~Lucent Seas~

Written by: High Fiving Jesus

Typed: October 10, 2010

A/N: Just wanted to say, this is a very lucky day.

She heaved the duffel bag through the door and breathed in the wafting salt in the air. Her eyes fluttered closed as the bag slipped off of her shoulder and down onto the floor of the cabin. The sand in the bed sheets, the spiders in the cabinets; she loved everything about Montauk. It was only her third time visiting and she had managed to get this same cabin only twice, and when she did, it was like holding a Nobel Prize. The view out over the lake and the moss covered trees stretching up to the skies blissfully; giddiness rose in her.

She loved watching other visitors slip canoes into the water, laughing earnestly as friends slipped in or the boat escaped their grasp. People speckled the shore on good days, and on bad days, she had sat out on the porch and watched clouds passing overhead.

All the stress over her uncle was drained as the waves retreated from the sands. Thoughts of college dimmed in her mind; and getting that diploma—no problem. Money was no issue for a girl by the sea.

She dragged the bag over to a corner of the room and left it limp in its own pile of empty space. She glanced around the room and nearly danced with excitement. She was back at home. She threw herself down on the bed and pulled a pillow under her head. A cool ocean breeze bustled through the open windows and nestled itself around her, digging into the comforter. She welcomed it and turned over on her back, sighing through her nose like she had never felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

She sat up and glanced around the room. Now what? She had gotten here, safe from the faces…

Sally Jackson had been able to see the hideous appearances. She could tell when something was just not right with a person, though she never made it known. Once, she had pointed it out to her mother when she was a young girl, talking loud enough for the stranger to hear. He was a man made of storm clouds and shadows, with sparking yellow eyes. His Roman name—a ventus.

That weekend, her parents took a plane to visit her uncle's lawyer and make a pit-stop at a specialist's office, and never made it back.

Sally picked herself up off the bed and rummaged around in her duffel. Her few items—a set of car keys, two changes of clothes, a swimsuit, and some toiletries—looked measly, but she treated her property with care. She grabbed the only pair of cut-off shorts that stopped at her knees and switched out the jeans she was wearing. She adjusted her long sleeve shirt, wondering if it was too hot to wear that. She shrugged, pulled up her sleeves, and made her way to the beach.

A gentle drizzle dragged itself away from the puffed-up, proud white clouds and claimed the ocean as home. Sally watched the ripples in the water and eased her body down onto the sand. It was warm and soft sand that slipped between her toes and devoured her hands when she leaned back on them. Raindrops clung to her eyelashes and patted down her long brown hair.

On the other side of the lake, lush green trees bundled together to form a large forest. A few people were hanging out around the shoreline, some fishing, some kids playing in the tears of heaven. Sally relaxed back down onto the sand, enjoying the sun and the rain. Sun showers were so peaceful…

She peeked and eye open as the heat and water stopped bathing her face. A figure loomed over her with a small smile on its face.

"Excuse me," he told her. "It seems I've dropped my pen." He pardoned himself and pointed to the ball point pen lying at her side.

She blushed madly and sat up, picking it up for him and holding it out. "Sorry about that," she managed, catching his appearance. He had a strong, but kind, build with a short trimmed black beard, matching his hair. Gorgeous and captivating sea green eyes appeared under godly lashes.

"Well," he sighed, straightening and staring out over the water. There was an odd look of longing as he watched the shoreline disappear under the foamy mouth of the waters.

Come to think of it, she thought. It's like rabies…

"I suppose I should be going. Just passing through," he confided, looking down at her again. He smiled and stuck the pen into his Bermuda shorts pocket. He walked down the beach towards the end of cabins, like he were about to leave the 'back way', and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. He kicked up some sand, like he was frustrated with something.

A sea green light shimmered around him as he walked closer to the water and Sally widened her eyes. Not him too. He couldn't be one of those… things. She watched after him, and as he looked at the water, she caught a godly face. Strong, unruly black hair, same beard, but lustrous intense green eyes. He was clad in Greek battle armor and leather sandals, like he were prepared for war. He turned his gaze at the sky, watching intently. A bald eagle of magnificent size swooped by, screeching as it passed the man.

