Hey guys I see the last chapter went down a treat! Longest one I've ever written for this story. Sorry about the wait again, but uni is hard, but I've had more reviews for this chapter than all the others! Unfortunately not enough of you left names, so I will address 'Guest' reviews in the order I got them. Okie dokey here come the shout outs:

JLover97: Thanks again. Sorry I took so long, but now I'm settled it won't happen again.

Alex: Thanks, it's good to be back. Good to know you like the story so much, I think others should write more Pothena too.

Guest: Thank you!

Jessie: Thanks, here's the update you wanted.

Avamys: Here's your update.

5 Guest Reviewers: You all said similar things, so thanks for your love for this story and I hope you like the update.

Sherry09: Thank you

bookreader1617 – Thank you for saying the story was well-written. I'm glad I've given you a taste for Pothena haha.

What did I tell you? LOADS! I'd also like to give honourable mention to Aifos di Cambri for offering up a suggestion which will, in part, be used. Well thank you all so much for your support and I hope you continue reading.

They lay there in silence for hours, not sleeping for more than a few minutes at a time. No words needed to be spoken. Every now and again they would each look over at one another and sigh. Time was ticking away and none could be wasted. If this was the last time they were going to have together, they wanted to remember it fondly; they could not afford to be thinking about impending doom while wrapped in each other's embrace. But soon the light began to fade and nightfall approached, and they knew they had to go back to the temple and prepare.

The two of them entered the square together, no longer caring if anyone suspected anything. Not that they even looked up from their posts to notice their arrival. It was organised chaos. Ares was standing atop a plinth in the centre ordering other minor gods to the details of his battle plans. Hephaestus filled wheelbarrows of fresh arrows and swords and other such weaponry and Hermes flitted about speedily delivering them to their designated owners. Zeus was sharpening his glistening sword on a mechanical whetstone that Artemis was operating at the grind, his lightning bolts crackling and fizzing in his golden quiver beside him, itching to be used. Never had the centre of Olympus been so full of life. It struck Athena how odd it was that the inhabitants were united more closely now out of fear than any other motivation.

She gave a long sideward glance at Poseidon over her shoulder, and he nodded at her reassuringly before his face broke out into a wide grin that told any who saw it that he was not afraid to die this day. She gave him a small smile in return, and then Hephaestus approached them with Poseidon's trident and Athena's shield in his hands. He held them out to both of them.

"Here." He said gruffly. "And try your hardest not to lose them."

He then hobbled off again to answer Ares' bellowing demands as he ordered another barrel of arrows for Apollo, who was already loading four cartloads into his chariot. Ares then shouted for Artemis to leave her post cranking the whetstone and to deliver medicines Asclepius had prepared to the survivors of the first battle in her own chariot. Poseidon gripped and re-gripped his trident. It hadn't taken him long to grow a liking for the feel of it. Athena watched him as he continued to toy with his weapon, transfixed by its beauty. The intense look in his eyes made them look like the churning waves of the ocean before a maelstrom hit. Raging and bubbling under the surface just waiting to brake free and unleash its fury upon the world. She had seen him in battle before; he was magnificent then, but this passion she could see building within him told her that this would be different. He would gleam on the battlefield. It was true Poseidon was not the most logical god when it came to plans of attack, but he had skill, and determination. That made him warrior enough for Athena.

"Do not die today, my love." She commanded him softly, trying so hard to give him the same easy smile he always seemed to give in the face of doom to mask her concern. She wasn't so good at it, but Poseidon was, and he used it as he winked at her.

"I have no plans to die today." He said confidently, stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead before approaching Demeter and Hera at the target blocks they had mounted. He hurled his trident at one, letting loose a guttural grunt and causing the muscles in his arms to ripple linearly from shoulder to wrist with the effort. It hit the centre of the target with such force that it speared right through the 12 inches of oak wood and landed sticking up out of the ground 10 feet behind it. He looked tremendously proud of himself and Hera and Demeter patted his shoulders in congratulations. Athena bit her bottom lip not-so-subtly in an attempt not to unveil her attraction to him, at which point she heard her name being called from somewhere across the square.

