The captain ran his hand along his jaw as he stared at Kai. “It never quite resulted in rain, but the wind kicked up, a heavy cloudbank rolled over top of us, and the waves were rocking us like a nanny with a fussing baby.”
“I think I remember the waves getting higher, but I was a bit busy fending for my life to worry about the weather conditions.”
“It wasn’t happening despite your fight. It was happening because of the fight.”
Kai considered the captain’s revelation and tried to picture the earlier fight. Had the waves begun to build when the fight was literally in full swing? Kai thought back to other turbulent times in his life. Had storms coincided with the moments in his life that caused him great stress? He couldn’t really recall anything in particular until he thought about the day of his mother’s funeral. It had poured that day. The same had happened on the day of his father’s a year later.
It could all be a coincidence, but it could also be a clue to his identity.
“What other creatures can resist a siren’s song?”
“Hmm?”
“You mentioned that there were other creatures that could resist the voice of a siren. What else is there other than a siren?”
The captain looked toward the ceiling, rolling his head slowly on his shoulders as if he were trying to shake some thoughts around to find the right one. “Mostly water creatures. Kelpies, merpeople, sea nymphs, gill monsters, black lagoon creatures—nothing that you resemble. Of course, there are the children of Poseidon.”
“Who are they?”
“Poseidon is this god from Greece. Full of himself, brother of Zeus, ruler of the sea...blah...blah...blah. Kind of a dick if you ask me. But he’s also a sort of ladies’ man, and he tends to love them and leave them, hit and dip, you know, pump and dump. A real charmer, which means he’s got a number of kids out there that he’s fathered and left behind. They would likely inherit some of his abilities, such as resistance to a siren’s song.”
“Well, that’s just great. I could be a monstrous creature of the deep, or I’m an asshole’s son. None of that sounds any better than the other. I might be better off not knowing who my biological parents were.”
“Be careful what you wish for, right?”
“How would I even know if I’m one of the children of Poseidon anyway? Would a DNA test show he’sdefinitely the father? Where’s Maury Povich when you need him?”
“Who?” At the wave of my hand, the captain continued, “Actually, you’re headed in the right direction. There is a way to find out whether you are one of Poseidon’s offspring or not, and I’ve heard stories of an amulet with a similar symbol on the island where you want to go. It’s a lost artifact from Poseidon’s kingdom. Thought about looking for it myself once upon a time, but I’ve got other treasures to hunt. Once you have it, take it to the Sea Witch of Vanuatu as payment. She’ll be able to tell you if you’re Poseidon’s progeny or just some lucky schmuck.
“All you have to do to find it is listen for it.”
Chapter 15
HOLLYN WOKE TO THEsound of Kai’s voice calling her name. It was strange because she’d been dreaming of him. It took her a minute to comprehend what was real and what were the remnants of sleep.
In her dream, he’d been running in front of her, and she’d been trying to keep up. At first, she felt like they were escaping something together, but then, he seemed to be trying to separate himself from her, to get away. It was strange, but it felt so real. So real, that when she saw him leaning over her bed, she had the urge to reach up and slap his handsome face. But then she reminded herself that it had just been a dream.
