Page 50 of Of Song and Darkness

“Then prove it. Help me stop the Dark Hydra.” The words tasted like poison on my tongue, coating my heart in the same vile substance. I couldn’t believe after all he had done that I was pleading for his help. “The locket was destroyed.” I reached up, idly brushing my fingertips along my collarbone where the necklace used to hang.

Kai’s gaze followed my hand, searing my skin wherever his eyes touched. “I don’t know what you expect me to do.” He turned away, done with the conversation.

“You’re Blackheart Kai!” I screamed after him, voice thick with emotion. “Your entire purpose is to kill monsters.”

“The Dark Hydra isn’t a monster. It’s pure evil orchestrated by Hades. Not even the sea witch would risk coming this close to it.” He was in front of me again before I could process his quick movements. “How do you think I was able to trick her into giving me this ship before I fulfilled my end of the deal?”

I scanned the ship, covering every inch of the craftsmanship. “Please help me save my family.”

My body shook all over in desperation as my cheeks were saturated anew with my tears.

A growl of frustration vibrated in Kai’s chest as he angrily shoved his fingers through his unruly hair. “I don’t know if I can.”

I rushed up to him, gripping his hand and entwining my fingers with his. “All I ask of you is to try. If we die, we die together.”

Kai reached up, brushing his knuckles across my wet cheek. “For you, sea demon, I would sacrifice my life.”

Kai crushed my body to his as he claimed my lips as his own. Hoots and whistles from his crew members were the only things that kept me from losing myself in him completely. Kai pulled away, determination set in his rugged features.

I chewed on my bottom lip. My emotions were all over the place. I was foolish to trust anything Kai said or anything I felt at the moment, but I could not deny the way my flighty heart beat for his. “How will we get to the Dark Hydra without that fragment of Poseidon’s heart?”

Kai walked over to the railing of the ship, a strange, foreboding haze in his eyes. “Why worry about a piece of that bastard’s heart when you can have his son?”

My entire body broke out in a cold sweat as Kai hoisted himself onto the railing and dove overboard.

The frigid water was like a balm to my tattered soul as I dove into the black abyss. This was the second time Rhea had persuaded me to get in the water. Before she came along, it had been years since I had gone into the ocean. I avoided it at all costs. I hated how my blood sang when I was in the sea and how the currents and waves seemed to be in sync with the heartbeat that drummed in my bloodstream.

I harnessed command over the language of the waves and tides, an unbreakable bond that tethered me to the sea’s embrace. The ocean coursed through my veins, an unwanted but inseparable companion. I loathed it, yet at the same time found peace in its familiar presence.

I emerged from the depths, combing my hands through my hair to get it out of my face. Rhea’s fingers bit into the railing, her entire demeanor betraying her concern. My gaze traveled down the length of the Wraith. All my crew members were staring down at me with looks of confusion and fear. All except Cael, the only living soul that knew my true secret. His eyes shone with a sense of approval.

Rhea looked beyond me, and her knuckles whitened as her grip on the bone railing intensified. I pivoted in the water to see what demanded her attention. The inky waters retreated swiftly, mimicking a school of fish evading a lurking shark. The tiny fragment of Poseidon’s heart had provided a shield merely a few feet wide, standing as the boundary between us and the engulfing Dark Water. As I plunged into the depths, the black water withdrew, shrinking to an almost unseeable point on the distant horizon. I inhaled deeply. Maybe I could do this.

A splash brought my attention back around. In the clear, pristine water, I could see Rhea as she swam up to me. She surfaced mere inches from my face. She blinked at me a few times, seemingly still trying to accept my admission. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I swallowed the lump that formed at the base of my throat. “It’s been my experience that people don’t normally own up to what they are most ashamed of.”

Understanding swirled in her honey-colored irises, and she thankfully didn’t press the matter further.

Rhea chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit that made my blood heat to uncomfortable levels. She stopped when she noticed the intensity of my stare. “Can you do this? Can you defeat the Dark Hydra?”

I could tell by her tone she was hesitant to ask. I didn’t blame her for being worried. Hell, I was concerned myself.

“In truth, I don’t know what I am capable of,” I answered honestly—for once.

I remained ignorant of the boundaries of my abilities, as I had no one to guide me in mastering them. Instead, I suppressed them deep within, burying them in the darkest recesses of my being alongside the painful memories intertwined with those extraordinary powers. I had chosen to deny my heritage and everything that linked me to that tainted bloodline.

Rhea reached a shaky hand toward my face, stopping it in midair. “Then we will find out together.”

I plucked her hand from the air, anchoring it to my chest. I didn’t want her to go. It was dangerous, and I had no idea what to expect from the monster below, but this was her destiny just as it was mine, and I would not deny her that, no matter how badly I wanted to.

“Cael!” I called over my shoulder before turning to face him.

“Aye, Cap’n.”

“If I don’t return, take good care of my ship.”

A solemn expression overtook his features as an unspoken understanding threaded the air between us. “Safe travels, my friend.”

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