Started With A Dare - A POTHENA STORY ✔

HA! Take This, You Filthy-Minded Gods!

ATHENA'S POV

  Yes. I know that the title is quite inappropriate, but I promise that every word I write in this book is nothing but the truth. The gods wanted Poseidon and me, two sworn enemies to date and get in a relationship or be destroyed by Zeus. And from Poseidon's expression, I could tell that something quite terrible just happened to him, and it was most likely related to his wife.

  I suddenly felt guilty. Poseidon was married! But I shook the feeling off because the other gods should be feeling guilty, not me. Who else could be more filthy-minded than them, especially Aphrodite? Apollo should've cursed her forever - I would truly enjoy hearing that annoying lady read a poem every single day. I'm sure the other goddesses would like that as well.

  Forgetting anything that was stopping me from doing what I was told to do, I said, "Alright then, Poseidon. I suppose it's time to get back to work."

  Poseidon looked at me sceptically but didn't say a word. I'm guessing that he would like to cut the physical touches for a moment - after all, he probably just had a massive fight with his wife. I understood that. I decided to melt the gods' hearts verbally this time. What better way than that by speaking of personal secrets?

  (Although I would hate it if everyone else gets to know my embarrassing stories.)

  "Poseidon," I said testily, "in all these lightyears we've been through, what are you most guilty of?" I bet he has a lot of options to choose from. Typical for a foolish and naughty god like him.

  He looked up and we locked eyes for a moment. I could already tell what he wanted to answer: "Probably dating you to make the gods happy but make my wife an angry mess." But he couldn't say that. It was the essential ingredient to making the gods rage at us and getting us zapped by lightning.

  Instead, he chose the perfect thing - it was so perfect that I had to hide a grin. "I'm probably the most guilty about taking Medusa to your temple and... you know." He looked a little - no, a lot fearful, as if he expected me to explode of anger and turn him into stone with my Medusa shield.

  But I merely shrugged. "That wasn't so bad. You got me a nice shield for battle from that disgusting lady." I was about to insult her appearance, but I didn't want to sound like Aphrodite's evil twin, considering that she was already quite evil. (Glad to be out of her sight while writing this)

  "I'm-" Poseidon was probably going to apologize, but he stopped because of my surprising reply. "You're... not mad?"

  "Why would I be? Considering that I already hate you." I told him with a mischievous grin. That didn't seem enough. I threw in an extra wink to spark things up.

  Poseidon seemed to have understood what I meant - we're being boring entertainment to the gods. "I knew it, Athena." His fake guilty expression turned into the same mischievous glint I had. "And I'd love to hate you for eternity, just like how-"

  "I would hate you for eternity." I finished his sentence. "Gods, Poseidon, I've been tempted to tell you something for quite a while now."

  A gentle breeze passed us and got Poseidon's seaweed-like brown hair flying up a little and I had to resist the urge to giggle. Even Aeolus was cooperating. Paris seemed to be glowing brighter than usual.

  "What is it?" He asked me. I could tell that he was trying not to look away, but he had to when I locked eyes with him again. Should be my intimidating grey stormy eyes that scared him off. I wasn't surprised at all.

  "Ah, old memories. Although I was already a grown goddess when I popped out of Zeus' head, I still had quite an embarrassing hobby... I don't possess it anymore, though."

  Poseidon looked genuinely eager. I could tell why - his sworn enemy was about to tell him her biggest and most embarrassing secret ever! I took a deep breath and reassured myself, told myself that it would be fine even though I knew that all the gods were on the edge of their seats, and I would receive quite a laugh when I get back to Mount Olympus. I sure can't let that happen.

  Instead, I proceeded with a win-win gesture - leaning in and speaking to Poseidon's ear. "I used to like chasing... butterflies. Capturing them and releasing them again. Once, because of my lack of knowledge, I captured a bee instead. It wasn't pleasant."

  After slipping out the last word, Poseidon doubled over and burst into crazy laughter. I don't blame him - I laughed at myself when I got older too.

  "Now for the payment," I whispered loudly to him. "You have to tell me something similar."

  Poseidon was about to protest, but he saw the look in my eyes. If you don't know how intimidating my stare can get, you wouldn't want to know. Just ask anyone who has seen me in person before.

  He leaned over and did the same - whispered in my ear. "When I was younger, I went to a beach in disguise as a mortal. I was about to go swimming when I saw a black dog near the shore."

  He took a deep breath as if he was getting to the most undesirable part. "I had never seen dogs before back then and thought they were some hairy ugly monsters about to attack the fishies... and I struck. I leapt towards the dog and he bit my..." He scratched his head as he pictured the memory. "My... well, the bottom part of me which stinks the most."

  If there was a contest of having the loudest laughs ever, I would've won right at that moment. Some mortals stared at us with knitted eyebrows and whispered among each other, but I didn't even mind for once in my life. Imagining the gods fuming at the fact that they couldn't hear the embarrassing secrets was even funnier.

  I suppose Poseidon grew on me for a while, but then a mortal came storming up and yelled, "You two! I know the view is beautiful and all, but it's time to go. You can spend the rest of your honeymoon at, I dunno, home or something."

  Poseidon just stared at him and scratched his head cluelessly. Oh right, he was speaking French and I was the only one who could understand him. I quickly translated for him and cursing in Ancient Greek, the two of us rushed off. Poseidon took my hand on the way, which gave me a little electric shock - I was suspecting that it wasn't quite literally a shock. I looked at him in surprise and he shrugged awkwardly. When the coast was clear, we both teleported back to Mount Olympus.

  As I expected, the other gods were fuming. At how they couldn't find out our embarrassing secrets. Happy to find my book waiting for me on my throne, I grabbed it and announced, "I think my son and daughters were calling for me, I must take a look." I considered adding something like farewell, but I suppose a group of filthy-minded gods wouldn't need that. I threw myself on my godly bed and flipped to the page I stopped on, knowing that Poseidon was doing something simlar - though that god would never learn to read.