Chapter 20: Uncharted Waters

Mike stood near the bottom of the slide, his eyes up on the top platform. Up above, Callisto fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist, his mind obviously somewhere else. Underneath the slide, Grace was beating her hands softly on the thick polymer surface as if playing a drum.

“C’mon,” Mike said. “You can do it, it’s just—”

Callisto grabbed the bar above the slide and launched his body forward. The jets of water pushed him even faster, causing him to pass the bend in the slide and then launch off the small lip into the bay. A wave gobbled him up, the child surfacing several feet later.

“Swimming is still stupid,” he declared, frantically pinwheeling his arms. “If the gods had intended us to swim, they would have given—AH, NOOOOO!”

Callisto tried to doggy paddle away as Grace hurled herself into the water after him. Unlike her brother, Grace was naturally gifted in the water, and she swam along the surface until she was close enough to dunk him. He popped up another foot away, buoyed by several tendrils of magic.

Mike looked down at Beth, who sat along the edge of the dock with a book in her hand. She looked up at him and winked, then curled the fingers of her hand toward the shore. Both children were pushed toward the beach where Lily was lying on a towel and wearing a red and black bikini that left very little to the imagination. When the kids kicked sand up on her, she snatched Grace with her tail and lifted the child above her.

“What’ve I said about kicking sand?” she asked.

Grace blew a raspberry, then reached out and smeared sand-covered webbing on Lily’s chest. The succubus dropped the Arachne, who scurried off like a crab.

“When I get my hands on you,” Lily shouted, then turned to give chase. Both children laughed and giggled as she chased them up the beach toward the jungle. They were inside the secret volcano, but it was different now. The caldera had been split on one side, revealing an endless blue horizon that stretched as far as the eye could see. In the inlet behind them, Di’s temple sat like a silent guardian, decorated with shells and flowers.

“Lily’s surprisingly good with them,” said Beth, kicking her feet in the water. Now that the kids were gone, she pulled an orb of water from the ocean and let it hover over her palm. The orb shifted, transforming into a cube. Beth smiled, then concentrated on changing the shape again.

“She definitely has the energy for it.” He heard someone blow a conch shell and turned his attention to the ocean. “Oh, I think that means they’re back.”

Beth set her book down. “I wonder how it went.”

The azure water of the pocket world was disturbed by the shimmering scales of the merfolk as they returned from their hunt. Some of them surfaced like dolphins, doing aerial antics for those on the beach who might be watching. The kids stopped running from Lily and came down to the water’s edge, both of them clapping in delight. Down at the edge of the dock, Leilani surfaced, a huge grin on her face.

“You look pleased.” Mike sat down on the edge of the dock. “I take it that the hunt went well?”

Leilani nodded. “Better than expected! This ocean is not only better stocked, it’s healthy. We actually finished our hunt early and had the scouts explore to see if they could find a border or perhaps where it loops back around. This place is huge!”

“I’m glad.”

The mermaid pulled herself onto the dock, her tail melting into legs. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him. Her hair smelled of the sea, with bits of seaweed tangled in it.

“You didn’t just give us a refuge,” she said. “You gave us a home.”

“You mostly have Beth to thank.” He jerked his thumb at Beth, who formed the cube into a hand that waved back at them. “She’s the one who came up with the idea of making a sanctuary for your new colony.”

“Pele did all the work.” Beth leaned back on her arms to look at the two of them. The watery hand fell back into the ocean. “In all honesty, I was being a bit selfish. Since you were temporarily in charge of your people, I figured you could gift Paradise and the surrounding waters to Mike as a token of diplomacy or whatever. I wanted a piece of Paradise for myself.”

“It was my dowry to give.” Leilani winked at Mike. “They never would have let me just give you that land. But as a wedding present?”

Mike chuckled. “Yeah, well, I didn’t expect that angle either.” When the idea had originally been broached, the first thing he had done was ask Tink about it. While marrying Leilani for the sake of exploiting a merfolk loophole was the primary purpose, Tink was technically his only wife. Tink had immediately asked if Leilani was also a goblin. When Mike told her no, she had shrugged and declared she had no fucks to give over the matter.

“That reminds me. You gave me a raincheck on our honeymoon.” Leilani smiled lasciviously. “When do I get you all to myself for a few days?”

