A Sea Trapped in Time - Chapter 2 - Meraki_In_Rhythm (2024)

Chapter Text

Zeus was his name, the stranger. Chronos and Rhea’s sixth child, their little brother. The one who escaped their fate, swapped by a stone, and raised by their grandmother, Gaia. Their saviour. The prophecy child that would bring an end to Chronos' tyranny and begin a new era of the Gods.

There was a lot to take in.

First, stone sibling was not their sibling after all, Hera was the right one, and her smugness left him bitter to this day. But Zeus wanted the stone to be a symbol for the mortals, so he set it down at Holy Pytho, in the valley of Mount Parnassus, and that fact alone made Poseidon strangely happy. Their stone sibling-not-sibling, whom he both resented for hitting his head and loved because for a long time he thought that was their sibling, was still preserved as a reminder of both Fate and Hope.

It was poetic, and Poseidon believed it fit the stone, their last companion in the ditch of Time, as a sibling to the other, and a symbol of salvation to another.

Second, they were about to go for a war, between Titans and Gods. Personally, Poseidon's preferred option after getting out of Chronos’ belly was to go dive into the ocean and never resurface again for a long time. A millennium in the sea would fix him, he was sure of it. But so long as Time reigns over the world, they will never be free, and it was a matter of time too before Chronos hunted them down. They were in hiding so to speak, putting up strategy and picking up allies.

Poseidon was conflicted about the war because if it meant putting an end to Chronos’ torment for good, he was all for it. But it also means he needed to face Time once again.

He was not ready.

Thirdly, the woman that was with them was called Metis, an oceanid, the nymph of the sea. That alone already put her on Poseidon's list of people he likes. She was the one who devised their escape plan and suggested the use of an emetic on Chronos. Quite clever and shrewd too, if Poseidon have any say about her cunningness. She and Zeus spent their time devising plans, hunting down allies, and exploring for places to hide. Of all the people in the group, Poseidon assumed Metis was the most single-minded about the war and almost obsessed with bringing an end to Chronos, though what Chronos had done to her, he didn’t know.

Was it her loyalty to Zeus or her own freedom she sought, that will always remain unanswered to Poseidon.

Lastly, it took them a long time to accommodate the change in their life. They were inseparable for the first three weeks of their escape, wherever one of them goes, the others follow. It frustrated both Zeus and Rhea because they needed to be independent, needed to prepare themselves for the war. But a long time in the dark means you were used to the shadow that follows you, and for Poseidon that was his siblings, and theirs was him.

It also took a lot for them to open up to others, to the possibility of being on their own, to Zeus, to Rhea, and to future friends and family. But it was all in due time.

Zeus was complicated, he was their little brother, but he looked older, and sounded older, and Poseidon didn’t know but it brought great pain in his heart to see an older younger brother. Zeus was brash, he sometimes did things without thinking or never looked for counsel from any of them. Poseidon felt like that was an inevitable trait for the youngest, he was one in Chronos’ stomach, and now he was the older brother, but Poseidon felt between his experience with the world and Zeus' experience with the world, he was more younger than he was older.

This was what Time ripped away from them, letting the clock move on with their little sibling, but never theirs.

Poseidon was struggling to be an older brother to Zeus, not that Poseidon was a stranger to being a big brother, the stone was their little sibling before Zeus saved them all, no matter what Hera said. However, taking care of Zeus the stone was easier than Zeus the God. The stone never made a big fuss because well, it’s a stone, and as a good big brother he was always there for his little sibling. Poseidon loves to rock it around, talk to it like he imagined how Hestia and Hades would take care of their youngest, and he also sings lullabies to it until Demeter snaps for him to shut up lest Chronos shut him up himself for his awful singing.

She was just jealous that Poseidon was a better older sibling than her.

He couldn’t do the same to Zeus though, he was bigger and rowdier, Poseidon didn’t think his younger brother would even want to be held rock-a-bye style. Zeus was full of life – a life opposite of Poseidon’s own, full of expectations and wants, it made Poseidon unsure how to slot himself into the role of being Zeus’ big brother, he was trying but he was awkward at best.

Poseidon was at least glad his eldest siblings also had their own struggles with Zeus.

Most of them hesitated to start a bond with Zeus, their youngest of brothers, the only survivor, and that posed a problem. Because Zeus didn’t have the chance to grow up with them. All things considered, he was a stranger to them all. He didn’t share the same hardship that strengthened their bond in the stomach of Time. He was outside while they were inside, radiated by the light while they were engulfed in constant darkness. Their experiences were opposite in every way possible.

Still, Zeus was their saviour too, and they were forever grateful for his help, but sometimes they stumbled and fumbled over each other to cross that small, filial bridge.

“Do you need help with that?” Zeus asked Demeter as she gathered all the herbs in the basket to bring to Hestia for cooking.

“No.”

“I know how to cook, want me to show Cretan’s specialty?” Zeus wasn’t deterred by Demeter’s dismissal, instead, he followed her to where Hestia set up the campfire. “All of you can just watch while I work the magic.”

Demeter grunted at that, “no need, we just making regular soup,” she gave the washed herbs to Hestia who then proceeded to throw them all into the boiling cauldron.

“Ah, aren’t you tired of the same old soup? We could try something new today!” Zeus didn’t seem like he wanted to give up on changing their menu for the day.

“Food is food.”

Poseidon looked on at their exchange with mild interest, that was all Zeus had been doing lately, following one sibling after the other around, looking to be a part of their routine, not that they mind. But whenever he was around, he always wanted them to do things his way, changed a few stuffs here, and prompted them to do something else than they used to. Everything he did with them was always something new, something strange.

Right now, he seemed to be struggling with Demeter’s rigid stance on their evening meal.

Poseidon was playing with one of the rosemary stems, twirling it in his hand. Hades’ slap on his thigh breaks him out of his reverie, a silent reprimand for him to stop playing and help him cut the vegetables. Poseidon made a face at that. For the record, he was cutting the greens like a good sibling would only for Hades to shove him aside for his ‘sloppy chopping style’ and ‘making so much mess at this rate there will be no vegetables for the soup’ then he started taking over his job.

Fine, Hades could do it all, Poseidon wasn’t going to lend any hands. His brother's glare didn’t lessen though, even his chopping started to get more violent, subjecting the poor vegetables to his anger instead, now who was making a mess of the veggies here?

“Well the soup is getting boring to me, so how about this time around, you let me do the cooking here?” Zeus' words cut off the two brothers' silent quarrel as he stood in Demeter’s way.

Hestia continued to stir the soup like what Zeus said never made it to her hearing distance. He was right behind her, standing face to face with Demeter with both hands on his waist.

“If you don’t like the soup, you don’t have to eat tonight,” Demeter said with a blasé air, she raised one of her eyebrows at Zeus. “You can even cook your own meal after we’re done with ours.”

“That’s.. that’s not what I’m saying. I’m asking to cook for everyone, it could be a nice change.” He tried a different tactic now, Poseidon furrowed his brow at Zeus' insistence, he looked at Hades but his older brother just shrugged. What’s with him really? They were already in the middle of cooking, once Hades was done with the vegetables all they had to do was wait for the soup to be done.

“The answer is no, and if you looked around, Zeus, my sentiment was shared.” Zeus' eyes swept at his surroundings, that was when Poseidon decided to jump down from his perch on the rock and started to act like he was helping Hades who rolled his eyes at him.

“Alright fine, we have soup for tonight,” Zeus huffed, frustrated but couldn’t deny Demeter’s any longer.

Poseidon thought that was the end of it as he helped Hades bring the vegetables to Hestia’s waiting hands. But Zeus had to add some more.

“I just wanted to bring some new changes to our activities in the cave,” He looked pointedly at the three of them that were huddling around the cauldron. “It seems to me like all of you only follow along to the same repetitive patterns.”

“That’s all we’ve been doing, gathering resources, trying to build a home out of this cave. It comes with mundanity.” Hestia found it fit to give her piece then as she tried a test taste of the soup, Poseidon opened his mouth for her to feed him one spoonful too but she only looked at him unimpressed.

“That’s why I think we should change some things around here.”

“What are you on about here, Zeus?” Demeter sighed as she prepared to set down the bowls and spoons on their wooden table, Zeus got that for them from a carpenter in the nearby village, it was very humble, mortals craftsmanship was something to be marvelled at, they may be slow in progress but it made them efficient in their creation.

“It just comes to my attention that everyone here seems content to spend their time in the cave and continued the same routine everyday,” Zeus tried to reason calmly. “Maybe few changes here could move any of you to do something else.”

Ah, so that was he on about, the things Zeus, Metis, and Rhea been on about really. Wanting them to go out of the cave and try to see the outside world for a chance. Maybe help with Zeus picking up allies or Metis scouting places, instead of being joint to the hips with Rhea as she only explored the cave and its surroundings to support their nomadic lifestyle. Zeus tried to be subtle with it, but subtlety was never Zeus' strong suit, he was like Poseidon in that matter.

When will they learn that just because they are now out, doesn’t mean the world is any less scarier or strange? Poseidon wanted to go outside, wanted so deeply, the sea called for him, and he yearned for the waves. But there were mountains and plains between them, and in them were the Titans and the Titan of Time. Poseidon can’t, couldn’t.

He was glad his siblings also hesitated to venture into the world when out of them all, only Poseidon sometimes never dreamt of ever escaping Time. At least they could keep him company for a little while longer.

But this mutual isolation of theirs seemed to reach its limit already.

“How about you just focus on gathering the allies for the war you keep droning on about and you let us focus on our jobs here.” Demeter finally looked at Zeus, intent on ending the conversation at that.

“This is not a job, all of you are slacking off!” That hurt and was uncalled for, Poseidon’s ‘hey!’ however was drowned out by Demeter’s snappish reply.

“Slacking off? We are the ones that kept the place tidy and homey while you and Metis are out and about on the so important job in rallying for the war!“ She was standing at her full height, even Poseidon shrunk at her intimidating stature, he never liked it when she was like this. “We know our limit, how about you be grateful with our help instead of complaining?”

“Help? Help by hiding away and never to leave? Had I know you are a coward like this, I would never went to Mount Othrys to free all of you from father’s clutches!” Zeus was seething with rage, all the frustration he felt for his unhelpful siblings finally reached its toll. “I could’ve been more productive for the war instead of having to protect dead weights!”

They all cringed at that, Good Ocean, Zeus, they knew they weren’t much help but he didn’t have to shove it to their face about it. He made it like being eaten alive by Time was not a big deal at all. That there will be no healing from it, no way of being caught up with how much they had lost in the time of their imprisonment. Quite selfish of him there.

Sure, let Poseidon just pop out of Chronos and go ‘Ay little brother you free me, now let’s take up arms and kill the Titans once and for all.’

It was too late for Zeus to realise the things he said from his outburst when Rhea's gasp broke the now dreadfully silent room, Poseidon looked over and his mother's face appeared stricken at Zeus' words, Hera was by her side too, they must have returned from walking around the outskirt of the cave, that was how they take turns in spending time with their mother after all.

Apparently, that was the last straw for Demeter.

“If that’s what you feel, brother, then feel free to leave us here.” Demeter voice was calm and soft, but it was devoid of emotion and Poseidon could feel that it was freezing the whole cave.

She then took the bowl, filled it with the now-finished soup and went away. Poseidon blinked at that, especially when Hades followed suit, getting his own bowl of soup and went after Demeter. Oh, we’re leaving. He and Hestia did the same, quickly filling it up to chase after Hades and Demeter.

Hera, despite not being there to know the whole situation, immediately chose her siblings' side, taking her own helping of soup and trailing after them. Zeus was left dumbfounded at the front of the steamy cauldron. A second passed before he shook himself out of his stupor and was ready to pursue after them when Rhea stopped him.

She looked disapprovingly at him and Zeus at least had the decency to seem chastised. They then had a silent conversation with their eyes alone. And that was something Poseidon realized years later on Olympus, that none of them could ever have the connection with their mother like Zeus did. Rhea, their tender-hearted mother, always understood Zeus the most, with that, she sighed and tried to comfort him.

“They just need time, Zeus.” Rhea told his little brother as she rubbed his back, trying to placate his frustration at being denied by his siblings, Zeus looked sad but resigned, and Poseidon felt bad, and almost wanted to go to him but he didn’t. He could try to understand Zeus' displeasure with them all but what he said was mean and Poseidon didn’t like mean people especially mean little brother. Besides, what their mother said was right, that they needed more time.

