Chapter 221 - Odd Friends

Zakynthos Islands 1821: Three years later

"You have to come next week! It's my fourteenth birthday and you're literally the first friend I've made outside the palace!" Cam persisted as she followed Jos through the town, ignoring the strange and distasteful looks the townspeople sent her. She caught the other girl's hand and tugged her to a stop. When aqua eyes met hers, she puffed out her bottom lip pleadingly. "Jos, please! You have to come."

Jos let out a huffed breath as she rolled her eyes. "Cam, I'd love to go but look around. The wolves hate me. I wouldn't be welcome." She turned and began walking again until Cam's grip tugged her to a stop once again. She met the wide blue sad puppy eyes staring back at her. Letting out an exasperated breath, she added. "It's not like I don't want to go... it's just that I know I'll not be welcome, and I don't want to bring you any undue stress on your birthday." She tilted her head at the still pouting girl. "How about we have our own celebration?" She fumbled with her dress with her free hand. "You could come to my home... It's not much..." She gave a chuckle. "It's not even really a home comparatively but..."

Cam's face lit up. "Really? that would be great! When?"

Jos laughed. "You did hear the part where it's not much, right? Like I live in a cave... more or less..." Jos looked away in embarrassment.

Cam squeezed Jos's hand tighter as she bounced up and down. "I don't care what you live in I'm simply excited you are finally willing to let me get to know you more after all this time."

Jos frowned, her eyes moving to the ring on her finger. "I'm sorry. It's nothing against you... It's just... I don't have a good track record when it comes to letting people in..."

Cam tilted her head as she stepped closer to Jos, really studying the young girl's face for the first time. "Jos... how old are you?" Cam asked.

Jos's wide eyes shot up to the girl. "How old?" She stammered.

Cam nodded. "I've known you three years now and you haven't changed at all. You speak as if you're an old lady that has already lived, loved, and lost more times than I could ever imagine..." She placed a hand on the girl's thin shoulder. "You're not human, are you? That's why the townspeople look at you oddly and why you refuse to come to the palace..." When the girl wouldn't meet Cam's eyes, Cam continued on. "Jos, it's alright. Whatever you are, it doesn't change the fact that we are friends. I don't care what you are or how old you are... or where you live."

Jos finally forced herself to meet Cam's questioning eyes. "Do you really want to know?" Cam nodded eagerly causing Jos to swallow hard. "Alright... Do you have plans this afternoon?"

Cam shook her head. "No, not really. As long as I'm back for dinner it should be fine."

Jos nodded. "If... If you would like to come back to my home with me today, I can explain on the way and show you a few things..."

Cam became giddy. "That would be amazing!"

Jos led Cam through the town in a new direction. Once the last building of the town was far enough behind them, Jos let out a long breath. "You're right... I'm not human, and I'm not the age I appear to be."

Cam nodded. "I assumed as much. So how old are you?"

Jos shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure... I was raised by sirens. They didn't really have the same idea of time as the majority of the world. I didn't really start tracking the years that passed until sometime after I left them."

Cam's eyes were wide with wonder. "How long ago was that?"

Jos laughed glancing over at her friend. "Over 2000 years ago..." Jos could feel her cheeks heat at the admittance.

Cam's eyes bugged. "Really? But you look... well younger than me lately!"

Jos nodded. "Yes... This form is easier to maintain. It requires less sustenance and exerts the most energy. It's also easier to attract less attention this way."

Cam's brows furrowed as she tilted her head and studied Jos closer. "So, what exactly are you?"

Jos blew out a puff of air. "Isn't it enough to leave it at being raised by sirens?"

"Can I see your other forms?" Cam asked in curiosity.

Jos sent her a skeptical look. "Most forms I take involve a human likeness at whatever age I find most effective for the situation. It's not much different than this one, really. And trust me, you don't want to see my other form."

Cam scrunched her brows together. "I really would, though!" She let out a sad huff. "But I understand if you don't like it. It took me a while to adjust to the thought of being a wolf." She shrugged. "I guess I may get more used to it the more I shift..."

