The Full version of the walrus rescue -taken from chapter 20 Treading In The Unknown.

The Full Version (extended)

February

Poseidon wrapped his jacket around him tighter as he drove the boat into the sea.

"Triton will be back by the end of next month right?"

"Yes Delphin. Like it has been for the past four years he will be gone for a few weeks for his swim competitions."

"Have I told you I really don't enjoy these calls in the winter?

"At least a thousand times."

Poseidon and Delphin were answering a rescue call while Nerus handled the aquarium.

Usually it was Nerus and Triton who did these calls, but with Triton at school Poseidon usually took his place. Delphin was assisting as Nerus was on break.

"Well let's make it a thousand and one-"

"Does complaining about it make it any better?" Poseidon interrupted.

"My therapist says I should talk about my feelings a bit more."

"Are you saying you were holding back before? How long have you been seeing this therapist?"

"Long enough."

"Somehow I doubt that. As for the calls be prepared to go on more for next year."

"Wouldn't Percy take Triton's place? You can train him over the summer."

"We had plans for the summer, and Percy is excellent at the aquarium. I don't necessarily want to pull him away from the aquarium."

"He could be excellent with the rescues, you haven't let him on a rescue except for the time last month. We can sure use the extra hand when Triton is in Australia."

"I'll think about it."

"C'mon Poseidon. At least bring him on a few more calls, and maybe have him enter the waters."

"I said I'll think about it."

Delphin sighed, "How much further out is the walrus?"

"Not too far."

"Any idea why the Walrus is this far south?"

"Nothing certain. Have you heard of the story of a walrus being spotted in Western Europe?"

Delphin snorted, "Who hasn't? Didn't the walrus go as far south as Spain?"

"Yes it did. It concerns me as why there are walruses being spotted this far south. More and more icebergs melt each year, these walruses are probably searching for a new home as theirs are probably melting."

"Way to bring down the mood."

"Was there really much of a mood to begin with?"

"You're sounding more like Nerus each day. Is it an age thing? Will I become this solemn when I get old."

"I'm not old! I'm not even ten years older than you!"

"That's what they all say."

"Who says that? I'm only thirty six!"

"I'm just saying you should ease up. All the frowning will increase your wrinkles, you'll look as old as Nerus by the end of the year if you keep it up."

"Delphin!"

"I'm just saying."

"Well sometimes comments are better off unsaid."

Delphin shrugged and took out the binoculars to see if he could spot the walrus, "This is the coordinates they gave us, but I can't see the walrus. Can you?"

"No. Maybe it traveled somewhere else, hopefully up north?"

The boat violently tilted, Delphin and Poseidon grabbed the edges of the boat to stop them for going overboard.

"What was that?" Delphin asked.

"Look behind you." Poseidon answered after a moment, staring in disbelief as there was now a walrus on the boat.

Delphin sputtered after noticing the new guest on the boat, "i-it just climbed on?"

"Apparently, never in my twelve years of rescues has there ever been an animal that climbed aboard voluntarily."

"What do we do now?"

"We need to drop it off somewhere up north."

"What if it leaves before we reach the destination?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead. Maybe we can bribe it with the fish we have on board?"

"That'll probably work. How are we going to get the walrus off the boat once we're there?"

Poseidon shrugged, "Toss a fish into the sea and hope the walrus will return to the ocean?"

Delphin nodded in agreement and they both stood on the boat watching as the walrus laid on it's side sunbathing.

"I'm going to drive, and you're going to try to keep Walrus on the boat."

"Can't I drive?"

"You're the veterinarian, you get to babysit the walrus."

Delphin grumbled but sat down on one of the chairs with a cooler full of fish in his lap. Poseidon went into the cabin of the boat and opened the back window in order to hear Delphin if something happens while he drove.

Poseidon drove north for over an hour trying to get the furthest north without leaving the states and drop the walrus off.

It wasn't until he was almost at the boarder before he heard Delphin scream. Poseidon quickly stopped the engine and rush over to the window to see what was going on.

The cooler full of fish fell from Delphin's lap as the walrus attempted to climb on Delphin's lap.

"Delphin why is the walrus on you?"

"I don't know! I was just feeding him and he climbed on me, and it's heavy! Get it off of me!"

Poseidon exited the cabin and grabbed the fish from the cooler before tossing it into the ocean, as he had hoped, the walrus got off from Delphin and dove for the fish.

Poseidon watched as the walrus swam north eating the fish he threw into the sea. He turned back and Delphin was gasping for air with a hand on his heart, "I thought I was going to die!"

Poseidon rolled his eyes, "You're being dramatic. We are by the Canadian border, hopefully the walrus will continue traveling up North so it can find it's brethren. We haven't received any more calls, which is good as I'll have to pick up my son from school soon."