“Of course,” said Thetis.
Everyone was staring, dead quiet. Taking in the size of the army, my immediate danger dawned on me. I had to get away from these guys before they recognised me.
“I should keep going,” I said.
I made to swim to the surface to catch a long-overdue breath. My tail barely functioned. I flushed at how laboured my swimming was.
A hand closed over my arm.
“Ouch!”
Despite my cry of pain at his firm grip, Thetis didn’t let go.
“Wait a moment,” he said, voice low.
My skin prickled. I didn’t like the sneer curling his lips.
“Let go of me.”
“No,” he said calmly. “I never said you could leave, Lysithea.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Ben
Military Tech
“What happened to your vacation?” said Officer Miller, watching Reeves bound through the tall grass at him.
Reeves leapt onto the trail and picked up a jog, keeping pace with Miller.
“The Caribbean is all booked up.”
“The entire Caribbean?”
“Sir, I have information about the serpent you’ll find interesting.”
Miller glanced sideways with an air of exasperation. His mustache twitched. Then he returned his attention to the trail and grunted, which Reeves took to mean he should continue.
“I did some research, sir, and the legend spans several cultures. There’s the Midgard Serpent in Norse mythology, and the leviathan from the Old Testament, of course. The indigenous peoples—” he tripped over a stone and caught himself “—of the Pacific Northwest have Sisiutl. Dharmic religions have Naga, and—”
“What’s your point, Reeves?”
“This serpent is all over human history, but given the merman’s pattern of attacks, I think we should look at one in particular.”
Miller was silent. Their footsteps drummed through the silent morning air as they continued along the dirt trail, approaching the coastline.
“The Pacific Northwest, sir. I think we should find out more about Sisiutl. Maybe they have information on how this merman king got it in the first place. If you look back at the satellite images, the earliest indication shows up near Eriana Kwai about three weeks ago—”
“Near who?”
“Eriana Kwai. That island in the Gulf.”
“Oh. Right.”
“I think we should go there. Ask them about the serpent. I think the merman was targeting them.”
The trail turned. They emerged from the meadow and continued on a low clifftop along the jagged coast. The scent of wildflowers faded on the wind, replaced by seaweed and brine.
“Reeves, I don’t think those people will be happy to see us. We haven’t exactly been helping—”
