Page 87 of Of Magic and Rum
“And why should that matter? An extra pair of able hands can’t hurt.” I twist my cutlass handle in my hand and jump to the railing with bare feet. “Besides, I should probably start winning her old man’s favor. Perhaps it’ll lessen the lashings for corruptinghis daughter in more ways than one, hm?”
“You’re insane,” Mary says, snickering.
“And thank God for that, Read.” After giving Mary a wink, I backflip from the deck and plunge into the frigid water.
The mythic sea beings are already a force to be reckoned with underwater. Three of them wield varying forms of tridents, with Anne being the sole sword wielder, and the sight of it makes my chest tighten. I swim beside Anne, ignoring her shocked expression and shouts of protest, which are muffled to my ears. Poseidon, her mother, and Triton give me equally fearful and bewildered looks, but I silence them by slashing my sword through two tentacles, dodging the barbs as the tips float away in swirling inky ringlets.
Once they see I’m not retreating, we become a fury of slicing and dicing. They’ve all conjured tails at this point, giving them more maneuverability, and I, in contrast, use the tentacles, latching onto them to get where I need to go faster.
Unlike the rest, my lungs are burning, and I know I’ll need air soon, which strangely irritates me. Such a trivial thing is taking me away from the fight. The sea monster nears the surface, and I spin, jamming my sword in its back. And as the Charybdis breaches, I’m riding its back like a damn raging bull. My head emerges, and I take a massive gulp of air before I’m backunderwater, gripping both hands to the hilt as the monster does a barrel roll, attempting to launch me off.
Tiny bubbles spiral around me as we spin, and I roar into the water, still holding on until, finally, it stops. Triton zips past me at such speed he’s a blur, lunging his bronze trident into the creature’s side. Anne comes from below, her sword a sharp twirling nightmare, picking off barbs from the tentacles as she swims past. Anne’s mother swims from one side, Poseidon on the other, and, in unison, they launch at the monster with their tridents, stabbing it.
The Charybdis’ spiky tooth mouth gapes wide, its tentacles shaking, trembling, and lashing anywhere it can. It wails, and its mouth still hasn’t closed. This is when I always live up to my reputation for taking risks. With my sword stretched out in front of me, I launch into the monster’s mouth, pinning my elbows at my sides to avoid its dagger-like teeth and curl my knees to my stomach when the creature snaps its jaws closed, narrowly missing my feet. Holding the blade above my head, I use my legs to propel me forward, carving a line through the Charybdis’ innards on my way.
I reach the end and slice my way back to the water. My lungs burn, and my vision has begun to blur from the inky, bloody shadowing of the water. Holding my ribs, I feel my sword’s hilt go limp in my hand, darkness spilling over my gaze.
And then her mouth is on mine, breathing life into me. My Annie. She makes her sword disappear, carries mine now, her arm wrapped around my waist, and swims us to the surface. Her soft fins brush my feet, and the rest of her family form around us, all pushing skyward until we’re bobbing in the water near The Revenge’s hull.
“Did we win?” I ask, smiling, my voice croaking.
Anne laughs and pushes me to the rope ladder. “Yes, you handsome idiot.”
The crew cheers as Anne and I appear over the railing. I help her despite my mushy and tired arms.
“I cannot believe you did that, Jack.” Anne shakes her head, but she’s still grinning.
Pulling her to me, I slip a hand to the back of her neck and kiss her. “Can you not, though? Really?”
“No, I suppose you’re right.” Anne laughs, but her smile suddenly disappears.
Mine does, too. Standing several paces from us is a soaked King of the Seas, his hands wringing around the trident’s hilt, his glare capable of boiling the Baltic Sea. And he’s staring right atme.
I slide in front of Jack, shielding him with my body against my father. Not that Jack can’t hold his own, but there’s no telling what the King of the Seas will do to the man he saw kissing and groping his only daughter. Leave it to my dad to throw all heroic deeds Jack hadjustdone below water and boil it down to this singular sight alone.
Fanning my palm at Dad, ready to ask him to stop for the second time, I freeze at the sight of my mother appearing from behind him.
Her tan hand, contrasting with my porcelain skin, gently curls around his trident, lowering it. “Let’s not start skewering people before we’ve had a chance to be properly introduced, my love.”
Introductions aside, I feel as if I need to bere-introduced to my mother because the oneIknew was taken from me as a small child. Zeus banished her to the cosmos for all eternity because she didn’t uphold her duties—a mother I rarely saw and scarcely remember. A cloudy mix of resentment, anger, and joy cyclones in my mind.
“Fry,” my older brother, Triton, says, a nickname he’s called me since we were kids. “It’s her. It’smom.”
My brother looks so desperate for me to be happy to see her. To throw everything at my feet and run into her waiting arms. But this is how Triton has always been. Positive. Quick to forgive and forget. Naïve. I needed it growing up, but I’ve become the opposite of his breezy personality. What I need now is for my mother to realizehowshe fucked up.
Jack rests a gentle hand on my lower back, out of view from my family. It’s a grounding touch I didn’t know I needed.
“What do you want me to say, Amphitrite?” I can’t bring myself to call her mother, not this soon.
The Queen’s jaw flexes and tenses, her hands dropping at her sides. Her throat’s bobbing, and her eyes are glassy, like she’s holding back tears. “Rhode,” she whispers, taking a cautious step forward.
I hold up a finger, ignoring my father’s disappointed frown. Considering he isn’t trying to convince me as Triton has, I’m assuming their reunion didn’t start as blissfully as it seems now. “That’s not my name anymore.”
And it’s just as well. My mother named me Rhode. It’s a sea nymph’s name. But I’m more than a sea nymph. I’m a pirate queen and live a new life now. It calls for a new label and identity.
Amphitrite’s reaction isn’t what I expected. She’s shocked at first but then strangely understanding. The crew is all deadquiet, busying themselves with chores they don’t necessarily need to do, or looking anywhere else but at our family squabble.
Jack notices it, too, and abruptly clears his throat. “This seems like something we should handle in private. Follow me to my cabin.” Jack gestures to his quarters.
