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The Immortal Heart	By : amandalee Category: 1 through F > Clash of the Titans (2010) > Clash of the Titans (2010) Views: 7819 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own Clash of the Titans or the characters portrayed in this story, and we make no money from writing this.

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Chapter 42

Zeus and Poseidon had not spoken about that which occurred between them the previous night, and judging from the way his younger brother acted, Poseidon did not assume they were going to. Despite knowing that Zeus had no moral reservations about bedding others besides his would-be consort, the older god could not help but feel a little guilty.

Surely Hades knows that Zeus cannot go without a release until we return to our family, he thought. Should he try, he would probably go mad.

The two gods ate their meal mostly in silence around the fire, only exchanging occasional words and phrases related to trivial matters such as the weather. Once he was finished eating, Zeus announced that he was heading down to the river to bathe.

“I’ll accompany you,” Poseidon said, moving to rise as well.

Zeus raised an eyebrow. “There is truly no need. I’ll only be gone for a little while. You may turn in if you wish, brother.”

The elder Olympian shook his head. “A bath would feel wonderfully refreshing,” he insisted. “Unless you crave solitude…?”

Zeus shrugged. “Not at all. Come along then.”

Not one to part from his weapon, Poseidon decided to bring his trident in case of an attack, while Zeus left his sword in their tent. Side by side, the two gods completed the short walk over to the riverbank, where the placid water lay mostly still and glimmering in the last remnants of light from a setting sun.

Zeus stripped out of his tunic and immediately submerged himself, leaving Poseidon to either join him or not.

“Shall I wash your hair for you?” the older god asked out of courtesy, watching as his brother waded deeper into the river.

Zeus regarded him in puzzlement. “You’ve only asked that once,” he replied. “Ages ago. The answer is still the same as it was before: I wash my own body and I wash my own hair.”

Poseidon nodded, feeling silly in his attempts at good will.

“Really, brother…” Zeus remarked, soaking his brown locks and draining the excess water. “You should know better.”

Poseidon frowned and submerged himself, surfacing several feet further away from his youngest sibling. Absently he stirred the lower end of his trident into the water and made a tiny waterspout which lasted only a few seconds. “Is this going to remain a problem?” he finally asked.

Zeus tilted his head, confused, and turned to regard his brother. “What are you talking about?”

Poseidon gave his sibling’s reply serious thought. Zeus of course treated intimacy and passion like breathing and often hardly gave it any further consideration.

“Perhaps I am overstating something which should have never been a problem,” the older god said, scrubbing his arms. “But I was a trifle concerned about the events of last night.”

“What about last night?” The puzzlement in Zeus’ voice was genuine. He stepped closer so that he did not have to constantly raise his voice. “I did not hurt you, did I?”

“No, of course not,” Poseidon replied. It was a bit of a lie. He tried to sit down hours earlier and was thankful Zeus was not present to see the wince. Otherwise he had come out unscathed.

“Then what is bothering you?”

Poseidon felt idiotic to admit what had affected him. He felt weak to confess. He dunked his head into the water to wet his hair a second time, squeezing the tangled mess when it emerged.

“I should not be bothered, but I admit that last night was a surreal experience. I have only made love to others and never before has someone made love to me.”

Zeus continued staring at his brother with a puzzled frown. “If you were not hurt by my actions, then I don’t see what is bothering you. It was a new and rewarding experience for us both. Treat it as such,” he said, hardly in the mood to decipher his older brother’s diffuse emotions. They had a battle to focus on, after all, and Poseidon’s current behavior was a distraction.

Done with his bath, the Olympian leader turned to walk out of the river, but the hand which reached out to grasp his arm took him by such surprise that he stopped in his track. “Poseidon?”

