Chapter 16: Athena and Her Twin Sibling (2)
Rhea understood Metis' dilemma.
If a second child was born, it would threaten all three brothers.
Having faced a similar situation herself, Rhea gently persuaded her.
"Go to Poseidon. His integrity and fairness after the war earned him the respect of all the sea's gods, nymphs, and creatures. Besides, you're a sea nymph yourself. Poseidon publicly declared he owes you a favor, so he won't turn you away."
Metis nodded in agreement.
The sea under Poseidon's rule was more peaceful and orderly than ever before.
Though he could be capricious at times—a natural trait of the sea—his ability to garner universal support and respect after the great war was remarkable.
Moreover, he had openly acknowledged a debt to her in a public setting.
"Yes, I'll ask Poseidon for help," Metis decided.
***
With Rhea's assistance, Metis secretly slipped out of Olympus and headed to Poseidon's palace.
Rhea convinced her daughters to stall Zeus, delaying his pursuit.
By the time Zeus sent Boreas, the north wind god, to retrieve Metis, she had already entered the sea's domain.
"Boreas, you can't just barge in here," Thetis said, blocking his path.
"Tch, Thetis, I'm here on Zeus' orders," Boreas retorted.
"That doesn't matter. This is Lord Poseidon's domain. If you want to enter, you need his formal permission."
"Hah, Poseidon forgave you, and now you're all loyal, huh?"
"If Zeus were your master, he'd probably have me strung up and locked away."
Thanks to Thetis, now awake and gradually resuming her duties, Metis safely reached Poseidon's temple.
"Metis," Poseidon greeted.
"Hello, Poseidon," she replied.
"Tch, I can guess why you're here," he said, clicking his tongue.
"Gaia told you, didn't she?"
"Yeah, she said you'd come."
"Then this will be quick. Save my child. I don't know if I'm carrying one or two, but I'm invoking the favor you promised me."
Poseidon felt a strange mix of emotions at her words.
He had heard the prophecy from both Gaia and Prometheus, so he knew it was likely to come true.
"You came here certain you're carrying twins?" he asked.
"No, I'm not sure. But I know how Zeus will react."
Poseidon nodded, agreeing with her assessment.
'Zeus would absolutely do something like that.'
Though Metis didn't know it, Poseidon was aware that her child would be Athena alone.
'If it goes as expected, this is an easy task.'
From Poseidon's perspective, refusing would be foolish.
"If you help me, your name will spread even further as a god who values promises and honor. Even if twins are born, I swear on my name to protect you from them, even at the cost of my life. I'll swear on the River Styx if needed," Metis pleaded earnestly.
Perhaps it was her desperation, but Poseidon felt the gazes of nearby nymphs and creatures watching them.
"If I make a declaration here, there's no turning back," he muttered.
"…"
Feeling the weight of those gazes and Metis' growing anxiety, Poseidon decided not to overthink it.
No matter what, the situation favored him.
"Alright, Metis, I'll honor our agreement. I promise, even if twins are born, I won't harm them."
Metis placed a hand on her belly and responded solemnly.
"I swear on the River Styx: my children will respect Poseidon and never tarnish his honor. They will never undermine his authority. If such a thing happens, I will take my own life."
Thus, the pact between Poseidon and Metis was sealed.
Metis cautiously gauged Poseidon's reaction.
'He seems to think twins won't be born. I need to be careful. I must protect my children until they grow strong.'
What Poseidon failed to consider, engrossed in the original myth, was that the goddess before him was the embodiment of wisdom.
If she carried only one child, would she have gone to such lengths to seek his aid?
He hadn't deeply pondered this possibility.
Thinking himself lucky, he made the decision lightly, unaware of how much trouble it would cause later.
***
Time passed, and the day of Metis' labor arrived.
Zeus' envoys came several times, but none saw Metis and were turned away.
Zeus, perhaps biding his time, hadn't acted directly.
"Poseidon… you must keep your promise…" Metis gasped.
"Metis, stop acting like you're about to die and focus on giving birth," Poseidon teased.
"Pfft, you're right," she chuckled.
Fortunately, with Hera's help, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth and Hera's virtual avatar, was already at Poseidon's palace, ensuring a smooth delivery.
Eileithyia, a goddess born of Hera, played a key role in Hera's domain as the protector of family and children.
Soon, Metis' labor began.
"Arghhh!"
Her pained cries echoed, causing the sea to roil with waves and Olympus to tremble as if in fear.
"Ughhh!!!"
Moments later, a child was born, shaking the world.
The birth was so powerful that even gods uninterested in the affair turned to gaze at the source of the surging energy.
