Sworn to a Demigod

Ava looked out at the horizon as they sailed toward their destination. A mountain on a strip of land grew with every stroke, bathed in the golden rays of the setting sun. She knew this was where she would find her husband.

Ava had spent many years yearning for the comfort of a man in her life. She wanted to be married more than anything in the world, and now she was so close to her heart's desire, she felt she could reach out and hold it in her palm. 

Soon, they arrived on the old Greek island and were welcomed by a small fishing village. The locals spoke little English but were friendly enough. Several of them pointed to the abandoned pier across the beach surrounded by jagged rocks. They were warned to avoid sailing too close; apparently, there had been sightings of a beastly man lurking near the shoreline. One who was most unfriendly.

Ava held her breath with anticipation. The fear in their eyes was as clear as day, but it did not stop her from having hope. Soon, she would meet her husband.

A part of her wondered if he might take one glance at her and become dismissive. What if he did not find her pleasing? 

She cast the worry aside. She had spent her whole life observing people and found herself most interested in lovers. She watched silently as her crewmates walked hand in hand, oblivious of her presence. She heard the muffled oohs and ahhs they made at night. And she envied the way the men looked at their wives. 

She longed to have that too.

When they eventually reached the shoreline, they saw him—a hulking figure with muscles like tree trunks and eyes that glinted in anger. 

When the ship approached the beach, the monstrosity of a man swaggered forward, thick arms swaying, and scowled deeply at them all.

Ava's eyes landed on Hercules for the very first time and her stomach knotted. He was a beast of a man—strong, rippling muscles from head to toe. He wore nothing but a tiny pair of cotton shorts, and his thighs bulged out of them.

His dark eyes landed on her, and she wondered if he might smile. He did not. Their boat slid onto the sand, drawing to a halt. Ava climbed out of the boat and turned to face a man who towered over her, his breaths coming out hot and heavy.

"Who are you to disrupt my peace?" he growled, his hands balling into fists.

Captain Stone and Prince Edward brandished their weapons and made to move forward, but Georgette raised a hand and stepped up to Hercules instead. It was she who eased the tension. She bowed low, gesturing for the others to follow her.

Ava curtsied, smiling shyly at the man, but he did not look in her direction again. Her chest grew tight. "We have been sent by the goddess Isis to beseech your help, great Hercules," Georgette said, straightening slowly. "Are you he?"

The man crossed his arms across his broad chest and smiled for the first time. His skin shone like he was covered from head to toe in olive oil, and his complexion was a beautiful caramel shade as it reflected the sunlight. He threw his head back and laughed. His thick, dark hair shook with the effort. "Isis sent you? Then I hope you brought me the gift she promised all those years ago." 

"Indeed," Serena said, gesturing to Ava. 

Ava stepped forward. “It is my honor and privilege to be your wife,” she said, just as she had rehearsed with Isis so many times before.

Hercules hummed so low the ground vibrated beneath Ava’s feet. His penetrating stare moved up and down her body. Then he grumbled something inaudible and walked away.

“Do not follow me if you want to keep your heads,” he shouted over his shoulder.

The group watched the demigod walk into a cave. When he was gone, Captain Stone sighed. “Well, that did not go as planned.”

Ava hugged herself, the sting of rejection burning at her insides.

Serena nudged her. “Do not worry. Men are fickle beings. Demigods are even more so. I am certain he is just tired. We shall try again when he returns.”

“I do not think I please him. Am I not pleasing to look at?” Ava asked, worried.

Captain Stone and Prince Edward started to argue, but both of them promptly went quiet under the furious stares of their wives.

“Let us make camp. Serena, I have a favor to ask of you,” Georgette said. Prince Edward and Captain Stone busied themselves collecting wood from the boat to make a fire. Serena and Georgette huddled further down the beach.

Ava pretended not to listen, but she tucked her hair behind her ear so that she might hear their conversation more clearly.

“I know you hate me,” Georgette began. Serena scoffed.

