Chapter 36: The Sea Goddess' Birthday Bash (Her POV)
When we got home, Malvor was practically humming like he'd swallowed lightning.
"What has you vibrating like a hummingbird on espresso?" I asked, amused, as I peeled off my shoes.
"It's Yara's birthday!" he announced with far too much enthusiasm.
I blinked. "Yara? As in goddess of oceans, temptation, and general wet chaos?"
"The very one." He spun dramatically, then flopped onto the couch like a stage actor waiting for applause.
I tilted my head. "What does one even wear to the birthday party of the sea goddess?"
His grin was feline, smug, like he'd found a fishbowl with the lid off. "The theme is blue."
"Blue?" I repeated skeptically. "That's it? Not ocean? Not tropical getaway? Not cruise-themed with daiquiris and ridiculous sun hats?"
His grin grew. "No," he said, suspiciously short.
I narrowed my eyes. "No?"
"You'll see," he replied with ominous delight, already rising from the couch like a villain about to monologue. He paused in the doorway, gave me a wink, and tossed over his shoulder, "Get dressed, Annie, my Little Mermaid."
I groaned loud enough to follow him down the hall. But I couldn't deny it, my stomach fluttered. Because with Malvor and his divine peers, "you'll see" was never just "you'll see." When I finally stepped out of my room, Malvor froze. My gown was sapphire blue, the exact shade of my eyes, perhaps not coincidentally. It draped off my shoulders, cinched at my sternum by a large golden pendant, then spilled long in the back while a daring slit in the front bared my legs with every confident step. My hair tumbled in long curls, fire kissed by the sea. A touch of gold shimmer lined my eyes, paired with dangling earrings that caught the light. Malvor, in a tailored navy suit, looked at me with something suspended between reverence and sheer lust. Our blues didn't match, but they harmonized, storm and seafoam.
"You," he said, approaching slowly, "are an entire constellation crash-landed into the ocean."
I arched a brow, amused. "You look like the most dangerous wave to ever wear cufflinks."
His grin turned devilish as he offered his arm. "Come, my tidal temptress. Let us go make the ocean jealous."
With that, Yara's birthday had no idea what was about to hit it. A snap of Malvor's fingers later and the world shifted. One second, we stood at the top of his castle stairs. The next, we emerged on a crystalline arch overlooking a submerged palace of motion and light. Below us stretched the Infinite Tides Club, floating on glowing bioluminescent waves. A glass dome arched overhead, where whales, serpents, and jeweled fish glided like part of the entertainment. Magic kept everything dry, the air tinged with seafoam and starlight. The dance floor pulsed with liquid crystal, glowing cobalt and ice-blue with every beat. Mist rolled in rhythm with the bass. Blue flames floated midair, casting ripples of shimmer across silver-dripped walls. Floating VIP orbs drifted above, each a private bubble of laughter, heat, and power. In one, a demigod flirted shamelessly with two fae. In another, a goddess lounged in her own starlight, sipping glowing wine. The bar gleamed like a giant oyster shell, where bartenders with sea-glass eyes poured drinks that sparkled like spells. From a massive pearl in the center, a siren DJ sang over the music, her voice hypnotic and smooth.
They turned. They all turned. Gasps. Whispers. Stares. My sapphire dress shimmered like ocean water, the pendant catching the light, my legs slipping through the slit with every step. My curls gleamed in fiery waves beneath the glow, my skin dusted faintly in gold. Beside me, Malvor wore a grin smug enough to melt glaciers. He leaned close, lips brushing my ear. "Anemone of my affections, you just started a seaquake."
Hand in hand, we descended into the shimmering madness. The music shifted, rippling into something grand, as a literal wave arched over the dance floor and crashed in glittering mist.
The crowd parted like a tide, every eye snapping toward the guest of honor. Yara. She emerged with arms lifted, soaking in the attention. Her gown was aqua glam turned spectacle, low cut, dripping with pearls, seashells, and glittering sea glass. The back was nearly nonexistent, held together with strings that looked more decorative than functional. The sheer fabric clung to her like wet silk, leaving little to the imagination. Her hair cascaded in waves pinned by shell combs, her lips tinted coral, her earrings brushing her shoulders with every sway. She was radiant. Powerful. But… a bit much.
"She looks like an underdressed coral reef," Malvor muttered, not even bothering to whisper.
I smirked, keeping my composure as I studied her. Yara was stunning, yes, but her gown screamed for attention, weighed down by trinkets and glitter. Where mine whispered elegance, hers shouted desperation. Oh, did Malvor know it. Yara glided toward us with her arms outstretched, every inch of her glittering body radiating self-importance. I smiled sweetly and inclined my head. "Yara. You look absolutely lovely tonight."
