Thea moved away from Hermes’ hand on her waist. "How does Poseidon keep the water suspended like that?"

"No idea. Usually everything is below water but because we were coming, he created the dome. He doesn't like having to do it but then, he's been underwater a long time."

"And you've had your head in the clouds too long."

Thea jumped at the voice and moved back towards Hermes. A man stepped out of the water, gold trident in hand, and Thea didn't know what to think. He wore a pair of skin tight black shorts and nothing more. Scars covered his chest and a single gold band was clasped to his right wrist. He was the oldest looking God she'd met so far. His hair was salt and pepper, edging closer to grey and it flowed down his back. His beard fell to his collarbone and he appeared to be in his late forties though the beard made him look older.

Green eyes glared at Hermes. "Damn air dwellers, think you're better than the rest of us below the waves."

"I never said that, Poseidon," Hermes said wearily as if this wasn't the first time they'd had this argument.

"You didn't have to say it!" he snapped. "Your tone says it all!"

His eyes turned to her and she braced herself. "So you're finally back, Lissandre?"

"My name is Thea."

"Whatever," he muttered. "It doesn't matter what your name is. Come on, let's get started then."

"Already? But we just got here -"

"And the sooner you leave the better!" he snapped. "I don't want to do this but damn Zeus thinks he can just boss me around like always, the arrogant bastard..."

His voice trailed off as he stalked off, and they followed after him into the underwater mansion. Thea leaned over and whispered to Hermes, "Is he always like this?"

Hermes nodded, his hand on her lower back. "Don't take any of it to heart. He's not used to having company and if you had to hang around sea creatures for all eternity you'd go crazy too."

Walking past the columns, they stepped into a large hall. Statues lined the walls of past warriors and heroes, none of whom she recognised. The detail of the carving was amazing, their expressions of pain and victory captured perfectly. A large staircase stood in the centre of the hall and Thea wondered why he needed a staircase when the place was underwater ninety-nine percent of the time. Seaweed hung from the railings and she saw a girl clad in nothing but a blue shift picking up the pieces.

Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, curling and framing her petite face. Brown eyes rose as they approached and came to rest on Hermes. She smiled and Hermes returned her grin, warmth filling his gaze. "Hello, Giselle. Still looking lovely, I see?"

She jumped towards them and planted a kiss on his cheek. Thea's stomach churned but she kept walking, pretending not to notice. "Lovely to see you again, Hermes. I have missed your face."

Her voice was soft and Thea didn't look, but her mind conjured up enough images to make her jaw clench. Hermes stopped walking and Thea decided to follow Poseidon, not really keen on watching the two of them flirt.

He walked up the long corridor and halfway down, he opened a door. "This is where you'll sleep while you're here. Don't get too settled; you won't be here long. I have to go and talk with Jaxon about that damn hole before I start this damn training."

"What hole?" Thea asked.

"The one Cronos made when he broke free of Tartarus. Didn't think to close it up, did he?" Poseidon thundered. "No, just leave a hole in my ocean floor and make me deal with Nyx and her bitching and moaning. She wants to close it from her end but I refuse to let her do it! She'll destroy my ocean floor and I won't have her destroy it just because she couldn't keep one Titan fucking contained!"

Thea smiled nervously, wondering if following Poseidon had been the best idea.

"I think you're scaring her, Poseidon," a new voice chimed in. A young man walked toward them and Thea looked around Poseidon. He had dirty blonde hair, and green eyes smiled at her fear of the water God. He wore a white shirt and black pants which appeared slightly damp, clinging to his body.

He held out his hand. "Hello, Thea, was it? My name is Jaxon. I'm a water nymph and second in command for Poseidon, you could say. I basically deal with everything Poseidon refuses to, which is most affairs."

She shook his hand. His grip was warm and firm. "Nice to meet you."

His eyes raked her body and she flushed. "The pleasure is mine," he murmured. "Forgive me, but I never had the pleasure of meeting Lissandre so  this is my first time meeting the unspoken myth."

