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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 I am moving closer to the myr-dragon. Even though we are on alert to be careful of strangers, I still feel drawn to this beautiful form of a dragon. This creature has a strong, wide head with a large, fierce mouth that could snap me in two. There is also a small fin set on its back and two large ones to the dragon’s sides. He glides through the water with his powerful tail, and I can see how much force it has by the turbulence it leaves behind in the water. He is fierce and beautiful all in one body.

Tane

I am swimming around the realm looking for places that the enemy could get through and making sure I know every hidden corner and shadow of Poseidon’s kingdom. I need to know its strong points and also its weakest points, so we know what to change and how best to defend it when the enemy comes. This is when I see someone out of the corner of my eye slowly swimming toward me. I pretend not to see them, not getting the best glimpse and wondering if the person coming closer is an ally or enemy. When they finally get close, I whip around to catch the person off guard.

The last person I thought I would see is Leia. She is so startled at my sudden move that she thrust back with her fin, eyeing me warily. I stop, waiting for her to say something, then I realize she doesn’t recognize me in my dragon form. I quickly change into my myr-form. Her startled look and the way her eyes travel over me makes my heart pound and my blood pump through me a little quicker. She is beauty and grace with her long honey brown and gold tresses flowing behind her and the different shades of blue that glimmer from her tail.

I apologize if I scared you. I didn’t realize it was you following me, I tell her.

I am sorry. I didn’t mean to follow you. I haven’t seen your other form before, and I didn’t know it was you, she explains. I love the little blush that appears on her cheeks after her comment.

I was circling the realm looking for weaknesses the enemy might try to use. Swimming in that form, I can do it a lot faster.

I can see how your dragon form propels you through the water very quickly. It is beautiful to watch… I mean, mesmerizing… I mean…I…I’d better go! she blushes and starts to turn away.

I reach out and grab her arm.

Wait, don’t go.

I’m sorry, I must. I have other places I need to visit. I will see you later. She turns and swims off as fast as her fin can go.

This was the first time I had seen her since the day of my arrival. It’s a shame, since I haven’t really gotten to speak with her to find out what type of goddess she is. The idea that she loved my other form so much that it mesmerized her, made her stumble over her words and then blush makes my attraction to her all the more powerful. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts of the intriguing Leia, I set out to finish circling the realm and taking note of all the spots we need to address in the next meeting with Poseidon. I will make a difference here, and I will do so to make my father proud and help Poseidon and the others in this war. I just have to wait until this is over before I even consider chasing after the beautiful Leia. Seeing her fired up at Rita the first time I met her makes me want to grab her now before someone else notices what a beautiful, fiery spirited goddess she really is.