I had stripped out of Caleb’s old shirt and stepped back into the royal blue gown, tugging it up over my rear, slipping my arms into the sleeves and adjusting the neckline that stretched across my shoulders. I made sure that the clasp of my necklace was positioned at the nape of my neck and began to neatly braid my hair, pinning it up with a few strands dangling free to frame my face. The clip that I used to pin everything in place was one of silver, decorated in sapphires that shone as brightly and as vibrant as Neptune’s cutting gaze. I refused to slip shoes onto my feet, an image of Gaea’s bare feet in the throne room flickering past my gaze, the soil that had stained their soles, the dirt that was stuck beneath her toenails. I ascended above deck to where the crew was gathered, their e
