Clouds loom overhead, the sky a downcast grey. A fisherman stands along a rocky shore, his fishing rod extended farther than the eye can see. The man is dressed in a faded Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, and worn sandals. His curly black hair and beard are streaked with grey and his face is covered in wrinkles. His eyes are a dull sea green, strikingly identical to the water stretched out before him. His rod suddenly bends down toward the lapping waves, distorted by the strong force pulling on it. The man tightens his grip and begins to reel in his catch. Far off in the distance, a shadow leaps out of the water. The man continues to reel in the line. Once again the shadow leaps from the waves, but this time it is close enough to determine what kind of creature it is, and just how large it is. The fish is not a fish, exactly. Stretching longer than twenty horses and taller than ten drakons, the creature is mammoth
But the man just shakes his head and cuts the line with a broken shell.

“Just a baby, that one. I only take the ones that are past their time, it is not proper to do so before that. Glad to see the population is growing though. Now I know my efforts to rebuild their habitat has proven fruitful. It is comforting to know that with a little TLC, anything is possible.” Gazes towards the spot where the sea creature had just disappeared. “Now onto my next project. Hopefully this time I can complete it without someone intervening. I’m sorry, ‘offering advice’, she calls it. Athena may be the goddess of wisdom, but she is no help when it comes to maintaining a kingdom, much less my kingdom. But she means well.”

His sigh is deep enough to reach the bottom of his watery realm. “Things are not going well in my kingdom. Even the sky can feel my mood, and I don’t have any control over my brother’s domain. The fish are dying, my palace is in ruins, and the seas are littered with debris. These wars that my family members are so involved in have cost me dearly, not that they’d ever apologize or offer to help me repair things. I have spent my time trying to keep the peace between the gods that I cannot attend reach in my own matters.”

Poseidon mumbles a few words, and suddenly fish in multitudes begin to jump out of the water.

“There, now I can finally attempt to fish. I’ll throw them all back of course, but what else is there for me to do right now? Whatever I create only gets destroyed. Once the fighting finally subsides for a while, though, I plan to rebuild my palace with the finest coral, shells, and pearls of the seas. It will be a sight unlike any other. And anyone who wishes shall be welcome to visit, provided they know how to breathe underwater!” He chuckles to himself.

“One day, these waters will once again be aqua blue, these waves will crash with might on the shore, and the creatures and spirits living in the depths will live in harmony. Ah, how I can only dream. It would seem that disagreement and discourse will never dissipate, not even between the oysters and the clams.But ooh, the jokes I’ve made surrounding their fights!” He holds his side as he laughs out loud.

“Being the ‘God of the Sea’, ‘Earth-Shaker’, and ‘Tamer of Horses’ is a powerful, and very busy, job. But all of my responsibilities allow me to travel to places most can only imagine. I prefer sea travel to get me where I need to go, but when I am called on by those who are loyal to me, I always answer, and will do so until there is no one left who believes in me.

But for now, it is time I returned home. Time doesn’t stop, even for an immortal.”

Poseidon’s fishing pole shimmers, then turns into a glistening 8-foot tall golden trident. His clothes melt away, leaving a majestic tail of vibrant blue and green. Poseidon himself rises up into the sky, growing taller and taller. On his head appears a golden tri-pointed crown, and on his arms wide golden bracelets. Poseidon then raises his hands, and immediately the sea begins to churn. The surface of the water begins to foam, and beautiful multicolored shells begin to appear on the shore when the waves recede. Once the foam begins to disappear, the water is a shimmering clear aqua. Poseidon’s eyes now gleam, having changed to the same bright aqua as the sea. Poseidon leaps high into the air, then disappears beneath the water’s surface without a trace. He had gone home.

I know we were supposed to use a different method of publication for this post, but I had no idea how to do that with my topic of stories about the Greek gods. If anyone has any suggestions for future posts though I absolutely welcome them, thanks! 🙂