A Daughter's Love

Chapter Eleven.

Malia.

Neptune had insisted that we leave as soon as possible for Vannes which was why shortly after my conversation with Blue, we were stood on the ship’s deck, watching a random crew member scrubbing at the blood that stained the wood, positioned on his hands and knees “I expect to see you again soon?” Ben questioned, his eyes locked onto Neptune as I leaned over the railing, chin propped up on the palm of my hand as I gazed down at the darkened waters with a bored, unsatisfied gaze “If all goes well” Neptune replied, nodding his head then moved to where I was stood, hands stuffed into the pockets of his signature coat. I wondered why he wore it, why he insisted on dressing the way he did, so formal and proper. I felt eyes staring into my back and turned my head to look back at the Captain “Your mother-.” he began to say but I sighed and pushed off the railing, gazing up at the dreary grey skies that loomed overhead like a warning of the storm that was to come, whether it meant a true storm or the storm that was about to become of my life “I am not my mother-.” I cut him off, locking my mismatched eyes with his brown ones and watching as a flicker of familiarity sparked in their depths “I am Malia May Campbell and she is all I strive to be” with that I hoisted myself onto the ship’s railing, turning back only to address Blue. She was stood beside Ben, her arms wound around his as she leaned her head into his shoulder “Thank you for your kind words, Blue” I greeted, bowing my head to show both my appreciation and gratitude. She smiled, her blue lips pulling back to reveal her permanent fangs. I found myself wondering how she managed to breathe on land without the use of a necklace but pushed the thought aside when I remembered that she and I were two very different species “Your necklace” Neptune insisted, holding his hand out to me, expectantly, palm faced up. I huffed and reached for the clasp, undoing it to drop the anchor pendant into his cupped palm along with the thin silver chain. The sea god curled his fist around it then stuffed the necklace back into the pocket of his coat “Head South, toward France then follow the coastline until you reach Vannes” he instructed me, motioning with his hand in a direction that I assumed was South. I lowered myself into a crouch on the railing, tearing the orange material from my body in the process and discarding it on the ship’s deck, eyes already starting to glow. My hand tightened its hold on the railing, claws extending to chip away at the wood “I will meet you there” Neptune insisted and I nodded my head, once, sharply. Without a second thought, I pushed off the railing, diving toward the water’s surface below in a perfect arch. My extended hands broke through the icy water first followed by my head and the rest of my body that soon curved in an upward swoop but I paused just below the surface, eyes staring upward to where the image of the ship danced in the water’s ripple. For a few moments I was unable to breathe until my gills began to form on either side of my neck, appearing along with the bluish green scales that littered my face, limbs, chest and torso. I expected my legs to become one like the tail of the mermaids my father had told me so much about but instead they remained separate, my toes extending into longer digits that grew webbing in between them like the fins of a fish, like flippers. The skin between my fingers grew almost crystalline, thin and scaled as they too turned into webs. My flesh began to pale until it was white and my fangs extended, large and protruding as my ears pointed upward, growing bigger in order to hear more effectively in the water. The strands of hair that danced around me no longer appeared to be a dirty blond but instead shimmered silver among the water. Fins grew from my waist and shoulders, the same blue green colour that matched my scales. I dove down and began to kick my legs in opposite directions, moving faster than I had ever swam before, diving deep enough so that the surface was no longer visible to my eyes as they searched the darkened world around me, taking in the sight of creatures both large and small, coral reefs, schools of fish that swirled around me and clusters of jellyfish which I carelessly swam through, their limbs unable to sting me. I reached out, running my fingertips through their dancing tentacles and found myself getting lost in their florescent colours, mixtures between purples, blues, pinks and greens. The sound of a monstrous bellow drew me out of my daze and forced me to gaze upward from among the swarm of jellyfish to where a pod of fin whales where migrating North. Their songs were loud, echoing as they vibrated through my body and I watched as two whales tangled themselves in each other’s embrace. Smaller whales sticking to their mother’s side as their bodies first curved upward then down, their tails beating against the water like hands upon a drum. Was this what my mother had grown used to seeing? Was