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The Black Sea is named as the Crystal Sea—its true title before it was cursed and merfolks had considered it doomed.

When Poseidon and I had lifted the curse, the ground had shook, it had felt like a horrible earthquake had taken over.

But Poseidon had kept it at bay enough that nothing exploded. As the God of seas, tsunami and earthquake, it'd had been a piece of cake for him.

At the first signs of the curse lifting, we'd seen the sky clear from its gloomy grey clouds to the faintest shade of purple mixed with a dark blue. The freezing, suffocating air had reduced to calmer moderate temperature. The Sea had started to stir a little from its eternal stillness.

By the time the curse had been lifted completely, the sun blazed bright in the sky and the sea surface shone clear as a crystal just as it's original name suggested.

I'd felt exhausted beyond limit. Poaeidon had held me upright so I didn't topple on my face over the ground. But when we'd made it from the back yard to the front yard of the castle, all my exhaustion had fleed out the window at what I'd seen.

Derek had found Avyanna who looked utterly drowsy as if she'd just been awoken from a deep sleep and would fall down any moment. Derek had held her in a way her weight was over him and his arms firmly holding her in an embrace. There was another girl next to them who looked so much like the female version of Derek that I'd figured out she's his sister, Laira. She was glaring up at her brother, tears running down her cheeks.

I wanted to ask whether she was alright but then I'd caught sight of Zander and my eyes had widened in shock at who stood beside him.

Queen Annabeth. . .

I'd stared at her like a hawk, not being able to comprehend her presence. Unlike others, I was certain Queen Annabeth knew I wasn't the one who'd been the real one to reveal the gateway since she was awake when abducted and she must've figured out who'd done it when Layla helped Charlotte.

But she still seemed to be guarded as her grey eyes so much like Zander's collided with mine.

Zander had walked upto me, urged Poseidon to let me off and gathered me in his arms instead. My head had slumped against his shoulder in exhaustion and he'd carressed my hair softly but my gaze was fixed on his mother.

Queen Annabeth observed me and her son for a long moment, taking in every stroke of Zander's hand on my hair as he held me tight, glancing at my neck for a flickering moment where I'm sure the mate mark still remained from yesterday which had my cheeks heating up and finally noting Poseidon standing protectively behind me.

It didn't take a genius to figure out Poseidon and I were related, especially when we stood in the same room with me looking like the spitting image of the Sea God.

But if she'd figured out, she didn't point out. She'd stood her ground until Zander had pulled back, turned me to his mother and said, "Mom, she's my mate. Marilla Shellock-"

"The Sea Queen, I know her." Annabeth had stated before fixing her son with a bland stare, "You think if I didn't attend the council meetings, I wouldn't know about my alley kingdoms and the kings and queens who rule there? I do not doze off during work time like you, son."

Zander had placed a hand to his heart in mock hurt, "I don't doze off! I've been very sincere in work!"

Annabeth had looked as if she didn't trust a single word that had sprout out of his mouth. She'd averted her gaze to me, "Does he not doze off during the council meetings?"

I'd felt flushed by the attention and Zander had passed me the dog eyes as if asking me to support him.

I'd passed him a saccharine smile before saying, "He does. He always dozes off during court meetings and then Valerian has to wake him up."

Annabeth had smiled and looked to her son with a smugness I'd seen on Zander way too many times, "My son, you hear the truth."

Zander had gaped at both of us, "You're both already teaming against me!" He had accused, playfully glaring at us.

We'd have still kept roasting Zander but then Laira had turned to us, her face full of fury and agony, "Where the hell is Layla?! What did you all do to her?!"

Guilt had knawed and I'd felt frozen thinking of what Layla had done for me. The sacrifice she'd made and I'd felt tears blur my eyes, all the lightness I'd felt dissapeared.

I would never see Layla again. . . .

I had failed her as a sister. . .

The fact had hit like a strong blow. When Derek had explained Laira what happened while Zander narrated every information she'd missed since her capture to Queen Annabeth, I'd felt my body loose the battle and collapse to the ground where Poseidon held me as I cried all over again at the loss of my sister.

***

Days had passed, but the pain had stuck true like a flint stubbornly etched in my heart. I'd felt remorse for every moment I'd lost with her.

They say it right, you don't realize the value of a thing until it's gone. And it was after Layla passed, did I truly realize how even when Layla was supposedly the villian, I'd been content knowing she was alive.

