Page 44 of Poseidon's Trident
“I would bet a hundred dollars that it’s Artemis with some other crazy request that could end in mayhem.”
“I don’t think this will end as badly as the lion enclosures at the zoo.” Adrian grimaces. “That was a freak request. Artemis genuinely wants to help.”
“Fine,” Jayden says. “I guess we’re going to feed the sea lions.”
He turns on the exit from the highway and pulls through the small coastal town and parks. The sea lions barking fills the quiet street.
“They are excited about food. Do the humans in there not feed them?” Thad frowns.
“They feed them. They’re endangered animals. Of course, they feed them.” I shake my head and walk inside the crowded gift shop to the counter. I hand the girl behind the counter my card to pay for our little trip through the aquarium.
The sounds of the sea lions get louder and a splash fills the space. There isn’t anyone in the place but there are shelves everywhere. I’m surprised Jayden and Greyson can walk through without knocking everything over as big as they are.
We open the door to the side and the sound becomes a roar as the sea lions sense Thad. They all bark at once and several dive into the water. One claps his flippers together while another blows a raspberry.
“What is this? They have no room to swim,” Thad yells, startling a couple walking out the other door.
His face turns red and blotchy as he scans the small space.
“Thad? Calm down,” I whisper.
“Calm down? They are all trapped in here. What about their families in the sea?” He scans the room and I pray that he’s not looking for a way for them to escape.
Did this just become another zoo breakout? I’m not letting him do this. I can’t.
“Thad, they don’t look like they are sad. Can you communicate with them the same as the hippocampi? Ask them.”
Thad’s shoulders relax as he glances over at the nearest sea lion. He tilts his head to the side and his eyes close in concentration. The animals go crazy barking again and I grin.
“Okay,” Thad says out loud. “I get it. You don’t want to leave.”
“See?” I pat his shoulder and Jayden growls.
I glare back at the possessive jealous jerk and grip the tiny paper bag with fish in my hand.
“They are so cute.” I grin and reach out to throw some fish at him.
“They like the treats here.” Thad tilts his head to the side. “I still can’t say that I like this practice of keeping them here to entertain humans.”
“I know it’s weird, but they seem happy.” I throw another fish to a different sea lion.
The sea lion brings its flipper to its mouth and blows me a kiss so I throw another of the small pieces of fish at him.
“They do like it here. They aren’t in danger and the food is good.” Thad laughs. “It’s still strange.”
“If they’re happy, there’s no reason to remove them. They like performing for the humans?” I ask Thad.
“They do. They like seeing the happy smiles on the children’s faces when they do tricks and blow kisses at them.” Thad shrugs. “They are extremely empathetic creatures. They crave joy and they receive it here.”
“That’s good, then. I wonder what Artemis actually wants. If she isn’t here to free the sea lions, then why is she here?” I move quickly through the sea lion exhibit to the door at the back.
I grab the rest of my fish from the small white bag in my hand and throw them to the sea lion who blew me a kiss. He does it again and I repeat the action before he dives in the water below.
“He liked you even before you fed him,” Thad says. “He can tell you’re compassionate.”
“Do you hear their thoughts or were you able to understand their barking?” I ask, genuinely curious how that works.
“I think it’s a bit of both. If they choose, I can hear their thoughts, but if they are speaking what you call barking, I can understand them like most sea creatures.” Thad opens the door into the dark museum, and I stop to wash my hands.
