Galene, a Nereid and a companion of Poseidon, had spotted (Y/N) the moment she and her companions had begun their crossing. Naively thinking that Poseidon would be glad to hear of his daughter at last leaving her self-imposed exile, Galene had brought him the news with a smiling face. When Poseidon set out alone, his chariot drawn by a pair of hippocampi, she watched him go, satisfied at having played a part in what she imagined would be a happy family reunion. However, Poseidon had no desire to accept the daughter he had never met.

In fact, Poseidon intended to drown (Y/N) and her companions. He was no better a man than he ever had been, but times had changed. Along with all his other contemporaries, Poseidon had lost considerable power as belief in him had dwindled. Whereas no one would have dared to question his behavior at the height of his influence, in modern times, he was obliged to do everything he could to acquire a favorable reputation. To his mind, that was best achieved by destroying the evidence of his past misdeeds. Thus, he decided that (Y/N) would never make it across the strait. He was giddy with excitement that she had, at last, ventured into his domain, where she could be dealt with permanently.

He whipped the sea from its placid state, using his trident to make the waves grow, and his boulder to give them strength. He commanded the dolphins to swim this way and that, making the waters froth. But the small boat would not capsize easily, and Poseidon grew irritated.

He espied a young, human man in the boat with (Y/N), and became enraged that a mere human should attempt to challenge his might. Seeing that the human held on to both oars, Poseidon ripped them from the man’s hands with a strong surge. Just as he had hoped, the man was set off balance, reaching frantically for the oars. Poseidon used the opportunity to send a mighty wave, knocking the young man from the boat. He felt great satisfaction at seeing the puny human thrashing helplessly in the writhing sea. Seeing that his daughter’s boat was heavily laden with water, he laughed out loud, certain of his success. But Poseidon had made a grave miscalculation, and his mirth was short-lived.

Phorcys was an ancient sea-god, ruler of the largest of sea creatures and master of the greatest depths. His wife, Ceto, held dominion over the dangers of the ocean, and was the ruler of whales, sharks, and all sea-monsters. While the Grecian gods had suffered over time from the lack of worship by humans, Phorcys and Ceto had not met such a fate. Their power was drawn from the belief of the beasts of the sea themselves, and that had never wavered. The moment that they saw their granddaughter's companion fall from the boat, his body hitting the cold waters, Phorcys and Ceto lost their patience.

Poseidon knew his mistake immediately when the dark sky was driven back by a piercing, fiery light. He turned to face the source, only to be blinded as Phorcys threw his ever-burning torch straight at Poseidon’s scowling face. As Poseidon thrashed, trying to extinguish the torch’s enchanted flame, Phorcys came upon him quickly, grey hair wild, driven through the water by his massive, fish-like tail. Grasping Poseidon between the pinchers of his forelegs, he wrestled him to the very bottom of the sea to extract vengeance for Poseidon’s mistreatment of his daughters, Stheno and Medusa, and his granddaughter.

Ceto sent a whale to push the drowning human above the water on its wide back as she grabbed ahold of the small vessel that held her granddaughter in it. Seeing that (Y/N) and a small fox were set to leap into the sea, presumably to rescue their friend, she forced them both to the floor of the vessel with one, long arm. Quickly, she shoved the boat so forcefully, it skipped across the remainder of the channel and went clear up onto the opposing beach.

After (Y/N) had recovered from the jarring trip, she panicked at the thought that Andy was still lost in the ocean, unable to swim. She slithered from the boat to the shore, intending to dive back into the roiling, frigid waters in an attempt to save him. She only spared a brief glance for Damica, who had run off and was barking insistently from some distance away, but a single glimpse was all that was needed.

Andy lay on a massive bed of seaweed, his arm hanging flaccidly to trail in the grey sand, where Damica licked at his hand. (Y/N) moved quickly to him, yanking his body so that he lay on his side, tilting him to render his head lower than his feet. When he failed to rouse, (Y/N) shook his shoulders forcefully with her arms, then struck him smartly on his chest with her tail.

With that, Andy began coughing forcefully, then retching out mouthful after mouthful of water. Disoriented, he flailed about, moaning and shivering violently. Before he could fall off the seaweed, (Y/N) wrapped her strong tail around his chest, below his arms, and carried him quickly back to the boat. Pausing only to grab their supply sacks, she hurried up the rocky beach, Damica following close behind her.

The sky abruptly cleared, the pleasant weather returning with preternatural swiftness. As though that had signaled a change in their fortunes, (Y/N) was rapidly able to find a trail through the uneven shoreline. It wasn’t far before she found a copse of trees to act as an impromptu shelter.

Resting Andy on the leafy ground, she lay next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and keeping close to try and warm him after the ocean’s chill. There was nothing coquettish in her actions, she was merely being practical. Damica snuggled up against Andy’s back. Soon he stopped trembling and his breathing became regular. As exhaustion overtook them all, the three of them slept peacefully. There had been no respite in which to consider who or what had come to their aid.

Notes

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I had a great time at Warped! Here's AB during 'Ribcage:'

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Do you write real person fiction (e.g., do you write stories with band members in them)? Are you on Wattpad? I have started an awards competition on Wattpad specifically for RPF authors. Currently recruiting judges and entries Entry acceptance from 6/25/17- 9/30/17. Check it out!

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