Page 9 of Storm and Sea (Storm and Sea Saga #1)

T he smell of fish, salt, and sweat filled Atreus’s nose as he lifted the heavy chum barrels from the dock and onto the bobbing boats.

“That should do, boys. Thank you,” the toothless fisherman hollered, his boat puttering away.

Atreus took the moment to wipe sweat from his brow with the hem of his shirt. Luckily, his own perspiration didn’t trigger the change. Summer was upon them, and the humid air wrapped around him like a second skin he couldn’t shed. But he liked the work—no, he loved it. The burn in his arms, the strain in his back—it was proof that what he was doing mattered. That it meant something.

“Dante’s boat is coming in,” another worker hollered. Their brief moment of reprieve was over when Dante’s boat docked, and they began unloading his catch.

“Any luck?” Atreus asked, lifting the lighter-than-usual barrel.

“As you can see, no. Not a good start to the season.” Dante sighed, his sunburnt nose peeling. “And I was up by the rocks. That’s usually good fishin’.”

“Next run will be better,” Atreus encouraged but knew it’d likely end with the same disappointing result. After unloading the catch and resupplying the boat with chum, Dante was off again.

This went back and forth as boats docked, unloaded, and went out for another run. All of them returned with light catches, and the poor yield caused many to anchor down for the day, unable to afford the fuel to make another trip into the bay.

Atreus knew them all by name, both the boats and the men driving them. The same faces, but more lined now. Many had their sons aboard, teaching them the ways of the water. Yet even with young, eager faces, the air was solemn. This would be another short season, another hungry winter.

A bull horn sounded from the edge of the bay. The industrial fishing giants were only a speck on the horizon. The horn’s vibrating boom was meant for them, a reminder of where their life source was going. Many of the men cursed at the dot in the distance. Others made rude hand gestures.

Atreus looked ashore to the only thing that could distract him from the darkening atmosphere. Nyel worked at a long metal table, sorting the barrels of fish in carefully marked bins. This was the job Atreus tasked him with, the one farthest from the water. Atreus spent years mastering how to walk along the ever-rocking deck without getting splashed. Just this morning, he watched Nyel almost stick his hand under the stream of a small fountain before Atreus snatched his wrist away.

“Oops,” Nyel said, “forgot.”

Atreus was going to have a heart attack. But despite the grisly and smelly work, Nyel didn’t complain about his task. Sure, he shoved some twisted newspaper in his nostrils, but he worked hard.

“Friend of yours?” asked a voice behind the adjacent barrel.

“Not really. But he’s my problem, in a manner of speaking—Leo!” Atreus nearly dropped the barrel of sardines at the sight of his best friend.

“Took you long enough. I’ve been standing here for ten minutes.”

“Sorry, I was distra—I wasn’t expecting—what are you doing here?” Thick white bandages looped around Leo’s head, flattening his bright blond curls. “You shouldn’t be lifting that.”

“Ugh, you sound like that pretty boy doctor,” Leo said, lifting the heavier of the two barrels.

He was the same height as Atreus, though narrower in the shoulders. Atreus didn’t like the way his tan skin lacked its usual glow.

“He probably has good reason for telling you to take it easy,” Atreus said, lifting his barrel with ease.

“I’m fine. Anyway, Dad told me you needed some help at the docks, so I came right over,” he said, then added, “And tell Giovanni thank you. For the food.”

Atreus nodded. “So the Vino Rosso …”

“Gone,” Leo said shortly, “she’s completely sunk.”

“There is no chance of getting her back? Signore Cicco has a crane mounted to his boat. We could try?—”

“No.” Leo cut him off. “After that storm, she’s gone. The tide probably dragged her along the sandbank, where she’s likely stuck in the rocks.”

“I’m sorry,” Atreus said, but it didn’t feel like enough. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from pressing his friend: “Why didn’t you wait for me, Leo?” he said on an exhale, “I could have helped.”

Leo snorted and genuinely sounded amused. “You? On a boat? You’re kidding, right?” He laughed louder than necessary. “Oh, I can only imagine it, Gatto on the sea.”

“Laugh all you want; you know I’d do it for you,” Atreus said, shaking his head at the nickname. One he’d earned for his obvious ‘fear of water’ and ‘severe lack of swimming skills.’

“I know,” Leo said, dropping the barrel with a grunt. “That’s what makes you a good friend.” He looked like he was about to say more when his attention caught like a fish on a hook on something up the hill.

