Page 54 of Poseidon's Island Flower

I shook my head slowly, feeling my ears burn with shame. “I’m not the greatest catch in the sea, Zeus. You know that. I’m a lot of work.”

Zeus scoffed, and thunder rolled in the distance. “Cy, you know that isn’t true. Out of all of us left without a mate, you deserve one the most. And you are telling me you were going to give her up?” He pointed to the house, hissing through his teeth.

We were plunged into darkness as the light flicked off. The beach was quiet, with the only sound being the distant thunder rolling over the ocean. The stars peeked from the clouds, providing the only light.

“I was, but I can’t anymore. Not after I touched her.” I gave him a small smile. “Now I want nothing more than to be better for her. And, I’m healing, at least I think I am. She gives me confidence when I thought I had none.”

Zeus nodded, putting his arm around me. “Again, I’m proud of you. Just, don’t give her up, okay?” He released me and began walking back down the beach toward our suite.

I stared at the small house, my feet itching to run up the beach and knock on her door. Maybe ask to come in?

“Hey, Zeus?” I called out.

Zeus turned, arching his brow.

“Why did you ask? About how I knew Lani was mine?”

Zeus's eyes darkened as his lips curved downwards in a frown. “Just wanted to know what to look for when the time comes.” His postured changed from the usual prideful walk in his gait to slow, dragging feet in the sand. He forced his hands in his pockets and didn’t look back as he continued his walk away from me.

After the long walk down the beach to Lani’s house, I wasn’t ready to go back. The longing to see her grew in intensity with every passing minute. It was a dull ache in my chest. The nights were long without her, and having another moment to check in with her was a wonderful feeling.

And Zeus must have known that.

My brother had changed. He really cared for his family.

I quietly ran up the beach. As I got closer to the palms that hung over the home, three of my largest crustacean friends came from between the trees. Their legs were long, strong, and thick as tree trunks. They were distant cousins to the coconut crab that lived in the southwest islands of the Pacific. However, these were as tall as me in my human form and their tempers more territorial than many of their relatives.

All three greeted me with a bow, their claws digging into the sand to show submission. I smiled, waving for them to stand. They didn’t need to bow to me when they protected their queen.

“How is she doing? Any visitors?” I linked to them.

The leader clicked his pinchers together in warning.

“No visitors, but she makes noises while she sleeps,” he replied. “Her eyes leak liquid and her mouth tilts downward.”One beady eye looked at me while the other looked to the window.

I furrowed my brow.

What could she be sad about? Is it her brother?

Her brother had been gone for nearly a week and a half. Had he not called her? That would be a question to ask her in the morning. Showing up now at her door may not be wise, since she was already asleep. But how could I help her?

A whimper caught my attention, and my crab sentinels motioned me to the window, an open window. I stiffened, looking inside seeing a tiny tear at the corner of her eye.

It wasn’t a nightmare; she did not call out or shake the bed, but she was in obvious distress.

How bad would it be if I crawled into her window?

The torment wrestled with me the longer I thought, and I felt another presence behind me—Silas, my most trusted, standing on two shaking legs.

I had given him the ability to walk on land, but unfortunately it could only last a few hours. His hand bared down on my shoulder with more weight, and I caught him before he fell.

“I’m sorry, my Lord,” he whispered. “I saw you on the beach. I felt your distress.”

Out of all my creatures, Silas was most attuned with my feelings. And maybe that was why I never developed better social attributes, because he knew how I felt.

“She is sad,” I said. “And I do not know what to do.”

Silas tilted his head, the gills behind his ears flowing like he was still breathing in water. “Then lay with her, Master. Just while she sleeps.”

---