The car is silent for the rest of the drive to the coast. We park the car is a beach parking spot, and walk to a deserted part of the coastline. When we are sure no one will see us, Damian and I put on our suits.

"Doesn't Lou need a suit?" I ask, concerned. "We don't have a spare, does she have one?"

Damian laughs. "She doesn't need a suit."

I look at him confused as we head back to where Lou is standing at the edge of the surf. Her shoes have disappeared into her pack somewhere. The umbrella that was hooked in an outside pocket has also disappeared, and she has changed from her sundress into a light blue shirt that is just long enough to cover her ass when her arms are down. I look away, I don't want to know if she is wearing underwear.

Damian doesn't seem concerned, so clearly she is going to travel like that. She turns to him and signs something.

He puts his helmet on, and signs something back. Then he shoots me an expectant look. I follow his lead and quickly put my helmet on, then we go through the usual suit checks. He turns back to Lou and signs something while saying, "We are ready, do you want me to carry you into deeper water?"

She nod, and he stoops so she can comfortably sit on his arm then he straightens. He holds her like that, sitting on his arm, and starts walking into the sea. I follow, and notice she is doing her best to not touch the water. When it gets higher, she shifts so she is sitting cross legged on his arm. When the water level reaches above his waste, he pauses and looks at her. She nods, and he drops her in. She doesn't yell or emerge the way I would have from suddenly being dropped in water.

In fact, she doesn't emerge at all.

He keeps walking and soon he is fully underwater too.

I move as quickly as I can to catch up. When I am finally fully submerged, I see Damian signing with a siren several meters ahead. The siren's back is to me, but the hair and shirt are the same. Lou is a siren. That is why she doesn't speak, why she doesn't need a suit. It also explains the knee high boots and umbrella constantly by her side. Any drop of water could turn her back to her true form.

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How can she live with that risk among humans daily? Humans constantly seek water. They drink it, spill it, wash their hands in it, jump in puddles, and dance in the rain. How can she avoid all that water every day.

I knew sirens lived in the human world. They are a first line of defense in finding those with mixed blood who have come into an inheritance. Their thrall can convince a human to rewrite their own memories and convince a young half breed to seek out elders of the race they belong to. Many work with children as a result. But I never thought about the logistic before.

I feel a little stupid for not realizing what she was before. It was all there in plane sight.

While having my little existential crisis, which seem to be happening more and more, I follow them deeper into the water. They seem to turn away from the Mediterranean. I'm sure they know where they are going, but I am confused by the route. "Um, I thought we were heading to Athens?" I ask Damian.

"We are," his voice is tinny over the speakers. "While you were reworking the time calculations, Lou and I decided to take a different route. With everyone after us, we thought it would be safer to use the siren paths to Athens."

"Don't those take us through siren cities? Won't their elders try to stop us?"

"My father has always helped Lo when we needed it. We won't be stopped." And wow, Lou's voice is beautiful. Musical. I understand why she uses it sparingly, I'm amazed she used it now.

"Come on," Damian says, "we are deep enough now. Take her hand and don't let go.This way will be faster. It should put us a day ahead of Remus."

I grab her left hand with both hands. Damian grabs her right the same way. With two powerful strokes of her tail, we are off. It is hard to hold on, I adjust my grip several times to keep from following off. Siren cities fly by as we use siren magic to jump from one to the next. She travels for what feels like hours, but when I check the watch built into my suit is just shy of ten minutes. We stop in the middle of an absolutely enormous unwater city.

"Atlantis" Damian confirms for me. "We are about five minutes away from Athens. You two stay here. I'll go meet our contact and make sure it isn't a trap."

"Is there any way I can convince you to let me come too?" I ask, sure of the answer.

He turns to me, "No. You and Lou need to talk to Poseidon, and convince arrange asylum. If I am not back by tomorrow, have Poseidon show you the lab, video call Vulcan and send the signal without me."

Lou nods, and places a hand firmly on my shoulder when I go to argue further. I turn to her, she looks me dead in the eye and shakes her head. When I turn back, Damian is gone.