ChapterSixteen
Isamaria
Isa could hardly believethis was happening. She had been kidnapped by a man who was half-man, half-squid.
“Let me go!” Isa cried. She struggled against her captor’s grip at the surface, but even if she got away there was nowhere for her to escape to. She was in the middle of the ocean, and she couldn’t swim through these waves, not miles back toshore.
“Calm yourself, mortal. My name is Stavros, and you are about to witness the transformation of a god,” he hissed intoherear.
Stavros forced some sort of concoction down Isa’s throat, then dragged her downward. The potion burned and tasted awful. Yet she found that with the help of it, she was able to breathe underwater, and she could open her eyes without the saltburningthem.
At least he wanted her alive. She wasn’t sure for what reason, or for how long thatwouldbe.
Stavros took her downward, to the very bottom of the ocean. He dragged her into some sort of cave, then tied her to a long and thin rock at the center of it. Isa screamed and struggled. Stavros ignored her and began pouring potion upon potion into a large cauldron, the concoction exploding and changing colors with every ingredient headded.
“You’re the one who made the deal with Adrian, didn’t you?” Isa asked. “Youchangedhim.”
“You’re bright, aren’t you,” Stavros said, and he rolled his eyes. “Yes, child, itwasme.”
“Why did you bring me down here?” Isa asked. “I don’tunderstand.”
“My girl, capturing you was the crucial part of the plan,” Stavros told her sharply. “Bequiet.”
Isa’s mouth wobbled. “Well, it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t in love with me anyway. He’s not coming to my rescue. He’s just going to leave me here.” Isa’s tone had a measure of defeattoit.
“Of course he was in love with you, you stupid girl,” Stavros said. “He practically threw himself at my feet begging me to make him human so he could bewithyou.”
Isa’s eyes widened. “But then… why wouldn’t hetellme?”
“Because that was the condition of our agreement. You had to tell him that you loved himfirstfor the spell to hold. If he said anything of the sort to you, the deal would be broken.” Stavros tossed a flask casually aside, and it shattered on thecavewall.
A terrible pain dug into her, and Isa hung her head. She’d been so blind. A moment of irrational thought had ruined everything. All she had to do was tell Adrian she loved him, and she could’ve lived happily everafter.
But Stavros, for whatever reason, had been relying on the hope that she wouldn’t. And she’d come throughforhim.
Stavros finished with what he was doing and faced the entrance of the cave. He was biding his time.Waiting.
Eventually, two figures came into view. Isa assumed one of them must be Poseidon: he was large, and powerful, a merman that was twice the size of Stavros and who carried a trident with one hand Isa was sure she couldn’t even liftwithtwo.
The second man with him caused Isa’s hearttostop.
It was Adrian… but he was different. Gone were his legs. They were replaced by a long green tail with scales that shimmered like emeralds and that moved as powerfully as the ocean itself. He carried a golden trident, and his black hair weaved beautifully in thewater.
The sight of him— Adrian as he truly was, and not who he’d became for her— made herbreathless.
When Poseidon and Adrian entered the cave, Stavros smiled. “Notsofast.”
He swam behind Isa and pointed a knife of bone at her throat. “Come any closer, and I’ll kill the girl. Or perhaps I’ll just kill heranyway.”
Adrian instantly turned pale. The water around Poseidon grew darker. “Don’t dare to play games with me, brother. My patience has run out. Surrender now, and I won’t takeyourlife.”
“This isn’t a game,” Stavros hissed. “I’m serious. Deadlyserious.”
Stavros stuck the point of the knife into Isa’s neck, and she started to bleed. The knife wasn’t like any other knife-- it stung, and caused a pain like needles to spread throughout her body. Isa started to scream in agony. Stavros’ smile onlywidened.
“Dad, please, do something!” Adrian moaned, unable to take hercries.
“Enough of this!” Poseidon roared, and Stavros drew the knife out. “What is it youaskfor?”
