I nodded, and opened my mouth to start speaking, but he interrupted me.
"I know your questions, and I will answer them. You should make yourself comfortable, though. It may take a while." He moved to the black throne, and gestured for me to sit on the mother-of-pearl one to the left side of him. I smiled.
"I'm quite comfortable standing, thank you," I told him politely. It was true. Even after the massive distance that we had travelled, I wasn't tired. I was a little hungry, though. Poseidon smiled.
"Humour me, please."
I shrugged. I didn't mind, but if he did...I sat down next to him. Amphitrite sat in the other throne, to Poseidon's right.
"Cyrene, have someone bring in some refreshments, please," he ordered. I wondered vaguely what a god would eat, but shrugged the thought off. There where more pressing questions at hand. I didn't even get to open my mouth before he started talking.
"Like I said, I know your questions. It will take some time to answer them all. First, so that you can understand the whole, you need to know something else.
"Many centuries ago, in a time before the gods where born, a time referred to as the 'golden era' by some, the earth and the divine realms where ruled by the Titans, with Kronos, lord of the Titans, taking the throne. He was a cruel ruler, however. Men where merely objects used for his amusement.
"His wife, Rhea, gave birth to two sons and three daughters. Kronos ate them all; he feared that they would overthrow him. But then Rhea gave birth to the third son, Zeus. She hid him well, and gave the harsh ruler a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. He ate it, thinking that it was his son.
"When the boy was grown, Zeus tricked Kronos into coughing up his children. They then fled to Mount Olympus. After many years of war, the Gods defeated the Titans. I was among the victorious, the second oldest of Kronos's children.
"After we won, Zeus, our brother Hades and I drew straws as to the division of the kingdoms. Hades got the underworld, Zeus the sky, and I the ocean.
"As a reward for fighting with him, Zeus – who had claimed kingship over us, even though he was the youngest – gave me Amphitrite, the previous ruler of the ocean, as a wife. She hated this, for she was very independent.
"I fell in love with her the moment that I laid eyes on her. She and I are so alike; it was hard for me not to love her. However, she despised me, and made my life as hard – and painful – as possible.
"It took me over five millennia to convince her of my love – that was nearly seventeen years ago.
"Then we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. We would have kept her, but the law that we live by told us that she had to live as a mortal for at least thirty years. It saddened us, but we sent her to a family near our kingdom, so that we could keep an eye on her for as long as she lived there." He looked right at me.
"That girl was me," I stated. There was no question about it. He nodded. I wasn't sure why, but it didn't disturb me that I was – there was no other way to put it – a goddess. It seemed to fit somehow.
"Why now?" I asked. "I'm not even seventeen, let alone thirty." He sighed heavily.
"We would not have taken you so early, except that we need you," he said. "There is great danger coming to the world."
A/N I'm sososo sorry that I haven't updated sooner! I am a bad person...although I have had more than three hours of homework a night, so i'm a bit busy...
Anyways, hope you liked this chapter...not very long, but kind of important. Sorry if I've repeated what you already know, but it is important for the rest of the plot.
Questions, queeries, sugestions? pleas press the button below to submit a review, and I'll answer them.
Until next time,
Maddy
