Chapter Two

                                    

                                          

I had been so close! Of all the cruel jokes the universe could play on me — freeing me from Tartarus and dangling my mate before me only to have her snatched away, was one of the most callous. But I supposed neither Aphrodite nor Hera would be sparing me any favors.
After all, I did plan to see them overthrown.
But I needed my mate for that. My Queen by my side. Only then would I be complete, my true power unleashed upon the world.
I pummeled the surface of the sea in rage, watching the strange flying contraptions, one containing my precious mate, travel away across the sea towards land.
I had not even had a good look at her — my view through the odd clear panel of the vessel she was trapped in not a good conduit for seeing inside, especially when I was in my true Titan form. And then she'd been whisked away into the air, only the long fall of her pale hair truly visible. 
I had called for her, and although it seemed there'd been some recognition, she had not responded. She had even seemed frightened. And for the first time in my long life, I had felt self-conscious about who I was. What I was.
How ridiculous!
I had sunk back down into the water to follow, sensing her presence even when I could not see, smell, nor hear her. 
Wherever it was that she was taken, I would find her.
I felt the presence of a pod of dolphins approaching and my heart softened as they came into view, singing happily as they welcomed me back to my kingdom. More creatures of the sea joined them, all recognizing who I was by a deep, primal instinct within them. 
By Kronos was it was good to be back!
But the world that I had returned to was a confusing one. The thing that had broken through the wall of my cell was some sort of huge, piercing machine — constructed by man, and made of metal. My mate had also been contained within a metal contraption in the water, which I had tried to free her from. There had been others of her kind within, and it had desperately tried to get away from me, keeping my mate from me.
And the bizarre, flying chariot-like things that had taken her? Also human made, also metal. 
When had the creations of Prometheus become so powerful? And how? Why did the Gods allow them to have such power? It was abhorrent!
And the seas, my beloved seas, did not feel as they should. They were fighting a poison within them. Unnatural things. Feeling through the minds of the creatures around me, I discovered this pollution was also human caused. Why would they cause harm to one of the very things they relied on? Sheer stupidity? Or arrogance?
So many questions, but shockingly (although not unheard of) my mate was one of these humans. Perhaps she could answer them for me.
Well, after a few hearty bouts of lovemaking, that is. I grinned, looking forward to something bodily for the first time in eons.
The dolphins laughed at me, able to pick up on my thoughts and feelings.
I growled. "Where is Poseidon? The God who would take my place as king of the waters?"
The dolphins did not know, nor did any of the other creatures that had joined my procession. He hadn't been seen or heard from in any of their lifetimes.
Hmmph. How strange. What would-be king would neglect his claimed kingdom so thoroughly? Had something happened to him?
No matter, I would search for him later. The first of the many Gods that I would conquer. My only goal now was to secure my Queen, bind her to me and start the first of my line. Titan sons and daughters that would help me restore the proper balance to this world, and rule alongside me.
And I would be a worthy, loving father and husband — for I wanted what my parents had. As flawed and meek as they had proven to be, they had raised my many siblings and I in laughter and love. The memories of which I would always be grateful for, despite their betrayal of me.
Kronos, one of the first Titans, had been a cruel and abusive father. A terrible husband. He had paid the price for that. But in their aim to overthrow their father, the Gods had decided to go to war with all Titans. Hardly fair, but what war ever was?
I sighed and banished the painful memories. What was done was done, and now there was nowhere to go but forward. This I well knew.
I focused on propelling myself as quickly as possible with my finned tail, reveling in the feel of the cool water, alive with power as I swam after my mate. My gills gloried in the kiss of the salty brine — so different, and so much better than the stagnant, dead water of my cell in Tartarus. That alone would have killed me, if not for my immortality.
No, it took more than that to kill a Titan. Much, much more.
One of the benefits of being such an entity, but during my blurred years of imprisonment, it had indeed felt a curse. I wondered how my Queen would react at being turned into an immortal being herself? It would happen upon our first mating — my essence, and the essence of the waters we would rule infiltrating her every cell and her very soul. She wouldn't become a Titan, no, that was something you must be born as, but she would be powerful in her own right. 
I looked forward to witnessing her come into that power.
This machine that the other humans had carried her away in, was impossibly fast. Faster than the fastest of horse-drawn chariots, the only vehicle that allowed humans to move at speeds greater than their own two feet at the time I was last free.
I hated to admit it, but I was weakened. My eons locked away from my kingdom, from the waters of the earth from which I drew power, had drained me. I could feel my mate growing farther and farther away from me, and when I breached the surface as I swam, I could hardly see the flying contraption in which she was trapped anymore.
I bellowed in frustrated rage and worry, and the sea creatures around me echoed the sentiment, their empathetic link to me still as strong as ever. At least I still had that. Had them, the creatures of the sea.
But I needed to regain my strength. Needed to be at my full power before I retrieved my Queen, especially if I were to go on land, or try to take on another of my forms.
This world I had returned to was foreign to me, and I had best be as prepared as possible. Ready to face anything.
So as much as it wrenched my very soul to turn from pursuit of my mate, I would retreat to deeper seas. Somewhere that hadn't been as touched by the poisons of this world. I would soak the power of the earth's waters into myself and be restored.
Sensing my thoughts, a pod of deep-swimming whales came forward to lead me to such a place. They welcomed me into their midst as they surrounded me, singing their beautiful songs in an effort to sooth me.
I was grateful to them, and followed their guidance.
When I was fully restored, I would come for my Queen. And woe upon any being that stood in my way, for they would know what it meant to face the wrath of a Titan.