Who: Poseidon and Amphitrite Where: Amphitrite's place When: Wednesday afternoon/evening, August 2, 2011 What: Poseidon and Amphitrite have some time to themselves after his return Warnings: TBD
The sea King had little to say since his return. He was still getting comfortable in his own skin which felt foreign to him. All his muscles ached, skin feeling as if it were coated in blood and sweat to matter how much he scrubbed himself clean. He'd spent hours in the shower letting the water soak into his pores, soothing down his clammy skin. It was hot, much too hot.
At night his mind still wandered back. It hadn't been that easy for him to leave the Underworld, Hades still had some grip which put a nauseated feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Poseidon slipped out of the shower pulling a pair of lounge pants and a tank top. His eyes still held dark circles underneath, but physically he looked well. All his pain resided inside which made him feel like an old sea goon that had nearly lost his mind.
His eyes locked with Amphitrite's as he came into the room.
Now that Poseidon was back Amphitrite could actually get to sleep and stay asleep. Any dreams about torture or violence seemed a distant past and now it was as though her mind was being kind and allowing her to catch up on lost rest. It was a welcome feeling, one she wouldn't soon pass up. It was nice to feel rested again and not feel the burdens of the entire sea and all of its servants on her shoulders. She had had a taste of what Poseidon dealt with, though she still believed he took advantage of it. If the roles ever switched permanently she wasn't sure she could do it again.
She had noticed his absence long before he reappeared and only when she heard footsteps did she glance up. Just long enough to catch his eye, and then right back down to the book she was reading. It felt nice to read again.
"At this rate I'll be spending every penny on the water bill," she said as she turned a page.
He padded in slowly feet just sliding against the floor before taking a seat beside her. She wasn't sugar coating the situation which he never expected her to. If she had she wouldn't be the woman he'd taken for himself.
His head flipped back on the couch. She could throw him against the wall or slap him. At this rate he waned some reaction. He hadn't a clue anymore what she felt for him if anything. They'd been on shaky ground when Zeus killed him. Part of him knew it was coming and if she asked he'd say he enjoyed the scenery.
"Company been scarace?" Poseidon laughed raising a brow. That spawn of Zeus had better kept his distance, or he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
The moment Amphitrite had said to bring him here she had regretted it. There was no telling how things would turn out, whether it would go well or if she wanted to kick him out on his ass. Truth be told, it wasn't going badly but she really didn't need his snide remarks. It didn't matter what he had gone through down in Hades.
"If you must know, I hardly slept at all. And not for lack of company." She didn't give any detail. If he asked she'd explain, but she still blamed him.
He was in her sanctuary now, a place he knew she was uncomfortable with. There wasn't a thing in her apartment that was a reminder of himself---only her. He life before him and her life after. Her life without him. It put a bad taste in his mouth.
Poseidon wetted his lips, they still felt dry and cracked, his hands braced on his thighs. He turned his head looking her over and the strong posture. He sighed heavily feeling slightly dizzy.
"Oh well, thank gods for that," his words still snide but his voice had lost their heaviness. Asking her to reach out was still a weakness.
Amphitrite had made sure to make this place for her and her alone. Having anyone there who she normally wouldn't invite was very uncomfortable. The only thing keeping her from throwing him right back into the sea were those visions she'd had. In a way, they were his savior. She understood but she felt no need to say it aloud.
The book closed slowly and she set it on the end table. "I was holding things together the best I could while you were gone.Compared to you I have very little control over the sea as a whole and without Kymatolege and Kymodoke I have even less power. Not that there was much to calm while you were gone. The only indication of your return was the storm. And now you're back I can actually feel her celebrating. The fish and the dolphins are glad you're back." It was the most she'd spoken to him since his return but it was still the truth. She was sincere in her words.
He listened but he hardly knew what to say in return. Right now he still felt so small and weak. That was not a position Poseidon was used to. He nodded clearing his throat to speak but there was nothing to say. He'd been nearly broken in Hades and he knew she had seen it. She had seen him vulnerable in a way he'd never been before.
"You are a Queen," he said in a rather small voice, as if in saying it he realized what he had in Amphitrite.
There were many things she could have said but when it came to actually saying them she couldn't bring herself to. She wanted to ridicule him for getting himself killed, for doing all the things he had done that had gotten him into that position. She wanted to tell him it had all been his fault and that he had deserved what he got in Hades. But something told her he already knew.