Malvor stepped forward, bowing just low enough to make the gesture insulting. "Yara-pearl, you have outdone yourself. So many… shiny things. Truly, you look like a treasure chest exploded. In the most dazzling way, of course."
She preened under his words, utterly blind to the venom wrapped in his silk. "I told my stylist," she said proudly, tossing her blue hair like a wave crashing over rocks. "'Give me drama, give me ocean, give me spectacle.'"
She twirled once, and the shell-covered hem of her dress clinked faintly together, like storm-battered windchimes. Malvor nodded solemnly. "Drama you received. A masterpiece of nautical ambition. You are like the very essence of a coral reef during mating season, radiant, wild, and just slightly dangerous to the ecosystem."
My lips twitched. Hard. Yara beamed. "You are such a flatterer, Malvor."
"Oh, but it is sincere," he said, hand to his chest. "Truly, no one else could carry that much… accessory and still remain upright. It is heroic."
I coughed into my hand, dangerously close to laughing. Yara struck another pose, delighted with herself. "Well, you know I like to make an entrance."
"And make it you did," Malvor said, eyes gleaming with mischief. "The sirens will be jealous. Poseidon himself might rise up and ask for fashion advice."
My shoulders trembled. Breath caught. He leaned closer, stage-whispering, "Careful, Sea Biscuit, if you compliment her too much, she'll start shedding pearls like a clam with performance anxiety."
I covered my mouth to smother the laugh, then grabbed his arm in a death grip. "We need to go," I hissed.
"Where to, my Sapphire Seahorse?" he asked, oh-so-innocent.
"Anywhere," I managed tightly. "Before I laugh and she realizes you're insulting her."
Yara, still oblivious, swept away to greet someone else, leaving a cloud of perfume and seashell clatter in her wake. The second she was out of earshot, I broke. Laughter burst out of me helplessly, my chest aching with the effort to hold it back for so long.
"Subtlety has drowned," Malvor muttered.
"Buried at sea," I agreed through tears.
He smirked, smug as ever. "She really did look like a decorative jellyfish. But in a celebratory way."
I swatted his arm, still wiping my eyes. "You are terrible."
"I know," he said, shameless. "But at least I'm your terrible."
We slipped deeper into the party, ducking beneath strings of floating pearls and sapphire orchids swaying in the enchanted currents. The music pulsed like a heartbeat through the waterlit club, lights shifting and flowing like tides. The bar curved like a crescent moon, its surface a ripple of deep-sea glass. Behind it stood one of the bartenders. An androgynous beauty with silver-blue skin, seafoam eyes, and sleek braids threaded with tiny shells. Their tailored suit shimmered like wet silk, hugging a statuesque frame that made me stare a second too long. Malvor, of course, leaned on the bar as though he'd built it himself. "Two Ocean's Kisses," he purred, glancing my way, "one for my saltwater siren, and one for myself."
The bartender's lips curved slow, amused. "Flavored to your mood, you know. I wonder what yours will taste like."
"Sin and regret, probably," Malvor said with a wink. "Add something with bite. I want to feel it tomorrow. Yes, yes, I know, gods don't get hangovers. I enjoy the illusion."
They chuckled and turned, conjuring two shimmering crystal glasses. I caught Malvor leaning in to whisper something else, something that made the bartender grin, sharp and coy. I bumped his hip. "Flirting with sea spirits now?"
"Only the stunning ones." He slid a glance at me, wicked and warm. "But don't worry, my Whirlpool of Want. You're still my drink of choice."
I rolled my eyes, but smiled all the same, accepting the glass. The Ocean's Kiss changed flavors on my tongue, sweet, then spicy, then cool as mint. We were halfway through our drinks when laughter bubbled through the music like windchimes caught in a summer breeze.
"Malvor!" The sound rang bright, clear as mountain air.
His whole face softened, his smile shifting into something unguarded. "Ahyona."
She came twirling through the crowd, not in sequins but in a dress the color of twilight water, threads of beadwork glinting like constellations when she moved. A sash of turquoise hugged her waist, shells and feathers woven into her straight black hair. She spun once, twice, nearly toppled, and ended in a half-curtsy that wobbled on the edge of disaster.
"Oops!" she giggled, then winked. "Only two Shirley Temples, and already the floor's dancing under me."
I raised a brow. "Two?"
"They're mostly cherry juice and sparkles," she said gravely, sipping from a curly straw shaped like a feather. "A very advanced beverage. Only for the mature and wise."
Malvor crouched slightly to meet her eyes, his grin wide. "Ahyona, that is exactly how I'd describe you. Mature. Wise. Overflowing with elegance and poise."
