Poseidon stares at the remains of the house, feeling anger rise and churn within him. He shoves it down for a moment and slips into the ruins, out of sight of any mortal. Here and there, where the fire hasn't charred everything away, he can see the gashes left behind by a monster. And where the house is left burn, what could be the wake of a flood of water. From the hole-marked piece of a wall he passes, he knows which monster was here. The Hydra.

The fire patterns too are an indication. If Kaia and Nadia managed to survive the Hydra, the lightning that set the house ablaze would have killed them. Poseidon glares up at the sky. Why his brother found it necessary to kill a child that wasn't even self-sufficient, he wouldn't know, but he'll be damned if he just lets it pass. He is about to leave the house, and the memories lost, when a sound reaches him. Soft as a lap of water against a calm shoreline.

"Thee, Thee."

So Poseidon follows it, letting the sound tug at him. He finds himself before a toppled cabinet, almost completely unscorched by the flames that passed through the house. Not by luck, but by the water from the burst pipe that coats it still. Holding his breath, Poseidon pulls open the cabinet doors to see Nadia curled up there, holding her stuffed owl to her chest and muttering its name. Poseidon feels his rage calm slightly as he reaches towards Nadia.

"Seadrop, can you come out of there?"

Nadia lifts her head. "Papa?"

He smiles sadly. "Yes, it's Papa."

Nadia's voice is sad this time as she says again, "Papa."

She lifts her arms to him and Poseidon scoops up the small girl. When her owl falls, Nadia reaches for it, her voice becoming panicked.

"Thee!"

He is quick to return it to her and she calms instantly, pressing her cheek against Poseidon's shoulder and the owl to her chest. With one hand, he reaches up to stroke her hair, just as Kaia used to. He carries her all the way to the sea, and beneath. He checks on her once to make sure that she can breathe, but she just blinks at him and blows a bubble. When they reach the palace, he finds Amphitrite pacing back and forth. Nadia is looking up by then, entranced with the sea. When her eyes lock onto Amphitrite, she squeals.

"Ampie!"

Amphitrite looks up, her brown eyes widening at the sight. She darts over and reaches for Nadia, who is happy to be passed over. Amphitrite looks at Poseidon with a worried expression on her face.

"What happened?'

Poseidon frowns at his wife. "How did you know something happened?"

"You came back here carrying Nadia, who looks distressed, and I also felt a surge of power."

"Her power?"

Amphitrite nods. "Perhaps. So what happened?"

Poseidon's gaze flickers to Nadia. "Kaia is dead. Either the Hydra killed her, or the fire set by my brother's lightning did."

"Is this because Kaia wouldn't send Nadia to camp?" Poseidon nods, causing Amphitrite to hiss. "Does he even know how young she is?"

"I'm not sure, but if he does I'm going to send him to Tartarus."

Amphitrite gives him a savage grin. "Good."

Poseidon grins back, and then pauses. "How did you know Kaia?"

Amphitrite smirks. "I was trying to find you one time you were visiting her or were somewhere else and I happened to know of your relationship with her, so I found her on the beach. This was a month or two before she gave birth. She respected me, I liked her, so we were friendly." She taps Nadia's nose. "Isn't that right, little Seadrop?"

Nadia giggles and twists in Amphitrite's arms to look over her shoulder. She makes a squealing sound and wriggles, trying to get free. When Poseidon looks to where his daughter's attention has strayed, he finds his son, Triton. Triton stares at the three of them in confusion.

"What is going on here?"

Right at that moment, Nadia manages to break free of Amphitrite and makes a beeline for Triton. For a two-year-old, she is quite a strong swimmer. Triton stares down at the child latching herself onto his arm like a barnacle for a heartbeat.

"What-"

Nadia cuts him off as she shoves her owl in his face. "Thee!"

An expression flickers across his face for a moment before it hardens and he pushes the owl away with his free hand, before trying to extricate Nadia. She doesn't let go, instead staring up at him with pleading eyes. She waves the owl at him again.

"Thee!"

Triton shakes his head at her. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me."

Amphitrite swims over to them, smiling. "Thee is the name of the owl, I believe." She shifts her attention to Nadia. "Come on, Seadrop. Let your brother go."

Nadia tightens her grip on Triton, surprising all of them when she bares her teeth. "No!"

"Let him go, Nadia."

Nadia shakes her head again and grabs at Triton's pendant, a conch shell. She holds it out towards them. "Papa!"

Amphitrite shakes her head at the girl. "That's Triton's symbol, not Poseidon's."

Nadia shakes her head and looks away from Poseidon and Amphitrite, holding up the pendant to Triton instead. Her voice is softer this time, but no less resolute.

"Papa."

Triton shakes his head in confusion and anger. "No. Let me go, child."

Even then she doesn't let go, although her grip does loosen. It isn't until Amphitrite uses her full name that she finally listens.

"Nadia Pallas Arien! I know your mother was raising you better than that. Let him go."

Nadia lets Amphitrite pull her away, but she stares after Triton as he turns back the way he came, fleeing from both the child and the name that are causing him distress. When Nadia looks to Poseidon, he can see the sadness there, in her eyes that have gone as pale as pearls. He holds out his arms to her.

"Come here, Seadrop."

Amphitrite loosens her hold to let Nadia swim over, but instead Nadia mutely lets herself sink down to the floor, where she curls around Thee the owl. She ignores them both. Poseidon sighs at his daughter and looks to Amphitrite.

"What do we do? I can't send her to camp, not this young. I can't raise her here, it isn't safe. If we could jump forward in time, this would die down and she would be fine, but we can't do that."

"We can't, but what about a stasis crystal?"

"Those aren't meant for long-term use, Amphitrite. They're for injuries and diseases that we need to stop the progression of."

"Perhaps, but one could stop, or at the very least, slow her aging until it's safe. I also believe that it is better than the alternatives."

Poseidon frowns. "Are you certain?"

"I am certain that this is the most viable option, yes."

Poseidon nods sharply and swims down to Nadia. "Seadrop, we need to go somewhere."

She lets him pick her up. The small group swims to the medical center where Amphitrite goes to grab one of the crystals while Poseidon lifts Nadia onto a table. When Amphitrite returns, Poseidon carefully extricates Thee from Nadia's tight grip and places it behind him. Nadia reaches for the toy with tears in her eyes.

"Thee! Thee! Give Thee!"

Before Nadia can make a move to retrieve her toy, Amphitrite presses the crystal to her skin and activates it. The shell stretches over the toddler like ice, creating a barrier between her and the sea. Once complete, all that's left is a large chunk of what could be aquamarine at first glance, opaque enough to only reveal the child inside if you were looking.

Amphitrite nods, touching the stasis crystal with a sad expression on her face. "It should stretch as she grows, if it comes to that."

Poseidon sighs. "I hope you're right about this being the best alternative."

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Who wants to yell at Zeus? *raises hand*

What do you think of the stasis crystal? How long do you think she'll be in there for? Will anything go wrong? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out