The Gift of the Lethe

The Sea Rages But the Pearl is Saved

Poseidon stares at the remains of the house, feeling anger rise and churn within him. He shoves it down for a moment and slips into the ruins, out of sight of any mortal. Here and there, where the fire hasn't charred everything away, he can see the gashes left behind by a monster. And where the house is left burn, what could be the wake of a flood of water. From the hole-marked piece of a wall he passes, he knows which monster was here. The Hydra.

The fire patterns too are an indication. If Kaia and Nadia managed to survive the Hydra, the lightning that set the house ablaze would have killed them. Poseidon glares up at the sky. Why his brother found it necessary to kill a child that wasn't even self-sufficient, he wouldn't know, but he'll be damned if he just lets it pass. He is about to leave the house, and the memories lost, when a sound reaches him. Soft as a lap of water against a calm shoreline.

"Thee, Thee."

So Poseidon follows it, letting the sound tug at him. He finds himself before a toppled cabinet, almost completely unscorched by the flames that passed through the house. Not by luck, but by the water from the burst pipe that coats it still. Holding his breath, Poseidon pulls open the cabinet doors to see Nadia curled up there, holding her stuffed owl to her chest and muttering its name. Poseidon feels his rage calm slightly as he reaches towards Nadia.

"Seadrop, can you come out of there?"

Nadia lifts her head. "Papa?"

He smiles sadly. "Yes, it's Papa."

Nadia's voice is sad this time as she says again, "Papa."

She lifts her arms to him and Poseidon scoops up the small girl. When her owl falls, Nadia reaches for it, her voice becoming panicked.

"Thee!"

He is quick to return it to her and she calms instantly, pressing her cheek against Poseidon's shoulder and the owl to her chest. With one hand, he reaches up to stroke her hair, just as Kaia used to. He carries her all the way to the sea, and beneath. He checks on her once to make sure that she can breathe, but she just blinks at him and blows a bubble. When they reach the palace, he finds Amphitrite pacing back and forth. Nadia is looking up by then, entranced with the sea. When her eyes lock onto Amphitrite, she squeals.

"Ampie!"

Amphitrite looks up, her brown eyes widening at the sight. She darts over and reaches for Nadia, who is happy to be passed over. Amphitrite looks at Poseidon with a worried expression on her face.

"What happened?'

Poseidon frowns at his wife. "How did you know something happened?"

"You came back here carrying Nadia, who looks distressed, and I also felt a surge of power."

"Her power?"

Amphitrite nods. "Perhaps. So what happened?"

Poseidon's gaze flickers to Nadia. "Kaia is dead. Either the Hydra killed her, or the fire set by my brother's lightning did."

"Is this because Kaia wouldn't send Nadia to camp?" Poseidon nods, causing Amphitrite to hiss. "Does he even know how young she is?"

"I'm not sure, but if he does I'm going to send him to Tartarus."

Amphitrite gives him a savage grin. "Good."

Poseidon grins back, and then pauses. "How did you know Kaia?"

Amphitrite smirks. "I was trying to find you one time you were visiting her or were somewhere else and I happened to know of your relationship with her, so I found her on the beach. This was a month or two before she gave birth. She respected me, I liked her, so we were friendly." She taps Nadia's nose. "Isn't that right, little Seadrop?"