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It was always going to end this way.
That’s the things about life—the choices you make don’t matter much in the end.
Endings are the only definite parts of life. Everything has an end, everything will take a final breath and exhale aspirations into the air for the last time. Everything fades away until nothing but memories, the ghostly whisperings of what once was, lingers in its place.
Species go exint, heroes fall, gods vanish, ancient knowledge evaporates.
And this—well, this was always going to end, just like the times before. It was never a question of if , but a question of when .
Some think that the hardest part of endings is learning to let go, to realize when it’s time to take a step back and let the fates continue to weave their threads throughout the universe and play your part while the world keeps turning.
Submitting to the whims of others has never been his strong suit, and yet he’s here, her hand in his, letting fate run its course.
There are hardly any wires or machines; age, it seems, has simply caught up to her.
A nurse marks something on her clipboard, then smiles at Sally and says “I’ll leave you and your husband alone, now,” before walking out of the room.
Sally nods weakly, and Poseidon closes his eyes, squeezing her hand gently.
She’d been avoiding his eyes until then, but she looks at him— finally looks at him—and her eyes take on a sadness of their own.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He can see his reflection in the glasses that sit on the bridge of her nose, hair greyed and features weathered by time.
Poseidon gives a wry smile. “It wasn’t intentional.”
She nods again, leaning her head back onto her pillows. “Thank you, anyway. For being here.”
“I had to give it one last shot.”
And it was worth it, he thinks. Whatever pain her answer may cause him will be worth it just to see the smile on her face and the glint in her eyes and to hear the laugh that manages to bubble out of her.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
He grins then, a real, genuine smile, and places a hand on her shoulder. Take his shot, he will. “What do you say to one more adventure?”
Sally’s brow quirks up. “I’m always up for an adventure.”
His hand slides up to her cheek, and he leans down to place a kiss on her forehead. Then, “Close your eyes, Sal.”
When she opens them again, it takes a moment for her eyes to adjust. The sun is bright and warm bearing down on them. She’s not in her hospital gown anymore, but rather a flowing white sun dress. Poseidon wraps his arms around her, looking out over the horizon, and for a moment it’s like no time has passed.
“Sei…”
He kisses her shoulder. “I could do it.”
“I know.”
“You deserve to live forever.”
She shakes her head, blinks, and tilts her chin up.
“I’ve lived my life.”
“We could have more, Sal.”
She turns then, slowly, looking up at him. “Maybe in another life.”
Poseidon nods, smiling sadly. “Maybe in another life.”
Sally closes her eyes, and when she opens them again she’s back under the harsh lights of the hospital room.
“Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like,” she says after a minute.
“It would’ve been whatever you wanted it to be.”
“It would’ve been perfect,” she decides. “We would’ve had everything we wanted.”
Despite his best efforts, tears begin to form in his eyes. “Remember that for next time, okay?”
A tear of her own slips down her cheek. “If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.”