Amphitrite - Wilbur Soot

~five~

The sand was hot on the soles of my feet. It was the middle of June, and Helia's temperatures were only going to keep rising. The sky was overcast, as it had been for nearly three months already. Either Zeus was having another tantrum, or Thetis was brewing another hurricane. The first storm must not have satisfied her.

The town was bustling with people talking and laughing outside. There was a teenage boy with shoulder-length curly black hair and skin that shone like bronze walking and talking with a tall woman in iron armor, her bright orange hair tied in a bun. Barely twenty feet from them was a merchant who wore gold robes who was selling small golden dolls with emeralds for eyes. He had his hood pulled over his head; I couldn't see his face. So much gold. Daphne would've loved it.

"Are you lost, dear?" The woman in the iron armor asked me. She towered over me, as did the boy who was walking with her. She had dark red eyes, almost black, and there were flowers in her hair.

"I'm looking for Prince Wilbur. I have a message for him," I answered. She smiled and nodded.

"He's at the tavern at the moment. Wouldn't be the first time a beautiful girl has asked me where to find him," she chuckled. She then walked away, the boy in tow.

So I headed to the tavern, the wind beginning to pick up and blow my dress against my legs. I found the tavern to be rather empty, which was understandable; it was barely noon. There were maybe seven people in the dimly lit building. The girl working behind the bar smiled at me; she couldn't have been over sixteen. I spotted Wilbur sitting at a table in the corner, talking to a man with shoulder-length blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, sir," I said as I walked over to where they sat. His brown eyes fixed onto mine in an instant, and a warm smile bloomed on his face. The older man looked at me curiously. Doesn't he know it's rude to stare?

"Good afternoon Lorelai. Please do have a seat," Wilbur said, gesturing to the chair across from him. Timidly I sat down, still feeling the older man's eyes on me. "Dad, this is Lorelai. Lorelai, this is Phil," he said, the smile still on his glowing face.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, turning my attention to the man next to me who I now knew was Phil. My hands fidgeted in my lap, and I grew painfully aware of how I might look to him. Malnourished and deprived of sunlight for sure.

"It's nice to meet you as well." There was something in Phil's eyes that was hard to place. It was like shock, but not quite. "Where are you from, Lorelai?" He asked, his voice sounding as listless as he looked. Wilbur glanced at him with concern written all over his face. Clearly his father wasn't always like this.

"I've lived here my whole life, sir," I answered. I could feel the panic rising in my stomach. I prayed to whoever may be listening that someone would change the subject. I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to tell him what I actually was.

"Did you need something?" Wilbur spoke up, looking at me intently. His gaze was intense, yet somehow soft. Soft in the way that a cat's paws are before they extend their claws.

"Oh, yes. You shouldn't come to the beach today. Tomorrow would be better," I said, trying to calm myself down. It didn't work.

"How do you know that I go to the beach? Only my family knows that," he said. My eyes widened, heat rushed to my face, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. I had given myself away trying to keep him safe. Just my luck, honestly.

"I uh..." I was speechless. What do you even say to that? "I see you go down the path from my window. In my house. That I live in." I was panicking and I knew he could tell.

"Which house is yours?" He asked. He was getting a kick out of this.

"Oh, you know..." I gestured with my hand vaguely. "One of them. Mhm," I said, mostly to myself than anyone in the room.

"Then why are you always in the ocean then? I never see you go into a house," he said slyly. Golden boy with his golden wits, I curse you and your cleverness.

"I should probably get going," I said nervously. "It was nice speaking to you again." And then I was gone, and I could feel their eyes on the back of my head.

I still had at least four hours until the meeting with Lilith, and I didn't really know how to spend them. Aimlessly I wandered the town, managing to avoid most of the people who were outside. Somehow I ended up on the overgrown trail that led to Copperhead Mine, the old abandoned mine that I had been told to never go to by my parents. But, they weren't here anymore, and what's the worst that could happen?

Copperhead Mine was just off of Copperhead Road, and was recognizable by the dilapidated wooden shacks and arches holding the whole thing up. Legend has it that someone of importance had gone down into the mine and something had gone horribly wrong, trapping the entire crew under the ground. A few brave souls had tried to go and at least retrieve their bodies, but nobody who entered the mine ever left. Helia was a land of myths and legends, but I don't think I would have it any other way. It's what gave it its charm, I suppose.

"Excuse me miss," a woman's voice called out. I immediately stopped walking and looked for who the voice belonged to. Standing behind me was a middle-aged woman with four arms and six eyes, her mousy brown hair bouncing in loose curls close to her chin.

"Hello, ma'am," I said politely, turning around to face her. There were acute smile lines around her eyes, and her mouth seemed to be in a permanent smile, but in a very warm and motherly way.

"You're not allowed to be here. Or did your parents not teach you that? I don't know what the Helianites are telling their children nowadays," she laughed; a light sound that twinkled in the air. "I'm Charlotte, in case you were curious. Although, thinking about it now, you probably weren't." She laughed again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll get going," I said, and went to walk back down the path that led me there. I'm sure she was a perfectly lovely woman, it's just that I wasn't about to take any chances. I had already slipped up once that day.

"Before you go, you look like you need some good luck. Take this," she said, and handed me a bright yellow gemstone that vaguely resembled the sun. "Till we meet again, dear Lorelai."

I had never told her my name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

update go brrrrrrrrr

Thanksgiving Break is right around the corner, so I might get some more updates out this next week. Who knows lmao

Make sure you drink water, eat food, take your meds, do your homework, and get some sleep! I love you and I can't wait to see you in the next chapter!!! <33333