“I really think we should talk about this,” the older god pleaded, releasing his hold on Zeus’ arm once he realized how firm his grip was. “For so long you have been my brother, my leader and my trusted companion. Last night, we also became lovers. It was unexpected, and I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did. And now I feel…”

“Lovers?” Zeus’ frown deepened. “Brother,” he patiently explained, holding Poseidon at arm’s length. “I make love with Hades. You and I had sex, nothing more than that. I was in need of a release, and you provided me with one. For that I am grateful, but do not make this into something that it’s not. We have a battle to win, so do not riddle your mind with thoughts that will make you lose your focus.”

After Zeus had finished his admonishing speech, Poseidon felt deflated. He knew, of course, that Zeus’ heart belonged with Hades, and he had not seriously expected his relationship with Zeus to change into anything more intimate. Nonetheless, hearing from his brother’s own lips that what took place between them was solely physical and nothing more made him feel empty on the inside.

“Are you coming?” Zeus asked, standing on the riverbank and gazing back at the other over his shoulder.

“Answer me this,” Poseidon said, still standing in the river while his brother lingered on the bank. “It was sex and nothing more… it was likely something we will never do again…”

Zeus lifted an eyebrow, feeling slightly impatient now. “Yes…?”

“Does this mean your opinion has not changed of me?” Poseidon asked, the uncertainty clear in his hazel eyes. “Do you still respect me as you once had?”

“As long as you will do the same, then yes.”

Poseidon exhaled, pushing his hair aside. “Alright.”

“Were you expecting something other?” Zeus asked, unsure of his brother’s behavior.

“No, no, not at all,” the older god replied. “I would hope that we can resume our respect of one another as it was before last night. Only…”

“Only what?”

“I…” Poseidon looked down at the water and chuckled briefly, not believing his own memory. “I enjoyed what we did. Or rather what you did to me.”

Zeus looked down from the bank, brow wrinkled in deep thought and faint surprise. He finally gave the smallest of smiles. His chest raised in pride. “I suppose I should take that as a compliment.”

Poseidon shrugged jokingly.

“Considering that our coupling will likely not happen again,” the younger god said as the other joined him in walking back to camp, “will making love to others suffice anymore?”

“Oh I’m sure of it,” Poseidon replied. “But if I wish for another chance at what you did, I will have to find someone willing to duplicate it.”

Zeus grinned. “Perhaps you should turn to our dear half-brother,” he suggested teasingly. “As far as I can remember, the two of you greatly enjoyed each other’s company, and I’m certain that his phallus would be more than big enough to satisfy you!”

Poseidon actually paled at the thought of submitting to the centaur and have the equine phallus thrust into his body as though he were a mare. Doubtful that he’d even survive such an encounter, the god shook his head.

“If that is the only option, I think I’ll pass,” he said, relieved but also a trifle hurt to hear Zeus chuckle at his answer.

The two gods, now slightly more at ease with one another, returned to their campsite and entered the tent where they would spend another night waiting for their allies. The brisk night air had done a fair job in drying their bodies during the walk back from the river, but their skin was still damp and it was rewarding to get in beneath the bed furs and curl up for another few hours of undisturbed sleep. Zeus’ physical needs were not urgent enough to keep him awake as they had the previous night, and he discovered he could focus his thoughts on his mate without being overwhelmed by the desire to touch him.

While Zeus missed his eldest brother, he was simultaneously glad that Hades was left safe and secure on Crete with their sisters. Battle was not something the delicate god ought to take part in, and though his heart ached for Hades, Zeus did not regret his decision to leave his brother and would-be consort behind. He was certain that Demeter would watch over Hades like a hawk and hardly let him out of her sight.

*

Demeter woke up next to her sister, still feeling guilty over her behavior the previous evening. She had taken out her frustration and impatience over Hades, even though Hera was to blame, and now she feared he was upset with her.

Rising from bed without causing so much as a stir from Hestia, she wrapped a robe around her naked form and walked to her brother’s room. She gently knocked, hoping to wake Hades without startling him.

No answer.

“Brother, it is only me,” the goddess called out softly, thinking Hades might have feared Hera had arrived to make light of his feelings. Still, she received no answer.