Now it was just hollowness bought by the absence of her presence.

Zander had comforted me, holding me while I cried in his arms. Queen Annabeth had strung along to her son's side and even though she didn't speak much, her motherly presence was comforting.

While I'd appreciated all of their efforts, it'd still not washed away the hurt. Ursula had died, paid for what she'd done, but no revenge could take the sadness of the loss away. No comfort could either.

Until one day, Poseidon had visited with Apollo in tow. . .

***

"She's alive?! In Mount Olympus?! With you?! And you're telling me now?" I couldn't remember the last time my voice had risen so high, not in a scathing way but with shock and escalation.

Apollo, who was seated at the foot of my bed where I'd been sprawled like the dead the last few days, nodded, "Layla is. I didn't get to tell you or Poseidon because I couldn't leave her behind all alone until she was accustomed to my world. But I'm sure Layla wouldn't want you crying over her and wasting your days like this. Trust me, no one better than her would know how the time once lost spent in sadness could never be redeemed," For a moment, I'd seen his eyes grow sad.

But then he'd given me a firm look, "Lover boy is distressed. Poseidon was so worried that when he found out at my father's event that Layla is alive and with me, he had hugged me out of relief in front of Zeus."

Poseidon, who was seated on a couch at the far end of the room, glanced up from the newspaper behind which he was hiding to give them privacy and frowned at Apollo, "I did no such thing."

"Well, you looked like you wanted a hug desperately." Apollo chided.

Poseidon rolled his eyes and focused back on his newspaper before muttering, "Says the God who took Layla's punishment on himself in front of a whole court of the Olympians and Divines so that she doesn't get whipped."

I gasped just as Apollo glared at Poseidon probably for spitting out about what he'd done, "You did what?!" My head whisked to Apollo, flabbergasted.

I tried to peek over at his shoulder at his back, suddenly noticing how he'd held himself so still since he'd arrived, "Is Layla. . .in peril there too? Would they hurt he-"

"I wouldn't let them touch a hair on her head. Gods be damned." Apollo had cut in so determined, so fierce his eyes shone vibrant gold but behind the godly exterior, I noticed the deep care etched in his orbs.

"You love her, don't you?" My voice was almost smug and my father chided in to boast me,

"So I've been wondering too." Poseidon had discarded his newspaper to convey.

Apollo had simply rolled his eyes at our father-daughter pair and risen from his seat on the bed, "I need to leave."

"To go back to your lover?" My father had grinned when I'd teased.

Apollo narrowed his eyes at us before those gold orbs suddenly snapped to me as if he was reminded of something, "I have a request."

"What is it?"

"That. . ."

***

His request that day, the sinceretity, the care behind his decision, the risks he'd taken to try to get Layla a moment of content, had just confirmed that he truly felt something, if not a lot of things, for her.

When he'd dissapeared into golden shimmers, I'd realized with a grin that he'd never particularly declined about being in love with Layla.

Which meant, some spicy tea was brewing in Mount Olympus between my sister and my sort of God best friend.

The thought had filled me with so much relief, it'd made me feel so much less burdened and so much more happy for Layla that the deep ache I'd been feeling the last few days had seemed to wilt into nothingness.

It was then that I'd approached Zander, kissed him like a mad woman until he'd asked me whether I was alright. He'd stuck by me despite my whims and I'd wanted to express I was eternally grateful to him for all of it. For him.

He'd said he loves me and I'd said the words back, both our gazes clashing with need to convey it in a very primal language.

Which had us ending in the sheets, sweaty and gasping for air after a heady moment of love-making.

I'd sneaked out of the room at midnight after kissing his sleepy self's forehead and getting dressed.

Then I'd cleared my head and approached Laira's room. She'd been furious at all of us from the day Derek had told her how Layla died, saving me. I didn't know much about both of their relationship but from Layla's parting words, I'd gathered Laira had been a true friend to her even when I'd failed.

When Laira had opened the door, I'd half-expected her to slam it shut on my face. But when she'd raised an angry brow, I'd burst out telling her how sorry I was that I couldn't be the best sister and Layla had to die because of me. Laira had stared for a long, hard moment before she'd fallen apart confessing that she'd loved Layla.

