Poseidon squints at me and leans closer. “Why are you here? This is my ocean, my rules. We agreed you would leave me in peace.”
“I’ll happily leave you in peace. Just send me back.”
“This is Daphne, your majesty,” Frank says. I have never wanted to punch someone more than right now. Reminding him of who I am won’t help my mission to return to my sister and knights.
Poseidon’s eyes clear, and he sobers. “Yes, that’s right, the new Lady of the Lake. We should hold a feast in her honor.”
What in the fresh Blazes is happening?
“Indeed, we thought that would be what you wished,” Frank says carefully. “So we went ahead and arranged it.”
Poseidon glances around the room of sea folks with a big smile. “Excellent. What would I do without you?”
“Get annoyed with menial tasks, my king.”
“That’s right. Oh look, Medusa is here. I need to remind her to keep her headscarf on.”
Poseidon hurries over to the other side of the room, greeting an attractive woman wearing a bright pink wrap around a bulging mass of hair. Is her hair moving? Never mind. I don’t want to know.
“He has memory issues,” Frank explains in a hushed tone, so only I can hear. “It’s getting worse every annus, but it’s expected, given his age.”
We move around the edge of the room, giving me a clear visual of everyone milling around. “How old is he?”
“Some say a thousand annuses, some say more. It’s not truly known.”
I stumble at that declaration, but the water keeps me upright. “A thousand?” That’s impressive, given I’m pretty sure I will not make it half my expected lifespan, and this king has been around so much longer. The things he must have seen, witnessed, and experienced.
“Oh no,” Frank says with a wince. “Aphrodite is here. Excuse me one moment.” He swims off to greet the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. One with legs. We should be friends—leggy people are in the minority, and we should stick together. Perhaps form a support group. She stops to speak with Poseidon and Medusa. The latter gives me the creeps, so I sink backward until my back hits a pillar.
“Hi,” a timid voice says to my left.
I glance at the source, finding myself next to the squid from earlier. My chest tightens with guilt.
“I’m sorry. I only ate his tip,” I declare.
The squid wiggles. “It’s okay. I didn’t know him.”
I’m not sure that’s any better. Just because he was a stranger, doesn’t make the thought of one of your own being cooked and eaten okay.
“Why do you come here?” I would avoid this place if they served maidens on the feast table.
“It’s the will of the king. All creatures must be represented.”
The king needs to stop extending his will where it is not wanted. “What’s your name?” If you name your food, you can’t cook and eat it. That’s like an unwritten law of the realm.
“Maisy.”
“Hi, Maisy. I’m Daphne.”
“I know. Everyone knows.”
Right. “I could sure do with some friends down here.”
“You want to be friends with me? A squid?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not really the done thing.”
