After the emotional reunion with his mother, Poseidon rested for a full night, the weight of farewell already settling in his heart.
The next morning, he woke with purpose, ready to bid his final goodbye. In the sunlit hall of the villa on Mount Lyctos, Rhea sat with Hestia, their postures speaking of shared sorrow. Poseidon approached and knelt before his mother, the marble cool beneath his knees.
Rhea's hands usually so steady and trembled as they closed over his. "Poseidon... my son," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion she could no longer contain. A single tear escaped, tracing a path down her cheek before falling onto his wrist like liquid sorrow.
He looked up, his own sapphire eyes glistening. Words caught in his throat, trapped between duty and the ache of leaving. To hide his crumbling composure, he bowed his head, pressing his forehead to their joined hands.
"Go to your destination," Rhea murmured, her fingers tightening around his. "Become what your destiny demands. My blessings are always with you."
Poseidon nodded, unable to speak. For the last time, he rose and embraced her, his voice barely a whisper. "Mother, I promise when I return, I will be greater and stronger than you can imagine."
Rhea lightly tapped his back, the gesture holding generations of maternal wisdom. "I know."
He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, straightening his shoulders. "Take care of yourself, Mother." As he turned toward the exit, Hestia's voice stopped him.
"Poseidon! Wait!"
He paused at the villa's door, turning back to see his sister hurrying toward him. "What is it, sister?"
Hestia reached him and pressed something cool into his palm. Her usual gentle, warm smile graced her face, though her eyes shone with unshed tears. "Take this for good luck."
Poseidon opened his hand to find two golden earrings, beautifully crafted. His eyes softened, and a small, genuine smile touched his lips for the first time that morning. He put them on immediately, the gold gleaming against his skin. Then he bowed lightly to her. "Thank you, sister. I... I don't know how I'll ever repay everything you've done."
Hestia lightly tapped his shoulder, her touch both comforting and dismissive of his concerns. "You don't have to repay anything. What I've done is simply my duty as your big sister. In family, there's no such thing as debts or borrowing."
Poseidon nodded, the gesture full of unspoken understanding, and continued toward the seashore. "Take care of yourself, Sister."
As he reached the shore, his eyes fell upon his younger brother Zeus, who was already flirting with Metis and Leto in the morning light. Poseidon infused a bit of divine energy into his eyes, probing subtly. The immense aura he detected made him whisper, "…Chief god."
He stopped his observation and moved in the opposite direction, toward the waiting sea. The retreating tide seemed to pull at him, as if the ocean itself were calling him home.
Splash!
Poseidon accepted the call and dove deep into the embrace of the waves. He swam with powerful strokes, cutting through the water like a torpedo. He glided through schools of silver fish that parted around him like living curtains, slipped through narrow spaces between vibrant corals and reefs, and passed through clouds of drifting plankton.
Finally, he settled on the seafloor. Here, only faint traces of light penetrated, painting everything in shades of blue and gray. The world felt hushed, sacred.
Poseidon closed his eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and a soft, small smile graced his face as he truly felt the ocean's embrace for the first time. When he opened his eyes, his sapphire irises gleamed with childlike curiosity. "Show yourself," he whispered to the deep.
The ocean answered.
Corals began to glow with otherworldly colors of electric blues, fiery oranges, and deep purples. Plankton danced in swirling patterns, their movements a silent, graceful ballet. Jellyfish pulsed around him like living lanterns, while small, jewel-toned fish emerged from hiding places to swim curious circles around the new god in their midst.
Poseidon lay back on the sandy floor, gazing up toward the distant, shimmering surface. "This," he breathed, "is freedom."
---
For several weeks, Poseidon explored every corner of the oceans. He danced with merman tribes through kelp forests, learned their ancient songs, and forged alliances that would last millennia. He raced dolphins across sun-dappled currents and slept in coral cathedrals glowing with bioluminescent life.
"Wwwwooooooooo!!"
The joyful cry burst from him as he swam rapidly through an underwater canyon, darting through narrow gaps in the reef and squeezing through underwater caves. A pod of dolphins and various fish species swam behind him, desperately trying to keep pace. As a swordfish came dangerously close to overtaking him, Poseidon's lips quirked upward.
