Started With A Dare - A POTHENA STORY ✔

I Forget Who I Am

POSEIDON'S POV

  Even though I was on my comfy bed made of seaweed complete with a comfy pillow fluffed with seaweed, I couldn't sleep properly that night, knowing that I would have to suffer the tortures Apollo once told me about.

  He didn't call them 'tortures', though. He knew well that it was what they were to every god, and he told me it felt terrible as well. But after causing so many demigods to sacrifice their lives for his quests and his own good, he felt guilty. He felt ashamed of being the shiny Apollo; the mighty god that rode the sun chariot. 

  As a god, it wasn't uncommon to have demigods sacrifice their lives for us. It felt just like a luxury treatment, like how our servants cleaned our palaces and watered our plants for us. Death wasn't a big deal up here in Mount Olympus. It was something we saw on a daily basis, something that happened more than every fortnight.

  To Apollo, though, death was different. Ares enjoyed watching death and laughed through it when Apollo told us about his stories of being human. He told us the emotions were different. Everything was different. Being in that useless, vulnerable meatbag was like being in a whole new universe.

  Most of us just snorted and tossed it to the back of our minds. Some gods, like me, remained sceptical. We didn't have any special reaction, but we all knew one thing - no one believed Apollo. Even though I had once been human, the memories were blurry and it wasn't exactly a long punishment. This time, though, I had a feeling that it wouldn't last a short period.

  I tried to convince myself that I could definitely sleep and I really needed that to be true as tomorrow was no ordinary day. My head ached and I although I knew that I could heal it with a snap of my fingers (just because I'm the sea god doesn't mean I can't do something as simple as healing a headache), I didn't feel like it. My fingers felt jumbled together. I kept thinking of Athena and wondered if she was wondering how to survive tomorrow as well. Wait, no. Wondering? More like strategizing. That was Athena we're talking about here.

  At last, I called for Apollo and got him to play some music that would soothe me to sleep. I doubted that it would work, but it did and soon the room was left with a snoring Poseidon and an angry Apollo with sore fingers.

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  I woke up the next morning regretting to have ever slept.

  Every single muscle of mine ached. I snapped my fingers to heal myself but no sound came out. It took me at least 10 minutes to get out of bed - I lost count.

  After hastily raking my fingers through my hair and rubbing my eyes subconsciously, I teleported to the throne room, changing into my usual outfit at the same time. The room had no one except for Zeus, standing there with his arms crossed, his grip firmly on his lightning bolt (yikes) and Athena, looking as intimidating as ever, even though she was wearing casual clothes and had no weapon in hand. That was when I remembered - I forgot to get my trident. I wasn't sure that a mere mortal that I was about to turn into could handle it, but just in case...

  Athena snapped me out of it. "We're not allowed to bring weapons," she stated with a cold and hard tone, reading my mind. A part of mine wanted to roll my eyes and snap at her, but from her facial expression, I could tell that it was my older brother's decision.

  Zeus nodded firmly. "Poseidon, there is no need to get your trident. Come."

  Feeling slightly nervous - no, more nervous than I had ever been, I scampered over to him.

  He gave us each a note. "Don't read it. Hold it in your hand because it contains useful information for your quest. Get ready - I'm about to zap you."

  Athena frowned. Curiosity can change the thoughts of a stubborn goddess. "But...don't we already know all about the quest? I've even memorized the prophecy. If there's something we don't know, why can't you tell us right now?"

  Zeus gave her a smile that sent the chills up everyone's spines. I was sure glad that Athena and I were the only 'innocent' beings in the room, or Zeus would've hurt a lot of innocent people.

  "Ah, there's something I haven't told you yet. It's not entirely information for the quest."

  Athena and I both looked at him in shock and asked simultaneously, "WHAT?"

  Zeus looked like Kronos when he was having a bad day and was trying to force a smile. "I'll be wiping your memories, too."

  I didn't remember anything else after that. All I knew was that a zap hit me, something like lightning that, ouch, hurt. Then I was never the Poseidon I used to be again.

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  I opened my eyes. Who am I? That was the first question that came to my mind. The second question was: Where am I?

  I was sitting on a bench. In a park. What park? It looked so familiar. Somehow I knew I was in New York, though I couldn't quite picture how. I looked down to myself. I was a teenager, that was all I could figure out. I didn't know how old I was...

  Wait. There was a piece of paper in my hand.

  It said,

  You are the Greek god of the sea - Poseidon.

  You were cast down to Earth as a human being to finish a quest.

  There is a camp at Long Island South called Camp Half-Blood - go there.

  Not yet. Find a girl called Athena first. She's the Greek goddess of wisdom who suffered - encountered the same fate as you.

  The two of you will understand once you find the centaur Chiron who is the activity director of the camp.

  Tell him 'Zeus sent us'. He will know what to do.

  P.S. If you're wondering how to read my name, it's the plural form of 'zoo' - 'zoos'. Not 'zoo-uhs' or anything weird like that.

  "Hahaha. No. No way." I stared at the piece of paper. Me, the god of the sea? This note, from the god of the universe - Zeus? It couldn't be true. I must be some random teenager who suffered from amnesia and got pranked by a friend or rival.

  That was what I thought...until I saw her.

(A/N: From now on, I'll be uploading every Monday and Thursday - as frequently as possible because I want to finish this story quick. Sorry for the lack of updates...I went on holiday to Australia. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the story!)