I allow myself to be impressed. Lucia must be pretty freaking ancient for a full-blooded Syrena to be sporting a head of white hair, wrinkles in abundance, and bony angles poking from her modest bathing suit.… She has to be older than the average geriatric Syrena—which puts her at more than three hundred years old.

Or maybe not. Mom and Galen both confirmed that Syrena age faster on land, but I’m not sure how much faster gravity speeds up the process. Doesn’t look like gravity was all that kind to Lucia.…

Wait. Syrena age faster on land. Does that mean I would live longer if I stayed in the ocean? Is that what Galen was talking about?

He wants me to live in the ocean so he can have me longer? Probably I should have let him actually talk it out with me, instead of cutting him with all my sharp, negative words. Or am I connecting dots that aren’t there? Am I reading between lines that haven’t been written?

All I know is, my stomach is seriously considering vomiting, and for lack of a better place, Reed’s lap seems to be the best target. If I aim in front of me, it might get on Reder. Besides, I’ve never seen Reed feel out of place. I’m betting a lap of upchuck will do the trick. It’ll be fun.

Yep, my stomach just flopped over. I’m upchucking in three … two … one …

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Reder’s voice booms.

Even my stomach is unwilling to trample on Reder’s hospitality. It settles down all at once, as if chastising me for letting it act up in the first place. Still, a small corner of it aches, and I don’t think that ache will go away until I see Galen again.

Until I confirm whether I’m a heartless butthole or seriously overthinking every little thing that Galen said. Either way, it’s going to suck for me. Either way, I lose.

If I’m heartless, I’ve lost Galen for sure. If I’m overthinking things, and everything he said can be taken at face value … I’ve lost Galen.

So if I’ve lost him, why am I sending people out to find him?

Some questions can’t be answered, some shouldn’t, and some weren’t questions to begin with. I can’t decide which category this falls into.

But for now: life.

And I’ve entirely missed Reder’s introduction to the Retelling and the fact that all the lights have been dimmed and adjusted to focus on him, and that the audience has grown maddeningly quiet while the voices in my head shout at each other.

“So Poseidon came ashore and made peace with mankind,” Reder is saying. “Not just peace, though. He made friendships. Established a successful city where humans and Syrena could interact and live in harmony. Where they could form close bonds.”

Reder chuckles. “And even Poseidon appreciated the curves of the land-dwelling women, did he not, friends?” This evokes a knowing laugh from the crowd. “So he took a human mate himself and had many children with her, Half-Breed sons and daughters who adored their father. Other Syrena were content to do the same, and so they, too, made sons and daughters with humans.”

Then he focuses his attention directly on me, and I’m so grateful the lights don’t follow his gaze. When you’re sitting next to the speaker’s son and the speaker’s talking about taking a mate … that’s when you become hyperaware that maybe you’ve been giving the wrong impression—you stupid freaking idiot.

Or you’re just being pyscho again. Awesome.

“They continued on for almost a century, living prosperously. Poseidon used his Gift to feed his city; the words ‘I’m hungry’ could never be heard. What was left of the food they harvested from the oceans was traded to surrounding cities. In fact, the port of Tartessos became the epicenter for trading: It attracted merchants from around the world, eager to trade for its tin, bronze, and gold. Even human kings sent gifts to keep our great General Poseidon pleased.”

“And that is when General Triton became jealous of his brother’s prosperity. In a fit, he poisoned the minds of our Syrena brethren against humans, and he divided the kingdoms into two territories. Those who believed his lies about the humans moved to Triton territory; those who saw the good in humans, the potential of forming alliances with them, moved to Poseidon territory. After the Great Sunder, Triton still was not happy.” At this Reder shakes his head. A disapproving moan moves through the audience. I glance at Reed beside me, but he doesn’t notice. He sits expressionlessly, engrossed in the tale, though he’s doubtless heard it many times. So far, the rendition of what Galen told me is fair, except of course in the Retelling, a more negative light is cast on Triton instead of Poseidon. And this is the first time I’ve heard mention of a Great Sunder. I look past that though, and try to be objective about what really did happen all those years ago.

“Afraid that his brother would gain too much power by forging such strong alliances with the humans,” Reder continues, “the inconsolable general set out to ruin Tartessos. He sent forth messengers to the human rulers in the areas surrounding the cities, telling of horrifying things such as enslavement of humans and the unnatural breeding of them. He even sent word that Poseidon had taken another human ruler’s wife as his own and that their own queens were not safe from him if he gained more power.” A wave of agitation roars behind me. Some shout things like, “Triton is a liar!” and “He’s no general of ours!”

After a few seconds, Reder holds up his hands. The Huddle sends a percussive shhhh resounding through the meeting cave. In Galen’s version, Poseidon actually did take a human’s wife as his own, though now I’m not sure how he could have accomplished that. I’m finding it difficult to glean the actual truth from the two stories.