The sound of sobs pulled Jenny from the dazed confusion she was feeling. Orion slid off the back of his sea dragon and turned to help her down. She gazed down at him for a moment before she placed her hands on his shoulders.

They hadn’t spoken since he swept her up onto the sea dragon and carried her back to the underwater city. Jenny had been in shock from her memories of drowning, and she was trying to understand what her mind was telling her about her transformation. Orion’s arms tightened when he felt her shiver.

“Are you still cold?” he asked.

Jenny shook her head. No, she felt—good. She touched her arm with her hand. Her skin was warm to the touch and dry, thanks to the blast of air when they entered through the barrier tunnel that sealed the city from the water surrounding it. Several of the warriors turned when they entered, their eyes widening in shock when they saw Jenny.

“Who’s crying? It sounds like Juno,” Jenny said.

“He… He is very worried about you,” Orion said.

Orion didn’t go into the details of why Juno was upset—he didn’t need to. Jenny already suspected that Juno must have seen her when she was…

No! I didn’t die. I just… went to sleep for a little while—under the water—where there was no oxygen, Jenny decided.

“I died,” she groaned.

“Yes,” Orion replied.

Jenny stopped on the front steps leading into the palace. Her legs were trembling so much that she wasn’t sure they would support her. Lifting a hand to smooth back the tangled hair from her face, she paused and looked at the webbing between her fingers.

“You could have lied,” she whispered, staring at her hand.

“Never to you, Jenny. Besides, according to Kapian, Coralus, and Kelia, I’m not very good at it,” Orion replied.

Jenny could feel her lips twitch in amusement. She opened and closed her hand several times to see if having the webbing made it feel different. Her toes curled on the smooth stone under her bare feet. A frown creased her brow.

“Where are my tennis shoes?” She asked, looking up at Orion.

Orion shrugged. “Somewhere in the ocean. I can search for your shoes if you are attached to them,” he offered.

Jenny giggled and shook her head. “Now I know I’m dead! Who in real life would offer to search an entire ocean for a pair of tennis shoes?” she teased.

“I would, for you,” Orion quietly replied, capturing her hand and lifting it to his lips.

“I think my legs will work now. It is breaking my heart to hear Juno so upset,” Jenny said.

They both looked up when they heard footsteps hurrying toward them. Kapian and Coralus skidded to a stop outside the open doors. Kapian released a colorful curse while Coralus stared at Jenny in relief.

“You’re alive,” Kapian said.

Jenny burst out laughing at his incredulous, open-mouthed announcement. It would appear she wasn’t the only one who was amazed by the fact. Gripping Orion’s hand, she finished climbing the steps to the entrance.

“Yeah, and I’ve got webbed feet like a duck,” Jenny replied. “Now, where are Juno and Dolph?”

Both Kapian and Coralus pointed inside. Jenny released Orion’s hand and hurried past the two men who were standing with their mouths hanging open. Once she reassured the boys that she was fine, she would deal with everything that happened earlier, including more exploration of the physical changes to her body. Her lips lifted into an uncontrollable grin as she thought about what she could do now.

“Hot damn, I’m a real-life mermaid!” she breathed.

* * *

“She can’t be gone. The water said she was the one,” Dolph defiantly argued, glaring at Kelia and Karin.

Jenny’s heart broke when she saw the older boy’s red eyes and trembling chin. They were grouped together in the center of the rotunda. Kelia was holding Juno, who was noisily sobbing against her chest.

“I don’t understand it either, Dolph. Let us return to your living quarters, and we can talk there,” Kelia encouraged.

“I think that is a wonderful idea. Do you think we could get something to eat as well? I’m starving,” Jenny said, slowly walking up to the group.

“You’re not dead!” Juno exclaimed with a hiccup.

“No, I’m not… dead,” Jenny chuckled, opening her arms to Juno when he hastily pulled away from Kelia and ran to her.

Jenny bent over and picked up Juno, holding the boy in her arms. Tears streamed down both of their faces as they held each other, laughing and crying, and hugging each other. Tears of happiness blurred her vision when Juno reached up and cupped her cheeks to look at her.

“I saw you…,” Juno said, searching her face.

“I’m so proud of you, Juno. You were so brave,” Jenny said, not wanting Juno to focus on what he had seen of her dead body.

