We had solved it. We were about to claim the box. Poseidon’s Box. If it held the second half of the prophecy, I had kept my vow to the Captain and my grandmother. We would be able to stop the war and cure the oceans of the Shadow, restoring everything to its original state, as it had been before the curse.
I practically skipped over the barren land that led back to the ancient crumbling church where the old man sat with his skinny black cat.
“I’m sure he will be happy to be released,” I said breathlessly.
“Wait a minute.” Finn gripped my wrist, pulling me to a halt. “He said to make an offering, and the task was about generosity. Did you bring that dagger?”
I nodded, patting my hip.
“That was quick,” the old man said, eyes alight with a hungry glint as we approached.
I reached for my blade, but Finn was faster. His hand slipped beneath my dress, retrieving it and slicing it across his left palm. Silver-streaked crimson dripped onto the cracked earth between the man’s bare feet.
“The answer is blood, and here is your generous offering,” Finn drawled, wiping my knife on the dry grass beside us before handing it back to me.
The small kitten crept forward, sniffing at the blood, but the man nudged the creature away.
“Can we have the box now?” I asked, squinting against the sun’s glare, my sundress fluttering in the sea breeze.
“You may have the box,” the old man croaked, “ifyou solve the riddle, and you have not yet done that.”
My throat went dry. “It’s not blood?”
“If it were, you would have the box, and I would be free. You have until sundown to try again.” He sighed, and his little cat mewed in unison.
I squinted at the sun, which was now low over the ocean. At best, we only had a couple of hours left.
“Should we go back to the villa?” Finn asked, pressing his fingers against his wound to stem the blood.
“No, let’s walk. I need to clear my head.”
Instead of returning to the bustling tourist drive, I led us down the winding stone staircase, away from the path we’d taken before. Down and down we went, the afternoon sun glaring on the back of my neck as I replayed the riddle in my mind. Over and over again, I ran through the words. Each answer I came up with seemed logical at first, but it didn’t tick all the boxes when scrutinized.
By the time we reached the water and the cluster of venues at the cliff’s base, the sun had sunk lower still, and my ideas were becoming more and more far-fetched.
I scrunched up my nose and swung to Finn. “Do tomatoes grow in darkness?”
“Seriously?” He rasped out a chuckle.
“We have to solve it,” I cried, my voice breaking. “We can’t have gone through all of this not to.”
“Let’s sit down a moment, and get something to eat.” He gestured tothe closest venue, Dimitri’s Taverna. Nestled along the water’s edge, it had a wooden decking area sheltered from the sun, littered with white wooden chairs and tables with blue tablecloths.
“Ah, I love Greece almost as much as I love that sundress.” Finn’s dark gaze dragged over me as we sat down at one of the tables overlooking the ocean.
I turned my attention to the sea so he wouldn’t notice my smile. Since I’d hugged him, something had shifted. He seemed lighter, the shadows gone from his expression.
Finn leaned forward onto his elbows and grinned. “What’s better than ordering seafood while the salt of the Mediterranean embellishes our forearms?”
I squinted at the sea, hoping it could provide some answers, while he ordered fresh oysters, urchin caviar, and a tankard of wine.
“Do you want anything else?” He raised a dark brow at me.
“Just some of that Greek cheese... What’s it called again?”
“And Saganaki.” Finn threw an arm over the back of his chair as he addressed the waiter.
Once the man had left, I brushed my hair behind my ears and met Finn’s gaze. “Okay, we need to focus.”
