Chapter 10 | The Devil of Siren City

Adrian

Dark clouds settle over Siren City.

It’s normal this time a year but there’s something different about them this time. I find myself staring out the window for long periods of time, watching the sailors struggle to safely guide their vessels into the harbor. The crashing waves beneath the lighthouse leave a dull ache in my chest. A need I cannot name. An urge I cannot satisfy.

And on the horizon. A white yacht barely noticeable through the deadly torrents that would easily tear any other ship asunder, but it stands unscathed.

Theo.

Poseidon.

Three days of rain have given Skylar ample time to transform our shared living space. While I am more than happy with the bare minimum, she prefers a little more color. And comfort. Following an extra trip or two down to Market Street (and a little more advance on her first paycheck) the amount of throw pillows and random fleece throws scattered about have tripled. She hung replica art prints and bought new kitchenware. She ordered herself bedroom furniture; a medium-sized wardrobe and a vanity with an oval mirror that she was giddily excited to put together.

“Well, you said I could decorate however I wanted to, so...”

But it’s cozier. Cleaner. I don’t mind it.

And the bathroom smells much nicer.

The rain finally lets up, and within an hour, there’s a knock on the door. Not entirely unexpected. I told Candy to deliver the network’s results in person as soon as he was able. However, I expected those results within hours of the request. Not days.

I answer the door on Candy’s grinning mug.

“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” he says. “I had trouble finding the place because I thought you were kidding.”

“About what?” I ask.

He strolls inside, dry from head-to-toe. “What on earth are you doing living in a dump like this?” he asks.

“It’s not a dump.”

Candy makes a doubtful noise, then walks forward out of the mudroom, his eyes hopping from the couch to the kitchen and around again. “Actually, you’re right,” he says, smiling at the view of the harbor. “This has some charm.” He eyes Skylar’s orchid on the kitchen table, then reaches out to softly caress its long, delicate stem. “Pretty.”

I exit into the hallway. “What did they find out?” I ask.

“Ah, well.” Candy follows me into my room. “Whatever you did, it’s working.”

“What do you mean?”

Inside, I walk to my desk while Candy chuckles from the doorway.

“Okay, now this...” He shakes his head at the state of it. No decor. No natural light. Just a bed with black sheets, my desk, and a foldable chair. “This is just sad.”

Skylar offered to help me spruce the place up, of course. I declined.

“What’s working, Candy?” I ask, tugging him back to the more important topic.

Clearing his throat, he angles toward my bed and plops down onto it. “Word is spreading throughout Olympus,” he says, cracking a smile. “There’s a ghost in Old Town.”

“What are they saying?”

“Well, Martha told me that Tommy told her that Cocoa said that somebody high in Ares’ ranks got roughed up in an alleyway.”

“And they know it was me?”

“Well, no one said your name specifically. In fact, it’s strictly forbidden in certain circles, but they call you... well, by another name.”

“What do they call me?” I ask, growing annoyed.

He waves a hand. “It’s not important.”

“Candy.”

He winces. Clearly, I won’t like this. “Hades.”

“Hades?”

“I didn’t come up with it, I swear,” he says, his hands raised. “It’s just what they’re calling you, but... it’s kinda cool. Isn’t it? The Devil himself? God of the underworld? Cast out of Olympus? It fits! Admit it.”

“Hades was never cast out of Olympus,” I correct. “He just didn’t live there. You’re thinking of Hephaestus.” 

Candy nods, then shakes his head. “No. That won’t work. You’re far too pretty to be Hephaestus.”

“I am not pretty.”

“Maybe if you’d smile more.”

He grins.

I glare.

“You know, I missed this,” he says. “You and me. Me and you.”

“I didn’t,” I lie.

He smirks, always able to tell, but he doesn’t call me on it as Skylar’s door opens across the hallway.

“Hey, Adrian, I— oh.” She stops as she sees Candy on my bed, her head halfway through the doorway. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had company.”

Candy’s face flinches with surprise, but his grin forever remains in place. “I didn’t either,” he says as he hoists himself off the bed to greet her properly.

“I don’t,” I say with a sigh. “Candy, this is Skylar. She lives in the spare room.”

He flinches again. Admittedly, those ten words were full of brand new information, but he elegantly moves past it and extends his hand to her. “It’s a pleasure,” he says.

Skylar smiles as she offers her hand, then blushes as he turns it up and bends to kiss it. “Oh... uh, the pleasure is all mine, good sir,” she says, one of her awkward jokes.

Candy rises, delighted. “Well, I am devastated.”

“Why?” she asks.

“I thought I was his one and only.”

I roll my eyes.

“Oh, we’re not—” She fidgets at the implication. “No. It’s not like that. No. I’m just his nurse.”

Candy looks at me, his expression unchanged to the untrained eye, but I see everything. “Is that right?”

“What is it, Skylar?” I ask, drawing her focus.

“Oh, I was just going to run down to the flower shop by the pier,” she says. “My orchid is wilting and changing colors and I have no idea what I’m doing, so...” She smiles. “Just gonna ask an expert. Unless you need me to stay for anything,” she adds.

“I don’t need you,” I say. “You can go.”

“And I’ll avoid all dark alleyways, I promise.”

I nod. “Have a good time.”

“Thanks.” She nods at Candy. “It was nice to meet you.”

Candy bows. Skylar blushes before skittering back into the hallway. That’s Candy for you. Able to charm just about anybody.

Moments later, she’s gone out the front door.

Candy waits until it closes before spinning toward me, his eyes sharp as nails. “Why do you need a nurse?” he asks.

“Has Morgana heard yet?” I ask, ignoring the question.

“Not to my knowledge, no,” he answers. “Madam Headmistress hasn’t called me into her office yet, but I’m sure she will once she catches wind of your name. Why do you need a nurse?”

“Let me know as soon as she does.”

He glares at me, his smile gone now.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Candy.”

He takes an annoyed breath before plopping back down onto the bed. “Why did you activate the network to find a woman you already knew the location of?” he asks.

“I didn’t activate it to find out where she is,” I say. “I activated it to find out where she’s been.”

Candy chuckles. “Perhaps you should have done that before you hired her for a live-in job?”

I raise a brow. “Do your clients ask where you’ve been?”

“No.” He smirks. “But they probably should.”

“Speaking of — what’s taking them so long?”

“Patience,” he teases. “Things are different now. It’s not your city anymore. Some channels are gone, but we can get them back. Better than before. In time.”

I nod. There’s so much work to do here. So much to rebuild.

“Adrian.”

“What?” I ask, lost in an endless to-do list.

“Why do you need a nurse?”

There’s pain in his eyes now. “I’m all right, Candy,” I say gently.

“I just got you back.”

“I know. And I’m not leaving you again.”

He swallows hard. “Well...” he says, shaking it off as he rises off the bed again. “I believe that’s a good enough head start.”

“For what?”

“Oh. Sorry.” Candy points over his shoulder. “I thought we both picked up on that.”

“Picked up on what?”

He doesn’t blink. “There is no flower shop by the pier.”