Chapter Twenty Four

                                    

                                          
"One thing is clear," Apollo said to Teylie and me who sat near him around a small golden table in a dining room. Ray was off finding food to for us all to eat and beds to sleep in. "We will be at war by the time all this is over." He sighed, "Which means we will need an army."
                          
"Maybe we could find some mermaids to fight with us?" I suggested.
                          
Teylie shook her head, her long locks swaying with the movement. "I am the only mermaid left... no one knows why I alone live. I myself did not do anything to prevent dying." Teylie sighed. "I miss them... my sisters. Everyday. I miss laughing and singing and smiling with them. I miss their beauty and their lovely songs. But... what is hardest for me is living. Living with the knowledge that I get to live. I get to thrive while they stay at the bottom of the sea... they do not laugh any more. They do not sing. The ocean is angry now without their joy to fill it. And I am alone... completely alone. When I return home, I will not fill the ocean with song. I will fill it with tears."
                          
I watched a tear slip down Teylie's cheek. I looked over to Apollo, he seemed sick at her words. And that was guilt in his eyes. He looked up at Teylie and whispered words I knew I'd never forget. "I did it.... I prevented your death."
                          
Teylie slowly looked over at him, unbelief written on her face. "What?" She whispered weakly.
                          
"I... I prevented your death." He repeated, tearing his gaze from hers.
                          
Anger and sadness and... an overwhelming disdain filled her teal eyes as she stared at the savior she didn't want. "You..." she began, only for her voice to break. "How... why..." more tears slid down her cheeks as she stared harshly at Apollo. He still avoided eye contact. 
                          
"When we knew we would use our pearls... I broke some of mine off and... I sent it to your Tidal Wave. It was at night, you were sleeping when it imbedded itself in your skin. Then, when I used my pearl to turn human... you turned too."
                          
Rage covered Teylie's face like a thick cloak. "Why." Not a question. A command.
                          
"Because... I couldn't... I wouldn't lose you."
                          
"Why." She demanded again, tears of fury running down her face.
                          
"Because I love you." He whispered, his voice weak and broken.
                          
I just stared at them both, not wanting to intervene, but feeling like I needed to. Like I should say something... but... what?
                          
"This is not love." Teylie muttered softly. "You gave me a future in complete and total solitude. Alone in a shack beside where my friends and family are buried. Every time I look out my windows I am reminded of their deaths. You knew the heartache my loneliness has caused. But, of course you knew. You caused it." Teylie stood up from her seat and slowly walked away, the click of her shoes as she strutted away the only sound in the large room.
                          
I looked to Apollo and found him staring blankly at the table. "I have made many mistakes in my long immortal life." He whispered. "But nothing has made me feel more vicious and cruel than the look she just gave me."
                          
I didn't know what to say... what did you say to a person who felt as though they caused the world to end? Maybe in Apollos mind... his world just walked away.
                          
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I marched around the many halls of the fairy hive beside Ray. I had told him what had happened, he told me to just give them time to sort out their feelings. But, I didn't want to just "give them time". I wanted to help... to fix it. 
                          
I sighed sharply out my nose as we passed by a huge pile of emeralds. Ray glanced down at me and frowned understandingly. "There in nothing you can do to fix it." 
                          
I looked up at him and paused my walk. "How did you know that's what I was thinking about?"
                          
He smirked, "I just knew... you bite your lip when you're in deep thought."
                          
How did he notice that? I didn't even realize I did that. But, sure enough, I had been biting my lip so hard the metal tang of my blood splashed around on my tongue. I shook my head at him, "How long have you been observing me and my odd habits?"
                          
He chuckled, "Since we met. I think I'm entitled to... being your life mate and all." 
                          
I made a face at him, causing him to laugh a little harder. 
                          
"I just..." I began, interrupting the laughs. "I want to fix it... they belong together, and..." I sighed, "The hurt in both their eyes was just... overwhelming."
                          
Ray nodded and turned to face me. "I'm sure it was. But, there is nothing you can do, short of raise thousands of mermaids from the dead." 
                          
I pursued my lips and nodded. "Yeah. You're right." 
                          
He smirked, "I know. And, you should probably get used to saying that."
                          
I playfully punched his arm, feeling the huge muscles underneath his sleeves as I did so. I then hooked my elbow through his and began walking. "Fairies are greedy little things, aren't they?" I declared as I looked around at all the sparkling jewels and gems. 
                          
"We are also sneaky little things." Casmir's voice called out. 
                          
My cheeks heated as I saw him slid down a large pile of diamonds. When he was standing in front of us, he dusted himself off as if the many jewels coating him were lint. I shook my head in amazement as he did so. 
                          
"Did you get them?" Ray asked, his voice gruff.
                          
Casmir nodded, pulling out four slim slips of paper from his inside vest pocket. "Indeed I did. I had to pull a lot of favors, and slip three or four hundred jewels some people's way... but, I got them."
                          
My eyes widened at his confession. Three of four hundred? 
                          
Ray grabbed the tickets from Casmir's grasp and said, "Well, thank you. So, what do you request as payment?"
                          
Casmir's eyes scanned me up and down. "I want..." He looked Ray in the eyes and said, "Something from the kings bedroom."
                          
Ray growled slightly. "What exactly do you require from his royal room?"
                          
"There's this beautiful, lovely, big chest beside his bed. It has a trinket that belonged to my father in it. I want it back. The king sent his ruffians to sack my fathers fairy hive and they took it. I want it back."
                          
"How will we know what it looks like?" I asked.
                          
Casmir smirked at me. "Oh, you'll know." 
                          
Something in his tone told me fairies were more than just greedy and sneaky. They were manipulative too.