Chapter 13: Pontus and Poseidon (6)
"What, even an old goddess like you thinks I did well?" Poseidon teased.
"What?!" Eurynome exclaimed.
"Hah, if a seasoned goddess like you is impressed, I must've done a decent job," he continued with a grin.
"…"
Eurynome, pouting at Poseidon's teasing, hurled the trident at him like a javelin.
"Whoa! You're throwing this dangerous thing at me like that?"
"Consider it punishment for a man teasing a lady when he shouldn't," Eurynome retorted.
"Haha, just a joke, a joke! I couldn't help it—your beauty, the finest in the sea, just makes me want to tease you," Poseidon said with a playful wink.
Eurynome scoffed, unimpressed by his flattery.
"Hmph, that kind of talk just sounds like more teasing."
"No, I mean it!"
"Enough. I only came to express my gratitude. You kept your promise, and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome," she said.
Her face carried a mix of relief from enduring past humiliations and complex emotions toward her now-fallen, deranged foe.
"…"
As the silence stretched, Eurynome, feeling awkward, turned to leave.
"Ahem… Well, see you next time."
Before she could go, Poseidon grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around.
"Hey, hold on! I've got something to say."
"What is it?"
"Eurynome, my gratitude isn't done yet. I may be a young god, but I'm thorough about these things," Poseidon said with a sly smile, still holding her shoulder.
"What if I entrusted the sea to you, Eurynome?"
"What?!"
"I'm saying I'll guarantee your rightful place."
"B-but that's giving me sovereignty over the sea…"
"Don't worry about it. I'm the strongest in the sea anyway—what's a little authority matter?"
"W-well, sure, but your expression looks awfully scheming…"
To Eurynome, Poseidon's grin resembled a hunter eyeing a trapped deer.
The offer was so grand it made her suspicious, like receiving something too good to be true.
"Hey, my face is just naturally cheerful! You're not taking on paperwork… I mean, you're just reclaiming your rightful place," Poseidon said, correcting himself.
"Did you just say paperwork?"
"You must've misheard. Let's head to my palace and talk details," he said, pushing the hesitant goddess toward his palace.
Despite her unease, Eurynome couldn't refuse. After losing everything to Pontus, the chance to reclaim her dream was too tempting, even if it felt suspicious.
'It was probably a mistake… No way he'd do this to avoid paperwork, right?'
She dismissed Poseidon's slip as a misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, Poseidon's thoughts were clear:
'Heh, there's too much work in the sea. A perfect talent like her shows up, so why not put her to use?'
***
With Pontus' judgment complete, Poseidon's first task was to reward Styx and Eurynome.
Publicly announcing Eurynome's role was also crucial.
Without these two goddesses holding back Pontus' children like Nereus and countering his power, even Poseidon's strength would have come at a steep cost. Their contributions were unmatched.
"Goddess Styx, I'll repay your kindness fully. Zeus honored you greatly, and I'll do the same. The River Styx will flow wherever you desire in the sea, ensuring your oaths are upheld absolutely in the heavens, earth, and sea."
Styx, unable to contain her joy, replied,
"My, is such a reward warranted for this? But I won't refuse. Let my river flow where your palace stands, the seat of the sea's highest authority. If I flow there, I'll be the most revered goddess in the sea, and my children will be respected by all its creatures."
Poseidon nodded. In the original myths, he couldn't touch the underworld's Styx, but now, as a god who controlled all waters and cycles, he could grant her request.
"Eurynome, you'll reclaim your sea. The place Pontus stole from you will be yours again. You'll rule it according to your principles and order."
Eurynome couldn't hide her joy.
When they'd discussed this earlier, she'd feared it was a dream she'd wake from.
As a fallen Protogenos like Pontus, regaining her stolen authority meant creating a powerful rival for Poseidon in the sea.
Though she now understood why Poseidon was granting her this power, it was still everything she'd ever wanted.
'Poseidon, you may have given me this authority just to avoid work, but I, Eurynome, will never forget your kindness.'
The final figure mentioned was Metis.
Her inclusion surprised not only the sea gods but Metis herself.
"Metis, as you belong to Olympus, I cannot grant you authority over the sea. Instead, I'll offer you my personal aid, just once, whenever you need it," Poseidon declared.