“I swam faster than I ever swam before. I think I could’ve beat Dolph! Oh! I saw Magna. I told her to go away. She helped me get past the squids—squid—well, almost past them. One caught my leg, and then Father made this huge light, and it let me go. Kelia bandaged my leg so you can’t see the marks right now, but….”

Juno was talking so fast that all Jenny could do was nod her head and make a few ‘wow’ comments. He still held her face between his hands, so she couldn’t look over at the others. She drew in a deep breath when the little boy finally finished telling her what happened after he left the pod and wrapped his arms around her neck.

“I love you, Mother. I’m glad you aren’t dead,” Juno whispered in her ear.

“Mom. How about just calling me Mom? Mother is a bit formal for me. I love you, too, Juno,” she said in a choked voice.

“Mom. I like that,” Juno replied. “I think you should put me down now. I don’t think warriors are supposed to be held.”

“Warriors more than anyone need to be held,” Orion said, stepping up behind them and placing his hand on Juno’s back. “There is no shame in needing a hug, Juno. But… I do think you would get very heavy.”

Juno lifted his head from Jenny’s shoulder and grinned at his father. He held his arms out to Orion, and Jenny released him. She wiped at her damp cheeks, the tears starting again when she saw Orion’s eyes briefly close with emotion as he held his son tightly in his arms. When he opened them again, she could see the flash of fear and the residual emotion of grief and despair in his eyes.

“Kelia, would you mind asking the chef to prepare a light meal for us?” Orion asked.

“With pleasure, Your Majesty,” Kelia said, recognizing that Orion wanted some privacy with his family.

During the exchange, Jenny was quietly watching Dolph. The older boy was standing to the side, his head bowed. His shoulders were stiff and his fingers were clenched into fists. Walking over to him, Jenny knelt down and tenderly cupped his hands. She waited until he relaxed his fingers before she spoke.

“Thank you,” she said.

Dolph refused to look at her. His fingers tightened on her hands, but all he did was maintain his rigid stance in front of her. Jenny waited. After several long seconds, Dolph drew in a shuddering breath.

“For what? It is my… my fault that… you…,” he started to say before a soft sob escaped him.

“It wasn’t your fault. What happened, happened for a reason,” Jenny said, lifting a hand to wipe a tear from Dolph’s cheek.

“You died,” Dolph mumbled in a thick voice.

“Yes, and I awoke a mermaid,” Jenny said with a soft chuckle. “If you had asked me if I thought that would happen today, I’d have said no,” she teased.

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of Dolph’s mouth, and he quickly glanced at her face before looking down again. That brief look was enough for Jenny to know that she was making progress. She saw the glimmer of hope and curiosity in Dolph’s eyes.

“What else?” he asked.

“What else? You ask what else?! Like being turned into a mermaid and being able to breathe underwater isn’t awesome enough?” Jenny laughed.

“It is fun,” Dolph agreed.

“Fun?! Are you kidding me? I’ve dreamed of being able to breathe underwater like a fish my whole life. Then, your brother fought off a legion of squid to find your dad who was battling this enormous beast with a mouth big enough to eat a hundred grown sea dragons and that had tentacles that went on for miles and miles,” Jenny released a long, dramatic sigh. “The historians will be talking about this for ages!”

Juno giggled behind them. “Mom crushed one of the squids with the pod, Dolph,” he said.

“You did?” Dolph asked, his eyes round with awe.

“Yes,” Jenny replied, tapping his nose with the tip of her finger. “I sure did.”

“It was gross. There were guts floating in the water,” Juno added.

“Lots or just a little?” Dolph asked curiously.

Orion’s rich laughter echoed through the rotunda. “Why don’t we continue the graphic details of the demise of the bigger-than-legend squid after we have refreshments,” he suggested.

Both boys eagerly nodded. Jenny stood up and waited for Orion to set down Juno. The two boys immediately began talking animatedly to each other—Dolph asking his brother questions, and Juno lavishly sharing his adventure. Jenny smiled at Orion when he slid his arm around her waist.

“What about the city? Shouldn’t you be overseeing things and being—well, all kingly and such?” Jenny asked with a wave of her hand.

Orion released his grip on her waist to grab her hand. Threading his fingers through hers, he shook his head. Jenny’s lips twitched at the mutinous expression on his face. The boys definitely got that look from their father.

“Kapian and Coralus can handle things. I have done my duty to my people today. Now I want to spend time with my family,” he said in a serious tone.

“Family. I like the sound of that,” Jenny softly admitted.