S. Welles - To Ocean's End

Mido deftly loosened the laces and pulled her boot off, then repeated the process with her other boot. He tugged her cargo pants straight so they reached her ankles, then rubbed each foot. “There you go.”

Not wanting the pleasant feeling to end, Jessie just basked in the attention. Mido waited for her to pull her feet onto the bed, but once it dawned on him that she wasn’t moving, he plopped into Indian style and began massaging one of her feet with both hands. Jessie let out a small sigh. The kneading felt wonderful. Tension she didn’t even know she’d been holding onto was leaving her foot, and the relaxation traveled up her leg. Mido spent a few minutes on her foot, then set to work on the other, resting her ankle on where his legs crossed. He began with her heel, then moved onto her arch, sole, each toe, and the whole foot as if he was trying to rub calm happiness into her. Just like when he’d cut up her french toast, she watched his chest and arms flex minutely with his movements. The relaxed feeling spread up her other leg.

Dyne appeared in the cabin doorway. Mido turned.

“Oh, hi, Captain.” He stopped massaging but didn’t let go.

“You two seem to be getting along nicely,” he said conversationally, his gruff face casual. “Carry on. Don’t stop just because I’m here.”

Jessie inadvertently twitched her leg, causing Mido to let go.

He got to his feet. “I—” He cleared his throat. “I have to get started on lunch soon anyway.” His cheeks were flushed. He turned to squeeze past Dyne, but the captain placed a hand on the doorframe.

“Might be better if you stick around a minute. I need to talk to Jessie. I’d like her to be as calm as possible.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Mido asked her.

Jessie considered both men a moment. Dyne acted completely human and normal, the same person from when they’d first met. There’d been a monster underneath this whole time. But he didn’t like turning into it. Despite the demon in hiding, he hadn’t gained the same trust as Mido. He didn’t come off as a potential rapist; just scary and respectable. So… “It’s up to you, Mido.” She tried to say it neutrally but her wish for him to stick around came through.

“Just stay,” Dyne said, then stuck his hands in his coat pockets and leaned against the doorframe. Mido glanced back and forth between them, then mumbled his consent. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, showcasing his broad chest. Dyne spoke to Jessie. “So… what did you think of my demon form?”

Not the question she’d expected. “Scary,” she admitted. “I’ll never do that again.”

“Good to know. What do you think of me being able to turn into that?”

She thought a moment, trying to come up with an honest answer. “Unreal. I’ve seen quasi-children before, so your demon form isn’t so much of a stretch—maybe more of a shock. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say.”

Mido said, “I think you’re trying to say that, with the quasi-children and his curse, what other supernatural things are out there that we’re not even aware of yet?”

“Yeah, something like that. Have you ever seen what he looks like?”

“No, but I’ve been curious for years.”

Dyne said, “Now don’t you sneak into my container next.”

Mido held up his hands. “I’m not that curious.”

Dyne grimaced. “Now that you mention it, she better not send all of you in there one at a time. I’ll be really pissed.”

“How many people have seen your demon form?” Jessie asked.

“Out of this crew? Just you. I’ve transformed only several times. You’re not the first person Amphitrite sent into my container to lure the demon out. It’d been a while, so I was overdue, I guess.” He shifted so he was leaning on the other side. “This brings me to some important questions I didn’t want to ask while everyone could make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You want to know if I’ll help you.”

“Right,” Dyne said unhappily. “It’s a lot to ask of you. My curse isn’t that horrible. It’s more of a nuisance than anything, but still. I don’t want to be cursed anymore. The worst of it are pockets of time like this one where Amphitrite meddles with us mortals and makes everyone’s lives stressful for her own amusement. It’s gotten old over the past two hundred years. I hate how she treats me and all the innocent bystanders like you two. No respect. No empathy. If my curse is lifted, that’ll all come to and end, but I need your help to achieve all that.”

That answered a few questions. Now she understood more about why the curse needed lifting, instead of just tolerating it. “Why is it more dangerous to have me around?”

He gazed levelly at her. “You are basically her avatar.”

Jessie tried to picture what that meant. Since she and the other Amphitrite didn’t look that much alike, her imagination came up short. “I’m not sure what that means.”

“You are an incarnation, so to speak, of the goddess Amphitrite. You are a goddess in human form. She will take everything personally when it comes to how we treat you. Chances are we’ll pay for Tethys’s stupidity, even though we didn’t do any of that. She doesn’t care. So, if I say you’re coming to Australia and that you have no say in the matter, I’ll pay for that, too. You’re a double-edged sword to have around, but I’m willing to risk it.”

“Why exactly do I need to go all the way to Australia? I don’t get it.”

“She’ll want to see you, talk to you, ask how you were treated, admire her handiwork and stupid stuff like that. Most importantly, if I want her audience, I have to go to her; not her come to us. So, if we’re going to convince her to tell us how to lift my curse this time, we bow to her arrogant will.”

“This time?”

Dyne’s shoulders drooped. “About every fifty to seventy five years—nothing exact—she sends an avatar my way to give me a chance to lift my curse. The problem is, it has never ended well.” He looked at the floor.

“What happened?”

He clenched his jaw and sighed through his nose. “Lots of dying.”

That was quite the confession, one that made Jessie’s stomach drop to her massaged feet.

“If you’re willing to help me end this curse, you’ll also help put an end to this needless dying. I know you want to get home. I won’t stop you. I’ll wait for another avatar if I have to.” Dyne’s somber expression conveyed that he was ready accept whatever decision she made without argument. He looked like he was at rock bottom.

Jessie wanted to help, but it sounded so dangerous. “What happened to the other avatars when you failed?”

He swallowed. “Like I said, lots of dying. I’ll understand if Cyprus is the last place I ever see you. But let me explain one last thing.” He met her gaze again. “Every time I transform, it becomes a little harder to revert back to human. Long ago, Amphitrite warned me that if I can’t turn back into human, I’ll be permanently cursed ‘till kingdom come. But that’s my problem and not yours. There’ll be other avatars.”

Mido went wide-eyed. “Captain, I didn’t know.”

“Only you two and Sam know. Don’t tell the others. I don’t want this to be common knowledge.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Now Jessie, think about what you wish to do. Don’t answer me until Cyprus. I’m sure seeing home will affect your decision. If you do decide to stay, your bodyguard position will become more permanent if things go well and you choose to stick around longterm.” He glanced at Mido. “We deal with pirates and black market thieves, but they’re nothing compared to the dangers surrounding my curse. They’re just predictable humans you can kick in the nuts. Which reminds me, I need to get you a pair of sparring gloves that fit.” He straightened up. “And on that note, I’m going to let you think about it. I gotta get back to the wheelhouse.” He left on silent footsteps.