Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (2 page)

Many years later

Most men would give their left testicle to be in this situation. Triton rubbed his temple in an attempt to ward off a headache. Since when did he get headaches?

Deep blue hair swirled around him in a flurry as a stunning Nereid face came into view. She floated in the sea, a beautiful image of a woman with lush curves and a smile seductive enough to convince an entire crew to abandon ship and happily die at sea.

“Pleeease, Your Majesty.” Her lyrical voice floated to him through the seawater. “I swear, I’ll not ask anything of you ever again.”

Her hand traced across his muscled chest and down his abs—her caress warm against his skin. “Just let me bear your child,” she said—her eyes wide and pleading.

He grabbed her hand. “Your offer is tempting,” he said in the most patient voice he could muster, “but I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass.”

Her lips turned down in a pout.

“Now, if you would please tell me who summoned me?” he asked. “I’m extremely busy.”

A green figure haloed in wispy tendrils swam around him from behind, brushing against his back. A face with a beauty that could rival Aphrodite turned toward him. “Oh, that would be Ione.”

Her voice rang out, shrill. “Ione! King Triton is here for you.” This Nereid may be beautiful, but she was no siren. The harshness of her voice grated his ears.

At the mention of his name, the sea around him filled with a kaleidoscope of colorful, fluttering Nereids, each with a unique but enchanting face. The sea filled with their sweet scent, as the currents of their movement brushed over him. They smiled widely, their eyes inspecting every inch of his body. At one time, he would have enjoyed the attention, but that was before.

“Let me through!” The order came from a child-like voice, but the face of a woman emerged. “Please sisters, this is serious!”

At least
this
Nereid seemed to have a head on top of her long, slender neck. The others were, well, they were typical Nereids—flighty, childlike, and seductive.

“Your Majesty, we have a serious problem.”

“What is the problem?”

“Humans.”

Triton’s mouth turned down. “They’ve found you?”

Ione’s head bobbed up and down, her swirling, pink hair waving with the movement. “They sent their metal contraptions down here.”

“What have they seen?”

“Everything! One of them even traveled through Deiopea’s house!”

“Where are the humans now?”

“They’re headed back to land. If you move quickly, I think you can catch them before they reach shore.” She pointed westward. “They went in that direction.”

Triton wasted no time. He flew through the sea. Closing his eyes, he allowed his other senses to lead him. He could feel the humans several miles ahead. They were almost in view of land, and they were chatting with others on shore—speaking of forbidden things, revealing the secrets of the sea. This would be no easy job. Word could spread quickly among humans, especially news of this magnitude. He’d be cleaning up this mess all day.

He could feel several sharks move in, drawn to their master. They were quickly left behind though because Triton wasn’t simply swimming. His god powers propelled him through the sea much faster than he could swim. Within a couple of minutes, he reached the ship.

First things first, he needed to disable their communication. He did that with the wave of his hand. Sparks flew and the humans shouted. Now he had to get the ship far away from shore. He needed time to work on erasing all traces of forbidden knowledge. It wasn’t as simple as it might seem. The human mind was a web of tangled thoughts, memories, and emotions. He could simply sink the ship and drown the occupants—years ago, he would have. But life had taught him how fleeting it could be, and one should cherish every moment. So instead, he chose a nobler, albeit more arduous task.

Drawing his power from the sea, Triton cloaked himself and the ship from view as his body grew. He could feel power flow into his muscles, bones, and organs. Every part of him grew in perfect synchronization. His tail fin split into two powerful legs. His head reached the surface just as his feet touched the sea floor. And still, he rose higher—the wind breezing cool across his exposed skin.

The humans scrambled along the deck, terrified. Their screams meant nothing to him. In a few minutes, they wouldn’t even remember they’d been frightened at all. He continued to grow, but his power waned. The farther into Zeus’ domain he was, the less power he had. This was the same for all gods who ventured into each other’s territories. All except for Zeus. He was the one exception to this rule, and it was probably the reason why he was king of all the gods.

When the water reached his waist, he stepped toward the ship. The humans shrieked. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. His voice rumbled like thunder. “I won’t hurt you.” Several humans jumped overboard. Triton flashed them to the lower decks of the ship, mid-fall. The rest scrambled below deck. One gray-haired man with a flowered shirt stood, frozen in place, gaping at him. Triton tucked the ship under his arm—it dug into his hip as he stepped forward, each stride a mile apart.

Walking for about five minutes, he made it about a hundred miles before he stopped. He gently placed the ship back onto the water’s surface. Then he allowed power to flow out of him as he shrunk down. It took mere minutes to be himself again—well, himself with human legs. Climbing onto the deck of the ship, he stepped toward the man who had remained outside.

“What’s your name?” Triton asked the man.

The man swallowed, his eyes locked on Triton’s face.

