It took some careful navigating through the streets to get us to the pastaria; or whatever they called it in Greece. I supposed 'pastaria' was the Italian word for it. I didn't want to get lost like I had in Athens, though this seaside village was substantially smaller and easier to figure out. The place sat at the corner of a building block. It was modest and ramshackle, but that didn't merit a correct method of determining how good the food was. The most unexpected places in Europe usually had the best food, albeit the slightest restaurant building with paper cups and plates.

Upon entering, I immediately sought a two-person table in a corner; which I guessed Thanatos preferred, in any case. There weren't any actual waiters or waitresses; just a big board on the far side of the room with the lunch items listed on it. In order to get one's food, a person would have to go up to the cashier and order. The food would be made, your name called, and you'd go up to the counter to pick it up. I couldn't read the board. It was in Greek lettering.

"Uhm, Thanatos…"

"Yes?"

"I need your help."

Thanatos drummed his fingers on the table surface.

"What do you require of me?"

"See that board over there?"

"Yes…"

I blushed.

"I can't read it."

Thanatos' snowy brow wrinkled.

"Can you tell me where it says 'spaghetti'?" I asked.

He said nothing, but directed his gaze to the board.

"It reads something similar there," he said, but did not tell me where it was or the exact word.

"I guess I will just have to say 'spaghetti' and see if they understand," I sighed.

He didn't comment.

"Do you want anything?"

"I am not hungry. I am never hungry," he said.

"Do you at least want to try something?"

He paused, and then shrugged.

"I have been more experimental these days than I have for centuries," he replied. "I can have a taste of your 'spaghetti', but otherwise I see no purpose in getting something more. You need not spend your currency on me for the moment."

I waddled over to the counter, and very awkwardly, asked for spaghetti. The female cashier spoke something in Greek that sounded nearly what I'd requested, so I agreed to take whatever it was, and hoped it turned out to be what I'd initially desired. I asked for an orange Fanta, as well. I couldn't live on Coke indefinitely, after all.

"Did you make the correct assumption?" he inquired as I dropped into my seat.

"I hope so," I muttered.

"I would not fret. I am certain it is edible either way; at least for you," he said.

That didn't reassure me much, but I didn't mind trying new foods. A few minutes later, the woman called me up. But it was indeed spaghetti, drowned in white sauce, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. I thanked whatever greater power had blessed me (the idea of one Supreme Being didn't seem plausible with Thanatos seated not too far away) my favorite preparation of spaghetti, and carried the tray with my lunch over to the table.

Thanatos rested his chin on the edge of his hand, eyeing my pasta.

"It is strange," he stated nonchalantly.

"Not to me!" I exclaimed. "It's my favorite!"

I twirled some long noodles around my plastic fork and transferred them from the plate into my mouth. Oh, just how I loved them… I was inexplicably happy right then; sitting at a table with a sexy god and eating Alfredo spaghetti noodles. Thanatos watched me eating, silent. I supposed he either did not feel like talking, or did not wish to interrupt me. Either way, it became increasingly unnerving having his eyes on my face. I wasn't the most refined eater in the world. I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin self-consciously, not wanting to appear so sloppy.

"Do you want some?" I asked.

He picked a noodle off of my plate and dropped it into his mouth.

"It is edible," he affirmed, his tone cool.

He'd accused me of becoming too comfortable with his presence earlier, but it seemed to me that it wasn't occurring on just my end. Either gods had no sense of etiquette, or Thanatos figured I didn't mind his reaching uninvited into my plate of food with his hand and snatching up noodles. He could have at least used a fork… I frowned without realizing it.

"Is something amiss?" he asked, catching my expression.

I shook my head. Best not mention it lest he get angry.

"What are we to do in Ithaka, aside from seek the ruins of Odysseus' abode?" he inquired further.

"Ithaca? Uhm, well, the scenery is beautiful, I've heard. We could go hiking through the countryside and--"

"I care not for the wonders of Nature," he said.

"Well, too bad," I huffed. "I want to do it."

His mouth stretched into his trademark thin line, the Thanatos smile; as though he had expected my disagreement with him from the get-go. He did not argue with me.

"Very well," he said.

I didn't get him. I didn't get him at all. Not too long ago he was fighting me at every turn, and now he was freakishly passive. In fact, he appeared amused by it! Not only did I want to throw my plate of food into his face, I kind of wanted to jump over the table at him and kiss him. One of my hands went up through my hair, as I tried to rub the stress away from my head. All these confused feelings weren't assisting me in any way. I wished I could just ask him what he was thinking; sitting there looking so pensive, staring across the table at me unfalteringly. Not watching my food, not my eating; but just testing me and gauging my reactions, as though I was his new lab rat in some secret experiment only he was in on. What was he trying to determine? Did it have something to do with figuring out whether I enjoyed his presence or not, as I'd claimed earlier?

