Chapter Seventeen

The next summons from the council came through before Caspian had finished drinking his morning coffee. It was tempting to wait until he had, but this time he knew what he was being called for. Since he was being summoned to face his punishment, he thought it perhaps better to go immediately.

“What is it?” Marin asked from across the table.

“I’m being summoned by the pantheon,” Caspian replied. “I should go and see what they want.”

“Is something wrong?”

Caspian guessed he hadn’t kept his voice as casual as he had hoped. “No, there’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ll be back soon.”

He didn’t give Marin time to question him further.

All the other gods had gathered already. From the look of them, they had been there for some time.

Caspian gave a bow of respect to his parents, but he didn’t take his usual seat.

“You know why you have been summoned today?” Cynbel asked.

“I presume you have decided on my punishment.”

“That is correct.” Cynbel took his seat and turned to his own father.

Antar rose and gestured for Caspian to come forward. “I won’t keep you in suspense, other than to say that we have not come to our decision easily. For making Rafe immortal without the consent of the gods, you will be stripped of your own immortality.”

The room swayed around him as his grandfather’s words registered in his mind.

“You will have one day to put your affairs in order, then tomorrow at dawn you will present yourself here for your father or mother to remove your powers.”

Caspian frowned. “But what of justice?”

“The world will be as it was before you were born, at least until such time as a new god is born and appointed to that position. It will not be the same as if you were killed in battle.”

“Will I retain any of my powers?” Caspian asked. He knew from discussions with Fabian, a former demi-god, that he had retained the power to communicate with sea creatures, though he had lost the rest. Caspian suspected that Mariana letting him keep that ability was nothing more than an oversight on her part. She had, after all, removed his demi-god status in the midst of an underwater battle, with the intention of killing her rebellious son.

“No,” Antar confirmed. “You will live as a mortal.”

Odessa coughed delicately. “You will still be able to visit this isle—however, you’ll have to do so the same way mortals do, via the crystal portals. I will see a crystal installed into your home, wherever you choose to live.”

Caspian nodded. He wanted to argue his case, but he knew it would be useless to do so.

“What of when I die?” he asked quietly. The words nearly choked him. He had never once truly considered his own mortality. Even in the midst of battle, the concept of death had seemed far removed from his reality.

“We believe you will be judged and move on in the same way as the Atlanteans once did, though we cannot say for sure since this is unprecedented.”

“I see.” Caspian pushed aside the thought of his impending death, which would hopefully be many years from now. He had a life to live before then and no idea what to do with it.

The room swayed once more and he stumbled forward. His mother leaped from her seat to catch him and guide him to a chair. “Leave us a moment, please,” she said.

Caspian took a deep breath, trying to stem his rising panic.

Mortal. Fuck.

As the panic receded, he heard his mother humming softly to him and a feeling of calm washed over him. He could tell it was his mother’s magic.

“Will you be the one to do it—or Father?” he asked.

“Who would you prefer?” Odessa replied.

Caspian put his head in his hands. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Either way, I’ll be losing a part of myself, something I’ve had my entire life.”

“Yes, you will,” his mother confirmed. “But you’ll be gaining a lot as well.”

“Such as?”

“Um…”

Caspian chuckled but without much humor. “You know as well as I do that there is nothing to be gained from mortality that we don’t already enjoy as immortals.”

“Only the ability to grow old with the one that we love.”

“I happen to like being young,” Caspian muttered.

“As do we all, but how would you feel about remaining forever young while Marin aged and died?”

Caspian hadn’t thought about that. What am I going to tell Marin?

“You said yourself that you were unsure about offering immortality to Marin. Like Phoebus, he is mer and would have to give up that part of himself if he were to drink from the cup.”

“Marin and I aren’t a couple,” Caspian said.

“Not yet, but in time you will be.”

“Since when do you see into the future?”

Odessa smiled. “I don’t, but I have faith that you will one day win the heart of your merman.”

Caspian wished he shared her optimism.

“Where do you think you’d like to live?” his mother asked.

“I have no idea,” Caspian replied. “But if Marin is going to be a part of my life, it must be somewhere near the ocean.”

“You’ll have to make your mind up quickly,” Odessa warned. “As of tomorrow, you’ll lose your ability to magically move to any location you wish.”

“Bloody hell. I’m going to have to conjure up official papers to live as a human. I’ll have to learn to do things the mortal way.”

