I was watching Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (yes, I still have kiddies urges to watch cartoons:]) and I realized that its about Greek gods; you know, Eris, the sirens, all that jazz. And then I got up to the bit with the sirens (my fave bit) and I thought 'what a good chance for a Pothena fic'. So, here I am. Writing a Pothena fic.
IMPORTANT:
They are in the Sea of Monsters, the Sirens only affect guys, and they also affect gods (not goddesses). Also, the Sirens are like Charybdis and Scylla in that they move and you can't get around them, you have to go through them.
Athena was starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She was sat in a majestic sailboat, listening the guys drink and laugh boisterously. She shook her head at their antics. Maybe being one of the only females on the ship wasn't such a good idea. Besides her, the only other women were Artemis and Persephone. Why, she wasn't sure. No, she was actually; she just didn't want to admit it. The gods had planned a boating trip, to sail around the world. The gods that had volunteered had naturally been all the Olympian men – even Dionysus – and Hades. She had decided that since Poseidon was letting his two brothers come onto his domain, it might be her only chance to see the ocean from up close without being brutally hurt.
Of course, the men disagreed instantly. It was bad luck for women to be aboard. So she had suggested that they bring three women then, as three was a sacred number. Poseidon had readily agreed – something she was grateful for – claiming that if three women weren't safe on a ship that he was on, then women wouldn't be safe anywhere near the water.
After that, the men slowly agreed to the terms. Artemis had volunteered to join Athena, as the two were very close, and with Hades and Persephone's new found love for each other, Persephone was open to anything that she could do with Hades. And so, the 11 of them set off. For the first few weeks, the adventure had been a joy, and Athena had loved being able to watch the sun set on the horizon, while the boat gently rocked beneath her. Most of the nights, Artemis joined her, and they would sit and talk for hours, watching the sun set and moon rise. On the nights Artemis couldn't sit with her, Poseidon did, something she wasn't sure about at first, but had come to look forward to.
Tonight she hadn't been out to watch the sunset. Instead, she was below deck with everyone else, as they all drank and danced around. Music was pounding out of the speakers – what had Apollo and Hermes called it? Skrillex? What a stupid name, the thought – and she was getting a headache fast. Poseidon sauntered over to where she was sitting, and she noticed that he didn't have any wobble in his steps, and she reveled in the fact that it seemed he hadn't had much to drink; well, as much as everyone else.
Poseidon sat next to her and leant in close to her ear so she would hear what he was going to say.
"Why aren't you up top tonight?" he questioned.
She shrugged and yelled over the speakers, "I didn't want to be. Now I'm questioning my better judgement."
Poseidon laughed and Athena smiled slightly at the sound.
"Well, I have to go up now, to check on The Helm. Would you like to come?" he offered.
Athena breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thanks gods. I would love that."
Poseidon chuckled stood, stretching out his hand. Athena placed hers in his and he helped her up. He guided her towards the door and held it open for her, before closing it. The loud music cut off abruptly, but the floor continued to vibrate.
"Oh, wow," she said, shaking her head. "Do you do that every night?"
"Not usually," he shook his head. "Only when land is spotted during the day."
Athena looked dubious. "You do realize that because we're in the Sea of Monsters, that the land probably isn't dock-worthy, right?"
"I do," he chuckled. "Whether everyone else does is a different story."
He walked up the steps to the deck and walked to the stern of the ship, heading to the Helm.
Athena followed, curious as to what he had to do as captain. Poseidon took the wheel and gazed out at the ocean surrounding them.
Athena leant her stomach and folded her arms on the rail surrounding the Quarter-deck. She looked out at the water and her eyes followed a line in the water, leading to the horizon, where her gaze landed on the full move. It looked as though it had sunk half way into the water, with only part of the moon peeking above the water.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Poseidon spoke, breaking the silence. Athena nodded and flipped over to look at him, resting her back comfortably on the rail.
She looked over his shoulder at the water, watching it gently create small waves that lapped against the hull. There wasn't a cloud in the sky tonight and constellations were evident everywhere.
