TAMING APOLLO | completed

44. the real issue

44. the real issue

G A Y L E

IN all my twenty-some years of living, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd someday find myself by a campfire awkwardly sat on a log between the queen of the gods and god of the sea himself.

My eyes wander away from the withering flames afore us, the only source of light and the only thing keeping us warm on this desolate night and towards Poseidon himself besides me, as he continues munching on the fish he had caught for us and cooked on the flames.

I can't help but scrunch my face up in disgust as I watch him devour that fish, bones and all. A sight powerful enough to turn even the greatest of meat lovers into strict vegetarians.

Not to mention, Ariel besides me is glaring daggers at the sea god so sharp, they'd cut through concrete.

I sigh, glaring down at my own fish with the loss of my appetite. "You going to eat that?" A gravelly voice cuts through my train of thought. My head turns to Poseidon, whose wide, hypnotic blue eyes glare back at me while in one swift motion, he's swiped the fish off of my lap and into his mouth.

"Unbelievable." Ariel mutters under her breath while she pretends to be more focused on her meal than she is Poseidon.

Poseidon's eyes widen in disbelief, as he turns his head towards Ariel, who flips her hair haughtily and looks away from him. "If you've got something to say to me, Ariel, you should —"

Ariel interrupts him by clearing her throat and turning her hazel-eyed gaze back to me. She smiles bitterly, and blinks a few times before saying; "Gayle, would you be so kind as to tell Poseidon besides you that I've got nothing to say to a traitor and a coward such as himself?" She then turns away from the both of us, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, this is awkward..." I mumble under my breath, turning to Poseidon to relay the queen's message. Only Poseidon has obviously heard her, and is not very pleased with her cruel words.

"Gayle." His voice echoes through the night, clear as crystal, louder than a thunderstorm.

I gulp, awkwardly scratching the top of my head. "Would you please notify Ariel that I have no idea to what she could be referring—"

"Oh, is that so?" Ariel interrupts, pushing herself up off of the log and clearing the dirt off with her palms. "You know, you're unbelievable. We're out there scrambling, fighting an unwinnable war against the titans and you — you're here... relaxing, scarfing down buckets of fish while your brethren are putting themselves on the line, fighting to save your ass—"

"My ass?"

"ALL OUR ASSES."

I shrink deeper into the center of the log, just as Poseidon gets up himself, the log tips over, and I shriek just as I realize I'm about to fall over. I had no idea how much weight Poseidon was putting on it.

Luckily, Poseidon grabs the log in his palm before it can topple over, stabilizing me. 

However, his gaze remains firmly on Ariel, jaw clenched in anger at her words.

The atmosphere becomes thick with tension as my eyes dart between the both of them in anticipation.

"Do you think..." Poseidon pauses, taking the time to calm himself down. "Do you honestly think I'd be hiding out in this dust bowel if I had the choice? I mean look around Ariel," he waves his arms around, gesturing at the open space around us. "This? This is hardly my style. But I'm here. I'm here because this is the only place in the damn world where the titans can't find me, cause if the titans find me then you can pout those juicy lips and kiss the world goodbye."