CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR

Blessing of the Sea, Part 1

Even as they fell toward the waters of the San Francisco Bay, Sam and Apex continued to beat each other up, their fists grinding into each other’s bodies without reserve even though they had both already used up most of their strength.

“Fool, you’ll kill us both!” Apex howled.

The villain tried to extricate himself from Sam’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist, but the hero held onto Apex like the lives of so many people depended on it. Because it did.

“Better us than all the people on the bridge!” Sam howled back.

His gamble had paid off. Throwing himself and Apex over the bridge meant the monstrous shadow that was anchored to Apex’s soul was forced to join them in their freefall down into the bay. As a bonus, the dark energies that made up this bear-like shadow seemed to also slow their descent. It wasn’t at a level like that of a parachute, but at least they were no longer plunging to their deaths at maximum velocity.

WARNING! You are free-falling from a height of 750 feet (228.6 m). [Regeneration (Δ)] will not be able to heal you if you crash on the water’s surface without proper preparation.

“I know—I know!” Sam screamed in between punching Apex and getting punched back. “What do I—need to—do?!”

Reverse your position so that your feet are facing the water.

To flip over so that he wouldn’t fall head-first into the bay was easier said than done because Apex wasn’t exactly a willing dance partner. They were already halfway through their fall by the time Sam managed it. This presented a new problem though. His fear of drowning gripped his mind, causing anxiety to dull his movements.

Don’t give in. Remember lesson number eight!

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the willingness to move forward despite the shaking of your boots… Remembering his lesson helped to steady Sam’s breathing so that he was able to calm down somewhat. Thanks, Triple-A.

Also, is there a reason why you decided to fall off the bridge when there were other practical ways to stop the giant’s shadow from fully forming.

Like killing Apex, you mean?

An extreme but perhaps necessary tactic to ensure the lives of the civilians and your fellow heroes.

No… I won’t be a murderer like him. And I won’t kill if I can help it. That’s not the kind of hero I want to be…

Good answer… Naïve, but appropriate for an aspiring Argonaut. Moreover, fusing your power with your companions to stop the shadow from fully forming was another available option.

You-you were testing me again, weren’t you! Wait, hold on!

Apex had just headbutted Sam, causing black dots to appear over his vision. This only made the stubborn hero tighten his grasp on the villain’s waist. Then Sam reached out for his hammer’s holster—but Onus wasn’t in it. He had left it on the bridge.

“Godsdammit!” he screamed.

WARNING! [Agrius’ Shadow (α)] has fully formed. It may attempt to attack you to set Apex free.

Having survived a freefall battle with Medea’s solar dragon once before, Sam was quick to react to the truck-sized bear claw that appeared from above to swipe at him. He pulled Gram out of its sheath and repelled the shadow’s attack with [Sword Aura (ζ)].

“You are—resourceful, cousin!” Apex roared. “I’m impressed!”

His fist smashed against Sam’s face, although Sam managed to pull Bulwark up in time to deflect the blow.

“Glad you’re so—entertained!” Sam fired back.

ALERT! Your HP is at [20%]. It is recommended that you deactivate [Sword Aura (ζ)] to retain [Bulwark (Δ)]’s protection when you hit the water.

“Can’t”—Sam swung Gram’s blade over his head and used Sword Aura to once again repel the giant shadow’s claws—“have to keep it up!”

This mid-air battle continued the entire way down, with Sam having to defend against both Apex and the giant shadow attached to him by burning through his life force to keep his abilities activated. It wasn’t until Triple-A’s warning that Sam’s HP had gone below [10%] that his abilities were forcibly deactivated by the system. By a stroke of luck—or misfortune—Sam and Apex were just about to hit the water too.

For a maximum chance of survivability, it is recommended that you tuck your chin, press your arms to your body, and point your toes into the water!

It was the second time Sam had to drop Gram. Although he wasn’t overly worried about losing it anymore as the legendary sword had come back to him once before. He was now fairly confident that it’d find its way into his hands again later on. And, with his other arm now free, Sam pulled Apex into a tight hug despite the villain’s continued efforts to crush Sam’s skull with his head squished between Apex’s palms.

“Stop—fighting me, godsdammit,” Sam screamed, “or we’re both—going to—die!”

Too late. They crashed into the water. With his defenses gone and his HP depleted, it was the worst-case scenario for Sam. Pain exploded into every nook and cranny of his body. He was in such agony that he couldn’t even hold onto Apex while they fell deeper and deeper into the watery depths. What’s more, his fear of drowning ate at what was left of his dwindling consciousness so that Sam was screaming—with water filling his lungs—when he felt the slightest touch of warmth graze his heart.

Hope’s voice rang clear in Sam’s mind. “When you express a strong yearning for something that isn’t easily attainable or when you seek to achieve the impossible—to wish for a change in fate—that’s when my power springs forth.”

