Page 119 of Poseidon's Island Flower

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms tightly in his Armani suit.“ I just think it’s a bit selfish—the goddess had to go on hiatus just a few years after you gaining your power. The least she could have done was stay a few years longer.”

Ember waved him off, ignoring him, and a blast of blonde curls wrapped around her leg. “Mama! Loki’s pulling my hair.” The child looked to be four years old, but according to Uriel, who was completely infatuated with the little girl and the unofficial nanny, she was just shy of one-year-old.

Which made sense when I factored in Loki.

I laughed, watching Ember stroke the bouncy curls the child inherited from Hades. When you looked down into that little girl’s eyes, though, there was a blackness in them that startled me. The whites of her eyes had gone black, and dark veins protruded down her cheek.

“Oh shit,” I muttered, and Poseidon pulled me closer.

“I hope our kids have gills instead of those eyes,” I thought to myself.

“Me too,” Poseidon shuddered.

“Mama, do something or I’ll punish him,” Lillith girl growled.

Yup, certainly the daughter of Hades.

As Ember and Hades took their angry daughter to the opposite side of the house, we continued to politely speak with the various gods. They drank, they ate, and they drank and ate some more. The house was filled with so much activity—especially after waking up from a week of inactivity—I was beginning to feel tired.

Can gods feel tired? I scratched my head, wondering until Poseidon leaned on me with more force than I was ready for. He nodded, and his eyes flew open with new awareness.

“Poseidon, are you okay? Maybe we should go take a break.”

Poseidon shook his head and wrapped his arm around me. “I am fine, my Flower. It is a lot to take in after so many years of being alone,” he said somberly.

“We have overstayed our welcome, but you can’t blame us. We were just excited to see Poseidon again.” Artemis kneeled on the floor. She reached out to Poseidon, and he grasped her hand. “It’s wonderful to see you so happy. I cannot wait for your Soul Bonding ceremony. The gods all need a new party, it’s been what? Six months?” She chuckled, looking over her should at Uriel.

Uriel was standing by a posterboard, Hera, her mother beamed proudly, watching Uriel point out different types of foods, entertainment and locations. It was covered in white, tulle glued on either sides of the board, white starfish hanging below the elaborately decorated board.

What is she doing?

“She wants to be your wedding planner,” Athena said, offering me a fruity drink with a straw. I shook my head to decline. I already had way too much. Poseidon, however, grabbed it quickly.

“These are fantastic.” He sipped on the straw. “Makes me feel warm and fuzzy,” he giggled.

He giggled?

“Poseidon, that has alcohol in it,” I said, and Poseidon’s eyes widened.

“No, it doesn’t. It tastes too good to have that icky alcohol in it.” He sipped on the straw again until it was empty.

Lucifer chuckled in the corner, shaking his head.

“I’m guessing this is a common occurrence?” I asked Athena, and she smiled.

She was everything the modern Athena should look like. Dressed in a feminine pant suit, heels, and her hair slicked back to perfection. “I do like to rile things up myself. Didn’t realize I would be the one handing out alcohol at each party to get a rise out of people. Except, this time, I’ve been doing it to keep him calm.” Athena raised her glass at Poseidon who had a glazed look in his eye.

“He looked a bit overwhelmed. I just wanted him to relax. Don’t worry, it doesn’t last long, he’s too powerful to be drunk for long.” She patted his knee, and he cuddled into my neck.

“So pretty,” he slurred,

I ran my fingers through his beard. “That’s my fault. I should have noticed. This was just a lot to take in.” I waved my hand across the room. The room was still busy, gods and goddess were still coming and going, waving and stepping out the door, only to vanish before they reached outside.

“Lani, you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself to take care of him all the time,” she said. “Now that he has you, he is stronger than I have ever seen him. I would have never thought he would sit here in a crowded room full of noise where he was the center of attention. Besides, when I asked him if he would like to take a break from the crowd, he said he wanted to be by your side the most.” Athena gazed around the room, watching the gods mingle.

“Unity amongst the gods has been needed for quite some time.” She took a sip of her drink and sighed. “And now we are slowly achieving it.”

I smiled, watching as they all laughed at Uriel and Lucifer’s interactions with one another. He hovered over her and was completely enthralled by her. Ares was the same with Mariah, who arrived later and had already passed out on the couch, clutching her stomach. Ares lovingly ran his hand over her swollen belly, planting gentle kisses on it and speaking softly to it.

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