THE SECRET SEA: EXPANDED EDITION

25

Jesus grabs his side through his blood-soaked robe. "The wind is picking up. If we attempt to hike to the temple now, we'll be blown off the mountain. We better take shelter in the cave and wait for the weather to cooperate."

I put my arm around Jesus as we all scramble into the cave to regroup. VarnLiqn is with us, but there's no sign of the umbrella. After I help Jesus get comfortable, Eve reaches into her bag of tricks and produces a first aid kit. We gently open his robe and expose his wound. Thankfully, it's not too deep.

"Wait," says Jesus. He reaches into Eve's bag and produces a simple wooden box. Inside is an oversized fountain pen formed of hardwood, ending in a copper nib. He places the tip of the pen against his wound and lifts the plunger. "You're going to need this eventually, I might as well give it to you now." A small glass vial embedded in the pen begins to fill with blood.

I'm momentarily baffled until I remember what Eve told me. The blood of the five Antecedents will be the ink that carries my secret phrase to the magick scroll. "Is this really happening?"

"I'm afraid so." Eve takes the pen from Jesus. She looks up at him and smiles. "Thanks for this," she says. She carefully encases the pen then returns it to her bag.

"You know, you could have just gone to any Catholic church and stole a few drops of wine," says Jesus. "Plenty of folks believe in the Eucharist. Transubstantiation still works in a church with a dedicated parish."

Eve sighs. "You have to be kidding me."

"Hey, you got what you came for, right?" says Jesus.

"Whatever works," says Eve.

"I assume Queen Suzerain already contributed to the ink supply?" asks Jesus.

"Yes," says Eve. "Three more Antecedents to go." She starts stitching up the messiah while I assist her. VarnLiqn seizes the opportunity to rummage through Eve's bag for more granola.

"Hey, get out of there!" scolds Eve.

"He saved our lives, let him have a damn snack." I say, while affixing a band-aid to what's left of my earlobe.

VarnLiqn finds what he wants, and scurries away with his arms full of Nature Valley bars.

Eve sighs. "You're right. The little guy was a dynamo out there."

"I hate vampires," groans Jesus. "It's not the first time they've shown up around here."

Eve finishes patching up the Lord and Savior without issue. I'm impressed, to say the least. "You alright?" I ask Jesus.

Jesus smiles and twists a bit. "Yes, much better."

"Nice work," I tell Eve. "You have a hamburger in that deus ex machina satchel of yours? I'm hungry."

Eve glares at me. "No. You've already seen most of what's in there, sadly."

I turn toward Jesus. "I really thought you could just wave a hand over that wound and, pow, healed."

Jesus laughs and pats his bandage, wincing. "No more spontaneous healing for me. People just don't believe like they used to. That said, what little magick I still have should help me heal a bit faster."

I swallow hard, realizing Jesus couldn't have resurrected me from that gunshot after all. "Are we safe now?"

"For a while, probably," says Eve.

"Why is the Greek god of the sea leading a cult of vampires?" I ask.

"The First Antecedent was clever," says Jesus. "He amassed vast amounts of magick by tapping the most potent element of the human imagination: fear. Stories of powerful and malevolent beings have shared common elements throughout human history. This is no accident. From the start, Poseidon used his magick to influence these tales and insert versions of himself in nearly every culture, ensuring his power for centuries. He has taken many names: Hades, Poseidon, Pluto, Satan, Shiva...all formidable warriors. The trident—or pitchfork—is the fearsome symbol uniting his various visages."

"Aren't Hades and Poseidon both Greek gods?" I ask. As if that's the most important question I could have.

"The original Hades wielded a two-pronged fork, known as the bident," says Jesus. "After Poseidon invaded the underworld, he seized the legendary weapon for himself and added a prong to it, creating the trident. He then killed the god of the underworld and assumed both positions."

"Double duty, huh? He doesn't sound very original, but he's awfully ambitious," I say.

"Poseidon then tried to overthrow Zeus to acquire his pronged weapon—the thunderbolt—but ended up being pinned to the deepest depths of the ocean by the very object he desired."

I rub my head. "What a mess. How did Poseidon escape"

"When the Romans adopted the Greek pantheon, their belief in the god of the sea kept Poseidon alive, as Neptune. After a century of building his magick, Poseidon managed to free himself from the depths by destroying the thunderbolt. Sensing the fall of the Roman empire, he transmogrified himself to align with burgeoning Judeo-Christian beliefs. I started that trend, by the way."

"Zeus. You were Zeus, right?" asks Eve.

"Astute." Jesus runs a hand through his hair. "That was a few lifetimes ago, but, yes. I wish I still had the thunderbolt."

"And the vampires?" interrupts Eve, "I admit, I've never understood the connection."

Jesus laughs. "I don't blame you. There are planes of reality beyond the physical and magickal realms. Poseidon draws energy from a place beyond our understanding—a hidden dimension alongside our own. He still gains energy from human imagination, but even the rise of science hasn't weakened him entirely. His main source of power comes from the consumption of life force, which flows invisibly through the blood of mortals."

Eve leans closer. "He drinks blood! He's a vampire too?"

"Essentially, yes—as silly as that sounds," says Jesus. "In truth, he's long since found ways to consume soul energy without drinking blood. His minions, The Cult of Poseidon, are simply corrupted humans infested with a portion of his inter-dimensional power. Unlike their master, they still resort to drinking blood and are sensitive to sunlight."

"Classic vampire bullshit," I mutter. "I know Vlad the Impaler was a real guy, but was good ol' black caped, pointy toothed Count Dracula real?"

Jesus laughs. "No. Although Dracula is popular, people rarely believe he's actually real. Remember, belief is what transcends mere imagination to create magick."

I nod. "Right, I'm still coming to grips with the rules."

Jesus gives me a thumbs-up. "It's all good."

"You're a lot more casual then I was expecting, Jesus," I tell him.

Jesus looks offended. "Hey, I've been around! Plus, I have satellite internet at the temple. Remind me to show you 'Keyboard Cat' when we get there. Hilarious!"

"Oh, great, thanks." I don't have the heart to tell him that I already saw it a decade ago. "Why doesn't Poseidon want us to restore balance to the planet?"

"The old devil is confident that his other worldly power will sustain him even as magick falters. He thrives in a world that's wobbling off balance and craves the fear an apocalypse would bring."

"Sounds like a great guy," I say.

The sun begins to dip and darkness fills the cave. "We better stay put until morning," says Eve, disheartened.

I nod, preparing myself for a long night. I hear a thump and notice a glow in my peripheral vision. I turn my head in time to see Karakasa-Obake bouncing into the cave, nearly giving me a heart attack. His tongue is wrapped around a lantern, filling the cavern with orange light.

"There you are! I was worried," says Jesus, grabbing the lantern. The strange little spirit unfurls its canopy, releasing a pile of bed rolls and some kindling. "You went all the way to the temple to get these for us? You could have been blown away!"

Karakasa-Obake nods, it's cycloptic eye squinting as if it's smiling.

"What a guy," says Jesus, passing out the mats to us. "This ought to make the evening a bit more tolerable." He uses the flame in the lantern to start a small campfire in the center of the stone floor.

With the chill of night biting against my skin, the heat is most welcome. "Thanks, umbrella...friend." I say.

"Good stick." VarnLiqn pats the umbrella's sandaled claw with affection then curls up next to the fire.