She didn't know what to say to that. She was a Queen, yes, but many times she didn't feel like she was. She just felt a pawn in a great game of chess, and she figured that's all she really was. "Since you've regained some strength, you should know what's been going on. Styx is forming a mutiny against Zeus. He has failed to keep order and balance and so the river of oaths wants to take back the title and give it to someone more suitable. I've stayed out of this so far and intend to sit back and see what happens. I have absolutely no desire to anger either side so I think staying neutral is best for me."
He could laugh, he really could. A mutiny for Zeus had been long overdue, and he'd be dishonest to say he haft thought of it a time or two. He knew the consequences, but the idea of taking the head seat did cross his mind. It would serve his little brother right. As much as Poseidon knew he deserved, he'd never banked on Zeus killing him. He knew punishment was coming but it wasn't until that last moment that he realized all hell had broke loose.
He looked to Amphitrite expecting her to smack him and reprimand for leaving her in that way, but part of him was grateful she'd been there to man the sea.
"I'll not side with Styx." He did laugh this time, "but I won't give up the opportunity to throw Zeus from his throne."
Amphitrite eyed him, giving him a hard look. "I had a feeling you'd say that. In any case, I won't even side with you. My loyalty is to the sea, even if my place is at your side."
She looked away and came as close to ridiculing him as she would come, for now. "Besides, you should be focused on getting stronger and fixing the sea before you go running headfirst into your own mutiny. Then of course there's the very good chance no one will back you up." Of all the people, Amphitrite was probably the only person who could say that and not get hit.
"You should see Kymopoleia soon." Her daughters well being was still high on her priority list.
Poseidon knew he wasn't well liked, in fact the whole of the pantheon probably threw a party in his absence at him getting what he justly deserved. Including Amphitrite.
He still wasn't used to the sea just yet. He'd been held from her grasp for so long that her embrace was quite cold and new. "Aw, not going to join my fan club just yet? Free admission," he said with a slight smile.
At the talk of their daughter he took another deep breath exhaling just as slowly. He'd put them in a distressed state. Did he care now? That was debatable, but he said nothing negative either. Whether or not he expected anyone to be there when he made his grand entrance, to see more than his own shadow had jarred something inside.
His hand moved from his thigh, crossing boundaries and taking hold of hers.
Her eyes narrowed, "I may be angry with you for doing all those moronic things to get yourself killed, but I am not disloyal. I stand by you, I've seen things no one else has, and I'm not going to betray you by telling everyone that you had no choice but to be weak." And there it was. It was much better than it could have been.
"She's connected to you more deeply than you realize. She needs to know her father is here and that she has your strength. And if you don't I'll be very disappointed."
She looked down at their hands and while she suspected him to think she'd take her own away, she didn't. Instead, she grasped his. It was as though she silently said I missed you.
He kept his eyes on her hand, fingers absorbing the fact that she did not vanish. The closer he'd come to her in his visions had been what kept him from letting himself over into the promise the dark Underworld had given him. To touch her again felt unreal.
Amphitrite's words were heavy. She'd seen more than he wanted her to, stripped him down to absolutely nothing and it was frightening. Yet, he didn't lash out at that fact. Instead his hand moved from her hand, up her arm until both hands cupped her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbone and her lips as his forehead rested against hers. There was something in that touch that was unlike any he'd ever dared to show her before. It wasn't that of a possessive man. It wasn't that of a man in love. It wasn't even that of a man that lusted for her. It was Poseidon at his weakest and letting her have that moment. Just her. She might not get away with such a moment later, but right now it was a privilege.
Amphitrite had nothing more to say. She had said her piece and now she just wanted to sit there. Whether she was extremely glad to have him there she wasn't sure. Maybe she was more relieved than anything.
Sighing, she practically melting into his arms. There was a comfort there she hadn't felt in a long time and this time without the help of an arrow. She couldn't help but feel thankful to Hades. Maybe that was exactly what Poseidon needed in order to not be a giant ass to everyone he claimed to care about. Eyes closed as she sat against him. This was enough for her.
He swallowed heavy somewhat nervous at how open he was being with her. It made his heart beat wildly, but he needed that touch, that reassurance that she wasn't going to disappear from his touch.
She'd come to him dominant and confident in his mind, as if to keep him sane while in Hades. Now, that feeling was no different. He was at her mercy. He exhaled that breath a little shaky, arms folding around her, his lips just softly kissing her neck as he settled with her.
In some ways he was almost a little boy that needed reassurance right now. To be certain she wouldn't slip through his fingers.