“When things calm down a bit.” Mike looked over at the kids who were dancing around the merfolk warriors that were pulling nets up onto the beach. The nets were packed full of fish, and a trio of centaurs who had been sent along as an honor guard were already digging up a smoking pit that had been packed with kalua pork the previous evening. The merfolk were cleaning the fish next to the dock, chatting amicably with each other as they handed prepped fish to the centaurs for cooking. Of all the things to happen in the last week, the strange bond between merfolk and centaur tribes was not one he had expected. Even now, the merfolk were eagerly chatting with the centaurs who had come to visit the beach. “Callisto is still having nightmares. Lily wants to go in and get rid of them, but Zel is making her wait so that he can actually process his feelings.”

“Well, when it finally happens, I intend to wear you out.” Leilani looked past him at Beth. “You’re invited, too, the more the merrier.”

“No, thanks.” Beth gazed wistfully at the beach where Asterion was busy digging another pit for the merfolk. “I have other plans for my days ahead.”

“Your loss.” Leilani kissed Mike and gestured out toward the ocean. “Anyway, as far as we can tell, the waters around this island extend for at least two hundred miles before looping around. A few of my people want to put together a proper expedition. It’s been centuries since the merfolk have had somewhere new to explore. Does Pele have any idea how big it could be?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think she does,” he admitted. “It was sort of a ... last second decision.” After the battle with Francois had come to an end, the others had gone back to Paradise to discuss the next steps. During the discussion about creating a sanctuary for the merfolk with Paradise, Pele had emerged from the mountain and promptly asked Mike what he intended to do with Poseidon’s body. The magic vessel, now split in half, had still been spewing its contents out into the waves. Even though Poseidon himself had been nullified, the ship was still a part of his body and could easily become a weapon in the right hands.

Mike barely remembered the next two hours as a mad rush by the merfolk and Pele to capture and contain the god’s body ensued. The rats had seen the portal for Francois’ pocket dimension through their drones, so Reggie worked with his people on accessing the plane. The remnants of Francois’ ship were gathered up and pushed into the closest bay where a building with a portal to that dimension had been installed and lowered into the water.

Eulalie and Tink both monitored the cleanup operation while Pele went home with Mike to speak with Hestia. By that afternoon, a plan had been set in place and Pele herself had done most of the work with Ratu and Yuki’s help. She had been present long ago when the Architect transformed her sister Nāmaka into the island, and began a similar spell to repurpose Poseidon’s body. The results of that spell not only attached the pocket dimension to this place, but also transformed some of Poseidon into the very ocean surrounding it. Much like a world had once been created for the centaurs, now the same had been done for the merfolk. Those who had chosen to splinter away from the main colony now lived here, away from the world of man.

Mike had worried that Poseidon’s wrath would somehow find him, but Hestia had reassured everyone that her brother no longer had any power after being removed from the Great Game. If anything, he was now considered part of Mike’s property as a spoil of war and would bend a knee if he ever found a way to manifest again.

He looked over at the beach and laughed when he saw Callisto on Asterion’s shoulders. The minotaur was pretending the boy wasn’t there as he continued digging a second smoking pit. Grace was now climbing up Asterion’s leg and hissing whenever he ‘accidentally’ dropped sand on her with his shovel.

“You’ve made a whole new world for us.” Leilani sighed and closed her eyes. “A week ago, you were the enemy. Now? You’re the guardian spirit of my people.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Mike blushed, then cleared his throat. “None of this was planned. It all just sort of ... happened.”

“I know.” Leilani moved closer to him and grinned. “Which is why it feels so magical!” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the water. The two of them sank down to the sands below, their lips pressed together as she breathed air into him. Her hands moved across his body, fumbling with the strings of his board shorts when a pulse of energy moved through the water from above. Mike broke the kiss and signaled that he needed to go up. Leilani took him to the surface and they saw Ratu standing on the edge of the dock, her arms crossed and a smile of amusement on her face. She was wearing a green and gold bikini, with the scales on her body shifting beneath the eternal sun.

“Having fun in there?” she asked.

“Just taking a quick dip.” Mike swam to the edge of the dock and pulled himself up. “Does this mean you’re done?”

