Deep Water (27 page)

Amphitrite’s expression froze.
They were both gone when the maid went to
wake them.
Had they slept together in Poseidon’s bedroom? Was this simply
yet another bed partner for her husband and nothing to do with Medusa after
all?

And yet Poseidon had seemed so eager when
he’d come to her condo. If she could credit him with nothing else, she would
admit that he had always been discreet about his flings. She couldn’t see him
dangling something as trivial as a new lover in her face. “I’m afraid I don’t
know, either. But once I catch up with him, I’ll have him contact you as soon
as he can.”

Cam bowed, resting a hand over his heart.
“Thank you, my lady. The staff can handle most issues, of course, but every
household functions more smoothly when there is a firm hand at the tiller.”

That didn’t help
the Titanic.
But she smiled and took her leave, porting directly to the waters of Olympic
Cove. If Poseidon had a mortal in tow and wasn’t on Olympus or at his undersea
palace, then the boys’ cottage was the next most likely location.

But the tidy blue and white cottage was
empty, much to her annoyance. She nibbled on her lip as she stood at the back
porch door, wondering where else to search for her husband.

“Amphitrite?”

Turning, she spotted Nick standing on the
deck of his own cottage, waving. “Hello, Nick. Did I disturb you?”

“Nope. I was about to hop in the shower
and grab dinner before I headed into work when I saw you. I thought you might
be looking for the guys.”

She nodded belatedly, remembering that the
Bearer of the Rod of Asclepius had a mortal job at one of the local hospitals. “Actually,
I was looking for Poseidon. I don’t suppose you’ve seen him?”

Nick frowned. “Uh, not since the Fourth.
But he’s been hanging out at Griffin’s place a lot. You might want to check
over there.”

Her eyebrows went up. Poseidon had
mentioned a Griffin, hadn’t he? Could this be the mystery human? “Where does this
Griffin live?”

Nick turned, pointing at a lime green
cottage further down the beach. “Right over there.”

And the mystery deepens.
“Thank
you, Nick. I’ll see if he’s there,” she said, starting towards the green
cottage.

“Hold on.”

She paused as the doctor jogged down the
stairs to her. “One thing before you go, and please keep this between us,” he
said, lowering his voice. “Griffin is very ill. Terminal brain tumor. He has
maybe six weeks left.”

Amphitrite felt a fleeting sense of
regret. Mortals had such short lives, poor things. “Thank you for letting me
know. I won’t make any thoughtless comments.”

“Yeah, that’s good, but—” Nick hesitated.
“Look, I don’t know the details, but Poseidon seems to like him a lot. They’ve
been sailing together, and I think he’s been going out on the boat just to make
sure Griffin didn’t pass out or fall overboard.”

She tried to absorb this information. Her
proud, arrogant mate who had never been overly fond of mortals had apparently
befriended a terminally ill human. A male one of middle age, no less, so she
couldn’t even accuse him of trying to get a frail young maiden into bed to
relieve her of her maidenhead.

Except that if this Griffin was the same
human who had spent the night at their palace, then he had possibly spent time
in Poseidon’s bed after all. It was mystifying. And what did all of this have
to do with their lost
agapetos
?

“Why are you telling me all this?” she
asked, curious.

Nick shrugged. “Griffin is a nice guy,” he
said, “and I would appreciate it if you didn’t go over there in full Goddess
mode and, I dunno, turn him into a crab or something. I don’t know what’s going
on with Poseidon and him, but whatever it is, it’ll be over soon.”

Suddenly her suspicions seemed ridiculous.
“Unless Poseidon’s tastes have changed dramatically, I don’t think he’s
attracted to middle-aged mortal men,” she said. “But even if I’m wrong and they
are lovers, I promise you that I won’t take it out on this Griffin.”

Nick relaxed. “Thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome.” She eyed the
sinking sun. “You’d best get to your dinner. I’ll see you and your mates next
week.”

