By the time I—and Goliath—refuel on oxygen, enough fish surround us to fill a swimming pool from top to bottom. Some jump out of the water. Some nibble at my toes. Some swim through my legs or between me and Galen.

They follow us until we reach shore. There are so many fish flitting in the shallow water that the surface looks like it’s getting pelted with rain. We sit on the beach and watch them play. When the seagulls start to take notice though, self-preservation wins over curiosity, and my fan club dwindles.

“So,” I say, turning to Galen.

“So,” he returns.

“You said I’m special. How special am I?”

He takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. “Very.”

“How long have you known I’m a fish whisperer?” He doesn’t get my joke. But at least he understands what I’m asking.

“Remember when I told you Dr. Milligan saw you at the Gulfarium?”

I nod. “You said he recognized my eye color and thought I might be one of you.”

Galen rubs his neck, won’t look me in the eyes. “That’s pretty much true. Your eye color was significant. Especially since Syrena aren’t supposed to be consorting with humans.” He grins. “But he really got excited about the way you interacted with the animals there. He said you bonded with them. All of them.”

I gasp. Not just my imagination then. Not a fluke. I’d convinced myself the animals were trained to be friendly to visitors. But didn’t I notice they weren’t friendly to everyone? Didn’t I notice they seemed to single me out, pay me exclusive attention? Yes, I noticed. I just didn’t acknowledge that it meant anything. Why would I? What does it mean? And why didn’t Galen tell me this before? “You kept it from me. Why? Does Toraf know? And Rayna? And how can I talk to fish, Galen? Especially when you can’t? And if Dr. Milligan saw me doing it at the Gulfarium, then I could do it before I hit my head. What does that mean? What does any of it mean?”

He chuckles. “Which question do you want me to answer first?”

“Why did you keep it from me?”

“Because I wanted to let you adjust to the fact that you’re not human. You have to admit, it would be a lot to try to absorb all at one time.”

I nibble on that for a minute. I detect some BS in there somewhere, but what can I say to that? He’s right, even if he is lying. I nod. “I guess that makes sense. So what about Toraf and Rayna. Do they know?”

“Toraf does. Rayna doesn’t. And by the way, if you want everyone to know your personal business, just tell Rayna.”

“Why don’t you want her to tell other Syrena about me?”

“Because what you have is a gift of the Generals. The Gift of Poseidon. So technically, you’re my enemy.”

I nod without understanding. “Yeah. No.”

He laughs. “When the generals made their peace agreement all those millennia ago, they made provisions for the Syrena in the form of certain gifts that would ensure their survival. Each house has a different gift. Yours shows that you’re of the house of Poseidon.”

“Is that why you make me get out of the water when you sense someone close? Because you could get in trouble for hanging out with me?”

He nods, thoughtful. “You could get into trouble, too. Don’t forget, your house sits on the shore of Triton territory.”

So we’re enemies. The battle in his mind isn’t between good and evil. It’s between the house of Triton and the house of Poseidon. Which I couldn’t possibly care about. But I can’t change who I am and neither can he. If he won’t kiss me because I’m of the Poseidon house, do I really want him to anyway? Yep, yep, I do.

Since I’ve inched myself to the verge of blushing with thoughts of kissing Galen, I decide on more neutral questions to keep the heat at bay. “But how does talking to fish ensure our survival?” Did I just say “our”?

Galen clears his throat. “Well … whoever has the Gift of Poseidon can ensure that we always have something to eat.”

Swallowing the instant bile, I shake my head. “You’re saying that I can talk to fish … to kill them … and eat them.…”

Galen nods. “I mean, you might not have to ever use your gift for that. Right now, we’ve got plenty to eat. But I think the generals must have anticipated the humans overstepping their boundaries and invading the waters. I think eventually, maybe as soon as decades from now, we’ll need the Gift of Poseidon in order to feed ourselves.”

I hope I don’t look as sick as I feel. “The generals couldn’t have picked a worse candidate for that Gift!” Holding my stomach doesn’t stop it from churning. I can’t imagine befriending Goliath and then leading him to the Syrena to be eaten. But I also can’t imagine letting Galen or Toraf starve. Probably not Rayna either. It’s time to introduce my new friends to the world of pizza.…

“The generals are dead, Emma. They didn’t pick you. It’s a gift passed through bloodlines. Dr. Milligan calls it genetics.”

Genetics means that my parents really aren’t my parents. I know Galen has thought this all along, but I still can’t accept it. I also can’t completely shun the possibility either. Especially after I just conducted a symphony of fish. How would I even start that conversation with my mom? “So, Galen thinks you’ve been lying to me for the past eighteen years.” Even if I didn’t say it directly, that’s what it amounts to. And when she asks where I’d get an idea like that? “Well, I recently discovered I can hold my breath for almost two hours and tell fish what to do. I couldn’t help but notice that you can’t.” Yeah, not happening. There’s got to be some other way.… “Hey!” I almost shout, startling Galen. “Isn’t that Rachel’s specialty? Finding out stuff ? She could investigate where I came from.”