"Well don't get too excited, I'll probably just disappoint you."

"You don't disappoint me at all; quite the opposite in fact." He raised her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Jaxon."

"If you've finished undressing her with your eyes, I need to talk to you," Poseidon growled. He'd been standing in her doorway, temper boiling at being ignored.

Jaxon released her hand and stepped away. "Of course."

He smiled warmly as he left and Thea watched them walk away. She wasn't sure what she was meant to be doing so she walked into her room and shut the door, hoping Poseidon would come back soon. She wanted to get this over and done with.

The room itself was fairy tale material. The bed was a canopy style and the frame was made of sea shells, the white of the shells contrasting nicely with the pale blue of the walls. A small door near her bed showed a small bathroom with all the normal human facilities. She couldn't help but wonder where the water from the toilet went. Did he even have plumbing down here?  

A large window covered most of the opposite wall but there was no glass in the window. Water lined the window instead and she saw it ripple as fish swam past.

She went and stood near the window, staring into the darkness. A small globe hovered above her window but apart from the water a few feet in front of her, it was pitch dark. Reaching out her hand she touched the water, running her fingers slowly through it. A fish swimming past stopped and reached out, its mouth touching one of her fingers. She smiled at the feeling before it rushed away.

A knock sounded at her door and Hermes walked in before she could answer. He threw her bag on the bed. "I've got the room next door. I'll be down with Giselle in the main hall while you're with Poseidon."

Thea bit her cheek, annoyed that at the way he spoke to her. Instead of arguing, she asked, "How do you know her?"

"She's an old friend."

An ugly feeling settled in her stomach and she tried to push it out. "Okay then."

"I won't be around much while you’re with Poseidon but he'll protect you. He'll be taking you out in the water, I imagine, to train you, so good luck with that."

Thea nodded, feeling as though he was abandoning her to go be with that nymph woman. "Yeah, thanks."

Hermes noticed she'd gone quiet. "Are you all right, Thea?"

She nodded again and gave him a smile. "Just taking it all in."

He stepped forward and brushed a strand of hair from her face before she could slap his hand away. "I'm just next door if you need me."

She doubted he would be in his room at all but nodded and smiled anyway. He gave her one last smile and left quickly. She couldn't help but notice the smile was different from the one he had given Giselle. It hadn't reached his eyes.

She wondered what he'd be doing with Giselle and unwanted images played through her mind before she squashed them down.

"It's none of my business," she whispered. "Don't even think about it, just focus on why I'm here. The sooner I get this done, the sooner my life goes back to normal."

*                             *                             *                             *

The lights slowly faded and Thea sat in her room, waiting for Poseidon to return. She had a feeling she'd been forgotten; she thought of seeing if Hermes was in his room but didn't want to chance catching him with Giselle. After she'd counted the shells on her canopy three times she decided to go out and explore.

Opening her door, she checked the hall. It was empty. Quickly passing Hermes room, she wandered down the hall. There wasn't much to look at;  no pictures hung on the walls but she saw stars faintly etched on the walls. She ran her fingers along the outlines and wondering how they had made the effect.

"Do you like Starfish, Thea?"

She moved away from the wall, spinning around and she saw Jaxon watching her. "I'm sorry, was I not meant to touch -?"

A small smile played along his lips. "No, it's fine. Touch anything you want."

Her face burned at the double meaning and she turned back to the wall so he wouldn't see. "How did you get them outlined on the wall?"

"When the mansion is below water, the stars live on the walls. Since you were coming, though, we had to remove them so they didn't die."

"Oh, I would have liked to have seen them."

"You'll have to come again sometime and I can show you them. They are a sight to behold. You seem a bit lost, if you don't mind me saying. Would you like a tour?"

Thea hesitated. "You're not too busy with Poseidon? I was waiting for him to come back but he didn't."

