Page 1 of The Tides of March

Prologue

It turns out that gods and monsters are real. That would have been an astounding revelation for a fledgling anthropology professor but Anthony Costa was too tired, cold, and lost to care. He knew that monsters were real because one had attacked him, nearly sucking all the life out of Tony and leaving him weak and helpless. His friends had done their best to save him, but nothing had worked so Tony was bundled in layers of thick cotton, wool, and flannel, then tossed into a boat like a baby Perseus.

Tony thought about his Danäe and hoped she wasn’t worrying about him as he bounced in the icy belly of the little vessel. From what he could gather, they were fighting their way through an angry Chesapeake Bay. Whenever Tony opened his eyes he caught a glimpse of the Beaver’s moon despite the blurry, overcast night. Waves slapped against the hull, the hard rocking lulling Tony and pulling him under.

His stupor wasn’t empty or dreamy, though, but filled with questions and crushing disappointment as Tony analyzed everything he had overheard and learned while under Lennox MacIlwraith’s roof and care. At first, Tony was shocked todiscover that his hero and mentor was a demigod, but his wonder and awe were quickly replaced by doubt and dismay.

In the hours after the attack, Nox had whispered numerous apologies as he and Merlin worked to heal Tony. Nox explained that he had been bound by a generational oath and hadn’t been entirely sure of what would happen or what he would become. He had run from the truth for as long as he could—until Agent Nelson and the Moon Murders had triggered the kind of metamorphosis they had read about in mythology and fairytales.

Instead of being astounded and rabidly curious, Tony’s heart was broken because Nox had hidden it all from him. Tony had been excluded, after close to ten years of loyalty and friendship. He wasn’t even supposed to be there or part of Nox’s trusted inner circle, and the attack had made Tony a mortal nuisance and a liability.

What more could Tony have done to prove that Nox could trust him? Tony grimly noted that his situation was more similar to that of Philoctetes, than Perseus, as he lay, frigid and fading on the boat’s floor. Like Tony, history and the texts weren’t exactly clear about how Philoctetes had been hurt, but he had been deemed a liability due to his cries and his stinking, festering wound so Odysseus abandoned him on an island.

The only child of a single elementary school teacher, Tony had inherited a love of learning and books. Perseus and Odysseus had been his childhood friends and he had sailed with them on countless adventures. And while Tony had admired those great heroes, he had always related more to their sidekicks. He found their unwavering loyalty and sacrifices just as honorable and inspiring.

He had imagined himself as a Patroclus or a Pirithous and that his friendship was invaluable. But when Tony found himself in a real-life legend and in the presence of an actual demigod, he hadn’t made the sidekick cut and had been cast asthe expendable nuisance. He was a castaway and bound for an island to meet another monster while the real heroes continued their epic adventures without him.

Cold and weak, Tony swayed with the waves, drifting from the darkness of unconsciousness to the bitter, blustery night above him. His spirit flickered, dimming as he awaited his fate. He still loved and trusted Nox wholeheartedly and Tony had faith that this was the right course of action. Nox knew way more about gods and monsters, obviously, and he loved Tony too. He’d never let any harm come to Tony.

But Nox didn’t have the same faith in Tony and hadn’t envisioned anything grander for him beyond assistant and fledgling professor. Instead of an epic adventure and eternal glory, Tony was bound for Pooles Island to recover from his injuries.Thatstung and had poisoned Tony’s soul worse than the shrieking zombie child’s attack. And Tony had a feeling it was his disappointment and grief, in combination with the attack, that was preventing his recovery.

Which was silly, Tony could admit. He had seen achild’s corpseand it had snatched Tony’s wrist, screaming like a thousand rusty chainsaws and sucking all the warmth and strength from him. Tony had stumbled across the street and up to Nox’s front door, certain no one would believe him or be able to explain what had happened to his mother. Apparently, he had been struck by dark magicktwicebut Tony was still reeling and sick from unreturned love and trust.

It wasn’t a romantic wound. Tony was pansexual but he loved and looked up to Nox like a much cooler brother. He had never been attracted to Nox like that and Aubrey had pretty much obliterated Tony’s heart when she tapped out and moved to England. Not that Tony blamed her. Their relationship had begun under theworstcircumstances and the odds had always been stacked against them.

Tony thought she was the whole package: brains, beauty, and an incredible sense of humor. She was way out of his league and he had been genuinely happy when she started dating his best friend, Walter Forsythe, and when they got engaged. But Walt turned out to be a deranged narcissist and a serial killer who had tried to start a dangerous cult.

That was a terrible foundation to build a relationship upon and Tony understood why Aubrey had to put an ocean between herself and the past. He couldn’t leave his mom or Nox or his job, but Aubrey wanted to leave him behind too and had cut off communication. She said she couldn’t hear Tony’s voice or see his face without thinking about Walt and all the terrible thingstheyhad unknowingly helped him do.

Tony had accepted that he’d never be the leading man in a romantic love story, but it looked like he never had a shot at being a heroic sidekick either. Like Philoctetes, Tony’s adventure was coming to an abrupt end. He heard Nox shout and the engine was gunned before it was cut off. The boat ran aground a few moments later, jarring Tony awake as he was quickly lifted up and over the side.

“I swear, I wouldn’t leave you if I wasn’t 100% sure you’d make it, T,” Nox said as he kissed Tony’s forehead.

“I know. Go!” Tony was terrified but he didn’t want Nox and the rest of the gang to get into trouble because of him. He shuddered on the sand, wet cold seeping through the layers he was swaddled in as he listened to Nox, Fletcher, Arawn, and Bryn heave against the side of the boat, pushing in time with the waves.

“Everyone in!” Nox ordered and they all leaped over the side and into the boat, leaving Tony on the beach.

He was just about to succumb to the terrible drowsiness that had plagued him for days when Tony heard a gruff shout anddogs barking and howling. Warm snouts and cold noses poked and pushed at Tony as he was inspected and his face was licked.

“Damn it all. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” a growling, gravelly voice asked.

Tony’s cheeks were patted until he opened his eyes. A loud “Oh, Christ!” erupted from Tony when he found himself face-to-face with the merrow. It was startlingly ugly, with thick, bushy brows, bulging eyes, a long, flat nose, and a wild, red beard. But it was the giant’s expression, feral and fierce, that chilled whatever warmth was left in Tony’s bones and the breath was sucked from him as the world went completely dark.

One

One month later…

Dumped.Again.

Tony was beginning to suspect that there was something deeply undesirable about him, after being unceremoniously bundled out of a warm bed, shoved intoanotherboat, and dumped on a dock at a marina before being told to have a nice life. It had to be a deeply buried reason because Tony did his best to be a decent and generous person and other people seemed to like him.

But the people that Tony truly wanted, never wanted him back.

His father had vanished after Tony’s mom told him she was pregnant and it turned out, his best friend of four years, Walt, had only been using him. Tony thought things were turning around and he was building a life, but his girlfriend left him and moved to England. About six months later, he learned that his other best friend and mentor had excluded him from some rather huge developments before handing Tony off to the grumpiest, ugliest asshole on the East Coast.

Tony wasn’t wanted on Pooles Island either and it was impossible not to take that personally. Instead of going straight home or calling his mother, like Tonyshouldhave done, he caught an Über to Georgetown and Lennox MacIlwraith’s townhouse. He’d have to tell his mother a hundred lies because she’d never buy that he was fine. Not in the state Tony was in.

His body was whole and all his limbs worked as he climbed the stoop and rang the bell, but Tony felt empty and like he was fading as he waited. The door opened and Tony could only offer Agent Grady Nelson a halfhearted wave, instead of his usual cheerful greeting.

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