Ratu nodded. “With my part, anyway. Do you have time to talk right now? Pele would like a word.”

Mike looked at Leilani. The mermaid sighed and tilted her head toward the beach.

“I should probably be helping them with tonight’s feast,” she said. “Besides, I’ll get you all to myself ... eventually.” She blew him a kiss and then dipped beneath the waves, her tail splashing them unnecessarily as the princess swam for shore.

“You marry the most interesting people, Caretaker.” Ratu extended a hand to Mike and helped him stand. “I feel like we haven’t had a chance to talk about that, actually. Are you Prince Mike now? Or maybe you’re a duke. Does that title extend to everyone else? Tink would probably love that.”

“If I only ask one thing of you, it’s that you don’t talk about this in front of Lily.” He looked at the beach and saw that the succubus had turned into a child version of herself and was now clinging to Asterion with the children. The minotaur didn’t seem to realize it was her and was still digging his pit. “It would be all that I hear about for days.”

“An easy enough favor, I suppose.” She walked along the dock toward shore and Mike followed. The two of them walked up the beach and then along the shoreline of the lake. A small building with the word Village carved up top contained a portal inside that took them straight up to the old homes, which were now partially occupied by centaurs from Zel’s tribe. Some of them paused and waved to Mike, and he waved back. There, another building with the word Temple was built near the cliffs. The door radiated heat, and Mike followed Ratu inside, stepping out into Di’s chambers. The dragon’s head rested on the edge of the platform, her massive coils submerged in the lava. Standing beneath her was Pele, the goddess inspecting Di’s scales.

“This has closed up nicely,” said the goddess, indicating the remains of a large wound just under Di’s jaw. “How about your ribs?”

“It hurts to breathe too deeply.” Di’s tourmaline eye shifted to focus on Mike. “Welcome back, Caretaker.”

“Di. How are you feeling?”

“I am healing quite nicely.” The dragon made a rumbling sound in her throat. The battle with the kraken had left her exhausted and near death. Ratu had helped her back to the safety of the sanctuary after the fight. “It will be some time before I can be a proper guardian, I fear.”

“Don’t you worry about that. It’ll be a fight for anyone who thinks they’re going to break in.” The one thing Mike hadn’t been able to do was close off the entrance in Maui. Unlike Paradise, which had been pulled away and incorporated into the secret island, Great Game rules apparently decreed that Players couldn’t just remove themselves from reality. Pele and Ratu had significantly altered the topography around the entrance to make it impossible for anyone to casually hike in. At a minimum, they would need climbing gear and the ability to scale wet rocks. As for those who did? Well, they would run into the volcano’s newest, unofficial guardian.

“Where is little sister?” asked Di. “I miss her.”

“She’s out fixing some rogue weather patterns that she accidentally caused.” Between the eruptions and monster storm Quetzalli had summoned, she had somehow altered the flow of air currents over the ocean, resulting in massive storms along the West Coast. “I’m sure she’ll be back later, though.”

“This is acceptable. Quetzalli sings to the eggs. I love listening to it.” Di’s eye shifted toward Ratu. “You seem to have recovered faster than I have.”

“A perk of being much smaller, there’s less of me to heal.” Ratu gestured toward Pele. “I have brought him, goddess.”

“At last.” Pele turned to face Mike, her eyes sparkling. “It seems that most of my work is done. Haleakalā has been stabilized, so the tremors will stop soon.”

“That’s great news.”

The goddess nodded. “As for my people, they have experienced a reawakening. Despite the efforts of others, they’ve been reminded that the world is bigger than they ever realized. Though many have invoked my name, it is only now that they believe in its power.”

“So you’re getting stronger?”

Pele nodded. “In a manner of speaking. With that strength comes some danger, I’m afraid. You see, my remaining kin may be scattered, but new belief in me will also empower them. There is a good chance these events may be the catalyst that usher in a new age, one that sees the return of the gods.”

Mike frowned. “You don’t think they’ll stay in hiding?”

She shook her head. “Some will, but others will see this as an opportunity to reclaim what they’ve lost. As they, too, grow in strength, they will be noticed.”

“By the Others.” Mike didn’t fear speaking of them in the sanctuary of Di’s temple.