"No, I fear he has forgotten," he took her arm and linked it through his. "He can be absentminded from time to time. He was angry earlier on and I had to calm him down. He gets riled up very easily when it comes to Nyx. The sooner we close this gateway, the better for us and for Poseidon. He's normally not so grumpy."

Thea laughed and let him lead her down the hall. "I can't imagine him being nice, he seems very..."

"Mad?" Jaxon offered.

Thea looked sheepish. "I didn't want to say it."

He chuckled and pulled her closer. "He does have the tendency to come across as mad. Don't misjudge him though. He is quite keen when he needs to be. Many of those Gods above water think he's daft because he prefers the company of the creatures of the deep. The main reason he stays below the waves is because he likes the solitude and he can't handle their petty little dramas."

Thea thought of her own preference to solitude and nodded. "I can understand where he is coming from."

They reached a circular room at the end of the hall and Thea saw small fish swimming above, lights emitted from their bellies. The room swam with light and she looked about in wonder. "What are those fish?"

"They are known as Luna fish. They light up when the moon is in the sky. They are a rare breed that only live here in Poseidon's care."

A small table was set at the opposite end and Jaxon held out his hand. "Are you hungry, my dear? I apologise that you were left alone for some time. There are only so many nymphs residing here and many of us have been called to the gateway to keep watch. Giselle, myself and the cook, Dara, are the only ones remaining here."

"I thought we were having a tour?"

"We could always continue the tour after our meal. I saw Hermes with Giselle down in the dining hall a little while ago and I thought they had eaten without you. Was I correct?"

Thea felt a flash of annoyance at the mention of Giselle. "You're right. I would love dinner then, thank you."

They sat down and Thea let Jaxon pull out her chair. A nymph who looked similar to Jaxon, but a prettier female version, appeared from nowhere and placed two plates of food on the table.

Jaxon touched her arm. "This is my sister, Dara. You won't find a better cook anywhere."

"It's nice to meet you, Dara."

"You too, dear." She smiled warmly. "Enjoy your meal. I would stay and dine with you but I have to go and sort out Poseidon's meal."

She walked out the door and Thea looked around, wondering how she'd come in. When she couldn't see any sign of a secret door, she turned back to her meal. Dinner was cooked fish wrapped in seaweed.

She took a bite and was surprised at the taste. "This is amazing."

"Dara is a wonderful cook. She can do anything with fish. I hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I'm surprised Hermes has stayed with you as long as he has," Jaxon commented. "His dislike of your past self is known even to us ocean nymph."

Thea's good mood faltered. "He's not with me because he wants to be. He's only with me because he has been ordered to protect me. Apparently Cronos wants me dead and you guys need me before he kills me off."

"Please don't speak that way, Thea. We do not want to kill you off. At least I know I would be pained should you be taken from us."

Thea flushed and tried to focus on her food. As they ate, Jaxon asked her about her life and how her training was progressing. She started to enjoy herself, laughing and joking with him. It was nice to talk with someone who didn't see her as Lissandre but saw her as herself. She was so used to Hermes looking at her as if she was about to turn into some sort of monster. Sadly, she wondered if Hermes would ever see her as Thea, and not Lissandre.  

Jaxon's eyes rarely left her face and she began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. She'd enjoyed her evening with him but she sensed he was looking for something more.

Finishing her glass of wine, she stood up. "I think I might go back to my room for tonight. I'm tired from the journey today so I'll have to reschedule that tour. I hope you don't mind?"

He smiled and stood with her."Of course, allow me to escort you."

She let him lead her back to her room and tried not to walk too quickly. When they reached her room,  he stepped closer and his hand came up to her face. "I have been meaning to ask, my dear, but I was afraid to bring it up - what happened to your face? Did Hermes hurt you?"

His fingers brushed the bruise and she took a step back, hitting her door, and she started searching for the door knob. "No, it was someone else, but it's fine now. It'll be healed by tomorrow."

"I have a remedy that will work wonders if you'd like me to come back -"

"I don't think she'll be needing you to come back."

Thea glanced to her left and saw Hermes, his blue eyes like ice, glaring at them. Giselle stood next to him, looking nervous.

