The Truth Combs Out

So… about that shirt… Seems like Thalia wasn't too pleased with me ripping it off of her once things were settled. Either that, or she just wanted to use it as an excuse to keep me shirtless.

"You of all people shouldn't have an issue. Over half the island has already seen you naked."

"Doesn't mean I like advertising myself," I muttered.

Thalia and I came to a branch in the halls. Leading up to it, we were strolling along, hand in hand. Once we got there though, she shot me a sly glance before releasing a spark between our fingers.

"Ow!" I yanked my hand away. "Haven't you tazed me enough?"

Her smile grew. "Aww, is someone still mad that it didn't last?" She chuckled to herself before yanking me in for a kiss… using my hair as a handle. The other hand snaked down and grabbed a handful of my groin through my pants. "If you think I'm done with this, you have another thing coming." With a final peck, she pulled away. "Now get going. For everyone's sake, you need to clear the air with Khione."

With that, she sauntered away, wearing a shirt that was clearly too big for her, and jeans that were clearly too small.

Before bothering to speak with the snow goddess, I decided it would be in my best interest to get myself another shirt. Through the whole endeavor, I silently willed for there to be no traffic of any sort, no one in the way to see me in my state of undress. As if by some divine miracle, the halls were clear. Given the time, the girls were most likely prepping for dinner.

And then I rounded the corner.

Dammit!

Katie stood waiting outside of my room, leaning against the wall. Idly nibbling on a strawberry, she stared down the hallway in the opposite direction… Which inevitably means that she turned my way the moment my footsteps gave me away. She didn't even bat an eye the moment she saw I didn't have a shirt on.

"Please tell me you're going to do something with Calypso."

My feet decided to use that moment to not work properly and trip me. Well, nearly.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

She pulled herself from the wall and offered me the strawberry. A bite of it, anyways. As my teeth sank into it, I was given a brief reprieve, a moment flashing through my mind of the strawberry fields back at camp. I won't deny, my eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds. When they opened, Katie was staring back, flirtatiously sucking on the center of the berry.

"It's been a while."

She popped the rest of the berry in her mouth, somehow ripping the leaves and stem from the crown as she did. As she swallowed the last of it, I couldn't help but remember back when there was a bit more than just a berry in her mouth.

"Yeah, it has. I'm not oblivious to how full your hands are, so I decided to take a step back. Plus, having my first time while trapped by my mother didn't exactly leave me excited to open my legs again."

"Wait, your first time?"

She pursed her lips. "What, did you think I got those skills from blowing the Stolls? I'd sooner bash their heads in with a frying pan and hang myself with a noose of poison ivy."

I put up my hands in surrender. "Okay. Point made. Just didn't expect it. The way you… um…"

"The way I gobbled up your dick like it was my own little buffet?"

My cheeks burned. "Yeah…"

She took a playful glance downstairs, going so far as to nibble her lip, but quickly returned her gaze to mine. "If you must know, I spent a lot of time in the gardens. Especially in the mornings. I may or may not have spent a while practicing on some cucumbers… You know, so that one day, when I finally got the real thing in my mouth, I could rock that man's world."

At this point, I wasn't sure if I was sweating from my recent excursion with Thalia or from the story.

"The fact that my first real partner was you was pure chance, and a bit of godly influence. It being in a garden was also just the cherry on top… And then my mother got involved. Serves me right, I guess. Should have waited."

By that point, I waved my hands between the both of us in a "time out" motion. "Waiting under most circumstances is perfectly fine. But we aren't in normal circumstances. If everyone decided to wait, we'd have a crisis on our hands. I still have too many girls left to go, and not nearly enough time to see them."

She shrugged. "You could always just line them up and take them one at a time. Do it outdoors, and I could make sure you keep it up through the whole endeavor."

I won't deny, a fraction of me considered the prospect, the rational side at least. And then my emotional side came in like a wrecking ball and crashed that idea to the ground. "No. I'm not about to reduce everyone to that point. If they need their time, I'll give it to them. Just because it makes things easier doesn't make it right."

