16. Castor

How the helldid I forget it's Veneratia? I scan the chamber, choosing not to look at the other governors. Instead, I focus on the room. The Maelstrom Sea Chamber was made to impress. Ten large panels line the walls, one for each of the domes. They have illustrated depictions of what makes each dome better than the other. It's public relations at its most basic level, something I've studied long and hard. It's how I've turned our company around.

As far as my role as head of Glyden Mining, I need to get back to Athens. I really shouldn't be here. Especially on Veneratia. Nothing of consequence ever takes place on a day when you let family into the chamber. Plus, there have been plenty of sessions since Nole left on the Omicron where Glyden hasn't had representation. No, I'm here for Annabelle. I'm doing this for her. The company can wait. But I need to get back to my responsibilities, eventually. I'm not going to be part of her pod. Nico vetoed me. That's the reality of the situation. Do I want to help Eros's sister? Yes. But I can only do what I can do.

The chamber echoes as sound bounces off the walls. The normal chandelier that hangs over the huge skylight at the apex of the dome is missing. Cleaning, perhaps? Or has it been moved to the new building? The chamber has been remodeled many times. But now a new Maelstrom is under construction. This might be the last time I stand in this building. It has to be better than the last time I stood here. Then, adrenaline pumped through my body and kept me from hearing much. Back when I gave a speech to save my best friend's life.

Best friend.

It's a weird expression because he's not my friend. Hasn't been in a long time. No, a friend is someone you like or you boot them out of your life. Nico is, and will always be, a brother. He's someone I can't help but care for, someone I can't get rid of no matter how hard I try. And I should try harder, especially after the veto. I'm not going to lie and say I don't want to stab him in the neck. Because fuck yeah, having him out of the way and just taking Annabelle... That's what he would do. Right? No. I know he cares about me, and even Eros now.

Without my bleeding best friend, I can pick out the grandeur of the place. The place I was raised to lead. To change. Hell, there's talk in Glyden that my parents put off having podlets just to make me the right age to take my place as king. It's just a rumor, but one I wouldn't be surprised to find out is true.

The governor of Stele, Forrest Mason, glowers at me from across the chamber. We are waiting for Atlas to appear on the king's walk. On the balcony on the far side of the room, his throne sits empty. On a normal day, the entire balcony is the king's to walk on. It's a great honor to have the king come stand behind you while you speak, supporting you. But not today. Family members gather on the balcony opposite the throne.

Forrest turns, glaring around the room, either for support or for intimidation purposes. To my right stands Seolfor and to my left, Diamont. The kingship travels in the order of the podiums in the room. Diamont, Glyden, Seolfor, Braesen, Stele, Koralli, Tinom, Permula, Vitrom, Zaffiro and then it starts all over again.

Across from me, Forrest clears his throat. "How much longer are we going to wait?" The crowd in the gallery is getting antsy. We've taken care of the regular business, but the celebratory things for Veneratiamake everything a lot more difficult. It's hard enough to get a governor to admit anything. But with an open audience? I'm going to have to come back to the next session if I want anything to go the way I need it to.

"We wait until the king is here," the Diamont governor says. It's Atlas's cousin, Elias Clearing. Unlike my mother, the families in power in Diamont didn't have the forethought to plan for the placement of their king. Or governor.

When my family decided I should continue to run the company instead of taking my uncle's governor seat, that Nole should step in until I took the company to the next level, my mother wrestled with it. But Nole being mated, and mated to a Glyden mermaid by birth, made for a suitable substitute. Last year at the Vividaria dinner, the one before Eros appeared with Annabelle, I asked Nole if he wanted to run for king instead of me, and he snorted Nereus Nectar out his nose. So no, it's me. I was bred for this room, from the first four mates my mother mated. Everything she planned was for that day. The Drakos family has been and will always be about power. I only hope my sister Kai can stop the madness and let her podlets be who they want to be. But then, I've never thought I wanted anything different. It's hard to rebel against your parents when in your inner core you want the same thing as them.

Veneratia. Fuck. I didn't invite my family. Did I forget? Yes. I didn't invite any of them. I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do to my parents. But then, maybe they don't know I'm here today? That's laughable.

I glance up. I was in the gallery last year, watching Nole. It's oddly empty up there, though. Maybe I'm not the only one who has forgotten about it this year. But then I spot Eros. He inclines his head at me. Of course, he's here for his brother. I twist my neck to the vacant throne.Atlas's empty side of the balcony taunts us all. It makes me even more convinced that the other domes won't accept another unmated king. Still, it's odd his parents aren't here. Did he forget like me?

