Who: Poseidon and Amphitrite What: Without any word still from his wife, Poseidon sneaks back into her apartment to still find it empty. When: Thursday late afternoon/night, November 17, 2011 Where: Amphitrite's place Warnings: None
That drive from work veered him back toward Amphitrite's apartment which was still as he left it. Empty. He may have moved out and back into his own place, but the old Sea King was getting antsy with the waiting. He wasn't very patient by nature and was starting to second guess his reasoning in letting Amphitrite go without a word or a spy to track her. It wasn't like him to leave her alone, but the old lonely bastard wanted her to come back.
He flipped on the lights as he entered, hand running alongside the wall. A small part inside willed her to come back. It wasn't just the city that turned his oceans cold and gray. He himself was going back to stone in her absence. He may be a god, a man above others, above her, but he was tied to her. He'd acted out, lashed out at her before driving a bigger wedge between them since they'd come to this city, now when he should have protested the most he stayed back. For once, he hung back for her sake. Perhaps it was a manipulative action in its own way to lure her back, otherwise she would cut ties and that would be the end for him.
Stripping back his coat, Poseidon flopped it against the back of the couch, laying there for a long time asleep before getting up and heading towards her bedroom. Her bed was ruffled, he figured from the last time he'd been in it. When he checked her closet he pulled a shirt down from the rack, holding it under his nose like an obsessive stalker memorizing his victim. With the shirt curled in his hand he flopped on the bed, sheets and pillows wallowed beneath him as he twisted to get comfortable. If he closed his eyes he could imagine she was still there with him. He could smell her hair, touch the curve of her face and wrap himself with her body. He laid there with that image, curling up next to it.
Perhaps it was selfish of her to stay away for so long. At first it had been out of anger, which turned into annoyance, which turned into her realizing that this precious time without him following her like a sad puppy was too good an opportunity to pass up. Time to herself. That was a rare occasion and she would gladly take it. Even if she had manipulated him into staying away.
She had fallen asleep before he had shown and she could barely remember the events since her return. She had slipped out once, but she knew it was futile to try again. This time she had come home to an empty apartment, and a relief that she would be able to postpone the inevitable explosion.
Then she felt something next to her and at first it seemed a part of her dreams, but then he conscious started taking over. Slowly, she pulled herself out of slumber to find that there was indeed someone there. "Get out of here!" Her first instinct was to fight and kick, which was exactly what she did. Until she realized who it was and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good gods, you have to say something before you start slipping back into bed with me."
At her startled movements he realized that image was real, not just an image in his head. Her kicks were enough of an indication by their impact alone. She'd smacked him in the face with her flailing limbs which his reaction had been to pin her down until she settled. There was no forcefulness in his hands before he crawled off her and flipped on the table lamp.
"Where the fuck have you been?" his tone not quite so harsh, just worried. "I was ready to send out the search party."
If it had not been for things that had happened in previous months and her knowledge of the world, Amphitrite might have been naive and immediately assumed that the figure was actually her adoring husband. But she knew better. That didn't mean she wasn't relieved to know it was him slipping into her bed and not some pervert.
In all honesty, she had no desire to fight at that moment. She had come back from a glorious time of doing absolutely nothing and everything for herself. "Nowhere you'd like. Just a girls retreat." She wasn't about to budge; she wasn't telling him where she had been. "Good thing you didn't, because I meant it when I said I'd kill every last one of your bastards," her eyes narrowed a little, a warning in her eyes.
His own eyes narrowed back at her as he sat against the backboard of the bed. His head flew back with a heavy sigh, a growl mixed in. "Be glad, I was being generous," spite in his voice as he swallowed heavily. Was she always going to rip his heart out and carry it with her when she left?
He turned his head to the side to look at her, leaning off the backboard to face her. "Don't look so ecstatic to see me," was there hurt there on his face? He climbed back a little closer. He'd not been violent or forceful since he'd come back, even their time together before she left was soft. Poseidon himself had not gained back his forcefulness except in his tongue. Not yet. Something changed, something snapped, and he was doing what he could to be her husband for once.
"Oh yes, very generous. For you anyway." She was back a fortnight and already they were starting an argument. There was a time when this was sexy, but right now it was just inconvenient.
"Should I be?" Even if he hadn't made a pass, she simply wasn't in the mood for his games right now. She slid out of the bed and foot at the foot with her arms crossed. "We need to have a talk."
He hadn't seen her for months and she wanted to talk. With a heavy groan into the sheet he rolled onto his back as she stood. Best to get this over with while he was still in a good mood.
"So speak," he instructed, sitting up. Talking was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
She could see a glimmer of the Poseidon she knew, but then she could tell there was still a change in him. He wasn't who she knew him as, but she wasn't certain whether it was a good thing or not. Eventually she would find out.
"All this time to myself made me realize something. You've had these little bastards of yours pop up left and right," maybe it was an exaggeration, considering there had only been two she knew of. But that was beside the point. Besides, they weren't the only ones and he knew she meant every last child that didn't belong to her. "And yet we only have a handful of our own. It doesn't seem right. All these years apart from our children and we haven't had any more. It's time for another." The way she spoke it was like she was having a pleasant conversation with a good girlfriend. He knew what she was proposing, but it wasn't the end of it. "Give me a child of my own or I'm leaving you for good."
Leave it to the Greeks to think this was normal.
She had always been jealous of his mistresses, even more jealous of the children that were a result of that. Every one or two that popped up in this time was a reminder to her that they had grown apart. Her proposal was expected and yet not. He was certain that she would leave him with that tone she held, and he stood tall ready to defy her.
Her objective was different when she'd finally laid out her terms. His hands grasped her face, nose brushing against hers. "Gladly," he said in his deepest voice, a hint of his dominate self as it rolled in his throat.
He wouldn't deny her that. Had she really waited months for such a proposal? If a child kept her here, so be it, she'd have herself to blame if she wanted out later. Poseidon wouldn't let her.
Although she half expected him to refuse she looked utterly pleased. "You could never resist me," she said with amusement. There was an unspoken understanding at this point. He could have her as long as she had something to hold onto. Otherwise it was completely pointless to even try. A child wouldn't fix anything but it would give something for Amphitrite to love and dote on, even if she would rub it in his face.
There was nothing more to be said.
"No," he whispered. "Can't," his lips dived against hers, forcefully taking a kiss. "I've missed you," he admitted against her lips, a revelation that took more for him to say before. He was still wandering around between his old self and the now.