Panic washed over him again as thoughts of all the things he didn’t know how to do popped into his head. He wasn’t even sure he could make a decent cup of coffee without his powers.

“You’ll do fine,” his mother assured him. “You’ve been more a part of the human world than any of us. You even dress as modern men do.”

“I’ll have to get a job. What the fuck can I do?”

“Well, you could watch your language for a start.”

“Sorry, but I’ve never worked a day in my life.”

“You’ll find something and you’ll learn. Now, I suggest you go speak with Marin. He needs to know too.”

Caspian nodded, but he didn’t return home at once. Marin was expecting him to help deal with Urion. How was he going to tell him that he could no longer do so?

Instead, Caspian transported himself to the island where Jake and his lovers lived. Perhaps the human in this ménage could give him some advice.

He found Jake making lunch and realized he would have to learn how to cook as well.

“Caspian, come on in,” Jake said when he spotted him at the door. “What can I do for you?”

“Can we talk?” Caspian asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Sure. Is something wrong?”

Caspian frowned. “Do I really only ever come here when something has gone awry?”

“Pretty much,” Jake replied. He waved Caspian to one of the stools at the counter and sat down too. “Help yourself to a sandwich.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry right now.” He would be soon. Tomorrow he would have to eat and drink to survive. He made a mental note to ensure that wherever he ended up living, he stocked the cupboards with easy-to-make meals that didn’t require any form of effort.

Jake studied him as though he were some form of strange creature he had never seen before. “What brings you here?”

Caspian drummed his fingers on the counter. “Is it hard to live as a mortal?”

Jake snorted. “I can’t say I’ve ever really thought about it. It’s not like I’ve lived as anything else to have a comparison. Why do you ask?”

Caspian shrugged. “As of tomorrow, I’ll be living as one.”

There, he’d said it.

Jake stared at him in silence. “What’s happened?”

“I did something I shouldn’t have done and the other gods have decided to strip me of my powers. Today is my last day as an immortal.”

Caspian expected Jake to ask what he had done to incur their wrath, but he didn’t.

“What will happen to justice?” he asked instead.

“It will be as it was before I was born,” Caspian explained. “Don’t worry. Justice won’t be gone from the world. I just won’t be able to help keep the balance.”

Jake breathed a sigh of obvious relief. “And what does Marin think about this?”

“I haven’t told him yet. I must, of course, but he’s not going to be happy about it.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I promised to help him deal with Urion. Now I’m not going to be in a position to do so. I’m not even sure how I’m going to deal with day-to-day life, let alone murderous sea dragons.”

“Well, I’d offer to help, but there are limits to what I can do from here on the island. Er, this island isn’t going to vanish or anything, is it? It’ll still be here, powered and invisible to the rest of the world?”

Caspian nodded quickly, eager to reassure Jake, who appeared more concerned by the minute. “I’ll speak to my mother about ensuring the magic continues. It should anyway, at least until my death. After that, I’m not so sure.”

“Your death?”

Caspian gave him a weak smile. “Yes. I will be living—and dying—as a mortal man.”

“I’m sorry.” Jake reached out and squeezed Caspian’s hand. The gesture nearly brought tears to his eyes.

“Thank you. I suspect the truth hasn’t sunk in yet. I thoroughly expect to have a nervous breakdown the minute I get a paper cut.”

Jake chuckled and opened a drawer. “Plasters are our friends.” He placed a box on the counter. “Anything else I can help with?”

Caspian opened the box and pulled out one of the plasters. He stared at it, trying to figure out how the thing worked. For the first time in his life, he felt like a dunce.

Jake, seeming to understand his confusion, plucked it from his fingers, deftly undid the wrapper and applied the plaster to his face, right across his mouth.

Caspian smiled and reached out to pull it off. Jake cringed when he did.

“I would advise ripping the plasters off quickly,” Jake said. “Kyle is a bit of a baby about them, but don’t tell him I said so.”

Caspian gazed around the kitchen. “I didn’t even know these existed. How much more am I unaware of?”

“I thought you had a pretty good range of knowledge of humans?” Jake asked. “Better than Medina’s anyway.”

“I’ve learned as time has passed, but I’ve never needed to use these before. Human medicines aren’t something I’ve ever needed. Because of that, my knowledge of such things is limited.”

