“Whatever your heart desires, my darling,” Artemis said. She turned to me. “I shall leave you to your time together. I wish you good fortune in defeating the sirens. A challenging quest indeed.”

Artemis stood as Savina knelt, organizing her flowers. “Just remember you are my nephew, and I am the Goddess of the Hunt. You will get your prey. It’s in your blood. May the Fates smile upon you.” She offered her own grin, and then disappeared, one moment here, the next, gone.

Savina picked flowers and arranged them into an elaborate bouquet, singing and skipping as she moved from the bushes to the blanket and back again. I laid there staring at the shapes in the puffy clouds while cataloging all the moments exchanged between Lou and myself. Artemis’ advice weighed heavy on my mind. How was I supposed to step into Lou’s shoes? How was I supposed to quell my squashed ego when I saw her next? It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d give it a try.

Towards the end of the afternoon when Savina’s basket overflowed, she plopped down at my side. “Tell me a story,” she pleaded.

I propped myself on my elbows and extended my legs on the blanket. “Which one, Little Rose?”

Savina reached out and lifted my pendant. Her fingers traced the moving wave inside. “The one about this necklace.”

“But you’ve heard that a hundred times.”

She clasped her hands together beneath her chin. “Oh, please?”

“Alright.” I leaned onto my forearms and started my tale. “On the morning of my fifth birthday, Queen Lorelei swam out to meet a boat, promising to bring me back a gift. While she was away, Calliope took me for a dip in the pool inside the sirens’ ivory castle.”

“That’s where you learned to swim, right?” Savina’s eyes lit up. She loved the idea of an indoor pool. This one happened to feed into the ocean through a siren-only entrance made under a wall of human bones.

“It is. And it was my favorite place to play. Calliope and I floated for hours. She told me stories of her childhood, what her life on Mt. Olympus had been like, how I got my name, and she sang me all sorts of songs. It was the most wonderful day.”

Savina nestled into my side to better play with my amulet.

“As the sun set, Calliope asked what I would want if I could have anything in the world. I hadn’t really wanted anything. I had everything I needed on the island. I was happy, but…” I tapped Little Rose’s nose. “I wanted to meet my father.”

She smiled, anticipating her favorite part.