But time was not a luxury they could afford, not in this lifetime.

There was a small pond in the cave, it was the most beautiful thing, the closest Poseidon could ever get to water without it being an ocean. He loved to spend his time there, dipping his toes in as he looked up at the open ceiling of the cave, the beautiful sky and the shining sun. He never knew the outside world could be so beautiful.

This was supposed to be his secret spot, but you couldn’t keep a secret spot in the small cave, so when they went there to eat instead, Poseidon just pouted and kept it to himself. The way Hades glanced at him though told him that his displeasure didn’t got unnoticed, like he said, no secret was kept in the cave and it’s not like it was not obvious that this was his favourite place after all.

Hestia's whisper of “just for today” eased him up a bit.

As they sat down and ate in silence, Poseidon did wonder how long things would be like this. He knew his siblings just needed time to adjust and they were quick to get down to business too. How else were they able to survive in Chronos’ stomach had they been any less resilient? Zeus just needed to be patient, sooner or later they would pick up their slack and help him to his victory.

The drip-drop of the water lulled them into a sense of peace, even Demeter seemed to calm down after her falling-up with Zeus. It also echoed within the space they were in so only when Zeus was standing in front of them did they realise that he was there.

Poseidon could only stare at his youngest brother as he worked up the courage to address them all. He was impressed actually, had this been Poseidon, he wouldn’t even tried to approach his siblings immediately after their argument, would take two to three days for Poseidon to relent if he was not that stubborn.

“...I wanted to apologize,” Zeus said slowly, at first he was looking at the rock to the side of Demeter’s head then he steeled himself and looked into her eyes directly. “It was an awful things to say and I shouldn’t have said it.”

“I’m sorry, to all of you.”

Poseidon looked at Hades, Hades looked at Poseidon, Poseidon looked at Hestia, Hestia looked at Hera, Hera looked at Hestia, Hestia looked at Poseidon, Poseidon looked at Demeter, and she rolled her eyes at them all.

“Is that all you got to say, or are you just apologizing because mother told you so?”

“No, I, I really am sorry. I admit I am frustrated with you, all of you, but I went about it the wrong way,” Zeus was rubbing the back of his head, it must be hard, apologizing when you think you were right, Poseidon could understand that.

“I didn’t think-“

“You are right, you didn’t think.”

Demeter set aside her finished bowl, Poseidon stared at it critically because if that scraps of soup fell into the pond, he was going to throw a fit.

“I know it must be hard for you too with the upcoming war and Chronos looming threat, but you need to remember you are not the only one struggling here.” Demeter started, she looked disdainfully at the sheepish Zeus. “We each have our own battles before the war, it will do good for all of us if we remember that.”

“But I supposed we have dawdle on for too long, little changes could go a long way,” She looked at all of them, Hades gave a nod and Hera smiled at her sister. Poseidon felt conflicted at that but Hestia patted his leg reassuringly so he supposed, it was time finally, to get out of their shell.

“Tomorrow you will cook for us that Cretan specialty you are so proud of.”

Zeus perked up at that and a bit confused, “what?”

“I said you will cook for us or were you just lying about knowing how to cook?”

“No! No, I will cook for us tomorrow! You wouldn’t regret this!” He nodded his head frantically, deciding to not lose the chance of bringing the so-called change to their daily routines.

“Then it is a deal.”

And it was good, delicious even. Zeus called it Dakos, a bread topped with tomatoes and cheese with sprinkles of herbs and olives. At first, Poseidon feared he would use the opportunity to get them to go out with him to fetch all the ingredients but he had them already just waiting to be cooked. Evidently, Zeus had been preparing for this for a long while now, that schemer. As promised he did it all as they all watched, but only for a short while before they started helping with the cutting and minding the flame. When Zeus kneaded the dough, Poseidon wanted to try because it looked fun but everyone in the room shook their head at him, as if assuming he would make a mess.

The lot of them all, conspiring against him being in the kitchen. Fine, Poseidon would sit this one out and eat only. One day, they will all be sorry for his cooking.

But while he was sulking there in the corner, Poseidon took the time to observe everyone. The room seemed lighter somehow, Hera was helping Rhea and Metis cut the tomatoes, they were talking softly though in good humour going by the smirk and grin they had. Hades and Hestia were preparing the pot for baking. His eldest sister was glowing, this domesticity must have been up her valley, Poseidon couldn’t help but smile at that, she had a very big and open laugh specifically when the flame rose higher. Hestia and her fire fascination could never be separated, and Hades could only look on with exasperation as she added more firewood to the ever-burning flame.

Demeter was helping Zeus cut up the bread he had done kneading, would you look at that, she got to help with the bread when he was denied. Poseidon pursed his lips watching them, and then Demeter saw him looking and pointed her knife warningly at him. He chose to be childish by sticking out his tongue at her. Zeus saw their exchange and laughed softly at both of their antics.

And Zeus, he seemed happier, sometimes Poseidon caught him looking gloomy, worrying about all the future and responsibilities boring down on his shoulders probably. Poseidon could sympathise but he couldn’t help with that when he himself had enough burden already, the baggage of Time was heavy as it is. However, today, it seemed the weight was lifted off a little. It seemed to give him the strength he needed because as they sat down together and ate, Zeus couldn’t look anymore happier and prouder at his family. And they were a family here, a bit rocky, but that night, they joked and banter as one family would.

And that eased off Poseidon a little about their vague future because they were here and trying.

After the family’s cooking time, Zeus wasn’t much that forward anymore, he still tried. But he was careful now. 'One step at a time' was Metis’s encouragement to Zeus on how to deal with his hard-to-appealed siblings. So slowly, Zeus approaches them all with attempted care and understanding. In return, slowly too, they did change their routines, slowly they became involved a bit with the war talks, and slowly they tried to leave the cave.

They became a bit braver in seeing the world and accepting other people in their lives.

Poseidon figured it must be hard for Zeus; trying to lead a war, trying to find allies, trying to mark places for fights and retreats, trying to get all his siblings to adjust, and worrying about Chronos’ plan all the while. But that was the reality, the burden was his. Zeus was the only one with a solid stand in the world right now, while Poseidon and his siblings were still on their rocky ship with no land to make their rest. They would share it with him, they did, but Zeus needed to scale the mountain on his own first before his siblings followed suit.

It was, after all, a hard work to reshape their life and redefine their place in the world.

The mortals wrote the myth of them so callously, that Chronos spatted all of them out, then they go to war, and that was that. It was not like that for them. The time spent in the darkness, and then to be out in the open after they have grown accustomed to their prison, to their chains, was disturbingly jarring and it never did go away. Sometimes, Poseidon still think the shackles are still there, in the depths of the ocean, as much as it calms him, it also reminds him of the darkness of Time. That was when he would be on the beach or back at Olympus, just to know he was alive and out.

And sometimes, he needed the darkness too, curled in on himself and be still in the silent black void, where there was no one to judge, no one to see him. With only the time of the world standing witness to the moment he spent there. And he felt safe there too.

Being out and about also means actually growing up in the most proper way now.

They did grow in Time but it was restricted as if the very deep core of Chronos never wanted them to grow up, containing them from maturity. It was another thing that marked the difference between their father’s belly and their mother’s tummy, whereas hers encouraged their growth and nurtured their well-being for both mind and body, his was stifling their development and smothering them with crippling affliction to their soul. As Time, Chronos should have known better that life couldn’t be contained, not even in Time. So they did grow however slowed it was.

Now, they could see their appearance changes with or without their control. It was both exhilarating and the most uncomfortable moment of their life. Limbs getting longer, getting taller or shorter, growing hairs, and so on. As Gods, they can decide their growth speed or their changes in appearance, Hestia and Demeter was the most comfortable with that. Meanwhile, Hera struggled with perfection as she always wont to do. Hades grew proper and true, always a paragon of the older brother that Poseidon knew.

He was not that bothered by that, it was a good distraction.

Poseidon hadn’t yet decided on what to do with his body and power, so he just let time take the course of his growth. That thought both hurt and confused him, Time was Chronos, and everywhere Poseidon went, he followed akin to the little lambs that follow around their mortal shepherd he often saw among the grassy field at the bottom of their mountain. The latter went about his days to his heart's content, while the formers' very life depended on him, surrendering their fate and future to the whims of their human protector.

But Chronos was not the honest shepherd and Poseidon was not the docile little lamb, let alone having a healthy mutualism with each other. Yet, time was the foundation of Poseidon's very own life.

On one evening, Poseidon was watching Demeter tending through the herbs and flowers she had gathered with their mother, for food, medicine, and spells. It was not Poseidon’s expertise but he was content with watching Demeter working, there was a certain allure to her repetitive sorting, cutting, and tweaking of the plants.

Caught in a trance with one of the blue flowers that Demeter was washing, it was too late for Poseidon to realise someone was caressing his hair. He turned sharply, ready to snarl at the audacity, not even his siblings were that bold so imagine his surprise when it was just Zeus behind him, he lifted up his hands and smiled hesitantly at Poseidon.

“Sorry, sorry! It’s just, your hair, it’s beautiful,” Poseidon squinted at that, what was this guy playing at now?

“You know, I don’t know if you ever venture outside enough to see it. But, your hair colour, it was like the green sea,” Zeus hesitantly reached out again so Poseidon let him, curious to hear more. Rather, Poseidon perked up when Zeus mentioned the sea, that his hair was like the sea.

“Truly, little brother?” Zeus lightened up when Poseidon called him little brother, so Poseidon continued his question. “It was like the sea you say?”

“Yes, look here, it’s like the fall of the waves,” as if to prove his point, Zeus bounced his shoulder-length hair. It did look like it was cascading down like water through its falls, Poseidon himself was mesmerized by it. “You should keep it long, it suit you.”

He didn’t know his hair was like that at all, then again, they never did have the chance to look at themselves properly, not even when they were finally out, more focused on running and hiding. Poseidon was a bit touched by Zeus' words, it did seem like he was attempting to bond with Poseidon, though he wondered if Zeus probed Hestia first about his love for the sea before approaching him. Even so, Poseidon became fonder of him after that.

Growing hair and growing body, all took time, like human growth did, they changed with the toll of time. It was a novelty, so he could do just that, growing up like the humans. He used to hate his siblings' impatient rush to grow up back in Chronos’ prison, and he hated it even now because they were still at it. They all grew up to their full height and age as if they could ever reach it, they were immortals, and there was no end to their ageing.

The design of their age was completely at their will, Poseidon could remain as a kid if he so wished.

Humans though, they grow slowly or fast depending on how attentive the Gods are to their mortals’ lives. And Poseidon was attracted to that, seeing a child slowly becoming a teenager, then an adult, instead of being a baby today and a grandpa tomorrow. That was why he decided to grow slowly, to experience the crawling of age like mortals do. See how time changes his appearance, as he starts to outgrow his clothes, wrinkles becoming more apparent, and he feels older, perhaps wiser. Mortals do chalk up age with wisdom after all. And it was nice, he felt alive.

And he supposed this would be the only thing he allowed Time to have control over, let him see that as time moves on, so does Poseidon.

Be as it may, the hair though showed his Godly power and eternal youth, Poseidon worked hard to shape it like the flowing sea, his very heart. If people buried their hands in his hair, it was like carding through a forever-running stream of water, calm and soothing. Maybe he didn’t need to work it that hard though, maybe it was already a reflection of his soul.

Everyone gave varying degrees of interest in his hair though.

“A blue here and there wouldn’t hurt,” Hestia who had been known for his love of the sea, simply threaded his hair while giving up her own suggestion. “The sea is blue too.”

So Poseidon changed his hair to have a hint of blue hues when it was hit by the sunlight or darkened by the shadow of the day.

“There we go, now it’s the perfect sea.” It pleased him and it pleased Hestia too, Poseidon kept it well in his heart, this peaceful moment of theirs.

“You need to start on your basic hair care routines,” was Hera's way of greeting him when she heard of his choice for his hair. “I won’t be having my little brother with a sorry excuse for a hair just to strike his fancy to be more like the salty ocean.”

Since their escape, she has been catching up with all the knowledge of the world, Metis was always happy to indulge in their curiosity about the outside world, and Hera took it like a fish to water. One of them was the story about the sea, and Hera was strongly opposed to the salty and wild and forever bellowing ocean.

