“Why didn’t you kill her if you had the power to?” Rylander asked, quieter than I'd ever heard him. Almost like he feared and yearned for his mother’s answer in equal measure.

Her thumb rubbed across his cheek where a rogue tear fell.

“For the same reason you couldn’t kill her or the others many years ago. The same reason you struggled to act until this human died in front of you.” She sucked in a sob. “She was my daughter. Evil or not. And her bloodline, my family.” She closed her eyes, taking a moment. When she opened them, the tears were gone. “It had to be you.” She leaned in and kissed Rylander’s forehead. Withdrawing, she rose to her feet and glared down at me.

“I’m not overly impressed by this.” She waved between us. “But thank you for trusting me and erasing the rune so I could call upon my love.” Her enamored gaze returned to her beloved god. “I’d like to have Rye take me back to Mt. Olympus, my darling.”

“No!” I shouted. I wouldn’t allow Rylander to be forced to leave, despite her half-hearted thanks.

Rylander grabbed my hands in his and brought them to his mouth. He peppered kisses on each finger. “Rye is my father’s favorite griffin, his most trusted transport to Mt. Olympus. I was named after him.”

My brows scrunched.

“As you wish, my darling. Can you ask a siren to remove the runes from the sand so he may land?”

“Ballas,” Calliope called. A siren with a sapphire fin swam through the bloodied waters and poked her head above the surface. “Please take several of your clan members and remove the runes around the island.”

“Yes, milady.” She bowed her head. “May I ask, milady, who will reign now?”

Calliope looked to Rylander. Unspoken words passed between them as Rylander nodded.

“Yemma is ready to be crowned your queen,” Rylander answered, and Calliope drew a soft breath, a smile breaking over her face. “She will be back soon.”

“Thank you, Emperor,” Ballas said, beaming.

Calliope raised her hands, summoning the remaining sirens to her. Swimming forms appeared as dark shadows beneath the water, and heads popped out in surprising numbers. More drifted in from the land, taking up seats on the obsidian rocks. Shimmering skirts and fins glistened in the prismatic lights as hundreds settled in to hear their matriarch.

“Lorelei is dead. There will be no more bloodlusts or unnecessary carnage.”

Only then did the quiet evaporate. Cheers erupted, echoing so loudly the floor rattled. The remaining sirens embraced each other, spilling silent tears from their clear eyes.

“Today marks a new day. A day of peace. The humans will no longer call you their enemy. You may continue to procreate with man…”

“Can we steal their treasures, too?” a siren interrupted from the rocks to our right. Her grin showcased her serrated teeth. The sirens around her chuckled.