Chapter Text
The change between a night of revelry and abject agony had been so drastic, it brought Poseidon to his knees.
After a brilliant dinner hosted by Olympus, in which the gods dined together, Poseidon was ready to retire. The muses had performed beautiful numbers for each of the guests, and the longer the wine flowed, the more generous they became. Poseidon knew their king and queen relished in the positive attention such glorious nights earned them, and Poseidon might have made a few snide comments about their pride , were he not so pleasantly full.
Besides, it was late, and he’d spent the night sandwiched between Nereus and Dionysus, two guests who had been more than enough to keep him entertained for hours on end. Poseidon would have preferred if Amphitrite had been with him, but she was hardworking and dedicated to their own kingdom, and so chose to remain while he went.
He returned to his bedroom, one reserved only for nights like this where making the trek back to the sea felt like too much of an effort. His head was swimming from the wine he’d drunk, and he had never been one to turn down the opportunity to dance. His feet ached, and Poseidon was more than ready for a good night’s rest. By dawn, he would return to his wife and recount all of the drama from the evening. He began to slip out of his clothes, draping them over an armchair before making his way to bed.
The sea god had not made it halfway across the room before the pain began, exploding in his belly like a bomb. He groaned out, doubling over as it continued to swell in his gut. It felt like his stomach had been lit on fire and he was burning from the inside out. It only grew worse with each passing second, spreading as fast as wildfire, and as strong, until it seemed as though every inch of his body was aflame. He fell to his knees, grunting against the sudden agony as though vocalizing his pain might lessen it, but no reprieve came.
He did not know what was happening, and could not have formed a single coherent thought to figure it out if he tried. Knowing not what to do, Poseidon realized the solution lay outside his own doors. Though weighed down by his pain, the sea god clambered to his feet, unsteady but standing. He needed immediate assistance. Whatever this was, it was worse than any pain he had ever felt, and lying on his floor sounded like a terrible idea.
His initial instinct to teleport to someone who could decipher what was wrong with him. But he could not concentrate long enough to summon the power, his body fighting back against him with vigour.
He would have to do this the old-fashioned way.
Poseidon made it to the door, throwing it open and stepping out into the hall. There was not a soul around, and his cries would be drowned out by the loud music raging in the main hall. He grimaced, nearly bent in half from the pain, and slowly made his way down the hall towards the party. Each step was a battle, every motion jostling his poor body as the same flames ate away at his insides. He groaned, loudly , fighting to keep moving despite his every instinct telling him to stop. A few more feet , he bargained with himself. Just a few more feet, that’s all .
It felt like hours before he reached the entry hall, where dozens of gods still milled about, some dancing, some laughing, others making wagers over the drinking contest happening across the room. Poseidon did not want to make a scene, humiliated at the thought of so many people seeing him in such a vulnerable state. His eyes scanned the crowd, hoping for someone to notice him, to get to him before his knees buckled under the weight of holding his agonized body upright.
In what seemed like a stroke of luck, his eyes locked with the king himself, sea greens boring into sky blues. He beckoned Zeus over, weakly, the gesture as much as he could manage. Poseidon wanted to scream out as his very body seemed to be turning to ash, but he held it together. Zeus raised a brow, apologized to the young god he’d been entertaining, and hurried across the room towards his brother.
“What is it?” Zeus demanded, eyeing the older of the two up and down. “You look awful . Too drunk?”
“Something is very wrong.” Poseidon hissed out, and the strain in his voice was enough to knock the vague look of amusement off Zeus’ face. “I-- I’m in so much pain, I… feel like I’m burning .”
“What do you mean burning? ” Zeus asked, gripping Poseidon by the elbow to drag him out of sight of their guests. The touch made Poseidon yelp in pain, and Zeus pulled away like he himself had been burned.
“I don’t know …” Poseidon moaned out, slumping against the wall now that none of the other gods could see him. His whole body shuddered, and he slid further and further down the wall until he sat upon the marble floor. Zeus stared down at him, perplexed, but visibly concerned.
That has to count for something, at least , Poseidon thought miserably.
“Should I grab Apollo?” Zeus asked.
“You’re a genius.” Poseidon muttered, and though he did not miss the look of anger that flashed across Zeus’ face, the king flitted from Poseidon’s side and back into the crowd without a retort. A few more moments passed, the sea god still sat on the floor, breathing growing more shallow with each passing, painful second. Then Zeus returned with Apollo in tow, the two of them midway through a whispered conversation.
“What’s the matter, Poseidon?” Apollo asked, kneeling before the sea god with a puzzled expression.
“It fucking hurts.” Poseidon grunted, head lolling forward. “My whole b-body… its on fire. From the inside.”
Apollo’s brows squished together, and he tossed a glance up at his father. “What did he eat?”
Zeus threw his hands up. “How should I know? The same as everyone else, I suppose… What are you suggesting?”
Apollo did not answer the question and turned back to Poseidon, who moaned again in pain and tugged furiously at his hair. “We need to get you to the infirmary. Father, help me--” He grabbed hold of one of Poseidon’s arms, and Zeus the other, the two of them lifting the relatively large god with ease. They disappeared in a flash of bright light and reappeared inside the infirmary. The sudden motion made Poseidon’s stomach lurch - and before he could swallow it down, he vomited violently across the floor.
