Descending (The Rising Series) (8 page)

The book he
wanted sat prominently on the desk:
The Mer—A Complete History
. He sank into a chair, opened the cover, and leafed through the pages. The first chapter was all about Triton. The next chapter was about Triton’s children—when they were born, what each of their gifts and abilities were…
Gifts? Abilities?

Th
e first Mer listed in the book was Phiobe—born five thousand years ago. She spent much of her time among the reefs, playing with the sharks. She had the gift of speech. She could speak all the languages of sea—shark, dolphin, whale, even crab and bony fish. She loved her sea friends so much that she refused to eat them. Instead, she ate seaweed and kelp.

Kyros frowned. That mermaid was unlike any he’d heard of before.

Medon was next; he was a merman who had the ability to freeze water. Not only that, but he could form deadly weapons, freezing seawater in the form of a trident, sword, spear, and shield… With the raise of his hand or the flick of his wrist, he could send a blade straight at you, seemingly from nowhere. He didn’t do much killing with his gift, however. Instead, he traveled to the far north, where he created a grand ice castle. Some say it was still standing, abandoned.

Delia’s gift was one of healing. She could suffer horrific injuries and heal quickly from them. Boasting of her ability, she had her brother, Alexon, cut off her finger. After one short day, she’d grown another in its place. Claiming the new finger was better than her old one, she had
Alexon cut off all her other fingers. When each of them regrew, they were far superior to her old ones. Painful though it was, she didn't stop there. Next, she had her brother cut off one arm, then the other, and lastly her tail. The amputated parts regrew—lovelier and more perfect. Enamored by the beauty of her new body, she thought if only she could get a more beautiful face, with luminous hair. Then, she’d be the most beautiful of all Triton’s daughters. Emboldened by her previous successes, she had her brother cut off her head. Sadly, this was the end of Delia.

Kyros shook his head and cracked a smile.

Aella… Kyros scowled at the name. This mermaid he’d heard of.

She
was the most powerful of all the Mer. Born four thousand years ago—with fair skin and dark hair—her beauty was admired throughout the sea. Kyros skimmed over the section.

Aella
’s voice was unmatched in its power. She could wield it with the utmost control—no one could resist. Not only that, but she could transform into a human easily—without the help of her father. Sara could have used that power to better mix with the humans. But Aella didn’t mix with the humans—she terrorized them. Kyros turned back to reread one paragraph again; the horror of it was hard to fathom.

“When Aella tired of tormenting humans from afar, she
rose from the depths to walk among them. She chose the Mycenaens as the first humans to visit. After she’d smiled and greeted them, she opened her mouth and unleashed a song filled with violence and warfare. Fathers killed sons, husband slaughtered wives, and mothers murdered their children. Every last man, woman, and child along the southern coast of Greece lay dead in her wake. Her laughter pealed across the mountains when she looked over what she’d done.”

Kyros couldn’t fathom such evil. This was
brutal, heartless treatment—even for vile humans. Aella was ultimately punished for her actions. Her father, Triton, banished her. She would live alone, forever without the company of her sisters and brothers—a hard punishment for a Mer.

This story
, though it sickened him, did not surprise Kyros. He’d heard tales similar to this one. Aella was not the only Mer to wreak terror. The Mer had tormented Dagonians in much the same way as Aella did the humans. When Poseidon ordered the Dagonians to destroy the Mer, the Dagonians were understandably eager to carry out his command.

Kyros read on.
He was surprised to discover each Mer had a unique gift and personality. There were no two alike. And although some were brutal and cruel, others were caring and compassionate. He considered the possibility Sara might not be as bad as he’d thought. He also wondered if she had a gift, and if she did, what it might be.

He continued to read on, filing away little facts in his brain. Triton fathered a total of seventy-two children. At the time of their
destruction, he’d also had over a hundred grandchildren and a dozen great-grandchildren.

“Doing a little light reading?”

Kyros looked up. The human was smirking at him. He looked down at the book and tried to ignore her. Gretchen sauntered over and leaned against the desk—too close to ignore.

“Where’s Sara?” Kyros shifted in his chair.

“Oh, she’s talking to Xanthus. He called just a minute ago.”

She furrowed her brows and
narrowed her eyes. “What language is that?”

“Greek.”

“No, it’s not. I know Greek, and that’s not Greek.”

“It’s ancient Greek.”

She looked startled and leaned in for a better look. Kyros responded by closing the book and placing it in a drawer.

She sat back and eyed him curiously. “
What’s a guy like you doing reading ancient Greek?”

“A guy like me?”

“Tall, dark, with an attitude that says, piss me off and die.’”

Kyros almost smiled at that one. This human was not far off. She
shrugged away from the desk and stepped toward him, each step deliberate, seductive. He could feel the warmth of her body radiating from her. The attraction he felt toward her hit him—immediate and powerful. He wanted nothing more than to drag her against him and take a taste of those full lips. The harsh reality of his desire for a human was a slap in the face.

He
stood up, pushed her back, and snarled, “Keep your distance.”

Gretchen stumbled back, nearly falling—catching herself against the
doorframe.