“I see.” Jake picked up his phone and waggled it in front of Caspian. “Make sure you have one of these, with my number programmed into it. That way I’ll be contactable when you no longer have the ability to pop in here by magic.”

Caspian laughed. “At least I know about phones. Justin educated me on those, as well as other modern technology.”

“I think he misses them now that he lives underwater,” Jake remarked. “Every time he visits he makes a beeline for the computer so he can check his social media accounts. He’s set up one for what he calls his ‘merman persona’ that’s really popular.”

“He’s what?” Caspian didn’t need the additional headache of exposure of the mer right now. The merman he had raised on land should know better.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jake hurried to assure him. “No one thinks he’s a real merman. They just assume he’s one of these people who buys a fake tail and learns to hold their breath underwater for a long time. He got the idea when Kyle told him about that fiasco at the aquarium staff party.”

Caspian had no idea what had happened at the party and he thought it better not to ask.

“We’ll have you surfing the Net in no time,” Jake teased. “Er…”

“What?” Caspian asked.

“Have you thought of maybe living here on the island?” Jake suggested. “You conjured up this house—hell, the entire island. What’s to stop you from building another one here? Think about it. If Marin is going to be staying with you, then it’s certainly close to the ocean. He can reconnect with his friends from Atlantis and visit whenever he wants. I know Justin would like to see more of you. I’ll be on hand if you have any difficulties and—”

“And?”

Jake shrugged. “It’d be nice to have a neighbor or two. I mean, this place is great, and you’ll never know how thankful I am for what you’ve done for us, but Finn and Kyle are mer, and while the colony is settling into their new homes, they spend more time in the ocean than on land. I guess what I’m saying is that it gets lonely sometimes. Treacle isn’t a great conversationalist.”

The idea had some merit—a lot, in fact. He wondered what Marin would think about the idea. In his quest to find Urion, he had isolated himself from the mer. Spending more time with his people could only be a good thing.

“You don’t have to, of course,” Jake continued. “It was only a thought. You’ll probably want to be somewhere closer to civilization—in a city, perhaps.”

Caspian smiled. “I think that after so many years of hearing the cries of mankind for justice, I might like a little peace and quiet.”

“You hear them all?” Jake asked.

“Not if the human is calling upon another deity, but the general ones or those directed at me, yes. Not that anyone calls upon me personally any more. The Atlantean gods are long since forgotten by man. Our time has passed.”

“It still sounds noisy to me.”

Caspian smiled. “You get used to it after a few centuries. You learn to filter out all but the most important.”

Jake nodded and Caspian looked out of the window, recalling the layout of the island. There was certainly room for another building here.

Using his powers, he scanned the island for anyone who might be around. Other than a couple of mermaids sunning themselves on the beach, there was no one on land save for himself and Jake.

He smiled at Jake. “How would you like to see a house created out of thin air?”

Jake grinned back. “You mean you like the idea?”

“Yes, I think it’s perfect. Though whether you’ll think that after having me for a neighbor for a few years is debatable. Come on. I think I know a suitable spot.”

They traipsed through the trees and bushes, with Caspian using his powers to create a stone path as they walked.

“Might as well set up a proper walkway now,” Caspian said. “I won’t be able to use my powers to come over after today.”

He continued to move bushes, trees and rocks until they reached a clearing.

“Here?” Jake asked.

Caspian nodded. “I think so. The north beach is just through those trees. There’s soil for planting, if you’ll teach me how to grow our own vegetables.”

Jake snorted. “That’s likely to be the blind leading the blind. I research on the Internet, but I haven’t yet figured out the cycle of the seasons here.”

“Ah, that’s probably due to the magic I used. This place is part of the real world but not entirely. I’ll have to see about getting some sensible weather patterns set up. Tempest may help me with that.”

“Tempest?”

“She’s Goddess of the Storm, but she can summon and control most forms of weather. Once she’s set up a cycle, she won’t have to bother about it again.”

“You think she’ll agree to help?”

“If she doesn’t, I’ll get my mother to talk her into it. They’ve always been friends.”

“That sounds great. And at least you won’t have Treacle helping you. He digs up my vegetable garden every chance he gets.”

Treacle barked as if in agreement.

Caspian resolved to make sure his own garden had a nice secure fence circling it before he got started with his own planting.

