Chapter 24

The frigid water was like a balm to my tattered soul as I dove into the black abyss. This was the second time Rhea had persuaded me to get in the water. Before she came along, it had been years since I had gone into the ocean. I avoided it at all costs. I hated how my blood sang when I was in the sea and how the currents and waves seemed to be in sync with the heartbeat that drummed in my bloodstream.

I harnessed command over the language of the waves and tides, an unbreakable bond that tethered me to the sea's embrace. The ocean coursed through my veins, an unwanted but inseparable companion. I loathed it, yet at the same time found peace in its familiar presence.

I emerged from the depths, combing my hands through my hair to get it out of my face. Rhea's fingers bit into the railing, her entire demeanor betraying her concern. My gaze traveled down the length of the Wraith. All my crew members were staring down at me with looks of confusion and fear. All except Cael, the only living soul that knew my true secret. His eyes shone with a sense of approval.

Rhea looked beyond me, and her knuckles whitened as her grip on the bone railing intensified. I pivoted in the water to see what demanded her attention. The inky waters retreated swiftly, mimicking a school of fish evading a lurking shark. The tiny fragment of Poseidon's heart had provided a shield merely a few feet wide, standing as the boundary between us and the engulfing Dark Water. As I plunged into the depths, the black water withdrew, shrinking to an almost unseeable point on the distant horizon. I inhaled deeply. Maybe I could do this.

A splash brought my attention back around. In the clear, pristine water, I could see Rhea as she swam up to me. She surfaced mere inches from my face. She blinked at me a few times, seemingly still trying to accept my admission. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I swallowed the lump that formed at the base of my throat. "It's been my experience that people don't normally own up to what they are most ashamed of."

Understanding swirled in her honey-colored irises, and she thankfully didn't press the matter further.

Rhea chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit that made my blood heat to uncomfortable levels. She stopped when she noticed the intensity of my stare. "Can you do this? Can you defeat the Dark Hydra?"

I could tell by her tone she was hesitant to ask. I didn't blame her for being worried. Hell, I was concerned myself.

"In truth, I don't know what I am capable of," I answered honestly—for once.

I remained ignorant of the boundaries of my abilities, as I had no one to guide me in mastering them. Instead, I suppressed them deep within, burying them in the darkest recesses of my being alongside the painful memories intertwined with those extraordinary powers. I had chosen to deny my heritage and everything that linked me to that tainted bloodline.

Rhea reached a shaky hand toward my face, stopping it in midair. "Then we will find out together."

I plucked her hand from the air, anchoring it to my chest. I didn't want her to go. It was dangerous, and I had no idea what to expect from the monster below, but this was her destiny just as it was mine, and I would not deny her that, no matter how badly I wanted to.

"Cael!" I called over my shoulder before turning to face him.

"Aye, Cap'n."

"If I don't return, take good care of my ship."

A solemn expression overtook his features as an unspoken understanding threaded the air between us. "Safe travels, my friend."

Cael turned away from me, booming orders for the men to prepare the ship for battle. If this whole thing took a turn for the worse, my men would stand ready to place themselves between the Dark Hydra and the rest of the world. A sense of pride bubbled up in my chest.

Rhea gripped my arm, pulling my attention back to her. "I haven't turned back into a siren. I don't know what's wrong."

I smirked at her. "I forgot."

I stretched my palm toward her as she watched me with careful eyes. My power pulsed through the water, turning her back into her original form.

"It was you all this time," she said, barely above a breath. "I thought the sea witch did this to me."

"The sea witch wouldn't lift a finger to help you," I growled.

Rhea looked down at the water. "You saved me more than once by turning me."

I guess I had. If I hadn't transformed her into a human on the beach the first time I encountered her, she would have perished. I repeated the act when she was tossed into the water by the leviathan, dove in to vanquish the sirens threatening my ship, and once more when she unearthed my deception and flung herself overboard. I had been protecting her this whole time and hadn't even realized how deeply I had fallen for her from the very moment I first gazed upon her.

Rhea smiled at me, lightening the dark corners of my heart. "And here I believed you were just a heartless pirate."

