Page 1 of Poseidon's Island Flower

Chapter One

Poseidon

“Seriously,Poseidon,thisisn’tthat bad, is it?” Zeus asked, closing his eyes as he savored the taste of the exotic drink in his hand.

He said it was a strawberry daiquiri, filled with some sort of liquor blended with ice and strawberries. I shook my head, not wanting to take any substance that might cloud my vision, because this atmosphere was defiantly out of the norm for me.

The warmth of the sun and the feel of the sand between my toes on the exotic island beach should be welcoming. But to me, it wasn’t. It was far away from my home, my safe place.

I had spent the past two months roaming the Bergarian shorelines in search of my mate. Ember, Selene’s assistant goddess, whispered to me that my mate was alive and ready for courting; a pleasant warmth spread throughout my body. I explored the entire coastline of the enchanted realm, taking in the stunning views of the rocky cliffs and crashing waves, but was greeted with more disappointment.

I didn’t need to venture far inland, for when my foot hit the soil, hundreds, if not thousands, of people lined up, waiting to see if there was a match to be made. It wasn’t ideal, having so many faces, so many hands reaching for mine so they could feel some sort of connection. I had a panic attack on the beach and summoned my tail to escape into the water.

So many bodies, so many men and women screaming my name to find out if I was their fated—it overwhelmed me. I thought of throwing in the proverbial towel and calling it quits.

I only wanted to find my soul mate. But all of this was just too overwhelming.

However, Silas, my first creation and my closest friend, arrived and pushed them all away. His tentacles grabbed hold of men and women and threw them back onto the beach. His humanoid upper body was tense as he crossed his arms in warning, and I stayed back, eyes trained on him as I swam back into the sea.

Then, there were whispers, and confusion spread through the unmated souls. They all said I was a timid little fish that was scared of the women who were looking for their soulmate. They didn’t see a god; they saw someone less than.

It was true, I didn’t act like a god.

Hecate worked diligently to ensure their memories were erased, shielding me from humiliation.

I squinted against the intense sunlight. I was drinking fresh water, the only type of water a human could drink. I shook my head and grabbed several salt packets from the middle of the table, sprinkling it inside the cool glass.

“Well, leave the sunglasses on and look around. We’ve got time.” Zeus sipped on his drink until it was completely empty. He waved his hand, beckoning the female over, and she laughed as she grabbed his glass and took it away.

Zeus didn’t give a second glance at her. His focus was on me. I wasn’t really fond of the attention; I didn’t want anyone to spend too much time on me. I wasn’t worth it, and I wasn’t in the mood to divulge my fears to a brother who had ignored me for thousands of years.

He persisted, however. When he heard the rumors filtering throughout Bergarian that Poseidon was fearful of finding his mate, he worried I was a false god. Because being one of the original twelve, I should have stormed the beaches and demanded for every single soul to meet with me.

Once he knew it was truly me, seeing me in my frazzled state, Zeus descended in a bolt of lightning, turning the sand all around us to glass, berated the lot, and had them shivering in fear.

Always with the dramatics.

Why Zeus wanted to help me now was a mystery. So many years ago, he let his brothers and sisters use me to create the creatures of Bergarian that were originally going to be used to kill humans. He ignored my pleas for help because he couldn’t be bothered.

He let them use me.

But now he sits here, an enormous umbrella above us creating a cocoon of protection against the sun, while he wraps his arm around my chair as if we were the closest of brothers.

“Cheer up, brother.” He sipped loudly through his straw. “We have just arrived on earth; I’ve brought you to the perfect place to find your mate. Just because we did not find her in Bergarian doesn’t mean she isn’t here on Earth.”

“I know she’s here.” I trailed my sweaty hand down my face. “Ember said she wasn’t in Bergarian.”

Zeus frowned and lifted his dark sunglasses above his eyes. “Hey, Ember is just trying to help. There is little she can do to point you in the right direction. Selene has given her rules. I’m surprised she has broken two of them for you already. Don’t expect a third.” He lowered his sunglasses back over his eyes.

That she had. Ember had told me more information than any other god or goddess concerning where their mate might be, and I knew the reason.

“Come on, take your shades off. See if any woman here is at least attractive.” Zeus patted my back. It was too much contact for my liking, but I took the shades off none the less.

The sun's bright, yellow hue was almost too much to bear, so I kept my gaze on the one thing that calmed me. The crashing of the waves and the smell of salt in the air brought me a sense of peace and calm. Right now, my stomach was in knots. Being on land was not for me.

The ground did not sway; nor did it give me the comfort of the gentle currents of the ocean caressing me as they continued their journey around the globe. Time on land was miserable, but it was what I must endure to find my mate.

I had not wanted a bonding before, but after seeing the gods and goddesses pairing up at the last bonding ceremony of Lucifer and Uriel changed my mind. Seeing how amazing it was to bond with another person, I was desperate to experience it for myself.

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