Page 80 of Poseidon's Trident
Raven chuckles from the back and Jayden glares as he wraps his hand around mine. “Tell me who you met this morning.”
“I told you—the old man in the sea,” I say.
“Yes, but refresh all our memories.” Jayden raises a brow.
“Nereus, the father of all fifty Nereids? The elusive primordial sea god who can see the future,” I say and Thad whistles low as Jayden pulls out of the parking space.
“My father even has trouble finding Nereus. He sought you out?” Thad asks with wide eyes.
“He even hides from Poseidon? He made it sound like he gets all the gossip from the Olympians.” I run a hand down my face.
Was the sea god lying to me or did he just see what the other gods are saying about me? Why would he put me through that test if he didn’t know what I was about?
“He even hides from my father, yes.” Thad nods. “Father said Nereus was the one to tell him when the time was right for me to go to the academy.”
“If he hides from Poseidon, how did he tell him?” I ask.
“When father started weakening, he sent people out to find Nereus. They were told to scour the seas and find his hiding place. All came back empty-handed. No one knew where to find him.” Thad chuckles.
“Okay then, how did Nereus tell him?” Raven asks, turning in her seat.
“Nereus can only be found when he wants and by whom he wants. His gift of sight and his millennia on this earth make him almost impossible to find. So many heroes in the past tried.” Thad shakes his head.
“I don’t think I like that term anymore.” I lean my head back against the seat. “Not the way it pertains to the demigods from ancient history. Nereus said they always had an agenda or wanted something when they were brave. That’s not what I’m about.”
“That’s valid. They were always after something. The humans say they were great heroes but there was always a reason behind what they did,” Raven says. “Even Heracles’ hands were stained with blood.”
“But was that because of himself or something the stepmonster caused?”
No one knows for sure but the stories say that the queen of the gods in her rage messed with Heracles’ mind and that’s what caused him to murder his family and pay penance with his labors. How terrible for someone to not understand and have to live with the fact that their wife and children died at their own hand because of a vengeful goddess.
When we met Heracles and Theseus in the underworld, they were trying to fight off a demon come to suck what little life the souls of Elysium had left. They didn’t seem like terrible men, just demigods in similar situations to me and my friends.
What will be said about us in the future? Will we be made out to be selfish as well? I don’t like it. The gods know whose side I’m on in this war and I do everything for the good of the world.
“Nereus said I have the weight of the world on my shoulders and I’m starting to think he’s right,” I mumble.
“Nereus is very wise,” Thad says solemnly. “Since joining you all at the academy, I have noticed that you’re practically the leader of the students. Well, most of the students. There are a few who I think are questionable.”
“It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to carry the weight that Atlas does,” Jayden says, squeezing my thigh. “We are here to carry it with you.”
“What if it’s not your burden to bear?” I ask.
None of them deserve to feel this crushing weight every time we are once again tasked with saving the world.
“How is it not our burden?” Jayden asks. “We were all selected by the oracle at one point or another. Me, you, Greyson, and Raven were the first the oracle said would save the academy. This is our fight too, baby. We aren’t leaving it all to you.”
“You’re right. It’s just Nereus knows something that he wouldn’t tell me. I didn’t push because the fates have their hand in everything and he said he couldn’t.” I rub my eyes.
“What did he tell you? You were gone for a long time,” Jayden says.
“He told me about an island off the coast of Vancouver. He said that’s where the trident is being held and that we need to follow the coast to get there.” I lean my head back.
“We have to go to another country?” Raven asks, bouncing in her seat.
“How in Hades are we supposed to get into Canada? We don’t have passports,” Jayden grumbles.
“I don’t know. I’ve never gone to another country before, not even Canada.” I shrug.