“Keep hold of Treacle,” Caspian warned. “Menace as he is to your self-sufficiency efforts, I don’t think you want him to get stuck in the foundations or anything.”

Jake dutifully called Treacle to heel and kept a hold of his collar.

Caspian stepped into the center of the clearing and tapped into his powers. Beneath his feet, the grass transformed into stone, spreading out in all directions until he had set the boundaries of the house.

When he’d judged the size to be adequate, he raised the walls, deciding two levels would be enough. Like Jake’s home, he made sure there were plenty of windows to let light into the building.

Piece by piece he added stairs, floorboards and doors. He added a balcony to the master bedroom and a veranda around the lower floor.

Once the house was structurally complete, he set about decorating it. He kept it plain and simple, telling himself that Marin might like to put his own touch on the place, if he were to make it his home.

At that point he summoned Jake to take a look around and see if anything was missing.

“I didn’t omit any rooms in your house, did I?” he asked.

“No, there were plenty spare for whatever we wanted. Finn has his office and Kyle has his home gym.”

“Good. Now the appliances.” Caspian headed into the room he had designated as the kitchen. “Cooker, fridge, freezer… What else?”

“Dishwasher?” Jake suggested.

Caspian frowned. “I don’t remember putting one of those into your house. Did you want me to add one now, while I still can?”

Jake laughed. “Sure. But let’s get your new place set up first. How about putting a sink near the window?”

Caspian let Jake guide him as he installed everything the kitchen would need.

“Don’t forget lights.” Jake pointed at the ceiling. “I still don’t understand how we have plumbing and electricity here, but unless you plan on sitting around in the dark, you’ll need lights.”

Caspian added some overhead lights and—at Jake’s suggestion—a smoke detector.

“The place would probably burn to the ground before the fire service got here,” Caspian pointed out. “Even if they could figure out where to come, which is highly unlikely, it would take forever for them to get here.”

“In that case, may I suggest a sprinkler system?”

Caspian frowned. “You don’t have much faith in my ability to cook, do you?”

“Having seen the disasters resulting from Kyle’s and Finn’s attempts, I doubt you and Marin will do much better.”

Caspian laughed and dutifully installed a small sprinkler system in the kitchen. He found that he was enjoying himself, as well as Jake’s company.

Once the kitchen was set up, Caspian filled the cupboards with enough food to feed a small army for a month. Hopefully by the time the supplies were running low, he’d have figured out how to cook as well as order in more.

“How are you managing for supplies?” Caspian asked.

“Pretty good. I head to the mainland once a month and stock up. I’m hoping that, in time, we can cut back on that. Kyle and Finn bring back some sea fruits from the new colony, but they don’t like to take much, at least until the new fields are producing regularly, which I understand won’t be for another year or two.”

“I’ll no doubt be coming with you on your shopping spree,” Caspian said. “Which reminds me of something else I’m going to need—a bank account and an identity.”

He sighed as he produced for himself all the papers he would need. “I hope this will be enough,” he said as he looked at the bank statement.

Jake laughed as he spied over his shoulder. “Yeah, more than. Perhaps some papers for Marin too, just in case he needs them later?”

“Good idea.” Caspian whipped them up and tucked them into a drawer with his own.

“Now, shall we tackle the rest of the house?” Jake asked with an enthusiastic grin. He was clearly enjoying this as much as Caspian.

They worked their way through each of the rooms. Some took longer to sort out than others. The living room was finished relatively quickly, while the bathroom took longer. There would be no more instant haircuts or clean-shaven faces in Caspian’s future. Cursing his own folly after checking the sharpness of his new razor, Caspian healed the cut instantly and materialized a fully stocked first-aid kit, which he had Jake check through.

By the time the house was in order, it was mid-afternoon.

“I think I need a drink,” Caspian said as he dropped into one of the chairs.

“Me too,” Jake agreed. He pointed to the alcove in the corner. “I think you need a bar over there.”

Caspian waved his hand and one appeared.

Jake laughed. “I was only joking. If you’re going to be human, you might want to limit your alcohol intake.”

Caspian walked over to the bar and poured them each a drink. “I’ll enjoy my lack of hangovers while I still can.”

They drank quietly, and Caspian knew he couldn’t put off speaking to Marin much longer.

Jake placed his empty glass on the table. “I should be heading back to my place before Kyle and Finn get back and start wondering where I am.”