She looked around through the commotion and spotted Aphrodite waving at her from amongst the chaos trying to get her attention. What appeared to be worry was etched onto her beautiful face. Setting out through the masses of her hurrying relatives, she reached her and was pulled out of the ruckus and behind a statue of Demeter out of sight. She rested her shield against the statue's plinth and placed her helmet beside it.

"What is it?" she asked in a hushed but panicked tone. Aphrodite slapped her arm.

"What do you think you are doing? I thought you were supposed to be keeping your relationship a secret." She hissed. Athena grumbled at the blow and frowned.

"We are." She insisted.

"Then stop kissing in front of the whole of Olympus. Dionysus saw Poseidon kiss you a moment ago after he caressed your face. I had to cover it up for you." Aphrodite explained. Athena's expression then changed to match Aphrodite's one of worry.

"What did you tell him?" she questioned.

"Of course I told him not to be so foolish. There was nothing more than familial care in the action and that I sensed nothing between you whatsoever." She told her. While Athena's face relaxed, Aphrodite's did not.

"Thank you." Athena's sighed, making to pick up her effects and leave, but Aphrodite held her back.

"That's not all he said." She whispered. Athena silently nodded in a motion for her to continue. "He told me that, while talking with Hermes, he happened to mention that he also thinks Poseidon is having a love affair, but he does not know with whom."

"Who does?" Athena asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hermes!" Aphrodite exclaimed as quietly as she could without losing the urgency of her words. "He said Hermes thinks Poseidon is in love with a woman he intends to marry. A woman he thinks Zeus will not allow his union to, but he doesn't know who she is. Who better fits that description than his favourite daughter? Hermes is not bright, but he's quick. It won't take him long to figure it out."

Athena's jaw dropped. Her breathing became quicker and more erratic. She thought long and hard for any time Hermes may have been able to suspect such a thing. He had appeared at her temple once or twice recently when Poseidon had been there, but he never said anything. And if this was the case, how could he not know who it was Poseidon was in love with? Nothing sprang to mind, which angered her and she let out a frustrated growl. Aphrodite looked sympathetic.

"I shouldn't worry now about this gossip." She said to calm Athena. "Right now winning this war is what matters. Making sure you can be with the man you love is what matters." Athena nodded and composed herself, strapping her shield to her left arm and tucking her helmet under it. She and Aphrodite then steeled themselves and walked back out into the confusion.

A few hours later, when the commotion had ended and a hush had fallen over Olympus, Zeus nodded gravely to Apollo. He nodded back with a solemn face, and mounted his chariot. As he sored through the sky, the inky dark blue hue of the clouds around them lightened, and the sun gave an early glare over the golden gates, blazing like molten fire. It would have been a much more pleasant sight if the Olympians were not so anxious not to lose it. Still they stood firm in their formation, looking out towards the entrance with an unwavering gaze. Their armour shone and their swords were ready. Then, as Apollo returned and hovered above them in his chariot, a familiar thudding shook the earth beneath their feet.

Zeus raised his sword and pointed it forward, indicating for the gods to march calmly towards the gates. They did so, their feet pounding the ground steady as a drum beat. As they reached the gates, the Horae opened them and the Olympians halted under the archway. The titans then emerged into view, their grimaced faces and glaring eyes striking fear into the hearts of even the strongest of the gods. Zeus looked at his brothers standing either side of him at the front of the formation.

"My brothers," he spoke to them, "we have fought many foes together, but the first time we fought, we fought for this land. We fought these beasts in all their brute strength for the liberation of Earth, and we won. The mortals remember only I for this victory, as I claimed the throne but from the bottom of my heart, I could not have conquered Olympus without you. Now at this moment in time when we must fight again the evils from whence we came, I must ask; are you with me?"