It had been a stronger blow, but I'd held her as she cried for her friend, her love and when she was sated, I'd told her what Apollo had. The God had asked to keep it a secret but I knew Laira deserved to know. She'd been the supporter to Layla that even I couldn't be during the decade after she left the slave establishment. Laira deserved to know.

Ever since, I wouldn't say we'd become friends but her resentment had seemed to lessen with each day.

As things had started to return to somewhat normal, we'd accepted eventually that Layla was safe, well cared for and filled with love. Apollo would make sure of it—no matter what would be thrown at them in Mount Olympus—I could wager on that.

Maybe it'd all happened for a reason. Maybe it was a new beginning for Layla full of hope, away from everything and everyone who'd wronged her. And she deserved every inch of it.

"Something on your mind except my hot presence, Fishy?" Zander's voice snapped me out of my long, long reverie.

I looked at my mate who sat across me at the table where books were scrambled haphazardly.

We were back in his mother's archives hunting, searching scripts. Despite everything that had happened, we still had a mission at hand about which we'd totally forgotten. The mission that had bought me and Zander, together here in the first place. With everything now returning back to normal, this should be our priority.

With a roll of my eyes, "You're not always on my mind, devil incarnate. Get out of your illusion."

Zander didn't retort, he just got off his chair to lean towards me, his lips next to my ear, "I beg to differ, sweetheart. Especially when just minutes ago you were bent over this very table and I was fuc-"

I plastered my hand over his foul mouth knowing very well what we end up doing everytime he starts speaking dirty and glared at him, "Stop distracting. We have some serious work to do here."

Zander whined but inched back nonetheless and flopped down on his chair like an abandoned puppy.

I roll my eyes at his overly dramatic antics and ask, "Any clue yet?"

Zander shook his head, serious now, "All we have is Dulcamara's twisted prophecy which makes no sense, by the way. And the shadow creature's words, which makes sense but I have no idea who it is."

I slumped back against my seat, defeated.

Mellisa desperately wanted to find a way to capture Thanatos. We were the only hope for her to avenge from the monster responsible for her mate's death, who'd taken away her children and Gods knew what he'd done to them.

I could only hope they were alive. Mellisa would shatter if she lost them too after losing Ryan.

"Tell me the words of the Shadow creature again." I fluttered my eyes open to meet Zander's.

He sighed before paroting, "Only the one who had been keeping captive the trickiest creature knows how to capture Thanatos. "

I sighed resting my head on the table, "Keeping captive the trickiest creature? What's the trickiest creature? And who might this person be?"

I'd just said the words out loud for myself. I hadn't expected an answer but when a deep feminine voice answers, I whisk my head to her.

"That's me and Zander." Queen Annabeth says, approaching us and taking a seat next to her son at the table.

She shot Zander an are-you-serious look, "You're really oblivious about this?"

Annabeth flicks her son's head when he still stares at her in complete confusion before narrating,

"Delfs are the trickiest creatures. They're technically the dead let to live among the alive demons in Helvon to serve for their sins. Until and unless their trials aren't completed, we have to make sure they remain within Helvon and not run away. Their are chances of the delfs to never complete their trials and forever remain in the half-demon, half-elf form or worst yet, if they fail, they could be let into Tartarus, Hell's flames. That's why they try to trick and run out. But all these centuries, the demon royals have abstained them for centuries. That's why we're the ones who keep captive the trickiest creatures."

I gawk at her just as Zander gawks at his mother than down at himself, "So technically I've been the key all along? But I don't even know anything about it? Do you, Mom?"

Queen Annabeth's brows furrow in confusion, "Key to what? What do you want to know?"

We hadn't gotten the chance to tell Queen Annabeth about our mission, more so because things have been so messy the last few days and then this was supposed to remain a secret. But if she knew something. . . .

"Do you know how to capture a shadow creature?" I ask the demon queen.

It would make sense if she did.

It would make so much fucking sense when we put two and two together.

Dulcamara, the fortune-seer witch, had said that Zander and I were the only one who could find the way to capture Thanatos.

If Zander and I hadn't worked together, we would've never catched Layla's attention. She would've never taken us to the Black Sea. And if she hadn't taken us to the Black Sea, we would've never found out the truth. Zander would've never found his mother. His mother who might know how to—

"Shadow Hunter." Queen Annabeth's gaze skid to us with a storming seriousness which conveyed just who she is, the demon queen, "Shadow Hunters can capture the Shadow creatures."