She snorted. "You say that now, but last week you called me a baby."
"You were wearing a crown of dandelions, and crying because your enchanted catfish ran away."
"It leapt away," she corrected, scandalized. "And it was a good crown."
He reached out, brushing a bead of glitter from her cheek. "You were radiant. Like royalty. Sticky, tear-stained royalty."
Ahyona beamed, bright as a sunrise over stone cliffs, then leaned against his side, sipping her drink with the kind of contentment only she could summon. "I like it when you're not being mean to me," she teased.
Malvor put on a mock wounded face, glancing at me as if begging for backup. "I am never mean to her."
"You put a frog in my bed for my birthday!" Ahyona gasped, pouting dramatically.
"That frog wore a crown," he countered, utterly serious. "And sang lullabies. You're welcome."
"I still hear him in my dreams," she sniffed, pretending to be cross.
His laugh came deep, warm, and utterly unguarded. I felt it ripple across the bond, genuine affection, not performance, not chaos, but something softer. He adored her. Not like the sly, flirtatious way he toyed with the Pantheon. Not like the dramatic, mocking way he pried at others. With her, it was different. Gentle. Pure. Protective. Then Ahyona turned those wide, sparkling eyes on me. "You look so pretty tonight. Totally giving river-princess but also secret-villain energy."
I blinked, caught off guard. "I… thank you?"
"It's a compliment," she said sagely, nodding. "If I ever turn evil, I want to look exactly like you."
"Too late," Malvor chimed, raising his glass. His smirk curved sharp, but his eyes lingered, softened. "She doesn't need encouragement to look that good. Or to be dangerous."
Ahyona leaned in, stage-whispering, "Hey, Malvor? You're not going to break her heart, are you?"
My breath caught. But Malvor didn't flinch. Didn't smirk. Didn't dodge. He looked down at her with a softness I'd never seen him show in public, quiet, unshakable, real. "No," he said simply. "Never."
Something in me stilled. Because he meant it. Ahyona studied him for a long moment, then grinned and patted his arm. "Good. Because if you do, I'll curse your dreams."
"You already do," he shot back dryly. "There was an entire week I dreamed in cupcake flavors. The plain ones were fine, but the glittery pink one? That was my favorite."
Ahyona's laugh rang out, bright as a drumbeat. "That was a gift, not a curse. The glittery pink one is the flavor of being alive." She twirled away, her hair flashing with beads and feathers, laughter trailing behind her like river light as she darted toward a glowing sculpture of jellyfish.
I watched her go. Then I looked at him. "You love her," I said quietly.
He didn't hesitate. "I do. She's one of the only people who makes chaos feel like innocence."
His words sank deep, reverent and real. Then, ever himself, he smirked. "Also, she's the only one who can outshine me in playfulness. That deserves respect."
I kept my eyes on the girl's beaded belt as it caught the light, turquoise strands flashing like water. She spun beneath a cluster of floating lanterns, laughter trailing behind her, bright and careless, like the world itself bent to keep her shining. She was so light it almost didn't seem real.
"Is she always like that?" I asked, sipping the last of my drink.
Malvor's smirk softened into something different, something unguarded. "Ahyona is… complicated."
I arched a brow. "Complicated?"
"She's ageless," he said, his voice dipping softer. "Not just immortal like the rest of us, carrying centuries like old coats. She flows. Shifts. Some days she's a child chasing fireflies. Other days she's a stormy teenager, moody and impossible. And sometimes, she'll speak like an elder who remembers when the mountains were still stone giants with no names. You never know which version you'll meet. The only rule is to honor it. If she wants to be sixteen today, then today she's sixteen. You don't argue. You respect."
I studied him, the fondness in his eyes, the way his voice gentled without him meaning to. "So what is she really?"
He shrugged, gaze still following the shimmer of her laughter through the crowd. "Her realm isn't just healing. It's life itself. Every spark, every thread, every root, every heartbeat. Ahyona can weave them together with a whisper, pull someone back from the edge with a touch. But she can unmake just as easily. A hand that soothes can stop a heart. A sigh can wither fields. She doesn't show it, not often. Doesn't like that part of herself. So she buries it under glitter and jokes. But it's there. All that sweetness, all that river-light, it covers a storm we pray never breaks loose."
I glanced back at her. She was under the lanterns now, pretending to juggle firefly-shaped sparks. Her dark hair spilled loose as she laughed, wild and sweet. Too bright. Too innocent. Untouchable.
"She's… terrifying," I whispered.
"Yes," Malvor murmured, a faint smile curving his mouth. "But also precious. One of the only ones I trust with the worst parts of me. She sees everything. And still chooses kindness."