Jos smiled at the opportunity to shift the conversation away from herself. "How long have you been able to shift?"

Cam frowned. "Only about a year now and it's still hard to without being emotional especially outside the fuller moon cycles. What about you?"

Jos let her eyes travel out over the path ahead of them. "The majority of my full shifts have been forced on me. I've only ever partially shifted on my own."

Cam's mouth fell agape. "In over 2000 years you've only ever partially shifted?!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Jos nodded sadly. "Not all shifted forms are helpful. Some are horrible and without control over them really bad things can happen."

"Well, now I'm even more intrigued!" Cam exclaimed. "Come on you must tell me! I swear I'll never tell anyone. Not even Ales and you know how I feel about him!"

Jos nodded toward a heavily vegetated path. "We're here. I'll explain inside... or at least try..." She mumbled as she led the way to the quiet lagoon. "Over by the waterfall. Well, under it actually."

Cam's eyes moved over the lagoon in shock. It was beautiful. Her gaze continued to wonder as she followed Jos toward the falls. "Jos, this is amazing. Why are you embarrassed by it?" Cam's curious eyes searched the inside as Jos pulled the door open and stepped inside. "WOW! It looks so magical!" Cam said as her wide eyes landed on shimmering jewels reflecting the light filtering in through the blanket of water coming down.

"Oh shit! I told you to grab some dinner while you were out, not a child!" Raven called out from where she reclined by the backside of the falls. She forged irritation as she set the book aside and pushed up from the pile of furs, planting her fists on either side of her h.i.p.s. "Bad, bad girl! Take it back!" She said pointing toward the door as she fought hard to hide a smile.

Jos rolled her eyes as she held her hand out toward Raven. "This is my guardian, Raven. She's dark fae and pretty much useless as a guardian."

Raven shrugged. "It was bullshit charges anyways."

"Raven?! She's a child!" Jos yelled in exasperation.

"Yeah, so?" Raven asked arching a brow in question. "You want me to build a bigger fire? What?"

Jos rolled her eyes. "Watch what you say. She's a princess from the palace, not some sailor's kid."

"Oh shit, oops!" Raven said before quickly covering her mouth again.

Cam began giggling uncontrollably as she watched her best friend interact with the odd fairy. "It's alright, you really don't have to bother. I'm a wolf princess. Trust me our people's ways are far worse than colorful words."

Raven shrugged as she tilted her head and c.o.c.ked a smile to Jos. "Kid's got a point." She arched a brow as she looked back and forth between Cam and Jos. "So, what brings a princess to this dump for a visit anyway?"

Cam pulled out one of the mismatched chairs from the small table and sat down. "Jos has promised to tell me what she really is."

Raven's eyes bugged and had she had anything in her mouth she would have choked on it. "She has?!" Her wide eyes moved over to Jos. "You must either really like this kid or truly intend on eating her after..."

Cam's surprised eyes moved back to Jos who was rolling hers. Meeting the girl's curious gaze, she lifted her hands. "I said I'd try to explain what I am... more or less..." She ran her hands over her long-braided hair as her eyes moved around the room until something caught her eyes and she began walking toward a darker corner of the cavernous room.

"Well, this should be interesting. In the three hundred years plus that I've known her, she hasn't bothered telling me." Raven said as she walked over to the table and pulled out one of the chairs.

"You never bothered asking." Jos murmured as she shut the box she'd been fumbling through and carried it over to the table. Resting her hands on the top of the box, she searched Cam's eyes. "You have to promise not to tell ANYONE what I'm about to tell you. You can't repeat a word of it, even if you decide not to have anything to do with me after." When Cam quickly nodded her head causing the blond curls to bounce, Jos let out a heavy sigh and lifted the lid of the box. "You said your people were Nordic? Then you've heard of the Kraken?"

"Ah hell, I was hoping for the juicier story." Raven grumbled as she pushed her seat back from the table leaning it on its two back legs. She shook her head at Cam. "She's always 'I'm the Kraken. That's why you shouldn't be my friend.' 'I'm the Kraken that's why you shouldn't live in my house or eat all the pastries' blah blah blah." She moved her hand in a mock mouth as she poorly imitated Jos.

