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Psamanthe's voice in Lena's head had been perfectly friendly the whole time they were together, but a chill touched Lena's soul. After all, gods and goddesses were not famous for their kindness.

The seal regarded Lena, cocking her head. "Surely you do not deny your own ambivalence, young supplicant. Observe the cumbersome cloak, still hanging from your shoulders. If your desire to live in the sea were stronger, you would have stripped it off by now. And what of this?" The seal swam close to Lena's ankle, her whiskers tickling the skin of her foot. "This braid is a human memento. You wear it still because you have not fully embraced this life."

Lena reached down and touched the yarn around her ankle and, for an instant, saw a human girl's face in her mind.

"I have enjoyed meeting you, Lena. No human has sought my favor in more than a century. But as I am unable to grant any wish for you, I must take my leave."

"You don't live here?"

The seal chuckled and rolled. "No, I reside among the humans now. It's far more comfortable. But I will be here whenever you decide to make a formal request." Psamanthe slid fluidly out of the water, and when Lena raised her eyes above the surface, the goddess stood on the sand in her human form again.

"That was refreshing," she said, shaking water out of her short hair. "It has been far too long since I enjoyed my seal form." She pulled on her clothes and came close to the edge of the water. "Selena."

Lena nodded, eyes wide.

"The problem is not that you must choose between the two worlds." For the first time, a gentle note came into the goddess's voice. "The problem is that you feel like an outsider in both worlds."

They stared at each other, then Psamanthe said, "Choose wisely."

She slid on her sandals and walked out of sight.

Lena watched her go, then sank beneath the surface. Lorelei and Havfine rushed to her side.

No one spoke for a long moment.

Then Lorelei burst out, "That was unbelievable! I thought Psamanthe dwelt in her cavern at all times, but of course! She is a goddess. She would have riches and a human dwelling and—"

Lena turned to Havfine and said, "I need your dagger."

He was staring at Lorelei, so it took him a second to absorb Lena's words. "What?"

"Please, may I borrow your dagger?"

Havfine unsheathed his ivory blade and handed it to her, hilt first.

Lena reached down and sliced through the braid around her ankle, letting the bits of yarn float away. It's not an offering, she thought. It's a promise.

***

Brian told the lie so many times he almost believed it: "Lena has gone on a trip with her grandmother." The neighbors, the school, even his co-workers. He knew her friends were upset because Lena didn't answer their calls or messages. But he did not have the energy to craft a more convincing lie for them.

Since he could not look into his son's face and lie to him, Brian asked Allie to do it. She told the tale very plainly, but still Cole asked every day, "When is Lena coming home?"

CHAPTER 44

You feel like an outsider in both worlds.

Lena swam ahead of Lorelei and Havfine, those words as painful as the sting of a jellyfish. She didn't even try to Cloud her mind, so the source of her agitation was clear to Lorelei and Havfine.

When she could no longer tell which direction was the right way home, Havfine took the lead, touching her shoulder as he passed by. Lorelei stayed by Lena's side but did not attempt to speak to her. Instead she hummed a wordless melody that somehow calmed Lena's thoughts.

As they reached the village, Lena saw Merrow and Amphitrite dining with several of their grandchildren. She saw Fossegrim playing his flute, leading a number of children in a wiggly dance around the circle of stones. She saw her mother sitting with Nereus and Iona and another mermaid—she thought her name might be Sedna—sipping kelp juice while they talked.

I want to belong here, she thought.

Nereus glanced up and saw them. "Ah, the wanderers return."