My eyes widened.
The guard looked over at me. “It would be best if you left out the south entrance. We are keeping them to this wing right now. Telling them that they will scare the patients.”
I was taken aback by the fact that this stranger was trying to protect me.
“My father is in this wing.” I told him.
The guard looked back over his shoulder, worried, before turning to look back at me. “We will make sure no harm comes to him. Please, hurry.”
I looked back towards the way we came. Rule #10: Always prioritize your safety first. He used to say ‘Your father can take care of himself’. Well, my father was laying unconscious in a hospital bed.
No…
This wasn’t Emmanuel. These were goddamn motherfucking fish people!
I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. “I’m sorry, I can’t leave him behind. No offense to you.”
The guard smiled and stepped aside. “I understand. I wouldn’t leave my kin behind either.”
Just as I was about to step forward into the hall, Ajax’s warm hand engulfed mine. “Atalanta.”
I looked back at him and the others, apprehension reflected across all of their faces. I understood, they wanted to protect me as well, but I couldn’t just be the damsel.
“Back me up.” I said, firmly.
They all nodded, if hesitantly.
I hurried down the hall towards my father’s room. It was quieter than before. There were no patients wandering the halls, no nurses at their posts. I doubted the guards would harm them, but I’m glad they were staying out of sight. I would hate for anyone to get hurt because of me.
Turning the corner to my father’s hall, there were two average looking humans. Well, as average as Mer could get with their tendency to be extremely attractive. I don’t know why I expected them to be in full armor and scales, but the two men before us were dressed in sweaters and jeans. Leaning against the wall on either side of my father's door and chatting nonchalantly.
“Can we help you, gentlemen?” I asked, keeping my tone even.
They straightened and looked at me in surprise. The one on the right, a tall blond, spoke. “Calder wasn’t lying. You’re female.”
I cocked a brow. “Yes, I‘m female.”
“It’s been a really long time since we’ve seen a made female.” Blondie gave me a short bow. “It’s an honor.”
The Mer on the left, a redhead with killer dimples, said, "If your maker hasn’t told you, turning females is pretty hard. Most don't survive. Councilman Calder sent us to come get you. He said it wasn’t safe for you on land.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not coming with you. I have people here that I must protect.” I said, standing straight, hands fisted at my side.
Their friendly smiles fell, eyes growing cold. A lump of lead formed in my gut at those stares. At once, my guys stepped closer, taking up defensive position on either side of me while my own body tensed up, ready for a fight.
Blondie spoke first. “He told us you won’t leave because of your human father.”
“We’ve been ordered to rectify the situation.” Redhead tilted his head towards my father's door.
A third Mer, a tan man with dark hair, stepped into view, holding a knife to my unconscious father’s throat.
“DAD!” I screamed and lunged forward, only to be pulled back by one of my guys. "LET HIM GO!”
The Mer holding my father sneered. “This is why it’s necessary to cut ties with humans before being turned. It creates needless bloodshed.”
“That makes no sense! You’re the ones causing this!” Hip growled.
“We are simply following orders.” Blondie said.
I didn’t take my eyes off my father. It had to be the Mer’s great strength that allowed for him to hold up my father’s slumped form with one arm. He was still hooked up to his I.V. and heart monitors, and I could hear the machine in his room beep, slow and steady despite the intensity of what was going on.
I tensed as I met the eyes of the Mer holding him. He was enjoying this. His eyes were practically twinkling as he watched me, pressing the knife closer to my father’s throat.
“Please, no, leave him alone!” I shot forward only to be pulled back by a strong grip on my shirt sleeve. I looked back to see Percy, shaking his head at me.
“We must approach this calmly,” He whispered.
“There is no negotiating this. We were instructed to bring you with us, by any means necessary.” The Mer pressed the knife deeper to my father’s throat, drawing blood.
Blood.
A roaring began in my ears.
“Dad!!”
I felt a tugging at my clothes, then the sound of tearing cloth making it through the roaring.
Blood. Red.
Red.
I bit my tongue.
Not the time, have to focus!
The blond was an easy target. He underestimated me; he was the most relaxed, but still large. But I had claws, now. Claws to tear through flesh, to draw blood myself. I was strong.
“Atalanta, stop!”
I kicked the man’s legs, right at the knees, and shoved my elbow into his chest. He went down easily, and using his momentum, I shoved his head with my other hand so hard into the ground that it bounced.
Out like a light.
I pulled the knocked out blond up by his red stained hair and pressed my claws to his neck. Now I mirrored the man who had my father.
“Rule #11: If you can’t run, fight.” I pressed my claws deeper into his neck. "And fight to kill. Let my father go!”
Everyone was frozen, surprise blaring across all of their faces. Each heartbeat of the stare-down between me and the man who held my father felt like an eternity, but I was still, calm for the first time since I had woken up to find I had lost my humanity. Adrenaline and bloodlust were powerful things.
I wanted to tear out all of their throats, rip them limb from limb the moment my father was free and safe.
“Atalanta…” Ajax said, slowly stepping closer to me.
He sounded worried. He felt it. Felt my calm. Why should it worry him?
I heard the bang of a door slamming open and the sound of hurried footsteps coming our way. I tensed.
Reinforcements?
“Atalanta!”
I relaxed some. Jason, and probably Theseus, were here. We now outnumbered the enemy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the two come into view and halt.
“I don’t care how many of you there are, this doesn’t change my orders. Let Kile go and come with us, and I won’t have to kill your father,” the dark man said.
I clenched my hostage’s hair tighter. “How about you let my father go, and you and your friends walk out of this alive?”
His eyes narrowed. “You don’t have it in you.”
“You don’t know me,” I hissed, barring my fangs.
I knew I had gone full shift the moment I had seen the Mer holding my father. I could feel the scales rippling across my body, and my eyes were probably glowing just like everyone else's.
“Atalanta,” Jason whispered in the same tone one would use on a feral animal.
What was their problem? I was handling this.
“It seemed we have ourselves a Mexican standoff.” Came a new and unwelcome voice.
I rolled my eyes. “Calder, has anyone told you that you make entrances like a subpar Disney villain?”
Jason’s uncle stood in the hall, flanked by four other guards. Now they were more what I expected, standing tall and holding spears. Their armor definitely wasn’t metal, because it didn’t clink or shimmer as they moved. Perhaps leather? Their approach was so silent.