I pulled her closer to me, and she came willingly. "Not so loud, you'll ruin my reputation."

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Come on, let's go show this Dark Hydra what Blackheart Kai is made of."

She dove underwater, flipping her iridescent pink fins in the air. I glanced back at my ship one last time before sinking below the surface and following her below.

I quickly caught up with Rhea. She was fast for a siren, but nothing compared to my speed when I was in the water. I took a deep breath, the water changing to oxygen as I inhaled. I didn't even know how my own breathing worked. Rhea had gills that allowed her to extract dissolved oxygen from the water, but I did not. I could breathe in the water just as easily as I could on land with no other explanation than I just could.

The farther we descended, the darker and colder the water became. A sense of foreboding washed over me like a tidal wave. I wasn't afraid for myself but for Rhea. The Mariana Trench was the deepest place in the Seven Seas. I didn't know how much oxygen was in the water that deep nor what other hidden monstrosities might lurk below, but my true concern was that I wasn't sure if I could protect her. On land, brandishing a sword, I feared no one or nothing, but in this submerged realm, I was forced to depend on a strength I had once considered a hindrance.

Rhea"s gasp sent a jolt through me, my muscles tensing as I whipped around to see the creatures we had battled above circling us like hungry sharks drawn to chum. I didn't know how these creatures would respond to me. I usually had to fight away the unwanted attention from all the sea creatures when I was in the water. They gravitated toward me like waves to a shoreline. Even aboard my ship, larger animals like sharks, whales, and porpoises would venture to the surface, actively seeking my attention.

I swam in front of Rhea as they drew closer. I held out my palm, allowing my power to pulse in the current. They blinked a few times, staring at me in confusion before lowering their heads and bestowing their honor and respect upon me. We continued toward the bottom with the creatures flanking our sides like royal guards. Rhea's tail fin brushed my leg as she pressed in closer to me, obviously still not trusting the creatures who had nearly torn her in two earlier. I glanced back at her, throwing her a smile that I hoped alleviated her fear.

We both stalled once we reached the ocean floor. The crescent-shaped trench cut a jagged line through the bottom of the ocean, plummeting deeper into the Earth's core. Dark Water shot out from the crevice like lava erupting from a volcano, promising death to anyone who neared it.

Rhea entwined her fingers through mine. I could feel the rapid thread of her pulse as it pumped. "It's worse than I could have possibly imagined."

Her fear did unspeakable things to my insides and invoked a surge of anger to erupt within me. I pulled her close to my side, staring deep into her eyes. "Go back to the ship? I'm not telling. I'm asking you to do this for me."

I was not a man to beg. I issued orders and expected unwavering compliance, but her fear muddled my mind, disrupting all my thoughts and reasoning.

"No." She flat-out refused my beseeching. "I will not desert you. It seems to me that you have had to deal with all of this on your own for long enough. No matter what happens, I will not leave you."

And just like that, this sea demon, the creature I had taught myself to loathe, reached into my big manly chest and squeezed my black heart. She couldn't possibly know how validating her words were nor what they meant to me. My grip on her hand intensified as I schooled my features, refusing to let her see the impact she had on me. "Then let's do this, little sea demon."

Rhea's smile was so bright it had the potential of lighting up the dreary black water, or maybe that was just the effect it had on me.

Hand in hand, we neared the trench. The Dark Water parted, allowing us clear access. The creatures that were impervious to Dark Water went in first, seemingly clearing the way for us to enter. I started after them, but Rhea pulled against me, demanding my attention.

"Kai, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I am proud of you for swallowing your pride and putting the safety of others first. What you have done today, no matter the outcome, is the mark of a true ruler."

"Rhea…"

"Don't interrupt me, please. I have to say this. Even though we were set against each other from the very beginning, I would be doing myself a great injustice if I didn't confess that I've fallen in love with you."

My blood froze, and tension coiled between my shoulders. I didn't know how to embrace her love since no one had ever given it to me. Before I could reply, she plunged into the trench, and the darkness that lurked there engulfed her.