He nodded and started wading into the water, armor and all, when the radiant eyes caught onto Sally's again. Her almost disappointed face confused him. She analyzed him calmly and gave a quick smile, waving and laying back in the sand. She stared up at the drizzling sky and breathed out, exhausted with all the surprises.

Why her? Why was she able to see the faces, when the others couldn't? It wasn't fair.

He waded a little further, trying to dismiss the internal conflict that shouldn't be real. He had managed for the past sixty years, focusing as he should on what was at stake and his duties. And her countenance—the frustration in her eyes—a mirage? Why would a mortal care so suddenly for a lowly fisherman?

Maybe her heart was extraordinary.

Maybe her eyes were clear…

He shook away the thought as he plunged under the surface, inhaling his home turf in abundance. He walked along the bottom of the lake waters further into the murk that didn't exist to the mortals. He sensed the waters shift from fresh to salt and watched his palace spread out before him. A minor threat was destroyed by Delphin's army. He lifted up from the ocean bottom and grew a scaly tail, his chest plate only remaining on his bare body. He surged forward, summoning his trident as he went.

The marble palace walls glimmered ahead of him.

Sally woke with a start as water lapped around her, slapping her sides gently. She sat up for the umpteenth time, annoyed now, and glanced at the rising waters. They were gentle enough but some divine force was seething down below, she could sense it. Frustration gurgled deep in the waters murk, past the fish and the forms of life.

She moved to crouch in the water and crawled deeper into the water, soaking the ends of her pants. A school of fresh water minnows dodged around under the lake's skin. She heaved out a breath and stood up wiping off her hands. She glanced out towards the forest –side of the lake, noticing the emptiness. Everyone had abandoned the area, leaving all of their items where they had been. Stereos resting awkwardly on the sand, blankets sprawled out, a bucket rolling on its side.

She glanced at the sky nervously and pursed her lips, deciding to head inside the cabin. Dark, looming storm clouds started shoving away the whites with a fiery rage, and glared at her. They taunted her as the sun was swallowed behind a curtain of gray. She turned her back on them and forged up the beach, her cabin holding open welcoming arms. She pulled down her sleeves with a smile on her face. So it was raining. What difference did it make?

She moved onto the porch with a certain bounce to her step. Lightning struck across the sky and the clouds opened instantly to release its downcast. Thunder rolled all around her as she went inside.

He rode on the waves with a certain elegance that could be taken as a lighthearted man with a woman on his mind. The description was an exceptional one. Accurate, also.

He appeared in his throne room, Amphitrite waiting patiently. She floated off of her seat and smiled at him respectfully, bowing. He gave her a weak twitch at the corner of his mouth and swam around her, towards the doorway on the back wall. She turned, bewildered by his antics, and began to follow.

"I am to discuss a chance at war," he told her, not turning or motioning that she really there. "I will be but a few minutes. You and Triton may have lunch without me."

She started to decline, but he disappeared, a heavy stone forming behind him.

He waited in the dark corridor, twiddling his thumbs around each other. A scraping sound, stone-on-stone, echoed through the sinister hall. Poseidon inhaled deeply and almost smiled, the council would hear his request.

A faint speck glowed with a bright white light. It shifted positioning, like a jewel floating on the nothingness of the depth. The glow became heated and it grew, burning a flaming red like a dozen rubies before a candle. The corridor suddenly bursted with a thousand beautiful colors that didn't seem like they'd blend, but they molded and melted, lighting the passageway.

A hunched over figure rested in front of the source of illumination. He looked almost human, except the diaphanous skin as blue as the Mediterranean Sea. His eyes were purely white, no splash of color or dabble of excitement to them. His eyes trailed over Poseidon.

Speak, Earth shaker, Storm bringer, an ancient voice rasped in his mind. He bowed his head deferentially.

"I have come to ask council," Poseidon told the monster, his voice strong and pure.

The eyes wandered around the room with free will until they landed back on the god before them. I know what you seek, but a name is what I ask.

