids currently in her living room was under nine thousand years old, and their stunning good looks were a gift from their father, the Titan Nereus. Being immortal and divine does have its advantages.

  But the career women part was also correct. “Frankly, Ammie, we could use someone with psych training,” Lisa said, brushing a lock of chocolate brown hair behind one ear. “I’ve got event design nailed down, Patricia’s a whiz with planning and logistics, and of course Jennifer’s our PR person.”

  “But we need someone to calm down Bridezilla when she’s on a rampage,” Patricia added. “We’re basically looking for someone who can be the Bride Whisperer.”

  “Or the Mother of the Bride Whisperer,” Jennifer muttered into her mimosa.

  Much to Amphitrite’s surprise, her three sisters had shown up on her doorstep an hour ago, bearing the makings for mimosas and a proposal for her to join Divine Events, their party planning company. She hadn’t even known that Lisa, Patricia, or Jennifer (or Ligea, Pasithea, and Iaera, as they had originally been known) were working in the mortal sphere, but upon further thought she had to admit that their choice of career suited them down to the ground. Even Lord Zeus had been known to call upon their party planning skills back in the old days. And judging from the glossy color brochure Jennifer had displayed, Divine Events was certainly making a name for itself in the upper echelons of Florida society.

  Now they were moving into big-ticket weddings, and that, Lisa explained, was where Amphitrite came in. “You would not believe how high-strung some of these women are,” she said. “More than one has actually had herself put on a nasal feeding tube to lose weight before her wedding. I ask you.”

  “The men aren’t that much better, either,” Patricia said, taking a sip of her drink. “We just organized a wedding for an actor and his boyfriend, and by the day of the actual event each groom was convinced the other one was cheating on him with some wa
iter, most of the wedding party were at each other’s throats, and the actor’s mother was well on her way to a roaring case of cirrhosis. I wanted to drown the whole bloody lot of them, but Lisa wouldn’t let me.”

  “So we need someone who can talk these people down,” Jennifer concluded. “And that’s where you would come in. We’ll cut you in for a quarter of the profits and all the crazy you can handle.”

  Amphitrite blinked, wondering how best to turn them down diplomatically. “I appreciate you thinking of me for this, truly,” she said. “But I don’t think I’m the person for the job.”

  Lisa’s lower lip came out at that. “Why not?”

  “Well, for one thing, I’m much bossier than any of you, and you know it.”

  There were three reluctant nods.

  “And for another thing, I have no interest whatsoever in moving to West Palm Beach.”

  “Why not?” Patricia said, exasperated. “For Gaia’s sake, Ammie, this place is a backwater. You have everything you could ever want in Palm Beach—culture, shopping, wonderful weather, nightlife—”

  “Men,” Jennifer said dreamily. “All those handsome, ripped young men, ready and waiting to please.”

  A particularly memorable night in bed with Poseidon flickered through Amphitrite’s mind, and she cleared her throat. “You’re also forgetting I’m still married.”

  All three of them stared at her as if she’d just admitted to voting for the Tea Party. “But darling,” Lisa said tentatively, “the two of you haven’t been, well, together for quite some time, now.”

  “And I’d be shocked green if Earthshaker’s been keeping it in his pants,” Patricia snarked.

  Lisa glared at the other Nereid, then patted Amphitrite’s arm. “That being said, I do see your point. If you aren’t up to another relationship, that’s your choice. But it would be so lovely to work with you again. Especially now.”

  The four of them thought of their lost sister. “Have you … heard anything?” Jennifer said tentatively.

  Amphitrite shook her head. “She won’t speak to me anymore.” She had prided herself on staying on good terms with all of the Nereids, but she always been closest to Hyacinth and Thetis. To watch her beloved older sister turn into a vicious monster was a pain that seemed unbearable at times. “And that’s the third reason why I’m staying in Olympic Beach,” she said. “I have to help Poseidon and the boys stop her.”

  The other Nereids glanced at each other in silent communication. “But Ammie, really,” Jennifer said. “If Thetis has turned into some kind of invincible goddess, you’re still just, well, you. How do you think you can stop her?”

  A loud roaring sound startled them all. It was quickly replaced by the sound of gallons of water splashing on tile. “I think you underestimate your sister, ladies,” a familiar voice said behind them.

  All four Nereids turned, staring at a drenched Poseidon.

  ****

  Amphitrite’s chin came up, eyes blazing blue fire. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “And why in Gaia’s name did you bring half the Mediterranean with you?”

  It ran against his grain, but Poseidon raised both hands in appeasement. The inches of water around his feet vanished and his clothes dried instantly. “I come in peace, Amphitrite. Greetings, sisters.” He gave the Nereids a polite nod. It was answered by a triplicate poison glare.

  “What do you mean, we’re underestimating Ammie?” Lisa said pugnaciously, standing and moving in front of Amphitrite.

  And so it begins. “My consort is skilled in the ways of healing diseased minds,” Poseidon said. “It is my hope that she can reach Thetis even in her madness and dissuade her from this destructive path.”

  Amphitrite’s expression was marble. “I wasn’t aware you had such a high opinion of my skills as a therapist,” she said, her voice clipped.

  “We haven’t had much time to speak recently, have we?” he pointed out. “Which is partially why I’m here. I need to speak with you.” He eyed the other Nereids. “Alone, if you please.”