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, attempting to sound less on edge as I felt.

Thanatos, at the mention, averted his gaze in a casual manner to the window. He peered through it into the street, eye solemn. His deep, expressionless pools of black gave neither a mirror into his thoughts nor insight into his intentions. One thing was perfectly clear: he was thinking about something, and it involved me. Maybe he was getting bored with me. Maybe he was going to kill me soon.

I tried not to dwell on the idea, so I continued eating my spaghetti. I shoved all other things from my mind and focused on just how yummy the meal was. If I had to die, at least I had an enjoyable meal beforehand. Plate cleared, I downed my orange soda and dunked my trash into a garbage can.

"Shall we to take our leave?" Thanatos asked, drawing back his chair and standing.

I nodded, and raced out the door into the center of the street. Thanatos followed. Considering we needed to get to the island of Ithaca, we had to head for the beach. But I still didn't want to try swimming with a full stomach. I heard that swimming after eating resulted in nasty cramps. We had some time to kill. We could simply hang out on the beach for a bit, I supposed.

We strolled along the streets, quiet. We found no reason to converse. It wasn't that the atmosphere was strained. In fact, I felt not sense of tension between us; rather, a natural sense of ease. This didn't make sense because he was male and I found him attractive. To make matters worse, he was the god of death, and not a figment of my imagination. I had every right to be nervous 24/7 in his presence. But the lack of fear came from somewhere, and I didn't know what yet.

Eventually we got to the edge of town, and a long expanse of sandy beach. The sand was bleach white, in comparison to the tan beaches of California; or the sometimes black volcanic beaches of elsewhere which I'd seen plenty of pictures of—the big island of Hawaii, for example. I took off my shoes and dashed out into the waves of the Mediterranean; they lapped at the sand in steady rhythm. The water was pleasantly cool that day, especially with a blazing sun peeking out from one thin cloud above us.

Thanatos stood back on the beach, keeping away from the sea for the time being. I waded through the water, sometimes jumping and making splashes. The small waves curled and broke over my feet. I turned to collecting small shells from the sand. I heard him make a scoffing sound; something like a laugh to one who hardly laughed for real.

"Yes, I must look like childish to you, but I love the sea!" I proclaimed. "When my dad was around, he used to drive us out to the California coastline every weekend. We lived close by. The Pacific Ocean is a lot rougher than this."

Thanatos gave one nod.

I continued.

"I made sand castles, and had a huge seashell collection. We went fishing sometimes, too. I've always loved water—the ocean, rivers, lakes, rain…"

Thanatos appeared disinterested, staring out to the sea with a blank expression.

I frowned. Telling him anything about my life or my family was like talking to the wall. I'd never get commentary, and I'd never get his attention. He just didn't care about what it was like to be human. I was, and would always be, just a silly mortal with a petty fascination in things that had always existed to him. Nature, which he cared nothing for except when he had to take life from it. Love, which he seemed to bear an obvious contempt for. Probably all the things I cared for were actually just gods like him, whom he hated or never associated with anyway. It was terribly sad for the both of us.

"Am I boring you?" I asked timidly.

"No. Only, I believe that we must be moving," he stated. "Our time is pressing."

Was that all?

"Oh…"

I pulled some tissue paper from my bag and wrapped up the shells, then stowed them away in the bag with Hermes' sandals. I had to take something back to America with me aside from new clothes. Thanatos reached deep into the pocket of his black jeans, retrieving the famous 'Amphitrite's crown'. Said object was a diadem of white coral, admittedly very pretty. I hadn't the faintest idea what the point of attaining it was, so I decided to ask.

"What do we do with that, Than?"

Thanatos passed the crown over to me, and I turned it over carefully in my hands.

"When you place the crown atop your head, your body will change. You will become a Nereid, able to swim the distance to Ithaka."

I tried to make sense of this.

"So, like… A mermaid?" I asked.

"A Nereid," he repeated. Did he even understand what I meant?

I glanced down at the crown clasped between my hands, and began to fret. I didn't want to change into a fishy maid if it would be painful…

"Will it…Hurt?"

Thanatos frowned.

"I do not know. I have never experienced such a change with the utilization of Amphitrite's crown."

I sighed. Things were not going to become any easier for me, so I had no choice but to take a chance and put the damn thing on my head.

"Well," I said, "Here goes."