A sigh passed through her lips, her head shaking, and her hands on her hips. "You really are too damn nice for a situation like this. It's going to get you walked all over, if not worse, one of these days." She took a breath. "Anyways, on the note of circumstances, you really should see Calypso."

"I was just with her the moment I got back! We've been apart for maybe an hour and a half! What could she have done now?"

She crossed her arms, her lips pursed, and an eyebrow raised. "For the past hour or so, she's been going on and on about getting you inside of her again. Not to mention, all of the time she's spent these past few days describing in explicit detail all of the things you did with your tongue and the way you had her pressed against the wall in the shower."

I couldn't tell what was burning more, my cheeks or my chest. To have made Calypso gloat that much filled me with pride, but an equal amount of shy embarrassment squandered that feeling.

"So again, I ask, please do something about… Uh, oh." Her head tilted, shooting her gaze past me.

I turned. With an invisible weight on my shoulders, I half expected to see Calypso charging towards me, already stripping off her dress. If she were, I don't think my friend downstairs would be able to take it. Not after the shock treatment Thalia gave it.

For better or worse, it wasn't Calypso.

"Rose? What's wrong?"

Though Katie may have been resistant to the charms of my half naked body, the same could not be said for Rose. The poor dryad approached me with a deep green tinge to her cheeks and kept darting glances away with every step.

"Um… It… It's lady Calypso. She's becoming… desperate."

Katie snorted. "Told you."

I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose and sighed. "I literally just wrapped things up with Thalia. I don't have it in me to go another round."

"I could help with that," Katie said. "Among other things, she's made it quite clear that she fantasizes about you taking her in the gardens. Preferably while surrounded by either grape or strawberry vines so she can cover both of you in the juice and have it all licked off."

I took a couple of seconds to register that. "Wow… Okay, she has been really explicit with you."

She shrugged. "There's no point in me lying about it. Still, I can arrange that for you, if need be."

My shoulders sagged. "There are more important matters than Calypso's libido. I need to see Khione."

"Ah, godly business. Hmm, yeah that takes priority." She cupped her chin and shot a few glances to Rose. "I might be able to buy you some time. Calm her down at least until you all go to bed."

"How so?"

"Well, while I'm not exactly impartial to my tastes, I'm willing to help a friend if need be. She's a good girl, just desperate for love and affection. I can take care of her needs for now…" Her attention turned to Rose. "I may need your help though."

She flushed. "My help?"

"Yeah. You're really good with your hands. Plus, those pheromones of yours could help calm her down as well. Anything to keep her from going nuts when my hand is between her legs."

"That's your plan?"

"If you have a better one, I'm all ears."

I went quiet. Despite how much I didn't want to push anyone into this situation, Katie appeared to have already made her decision.

"Didn't think so." Her attention returned to Rose. "So, could you help me?"

She bowed her head. "O-of course. That is my purpose, after all."

Katie frowned, but said nothing. Shooting me a glance, she took a step from the wall, and began her way down the corridor.

"Wait." I whirled around and grabbed Rose by the arm. She yelped in reply.

"Have you talked with Nimba?"

Her free hand ran through her hair and plucked a few petals from the curls. "Yes, Master. We've made our peace."

"That's all? What exactly happened?"

If her cheeks turned any greener, I'd start worrying about her health. "I… I approached her while she was still in bedrest. She… she said she never blamed me, never even considered blaming me."

I smirked. "See? I told you she wouldn't hold it against you. Anything else? Are you two on friendly terms?"

Her head bowed as a slight shiver ran through her body. "Um… We… We spent that night together… Yes… We are on very friendly terms."

Despite how much I wanted to grin for her good fortune, I couldn't deny the burning sensation in my cheeks for making her confess that much.

Bravo, Percy. Bravo…

"Well, I'm glad things worked out."

Katie spent much of the conversation with a mask of shock on her face. When we wrapped up, she shook her head back to normalcy and offered a slight smile. "Damn… You've really turned things around. Maybe you were cut out for this."

Before I could reply, she rushed forward and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. "You owe me."

As she strode away, Rose's gaze followed, but her bare feet stuck firmly on the floor.

"Is there something else?" I asked.

"May… may I do something… Master?"

"Um… sure? What exactly?"

