Page 84 of Poseidon's Trident
He pulls my door open and offers me a hand. I pull my hood tight as we sprint into the hotel.
The mat on the floor inside the doors of the hotel is drenched when we step inside. Drops of water pour from my face and hair. We are going to drip all over the opulent lobby. Shrugging, I walk to the front desk.
“Hi there, how can I help you?” the man behind the counter asks with a smile.
“Do you have a three-bedroom suite available?” I ask, placing the black credit card on the counter.
“We don’t, but we do have a villa overlooking the ocean. Would that be suitable?” he asks.
“Is it close to the caverns I’ve heard so much about?” I ask.
“You don’t want to go to the caverns, do you? Something strange has been going on there in the last week.” He shakes his head.
“Oh,” I ask, playing dumb. “What’s happening?”
“I’ve checked in three different guests who went to the caverns and never returned. You haven’t seen the news?”
“We just got into town,” I say. “We wanted to check them out but if you’re saying it’s dangerous, we may just continue on our way.”
“I don’t know that it’s dangerous, but it certainly has been odd with the strange weather patterns and people going missing. No one has been able to check the caverns.”
“We’ll take the villa. I think I do still want to explore the caverns though. I love a good mystery.” I grin.
“I would just be careful. There is something strange going on.” The man hands me a few keys and I thank him. “Here’s a map to the villa. The cavern is just on the other side of the cliff from there.”
“That is very helpful.” I take the map from him and turn back to the others who are all still dripping on the floor mat by the door.
“What did you get?” Jayden asks.
“A villa overlooking the ocean near the caverns.” I grin and wave the map at them.
“What information?” Raven asks.
She’s bouncing up and down excitedly, ready for another fight. She’s always giddy when there’s a prospect of a fight.
“Nothing much. Just that because of the weather, they haven’t been able to check out the cavern to see if the people are still alive.” I hand Greyson the map.
My clothes and hair are a lost cause as we drive over to the villa the man at the front desk marked on the map. It’s more of a mini-mansion than a villa. The view of the tumultuous sea would be breathtaking if it wasn’t for the rain and wind. An icy chill forms in my bones so cold it almost burns as I unlock the door.
“Okay, Thad. Can you do your thing?” I ask.
Thad waves a hand and the water moves from my clothes and hair and settles in a ball in his palm before dissolving completely.
“Thank you.” I nod and sit on the plush brown sofa.
Thad helps the others with their clothes and hair and once we’re all dry and seated, I lean forward on my elbows. Jayden’s hand rubs at the tension in my back.
“We need a plan. I’m guessing the sea is too high for the humans to access the cave.” I turn to Thad.
“I can move the water long enough for us to get inside the cave but what happens if the tide rises?” he asks.
“We can all swim, just not as well as you.” I shrug.
“I’m not a fan of having to swim in the sea. There are too many sea deities that might take offense to us being there,” Jayden says.
“We may not have a choice.” I hang my head.
Something Nereus said niggles at my mind. If there are other sea gods trying to usurp Poseidon, then they could come after us simply for being in the ocean. And because we intend to stop them. That makes what we’re about to do exceedingly more dangerous.