this why she loved the sea as much as she did that she mourned it or was it because of her love for the sea god? I couldn’t deny that the ocean was beautiful, seeing it up close as I could in that moment, made me realize that it was a place of mystery, of wonder and enchantment yet that did not take away from the dangers that could be found within it. The see scared me yet it simultaneously fascinated me to no end. A large tuna swam past my line of sight and without really understanding what was happening, I lunged, grabbing hold of its giant body to sink my fangs into its back, crunching down on its scales and delicate bones. It shook and struggled, sending more of its blood into the water around us, staining it red until it finally stopped its protest and I began to devour it, easily tearing its raw meat out from beneath the layer of scales, not bothered by the bones that I eagerly consumed along with it. I was like an animal, hungry, starved, desperate for anything. A part of me grew sick with the thoughts of what I was doing but that part wasn’t in control anymore, she was shoved to the back of my mind with only the monster in me left to rule my body as she pleased. The waters around me began to fill with sharks of various kinds, circling both above and below, drawn in by the smell of blood. I snapped at them, snarling and exposing my fangs in warning to which they retracted only to attempt to steal my prey once more. A great white bit down on one of my legs and I cried out, a vibrating screech escaping my lips as I turned on the shark, clawing at its eyes, blinding it until it let go of my limb and I could sink my own teeth into its body, tearing a chunk of flesh from its body that I quickly spat out. Once again hissing in warning. The shark struggled then swam off but when I looked to my prey, its brothers and sisters had already begun to fight over the tuna, tearing it into pieces for them to feast upon. I growled lowly in my chest then continued on my journey until I reached the coast of France not too long after. The water grew hotter the further South I ventured, a small difference in temperature that normal people wouldn’t have picked up on but I quickly did. I broke through the waters and collapsed onto the beach in Vannes, gasping for air since there was no air for my gills to breathe outside of the water. I clawed at the sand, chest and back heaving when a pair of familiar polished black shoes came into view. Neptune knelt in front of me, untouched by the sea and appearing just as he had before we had departed from the Sunken Soul. The anchor necklace dangled from his fingertips, gently swaying from the motion as he met my gaze “I trust you are in need of this?” he questioned to which I only hissed out my threat. He looked at me like I was some untamed pet, some feral creature that had to be domesticated then reached out to clasp the necklace around my throat like a collar on a cat, signalling that I was his. I gasped, my body beginning to return to normal as I coughed and buried my hands in the sand beneath me. My fins and webbing dissolved when I forced myself to stand on my own two legs, stumbling but managing only to be met with Neptune’s hand, holding something out for me to take. His eyes were staring down the shoreline while his favourite black coat, embroidered with silver on the back hung from his hand as an offering for me to cover myself with. I took it without hesitation, slipping the warm fabric onto my naked body, buttoning it in the front before he dared look at me again “Follow me” he instructed, heading for the town in the distance. His black dress shirt sat tight on his torso, seeming almost empty without the presence of his coat. I glanced down at the oversized trench coat then trailed after him, my body still wet, some scales still evident on my legs, feet and face as we ventured down the familiar cobblestone streets “You’re supposedly the god of the seas-.” I began which earned me a warning glare. Just because I believed in sirens and sea nymphs, didn’t exactly mean that I believed in gods just yet “So why do you insist on dressing so formally?” I was trying to make idle chit chat as an attempt to distract myself from the many questions and Rebecca’s scolding which was sure to come the moment we would reach the bakery “Shouldn’t you be wearing short swimming trousers or something?” the scales that clad my skin had completely disappeared but my hair was still damp, drawing the attention of many of the towns people. We were truly an odd pair, a wet woman dressed in only a coat and a man that was too formally dressed than most of the people in Vannes “I used to only ever wear trousers since I mostly resided in the sea but after your mother and I were separated, I preferred to live on land since it made me feel closer to her in a sense” he explained, glancing around at the buildings as I raised my arms to interlace my fingers together behind my head like I usually would whenever I’d walk somewhere. The man that stood beside me looked