5. The Light Glittered

Chapter 5

The Light Glittered

The Siren

Several years ago…

A s I stood before our people, knowing they expected me to call the name of my chosen mate, I forced my emotions down and held myself before them with my lips pressed firmly together. My gaze landed on the male I would have chosen, a handsome, young man who had been courting me for a while, blushing at the dirty thoughts that filled my mind of what the two of us could have done with one another. I swallowed, knowing it could never be as my father drifted up next to me.

I bowed to him as he came to a stop, his lips pressing proudly to my forehead in a way that I knew he only did for show in front of our people. He didn't speak, and a flicker of hope built within me as I stared down at my choice again. Maybe I'd get to choose my mate after all.

With my attention on him, a blush crawling up my neck, I said, "I choose?—"

"—My daughter, Princess Talia, will be choosing Proteus, God of the Deep Sea," my father interrupted my words, his voice booming out across the throne room.

My gaze fell from the man I would have chosen for myself, and I focused on the smooth, stone tile below as I traced the lines. My jaw clenched and unclenched as the chamber became eerily quiet. This grand room held an elegance to it, but in this moment, it had stolen my will, my choice, my hope. As I glanced up at those gathered before us, anger ignited in the pit of my stomach as pity flashed behind my peoples' eyes.

I'd known he would choose for me, but I hadn't realized his choice would be so cruel. I turned my attention toward him, my chin tilting upward to meet his gaze, unable to mask the disappointment held within my stare.

"Consequences, Daughter," he said low enough for only me to hear.

With the choice made for me, the ceremony concluded and, soon after, the throne room cleared. The man I would have chosen lingered but left realizing I wouldn't have a chance to speak with him without the watchful gaze of my father. I hadn't had a chance to warn him before the ceremony had begun, and now guilt hung heavy within my heart because he'd been just as blindsided as I had been. Eventually, only Proteus remained, and my father left to his chambers.

Proteus' stooped form stood in the center of the grand throne room, the old and withered fish tail of his resting along the pristine tiles as if he couldn't bear his own weight within the water. He grinned up at me through blackened teeth, and I smiled politely back at him as my stomach churned with the sight of his chipped front tooth. He was an ancient man, with an odd, fat tail and deep crevices that cut paths through his face like the deepest canyons in the sea. Yet, as he looked at me, it was as if there was pity behind his tired eyes, and I found it difficult to hold his stare, turning toward the exit instead.

Proteus and I made our way to Siren Island, where all siren went once a year as they gained their legs for the mating ritual. The island sat not far off from where Atlantis was located deep beneath the sea. Proteus, often referred to as ‘old man,' swam next to me silently. Neither of us speaking to the other as we left the city for the island above.

This was supposed to be a happy occasion, a freeing one, but instead, I felt as if I'd been sold off, bargained away, and used. I had told my father I was too young to rule Atlantis for his lengthy visits away, that I didn't want the responsibility. Those deaths should never have been my responsibility, and this should never have been my consequence to bear.

We came to the shore of Siren Island, beaching ourselves on the rocky shallows as the magic took hold of our tails. Proteus had experienced this before, but for me, this would be the first time I saw my legs. Water frothed around my tail, roiling angrily around my scales and hiding them from sight for several long seconds. When the water calmed, smooth naked skin took the place of my once magnificent tail.

Proteus stood, his pale legs only bare from the knee down. I sat within the water still, my ass in the sand below the surface as I stared up at him. He wore a simple pair of shorts that he couldn't have been wearing before, shorts I knew did not cover my own unmentionables. I simply lifted a brow, flicking a glance to the piece of clothing and then back up to his eyes.

"Just use your mind to envision the clothing. Your awakening power should be able to conjure them into existence," he said simply, the silver light of the moon casting a soft glow against his pale, rounded belly.

I let my eyes drift closed and did what he said, picturing a simple black, form-fitting pair of shorts into place. The water frothed around my waist once more and, seconds later, I felt something hug my lower limbs tightly. My fingers prodded the fabric at my hips, and a pleasant sense of victory made me smile before I remembered why I was here.

Proteus lowered his hand, offering me help to my newfound feet. I placed my fingers into his weathered hold, letting him pull me to my legs as my stance wobbled, unbalanced and unused to standing on two legs rather than swimming within the deep waves. He guided me further along the beach, each step slow and purposeful as I relished the feeling of sand between my toes. My gaze swept the island I'd spent the past year dreaming of coming to with my chosen mate, the ocean to our backs as the waves kissed the land like a tease that ebbed and flowed.

