Poseidon's Secret Son

Chapter 4-- The Water Knows

The waves crashed against the cave walls in a fury of confusion, splashing one way then rolling another only to splash in the opposite way it previously had, spraying water towards Daphney and I as we stood a few metres from the entrance surrounded by the glowing of a green light.

''He knows something is up.''

''What does he know?'' I stressed at the news of my father being suspicious.

''He doesn't know anything but he has been looking around. I think he feels in the water that something is wrong.''

''What do you want me to do?''

''Nothing. Just stay here and make sure to lay low. I want to keep shadowing him and making sure he doesn't have any idea that you're gone but I might need to stop coming here.'' She frowned placing a hand on my shoulder.

''Do you think he'll figure it out?'' I sighed and sat on a large rock against the moist walls, taking little notice of the waves clambering in defeat, retreating out of the cave and back in to a sullen roll at a bored pace.

''Yes, I do. Sadly, your father isn't as stupid as everyone believes him to be about certain things. He'll find out eventually. I just hope by then he won't care if you're here or there.'' She sat behind me and picked up her octopus off the floor which had crawled from the water and now made its home on her lap.

''What are we going to do until that day?'' I looked to her face and saw an apologetic smile form on her lips.

''I won't be able to sustain you in this world. You'll have to stay here.'' Her eyes looked over the cave and I could tell she felt horrible about it.

''Daphney it's fine. I actually prefer being close to the water. It helps calm me and keeps me close to my mother.'' Smiling reassuringly at her, her face seemed to lessen of worry at the truth behind my words.

To be close to the water was provably a stupid idea considering my father was God of the sea, but I couldn't help being close to it. It was as if you had a lotus, it could sustain without water for a while, but it would eventually become sad, lose its colour and die. Not that I would die without being close to water but the loss of it for extended periods of time would take a toll on me.

I went on to tell Daphney about my day at Lannie's. I told her about Alex, about Chandler, the lotus, the house, the shop, the old man, the man's wife and about all the different types of flowers and finally the story of the butterfly. Daphney nodded along with me, smiling and congratulating me on a job well done, the pride from Alex's face mirroring hers making me feel like I was finally doing something good.

To live in a cell under water for your whole life would have left anyone feeling down on themselves, like the weight of the water surrounding you would suffocate you and everyone else but it was no one else's fault, it was your fault alone and you would eventually have to deal with the utter disappointment and disgust in everyone's eyes. But Alex and Daphney had stared at me with nothing but amazement and pride. It felt like all the weight of the water and now air had left me weightless again, like not everything was my fault.

''It's getting late I better go.'' Daphney brought me from my thoughts by placing a kiss on my forehead, gathering her octopus in her hands and starting towards the water turning only to smile and give a soft wave before the water crashed against the cave creating a curtain of spray that settled with Daphney disappearing.

--

The sound of sea gulls chaotically swarming the water and beach life in search of food echoed throughout the cave. A particular shrill scream from one which had wandered into the confines of the cave had awoken me with a start, my dream state shattered into a thousand forgotten pieces as I noticed the sun creeping through the sundried rock entrance.