no older than twenty-six, young enough to be my husband but in truth he was my mother’s lover, which made me question how old he’d been back then. Perhaps he preferred older women “How old are you, anyway?” I found myself wording my thoughts and Neptune sighed, the rings on his fingers cluttering when he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides “I have lost track of time but I am over nine thousand years of age” I choked on my own saliva, my feet coming to a stop as I began violently coughing. Neptune paused to glance back at me in a mixture of irritation and embarrassment once I’d managed to stop coughing and began laughing, hunched over with my hands gripping my knees “You’re kidding, right? You should look like a grandpa right now” I joked, eventually regaining my composure, a small breath of laughter escaping my lips every now and then as I ran the back of my hands across my eyes where tears had started to escape, a direct result of my amusement “I am a grandfather, your grandfather dating back at least ninety generations” I froze, my entire body going stiff when I realized that he wasn’t joking but instead looked at me in all seriousness. Wait, he was my grandfather but then didn’t that make him my mother’s grandfather as well? Or was he my grandfather on my father’s side? Seeing the confusion written across my features, Neptune continued “You and your mother are my direct descendants, stemming from my eldest born daughter-.” he turned to continue walking along the town roads. I rushed to catch up with him, eyebrows furrowed as I gazed up at him expectantly “Malik is the half-brother of my first born daughter, Nereida, making him both your brother and your grandfather” my jaw dropped when I considered Malik being my grandfather and wrinkled my nose, the thought enough to make my stomach churn but what got to me most was the fact that my mother had fallen in love with her ancient grandfather “All humans stemmed from a single group of mortals yet they are genetically diverse which means that Evangeline and I are as diverse after over nine thousand years of reproduction as you are from Benjamin” that gave me at least some form of comfort yet there was still the question of Malik. I shook my head and shoved the thought away, deciding that he was my half-brother and that was how I would continue to see him. We were nearing the bakery, the streets growing all the more familiar with each passing house or brick building “You claim to love my mother yet you never once tried to visit her after we were born, why is that?” he sighed and shook his head, muttering words under his breath that sounded a lot like ‘Why must you ask so many questions?’ with his head turned away to ensure that I couldn’t hear him. Perhaps he’d forgotten about my increased hearing as a siren? “Your mother, true to her word, made a promise to the earth goddess that once she was to choose between your father and I, she had to cut all ties with the one she did not choose in order to allow them a fair chance at healing and finding love elsewhere” an earth goddess? I frowned, wondering just how many gods were there and was they were all capable of. Neptune managed to relax a bit when I stayed silent, glad that my questions had finally stopped but his joy was short lived “But you didn’t find love elsewhere, even after eighteen long years, did you?” his hand twitched with a desire to stuff something like a sock or piece of cloth into my mouth so that I would stop talking. I ignored it, pretending to glance at the dresses that clad the mannequins inside the shop window of the local dress maker, finding joy in his annoyance “No, your mother is the only woman I have ever truly loved, now, if you would stop asking so many questions, you might come to realize that we are here” I paused, looking up at the familiar building with the words ‘NoBecca Bakery’ written across the top of it in black and red paint. The windows were clean and inside you could see many decorated cakes, cookies of all kinds and other pastries that were delicately placed to lure in customers. The sign on the door read ‘closed’ in bold letters which was odd since it was a week day. A small rodent scurried out of the bakery door and began to claw at my feet, squeaking in delight at the sight of me “Joe? Where’s uncle Nolan?” I questioned, bending down with my hand extended for him to climb on top of. He then scurried his way up my arm to perch himself on my shoulder. Rats weren’t supposed to live longer than two years but Joe had managed to reach the age of almost two decades and was still as lively as he had been when I was younger “Dammit Joe! How many times do I have to tell ye to stay out of me cheese! It be expensive and I don’t see ye pullin’ yer weight around these parts-!” uncle Nolan exclaimed, rushing out of the bakery doors in pursuit of the rat with a broom in hand but he froze at the sight of us, his eyes first landing on Neptune whom he didn’t recognize then they turned to me with shock as if he’d just seen