Started With A Dare - A POTHENA STORY ✔

Our Ship Rips Information Off Wikipedia

POSEIDON'S POV

Athena was just so unpredictable sometimes. We were having a pretty normal conversation for once, and just when I thought we were going to enjoy some quality bonding time together (not like I was desperate for some though), she just walked up, kissed me on the cheek and disappeared. I just stood there and stared forward blankly as if everything that was once in my mind was wiped clean - I looked around to see where she'd gone but even her shadow was already out of sight.

I bit my lip, immediately regretting what I just said. How cowardly of me, saying I wanted to 'go back home'. I was the guy there - I should be the one manning up to the challenges we would soon face. Why did I just want to tell our ship to turn around, go back to CHB and stay there forever? Or maybe return to whatever home I had. So much had happened in the past few days I didn't even know how to deal with anything anymore.

I had just gotten out of bed and had a meal, so all I felt like right now was whipping out my pen and whopping enemy arses to relieve whatever strange emotions were bubbling inside of me at the time. To avoid awkwardness, though, I didn't want to go get Athena and train with her either.

Instead, I went back to bed, trying to forget the fact that I wasn't tired and let my thoughts slowly cover my mind and drift off to sleep. I didn't expect it to work, but the more I thought about everything that was happening, the more it seemed like my body wanted to escape, and it realised the best way to do that in the moment was to fall asleep. And so I did, breathing steadily as the night breeze blew across my face.

I woke up feeling quite lost, not because of our location, but because of my current state. I knew what I had to do, I knew where I had to go, but somehow it just felt like I didn't know what I was doing. Maybe I'd feel better after a visit to wherever Athena was on the ship. Before that, though, I needed to check something quickly.

I stepped out of the room, did a bit of stretching and admired the view around me. Despite already sleeping for quite a long time, I managed to last through the entirety of the night asleep. Around me was the beautiful sunrise, although I doubt Athena would be able to enjoy this fantastic view with me. "SHIP! ARE WE THERE YET?" I yelled, squinting to look far ahead. There seemed to be a vague figure of an island, but I couldn't be sure. I could only rely on the know-it-all ship with a personality we were on. I kinda wanted to remove the 'with a personality' part, but I guess I couldn't do that without the perks of being a god.

The ship seemed to internally sigh as it couldn't make the noise. I felt slightly victorious when I heard it - it must've finally given up on convincing us to call it whatever its name was. "We are not there yet, sir. But if you look close enough ahead, you should a vague shape of the island. Currently, we are approximately-"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. I squinted again, and this time the island seemed to look slightly clearer. A dumb person like me wouldn't be able to tell much, though, so it's time to get know-it-all supreme on this ship.

I reached Athena's bed. As I expected, she was sound asleep. Her expression was filled with something that looked like predicament or fear and her cheeks were rosy red as if she was dreaming of something incredibly embarrassing. She was also muttering something, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I didn't want to interrupt, but not only was the view incredibly amazing, but I needed her to help me find out exactly what was in front of us.

"Athena," I whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. She immediately sat up, her head bumping into my face. Embarrassed, I leaned backwards and muttered a quick apology as I heard her do the same. She was sure a lighter and more alert sleeper than I thought...or was she suffering some kind of anxiety that made her sleep like this?

I didn't question it further. It probably wasn't a good time to. I told her about almost being there and dragged her outside to see the amazing view in front of us.

"Poseidon, I would've been a lot happier if you dragged me out here to see something more meaningful rather than...a stupid sea view," she grumbled, raking clumsy fingers through her dark, tangled hair. "I look all messed up right now, and it's all your fault!"

I couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Who cares about looks? You're smart, right? And you're...well, I'm done giving you compliments. The point is, the place we'll soon reach is right up ahead, but I couldn't really make out anything from the sight, so maybe if you go ahead and take a look, you might see something I don't."

She followed me ahead to see the figure of the island. We got a bit closer than last time, and the shape was already quite clear. It seemed to look like two islands with a bridge in between. I glanced to the side and saw Athena's eyebrows slightly creased as they always look when she was in deep thought. "That's a canal," she told me. Before she could say anything else, the stupid ship stepped in. "Indeed. The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, arguably making the peninsula an island. The canal was dug through the Isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 6.4 kilometres in length and only 21.4 metres wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. Nowadays it has little economic importance and is mainly a tourist attraction."

Neither of us spoke as it rambled on, but we exchanged glances and spoke almost telepathically - yep, it's ripping articles off Wikipedia again. Once it was done, Athena gave me the short version. "It's like some water cutting through the land. Exactly what you see ahead of you. I guess that means we could rent some place to stay for a night or two as we search for clues or...the pine-bender who might have the prophecy, really."

There it was again. 'Pine-bender'. For some strange reason, that always managed to give me the shivers. I was determined to veer the conversation away from anything to do with it. "Greek mainland it is! Ship, go through the canal or something and take us to somewhere that we can finally have a decent bed for once."

The ship seemed slightly offended as it agreed to my order, probably because I passively insulted its beds. Athena and I headed inside and started constructing a game plan. (Well, she constructed a game plan while I nodded along, pretending I knew exactly what she said.)

(A/N: Hah! Yeah...another chapter up! We're getting closer to the grand finale. Oh, and woohoo! Happy Chinese New Year! For those of you who don't celebrate it...well, happy normal day! And also...my exams are finally over. Just when I thought things would finally start going smoother, our holiday was extended again and a lot of future tests would probably have to be postponed. I'm one of those weirdos who do want to go to school when I'm at home, and want to go home when I'm at school. Hopefully I won't miss another Sunday because I honestly have no excuses...just laziness and procrastination. Oh, and I haven't done this before but I think it'd be pretty cool: tell me which one of Pothena's enemies so far is your favourite! I look forward to seeing your answers as I work on the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back next week :D)