The nerve of her, so quick to judge when she hadn’t even witnessed the sea first-hand yet. This was why Poseidon didn’t quite like know-it-all, just because they learned about something through teaching and reading, they thought they knew everything without experiencing it. Don’t they know that encounters were the best teachers?

Anyway, because of her opposition to the briny sea, she thinks that Poseidon's hair would end up being evil-smelling or something. His sister and her judgemental attitude, one day that would be the death of her, he just knew it.

“Of all things that was what you assumed this was all about?”

“Of course, wouldn’t put it pass you to use that as an excuse to not care for your hair.”

The mad woman, she acts like he couldn’t be bothered about cleanliness, downright insulting to his self-respect. Poseidon could take care of himself just fine, Hera needed to stop mothering him.

Didn’t stop her from pulling him away to do hair care routines once at night and once in the morning though. Poseidon let her because this act of control, where she was trying to subject him to her nurturing style could have been an attempt to stifle the inevitable reality of their changing dynamic. They were growing up after all, soon they would pick up weapons and be independent Gods. She wouldn’t be able to mother him anymore or be that controlling older sister she always was in the shadow of Time.

Maybe, this was her form of love, and she was looking for a chance to keep close to him in fear of it being the last time. The future of the war was bleak after all, and so was the future of their reign.

She didn’t have to brush his hair so rough and pull it so callously though.

“Ow, Hera, stop it!”

“Sit still!”

Hades just grunted when he twirled in front of his brother so he could admire the flow of the ocean, right there as Poseidon’s crown, but that was expected. Hades also kept his hair long and Poseidon wanted to play with it because it really do looked like a curtain of night. Also like the veil of shadow in Chronos’ abyss, a thought Poseidon kept to himself, he was not going to do that to his older brother, not that one at least. Everyone deals with what Poseidon refer to as the age of Chronos’s belly differently.

Demeter just scoffed and said, “everyone has long hair Poseidon, that wasn’t new.” Then leaving Poseidon alone to glowered at her retreating back.

It was new because his hair was like the sea, and Poseidon would grow it for as long as it could get so that people would see the sea every time they looked at his hair. Why couldn’t Demeter just understand that? It was pretty simple.

Rhea, his mother, who sometimes looked at him as if she was still in mourning and Poseidon did his best to remind her that he was here with her, that he would not go anywhere not anymore, only softened when he told her of his reasoning to grow out his hair.

“I should have known, you were born by the sea, it was as if the whole waves of the ocean and falls of the sand were standing witness to your birth,” She mused as she rubbed the end of his hair with her fingertips. “But your father took you first before the sea could even hold you.”

“I’m sorry, for not being able to protect you.”

Poseidon frowned at that, he didn’t like his mother’s sorrow and unhappiness about what should have and shouldn’t have been.

“I’m here now and I will be the sea he take me away from, just you wait.” He said with such strong conviction, it feels like an oath.

Rhea smiled proudly at him for that, and she continued to rub at his arms. His mother really was touch-starved with her children, not that Poseidon was complaining, he was the one who wanted her attention the most after all. So Poseidon snuggled close to her and let himself be lost in her embrace, it delighted his mother and so she held him so close it hurt but he didn’t mind it, never will. With Rhea, he could still be the youngest child he was before, Zeus just needed to deal with it.

“We can visit the sea you know,” Rhea softly said over his watery hair.

Poseidon beamed at her suggestion, but it remained a suggestion, they were still in hiding and going out far from the cave for leisure was a big risk at the moment. There was a reason why Zeus and Metis were the only ones that could go out. Even if Poseidon wanted, he needed to go with either of them and Poseidon's achievement of going out so far was rolling around in the plain field below their mountain, the grass was long and he could hide in them. It was a nice sentiment nonetheless. But then she widened her eyes, whispered Oceanus, and immediately after she excused herself to go talk with Metis.

Poseidon pouted at the abrupt loss of warmth and would have complained about it too, but one look at Metis and Rhea, as they discussed the word his mother breathed out earlier, stopped him.

Sounds like they were going to get a soon-to-be-ally if the way Metis eyes gleamed with recognition and approval were to be discerned, no doubt scheming a clever plan to lure this Oceanus to their ranks.

But Poseidon would lie if he said he wasn’t interested. Was that a God? A primordial? Another Titan? Poseidon hoped he was willing to cooperate, they needed all the help they could get.

Poseidon did not like Oceanus, at all.

He was the Titan of the Sea, not exactly a primordial, but he was the Father of Waters which includes both the world’s rivers and oceans.

When Poseidon heard of his relation to the sea, he was ecstatic, he wanted to know everything about the deep ocean and its inhabitants. But during their negotiation – between Oceanus, Rhea, Metis and Zeus, while the others are there for support – he is indifferent to his freed nieces and nephews, as well as goes about his dealing with Zeus begrudgingly.

It was so disheartening, this was also the first time Poseidon and his siblings followed along with Zeus and Metis’s meeting to pick up allies. They were trying to become more involved with the war and Metis figured the meeting with Oceanus was a good place to start, said he was gentle and would be understanding. They were oohing and aahing during their journey with every change of scenery and new animals they found now that they could explore the beauty of the outside instead of running away. When they reached the beach, Poseidon fell in love right then and there, but his rose-tinted glasses were ripped away by Oceanus's attitude the moment the Sea Lord made himself known to them.

The sea parted to make ways for their Father to surface from the depth, and the sands seemed to brighten the moment Oceanus stepped foot on land. Even all the seashells that were buried in the shores popped up at the rare chance of seeing the Titan out and about from the water. The breeze became gentle and the sound of waves quietened down, as if they were aware that their parent was in an important meeting and willingly indulged in giving him the peace he sought to talk with others. But by the Sea, he appeared like he didn’t want to be there any more than he had to, perhaps only because Metis seeking audience was the only thing that kept him there.

And the chance to finally see their mother after she ran away from Mount Othrys.

“Rhea, it is good to see you well, dear sister,” Oceanus said in his way of greeting, gentle and kind to his now outcasted sister.

“The same could be said to you Oceanus,” his mother's eyes were shining as she regarded Oceanus, but she made no move to get closer to him.

“Please brother, you know Zeus and Metis right? Let me introduced you to my children,” Rhea swept her hands over Poseidon and his siblings, they were prepared to give their own greetings to the Sea Titan when Oceanus only let his eyes travel from Metis to Zeus and then zeroed on him.

“What is it that you seek from me, son of Rhea?” His voice was bellowing but hardly was it a roar, it resonated all around them, like the sound of a whale’s song underwater. Poseidon was captivated, he had never known someone could sound like the sea was within their voices. But everyone else quietened down at his tone and his mother also became silent at Oceanus’ demand.

Zeus stepped forward immediately to address the Titan, “Lord uncle Oceanus, I thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I hope you are well, and that you didn’t take to heart what happened at mount Othrys, you know what I had to do. And I’m not sorry for it.”

Oceanus didn’t react to Zeus standing his ground, he just turned up his nose at Zeus and said, “arrogant as they come it seem. You only took down Chronos to free your siblings, not beating him in a fight,” his eyes flashed as he nodded at Metis. “And you are crafty, I’ll give you that.”

Poseidon was confused at the dislike he showed for Zeus.

Seemed like someone was still sore over what happened in Mount Othrys, what was it to him anyway? Sure, Zeus tricked all the Titans to infiltrate their palace, doesn’t mean the resentment makes sense, it was done to free Poseidon and his siblings only. The war didn’t start until now, and he should have read between the lines on what it means when they are meeting with him here, unless…

“That’s why I’m here, uncle, I need your help to bring down Chronos. Join me and we will see the end of his tyranny to a new world of peace!” Zeus didn’t let the jabs from Oceanus on his deception get to him, instead embracing his democratic role to appeal him to their side. If Zeus was willing to turn the other way for that diss, Oceanus must have been important enough for them to not want him to be on the Titans' side.

“You are really serious about the war,” Oceanus regarded his little brother, amazed. “Don’t be too hasty now Zeus, the Titans are not to be underestimated, most certainly not Time.”

“Uncle, I know you never like the way Chronos rule the world, and you was also not on his side the day he took down your father.”

“Do not pretend that you understand the history of ours, little God.” Oceanus stressed out each syllable of his words with cutting edge like the sudden breeze of a coming storm, even the sea held their breath at his soft but cold reprimand.

Metis gave Zeus a warning look, “careful Zeus,” her whisper echoed for their ears only, but she also wasn’t trying to be discreet about it in front of Oceanus.

“Lord Oceanus, forgive my transgression.” Zeus said steadily, he shifted his weight from his left leg to the right one. “Let’s start again, we are holding an audience with you today to ask for your alliance with us, your sea’s might will bring great advantage to us in the war and we will never forget to appreciate your generosity.”

The Sea Lord continued to remain silent at Zeus' attempts at dissolving the suddenly tense atmosphere with polite persuasion, then he sighed, “what is it matter about my side in this war? Shouldn’t this be a war between Titans and Gods? How is that possible then for you to ask for a Titan to stand with you? As far as I’m concerned, the sea would remained out of reach of this fighting regardless of my stance on it. In fact, the only interest I have is for none of you to rain down your battle on my children bodies and sully them with your spoils. Once is enough.”

Oceanus's tone was low and grave while the last line was spat out with bitter resentment for a bygone time. Poseidon felt like they were venturing from picking up ally's territory to consoling a sulky old man land, the Sea Titan seemed to have some scores to settle with a few individuals for whatever slight they had done to his sea. And he started to think Oceanus was not only a gentle Titan but also a weak-willed one if he decided not to stand by anything and rather worry for the ocean than the turmoil happening within his family right now.

As if the sea was the only thing he cared about.

“I can promise you no war will come to your front door if you choose to be by our side.”

“Is that a threat?”

Zeus and Oceanus decided to stare each other down, remaining at a standstill to see who would crack first. Hera let out a low sigh at that and said under her breath a ‘men and their power measuring contest’ which Poseidon agreed but also took offence at, that was rich of her when she herself made everything she did with Poseidon as some sort of competition.

That was when Oceanus decided to take a step back and raked his eyes over everyone that was there, from Rhea to Metis, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades, and finally Poseidon. When his gaze fell on him though, Oceanus stopped and stared which unnerved Poseidon a little bit with that attention. What? Why? Then he realized Oceanus's eyes were roving over his hair, which Poseidon unconsciously let flow like water mirroring the very same ocean he was standing next to.

He was looking with interest and perhaps recognition too at the way Poseidon tried to connect with the sea, maybe he saw the same childlike wonder of his children? Poseidon wondered if this could be the chance for them to use to draw Oceanus to their side, if he could show the love he had for the beautiful sea, it would soften Oceanus up to Zeus and sway him to their side.

Maybe this was his chance to prove to his siblings how useful Poseidon could be.

“Now, isn’t that cute?”

But his dream fell apart like a sandcastle being destroyed by the coming waves when Oceanus simply chuckled at him, only amusem*nt danced in his eyes as he regarded Poseidon's ocean-like hair. As if what Poseidon had worked hard on to define his very being was just amusing to him and downright childish.

Everyone turned to look at Poseidon and he suddenly felt embarrassed at the attention. He imagined the scene to be different now, instead of Poseidon as a participant, he was the child that barged into his family’s grown-up meeting and his antics left everyone ‘aw’ing from the tension of their business dealings. Never to be taken seriously.

Poseidon bristled at that blatant disrespect.

So he marched up to Oceanus and exploded in his face.

“How dare you, not only did you not care for your once imprisoned and now freed kin, but you are looking down on us, on me! You showed up here with that posturing of yours thinking you are so important when in reality you are not. We are here because mother was thinking of you, we couldn’t care less about you before. Not with that attitude!” In his rant, he saw Demeter’s scorching glare but he ignored it in favour of his own pride to be defended.

“You didn’t care about this war at all don’t you? And I don’t think you care about the sea too! You just care about the control you have over everyone and everything!” He sensed Hera trying to grab at him so he got himself into Oceanus’ personal space more, he needed to let it all out. “What’s the difference between you and Chronos then? When you are here debating about sides despite having no intention of picking any at all. You just wanted confirmation about your rule of the sea rather than focusing on familial ties!”

“And you know what, you didn’t deserved the ocean, and you didn’t deserve our support at all if you went about life as rigid and motionless to all courses of the world!” He would have said more had Zeus not pulled him aside, his grip was harsh but he was trying to be gentle, Zeus was strong after all, the golden child. However, Poseidon was hurt more by the fact that his little brother pulled him away from the Titan instead of standing by his side.