Metis' eyes widened in shock.
Though she had helped, she was under Olympus' banner and acted on Zeus' orders, so she hadn't expected Poseidon to feel indebted to her personally.
"You're really placing a debt on me?" she asked.
"Yes, as long as it's not a request that disrupts or harms the sea," Poseidon replied.
"It feels like receiving an unimaginable gift. Thank you, Poseidon," Metis said, genuinely touched.
Now, only the final judgment of Pontus, bound by adamantine chains and stripped of sinews and muscles, remained.
"You damned brat! I'm a Protogenos, meant to be revered!" Pontus raged.
"What do you expect me to do about it, you fool?" Poseidon shot back.
"Release these chains at once and beg for my forgiveness!"
Pontus, having suffered a massive shock during his rampage and minimal treatment, had completely lost his mind.
"You young god! Do you know who I am? I'm Gaia's son and husband, a Protogenos!"
"Gaia, help me! Your son is imprisoned!"
"Damn you all, you've trapped me!"
"Sob Gaia, where are you? I miss you!"
"Why am I here?"
"Nereus, Keto, Eurybia, why are you there?"
"These chains hurt. It hurts."
Though he was an enemy, Poseidon felt a pang of pity for the deranged Pontus.
He had been a tyrant and a wretch, but he was also the one who, alongside Eurynome and with Oceanus' power, had shaped this sea.
No matter how merciless Poseidon was toward foes, he couldn't judge a Protogenos who had played such a pivotal role in creating the world with the same standard as others.
After all, few beings in the sea weren't his descendants.
"Sigh… To think a veteran god who once rivaled me has fallen so low…" Eurynome lamented.
Pontus' children turned away, unable to bear their father's state.
Poseidon conjured a mist to shield the maddened Pontus from the eyes of the sea's creatures—a final act of respect.
"I'll handle this old god's judgment privately," Poseidon said, dismissing the other gods.
He stood before the deep abyss of the Oceanus Strait.
"Waaah, Mommy!"
"Save me!"
"Sir, I'm sorry! I'll behave, just call my mommy!"
Watching Pontus, now reduced to a childlike state, thrash helplessly, Poseidon sighed deeply and called out.
"Goddess Gaia, I know you're watching. Show yourself."
Minutes passed before a massive tree grew from the sea floor.
"Poseidon…" Gaia's voice emerged.
"Gaia."
Emerging from the tree, Gaia tried to remain composed.
But seeing Pontus, regressed to a childlike state, pleading and apologizing, she broke down.
"Mommy! It hurts…"
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, okay?"
Thud.
Collapsing to her knees, Gaia cried out in anguish.
"Are you mocking me by summoning me here? My children are all imprisoned in Tartarus, and now you mock me with Pontus, my own son, reduced to this?!"
Her words reflected the raw grief of a mother who had lost nearly all her children—Uranus she had banished herself, but the others were as good as gone.
Poseidon looked at her, then glanced skyward before speaking.
"No, I called you to make a vow. And to tell you that you may visit Pontus whenever you wish."
"What?!"
"No need to be surprised. You know as well as I do that Pontus manipulated his own granddaughter, a sea nymph, and caused immense damage to the sea. There's no forgiveness for that. But I'm not so heartless as to deny a family their visits."
Poseidon fell silent, calmly observing the childish Pontus.
"And… I doubt a god in that state can cause any trouble."
Gaia, stunned by his words, hesitated.
She had assumed Zeus' brother would show no mercy or compassion, especially after witnessing Poseidon's ruthlessness during the Titanomachy.
"What's the vow? And what do you mean I can visit?"
Gaia asked, stroking her son's head as he, distracted, fidgeted in his chains.
Poseidon's expression grew serious as he answered, knowing this decision could burden him if known.
"Swear on the River Styx that you'll never free those imprisoned in the depths, no matter the means."
"And, Goddess Gaia, I'll permit you personal visits to see Pontus and your children. Though their
sinews are removed, and their power will be continually drained by Oceanus, I'll allow them to create avatars to roam and interact with the world. Furthermore, I'll permit you to care for those confined in Oceanus."