a ghost “Still putting up with the rat, I see. Maybe that will teach you not to drink god’s blood again?” Neptune remarked, motioning to Joe who seemed disgusted by the god’s words due to his sudden outburst of squeaks. Nolan dropped the broom he had been holding onto, causing it to clutter to the paving below “Rebecca! Las! Becca! Becca!” he exclaimed loudly causing his wife to come stumbling out of the bakery with her red hair a mess, hurriedly tying her old brown gown around her waist as she glanced from side to side “What is it Nolan? It’s too early for you to be making all this noise” that’s when I realized why the bakery was still closed. I had left the Sunken Soul in the afternoon but hadn’t arrived in Vannes until early the next day. What had felt like mere moments in the sea had turned out to be hours on land “Didn’t ye say Malia be missing?” he questioned her to which she nodded her head, not having acknowledged the two people who stood across from her, silently observing their morning banter “Then what be this then?” he asked, frantically motioning his hand in our direction. Aunt Rebecca blinked her wide eyes from having been startled awake onto Neptune and I then exclaimed loudly “Oh, Malia dear! I was so worried! I thought I’d never see you again” she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly to her chest. Joe squeaked in protest and slipped his way onto the top of my head to avoid being squished “When Ryker told me that you were gone and that the flower shop had been destroyed, I immediately went to the authorities but they didn’t believe me when I said that you were gone-.” she ranted, hugging me tight enough to cut off my air. I gently patted her back to reassure her that it was really me and that I was alright but still she continued her endless trail of thoughts “They said it had to have been some type of plot, that you made it look like you were taken when really you just wanted to run away. Can you believe that? They thought you’d ran away from home! They also said that because you had just turned eighteen, you could do what you wanted and that I should just leave you to go and do as you please” when she finally pulled away, she first examined my face, holding it firmly in both her hands then she looked at my neck, her body stiffening at the sight of the necklace that I wore. She found the charm strikingly familiar “Your mother’s necklace” she whispered, letting go of me and taking a few steps back, wrapping one arm around her waist while the hand of the other rubbed at her chest and neck “I don’t remember you being this loud, Rebecca” Neptune greeted, drawing her attention away from me which I was grateful for. I sighed heavily, shoulders hunching when the spotlight shifted onto someone else. Rebecca glared at Neptune “You, Sir, have some explaining to do” she shot in his direction then turned to storm her way back into the bakery, the bell to the door chiming in her wake. Nolan stared after her with wide, fearful eyes as if he knew that when she god serious, all hell would break lose and since she’d raised Malik and I for eight whole years, I too knew that she was a woman to be reckoned with “Would ye like some ale, wine, maybe? I hear it calms the nerves” Nolan offered as a way to aid Neptune in getting through his conversation with Rebecca alive but the sea god ignored him and stepped into the bakery without so much as a flinch. I followed close behind and Nolan shut the door behind us, swallowing loudly when he made sure that the sign still read ‘closed’ “I believe my son has already informed you of the situation regarding Malia’s sudden disappearance?” Neptune began, treading on with no fear as if walking through a field of flowers instead of into a lion’s den which both Nolan and I could clearly see. I shared a look with my uncle and Joe hid himself near my neck for fear of the fiery redheaded woman’s fury “Your son. We all knew what happened that night but we chose to ignore it, thinking that it was just Evangeline’s way of letting go-.” Rebecca muttered, reaching for the kettle on the stove and filling it with water to heat so that she could prepare her morning coffee. She shook her head in the face of her own idiocy when she turned to address the god once more “She did let go and only learned of Malik’s true identity once his abilities awakened at the age of six” Neptune corrected her, glancing around at the bakery that bridged into the kitchen area. He examined the bagels and carrot cakes while Nolan moved to poke the wood in the oven, making sure it burned enough to both heat the room and the kettle “That necklace, I assume Malik was telling the truth when he said that you wanted to awaken Malia as a Heart?” I stole a bagel out from underneath Neptune’s nose and headed in the direction of the kitchen table, hopping up onto it with my legs crossed, not bothering to play the part of the innocent little girl anymore “She awakened as a siren, making her even more dangerous than she already was” the god agreed, nodding his