“Yes.” Pele walked across the chamber to face him, then briefly took his hand in hers. Her skin was cool to the touch, but he felt the heat of her soul beneath it. “That is something you should also keep in mind. There are those among you who also grow in power. In the safety of your home, you will be shielded. But should you venture out, I would caution you to never concentrate your power unless absolutely necessary. There are already tales among my people of a massive serpent who alters the land as it slithers, and a woman with five tails who froze the ocean using her power. They’ve seen things, recorded them even, and they’ve become believers. That belief will be your strength, but it can also make you a target.”

Mike sighed. “Well, it’s a good thing we’re not planning any more field trips,” he said.

“Indeed. But if you do, tread cautiously, Caretaker. I would not see harm come to you.” The goddess leaned forward, her words hot against his ears. “You have done me and my people an impossible service. I’ve also become quite fond of your family and don’t know that I can ever thank you enough. And thus, I mark you.” She pecked him on the cheek, the chaste kiss of an old woman.

His magic practically boiled inside him, desperate to escape and unleash itself, to bathe in sustained passion. Golden motes of light burst from his skin, shooting into the air and forming into dandelion seeds that fell to the floor and were consumed by flames. Di snorted, blowing some of them back into the air.

Gasping for air, Mike grabbed Ratu by the hand, not daring to touch Pele instead. The goddess smirked, then took a step away from him.

“I guess I’ve still got it.” Pele smiled. “I’ve marked you, Mike Radley, that fire will recognize you as one of its own. Never again shall it score your flesh nor should you fear its advances.” Her eyes dropped to the scar tissue on his stomach. “I believe this to be a suitable gift.”

“You ... honor me.” Mike bowed his head, trying to ignore the raging hard-on pressed tightly against his board shorts.

“Good. You should be honored.” Pele laughed and ruffled his hair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a group of men on Oahu who are raising money to rebuild Maui. Naturally, it’s a scam and instead they’re planning to keep it.”

“What are you going to do to them?” asked Ratu.

“Suspend them over a pit of lava and make them beg for their lives.” Pele grinned. “I’ll drop a few in and let the others live. With my recent popularity, it’s probably a good time to remind everyone that I do have a reputation in regards to my temper.”

The goddess walked to the edge of the chamber and stepped out onto the magma. Flames wrapped around her, forming into a fiery vortex as she departed. Mike stared at the spot and blinked the spots from his eyes.

Ratu chuckled and squeezed his hand.

“She sure knows how to make an exit.” The naga cleared her throat. “If you need some help with that, I’d be glad to assist you.”

Mike turned hungry eyes on the naga, only to see the massive dragon looming in the background. Di grinned, her stony scales shifting along her length.

“Don’t mind me,” she said. “Just pretend I’m not here.”

Mike laughed, then took Ratu by the hand and led her toward the door. “We can find somewhere more appropriate for this, I’m sure.”

“Boo,” called Di as the door closed. Mike and Ratu were now back in the village, his eyes scanning the buildings to find one that was unoccupied. However, the frantic energy of the village came to a halt when he was noticed, and a pair of centaurs came running up to him.

“Caretaker.” One of them bowed, the other just fidgeted with her hands. “There was a problem with the offering.”

“Offering? What offering?” He looked at the two of them. When they looked toward the cave behind them, he smacked himself in the forehead. “Yeah, right, what’s wrong?”

“There are supposed to be three of us.”

“Ah, okay. Um, I guess a raincheck, maybe.” He looked at Ratu and sighed.

“Our loss.” The naga grinned and kissed his forehead. “See you at dinner?”

“Of course.” He watched Ratu saunter off and then ran with the centaurs toward the cave exit. The stone walls had dozens of runes carved into them, magic dedicated to identifying and possibly vaporizing any intruders. When they emerged from the cave system, he saw the remains of a large fishing net caught up in the trees.

“I’ve got it from here,” he said, reassuring the centaurs and then sprinted into the jungle. It was raining again, and the trees shifted out of his way while bending their boughs to grant him cover. It only took a couple of minutes navigating the jungle before he found his quarry. Moving to stand on a rock, he scowled.

“What do you think you are doing?” He addressed the massive, dark green bulb that had wedged itself between a pair of trees in an effort to hide. “Spit her out, Sweetpea!”