"Wah! Wah! Wah!"
The newborn, strikingly beautiful despite just emerging from the womb, announced its arrival with vigorous cries.
"Phew, you've given birth to a beautiful princess, Lady Metis," Eileithyia said.
"Give her to me. I want to see her face," Metis replied, her voice filled with longing.
"Yes."
As Metis tenderly caressed her newborn, the gods watching the scene breathed a sigh of relief, seeing only one child—a girl.
A wise and powerful goddess was cause for celebration, not concern.
But just as they began to rejoice over the birth of a new deity, Metis cried out again in labor.
"Ugh!"
"Oh no! There's another one!" Eileithyia exclaimed.
"Aaagh!"
With an even more agonizing scream than before, Metis gave birth to a second child.
"Wah! Wah! Wah! Wah!"
The sudden arrival of another child sent waves of shock, worry, fear, and anxiety through the gods.
Yet, in stark contrast to their reactions, the mountains, fields, and seas sang as if blessing the child's birth.
The gods' expressions grew graver, for this aligned too closely with the prophecy.
Eileithyia, holding the crying second child, spoke with effort.
"It's a boy."
'What?!'
***
The news spread like wildfire.
With the entire divine world watching, there was no hiding it.
The sea gods were horrified.
The Olympian spies were equally stunned.
Moments later…
Boom!
A bolt of lightning cracked through the clear sky, its deafening roar leaving scars of electric current across the heavens, rippling even into the sea.
Poseidon, observing the chaos with a carefree demeanor, had only one thought:
'Well, this is bad…'
***
As soon as Metis gave birth to her second child, she assessed the situation outside.
She quickly sent Eileithyia away and activated all the defensive mechanisms in Poseidon's palace, casting every protective spell she knew to prepare for a siege.
After locking the palace gates, she sent a letter to Rhea, the only one who could help her.
"Wait, this is my house…"
As an aside, Poseidon, suddenly evicted from his own palace, was forced to eat and sleep outside for the time being.
"This is too much!" he grumbled.
***
The atmosphere in Olympus was far graver than Poseidon's predicament, resembling a funeral.
Zeus' relentless lightning strikes over days had terrified all gods and creatures, creating unbearable tension.
"Hera, what should we do?"
"Yeah, everyone's too scared to do anything."
"The mortal races on land keep asking questions too."
Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, who had helped Metis escape at Rhea's request, viewed the situation seriously.
While they had acted on their mother's plea, they risked being branded as traitors.
Still, they weren't exactly afraid of the situation itself.
"Hmm… do we even need to react? We're not Zeus' underlings," Hera said dismissively.
"I'm not scared of Zeus, but I'm worried about the children I've created," Demeter added.
"Demeter's right. I don't have children of my own, but if hers were harmed, she'd be devastated," Hestia agreed.
"…"
Hera pondered Hestia's words and came to a conclusion.
"Then we need to get Poseidon to act."
"Huh? He's homeless right now—his house got taken over," Hestia pointed out.
"Yeah, I felt bad and tossed him a few coins. Maybe a few more will get him moving?" Demeter suggested.
Hera clutched her forehead in exasperation.
Even after all these years, her sisters and Poseidon hadn't changed a bit.
"Are you two joking in the middle of this crisis?!"
***
Meanwhile, Poseidon, ousted from his palace, knew the situation was serious but also recognized that now wasn't the time to act.
Though not one for deep strategizing, centuries of life had taught him that sometimes, for those with great power, doing nothing was the best way to resolve things.
With this insight, he simply…
…wandered the mermaid market with the coins and bread Hestia and Demeter had given him, looking for something to eat.
However, he was a bit of a troublesome customer.
"Hmm… no! Why is there nothing good here? Look, Demeter told me she gets houses, temples, and bread from dwarves and goblins!"
The mermaids, long accustomed to Poseidon's complaints, waved him off like they would a pesky peddler.
"Lord Poseidon, if you're not buying, just go. You come here every day, complain, and never buy anything," one said.
"Yeah, and stop comparing us to the land creatures. We made the stuff in your palace and those defensive barriers you're locked out of," another added.
"Oh, right? My bad. Hahaha!"
Watching this exchange with exasperation was Hera, accompanied by Rhea, who had come to the sea after receiving Metis' letter.
"Really, when will that guy act like a proper god?" Hera muttered.
"Still, all the sea's creatures adore him," Rhea replied.
Though Hera spoke critically, she couldn't deny it.
The sea's beings visibly revered Poseidon.
"We need to talk to him quickly. Who knows how long Zeus' patience will last?" Hera urged.
"And Styx told me Hades is starting to move as well," Rhea added.