Deep Water Read Online Free Page A

side to defeat her sister,
then you might want to pick out some nice posies and work on your groveling.”
He saluted Poseidon with a golden cup. “Just a suggestion.”
    “Groveling didn’t work. Neither did
flowers,” Poseidon said morosely, taking another sip. “My head on a pike—that
might do the trick.”
    Donald made a deep, throaty sound that
could have been agreement or censure. “Aye, and there’s some that say the lass
deserves just that,” he said. “But you can’t be lopping your head off now,
friend. It needs to stay on your shoulders, where it’ll do the most good
against Thetis.”
    “Will it? I tried to stop her, you know.”
The admission pained him. “After her minion poisoned Bythos, I tried to hunt
her down. I couldn’t find her. I’m
the God of the Sea and she’s merely a Nereid, part of my demesnes. I should
have been able to find her anywhere.” He shook his head. “But now she’s … other . Something I’ve never seen before.
She’s been removed from my control, somehow. And that disturbs me greatly.”
    The Oracle’s eyes narrowed. “How could
that have happened?”
    “I’m not sure. But if that’s the case,
then this entire planet may be in the gravest of danger.”
    “Have you talked to Gaia about this?”
    Poseidon spread his hands. “I tried. She
has declined to answer.”
    “Hm.” Donald fell silent, allowing
Poseidon to hear the sound of the ancient stone around them murmuring to
itself. He had always assumed that the position of Oracle must be a lonely one,
but listening now to the living bedrock he realized his friend might have more
company than he’d thought.
    “Well, then, you must rely on your own
counsel and fight Thetis as best you can with the allies at hand,” Donald
finally said, nodding. “And from what the Fates say, that includes Amphitrite.
I would suggest you go find her and tell her what I’ve told you. It might
help.”
    “Ha.” Poseidon drained his cup. “You’ve
set me a difficult task, my friend. Almost Herculean, if you’ll pardon the
phrase.”
    The old mortal chuckled. “Better you than
me, sea lord.”
    ****
    Thousands of miles away, Heather Turnlow contemplated her latest acquisition, absently
tapping a purple feather duster against one thigh as she pondered where she
should put the gorgeous marble bust.
    For a junk store masquerading as an
antique shop, The Lady’s Touch held some genuine treasures for those willing to
search through its many shelves. Heather was quite amused that the mortal
shoppers who came in to browse never noticed that the interior dimensions of
the store didn’t quite match the exterior dimensions. Except for that nice Englishwoman , Verity something. Such a good eye for spatial volume .
    Unfortunately, the interior of The Lady’s
Touch developing a certain elasticity over the years also meant that its
display system had become rather haphazard. As a result, Heather wasn’t quite
sure where to store the bust currently sitting on her counter. Garden statuary? Library decor? Halloween
decorations?
    A familiar presence bloomed at her back. “Darling,
do you have time for tea?”
    “Hello, Ammie .”
Grinning, Heather turned to face her sister Amphitrite. The Nereid’s long, dark
hair was caught up in a tidy chignon, and her casual but tasteful
clothing—designer jeans, silk shell top, and Jimmy Choo flats—made her look
like a rich young matron slumming it in a seaside junk shop.
    Until you looked at her eyes. They held an
ancient pain that made even Heather wince.
    “Oh, crumpets,” she said, tossing the
feather duster onto the counter. “What’s he done now?”
    “Nothing—” Amphitrite stopped, staring at
the bust. A flash of raw emotion flickered across her face. “Where did you get
that?”
    Heather winced as she remembered the bust. Damn, damn, damn. “I bought it at an
estate sale,” she said quickly, hunting for something to throw over it. “The
woman who sold it said it had been