The mortals always say that when you’ve found your soul mate, you know at first sight. I have been alive so long I always thought it was just something they said to get mortal women into their beds. Now I know, with one look at her, that she is the other half to my immortal soul. She has power and courage, strength and love all wrapped up in that lithe body of hers. With her fiery spirit, you’d think she would have red hair like her friend.
I never really thought about having a woman in my life. I surely wasn’t looking for one to be a permanent part of my future. I have always just done my job and looked after Mother. I wonder what she would think about Leia.
I am getting ahead of myself; she could be just like the redhead I met earlier, thinking she can make any myr or god do whatever she wants. With her beauty, and those long brown- and honey-colored tresses that have hints of gold highlights shining through, she could make most myrs fall to their knees in worship.
I suppose throughout this war I will get to see her true nature and see if she is just like her redheaded friend. If she is like her friend, that would be a shame, but I know I wouldn’t be able to have a permanent bond with a goddess who would flirt with other men, not knowing if she was using me or if she was completely faithful.
Clearing my mind of the fiery Leia, I focus back on what we are doing in preparation of what will be our first course of action against this unknown enemy. I do hope that Poseidon has more allies that will come forward and help us piece together what to expect. Otherwise, I have a horrible feeling we will not be ready or prepared for what this enemy can and will do.
Chapter 5
Leia
I pace my room back and forth, knowing at some point I need to leave it and figure out what is going on after my display with Rita and the others in my father’s study, namely this Tane that Natal keeps complaining about. I haven’t left my rooms for three days and I am going stir crazy. Natal had gone on to dinner that night without me. I couldn’t face our guest right after the confrontation I had with Rita. Natal had told me that when she entered the dining room, Tane had looked up at her, and once he realized she was by herself, he didn’t acknowledge her for the rest of the dinner. At least that is what she says. Apparently, it bothers her to find one man that wants nothing to do with her. Rejection is a bitter pill to swallow. I have done that enough in my life, because most men would choose Natal over me. Of course, I find it very amusing that what she needs is to have the one man that doesn’t fall for her charms and gives her a hard time. Yet, she keeps swearing that this Tane is more interested in me, which I find crazy since we have only seen each other once, during my despicable actions toward Rita.
I need to clear my head, and a long swim would do that. I usually check on some of the myr-families here in my father’s kingdom and make sure they are all right and that they don’t need anything. At least I can do that and ignore everyone else here.
I head toward my water chamber and sit upon the stairs. My legs turn to fins and I flick my fingers, making my dress disappear and a small blue swim top take its place. I let the water soak into my tail, feeling the saltwater energize my cells. I’ve always loved my fin; it has different blues of the ocean with a silver outline, so that when I swim the colors glitter together. As a myr-babe it always mesmerized me.
I get my focus back on what I need to do for the day. When I go out, I always visit the young moms, and the older ones. Most mortals think that sirens, myr-men and myr-women live forever. That is a myth. There are thousands of different water creatures, and regular myrs just have longer life spans than mortals do. They usually have twice the life span of mortals, some a little longer depending on the bloodline. So, there are plenty of elderly, and also newly mothered, water creatures. They are the ones we look after most. Deities have really long life spans, but they are still not immortal.
Most of the sentries in my father’s guard are deities who have trained to serve my father even though they have a shorter life span. Some have water abilities, but it’s a very small pool of them that have that power. They can breathe air without a problem, and some can even have legs if they have a parent with strong bloodlines of gods.
As Poseidon’s daughter, I try to offer help in any way I can to those who have stuck beside my father and have dutifully helped protect the kingdom throughout their lives. They have all become my family over the centuries.
I dive down into the salty water, feeling it coat over my skin. I swim around my water chamber from below and pop up at the edges of the nearest housing. Here is where an elderly female myr lives. She has been alone since her husband and son both perished in the war with Hades. She still lives in the small coral hut that her husband helped make for her when they first wed. She creates dishware that a lot of the myrs throughout the village’s use in their homes. Since our kingdom doesn’t use money like mortals do, we trade for things, so she creates these dishes and trades for food and clothing. Since the regular myrs don’t have the power to conjure clothing with a thought like we do, they create it just as mortals do. Elise is one of many elderly here, but she is the only one that has lost her whole family, so I check on her make sure she has everything she needs. I also bring her gifts from time to time. She has been a substitute mother to me and Natal when we needed a woman’s advice in our lives.
I swim into her main room since she has her door open, and she is weaving seaweed into a basket. I speak to her telepathically. How are you, Elise?
Ah, Leia, sweet girl, I am fine. It’s so good to see you again.
I am sorry I haven’t been to visit, I am sure you have heard the rumors of an upcoming war. I have been trying to recruit allies for father.
Sadly, there is always someone out looking for more power than they deserve, and their egos get the best of them. They think they can rule better or subject mortals or deities to their whim. She shakes her head in disgust.
I agree with you, I just hate that others get hurt in the process of someone’s ambitions.
Elise reaches out a hand and strokes my cheek. You have such a wonderful heart. It is because of you that we all see the best in your father. He raised you, and you have the heart you do because of his influence.
Thank you for that. I brought you something. I conjure up a whimsical top that would stop at her waist and flow just a little longer in the back so it will flow behind her as she swims, along with her tail. It is green in color, and a shade that matches seaweed, so she blends in with her surroundings if she needs to.
Oh, sweet girl, you didn’t have to bring me anything. It is lovely though, thank you.
I glide closer to her and hug her. If there is anything you need please let me know. If you start to feel scared because of the war, please come to the palace, we have more than enough room.
That is sweet of you to offer, child. I don’t think that will be necessary, but if it does start to get bad, I will come.
I know there is nothing else I can say to get her to come, and that she is just trying to placate me by agreeing. Knowing her, she would attack anyone that tried to come into her home. She would hold her head high if she couldn’t win and go with honor to see her family again in the afterlife. I just nod my head, resigned to the fact. I must go. I have others I need to check in on.
Go on, I will be fine. Thank you for coming to see me. I will see you again soon I hope.
I quickly hug her again and swim away. I have at least three other people to check on.
As I am swimming across the kingdom to Marcella’s, a new mother and wife of a sentry in my father’s guard, I see something swimming on the boundary of the realm. I slow to a stop to watch and see that it is a large water dragon. He is massive in size, his powerful tail propelling him through the water so easily. He must be at least eight and half feet long, maybe a little larger. The black and red scales on his body are so beautiful and mesmerizing as the dragon cuts through the water gracefully. I wonder who this is, not realizing