“Seems like the building is growing larger, yeah?” Emma asked William.

But William just sighed. He really was a drag to be around.

Emma was about to give some real talk to William, but then thought better of it. Emma didn’t need William as a friend. Or as an upbeat companion. It was her duty, as a morally responsible human, to keep her fellow human alive, if possible. That was it.

But there was another reason why Emma didn’t speak to William. Because at the exact moment she was going to open her mouth, the sky opened.

A booming noise brought their attention toward the clouds. Like watching a painting slowly take shape with each stroke of the brush, the clouds formed into a gigantic face. It was of Poseidon.

“I know you are out there, mortals!” the voice boomed. “I know how you broke into this place. I also know you are being helped by someone. And there will be a price to pay. You are not leaving my realm alive. So why fight it?”

Poseidon was talking to them. Not directly, sure, but his speech — a pretty lame, generic one, Emma thought — was wholly intended for them. Emma had to be honest with herself and say that it was rather flattering for a literal god to take such an interest in her. Usually, men only took an interest in her to shout down her ‘communist practice’ or to leer upon her body. This god-attention, though, a whole new level of the male gaze!

Both Emma and William were as silent as could be, though. In fact, neither moved. Neither understood the extend of Poseidon’s power, and so they did not want to risk drawing attention to themselves, especially when a herd of manticores were mere feet away.

But as the Lord of the Sea continued to spoke, the clouds again, boomed.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

This time, the very atmosphere itself changed. Next to Poseidon emerged another figure. A feminine figure.

“For the love of Zeus, you really doing this?” the figure’s eyes were storm clouds and she looked pissed. As a fellow female, Emma knew interpersonal anger when she saw it.

“Go back to your chambers, Amphitrite, why is this any business of yours?!” Poseidon raged.

“We are married, you pair of goat gonads, so how about some respect?”

“I DO respect you! It’s just—”

“JUST WHAT?!”

And the conversation went on — but Emma and William, no longer staying put, as both the timetable for moving forward and the attention of the lord of sea, seemed elsewhere, which meant they were likely safe. For now.

“Odd, yes? Gods appear to have the same issues as we mortals have,” William said as the pair surmounted a small cliff.

“Very unusual. What reason do immortal creatures have to marry, anyway?” Emma asked, more genuine than she thought she would, too.

“I truly could not say. Perhaps the answer is too complex for us. Or maybe it is as simple as territory sharing and power. Who knows.”

Emma did not know. The question of gods and marriage did tickle her curiosity bone, but barely. In the sky, though, the argument continued, but having missed most of it, Emma had no idea for the context.

“PLEASE! The Trojans, dear, are still fucking about and you did NOTHING to stop them! Oh, yes, you destroyed a city here or there, get over yourself. They are nearly at the helm of discovering the mysteries of the atom. And have you done anything to stop it? No, I didn’t think so!” the feminine voice said. Emma already forgot her name.

“I made the kraken, I made a whole host of vicious sea creatures and am churning up some really innovative— wait, is the spell still going? Can the mortals here us? Shit!” Poseidon said as the clouds suddenly dissipated, and the argument ceased as suddenly as it began.

“Not to bore you with my life as a younger man, dear lady,” William began, “but listening to those two argue — literal gods! — made me feel like I was back in college and my parents would endlessly harass me about my field of study; of course, it did not help that back then, I was partaking of a certain plant I became acquainted with in the warm islands.”

Emma thought, at first, to tell the man to screw off. Did she really need to hear about William’s younger years and what he did when he did drugs? No, and yet…

“Yes, it did have some of that feeling to it. Very unusual. Very messed up. Seriously, William, let’s get the fuck out of this place!”