Like Katie before her, she rushed to me. Unlike Katie, her hands pressed firmly into my chest, kneaded my muscles, and roamed lower to explore the rest of my abdomen. She shuddered as she went, going so far as to press her head against my chest and take a whiff of my scent.

"Master?" She tilted her head up to me. "Lady Calypso isn't the only one who's desperate."

She stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to mine, and wrapped her arms around me. While her fingers trailed my back, her lips remained firmly pressed against mine. No tongue. No heady passion. Just a simple, but lengthy kiss. After a few moments, she let out a relaxed sigh and pulled away. Her eyes, though slightly glazed over, held my gaze for a few longing seconds before she turned around and followed after Katie.

I watched her as she left, unable to move. So much just happened in the span of ten minutes, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. Of course, the image of Katie fingering Calypso while Rose rubbed her down didn't help matters. That image would long be stuck in my head.

After regaining what little self control I had over my lewd thoughts, I entered my room and headed for the dresser.

Even without directions, I found Khione's room with no issue. It's kind of hard not to notice when the temperature suddenly drops ten degrees… The frost coating her door frame may also have contributed. A soft crunch echoed from beneath my feet as I approached and knocked.

"I'm not hungry!"

I smirked. "Well, it's a good thing that I didn't bring any food with me."

A few seconds passed. The door cracked open, revealing the face of the snow goddess as she peeked from behind.

"I… I apologize. I thought you were Piper."

I frowned. "Of all people, why her?"

She cracked the door open a bit more, revealing the rest of her face. "Most of the others avoid me, and rightly so. The nymphs despise me. The… other girls shun me. Piper, though, she has been unnervingly kind. She's trying too hard."

"Ah. I can imagine."

"Please don't follow in her steps. Just let me suffer for a few days at least. Then we can call it even."

"Even? After what I did to you— after what we did to you, there's nothing even about where we stand."

"I turned half of the people here into ice sculptures. Though we may never have personally met before, Jackson, your friends are very familiar with me."

I took a deep breath before speaking. "Yeah. You messed up. You messed up big time. But so have I. I've done unforgivable things to those who didn't deserve it. Duped a titan after wiping his memory, and left him to the mercy of Hades. Forgot about a promise to a girl who offered me nothing but her eternal love because I wanted someone else. Strangled a goddess using her own poison. We all have black marks on our history, but I know enough to say that it would be hypocritical to hold what you've done over your head.

"You know, you're a lot like Silena. Driven to drastic action through desperation. If I can forgive her… Hades, if I could convince her to forgive herself, I'd be a hypocrite not to forgive you."

She eyed me warily, fingers clutching the edge of the door.

"And," I continued, "hopefully, you, in turn, would find it in your heart to forgive me."

Silence. So many silent seconds ticked on by, but I waited. I had an eternity to earn her forgiveness, but only a handful of days before the curse started up. I could wait for her forgiveness. She couldn't.

"Thank you," she finally said. "I will consider it. For you… and Piper." Her head turned away, a slight blush on her cheeks. "But I have a couple of conditions."

My shoulders sagged. It was a start, at least. "And those would be?"

"First," she brushed her hair behind her ear, "I want you to repeat what you did before… with my hair."

I frowned, my thoughts at first veering to when I strangled her. However, the moment she mentioned hair, I found myself returning to a much more pleasant train of thought.

"I can do that." I smiled. "No question."

She opened the door completely, revealing a thin white robe draped over her body.

I frowned. "Did I interrupt something?"

She mirrored my frown and glanced down to her body. "I've spent a great deal of time in the shower lately. It… helps."

A soft sigh left my lips. "I understand that. Anyways, where do you want to do this?"

With a broad wave of her hand, she gestured to the whole room. "Wherever pleases you. Though, perhaps the bed would be the most comfortable."

I hesitated, but put on a smile. "Don't worry. I'm not going to make a move on you. Not until you're ready."

The fingers of her outstretched hands curled, almost into a fist, but relaxed as she dropped her arm. "Thank you." A golden tinge returned to her cheeks. "I'll… try to be ready soon… Just give me some more time."

"Of course."

