But I'm not watching them. I'm looking far off in the distance, where a flash of blue and purple hair weaves through the gray streets. I grasp the railing, my legs giving out as relief surges through me.
Seconds later, she's gone.
PartThree
20
Lethe
HELENA
Ididn’t kill Erik.
A feeling twisted low in my stomach, warning me I would regret that decision for the rest of my life. I should’ve killed him… but when I saw his face, all I could think about was how much he made me feel safe despite being ordered to kill me.
By my father.
Could Erik fake such gentle protectiveness? He’s so damn confusing.
My vision blurs, and my body aches while I walk along the docks of Lethe, the capital city of the Gates of Hell. Most of Aranthium looks at places like Lethe or Olimpie with awed fascination. They come to lay their wills at the feet of the two demigod children of the Elementals: Aidoneus and Raphael.
My uncles.
The air has changed to something more sulphuric than what the blessed ocean had provided during my passage across the sea.
I hurry across metal-reinforced wooden walkways and into the mess of buildings. The simple variety of people makes me feel disoriented and paranoid. Bulky Weres walk side by side with lanky vampires. A fortune-telling Warlock sits on the corner with his Fae partner. Even humans walk freely up and down the streets.
I silently curse every single one for their ability to live leisurely lives.Theirfathers aren’t trying to have them killed.
The different smells, body shapes, and skin colors overwhelm my senses. My front teeth dig into my lip as I consider how sheltered my life has been. I have never left Ice Mer territory. In fact, save for Hallie’s estate in Liqure or Erik’s ship, I have never been anywhere.
A Mer with legs is absolutely not a common sight, yet I am warranted no more than a few stray glances. I am not news. I am no one to these people. The thought fills me with a new sense of determination as the ground under my wet, bare feet changes from wood to concrete.
I break free from a particularly aggressive crowd of people crossing the street like a fish breaking from its school. Such a fish would die in nature… community is needed. But these people are not my community, and I am seeking safety from my own family.
The buildings are passing by in a blur as I desperately try to walk downtown. Everything else is secondary to getting to the historic square where my Uncle Aidoneus’s tower rises high enough to commune with his brother, the King of Angels. I can only hope that the family I have never met will take care of me better than those who raised me.
This city is the perfect combination of the ancient world and contemporary life. The twelve-story high rises stand tall next to ancient temples and government buildings. If I look hard enough, I can recognize our land's five significant historical periods.
Above me, Angels are swirling through the gray clouds. Their wings are all variations of metallic colors from bronze to brilliant pure gold. I am lost in the clouds with them when I run face-first into a being in front of me.
The sensation of leather snakes across my cheek as I pull back. Enormous black wings fill my vision, and my jaw drops like a dumbfounded child.
“Sorry about that,” the Daemon male says with a smile. His hair is cropped short, and he is wearing fashionable athletic garb.
My jaw snaps shut, and I glance awkwardly to the left. I shake my head. He doesn’t stop staring.
He says, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Mer with legs. I didn’t know your folk still did that with those new aqua chairs.”
I shrug, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.
“Oh! No voice, right?” The corners of his red eyes crinkle as he smiles. I can’t believe he knows this.
This is normal? I desperately want to ask him questions. I’d love to know about an aqua chair and where I could find my uncle's tower, so I nod encouragingly.
“Got it. Believe it or not, I’ve worked with many of your kind. My name is Toth’toros, but you can call me Todd.” Todd extends his black hand between us, and I stare at it with a raised eyebrow. He lets out a laugh, “Come on, legs. It’s your lucky day, I’m one of the least shitty Daemons in the King’s employ.”
At the mention of my uncle, I grab his hand and shake hard.