Part 7 - The Palace beneath the waves

First they were just staring at each other, unsure of how to commence. He rejecting every welcome phrase as too corny or too much of a cliché. She panting slightly from the rush and trying to figure out what to do with her hands.

Then the God of the Sea decided that since he had started all this more than a year ago, he could as well navigate the ship into harbour. He reached out for the girl standing in front of him, saying:
- If you don't do marriage I guess we can skip that. But I do want to be with you. If you want to discover the world, I'll go with you. If you want to make yourself a home somewhere, I want to be there with you. I'd even go to Star-Court if that's what you want. Just please, please let me love you! For a while at least.

Amphitrite heard herself saying:
- Nothing happened with Atlas.
- I know. I asked him, and I tend to know when people are telling the truth. I could say that I don't care but I do. I couldn't bear the thought of you with that man. Or with anyone else.
- Poseidon! If it's important to you I'm fine with marriage. And I'd never live in Star-Court. And I've already discovered the world. For some time at least. I guess I can discover you instead.

They embraced. It felt oddly natural to do so. Both as a way of signing a treaty yet to come and to make the brain catching up with the events.
- Is it true that you cried? Ami asked. Over me?
- It is. Tears salty as the sea.
- And now what? What do we do next? I mean, it's not like a regular date, when you eat and go for some entertainment and then end up in bed together.

- Why not? I have food. I have this dolphin bard or dancing mermaids or singing naiads. Or octopus-wrestling if that's more your style. And I do have a bed. Amphitrite, you make the pick!
- I'll go for anything. Except for that octopus-thing. Then please call me Ami!

ooo

Poseidon and Amphitrite had food, entertainment and sex; not necessarily in that order, but yet satisfying. He took her for the grand tour, proudly showed off his Palace of corals, shells and gold. She told him that her independence was important to her, that she wanted to follow her own whims from time to time, sometimes being alone or meeting up with friends for crazy games.

- I should have guessed from a woman playing with dolphins. And as long as your games don't involve winds, rivergods or other male deities on a more intimate base I'm perfectly fine with that.
- Even before dancing with you on that spring ball I realised I had tired of dating and sleeping around. But I didn't know what I was looking for or where to start the search.
- Let me show you what you've found in spite!

Not waiting for her answer Poseidon took her cheek in his hand, kissed her with all his skills. Toying with her lips and tongue, holding back for her cue. Amphitrite kissed back, not as skilled but with a raw and eager yearning to explore her finding, getting to know every secret path and twist this man was hiding. She had waited for this, she realised. Waited for a chance to let go, without having to worry about going too far. Because no matter how deep she fell, he would be there to receive her. He wouldn't back off, too scared of making commitments, because he had already made them.

Poseidon in return was surprised and thrilled by the pureness in her youthful energy, her curiosity and most of all of her trust. She wasn't scared of him like a lot of other girls he had enjoyed over the years. She explored him with lips and fingers without bothering with what could be appropriate and she tried some things that were novelties even to him, arousing him beyond his wildest dreams.

- Wait! he breathed in her ear, I can not...
- Wait? I thought you've had had enough of that.
- But I'll...
- Hush! Have me!
- Right here? In the hallway?
- Right here, right now!
- Ami...

He took her against one of the marble pillars, and she received him expectantly. And the moment he feared that he had been too fast she gasped and shivered, came cradled in his arms, head resting on his shoulder, lips against the cavity where his collar-bones met; before suddenly arcing back, locks of honey-blond hair falling away from her face, ecstasy filling her eyes.

When she felt him explode inside of her she somewhat lost all sense of time and space. Only thing she knew was his presence within her, her legs around his back, his strong arms holding her up, her hands holding on to his upper arms, feeling his hard biceps. Someone was screaming, and that someone sounded like her.

Next thing he was sitting on the floor with her in his arms, kissing away sweat from her breast, and yet all the liquids of love were surrounding them, creating a stew of hormones and pheromones that managed to arose them both yet another time. Still he yielded, lifted her in his arms instead.
- Next time, slowly, Poseidon whispered.
- Slowly, Amphitrite repeated. Her pulse was visible at her throat and he couldn't refrain from pressing his lips against it.

He carried her off to that bed which had been so lonely for such a long time. Not anymore.

ooo

Ami felt slightly disoriented when waking up with her face down in sheets smelling unfamiliar. She felt like she had slept and dreamt for years. There had been dolphins in the pond at Star-Court, there had been a replica of Olympos located beneath the sea and there had been Thetis in the arms of Atlas and Leudice blindfolded and with Ami's old sword giving birth to carrier-pigeons complete with love-poems tied around their feet.

And there had been a deep and mellow, masculine voice discussing business in her ear. The voice was still there to be true. The voice that made her recall yesterday. Her cheeks blushed when she remembered how far she had let herself go. The things she had done to that man talking and the things she had let him do to herself. Her lips swelled with the remembrance of his taste, a craving, tickling sensation.

