Wings and Tails

Chapter Five

Triton saw the angel's eyes widen when he saw the trap around his tail.

He couldn't help but flinch.

He knew what these traps were. A way for gods to trap merfolk so that they could have them. A trap that left them completely powerless, that drained their strength. Even sitting up right now was torture for him. Every part of him wanted to lie down. To give up.

He had heard of the traps, but he had never seen one. Not before it was activated or once it was wrapped around a tail. He had only seen one of them after it had been removed. So he had no idea what he was swimming past until he had accidentally brushed against it.

Another bad thing. They could only be removed by a god, but not the one that was trapped. Poseidon had made sure that Triton, Kymopoleia and Anteros knew how these traps would work. He also knew how to disable it and that made it so much worse. He could see all the parts that needed to be undone. He couldn't do a damn thing. As soon as he would try to escape a shock would overcome him that would only get worse the more he tried.

He was utterly and completely powerless, at the mercy of the angel.

The angel was looking at the trap with wide eyes.

Triton moved back further from the angel. Ignoring the drowsiness and tempted him.

He couldn't give up.

He wouldn't give up.

Imagine the sea after hearing the news. If Triton being called a slur was enough to finally set them on the war path, just imagine what would happen if that happened.

No.

It could not happen.

"Tri, how did that happen?" the angel repeated looking up to meet Triton's eyes. Triton looked back at him and shifted back at the anger in his eyes.

Triton couldn't move back anymore. The rod was pulled tight. The tiredness weighing down on him.

No, Triton thought, I can't fall asleep.

However his body insisted on fighting against him. Dragging him down. All his functions shutting down. He couldn't feel his tails other than the tight suffocating feeling of the trap. Cruelly taunting him with the simple way to unlatch it.

He had no way out.

There was no way another god would be able to get there to save him. At least not a god that would want to save him.

Anteros.

Kymopoleia.

His father.

Tartarus, even Eros would help him out and he had only met the love god a handful of times.

He was alone. Defenseless.

There was no way out.

The angel's eyes widened as if hearing Triton's inner struggle.

"Tri," he said softly, reaching out to put an arm around him.

Triton turned his face to the side. Not bringing himself to look at the angel. All feeling of his body was quickly fading away. "Just get it over with," the god of the tides said hoarsely.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" the angel said. Sounding utterly confused.

Triton didn't look over at him. If this was a trick, he would not fall for it.

The angel's hand hovered just above his arm.

Triton closed his eyes. The sea which he had grown to love was just out of reach. Triton felt like he was slowly going insane just looking out at the happy waves. All the inhabitants of the sea going on with their lives, completely unaware of Triton above them.