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Chapter Seventeen: Expressing His Love For The World

Point of View: Zianthos

She breathes deeply and I know she is still unsure which to start with.

I know I must begin to make her feel safe, comfortable. It means exposing myself to her.

"Zoe Nightshade," I murmur softly and feel her freeze beneath the rock. "I am aware of the friendship you held with the late Lieutenant, my predecessor's counterpart." I muse, my eyes sliding closed as I lay beneath the sky and hear the lull of the waves, her soft breathing as she listens to me. "I also know of the turmoil her departure caused you, huntress." She intakes breath sharply. "And that you condemned Perseus Jackson, hoping that would settle the crushing weight of losing someone you loved so dearly. But the burden was always with Perseus and I feel it now. He and I, we have always felt the guilt surrounding her demise. Perseus incriminated himself, even after Lady Artemis informed him that her line of the prophecy had been completed. Atlas made the killing blow, worsening the poison Ladon infected her with. Perseus took the burden of the sky so that Artemis could fight, but it was never going to save her." My voice is gentle and my next words are tender, making her tears worse. "You blame me." 

"Yes." She whispers.

"There was nothing I could do to save a friend. In the end, I knew I was not at fault, but I believed myself the guilty party. Say what you want to me to get it off of your chest, Phoebe, it will never hurt me. There is nothing you can say or do to harm me more than the damage I have already inflicted with my own words and actions. Go ahead, I am just a bleeding heart, I will never stop." I breathe. 

"You already took the words from my mouth. I did blame you. It took Artemis many centuries to convince me that it was Zoe's time." She murmurs. "I forgave you a little while ago."

I smile a little. "Thank you, but I will never forgive myself."

"About the other thing," She begins and I listen more intently. "It is about how easily you love, but you could fall in love with a woman and never be able to be with her now. You said you were prepared to make that sacrifice. Why, then, do you throw your love at everyone around you? What if you get so attached...?" 

I chuckle and roll, dropping to the sand on my feet. I walk out to the waves and look back at her. "From where you sit, what do you see of me?" 

Her eyes flash with curiosity and she studies everything about me. It takes her a little bit, but she answers with, "You look like you belong."

"Where am I?" I prompt.

"The beach, in the sea." She responds easily.

"What am I?" I inquire, smiling some.

This perplexes her. "A son of Poseidon, that is why you belong."

I shake my head. "Look at the sea and then look at me." I hint and then hold out my hand. She comes up to me and takes it. I hold it gently and turn my gaze to the ocean expanding before me. "Just because I am Poseidon's son, does not mean I belong in the sea. I belong here, in this moment, but why? Look at the sea and then into my eyes."

She does what I suggest and then turns confused. 

"I am so simple, so much of a background presence." I smile and she watches me closely. "But in my lives, I have lived and played the parts of a prominent figure. This is what confuses you. You do not see the person inside," I bring her hand to my heart. "But the person who was changed on the outside."

She looks down at where her hand lies on my chest. 

"I am a gentle tide, Phoebe." I murmur, smiling warmly as she looks up at me in shock. "I am not the raging sea, not unless you hurt me, upset me, anger me. I can change in a snap, causes storms, but at my center," I move her hand to the middle of my chest. "I am the tide who loves you, brings you home, comforts you. I am not meant for war, but built to survive and that is why I am still here. I find my own way and open doors for others. My brothers were storms, earthquakes, and I am their polar opposite. I am the most dangerous. If you hurt somebody I love, if you do something unforgivable, I am a churning whirlpool of emotions and turmoil. But I will always return to my center. I am a being of love, to give it up, tells you I love you the most. I stay loveless, to protect you. I lost what love I had left in my heart to find someone to be with, but I have all the love in the world for my family, my friends, the world."

"And what if someone came along?" She questions. "You know Apollo, what if he did absolve you? You know the power he holds." 

I smile. "Then I would go, but I would always return."

She stares at me and I press my lips to her forehead.

"Just know, gentle tides are always there to carry and protect you." I whisper before departing and returning to my brothers...

Leaving the huntress to figure things out with my answers.