head, hands stuffed into the pockets of his trousers as he leaned back against the kitchen counter, eyes locked onto my form clad in his favourite coat. I took a large bite of the bagel and swallowed, sticking my tongue out at him afterwards “Malia? Dangerous? That’s impossible, Malia wouldn’t hurt a fly” oh how Rebecca broke my heart with that delusional statement of hers but then again, I did hide who I was from her for five years. I broke a piece of my bagel off and held it out for Joe to nibble on as A fifth person descended from the stairs that lead to the second floor, dressed in a pair of cotton trousers but nothing else “Maybe not, but she kills pirates for fun” Ryker announced, drawing my attention toward the foot of the stairs where he stood, half asleep with his hair messy and his chest bare. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him, actually smile for the first time in years. I abandoned my bagel on a nearby plate and hopped down from the table which had Joe scurrying to finish it off as I hurried to where Ryker stood, wrapping my arms around his neck, stood on the tips of my toes. He stumbled but caught me, quick to return my embrace, his face hidden in my shoulder “Je suis désolé si je t'ai fait t'inquiéter” I said, telling him that I was sorry for making him worry, for letting him grow frantic when he discovered the flower shop in such a state as it had been on that day. Ryker shook his head against me and pulled back slightly to look down at me “I’m just glad you’re safe” he reached up to touch my face with his fingertips but before he could, Malik came stomping his way down the stairs, shoving his way in between us and forcing us apart in his search for something to eat. He settled for the left over bagel, prying Joe away from it to the rat’s disappointment and broke off a few more pieces for the rodent to munch on “Dad” he greeted, Neptune with a nod of his head then took a seat at the kitchen table. He wore a pair of grey pants, leaving his upper body exposed. He was slimmer than Ryker but muscular with the tones body of a professional swimmer whereas the redheaded man resembled a largely built fighter or soldier with darker toned skin than the demi-god “Killing pirates!” Rebecca exclaimed, drawing all of our attentions onto her where she stood by the stove as the kettle began to whistle loudly. She grabbed hold of its handle then cursed when she accidentally burned her hand, grabbing a cloth and hurriedly moving the kettle to turn her narrowed gaze back onto my form. Malik smirked at me then pushed the morning newspaper across the table toward Rebecca “I believe her current count is fifty-three” he informed, tapping an article that talked of a case surrounding the murder of a local man who had five daughters, all of which mourned his death and wanted to see the murderer brought to justice “This man be no pirate” Nolan felt the need to say, glancing at the picture of the man since he still wasn’t able to read. Rebecca could make out a few sentences here and there but not much so she turned her intense gaze back onto me, waiting for my explanation before she would proceed to erupt like a violent volcano “He was a drunk who frequently raped his daughters. Their mother died because he beat her to death-.” I shrugged my shoulders, moving to steal what little there remained of my bagel from Malik’s hand on my way to prepare some coffee “I was doing them a favour” I concluded, stuffing the rest of the bagel into my mouth to Malik’s annoyance. I assumed that Ryker had informed him of my nightly activities after I had disappeared. Rebecca buried her face in her hand and sighed heavily before turning to Neptune “Why was it necessary for her to be awakened?” she questioned as I asked the room who wanted coffee. Everyone apart from Neptune and Nolan motioned that they wanted some so I started making four cups of the caffeinated substance, though there was no sugar since it was too expensive “Evangeline and Caleb’s deaths were a form of punishment from Amun due to their roles in entrapping me” Rebecca grew stiff, eyes wide when she looked to the sea god, hugging her gown closer to her body. I offered her, her cup of coffee but she waved it off, too focused with the topic at hand to even bother to acknowledge anyone or anything else “Their deaths weren’t an accident, it was murder” I moved around Rebecca to hand Ryker’s cup to him. He gratefully took it then sat down on the foot of the stairs where I joined him with my own cup clutched between my palms. Malik looked at me with a glare when he realized that I had left his cup on the counter, forcing him to stand and get it himself “For the last eight years their souls have been trapped in purgatory, yet to be judged and waiting to return to the land of the living” aunt Becca’s hand shot up to her mouth as Nolan too grew silent, shocked and confused. Neptune pushed off the counter and moved to where his son was seated, placing his hands on Malik’s shoulders which caused the eighteen-year-old