The realization hits me, stealing the air from my lungs. Mermaids can live that long? I had no idea, no concept of the sheer scope of their existence. And yet, here stands Calypso, a living testament to the enduring power of the sea, to the strength of a spirit that refuses to be broken.
I swallow hard, my heart aching with the weight of her pain. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. "I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through, the toll this has taken on you."
Calypso's smile is tinged with sorrow, her dark eyes flickering with the weight of centuries-old grief. "It's been a long and lonely road," she confesses, her voice a fragile whisper, threatening to break under the burden of her pain. "But even in my darkest moments, I clung to the hope that you would someday come. That you would uncover the truth and help lift the..."
Her voice trails off, the word "curse" trapped in her throat, stolen by the enchantment that has haunted her for so long.
With a gentle touch, Calypso reaches out, her hand resting on mine. Between us, the Siren's Lyre pulses with a soft, ethereal glow, a tangible connection to the power of truth and the promise of freedom.
"When I was just a small child," she begins, her eyes distant with memory, "my mother would tell me stories of a great savior, a hero crowned with a wreath of precious gems. She spoke of how this savior would come to the realms, a beacon of light against the encroaching darkness, and deliver us from an ancient evil that seeks to consume our very existence."
Calypso's gaze drops to the seashell necklace resting against her chest, the Soul Stone glimmering with an ominous beauty. "I never imagined that my own fate would be so intricately entwined with this prophecy," she admits, her voice heavy with the weight of her unwanted role in this cosmic dance.
She looks up, her eyes meeting mine, and in their depths, I see a flicker of hope, a glimmer of the unbreakable spirit that has carried her through the long centuries of isolation and pain. "And now, thanks to you, that long-awaited day has finally arrived."
"What have we here?" Cordelia's voice slices through the air like a well-sharpened blade, shattering the moment into a million bitter pieces.
We all whirl around, heart in my throat. Cordelia stands in all her evil glory, her dark blue gown shimmering like the ocean's depths. The Aquanite stone perched atop her staff pulses with an eerie, azure light, casting an otherworldly glow across her cold, beautiful features.
The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife and serve it on a silver platter. A thousand years of sisterly betrayal and bitterness hang between Calypso and Cordelia, as tangible as the salt in the sea. Calypso's hand tightens on mine, her fingers trembling with a silent plea for strength, for the courage to face the darkness that's haunted her for centuries.
I hold up the Lyre like a talisman. "Game over, Cordelia. Your reign of terror is about to come to a screeching halt. The truth is out, and your dirty little secrets are exposed."
Cordelia laughs, with condescension. "Oh, you naive little girl. Do you have any idea what I'm capable of? The power I wield?" She raises her staff, and suddenly, water comes rushing up through the small pools scattered throughout the room, like geysers.
The space quickly becomes a whirlpool of chaos. The raging currents sweep us off our feet. I'm pretty sure I swallow half the ocean before Cordelia throws her arms down, and the water retreats.
We all slowly get to our feet, dripping and drenched with seawater.
"Hand over that Lyre," she demands, "and I might just let you walk out of here with your limbs intact."
I can't help but laugh, the sound echoing through the room like a battle cry. "Seriously, Cordelia? Do you even know who you're fucking with?" I toss the Lyreto Rhyland and whip out my daggers, the blades bursting into flames with my angel fire. "The way I see it, you've got two choices: stand down or get ready for a serious ass-kicking."
"Sister, please…" Calypso begs. "It doesn't have to come to this—not anymore."
"Oh snap! My money's on the sassy angel!" Lucian grins, waggling his eyebrows at Cordelia. "Sorry, Aqua-Ho, but I've seen Dani go full 'Carrie' at prom, and trust me, it ain't pretty. You might want to rethink your life choices, like, now."
Cordelia waves her staff, trapping Lucian, Mirella, Seraphina, and Erik inside a water bubble. They struggle as they float suspended, their lungs burning for air. Acting quickly, Mirella uses her magic to give them the breath of life, ensuring they survive in the aquatic prison.
"Sister, stop!" Calypso's voice rings out, bouncing off the cavern walls like a bullet.
Cordelia's eyes narrow as she begins to pace the floor, her movements as fluid and menacing as a shark circling its prey. "What? What could you possibly have to say to me, Calypso?" she sneers, with venom.
The air crackles with tension, the weight of centuries of pain and betrayal hanging between the two sisters like a suffocating fog. As I stand here, daggers blazing and heart pounding, I know this is it.
The final showdown.
The moment of truth.
Calypso sighs, the sound heavy. "I don't want to fight with you anymore, Cordelia. I know you blame me for what our father did to your mother, but that's not on me. You can't hold me responsible for his choices, for finding histrue mate."
Calypso's words seem to hit Cordelia like a slap in the face, and she loses her shit. "His true mate was my MOTHER!!" she screams, her whole body shaking with a rage that's been simmering for centuries. "Your mother put a spell on him—cursed him—tricked him into thinking she was the one. Then she turned around and murdered OUR father, then killed herself!"
Oh, how wrong she is on that tidbit. Her mother twisted the story before she offed herself.
I can't help but roll my eyes at the dramatics. Seriously, this is like watching a supernatural soap opera, and I'm stuck in the middle of it. I half expect Cordelia to start throwing vases and slapping people.
Calypso shakes her head, a sad smile playing at the corners of her mouth."No, sister, that's not how it was. I remember how my parents looked at each other, the pure love and devotion in their eyes. It was real, Cordelia. Did you ever see that with your mother? Did she ever gaze at our father like he hung the moon and stars? My mother did not..."