  Lisa, Patricia, and Jennifer bristled at that, but Amphitrite stayed in her seat. “Anything you wish to say to me, you can say in front of my sisters.”

  He had been afraid of that. “If this affected only me, I would comply with your wishes. But this involves someone else, someone who may be in danger from Thetis.” He tried to put significance into his tone. “Someone whom you do want to assist, Amphitrite.”

  She considered him for a long, painful moment. “All right. Who is this individual?”

  “Medusa.”

  She leapt to her feet. “What?”

  He raised his hands again, allowing himself a glare at his sisters-in-law. “More, I cannot tell you until we’re alone.”

  Inch by inch, Amphitrite stiffened until she looked like a marble statue of herself. “Medusa is dead. She cannot be harmed by Thetis,” the Nereid ground out. “And you are not fit to say her name. Now get out.”

  His own temper flared. “Ammie, stop being ridiculous. You need to know—”

  “Get out!”

  The other Nereids gathered defensively around their sister, all four of them giving him the same filthy look. The hair on Poseidon’s body began to rise from the power being gathered in the room. Individually the sea nymphs were weak compared to his own abilities, but they became a formidable force when gathered en masse.

  He gritted his teeth. It was obvious Amphitrite didn’t know about Griffin, so there was no point in trying to make her listen to him now. Giving his consort a brusque nod, he opened a portal and stepped through it to his sons’ cottage at Olympic Cove.

  I have been begging for her forgiveness for millennia, he thought resentfully. Enough is enough. If she doesn’t want to talk to me, she can stay with her bloody sisters for as long as she likes. I’ll woo Griffin and keep him alive on my own. And once we’ve found Zeus and he grants Griffin godhood, perhaps she’ll listen to me then.

  A smaller, slightly childish voice said, And if she doesn’t, I’ll still have Griffin.

  He grimaced. In the meantime, he still had to deal with the Fates and their chatty ways. Summoning his trident, he opened a gate to Olympus.

  Or tried to. Nothing happened.

  He tried again, with the same result.

  His rage surged again, hot and fresh. How dare they—

  They didn’t. The familiar presence in his mind, huge and all encompassing, loomed over him. You have everything you need in the mortal realm, my child. Olympus is closed to you until you resolve your issues with your agapetos.

  Grandmother, that’s outrageous!

  No, it’s sensible. You’ve already made contact with Griffin. Now you need to talk to Amphitrite.

  I tried. The thought was bitter. She won’t talk to me.

  He felt a chuckle in his bones. I know one of your sacred animals is the bull, Poseidon, but this is not the time to behave like one in a china shop. Telling someone to stop being ridiculous isn’t likely to get you positive results. Try acting like a well-mannered adult. You might be surprised at the results you get.

  That’s not fair, Grandmother!

  The presence receded, but Gaia still got in the last word. When did I ever say that life would be fair, child?

  Still stinging from her rebuke, Poseidon considered his now-reduced options. He had his undersea palace for residential purposes and Olympic Cove for a land base of operations. Being barred from Olympus was galling, but it appeared to be a temporary thing. He would survive.

  As for the Fates, he would simply have to take a more creative route to contact those three harpies.

  Determined, he opened another gate and stepped through.

  ****

  Donald stared at him. “You want me to make a collect call to the Fates?”

  “It’s a human term,” Poseidon said impatiently. “It means—”

  “I know what it means, old friend. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” The Oracle sat back in his chair, beard
twitching as he bit absently at his lip. “I’ve never tried it, but theoretically it should work. I can’t promise success, though.”

  “It’s worth a try, if you’re willing.”

  “Oh, I’m willing. You have me interested now.” Donald huffed in amusement. “Well, then, let’s see if the ladies are home to callers.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

  As Poseidon watched the Oracle’s body slowly relaxed, slumping a bit in his seat. He sat up abruptly, opening his eyes. Instead of Donald’s ice blue, they were obsidian.

  “We were wondering when you’d try to contact us, Earthshaker.” Atropos’s dry tone came through the Oracle’s mouth clearly. “I’m rather impressed—I’d thought you would send Hermes with your query.”

  Poseidon scowled. “I thought this would be more straightforward,” he said.

  The smirk on the Oracle’s face told him that Atropos knew his true reason for this route. “Well, then. Ask your questions.”

  He wasn’t sure how many questions he would be allowed, and needed to frame each one carefully. “Did you tell Thetis or one of her minions that Medusa had been reborn as Griffin Moore?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because their life strands have entwined. Just as we delivered a prophecy to you, we delivered one to her.”

  A chill prickled the god’s skin. The last thing he wanted was Griffin coming within a hundred yards of his mad sister-in-law. “What was the prophecy you gave her?”

  Atropos shook the Oracle’s head. “You know the rules, Earthshaker. A prophecy is heard only by the Oracle and the recipient. I will not tell you our prophecy to Thetis, just as we would not tell her your prophecy.”

  “You realize that by doing this, you’ve put Griffin in mortal danger.”

  “Involvement with the gods is always a dangerous thing, Lord Poseidon. And may I point out that he is dying in any case? If it’s of any comfort, we have complete faith in your ability to protect your agapetos for the remainder of time he has left.”

  The only thing stopping him from leaping to his feet and throttling the Shearer was the knowledge that he’d only be hurting Donald. “What about Amphitrite?” he said tightly. “Are you going to tell her?”