“Hades?” she asked a little louder, perplexed. Instead of knocking a second time, she took the liberty of opening the door. Truth be told, the first thought in her mind was that Hades was hurt or sick, or even worse, had done something to himself in response to his depressed state.

The good part of her discovery was that she found no injured or deceased body.

The bad part was that there was no body at all.

“Sisters!” she cried out. Her heart suddenly seemed to jump in her chest, pounding against her ribs furiously. She ran out of the room and continued to call in the hallway, her panicked voice carrying through the house.

“Hestia! Oh no, oh no… please come quickly!”

Within the few seconds which had passed between her cry for help and the arrival of her sisters, Demeter had sunk to the floor in shock. She felt hands on her face before she realized she was looking at Hestia’s face.

“Demeter, what is wrong?”

“Hades is gone,” she replied. “He’s left us. His robes are gone and so is his pack. He left us in the night.”

Hestia was at a loss for words. When she finally tried to speak, the words got stuck in her throat, and she had to swallow before she could make another attempt. “Are you sure?” she managed to say.

“His bed is cold,” Demeter whispered. “And his belongings are gone as well. He left hours ago. Oh sister, what do you think has become of him? Where could he have gone? He’s not equipped to survive out there on his own!”

Hestia wanted to contradict her younger sister’s statement, but deep down inside she knew that Demeter was right. Hades was as frail and helpless as a goddess, and she did not want to think about what could have happened to him already.

“He has his helmet, at least,” she said in a desperate attempt to reassure her sister. When Hestia spoke, she could hear the trembling in her own voice. “Hades is not foolish, he will stay invisible whenever he can.”

Demeter’s lips were moving without making any sound, and she kept shaking her head as if in denial of what had happened.

The two younger goddesses were still kneeling on the floor when Hera appeared, giving a confused frown at her sisters. “What on earth is going on?” she asked. “You sound almost hysterical.”

“Hades is gone!” Hestia cried out. “He’s left us without a word!”

“Don’t be silly, how can he just be gone?” the eldest goddess asked.

“His robes and satchel are gone and his bed has not been slept in for hours,” Demeter said, starting to grow weary already of explaining the situation. “Did you not hear ANYTHING of what we said?”

Hera’s eyebrows shot straight up, staring at her sisters. She glanced into the room once shared by Hades and Demeter, then back to Hestia and Demeter.

“So he’s truly gone.”

“Yes,” Demeter replied. Her voice was strangely low, as though she tried to hold back tears.
Hera could hardly believe her luck. Here she had been trying to get rid of her eldest brother ever since he had been chosen as Zeus’ favorite, and now he had finally run off like a helpless, frightened little animal. She nearly wanted to cheer at the circumstances.

“Well, if he had run off, then who knows where he is…” she finally said. “He’s such a weak little thing, he might have only been out in the wilderness for a few moments before something ate him.”

“Don’t you think I was already worried about that??” Demeter suddenly snapped, practically glaring daggers at Hera. Completely taken aback at her sister’s boldness, much less her anger, the eldest goddess stayed perfectly silent, if only for a few minutes.

“We should search for him,” Hestia suggested.

“And where do you propose we start?” Demeter asked, overcome with worry. “He left hours ago, and who knows how far he could have gotten by now. We know absolutely nothing of where he went.”

“The wisest thing to do is stay here and wait for him to come back,” Hera said, trying in vain to make her voice sound sympathetic.

Which means not doing a damn thing, Demeter thought angrily, but she did not speak her thoughts out loud. Only an imbecile would fail to realize that Hades’ disappearance had pleased Hera greatly and that she did not entertain the slightest hope of their brother returning to them.

“I’ll go look for him,” the youngest goddess muttered, gathering herself up from the floor and glaring at Hera as she passed the other. Hera pretended not to notice and retreated into the bedchamber she had claimed as her own after the departure of their two brothers.

