Wow. Three updates in one night! This is what happens when I don't have any homeowkr!
This is a weird sort of story. I think it is going to be, like, a collection of one-shots, but, the one-shots will all be connected. Like, it is the lead up of the realationship of Athena and Poseidon. Does that make sense? Of course, with me being an obsessed Poseidon/Athena fan, this is what the one-shot will be about!
"Council dismissed," Zeus commanded. Everyone left the luxuries of the throne room – one at a time.
"Ladies first," Poseidon grumbled unhappily to his bitter rival, Athena, who was the only one in the room with him.
"What changed your attitude today?" she asked bitterly. Poseidon wasn't one to be nice to her; she was going to have to keep her guard up for the rest of the day.
"Just go Athena, before I change my mind!" There was the angry Poseidon she knew. Athena walked briskly out of the marble room, closing the large wooden doors with a clang. She kept one centimeter open, and looked through, wondering why Poseidon wanted to be the last one in the throne room. Usually, he was the last to get there, and the first to leave. Today, he was the first to get there, and the last to leave, and she wanted to know what was going on.
Poseidon rose from his leather seat and winced at the pain that shot through his left arm. The bruises that were laced across his strong forearm fluctuated and turned white, mixing with his tanned skin, before returning to the ugly purplish color.
He sighed for the umpteenth time that day, dreading having to back to his palace with his once beautiful wife. Now, he was going to his palace with his psycho ex – wife, who had been hitting him.
Poseidon did not know how she had been strong enough to produce the stains on his skin – he highly suspected that it has something to do with the fact that she had used his own trident against him - but he didn't worry about, for it had already been done.
Athena gasped slightly at the sight of the damaged god. She quickly fled from the door once she noticed Poseidon walking (and slightly limping) towards the door.
Poseidon mused on one of his productive thoughts – what could he do, to make sure that he didn't have to go back to his palace?
Suddenly, the right idea popped into his head.
He walked faster towards his destination. Now, only one question remained. What occasion could he use for his cover up story?
Poseidon carefully set each plate full of delicious food on the made table. It had been a couple of weeks since the Olympians had had Mortal food – it was only needed every couple of weeks for them to survive – and Poseidon had thought that it would be a good idea for him to make it this time.
Zeus was the first to arrive, and he walked in curiously, but with his eyes narrowed.
"What is the meaning of this Brother?" Zeus asked.
"What is the meaning of what?" Poseidon asked innocently, putting a bowl of salad on the table.
Zeus walked around the table, looking at everything carefully. "Why did you do this?"
"It has been a few weeks since we last ate Mortal Food, and I figured, why not?"
"Are you OK?" Zeus asked with real concern, walking over to his brother and placing his large hands on Poseidon's shoulders.
Poseidon winced visibly at the pain that shot up and down his arm. Zeus immediately took his hands of Poseidon's shoulders. "I'm absolutely fine." He said through gritted teeth.
"Are you sure? You are usually the first to leave, and from what I heard from my Daughter, you were the last. You never make our Mortal food. Is there something bothering you?"
They were interrupted by two male voices yelling, "FOOD!"
Poseidon and Zeus snapped their heads towards the two gods.
"Hey guys!" Apollo said, "What's goin' on?"
"Not much," Poseidon shrugged, not flinching at the pain.
"Wow," Hermes marveled. "Who made the food?"
"I did," Poseidon said, walking away to get more food.
"It looks great Uncle P!" Apollo called after him.
Poseidon walked back in, holding two more plates full of food. One held roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, while the other held a roasted lamb.
"Thank you," Poseidon said.
Soon, everyone filed in too.
They all looked at the food hungrily. There was a large variety of every kind of food, from ham, to sushi, to salad to fruit baskets.
Everyone took their respective seats and filled their glasses with wine, courtesy of Dionysus.
"To the gods!" Poseidon toasted, holding his glass up.
"To the gods!" Everyone agreed, holding their glasses up too. They all clinked together, and everyone took a sip.