“I do not hate you. I simply do not like you,” she said.

Georgette sighed. “All right. But we are about to embark on a hazardous journey. We will face unworldly creatures, and I was hoping you could teach me how to use my siren powers.”

Ava snorted, and the two women looked at her. She turned away, blushing. After a pause, Serena spoke up. “No. You do not need to know them. Besides, it took me years to conjure a simple handkerchief. From what I have heard, you already mastered the art of healing.”

Georgette sucked in a breath. “Please, Serena. I need a way to protect Mannington that does not involve me watching him die every time. My soul cannot bear it.”

Serena made a noise to say she was thinking about it.

“How much do you love him?” she asked.

“Is that a sincere question? Is it not obvious how earnest my affections are for him? I would give my life for him.”

“Would you give your immortality?” Serena said.

Ava’s heart jolted. Before a second thought could change her mind, she ran to the two women.

“Serena, you cannot be thinking—” she started.

Serena shrugged. “Why not?”

Ava dragged her hands through her hair. “It is forbidden magic, Serena. With unknown consequences.”

Georgette frowned, looking from Serena to Ava like she was following a tennis match.

“What is this forbidden magic you speak of? Is it the same Isis spoke of?”

Ava nodded. “Serena and Prince Edward practiced a binding ritual.”

Georgette looked over her shoulder at the two men moving around on the boat, then turned back to meet Ava’s pointed look. “What does a binding ritual do?”

Serena held up her palm to show the light scar. “You combine blood. He is part siren, and I am part human.”

Georgette made a sound of amazement. “Will you do it for us?”

Before Serena could reply, Ava grabbed Georgette by the shoulders. “Please, do not do this. I shall teach you how to enhance your powers. I am sure you will pick it up quickly.”

But Georgette was looking at Serena with eyes wide and full of hope. “Will you do it, Serena?” she asked again.

“Please! Think about this!” Ava said, shaking Georgette. “You are sacrificing your immortality. One day, you shall die!”

Georgette shrugged. “Last year, I thought I was human and expected to die one day. In any case, I would rather live one full life with my husband than exist for an eternity alone.”

Ava let Georgette go. Her words had cut deeper than she could ever know.

“Do what you will,” Ava said.

She kept a distance as Serena performed the ritual. Captain Stone and Georgette knelt before her like a bride and a groom.

Ava winced and turned away when they made the cuts. She tried to block out the sounds of their chants as they performed the forbidden ritual.

She focused instead on the mouth of the cave, her heart fluttering faster than the wings of a hummingbird.

When she could no longer bear it, she stood and headed for the cave, knowing that the two pairs of lovers would be too caught up in their sacred activity to notice her absence.

At the entrance, she peered inside the dark cave and listened for Hercules. All that she could pick up on was the steady inhale and exhale of a person sleeping.

Ava curled her hands into fists at the humiliation of coming all this way, only to be rejected at first glance. Her body trembled with terrible fury, and she boldly strode forward.

When she rounded a corner, the cave opened up. A gust of ice-cold air blasted her, and a candle flickered to her left.

Hercules lay face down, fast asleep on a bed far too small for him.

Angry and disappointed, Ava marched forward and poked his back. He slept on, blissfully unaware of her presence.

Ava pranced around, pretending to be in distress. She shrieked at an imaginary spider. She pretended to trip and twist her ankle.

When Hercules did not stir from his sleep, she let out a scream as though a savage beast had entered the cave.

Still, Hercules slept on.

Frustrated and even more humiliated, Ava turned into her most terrifying form and let out a bloodcurdling scream. She clawed at Hercules’s back, screaming at him and unleashing decades of disappointment.

Finally, Hercules jolted awake, his face flushed with color. He sat up, panting.

When his focus rested on her, Ava calmed enough to return to her human form. She placed her hands on her hips, her blood still boiling.