"We went months, almost three quarters of a year, without the king present. We can move on without him this day," the Koralli governor says. Ovid Septimus's face scrunches back into his neck.

Shouts ring down from the observation deck. "We want the king."

A gavel bangs. "We wait for Atlas. He is king," says Pilar Tiberius, Seolfor's governor. She nods and glares around the chamber.

There are rounds of sighs from grown males. Michio, Eros's brother, is the only one standing with his shoulders back. I catch his eye. He has the same shape of face as Eros. They really look like brothers. I've never thought about it before. I wonder if people look at Nole, Soren, and me the same way. In a way, I almost feel like I look more like Milo, my youngest geminae brother. Geminae from the egg and sperm donor are never to be placed back in the same dome. They'll never know who their genetic parents are. But then, when I look at Milo, I wonder if my mother played by the rules. She likes it when others play by the rules, but she does have a way of breaking them or bending them for her own benefit. I'm not that type of male... except perhaps in business.

Pilar Tiberius slaps her hand on the podium in front of her. The Seolfor governor needs to be heard. Seolfors are needy that way. The Seolfor are one of the four original domes, yet they are the one that is forgotten the most. At least, that's the way Glyden thinks of them. They're neither good nor bad. Chaotic neutral, if you will. "I will repeat myself for those who are too busy to listen. We will wait for the king. He might have something of worth to say."

"Hear, hear," I add. Because he really might have something good to say and he's friends with Nico. It might get me some points. Also, I do believe Atlas can help get Marina back. He's been a bit of a lobster trap, running off to the war with the Vikings, trying to get a peace treaty when he'd never been a military male before. I should be more up to date on what he was able to accomplish. As of yet, no one knows. We've all been focused on things here at home: Annabelle, the blast in the Glyden lobby. Heck, even Nico returning with Poseidon's trident. But that's the thing with being a good leader: you have to keep track of it all and yet be able to focus on the details too.

I feel eyes burning into my side, and when I turn, I find the Braesen governor. Haden Moretti stares at me. I've never had a problem with Braesen. They're dedicated to their animals, both real and animatronic.

Tristan Bellucci, Vitrom governor, is scowling as well. But that's not unusual. I would imagine it's since I'm not Nole and they have to know that I am the intended candidate for Glyden's round as king. I will be able to change how policies and laws go into effect. I give him a nod, and he turns his head quickly.

"There's no need to wait for the damn fool," says Tristan.

"No need?" Atlas's voice booms through the chamber. He shakes his head at Tristan. Atlas and Nico should never have been close friends. They're too much alike. Reactive. Honestly, I don't know what is going on with him, but I know Atlas needs a mate if the rest of his time as king is going to be worth anything. And it can't be Annabelle.

Atlas stands taller than the normal Dorian. His waist is far above the railing that should keep him safe. His hair is long and slicked back. He peers at the governors, ignoring the citizens on the balcony across from him.

Now it's my turn to arch an eyebrow back at Atlas. Atlas walks along the balcony until he's standing above and behind me, putting his weight in the Glyden corner. It also gives me the right to speak first, after him. This favor won't go unremembered. It's a move that happens often. The current king lets the dome of the next king have some power ahead of time in order to be relevant for a few years after. Being out of power for almost thirty years at a time can make a dome feel weak. Not Glyden, though. Never Glyden. Our gold makes us stronger and wealthier than the rest.

Atlas raises his hand for the governors to settle. He looks each governor in the eyes. "What they say is correct. I've been away for too long. But I've been in the chamber since I returned. There was something I needed to attend to." Atlas leans over the railing. It's intimidating, and I don't scare easily. To face Atlas, I have to turn my back to the rest of the governors.

"What could be more important than your duties to the governing council?" Ovid says.

Atlas arches an eyebrow. "I don't need to answer that, but I will. Just not yet." He leans over the railing. "First, we will talk about the chasm, and then we will move to the agenda."

Damn, this isn't how I wanted this to go. If we're going to get Marina, we should act quickly.

"That's not on the agenda," Pilar, next to me, says.

"Enough. You haven't had to abide by my rule. You want a king, and now you will have one. I say we are talking about the chasm, we will talk about the chasm."

I cock my head at him. The chasm?