The men stuffed themselves with the barbecue and roast, while the women ate the sushi, fruit and salad.
"So, any special reason that you decided to make the Mortal food this time around?" Artemis asked.
"Yes, actually," Poseidon said. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "I have gotten adivorce from Amphitrite."
A few people gasped. "Why?" Zeus asked.
He hesitated. "Personal reasons."
No-one asked him what he meant, and they continued eating.
After it was finished, they thanked Poseidon and left. He rolled his eyes and started to clean up.
And they wonder why I don't like making the food, he thought.
As he came around the table, he bumped into one of the chairs.
"Sorry!" he apologized quickly. Then he saw who was sitting there, glaring at him. "Oh. It's you."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Athena asked angrily.
"Nothing. Could you please pass me the plate of lamb?"
She silently passed him the half-full plate of lamb, and he put it on top of his pile. Then, he continued to walk around, picking up the rest of the plates.
He walked back into the kitchen and put them in the sink full of soapy water. He went back to the dining room and gathered the rest of the food and condiments.
As he was washing the dishes up, Athena walked in.
"You forgot this," she said, adding an empty tray to his already large pile.
"Thank you," he sighed as she was walking away.
"Are you OK?" she asked, stopping in tracks, and looking at him.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."
"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked, confused.
"I do not know. I'm tired, I guess," he said, wondering where this was going.
"Did you not get much sleep?"
"Not really," he said dismissively. "I am a light sleeper."
"Have you ever tried sleeping pills? I have heard that they work." She stated, intrigued at his odd situation.
"I'm not going to drug myself to sleep, Athena," he said.
"Oh," she said embarrassed. "Sorry."
"Do not worry about it," he finished up and pulled the plug out of the sink.
He dried his hands, and walked outside – brushing past Athena, and not saying another word.
Out of curiosity, she followed.
He limped out to the large area of grass out the back. Then, he flashed himself to Central Park. Sensing where he was going, she followed.
When she got there, she noticed Poseidon was trying to lie down. She quickly walked over and helped him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, once he was lying comfortably. She sat down next to him and looked up at the white, fluffy clouds in the sky.
"I was following you," she admitted quietly.
"Why?" he asked gruffly. She looked back down at him and grabbed his wrist.
"Who has been doing this to you?" she asked, tracing the bruises up and down his arm. He tried to jerk his arm away, but she had a tight hold.
"I do not want to tell you," he said.
"Poseidon, how can I help you if you will not tell me what is wrong," she insisted.
"I-I… Amphitrite. She has been hurting me." He said. "Happy now?"
Athena gasped. "That is why you got a divorce from her?"
He nodded. "I do not want to talk about, please." He requested.
She nodded her head and lay down next to him.
"What are you looking at?" she asked finally.
"Trees. Clouds. Birds."
She crinkled her nose. "Why?"
"The trees and clouds make shapes. And when the birds fly, it fascinates me."
"Trees and clouds cannot make shapes," she stated matter of fact-ly.
"They do for me," he replied.
"But clouds are condensation that collects in the sky – well, that is what the Mortals think anyway."
"I know what they. Zeus is probably using them to watch us right now."
As if to prove his point, thunder clapped in the sky, signaling Zeus was not happy with what was going on between the two.
"Probably," she smiled.
Poseidon sighed. "Screw him. I want to have my own time, all to myself."
"Go to your palace," she said.
"I cannot. Amphitrite will be there."
"Oh. Yes." She agreed.
After a couple minutes of silence, Athena spoke. "I know of a good coffee shop down the street."
"That sounds… really good." He said. He got up off the ground with minimal amount of difficulty. "Would, you, ah, like to join me?" he offered, holding out a hand for her.
She smiled, and took it. He hefted her up onto her feet, and she gently took her hand out of his. "I would like that."
With that, they walked down the street to the coffee shop, to have some time to themselves.
Did you like it? I will probably do another one-shot in this story. It will have to do with this one, but it won't be a direct continuation.
Lady Alice.