to become uneasy “But in order for them to continue to live, a war must be fought by her children on their behalf” at the word ‘children’ Neptune leaned down to torment his son then pulled away to my disappointment. I enjoyed watching Malik squirm. I couldn’t fathom my brother fighting in a battle, he was so weak and fragile that the mere thought pained me to no end “Hence why they need to be awakened so that they can be at their strongest” I sipped on my coffee as Rebecca nodded her head in understanding, leaning back against the counter as if her legs were about to give out beneath her, hands gripping the edges to steady herself “Malik will be the next to awaken” she uttered under her breath in realization, glancing down at the boy she’d raised for eight years alongside me. All of it must’ve came as a shock to her since she’d not only learned of my killings, my awakening but that my parents were alive and that a war was brewing among the gods “Once I manage to locate Aurella, yes” Rebecca’s head shot up in Neptune’s direction at the foreign name he had spoken. I raised an eyebrow, curious as to who ‘Aurella’ was exactly “That woman is dangerous!” aunt Becca exclaimed to which Nolan agreed, eyes wide with memories of the woman in question. I found myself growing excited at the thought of fighting someone as dangerous as Aurella and set my cup of coffee down to wrap my arms around my propped knees “Not to mention a psycho. She done slaughtered a whale the last time we seen her” uncle Nolan added which had Neptune breathing a laugh, hands moving to stick themselves into the pockets of his trousers since his coat was no longer there “Maybe so but if Malik is to breathe on land, he will need a blessed charm like the one Malia is wearing and only a witch can create such an object” he motioned toward me and I found my head bending to take in the sight of the anchor pendant that stood out against my bare flesh in the crevasse between my breasts. Ryker glanced down, at first to examine the necklace but his eyes continued to trail their way lower until he tore his gaze away from me and hid his face from my view “And what if I don’t want to be awakened?” Malik surprised us all by asking. Neptune’s glaring gaze turned onto his son, the person who now stood in the way of him saving the love of his life from purgatory. Rebecca was the first to question him “Why wouldn’t you want to help your mother?” Malik shrugged his shoulders, reaching for a cookie that sat on a plate in the centre of the kitchen table, taking a bite of it and chewing slowly as he thought about his next response that came only after he swallowed “She lied to me, told me that my abilities should be kept a secret or people would start to get hurt and like a fool, I believed her-.” I could see the rage that started to cloud Neptune’s features and for a moment I wondered whether I should intervene for fear of Malik being killed but I knew the sea god couldn’t kill his own son, could he? “She made me believe that Caleb was my father when really it was you-.” Malik’s words died in the back of his throat when he looked up, a fist banging down on the table in front of him, causing him to jump. Even Nolan and Joe were startled by the sudden noise, the rat scurrying up along Nolan’s shirt and to his neck where he remained hidden “Your mother ‘lied’ as you call it, to protect you. She wasn’t allowed to have any contact with me while she was alive which meant that if the other gods were to discover your identity, you would’ve been taken away from here and forced to live among them. She was trying to give you a better life, one where you could be a child, could run and play without fear of the future-.” the harsh, scolding tone was one of a father, not the tone he usually had with me but an authoritative, respect demanding one. Malik could only stare as the rest of us did, everyone too afraid to say anything for fear of how Neptune would react “Perhaps you should be as understanding of her actions as she most certainly will be of your preferences” Neptune’s eyes darted in Ryker’s direction which had Malik panicking before the sea god turned his attention back onto Rebecca, his tone softening, growing gentler, lighter when he spoke “If you will excuse me, I have a witch to hunt” with that he headed for the door, exiting it and causing the bell to chime in his wake. I wasn’t entirely sure what Neptune had meant by Malik’s ‘preferences’ but I pushed the thought away, standing and stretching out my aching limbs. Malik was staring down into his cup of coffee, sulking “I need a nap” I announced, realizing that I hadn’t slept since the prior morning and that I was exhausted from having swam such a great distance. I yawned, reaching for my coffee cup then started making my way toward the attic. Leaving the rest behind to start preparing for their day of hard work. I paused at the top of the staircase to glance down at Ryker’s back, knowing that I needed to get some sleep before night was to fall over the small town of Vannes.