Page 54 of Cruel Tides

Pop.

My body jerked between the two of them as they reformed around me. I braced myself, wrapping around the nearest body I could reach, praying that the other could keep his hold on me. When the dead weight of my tail settled in place, I found myself sandwiched between the two of them, my head guarded, cradled by something set against either side of it for protection.

My eyes opened to a prickling sensation, like the light penetrating the surrounding water was forcing my night vision back. Only, my night vision didn’t seem to want to be held back. It pulsed and flitted around my irises, blurring my vision.

As soon as I opened my mouth, water flooded in, filling my lungs. “Does anyone see Leander?”

Instead of answering with words, the body behind me tensed up. I nearly choked on my tongue when the tail behind me slithered against mine, twining around it.

That was… certainly bizarre.

Then the tail grasped me and tugged, prying me away from the body in front. “W-wait!” What the heck was happening? I blinked rapidly, wishing away the mystical blurriness from my sight as I tightly hugged the figure in front of me. Then my vision honed, and I realized what I was holding on to.

Kai’s shark tail.

And those things that had protected my head? Yeah, I realized what those were, too.

“Your… your…” I tried, but I couldn’t say the words aloud.

Like a fool, I’d nestled my head between hisclaspers, thinking they were some sweet gesture meant to protect me from the rush of magic that came from our transformations.

Kai stared at me, absolutely lost for words, as if his brain had melted away.

Wishing I’d somehow evaporate into the current as well, I turned down to confirm that the thing wrapping around my useless half was Barren’s crimson tail. His strength supported me, and I scrambled to grab one of Kai’s arms as Barren separated us. As soon as I was off of Kai’s shark half, Barren pulled me back against his chest, his arm encircling me in the same way his tail did. Possessive, absolute.

With the stone titan wrapped around me, I felt more protected than ever before.

Uh,what?Why was I even thinking that?

Whateverthrallthing this was, we did not have time for it. My eyes frantically searched the ocean around us.

“Claspers!” I shouted at the two of them to remind them why we were here.

Wait—that wasn’t right.

“L-Leander!” I choked out, correcting myself. “Do you see him?”

Laverne came into view right on cue, rounding out of a spiral.“Caught him,”she said, and she spat a golden fish out of her mouth.

“Thank Poseidon!” I silently retracted all the unkind remarks I’d said to myself about Laverne over the last day.

Fish-Leander tumbled through the water while Laverne let out a hiss of disapproval.

“I mean, thankyou,Laverne.” I offered a smile I hoped she found genuine enough to please her. “Not Poseidon. Definitely not.”

Kai still looked dazed when I hooked his arm around my waist so I could reach for Leander. “Brace yourself,” I said, then went for the betta.

Pop.

When the water settled, a disheveled Leander floated in front of us, and Laverne was clapping at the spectacle.

I couldn’t help it—now that I knew he was safe, my relief immediately slid to annoyance. “What were you thinking, Lee?” When he didn’t open his mouth, I shook my head and answered for him. “You thought you were going to show off, huh? Thought that the trident’s magic was enough to break your curse?”

Honestly, I’d thought the trident would be enough to break the curse, too. I’d been counting on it, actually, but that was before he took it into his body. Now that the trident was a part of him, breaking the curse would involve him using the trident’s magic, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Leander’s lips thinned into a grimace. He mumbled something, but even if it was an apology, I didn’t want to hear it.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my dad, Lee,” I said, exasperated. Kai tapped my shoulder, pointing to where the boat was still very much above us, and my face soured.So not helpful, Kai.

---