“What are you thinking you’re doing?” Zeus hissed in his ear but all Poseidon did was huffed and looked away.

Everyone was looking like Poseidon was the crazy one here.

Metis was unamused with his outburst, crossing her arms to stare him down disapprovingly, and Rhea was conflicted, she seemed to want to console him but Zeus was still on his case. Guess his mother was content for Zeus to lead the way.

Hestia whispered to Hades who looked a second away from throttling him here and there, “I see that one coming from miles away.”

Then, Oceanus, recovering from his shock himself, smirked at them all, and said, “why Zeus, you didn’t need my help at all. Chronos would never stand a chance against someone as emotionally unstable as the little ocean here.”

“That’s it!” Before Poseidon could throw a punch or two at that smug Sea Titan – he did not deserve that title – Hades gripped the back of his chiton and hauled him away. Leaving Zeus and the others to clean the mess Poseidon had left behind.

“Hades, no, let go!” Hades didn’t relent at all and they went so far from his siblings and the Titan alongside the beach that only their blurry silhouettes could be made out of Poseidon’s eyes.

“What’s the matter with you, Poseidon?” Hades asked him sternly as he had Poseidon face to face with him, finally satisfied with the distance to stop and address his unruly younger brother. “I thought being at the sea would calm you down.”

“I am calm,” he seethed at his mean and cruel older brother.

“Could’ve me fool.”

“He started it!” Poseidon argued, he tried to shrug Hades' grips off his shoulders but his brother kept it firm.

“He did nothing of the sort!”

“He’s been at it since the beginning!” Poseidon looked at his brother in disbelief. “You heard what I said! You were there too! Had you been deaf to what he said to Zeus? To all of us?”

“No, but I’m in control enough to know that the dealing required patience,” Hades glared at him to quieten him down, not that Poseidon would ever. “He tried to riled us up and you are a fool for falling for it.”

“He insulted my hair!” He had enough, he couldn’t believe his brother didn’t see the true reason here, and by Hades' incredulous look, he was right. Poseidon felt tired all of a sudden, all the anger finally leaving him and he was left breathless in its stead.

“My sea hair…” he breathed it out softly, his gaze was downturn, did not want to look at the misjudged face of his brother.

Hades went silent after that, deliberately he loosened his grips and Poseidon immediately took a step away from him. He chance a look at the sea and he felt like sobbing all at once, the waves splashed gently on the sand and the cool wind caressed his cheeks as if trying to calm his stormy emotion. How ironic that the sea understood him more than his brother who had spent the hardship of Time with him the most, should have known him inside and outside by now.

As always, nobody could ever pin down the many emotions of Poseidon, and in turn, they could never know him.

Oceanus did not care about each side of the war, Titans or Gods, and that didn’t bother Poseidon much, it was Zeus’ job to pick and choose their allies. No, what bothered him was when he saw him, the old Ocean laughed off Poseidon’s vow of bond with the sea. It’s cute he said, as if Poseidon was trying to put on the clothes of someone he wanted to be when he’s all grown up and it was all loose and big on him. As if what he had done was an act of wonder rather than a declaration of love, more of an awe instead of understanding.

As if Poseidon was a child of the sea, trying to reclaim what was lost in the most naïve manners possible.

Because it was true, he had never seen the sea, never known it, the tranquil flows of his hair were more like the streams of the rivers and springs that he had seen from the caves they took refuge in. It did not match the rolling waves of the vibrant blue, wild and heavy. When he first saw the sea, he realized that the deep was fathomless, it was everything he dreamt of but also more, so much more. From the window of Time, he had only viewed the sea as free, and kept all the beautiful memories in the palm of his hands, he hadn’t thought them to be as far-reaching and bottomless as time too.

The outreaching hands of the waves, it reminded him of the elongated fingers of the dark home from before.

And it hurt, because all he had was his rosy painting of the infinite blue.

It made him doubt his connection with the ocean, this understanding they shared, was it only the surface? What was in the deep, will he find familiarity in there, if so, which ones, the feels of the dark time or the safe time? Will he ever reach the depth or will he be lost forever in the dark water? It angered him and also anguished him, that he found himself to be a bit frightened by the ocean’s call.

And Oceanus didn’t help, not one bit.

“It’s not at all like I’ve expected.”

Poseidon jolted at Hades' voice that broke their sullen silence, when he turned to look at him, his brother was also looking at the sea. His red eyes focused on the blinding light shining on the ocean’s surface.

“It’s so blue, and I thought the sky was already too much blue. Never thought I see other thing that could contested it, so deep in the colour too,” Hades said nonchalantly, his brother's sudden comment on the sea after their big clash left Poseidon dumbfounded, he could only listen. “So loud too. The spray of the water keep getting into my eyes, and my nerves. The constant blows of the wind from the sea also show no sign of stopping, shoving my hair into my face and entangling my clothes. Going about their ways in misbehaviour, so like someone I know.”

He stiffened with his brother drawling, great, another jabbed about his antics now. Poseidon bit his bottom lip and balled his hands into a fist. Not knowing if Hades was trying to get into a fight with him or scolding him, not that it made any difference, Poseidon never shied away to fight back whenever his brother saw fit to ‘disciplined’ his lousy character.

“It’s beautiful,” Hades softly breathed.

“The sound is enchanting, not grating despite its intensity, it feels lively and that lulled you into a sense of peace. Feeling like you are alive together with the world. The salty air sting my nose, but it was not unpleasant, it was fresh. Combining with the taste of water, it almost as sweet. The sea is stretched out as far as eyes can see, with promises about the expanses of the world and its many opportunities.”

Poseidon could only blink dumbly at his brother throughout his speech.

Hades turned to him and looked in resignation, the exasperated fondness that Poseidon was used to by now. He never took for granted these moments, where he could see and read the body language of his siblings without the veil of darkness obscuring them. That way he could really know what they really meant, despite whatever words coming out of their mouth. But he never really was good at reading people, some of Time’s shadow influence never really left him, he supposed.

But this expression on Hades' face that was only reserved for him, that he knew, would always know, it was familiar. And the only look he always held on to whenever they had a falling out, was that his brother still loved him no matter what, he just couldn’t shed his cruel and mean personality, that’s all.

And Poseidon was okay with that, will always be okay with that.

“Now that I have seen the sea, I’m glad that I can see it whenever I look at you.” Hades' eyes were gentle, he never thought that was possible, his mean and cruel older brother to be gentle, with him of all people too. “That way I don’t have to long for the deep blue and vibrant green when I have it by my side all along.”

That.. that means a lot. So much so it was the only thing that kept him going all this time. That he was the sea, he was the sea, for his family. Poseidon was the soothing water to Hestia’s fiery hearth, the waves of motion to Hera’s longevity of love, the nurturing stream for Demeter’s cycle of life, the shining mirror of Zeus’ mighty sky, and the comforting blanket that ever-embracing Hades’ deep earth. Completing the set of six children, never to be separated, not even by Time.

A tear rolled down his cheek and Hades let out a long-suffering sigh. He pulled Poseidon into a hug and Poseidon just melted into it, let himself be lost in the embrace of his stiff older brother. Hades exasperated mumbling was buried in his hair.

“What am I going to do with you?”

He had done it, he ruined everything.

Today was supposed to be them showing a united stand together as one family to bring an end to the Titan ages, the first time they go outside, and the first time they actively help with the campaign. But Poseidon proved difficult to work with, his brothers and sisters was in control, and it was just a meeting with Oceanus. No need to rush and be hasty with their dealings, he was an important instrument for the war, but also neutral enough to not be a threat. So long as everything went well, the war discussion would have been a success. All Poseidon needed to do was sit still for once in his life.

A word that never exists in his vocabulary not even in Time. He had to let the Titan's insufferable character get to him, fell for his taunt, and blew up on him. He had disrupted the peace, trampling down Zeus' calculated audience with the Sea Lord, and blew up their chance of getting an ally from the ocean. His beloved ocean.

Dear Sea, they all going to have his head.

Now his family was scrambling to cover up the loss he had made. While Poseidon was sent to a time out, because his tumultuous mood was too much for everyone to bear, for himself to bear. And it is also forever up to Hades to collect him from his ruins, putting him back together after he falls apart. He could never escape being the little brother to all of his siblings. Even Zeus was more collected than he could ever be.

Poseidon really was a chaos that his family could never reign over.

From that day, he swore he hated Oceanus.

It was all his fault.

His family excluded him from the mission of mending things with Oceanus, fine by him. Poseidon even agreed when Zeus told him under no circ*mstances should he approach or speak with the Sea Titan, not that Poseidon ever let himself be ordered around, but he took this one to heart. Ocean yes, Oceanus no.

His family thought he was being difficult but it was the Sea Titan that started first. Poseidon was ready for companionship but he ridiculed him, ridiculed his love for the sea.

Poseidon thought someone ought to show Oceanus his place, the sea could do better with a ruler who understood its wild nature better, and the pull others have towards its ever-alluring song, even loved the sea unconditionally.

Oceanus, though Poseidon didn’t know how was his rule, didn’t seem to be able to provide the ocean with as much affection as the sea deserved. He was more of the rivers than he was of the oceans, how could he lament the coming of war by the mighty waves? The sea would have accepted that challenge, met them in the middle and followed along the course of the events with its waving flares. The deep blue could withstand anything thrown its way, accepting even any beings or objects that wanted to make a place in its watery home, ever-welcoming and enduring to the world at large.

Regardless of what happens in the sea, the navy beauty will triumph.

For a so-called Father of Waters, he didn’t seem quite understanding of his children’s wants and potentials. Worrying more about what he believed could harm them rather than putting his faith in their competence to live their own ways of life. But Poseidon supposed he could forgive that, fathers don’t often know how to handle their children, it was an understandable flaw for most parents, expected even.

If anything, it was his filial piety that left a lot to be desired, considering the fact he seems comfortable leaving Chronos alone in this war, to betray his Titan kind, to betray his brother. Rhea told him that Oceanus also remained neutral when Chronos attacked their father Uranus; not attacking was one thing, not protecting was the other too.

That Titan, he sure did his own things in the world. Parents or siblings be damned.

That sparked a new uncomfortable fear in Poseidon, that he too could betray his siblings at any moment, and could ever be unmoved by their pain and woes. Would he betray them? For how long their kinship will remain until Poseidon lose all hope in maintaining their familial bond? Poseidon did not want for that to happen, but will time change him too?

There it was again. Time, time, time. He cannot escape Time.

Every thought and action Poseidon did, every draw of breath, every step he took, time was part of his life, and will always be in his life. Did he even escape Chronos at all? Or does he just swap prison from the jar of Time to the palm of Time?

Chronos may not know where they were, but his domain precedes them all the same. Poseidon could feel it when he slept at night and woke up in the morning. When he joined Zeus and Hades in their exploration around their cave, when he sat with Hestia as she tended the fire for their warmth, when he looked over Demeter as she minded the herbs garden, when he took a peaceful break with Rhea, and when he asked Metis to tell him about the seas of Greece, all of that was a time he spent in the world.

He may have decided to let time do with his growth as it saw fit, but he did not agree to everything else.

He wondered how much time was Chronos, and how much Chronos was time.

The sea was Poseidon’s beloved, but Oceanus was not despite him being the source of the ocean streams. So if time was part of Poseidon’s life, surely, Chronos with his absence means that he was never in his life.

Too many to count, his thought drifting away again, wondering what was Time doing right now.

Chronos was prepared for the upcoming war, even having all the Titans by his side with their battle might and prowess that would surely give Zeus and his army a hard time. They were also slowly picking battles, not too big, not too small. Chronos was after all, still hunting them down, intent on killing them all for what he failed to do before. So Zeus really had too many plates at once, Poseidon felt sorry for ruining his attempt at alliance with Oceanus, if not only because Zeus had to bear the fights without any strong allies to turn the battle in his favour.

Demeter and Hades were quick to join Zeus in his battles though, and that was good, they were always those who were fast on their feet when it came to getting the business down.

Poseidon had yet to join the fight, one part because of his slow growth, another part because he didn’t feel like it yet. Not like it was a problem, Hera also didn’t join most of the battles, more focused on learning about battle plans and caring for the distribution of their resources. Besides, the war was just at the beginning, they still had time to battle and regroup and train and get their own bearing for both the world and fighting.