There was a short pause before the corners of Poseidon's mouth twitched up into a sentimental smile and his deep blue eyes met his brother's gaze.

"To the death." He replied simply. The two then looked over at Hades on Zeus' other side, and he nodded with the same determined look etched into his furrowed brow. Their attention returned to the titans, who were now standing not too far off, immobile but terrifying with Cronus in front. He and his sons stared each other down. Each brother was worried that if they took their eyes off of Cronus for longer than a second, he would charge and catch them off guard. Yet he did nothing. He just silently stared at them, his eyes ablaze with hatred and malice.

"Bastards." he greeted them with a sneer. Zeus glowered angrily. Oceanus and Coeus, who stood either side of Cronus as Poseidon and Hades did with Zeus, smirked. Zeus growled at Oceanus.

"You were not worthy of the amnesty I granted you. I gave you freedom from the penance you should have endured with the rest of your soulless brood. Instead I chose to show you mercy, and you kidnapped my daughter, and tried to disgrace her." he snarled. Oceanus looked indifferent, but Cronus almost looked proud.

"He took what was rightfully his. Any god who wants a woman takes her." he jeered.

"Not when that woman is my daughter." Zeus growled. He then looked back at Oceanus.

"After all I gave you. After I showed you mercy –"

"Mercy?" Oceanus interrupted him. "You claim you gave me mercy and amnesty and freedom. Do you know what you really did? You imprisoned my kindred; you stole my kingdom out from under me and gifted it to your pretender brother who hadn't so much as had his feet touch the ground let alone seen the ocean! All after I agreed to serve you under your rule! You showed no mercy, you stunted fool! You are a liar, a thief, and a traitor!"

Zeus raised his sword and made to strike but Poseidon lifted a hand and gripped his wrist to prevent him. Oceanus grinned in pride at having struck a nerve. In truth Poseidon too was fighting the urge to skewer Oceanus on his trident, which had seen far too little use since its remodel and was just itching to be coated in the blood of his enemies. But his solemn duty was to follow his brother and follow the plan he had set forth, and to stop him from breaking it. Once he had calmed and lowered his sword once again, Poseidon stood back.

"Must your brother always step in and save you from making mistakes, so-called king?" Cronus spat with relish. Zeus grimaced.

"I am the king!" Zeus bellowed angrily.

"Not here!" Cronus roared back. "Here I am the king, and I will take back my kingdom by any means necessary. I will not rest until all of your bastard, traitor Olympian blood is spilled and your bones decorate my throne room. And when we win, my son, Oceanus can have your daughter and any other woman he could ever want. He can do whatever he wants to her, whenever he so desires."

"And I shall." Oceanus continued, glaring at Athena and smirking in the greatest pleasure as he thought of things he would do. She could feel her skin crawl. "And when she screams out your name for help I will personally see to it that she can see your putrefied corpse rotting, dangling from – UGH!"

He could not continue as he was knocked several metres back right off of his feet, all three prongs of Poseidon's trident embedded in his chest. The force at which he was travelling knocked over many other titans and caused Cronus to sway unsteadily to the side, though he never fell to the floor. It didn't take too long after Oceanus landed for Zeus to order the charge, and the two forces collided with an ear-splitting crash.

Poseidon fought his way through the battle to reclaim his trident from Oceanus' chest. However, when he reached the spot where he had fallen, he wasn't there. He looked around him in the chaos, sword at the ready when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his back, as though he had been stuck with several blades at once. The pain caused him to drop his sword, and he was lifted off of his feet by whatever it was behind him impaling his back. He was then thrown away so he crumpled to the floor a short distance from where he had been standing, and he looked up to see Oceanus wielding his trident. Golden ichor was trickling from three puncture wounds in his chest, and coating the three silver prongs of the weapon. As Poseidon rose, he could feel the hot ichor running down his back from his own wounds, and he glared at his uncle. He realised he was now without a weapon.