“Okay. Take care.” With a parting wave, Nick
went back inside.

Alone, Amphitrite considered the green
building down the beach.
I have no idea
what you’re up to, Poseidon, but I find myself curious to meet this mortal
friend of yours.

Kicking off her shoes, she picked them up
and headed towards the green cottage.

****

Griffin sat on the cottage’s screened
porch, watching the dusk gather on the horizon and wondering where Poseidon
was.

No, let’s be
honest here. You’re wondering if he’s all right.

They’d just finished the curry when both
Poseidon and Aphros’s heads rose like greyhounds catching the scent of a
rabbit. Aphros had bolted out of his chair, speeding through the porch and
discarding clothes as he went.

“What the hell?” Griffin had said, staring
out the window at the sight of a now-nude Aphros diving into the water. Moments
later a huge silvery tail burst up, slapping the water once before disappearing
beneath it. “What’s going on?”

Poseidon had glared at the cove with a
thunderous expression. “It’s Thetis.”

The name sounded familiar, something out
of Greek mythology. Before Griffin could ask anything else, though, Poseidon
had grabbed him and kissed him once, fast and ruthless.

When they separated, Poseidon said, “If
you don’t hear from me in a day, get on a direct flight to Athens. Go to the Parthenon
as soon as you land and call out for Athena. Tell her that I charge her by Zeus
Horkios
to protect you, for your past service if for
nothing else.”

“What? Why?” Even feeling better, the idea
of him getting on another trans-Atlantic flight was out of the question.
“What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain it to you later, beloved.”
With a final kiss, the sea god had left the cottage, following the path of his
son. As Griffin watched from the window, Poseidon’s linen slacks and polo shirt
disappeared, replaced by a chiton topped with bronze greaves, breastplate, and
gauntlets. He reached into empty air and pulled out a classic Greek helmet with
nosepiece and metal crest. Clapping it on his head, he reached out again and
pulled back a massive gold trident. Now armed, he strode into the water and
disappeared beneath the waves.

Griffin gripped the windowsill, wondering
what the hell was going on. If it was serious enough that Poseidon thought
something might happen to him—

His throat tightened.
He’s the bloody God of the Sea. Nothing’s going to happen to him,
dammit.

But it left Griffin on his own to worry. He’d
spent the rest of the afternoon doing some research on his smartphone, with
occasional tea breaks out on the deck to watch the water. Reaching for his mug,
he realized it was empty. He grabbed it and headed into the kitchen, turning
lights on as he went.
When all else fails,
the British make tea.

He’d just started pouring hot water into
his now teabag-stuffed mug when someone knocked on the back door. It made him
jump, splashing hot water over the counter. Cursing, he tossed a dishcloth over
the puddle before hurrying to the door.
It’s
probably Nick checking up on me. God, I’m not in the mood for company—

He opened the back door, ready to tell his
neighbor that he was fine, and stopped. A stunning brunette stood on his deck,
one elegant fist still raised from knocking on his door.

His heartbeat lurched, then pounded in his
chest as he recognized her from his dreams.
Amphitrite.
Poseidon’s consort, and his own long-lost
agapetos
.
Her clothes and hairstyle were far more modern than the ones she’d had in his
dream, but he would never forget her face.
Christ,
you’re lovely.

“Hello. I was looking for Griffin,” she
said, eyes going wide. She shook her head. “I mean, I was looking for my …
husband?”

Griffin couldn’t stop staring at her,
drinking her in. It was a physical ache, this need to pull her into his arms
and kiss her. He forced himself to some semblance of calm. “Hello, Amphitrite.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “How do you
know my name?”

“I know a lot about you.” He tried to
smile. “Well, I think I do, anyway. I don’t know how much of it is still valid,
considering how I learned it. But yeah, I know who you are.” He stepped back,
gesturing her inside. “Please, come in.”

