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O leen directed the staff and advisors of her kingdom as if she had done it all her life.

Yet, she never gave a harsh word or a stern look.

Her way was a gentle respect for all that made people want to do everything in their power to please her.

Kai was so proud of her, and he knew without a doubt that he’d made the right decision when it came to who should rule Hanupali.

He approached her and raised his hand in greeting.

“How’s my little sister, Queen Oleen, today?” He liked the idea of having a sibling. For his entire life until he’d learned of his origin, he’d been an only child. The thought of his new-found family, especially his sister, brought a smile to his face.

“Honestly, a little overwhelmed. How does one plan their own coronation party?”

“I don’t know, but if anyone can do it, it’s definitely you.”

She laughed but nodded in agreement. With a glance around, she asked, “Where’s Hollyn?”

Kai felt every muscle in his face tense, and he gave a slight shrug before he said, “She went to see Yumia, the Sea Witch. Before she can face her father, Grigori, she’s got to hone her magic skills.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

A deep sigh filled Kai’s chest. “Poseidon insisted I visit Atlantis with him and meet Triton and my other siblings there.” It hit Kai that he had multiple siblings. He just hoped he connected with them as well as he had Oleen.

“So, you let her go off on her own again. I mean, it worked out well the first time but only because Poseidon found her before the raiders could hurt her.”

“No, she wasn’t alone. Poseidon gave up his personal guard, Thian, to guide her and keep her safe.” Kai couldn’t keep the resentment out of his voice.

“Thian? Thian Grand? I hear he’s quite hot. Did you just send your girlfriend off with a starring member of the Thunder Down Under show?”

Kai’s head began to pound. “Please, don’t say that. I trust Hollyn completely, and I have no doubt he will keep her safe.” Yet, something occurred to him. Something he hoped Oleen could clarify about the raider attack.

“Have you ever known the roving raiders to attack one of the food storage warehouses before?”

“What? Has there been an attack?”

For a moment, Kai was concerned that she didn’t know about what had happened. Shouldn’t the queen be the first person to know when the kingdom is under threat?

“Uma and Poseidon called me to a warehouse. Well, to be honest, it looked more like a cave-in by the time I saw it. They said the raiders had taken everything inside and destroyed it.”

Oleen looked thoughtful for a moment. “Where was the warehouse?”

“On the outer rim, right before the drop-off. I thought it was strange that it wasn’t being guarded. That seems like something that would need to be locked up tight with security all around.”

Again, Oleen looked confused. “We didn’t have guards there for one very good reason. We haven’t stored anything in that cave for ages.”

Kai stared at his sister, processing her words, trying to make sure he’d heard her correctly. “Nothing?”

She shook her head back and forth slowly.

“Nothing at all?”

“Not a single thing.”

For several long minutes, Kai tried to make sense of what Oleen was telling him. Could Poseidon and Uma have gotten it wrong? Not likely. Had they been trying to manipulate him? Most likely. For what purpose?

“Alright, Oleen. I need you to be completely honest with me. Do you think they lied to me?”

Her mouth worked and she raised her hands in a shrug. “I can’t say. I would like to think they’d had the best intentions in mind, and I can’t imagine why they would lie.”

Kai had a slight idea. He wouldn’t put it past Uma to try to find some way to keep Kai here.

After all, she’d tried to force him to become the king of Hanupali and marry a princess from another kingdom.

He’d barely been in the underwater city for a day before she’d already pushed her agenda.

Could she have roped Poseidon into her mission to keep him under the water?

“I don’t quite know what to think about it, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t quite give them a heads up that I know the warehouse was a fake.”

“I am so good at pretending. I’ve been doing it for years. What will you do now, though?”

What would he do? Would he go to Atlantis as planned? Would he wait until the time was right and confront Uma and Poseidon? In the end, he knew they wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. But they clearly had an agenda, and he wanted answers.

“For now, I’m going to say goodbye to you and Hanupali City.”

“But I don’t want you to leave. And won’t Hollyn come back here?”

“Oh, I’ll be back, but I need some information first. There’s only one way I can get that. I have to go to Atlantis with Poseidon.”

“What do you hope to learn there?”

Kai pulled his sister into a hug and held her tightly in his arms before pulling back. “The limits of what I can do. I need to be ready to fight with Hollyn. I need to face who I am so that I can be who I need to become.”

She squeezed his hands. “Then, go, but you are always welcome here, and I expect you to come back. You’re the only brother I’ve got, and I don’t want to lose my first, true ally.”

“Deal. I love that I have a sister, but especially one I click with as well as I do with you. I’ll return, and I’ll always have your back.”

“You really are the big brother I always wanted.”

“And you’re a better sister than I deserve.”

With one last hug, Kai turned to leave. He needed answers about what was going on, and the only way he could do that was to play along for now. For now.