Chosen (19 page)

             
Wearing the fresh pair of jeans and warm sweater that had been set out for me, I exited the bedroom and found myself in a single great room that contained a modest living room and kitchen.  I inhaled the soothing smell of apple cider that reminded me of a Cracker Barrel restaurant.  After peering into a bathroom off to the right of the great room, it dawned on me that I’d just seen the entire cottage.  The wooden floor beneath my feet offset the white décor beautifully.  Two large, white oversized couches dwarfed the living room, leaving only enough room for several pieces of vintage furniture.  A weathered wooden coffee table matched the large cupboard standing against the back wall, filled with an extensive bone china collection. 

             
As my curious eyes trailed over the wrought iron cabinetry hardware in the kitchen, I noticed the repetition of starfish throughout the great room.  They were everywhere.  Adorning the wall, splayed across the coffee table, embroidered onto decorative pillows, and displayed across the mantle of the quaint stone fireplace. 

             
The cozy mood of the house spoke to my soul and made me feel secluded from the world’s (and my) problems.  I did find it odd that the Maven of a House would have requested such a humble living arrangement, however.  Where had she slept while I was occupying her fluffy, heavenly, softer-than-a-cloud bed?  The couch?  The (gasp!) floor?

             
“So do you…live here, too?” I inquired, my voice shadowed by shame.  If our Maven had to sleep on her floor because of me I would buy her a new house.  Or at least a cot to sleep on.  I wandered the rest of the way into the living room and then plopped down on the sofa beside Finn.

             
“Oh, bless your heart!  My four dogs would eat this place for lunch,” Zara chuckled and handed me a cup of steaming cider. “This is just my guest house. The main house is up the path on the left.” Although I had only just met her, I was drawn to her instantly.  She couldn’t have been more than thirty years old, but she had the southern elegance of Scarlett O’Hara and the unapologetic cynicism of Betty White.  Smoldering amber-colored hair had been pulled back from her shoulders, and then tied with a blue and white polka dotted scarf.  Her youthful figure was thin but curvy, and her impossibly long legs were hidden by white skinny jeans.  Her blue silk blouse accentuated striking blue eyes that twinkled with wisdom, but were clouded by something ominous and foreboding that gave me pause.  The subtle permanent arch of her right eyebrow gave off the impression that she lived in a constant state of amusement. 

             
“I love the starfish decor,” I complimented her decorating cordially.  In case she turned out to be bat-shit crazy like our other Maven, I wanted to make sure I was on her good side.

             
“That’s good.” She raised an eyebrow and continued with a sly grin, after taking a seat on the other sofa, “ ’Cause you’re going to be staying here for a while.”

             
“You didn’t tell me I was grounded!” I snickered at Finn and then took a sip of cider.  I was only half kidding.  He draped an arm around my shoulders and I felt the warmth of his darkness wrap around me as well; soothing my anxiety.

             
“Well, not yet…” she predicted through a clever sneer. “Give it time.”

             
“I can promise you, I won’t be any trouble,” I persuaded, unsure whether she was kidding or not.

 
              Shifting forward in response, Zara patted me on the knee. “Now, don’t go making promises!  What fun would it be if we didn’t cause a little trouble?”

             
“Don’t worry, trouble follows Stasia around like a sick puppy,” Finn quipped easily. I nodded.

             
“Yeah, and that puppy’s name is Finn…” I countered in all seriousness, leaving Zara chuckling.

             
“Now,” she began, “I’ve made sure that there is a protective shield around the house to keep any unwanted guests out. Me, Finn, your suitemates, and a handful of other people are the only exceptions.  And you, of course.” 

             
“Really?” I didn’t bother to hide my enthusiasm. “I don’t know what to say!” The validation that I would be staying there warmed my heart.  My own house?  And it’s protected from the long list of people who would like nothing more than to chop my head off? Where do I sign up?! 

             
“It’s only until your birthday, but I’m more than happy to have you. During your training you’ll need to be extremely focused and have a safe, peaceful place to meditate and practice your abilities.  Not to mention, we can’t have any psychotic fire-breathing princesses chopping you into bits and pieces now, can we?” She set down her mug while I picked my jaw off of the ground at her candor.  I heard Finn laugh under his breath when she got up to collect something from the kitchen. “All of your clothes are hanging in the bedroom closet, and I had a couple of your personal items brought over. I believe this belongs to you?”

             
She placed the valise that my mother had bestowed upon me onto the coffee table.  I admired its intricate detail again, and delighted in the beautifully engraved trace that covered the lid.  Zara unlatched it with hands of certainty and laid its contents across the table; very much like my roommates and I had done before travelling to the Underworld.  Unlike our subpar guesses, I had a feeling that she knew much more about the items held within, for which I was genuinely grateful.

             
“My mom left it to me,” I asserted wistfully. “I found a letter inside.  She said all of these items would help me in the quest to fulfill my destiny.”

             
“And she was correct,” she reinforced with approval. “But before you go fulfilling any destinies, we need to talk about a couple of things.  Not only will you become a goddess and a Nereid - if you receive the required approvals from your future sisters, that is - on your birthday, but you’ll be up against a very powerful ex-Nereid to claim your rightful place as Leader of the Tydes.” Before I had the opportunity to throw myself off the roof, she elaborated. “So as you can see, your training and preparation are high on the priority list…right below Mr. Paramour over there.” She rubbed her chin and regarded Finn almost scientifically before declaring, “He loves you. You love him. So he stays.”

             
“Agreed,” parlayed a very self-assured Finn.

             
She gifted him a knowing smile before continuing, “I believe we can also agree on the fact that Keto is definitely not planning to uphold her faulty claim to wait until
after
Stasia’s birthday to challenge her.  I think the possibility of an attack before January 1st is pretty high.” She shifted her attention towards me, “That being said, I’ll teach you to protect your body and mind, but you need to stay on high alert at all times, understand?”