I lifted the crown above me, lowering it onto my average-sized cranium with deliberation. The metamorphosis was immediate. It wasn't any more painful than growing a new tooth, except it felt very strange and occurred much faster. My legs fused together and the bones within them combined and shifted. Silver scales tiled over the skin of my legs, and what was one two human legs become one large fish tail below my still-human waist with fins at its end. Slits opened at my neck, below my jaw line; gills. Overall, my new parts felt abnormal and alien to me. I didn't much like it. And needless to say, I dropped over onto my side, unable to stand any longer. My lower undergarments had also ripped apart, and I stashed the shreds at once into my bag with more than a hint of embarrassment. I resolved that I also looked rather silly wearing my denim skirt, so I unzipped it and removed it, shoving it into my bag with everything else. Thanatos didn't watch me remove and pack the garments. He averted his eyes in an awkward manner.

"So, a mermaid," I informed him.

"A Nereid," he reiterated.

"Whatever. Get me into the water. I feel all dry."

He bent without another word, scooping me into his arms princess-style. I tried not to blush as he carried me, merely tightening my arms around his neck for a sense of security. He lowered me carefully into the water, and the sensation of the waves licking my scales was somehow welcoming. I tried to wiggle my lower half, as I assumed a dolphin would, and found myself being propelled into deeper water, but still the shallows of the beach. I submersed myself, soaking my hair; and the rest of me, for the matter, and then resurfaced a few yards away.

"How are you going to swim with me?" I called.

Thanatos answered by wading out towards me, until the water level became even with his hips. He flew with a long leap into the water. As he did, his own lower half transformed into a tail like mine. Except his fins appeared 'manlier' for a fish person, probably for a merman--more spiked and vicious--though I knew they only seemed that way by appearance. They probably felt as thin and feathery as mine. He swam up skillfully, completely underwater. With a splash, he burst forth from the depths beside me. His metallic-colored curls hung tight and damp on his neck, clinging to his alabaster skin.

"I may alter forms whensoever I choose," he explained.

"Well, then. Tag, you're it!" I pressed a hand to his shoulder and dived. I took off as fast as I could, cutting through the water. I swam fifteen feet out, but twisted into a halt when I realized Thanatos wasn't pursuing me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You're supposed to try and catch me," I panted.

"I do not play children's games," he said.

I scowled.

"Oh, come on. It's fun!"

"I care nothing for fun."

Oh, was he serious!? How annoying!

"Fine. Whatever. Let's go."

That's when he shot past me, just under the surface of the azure water. I gaped, ironically, like a fish.

He emerged, far off in the distance, actually laughing. Really laughing!

"But I will challenge you to a race!" he cried.

"Oh, you're on!" I screamed, and tore off after him. He headed off in the opposite direction. Just when I thought I would pass him, he sped up just a bit. Just a tad, so as he could stay slightly ahead of me. He allowed a peek over his shoulder, so he could flash me a triumphant smirk. Laughing and smirking! Two firsts in one day! On the other hand, now I knew he wasn't even trying!

"That's not fair! You can swim better than me!" I whined.

We were able to speak just as well underwater, though words had a muffled quality to them. Catching me off guard, he suddenly slowed. I hurtled past him, and he gave chase. I giggled and tried to keep away, evading his attempts to seize me by zigzagging and tumbling in loops. A few times I swore he grinned, and my heart fluttered both from the edge of exhaustion and excitement, as well as from the thought he might actually be having a good time in my company.

I tried to feign a turn to throw him off. But Thanatos knew better. He cut me short and grabbed me firmly by the shoulders. I struggled, striving to loosen his grip and slip away. I found I could not. He'd finally caught me. I accepted defeat, now unmoving. I laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt. My hair fanned out in the open water, forming an auburn halo around my head. I met his dark eyes, my own twinkling with some form of amusement. It was right then that a transition occurred on his features that nearly made my heart stop…

Thanatos' eyes burned, rapt. His lips parted. Death's fierce, indulgent gaze upon me was unable to mask the reality of what he truly felt in that moment. One of his hands, heaven knows how it got there, fell over my cheek. He brushed his thumb across my skin.

His mouth formed three words I could scarcely believe. It was though the revelation of the truth bewildered him as greatly as it did me…Because as the words were spoken, he shrank back as though he'd been scalded; as though touching me was painful. Then he was gone so quickly I thought I must have imagined the entire thing.

My eyes stared forward blankly; glazed. My flesh tingled where his thumb had skimmed it. As for Thanatos, he was swimming ahead now, yards and yards away. I could do nothing but follow, and nothing was said for the remainder of the way to Ithaka.