"I believe you have something of mine." He panted from the pain his wounds caused him, but his voice still held the brave oblivion to the trouble he was facing.

"You want it back?" Oceanus sneered, and he hurled the trident at Poseidon, but he lacked the same skill and prowess as his younger successor. Poseidon leaned sideways to dodge the blow and caught the trident. Seeing this, Oceanus picked up Poseidon's sword from where it lay on the floor and held it at battle stance.

Poseidon swung his trident at Oceanus, who blocked it with the sword, the collision creating an off-tune metallic clunk. Poseidon spun the trident, pushing away the sword and attempted another jab only to be blocked by a defensive swing from Oceanus, who in turn flung the trident away from his person and continued his assault with the sword. As far as skill would have it, Poseidon was the wiser, but Oceanus was fighting for his survival, and in the fight for survival there are no rules. His strength against Poseidon's skill meant the latter was outmatched. With another swing of the sword, Poseidon was disarmed long enough for Oceanus to knock him once again to the floor. He rolled over for a moment, feeling dizzy from the hit.

"And you think yourself a worthy successor." Oceanus jeered as Poseidon spat out some of the ichor filling his mouth. "You are nothing."

He moved in for the kill, and then cried out in pain. The tip of a sword stuck out through the bicep of the arm he used to wield his blade. Though it gave him pause, he did not drop his weapon, but still Poseidon was able to get the better of him and kick him out of the way. The blade tip retracted as he fell, revealing Poseidon's rescuer to him; Athena. She had lost her helmet somewhere in battle, her long dark curls were loose and untidy and blew about in the high wind and she had a cut on her left cheek dripping a small amount of ichor. She picked him up, and Poseidon kissed her before his feet even touched the ground. It was a short and sweet kiss, and was just what the two of them needed to erase the dangers around them from their minds for just a moment. When they broke apart Poseidon held her head in his hands and she rested hers upon his chest.

"I thought you had no plans to die today?" she asked jokingly, but her concern was obvious in her face. Poseidon gave her a reassuring smile and winked at her as he replied.

"No, of course not! I made you a promise." He said with a smile. "I intend to keep it."

Athena beamed and went to kiss him again but out of the corner of her eye she spotted something else that required their attention more. Oceanus rose from where he had landed and glared at them. He saw Poseidon and Athena still wrapped in their embrace, and his icy sky blue eyes glazed over in rage. The two lovers could see as his jaw clenched and his fists balled up and his breathing become more ragged. They separated and raised their weapons at battle stance; Poseidon with his trident and Athena with her sword and shield.

"Was it not enough, nephew, that you took my lands and titles? That you took my pride and my freedom? Was that not adequate to satisfy your hunger? There was yet more from me you had to steal?" Oceanus hissed, slowly making his way towards them with menace in his eyes. Poseidon stood defiant.

"She was never yours for me to take." He growled, and he and Athena charged at Oceanus. A short distance away, Zeus stood on an elevated plume of cloud he had raised purposely to watch the destruction of the battle. He saw his brothers and sisters, his sons and daughters being put to the sword by the fury of the titans. It seemed that despite their lack of weaponry and form, their rage and will for revenge was just as formidable a stratagem. Knowing that they could not be killed nor defeated to the point where they would be unable to fight back, he called over to Hephaestus, who was engaged in a fight with Coeus and Tethys along with Hera and Demeter.

"Hephaestus! Run to your workshop, fetch as many of the strongest chains you can carry!" he bellowed over the ringing of clashing swords and the clanging of shields and fists. Hephaestus, who had barely heard him over the rabble, nodded and fought his way out of battle, running unseen back through the golden gates and through the Olympic Village. Zeus watched his son go and there was a sudden thud behind him that shook the ground beneath his feet and caused him to lose his footing. He fell from his soft platform and looked up to see his father standing over him, his cruel grey-green eyes piercing into his soul until it was so exposed he may as well have been wearing it has his armour. His snarl had a certain smugness about it; a smugness that Zeus wanted to wipe from his face completely.