He’d definitely caught her off guard. Her expression was a strange mixture of surprise, hurt, and anger. The surprise and hurt melted away, leaving the anger.

“Listen, jerk, I don’t know what planet you come from, but you can’t just push people when they get too close for comfort. I could have you arrested for assault.”

Kyros continued to glare at her.

“But since you’re Xanthus’s best friend, I won’t. Just don’t ever touch me again, or I’ll have you on the floor, screaming for mercy before you have time to pee your pants.”

Hades, she was beautiful
and
had a sharp tongue. He cursed himself for noticing.

He stepped toward her, towering above
her, and hissed, “Try it.”

She slapped her hands against his chest, attempting to push him back. Her effort was pathetic. She had no strength to back up her threat. He might have been impressed with her courage if he wasn’t so busy being ticked off at her.

“Kyros!” The sharpness of Sara’s voice cut through the charged energy in the room. “Xanthus wants to talk to you.”

He turned toward the mermaid. She
thrust her cell phone at him. Oh yeah, here was another ticked-off female. She had nothing on him right now. Neither of them could possibly be as angry as he was.

He stepped out the door
, putting the phone to his ear. “I sure hope you’re on your way back home.”

Xanthus chuckled. “Having a little problem on the island? Are the locals giving you trouble
?”

“The newest local human is.”

“Yeah, Sara said Gretchen showed up.”

Kyros grunted.

“What do you think of her?”

“
What do you think?” Kyros snapped.

“Hey, I was just asking.”

“I think she’s as appealing as a harpoon in my backside.”

“Really…
?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?
”

“Nothing. Hades, you’re touchy.”

Kyros didn’t say anything. He was tired of being baited.

“Listen,” Xanthus said, “I invited Gretchen to stay a while.”

“Wonderful,” Kyros growled, glowering.

“I’m glad you think so
. I want you to keep a close eye on her.”

“On the human? Why under Olympus would this human need to be watched?”

“I have my reasons.”

“You’re getting dangerously close to overextending your favor. You only saved my life.”

Xanthus chuckled. “Watching a human is worse than dying?”

“I said close.”

The wind whipped through Gretchen’s hair as she pushed Sara in her wheelchair along the brightly colored shops in Hamilton. Gretchen smiled, thinking about her friend. She sure was funny about shopping. Sara now had enough money to buy anything and everything she wanted, but she still gravitated toward the sales and bargains. Even then, it was nearly impossible to convince her to actually buy anything. Once a cheapskate, always…

A sigh from behind
interrupted her personal musing. Kyros obviously wasn’t enjoying his shopping trip with two women. Well, he didn’t need to come at all. Gretchen had no idea why he insisted. Every time she smiled, laughed, or made a joke, she could feel him glowering at her from behind her back, spoiling her good mood. If she could have just two minutes, she’d tell him exactly what she thought of him.

“Whoa, do you smell that?” Sara asked.

A tempting aroma wafted from a quaint restaurant with small, outdoor tables.

“Please tell me they have fresh sushi,” Kyros said.

Gretchen turned, surprised.
Kyros spoke a coherent sentence?
This entire trip the closest he’d gotten to speaking to them were his grunts, frowns, and low mumblings.

“I don’t think so,” Sara answered. “Let’s look for a
sushi house.”

Gretchen frowned. She had no idea why Sara
catered to the ornery gorilla. As if she could read her thoughts, Sara whispered to her, “Kyros has a sensitive stomach. Sushi seems to be the only thing he can keep down.”

Gretchen looked back at him. He did seem a bit pale. Maybe even green. She caught herself before she asked him if he
felt sick. The way he scowled at her, he wouldn’t appreciate her concern. She didn’t know why she was worried about him anyway. He obviously didn’t care about
her.

They made their way onto Front Street and found a sushi restaurant. The sophisticated elegance of the place screamed expensive. But Sara must have figured it was worth spending the money to feed Kyros. His rumbling stomach was beginning to drown out his sighs.

They stepped up to the door, and a man in a crisp suit greeted them. “Welcome to Orchid. Do you have a reservation?”

“No, we don’t,” Gretchen said.

“I’m sorry; we can’t seat you without one.”

Kyros stepped forward and looked around. “There seems to be a lot of tables available.”

“Yes sir, but it’s our policy. We only serve those with reservations.”

Kyros narrowed his eyes. “
What’s a reservation?”

“What? You don’t know…”

Sara whispered to him. “It’s when you call ahead and reserve a table.”

“Couldn’t I just make a
reservation now?” he asked the host.

The
host cleared his throat. “Now?”

“Yes, I would like to make it now, for now.”

“You want a reservation for now?”

“I am speaking English. Do you not understand?”

“I understand. How many in your party?”

Kyros looked back to Gretchen and Sara. “Obviously, there are three of us.”

“Three it is. And what name should I list this under?”

“Dionysius.”

“Okay, I have a reservation for Dionysius party of three at...” he glanced at his watch, “four fifty-five pm.”

“Would you like to be seated now?”

“What an amazing idea,” Kyros said dryly.

Gretchen bit back a laugh.

They were seated and served a few minutes later.