Brock nodded to that. After talking in their father’s Menz Mundi, they knew their fiancee was free, but nothing more.
Oberon can take care of himself. We need to figure out how we’re going to get out of here. He knew that Bridgette felt his hopelessness, despite his words. He needed a constant supply of water to stay alive. Unlike any regular mermaids, he couldn’t shift into a human form. They were stuck with their tail and fins. Without his mechanical legs, and water bowl designed specifically for them, they were stuck in this cell. Brooke was a strong woman, but even Bridgette’s form was too heavy for her to carry far.
Are you ready to switch yet? his sister asked him. I can take over for a bit and let you relax. I can tell how much the dryness is hurting you.
He appreciated the gesture and made sure she could feel his emotions as he declined. I’d still feel it, even if it’s dulled. I can handle this. He knew that she knew it, but paradoxically, saying it took his mind off the discomfort.
Women have a higher tolerance for pain, you know, she chided him, though he could tell she wasn’t serious.
Of course, I know! he told her back. He knew her goal was to distract him, and he appreciated it. I’ve suffered your monthly cycles and even dulled, I don’t want to try the real thing.
Bridgette was quiet for a long moment, and he left her to her thoughts. When she spoke again, it wasn’t what he expected.
Do you think Oberon will want to have kids with us?
Brock’s tail slapped the hard ground a few times as he tried to process that thought. As he understood it, for them to have kids, Bridgette would have to control their body for the full term. They never went longer than a day without swapping. Being cooped in within their shared mind for too long made them antsy. He couldn’t imagine trying to stay inside for months on end. And they didn’t even know what the gestational period for them would be, much less with a Faerie father.
“I think it’s about time we blow this fucking popsicle stand, don’t you?” Oberon’s voice sounded from outside.
Brock gave an instinctive wince at the foul language but was too happy to see his lover to chide him over it.
“Oberon!” Bridgette’s voice sounded as she forced her way to the front and changed their form. “I’m so glad you’re… okay?”
Brock looked through her eyes to see what made her stumble over her words. Oberon looked terrifying. He’d look less frightening if blood covered every inch of him. Instead, he glowed an eery green color, including his eyes. The smile that split his lips wasn’t one of joy at seeing them, but of mayhem and mischief.
“Oberon?” Bridgette asked, holding a hand out to their lover. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Toots,” he responded with a wave of his hand. “But you should know that the fucking harlot of Greece, Aphrodite’s spell is gone. I’ll make her pay for that when I see her again, but for now, let’s get you out of here. I’m tired of turning men into jackasses.”
Brock felt his heart shatter at the same time that Bridgette forced him back to the front and hid in the deepest parts of their mind. Oberon didn’t love them anymore. He didn’t even seem to really care. Which explained why he was back to speaking like a thirteen-year-old, instead of an adult.
“I can’t leave this water,” Brock told him, trying not to reveal the massive lump in his throat. His heart might be broken, but their family needed them, and they needed to escape.
“What?” Oberon asked, distracted by something outside their cell. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Where are your legs? Can’t you do something for your child, Toots?”
Hearing him call their mom by the name he’d used for them added a new dimension to their emotional pain. Brock shoved it down as he tried to comport himself. “I think it was out there,” he pointed to the antechamber that Oberon must have flown through.
Oberon zipped out, but came back a moment later, empty-handed. “Well, shit. It’s not there now… I might have turned it into a honey badger and sent it to chase some Knights. Those things don’t give a damn. They’ll take on anything.”
Tears seeped from Brock’s eyes. It was too much. Getting captured, threatened, losing Oberon’s affection, and now the one thing that let him be mobile on land? He felt a maniacal laugh start to bubble up and couldn’t find the desire to stop it. He wanted to hide, but Bridgette was already there.
“Brock?” his mom asked, coming over to comfort him. “It’s okay. We’ll find another way.”
“Another way?” Brock demanded, slapping his tail to show how ludicrous that thought was. The sting of the slap allowed him to refocus his mind, however, and he looked around. Hope fled, though, as they’d done nothing other than trying to figure out how to escape since they woke up.
“You people would be useless without me,” Oberon stated as the bars melted into flower petals and opened up before him. He took a moment to study the water falling from above, then waved his hand. A torrent of water gushed out, soaking Brock and making him feel physically better, even if the water was brackish and cold. The water swirled around him for a moment, then lifted him up. It engulfed his body, swirling and turning him about with a maelstrom of force before it finally calmed down.
Opening his eyes, Brock’s Jaw fell. Water rushed and shaped itself in the form of his mechanical legs, but instead of stopping at a bowl for him to rest in, it covered him to his chin. He moved his tail, and the water legs turned him about, splashing against the floor but holding form.
“This…” He couldn’t find the words to use. After a few precious moments of trying to get his thoughts together, all he managed was a simple but heartfelt, “Thank you.”
“Yes, yes,” Oberon said, his voice dripping with annoyance. “If you’re done gawking at my mother-fucking awesome greatness, then we should be going.”
“Don’t talk to my son that way,” Brooke broke in, placing herself between the faerie king and his makeshift entry. “What happened to you, Oberon? I stood up for you and their relationship with my husband, but now I’m beginning to think it was all an act.”
“Ha!” Oberon gave a single laugh before responding. “I’ve got something standing up for you. Want me to show you?”
“Oberon…” Brock stepped next to his mother. While he was grateful for the new gift, he didn’t understand what was going on with his lover. Unless the Knights had somehow gotten to him as well, and brainwashed the little man… But he didn’t like Oberon’s new attitude. “What’s going on?”
“Son of a bitch!” The winged faerie cursed. “No, I’m not talking about you, Brock. Doesn’t anyone listen? I already told you that Gloria’s spell to make me love you is gone. I no longer desire nothing more than your happiness. However, since I hate the assinine Knights, and your family is rather interesting, I’m deciding to save you. Now, do you want to blow this meatsickle stand, or are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”
“We need to save Lyden, Eldon, and—” Brooke started, but Oberon didn’t let her finish.
“Duh! I’d make a crack about all your intelligence being in your tits, but I’ve already seen you don’t have any. Now get moving toots, or I’ll really begin to think you want to see what your child was enjoying.”