Be safe,
Cympolelia
“All done, so who will you be sending for?” I ask Natal, letter in hand.
“Do you see that young myr that swims by every few minutes? The blond one that drools all over the dome each time.”
I look up and sure enough I see a myr-man swimming by with stars in his eyes. He has blond hair and couldn’t be a hundred yet, and possibly has drool coming out the corner of his mouth as he looks at Natal. I nod my head to her.
“He’s the one that I will give this to. I know he will do whatever I ask of him.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Oh, Leia, you should know by now that I can get most men to do whatever I want. I just snap my fingers and they rush to do my bidding. Especially one so young as him and so full of lust that he can’t help but want to please me!” She laughs.
I can’t help but shake my head. I know she’s right; every single myr-man would do anything for her. I grab a bottle, stuff the note inside, and seal it with a cork.
“All right, he should be making another pass soon. I will just do a come-hither with my finger and get your message passed along.”
Only a minute passes and I see blond hair come into view. “See? Right on time,” she says, leaning back on her rock to look up through the dome. She is propped up with both hands, but when her target is close enough she pulls one hand up and curls her finger to the young myr, asking him to come to her. I swear his eyes about popped out of his head. I see his fin beat rapidly as he dashes to the bottom of the dome to enter her pool.
He pops out of the water right next to Natal.
“Yes, my goddess?”
He sounds so anxious to have been given the opportunity to be close to her. I have to bite my bottom lip so I don’t burst out laughing at the enthusiasm that is pouring from him.
“What is your name?” Natal asks in a sultry voice.
“Liam! My name is Liam, Goddess!”
I watch as Natal leans close to Liam’s face and traces a finger down his cheek. I swear his eyes are about to roll into the back of his head.
“Liam, can you do me a big favor?”
“Yes, anything!” he replies before Natal can even finish her question.
“I need you to deliver a message for me, one that must go straight to Delphine and no one else. I need someone that I can trust with this important message. Can you do that for me? Are you the one I can rely on and trust?”
“I am! I will swim to the ends of the world for you, Goddess, and personally make sure only he gets this.”
“You must be careful, Liam. There are rumors of other gods planning a war. I am sure you’ve heard. This could be dangerous,” she says with mock concern on her face.
We both know that Delphine is closer to the Caribbean islands with his dolphins. It’s too close to mortals for most water gods, but since Delphine can take the shape of a dolphin as well as myr and human, even if his dolphin form is three times the size of an average dolphin, he can blend easier. There is no real danger where Delphine is, but Natal is laying it on thick.
“No need to worry, my goddess, I can handle whomever tries to stop me,” he says as he puffs out his chest. I almost lost it then and laughed out loud. I turn my head so he cannot see me shaking from holding back my laugh. It would spoil Natal’s dramatic speech and performance if I did.
“I know you could handle anything, and that is why I’ve asked you and only you to do this favor for me.” Natal continues to flatter him.
“I am honored that you chose me, Goddess. I will not fail you.”
I watch Natal lean down and kiss Liam’s cheek. His eyes close and his face turns bright red. She pulls back with a sweet-looking smile and I pass her the bottle to give to him.
“Be safe, Liam,” she says in a sweet voice.
“I will protect this message with my life and get it to Delphine for you, my goddess.” He holds the note as if it’s a sacred object that could fall apart at the slightest movement. Oh, brother. Get this over with already, I think to myself. I look to Natal with the hope that I can convey this to her.
“I know you will, Liam. Be careful and be safe.”
He nods once, reaches for Natal’s hand, and kisses the back of it. He nods to her once more and disappears into the depths.
I look to her and just shake my head.
“What? I can’t help that most of them want to worship me.”
I burst out laughing then, unable to hold back from the scene I just witnessed and the look on her face as she simply shrugged off another one of her admirers like it’s no big deal.
“You like to perform, and I have to say that was an amazing performance you just put on.”
“Thank you, I try to polish up the speeches and sincerity as much as I can.” She smiles at me since I am still laughing at her.
Chapter 2
Tane
“You can’t leave! What will I do without you? We have responsibilities here! Your father died in the last war when you were just a myr-babe, I can’t have you running off to do the same. I cannot stand the thought of losing you as I lost him. I cannot lose both of the men in my life. The thought of living my life without you in it…I would not be able to go on!” My mother cries as I start packing my bag.
“Mother, I know I am a lot like my father, you have told me this many times over the centuries. We have all heard about an uprising and how certain gods want to fight Poseidon for his throne. He has always been a just god and we were all created as images of him. He is one of the Original Twelve, and through his benevolence he has given us purpose and immortal life. It would be wrong of me not to go and stand by his side in times of trouble.”
I watch my mother sink to the edge of my bed, sorrow written on her face. She has aged since my father’s passing. Even though she is still beautiful, I can see her sadness written in the lines around her eyes.
I grab her hands and look into her blue eyes. “Mother, you know I will be cautious, and I will do everything in my power to come back to you. The last thing I want is to leave you alone, but you know I have to do my part and help if I can.”
She sighs deeply as her grip on my hands tightens. “I know how honorable you are, just as your father was. I will worry because I am your mother, but the world will end if you do not come back to me! Do you understand?”
I smile, because knowing my mother she would probably find a way to end the world if something were to happen to me.
“Yes, Mother, I understand.”
She nods her head. “I am glad. Now, take your father’s sword with you. I hope that it will bring you better luck than it gave him. I did ask the woodland nymphs to put a little extra magic on it to protect you. They owed me a favor for rescuing that little wood nymph from those mortals, so I asked them for a little help watching over you. They said that as long as you carry this sword it will protect you and bring you good luck, though I’m not sure how. I suppose you will find out when the time arrives.”
“Thank you, Mother. I’d best be on my way now, it is a long journey to Poseidon’s kingdom, and I am uncertain of what I will encounter along the route.”
“I know, just be cautious of everyone along the way until you know who to trust. I love you. Please,