Treacherous Seas

by LM Brown

  Marin stumbled over to a large rock and sat down heavily. “But he only did that so I could have my revenge on him.”

  “Yes. Not that you did, of course.”

  “He’s lost his powers and his immortality because of me.”

  Medina sighed. “No, because of his own actions. I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty but to show you how much Caspian has already done for you. There is nothing he won’t give you, if it’s in his power to do so. It’s just…”

  “I’m asking too much from him, aren’t I?” Marin said.

  Medina pinched her finger and thumb together. “Just a little. Caspian would do anything for you that’s within his power, but you are asking too much and blaming him when he cannot deliver the impossible.”

  “I should go apologize to him.”

  Medina shook her head. “Not if you don’t mean it or if you’re going to lose your temper with him again. He’s having a difficult time at the moment, and the last thing he needs is for you to make it even more so.”

  The goddess vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

  Marin didn’t care what she’d said. He owed Caspian an apology and there was no use in putting it off.

  He hurried to the house and knocked on the door. When no answer came, he tried the handle and let himself in.

  “Caspian?”

  He heard the sound of someone moving a chair in the kitchen and headed in that direction.

  Caspian looked up from where he sat at the table. He didn’t say a word.

  “I’m sorry,” Marin offered.

  Caspian simply stared at him.

  “Medina just paid me a visit,” Marin said. “She told me the reason you’ve been stripped of your powers.”

  “Did she?” Caspian didn’t appear bothered about the goddess’ interference.

  “She said it was because you’d made Rafe immortal.”

  “That’s right.”

  “And you did that so that I would have the chance to face him and make him pay for what he had done.”

  Caspian rubbed at the spot between his eyes.

  “Are you all right?” Marin asked.

  “Headache,” Caspian replied. “One of the more annoying human afflictions.”

  “I believe there are medicines you can take for them.”

  Caspian shook his head. “It’s fine. Just something I’m not yet used to.”

  Marin didn’t bother asking whether what Medina had said was true. He knew already that it was. Instead, he sat down beside Caspian and glanced at the computer screen to see what he had been doing. “What is this?”

  “Nothing.” Caspian made a move as though to shut down the computer but Marin stopped him.

  “These pictures are from under the ocean.”

  “Yes.”

  Marin read the text. “You put cameras in the Atlantic ocean?”

  “Not personally, no,” Caspian replied, sounding quite testy. “I’m not able to survive at such depths now.”

  “Sorry,” Marin said again. “But who has put them there?”

  “Various human science exploration teams. There are a lot of them out there exploring the oceans these days. I’ve been searching the Internet for as many as I can find.”

  “To what purpose?”

  “In the hope of seeing Mariana’s sea dragons captured on camera. We—that is me and the various immortals allied against Mariana—thought that if they are at risk of being exposed to humans, Mariana might turn them back to human.”

  “The pictures don’t seem to show much.”

  “Unfortunately, the distance human cameras can see in the depths of the ocean is limited. If we do manage to catch any on film, it’ll be a total fluke. We thought that with the additional exploration teams around the location of Atlantis, it might be worth a shot to check their cameras. What we really need is a computer expert to get access to the camera feeds that aren’t in the public domain.”

  “Have any of the priests been filmed at all, even a distant glimpse that doesn’t really show what they are?”

  “No, they’re remaining stubbornly invisible at the moment. One of the problems is that they are only becoming visible again when they’re attacking with sea-fire, and the only ones they’re attacking are the mer.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you?”

  “Of course. You don’t want to expose the mer at the same time, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You said one of the problems. What others are there?”

  Caspian sighed. “I guess you’ll find out sooner or later anyway. They’re moving south, and we suspect they’re heading for the Pacific. Since they’re heading away from Atlantis, they’re going into waters which aren’t exactly teeming with humans and their cameras.”

  “You think they might go to the new colony?”

  “Yes. Mariana wants to drive the mer from the ocean, and she is using her sea dragons to do so.”

  “Why does she hate us so much?”

  “Because she cannot control you. She can bend every other creature of the sea to her will but the mer are immune to her powers.”

  Marin thought that was a stupid reason to hate an entire race of beings, and from Caspian’s tone, the former god agreed with him.

  “We will find a way to stop them before they get here,” Caspian said.

  “You promise?” Marin asked.

  Caspian hesitated. “I try not to make promises I might not be able to keep.”

  A crack of thunder overhead made them both jump.

  “You should probably head back to the colony,” Caspian said. “You don’t want to be caught out in the storm.”

  Marin didn’t move from his spot. “Can I stay a while longer?”

  Caspian shrugged. “If you like. Don’t expect anything exciting on the cameras though. The most interesting thing to happen on them all week is an octopus taking up residence right in front of one, and it has moved on now.”

  “I didn’t mean I wanted to sit here watching obsessively for Urion.”

  Caspian gave him a look of skepticism.

  “I didn’t,” Marin insisted. “I thought maybe we could spend some time together. I mean, we did enjoy that…before.”

