Mido hugged and welcomed me after the techies. “No quiche this morning. Hope you don’t mind.”
“No. I’m just glad you’re alive and have chosen to stick around.” If I didn’t have my crew with me right now, I would’ve broken beyond repair.
“Can’t get rid of us that easily.”
He had one leg in a knee brace, and the other in an ankle brace. “How on earth are you on your feet right now?”
“Good pain killers,” he said, then stepped back for the next crew member to welcome me. Jessie.
What little happiness I’d gained vanished. I lost my wan smile, too. She looked whole and hale but lost her smile when our eyes met. Her face mirrored the sorrow weighing my heart down. She stood before me, eyes glistening. A lump formed in my throat and my eyes stung. The one person who’d tried so hard to help me lift my curse, just to fail. I caressed her cheek with a finger, just like after we’d escaped the sea monster that’d chased us that day. She slipped her arms under mine and hugged me, resting her head on my shoulder. I broke down, wrapped her in a tight hug, and fought a lost battle against a flood of tears. “I’m sorry,” I said in a thick whisper. “I’m so sorry. For everything I’ve put you through.” She hugged me tighter and I felt her shudder with tears of her own. “I’ve been so blind to how she felt about me. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for this.”
“No, I do. You’ve all been trying to help me lift my curse so I can live the rest of my days in peace as pure human. I’ve been trying so hard to lift it just so I can die. Instead, so many innocent people I’ve cared about died for my selfishness. I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.” We stood there and cried silent tears. I couldn’t move or loosen my hug. I wanted to curl up in a dark hole and cry, but Jessie’s company saved me from hurting alone.
Jessie pulled back and ran a hand through my hair, then cupped my tear-stained cheek. “No apology necessary, Dyne Lavere,” she said in a resonant voice that wasn’t her own. She stepped back, blinked a few times, then the real Jessie looked at me, eyes wide and mouth ajar. Her tearful gaze shifted to over my shoulder. She gasped. So did the rest of my crew.
I spun around. A ten-foot-tall Amphitrite sat astride a kelpie twice as big as a clydesdale, golden mane and brilliant white coat gleaming, despite the fog. The kelpie bent a knee and Amphitrite slid off with the grace only a goddess could muster. It looked more like she floated to the ground, then landed on her bare feet with the lightest of touches.
Head bowed, I walked over to her, stopping once I saw the kelpie’s hooves. “Just take me. I give up.”
“No,” she said gently.
I looked up. What did—?
“I still love you but no. It is I who has gone too far all this time.” Amphitrite lowered to one knee, bring herself eye-level with me.
She’d… she’d never done anything less than look down on me before. I could do nothing but watch in open confusion. She wore the same heartbroken expression Jessie had, but she was also smiling as tears rolled down her cheeks. She really didn’t hate me after all. Even after what I’d done with Rhode. She’d let go of it now that I’d let go of getting cursed.
“Both you and my avatar have opened my eyes to many things. I have much to do from this day forward. I’ve been living in denial for so long, but when you killed Tethys, I could no longer deny the truth. I felt nothing when I forced you to make love to me, nothing but the void in my heart I’ve been trying to fill. And then I felt regret as you broke under my scorn. I’ve gone too far. Much too far. I will always love, but from afar from now on.”
“I’m sorry.” I truly felt sorry for her. Shortly after waking in her bed, I’d developed a hunch she’d been using me to fill an emotional void, and it hadn’t gone well. It sucked falling in love with someone who had no desire to reciprocate. It’d happened to me many times.
“Don’t be. I brought it upon myself. I’ve even tried to force you to love me, yet all our times together can’t compare to the pure joy and emotion those two share with each other.” She gestured to Mido and Jessie. “I’ve been living a false life, but now I know what I must do to fix it, starting with you.” Her voice tightened. “This day is bittersweet. Dyne Lavere, I free you from your curse.”
She lifted my chin with two large, radiant fingers and brought her face close to mine. She kissed me gently on the lips and I felt something pass through my body like I was standing with my back to shore while a wave retreats. She slowly pulled away, taking the curse with her. My entire body went weak and I suddenly couldn’t figure out which way the ground was tilting. Amphitrite guided me to the ground by two fingers without letting me fall. Jessie propped me up against her chest and held my shoulders.
“You are finally free to live out your days as you see fit. You are finally free to grow old and die, as all men must do. Farewell, dear mortal.” She rose and mounted the kelpie, then rode off, hooves thundering and her hair and the kelpie’s mane flying. Poseidon was visible near the shore, astride his own kelpie. So my question in the palace must’ve gotten through to him after all. I watched her departure, until she caught up with her husband and both gods rode out of sight.
And just like that, I was no longer cursed. I was a regular human again. I could die. Or I could live. Right now, I was at a loss for what to do. At the very least, I needed to get back up. I sat upright and took a deep breath. “Help me up.” Sam held out a hand. I took it and he helped pull me onto unsteady feet. I wavered, but I caught myself and held still for a moment. I felt weak, yet felt my strength returning. Once I trusted my feet, I let go of Sam’s hand, wiped my eyes, and faced my crew. They looked ready to dish out another round of hugs, and some ass grabs from two particular techies.
Ed said, “Well this turned out to be an extra celebratory day!” He and Ted came over and escorted me to the table almost faster than my feet could keep up with. My beaming crew congratulated me over and over, and gave me friendly slaps on my back and shoulders I passed them. The two techies half pushed, half guided me into the fold-up seat at the head of the table. It was long enough to accommodate the entire crew, and laden with plates, cutlery, cups, napkins, and bowls of strawberries and green grapes. I just stared dumbly at it all as my brain tried to catch up with what just happened.
The rest of the crew joined me at the table, stepping over the benches and setting cloth napkins on their laps. Jessie and Mido went to a griddle and grill, and took a few trips to bring over heaping plates of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham. I was floored. The effort they’d had to put forth to set up such a grand banquet so far from the ship… I wanted to cry some more, but my brain was deep in blank mode and my emotions couldn’t seem to settle on anything good or bad to feel.
Well this explained why the galley had looked a bit empty.
Rammus laughed. “Captain, you look like you don’t know what to do with yourself.”
“I don’t,” I admitted, staring openly at the steaming feast.
“Start by enjoying breakfast,” Scully said. He poured himself a tin of coffee, then handed me the pot.
I took it and looked at the glass thing a moment. It was like everything in life suddenly had a new perspective and meaning now that I was pure human. It all seemed so precious, instead of endless. “I can do that.” I poured myself a mug.
All twelve of us settled down to filling our plates with a wonderful breakfast, and it really was wonderful. My smile was full and genuine. My heart still ached, but I had so many reasons to be happy right then. I would never forget this day.