"So this is where your path of traitorous mutiny has led you, little king." Cronus said bitterly, enjoying it thoroughly. "At my feet and at the point of my sword begging for mercy." At which point he raised the sword he had taken from a fallen Horae and held it under Zeus' chin, pressing enough to break the skin.

"Kings never beg." Zeus replied with defiance, breaking his father's smirk and crying out as he knocked his sword aside and charged him. He noticed that Cronus often made angry and desperate jabs rather than trying to fight him off, probably wanting to end the battle and kill him as soon as possible. His rage appeared to be of some advantage to Zeus as it made him predictable, and he was able to block every jab with moderate ease, though it was tiring. They swapped blows and swings with no sign of stopping.

Oceanus was fighting off both Athena and Poseidon with skill enough to keep them both on their toes. Athena attacked on the left while Poseidon attacked on the right, and Oceanus swung and swiped in circles, using the rebound off of one of their swords to give him the momentum to hit the other. He aimed a swing at Athena's head, but she ducked just in time, at which point Poseidon attempted to stab him in the back. Oceanus turned and stopped him, clashing his sword with the handle of the trident and pushing with such force that he was looming over his nephew, their weapons locked and neither budging an inch.

Athena shot a well-aimed kick at the back of his head, shaking his focus and allowing her time enough to stand. This angered Oceanus even more and he let out a scream of frustration. With a newfound strength he hit Poseidon with the hilt of his own sword, dizzying him for a moment and pushed him away to get lost in the raging battle. He then turned to Athena, who barely had time to panic for her love before he swung the sword at her yet again. She fought back to the best of her ability, meeting his every stroke, fearless and fierce. It seemed she had gotten the better of him, when suddenly Phoebe, fighting with Artemis who had run out of arrows and was now fighting with a sword, fell in front of her and knocked her concentration. Oceanus took advantage of her mistake and attacked even more wildly, managing to knock her sword from her grasp and clamp a hand around her throat with a steadfast hold.

Hephaestus ran back to the battleground, many black iron chains slung over both his strong arms and clasped in both hands. He looked around for his father, but could not see him amongst the rest of his kin. Instead he scoured the rest of the battle for any Olympian in need of assistance. He then heard his named being called out to him within the bloodshed, and saw Poseidon motioning to him from not too far away.

"Hephaestus!" he cried over the noise. "Throw me a chain!"

Hephaestus did as he was bid and spun the chain around in his hand. When it gained enough momentum, he launched it towards Poseidon, who caught it in his right hand while carrying his trident in his left. Once sure that Poseidon had what he needed, Hephaestus went to re-join the battle and help any others who required chains. Poseidon fought his way back through every small combat, all the while cursing himself for his blunder, until he saw Oceanus holding Athena at the neck with such force he could hear her choking above all sounds of pain and anguish around him.

"You scorn me, the true ruler of the ocean, yet you willingly whore yourself to Lord Lack-Brains the Pretender? I should have thought you wiser." He sneered in her face. Athena fought hard but could not remove his hand.

"I am no whore. I love him." She protested. "Though I too thought once that I were wiser than to do that."

"Yes, of course you love him! He can give you anything! He has everything! And everything he has, he took from me. Well I say now is the time for me to claim it all back, starting with you!" he roared and he stepped closer to the edge of the clouds, over which was the long drop down into the mortal world. As he lifted Athena up and her feet dangled over the edge, she could see Poseidon over his shoulder. He held up the chain, and she gave him a ghost of a nod.