Atreus followed his gaze to where Nyel sorted through the last boat’s catch, dropping one of the slippery bodies. Shaking his head, Atreus was about to tell him off when he paused, noticing Leo’s expression. His best friend’s eyes were glazed over, and color rushed to his cheeks.

“Who’s that?” Leo asked breathlessly. “He’s… really cute.”

“Cute?” Atreus asked with a raised brow.

Leo shook himself, falling out of his trance. He put on his usual cocky grin. “You know.” He waved a hand. “Like a puppy or something. Anyway, who is he?”

“No one,” Atreus said, trying to turn away, but Leo caught his arm.

“Nuh uh, you aren’t running from this. You make a new friend all on your own, Gatto ?” He pretended to get choked up before wiping an imaginary tear from his eyes. “My Atreus is all grown up. Making friends all by himself.”

“Shut up.” Atreus hit his arm.

“No, but seriously, who is it?”

“I told you no one?—”

“Hey!” Leo called, catching Nyel’s attention. “I’m Leo! ”

Atreus rubbed his temple heavily; he was getting a headache. Nyel approached cautiously, eyes darting from Atreus to Leo.

“Relax, I don’t bite,” Leo said, flashing his award-winning white smile. “What’s your name?”

“Uh… I’m Nyel,” he said, sounding ridiculous because of the newspaper stuffed into his nose.

“Nell?”

He pulled the wads from his nose, sniffling as his airway cleared. “Nyel.”

“Ah. Well, It’s nice to finally meet a friend of Atreus. He hasn’t stopped talking my ear off about you.”

“Really?” Nyel asked, and Atreus hated how a hopeful smile played on his lips.

“Oh, sure. It’s not every day that this stick in the mud brings a new face around. You must be something special.”

“Um. I guess you could call us friends.”

Atreus’s chest gave a guilty twist. He hadn’t been nice to Nyel; he knew that. But there was too much at stake, too great a risk. He couldn’t afford to relax.

Still, that doesn’t mean I have to be an ass.

“I’m sorry about your boat,” Nyel offered with a sincere frown.

Leo stiffened a moment. “Nothing we can’t figure out. It’ll work out; it always does.”

Atreus didn’t miss the way his smile faltered at the end. The air grew awkward for a moment before Leo broke the stillness, his voice cheerful if not a bit strained.

“So, Nyel, how long are you staying? Will you still be here for the Baia Festival?”

“No,” Atreus answered for him. “Sorry, we have other plans.”

“Awww, come on, Gatto . You said that last year. I swear I’ll drag you there myself. We’re totally going.”

“What’s a festival?” Nyel asked .

Atreus shot him his best ‘shut up’ look but recognized the determined set to Nyel’s jaw.

“What’s the Baia Festival? It’s only the best event of the year!” Leo said like an announcer might to a crowd. “Food, music, dancing, games—you name it.”

Nyel’s eyes grew brighter with every word. “I want to go.”

“We can’t make it,” Atreus repeated.

“Don’t be like that, Gatto . The three of us would have an amazing time. And that way, when Gloria Lorenzo invites me as her date, I have an actual excuse,” he said, shivering at the girl’s name. “She’s been laying hints about as subtly as a lumberjack.”

“Who?” Nyel asked.

“Just a girl who won’t get off my tail. Been trying to let her down easy, but the ladies can’t resist this face,” he said, striking a cocky pose.

Atreus rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh, sure. You keep telling yourself that.”

“Bringing a date is basically sentencing you to the gossip mill. I’ll be avoiding that like the plague, thank you very much,” Leo scoffed.

“I’m confused. Isn’t a date a marker of the day?” Nyel asked with a quirked brow.

Leo laughed. “Good one, but no. It’s not that kind of date. A date is someone you’re interested in. You know, getting all romantic with. Being lovey-dovey until you make everyone around you sick,” he said with a face like he’d swallowed an oyster that turned.

Nyel’s brow pinched. “Do you have to bring one?”

“No. But my mom wants me to get serious. Says I’m plenty old enough to start thinking about a family. As though I don’t already have enough on my plate.” Leo said, his charm cracking for the second time.

Nyel nodded. “Yeah. I get that.”

Atreus was about to ask Nyel what he meant but decided against it in front of Leo. Instead, he turned to his best friend. “If your mom wants you to date so badly, why not bring Marina? She likes you well enough.”