“I have waited over one hundred years to be married. I have never been with a man. Not a kiss or a hand-hold, not even a hug. Isis promised me a husband who would give me great satisfaction. And after waiting so long, you reject me? No, sir. You do not reject me, I reject you!”

She summoned her deepest scowl, shook a fist at him, and then swiveled to walk out. But quick as a flash, the candle blew out, thrusting her into darkness. She stopped. Then a heavy hand clutched her waist and she felt hot breath on her neck.

“Ava. It has been more than a century since the last time I felt this alive,” Hercules said. His voice was like honey, drenching her senses in sickly-sweet warmth.

“I am sorry to have disappointed you, my lady,” he continued. This time, his breath tickled her other ear as he moved around her. A flood of tingles set off a chain reaction in Ava’s body as his fingertips grazed her arms.

“You will have to forgive me, for I have been alone for more than two centuries. I did not know my error.”

“Then you accept me?” Ava asked.

Hercules growled, dragging Ava’s hair away from her neck. She nearly fainted at the touch. Her senses were running wild, and her imagination concocted all kinds of scandalous things she expected Hercules to do next. They were alone in a dark cave, after all. She had admitted she was his virgin bride. What was he going to do about it?

As though he had heard her thoughts, Hercules’s hand left her body. Ava shivered at the absence of his warmth. Candlelight filled the cave once more, illuminating Hercules’s big intense eyes. He was not looking at her face. His gaze traveled over her body. This time, he looked at her with more care and attention.

“I accept Isis’s gift. What ludicrous mission has she got in mind?” he asked.

Ava led Hercules back to the beach, where the others were sat beside a roaring campfire. Everyone jumped to their feet as he approached, and Hercules raised his palms. “Forgive my rudeness earlier. I am not accustomed to having company,” he said. Then he wrapped an arm around Ava and squeezed her waist.

“Tell me about this quest.”

Ava sucked in a deep breath. “There are nine burial sites. Each one is guarded by a monster. We need to retrieve all of the bones of Osiris and return them to Isis.”

“Ah,” he said, grubbing his chin in thought.

“So, will you lead us?” Serena asked. Hercules looked at the faces watching him and gave them all a grim look.

“Are you prepared to die for this mission?”

“Yes,” everyone replied in unison.

Hercules shrugged. “Then I will lead you.”

Excitement and anticipation grew as everyone started to talk in whispers. Hercules walked toward the sea, then waved his broad arms in a circular motion. A portal opened up in thin air.

Georgette looked from the portal to Hercules to the group around her. “We’re going now?” she asked, incredulous.

Hercules looked back at her with a smirk.

“Oh, no. Not yet. We need supplies. Weapons. And I will not go anywhere without my golden mace.”

Captain Stone frowned. “Where is it?”

Hercules jabbed his thumb toward the blue portal, then grabbed Ava by the hand. “My wife and I need to pay my uncle a visit.”

There was a measured silence, then Prince Edward asked the question on all of their minds. “Who is your uncle?”

Hercules saluted them, tugging Ava to the edge of the portal.

“Hades,” he said. 

Ava’s heart lunged as they fell through.

Ava, the oldest daughter of Isis and Poseidon, yearns for love above all else. But when she's betrothed to the formidable and brooding hero, Hercules, she begins to question her fate.

Sent as a gift from Isis, Ava is tasked with marrying Hercules and convincing him to help our heroes on a treacherous journey to collect a valuable treasure. Only then will Isis agree to negotiate and order her sirens to stop attacking men. But with each treasure guarded by a magical monster, success will require the combined skills and bravery of our heroes, along with the help of Captain Stone, Georgette, Serena, and Prince Edward.

As they set out on their adventure, Hercules is dark and uncompromising, but Ava discovers a beautiful soul beneath his tough exterior, tortured by his past. Will Ava be able to bring Hercules out of his shell and find true love with him? And what will happen if they succeed on their mission? Find out in the heart-pumping and romantic third book of the Romancing the Seas series. Don't wait, start reading now!