The Sea God's One-Night-Stand *Tides of Fate*

16)

"Someone you loved" by Lewis Capaldi

***
I didn't want to be anywhere near Ajax, but I didn't hold much of a choice. He did that strange thing where he once again traveled through time and space. I had to give myself partial credit I had yet to start screaming my head off out of fear I had gone insane.
I found we were now in a room that resembled an incredibly large aquarium. There were massive ceilings raised at least forty-feet tall and pillars all around the room in a strange yet dazzling gold color. The main theme of the place seemed to be gold and teal; the walls were decorated with different pieces of art and even old paintings that seemed to revolve exclusively around the main-theme colors.

Candles and lanterns made up the general lighting of the place that surprisingly provided a lot of light to the very large room that looked comparable to the size of a soccer field. I would have thought we were inside a very elegant -and very expensive- museum if not for the fact that outside the large twenty-foot windows there was water and sea animals on the outside. Colorful displays of coral reefs and large fish passed the window, causing me to become transfixed by the kaleidoscope of gorgeous colors and the shapes and sizes of the animals. It was as an nine-meter great-white shark passed the window that I became spooked. The last I heard it was not possible to keep great whites in aquariums. Nor was it possible for them to grow to such a gargantuan size. "Where are we?"
The fear in my voice was not missed by me or Ajax.
"My parents' home."

This could not be a home; this room was far too large and grand to be considered a part of someone's home. I trembled as the large great white passed the windows again. It had to be nearly thirty feet in length and weigh a couple tons.

I should have guessed the regal Aimee Waters lived here; the elegant design had her name figurately plastered all over it as well as the sea-inspired theme. There were even gorgeous colored glass statues of coral reefs and even seashells that decorated shelving along the walls. There was a massive number of books. There were so many, the back of the room seemed to be a library. The walls stretched high to the top of the thirty-foot ceiling. "My father enjoys reading," Ajax offered conversationally as if this entire situation were completely normal and he were merely a normal man bringing a girl around to meet his family.

"Where are we...?"
"My parents' home," he repeated, looking troubled that I did not seem to understand this.
"No." I shook my dark head. "Where is their home located...?"
"About four-hundred miles off the coast of Australia," said Ajax promptly. "We're merely thirteen-thousand feet below the sea."
Perhaps that explained his accent given his being so close to the continent of Australia. My mind was having trouble processing this.

I had so many questions I didn't know where to start.
The most traveling I had ever done in my life was up and down the east coast due to working for Wedding Knots. Now I had traveled to Greece, Montana, and the outskirts of Australia within the course of a day. No amount of pinching my thumbnail against my forefinger seemed to be working in waking me up. I was utterly transfixed by the way the ocean looked so clear outside, given it should be so very dark so far below where the sun doesn't shine. Perhaps the lightning of this massive home was so bright it made the animals and reefs more noticeable. "This is amazing." I breathed, watching as a very large electric eel waded past the incredibly thick glass windows.

"Were you feeling capturing my son's virginity would secure you a chance in stealing from his wealth?" A familiar voice coldly asked. A cold shudder tickled my spine recognizing who the lovely yet cruel voice belonged to. Turning, I found Aimee Waters was now gliding towards the large teal and golden couch to sit herself down upon. The couch was longer than a bus. Aimee was dressed in an all-black floor-length gown that draped behind her. Her slender arms were draped in front of her as she held her hands tightly cupped in front of her. The only thing that struck Aimee as different than the last time I saw her was the very large silver crown that was a couple inches tall atop of her head. She held the grace and elegance of a true queen.