She moved past him without hesitation,
still gazing at him. “You
are
Griffin, yes?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” A notion of hospitality
kicked in. “Uh, can I get you something to drink? I was just making tea.”

“Tea? Oh. Yes, thank you.” With a visible
effort she regained control of herself, following him to the kitchen.

He gestured for her to sit down at one of
the high stools lining the kitchen counter before refilling the electric
kettle. As an afterthought he dumped out his half-made tea. “You said you’re
looking for Poseidon?” he asked over his shoulder.

When he turned, he realized she only been
surprised before.
This
was the proper
stunned expression of the Nereid Amphitrite.

“You know his name?” she said.

“Yes. And I know you’re his wife. And I
know your boys Aphros and Bythos are sea centaurs, Ian’s a storm god, and
there’s something bad going on out there that Poseidon has to deal with. That’s
where he and Aphros are right now, I think.”

She put a hand to her temple and went
still. “Of course,” she finally said. “I’d felt something earlier, but then it
disappeared. I thought I was imagining things.”

Griffin gripped his tea mug. “Is he in
danger?”

“Poseidon? A month ago I would have said
absolutely not. Now, however…” Her gaze cleared, and she focused on him again.
“He’s very strong, though, and very cunning. I don’t think Thetis can overpower
him, at least not yet.”

That name again. “Thetis is a Nereid,
isn’t she?” Griffin asked. “And your sister, according to Google.”

Amphitrite hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.
Thetis is the First Nereid, my oldest sister and a powerful sea goddess in her
own right. But something happened to her a few years ago. It turned her into
something monstrous.”

The electric kettle clicked, catching his
attention. “Let me get this tea made, and then I’d really like to hear the
whole story, if you don’t mind.”

He busied himself with the tea things,
feeling Amphitrite’s attention on him like a gentle touch. When he added milk
and sugar to his own mug, something told him to add only milk to hers. He
stirred both mugs, then handed hers over.

Their fingertips brushed, causing a
wonderful tingle to crackle through his body. It was the same thing he’d felt
the first time Poseidon had touched him.

Judging by Amphitrite’s expression, she’d
felt it as well. He grabbed his tea and sat on the stool next to hers. “You
felt that, didn’t you? That spark?”

“Yes.” Her reply was quiet, awed. “Do you
know what it means?”

“Yeah. I know this is going to be hard to
believe, but apparently I’m the reincarnation of Medusa.”

Amphitrite took in another ragged breath,
her eyes glassy. “I know.”

That surprised him. “You do?”

She nodded. “I think I knew it when you
answered the door. Your aura is faded from illness, but the shape and the
colors are the same as hers.” She bit her lower lip. “And then you touched me,
and I knew for sure.”

The urge to take her in his arms and kiss
her surged back, stronger than before. With an effort he restrained himself.
“Is that all right? I mean, I know I’m not the woman you knew,” he said. “But
apparently I’m still your
agapetos
,
if you want me.” He glanced down at himself, wishing he’d put on something
nicer than a t-shirt and shorts. “I know I’m not exactly a GQ model, but—”

“Stop, please.” Her hand darted out,
taking his. “If I
want
you? Beloved,
I have wanted you for millennia. I will want you when you are old and grey. I
will want you until the end of time. I don’t care what you
look
like.” She laughed, even as tears started to trickle down her
cheeks. “You and Poseidon are the missing parts of my soul. How could I
not
want you?”

He cupped her cheek and wiped the tears
away. Her skin was silk. “Thank you,” he said, heartfelt. “I … God, you’re
beautiful.”

She leaned into his touch. “So are you. I
don’t care what you say about your appearance. Your eyes are still the same. I
always felt I could fall into them and drown.” She squeezed the hand she had
captured. “How could you think I’d turn away from you?”

He hesitated. But she had to know. “I look
like this because I’m sick. Brain tumor. But Poseidon has a plan to fix that.”

Her chin came up at that, and the soft
light in her eyes sharpened. “Tell me.”