The mandragora plant opened its blooms wide, disgorging a frightened centaur who gazed around in a panic. Mike moved to assist her, kneeling down and making sure she hadn’t been hurt. Though she was unharmed, she stank of fish.

“Thank you so much,” she said, her legs trembling. “I was so scared!”

“You’ll be fine, but I wonder...” Mike looked up at the plant. “How many times have I said ‘no eating your handlers’?”

The leaves on the mandragora drooped, and he could feel alien waves of sadness touch the corners of his mind. The mandragora was much smarter than regular trees, but had a completely different thought process.

“They’re not going to bring you any more fish if you keep doing this.”

Another wave of emotions, followed by the taste of something coppery in his mouth. Puzzled, he looked down at the centaur, then back at Sweetpea.

“It says you have something tasty in your pockets,” he said, looking back at the centaur.

“I shouldn’t. I made sure to empty them!” The centaur stuck her hands in the few pouches she wore, then groaned. She pulled her hand back out to reveal something that looked like dried fish.

“What’s that?” Mike asked.

“Ahi tuna jerky,” the centaur replied. “One of the merfolk was handing them out earlier. I didn’t get a chance to eat it.”

“Let’s be more careful next time.” He took the jerky from the centaur and tossed it toward the mandragora. A vine from the bud snatched it out of the air and dragged it away. Shortly after the fight with Francois, the mandragora’s main bud had been spotted and moved here to act as a backup guardian. The plant was more than happy to eat anyone who managed to climb the mountainside. However, since the mandragora was supposed to do this only as a backup plan, it meant that the centaurs needed to feed it plenty of meat. “Can you walk?”

“Yes, thank you.” The centaur allowed Mike to take her back to the cave. She walked in silence, clearly embarrassed and bothered by her close call with the plant. When they got back to the mountain, Zel was waiting for them, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice stern.

“It was my fault,” said the centaur. “I had food in my pockets that I forgot about.”

Zel relaxed, but only slightly. “I was worried,” she confessed. Even though moving the mandragora benefited her tribe, Zel had still been worried about the new arrangement. Ever since Ratu and Pele had certified that there was a zero percent chance of the mandragora escaping the secret bog, her only real concern was for the handlers who fed it meat. “Thanks for taking care of it for me.”

“I happened to be around.” Mike stopped in front of Zel and grinned. The handler seemed to sense that she was no longer needed, so trotted into the cave. “So, how’ve you been? It seems like I haven’t seen you that much lately.”

“I’m almost as busy as the Caretaker these days.” Zel grinned at him, then lowered her gaze. Things had been a little tense between the two of them after Callisto’s return, but Mike recognized that as a function of nearly losing their child. It didn’t have anything to do with him. “Or so I’m told.”

“Really? Me? Busy?” He chuckled. “Those are blatantly false rumors. I wouldn’t dream of being busy.”

“So then you’ve just been avoiding me?” Zel smirked and took a step toward him.

“I’ve been extremely busy,” Mike said, backpedaling. “Up until just now, that is.”

The centaur laughed. “I’m aware that I haven’t been ... pleasant to be around. I’m still ... processing what happened to Callisto.”

Mike nodded, but said nothing. It was the easiest way to make room for someone’s feelings, after all. He had gotten that little nugget of advice from a parenting book that had nothing to do with centaurs or Arachne, but luckily kids were mostly the same no matter what species they were.

“I’ll admit that I blamed you for everything, at first. Unfairly. And that made me mad at myself, and so the cycle continued.” Zel sighed and pulled something out of her pocket. “I was actually coming here to talk to you about something else, but heard that Sweetpea had eaten somebody.”

“Technically, she was eating someone’s snack. She just forgot to unwrap it, first. I’m going to have Amymone touch base with her and go over the rules again.” Even though Mike could speak with plants, it wasn’t with the same proficiency that a dryad could do it. While the mandragora’s main bulb was here in Hawaii, there was a network of special boxes built by Tink and the rats that allowed the root system to be kept safe both in the greenhouse and beneath Amymone’s tree. “So, what did you want to talk about? I’ve got time right now.”