Still, did Chronos ever note the presence of his sons and daughters? Did he ever ponder if any battle he faced would have a daughter that led or another son? Did he seek him?

Poseidon agreed a little bit with Oceanus, maybe he was part hysterical with all of this.

While Zeus, Demeter and Hades were running around doing important things with the war, Hera and Metis were sent instead to deal with Oceanus for his support and neutrality. That’s all they have been doing now, the pace was picking up and Poseidon mourned the loss of their mundane ordinary days. Funny, when he was the one who had been all over the places in the calmness of their cave yet now when everyone was here and there, he didn’t feel like joining. He was in what Hestia dubs his depressive episode.

So he was dilly-dallying in their humble abode, it was not in his nature, but it also was.

Poseidon was playing with one of the sticks he found during his walk in the forest with Rhea, using it to doodle random images and symbols on the ground. He made a circle there, drew a squiggles line here, stabbing the ground to make dots of holes all around. One of the jabs was done too strong and now the stick snapped into two pieces, Poseidon could only frown at what he had done, even the stick couldn’t handle his strength.

“Are you done tormenting that poor stick?” Hestia asked from her spot by the fire, she was soaking strips of clothing in the oil, then she rested it to dry off on the slab of stone placed in front of her.

“I’m not doing anything wrong to the stick, I’m drawing,” Poseidon said and he took back one of the broken sticks and started drawing tiny figures of his family members. Beginning with Hestia because she was always the first, Rhea may be their mother but she was not Poseidon’s first, it was his eldest sister.

“If you say so, you need to stop breaking sticks, soon we are going to run out of kindling to start a fire,” she looked pointedly at him and stressed out her warning. “I wouldn’t like to be withholden from my flame.”

“It’s not like we will run out of woods.”

“We might anyway, with you showing no sign of ending your sulking period any time soon.”

Poseidon stopped in his drawing of Hera, she was crossing her hands, disapproving of the backflip done by the stick figure of Poseidon next to her. Hestia was not looking at him anymore, she was putting all the limestone she had gathered in a pan and started heating them up.

“I’m not sulking, I’m thinking.”

“Mm, is that what they call it this day?”

Poseidon grumbled incoherently, he was not in the mood to start an argument with Hestia about his life choices right now. He was now drawing Zeus, the youngest, the last of his drawing, and that made him sad. Thinking about Zeus led him to think about the beach which led to thinking about Oceanus and the debacle that happened there because Poseidon couldn’t keep his mouth shut. All of this leads him to think of the burden on his brother’s shoulder now because of it.

Poseidon did not like being wrong, he hated it more when his guilt led to others hurting, especially his family. But he didn’t know how to make amends, they barred him from allies meeting now, with good reason. He could help by joining the battles and Poseidon would take the opportunity to rain all of his frustration on their enemy, on Chronos’ army. But right now their battle leaned more on tactical and discretion than it was a full-blown war.

They only fight when Chronos' army attacks their allies or comes too close to their encampment area. That itself was more on defence and retreat rather than fighting head-on, which means after the battle they had to relocate, again.

Besides, nothing good could be achieved from his reckless fighting. He was still lacking in that department too, Hades was just too swift and Zeus was just too strong. Poseidon was in between them, maybe he will always be the middle one, adequate.

Still, Poseidon was stuck here in limbo, feeling guilty about things he had done but also knowing no way to fix it. Was it even worth fixing? His family was just disappointed in him, but they didn’t show any animosity, Zeus didn’t blame him too much but that could be chalked up to him having too much to think about right now. So Poseidon was also confused about whether to let it go and pretend nothing happened, like boy what a shame Oceanus can’t join us but alas, or actually try to resolve the problem here before it becomes too big of a damage to his relationships with his family thereafter.

He puts the wound on his family and it kept on festering as he remained idle in their home and his own silence. The sea waters do wash away the wounds, but do they even heal?

All of this thinking was giving him a headache, Hera always said that he was never good with thinking so he shouldn’t done it at all lest he accidentally hurt himself.

So really, Poseidon was clueless about what he was supposed to be doing right now. He was stuck, like all the washed-up seaweeds, starfish and barnacles on the jagged rocks and coral reefs in the ocean. Forever glued to its place and never letting go too. Though, he glanced at Hestia who was busying herself by the fire, despite her spending time with him in the cave unlike others, she provided more help for their cause than him, especially with what she was working on right now.

Well, just as Demeter said before, there was no use dawdling any longer, change could bring lots of things to the table. Not exactly word to word, Poseidon did not have a good memory. However, the point remains, if he wanted to do something, he needed to bring change to his routine.

Besides, wasn’t the reason he hated Oceanus because of his inert nature? Poseidon would hate to be the same as the Titan, he was not a frozen sea. Never ever.

“Need any help?” He asked Hestia as he sat beside her, looking at all the ingredients and materials strewn around the fire.

“Proving yourself to be useful now are we?” Hestia raised her eyebrow at him which left him glowering at her and before he could take back what he said, she gave him the saltpetre bag. “Sort this out won’t you?”

Poseidon numbly took the nitre sack from her and started to pour it into a tray.

“Now, take these coals and wrapped it together with the saltpetre, a fistful of that to five small pieces of coals for each strip of silks, can you do that?”

“Okay.”

They work in companionable silence, Hestia was checking up the cooked limestone over the fire, turning them this way and that, so when one was heated enough, she broke them apart into tiny pieces. Poseidon let the cyclical action of rolling the saltpetre and charcoal in the silk lull him into a sense of peace in the mundanity of their work. Just the two of them, working together in harmony.

“You shouldn’t trouble yourself too much with what happened with Oceanus.” Hestia commented airily as she watched over the dancing flames, Poseidon just continued rolling the strips. “Sure we could have great ally had someone not ruined everything. But losing him doesn’t affect us too much.”

Funny, the state they were in right now seemed like they were losing too much to leave a dent in Chronos’ army, if not for Zeus’ strength and Metis’s wits, they might have been captured by now before the war even started. He hadn’t the heart to contest Hestia though, or else he might stop helping her entirely.

Hestia was putting the pan of hot limestone away from the fire as Poseidon elected not to respond to her, then she sighed, “you don’t need to hide yourself away because of one mistake, Poseidon.”

“Just lend us some help in the way that you know how, it’s better to be together through our thick and thin than to not at all.”

None of his family members would think that was what troubling him, Hera thought he was being stubborn because Oceanus stomped on his pride, Demeter thought he was being lazy, Hades thought it was because of the ocean and he was made mopey since he was barred from visiting the beach, Metis was more concerned with the progress of the war to care about what he was doing, and Rhea just doing her best in being there for him and his siblings. Zeus was busy, always busy.

Poseidon started to think he had no place in the war at all.

When they escaped, Hades had to carry him away. When they lived in the caves he was more absorbed in all the new things to play with, and the beautiful springs and ponds he discovered. When he tried to help others settle in, he made more mess and added mischief to the mix that they rather him distracted than aiding them. He hesitated to leave, but he wanted to leave. When they finally joined a mission, he blew it up. Now he was prohibited from helping that too. He couldn’t even join the fight, too emotional to be a steady and disciplined warrior, Zeus said.

It made Poseidon feel useless, all the things he did always ended up wrong. Nothing changes, he was the same sea as he was in Time.

It was not like he was airing his grievance to his family too, he acted unbothered and just did his own things, they didn’t need to know how much Poseidon was feeling. His emotions fluctuated every now and then anyway, none could keep up ever. Except for his first sister.

Hestia the wise, always saw what others couldn’t, as bright as the flame that lighted up the dark.

His eldest sister was never one to nose over other people’s business, especially not Poseidon considering how opposite they were to each other, fire and water don’t mix well. In every Poseidon antics, she was only aware of it like a burning hearth in a home that bear witnessed to all the family affairs, sweltering away without intervening. But when he found himself alone with the flame of Hestia, she would find the moments to let her fiery heat evaporate the water prison that made Poseidon so blue into a fading steam, freeing him.

“You are helping me now, and I’m glad to have your hands in it.” Hestia ended it at that, always speak about things that matter, never love to waste her breath.

Poseidon smile kindly at his eldest sister, small but not in its gratitude, he uttered a soft ‘thank you’, only the words for both of them, and Hestia inclined her head at him, closing her eyes softly and opening them again, content to let what was said brushed over them as a soft breeze that disappeared into the cold air of the cave above.

“We’re home.”

They both jumped when Hera’s voice broke in, sure enough, his sister was coming in with Metis by her side. She appeared exhausted and carried with her an air of gloom, Poseidon started to feel dread crawling up his spine. They were after all back from another meeting with Oceanus and he feared it didn’t go well as it did the last time. His fault, but Poseidon swallowed that down and acted nonchalant when Hestia asked them about it.

“Any luck in convincing that immovable Titan?”

Metis and Hera shared a look at that, it was a long eye-to-eye conversation that even Poseidon and Hestia turned wary of what was they about to discover from the meeting with the Sea Lord. When Metis gave a nod at her, Hera sighed and walked over to them, she squared her shoulder and with an unfaltering gaze, stared both of them down with a grim resolve.

“I need to talk with you two.” Poseidon stopped in his picking of the coals to put in the salt-filled strips and Hestia stopped from her grounding of the limestone into dust.

“Oceanus made an offer about his joining with us, said that he was contemplating it, but if we accept his bargain, he promised he will choose our side in the war,” Hera said when she found them collecting themselves to listen to what she was about to tell them.

Poseidon was holding his breath while Hestia remained patient to hear about this bargain of the Sea Titan. Hera was biting her lips as if she was hesitating to tell them, but she closed her eyes minutely and stared steadily into Poseidon's eyes instead.

“He wanted me to come lived with him in his ocean palace.”

The tranquil peace they were in broke in an instance. Poseidon felt as if he was a boiling hot water spring at Hera’s confession and the flame from the fire by Hestia’s side rose high and scorching, turning the previously ambient atmosphere of the cave into a searing temperature.

“What?!”

“What do you mean sister?”

Hera winced at both of their exclamations and the heat. “Look, I know what you think, but it’s not like that. He wanted me to live with both him and his wife, Tethys, as their adoptive daughter.”

“How does that make it any better?!” Poseidon shrieked, baffled. The sheer audacity of that Titan, thinking they were so desperate for his cooperation so much they would trade their sister for his support. Outrageous! Poseidon took it back, he never would ever want Oceanus to be their ally. Not even if they lost the war because of it.

And taking Hera as their adoptive daughter? Not only was it so out of the blue, but it was also disrespectful to Rhea, did Oceanus have something against his sister? Or was he simply taking this opportunity to enact revenge for when Chronos had wronged him through his mother and sister?

“No, Poseidon calm down.”

“How are you asking me to calm down?!” Poseidon shouted at Hestia, where did her anger go? Ah, his eldest sister, always the one who keeps her composure even at the worst of times. Well, Poseidon was not her and he was not about to remain serene in such a matter, this was about Hera’s life here!

“I said shut up, you doltish child,” Hestia glared at him and the heat within their cave was made more palpable with her displeasure of his outburst. “Let Hera finished speaking.”

Poseidon was shaking and breathing heavily, then he huffed and turned away from both Hestia and Hera. He heard his sister scoff at his petulance but she quieted down when Hestia addressed her.

“Hera, I need you to explain,” Hestia turned her heated glare to Hera, staring her down for an answer to this turn of events.

“We’ve been trying to get him to lend his assistance to us for the war, and he remained opposed of it, but I was getting in his good grace. So today, it was him that come to us with an offer to take me as his adoptive daughter. Told me to spent some time in the ocean being raised by both him and Tethys, in that time, he promised he will become our ally in the war and provided any kind of support should we asked for it.”

Hera ended her speech and left Hestia to contemplate it in her silence, giving her sister the space to sort through her thoughts about the whole mess. Poseidon was slowly calming down through Hera’s explanation too, but no less crossed with what the Sea Lord was suggesting, he just needed to think straight so he could find the right words to deny this thing from ever happening.

He could feel Hera’s lingering gaze on his back, somehow knowing his sister was aware of his displeasure eased him up a little. Doesn’t matter if she was watching him to prepare for the next outburst or actually understanding of his distaste of Oceanus’ plan, all he knew was the weight of Hera’s gaze gave him all the time to find some sense and think about her sake instead of him.