Without another word, I stepped into her room and shivered. The room wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. And it had this… artificial feel about it. Less like I was walking into an air conditioned room and more like a blizzard blew open the door of a warm room. Honestly, that was very well the truth of it. Though I could just barely make out my breath, the room was oddly pleasant in terms of temperature. A light coat of frost covered the carpeted floor, but just barely enough to crunch underfoot.

I expected her bed to feel like a refrigerator. Dear gods, I couldn't have been more wrong. Her bed was actually warm. Like, even warmer than my own. I frowned as I sat down, and turned to her.

"Heat is… something akin to a drug for me. Gives me this euphoric state of detachment. Hence why I like taking warm showers. In the cold, I am focused and at ease. In the heat, I am… clouded. If anything, I am more relaxed."

"Ah. Well, whatever works for you."

It wasn't lost on me just how much things tend to… heat up during the act of sex. My heart thumped against my chest at the thought of the mindless mess I would reduce her to when the time came.

She approached me with a comb. After silently handing it to me, she turned, sat on the bed, and bundled her hair into one strikingly beautiful, albeit manageable, mane. After presenting it to me, she lowered her arms and bowed her head.

Comb in hand, I stroked her hair. Once. Twice. Thrice. I'll admit, I may have gotten a little enraptured with the task. It honestly was gorgeous. A silky, ebony mane.

A soft sigh left her lips. Her head leaned closer to me. "Thank you."

"You seriously haven't had this before?"

"From whom would I get this experience? My father? My brothers? Thank you, but I'd rather not. Friends and lovers aren't exactly something that you find in the arctic wastes of the north."

"What about when you came down from there? After all these millennia, someone has to have noticed you."

"As I battered their lands with frosty storms, yes. They noticed. And they cowered." She turned to face me. "My father receives prayers to keep him away. Why would his children be given a second thought?"

I cupped her chin, and brushed away a frosted tear from her cheek. "Again, a gentle flurry can be just as powerful. Have you seen how much people adore the winter? Children playing in the snow, snowball fights, snow angels, snowmen. People can absolutely love it, as long as they aren't suffering because of it. Incredible things can happen in a snowy winter, but you have to let it."

Her head fell. "It doesn't matter anymore. My influence as the goddess of snow vanished the moment I wound up in that dungeon."

"Maybe, maybe not." I resumed combing her hair. "Should the opportunity arise, I could let you go and return to the real world. Of course, I'll have to accompany you, but you can still create a winter wonderland wherever you wish… Within reason, of course."

She fell silent. Head bowed, she let me continue combing her hair. Of all the things I never expected to see her do, right at the top was to see a snow goddess shiver. And yet, that's exactly what she did. Whether from the chill or from the closeness, I wasn't entirely certain.

"Are you serious?" she asked, her gaze returning to me. "You… you aren't toying with me, right?"

I frowned. "Why would I? I'm not exactly an expert in manipulating people, nor am I in a position where toying with you would get me anything that I couldn't already take if I wanted to."

Her expression turned stony, her lips pulling into a frown.

"I swear on the River Styx that my offer is genuine."

That's all it took.

Tears spilled from her eyes, each one freezing over by the time they reached her jaw.

"Damn you," she said. "Damn your niceties. Why can't you just keep up the punishments like a proper owner?"

I pursed my lips. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm not cruel. What I did to you, unforgivable as it was, I didn't do of my own free will. I know you're probably skeptical, but Hera is the one who—"

"I figured," she said. "If there's a presence I can recognize, it's hers."

"Yeah." My hands fell… only to perk back up a moment later. "Wait, you can feel the presence of other gods?"

"Of course. No lesser being would be able to radiate such power… No offense."

"None taken, but that's besides the point. Because we're still trying to figure out who the owner of the nymphs was."

"You haven't spoken with your head nymph yet?"

I nearly facepalmed myself for forgetting that. If anyone would know, Palírroia would.

"You're right, I should probably do that. But first—" I stood from her bed and held out my hand "—could I get you to reconsider joining us for dinner?"

When we walked into the dining room, what once was a chatty meal turned silent. All heads turned to Khione and myself, particularly at our held hands. The snow goddess tightened her grip on my hand, and took a breath.

