Nash quirk a brow. “The sword speaks?”
“Not in words. It’s more of a feeling.”
Gwyneth pinches the bridge of her nose. “Apart from judgy swords, do you have anything else to tell us?”
“The king is a little senile, and alternates being a semi hot older daddy and a creepy entitled pervert.”
“What king?” Hart asks.
“Poseidon.”
Stunned silence stretches through the space spanning the ocean.
Gwyneth is the first to get her shit together. No surprise really, given she has been dealing with my chaos for annuses. “You’ve met the Idol Poseidon?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I met a king.”
“Poseidon is an Idol, Daphne,” Nash says. “A dangerous and powerful one.”
I point my index finger at my temple and circle it. “He’s a little cuckoo. Maybe he just thinks he is Poseidon, or he’s playing out the narrative, much like Charming. I’m sure the original dude is more put together.”
Nash shakes his head. “Poseidon is not part of any narrative. He is the overseer of all water fairy tales. There are no potentials waiting to take his place. He is the original, the one and only.”
“This is good,” Gwyneth mumbles. “If he rules the water narrative, then he alone has the power to change it. You must petition him to release you.”
“Already attempted,” I say. “He said no. But I’m going to try again. I’ll wear him down.”
“There’s something about his weapon,” Nash says as he turns and disappears from view. Gwyneth glances over her shoulder, no doubt wrestling with the need to follow him.
“Anything else that might help?” she asks.
“Don’t forget the dead dude,” Genie reminds me.
“Who did you kill, Calamity?” Hart asks with a rise of one eyebrow.
“Nobody yet.” Oops. I hope the ‘yet’ isn’t a premonition. “But in my magical underwater house, there’s a room with a casket and a dead guy inside.”
“Inscription says his name is Merlin,” Genie adds.
I smile at him. “Thanks. Names are a good bit of info.”
“Yes, narrowing down dead guys in the ocean without a name is a little time consuming,” Hart drawls.
I roll my eyes.
“I’ve never heard of him,” Gwyneth mutters with a deep frown. “But if he’s in the Lady of the Lake’s house, surely he is part of your fairy tale?”
Nash leans forward. “Merlin is my father’s advisor. He is part of the King Arthur tale, but I don’t really see his significance to you, or why one of the previous Merlins would be at the bottom of the ocean.”
“I’ll ask Frank,” I say.
The knights scowl. “Who is Frank?” Hart snarls.
I fold my arms. “He’s my guide. Keep your hair on. He’s a merman, and not my type.” Not when four knights have stolen my heart. “Also, as far as I can tell, he’s got no—” I make a motion with my hand over my stomach. “Sausage.” Theo’s nostrils flare, and his eyes flash gold. “Hey, don’t dragon out in the library. My sister will murder you, and then she will be the worthy knight.”
Gwyneth shakes her head. “Okay, Lady of the Lake. We have some stuff to work on here. See if you can get any more clues from your guide. Try to stay away from the Idol. No good can come of you being near him.”
“Lady of the Ocean,” I correct.