“I’ll go with you,” Hestia called out after her sister and hurried to catch up with her. She was beyond concerned over Hades, but above all she did not want Demeter to head out into the woods by herself. The possibility having lost all three of her brothers made Hestia want to hold on extra hard to the one remaining sibling whom she truly loved.

“You were the last one to speak to Hades last night,” Hestia carefully pointed out as the two goddesses searched the nearby forest for traces of their brother.

Demeter merely nodded.

“I could tell he was upset, but did he say anything… anything at all that might give us a clue where he went?”

“No,” Demeter said, her tone surprisingly cold as she continued onward without a sign of slowing down. “Just that he could no longer stay in that house anymore with our sister… damn you, Hades, why do you have to be so hysterical?” Her anger spoke now, but not truly to their brother. She understood why he ran away – why else would he be gone – but how could he have not realized the worry his disappearance would cause in those who still cared about him?

Not a half hour had passed and the two goddesses had searched all of the places they knew the family had roamed before. Still they found nothing, so they widened their search ever further.

“What if Hera’s done something to him?” Hestia suddenly asked. Demeter squeezed her eyes shut at the thought and mentally told herself that their eldest sibling better not have.

“She wouldn’t, if only for one very important reason,” Demeter answered. “Hades is to become Zeus’ consort and if she were to harm so much as a hair on our poor brother’s head, she will regret it for the rest of her life, however short that may be. She may despise Hades, but she is not foolish.”

Hestia’s voice was small as she spoke. “I hope not.”

Two hours passed and still Hades was nowhere in sight, nor was any clue of his presence. Both goddesses, having begun their search upon waking, had not eaten breakfast, and their hunger left them exhausted far sooner than they expected. Stomachs aching nearly worse than their running limbs, and their throats raw from shouting their brother’s name, they finally slowed to a stop in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. During their short moment of rest, Hestia began to cry.

“Sister,” Demeter said, kneeling beside her and instinctively wrapping her arms around her. “Do not cry. Hades’ helmet is gone too, so he will use it if he is ever in trouble.”

“But where is he?” the other sobbed. “Where did he go?”

“I think he must have gone in search of our brothers. Do not worry, Poseidon and Zeus will take care of him.”

“If he actually finds them,” Hestia added miserably.

“We don’t even know if our two brothers will return from the battle,” she continued, feeling more hopeless by the second. “For all we know, the battle might already have taken place. What if our father has k---”

Demeter stopped her sister’s fervent rambling by cupping her face and looking deep into her wide-open, distraught eyes. “Zeus and Poseidon are alive,” she said in a slow, calm voice. “They will defeat Cronos, and they will return to us. We have to be strong, sister. Until our family is whole again, we only have each other.”

Hestia quietly shook her head, in disbelief of what she was hearing. “I don’t understand how you can be so serene about this,” she said. “You love Hades closer than I ever have, and yet I have not seen you shed a single tear since he disappeared. Does your heart not ache? Is your soul not heavy with sorrow and regret?”

Demeter lowered her eyes, momentarily too overcome with grief to respond. She wanted to explain to her sister that not only did her heart ache because of Hades’ disappearance, but because of guilt. Though her intellect told her that it was not true, Demeter felt responsible for Hades’ grim state of mind the previous night.

I should have stayed with him, she thought. I should have sat down and listened to him instead of telling him to save it for the morning. I should have realized how miserable he was, but I didn’t, and now he’s gone.

“It is,” she finally replied, fingers brushing through hair that was now tangled and dirty from searching through thickets. “More so than you would think.”

“Then why do you not cry, dear sister?” Hestia said, her voice imploring.

Because I would not be able to breathe, Demeter wanted to say. I would not be able to keep searching. The recognition of that reason became too strong, and the goddess could not fight it away. She burst into tears and covered her face with her hands, ashamed. Hestia embraced her and they wept together.

TBC...
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The Immortal Heart