Treacherous Seas

by LM Brown

  “They have?”

  Isander settled himself on the grass and Marin made himself comfortable beside him. “Not for a hundred years, but yes, they have. Even bound and defenseless, the sea dragons were practically invincible.”

  “Practically?” Marin focused on the word that gave him a tiny sliver of hope.

  “While we were collared, we couldn’t breathe sea-fire, but even without our main defensive mechanism, they could not destroy us. Before the mer forgot how to conjure sea-fire from the tridents, there was a time when the guards tried to take out one of our more troublesome members.”

  “Urion?”

  “No, not that time. Every mer in Atlantis fired tridents at the dragon at the same time. They aimed for the eyes, the mouth, the joints, everywhere they thought they might find a vulnerable spot.”

  “What happened?”

  “They were reminded that sea dragons are not so easy to kill. They eventually gave up, at least until another king decided to give it a try. That was the only time they even came close to killing one of our kind. The prolonged attack weakened him, and it might, in time, have killed him, but it didn’t. It did remind us that we weren’t immortal, though, and after that, we tried not to draw too much attention to ourselves. To remain useful, if you like, so the mer would keep us around.”

  “But it is possible to kill a sea dragon?”

  “It is, but you’re forgetting something most important.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we were collared, we could not summon sea-fire. Urion is no longer a prisoner of the mer and his greatest weapon is in full working order. It was nearly impossible to kill a captive sea dragon, so how much harder do you think it would be now?”

  Isander spread his arms and gestured for Marin to look over his body. “Not a single scar mars my body, because no weapon can break the skin of a sea dragon. The eyes and mouth might be vulnerable, but you’d never get close enough to find out.”

  “There has to be a way to kill him.”

  “Not while he stays in his current form,” Isander replied. “You cannot face a sea dragon and live, but—”

  “But if he were to become human again…”

  Isander smiled. “Now you’re getting it.”

  “But what if he doesn’t become human again?”

  Isander laughed loudly. “He will.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because inside that dragon’s body is a man, and that man will be as horny as the rest of us after centuries of abstinence. Sooner or later he will resume human form again. Take my word for it.”

  “What’s to stop him becoming human and turning back into a sea-dragon again as soon as someone tries to attack him?”

  “It doesn’t work like that. Mariana is the one who has the power to change our forms. She turned back those of us who renounced her, rather than risk us defeating her loyal priests. She isn’t going to give Urion the power to change back and forth at will.”

  “Why would she turn him back into a human at all? Surely it serves her purpose to keep him as a sea dragon?”

  “It does.”

  “Then it’s hopeless. I have to find a way to defeat a sea dragon. They must have a weakness somewhere.”

  “They don’t. I told you. Urion will want to take human form eventually, and when he does, you’ll have your chance to take your revenge.”

  “That could be years away.”

  Isander laughed. “I give him six months at the most—less if he finds out Mariana has taken another lover. He always was the jealous type and a dreadful complainer.”

  Marin sighed. “Are all priests of the gods and goddesses the jealous types?”

  “No. I never cared who Mariana was fucking. I only shared her bed once and I could barely manage to perform my duties at all.”

  “I suppose preferring men might be something of a hindrance.”

  “Yes. Thankfully she soon realized what the problem was and never bothered me again. If I had known my initiation into her ranks involved bedding her, I’d never have sworn myself into her service. Actually, with the benefit of hindsight, that’s not the only reason I should have stayed clear.”

  Isander shook his head and gave Marin a rueful smile. “Just be patient. Urion will walk on two feet again soon and you’ll have your chance.”

  Marin wasn’t so sure, but he supposed if anyone knew about Urion, Isander would be the one to ask.

  “So, what has you racing around the isle like the place is about to sink into the sea?” Isander asked.

  Marin sighed. “Did you know Caspian has one of his priests imprisoned in the catacombs below his temple?”

  “No. I’ve only been in his temple a handful of times, and I’ve never been in the rooms beneath it.”

  “It’s Rafe, his head priest.”

  “I wasn’t aware he still had any priests.”

  “Rafe held the position when the Atlanteans were banished,” Marin explained. “He killed me.”

  “What?” Isander gaped at him.

  Marin rubbed at his bare chest, feeling once again the sharpness of the blade as it tore into his flesh. “Phoebus,” he corrected. “He killed Phoebus.”

  Isander took Marin’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “He was jealous of me, so he decided to get me out of the way forever.”

  Isander gasped. “You’re the merman Caspian fell in love with, the one he petitioned the pantheon to make immortal.”

  “Yes.” Marin gestured to the decaying temples around the isle. “It’s all my fault that the Atlantean gods are now reduced to this.”

  “No,” Isander replied. “Whatever happened, you were not to blame.”

  “If I had never accepted Caspian’s offer, the Atlanteans would still live in the city alongside the mer. Your gods and goddesses would be powerful still. Mariana wouldn’t have turned her priests into sea dragons to avoid them being banished. Urion would be long dead and Calder would be alive.”