“Oceanus is the Father of Waters, I believed he have a sense of kinship with Hera in all the time we spent negotiating with him. I must say Hera show great patience and knowledge during our meetings, her sharp-wits matched Oceanus’ clever retorts quite well. He must have been looking forward for our meetings because of it.”

Metis finally saw it best to intervene and be the mediator between the three siblings. Poseidon slowly turned to look at her and Hestia gave a little nod for Metis to continue, Hera if anything was grateful for Metis’s interference.

“I stand by what I said that he was a gentle Titan, all the rivers Gods and Oceanids were his sons and daughters, including me. He may be absent from my childhood, but the waters remained as my companion and in it his ever love. So, I can see his fatherly affection making itself known in the presence of Hera.”

“How can one ever get fatherly affection from simply conversing and arguing?” Poseidon commented about the incredulity of it all. “He wanted nothing to do with us remember? And now suddenly he wanted to be so involved to the point of taking one of Chronos’ child as his own?”

“Perhaps there is pity there about Hera’s childhood condition,” Metis mused, she put her hand on her chin probably thinking about the reasons for Oceanus's change of heart. “He must have taken a liking to the bright aspect of her and wish nothing but the chance to raised her as his own. There’s not telling what Oceanus actually after, but for this, I swear he meant well.”

“I suppose Oceanus never could escape his paternal instinct, especially in the face of his kin that never taste it.” Metis said gently to all of them, Hestia hummed while Hera softened at the justification. Poseidon on the other hand laughed mockingly.

“Where was that instinct in all the time when Zeus was busy masquerading as one of the Titan then?” He sneered.

“Maybe you should ask Zeus how Oceanus treated him then?” Hera snapped instead.

Both of them scowled at each other, Poseidon couldn’t believe his sister decided to defend Oceanus, was she considering this?

“Hera do you want to do this? It was after all, an offer to you more than us,” Hestia finally spoke, she ignored Poseidon and paid her whole undivided attention to Hera.

“Yes. I will go to live with Oceanus and Tethys.”

Poseidon gasped at his sister, she did accept Oceanus's offer? That meant she had already made up her mind and was only telling them because she knew they couldn’t even refuse the deal. Did she want to leave them so bad? What could’ve they done to warrant such action from her? How could she do this?

Hera averted her eyes from Poseidon’s betrayed expression, mind fully made up not even her little brother's pained face could shake her resolved.

“If that is your choice-“

“Hestia!”

“It is Hera’s choice to make, Poseidon. The fact that Oceanus offered a golden mean for his support and our success in the war is already an opportunity we must not missed.” Hestia chided him softly, giving her full backing for Hera’s decision. “Of course, we have to make some ground rules so Oceanus does not go back on his promise. But decision wise, I put my trust in Hera to do the right thing.”

Having said her own piece of mind, Hestia went back to her work, getting out a bronze tube to put the ingredients both of them had prepared into it. It was an action he was used to by now, she would stuff the silken strips of coal and saltpetre in the bottom, scattered in the crushed limestone, and she would take the burning ember from the fireplace, close them in her palm to put the fire to sleep then sealed them together with the lid wrapped in the oil strip, a finishing touch for her handiwork.

A liquid fire.

It was a technique Hestia devised for a devastating bomb they throw for an escape plan and distraction, only for those two objectives because the blast was so damaging and the flame was thought to be eternal, it should have been forbidden in any war or battle.

But desperate times asked for desperate measures and Zeus only did use those as their last resort.

And this was a desperate time indeed when Hera was determined to be with Oceanus and Tethys for who knows how long.

Poseidon felt helpless, his sister was choosing to leave them for the sake of their war. Hera’s sacrifice was unreasonable, winning the war shouldn’t come at any of their expenses. No war was worth losing his siblings over. They started this war in the first place to end the threat to their very family!

“I’ve made my decision, and I will tell Zeus that my decision is final.”

Hera told him, her face was devoid of emotions while Poseidon's was conflicted with the many feelings of his. He wanted to scream at her until she saw reason with what she was doing, about what she was giving up here. They had never been separated before, not in Time, and shouldn’t have been separated outside of Time too. They were meant to be together, six siblings always.

He didn’t even know if this would be a regular occurrence thing. Will Hera just disappear into the ocean never to resurface again? Was she allowed to leave anytime she wanted? Would that be just another prison for her, and they did nothing for it?

Poseidon felt much like the burning ocean where Hestia’s liquid flame was raging on, forever burning because not even water could put it out. And the situation here was much the same, Poseidon couldn’t see anything except for the endless flame, searing him inside and outside despite the cold sea surrounding him.

He was alone in the ocean of flame, he couldn’t see his sisters, his brothers, not even his mother.

Poseidon was wrong again, it was not him who would betray his siblings, Hera did it first. Then, Hestia. Poseidon felt like he already knew his family's answers, no one would support him.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Hera.”

Then he left them all for the sanctuary of the cave spring, where he hoped the serenity of the freshwater could heal the burn on both his heart and soul.

Zeus and everyone agreed to let Hera live with Oceanus in his sea palace, becoming his adoptive daughter and playing family in the middle of this war.

That didn’t mean Poseidon accepted it easily, he was literally kicking and screaming about the whole arrangement. How could everyone just be okay with putting Hera’s life in the hands of the Sea Titan? Who’s to say he wouldn’t give her away to Chronos when he had the chance? This could have been an act of deception!

But nobody listened to Poseidon, Demeter said he was being irritational because he hated Oceanus and Hestia said ‘they talked about this already, enough of it Poseidon.’ Zeus promised that Oceanus was fair-minded and civil but Poseidon just desperately shook his head at him. Because as much as he believed him, he knew Zeus was also cunning enough to see this as an opportunity to draw Oceanus to their rank and he was not about to let it go to waste.

It was when Hades snapped did finally Poseidon shut up.

‘She’s your older sister, you don’t need to concern yourself about her well-being. She’s matured enough to take care of herself and made the right decision.’

Right, older sisters and older brother always knew what was best for them and everyone. Little brother should just keep quiet and accept the decisions of those who made the rules around the house. He was expected to do what he had always done even in the belly of Time, listen to their orders and remain still, always if he could.

It broke him that his siblings wouldn’t even entertained to listen to his own reasons, because Poseidon never had good things to say, never knew what was right or best for them all, not even himself. He was just silly little Poseidon, always lost in his own world and carefree of all worries. Nobody would ever take him seriously, everything he said was like words written on sand only for the waves to wash it away, and that revelation took the rest of his argument out of his mouth.

He thought he was the only one who didn’t change, apparently, his siblings were also the image of their previous selves back in Time.

Poseidon was upset but he couldn’t do anything about it, not when he had everyone against him. It hurt him to see the tears in Rhea's eyes as she talked with Hera, they both were hugging each other and clearly were having a moment, so Poseidon wasn’t going to ruin it anymore by making a scene. He had ruined enough.

He wondered, that perhaps he did this, if he didn’t so much as let his emotions get to him, perhaps they wouldn’t lose their sister.

He was hiding in the pond again. Dipping his toes in the crystal-clear water, letting the coolness encircle his ankles to calm all of his nerves. The ripples of intertwining circles were absorbing enough to let him loll in the peaceful mirror of the cave’s life around him. Glassy and see-through, he could see the stars from the night sky captured within the pond and with him looking down, it was almost like it was him that was lost in the sea of stars.

He wished he was lost in the sea of stars, life doesn’t seem that complicated there.

“Knew this place is where you run off to after being chewed by Hades.”

Poseidon didn’t react when Hera sat down next to him, dropping her feet in the water as well and disrupting the languid circles he made with her own sudden splash. He stilled his legs so that the bothered waves could settle down by themselves before continuing his gentle nudging once the water calmed.

“Not going to talk to me? I thought you had a lot of things to says,” she spoke with that unbothered tone of hers, Poseidon tsked with disdain at his sister, and he side-eyed her with all the mustered anger he could bring out front only for her to meet it with a humourless stare of her own.

“What’s more to say? You’ve made your mind. My words doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, because you don’t see the total significance of the situation, Poseidon.”

“The significance of you leaving us all?” His words were cold, he never thought he was capable of that, coldness was often associated with Demeter more than him, frost was never his suit but in this moment, it was the very thing that defined his very being. Perhaps it was the cool spring that was influencing him, the fresh water nurturing his stony feeling and he silently thanked them for the support.

“And here I thought you will be happy to get rid of me,” Hera huffed, words laced with sarcasm. Poseidon narrowed his eyes at her, annoyed and frustrated with his unfeeling sister about his conflict. “It won’t be for a long time Poseidon. I’m doing this for our family too, so that we could win the war.”

“By playing family with Oceanus? You’re kidding me?” He shook his head, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “How would that pose any help to us winning in a fight? Are we introducing new strategy to the art of war? A slogan of let’s say ‘Made Family not War’?” He spread his arms to show the grandeur of such a brilliant motto on their new warfare technique, ridiculous even for him.

“Better yet, let’s us each find another Titans as our parents then, that’s how we win the war. Maybe I’ll pick Hyperion as my new dad.” He quipped pettily about this family-making idea, who knew maybe his siblings would listen to this one. This was nonsense because Hyperion was the worst contender after Chronos, as all Titans were. Time if anything proved that Titans and Gods don’t go well with each other which was why it doesn’t make sense for Oceanus to be Hera’s adoptive father, a Sea Titan with a Goddess of Family, how did that have anything to do with each other?

“You’re naïve, Poseidon, about this war,” Hera sighed while pinching her nose almost like talking with Poseidon was giving her a headache. “It was not just about fighting, there is strategy, picking allies, choosing your fights, your enemies, you next moves, and the best way to use your resources at hand.”

“Enlightened me then, O wise older sister,” Poseidon gripped because that was the root of the problem here, nobody wanted to explain to him properly why this was the right call. Everyone just wanted him to agree without ever questioning because they were always right, and explaining to Poseidon to make him understand seemed more burdensome than it was worth.

He didn’t need to know anything. Vain and simple Poseidon should just do nothing, oblivious to the important affairs of the world.

Like the ocean, like Oceanus.

“My living with Oceanus will not only give us a strong ally, but also help us discovered the strength and weakness of the Titans,” Hera pronounced each word slowly, looking at him right in the eyes to make sure he focused on every word out of her mouth. “Oceanus was the eldest of the Titans, he would know their habits, their antics, and their everything.”

“So… you’re pretending to be his adoptive daughter to get information out of him?”

“No, I wanted to be with him. But I can kill two birds with one stone.” His sister said in the calm tone of hers. Hera was a prideful woman, but the look in her eyes was imploring, seemingly wanting Poseidon to understand this. “I could have a normal family and at the same time I could get us vitals information to win this war.”

Poseidon wanted to balk at her about the normal family thing when she turned away from him, the next words were said in a whisper but with the pond and enclosed space of the cave, it wasn’t hard for it to be repeated in an echo.

“Maybe if I could feel what it was like to be in a good family and a welcoming home, I could help us heal.”

Wait.

“You like Oceanus.” Poseidon was stunned, that was why it was so easy for Hera to accept his proposal, and perhaps, Oceanus saw the same thing which was why he… Poseidon blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to process the newfound revelation his sister gave to him. Right, maybe Poseidon was better kept in the dark. This was far-off territory.

What happened in all the time they spent bargaining and arguing for Oceanus’s neutrality or support?

“His eyes are kind when looking at me, when he spoke, his words are considerate and warm. He listened to me and actually, he kind of encouraging me to find the right words, to be better at this diplomatic role I’m in.” Hera laughed quietly, it sounded pleased but also bitter. “And I felt safe in his presence, a feeling I hadn’t felt in a longest time.”

Poseidon sucked in a breath then, she was telling him the actual reasons for her agreement. Hera cared about Oceanus, and he sounds caring of her in return. This arrangement, it was personal.

“When I was out, I heard what Chronos said to me, to us. It was so full of hatred and not even an ounce of remorse. Doesn’t matter that he was at Zeus mercy, he was more focused on the fact that we escape, and how he loathed it.” That was when Poseidon wanted Hera to stop because he couldn’t bear this, listening about Chronos from his sister. The thought of Time was his perspective alone, he couldn’t hear it from others because he didn’t know what he would find.

Yet his mouth said nothing.

“He tried to reached for me you know, trying to fight Zeus off. I think, he was trying to eat me again. And when I looked into his eyes, I found that Time was empty. He felt nothing at all about us.”

