Manannan was back and sporting some interesting hickies when I got up early the next day. Putting my plate of breakfast on the table, I gave him a grin as my eyes flicked to his neck and back to his face. I sat, starting to eat my omelet.

His lips twitched in amusement and he shrugged, continuing to drink his tea.

Mist snorted when she joined us and caught sight of him, her eyes twinkling.

"Keeping up diplomatic relations, Manannan?" she asked.

He just gave her a half smile and sipped his tea.

"Not too hard, I trust?" she asked, her tone deceptively innocent.

"Not currently," he said with a sly smirk.

I coughed to cover my laugh. "Enough flirting, you two. Let's get out of here."

"Ready when you are," Manannan said.

"I've heard that before," quipped Mist.

I shook my head. They just couldn't resist.

Upon leaving our suite, a black-clad guard escorted us down to the bubble chamber and within a half an hour, he had us back to the outer wall of the city. Manannan took Mist with him through the wall, pulling a bubble of air around her as they shot upward. When I stepped through, I held my breath as I shifted to a dolphin, then sped after them.

Once up at the surface of the sea above the city, Mist rose into the air and we set out, staying shallow so she could track us.

As we had on the way to the Atlantean capital, we took a break every six hours for Mist and me to take a short nap. Despite Manannan's lack of rest at the city, he seemed to have no shortage of energy. Even though we were still having a hard time keeping up with his pace, I didn't want to slow down. To save time, we'd already decided not to stop at the city between the capital and the outpost we were aiming for. Instead, we rested for a couple of hours that night on a rock ledge within an hour of the city, then continued onward.

Although we managed to cut several hours off the journey to the outpost, there was no denying we needed a longer break by the time we arrived. Mist and I were dragging as we entered the silver water gate.

"Welcome Manannan Mac Lir, Prince Loki, and Valkyrie Mist of Asgard. Rest chambers have been prepared for you," a black-uniformed guard said after we'd come through the gate. "Please follow me."

Not surprisingly, the outpost was much smaller than the capital city and the guard led us along a path towards a set of shorter towers. After entering one of the buildings, we walked up several flights of stairs in a central staircase before he showed us to a set of rooms. Instead of a suite, we each had our own rooms this time. To individually key our respective rooms to us, he had us put our hand on some type of door scanner.

Once inside, the layout was similar to what we'd had in the capital, but with a single bedroom. To recharge with some carbs, I ate pasta, then took a shower and collapsed on the bed.

Hours later when I awoke, I found I hadn't even pulled the covers over me. Either way, I'd slept well, and I was ready to continue our journey. Two more days and we'd be in the Ocean of Ceobhran, hopefully to find that Thor had already found Shannon.

Quickly, I wolfed down breakfast and went next door to knock on Mist's door.

She didn't respond at first, so I pounded on it.

The door was flung open, and she scowled at me. "You know they have doorbells, right?"

I shrugged. I'd grown up with Thor. Sometimes pounding on something got the job done.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be ready in just a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll see if Manannan is ready and meet you downstairs in fifteen?"

"Sure."

She closed the door, and I walked to the next door. Smirking, I triggered the panel and doorbell.

Manannan appeared on a screen on the door. "I'll be right out," he said, and the screen disappeared.

A minute later, his door opened, and we walked down the stairs to the ground level. As we stood outside, I appreciated the view. The outpost was a tiny version of the capital in terms of architecture but without the fountains. I assumed there was no need when the entire outpost was within a reasonable walking distance. With low central silver towers, unlike those in the capital, it was easy to see the diversity of sea life swimming around the outpost. It was beautiful.

Mist joined us and we set out for the water gate. As he'd done previously, Manannan took Mist through the gate and up to the surface while I followed behind.

We set out at a good clip, Manannan establishing a brisk pace. Twelve hours in, after our second break, I noticed the topography changing. Rock pillars were getting broader, longer. There were more walls, and we were changing direction more frequently.

When we stopped for our third break, I asked Manannan about it.

"We've left the Sea of Lantia and entered the Sea of Uaithne. It becomes quite the maze before we reach the Tunnels of Glass tomorrow. At that point, it will be important for us to stick together and for you to keep us in sight, Mist. It's easy to take a wrong turn here. There are many dead-end areas that would have you backtracking to find us again."

"Good to know," she said.

"We'll travel for another six hours before we break for the night. There are a series of caves that the Fomorians have put water gates on where we can catch some sleep tonight. It'll be better than a nap on a rock ledge," he said.

"Lead on, Sea God," I said, and we set out again.

In addition to the topography changes, I noticed the sea life changing. Several species of turtles were grazing in a meadow of gently swaying yellow sea grasses as we passed. Glowing red vines with large bladed leaves grew from the sea floor, stretching up almost to the surface like a forest. Sleek bodies of sea otters dipped and swerved amongst the vines.

When Manannan rose to the surface by a wall, I marveled at the diversity. Before I could rise to join him, he returned, bringing Mist down in a bubble, and I realized we'd reached the cave with a water gate he'd mentioned. I dove to join them, pushing through the barrier and changing back to myself.

Not huge, but it was nice. The entranceway led off to several rooms that included bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, and a couple of bathrooms. In numerous locations, energy barriers provided windows out into the sea, giving a view of the life surrounding the cave.

"I'm taking a quick shower," Mist announced. "Whatever you guys decide for dinner is fine with me."

I looked at Manannan and he shrugged. "Let's go see what our options are," he said.

Settling on a seafood vegetable and rice stir fry after browsing the selection, we sat down to eat. Before we were half done, Mist joined us.

"There is no water's surface through the Tunnels of Glass. It's going to take us four hours to get through the tunnels. You are going to have to trust me to pull you along and make sure you have air. Do you trust me, Mist?" Manannan asked, his eyes serious.

Mist looked at him, not responding for a minute, then grinning.

"I trust you to get me through the tunnels and not drown me. Not sure about other things," she teased.

Manannan rolled his eyes and turned to me. "I'll need to do the same with you. As a dolphin, you can't hold your breath for hours unless you want to shift into a different animal?"

I shrugged. "Although I can shift into a fish or shark, I wouldn't be able to keep up with you. Even as a dolphin, I can barely keep up with you."

"Well, it's probably better that I tow both of you, anyway. The tunnels are extremely confusing and disorienting. They twist and turn, and are made of black obsidian. The walls are smooth from the wearing of water and extremely reflective, which can make you think you are going one way when you are actually going another due to the mirroring effect," he explained.

"Sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. For now, I'm off to shower and bed," I said as I got up from the table.

"G'night. I'm crashing now, too," Mist said with a yawn.

"Then I'll see you both in the morning," Manannan answered, staying at the table as he continued to sip a mug of tea.

At the shower, I turned on the water and stepped under the hot spray. As early as tomorrow evening, I could be back with Shannon. It made me grin, heart light.

Thor and Thjalfi could cover a huge amount of ground between the two of them, and they'd had at least three days to find her by now, since she should have reached the surface. Surely, they were together. I just had to meet up with them, which shouldn't be too difficult once we could travel freely by air.

Singing, I scrubbed myself with soap and imagined Shannon in my arms again. It had been far too long. I couldn't wait to hold her, kiss her, hear the sexy sounds she made as I drove her wild.

Groaning, I took myself in hand, remembering the last time I'd taken her in the shower. The thought of her, clamped tight around me and slick with arousal, had me spilling in minutes. After rinsing my body clean, I dried myself off and found my bed. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.