Of Poseidon

burning mad the water around us should be boiling. Maybe it is. Maybe we’re just moving too fast to see it. By the look on his face, he’s thinking about killing me himself. Maybe I was better off with the sharks.
    Galen swims for a long time. He won’t look at me, won’t talk to me. I know better than to talk to him. After a while, jet lag, near death, and the security of Galen’s arms all team up against me. If I weren’t underwater, I’d yawn. Instead, I close my eyes.…
    “Emma! Emma, can you hear me?”
    The slap to my cheek startles me awake. “Huh?” Not my most attractive moment. I rub my eyes. I’m cradled in his arms, princess-style. The stars come into focus. When did we surface? Billions of beautiful stars on a clear night. Fish Prince Charming holding me. It’s probably the most romantic moment of my life.
    Galen ruins it by growling. “I thought you were dead. Twice.”
    “Sorry.” It’s all I can think of. Oh yeah, and, “Thanks for saving me.”
    He shakes his head. Obviously it’s not my turn to talk.
    “I wake up and you’re gone,” he says, his jaw tight. “Then you don’t answer your cell phone.”
    I open my mouth, but his eyes widen. Still not my turn then.
    “I told you to never get in the water alone—”
    And that’s my cue. “I don’t take orders, Highness.” Oops. I can tell by his glower that I’m the opposite of smart.
    He takes several breaths. Then several more. I wait for him to start hyperventilating. He doesn’t. Instead, he grabs my chin. Hard. Eyeing my mouth, his expression softens. Releasing my chin, he peers down into the water beside us.
    Then he pulls us under.
    Still holding me like a bride over the threshold, we descend faster than a free-falling elevator. But it’s the I-know-something-you-don’t-know smirk on his face that has me almost squirming.
    Finally we stop. He nods behind me, then changes to blended form. By default, I dread turning around. And I’m right. I press myself into Galen, but he won’t let me get behind him. A whale. A ginormous one. And since Galen’s blended, I’m the only one it can see. “What are you doing, Galen? Get us out of here.”
    “You’re the one who wanted to go swimming. Alone. Change your mind?”
    “I said I was sorry.”
    “You also said you don’t take orders—”
    “I was just kidding.” Ha ha.
    He snickers, materializing. “He won’t hurt you, Emma.”
    “He’s getting closer. Galen.”
    “He’s curious about you.”
    “You mean about how I taste?” And why isn’t Galen speeding us away yet? Lesson learned already!
    “No.” He laughs. “Although, I’m dying to know that myself.”
    I whirl on him. “That’s not funny. At least you can Blend. Get us away from him. Please.”
    He shakes his head. “He won’t hurt us. He’s a Knobby. Humans call them sperm whales. They eat squid mostly. I’ve never heard of one attacking our kind. He’s just coming over here to investigate—I swear it.” With one hand, he turns me around in his arms. The gigantic fish is so close I can see his eyes, which are about the size of my whole head. “Talk to him,” Galen whispers.
    I gasp. “Have you lost your mind?” The trembling in my voice matches the trembling of my body. Galen’s nose nudging my neck calms me—a little.
    “Emma, talk sweet to him. Tell him we won’t hurt him.”
    We won’t hurt him ? “You tell him. You’re the fish.”
    “Emma, he understands you. He doesn’t understand me.”
    “Galen, let’s go. Please. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll never step foot in the water again without your permission. Ever.”
    He turns me around again and lifts my chin with his thumb. “Listen to me, Emma. I would never let anything happen to you. I’m trying to show you how special you are. But I need you to calm down.”
    He grabs my face, doesn’t let me turn away. Locking eyes with me, he strokes my hair. Brushes his fingers against my cheek. Presses his forehead against mine. After about a minute, I do calm down. He smiles. “You stopped shaking.”
    I nod.
    “Are you ready to turn around?”
    My gulp is involuntary. “Is he close?”
    Galen nods. “He’s right behind you. Emma, if he wanted to eat you, he would have done it already. You’re only afraid of him because he’s so big. Once you get past that, it’s like talking to a goldfish.” I don’t get a chance to mull over the comparison because he whirls me around so fast, it startles both me and