4. The Anger Bubbled

Chapter 4

The Anger Bubbled

The Siren

" Y ou will take your place at my side," the deep voice of my father demanded as I drifted deep in the sea before him. The water so dark around us that my eyes worked to adjust. The lights of the underwater city flickered in the distance, flashing in the angry irises of my father as he glared at me.

I never wanted this. Never wanted to be the daughter of the god ruling over the siren kingdom. Never wanted to rule everything if he, a seemingly eternal man, ever went to the underworld. His demise unlikely given the long lives and immense power of gods, but there were always duties and expectations. I wanted none of it.

The piercing gaze of Poseidon fell upon me, his trident gripped menacingly as he held himself several inches above me. His mortal legs had been replaced by a powerful, navy blue and golden tail, a reminder of his godly status. He'd waited years, biding his time until I was deemed old enough to take over Atlantis while he returned to Olympus. My mother, the siren queen, had once ruled this kingdom before her untimely death. It was always meant to be mine, a thought that had weighed me down with dread.

Poseidon's visits to Olympus had become more frequent, leaving me as regent for extended periods of time. The tightness in his jaw and the way his eyes always held a faraway look within them made it clear he no longer wanted the burden of Atlantis' throne. As he peered into the depths of the ocean beyond our city, I could feel the tension building between us. The weight of responsibility hung heavy in the water around us. It was becoming a constant thought within us both, my ascension… and his release back to the greater seas, no longer confined to a single city within them.

I watched him as he stared off into the distance. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. Siren's lived long lives, but they were not eternal, and they were not incapable of dying. To kill a god though, to kill one of the three most powerful gods…well, that was nearly impossible.

That didn't mean I hadn't imagined just that happening. Oh, the thought had fluttered within the back of my mind more often than it should, considering this cold man was my father.

"You've been nothing but disappointing so far, Talia. You are half-god, far better than any other siren, and yet, you continue to fail me when I leave you in charge." He paused, his intense inspection traveling up my body from the tip of my tail back to my face. The wrinkle forming in his brow let me know that I'd even failed this intrusive inspection. None of this was anything I wasn't used to. "You are the daughter of the god of sea. As you leave for this right of siren passage, know this: I expect you to return as the most powerful siren to ever have existed, or you don't come back at all. Do you hear me?"

I scoffed, a flutter of bubbles filling the water between us at the movement my mouth made. "So touching, Father. I'm so glad we could have this talk."

His eyes flashed red. Neither of our lips moved as we spoke, our words traveling mind-to-mind within the quiet depth of the sea. However, even within our minds, the tone was unmistakable.

"When you return, you will take over as ruler of Atlantis." Poseidon studied me, his gaze hardening. "If you come back powerful, like I expect of you, then I will allow you to choose your mating then. Otherwise, the choice will be mine once again."

My lips pressed together into a thin line, barely holding in the snarl and hiss bubbling up in my throat. He wouldn't have heard it, but the expression on my face would have made my intent obvious. He'd have known I let my anger get the best of me. Sirens didn't have the same emotional propensity as mortals, but as he had mentioned, I was a half-goddess, and sometimes those pesky emotions that even gods were prone to were something I fought to suppress.

I floated backward, hoping that the distance would help cool my boiling blood. I'd learned long ago that only his anger was acceptable. My rage warred within me, my teeth clenched as I held my face passive and hard, but he always saw far too much. He was my father, but he would use anything against me. He'd highlight my every failure. Just as he had several years ago during my first mating. Matings that were typically female chosen, the first of which holding immense importance.

The memories brought with them a wave of anxiety that washed over me, crashing down like fallen rocks from a cliff. I tried to push the thoughts away, to bottle them up before the betrayals of my seventeen-year-old self threatened my composure. I ground my teeth, but the anger bubbled to the surface despite my strangled hold.

"Why are you giving me away again? Am I just your personal whore?" My words came slow and venomous, dripping with malice from my mind as they slithered from my hold.

My father glared at me. "There are consequences to our choices, Talia. To your choices."

Guilt slammed into me like a frenzied shark, crushing and all-consuming. I'd been in charge a month ago when catastrophe had struck. It had been during my watch over Atlantis when the once impenetrable barrier of the great underwater city had shattered, unleashing a merciless swarm of sharks that ravaged our city.

Just like when my mother had died.

I dropped his gaze then, unable to hold it as a void opened within my chest. We'd lost countless lives that day, innocent lives and numerous children, leaving behind only grief and devastation. The weeping and wailing of my people as we laid our loved ones to rest still haunted my dreams. My father had returned from his trip early, seething at having been called back before planned. He'd wasted no time in reminding me that those losses were mine to bear, my responsibility. As future Queen of Atlantis, he took every opportunity to remind me the weight of my future duty.

So, he had taken away my choices. Had I known that had been his intent, I would never have chosen to enter the ceremony that year…