  “Marin, I’m too tired to teach you anything with a trident today. I’m not inexhaustible now. I’m still learning the boundaries of my strength and I’ve already spent the morning working in the garden and building the fence to keep Jake’s dog out when they come around.”

  “I didn’t mean training,” Marin said. “That wasn’t all we did together, was it?”

  “Pretty much,” Caspian replied.

  “Not when I was Phoebus though.”

  “No, not when you were him,” Caspian agreed. “We spent most of our time in bed back then, which is just as draining, even if I was foolishly optimistic enough to believe that was what you meant.”

  Marin’s heart rate sped up and his blood went south. Unfortunately, since he, like most of the mer, rarely bothered with clothes, there was no hiding his body’s reaction from Caspian.

  “It’s not the solstice,” Caspian commented.

  “I know.” Marin shifted on his seat a little and willed his erection to go away.

  Caspian pointed toward the staircase. “I find a cold shower helps. The bathroom is upstairs if you want to use it.”

  Marin shook his head.

  Caspian didn’t make any effort to touch him and Marin was surprised to find he was disappointed at that.

  “Are you sure you’re too tired for sex?” he asked before he could second-guess the wisdom of making such a suggestion.

  Caspian stared at him, his mouth hanging open. “Marin, if you want to fuck me when the solstice arrives, you know where to find me.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to wait for the mating season.”

  Caspian rose from the table and began to pace the kitchen. “You don’t know how tempting your offer is, but we both know it would be a mistake.”

/>   Marin crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know anything of the sort.”

  Caspian stopped walking and stood at the other side of the table. He placed his hands on the surface and leaned over. “Marin, I love you. No, let me finish. I love you, but unless you feel the same way about me, it would be a mistake for us to have sex.”

  “But last solstice…”

  “That’s different,” Caspian said. “You’re mer and needed to break your fever. I’ll help you with that, if you want me to, but that’s just sex.”

  “And what would it be if we went to bed right now?” Marin asked.

  “For me, it’d be more,” Caspian said. “Sex right now would only complicate things between us. You’ve frequently accused me of treating you like you’re still Phoebus and I think maybe you’re right. I love—loved—him, and I’ve transferred those feelings onto you, without any regard for who you are now. I need to forget that you were once him.”

  Marin walked around the table. “You know that’s never going to happen.”

  “If we’re to have a future together, it has to.” Caspian side-stepped Marin as he approached. “Other than on the solstice, I won’t have sex with you unless you tell me you come to my bed out of love.”

  Marin drew in a sharp breath. Could he ever love Caspian as he clearly wanted him to?

  “I know you don’t love me,” Caspian continued, “so don’t try to convince me you do. Your heart still belongs to Calder and I can’t fight a dead man for you.”

  “I care for you,” Marin said. It was the best he could offer.

  “I know you do. But it’s not enough for me to take you to bed. We both need to be sure of our feelings for each other before we take that step. You need to know that I love you for yourself and not because you once shared my bed as Phoebus.”

  “And you?”

  Caspian cupped Marin’s face and leaned in as if he were going to kiss him. “I need to know the same.”

  Marin nodded and placed his hand over Caspian’s. “You also need to know I’ve let Calder go, don’t you?”

  “I know he will always be in your heart,” Caspian replied, “just as Phoebus will always be in mine. We each need to learn to live with the ghosts of our former lovers.”

  Another crash of thunder shook the house and broke the tension between them.

  “Come on,” Caspian said with a wave toward the living room. “Let’s sit down and talk. You can tell me what you’re doing in the colony and I can amuse you with stories of my incompetence as a mortal.”

  Marin liked the sound of that. He followed Caspian after sparing one final rueful glance at his cock. He supposed he should be grateful for Caspian’s hesitation in taking their relationship any further, but it didn’t solve his current predicament. Maybe he should take up Caspian’s offer of a cold shower after all.

  Chapter Twenty

  Caspian found life on the island to be refreshingly peaceful. He soon settled into his new home and the routines of daily life.

  Weather permitting, he spent his mornings gardening. Jake came over to help him every two days, and on the alternate days, Caspian went to his house to return the favor.

  Marin came to visit him every few days and they spent the afternoons getting to know each other. Marin didn’t ask for any more training with the trident and Caspian didn’t offer. Marin stayed overnight on a couple of occasions, but only after falling asleep on the sofa. Caspian thought their relationship was progressing nicely and he was confident that he was able to separate his memories of Phoebus from the man with him now.

  Odessa came to visit him, mainly to ensure he didn’t forget his invitation to the Isle of the Gods for her monthly dinner party. Caspian didn’t really want to go and listen to the immortals bemoaning the loss of their status, but he could see no way out of it. He would much rather have a nice cozy meal with his parents and sister.

  Cari hadn’t been to see him at all. Caspian wondered what was keeping her away, but he hadn’t reached the point where he wanted to track her down to ask. He supposed he couldn’t put that off much longer.

  Relations with his adoptive son were much better and Justin visited him nearly as frequently as Marin did.

  The island dwellers also found that they had surprising new neighbors who had appeared overnight.