Sam wasn’t sure if he’d made a wish himself, but his desire to live must have been very strong indeed because that warmth in his chest expanded outward and enveloped him, turning Sam’s body into a source of feeble light that pushed back against the darkness of the depths. That’s how his rescuers were able to find him.

Despite the muck and grime floating around in the deep clouding his vision, Sam could see their sleek silver bodies swimming effortlessly through the murky seawater.

Dolphins… three of them…

These three dolphins reached his side just before Sam would have drowned, and they weren’t alone. A woman—pale, pinkish skin with reddish hair, framing a beautiful oval face that possessed eyes the color of seafoam—swam alongside the three friendly dolphins, one of which had floated behind him and braced against his back.

Who are—

The seawater filling his lungs finally triumphed over Hope’s dwindling essence. But the woman from the sea was quicker than death. She swam right up to Sam—their faces inches from each other—and then she kissed him.

No, this was no passionate kiss like the way Thunder had kissed Sam. Nor was it like that first, sloppy, awkward tongue action Veronica Cooper had given him during his junior prom. This was more like a first-responder providing CPR to the drowning hero. In one breath, she sucked the seawater out of him. In the next, she gave him back his breath. And only when air returned to his lungs did her lips separate from his.

Holy—Sam’s face was red from embarrassment—wait… I’m breathing in the water?!

ALERT! You have received a provisional gift, [Blessing of the Sea (ζ)]. You are now able to breathe underwater for a short duration, can communicate with marine life, and your swimming speed is doubled while this blessing is active.

I’ve enchanted your body with a buff, explained a soft, milky-smooth voice in Sam’s mind. It should help you while you are a guest in my lord’s domain.

Lord… Sam repeated, his eyes widening slightly. You’re one of Poseidon’s nereids!

She nodded politely. I am Galatea.

Galatea—it was a familiar name, one that harkened back to a time when Sam’s family was whole. His mother, Adele, had often used her adventuring days before having children as the source of Sam’s and Serena’s bedtime stories. One of these stories had been about a sea nymph who’d aided Adele in her mission to defeat a Sea Monster near San Francisco Bay. That sea nymph’s name had been Galatea.

“The cyclops had its nasty hands wrapped around me, and I couldn’t get away,” Adele had explained just as she poked Sam in the gut with wiggling fingers.

Sam had giggled like the six-year-old that he was, and Adele had waited for him to finish his fit of giggles before she continued her story.

“I thought I was going to be crushed to death”—this earned Adele a gasp from Sam, which made her hug her adorable baby boy—“but a warrior of the sea flew out of the water and sliced the cyclops’ fingers with her water sword!”

“Wow!” Sam was bright-eyed when he’d asked, “who was she?”

“She was the sea nymph, Galatea.” Adele had ruffled the fringe on top of her son’s head. “My very dear friend.”

I… The memory of his mother’s stories and the thought that he’d been rescued by the same nereid that had fought alongside Adele made Sam’s chest ache for the past. Thank you for rescuing me…

Galatea let out a soft chuckle, one that Sam could hear even though they were in the water. The sound of it wasn’t harsh, but warm. As if she too were remembering his mother along with him.

It was not I, but they—she patted the head of the nearest dolphin—who alerted me to your presence.

The dolphins made a sound that seemed like music to Sam’s ears. And, although they didn’t speak to him in words, he understood them. He understood that they were both simultaneously glad for Sam’s visit and worried that he’d brought something dangerous with him into their sea.

You bring great evil with you, scion of Apollo, Galatea gazed warily over Sam’s shoulder to a mass of darkness that hovered over the horizon. Why did you come here?

It was the same question Triple-A had asked him earlier, although he wasn’t able to explain it then. I’ve got no power left to fight the giant’s shadow… so I figured I’d ask the god of the seas for help.

You assumed you would survive the fall and that my lord Poseidon would help you if you brought his enemy into the sea?

I hoped…

It was certainly a gamble, one Sam hoped to fuel with the last of Hope’s Essence remaining to him, but that power was depleted now. He could no longer feel its presence inside him. Sam could only hope Poseidon was a more generous god than the stories claimed.

My lord does not like meddling in the affairs of the surface… and he does not like it when the surface dumps its problems into his domain, Galatea admitted.

I understand, but—Sam glanced up, but he couldn’t see the surface from where they were—if I’d let that giant rampage up there then the bridge would have collapsed into the sea, making this place unlivable for you guys, right?

You assume it’s livable now, Galatea replied wryly.

One glance around him told Sam that the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay had it rough. The muck and grime and other pollutants were visible even in this darkness.

I wish I had the power to heal this place—and anyone hearing his thoughts now could hear the sincerity in Sam’s voice—but I don’t have that kind of power… all I can do is offer you my aid when Poseidon wants it.

You’re proposing a trade? One of Galatea’s eyebrows hitched upward. A favor for a favor.

Sam knew this was a dangerous thing to offer because the gods tended to exploit heroes who owed them favors, but he couldn’t think of any other way to get Poseidon to help him.

A favor… Sam nodded. Yeah, a favor for a favor...