Finally, my legs were freed; allowing me the chance to evaluate my surroundings. I’d never been claustrophobic, but that was quickly changing amidst the giant swaying stalks of kelp. It towered around me in every direction and blocked any view of the world above. It reached towards the surface as a whole, searching for any inkling of sunlight that may filter down to those depths. I suddenly felt very small and insignificant. All at once an overwhelming sense of infinite patience and wisdom drenched my soul and instantly calmed my nerves. I got the odd feeling that the forest was welcoming me.
As I parted the thick curtains of kelly green, tiny electric sparks shot through my arms; making me smile. That’s when I realized I was far from lost. If anything, I’d been found. As the soft blades brushed against me, I began to catch glimpses of a clearing up ahead. As I swam through the edge of the dense forest, a hauntingly tragic scene stretched out before me; taking my breath away.
Naked planks of iron splintered up from the ocean floor, which had created an eerie skeleton that would forever point accusingly up at the surface it would never again see. Several algae-covered cannons lay near the main wreck, along with other bronze and iron structures I didn’t recognize. The entire wreck site oozed with history and reverence, shadowed by a tragic end. Amidst the field of debris, one object in particular had my full attention. She was poised at what used to be the bow and she was looking directly at me.
She was a dark garnet hue; rusted and aged to perfection by the waters of the Atlantic. Her eyes were kind, gazing at me with a look of serenity and truth. She had long, flowing hair that elegantly disappeared behind her shoulders with a crown of flowers adorning the top of her head. Her body was at least ten feet tall and the scales running down the length of her were intricately crafted, leading down to a sweeping fish tail. She was magnificent. I swam closer, completely mesmerized by her enchanting presence. She was made that much more magical by the effects of the ocean slowly devouring her surface. Algae and moss clung to her features, while tiny sea creatures made their homes within her nooks and crannies. I slowly reached out and ran my hand along her side.
A litany of images assaulted my mind in the span of two seconds. Raging seas. Colossal waves. Dark skies. I pulled my hand away in surprise and stared up at her serene face with wonder.
“She was attached to the front of the ship. They believed she would give them protection and safe seas.” I turned to find Finn several yards away, partially hidden in the shadows of the kelp forest. I was reminded of the first time I had seen him at the Hole. I’d been right. He didn’t belong amongst the flowers, birds or sunshine. He belonged beneath the waves; where the sun scatters instead of shines, where time becomes muted, and darkness protects. He was a part of the ocean as much as the ocean was a part of him. Just like me. Just like the forgotten Sea Goddess before me who was lost to the sea so many years ago.
“She’s amazing…” I grinned at him, contemplating the irony of her final resting place, “… apparently not very effective, but still amazing.”
“You wouldn’t believe how many ship wrecks are off the Outerbanks of North Carolina. It’s referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.” His eyes seemed far away, “So much history…so many souls lost…”
“When I touched her, I saw a bunch of images…just like I experienced with the sea turtles.”
“You have an affinity for all things connected to the ocean, not just the animals,” he explained. I immediately reverted back to the memory of Nadia accusing me of violating her mind.
That’s when I remembered something else much less threatening.
“What about the coffee table in the living room? I felt something from it, too. Where did it come from?”
“This shipwreck,” he grinned and swept his arms out encompassing the whole wreck site.
“
“Pretty cool, huh?” he grinned.
“Very cool…” I said; inspecting a circular object below.
“After it sank, the Sons salvaged the wood from it. It had been sitting piled up in storage, so we decided to make something out of it. We’re good with our hands,” he winked at me and I rolled my eyes, even though I was highly impressed. I swam closer to the main skeleton and marveled at how large it had been. The spine of the ship remained hidden beneath the sand, but its ribs were massive. I swam inside what would have been the belly of the ship and imagined what it must have looked like. Out of the corner of my eye, something glinted in the sand. I kicked down further; zeroing in on the unknown object. I could tell that only part of it was sticking out, so I plunged my hand in the soft, forgiving sand and plucked it out.
“Wow,” I breathed in pure amazement. The stone fit into my hand perfectly and warmed as I gripped it. Its iridescent white color was enhanced by the tiny striations throughout. It was smooth and shimmered even more than my trace as I turned it back and forth in my hands. It was simply beautiful.
“Find some buried treasure?” Finn asked with an amused smile. His dark hair danced in the current and his deep blue eyes had swirls of light blue, courtesy of the ocean waters.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I arched an eyebrow at him and closed my hand around my find, putting it behind my back.
“I’ve already found my treasure,” he inferred with a wicked grin.
“You are so cheesy,” I shook my head at him and smiled.
“You like it,” he accused me.
“That’s completely beside the point,” I said at the same time a yawn took my mouth hostage.
I didn’t even know it was possible to yawn underwater. Finn came up behind me and hugged me; leaning down and kissing my cheek.
“I think it’s time to go back up to the beach,” he said with a suspicious smile.
Chapter 13
If I thought the breeze was chilly on my bare skin before swimming in the ocean, I obviously wasn’t thinking about what it would feel like after the fact. Still only wearing bra and underwear, Finn had wrapped me up in a huge, fluffy beach towel decorated with snowmen, which I found wildly ironic, and the icicles on the end of my nose had slowly begun to melt away. Huddled on the blanket with only my nose and eyes peeking out, I observed Finn emptying the mystery canvas bag of its contents. First to come out was a round Tupperware container. Next was a small black box, a corked bottle of liquid, and a small shot glass. If he thought I was about to do shots with him, he was sadly mistaken. I’d be asleep before I could set down the glass.
“It’s not what you think,’ he said without looking at me, but I knew he was referring to the highly skeptical look plastered all over my face. “It’s coconut milk…from the Fortunate Isle.” This time he glanced up at me and smiled knowingly. Relief washed over me, quickly replaced with curiosity and excitement. I had no idea what this was all about, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
He sat up straighter and something resembling devastation rushed into his eyes, “I have some bad news.”
“Okay…” I unwrapped the part of the towel cocoon covering my head; giving him my full attention. Coming in second to ‘we need to talk’ were conversations starting with ‘I have bad news’.
The devastation I saw in his eyes had travelled across his features, which caused my heart to break.
“The day you’ll have to take your journey to the Underworld will be November 2nd.”
“November 2nd…got it.” Sounded like a harmless date to me, “Why is that bad?”
“It’s the Day of the Dead,” he clarified, paused, and then took a deep breath, “it’s also my eighteenth birthday.”
“Your birthday’s on the Day of the Dead?” Realizing quickly that wasn’t the piece of information I was supposed to get out of his explanation, I hastily continued, “What does that mean for my journey?”
“What that means is that I won’t be able to go with you.” Yep. Definitely bad news. My heart sank to my feet and I felt the blood drain from my face.