             
I nodded at Zara earnestly. “Especially now that we’ve cut off Keto’s ability to get mine or Finn’s essence…she knows it’ll be easier to defeat me while I’m still half-human.” I was all too aware that my use of the word ‘defeat’ actually meant ‘slaughter’, but I liked the sound of
defeat
infinitely better.  Zara’s stunning features stiffened to severe and her smile vanished.

             
“Finn told me what happened on the Isle of Slaves while you were sleeping.  I’d like to think that Keto would have used her better judgment and waited to challenge you, but I’m afraid she’s too far gone for that.  So from now on we’ll move forward with the assumption that she could attack at any time.” The depth of her sadness bewildered me, but she hastily masked it behind a mischievous smile. “Which leads me to the contents of your valise.”

             
I inspected the items on the table while Zara took a sip of cider, tucked her legs up under her, and settled in.  A broken compass, a jeweled dagger, a piece of rope, the eerie conch shell, the hematite stone, and three skeleton keys all dumbfounded me with their mystery.

             
“I think I should hang on to the dagger for safe keeping…” Finn informed us wickedly, and attempted to hide it behind his back.

             
“You have your own bedazzled weapons,” I scolded him. “This one stays with me.”

             
“My weapons are
not
bedazzled,” he spit out, almost choking on the word ‘bedazzled’.

             
“Of course they are!” I smiled at him happily.

             
“They’re
jeweled
, not bedazzled,” he corrected me.

             
“Definitely bedazzled,” I muttered under my breath, until Finn playfully poked at my stomach; sending me into a full blown giggle fit.

             
“Alright, lovebirds…” Zara reprimanded us affectionately.  “It’s time for a quiz.”

             
I elbowed Finn in an attempt to dissuade him from any further attacks, which only got me a retaliation elbow to the ribs.  I suppressed another giggle and forced myself to pay attention to Zara.  She gave Finn a warning look and he finally sat still.

             
“What type of goddess are you and will you continue to be?” she questioned me plainly.  I peeked back at Finn, but he was watching me; waiting on my answer as well. 

             
“Um…a good one?” I guessed pathetically.

             
Zara made a buzzing sound, “Wrong. Try again. What
type
of goddess are you and will you continue to be?”

             
“A Tri-goddess,” I answered with assuredness.

             
“And what does that mean?” she pressed further.

             
“That means…I have a connection with the sea, shore, and wind.” Thankfully, I had inherited a good memory and could remember the first time Finn and I had sorted through the valise on the Fortunate Isle.  The triskellion symbol necklace that still hung from my neck had come with a label, which explained that the symbol stood for the Tri-goddess.  Unfortunately, Finn had failed to expound upon what that meant for me specifically.

             
“Very good.  There’s only one other Tri-goddess of all the Nereids.  Your mother was actually very close with her,” she looked at me pointedly. “Her name is Amphitrite, and she’s the Queen of the Nereids.”

             
“There’s a Queen of the Nereids?” I established, causing Zara to nearly choke on her cider at my next question. “She doesn’t happen to have a tainted, demonic daughter as well, does she? I don’t think I can handle another blood thirsty princess.”

             
“Not that I know of,” she crowed. “Blood thirsty and demonic aren’t usually qualities the Nereids strive for.”

             
“Tell that to Keto…” I inferred under my breath.

             
“Now, the queen was second only to your mom in power and strength, but she’s by far the wisest.  The fact that she’s a Tri-goddess helps.  Once you become a goddess, Nereid, and Leader of the Tydes, there will be two Tri-goddesses.”

             
“If Mom wasn’t a tri-goddess, how did I become one?” I contemplated. 

             
“Well, Amphitrite and your mom shared the same mother, your grandmother, but she wasn’t a Tri-goddess either.  How it happens is unknown, because it’s not inherited and can’t be bestowed.  You’re just born that way.”

             
“So - Amphitrite is Queen of the Nereids because she is the wisest, and Mom was the Leader of the Tydes because she was the most powerful?”

             
“Exactly.  But, being the strongest two Nereids, they naturally gravitated towards each other. Amphitrite was on Thetis’s counsel, along with Natasha and Dr. Campbell.  But, Amphitrite was your mom’s right hand woman - her confidant. And your mom was the same for Amphitrite.  Kind of like a best friend you’ve known your whole life - except for Thetis and Amphitrite, ‘your whole life’ meant centuries.” Zara smiled.

             
“Then why didn’t she become the leader of the Tydes after my mom died?  Why Keto?” I examined.  Something moved in my field of vision and I snapped my head to the front door.  I could have sworn there had been someone standing there.  I blinked several times, but all I saw was the door.  I shook myself mentally and tried to focus.

             
“Finn, do you want to take a shot at this one?” Zara held her mug of cider up to her nose and breathed in the sweet aroma before taking a long sip.

             
“Well according to mom, in the absence of a Chosen leader, the next strongest Nereid is the rightful Leader of the Tyde Order - which should have been Amphitrite.  Even though Keto had broken away from the Nereids centuries ago, being Leader of the Sirens wasn’t enough for her; which is evident by the death of Thetis at Keto’s command.  She had always planned to rule over the Tydes as well as the Sirens.  So once Part One of her plan had been carried out, Keto challenged Amphitrite to prove that she was stronger.  It wasn’t much of a challenge, however.  Planning her challenge years in advance, Keto had some…help.  She almost completely destroyed Amphitrite, until the Nereids came and carried her away to ensure that she lived.  Therefore, Keto declared herself the Leader of the Tydes because technically she was the strongest Nereid, with no one to challenge her position.”