Caspian saw him to the door. “Thank you, Jake. You’ve been a great help to me today.”

Jake gave him an odd look. “You don’t need to thank me for this. It’s what friends do for each other. I hope you’ll come to see me as a real friend one day.”

Caspian nodded. “I already do.”

They stood awkwardly on the veranda until Jake gave a short laugh and threw his arms around Caspian, enveloping him in tight hug. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” he teased.

 

* * * *

 

Marin was training with the trident in the living room when Caspian found him. He had moved the furniture to the sides of the room and was currently working his way through the basic training moves. Caspian had ordered him not to conjure sea-fire in the flat and he was glad to see nothing had been scorched or set alight.

“How’s it going?” Caspian asked.

“Good. Any word yet on whether Urion will be allowed to become immortal?”

“Not yet. Last I heard, they were still considering it. Urion hasn’t exactly endeared himself to most of the pantheon, but if it means one less sea dragon in the oceans, they may agree, just on that basis.”

“You’ll let me know as soon as you hear?” Marin asked. “I don’t want to miss my chance, and there’ll only be a short period between his taking human form and becoming immortal.”

Caspian gestured to the sofa. “You’d better sit down, Marin. I have something to tell you.”

Marin gave him a curious glance but took a seat anyway. “You aren’t going to make some ill-timed declaration of love, are you?” he asked.

“No. It’s nothing like that.” Caspian paced back and forth across the rug. “I don’t know the best way to break this to you, so I’m just going to have to blurt it out. After today, I’ll no longer be immortal.”

“What?” Marin stared up at him in confusion.

“The pantheon has decided to strip me of my powers and make me mortal.”

“They can do that?”

“Yes. I have to present myself to them at dawn tomorrow.”

“I thought it wasn’t possible to reverse immortality.”

“Not for those who gain it through the cup. For those like me, who are born to immortality, our parents can take it from us, and tomorrow one of my parents will.”

“Why would they do that?”

“It doesn’t matter why.” The last thing Caspian wanted was for Marin to feel unjustified guilt for Caspian’s own actions. “What concerns you is what I intend to do now, and where you will go.”

“They’re throwing you out of your home here as well?”

Caspian shook his head. “No, this is mine, though I intend to sell it rather than live here. My temple on the Isle of the Gods is the only home I’ll actually lose, but I’ve not lived there properly in centuries anyway.”

“Where do you plan on living, if you aren’t going to stay here?”

“I’m going to move to the island where Jake and his lovers are living. I built a house this afternoon and I’d like you to come there with me.”

Marin opened his mouth but Caspian raised his hand to signal that he hadn’t finished.

“The island is magically hidden from the world, as well as being close to the new mer colony. If you’d rather not live with me, you can return to your people. There is plenty of room in the new cave network and they could certainly use an extra set of hands.”

“What about Urion?” Marin asked. “Will you know when they’ve reached their decision?”

“I may find out later, but it’s unlikely the news will reach me in time for you to face him. I’ll be allowed to visit the Isle of the Gods, but only via the crystal portals of other gods. My mother intends to install one such device in my new home, so I can still visit her.”

Marin hung his head and sighed. “Then my one chance to kill Urion is lost already.”

“I’m sorry,” Caspian said. “I never thought the pantheon would do this. It didn’t even occur to me.”

Marin glared at him. “No, I don’t imagine that it did. Still, as the God of Justice, you’ve done nothing to help get justice for Calder, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before you were removed from the post. Maybe your replacement will help me.”

Caspian reeled at the venom from Marin. “I’ll deliver you to the new colony. What you do from there is your own choice.”

Before Marin could say anything else, Caspian sent him to the colony, depositing him in the middle of King Nereus’ audience chamber.

Alone in his flat, he decided what he wanted to take with him to his new home—mostly just his books and music—and once that was done, he emptied the place of the rest.

Marin’s trident was still on the floor and he picked it up. He’d find somewhere to keep it safely out of the way, just in case Marin ever decided to forgive him and wanted it back.

He transported himself to his new house and looked around him. The place suddenly seemed too big for just him, the quiet eerie rather than peaceful.

For the first time in a long time, he opened his mind to the cries of mankind. He might not be the God of Justice tomorrow, but for today, he still had the power to make a difference. He set to work, determined to get as much done as he could in the time he had left.