Forsaken Deity

Chapter 13

Thea followed Poseidon to the small alcove Jaxon had taken her to the night before. The lights were brighter than the night before, as if the brightness signified daylight, but Thea could still see the darkness of the ocean. It could have been any time of day, which unnerved her. Poseidon grabbed a glass from the small cabinet to their left and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Fill it with water."

She looked around for a jug of water and Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Stupid girl! Not with any water here. Create the water and fill the cup - it's simple.

"Oh, okay. Um, any hints on how to do that?"

"What am I? Your teacher?"

"Uh, yes?" Thea said, feeling like she'd stepped into a mental asylum.

Poseidon blinked. "Oh, right. Well then, my advice would be to go out and stand in the water. You need to know what it feels like so you can create it."

"But I know what it feels like -"

"Then shut up and do the task I set you!" Poseidon snapped. "Damn annoying woman, all she does is complain..."

Poseidon wandered off and Thea was left alone. Maybe Hermes had been right - that being underwater for too long made you crazy. Tensing, she pushed Hermes from her mind. The guy was an insensitive jerk and she didn't want to think about him.

"Right," she murmured. "Feel the water and fill the glass - it's simple."

Reaching out the window, she put her hand in the water and tried to do what Poseidon had asked. The water flowed across her skin and she closed her eyes, letting the sensation wash through her. The sensation of touching water calmed her nerves and a sense of peace stole through her as she focused on  memorising the feeling. It was cool and soft on her skin and, moving her hand out of the water, she opened her eyes.

A small pool of water encompassed her hand,  moving languidly across her skin. Laughing in wonder, she tried to move it off her skin and small orbs floated into the air above her face. Using her hands, she moved them in different directions and the orbs hovered everywhere in the room.

Focusing on one, she tried to make it larger and slowly it grew in size. Touching it gently, she was surprised that it felt warm. She thought of making it colder and scrunched up her nose as she concentrated. She watched as the water began to harden and the frozen orb dropped to the floor, ice scattering everywhere.

"Unreal," she whispered, eyes moving around the room.

"It certainly looks amazing."

Stifling a scream, she turned around and the orbs burst, water spraying everywhere.

Giselle was sprayed with water and even though she didn't like the nymph, Thea felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry, you just startled me -"

"It's fine," she smiled. "I'm used to being covered in water."

Thea gave her a small smile. "Right, of course. How long have you been standing there?"

Giselle stepped forward. "Not long. I didn't mean to pry; I was walking past and couldn't help but be mesmerised. I've seen Poseidon manipulate water but you give it a certain beauty."

She looked around, feeling awkward at the compliment. "Um, thanks, Giselle. Were you looking for Hermes? He's not here -"

"No, actually I came here looking for you. We didn't get to talk yesterday and I know what Jaxon can be like. Being surrounded by masochistic men, I thought you might prefer the company of someone who only wants to talk with no other intention than being friendly.