“No way. If I even look at her the wrong way, my family will never let me hear the end of it. You know how close our dads are.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Atreus asked.

“Speak of the red-headed devil,” Leo said, spreading his arms wide as Marina jogged to them, red hair bouncing. “What’s up, curly-q?”

She snorted. “Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think, Leo? How’s the head?”

Leo knocked on it with his knuckles. “Hard as ever.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she said before turning to Atreus and Nyel. “Are you two ready to go?”

“Go where?” Atreus asked.

“I promised to show Nyel around town. You guys are almost done, right?”

Nyel looked at Atreus hopefully.

“No. Still have stuff to do,” he said, turning away.

“Oh, stop being such a wet blanket, Gatto . We only have one boat left. I got this. You guys go,” Leo said with a wave.

“You shouldn’t be here at all. I’ll do it.” Atreus said stubbornly.

“Well, if that’s the last boat, why don’t I get a head start with Nyel, and you two finish up?” Marina offered. She took Nyel’s arm. “Come on, there is so much to see.”

“No!” Atreus shouted, making everyone jump. He couldn’t let Nyel out of his sight—not for a single minute. What if Nyel stuck his hand in a fountain? What if he spilled a drink himself? What if it rained? Atreus cleared his throat, “I mean… he can’t…”

“Go already.” Leo said, “I got this.”

Atreus hated leaving his work unfinished, but with both Marina and Nyel’s puppy eyes on him, he had no choice .

“Fine.”

“Nice to meet you, Nyel; I’ll see you at the festival,” Leo said with a wink before turning to the dock.

“Onward!” Marina cheered, leading them to the main square.

With most of the day’s work finished for the people of Baia Vita, the streets grew lively as children, no longer tethered to chores, spilled out to run and play. A few kicked a football around while others raced up and down the steep cobbled streets on rusted bikes. Voices carried across the square as people milled about, creating a comforting ambiance that put Atreus’s worried mind at ease.

Marina showed Nyel everything from the cafés to the general markets. Atreus noticed she only showed Nyel the stores still owned by islanders, deliberately skipping over the chain stores with their flashy neon lights.

“Oh, and this is the heart of Baia Vita. Isn’t she gorgeous?” Marina awed, stopping a few feet from the island’s famous marble fountain.

Nyel’s head tilted to the side, trying to make sense of the sculpture—the half-woman, half-fish creature that represented what humans believed to be a Mer. Nyel’s hand clapped over his mouth, stifling a laugh as Marina continued to admire the statue’s beauty.

Atreus caught his eye, understanding passing between them. All at once, Atreus couldn’t hold it in and burst into a fit of laughter. Nyel lost his composure with him, and they laughed until their stomachs hurt. Atreus had wanted to laugh with someone over the ludicrous fountain for years. Until now, he’d never had anyone to share it with.

A weight lifted in his chest, replaced with a feeling like birds taking to the sky.

“What’s so funny?” Marina asked, grinning despite not getting the joke.

“Nothing, nothing,” Atreus waved but couldn’t help catching Nyel’s gaze again. The gold flecks in his eyes shone like sea glass in the dimming orange glow of sunset.

An unfamiliar warmth spread through Atreus’s chest. It trickled from his heart and settled in his stomach. It took him a moment to make sense of it. But at last, as they recovered from their inside joke, he settled on what it must be. It was the quiet relief of being seen. For the first time in his life, there was someone like him.

Someone who understood.

Nyel smashed into his life like a crashing wave, unsettling everything Atreus had built and causing enough stress to streak his hair gray. But he’d also offered something Atreus never had before.

“Don’t get too attached.

He won’t be around long.”

The voice whispered from a forgotten corner. The sound of it wiped the smile off Atreus’s face almost instantly. He should have agreed with it. Every logical part of him screamed to get rid of Nyel as soon as possible. It was the safest thing to do. But for the first time, Atreus was tempted to keep him around.

“He’ll leave you.”

The disembodied sound reared its ugly head. The words slithered to the forefront of his mind, curling around his insecurities and squeezing tight.

“They always do.”

Shut up .

“When he finally sees you for the

freak you really are, he’ll walk away

without a second thought.”

It spoke with a cruel certainty, dredging up every memory of loss, every scar left by those who had walked away before. Atreus’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt.

I know.