She shifted her gaze back to him and noticed he was looking directing at her, not the water. Feeling slightly awkward, she nodded. "It is. The water is so blue tonight. And the stars . . . you don't see them in the city. It's nice to see them after all these years."
Poseidon smiled softly and looked back at the water. "It is," he agreed.
After a few more minutes of silence, Athena said, "So, where are we headed Captain?"
"Puerto Rico," he answered.
Athena nodded and they descended into silence again.
"Would you like to have a go?" he turned to her and questioned.
She looked up curiously and her eyes zeroed in on the wheel and she nodded excitedly.
Hesitantly, she walked over to where Poseidon had moved aside and clasped her hands on the wooden wheel.
"Gently," he said softly, putting his hands on hers and prying them off the wood, then lightly placing them back on the wheel handles.
She nodded, letting the instruction be locked away for future purposes.
Poseidon moved his hands away and his arm brushed hers.
"You're warm," she said suddenly, then blushed realizing how close they must be if she could feel his body warmth.
"I'm in my domain," he replied. "It, uh, makes my body temperature warmer."
She nodded again.
"Okay, you see this wave coming up?" Poseidon asked a few minutes later.
Athena leaned forward and peered into the night.
"No," she said finally, inspecting the smooth water.
Poseidon waved his hand and a wave appeared from no-where. Athena cringed back at the appearance, suddenly unsure she could do this.
"Yes," she said.
Poseidon laughed and said, "Okay, so, to make sure the boat doesn't slam into the water when it breaks the crest of the wave, there a few things you can do. One, is reduce the speed. But, we can't do that one a sail ship. The other is maneuvering the boat correctly."
"Uh, yeah, hurry it, will you? That wave is fast approaching."
"Alright, so, what you want to do is, let the boat travel up the face of the wave. As the bow approaches the crest, but before it reaches the apex, steer a few degrees leeward-"
"Leeward? That is?"
"Leeward is the direction downwind from the point of reference."
"Continue."
"Steer a few degrees leeward so that the boat smoothly descends along the wave's backside. This keeps the boat in contact with the water and prevents it from pounding.
"As the bow traverses the crest and begins to descend, steering back toward course to sail the wave downward will provide a brief speed increase. Simply release the wheel for a brief moment and the boat will go back on the correct course. The wheel will spin windward - the direction upwind from the point of reference – putting the boat back on course. Got all that?"
Athena nodded and summarized. "The object of the technique is to climb the wave face, steer down the at the crest to avoid slamming, and then come back up to pick up some speed when sailing down the back of the wave."
(OMFG I JUST FOUND OUT THERE ARE ROBBERS IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD! I AM SO SCARED. Okay, let's continue.)
"Good. Okay, here we go."
The wave slid under the hull and the boat started to lift up, until it was on a steep ascent. Before the boat hit the apex, Athena tried to turn the wheel but the strength required wasn't her forte and the boat didn't turn. The boat suddenly plunged from beneath them and their stomachs flopped around, bringing on the uncomfortable sensation. The two waited for the inevitable slam that the boat would encounter with baited breath.
SLAM!
The boat plunged back to earth and the hull crashed into the water below. The impacted staggered the mast; the hull pounded with a vibrating thud; the rigging shook; Poseidon and Athena's teeth rattled.
Once the boat was sailing smoothly again, Athena stuttered out, "Well. I don't think anyone noticed."
Poseidon laughed. "Don't worry 'Thee. No-one gets it on the first time."
Athena looked up at him curiously at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it. "Fine. But I'm not trying again."
"Oh, but, you are." She looked away from him to see another big wave coming towards them. "Good luck."
She hesitantly gripped the wheel again and took some calming breaths. The water surged beneath the bow again and it lurched upwards.
Before the boat hit the apex, Athena tried to spin the wheel leeward. It moved slightly but not enough. Poseidon was suddenly behind her and he clamped his hands down on the wheel and turned it so the bow was slightly shifted. The bow broke through the crest calmly and the boat stayed in contact with the water. It started to gently descend the back of the wave.
"Now," Poseidon breathed, "let the wheel spin the boat back on course."