"He has taken nothing from me. I gave myself to him freely." She said finitely before raising a foot and kicking Oceanus sharply in the stomach. He let her go and she let herself drop sideways to avoid falling over the edge. In pain he dropped Poseidon's sword, where it was picked up by its true owner as he jammed the end of his trident into the ground so it stood upright for later use. Athena pulled back Oceanus' hands behind him and bound him fast with the chains. Once tied he fell to his knees, facing the edge. Poseidon took a fistful of his sandy hair and jerked back his head to speak a word in his ear.

"I am the ruler of the ocean, and you will never look upon her face again." He hissed, and then with one swift swipe of his sword, he cleaved Oceanus' head right from his shoulders. His screams of pain seemed to matter little to him and ichor sputtered from the severed head, still in his hand held by his hair. He kicked the limp body sharply and it tumbled over the edge and careened towards the Earth below. After giving him one last disdainful look of pure loathing, he threw the screaming head after it, still bellowing slanders and insults as it fell. Looking back at Athena, he saw a look of relief wash over her face as she let out a sight, as if a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. He would have kissed her right then and there if Apollo and Thetis hadn't stumbled into their path. They helped him to wrestle her to the floor and chain her, and then threw her over the side to join Oceanus at the bottom. Zeus, who had seen the success they had had while still battling Cronus, subdued his further long enough to erect another tower of cloud and address his fellow Olympians.

"Olympians! Chain up the beasts and throw them into the depths below! There they shall await their judgement!" he cried. All that heard him grabbed chains at any possible interval from Hephaestus and fought even harder against their opponents. The next to fall was Coeus, followed by Phoebe and Tethys, who had made a wild swipe for Athena's skirts on the way down. Themis and Mnemosyne were tied together and sent over, and within the course of an hour, Cronus was the last left standing.

Hephaestus had tried to bind him with the final chain, but when he had tossed it, Cronus caught it and was now using it as a weapon seeing as he had shattered two stolen swords with the ferocity of his attack. Whenever an Olympian dared to come near him with their swords, he would swing the chain and cast them away, growling as he did so. Zeus looked over at Poseidon and Hades, all of them at a loss of how to beat him. Cronus swung the chain in a wide circle around himself.

"Who of you dares challenge me?" he asked with a cruel sneer. Athena looked at the links that comprised the chain he was holding. Looking then down at her own sword, she got an idea and sent a mental message to her father and uncles.

Aim all spears, swords and arrows at the links of the chain. She said, With a large enough effort we could pin it to him and immobilise him.

Poseidon, Hades and Zeus all nodded to one another, but did not look back at Athena so as not to give away her importance to Cronus. They picked up a few potential missiles from the battleground where they had no doubt been dropped by fallen nymphs or centaurs. Other Olympians, seeing this though not sure what they were doing it for, copied them and began picking up spears and swords from the ground. Nothing happened for a while as they assessed the situation and the best time to strike. Cronus was getting impatient.

"Will none of you snivelling cowards dare to fight me?!" he bellowed and he went to charge. Poseidon, acting quickly and having the best arm, hurled his trident at the chain held in between Cronus' hands. The prongs hooked into two links and caused it to fly up and become pinned to his chest.

The others wasted no time in making use of the stumble it caused Cronus. Apollo and Artemis, catching on to the idea, strung their bows and fired arrow after arrow, each one hitting its mark right on the bullseye. Ares cared little for what he threw, but his arm had such force that whether or not it went through a chain link, it stuck out of Cronus' chest. Before long the chain was pinned straight across Cronus' front, and he screamed and wailed in agony at each of the hundred tiny puncture wounds he had sustained.

Seeing their chance, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades ran forward and gripped the ends of the chain that Cronus had dropped and ran around him, throwing different ends over his shoulder and catching them to ensure he could not move at all. Once the chain was bound fast, Cronus fell to the floor, legs thrashing and screaming to the point where his lungs might burst. Poseidon yanked his trident from where it still protruded from Cronus' chest and, with one solid movement, kicked him over the edge to join the others down below. The Olympians were victorious.