Chapter Text
“Proteus… Proteus… Wake up.”
Proteus really did not want to wake up. On some level, he knew his head would hurt a hell of a lot more if he did, and he didn’t want to know what happened to Marina. Right now, in the safety of his subconscious, Marina was undeniably alive. There was no guarantee of that remaining true when he awoke.
“Proteus, please wake up.”
The voice came through clearer now, undeniably feminine. Familiar. Marina.
He jolted upright, and immediately his head shattered, split like shards of glass. He must have made some sort of sound, because Marina’s blurry form came closer, pushing him back into a prone position. “You need to stay in bed.” she shook her head and sighed. “You hit your head badly, no moving around for a while.”
The door swung open, and heavy footfalls announced the arrival of another.
“Proteus, buddy!” Sinbad pulled Proteus up for a hug, further aggravating his headache. Although to Proteus, the crushing pain in his head was irrelevant. Sinbad’s arms around him were a far better sensation to focus on, large and strong and warm. Safe.
“You need to let him rest!” Marina scolded, careful to keep her voice quiet. “He needs to heal.”
“I know how to care for my friends, Marina.” Sinbad replied.
“Really? Because to me it seems like you’re hell-bent on making his injuries worse with all that jostling.”
“I’m fine, really.” Even to his own ears, Proteus’s voice sounded cracked and dry, speaking to the amount of time he had spent unconscious. Sinbad took his response as an excuse to hug a bit more firmly, while Marina got Proteus some water to ease his throat.
Marina handed the water to Sinbad, and as she watched him help Proteus drink, her eyebrow rose, observing the scene carefully. “If you’re such an amazing healer, Sinbad, I’ll leave you to watch Proteus for a while. Make sure he’s still alive when I come back.”
“Wait, no!” Sinbad tried to stop her, “I need to go back and direct the crew!” His excuse did not sound convincing even to his own ears.
“I can handle it for an hour or two, Sinbad please.” Marina turned and left the cabin, negating any further protests.
Once she left, Sinbad released Proteus and let him lie back down. Sinbad turned away, avoiding eye contact in favor of staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, Proteus.”
“For what?” Proteus’s voice came easier now.
“For putting you in danger.” Sinbad mumbled. “It’s my fault you were put in that position, and you got hurt because of it.”
“You couldn’t have prevented that, you’re not at fault for this.” Proteus rested his hand lightly on Sinbad’s back.
Sinbad turned back to look at Proteus, his eyes brimming with tears. Proteus had never seen his friend cry before. It seemed strange, this man he had known his whole life, always crass and self-assured, crying.
“I came close to losing you once, Proteus. I’m not gonna let that happen again.” Sinbad looked at Proteus with an emotion that he couldn't understand. Sinbad closed his eyes and sighed. With one smooth motion, he was hovering over Proteus, eyes hooded and leaning closer.
Proteus’s eyes grew wide as realization dawned on him, right before he felt Sinbad’s lips on his own. He was shocked, but what surprised Proteus the most was how perfect the kiss felt.
Marina left the cabin, smiling. She would have to be a fool to miss the way Sinbad looked at Proteus, the same way he looked at her or the horizon. She only hoped the alone-time would help them realize what she already knew.
In the meantime, she needed to speak to Kale, who was currently adjusting some lines. “Hey Kale, may I speak with you a moment?”
Kale looked up from his work, his fingers still moving on muscle memory, “Of course, Marina.”
She leaned over the rail and looked out across the water, “The cyclops, it was Eris. I knew it as soon as I heard the roar. She won’t forgive Sinbad playing her, and she won’t stop this unless we stop her.”
Kale joined her on the rail. “It’s not that simple. She’s a goddess, you can’t kill a goddess.”
Marina took a deep breath. “Maybe we don’t have to kill her. Maybe… maybe if we could trap her?” She looked at Kale, the question lingering in the air.
“I heard a story once.” Kale looked down at the water. “I don’t know if it’s true, but there’s a legend. Kronos. He was the most powerful being in the universe, but he grew jealous of the god’s growing power and he devoured them. The gods took revenge and cut Kronos to pieces from within, keeping the remains in a tomb in the darkest pit of Tartarus, nothing escapes once it’s been thrown in. Not titans, and definitely not gods.”
“Yes, I remember that story. But how do you trap an incorporeal being in a tomb in her own realm?”
Kale looked at Marina. “I wasn’t done yet. Legend says Eris draws her power from a golden apple, throw the apple in the tomb, remove her power source, and she’s trapped in Tartarus for all eternity.”
Marina laughed. “I doubt the goddess of discord draws her power from a measly apple.”
Kale walked back to the lines he had been rigging, “I told you, it’s just a legend, but it’s all we’ve got.”
Proteus quickly came to the conclusion that kissing Sinbad was the single greatest cure for a severe head injury in the world. He wished Sinbad would put a little more of his weight on him while they kissed, but he was injured and the fantastic things Sinbad could do with his tongue would have to suffice for the time being.
The door opened with a bang and Marina walked in, unperturbed by what had been evidently been taking place moments before. “I would love to join, but you’re still injured and we have more pressing matters to discuss.”
Sinbad sputtered and scrambled off the bed, face burning with shame at what Marina walked into.
“Calm down, love. I’ve seen the way you look at him, and the way he looks at both of us. That’s not the issue here.” Marina sat on the bed with her back against the headboard, helping Proteus nudge over to give her more room. Sinbad remained standing in disbelief.
“Sinbad I promise I’m not mad. I knew this would happen, and I know you love me as much as you love him.” Marina patted the free space on the bed. “We can talk about this soon, but right now we need to discuss how we’re going to defeat Eris.”
Sinbad sat on the bed, although reluctantly. “Marina we can’t defeat a goddess.”
“Well perhaps if we trapped her.” Proteus interjected. “There’s a legend-”
“Yes, Kale told me about the tomb and the apple. That’s what I want to discuss.” Marina settled herself more comfortably against Proteus’s side, careful not to disturb his injuries.
Sinbad looked appropriately shocked. “What the hell is this about an apple?”
“Eris is tethered in a way to the Golden Apple of Paris. It’s the physical manifestation of her power. If it was trapped in Tartarus, so would she be,” Proteus said. “Although the Apple is in the ruins of Troy.”
“The ruins of Troy are nothing compared to Cyclops Island,” Sinbad started to look excited.
“Well we still need to throw the Apple into the tomb, which is in Tartarus.” Marina said.
“We’ve already been to Tartarus, it shouldn’t be too hard the second time.” Sinbad looked more confident now. “So all we gotta do is find the Apple and throw it into the tomb, easy peasy.”
Proteus sat up, wincing, and put his hand on Sinbad’s calf. “The legends say the tomb is located in the darkest, most foul corner of Tartarus. If you make it, it will be impossible to find.”
Sinbad covered Proteus’s hand with his own, sparing a questioning glance at Marina. She nodded in encouragement, and he spoke. “I can do it, I promise.”
Proteus looked at Sinbad with concern, but he knew about the pirate’s previous adventures in the realm of the gods, and Sinbad’s sheer stubbornness should be enough to keep him alive. Sinbad would come back to Marina, and to him.
“Troy is only a day’s sail from here, I’ll go tell the crew our heading.” She got up from the bed and smiled, “Don’t do anything to make Proteus’s injuries worse, Sinbad.”