“The Pacific Ocean, Mariana Trench.”
My body jerks at the random fact I’d heard somewhere pokes at my mind.“The one that’s eleven kilometers deep?”I check.
“That’s the one, but we are going deeper and slightly to the left.”
I shudder as all light disappears and we descend into darkness. The night sky has nothing on this.“Hold tight,”he commands.
I lock my ankles around his waist and hands behind his neck. He dives faster, then we are pulled into a vortex, spun around and finally spat out onto the ground. We roll over, the soft sand sticking to my wet skin as I come to a stop on top of Archan. Glancing around, my jaw drops as I take in the insane scene.
We are inside a glass structure built like a castle with turrets and transparent walls and stairs. Various creatures illuminate the outside of the walls enough to create a soft ambiance inside the structure. Jellyfish glow an iridescent violet, fish with giant jaws have light bulb looking structures hanging in front of them. Sharks of various sizes dart between the smaller creatures, whilst hundreds of seahorses rock amongst the seaweed. I put my hands on Archan’s chest and push up, shaking my wings, water flying everywhere.
“If Ariel turns up with a fork and no voice—” I start.
“Well, you already claimed the prince, so she’s shit out of luck,” a deep booming voice rumbles from behind me. I spin around. If Aqua Man and Disney’s Poseidon had a love child, this would be him. Silver hair, beard, crown, startling blue eyes, tribal tattoos, and emerald gloves—he’s just missing the merman tail, instead opting for flowing black silk pants.
His chest shakes with laughter. “I only wear my tail on special occasions.”
I blink and glance at Archan. “You said that out loud,” he explains.
My gaze slides back to the man drawing closer. “Poseidon?” I check.
He reaches us and grabs me, wrapping me up in his enormous arms. “Pandora, you are a sight for sore eyes.”
I stare at Archan, pleading with my eyes. He runs his thumb along his lips, hiding a smirk. “Not really a hugger,” I state, tapping Poseidon’s giant biceps.
“Nonsense. I am practically your father. I can hug my daughter, who I have not seen in centuries.” He grasps my arms and holds me away from him, looking me up and down. “What have they done to you?”
My cheeks flame. Who’d have thought wearing a bikini to Atlantis would be a faux pas? “Sorry, they made me wear it.”
He frowns. “Not your clothing, dear. The last time we met, you weren’t a goddess.” He studies the mark on my wrist. “Although I fear someone has interfered in that as well.”
I rub the curse mark. “I’ve been cursed.”
He nods and drops his arms. “The Adam’s curse, it’s an issue.” His gaze lands on Archan and bows his head. “Sire, it is an honor to once again have you in my home.” He takes hold of my hand, dropping his other arm across Archan’s shoulders. “Come, we have much to discuss, a lifetime of memories to share, and an approaching war to avert.”
He leads us up the glass stairs, revealing a large throne room. The center contains a round glass table with matching chairs, various foods and drinks decorating it. Poseidon drops into one of the chairs and indicates for us to take a seat on either side of him.
“Eat, child. Refuel at every opportunity during a war, you never know when your next meal might be.”
I don’t need to be told twice. I pull a dish of various seafoods in front of me and pop a prawn in my mouth, the flavor bursting onto my tongue making me groan. No whipped fish mousse in sight—thank the gods. Archan smirks. “What? The man said eat. It would be rude not to.”
He rolls his eyes. “Eat, not make love to the food.”
“She’s always enjoyed the small things,” Poseidon says, pouring a clear sparkling liquid from a glass carafe and pushing a full goblet my way with a smile. I sip it, finding the most delicate of champagne. This is foodie heaven. “So tell me about this war.”
“How do you know?” I wonder. “You are down here.”
He leans back in his chair. “The fish are terrible gossips, and the gods are terrible secret keepers. Everything important that happens on the surface reaches my ears. A lot of unimportant stuff, too. Like Jen and Brad—so sad.”
I snort a laugh and slap my hand over my nose to prevent the champagne from squirting out of my nostrils.
“He also has Netflix,” Archan states.
Poseidon leans back in his chair. “I know you slaughtered Typhon, saved Archan, and sacrificed yourself. You fell in love.”
“Fallen,” Archan corrects, bringing us into the present.
Poseidon tips his head. “Sorry, Sire, she has clearly fallen in love with you. I believe the Prince of Violence led the way to breaking into Tartarus and now Zeus leads the band of monsters through hell and to Earth in order to rule it. Did I miss anything?”
