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Why did she have to fall so hard for someone so far off limits?
But if the Realms employees managed to buy the park, he wouldn’t be her boss anymore. And while that had seemed like an impossible fantasy just a few days ago, the pieces had been falling into place as if by magic.
The Merathlon prize money would be another piece. All she had to do was win.
The thought gave her an extra shot of motivation.
She turned to Kalani. “Do you think I have a chance?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she realized she was asking about Sid as much as she was the Merathlon.
“You have an excellent chance. It’s yours to lose.”
Kalani was right. She had a chance, and she couldn’t let it slip away. She resisted the urge to steal another glance at Sid and focused on the final event. “Merman Pala’s right behind me. I’m not sure I can beat him.”
Kalani put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “His size and strength will give him an advantage on the return leg. You have to get there first and catch the smallest, lightest fish you can.”
She nodded and tried to relax. “Thanks.”
“Check your gear one more time,” he said.
Jayna ensured the fishing net was secured to her waist. She then pulled the mer-goggles over her eyes and powered them up. The augmented reality goggles had been a highly controversial addition to the competition gear, but practicality and safety had won out over authenticity, and Jayna was grateful for the information they provided.
Through the built-in display, she confirmed that both her trident and her merbreather were fully charged. She noted the location of the fishing grounds, as well as the relative position of her fellow mers.
Three short blasts from the conch shell reverberated through the stadium, calling Jayna to the starting line, and her anxiety surged.
“Hey,” Kalani said. “You’ve got this.”
“Thanks.” She returned his smile but was not reassured.
She took her place at the starting line, and as she waited for the other mers to take their place behind her, she looked up at Sid again. Her mind went back to the night she had drenched his team during the Sirens of Atlantis show. She wouldn’t be half as nervous if she was simply performing in a show instead of competing in the Merathlon.
But as she scanned the crowd filling the stadium, she realized that the Merathlon was a show. A high-stakes, unscripted show with an international audience and an uncertain outcome, but at its heart it was still a show.
If she focused on giving the best possible performance, she had a chance. With that realization, she relaxed and performed the simple breathing ritual that helped her prepare for every other show.
“Fifteen seconds,” the official at the starting line said. Jayna nodded her acknowledgment.
When the conch sounded, Jayna took off with a splash. She pushed herself into a sprint and dashed from the stadium. She would have to slow down and set a more sustainable pace, but the theatrics demanded a spectacular start.
Jayna followed markers displayed in her goggles while underwater camera drones followed her. She did her best to balance speed, stamina, and style. She had to look good so people would use this footage and generate drips for her.
And Sid would be watching. The thought of him viewing the race on the jumbo stadium display while following her specifically on his personal screen gave her a shot of adrenaline.
The course went into the ocean past beaches and docks and out through a dive park with amazing statues of mythical sea creatures from around the world. A group of divers lined up along the course, and she waved excitedly to her live underwater audience. The diving spectators would certainly capture some impressive footage.
Past the edge of the dive park, the course headed out over an undersea cliff. Jayna checked the position of the other mers. As she suspected, Pala was quickly approaching from behind. Hers had been a healthy lead, but the big merman was powerful and fast.
She turned her attention to the school of robotic tuna swimming ahead. She was close enough to make out individual fish and saw that while they appeared to swim in a random pattern, they also stayed within a confined area.
Yet as she swam towards them, the fish seemed to keep growing larger without getting any closer. How am I supposed to haul one of those monsters all the way back to the stadium?
She followed Kalani’s advice and scanned the school for a smaller fish. Once she identified one, she adjusted her trajectory to intercept it. But just as she prepared to strike with her trident the robotic tuna darted away with surprising speed, and she missed completely.
So that’s how it is, she thought and set up her attack again. She allowed herself to descend deeper into the water and approached the fish from behind and slightly below. This time, she adjusted her attack to anticipate the burst of escape speed.
Her trident hit the tuna’s tail. With a crackle of electricity and a stream of bubbles, the heavy robotic fish stopped swimming and immediately began to sink.
Jayna hadn’t expected the fish to sink so quickly, and she had to scramble for her net and race after it. By the time she had reached the tuna and looped her net around it, she had descended much deeper than she ever liked to go. An alert in her goggles let her know the carbon scrubbers were struggling to keep up with her heavy, labored breathing.