"I know many of you hate me, and with good reason. I've done many horrible things to several of you, and with malicious intent. You don't have to forgive me, nor do I expect you to forget. However, I will do what I can to earn a modicum of your trust."

"I know I don't have much say in this," I said, "but I'd like everyone to at least give her a chance. Things are different now. We all have to live together, so it's better we at least try to get along."

Silence. For a few heart pounding moments, no one said a word. I received a mixture of looks: fear, reluctance, gratitude, pride.

It was Silena who made the first move. She stood from the table and shot me a glance. My shoulders sagged as I prepared myself for the worst. To my pleasant surprise, she walked up to Khione and took her hand before leading her to a pair of chairs for them to sit together.

"If everyone here could forgive me," she said, "I would be a shameful example to not forgive her."

"You don't know what she's done," Hazel said.

"But you do know what I've done. At least, whatever she did, she didn't still call you friends while doing it."

"Silena," Thalia said, her voice soft. Her lips were firm, her eyebrows furrowed. Fortunately, they softened. "Well said. I suppose I can look past being turned into a popsicle. After all, I've been turned into worse."

I snorted, but said nothing. Instead, I turned to find my seat.

After joining the others, a pair of arms snaked around my chest from behind, a pair of lips pressed to my ear.

"That was a dirty move to send Katie," Calypso whispered. "Pleasant as that was, I still want you."

I glanced towards the daughter of Demeter, who playfully sucked on the tips of her fingers one after another, as if they were coated in honey.

"I didn't send her," I said. "She wanted to help us both, but I'm glad you at least enjoyed it."

"Oh, very much," she said. "Though now… I may have added another person to a couple of my fantasies. Be careful, at this rate, you may need the entire island to help make them come true."

She pressed a kiss to my cheek and nibbled my earlobe as she pulled away. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Piper snickered. Many looked on with either confusion or mirth, if not some combination of the two.

Some things were just better left unsaid.

Other things weren't.

"It's time everyone was brought up to speed on recent events." I glanced over to Rachel, who gave me a nervously determined nod. "Yesterday, we received a prophecy."

Every met the news with varied reactions, but it would best be summarized as a collective groan… With the occasional expletive from a certain group of hunters.

"And what news does it bring?" Zoë asked.

I glanced at Rachel, who nodded despite her pained expression.

"Alright, here goes."

She took a breath and closed her eyes. For a few seconds, we waited, preparing ourselves for the inevitable and terrible voice of the Oracle.

It never came.

"Huh." She opened her eyes. "She won't come out. Like, she's there, but… it's like she's being restrained."

I frowned. "Any headaches coming up?"

She shook her head. "Not at the moment, anyways."

"Okay. Wait a moment," Annabeth interjected. "What were the exact circumstances of the prophecy? What did it say? How did you find out about it?"

Rachel and I shared a blush, but I relinquished the truth about how I pretty much swallowed the prophecy from her mouth with a kiss.

"Hmm." Annabeth's brow furrowed. "And do you remember what the prophecy said?"

I sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

Taking Rachel's place, I took a breath before reciting.

"Serenity falls to the waves of lust." I glanced up, and she motioned for me to continue. "And beneath its waters will its master be thrust."

"Shall its master be thrust," Rachel corrected.

I grumbled to myself. "Shall. Once lovers, now tyrants, by a rivalry, strained."

A fair few eyes of those who stayed informed widened.

"By dragging tides and tempests through trials of pain. To rise or fall, shall the master's will yearn, or watch the coming of serenity to burn."

By this point, all faces were pale. I couldn't blame them. Nothing out of this sounded good.

"By embers ablaze will the mark hold true." My voice cracked with the final line. "An… and the lord will fall by his lover's virtue."

Silence, one more.

Several of the girls glanced between Annabeth and myself like there was an invisible tennis match between us. Piper clasped my hand reassuringly. Annabeth took on a sickly pale look.

"That… that can't…" She shivered, but took a breath. "You said this happened yesterday? After you kissed her?"

I nodded.

She let out her breath. "If you want my opinion, this prophecy sounds a little behind on things."

Many people, including me, frowned at her statement.

"Meaning?"

