We sit and talk for what must be hours but with him, under the ocean, it's hard to tell how much time has passed. Poseidon tells me about his family and his past, not disguising them as myths anymore. In the minutes that pass, I actually feel closer to him. I can't help but feel that, despite the hardships I've been through, he had it a lot worse. Growing up in a family forever divided, living through horrific wars, plagues and disasters and never being able to get away from it all must take its toll. His eyes get darker as he speaks and I can almost see the ghosts of his past in them.

When finally he has run out of words, I don't know what to say. "I'm sorry" seems like such a feeble reaction. I swallow the words; they won't help anything. Instead, I ask him one last question. "Why was Zeus so angry about you and me? He didn't want us to be together but why? If I remember the myths correctly, he never seemed to have any problems with having relationships with mortals."

Poseidon smiles wryly, "Yes, Zeus was always the most – uh – enthusiastic, shall we say, about mortal the women. But that was before we took the oath."

Something about his words makes me uncomfortable and I shift in my seat, trying to find a more relaxing position. "What oath?" I ask.

Poseidon takes a deep breath before he starts to speak. He doesn't meet my eyes when he says, "After the Second World War, my brothers, Zeus, Hades and I swore upon the River Styx not to have any more children. We saw what they could do, the destruction they could cause when they became too powerful. The others gods' children are powerful too, of course. But our demigod children were too strong, too easily made angry and their wrath was uncontrollable. They caused terrible wars in the past but none as terrible as World War Two. We swore we could never let that happen again and we made an unbreakable vow." He laughs dryly at the last part and shakes his head.

"Did the others keep their promise?" I ask. The bitterness in his voice had indicated that perhaps they hadn't.

"Zeus has a daughter," Poseidon says resentfully, "And another on the way, no doubt, since he keeps pursuing the woman. He may act high and mighty but he was the first to break the vow. Then we found out about Hades. His son and daughter were born before the vow was made but they couldn't be allowed to live. There is a prophecy that speaks of the destruction of the gods and we couldn't let a child of Hades be involved in that. But Hades hid them somewhere beyond our reach, a safe place."

It doesn't seem fair or even logical, I think, for his brother to be so self-righteous. I think of the way Zeus seemed unable to control his anger and how close he had come to threatening Poseidon or me. He has a daughter and a relationship with a mortal woman. He has no right to interfere in our relationship. I clench my fists in my lap, suddenly angry with this man I barely know. He was the only obstacle in the one perfect thing I had ever had in my life.

And then, I was so tired of always following the rules. I had never been the loud girl, the rebellious girl. I had never broken the rules. I had always been the one to play it safe. When I left school, it wasn't an act of rebellion; it was the good girl thing to do to help my uncle. Once, just once, I wanted something for myself without having to worry about the consequences.

"I want this relationship, Poseidon," I say. I can hear the anger and the tiredness in my voice. And something else: the desperate need for something to go my way. "I don't care what Zeus says. He can have things his way but we can't?"

Poseidon looks pained by what I said. I had expected him to be happier that I wanted this, that I wanted him. "Sally, this would only put you in danger."

"Then I will learn how to protect myself," I say firmly. "This isn't one of those myths you told me. This is my life. There is no time to play the damsel in distress, waiting to be saved. If I need to, I can save myself."

Poseidon looks at me, quiet for a few moments. Then his face splits into a smile and I feel a bump of love for this broken, beautiful man that changed everything. He leans over to me and scoops me up into his arms. He puts his lips close to mine. "You're a queen among women, Sally," he smiles.

He kisses me, again and again. There is no one here to tell us no. I don't want this, I need this. His hands feel familiar against my skin as he pulls me closer. I can feel his heart thumping beneath my finger tips. He pulls me on to his lap and I wrap my legs around his waist. His lips against mine are a silent question and I have only one response – yes.