Atlas continues. "As stated in the security bylaws, a new trident to replace the one found by Zaffiro was to have been inserted. But I've searched the logbooks. When the Zaffiro came back, he kept his trident. An unimpressive item." Atlas hits a button on his block, turning the floor in the middle of the dome into a screen. "Here he is with it. It's nothing like the one Nico Portsmouth came back with. This one looks like debris found on the ocean floor. Who in this room was here at that time? Or even remembers that time?"

He's talking to Haden Moretti, the only governor who has served ten consecutive terms. The Braesen governor shakes his head when all eyes focus on him.

Atlas clears his throat. "Exactly. It is ages before us. Ages forgotten. For ages, we have sent males to the chasm, searching for something that the record shows wasn't there."

"Are you saying Nico Portsmouth committed fraud?"

"No, I'm saying that Alaric of Zaffiro thought he brought back the trident. But what he brought back was refuse from the bottom of the ocean. Waste. Nico isn't the second Poseidon. He is the only Poseidon. And those present during that time knew that another trident hadn't been placed. They—you—have sent mermen to the chasm looking for something they believed wasn't there. That is the crime of the former and current governors." Gasps fill the room. "Now that the trident has been retrieved, we will need to reset another trident."

"Who will undertake such a foolhardy mission?" someone shouts from above, and all heads turn.

"There are solo-eating Krakens in the chasm. It's too dangerous," another shouts.

"Diamont will craft a new trident, and I will place it." The king slaps his knee.

He's not like Nico; he is Nico. My stomach flips over. Does he have an actual death wish?

"Enough," Atlas calls over the din of the governors.

I try to catch Michio's eye to see how he feels about his great-uncle being called a fraud, but he doesn't look over at me. No, he's glaring at Atlas.

"Alaric Herod fulfilled the task. He brought back a trident, just not the trident." Atlas glowers back at Michio. "End of discussion." Atlas stands to his full height. His hair brushes the ceiling. "Next topic. Castor Drakos, proxy from Glyden."

"Thank you." I nod to Atlas. I wasn't sure he'd gotten my message. "It has been brought to my attention that a member of the security council has used a mermaid as leverage to get his agent to perform tasks. Marina Herod was sent to the Kraken because a security agent wouldn't murder two innocent human women."

Gasps go around the room.

The Braesen governor stomps his foot. "Our mermaids, the females, belong to us." The scoff in Haden's voice makes me want to hurt him. "No governor would give away such a precious resource."

I glare at the Braesen governor. "You're wrong on so many levels, governor. First, they are not our mermaids. They are not property to give permission to. They are people. People with rights." I turn to the governor of Seolfor, expecting her to back me up. But then, governors don't give backup unless they know the side they're backing will win.

Tristan sneers at me. "Need I remind you, you're not the governor of Glyden. You are but your brother's proxy. You need to watch what you say before the council."

"My brother and I have the same mission: to bring fairness and justice to the Veiled City, to change the way we interact with humans, and to save our race." I pound my hand on the Glyden podium in front of me. "But selling mermaids to the Kraken isn't—" The crowd cuts me off. A cacophony of voices merge together. Something isn't right. There's something bigger going on. Michio won't even look my way.

Atlas bangs his trident on the floor of the balcony. "We will dispatch a ship to the Kraken stronghold."

"You want another war?" Forrest raises his fist at Atlas. "How many fronts can we fight on? The truce with the Kraken is a profitable one. We can't risk alienating them."

"Exactly why we are pulling our ships back from Skyrothasia now. There will be no more talk about getting mermaids from them." Atlas nods to each of the males on the security council: the Stele governor Forrest, Koralli's Ovid, Braesen's Haden, and the giant eel in the room, Vitrom's Tristan Bellucci. Interestingly, Atlas ignores the proxy of Tinom. Their governor is currently aboard the Omicron. "Our sister will not be lost. End of discussion. Next item." Then Atlas turns and looks directly at Michio.

And I try to picture how I would feel if it was Kai who was gone. I'd be trying to find her. All my brothers would be. I've thought about it before now. Yes, I've forced this issue, but I'm doing it because it's the right thing. I would go to the chasm and back for my sister. Just like Eros is, in his own cavalier way. But not Michio. He looks mad.

Atlas is putting his foot down and saying we are going to go after her. I look back at Atlas, and I'm at a loss. Maybe he's not like Nico at all. At least with Nico, I know what he's thinking.

A voice echoes down from the gallery. "Braesen has a subterranean lab. They are experimenting on podlets and Kraken. They have the answer to the mermaid problem."