  Fabian, the disowned son of Mariana, and his merman lover Delwyn had taken up residence as well. Finn was delighted to have his best friend so close by, even if it meant that they were all roped into what seemed to be a constant stream of building repairs.

  Medina was no architect and while the house she had magically constructed appeared to be structurally sound, there were some quirks to the property in the form of dodgy floorboards, drafty windows and a perpetually leaking roof.

  “So, why did you decide to come here to live?” Jake asked as he, Fabian and Caspian worked on the roof.

  “Delwyn missed the ocean and his friends, especially Finn,” Fabian replied. “So I spoke to my aunt about it and she thought you might not object to a couple more neighbors.”

  “She was right,” Jake said. “It was pretty lonely around here—before Caspian moved here, that is. You know the mer are happiest in the ocean, so I was on my own a lot.”

  “I’m sorry,” Caspian offered. “I guess I didn’t think about that when I moved you all here.”

  “There’s no need to apologize,” Jake assured him. “I have my guys close and they’re far happier than they were in England. I didn’t realize how much they missed the ocean and their people until we came here. I’m sure you’ll see a difference in Delwyn too.”

  “I already have,” Fabian replied.

  Caspian hoped their little community would soon include an equally happy Marin, but he didn’t say anything to the others. He couldn’t bear to see the sympathy in their eyes if things didn’t work out between them.

  Almost as if his thoughts had summoned him, Marin appeared at the edge of the clearing where Fabian’s house stood.

  “I think someone is looking for you,” Jake said, having seen Marin arrive through the trees as well.

  Caspian nodded and handed over his tools to the others. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting him to visit until tomorrow.”

  “He couldn’t stay away, huh?” Jake teased.

  Caspian ignored the insinuation and climbed down from the roof. He waved goodbye once he was safely on the ground and went to meet Marin.

  “Another leak in the roof?” Marin asked with a nod to Fabian’s home.

  “Yes. Medina had good intentions but would never make an architect. It’s a wonder her temples have lasted as long as they have.”

  “I suppose being underwater, no one would notice a leaking roof,” Marin replied.

  Caspian laughed. “You have a point there. So, what brings you here today?”

  “You were right about the sea dragons moving into the Pacific,” Marin said. “A clan arrived today from the southern seas. They reported the loss of two of their warriors to a group of sea dragons. The sea dragons didn’t follow them north to the colony, but they’ve definitely moved out of the Atlantic.”

  “They will head to the colony in time,” Caspian said. “I’m sure of it. The reports I’ve heard from the other immortals who are monitoring them is that they’re moving slowly so they don’t miss any other large colony on the way.”

  “Are there many?”

  “No, but they are unlikely to know that. They haven’t left Atlantis since their transformations. They won’t necessarily know about the decreasing mer population and the loss of so many of the larger clans. We have a little time before they reach the colony.”

  “And when they do?”

  “I don’t know,” Caspian said. “I wish I did. If they aren’t stopped, they won’t rest until they’ve driven all the mer from the ocean.”

  “Or killed us,” Marin added with a visible shiver.

  Caspian didn’t bother to confirm that would happen. It was obvious to them bot
h.

  Marin hissed and hopped on one foot.

  “What is it?” Caspian asked.

  “I trod on something sharp,” Marin replied as he tried to examine the sole of his foot. “Fabian needs a better path.”

  “I know. It’s on our list of chores to do once his house is in order.” He guided Marin to a large rock and sat him down. “You’ve cut it, but I don’t think it’s too bad. It’ll heal as soon as you transform again.”

  “Um, okay.”

  “What is it?” Caspian asked. “We’re nearly at the clearing where my place is and I have a nice soft path leading to the beach. I think you can make it that far.”

  “I know. It’s just…”

  Caspian sighed. “You forgot I’ve lost my power to heal, right? It’s okay. I forget myself sometimes. Old habits die hard, and I do have to stop myself from trying to heal various scrapes and bruises I seem to accumulate on a daily basis.”

  “That’s not what I was going to say,” Marin said. “It’s just I was hoping to visit with you for a while.”

  “Oh, of course. Well, since you’re here anyway, there’s no real point in you swimming back to the colony, only to come back again tomorrow. I’ll see what I have in the first aid kit to clean up your foot.”

  “Thanks.”

  Caspian hooked Marin’s arm around his shoulder so he could lean on him and avoid making the minor injury any worse. “Come on, and don’t expect me to carry you.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Marin replied. “Well, unless you’re carrying me into the bedroom to throw me down and ravish me.”

  Caspian snorted. “Ravish you? You’ve been spending too much time with Finn and Delwyn.”

  Marin laughed as he hopped alongside Caspian. “They do love the stories that were told on the walls of the sunken city, and there was a lot of ravishing going on in those tales.”

  “Well, I can’t fault Delwyn’s translations.”

  At the house, Caspian grabbed the first aid kit, noting as he did that it needed replenishing, and settled Marin on the sofa so he could tend his foot.

  “You’re pretty good at that,” Marin commented.

  “I’ve been getting quite a bit of practice,” Caspian replied. “I swear I never used to be so clumsy, but since becoming mortal, I seem to get more injuries in a week than I used to in a decade.”