essence pooled in my palm and lifted into the sky. “Echete Epilexei.”
As she made her way into the circle with her sisters, eight more Nereids followed suit. They each introduced themselves, gave me a drop of essence and declared that they had indeed Chosen me.
After a total of forty-seven Nereids stood in the courtyard, Amphitrite stepped in front of me and held out both of her hands. Without hesitation, I placed mine palm up in hers. She began to pull both of our hands together into a prayer position when someone’s voice broke the silence.
Chapter 45
“Wait!” We both turned at the collective gasp of the crowd, and followed their stunned stares to a woman standing in front of the platform. Her white traditional Nereid dress looked dazzling against her dark features, and the jeweled clip that secured the green sash to her left shoulder sparkled under the lights of the amphitheatre. Keto.
With a subtle nod from Amphitrite, she made her way up onto the platform as the crowd murmured at this new development. My legs turned to jelly once more, and my heart kicked into overdrive. I hadn’t seen her since that fateful night in the ocean, and I wasn’t positive that this would be a pleasant exchange. She stopped in front of us and bowed her head to Amphitrite, who met her gaze with approval. Keto’s green eyes locked onto mine and her typically hardened features softened into a smile.
“I believe you require one more drop of essence before joining the sisterhood.” She raised an eyebrow and my eyes darted toward Amphitrite for a clue as to what she was talking about. Keto wasn’t in the sisterhood, therefore her essence wouldn’t be required. Or so I had thought. Thankfully, Amphitrite was quick to explain. Her blue eyes scanned the arena as she spoke.
“Our estranged sister came to me last week in hopes of rejoining the sisterhood of Nereids.”
She cupped Keto’s face in her hands as she continued, “We welcomed her with open arms.”
The crowd took a few moments to digest this new piece of information, and then slowly began to stand; showering applause of acceptance onto Keto. Joy danced inside my heart and tears came to my eyes as she stepped towards me and held out her hand. I placed my hand in hers and allowed my tears to spill over as she gave me a drop of her essence. She searched my eyes.
“You were right,” she said quietly. The waver in her voice hinted at how difficult it was for her to admit. “Strength is more than just power. Thank you for reminding me of that all-important lesson, as well as for sparing my life. I would be honored to have you as my sister.” Before I could answer, she closed her eyes and said the two words I had never expected to hear her say: “Echete Epilexei.”
“Thank you,” I responded with wonder. Keto bowed to me ever so slightly, and then took her place in the circle. Amphitrite stepped back in front of me, took my hands once more and pulled them into a prayer position between us; her hands on the outside of mine.
“I will say ‘Join us’ in Greek,” she whispered. “And if you accept, you will say ‘
“Dechomai,” I practiced slowly.
“Perfect,” she said in a low voice before speaking much louder, “Elate mazi mas, Anastasia Nemertes Theophanides.”
I squared my shoulders and answered, “Dechomai.” A broad smile spread across her lips as she lifted my hands higher in the air and began to sing.
“I make the sound, Nani nani nani and wherever it hurts will heal. The sun wakes on the ocean and the starfish in the sand. Let also my sister wake. To nani nani, my sister to heal. To nani, nani, my sister to heal. As the little birds of the breeze and the mountains of the deep. Let also my sister wake. I make the sound, Nani nani nani.”
“You…!” I gasped, as my mouth dropped open. I’d heard a similar song in my dreams, when I had first returned to Lorelei! “It wasn’t a dream…”
My answer was a subtle wink before she closed her eyes and a brilliant light shot up from our joined hands. The result left my entire body tingling, and I jumped as the crowd broke into cheers and applause once more. Amphitrite opened her eyes.
“In lieu of your…circumstances,” she inferred with an amused grin, “we will be skipping the awakening ritual and moving right along to the Spiti presentation.”
“Wait…what..?” I stuttered.
She simply took my hand and we turned to face the back of the grand building that had been erected. Six wide, stone steps led to a massive wooden door, which was identical to the front; a stone porch spanning the length of the building. She held out an arm to gesture for me to go ahead of her, and I held my breath as I took the first step. My dress somehow stayed out from under my shoes, and I averted the first potential mortifying face-first fall. Five more to go. By some small miracle, I made it all the way to the top without tripping and then turned to face the crowd. From this vantage point I could see every single pair of eager eyes that watched my every move, and my legs began to shake again. I searched for Finn, but found only an empty spot beside Ricker and Carmen.
Before I could think about where he had disappeared to, Amphitrite joined me in front of the wooden door and commanded my attention, along with the rest of the audience.
“Just as every goddess before her, Anastasia will be gifted a House that will forever imprint her life and memories upon its walls. I present to you,” she held her arms up, “the Spiti of Anastasia!”
The crowd cheered again, and Amphitrite reached into a pocket hidden within the folds of her dress. She brought out the three keys from my valise, one bronze, one silver, and one gold, and it finally dawned on me what they went to. My only question was why one door would require three keys. She held out the silver key and placed it in my outstretched palm.
“The
Lastly, she presented me with the gold key, “The
“As a tri-goddess, you possess three essences. Your Spiti has been enchanted to hold the imprints of all three. What you see upon your entrance will depend on the key you use to unlock the door.”
I knew I must have been staring at her like she was speaking a different language, but she had just officially blown my mind.
“If you choose to use the silver key, you will see the memories and experiences of your past imprinted on the Spiti’s walls. Using the bronze key will allow you to see your present upon the Spiti’s wall; a constant reel of images related to you, as well as to your loved ones. And finally, using the gold key will allow you to see your future imprinted upon the walls.”
That was when my eyes began to pop out of my head, but thankfully I was able to keep my jaw off of the stones at my feet as she continued. “It will shift and blur as you make decisions and reach milestones, but…” Her voice lowered and she grinned wickedly, “It’s pretty cool.”
She led me closer to the door and took the hand not holding the keys, “Which would you like to see first?” she asked. I glanced down at the keys in my hand and was immediately drawn to the gold key.
“The future key,” I said slowly, not trusting my voice. She simply nodded and took the silver and bronze key from me. I inspected the substantial wooden door in front of me, and found the massive key hole that could only be meant for the six inch skeleton key I held in my grip. I slid the key into the hole and turned it to the right. The door clicked once and opened on its own. I sent one last questioning glance at Amphitrite, and then stepped into the doorway at her encouraging smile.
As I walked onto the stone floor, I immediately glanced up and noticed the three-story vaulted ceiling above me. Beams, made from the same wood as the doors, criss-crossed above, creating impressive rafters that led my eyes to the walls - or what I assumed were walls. I walked further inside and gawked at the four walls around me.