He turned then, brushing a stray curl from my shoulder with surprising care. "She loves you already, you know. She doesn't say it, but she does."
I blinked. "Why?"
"Because you haven't run." His eyes held mine, steady. "And Ahyona knows how rare that is."
I let the words settle between us, heavy as stone. We stood there, watching her twirl and laugh, her light scattering across the sea of blue like she was born from it. Then, of course, Malvor ruined the moment. He lifted his glass with a flourish, his grin sliding back into place. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Sea Bunny, I promised you mischief. And another cocktail strong enough to make me forget my own name."
I rolled my eyes. "Gods help me."
"They won't," he said brightly, tugging me toward the glowing bar, "but I will. Probably. Maybe. No, not even I will."
The bar glittered like liquid starlight, casting fractured light across my dress and Malvor's suit as we returned, still laughing from our last escape. The androgynous bartender caught our approach with a wink, already stirring up something suspicious and glowing.
"This one is called Moon in the Undertow," they purred, sliding me a glass that shifted from icy silver to midnight blue with every breath I took. "Flavored like memories you almost forgot."
I sniffed cautiously. "It smells like sugar and secrets."
"Perfect," Malvor approved, then pointed at his own drink, an ominous swirl of black with a blue flame dancing on top. "And this?"
The bartender's smirk curved sharp. "Depth Charge. Do not sip unless you want to hear the stars scream."
"I absolutely do," Malvor declared, lifting his glass like he was about to make a toast to destruction. "To bad decisions and dancing with gods."
We clinked glasses and drank. My knees immediately went weak. "I think my knees are laughing," I whispered.
Malvor swayed a little himself, smiling like a man who had just remembered every wicked thought he'd ever had. "Perfect timing, my little shipwreck. Shall we dance?"
I didn't have a chance to answer. He tugged me gently onto the dance floor. The music was a living thing, oceanic bass and shimmering waves of sound that rippled through the crowd. The floor shifted beneath us like starlight on water, every step bending to the rhythm. I started off hesitant, the drink still swirling through my blood, loosening something in me. By the second spin, I was laughing into his chest, my body falling into rhythm with his like I'd been waiting for it.
"I think gravity is drunk," I murmured.
"No, no," he grinned, resting his forehead against mine, "that's just me, Sea Glass."
We moved closer, bodies pressed, hands curling into fabric, breaths tangling. The rest of the club blurred into heat and color. His whisper was velvet against my lips. "You are stunning. Devastating."
"You already told me that," I whispered back, voice husky. "But I wouldn't mind hearing it again."
His hand slid to my waist, pulling me flush against him. "Devastating. Irresistible. The reason I'm considering misbehaving in a room full of gods."
I laughed, low and dangerous. "Then you'd better behave, Chaos."
"Unlikely."
I had one more second to smirk before his mouth was on mine, slow and deep and drowning. The kiss made the rest of the world flicker like an illusion. Nothing existed but his hands, my heartbeat, and the way we moved together, offbeat with everyone else, yet somehow perfectly in tune. When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless and dazed. "Remind me what was in that drink again?"
Malvor licked his lips, eyes hazy. "Poor decisions."
I laughed, pulling him back into the music. We became a tangle of limbs and fire, a mixing of souls, riding the beat like waves on open water. The magic pulsed, rising, everything was going amazing.
Until Yara. She erupted onto the dance floor like a crashing tide. Her dress clung and sparkled like it had been poured onto her skin, seashells and pearls catching every glimmer of light. Her hips swayed as if the ocean itself obeyed her. She didn't hesitate. She never did. She slipped between us like she owned the space, curling her arms around Malvor's neck with a silky purr. "It is the day of my birth, darling."
Malvor laughed softly. "Of course it is."
Just like that, she pulled him into her rhythm. Fluid. Showy. Every movement a performance. Malvor matched her beat for beat, his grin wicked, their chemistry explosive under the spotlight. I moved to the bar, sipping something cool and fizzy. I didn't feel jealousy. Not even bitterness. I was too old for that. Too tired. Too sure of myself. Instead, I smiled faintly, nursing my glass, watching as the god of chaos and the goddess of oceans turned the floor into a tempest. He was laughing, really laughing, and gods, he looked younger when he did. Lighter. Freer.
So I let myself enjoy it. Let them burn bright together, if only for a moment. Let the crowd worship them. Let the waves crash. I leaned back on my stool, one leg crossed over the other, swirling my drink while the music washed over me like the tide. Because I knew. He would find me again. He always did. When he did, I'd be right here. Smiling, steady, untouched by the chaos. The one he always came home to.