Notes:
I remember, he sent a letter it would take forever
but he had to tell her That the feeling runs deep with words so sweet
Does anyone remember?
Is there one for every one or are there many?
I think there's one for every one but I can't find any
I need the sorrow to lock it up and throw away the key to my love cause my love is holy
Old souls young Bodies – Whissell
This part is inspired by anime called bleach
Gaia/Gaea is mother earth she is the mother of the main gods.
Juno – Hera – Cersei
Triton –Poseidon – Euron
Zeus – Zeus
Mortals – mortals
Even though parents were not meant to have a favourite child. Gaia secretly had a favourite child- Hera. She was a jealous, impatient, greedy girl. However, since she was shrouded in sadness, Gaia loved her the most, giving her eyes which were green as vibrant as a newly budded leaf and hair that was beaten gold and soft as satin. Gaia having seen that Hera's future held only centuries of isolation, pain and unhappiness with Zeus, did what any mother would do, she decided to interfere.
Gaia stole Hera away and erased her memories and bound her powers. She gave a barren woman, poultry farmer's wife, Hera to raise as her own child, the birth was bloody and the witches warned the woman never to get with child again.
Gaia knew that Hera's beauty, greed and pride would make her unbearably unhappy. However as a humble poor girl from a fishing village maybe she could have a happy quiet life before she returned to being a god when her mortal life ended. Gaia could see the restless Zeus seek the world over for his Queen.
When Hera was four her loneliness had already manifested, she wanted a large noisy happy family. The poultry farmer and his wife doted on their daughter but it wasn't enough she wanted more.
When Hera's mortal mother fell pregnant once again, when Hera was four and died in childbirth along with Hera's younger brother. The child had wept for days, which Gaia could not bear and great floods destroyed scores of villages. Gaia decided to give Hera a companion to distract the girl from her grief. Gaia thought long and hard, who could she send to keep the girl company? Hera had a fiery disposition, she needed an anchor. Hera had fire in her veins that she displayed in her eyes or through her vicious angry words.
Gaia searched high and low, she had many children and they had children, alas none were suitable. Then she heard her son, the reckless mad self-proclaimed king of the sea, mock Zeus. He clashed with Zeus, almost daily. They would destroy the world if left to their own devices. Perhaps if he disappeared for a time and Zeus solidified his reign, Poseidon would bow his arrogant head and follow his brother. That was what younger brothers were meant to do through the laws of nature, follow their older brothers.
Gaia found her son Poseidon, yawn his trident over his shoulder, he had blood on his skin.
"Oh don't worry mother, it is not my blood it's the King of the Gods'" he scoffed at the title.
Gaia, sang to her son and he fell into a slumber, she then erased his memory and turned him into a little child.
Hera, named Juno was walking with her father and their widow neighbour along the beach. Juno ran ahead, fearless as a lioness. She discovered the little boy on the beach. He was drowned she was staring down at him.
"What have you there Juno?" her father asked
"A dead boy," she said kicking the boy
his eyes snapped open Juno fell back on the sand the boy smiled at the girl
The girl smiled back, it had been months since she had smiled, she had not smiled since her mother died.
The little boy was adopted by the widow, and named Triton to honour the King of the Sea Poseidon, for giving the woman a son, to look after her when she got old and frail. They two children were inseparable since he had been found on the beach. Since they were neighbours, they shared everything, they often slept together, ate together and got punished for mischief together.
Gaia took her attention elsewhere. The girl would eventually fall in love with the boy, the boy was already smitten. He was devoted and she was greedy for attention, his most of all.
While Juno was both beautiful and clever Triton was known as the village idiot. He never excelled in anything and seemed to be soft in the head. Those who knew him well believed two things about the boy, one being around Juno made him stupid and two, he sometimes played the fool to learn people's true intentions.
It just so happened that despite being clever Juno also did not excel at scholarly pursuits she thought learning was beneath her and if she could not do something on the first try she left it.
Triton had been spotted swimming with Juno one day and an old sailor asked him to work for him. As the two spent less time together Juno's sadness returned but had transformed into anger and was turning into resentment.
With every compliment she heard about Triton's natural ability in the water she resented him more. She found fault with everything the way he smelt, his height, the way he spoke even the way he breathed.
The two teenagers had reached marriageable age, Juno's mother had very specific instructions, Juno was not to marry anyone who was wealthy, a stranger to the village and she would only wed someone she loved. Juno enjoyed watching the dejected males leave her house, she felt like a queen. They called her father arrogant and prideful for a man who had nothing but a pretty daughter.