  “You don’t know that. Some things are destined to happen, no matter what we do.”

  Marin shook his head. “I chose to accept Caspian’s offer to join him in his bed. I should have turned him down.”

  Isander snorted. “You’re an idiot.”

  “What?” Marin thought he might have misheard.

  “You’re an idiot,” Isander repeated. “Caspian loved you. This was a god who slept with more men in a week than some might bed in a lifetime.”

  “That’s hardly something to be proud of.”

  “I’m not saying it is, but he was going to give that up for you. He was prepared to devote eternity to just one man…you. He loved you and you’re sitting here saying that you think you should have broken his heart.”

  “He’d have got over it,” Marin said. “He has got over me.”

  “You think so?”

  “Of course. It’s been centuries.”

  “Centuries that he has devoted to protecting the mer,” Isander said. “I wonder why that was?”

  “Because he couldn’t protect me,” Marin whispered.

  “Yes, exactly. I’m not saying he’s been celibate all this time, but you only have to see the way he looks at you to know that his heart is still broken. He isn’t getting over you any time soon.”

  “Well, he’ll have to sooner or later,” Marin said. “I’m not Phoebus any more. He died in the temple, and he’s not coming back.”

  “There’s a part of Phoebus inside you,” Isander said. “His soul lives on.”

  Marin heard the sound of someone moving in the shrubbery behind him and glanced over his shoulder. It came as no surprise to see Caspian watching him silently.

  “I think you should talk to him,” Isander whispered. “Properly.”

  Marin nodded. He guessed an honest conversation was long overdue.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caspian didn’t say a word as he transported them away from the I
sle of the Gods and into the world of men.

  Marin grimaced as he realized Caspian had provided him with clothes.

  “Would you prefer a different style?” Caspian asked.

  “All clothes are restrictive and annoying. These will do as well as any. Where are we?”

  “England. Come on. Let’s go talk.”

  Marin turned to follow Caspian and immediately recognized the home of Jake and his two mermen lovers.

  “They no longer live here,” Caspian said as they walked down the path.

  “Are you reading my mind?”

  “No.”

  Caspian let them into the house and turned on the lights.

  The living room was still furnished as it had been when he’d last been there. How long has it been? With the memories of his past life so fresh in his mind, it was hard to tell how much time had elapsed.

  They sat on opposite ends of the sofa. Marin didn’t know where to start.

  Caspian didn’t wait for him to gather his thoughts. “Medina tried to reverse the magic caused by the love potion she had slipped into my wine.”

  “What?”

  “You believe my feelings for you aren’t real, that they stem from magic. That’s not true. Medina wanted to teach me a lesson about love. She wanted me to find love and lose it because she didn’t like the way I treated men.”

  “I can’t say I found it one of your better qualities myself.”

  Caspian gave him a small smile. “She concocted a love potion powerful enough to work on me, and it worked only too well. I fell in love with you and I was never happier than when we were together.”

  “That sounds to me like the potion talking.”

  “I thought so too, but after I lost you I begged Medina to reverse her magic.”

  “I’m surprised she would, if she thought she were teaching you a lesson.”

  “Me too, but she was quite fond of a particular young merman and had no idea that her curse upon me would have such devastating consequences for him—for you. She never believed that a merman would give up his fins to be with me, not with the reputation I had. She thought you would either leave me to find another or simply die of old age, leaving me alone to mourn you. She only meant to punish me, not you.”

  “I was—what do humans call it?—collateral damage?”

  “Something like that. After your murder, the pantheon sank into chaos. The loss of our followers did lasting damage, and even the smallest of spells sent immortals into stasis. Medina was lost because of trying too hard to undo the spell she had put me under, not realizing that she was attempting the impossible. My mother’s spell to ensure you were reborn was her undoing. That one caused a whole new set of problems, as if there weren’t enough to deal with already.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Caspian squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Until that day the mer didn’t reincarnate. They returned to the waters and continued their journey that way. My mother’s spell caused the mer to be reborn in a way similar to humans, so that you would one day come back to me in a form I would recognize.”

  “Do I look a great deal like Phoebus?”

  “Yes, you do. I first saw you the day you tried out for the guards and I knew it was you right away.”

  “Even though I look like him, I’m still Marin.”

  “I know.” Caspian raised a hand toward Marin’s face, but lowered it again before they touched. “Anyway, my mother’s spell had a rather unexpected side effect.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mer are only half human,” Caspian said. “The spell didn’t take that into account. We didn’t even realize what had happened for several generations, and by then, my mother was sleeping and it was too late.”

  “What happened?”

  “Each time a merperson dies they are reborn, but they are not all reborn as mer. A third of the mer come back in this form, while another third come back as humans and the final portion as fish. With the mer no longer returning to the water the way they used to, the magic that allows them to thrive is dwindling.”

  Marin felt bile rise in his throat as the implications of what Caspian had told him sank in. “I’m the reason why our numbers are falling? It’s my fault the mer are on the brink of extinction?”

