Chapter 3. A New Beginning

For a moment, neither god made a move. All they did was looking into each other's eyes, grey to sea green, sea green to grey. Athena saw the fire burning in Poseidon's eyes, yet she did not cower; she was determined this time, it's now or never. Poseidon saw the pain and determination shining in those intelligent eyes, but he did not care; she had reached his last straw and he was about to explode.

He grabbed her shoulders by such great force that made her gasp; he started shaking her violently, yelling at her at the same time.

"What the Hades do you think you're doing? For eons I have to put up with you and your incorrect accusations. Do have any idea how much they annoyed me?"－and hurt me, he mentally yelled－"Now I have enough of that." He stopped his action, but only to glare at her. She could see the storm raging in his eyes, it was intimidating.

"You might be able to win those arguments, but what you have to face now is my wrath. There's no way you're getting away from this, never. It is what you deserve after all these times." Poseidon said in a deep and deadly calm tone, venom dropping in his words. He then walked away without another word.

Athena was trembling. That was definitely not what she had expected. She had only gathered enough courage, wishing to speak to him about her feelings, but now that courage had dissipated into thin air; she felt like someone had not only taken away the ground underneath her feet, but also stabbed her heart at the same time. It hurt and pained her so much that she felt as if she was suffocating. Her heart now, was all broken, devastated, and torn into a million pieces. She couldn't even think. She had never felt so broken and vulnerable; she couldn't let anyone see her in this state. Athena tried to steady herself and regain posture, but it was no avail. She felt her knees weaken and she slumped hard onto the grass. Tears were streaming down her face, she couldn't stop shivering. She tried hard not to break down, yet it went against her will. She sobbed and the sobbing became the most heartbroken cry no one had ever heard of.

Poseidon was about to step out of the garden when he heard the sobbing sound, then the cries. He stopped dead in his tracks and decided to check out what had happened. He followed the sound and soon found himself standing in front of her. She was on the ground, hugging herself tightly as if trying not to let herself fall apart. It was too much for him, the hatred he had for her had dissolved into nothingness. All he felt now was heartache, and his tears began to blur his view. It struck him that he still loved her, the love never stopped. Poseidon ran to her side, kneeling down and hugging her tightly. He felt Athena tensed in his embrace, but relaxed after a few seconds. He began soothing her back and striking her hair, slowly the crying died down. He sensed Athena taking deep breaths before pulling back. Her eyes were still red and puffy and some tears were brimming in the corner of her eyes. Hesitantly, he reached out to her and brushed the tears away. Poseidon cupped her face, forcing her to look directly at him.

"I…I'm sorry Athena. I don't hate you, I really don't. Can you forgive me for what I just did? If you don't, it's completely fine, I can understand. I guess that was what I deserve for doing that."

Athena smiled at him weakly. "It's okay, Poseidon. I will forgive you no matter what."

"Why? I thought you hate me."

"I actually don't now. Yes, I used to hate you, but everything seemed to change after our cooperation." Athena took a deep breath and continued. "I know it might sound impossible and irrational, but I found myself falling for you. It took me a while to convince myself that it is true because I was terrified, I still am. It is the worst situation I've ever been in; I don't even know what to do, and I'm the freaking goddess of wisdom. Now, I must sound crazy to you, but I want you to know one thing Poseidon. I love you, even if it really sounds i－"Not even letting her finish her sentence, Poseidon pulled her closer and captured her lips with his own. Athena was stunned; she did not expect things would turn out like this, but she soon started kissing back. They fit perfectly, as if they are meant to be together since the beginning of time. After a few minutes, they both pulled back, panting heavily while noses still touching.

"Athena now it's your time to listen. I love you, I guess I always have. I just didn't expect that you would love me back. How wrong I was. If I told you this sooner, things could've been so different, but right now, it doesn't matter anymore."

They both leaned in and share their second kiss. It was shorter, but sweet. They smiled lovingly at each other, he then stroke her cheeks gently with love.

"You must be really exhausted right now Athena. C'mon, I'll walk you back to your palace."

Athena smiled and laced her fingers with his. Slowly, the two gods walked hand in hand, out of the garden.

-Finished-

A/N: This is the last chapter of this fanfiction, hope you enjoy it!

Thank you to all who have read this story~