When none of her wares fetched her a single coin at the market, that even her beauty could not persuade anyone to purchase her misshapen pottery she had flung herself into her bed.
"Triton!" she screamed finding his stupid wooden axe in her bed she rubbed her arm which had made the most contact with the toy weapon. She cried bitterly and went to sleep dreaming one day of being worshiped and being treated as a queen.
"Come with me," Triton told her in the afternoon when she woke up at his hand on her shoulder.
"No, I hate you," she mumbled and turned away.
"I'll do the thing you like," he said taking her foot in his two hands
She kicked him and pretended to snore.
"Come with me Juno, I shall cook you a feast. I shall even wait on you hand and foot just as you like," he coaxed getting up and holding his hand out to her
"Okay," she agreed with a shrug taking his hand and making him do all the work in hoisting her up. They stumbled and ended up in an awkward embrace all he saw was gold and all she saw was his ugly tunic. She angled her head back he wasn't so ugly she thought to herself.
She had nothing better to do than mend father's clothes and her cooking and sewing skills were so terrible that it was better her father looked elsewhere tonight. Triton's mother always made enough food for four people anyway.
Whenever she was angry, Triton would take her to explore caves and they would swim and then eat on the beach and then return to fall asleep in either of their houses. They had a cave that they both favoured they had drawn their dreams on the wall, as children. She had drawn herself, a woman with a crown on her head, with long yellow hair surrounded by lots of children and his only had a picture of a ship and a massive axe.
"I'll marry you," he told her as soon as he was certain that she was asleep.
"Not if I marry you first, you sea crab," she murmured as they fell asleep curled next to each other in their favourite cave, their clothes drying in the blistering afternoon sun on tree branches outside after their swim.
When Triton and Juno did not return to their homes that night. Juno's father decided to speak to Triton's mother, they agreed that the two would wed soon. The widow had named a modest amount for Juno's dowry, a cow and a goat and five hen.
Triton had barged into Juno's house with a pomegranate. He had traded and saved and negotiated for months to get a perfect specimen for Juno, he would propose marriage to her, one look at the golden orb she would say yes. She loved pomegranates, he would never forget the beating he had gotten because she had convinced him to steal one from the wine merchants garden. Since that day she had often stared at the the fruit stalls wistfully, she couldn't afford it not when they had to prioritize cheese and bread to the fruit, luckily Triton's family were in the textile business and her family provided the two household with eggs and meat.
Triton saw a strange man in Juno's house. The man glowed he had the bearing of a king he had a beard, dark hair and a circlet he was laughing and shaking Juno's father's hand. Even though all he could see was the man's back, Triton had never felt so much hatred coil inside his heart, it was the equivalent of a storm at sea.
Juno was seated with Triton's mother, a bored expression on her face, a caged white bird on the table in front on her squawking energetically. Juno was tapping her foot, staring at the strange, familiar and handsome man. Then she caught sight of Triton. She stood up and was about to cross over to Triton when Triton's mother pulled Juno away.
Triton heard voices from the loud neighbours all trying to get a peek then he heard the strange man's name. Zeus. The king of the Gods was here. In the house of the proud man who only had a pretty daughter.
Zeus, turned to Triton, "Embrace me brother" held his arms open for a hug. Triton ran outside and vomited. Undoubtedly, the king of the gods was here to ask Juno to marry him and Juno would say yes she wanted nothing more to be a Queen. What was better than being a queen of the gods?
He sat in their cave and ate burnt fish, it had no taste and he choked on the bones, he didn't spit it out he chewed it to mush and swallowed it. He was so consumed by his misery that he did not realise that he was no longer alone.
She hugged him from behind, "you left so quickly, the king of the gods wanted to embrace you as a brother. Father said that Zeus was vexed but he shall not hold it against you, father told him that you were the village idiot."
Triton took another bite.
"You burned it," she told him trying to pull the fish away from him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked finally pushing her hand away.
"Clearly not to sup with you, you greedy boy," she huffed.
Boy. It rankled now that she called him boy, was that because she had seen Zeus and now knew what a man looked like?
She sat next to him leaning on him, resting her chin on his shoulder watching the fire with him. They sat in silence. The crackling of the fire and the only sound save for their breathing.
He could never stay angry at her, he unwrapped the fruit.