"I'm simply offering to help after you left her to fend for herself." Jaxon didn't move away and Hermes’ gaze became glacial.

Thankfully, Thea found her door knob and turned it, stumbling backwards. "Thank you for dinner, Jaxon. I'll talk to you tomorrow about the tour."

"Good night, my dear."

She shut the door, not looking at Hermes, and wished there was a lock. Seeing Hermes with Giselle hurt and her imagination started running wild.  

"None of my business," she reminded herself, scrunching up her hair in frustration.

Walking over to her bed, she sat down and put her head in her hands. Why couldn't she just learn this water thing and get out of here? She didn't want attention from another guy and she didn't want to imagine Hermes and Giselle doing unmentionable things. She just wanted to get this over with. Her door opened and she heard it shut, knowing who it would be. "What?"

"What have you been doing with Jaxon?"

Thea sighed and looked up. "We had dinner and he said he'd give me a tour."

Hermes looked at her coldly. "Anything else?"

"No," she snapped. "He found me wandering around the hall because I got sick of sitting in my room all bloody evening! I like solitude but I still like to have some company. Why are you in here anyway?"

"I'm telling you to stay away from Jaxon."

"Why?"

"He's a womaniser, the only thing he wants from you is a night in your bed."

"So what?" she declared. "That doesn't mean I'm just going to let him! So far he's been nice to me and that's all that matters.”

"He's only been nice to you because he wants something from you!"

Thea laughed. "Aren't you all doing the same thing? You're just being nice to me because you need me to deal with Cronos. You're all the same. You've said your piece now go back to Giselle."

"Giselle? Are you jealous?" A small smile twitched the corner of his mouth and her anger flared.

"No, I'm not! I'm just tired and I want to be alone!"

The smile grew and he laughed. "Thea -"

Having had enough, she stood up and tried to push him out the door. "Please leave."

He grabbed her arms and held them above her head. "There's nothing going on between me and Giselle. She's simply an old friend." His voice was gentle.

"And I need to know this, why?"

"Because you're jealous."

"I'm not!" she shouted. "Even if I was, it doesn't matter. Now please, just go away and let me get some sleep."

"I will, when you admit when your jealous."

"Why?" she whispered. "So you can twist it and get some sort of revenge for what Lissandre did to you?"

Thea had said it jokingly at first but she saw a flash in his eyes and flinched. "Oh my god, you really wanted to do that."

His hands on her wrist tightened. "Thea, I wouldn't -"

She manipulated the air to help push him out the door. He fought against her and she felt tears starting to fall. "It's all you see, isn't it? I'm just Lissandre two-point-oh to you. You look at me like I'm about to do something horrible."

"Well I think you can understand why I do, if you're attitude right now is anything to go by. You've certainly got the capacity."

Thea's body moved as if he'd struck a blow. Hermes realised he'd gone too far and opened his mouth when a knock sounded at her door.

"Hello? Hermes, are you in there?" Giselle's voice sounded. "I know you told me to wait in your room but I was wondering what was taking so long -"

Thea felt her heart wrench and she used that pain to shove him at her door. His hands released her and she turned away. "Go. Giselle is waiting for you."

"Dammit, Thea," Hermes growled. "Stop being so petty, you're just like her -"

He stopped talking but once again, the blow had been dealt. He sighed, "I suggest you just focus on your training. I'll come back when you've had time to sort your shit out."

He turned and walked out, slamming the door shut. Shrieking in anger, she sat on the floor and curled into a ball. She wasn't Lissandre, she was Thea Gibson - a girl who was in way over her head.

"I'm not like her," she whispered. "I'm not."

Resting her head on her knees, she drifted off to sleep.

*                             *                             *                             *

The familiar smell of her forest eased the tension from her shoulders and she opened her eyes, the sight of the old trees a comfort to her mind. She didn't want to be like Lissandre but she couldn't deny her love for this forest. It was one thing she didn't mind sharing with Lissandre. Sitting beneath a tree, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to sort her shit out as that bastard had said.