“I mean you no harm. What’s your name?”

“Collins,” the man answered in a shaky voice.

“Well, Collins, are you in charge around here?”

“I…I…”

“Come on, grow a little backbone. I asked you a simple question.”

He gave a barely noticeable nod. “Who are you?” he whispered.

“My name is Triton.”

The man’s eyes widened and his face paled.

“You had to know I was a god.”

“I didn’t know gods existed.”

Triton frowned. “Yeah, you and every other human on this planet. Now, please answer my question. Are you in charge of this vessel?”

“Yes.”

“I’m assuming you are a scientist, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“Who have you communicated with—other than those aboard this ship?”

The man’s heart rate spiked as he answered, “No one.”

The lie irritated Triton. “You can either speak the truth, or I can drag the truth from you. It will be much more tolerable for you if you voluntarily tell me.”

“I…what are you going to do with us?”

“As I keep saying, I’ll not harm you. I’ll simply erase your memories. You’ll have no recollection of me or the Nereid village.”

The man’s eyes lit with excitement. “Nereids! Those creatures were Nereids? Are you sure they weren’t mermaids?”

At that word, Triton’s anger rose. “No, and you will not say another word.”

The man’s eyes widened in shock as his mouth flapped open and shut silently—unable to make a sound.

Triton was through being nice. Closing his eyes, he thrust his consciousness into the man’s mind. He knew what this felt like. It was unpleasant, a violation. Collins tried to fight against it. But he had no power to resist. Well, this was no swim through the coral fields for Triton either. He had to search through this man’s mind, wading through good memories and bad, happy thoughts and depraved ones, joys and depression. Then he found what he needed, a thread, a memory of an image on a screen—a Nereid floating, smiling. Triton followed that thread to all the memories it touched—eliminating them as he went. Collins spoke to his wife, to the college that funded his research, and his brother living in Hawaii.

Triton sighed. If everyone on this vessel spoke as freely as this man had, he would have a harder time containing this than he initially thought. And by gods, if anyone had put a video of it on YouTube…

When all relevant memories were suppressed, Triton gladly pulled himself out of the man’s head. He would leave the man in a stupor until he finished with the others on board. He frowned, sensing them below deck.

One down, who knew how many more to go.

Eleven hours later, Triton sank into a chair in a restaurant in Hilo. He hadn’t bothered to notice its name, but the food smelled tantalizing, so here he was. Being away from the sea for the last few hours had been draining. His limbs felt weak, and exhaustion weighed him down. But still, he hesitated to return.

Nicole was here, on this island. He could feel her presence, his heart aching from the memories. Meeting their daughter, Sara, stirred up his emotions. Emotions he’d suppressed for the last twenty years. He still loved Nicole—loved a human. Actually, he’d never loved anyone else—human or god. And he’d tossed her aside. He’d been so blind. He actually thought Aphrodite had meddled with his emotions. But if that were true, the spell would have faded long ago. And the truth was that he loved Nicole just as much now as he did the day he left. Every look, every touch, and every laugh he’d shared with her was seared in his brain.

“Hello, my name is Stacy. I’ll be your waitress tonight.” A young, blonde-haired woman with bright eyes smiled sweetly and handed him a menu. “Is there something I can start you out with? We have some amazing appetizers.”

This woman radiated happiness. Triton basked in the warmth of her glow.

“I’d love an appetizer. What would you suggest?” he asked.

“The calamari is excellent. We also have the deep-fried tortellini—that’s a customer favorite.”

“I’ll have the calamari,” he said, taking in the fact that he sat in an Italian restaurant.

“And what would you like to drink?”

“Water will be fine.”
Seawater
would be best, but then, there was no way he could ask for that. Humans became ill drinking the sea. Triton, on the other hand, would get a burst of energy if he could get even a small glass.

“Okay. Do you need some time to decide what you’d like to order?”

“No. You know what? Surprise me.”

Her face lit up. “Sure.”

Minutes later, he took a bite of some kind of seafood pasta dish. It tasted delicious—crispy on the outside, and warm and flavorful on the inside. It had been a long time since he’d eaten human food. The last time was with Nicole. He shook his head at the memories. She had the personality of a typhoon—reckless, unpredictable, and exciting. Oh, and she had a knack for driving people insane. And her beauty? As stunning as any goddess. Even more so.

He needed to see her.

The thought shot through him, nearly paralyzing him in fear.

Yet, he must. He couldn’t go on another day not knowing if there were a chance—albeit a slim chance—that he could recover some of the happiness he’d felt with her. But first, he needed to recover some of his strength.

He didn’t wait for the waitress to bring the bill. Dropping a hundred dollars on the table, he stepped toward the door. The waitress looked up from pouring a glass of water for another customer. Her brows furrowed at his approach.

“Money’s on the table. Sorry, I’ve got to rush.”