“How many more lives must be taken to satisfy your unattainable need for power?”
“I will require but one more.” Her gaze pierced me, and for the first time I was able to see the woman behind the frigid exterior she had so expertly projected. I could see the pain of rejection in her; the fear of losing control. But most prominently, I could see the hollow grip of loneliness that crushed her soul. I couldn’t help but wonder who Keto used to be, before the pain and betrayal had twisted her heart. She had been a Nereid. She couldn’t be all bad.
“What happened to you, Keto?” I asked her genuinely. “What drives you to these extremes?”
Her defenses slammed shut and a coldness took over her features. She narrowed her eyes at me.
“You’re just like your worthless mother.” She narrowed her eyes at me, “Always trying to pick me apart. As if I were some fractured soul she could piece back together and make whole.”
“She cared about you,” I insisted, remembering the sadness mom had felt in my antiquity experience.
“Don’t patronize me, girl,” she growled at me. “You know nothing of my past. You know nothing of the sisterhood you want so badly to belong to. You are a fool! Only the weak need others to thrive. The strong thrive on their own.”
“Strength founded on vengeance and fear is just an illusion,” I frowned at her.
“An illusion?!” she cackled at me with a shocked expression. “Does this look like an illusion?“ She whirled around and blasted an eight foot hole in the sand with one finger. With a fierce satisfaction she crossed her arms; threatening me to disagree. I shook my head. I pulled energy from the sand and matched her hole with a flick of my own finger.
“Power isn’t strength. True strength is allowing others to see who you really are,” I retorted.
My heart softened as I saw my own fears of abandonment swirling within her.
“You truly are a fool,” she sighed as if highly disappointed in me. “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me, however. With no mother-figure present in your life.” A sly grin appeared on her face, along with a threatening dark eyebrow as she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s such a shame I killed her.”
Chapter 42
I knew that she said it simply to get under my skin. Unfortunately it worked like a charm, because I knew it was the truth. She had taken the life of my mother; ripping her from life too early, and sentencing her to an eternity in the Underworld. Rage churned through my veins and I fought to hold back the urge to rip her apart, limb from limb. Her sly grin widened to a full blown smile, and my restraint unraveled; twisting into something ferocious. I stepped closer and narrowed my eyes.
“My mother should have killed you,” I spit at her. “I heard what you said to them. You deserved any amount of punishment they imparted on you. You were just too cowardly to face it.”
Now it was her opportunity to lessen the space between us. She gritted her teeth, and I took pleasure in knowing I’d found a button to push.
“I deserved their pardon! Their grace!” she hollered at me. “They preach sisterhood, but only on their terms!” Out of the corner of my eye I could see our audience coming closer. Selene, Zara, Phoebe, and Carmen were listening intently. Finn and Willow were helping Natasha and Elina, after my shockwave had sent them flying down the beach. Thankfully, the Auras and Sirens had no healing hands to assist them. They were all still lying motionless on the dark beach.
“And what are
“Don’t you dare chastise me,” she fumed. For the first time, I noticed a dark green glow about her. As her outrage rose, so did her luminosity. She would be a glow stick if she got much madder. “This has gone on long enough. It’s time.”
“You won’t succeed,” I informed her with a matter-of-fact tone. Instead of answering, she sent a ball of green energy directly into my chest. I flew backwards and landed in the foamy waves as they lapped at the shoreline. The splash sprayed me with a glistening shower of ocean that sizzled as they hit my skin. I could feel the energy of the ocean before, but this was completely different. The ocean was alive with a litany of emotions and energies that blended together into a world that called to me; sending my essence into a frenzy. It was time to find out exactly what sea goddess essence was all about.
I was back on my feet in time to see Keto disappear beneath the waves. I ran and dove in after her. If we were going to do this, I was glad we were going to do it in the one world we truly belonged in. A thrill of excitement rocketed through me as I glided through the water with ease; almost as if it were pushing me along. Its velvety arms wrapped around me and I was on Keto within seconds.
She shot forward and deeper as I continued to follow her. The green dress she wore resembled fronds of giant kelp trailing behind her in the current. As we passed schools of fish, I could feel their surprise; the recognition of our presence. They darted out of the way as we entered Keto’s element. A forest of giant kelp welcomed us with excitement and I began to lose sight of her as she wove around and through them. She disappeared amongst their dark green color and I soon found myself alone in the jungle of kelp.
I searched my surroundings for her, but only discerned the excitement and energy of the kelp.
Her own essence was so close to the kelp, she became a part of it; rendering me helpless to find her.
The serenity of my surroundings hid the fact that there was a dangerous sea goddess stalking me at every turn. I twisted around in an attempt to get my bearings. I saw a flash of movement in the corner of my eye and I shot after it. I continued deeper into the forest until I was completely lost.
The water temperature dropped suddenly, and the kelp around me quivered before shooting towards me at mach speed. The individual fronds wrapped around my arms, legs, and stomach. As they squeezed tighter, I knew that Keto was close. I struggled against their slimy fingers, but they were relentless. Icy rage bubbled up in my stomach and instantly I distinguished the feeling of remorse from the kelp holding me hostage. It sent a current similar to menthol through my skin and released me. Interesting.
Knowing Keto must be watching, I decided to use the kelp to my advantage. I reached out to my surroundings one more time and was able to sense a cool presence a couple of feet to my left. I reached my hands out to the kelp and willed it to give me a clear sight of Keto. A frenzy of sensations flowed into my hands and an invisible energy split and bent the kelp, creating a path for me to follow.
Suddenly, the kelp around a very stunned Keto bent back, revealing her hiding place. Her head swiveled in surprise and her emerald eyes swirled a bright neon green, as she extended her arms and splayed her fingers.
“Traitors!” she shouted at the giant plants with hatred. Green energy flowed out of her fingers as she sliced the kelp in half, their top fronds floating helplessly to the sea floor. The despair I endured as she mowed down half the forest cut deep and enraged me even more. I could feel the resentment and pain swirling in the water, and thanked Keto silently for unknowingly making my idea that much easier to execute.
I held my arms out, palms down, and willed the seaweed that was still alive to attack her. A mass of green silently rose from the depths and wrapped around her. Several larger strands twisted around and flung themselves at her; cutting into her skin and leaving the water red with her blood. I heard her cry out in rage, but the kelp continued its relentless attack.
Suddenly, something razor sharp impaled my left calf, causing me to lose my concentration in a fog of overwhelming agony. The electric eel that had done the damage swam away into the dark, and I heard Keto laugh as she was able to overcome the kelp with her energy. I pulled from the ocean’s energy and felt the pain in my calf subside. I glanced down and smiled as the wound began to close.
“You’re gonna have to do better than that!” I yelled at her as I swam away. I felt her on my heels as I spotted a shipwreck up ahead. I ducked into one of the broken windows and made sure my dagger was still tucked safely in my pants. The handle sparkled in the moonlight that filtered through the surface.
“You can’t hide in there forever, coward,” I heard Keto snicker. I gritted my teeth at her accusation, and then smiled with delight as I found what I was looking for. A small reef shark swam up to me, her curiosity pulsing around her smooth gray body. I rubbed a hand over her back and willed her to follow me. I swam back out of the ship and peeked back to make sure she was still there. Unfortunately Keto was way ahead of me, and her eel
