Finn

  “I need a better look,” I said, pushing myself up from the chair. The vision flashes I’d been getting weren’t enough—not clear, not precise. I needed something stronger.

  Jonas, still sprawled on the couch, tossed a kernel of popcorn into the air and caught it in his mouth. “A better look at what? The existential dread hanging over our heads, or just general future-related doom?”

  “Poseidon’s men,” I said shortly, already making my way to the bathroom. “I need to see what they’re planning.”

  Behind me, Isla’s footsteps followed. “And you need a bath for that?”

  I let out a breath, rolling up my sleeves as I turned the faucet. Cold water rushed into the tub. “Water is connected to him,” I explained. “His influence lingers in it, especially when I’m trying to read his movements. It helps me focus.”

  “Wait, but,” I saw as Isla hesitated, I could see the conflict in her eyes. “That’s his territory.”

  Jonas stretched, unimpressed. “See, this is why I stick to divination through beer foam. Much less dramatic.”

  I ignored him, and instead of arguing with Isla about whether it’s a good idea or not to go into his territory, I flexed my fingers before plunging them into the water.

  The moment my hands submerged, the world around me dimmed. The hum of magic thrummed against my skin, sharp and familiar.

  The water pulled.

  And I let it.

  Dark figures shifted in the depths of my mind—men moving through streets, searching, waiting. A warehouse. A symbol carved into a door. And then—

  A pair of too-bright eyes turned toward me.

  Ah, hell.

  My breath hitched as a presence pushed back. I tried to break away, but it latched onto me, like cold fingers closing around my throat.

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  A voice, thick as the tide, rumbled through my mind.

  You think you can watch without being seen? Foolish boy.

  Pressure coiled around my chest, like an unseen weight pressing down. My pulse stuttered.

  Tell Medusa—my love—that I’ll be with her again soon.

  And you? You are an inconvenience. A ripple, nothing more. But even ripples can be erased.

  A stabbing pain split through my skull. My grip on the porcelain edge of the tub slipped, my knees hitting the floor as I gasped, blinking through the blur of the real world slamming back into focus.

  A hand touched my arm, hesitant but firm. “Finn,” Isla’s voice, sharp, worried. The snakes moved too, tongues flicking toward me, their agitation mirroring hers.

  I forced a breath. The magic still clung to me, Poseidon’s presence lingering like salt on my tongue. My fingers tingled. My vision pulsed at the edges.

  Jonas let out a low whistle. “Well, that looked—geez, Finn, are you okay?” Jonas never asked if I was okay. Not unless he actually meant it.

  I pushed a shaking hand through my hair, trying to steady my breathing. That was probably really stupid of me to do.

  Isla frowned. “He saw you, didn’t he?”

  I met her gaze, my chest still tight, and nodded. I didn’t dare tell her what he said.

  I barely heard him. My head was still pounding, the aftershocks of the vision pressing against my skull like a vice. “I need to rest for a minute.”

  Jonas gave me an exaggerated thumbs-up. “Cool, you go do that. Meanwhile, snake girl and I will bond.”

  Isla scowled. “We are not bonding.”

  Jonas smirked. “That’s exactly what someone about to bond with me would say.”

  I didn’t have the energy or wherewithal to get Jonas to stop being…Jonas.

  I groaned and pushed myself to my feet. To my surprise, Isla wrapped an arm around my waist, helping my unsteady steps out of the bathroom.

  “Let’s have our boy lay down for a bit,” Jonas suggested, stepping past us and walking toward the guest room. Isla followed, bringing me along. As we walked, my vision tunneled and blurred. I just hoped to stay upright long enough to make it to a bed.

  “Stay with me,” Isla murmured, low, only loud enough for me to hear.

  While I knew her to be a sweet and tender person from my visions of our future, I had not yet actually experienced it in person. A jolt of surprise went through me and I found myself working to keep my mouth shut so I didn’t start spouting mushy things like I’ll stay with you forever, elding.

  Isla didn’t seem to notice as her snakes quickly moved to assess my wellness. Their tongues flicked at me, Thena going as far as to let her tongue lick at my cheek. Several ventured around my shoulders and around my head. I know to an observer, it might look concerning, but I could feel their intent. Their desire to be near me, to care for me, just as Isla was caring for me in that moment.

  We made it to the guest room and Isla helped me into the bed, I could see her look of worry and it pained me to know that her worry was founded from her experiences with that monster. He called her his love. My blood boiled at the thought. My last thought before losing consciousness was how sweet it was that her worry was also for me.