"I got this for you," he pushed the pomegranate to her, the rarest breed gold outside and crimson inside, commonly pomegranates were known to be red outside and inside when ripe.
Her face lit up, "Triton it truly is…"
"A wedding gift," he said sullenly, he knew he could never compete with the king of the gods.
"I… you heard…. but," she shook her head holding the fruit in both of her hands.
He nodded as he threw the fish in the fire and walked out of the cave stretching and running his hands through his hair. Triton thought that he bore a passing resemblance to Zeus. Clearly the god was a better version of Triton, he would not fault Juno. Triton loved Juno, he would find a way to be okay with this.
"He asked my father if he could court me, my father said yes but my mother's dying wish was that I only marry one I love," she spoke from behind him, "it is just courting I can always reject…."
"Marry him Juno," Triton shrugged
"Triton!" Juno cried in frustration
"Don't marry him what does it matter what I say? You want to be queen," he turned around to face her, the hurt look on her face replaced by her arrogant look.
"You think I will choose being a queen over love or happiness?" she sneered.
"Yes," he said mouth dry. This is what she wants he told himself. It's for the best. It was what she deserved. She deserved the finest things in life. She deserved only the best the world had to offer he could give her nothing.
"You truly honestly want me to marry Zeus?" She asked frowning.
"Yes, I honestly truly want you to marry him," he echoed.
"Very well, thank you… for the gift," she said, carefully wrapping the pomegranate in the cloth and leaving it in the sand by her feet, she crossed her arms across her chest hugging herself
"Wait," no, it wasn't fair, she was happiest when they were together alone, what did Zeus know about Juno? He knew of his reputation he was a womaniser. No, Juno deserved better, and if she was to be with someone other than him, it would have to be someone better than him and Zeus may be a better version of him, in physique but he would be a rotten husband.
"Yes?" she asked hopefully, he watched her throat as she swallowed nervously.
"I shall be ever so jealous of the views from Mount Olympus the ambrosia the games the gods play." He said, with a small smile, he was a coward.
"Oh," she said simply the disappointment hung between them.
They heard laughter and breaking of pottery.
"Llona and Marius are wed," Juno said craning her neck towards the revelry, she always instinctively knew whenever weddings would happen she knew even when elopements would occur. "They could have at least bought my pottery if they were going to break it," she complained.
"You will be too," he said picking up a shell and throwing it into the waves.
"Will you come to the wedding?" She asked in a small voice.
"I would miss it for naught," Triton told her with a bright smile.
"Thank you," she said tears were falling freely.
The lump in his throat refused to let the words, "No, do not marry him, stay with me," pass and after a moment that felt like an eon, she ran past him. On the way back home he stumbled on something it was the pomegranate he hurled it into the sea as hard as it could his arm hurt after that, but not as much as his heart.
The next day the King of the Gods arrived to take his betrothed.
After Zeus kissed Juno, she changed, she glowed her body changed she grew taller and her flesh was plumper, she changed from a girl to a woman. She farewelled her father and demurely returned to Zeus' side.
Zeus cupped her cheek, "I found you, Hera" he said to her. Juno was no more this was Hera. She looked at Triton with a look that made him flinch. She bent down and picked up the cockatoo that Zeus had gifted her as a courting present and she and her future husband ascended to Mt Olympus.
The village was in uproar, they were so happy that they knew a god. They told stories about how much they loved Juno, and praised and complimented her. Triton sneered at them they had called her names behind her back and wanted nothing but her father to pay for his arrogance in rejecting all of Juno's past suitors.
Triton went to the beach to catch some fish. It would settle his mind and heart. Then he felt the change. He felt like there was something inside him twisting and tearing him apart. He gasped for breath as his eyes watered, he coughed up seawater and seaweed. He lay sprawled on the beach, watching with laboured breathing as his wooden axe also twisted and changed. He crawled over to it and as soon as he grasped it and saw it was now a mighty trident. His memories then assaulted his brain, he was Poseidon and he was in love with his rival and older brother's bride to be.
He lay on his back on the sand. Hours later, he sought out one of his bastards and stationed him with his mother and explained that he must return to the seas and that he was grateful to be her son. And when she perished as a mortal woman she would become a seawitch and be his advisor.
When he arrived at his palace he found an odd thing, next to his throne was the accursed pomegranate. It was a reminder to him that he would never be rid of that woman who now was out of reach for ever.