"A lot of what it's describing has already happened."

"Indeed," Zoë said. "I've not heard of a prophecy doing so before, yet… this one is late."

"Okay, what are you talking about?"

"Alright, when's the last time you brushed up on your Greek?"

I swallowed. "Um… It's been a while. We've been kind of busy saving the world."

Her shoulders sagged. "Thought so. Look, let's just take the first line. 'Serenity falls to the waves of lust.' Do you know what that's referring to?"

I deadpanned. "Obviously not."

"Percy, this island's name, Galínios, literally translates to 'serene' in Greek. The prophecy would have warned us about the whole harem to begin with. So like I said, this prophecy seems late. And Rachel—" she turned to face our resident Oracle "—you said it feels like the spirit of Delphi is trapped?"

She nodded.

The gears evidently started turning in her head. I could practically see when the light went off. Though she never outright said it, I could see in her eyes that she came to a rather solid conclusion. One that I knew she wasn't about to let out at the dinner table.

"We'll have to think on this some more, because…" She drew a shaky. "Though I may have done some things I'm not proud of since being here, I absolutely refuse to be Percy's downfall."

With that lovely conclusion to the conversation, everyone resumed our meal of rosemary roasted lamb.

Why do baby animals always have to taste so good?

Despite my reservations, that didn't stop me from devouring the nymphs cooking.

Speaking of the nymphs, when Palírroia came to collect my plate, I reached out and grasped her arm. With a slight hitch in her breath and a nibble of her lips, she turned to me.

"After dinner, there's something I need to ask you about… in private."

Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes filled with longing. "Master, I… I would, but… there is something I need to do tonight. Perhaps… perhaps you could join me?"

The hopeful inflection in her voice, not to mention the way she grabbed my hand with both of hers, crumbled my resistance faster than the armies of Troy fell to a wooden horse.

"Of course."

With an almost deathly tight grip, she pulled my hand up to kiss my knuckles. After letting go, she returned to her task of collecting the dinner plates while Rose (who seemed to practically glow in the evening light) brought out dessert.

"You're getting the last of the info we need?" Annabeth asked, her voice hushed.

I nodded.

A weak smile appeared on her lips, and she leaned her head on my shoulder, seemingly content without bothering to take any dessert. Piper mirrored her action, though not without slipping one arm around mine and placing her other hand on my thigh. Thoroughly stuck between the two of them, I said nothing, but pressed a kiss to each of their heads and enjoyed the remainder of the meal in relative peace.

When the relative peace was brought to a thankfully uneventful close, all of my wives pressed a kiss to some part of my face as they left. Thalia was the last to leave, trying to maintain some level of discreteness about her new position.

The second she was gone, I found my chair being pulled back a few inches from the table. Not a breath later, an eager oceanid crawled onto my lap and laid her head on my shoulder.

"I have missed you, Master. It has been… some time since we were last alone."

"Sorry about that," I said, nuzzling her hair. "It's been a busy past few days."

"There is nothing to apologize for." She pulled back and brought her hands to both sides of my face. "I am happy to have you whenever I can."

With that, she pulled us together in an initially chaste kiss. However, things didn't stay like that when I nipped her lower lip. With a whimper, she curled her hands around my neck and pulled us closer, and opened her mouth to receive my tongue with a delighted moan.

Her legs wrapped around me as well, though the chair prevented her from locking her legs together. Despite that setback, she ground her hips into mine. The subtle scent of her arousal washed over me, and I honestly contemplated giving into my baser instincts in that moment and fucking her on the diningroom table. From the way she purred into the kiss and rubbed her hands on my shoulders, I don't think she would have rejected that offer.

However, I needed to ask her some stuff, and unlike before, I wasn't going to let something small (like being nearly gored to death by a giant boar) get in the way of that, despite how much my hormones were screaming for me to strip us both and enjoy the rest of the night together.

Thankfully, she was the one to pull away. Our gazes held for a few brief moments before she sighed in content, resting her head on my shoulder once more and pressing a gentle kiss to the side of my neck.

"I missed this," she whispered, pressing her hands to my chest.

"So have I." I leaned my head on hers. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh." She perked up. "Of course, but could you come with me? There is something I must do as well."