Zeus gasped, trying to avoid getting the sick on his shoes. He waved his hand, and the mess disappeared, but Poseidon did not feel any better. “Lovely. Apollo, is he-”
“Get him on the bed.” The young god commanded.
As soon as Poseidon was settled on one of the beds, Apollo flitted around the room, rummaging through medical drawers and pulling strange concoctions from locked cupboards. Zeus remained standing at Poseidon’s side, glancing rapidly between his son and his brother. When Apollo joined them at last, he held a glowing blue substance in his hands, uncapping it. The bottle made a hissing noise, and fog of the same deep blue billowed over the edge.
“Open your mouth, Poseidon.” Apollo commanded, and the sea god obliged immediately, too weak to fight. The god poured a drop of the substance on Poseidon’s tongue, and watched as it fizzled, turned green, and then disappeared.
“It’s as I feared.” Apollo muttered, hurrying about the infirmary once more. Poseidon moaned and clutched at his stomach, sweat pouring from his brow like a waterfall.
“What is it?” Zeus demanded, foot tapping anxiously. “What was that stuff? Why won’t you answer my damned questions, Apollo?”
The sun god returned to Poseidon’s side and began to pour a whole number of new liquids down his throat. Poseidon grunted and squirmed but obliged him every drop, his face screwed up in pain. When Apollo spoke, his voice was very grave.
“Please do not panic, father,” He whispered, shoving a yellow herb into Poseidon’s mouth. “But it is poison. The symptoms, the burning sensation, it all pointed towards poison, but I didn’t want to believe it. The blue concoction allows me to test for certain kinds. This particular breed is nasty, known as Hydra Venom by some. I know it as a real pain in my ass.”
“ Poison? ” Zeus repeated, voice growing louder. “Someone tried to poison Poseidon? At my banquet?”
“I told you not to panic,” Apollo retorted. “It would have had to have been. This poison takes some time to break down, but no more than an hour or two. He would have had to have consumed it at the banquet. Poseidon, can you hear me?”
The sea god had been watching the exchange in silence, face far paler than normal. When addressed, he blinked rapidly and bobbed his head in a daze.
“What did you eat? Did anyone offer you anything? Did you eat anything unusual?” Apollo asked.
Poseidon shook his head, grimacing as he adjusted his position. “N-no… I ate what was served to me. How could someone poison it without… me realizing..?”
Zeus scowled, expression growing stormier by the second. “That’s an excellent question - one I fully intend to get to the bottom of. This poison… Will he be alright? It cannot kill him.”
Apollo frowned and pressed the back of his hand to Poseidon’s forehead, unsurprised to find his temperature extremely high. “Of course it can’t… But pain is something it can do. He will live, but it will be excruciating while the poison leaves his system. There is nothing I can do to stop it, only ease his pain where I can. These herbs should help a bit… I’m sorry, Poseidon.”
The sea god nodded jerkily, eyes squeezing shut. He trembled, fists wound into the sheets of his bed and clenched tight. Pain was scrawled across his face, and his shirt was drenched with sweat. Zeus sat on the edge of Poseidon’s bed and brushed a sweaty strand of hair from his face. The sea god opened his eyes a fraction.
“I’m going to find who did this,” He vowed, resting his hand against Poseidon’s cheek. The god did not flinch away from his touch this time, and instead looked at his younger brother as intently as he could muster.
“Thank you,” Poseidon whispered hoarsely.
“Hang in there,” Zeus added, rising back to his feet. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, I’ll send Hestia to watch over you and Hermes to fetch Amphitrite.”
“No!” Poseidon protested, and his entire body seized with the pain and effort of the word. Zeus froze, raising a brow. “I… I don’t want her to worry. If I am going to be f-fine, I don’t want her to see me like… this.”
Zeus sighed, and stroked Poseidon’s hair one last time. “Fine. But Hestia is non-negotiable. Stay strong, brother.”
He turned on his heel and left, leaving Apollo and Poseidon alone in the infirmary. With Zeus gone, Poseidon slumped in on himself, hot tears forming in his eyes as he fought to ignore the pain. Apollo sighed, and began to move about the infirmary, allowing Poseidon to have some space but close enough to monitor him.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the door to the clinic opened, and Hestia stepped inside. Her soft features were marred with worry, brown eyes brimming with tears. She still wore her party attire, a simple cream coloured dress and a red shawl, which she tossed aside immediately. Joining him at his bed, Hestia immediately reached a hand out to stroke his cheek, hands visibly trembling.
“Zeus told me what happened,” She murmured, and Poseidon grimaced in reply. “You poor thing… I cannot imagine who would do such a thing. Our brother will solve this, I’m sure of it. How bad is the pain? Please be honest with me.”
Poseidon swallowed harshly and attempted to speak. “Like I’m burning alive… From the inside.”
Hestia shook her head, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “If there is anything you need, tell me. My sweet brother, I cannot stand to see you in pain.”
“Could be worse.” Poseidon muttered, attempting a weak smile that faltered as pain engulfed him once more. Hestia managed a laugh and brushed back his hair with one hand, clutching one of his hands in the other.
“It could be worse.”