“You made Archer kill the oracle.”

She shakes her head softly. “The oracles killed themselves,

wicked, tricky devils that they are.”

I hate the pressure of her on me. It’s worse than struggling

against the currents. “You won’t win, you know.”

“I already have.” She doesn’t smile. “My brother has broken the

seas. He started this many years ago. I intend to make it right. We

will put the seas back together.”

“How generous of you. It’ll make up for all the people you’ve

killed.”

“I didn’t kill you.” She undulates like an eel until her face is

right over mine. “Don’t you remember the wave, Tristan?”

I wish she’d stop saying my name. “How could I forget?” I thought

I’d gone insane, floating underwater until I saw her in her silver

splendor. She cut me with her fingernails. Then the shark attacked her

and carried me away.

“I wanted to see your heart. So I lured you. And you came after me

so willingly, not even stopping to think that it might not be real.

“The first time I held you was the first time since your birth

that you shifted into your true self. I knew who you were just as I

knew they were searching for you, my brother’s heir. I wanted to kill

you.”

I remember the trace of her nails, the jagged edges cutting across

my chest.

“Then I tasted your blood. Blood can tell you so much about a

being. It is life. It is your past and future. In it, I could see

exactly how invaluable you were to me. I’ve lived so long, and my

future is linked to a boy. Funny, aren’t they?”

“Who?”

“The fates.”

I swallow hard. “And how exactly am I invaluable to you?”

“Because we could be great together.”

“You’re a killer.” I hate the way I sound, like a scared, dumb

kid.

“You will be one too. Just because you killed a merrow, my child,

does that make you better?” She tsk-tsk-tsks at me. “What will you do

when you have to drive your sword through one of our kind to keep the

peace of your new broken kingdom?”

“Shut up.”

“Do you know what happens when you’re alone for ages?” She

squeezes my face with her hands, forcing me to look straight at her.

The white of her eyes. The blue of her eyelids. “Do you? The

pitch-blackness of the Caves of Tartarus. The creatures that live

there, caged like beasts when far worse lies in my brother’s own

court. Whimsical, he is, sitting on a throne that should’ve been mine,

entertaining half breeds and stripping our own to pacify beings far

beneath us.” She coughs, clutching herself as if there is not enough

water or oxygen down here. “I don’t mean you. You’re special.”

She flicks her hand at me again and I’m paralyzed once more. I

pull against a force that weighs me down until it pulls me to the

ground. Red plants sprout from the ground and weave all over me.

Everywhere except my face. She swims slowly, cutting through the water

with the elegance of a shark. She props her elbows on my chest, her

tail right on top of mine.

“My sons will be here soon. I will drink from Eternity and I will

be strong again.” She puts a finger to my lips. My tongue is heavy and

fat in my mouth. I can only grunt in protest. “You will see that the

only way to keep your loved ones safe is to be with me.”

I want to scream but my voice is gone.

My lips are numb.

She traces the length of my cheek and whispers, “Soon…”

She lowers herself with her mouth slightly open, coming down for a

kiss.

The blast of a horn wakes me up.

Kurt is standing over me.

I roll over and realize I’m naked again. “Stop doing that, creep.”

He’s jittery and the energy crackling around him is frantic.

“Get dressed,” he says. “Something’s happened.”

I throw on a pair of shorts off the floor and a T-shirt that

smells vaguely clean, and we’re out of the room and into the kitchen.

Layla’s drawing a black X over Tuesday on the wall calendar. When

she sees me, she smiles. I finger-comb my bed head before kissing her

cheek. The tiles are cold under my feet.

“Where are my parents?”

“Doctor,” Layla says. “Everything is fine with the baby, but it’s

her first time going. She’s so scared.”

I splash water over my face in the kitchen sink and use a paper

towel to dry off. The last thing I remember is Nieve’s blue lips

coming down on me. Why does everyone try to kiss me? There should be

rules against that.

“Kurt, spit it out. You guys are freaking me.”

Layla opens the window, letting the cool air out and the warmth of

the overcast day in. Curry, sea air, and smoke-the neighborhood smells

waft in with something else. The horn blast.

“What is that?” A thin strand of lightning crackles on the

horizon.

“Adaro,” Kurt says. “He’s here.”

I whip around. “Like here, here? Coney Island here?”

“That’s what the call is,” Kurt says. “This place is too noisy. I

didn’t think it could be one of our calls. There are too many sirens

in this place.”

“But why is he here?”

“He’s requesting an audience with you.” Kurt takes his arm knife

and checks the blade. “It seems he’s acquired the center staff of the

trident.”

The front door cracks open and we jump, even Kurt.

“It’s just me,” Thalia says.

Kurt’s voice is like thunder. “Where have you been?”

Thalia’s face is hard, greener than usual. She ignores her brother

and runs right up to me, pointing at my chest. “You’re bleeding.”

When I look down, beads of blood bloom through the white of my

shirt. I take it off and rinse it in the sink, then clean the wound.

“I want to show you guys something.”

I go into my backpack and bring out the water bottle.

“Gatorade has a new flavor?” Layla laughs unevenly.

I pour just a single drop on the cut. The skin grows back,

stitching itself back together. “The effect doesn’t last long. It’s

from the springs…which are now gone.” I retell them about the Hall of

Records, the channels, and the springs. Even though Layla only heard

it hours ago, she still nods along enraptured until I get to the dream

of Nieve when they all share a grimace.

Thalia takes the plastic bottle in her hand. “To think, eons are

reduced to this container.”

“I want you guys to drink it.”

They stare.

“Why?” Kurt asks.

“Nieve.” Even saying her name makes my tongue feel like lead.

“She’s more than just an angry mermaid with a grudge. She wants to be

queen. When Archer brings her the spring water, she’ll be strong. She

can make more merrows.” I think of Adaro waiting for me out on the

beach. I punch the wall.

“Now she needs the trident and we’re making it easy for her. Two

of the pieces are right here. Me and Adaro. She can march up the shore

with her mutant mermen and pick us off. To prevent that, we have to do

a few things. Step one is you all have to drink this.”

“What about you?” Layla asks.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“What the hell do you mean?” She follows me to the window and gets

in my face. “I have this necklace. I-”

“What if it’s not enough?”

“Tristan, all of us know the risks,” Kurt says. “We’re still

here.”

The conch horn blasts again.

“What the hell is up with this guy?” I ask. Come to think of it,

that horn’s been blasting since we got back on Monday. Sarabell knew

he was here when she came up to me at Luna Park, when we were out on

our date. I feel so used.

Thalia shrugs, setting the water bottle on the table. “If we were