"Of course. Lead the way."

With a broad grin on face, she took my hand and pulled me up from the chair. Seconds later, we were marching down the hallway, hand in hand, with her humming a chipper tune to herself, one that sounded suspiciously like one of Rachel's favorite songs.

After a minute or two of walking (during which time, Palírroia walked us in a circle, feigning ignorance), we arrived at the door of interest. Releasing my hand, she opened the door to reveal Thŷella's room. The nymph in question was sitting on her bed, her attention focused on us, with a brush in her hand.

"You're late," she said detachedly.

"I am sorry, but I was… occupied." She glanced at me and nibbled her lip. "But we have a guest with us."

"Master?" She tilted her head, but immediately stood up. "I… Yes. How may I serve you?"

"Don't worry about that." I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm here to talk with Palírroia. She's here for you."

"Oh. Yes, Master."

She returned to her bed.

Palírroia strode forward and crawled onto the bed with her. After shooting a look back at me, she patted the bed with a shy smile. "Would you like to join us?"

I forced a swallow. One nymph, I could definitely handle at the moment. Two? That might be a bit much for me. Regardless, I nodded and joined them on the bed.

It seems my concerns were unfounded. For the next few minutes, no one spoke. Palírroia simply pulled Thŷella to the head of the bed and tucked her in before resting her head on her lap. While humming a soft tune to the younger nymph, she began brushing her hair.

Minutes passed by as she worked, stroking the brush through the luminescent mane of Thŷella's silver hair. After a few minutes, Palírroia's work seemed successful, and Thŷella was lulled to sleep by the soft hum of Palírroia's lullaby and softer strokes of the brush through her hair.

With a sigh, Palírroia smiled down at her and continued brushing for a few moments longer. When she turned to me, there was a sort of longing in her eyes.

"I have done this… for a long time. Ever since she lost her sight."

A few seconds passed as I took in her words.

"Wait, what? She's blind?!"

She nodded. "Not even she realizes it… But I have done this ever since. It… it is more for my own sake than for hers, but… I cannot help it. When I see her… I… I see…" She trembled for a brief moment before running her hand over Thŷella's sleeping face. "I still see her for who she was."

I treaded carefully closer to her. As I reached her side, I glanced down to her shaking hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "There are many things I am not ready to talk about." A breath passed through her lips. "But… perhaps it is fair that you learn some more… It is my fault she is the way she is."

I went rigid, and glanced down to the sleeping nymph. Honestly, I couldn't imagine it. There's no way Palírroia could make her best friend go blind.

"What happened?" I asked softly, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She sniffled. "When I was much younger, she was placed in my care. She was still a newborn then, not fit for the likes of a slave guild. And at the time, I was treated much better. In my own ignorance, I did not realize quite where I was. To me, it was home. I had chores, yes, but it was not until… Well, I will get to that later."

"So you raised her?"

"In essence, yes. She was like my little sister. She was my charge. And… she was quite precious to me. She still is." A fraction of a smile appeared on her lips. "But… as we grew, so did our responsibilities. We were both still children, and she was quite… curious. It was my duty to keep her out of trouble."

I frowned, but said nothing. My thoughts immediately went to my unborn sister in my mother's belly. Honestly, I couldn't wait to see her, but the gravity of the responsibility that came with her wasn't lost to me.

"One day, I failed in that task. I do not even remember what I was doing. But… she saw something she was not supposed to see. I was dragged from my duties and brought to a room with her… but… she… she was…" Tears began running down her cheeks as she rubbed Thŷella's head.

"You don't have to keep going. If it's too painful, you can stop."

She shook her head. "It is right… to tell you." With a shaky deep breath, she continued. "When I walked in, they were already blinding her… they… they burned her eyes." She wept, a soft whine caught in her throat. "I can still see her thrashing. I can still hear her screaming. It... " She buried her face in her hands. "They made me choose. Either they kill her or they wipe her memory. In those moments, I could not imagine her last moments being like that. It would be too cruel. So I agreed for them to wipe her memory."

I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into my chest as she sobbed.