Why did Hermes have to piss her off so much? If he wanted to hurt her to get back at Lissandre then he should just do it and get it over with. Why drag it out and make her suffer for Lissandre's mistakes?

Footsteps sounded on the grass and she wondered if it was Lissandre. She was the only person she'd ever met in her dreams and in the mood she was in, she wanted to bite her head off. Standing up, she looked around the tree, ready to rip into her and froze.

A man walked towards her, power emanating off him. He looked to be in his late thirties, black hair slicked back from his face. Blue eyes glanced at her with amusement and he wore a pair of black jeans and white dress shirt. Everything about him had her alarm bells ringing.

She stepped away from him. "Who are you?"

"I'm insulted you don't remember me, child. I would think the day of my incarceration would be something you would remember forever. After all, you were the one who sent me there."

Her stomach dropped. "Are you Cronos?"

"Ah, so you do remember me." His smile grew and she kept moving away from him.

"No, I don't. I've just heard stories about you."

"Nothing good, I take it? It's nice to know there are Gods out there who still fear my name."

She tried to create a ball of air but it wasn't working. "How did you get here?"

He looked around. "Where do you think we are?"

"My forest."

He grinned and the world started melting. Thea watched as the forest faded and then they were standing in her apartment. A ball of fear settled in her stomach. "What is this?"

"This is a warning, my dear."

Cronos appeared in front of her and his fingers wrapped around her throat. Panicking, she tried to fight him off and felt herself struggling to breathe. "Don't fear, child. You won't die here. It will certainly feel like you are dying but you'll wake safe and sound in whoever’s bed you have decided to grace."

His other hand came up and traced the curve of her breast. "I may have to take you to my bed before I break your neck."

She shuddered and tried to push him away but her powers weren't working. She started to feel cold and her vision blurred. "Enjoy your peace while you can, little girl. You'll be mine soon enough."

Her vision went black as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

*                             *                             *                             *

"Thea! Wake up!"

Thea could still feel Cronos' fingers around her neck and she shrieked, pushed him away, revulsion crawling along her skin.

"Thea, it's Hermes! Wake up!"

Opening her eyes, she came face to face with Hermes. He held her shoulders, eyes worried. Forgetting she was meant to be angry with him, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and started sobbing. Hermes stiffened and his arms curled around her.

"It was just a dream, Thea. You're safe."

She shuddered, the feel of Cronos' hands on her body still fresh in her mind and she broke away from Hermes, stumbling into the bathroom and vomited in the basin.

The floor was cold and she looked down. She sat on a layer of ice. Looking around, she saw that everything was frosted over. Hermes walked in with a cloth and handed it her. She took it and wiped her mouth..

"What happened?" she whispered. "Why is everything covered in ice?"

"You did it while you were dreaming. You must have been trying to protect yourself and this was the result."

Thea touched the floor, her fingers sticking to the ice. "I did this because I was trying to get away from Cronos?"

Hermes who had been sitting quietly beside her, grabbed her arm in shock. "You dreamed about Cronos?"

She nodded, leaning her head on the basin. "He was in my apartment. He was choking me and said he would be coming for me soon. He kissed my forehead and touched me. He said he was going to bed me before he killed me."

Hermes stiffened when she mentioned Cronos touching her and he brushed her hair from her face and leaned closer, eyes serious. "You listen to me, Thea. I won't let him hurt you and I definitely won't let him touch you."

She nodded. "I know. It's your job to protect me -"

"No, Thea. It may be my job to protect you but even if it wasn't I would still protect you with everything I have."

She wanted to believe that but she couldn't. Hermes sensed her hesitation and turned her head to face him. "I mean it, Thea."

"Alright," she whispered.

Sighing, he picked her up and started walking out of her room. "Where are we going?"

"My room. You can't sleep in here with everything frozen over."

"I'll be fine. I'll figure out how to melt it."

