Page 34 of Meduso
I accepted the wine and took a sip of it. The taste was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The only other time I ever drank wine was at Dictys’s home with Perseus years ago. But this wine was on a whole different level. It was much smoother to swallow and I found myself imbibing it rather quickly.
Poseidon refilled my now empty cup. “Slow down there. You are going to lose your appetite if you drink too much too soon,” he explained.
I smiled at him and took a seat in a chair at the table, while Poseidon collected the fruits and smoked fish, putting them onto my plate. “This is wonderful. I cannot believe you went out of your way to do this.”
He shrugged. “It really isn’t much. You forget I am a god. Setting this up would take hours for a mortal, but for me, it takes only seconds.”
This was true. I could just imagine Poseidon snapping his fingers, and all of these platters, chairs, and tables would magically appear. Then, to contradict that, I could envision a few servants laying everything out so perfectly, but taking much longer to do so.
I then tasted the fish, marveling at its flawless taste. I closed my eyes and let out a moan, showing Poseidon how satisfied I was with the feast. It was too late by the time I realized that my moaning sounded a little more sexual than I had intended. I glanced up from my plate to see the flicker in Poseidon’s eyes from across the table, allowing me to know how deeply enticed he was by my whimpering in delight.
Over the past several weeks, I had taken notice of the change in Poseidon’s mood. Initially, I knew the god was attracted to me and assumed his feelings were purely physical. However, lately, Poseidon was much more eager to please me in a variety of ways.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the attention and the gifts that I was being showered with. The wheels in my head were turning as I was starting to visualize a potential future with Poseidon, away from this life in Athena’s temple. Poseidon would whisk me away to his extravagant sea palace or even a castle on Mount Olympus. I was unsure of where his abode was, but it was no matter to me. Wherever it may be, it would be much better than where I currently was, here on the stoned Acropolis.
Poseidon would be able to claim me, and Athena would be unable to punish me for disobeying her. After all, she would not want to start a war with her uncle, right? I was jumping for joy on the inside at the thought of finally having hope and a means of escaping this wretched place.
I wondered if Poseidon would be willing to take in my sisters as well if they did want to leave here, too. It would take some convincing on my end, but I would be steadfast in making that happen.
After we ate dinner, Poseidon rose from his seat and moved around the table towards me. He lifted me right out of the chair, in his bulging arms, and carried me to a small alcove on the side of the cliffs overlooking the sea. The sea god leaned me against their rocky edges, making love to me from all angles. After releasing himself, he panted, gasping for air, resting his head against my body to regain his strength. “You will be the impossible death of me,” he managed to get out before his heavy breathing continued.
My arms wrapped around his head, pulling him into my chest. “I would have no other. I want more of you! And I want you to have all of me. But as of now, you do not fully possess me. That ownership belongs to your niece.” I glanced down at him as I stated this, to see the focus written in the expression on his face.
My words were soaking into Poseidon. “Give me some time, and I promise you will be all mine and I will be all yours. I want to make sure we tread carefully with this, and we make all the right moves. I want no harm to come to you or your family,” he explained.
“How much time?” I needed to know that this would not persist for years on end. That he had every intention of carrying me away very soon.
“A month perhaps? Maybe less? All I know is that now that I have you, I cannot imagine myself without you. Nor could I picture you being with anyone else. I want you for myself, and would rather be damned to serve my brother, Hades, than to have you love another man.”
I kissed him on his forehead. “That’s all I want for us. To live in peace and forever enjoy each other’s company, far away from here. I need that, Poseidon. I need you,” I revealed.
“You have me, Meduso. And you will forever have me.”
He lifted his face to meet mine for another long kiss.
“You know…” I interrupted our moment of passion. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that I had a vision that I would be meeting you. It’s been going on for years now.”
“A vision?” He seemed confused.
“Yes. I had a vision, almost like a prophecy or a premonition, that I saw you coming out of the water and I sprinted towards you, placing my hands on your chest, holding you in a loving embrace.” I shared this vision which now happened in real life at least sixty times over the past two months we spent together.
“Oh? I am surprised. I did not know mortals possessed the power to have visions, as such.”
I shrugged. “Maybe it is because my parents are gods? Nevertheless, the Fates were telling me I would meet you. Perhaps it is a sign that we belong together.”
Poseidon gave a wink. “Well, who are we to defy the intentions of the Fates?”
I grinned and then traced my hands up and down Poseidon’s massive torso, before leaning back in to meet his lips once more.
Late into the night, we decided to end our bliss, realizing it was only a few hours away from dawn. I needed to return to the sleeping quarters and sneak into bed before anyone grew suspicious of my prolonged absence. And I did just that.
I laid in my bed, staring up at the glossy marble ceiling above me, paying close attention to the intricate patterns and lines etched out within it. I smiled to myself, knowing I was on the correct path, inching closer and closer to my freedom. Did I love Poseidon? I wasn’t quite sure. At least I thought that spending additional time with Poseidon would lead me to love him more. If I had to draw a comparison between my relationships with Poseidon and with Perseus, I undoubtedly loved Perseus more. The passion, moments of innocence, and that feeling of emptiness whenever I was not close to Perseus were experiences I did not have with Poseidon yet.
However, Poseidon could provide me with things that Perseus was unable to, including freedom, an established and extravagant shelter, and any wishes and wealthy desires I wanted. Poseidon’s godly persona was something that could not be ignored. And the fact that he was a god, willing to spend the rest of his life with me, a mere mortal, spoke volumes. And I loved Poseidon for that.
Deep down, I knew I could have a future with Poseidon, and I needed to find a way to disband all emotions, thoughts, and feelings I had about Perseus if I planned on remaining with the sea god. Holding on to them would be unfair to Poseidon. He was giving me all of him, and therefore, it was important for me to reciprocate and give all of myself to Poseidon as well. And that meant having to give myself to him without Perseus always on my mind.
I realized I was ready to do this. After all, Perseus would not be saving me from my services to Athena. Now that I thought about it, Poseidon was not as forthcoming about rescuing me from this temple, either. It was something that I continuously brought up to the god. Really, it was a matter that I took into my own hands. I was actually saving myself, and Poseidon was the leverage to help me in the process.