A sapphire aura enveloped him. Suddenly, he attained impossible speed, leaving all his companions behind in a blur. A massive underwater cliff wall loomed ahead, blocking his path. Below, he spotted a narrow crevice and dove straight into it without hesitation.
After a few seconds of navigating the tight passage, it opened into a vast, empty sea. But here, there was no evidence of the surface above only deep, endless darkness in every direction.
Poseidon's smile froze. His face became tense as he scanned the oppressive emptiness. "I was in the Pacific Ocean," he murmured to himself. "Then this must be..." His gaze dropped into the consuming blackness below. "The Mariana Trench. The abyss of the ocean."
Suddenly, his ears twitched, detecting a strange vibration in the water. Instinctively, he summoned a trident forged from crystalline ice. A massive shadow moved behind him. Poseidon whirled around, but saw nothing.
He swallowed hard, his grip tightening on the trident until his knuckles turned pale white. A still, suffocating weight pressed on everything—the water, the silence, his very soul. He floated above the seabed, weapon lowered, every muscle taut. His eyes scanned the dark water ahead, searching for the unseen threat.
The ocean floor stretched into endless gray, dusted with ash-colored sand. The dim glow from the world above had long faded; now only faint flickers from dying plankton pulsed like final heartbeats. The pressure was enormous, crushing against his divine bones, humming a deadly song in his ears.
A low vibration rippled through the water. The sand quivered. Poseidon's grip on the trident became vise-like. His sapphire eyes narrowed to slits. Something vast was moving.
The darkness split open.
A titanic figure surged from the trench, a blur of shadows and ancient scales. Two golden eyes burned within the abyss. Leviathan.
The water exploded outward as the beast emerged. Its body was immense, a serpentine titan covered in jagged scales that shimmered like molten stone. Fins spiked along its back, glowing with faint, malevolent light as it moved. Its mouth opened, revealing endless rows of serrated teeth. The sound of its growl was silent yet deafening. A vibration felt through the bones rather than heard.
Poseidon darted sideways as Leviathan lunged. The motion displaced a wall of current that hurled him backward. Rocks shattered around them. Coral fragments spiraled through the water like shards of glass.
He spun once, anchored himself with a powerful kick, and charged forward. His trident gleamed, a line of blue light streaking through the dark. He thrust upward, catching Leviathan under the jaw. The weapon cut shallowly, drawing a thin cloud of black blood.
Leviathan recoiled, its tail slamming downward. The impact split the seabed, sending columns of sand into the water. Poseidon was buried in the cloud, his vision obliterated. He felt the next attack rather than saw it—the vibration of water, the faint flicker of pressure. He twisted right as Leviathan's body tore through the dust, jaws snapping inches from his arm.
He drove his trident sideways, the ice crystals grinding against scale, cutting through a fin. Leviathan roared, thrashing violently. The water around them became pure chaos.
Poseidon was thrown again. His back hit a ridge of volcanic stone. Pain shot through his ribs. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, a thin crimson line that vanished into the water. He steadied himself, eyes wide and focused.
The beast turned in a slow coil, blood leaking from its wounds. Bubbles streamed from its nostrils. It was not just powerful, it was ancient, the kind of creature born before the gods had names.
Poseidon raised his hand. The current responded, forming spirals around him. Tiny shards of blue light gathered his divine aura, unstable but alive. The ocean trembled at his command. He pushed forward.
Leviathan charged to meet him.
The impact was colossal. The trident and the creature's horn collided, sending shockwaves that cracked coral and uprooted seaweed for miles. Poseidon spun backward, using the force to circle the beast. He struck again—three quick slashes. One hit the creature's tail, another along its flank, the third grazing its head. Each left only thin streaks of blood. The wounds closed almost instantly.
Leviathan's eyes glowed brighter. It lashed out with its tail. Poseidon barely dodged, but the rush of water knocked the weapon from his grip. The trident spun away, tumbling through the black sea.
He cursed silently and reached for it, but he was too late. Leviathan descended on him, jaws wide. Poseidon kicked downward, using the pressure of the current to dart below the beast's chest. He summoned the ocean's force. Water condensed around his hand, and his trident reformed, forged from solid crystal and pure divine energy.
