Page 69 of Of Song and Darkness

I stood, immediately ensnaring the attention of the sea witch. Her glare brushed across my chest before an angry sneer tugged at her lips. “How is this possible?”

I swaggered closer, stopping mere inches from her, bending and whispering in her ear. “Did I fail to mention I was the son of Poseidon?”

The sea witch reared back so violently she would have snapped her spine in two if she had one. “Poseidon had no heirs.” Fear engulfed her entire body as she gaped at me in disbelief.

“None that he acknowledged,” I assured her.

The sea witch eased back, and I allowed her to retreat. There was nowhere in the Seven Seas she could hide from me if she chose to flee. “I will not allow the bastard son of Poseidon to stop me,” she wailed, moving closer to the railing.

“Then do your worst,” I baited her. “You got the upper hand last time, but I assure you it will not happen again.”

A screech rose from her throat, signaling the onset of battle. The trident glowed in her grasp as she unleashed its power upon me. It streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning, but I invoked the ocean, swiftly conjuring a watery barrier to block the blow. The trident’s force rebounded off the water, hurtling back in her direction. She tried to evade the blast, but it singed off one of her tentacles, leaving behind a black nub. The air turned putrid with the scent of burnt flesh.

An angry whoosh of air left her as she stared down at the severed tentacle. I smiled in amusement when the thing didn’t immediately grow back. “Apparently, sea magic has a different effect on you than the blade of a man. How about I remove the other seven?" I threatened, my tone laced with a hint of danger.

Panic rendered her features, causing her to shrink back. “I have just the thing for someone like you.” She cackled, engulfing herself in inky black magic.

I rushed forward, but she’d disappeared. The only thing that met me was the spark of magic as it sizzled through the air, tingling against my skin. I gripped the railing, scanning the ocean for any signs of her. She reappeared a few feet away from the ship with an onyx blade as black as a moonless night in her hands. I stared at the weapon. I didn’t know what it was, but I could hear the whisper of evil and taste the promise of death in the air.

She held the dagger up, the ebony blade reflecting the sun’s rays. “Do you know what this is, son of Poseidon?”

Rhea stepped up beside me, concern lining her features.

“This is the Obsidian Blade. Gifted to me by Hades himself to kill his brother Poseidon,” the sea witch purred.

My blood ran colder than the water in the Mariana Trench. The sea witch was responsible for the death of Poseidon?

The sea witch smiled. “And now I am going to use it to kill you. A fitting sentiment, don’t you think?”

“There’s only one problem with your plan,” I countered, leaning against the railing of the ship like her threat bored me. “I am not my father’s son. He created sea creatures for his glory. I, on the other hand, kill monsters for the pleasure. Rest assured, I fully intend to adorn the bow of my ship with your wretched carcass!”

The sea witch’s pale gray skin blanched, making her look even more grotesque.

“Fighting positions!” I bellowed, and the crew jumped into action. The cries of war hummed in the air, a sweet melody to my ears. My eyes never left the sea witch as she blinked at me in animosity. “I am also not alone.”

“Fire!” Cael bellowed.

The water around the sea witch exploded, the force sending salty water in my face. I stepped off the railing as the ocean rose to meet me. I rushed toward the sea witch, who was still dazed from the carcass shot. She recovered quickly from the strike. More of the dark mist billowed from her palms as she used it to meld the Obsidian Blade and Manta’s trident together. The trident’s middle prong dissolved, and in its place emerged the dagger. An electric shock ran through me, causing me to freeze in place, as the once-golden trident transformed into the purest of onyx.

Power exploded from the tip of the blade, sending a bolt of black energy in my direction. I brought up another wall of ocean water, but this time, the magic effortlessly passed through, slicing through my forearm. I hit the waves hard, sinking into the sea as the magic seared my flesh.

Another round of exploding cannons drowned out my scream. I gripped the railing, watching in desperation as Kai sank beneath the waves. Horror took hold of me as I watched the sea witch send another dark jolt of magic through the water with my father’s tainted trident.

As I prepared to hoist myself over the railing, Cael yelled, “Rhea, don’t,” and bounded toward me.

I stopped when Kai resurfaced, using the might of the waves to hoist himself back up. He was favoring his left arm. Angry, welted skin showed where the trident had hit him.

I knew Kai could triumph over my father’s trident, but Morgana had combined it with a blade that had killed Poseidon. I had put Kai in mortal danger with my plan.

Kai glowed brighter, and the sea around him rippled in all directions, sending his power through the water. I waited, but nothing happened, and the sea witch took the opportunity to strike again. This time, Kai was prepared for the blow and evaded it. He reached up, calling down all the might of a tempest. The sea roiled in a furious, unforgiving frenzy, as lightning and wind conjured a swirling cyclone. With immense power, he flung it at Morgana, sending her tumbling into the raging depths of the ocean.

Whatever flicker of hope I clung to faded into the abyss as the sea witch resurfaced, like an unending nightmare, now in her massive kraken form. Kai glared at the beast, fury etching every sharp angle of his face.

"Reload those cannons!" Cael thundered, his voice commanding as he seized the wheel, steering the ship directly into a head-on collision course with the sea witch.

I wove around the bustling crew, making my way to the bow of the ship. I gripped the railing, legs apart, to steady myself as the boat rose and fell in the midst of the typhoon. I delved into the depths of my being, summoning my most lethal siren song. Kai needed a diversion, and I was going to give him one. The only problem was if I called upon this lethal song, the entire ship would be at my mercy, but I would deal with those consequences later.

My song cut through the roar of the storm that Kai created, hooking itself through Morgana’s ears. My song distracted her momentarily and the trident’s black power ceased as she turned her ire to me. Commotion behind me confirmed my fears. The crew, ensnared by my enchantment, were driven to madness, each one determined to eliminate the others just to get to me. During the chaos, one crew member was thrust overboard, his body catapulting over the railing and into the swirling waters below.

---