She lifted her head, Poseidon was talking to someone she couldn't see out in the gallery adjacent to the large bedroom.
- And this razor-knife is supposed to be send to my dear brother at Olympos. With one of these "brotherly love" - notes.
- I'll take care of it all immediately, a woman was answering. And the lady? What does she eat for breakfast?
- Honestly I don't know. Didn't remember asking.

- My Lord, if you are getting married you'll have to start to behave a bit more responsible. You have to be attentive to the lady in there, or she'll run off again.
- Xantousa, I'm still a novice at this. Surely...
- My Lord, show her that you're willing to learn and try, show that you're looking for more than mere bed-games! Then I guess it will be cool. Nevertheless I'll have Niora getting you the usual and I guess she remembers what the lady's sisters had and ad lib upon that.

- You've had a lot of my sisters? she asked upon his return.
- Yes. But no-one as wonderful as you. You were not a virgin and yet...
- I felt like one last night. Because for the first time it wasn't sticky and uncomfortable but flowing like a melody. Come on here, Gorgeous!
- We've been at it all night, you're still not content? Not hungry?
- Perhaps. Later.

ooo

- Where are you, sis! I'm been worried sick, Thetis said from the bronze-plate. Know, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to fly away from you when you were so depressed.
- I'm not depressed, I just...
- But I told you I was moody too. Now, where are you? Not on another runaway thing I hope. Come home!

Amphitrite did a quick recap of the events after Thetis had flown away from her. Told about the dolphins and about Poseidon and about her future plans with the Sea God.
- Ami, you're crazy, you're absolutely crazy! What made you change your mind like that? Come home I tell you! Or you're going to be really sorry!
- Thet! I am not coming home. This is the real thing, I am marrying Poseidon. Now, don't try to talk me out of it, it'll be a waste of time.

- Ami, whatever you do - DON'T fall in love with that man! Don't draw up future plans involving him, because he'll have tired of you within a month, probably sooner.
- No way! He kept looking for me for over a year, remember!
- That was because you were his lingering dream, the toy he couldn't have. Now when he has you the novelty is soon going to wear off. You know you really aren't so special, just another of fifty sisters.

Poseidon was kneeling by the armchair where Ami sat crying, tenderly caressing her hands.
- Ami, what's wrong? Distressful call? Green eyes darting to the bronze mirror lying on the sideboard.
- You won't tire of me within a month, will you?
- Please trust me I won't! Would I have gone through all this ordeal if I'd only been looking for some hot nights? When I could have had them from almost anyone?
- My sister said...

- Forget your sisters now! That's probably envy speaking. And jealousy. And mistrust. I've been misunderstood and mistrusted by so many women over the years, and I don't say this as a way of pitying myself, 'cos right now I fell like the luckiest fellow in the world. But I say it turned to you. I am serious about you, Ami. I won't abandon you. These feelings are for real or I wouldn't have considered marriage. Come on, dry your tears, and I'll show you the rooms that will be yours. And in a few hours you're going to meet my entire staff.

- You are well prepared, I must say.
- I've had a year of preparations, don't forget that, Sweetie! I've even got you a wedding gift. Poseidon said.
- What?
- Troisen.
- No, come on!
- Yes, it's true, I got you Troisen.

- But I don't even know where it is, Amphitrite rose her brows.
- No problem, we can go there, and you'll make up for all those missed answers back in school.

ooo

It was yet another spring ball at Olympos. And it was a visit to look forward to even if Ami was not half as exited as she had been her last time two years back. Yet it was a great chance to meet all her sisters again, catch up on gossip and see who was doing what with whom and where and when.

It had been about half a year since Poseidon and Amphitrite had got married, and that event hadn't changed her life half as much as she had thought. Okay, she was living with the Sea God in his palace now, but it was very much like her home, especially since four of her sisters lived there too, as maids of honour. Not Thetis though, she was still careening around the world in the search for the perfect love, rumours had it that she had hooked up with an old, tar-coloured volcano god in Ethiopia.

And when Ami and her beloved spent quality time together they usually went swimming, exploring the beautiful underwater world, looking for pearls, oysters and sunken ships with treasures inside. Or they went visiting Olympos and Poseidon's family there. Even if not everyone on the mountaintop was of Ami's taste - like that mean girl Eris - she sure had fun there with her new-found friends; including Athena, who wasn't half as scary as Ami first had thought, but funny and clever.

So Ami sure was looking forward to this night. She wanted to show off her new necklace with that big kings-clam pearl the old dolphin bard had turned down (he had wanted a song instead), she wanted to see if Atlas was really going to show up as promised, and most of all she wanted to tell everyone that she was pregnant. If Poseidon only could be ready to leave. Men!

----THE END----

Closing notes: The myth tells that Poseidon wished to marry Amphitrite, who was one of Nereus' fifty daughters - the Nerieds. When Amphitrite learned of this she ran off, unwilling to be the Sea God's wife. She fled to Atlas where she hid but Poseidon sent all the creatures of the sea looking for her, the one succeeding was a dolphin. It's upon this skeleton I modelled my story. Hope you've enjoyed it!