It's been about three months since the wedding, and everything seems to be going well.
Doria has become accustomed to the pit and its inhabitants; they were too afraid to touch a hair on her head for fear of retribution from Tartarus. Speaking of the Protogenos of the Abyss, he has been a wonderful husband to Doria. Now, he does have his flaws, but he's never raised a hand against her nor has he forced her into anything.
He also hasn't shown any ulterior motive in wanting to marry Doria. He's been sweet and protective, which greatly surprised the now goddess.
Doria has stood in front of the mirror without her shirt, but it wasn't to admire or criticize her body, it was to see how well her pregnant belly was growing. While it would've never been her first choice, Doria knew she'd have to get pregnant soon after the wedding. She's just happy that she's excited about the baby and has the means to look after it.
Tartarus is excited as well. He can't stop touching her bump, feeling the growing womb and wondering if she'd give birth to one or more children. The thought of pushing out more than one child filled Doria with dread. She knows childbirth will be painful, but she also knows the pain feels different for different women. Considering all she's been through, Doria is also curious to find out if she'd be calmly giving birth, or screaming for an epidural.
Thinking about it makes her laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~On Olympus~~~~~~~
"What do you mean you lied?" the God of the Sea roared in fury, staring down at Samantha with a deathly glare.
Samantha didn't respond. She trembled beneath the Sea God's gaze, her face pale and the pace of her breathing going faster. Possible excuses and apologies zoomed through her mind, but as she thought about the possible reactions she'd get, Samantha knew they were all useless, so she stayed quiet.
Unfortunately, that just pissed Poseidon off more.
"Answer!" he demanded, his voice not lowering an inch. "You came up with excuses before. What's stopping you from doing it now?" There was a hint of regret and sadness mixed in with his fury, as he remembered that he fell for Samantha's lies and had cast away the daughter he claimed to favor - the ultimate betrayal.
Samantha looked around. Everyone was staring at her with a mixture of shock, hatred, and disbelief - those people couldn't believe they fell for her lies. Aphrodite, Samantha's mother, had her head down in shame.
Sally Jackson, Doria's mother, was seated off to the side, her head buried in her hands as she sobbed. She wiped away tear after tear as she came to terms with the fact that she had wrongly disowned her own daughter. Sally couldn't believe she did such a thing, and the day she cast Doria out of her apartment replayed through her mind.
Her daughter was on her knees, pleading and begging for her mother not to abandon her, and crying bucketful of tears. Looking back on it now, Sally wishes she never kicked her out of the apartment.
"Why in the name of Tartarus did you ruin my daughter's life?" Poseidon asked through gritted teeth, both curious and confused. "Why would you say such . . . horrendous things?"
Samantha looked back up at the darkened face of the Sea God; he looked as though he was ready to gut her like a fish and feed her to sharks.
"I -" she paused, taking another glance at the gods and Doria's former friends, boyfriend, and family. "I just . . ." her voice got softer, "I wanted her life."
Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed.
"You . . . wanted her life?" Athena spoke slowly, unsure of what she just heard. Hesitantly, Samantha nodded her head, further cementing the hatred everyone in that throne room felt for her.
After the meeting, Samantha was taken to the dungeons, and Poseidon went off somewhere to process the entire ordeal. Much like Sally, he couldn't believe that he had fallen for Samantha's lies. How he could be so easily swayed to despise his daughter. Doria had done so much for the gods and demigods, and Poseidon knew what his daughter was like - who she was - yet he just threw her away without even hearing her side. Not only that, but he ruined every chance she took to have a somewhat normal life. To say the Sea God was disgusted with himself was an understatement.
He had to find his daughter. No apology can change what he's done, but he greatly hopes he can salvage his relationship with his daughter.