I stumbled a few times before I gained the strength and balance to proceed without support from Proteus, and he let me go so that I could enjoy these first moments of having my legs. The air swept through the island with the salty scent of the sea, its cold touch blowing lengths of my hair from where I'd let it hang over my bare breasts. The scales along my skin had faded, and even with the clothing I'd envisioned around my waist, I felt bare beneath the starry night.

"Listen," I began, turning to face Proteus and gasping in shock, the rest of my words suddenly forgotten as my jaw hung open.

Proteus no longer stood behind me, at least, not the Proteus I expected, the one I'd arrived here with. Now, in his place, stood a young, tall, muscular man with sable hair and piercing blue eyes. The wrinkles and spots of age no longer marred his skin, only smooth, clear skin remained. My eyes drifted to the bulging muscles of his arms, the lines cutting through his chest, the v dipping below the waistband of his simple shorts.

"I feel that I have stolen your voice," he teased, his grin showing brilliant, straight teeth. Even the chipped front tooth no longer winked within his smile as he stared at me through an amused expression.

My head tilted as I looked upon him. There was something different about him, more so than simply his age. A certain kindness in his expression that had made me pause. My brow wrinkled as I stuttered, my voice unsure as I replied, "You're not old."

My eyes grazed his smooth skin, the corded muscle that rippled with his movements. His form more manly than the young male I'd originally chosen.

He chuckled. "My eyes are up here."

My gaze snapped up to meet his, catching the amused glimmer within the blue of his eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest, pressing into the flesh of my breasts as I lifted my chin. "I'm aware of that." I waved my hand to indicate his young form. "Why pretend?"

"Have you met the god of the sea lately?" He shrugged, offering me his arm in a silent invitation.

I looped my pale arm through his and joined him as he led us through the beach, wriggling my toes in the sand with every step. I couldn't get enough of the feel of it shifting between my toes. We walked along the shore a short distance until we came to a clear beach with white sand. He lowered himself into the sand, stretching his legs out in front of him as he looked up at where I still stood.

"You might as well join me," he said with a long sigh.

I didn't budge. "You're not going to just…" I trailed off, swallowing the rest of the words that lodged within my throat.

"What?" he said with a weak laugh. "I'm not just going to throw you down and force myself upon you, taking something you're not ready to give?"

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him smile sadly.

He gave his head a slow shake. "No, I think not. Instead, I think I'm just going to make myself comfortable and enjoy the evening beneath the stars and away from so many eyes of judgement." He patted the sand next to him. "Care to join me?"

With my stomach in knots of worry that slowly began to detangle themselves, I tried to lower myself, my legs almost pitching me face first into the sand next to him as they still remained weak from lack of use.

"Don't worry," Proteus murmured through a barely concealed smile. "You will get used to them."

"How often are you on land?" I asked as I settled into the sand next to him, stretching my legs out as he had but crossing them at the ankles as I leaned back onto my elbows. I tilted my chin skyward and breathed in deeply, gazing up softly at the stars glittering within the skies above.

"Almost every day," he admitted, leaning back as I had. His eyes stared out at the horizon, where the colors blended and changed as the sun dipped out of sight. So rarely had I bothered looking at the sky, always consumed with the depths of the sea, that I was almost in a state of awe as I watched the night fall upon us.

"Zeus' kingdom is beautiful, is it not?" I asked in amazement.

Proteus let out a derisive snort. "The sky may seem beautiful, but it's always under the control of Zeus, its oppressor."

His words were heavy with bitterness, and I fell silent as I continued gazing upward. As the sun fell completely behind the horizon, the moon broke free of its cloudy embrace once more, casting silver light across the surface of the sea. The light glittered across the water and this moment, even spent without the male I would have chosen, felt magical.

We lay like that in silence for what felt like hours until I released a content sigh and turned toward him. "I know I didn't choose you, nor you me, but if you'd like we could…" I trailed off, feeling an unfamiliar heat spread across my chest and face. I knew what was expected of me, and I knew my father would twist this into another failure if I didn't do my duty.

"You're cute, and I'm flattered, but no." He paused, studying my face before turning toward the sky again. "I'm afraid my heart belongs to another, and I would be unable to give you the experience you deserve."

I sighed and chewed my lower lip as I sat up. "Thank you."

"For?"