"After that," she continued, "they turned her into something I could not recognize. She was a perfect slave. Mindless. Soulless. Blindly obedient." She buried her head in my chest. "Every day since then, I feel the need to ask myself… Did I make the right choice? Would it have been kinder to kill her?" Her eyes reached mine. "I agreed to have this done to her. I agreed to have them take away everything I loved about her. Am I selfish, Master, for being so desperate to want her back? Every day, I am haunted by my actions and choices. But… am I a bad friend for this? I failed her. I failed so many others. I… I am tired of failing, but I am not strong enough to help them all."

Through her blubbering, I struggled with my own internal war. My hands trembled around her shoulders as I hugged her tight. After taking a few breaths, I pressed my hand to her head and held her to my chest.

"That's not your fault. It's those damned slavers. They did that. Not you."

She pulled away, staring up at me with puffy eyes. "I have done so many horrible things in my time," she sobbed, shaking her head. "The lives I've cost…"

"Shhh." I pulled her back to me, and rubbed her head as she wept. Her soft shivers pulsed throughout my body, each one making me angrier and angrier. A burning hatred for the people who did this to her, who made her think so little of herself, broiled within me.

"It is my fault, Master," she wept into my chest. "I let them do those things. I could not stop them."

"Look at me."

She didn't move from her spot.

"Palírroia, look at me."

With bleary eyes, she tilted her head up to meet my gaze. I cupped both sides of her face and pressed my forehead to hers.

"That was not your fault. You did nothing wrong."

She shook her head in my hands. "You do not know. You do not understand."

"Listen to me. That was them. You can't blame yourself for what they did."

I leaned my back against the headboard and let out a sigh. Palírroia gazed blankly in my direction, her lip quivering.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

With shivering hands, she held out her arms and opened them to me.

I returned the gesture and she tackled me in a tight embrace. Still shivering, she nuzzled the crook in my neck desperately, like a cat unable to scratch an itch. Even when she settled her head, she continued trembling, shivering in place.

With only a slight struggle, I pulled up the blanket and draped it over the both of us. And so, there she sat, straddling my lap, arms wrapped around me, head on my shoulder, locked in my equally tight embrace, topped off with a soft blanket to keep us warm.

I peppered her shoulder and neck with endless kisses, nuzzling the side of her head as I did. More often than not, she returned the gesture, her breaths slowly calming.

"Thank you, Master," she finally said. "I needed this. I needed you. I still do. I… I am sorry. I am a bad servant to make you do this."

I took a shaky breath and whispered into her ear as steadily and clearly as I could. "Don't you dare apologize for this. If you need to cry, then cry." I pulled her closer to me so she could rest her nose in the crook of my neck. Tears sprinkled down my chest as she sniffled. "I know you have responsibilities, but if you ever need to lay your head on my lap to cry, if you ever need a hug, if you ever need me to hold you, don't hesitate to see me."

For better or worse, her tears increased in number. Despite that, her arms hugged me tighter, and her legs did the same.

"I do not deserve you."

"You deserve to be loved." I leaned my head on hers. "And I promise you, I'm going to give you as much as I can." I blinked hard, steadying my thoughts. "However, I need to know something."

She pulled back, her eyes still glazed and bloodshot (quite odd looking with blue blood). "Is this the question from before?"

I nodded. "The one in charge, the one ruling over everyone else, what do you know about him?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked away.

"So you have met him?"

"Yes." She nodded; tears dripped from her chin. "Many times."

The horrid image of her caught in truly traumatizing positions filled my head, causing it to fall forward in dejected numbness. "Oh…"

She looked up with tears streaming. "It is not what you think. Before you, no one has ever… well…"

"But… then… why the tears? Who is he?"

She hesitated, as if uttering his name would summon him here. "The king of all oceanic monsters. The true slaver in the seas. Phorcys."

My thoughts strayed to a certain aquarium in Atlanta, and I shivered. It made perfect sense. Why I hadn't thought of him before, I couldn't tell you.

"I remember him. If he treated you the way he treated the others, he seems exactly the type to-"

"He never did. He never would. Rather, he is the last one who would touch me in such a way."

"Why?"

"Because…" She turned away, her cheeks stained from the tears. "Because he is my father."