He pried her hands from the wheel and it spun underneath their intertwined hands until it was back on course. Poseidon set her hands back on the wheel carefully and stepped back.
"You see? One successful maneuver over a wave." He said cheerfully.
Athena let out a huff and stepped away. "Okay, I've had enough for one night. Maybe we'll continue tomorrow."
"Maybe," he grinned, walking to the wheel.
For a few minutes, they both did nothing but stare at the sea.
Suddenly, Poseidon let go of the wheel and walked forward to the front of the Quarter-Deck.
"I swear . . ." he murmered. He shook his head and walked back to the wheel. The ship sailed smoothly over a small wave and descended down. For a moment, a small island came into view. Poseidon let go of the wheel and again and jogged over to the steps. "Take the wheel," he said quietly as he brushed past her. He hurried down the steps and to the bow of the boat while Athena gingerly put her hands on the wheel, not a hundred percent sure she knew what to do.
She saw Poseidon pop up at the bow and him lean over the rail at the front. Then, he turned and ran back to her.
"Okay, island, dead ahead. And it won't be pretty. Unfortunately, if it is what I think it is, then we all have a major problem. Will you go under and tell everyone to meet me on the upper deck immediately?"
She nodded and hurried away apprehensively. What were they coming up to? They'd just been past Circe's island and that meant - . . .
"Oh, gods!"
She burst through the door but the only one sober enough to realize that was Artemis, who quickly hurried up to her.
"What? What?" she asked frantically.
"We need everyone up top immediately. We're coming up to the Sirens." Athena explained quickly. Artemis' eyes widened further and she nodded. "Okay. Alright, everyone up top now."
Artemis pushed her way through the small crowd – that looked big in the miniscule space – and up to her brother, Apollo.
Athena tried a different tactic, going to each person individually. She soon realized that it wasn't going to work; no-one was sober enough to know who she was, let alone to go up to the top deck. Even Persephone couldn't comprehend what was going on.
She and Artemis met back at the front door.
"I couldn't talk Apollo in to giving me control of the microphone," Artemis said desperately.
"I couldn't talk to anyone period," Athena sighed. "Okay, we need to warn Poseidon."
The two raced up the stairs and towards the Quarter-Deck; only to realize they were too late.
Poseidon was nearing the entrance of the island. Cliffs shot up out of the water and surrounded them.
"We couldn't talk to anyone," Athena said, reaching Poseidon. "They're all too drunk to understand what we were saying."
"Well, hopefully their drunken state will drown out the Siren's singing." Poseidon said gravely. "Meanwhile I need to –"
He stopped abruptly and slumped against the wheel dreamily. Then the beautiful music reached their ears.
Athena and Artemis glanced at each other, then down to the now open door. The pounding music from below suddenly stopped and a dazed Zeus appeared from below, carried by the wonderful sound. All the gods followed and Persephone came up in stupor.
"Dudes, why are you all up here? The party is belo-o-o-w-w-w!" she slurred.
"Why aren't we affected?" Artemis questioned.
"The Siren's music only affects men. It seduces them, and then the Siren's drag them under water and drown them."
"Oh," Artemis said quietly.
With Poseidon leaning on the wheel, the boat was steadily heading forward, carried in the water. Athena rushed to the side and looked in the water. The blue water rippled and three watery heads popped out from under the water. They were singing a wonderful tune and they smiled through their singing, showing their fangs to the women. The fangs seemed to be the only solid part of the Siren's while every other part seemed to be made of water, formed into a human shape.
Athena turned and ran back to Poseidon and waved a hand in front of his face.
"Poseidon?" she questioned.
"I have never had a dream come true until the day that I met you," he said seductively and Athena stepped back.
"Ugh, men!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. She turned to see the gods all walking to the edges, where Siren's had their arms over the railing, while they were singing.
"Artemis, get the gods!" Athena threw a long rope to Artemis who grabbed it and ran down the steps. Using her powers, Artemis ran super-fast around the group and tied them together in the middle of the deck where no harm could be done. Athena tried to follow her actions, but all she could see was a blur.