Poseidon frowned. "I don't—"

Find it. Bring it to me. Do not return without knowledge.

The light shut off, darkness clothing the sea god again. He bit his lip and dispersed into sea mist. His essence soared through the water at godly speeds, the tides shifting from salty to fresh in a millisecond. He materialized at the bottom of the lake and traveled across the bottom, breaking the surface onto the shore.

Rain pounded on his armor, but he ignored it as his eyes scanned all the cabins dotting the shore. Every single one appeared to be barren. All but one. A young woman, around twenty, with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail was dancing through her cabin, entertaining herself. Poseidon caught himself smiling and nearly scolded the way he was acting.

He didn't even know her name.

She twirled on her feet, the song her mother had sung—loud and off-key—to her was drumming through her mind. She moved slowly, a graceful smile appearing. And the thoughts of her mother brought tears. Maybe if she had just kept her mouth shut… if her imagination wasn't so wild.

She turned around, adjusting her ponytail and came face to face with the man from the beach. He stood outside her window, smiling nearly fondly and she blushed, embarrassed. He was dressed in the simple shorts and button-up shirt, which reminded her of a tourist off in Florida somewhere. He had a fishing hat on his head, which she later realized he had always had.

He disappeared from the window's view and Sally felt her heart drop a little, completely on its own. Her conscious state, of course, didn't care whether he was there or not, because she had just barely met this man. She realized, with a start, that she didn't even know his name. She felt so terrible about herself, forgetting her manners outside.

A gentle knock came at the door and she whipped her head around, almost dazed and confused. He hadn't just stalked her and left? What a gentlemen.

She hurried to open the door and invite him inside as thunder shook the cabin. He thanked her graciously and took off his hat, wringing it out in his rough hands. He looked around the room and his eyes were instantly pulled to the leak in her ceiling.

Sally followed his gaze. "I should probably get that fixed," she mused, laughing a little. "Ah well, I won't make anyone come out here in that weather." She told him, excusing herself as she wandered into the kitchen to find a cooking pot. She gingerly placed it under the drip and watched the water spot forming.

He watched her patiently, surprised and amused at her comment. No matter the time of day, rain or shine, the mortals had always wanted things right and fast.

"And there went my manners, again," Sally provided, coming over to him. "Do you want anything? Tea? Water? Here, why don't you take a seat? I'll be back in a moment." She scurried back into the kitchen, scavenging through the fridge for something good. Year-old expired milk. Two percent.

She pursed her lips and shut the fridge, quickly looking through every cabinet for a glass to put some water in, which she'd have to get from the tap. Poseidon took pity on her and materialized a few cups in the last cabinet. Sally pulled it open and her shoulders relaxed as she pulled out a glass. She walked over to the other side of the refrigerator and was pleasantly surprised at a gallon of bottled water on the counter top. She poured a tall glass and hurried to give it to Poseidon.

He took it and smiled at her, "I apologize. I… don't know your name."

She was earnestly startled that someone had even bothered to ask her name. It didn't happen often that someone cared enough. "Sally."

He nodded. "And I suppose a last name comes with that?"

She laughed, embarrassed, and her cheeks colored. "Of course. Jackson. Sally Jackson. And you are?"

He hesitated. His name was quite odd in the mortal world and rarely used. But the odds of her taking it as something special were slim. "Poseidon."

Sally smiled, and mimicked him, "And I suppose a last name comes with that?"

"No, just Poseidon," he told her, knowing she would be left speechless. Which she was. And in any case, Poseidon seemed to just enjoy her company. The talking was an addition to this jewel. She brushed away a stray strand of hair from her face and kept a smile on her face. "Sally. That really is a beautiful name. Fitting."

"Thank you," she managed, completely blushing. She gazed at the flooring apprehensively and tried to disguise her embarrassment.

"Tell me, Sally," he reiterated, loving the taste of her name on his tongue. "What brings you to Montauk?"

Sally looked up, bewildered. Where to begin?

A/N: It's rushed at the end the most, so I apologize. And the quality wasn't too great, but I'm striving for improvement.