"What, and burn the room down? Just leave it until it melts. Poseidon is going to be pissed enough that you iced his room, no point making it worse by attempting to burn the whole building down."

Temper slowly rising, Thea shoved herself off Hermes chest making him drop her. "I won't burn it down! Even if I did, it doesn't concern you."

Hermes rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. Do you always have to be so dramatic?"

Seeing red, Thea stepped forward, wondering how hard it would be to freeze him. "You insufferable ass!"

Hermes pushed her into his room and stood in the door way, blocking her escape. "Go to sleep, Thea, before you make me say something I'll regret."

"I'm not sharing a room with you!" she snapped.

"I didn't say we were sharing. You sleep here, I'll stay with Giselle. She's better company that yo -"

Thea slammed the door in his face before he could finish and was happy to hear his curse as it connected with a part of his anatomy. Breathing heavily, she told herself to toughen up as her eyes started to sting. He just had to mention Giselle and land the final blow. It wasn't like she'd been through enough in her dream but he had to add fuel to the fire and make her feel worse. The thought of him going to her room infuriated her and Thea grabbed his shoes and flung them across the room.

Lying down on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, anger and fear keeping sleep at bay.. Time passed slowly and she tried to push everything from her mind but the thought of Cronos waiting for her terrified her. She didn't want to meet him again. She just hoped she never had to meet him in real life. She was used to being able to use her powers and not being able to use them against him in her dream made her feel sick.

Releasing a shaky breath, she turned on her side and curled into a ball. She wished Hermes hadn't been such a jerk, being alone was the last thing she wanted right now. Staring into the darkness of the ocean, the night slowly passed and sleep eluded her.

*                             *                             *                             *

Sitting up in bed, her eyes struggled to focus on the fish swimming by the window. She hadn't been able to go back to sleep and she'd spent the night counting the different types of fish she'd seen. Hermes hadn't returned yet and she hoped her daydreams of him being frozen had become a reality. Part of her knew that the fight last night had been silly and was mainly instigated by her own jealousy but she ignored it. She was sick of having to prove she wasn't Lissandre and Hermes needed to get his head out of his butt and realise they were two different people.

Poseidon stormed in and she jumped, his mood looked worse than the day before and she guessed he'd seen the room. "What the hell did you to that room? Do you think you can just do as you want here? Absolutely no respect -"

"I'm sorry," she interrupted. "I was dreaming about Cronos attacking me and I didn't realise -"

"Cronos was in your dream?" he asked sharply.

She nodded. "He was choking me. I was panicking and I must have done it in my sleep. I'm really sorry."

He nodded. "Fair enough. I'd ice the bastard if I could too. Come on."

His forgiveness surprised her as he reached over and yanked her off the bed. She shrieked as she stumbled to her feet. "Time to learn how to use those powers of yours."

Jaxon appeared in the door way and smiled warmly. "Good morning, Thea. I hope you are all right, I just saw your bedroom -"

Thea nodded. "I'm fine, just a bad dream."

Jaxon stepped toward her. "If you have bad dreams, Thea, I'm more than happy to stay with you -"

"That's okay, but thank you for your kindness."

"I'm offering more than kindness, Thea -"

"Oh for God's sake!" Poseidon grabbed her and dragged her out of the room. "I don't have time for all this flirting nonsense! Go and do your job Jaxon or I'll lock you in the frozen room to cool off!"

Thea ducked her head to cover her smile. He may have been a little mad but at least he was honest.

_____________________________________________

A/N: Hi all, as promised, the next chapter today! The next one will be posted next Friday, I'll try to stick to each Friday but will let you know if my situation changes. So what do you all think of the new cover? It was made by AuRevoirSimone, who is too talented, she even made a song inspired by my story! I'm hoping to post it in a couple of chapters ^_^ The image on the side is some art I found of Poseidon and the song, well after talking to Keev who listened to Lana Del Rey while reading this, I did the same and found it worked!

Don't forget to comment or vote if you like the chapter!