Poseidon was astonished in his silence as he listened. The fateful day of their escape. He had only remembered Chronos’ anger, he hadn’t remembered the desperation to nick them from his life for the last of time, he wasn’t there to witness it.

Poseidon was glad then, that Hades got him away instead of spending more of their time in the presence of Chronos. He wouldn’t know what he would do if Chronos used the last of his remaining strength to get to him, with how Poseidon was during that time, he wouldn’t be able to fight Time off of him. He could be eaten again.

He wondered if his feelings for Chronos would be different then had he been there.

“A father who wanted his children dead, no, a king who wanted his enemies dead, the threat to his kingdom so that Time alone remained supreme, free from the mortality of life. We are Gods, any wounds done on us will heal, but Time himself cuts us, and it scarred me. I thought this scar would be with me for all of time. I would never heal.” Hera's voice was shaking, he wanted her to look at him but she remained turned away, staring at the far side wall instead where a curtain of moss decorated its surface, forever climbing until all that was left was its greens. Like the ever-consuming time.

“I never thought I would ever met a man so tender, a murmur of a loving father.” Then Hera's voice turned airy as if she was drawing a breath for the first time, reborn.

“I wanted that.” Hera breathed, her voice wet, Poseidon believed she was crying with her back turned from him, not that she weeps, but he felt like tears were shed that day, in that cave. A secret for her and him alone.

Suddenly he understood his sister, more than he ever did in Time, in any moment, not even on Olympus anymore. Because of this desire, this jealousy was familiar to him. She wanted a father in Oceanus as much as Poseidon wanted a father in Chronos once upon a time. She was jealous of others who could have a perfect family like how Poseidon was jealous that his siblings were a perfect family of each other before him.

He never entertained the impacts of Time on any of his siblings. It was just all the harm, all the pains, and all the suffering Chronos ever did to Poseidon, the mark of Time that was left in him not even the sea could ever wash away. Of course, the experiences within the belly of the Titan they all shared and he would always be there when his siblings were plagued by the nightmares of their worst time. But since the fated day of his birth, all his thoughts were just about Chronos and Poseidon. Never Chronos and Hestia, Chronos and Demeter, Chronos and Hades, and… Chronos and Zeus.

Now, as he was hearing about Chronos and Hera, he realized that the experiences they all shared about the Time Titan were not only collective but also personal. Hera had her own grips about Chronos, her own feelings and thoughts, and what it did make her yearn for an ideal family, a mother and a father and a daughter without all the horrors. Poseidon yearns and Hera yearns, but it was done differently.

Because Poseidon didn’t think that in his yearning for a father would he ever want to replace Chronos, he was the only thing he had ever known. All his life, father was Chronos and Chronos was father, and when he no longer thought of father when the Titan came to mind, Time was all that he knew of Chronos. All his life, Chronos was time and time was Chronos.

But he never thought of any other Father like he never thought of any other Time.

Yet in the story of Chronos and Hera, she wanted another father and another time. She wanted to start anew and build a new family. Hera, the goddess was looking to find more meaning in marriage and family, hoping that it doesn’t have to be like what she had here. That in all bad fathers, there were also good fathers, and in all passive mothers, there were also assertive mothers. That in some doomed marriages, there were everlasting ones. That children don’t always have to be condemned to their family past but are capable of moving forward.

Family was a choice as much as it was not. At least that was what Poseidon figured, he observed all of this happening amongst the mortals' family under Hera’s governance. Some have good families, some have bad, some found family in others that they don’t share blood, and some only ever know the kins of shared flesh. Some marriages last forever, some ended, some love was wrong, some was right.

Because in this war, Hera found how complex the life they all lived was, how they fought and broke one another, mended and comforted each other, and left or returned to everyone.

There was more to this war than fighting.

The art of war, their war, covered all the bouts of life. The purpose of their fights, the opportunities, the achievement that could be gained, and all the things in between. For Hera it seemed, she wanted to discover herself and the life she would live by exploring the domains she held so dear, to see them flourish into something more than she could ever know. For all of them.

The forsaken Gods reclaiming their birthright, turning the clock for the bloom of their beings, and life finally finds a way.

It was the right call then, for Hera to make a new family with Oceanus and Tethys.

Because as she became the Queen of Olympus, Goddess of Family and Marriage, through her wisdom mortals could finally learn so much more about family and marriage and love – between brothers and sisters, between fathers and mothers, and between each other. The choices of being beyond their blood and to change and be changed by the people around them, to be defined by others and also more, all of the right choices, all of the wrong ones. And it made the time they spent in the world more meaningful and complete.

Hera was also right, in that she was able to heal them.

They understand the family better with her at their helm, from all the things she had learned and gathered, all the lectures, all the rules, all the mistakes they had made and the better choices they could have made. Because of Hera, Poseidon knew that family was that despite all your rights and wrongs, the ones you called your kin would always be accepting of you, no matter what.

They were all they had after all.

It took years for Poseidon to understand, even now there were still things he couldn’t see clearly, family was complicated after all, especially theirs. But he was glad that back then, as they sat in the pond, the soul-calming essence of its tranquil water seeping into their bones and drips drops of the cave’s spring comforting their thoughts, basking in each other company under the shine of the moonlight and stars above, he finally let his sister go to be with the Sea Titan, and he did more.

“At least get rid of your hatred for the sea first before you moved in with Oceanus and his wife.”

“What?”

Hera finally turned to look at him, her eyes were shining but there were no tears, not anymore. Poseidon grinned widely at his sister, “You still complained about the sea every time you return from your meetings, about its strong winds and changing weathers, and the salt, and the sand, and the what you say, feet-stabbing sea-shells-“

“I don’t need to love the sea to be with Oceanus,” Hera cut him off with a scoff.

“Maybe not, but you need to be genuine, Hera. Oceanus would appreciate it better if you at least valued his children, be cordial with them instead of contempt.” Poseidon advised, Oceanus may have cared for Hera but he too would be disgruntled if Hera could only feel hatred for the sea just because it was annoying and gritty and wet, that was Hera’s words. Poseidon himself was upset when she uttered such things about the ocean, imagined Oceanus however caring he was.

Hera was biting her lips as she mulled his opinion over, Poseidon thought she would ignore it and leave him alone, ending their conversation abruptly as she always did when she didn’t like what he said. However, she continued to surprise him that day.

“Alright, teach me how to love the sea then.”

Poseidon couldn’t believe it but he quickly shook himself out of his stupor. So eager to teach her about the love of the sea. It made him giddy, to be the one teaching Hera instead of the other way around. But then he was stumped, how do he teach his sister to love the sea? Uh-oh, he didn’t think this far off yet, he wasn’t sure if love was even his domain, no, no, he was a pupil of love, not the scholar.

While Poseidon was panicking internally, Hera was looking at him expectantly then she deflated. “You don’t know don’t you?”

“No! I’m the expert of the sea here, if anyone could teach you about the love of the sea, it would be me!”

“Right.”

“The sea you see, it is beautiful, loving it is as easy as breathing.” Poseidon said confidently, full of affection and longing for the deep blue he missed, when will Zeus ever let him return back to the sea?

Hera sighed, “for you,” she blew a strand of hair out of her face and glared at him. “Alright, let’s do this way then, tell me why you loved the sea so much?”

Poseidon stared at her, then tilted his head up and thought, about the words that he wanted to say and the love he wanted to express about the ocean. There were so many things to say, there might be no end, or no words at all as Poseidon continued to stare off into space, not knowing the justice he could bring about to the wild sea.

“I love.. how loud it is,” Poseidon drew out the words slowly, Hera raised her eyebrow at the first reason for his love. “The splashing of waters and slamming of the waves filled the silence in my mind, you were never lonely in the presence of the sea. The wind was also a good company, of course it was wild and strong, sometimes knocking you back even, but the breeze was gentle as it was powerful, a sturdy embrace and a soothing hug, always there no matter what.”

“And the ocean was playful, I love when it spray us with its water, how it could hide its intention from us, one time calm, the next it was rowdy. Sometimes, I too may never know the feeling of the sea because it alone decided what to feels.” Poseidon chirped at his sister.

“It just playing you know, children.” He said softly, telling it to Hera gently, because it was the truth, the sea will forever be a child, lively and mischievous, and the world always was their playground.

Poseidon really didn’t know how to tell Hera about the sea's ways of love, for the lover it was easy, for the stranger it was not. He knew Hera appreciated the beauty of the deep blue, after all, it was easy to fall in love with beautiful things, to understand their attractive values, it was harder though to teach her to surrender herself to the wills of the sea, to understand its nature and move along with it flows.

“So the sea was a stubborn thing then, a wily brat. Barging into others like an uninvited guest, demanding attention, and always ruining people day with its tumultuous weathers. Playing children who didn’t care what adults think of them,” Hera sneered and Poseidon gasped, offended.

“Like you,” Hera said softly and her smile was fond as she gave it to him.

“Hestia was right, you are the sea,” his sister chuckled while he could only watch as the puzzle of loving the sea finally slotted into place in her mind. “Alright I know how to do this now.”

“I can love the sea, when I think of you.” Hera eyes were soft, in the glow of the moonlight reflected by the blue water, Poseidon again standing witness to one more secret of theirs, the love between an older sister and her little brother, true and right.

And Poseidon loved her there, and he thought, he could let her go now.

“Yeah... Just think of me when you see the sea and love it then.”

Poseidon was right for once, for lovers it was easy, for strangers it was not. The ocean was not a stranger to Hera, he was her little brother. Hating him was easy, it was natural among siblings, but loving him was much more so. That night in the pond, was the only time when the brother and sister understood each other the most, and it was the only thing they kept in their mind when they thought of one another when they became their own person and Gods, far away, but in that little spring of the cave, they were closer than any other.

In loving the sea, Hera found the love she had been looking for so long. They adored her, Oceanus and his wife, Tethys, the ocean was very much welcoming to their bright and regal daughter.

It was bittersweet, watching Hera's silhouette disappear into the deep below. It was the happiest day of his life, to finally be able to return back to the sea, they all were there to send Hera off, and that made it also the saddest day of his life. He made sure to glare at Oceanus for the rest of the time the Sea Titan was there, and Oceanus in turn just ignored him, the nerve of that Old Carp. Hades and Hestia were by his sides, glaring at him, the nerve of his eldest siblings too, as if they couldn’t trust Poseidon not to start something.

But Hera was gone and Poseidon felt like a piece of him was missing that day, they were five now in Gaia’s cave, like they were five in Chronos’ cave before. But Poseidon was used to being six and to return to five was such a foreign feeling, he had lost his sister to the blue. She was alive and well, but she was away with no way of telling when next she would return.

And when the Fates were cruel, there was a time when the Fates were kind.

The ocean’s Father and Mother provided Hera with parental care that neither Chronos nor Rhea could ever give. Hera returned their love tenfold, undivided and unconditional, for her chosen parents. They were a perfect family, Poseidon believed that everything Hera learned about the concept of love and passion, as well as affection and devotion be it familial or romantic came from the Ocean’s home.

Fitting really, the Waters of Life giving birth to all forms of the world for the mortals. Love herself sprung from the sea, it was only natural then for Marriage and Family to be born out of the sea too. The reasons of life and existence.

Oceanus himself true to his words remained neutral to the war, turning his back to his Titans siblings. He, after all, had a far greater treasure to care for deep within the blues and greens, his family. Poseidon still couldn’t believe the Sea Titan's audaciousness to just ignore the war happening on land, but it was also expected, that no King would ever care for the happenings outside of their realm like no creatures would ever be aware of the life outside their home.

Life in the sea was like that too, a myriad of beings neighbouring one another but living a life of their own.

But for Poseidon, as much as he was the sea, he felt as if he was also the ponds and the springs that adorned the earth, the beautiful waterfalls and fountains. He would mourn them to be torn by war, he would fight for them too. Weren’t all the waters on land the same as all the waters in the sea? He was one with them too, and he will defend them too. This was where he and Oceanus differed because Poseidon cared for the earth's water as much as he loved the sea's water.

But a single drop in the ocean could bring a whole new change to the sea’s form.

Hera as much as she was dutiful and gracious, cunningness was part of herself too. For a while she followed the streams of the ocean, letting it usher her along its home, never fighting against it. She trusts the Sea and they in turn trust her. So when she suddenly went forward and took the lead, the Ocean was so much hers as she was theirs that they moved along together towards her true path.