I smiled, my body relaxing as my fingers played within the white sand beneath us. "For not forcing me. My father took away my choice as a punishment for failing our people." I sighed, looking out across the dark, calm water. "I know I deserved it. They died because I couldn't protect them in his stead." I let my head lower, my hair curtaining my face as I finished, "I don't know how to turn them off."

"Turn what off?" he asked, sitting up with me.

Concern flashed behind his blue eyes, breaking me down even further. I felt I could trust him. Something I hadn't given anyone. It should have made me more cautious, but that kindness I'd seen in him earlier still shone through his every feature as he watched me closely. I tossed that caution to the wind, realizing I needed to trust someone, I needed to tell my fears to someone.

I looked up at him then, tears brimming within my gaze and blurring my vision. All of it a weakness and so unbecoming of a siren, especially that of the siren heir. "My emotions."

Sirens weren't supposed to have emotions. The confession hung like a solid weight in the air between us. My breath halted in my chest as I waited for him to say something. Anything.

"Let me guess," he replied, his gaze not leaving mine as he spoke. "You think you shouldn't feel them? That you should be vicious, cold, reserved, and logical like most sirens appear?"

I nodded, my lower lip sucking in between my teeth as I stopped it from trembling. For the first time in my life, I felt seen. I felt heard.

"It's a lie, you know," he mumbled, once again falling backward into the sand. He lowered himself until he lay his head into his cupped hands, his attention on the stars twinkling above. "Even more so for you, a child of one of the prime three gods."

"What's a lie?" I lay back into the sand, twisting onto my side and propping my head up onto my bent arm as I stared at him. My hair fell around my chest in dark waves that covered my bare breasts as my legs curled slightly within the white sand.

"Sirens have emotions, but they're more primal and predatory. The gods, which accounts for half of you, are some of the biggest emotional babies that I've ever met."

I gasped, my gaze shooting to the stars at his blasphemous words. If any of them overheard us, I couldn't tell. I suddenly remembered Proteus was also a god. Maybe the rules differed for him, maybe he was safe to speak as he wished?

"How old are you?" I knew gods could appear younger, like my father, Poseidon, who usually chose to bear the features of someone in their thirties. Proteus, in this state he had chosen now, looked to be in his mid-twenties, though his usual state had been that of an old, weathered man. "Is this your true face?"

He chuckled, his gaze sparkling as his shoulders shook. "Yes, this is my real face. I use the old man visage to keep eyes off of me, as well as my age. It isn't really important."

I shook my head. I didn't know much about Proteus, but I suspected he was as old as Poseidon, if not older and from another primal line.

"The real question, the more important topic right now, is not why you can't suppress your emotions, but what you choose to do with them."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Despite the dimness of night, his eyes sparkled almost mischievously. He turned to me then, pulling his attention from the stars above to my wide and curious gaze. "What would Talia do for love? What would you do to be loved? Isn't that what you truly want?" he asked, watching me in such a way that it felt like he saw far too much. It was as if he saw more than I wanted him to see.

I twisted onto my back, turning from him as I peered to the sky instead. His words made me uncomfortable. I wasn't sure why. "I would do nothing because love is weakness. Power is all that I want and need." I had spoken with a fierce determination, but the words felt hollow even to my ears. I didn't need love, I reassured myself, nodding as if answering myself.

That wistful smile returned on Proteus' face. "We shall see," he mumbled.

His words fell into the night simply enough, but for the first time in my existence, it felt as if his words caressed my bared skin like a prophecy spoken to life. I shivered as I continued watching the skies above, the slow passage of time as the waves hit the beach with a soothing rhythm.

A bond had formed between us that day, and an unlikely friendship had blossomed. We'd spent the evening beneath the sky, enjoying each other's company as we talked all night long. As we'd entered the sea under the dawning light, our tails fusing our legs together beneath our scales once more, I prepared myself for the wrath of my father for having not performed my duty.

The two of us faced Poseidon, and then Proteus did the unthinkable. He lied to the most powerful god of all the seas. His words were like a slap in the face, and for a moment, it had felt like a betrayal to the friendship we'd formed as he said, "Thank you for gifting your daughter's first mating to me. I am honored."

I wanted to snarl as I realized my true place within my father's life. Nothing more than a gift, an object to be discarded if I stepped out of line. Poseidon dismissed him with barely a word, and as Proteus left, his back to my father, he winked before disappearing before my eyes. He'd lied for me, and my anger dissipated just like that.

My father had taken my choice from me, but it hadn't ended tragically as he'd wanted. Instead, Proteus and I had a budding friendship that bloomed from the secret we both kept from the god of the sea.