Abruptly, Apollo emerged from below and Athena and Artemis realized at the same time that they were in trouble. Apollo wasn't tied up. One of the Siren's jumped onto the deck and whisked Apollo over the edge.
"Apollo!" Artemis screamed. She grabbed a two pronged grappling hook that happened to be lying around and threw it over one of the lower topsail yard. She held onto the other end of the rope and, using her powers, jumped over the edge of the boat. Seeing Apollo, she reached forward and hooked the grapple on the back of his shorts. Then, she yanked hard on her end of the rope. Apollo shot out of reach of the Siren and back over the rail. Using the propel of this, Artemis shot out of the water and landed on her feet on the deck. She looked over at her brother distastefully. Athena looked forward and blanched; a steep river of water that was flowing downwards was quickly approaching and no-one was steering. Seeing no other option, Athena grabbed one of the handle's and pushed down. The wheel spun, each handle hitting Poseidon in the face, before he slumped off of the wheel. Athena took hold of the handles and glanced down at Poseidon, worrying about the Siren's. Then her fear came true.
One of the Siren's slid over the deck and grabbed a hold of Poseidon's chin and gracefully brought him down the steps and to the edge of the boat, almost pulling him over. Artemis grabbed a handful of his shirt and pushed him to the front of the boat
Another Siren was waiting at a landing. The Siren pressed its lips against Poseidon's in a rough kiss. That's when the bow tipped over the edge of the waterfall.
"Come up here and grab onto something!" Athena yelled down to Artemis, who quickly obliged.
Artemis came and stood near Athena. The rest of the boat slid over the edge and suddenly it was racing down the hill of water. At the end was an unnatural curve and the water flew upwards.
Athena scanned around her at all the other sunken boats and quickly made a decision.
"Get the wheel! I'm going down to pull out the blades," she instructed. As she was rushing down the stairs the boat hit a rock, sending her flying forward. She tumbled down to the bow and landed on something soft.
The good news was she landed on Poseidon, making the Siren dissipate automatically. The bad news was she was now passionately making out with Poseidon. His hands roamed her back and slid under her shirt.
She was so shocked she didn't what else to do but kiss him back; and she kind of liked it . . .
Then she regained her senses and brought her fist back before punching him in the face, sending him flying back.
She wiped her mouth with her arm and pushed of the small deck, then ran towards the lever she had accidentally discovered on her second night.
She yanked on it and the sides of the boat opened and several blades popped out on each side.
She then sprinted back up the Helm and took control of the wheel. She looked over to her left and spun the wheel the opposite way, turning the boat to the left. The bow spun around – hard to port – and towards the opening previous boats had tried to use. The boat launched off a rock out the blades dug through the other boat. The Siren's song ended and was replaced with them screaming for death.
The boat launched through the air and then slammed into the clam water below.
Athena blew her fringe out of her face and stood up straight, gently holding the handles and steering the boat away from the island.
Series of groans emerged from below, and Athena guessed that they were now free of their drunken stupor because of the Siren's. They all looked up to the Helm and saw Athena steering.
'What happened?' was muttered continuous times and Poseidon realized what must have happened first. Then he looked about his ship and was crestfallen.
"What – you – my ship! What happened to my ship?" he yelled.
"Siren's," Athena answered from the wheel.
Poseidon sharply turned to her. "This is exactly why women shouldn't drive! Look at the paint job! That's more than a little scratch! And here! These rails are hand carved mahogany from Venice! Do have any idea how hard it was to get these?"
Athena rolled her eyes at his antics, guessing he was just doing it to make a show in front of everyone, not admitting to them they weren't actually fighting much anymore.
"I saved your life!" she cried anyway.
"I would have been perfectly fine by myself. I always am."
Athena threw her hands off the wheel and stalked down the steps. "Well, have a fun time steering a broken ship!"
Then, for the fun of it, she turned and stalked into the Captains Quarters, slamming the door behind her.
Some things never change.
Okay, yes, some of these lines are from the movie and the Siren scene does sound suspiciously like the movie also. I don't own anything!
This might be a one-shot but I might put in more chapters of their time sailing. Don't expect an update soon though!
Lady Alice.
Oh, and review!