He stared at the show of bravado Vince was putting on and while that was going on, he swallowed the huge lump in his throat. There was already a brick in his stomach, and he didn't have room for anything else - no baklava, no ambrosia, nothing. His hand covered his mouth. Shocked. That was what he was. Sure, Cassie had mentioned it that day at work and even when they looked up the Greek myths together, he didn't want to believe. How could he just...give his life over to something else like that? He was Paul. He wasn't Poseidon.
"I'm not, Vince. I'm not!" Paul said in a rush, shaking his head. "I'm just Paul." If he admitted that he was shove-a-trident-up-your-ass Poseidon, did that mean that his life had to go the same way? He couldn't have a normal relationship with someone, but no, some shit like this had to interfere and potentially scare her off. What if she was scared off? Paul couldn't deal with that.
The entire building did not fall but it was suddenly violently shaken, swaying sideways, the ground moving alarmingly. The only warning was the rumbling roar before the tremors started - and the confusion, fear, and anguish in Paul's eyes.