Because she was the daughter of Oceanus now, and she too, shared the stubbornness of the sea.

She persuaded Oceanus to let her use the wisdom and richness of the sea for their war. The Sea Lord was adamant about his non-involvement but Hera was too. It was not an easy job to sway the ocean for one’s will, Poseidon would know, he was the sea and the sea was free, their whims were theirs alone to be done as they please. But Hera who finally understood the ocean, capricious like her little brother, simply swims around the currents to turn them into doing her favour, and familiar to the benevolence of the Father and Mother of All Water, endeared herself to the deep affection and tenderness of her Sea parents that from their love, willing to do anything that she wanted.

And she did so like she herself was also the ocean.

In the end, Oceanus became more involved with the war too, oh he didn’t join their fights, but he allowed Hera to use the resources from the deep sea and the water’s life to support their armies. Hera was also permitted to join the war, rather than continue living with him under the protection of the sea, she could lend her hands to their actual battles instead of just offering her mind. It was for the better because Hera’s battle strategy rivalled Metis's own even more so when she was on the ground to watch it come to fruition. So together, they turn the tides of their war in their favour for the first time in forever.

Poseidon was just happy that he got his sister back, and that her leaving wasn’t forever as he thought it would be. When he saw her emerge from the water, he swooped in right there and then, gathered her into a hug and twirled her around. Hera's first words to him since forever were ‘unhand me, you rowdy child!’ and she hit him over the head after, Poseidon could only laugh.

Hera's return was the more greater when she brought the whole sea with her. In the climax of their war against Time, Oceanus surprised them all by sending his daughter, Styx and her children for Zeus’ aid, devastating the remainder of Chronos' troops as well as becoming the stepping stone for them in winning the war.

Poseidon was highly impressed by Hera’s persuasion and her flair to change Oceanus’ stance in the war. The Titan was still on his principle to be uninvolved as much as he could, but he also bent the rules on his neutrality through both of his daughters and grandchildren. Who knew that Oceanus could be quite resourceful too.

Not that it mattered for Poseidon, but he appreciated the help of Oceanus’ daughters and children nonetheless.

The children of the sea, they were the ones that turned the tide of war.

It was refreshing though to finally visit the sea, it was as beautiful as he imagined, even more so. With Oceanus' support, any of them that visited the beach or ventured into the ocean was under his protection, Chronos and his Titans wouldn’t be able to detect them at the sea, they were concealed so long as they remained by the shoreline.

Nothing to worry about really, Oceanus said that Chronos never visited the sea anymore, not that Poseidon ever asked the Sea Titan about the Time Titan, it was just what Hera had mentioned in passing once. And Poseidon wouldn’t waste this opportunity to be at the beach, his leisure time was getting shorter and he needed to use them wisely now.

Poseidon was sitting at the beach at the exact moment, on one of the adrift logs he figured arrived there through its voyage on the sea. It must have gone through a lot, Poseidon applauded its resilience to withstand the waves and weather of the ocean just so it could lie on the sand bank for him to come and rest on it in pursuit of admiring the coast of Greece.

Fates works in the most mysterious way indeed to align this meeting of theirs.

As he kicked at the sands, Poseidon wondered, did Chronos couldn’t find peace anymore? He knew that Time was peaceful at sea, he visited the beach from time to time to soothe his rage after all, whatever it was that made Chronos angry in the first place. Not that he came to the ocean angry all the time, sometimes it was to wash his trouble away, sometimes he simply wanted to find relief in his free time. But after what happened at Mount Othrys, after the prophecy finally falls in place and the golden child returns to save his siblings and begins their war, Time no longer seek the comfort of the Ocean.

A part of it probably had to do with Oceanus' silence, Poseidon found a bit of pity for Chronos in that, it must be awful when your older brother didn’t care about you. Luckily Poseidon's older brother cared for him, and he wouldn’t want to be an older brother like Oceanus to Zeus, uncaring and unsupportive.

Unlike Chronos, Poseidon had his family, and ever-growing too, his life was loud and cheerful with the sounds of people that he loved and trusted.

Poseidon wagered Chronos’ life must be very silent right now, and angry, very angry. What was it like then in the palace of Time without life? Rhea was gone, and Oceanus turned his back on him, the only ones that left were the Titans who took arms with him but they were more army than they were family weren’t they? Was the stress unbearable? Was the monochrome atmosphere boring? Poseidon remembered the Titan to be lively from all the time he spent in Chronos’ hollow. But with the war brewing on the horizon, does Time remain calm and collected about the coming of his doom, or was he arrested in the heat of anger, hatred, and vengeance from the pit of his soul it became the only thing he ever was and ever will be?

Because he would have no one to welcome him home, glad he made it safe and sound. No others inquired about his health, whether had he been eating, what had he been doing. No talk about life just for the sake of it. No offers of comfort and peace, and the presence of another company to keep him safe and warm. No one to care, to love.

Poseidon shuddered to even think about it, that was awful, Mount Othrys doesn’t sound so wonderful now. And Chronos was okay with that? That emptiness?

Hera said that Time was empty, without life because he ate the lives of the world, his children, and wouldn't stop until they were gone. A Time without Life. But, life was time. He supposed Chronos on his own didn’t need life. What was the meaning of life for the Time Titan then? Just him? What a megalomaniac.

Poseidon was right then too, about the throne of Time to be a lonely one. It must have been, without life, without anything, just the clock ticking on. Was that really all that is to time?

Chronos the Time Titan was alone, but the time of the world was full of life in every corner of its minutes and seconds. What was he trying to prove then? Life without time was nothing or time without life was everything? Poseidon already admitted that time for him was Chronos and will always be, but for the world, was Chronos their time or not?

Mmm… this started to get confusing. Poseidon was biting the inside of his cheek as he contemplated it. He gave up, better to enjoy the sea rather than thinking about all of these big questions. Why was he even thinking about this? Stop thinking about it Poseidon, you were not the God of Wisdom, now that sounds suspiciously like Hera.

Poseidon let out a sigh, yet the question about Chronos and time remained free in his mind.

The waves lapped gently at his feet and Poseidon cooed at its watery brushes, the bubbles of the ocean were glimmering in the light as if it too was delighted to be in the presence of Poseidon. It felt like the sea was beckoning him to take a dive, embracing them and never letting go. But he couldn’t do that, his siblings were already annoyed enough with his acts of slipping away from training and meetings just so he could spend his time at the beach.

Blame him all they want, they wouldn’t understand the sea the way he did, the way the sea understood him in return.

Then, the surface of the ocean started to ripple and bubble away which would have Poseidon worried if not for it to part ways and give room for someone to come out of it, a Titan to surface from the depth of the ocean, Oceanus.

Poseidon pursed his lips at that and chose to ignore the Sea Lord, he was here first and he never promised anything to be civil with the Father of Waters. So Oceanus could just go about his business for all he cares.

“I know I could find you here. Hera has been complaining about your little escapades to my sea,” Poseidon clicked his tongue at that, of course, Hera had to say something, why Oceanus though of all people, did she run out of people to rant about Poseidon?

“The war is quite on the horizon, yet you preferred to idle away at the beach,” Poseidon pretended he didn't hear it, letting the winds and the waves carry Oceanus's voices away. “So forgive your sister if her frustration of you make her seek the comfort of her parents.”

Now that annoyed Poseidon because even if he treated Hera like their own children, giving her the love none other could compete with, Rhea was still a mother they loved and cared for thank you very much. Tethys’s motherly love couldn’t burn a candle next to Rhea's motherly perseverance in the trials and tribulations she endured just to have her children back.

But that doesn’t mean Poseidon would rise up to the bait, let him talk with himself. Oceanus seemed like someone who loved to listen to their voice anyway.

“You are quite attached to the sea it seems,” his glare didn’t even intimidate Oceanus away, instead he went and sat at the edge of the log, his log!

“This is my log, get your own.”

“Ah he speak, here I thought he had lost all the fire from before,” Oceanus was smiling victoriously at him, proud that he could make Poseidon speak, and then that smile turned mischievous. “Zeus’s order?”

“Zeus do not control my life, I do what I want.” Poseidon gripped, he would not moved away, if Oceanus thought that he could drive Poseidon away from the beach, then he got bad news. Poseidon was as stubborn as a mule, Demeter’s words, and she was always right, even if it was an insult to Poseidon’s self.

“What are you even doing here?” Poseidon huffed, then bitterly added, “don’t you have something important to do, like ruling the ocean or something.”

Oceanus hummed at that and took some time to answer his question, opting to gaze out towards the sea instead. When Poseidon felt like his question wouldn’t be getting an answer, thinking Oceanus was toying with him again, he wanted to snap at the Titan when he beat him to it.

“I’m doing it right now, all the sea water was rushing to one place and one place only, as if there was something of interest that divert the flows of their path to this way.” There was a curious glint in his eyes as he glanced at Poseidon as if he were trying to figure him out.

“What do you mean?” Poseidon hesitated to ask that, had he caused a commotion without meaning to? He always did. Please don’t let this be the reason Zeus revoked his right to go to the beach again.

“The sea, they are fond of you.”

Poseidon turned his head sharply at Oceanus for that statement. They are? He tried to put all his focus on the sea around him, listening to the waves, the feels of the breeze, and the dancing lights on the ocean. His eyes widened when he could hear it, they were singing, humming praises, for him.

He looked at Oceanus in awe and the Titan barked out a laugh, it was deep and rumbling. “No need to be so surprised, you know it already.”

And he was right, Poseidon knew what the sea was feeling, always has and always will. From the moment of his birth, there was a string that tied him and the sea together, into an intricated loom that became a complicated tapestry as he grew stronger and bolder with the bond they shared.

“But don’t be too excited now, little ocean. You are still young, there are still a lot you don’t understand about the sea,” Oceanus looked at him meaningfully and Poseidon stared back in defiance. “About all that belonged to it, related to it, and living in it.”

“What are you saying?” Poseidon won’t admit it but he felt giddy at being called that. Little ocean, it sounded demeaning but it was the truth, he was still young. Besides, it means Oceanus acknowledged the connection he had with the sea, which was good. One day he will grow and be a big ocean. All of the ocean.

“I’m just saying that you need to be careful with things you have yet to fully grasp, the world was vast child. And you are just a little ocean.”

“I don’t need your concern.” Was Poseidon snappish replied, but Oceanus just brushed it off, which infuriated him.

“I’m not concerned, little ocean. Merely telling you about my observation,” Poseidon scowled at that, ugh did this guy stalk him from the sea or something? “And wherever the seas go, I goes, and it seem it was drawn to the little ocean that belonged to Time.”

“I do not belong to-“

“I know,” Oceanus just sighed at his agitation of being told as if Chronos owned him. “But it was the truth, you were once in the bowel of Time and now you are out and about, and you don’t even know what to do with all the power inside of you.”

“So you need to be careful with how you thread the waters now. You are still a little ocean but an ocean nonetheless, whatever place you make yourself in, it will change all course of waters.”

Then Oceanus got up deeming that was the end of the conversation. He gave Poseidon one last look, wanting him to take their discussion to heart, but Poseidon stared out into the sea rather than returning his gaze. Oceanus just shook his head at his impudence, whispered out, unruly child, and then he walked into the sea just like how he walked out before.

“Show off,” Poseidon mumbled into the open air, but he was still entranced with the ways the ocean water rippled and shimmered with an otherworldly magic, something that was left behind by Oceanus's descent. It was beautiful, to witness their dances around the Titan, celebrating his return to them, like a child running towards their father that has come home from his daily labour.

Because that was the truth, he was and will always be, the world’s water father.

He supposed, grudgingly, Oceanus was also the sea. The unassuming stream, the tranquil water, as well as the passivity about the affairs of the world. Because as much as the sea rages, as much as the rivers rush, their watery flows do not abide by the world’s events. Encircling the earth with their body, and made their stays in any nook and cranny. Whatever they give and take from the world are through their wills alone, simply just. That was the essence of the seas and the rivers of the world. Poseidon could see it in Oceanus's indifference, an observant sea, the stream of his consciousness simply following the course of all waters, content to just move and ripple away.

Poseidon didn’t like Oceanus, but he understood the seas better now by knowing him and loved it even more.

And so the distinction between the Titan and the sea, and the Titan and the time, remains blurry for Poseidon to even glimpse at where one ends and the other begins.