Page 91 of Until the End of Ever
His presence had always made me smile, and generally happier, yes, but the strength I suddenly felt? That was him, transferring his energy to me.
“Lucian?”
“We’re between Scylla and Charybdis. The whirlpool is a trial, yes, but you can make it. It’s your inheritance. Your power. Scylla would devour your soul in instants. Swim in the opposite direction,” he said, pointing far in the distance, where there wasno sign of land, or of anything. “It sounds daunting, I know. I know,” he repeated, his voice breaking. “But you’ll make it. Next, there are sirens. You’re to tell them one word, Kleos. Don’t forget it, it’s very important.Zeablut. As soon as you hear the song, you scream it. Understood?”
“No, no, no—” I shook my head, for good measure. “Stop it. Stop this!”
It was hard, fighting him to let go of me and fighting against the downward spiral wanting to swallow us both.
“Zeablut. Say it.”
“Fuck you!” I shrieked instead. “I’m not taking your energy. I refuse. We’re swimming together, and you can tell them whatever you want!”
Holding on to his arm, I tried to pull him in the direction he’d gestured towards, but I could barely move myself, let alone him.
“Stop it,” I demanded, pushing away from him so he’d halt the transfer.
His grasp was stronger than iron.
“I’m not a great swimmer, love. I won’t make it. One of us has to. And now you know.”
Tears ran down my cheeks, tears no one would see, as I was almost swallowed by water.
Now I knew that he cared for me enough to sacrifice his own life without even giving it a second thought. Without even trying to save himself. What he didn’t realize was that I’d never accept his sacrifice.
“Listen to me,” I demanded. “The moment you sink, I let go. You understand that? We both make it out, or neither of us does. It’s you and me. Until the end of ever. Or until now, if you prefer.”
I wasn’t sure how much he’d caught, with the deafening waves, but I’d shocked him into stillness, and finally, the idiot had stopped syphoning his own energy out.
Lucian’s lips crashed onto mine, both of his arms around me.
If we were going to die like this, it wouldn’t be so bad. But I’d much rather live.
The prospect of swimming away from this mess seemed completely overwhelming, and the thought of making it long enough to find land, away from Scylla, even land infested with sirens, was hopeless. But if Odysseus had survived this, we would too.
“All right. Legs together, one arm, and we switch when it gets tiring,” I said, clinging to him with one side. “We’ll make it.”
“You were remade by the sea god. Maybe he’ll take pity on us,” Lucian said, managing some humor.
I froze, which was the dumbest thing to do when I had to keep moving.
Except I didn’t. Not really.
And now you know.
I’d assumed Lucian had wordlessly given me a grand confession, but that wasn’t what he was doing at all, was it?
We were in the middle of a ritual to discover my inheritance. A journey. Technically, our bodies weren’t even here.
And we’d ended up in the middle of a sea that didn’t belong to our world; the sea of legends and monsters and gods.
One god, specifically.
I’d been made by Poseidon, the lord of this nightmarish world.
There was only one thing I ought to be doing.
Pray.