Cam's wide eyes moved up to Jos, who was still standing and quite a bit paler. "You're THE Kraken?" She shot her attention over to Raven. "Surely there's another then?!"

Raven shook her head. "Nope, she's the one and only." She turned her attention back to Jos. "Now instead of telling us all the crap I already know about Krakeness, give us the deets! How did a daughter of famous Odysseus and Calypso end up a cursed sea creature?"

A deep frown fell over Jos's expression as she stared at the ring on her finger. "Because my mother believed in something that wasn't real... that doesn't exist."

Raven let the chair come back down onto all four legs as she rested her chin on her hand with her elbow against the tabletop. She nodded. "Um-hum... Unicorns, I bet. I had an uncle, Louis, he tried to prove they were real... it ruined his whole damn life..."

Jos furrowed her brows in confused irritation as she met Raven's gaze. "Unicorns?! What? No! Love... she believed in love. She thought if she loved someone enough then it would be enough to keep them from leaving... from abandoning her..." Tears began to build in Jos's eyes. "But it wasn't... it never is..." She held her hand up, inspecting the ring for a second before finally wiggling off. She turned her attention to Cam as she held the ring out to her. "Here, since I don't have anything else for you for your birthday. Keep it, hopefully, it brings you more joy than it ever has me."

Cam's eyes widened further as she stared down at the ring in Jos's extended hand for a long while before finally meeting her gaze. "Jos... I couldn't... it must mean quite a lot to you. I've seen you wear it every day for the past three years at least."

"Try every day for the past 322 odd years." Raven corrected.

Jos straightened, pushing her shoulders back in determination. "322 years too long. Here take it. It will look better on you anyway." Jos leaned over the table and placed the ring in front of Cam. "I wish I had something better to give you."

Cam stared down at the ring. "Jos, it's beautiful. Are you sure you want me to have it?" She asked, studying the perfectly cut diamonds. "You could probably sale it and get quite a lot from it."

Jos shook her head. "I've never been able to bring myself to selling it... you take it. I'm sure it will look amazing with whatever you choose to wear to your party."

Cam forced her gaze away from the magnificent gift. "Thank you, I'll wear it proudly."

Jos nodded. "Thank you." She opened the box and removed some sketches and other art she'd collected over the years. "This is what my father looked like. There are two whole islands that still idolize him to this day." Her eyes glazed over as she stared down at the picture not really seeing it, her mind too focused on the past. "I visited it once... that's when I got this painting... It was a beautiful place." A silent tear streamed down her cheek. She shook the memories away. "That was a long time ago... anyways... Here. This is a sketch of my mother. I drew it myself."

Cam studied the beautiful sketch of a woman, noting the severely outdated clothes. Her sad eyes met Jos as she thought of her wording when describing her father's photo. "Jos... have you ever met your mother and father?"

Jos nodded. "I... I have... I saw my mother often enough when I lived with the sirens. I... I guess technically I met my father once as well... along with two of my brothers, but I don't recall any of it..."

Raven's eyes widened as the pieces of her friend's mysterious past began to fall into place. "The curse... you... you sank their boat?"

Jos frowned as she nodded her head. "They were on their way to mother's island causing the curse to activate... I wasn't aware of any of it until I woke up on the shores of Ogygia surrounded by wreckage and the deafening screams of my mother..." She shook her head staring down into the box. "I never saw her again after that."

"Oh Jos..." Cam said as she stood and walked around the small table to pull Jos's tiny body into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that! I can't imagine the pain that must have caused you. The day I was brought to this island, I felt like my parents were abandoning me and that I'd never see them again... to actually be abandoned by them... Oh, Jos..." She pulled her against her tighter. "I'm so sorry." She whispered against the slighter girl's silver braids.

Jos patted Cam's back. "It's alright. It's been well over two thousand years ago." She shrugged as she held Cam out at arm's length. "Families aren't perfect, and blood doesn't always make someone family..." She sent the girl a bright smile. "As long as I have friends like you and Raven, I'll never miss the things I've lost in my past..."