He struck upward, slicing through the creature's belly. The blade cut deep enough to make Leviathan roar and thrash, a column of bubbles bursting from its throat. The water turned red with ancient blood.
Poseidon's body shook from exhaustion. His divinity flickered, the blue aura dimming. His limbs felt heavy as stone. He tried to move, but Leviathan was already coiling for another attack.
The tail came from the side—a blur of darkness.
Crack.
The impact hit his side like a mountain collapsing. Bones shattered audibly. Pain ripped through his chest, blinding and sharp. He was thrown through the water, spinning end over end, crashing against stone until everything blurred into agony.
He couldn't breathe. The water pressed into his lungs. His fingers slackened around the trident.
Above him, Leviathan swam in slow circles. Blood streamed from its side. It is not just fatal, but deep also. Its movements were slower now, uneven. The beast glared at the drifting god, its chest rising and falling heavily.
Poseidon tried to move, but his body refused to obey. His vision dimmed. He felt the slow pulsing of his heart, the sting of salt in his open wounds. The world tilted, darkness folding in.
He drifted downward, sinking toward the trench's waiting mouth.
The Leviathan followed, descending in slow, deliberate motions. Its shadow swallowed him whole. Poseidon's thoughts blurred—no strategy, no plan remained. Only instinct.
He forced his fingers to close around the trident. Weak sparks of blue leaked from his skin. The ocean around him pulsed once, faintly.
Leviathan twisted its body, preparing the final strike. Its tail arched, ready to crush.
Poseidon lifted the trident. One last strike. All the strength that remained in him surged into the weapon. The water tightened around them an explosion of pressure and he moved.
A streak of sapphire light cut through the sea.
The trident slashed across Leviathan's flank, tearing a long, shallow wound. Blood poured out in clouds, darkening the water. Leviathan's entire body convulsed, tail whipping reflexively.
The blow connected.
The world went white with pain. Poseidon's body folded under the impact, thrown like a broken spear through the current. More ribs shattered; blood gushed from his nose and mouth. The trident flew from his hand again, vanishing into the darkness.
He hit the seabed hard, motionless at last. The water around him shimmered with floating dust and his own blood.
Above, Leviathan hovered, breathing heavily. Its wound leaked endlessly, its movements sluggish. For a moment, the two figures floated in eerie stillness god and monster, both battered, both clinging to life.
Poseidon's eyes fluttered open weakly. He tried to move but couldn't. The pain was too immense. His mind drifted between waking and endless sleep.
Leviathan coiled up, its golden eyes locking on the unconscious god. It gathered itself for one final charge.
Poseidon began sinking faster, drawn into the dark mouth of the trench.
Then something else stirred.
A vibration deeper than Leviathan's, heavier, older. The seabed cracked open. A tremor rolled through the ocean, and the water temperature dropped suddenly.
Poseidon's half-closed eyes flickered upward. A shadow moved beneath him—so large it blotted out what little light existed.
The shape rose slowly, vast and terrible. A silhouette of primal hunger.
Then, the faint glow caught its teeth.
Rows upon rows of massive, jagged fangs—pale white and ancient beyond comprehension. The jaw opened, wide enough to swallow a whale whole.
The current shifted, pulling Poseidon downward toward it.
For a single instant before darkness claimed him completely, his mind registered what approached.
A name formed silently on his bloodied lips.
"...Megalodon."
Poseidon lost the last strain of consciousness. As he did, his shadow detached from the seabed, twisting and expanding. Not a mere shadow anymore, but a vast, black phoenix whose feathers drank the light.
"KWAAAA!!"
Its cry defied water and pressure, echoing through the trench walls. Darkness erupted from its wings—a massive cloud of black energy that enveloped Poseidon, the Megalodon, and Leviathan.
The phoenix snatched the unconscious god in its claws and surged toward the surface with impossible speed.
Chomp!!
The Megalodon's jaws closed on empty water where Poseidon had been moments before. Leviathan, recognizing an older, greater power, retreated back into the trench depths wounded, but wise enough to know when it was outmatched.