  Caspian grabbed his hand. “No. This is not your fault. None of this is down to you. You are not responsible for the mistakes of the gods.”

  Marin pulled his fingers out of Caspian’s grip and steadied his breathing once more. “Your mother isn’t sleeping now. She’s awake. She can reverse what she did.”

  “I have already asked her to.”

  “And?”

  “She refuses to do so.”

  “Why? Does she hate the mer so much she wants to wipe us out?”

  “No, she has no prejudices against your people. You have met her yourself and know this to be true. But she is aware that if she undoes her spell, you will one day return to the water and I will never find you again.”

  “I’m right here,” Marin pointed out.

  “Yes, but you and I aren’t…”

  “Ah, I see.”

  “I’m trying to convince her to reverse her magic,” Caspian assured him. “Unfortunately, she is most stubborn.”

  Marin shook his head. “This is all too much. Can we get back to Medina?”

  Caspian nodded. “There isn’t much more to say. I begged her to remove the spell from me and played on her guilt over what had happened to you. When she tried to reverse the spell it drained her powers almost entirely, because my feelings were true and not magically induced. Her attempt to do the impossible, combined with the loss of her priests, sent her to sleep.”

  “It took that much effort?”

  “You have to remember that my father had just banished all the Atlanteans and erased their memories of Atlantis and the entire pantheon. We were all weak without our followers. Magic that might once have come easily with little effort on our parts drained us. I would have welcomed oblivion myself, but I held off from using my powers too much, knowing I didn’t deserve the luxury of sleep. I soon accepted that what I felt for you wasn’t as a result of magic.”

  “Maybe Medina didn’t really reverse the spell?”

  “I wondered the same thing, but as time passed, I accepted the truth. No potion or spell can truly move the human heart.”

  “And a god’s heart?”

  “A god in human form,” Caspian reminded him. “Even though I’m immortal, a part of me died in that temple with you. My heart works the same way as any other man’s.”

  “Then what did Medina’s potion do?”

  “It opened my eyes to the possibility of love. When I was under the effects of her potion, I didn’t reject the very idea of falling in love, as I had in the past. When I asked her to remove the spell, I thought it would stop the feelings but it didn’t. She had her revenge on me, not that she was around to enjoy it. My feelings for you are true and not the result of magic. I swear it.”

  “Phoebus,” Marin said. “Your feelings for Phoebus.”

  “You are Phoebus reborn.”

  “Yes, I know, but we’re not the same person.”

  Caspian rolled his eyes and Marin’s temper rose. “We’re not!”

  “I have no intention of arguing with you about this,” Caspian said. “I know you’ve had different experiences and that your life as Marin is nothing like your life as Phoebus.”

  “Exactly!”

  Caspian brushed Marin’s fringe back from his eyes. “I’d like to get to know you again, if you’ll let me.”

  “What if you don’t like me as Marin?”

  “I already like you, so it’s too late for that.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes, I know. All I’m asking for is a chance.”

  Marin still felt highly skeptical, but he found himself nodding in agreement. He was rewarded with a bright smile from Caspian, something he hadn’t seen since his previous life
. He liked it.

  “No spells or potions,” Caspian said. “Just two men getting to know each other after a long time apart, right?”

  Marin smiled back. “Okay.”

  * * * *

  “No.” Caspian wasn’t going to budge from his position, that much was clear.

  “I’m ready to face Urion,” Marin argued. “You said yourself that I’ve improved.”

  “You have, but that doesn’t mean you’ve managed to change your fate.”

  Caspian sat down and tugged Marin onto the sand beside him. “I know you think you’re ready or you simply don’t care if you die, as long as you’re avenging Calder, but I’m certain that Calder wouldn’t want you to sacrifice yourself.”

  “What would you know about Calder?” Marin muttered.

  Caspian smiled. “I know more about him than you think.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. He wasn’t a friend, since we both know I don’t have those, but we talked.”

  “I never knew that. Why didn’t he mention you to me?”

  “It was before you and he met,” Caspian explained. “He would have been about the age you are now and was a very angry young merman.”

  “Are you sure you’re talking about the same Calder?” Marin asked. Fierce and protective as he was, Calder was one of the most relaxed and easy-going mermen Marin had ever met. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen him lose his temper completely, not for any reason.

  “I’m sure,” Caspian said. “The Calder I knew hadn’t met you. You were very good for him and he mellowed a lot after your first mating season together.”

  “You weren’t spying on us, were you?”

  “No!” Caspian appeared genuinely appalled by the suggestion, much to Marin’s relief. “Why would I want to see the man I love being fucked by another?”

  Marin rolled his eyes at the comment. It wasn’t the first time Caspian had assumed Marin was the one on the receiving end. At least now Marin knew why Caspian had made the assumption.

  Caspian didn’t seem to want an answer to his question and continued. “You never knew Calder’s brothers.”

  “I knew he had several. They were all older than him.”

  “Yes, and they were all what humans call straight. That is, they preferred the company of females on the solstice.”