Zel stepped closer, her hooves pawing nervously at the dirt. “After you got Callisto back, we never really talked about everything that happened. I was just so grateful that he was alive. Then the tribe had to bury its dead. The whole time I was standing there listening to my aunt administer final rights, all I could think was, ‘I’m glad my son made it.’”

“That’s really hard.” Mike took Zel’s hand. “It’s called survivor’s guilt and I know what you mean.”

The two of them exchanged a glance, but said no more on the matter. They both had their reasons for feeling it.

“Anyway, I threw myself into my tribe and my work, but we never really talked about it. You were true to your word, Mike. You went and got our son back. After a few days, I felt guilty that I didn’t come to see you sooner.” Zel sighed in frustration. “Sometimes I miss the simple days when it was just us and the forest.”

“I mean...” Mike gestured at the woods. “That’s exactly what we’ve got here right now. Just you, me, and the trees.”

Zel studied him with her beautiful, brown eyes, then grinned and took a step forward. Mike heard the soft snap of a slap bracelet closing and realized that Zel had taken their son’s enchanted bracelet for herself. By the time she stepped into his arms, her equine body had vanished, leaving her human below the waist.

“I thought that only worked for Callisto,” he said.

Zel chuckled. “So did I. But somehow, it worked on Grace. I had Ratu look into it. Apparently the enchantment has been altered.”

“By who?”

“That’s a good question.” Zel looked up into his eyes. “Callisto said that Grace did something to it when they were taken, but he doesn’t know what. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, right? Who could have taught her how to do that?”

Mike studied Zel’s face, but his mind was on his daughter. Being an Arachne seemed to be the strangest thing about her, but that was just her appearance. What thoughts lurked in his quietest child? Her favorite stuffy was a possessed doll. She had cast a fireball spell using somebody’s wand. Was she some kind of magical savant?

“I don’t think it matters,” he said. “What gave you the idea to try it for yourself?”

Zel laughed. “Callisto did. He gave it to me a few minutes ago when I got here. Said there was some time left on it and I should come see you.”

“We’ve got a good kid.” Mike tried not to laugh at the idea that Callisto was trying to be his wingman.

“Do you think you could play our song again?” she asked as she pressed herself against him. “I want to dance with you.”

Mike shook his head. “My current phone doesn’t have that song on it.” He had actually broken it during the fight with the kraken. Mike didn’t know if it was the ocean water, fighting the undead, or the magic lightning he fired from his body that had done it in. Either way, the warranty didn’t cover it. “But we don’t need music. We can just dance.”

Zel gazed up at him, her slightly damp hair clinging to her forehead. “Maybe we can skip the dancing,” she said, her lips slightly parted. “I think this bracelet only has about ten minutes left on it and there’s something I’ve wanted from you for a very long time.”

She kissed him, and heat surged through his body as he took her in his arms. The magic did all the dancing for them, ricocheting back and forth between their bodies and playing musical tones. The leaves shifted, giving them more cover from the rain as Zel practically tackled him to the ground. She unbuttoned her sleeveless tunic, releasing her breasts. Drops of rain collected on her chest, then rolled down to form thin streams of water that fell from her large nipples. Mike lifted his head to catch it, his tongue sliding along her areola. When he sucked a nipple into his mouth, Zel gasped and shuddered.

“I never get tired of that,” she said, then grabbed his trunks and slid them down until his cock popped free. Awkwardly, she lifted one leg over his waist and straddled him, then shifted her body so that his rigid cock lay against the curve of her ass.

When she tried to mount him, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her down to kiss her instead. She squeaked in protest, then moaned into his mouth as his magic enveloped her. Zel placed her hands against his shoulders and rolled her hips, allowing his cock to slide along her wet slit. The air sizzled and popped as the magic connected them, and the centaur pushed herself free and grinned.

Without another word, she arched her back and used one hand to guide his cock inside of her, gasping as he pushed her open. Zel made cute, girlish noises as she forced herself onto his cock, her pussy gobbling it up an inch at a time.

“You don’t have to rush it,” Mike said.

“Eight minutes!” she gasped. “I’ve only got eight more minutes to get properly fucked!”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Mike lifted his hands, energy crackling between his fingertips. He placed one hand on her hips and the other on her breast. “Let’s see if we can’t catch up for lost time.”