Of Poseidon

furious—and so will Emma, for that matter—but he owes his friend that much.
    The mines make him nervous, always have. Fish and plants have long abandoned this part of the Triton territory. In fact, as far as Galen knows, Grom is the only visitor this place hosts. Holes big enough to swallow a fishing boat pock the seafloor from the blasts. The mud around each pit is stained a darker color, as if the explosion left its shadow behind. Just two of the hundreds of bombs remain intact, defective and impotent, as if a silent monument to what was lost here. And with Nalia’s death, the Syrena lost more than a future queen. They lost unity. They lost trust. They lost legacy. And they might have lost their ability to survive.
    Galen shudders as he passes one of the decrepit bombs. Anchored to the floor by a chain, the metal ball floats undisturbed, consumed by rust, left behind by the humans after they finished investigating the sudden activity. As if the scars in the mud weren’t enough.
    When he sees his brother, he calls out to him, though he knows Grom sensed him before he entered the minefield. Grom hovers on the precipice of the deep canyon beyond the mines, arms crossed. “It seems I’ve missed your kingship ceremony, Your Majesty,” Galen says.
    The corner of Grom’s mouth curves into an almost-grin. “Pity Father didn’t make good on his promise to remove your tongue, little brother. I thought he might do it this time.”
    Galen laughs. “I did, too. But Rayna insisted I keep my tongue for just a little while longer.”
    “You’d do well to keep that one happy. If it weren’t for her, you’d be dead, disinherited, or both by now. I think she deserves a special trip to the tropics for her efforts.”
    Galen chuckles. Rayna’s favorite place to scavenge for human rubble is along the commercial cruise routes in the Gulf of Mexico. She insists people on the ships intentionally throw their belongings overboard, to leave a small part of themselves behind. At least that’s what Rachel told her. “I just might. If she stays mated to Toraf.”
    Grom whips his head toward his brother. “She accepted Toraf ?”
    “No. That’s what I’m talking about. She wants to ask you for a dissolution.”
    “A dissolution of what?”
    “Of their sealing.”
    “Rayna and Toraf are sealed ?” Grom asks. “When did this happen?”
    “Very funny.”
    Grom smirks. Galen tries to picture his brother as an eighty-year-old human. Gray hair, more wrinkles than a shell has ridges, and that boyish grin would probably be toothless. But as an eighty-year-old Syrena, he looks as young as Galen. Has more teeth too, thanks to Toraf. Despite it all, he’s still all wrong for Emma. Too calm, too composed, too set in his ways to deal with a hurricane like Emma Stubborn McIntosh.
    “I’ve been waiting for the day I could make Rayna someone else’s problem,” Grom says. “I do feel bad about it though. I always did like Toraf.”
    “So you won’t dissolve it?”
    “Not even if Toraf asks me to. It’s been so peaceful around here without her. Where have you two been anyway?”
    Galen shrugs. “The usual.” Guilt nips at his conscience like baby crabs. “The usual” is visiting Dr. Milligan to get caught up on the latest marine news. Or spending a few days with Rachel moving her most recent purchases around one of his many houses. “The usual” is not living as a human, going to their schools, driving their cars, or wearing their clothes.
    “Did Dr. Milligan have anything interesting for you?”
    “A few things. Nothing to worry about, though.”
    Grom nods. “Good. The last thing I need is something else to worry about.”
    Finally, Galen notices his brother’s tense profile. Clenched jaw, taut biceps from tightly crossed arms. White knuckles where his hands grip impressions into his shoulders.
    Galen stiffens. “What? What is it?”
    Grom shakes his head, hoarding his misery to himself behind a scowl.
    “Tell me.”
    “It could be nothing,” Grom says.
    “It could be, but I can tell it isn’t.”
    His brother sighs. He faces Galen, eyes hard. “I’ll tell you, little brother. But first, promise me a few things.”
    “What things?”
    “Promise me that whatever happens, you’ll get Rayna to safety. I don’t care if you have to live as humans for the rest of your lives, you keep our sister safe. Promise.”
    “Grom—”
    “Promise!” Grom bellows, uncrossing his arms.
    “You already know I