Amphitrite - Wilbur Soot

~four~

"He spoke to you?" Daphne asked as I arrived back at the cove we called home. There was a splash of disbelief across her face, tinged with a dash of glee. She had always loved gossip. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind that someone had been watching and told the other naiads. They are tricky like that.

"A bit," I said tersely. A black dolphin I had named Natsu swam up to me, nosing my hand. Idly I stroked his head, which helped soothe my still racing heartbeat.

"Is he that bad?" She said, a look of quizzical concern in her eyes. She was curious, but still worried about what had happened. It was something I appreciated about her. Her face always betrayed what she was thinking.

I hesitated in my response. "It was bad timing, is all. He's probably a perfectly decent young man," I said. She nodded in understanding. But did she really understand? I had no way of knowing.

"Lilith is coming to visit Mother Thetis tomorrow. She would like us to look presentable when Lilith arrives. You know how Thetis gets about what the other gods think," Daphne said, subconsciously brushing her hair with her fingers. Oh, I knew exactly how Thetis gets. If a single one of my sisters' hair is out of place or unbrushed, she'll come undone. Millenia of stress and doomed children will do that to you.

"Lilith hardly qualifies as a god," I said.

"The gods don't like specifics. Saying a god and a dragon's alter form are having a meeting is way more tiresome than saying two gods are meeting up." Daphne smiled, a smile that would have the god of the sun on his knees begging. "Lilith can create life. She's a god."

"Any woman can create another person."

"Not in the way she does. Rumor has it that she made Queen Callista from a couple of gems she found." Daphne was always a sucker for stories like this. The power of creation was reserved only for the highest gods, and Lilith was a dragon. Just because you're immortal doesn't mean you're a god. It makes you a thief and a scoundrel. You stole from the Fates and lived to tell the tale. Immortality is a crime. Even I knew that, and I was barely even human.

"I'm tired. Goodnight, Daphne," I said with an air of finality. I didn't know how much longer I could engage in any social interaction before seriously hurting someone's feelings.

"Goodnight Lorelai."

My room was the only one that wasn't completely submerged in water. Of course, I had to go through water to get there, but that was to be expected. There was a stairway up to where the air pocket was, and it was there that I had collected my things. A bed, a creaking wooden wardrobe, a salt-stained mirror on a vanity, and an assortment of broken instruments, all of which had been taken from shipwrecks.

But by far, my prized possession was an old, worn-out oak piano that was in one of the richer shipwrecks. It was only missing a few keys in the higher register, and the stuff I played didn't need them anyway. Natsu hung around in the pool of water for a while before swimming away, splashing water onto the rocky floor. I met Natsu almost immediately after being adopted by Thetis. He's my best friend.

I wasn't actually tired, funnily enough. So I sat down at my piano and began to play, the low and somber melody I had polished over the years echoing throughout the freezing-cold chamber. I never played piano before the incident, but decades of nothing but crushing silence will make you do things out of necessity. There's not a single doubt in my mind that, without the comfort of the ivory keys, I would have lost my mind several times over.

"Lorelai, dear." Thetis' voice. I turned around and saw her standing at the front of my room. Gods and their magic. It makes me sick.

"Yes, Mother Thetis?" I answered with as much fake sweetness as I could muster. Which wasn't a lot, I'll have you know.

"Lilith is visiting tomorrow, as I'm sure Daphne has told you. I think it would be very beneficial for you to meet her," she said, her voice raking my ears like nails on rocks. Had I been a god, her voice would have been melodious and sweet. But I'm not. And she isn't melodious or sweet, so I prefer it this way.

"Where will you be speaking to her? She can't go in the water, correct?" I said. I wanted to decline the offer, but refusing anything from Thetis is a recipe for disaster. Anyone can tell you that much.

"The beach, most likely. While she has forgiven the Angel, I have not. I will not be hosted by him," she said. She rarely spoke of the Angel, but when she did, it was never tasteful.

"Are you sure you want me to tag along? I wouldn't want to be a distraction," I said. There was no emotion on her face, but I should be used to that by now.

"Yes. You are an adult now, and you need to be acclimated to the world outside of the ocean." Oh, did I mention that Thetis has no idea that I regularly leave the water? For a god, she is incredibly dull.

"I understand. What would you like me to wear?" I asked. If I didn't know the expectations, I would most definitely not meet them.

"Do you have anything that wasn't once worn by a pirate?" I shook my head. "Just look nice. And braid your hair, maybe. I am not sure what Lilith will want to see." And then she slipped back beneath the water, nothing but the smell of salt left behind her.
That night I dreamt of golden smiles and gray wings. It was stupid, I knew, to be so enamored by that golden boy, but I couldn't help myself. I admitted to myself that I had always held a certain rare fondness in my heart for him and his chocolate curls. But I didn't know him, and he would probably just end up being another rough and bitter man who's had one too many bed partners. A girl can dream though, that he would turn out to be soft, light, and easy to be around. That his touch wouldn't send me back there, and his presence would be a comfort to my racing mind.

"Lorelai! Get up!" Daphne was sitting on the stone floor, her gray tail in the water. She had to twist to face me. It couldn't have been comfortable. "Lilith is coming this evening, and you might want to see if you can talk to the boys to keep them off the beach," she said, and then she pulled her tail out of the water as well, dripping a puddle around her.

"Don't suffocate yourself," I groaned and basically rolled out of bed, trudging over to the wardrobe. She laughed and dunked her head under the water to breathe.

"You've got Natsu all riled up now with your bad mood," Daphne sighed as I changed out of my nightclothes. "Don't wear the dress with the tea stains." I could hear Natsu clicking softly at her. I flipped through my closet until I found the one acceptable dress I owned. It was a gray dress made of common linen accented with lace on the sleeves and the neckline.

"Is this one okay?" I said, turning around to face my audience. I caught my reflection in that dingy old mirror and saw my bony elbows and pale skin and stringy hair and tired eyes and-

I looked away from the mirror.

"Totally. You look gorgeous. Can I braid your hair?" She gushed. "I've been practicing since last time." The last time she had tried to braid my hair, she had tied it in such a knot that it took an entire afternoon to detangle it. She had meant well, of course.

"Nice try. I'll handle this one." I sat down at the vanity, keeping my gaze on my hands as I braided my hair with ease. It was a motion my fingers knew very well. I could feel her behind me, watching, and occasionally dunking her head under the water.

"Is there a way for you to get to the beach without getting in the water?" Daphne asked. Always so full of questions, she was.

"Yes. I'll be fine," I said, though I knew she was talking about the dress. It wouldn't fare well in saltwater, that much was true. With that, she nodded and left, Natsu following close behind her. 

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I apologize for the lack of content.

Remember to take your meds, eat some food, drink a glass or two of water, get some sleep, and stay caught up on your homework!! I love you all dearly, and I want the best for you.

I'll see you in the next chapter!