Dominic's fingers traced the cold stone of the ancient altar, the silence around him thick like the weight of the ocean pressing down. The faint shimmer in the water didn't go unnoticed — something was wrong, something ancient stirring beneath the waves.
Aegirion stood beside him, eyes sharp and unreadable, like a blade ready to strike. "The siren's awake," he said quietly, voice low but steady.
Dominic's brow furrowed. "That song… it wasn't like any siren's call I've ever heard. It was broken… angry."
Aegirion nodded, his gaze drifting toward the cracked statue still leaking that eerie, shimmering water. "She's been sealed for centuries. Now she's free. And free means dangerous."
Dominic swallowed hard. "Why now? Why here?"
The question hung between them, unanswered.
"Because," Aegirion said, voice dropping to a whisper, "she's coming for the Trident. And for you."
Dominic's heart thudded. The weight of his destiny settled on him like the crushing deep.
"We have to prepare," Aegirion said, turning toward the temple's inner chamber where the Trident's glow pulsed faintly in the darkness.
Dominic straightened, resolve flickering in his eyes. "Then we don't waste time."
But just as they moved forward, the shadows seemed to twitch.
A low, distant echo—like a warning.
And somewhere beneath the waves, the siren's voice rose again, sharp and cold.
Dominic clenched his fists.
The battle was only just beginning.
The water was quiet. Too quiet.
Dominic's feet hovered inches above the seafloor, his eyes locked on Aegirion, who stood beside the cracked pillars of the Temple of Tides. The silence between them was heavier than the ocean's pressure, stretching taut like a net waiting to snap.
"You thought I'd betray you," Aegirion finally said, voice low and cutting through the tension.
Dominic didn't answer. His hand hovered close to the side of his waist where his conjured blade—Poseidon's shard—had appeared during the siren ambush. The boy-turned-god had learned quickly that trust underwater was even murkier than on land.
"You said you wanted to find the Trident to help me," Dominic replied, voice calm but cold. "Then why did I hear you whisper Nearida's name when you thought I was unconscious?"
Aegirion blinked. For a second, something flashed in his eyes—regret? Surprise? But it was gone too quickly to trust.
"I didn't say her name to call her. I said it because I fear her," Aegirion said. "You think I'm trying to hand you over? No. If Nearida gets that Trident, we all drown—gods, mortals, sirens, everything."
Dominic narrowed his eyes. "You expect me to believe that after everything?"
"No," Aegirion said. "But I expect you to remember you were dying alone in a hospital bed. And now you're standing at the gate of Poseidon's power. Not because of her. Because of me."
The ocean trembled slightly. Not from anger. From movement.
Something… else was awake.
Dominic's gaze shifted, scanning the temple ruins. "Did you feel that?"
Aegirion stepped closer, his expression hardening. "We're not alone anymore."
Suddenly, the walls of the ruined temple rippled, ancient glyphs glowing faintly with blue light. Something pulsed behind the cracked statue of Poseidon—once majestic, now broken at the waist.
Out from the shadowed altar, a figure emerged.
Tall. Elegant. Drenched in silver scales that glinted like starshine. Her hair floated like seaweed in a slow current, her face half-covered by a veil of iridescent gill-fins.
It was the siren.
But not just any siren. This one was older. Wiser. Her eyes gleamed with the weight of centuries. Her voice—when she spoke—was a sound that didn't belong to the mortal world.
"You've come far, child of waves," she said, looking at Dominic. "But far from enough."
Dominic raised a brow. "Are you the one from the deep? The one who woke up?"
She laughed. It was not warm.
"I am Lysira. One of the Nine who once served under Poseidon before his fall. And now... I serve no one."
Aegirion stepped in front of Dominic. "Lysira. You were sealed."
"Sealed?" she repeated, her voice thick with scorn. "I slept. I waited. Until this vessel—" her eyes locked on Dominic "—shook the balance. You think you were chosen? No. You were... convenient."
Dominic's jaw clenched. "Then why save me at all?"
"Because I needed you alive," Lysira replied. "The Trident responds to lineage and power. But you're neither true heir nor god. You're a placeholder."
Aegirion snarled, "Enough games. Tell us what you want."
Lysira glided forward, feet never touching the temple floor. "There's a vault hidden beneath this ruin. Inside it is a key. Not to the Trident—but to Poseidon's final memory. The truth of his death, his betrayal… and the war Nearida began. You want to stop her? Find the key."
Dominic frowned. "And you're just giving it to us?"
She smirked. "I'm giving you the chance to find it. Whether you live long enough to use it... is up to you."
Without another word, Lysira faded into the shadows, leaving a trail of glittering scales in her wake.
Dominic let out a breath. "She's not telling us everything."
"Of course not," Aegirion said. "But it's the first lead we've had in days."
Dominic turned toward the deeper part of the ruins. "Then let's go get that memory."
As they swam lower, past coral-coated archways and fallen pillars, the water around them grew colder. Denser. Whispers licked at their ears—echoes of forgotten prayers and long-dead voices.
Behind one collapsed column, an entrance yawned open—a narrow crevice pulsing with faint blue light.
"That's it," Aegirion said. "The vault."
Before they could move, something shifted above them. A shimmer—like a mirage—rippled through the water. Shadows swam along the walls. And then...
A roar.
From above, three monstrous figures dove toward them—hulking sea beasts, armor plated, wielding jagged bone spears. Not human. Not fully beast. Something in between.
"Guards," Aegirion growled, unsheathing his glaive.
Dominic's hand lit with Poseidon's blue flame. "They really don't want us finding that memory, huh?"
The two dove into the fray, their bodies spinning through currents like dancers in a storm. Blades clashed, spears scraped against coral. Dominic moved with surprising speed now—more god than boy—his attacks fluid like water, striking from angles no mortal could follow.
Aegirion fought like a storm, wild and powerful, his movements filled with frustration, fury... and guilt.
As the last beast fell, its body disintegrating into black mist, Dominic knelt beside the glowing entrance.
He glanced at Aegirion. "You sure about this?"
"No," the sea god said. "But we're already drowning."
And with that, they pushed open the vault's doors.
Light exploded around them.