Most people would remember Zeus and Poseidon as brothers, siblings who ruled different regions of the world. Zeus ruled the skies and the air, while Poseidon ruled over the great seas. There was a time when they were the closest of friends, sharing beautiful and ugly memories alike, strengthening the bonds of love beyond simple ties of blood.
Neither could’ve foreseen a time in the future when they would be on either side of a tug of war for what they held dearest. But a time came, nonetheless, when a maiden both fair and wise stood before them, and enticed them just the same. She went by the name of Arabella and was a guardian of the children in the night sky.
What started off as a friendly tussle between two brothers, led to something much greater; a crack in their friendship, widening farther and farther, leaving a gaping hole in their midst. Each tried to win her over, but they did so in different ways. While Zeus charmed her with his gifts of brightest silk and poetries of praise, Poseidon spent many a night following her, seeking to speak with her, to know more about her and where she came from. He would wait until she descended from the dark heavens, going about her duties to men and women and he would then walk alongside, keeping close to her.
As time galloped away into the distance, Arabella was forced to decide between the two brothers. She of course, had already set her heart on spending the rest of her immortal years with Poseidon, but she knew of the wrath of Zeus, and announced that she would take neither. What she didn’t realise, however, was that even if she didn’t choose, Zeus’ rage would engulf her whole and leave nothing behind, save her pitiful ashes.
But Zeus went a little further than that; he decided not to destroy her, but banish her to live the remainder of her years yearning for what he knew she held dear- his very own brother. With his vast ranging powers, he fashioned a circular rock amongst the heavens, a prison cell if you will, that now held Arabella trapped within. The cell could revolve around the mighty planet, so that she could look down in despair, upon the vast expanse of Poseidon’s kingdom that was now out of her reach. To the mortal eyes, she was but discernable when dusk fell every day, and only so because she drew her powers from the everlasting sun, and even then, Zeus’ enchantments made it so that she was only completely visible every twenty and seven days.
Poseidon was banished to the seas, and was forbidden to enter the skies forevermore. But he took heart from the battle that his maiden was fighting from up above in the heavens, and his desire overpowered his sense of defeat. Using the powers that were handed down to him by his ancestors, he made the seas lash out with force, creeping higher and higher up the land every second. Weathering rock and minerals all the same, he edged on further and further, attempting to drown every inch of land that was within his grasp. He could not, however, overpower the God of all Gods, and so, was left fighting an everlasting battle on the shores of the land. Content now as he was with the punishment that he had dished out, Zeus soon forgot about the ill fates of his prisoners, and went about his life in ignorance.
But what Zeus had underestimated, and what he had no comprehension of, was the power of love. Arabella and Poseidon were drawn towards each other with such a mighty force, that even the distance between them could not diminish the power of their passion. The children of the skies, moved by the agony of their protector, lent her their powers, giving her the strength she needed to shine in the darkest hours of the day. The monsters of the sea- Poseidon’s personal warriors, lent him their guidance and support, and more often than not, a fierce war of wind versus water played out, almost obliterating all life forms in the vicinity. But Poseidon and Arabella fought on, the length of their immortal lives giving them hope that they would one day be together.
I stand on the beach at midnight, my eyes feasting on the moonlit waters before me. I listen intently to the roar of the monstrous ocean, and I can almost discern the cries of a great, vast, something from within its depths, as the waves lash against the shore. There’s a definite pull at my feet from the receding waters that almost unsettles my steady stance, but I hold on, looking up at the full moon and the twinkling stars behind her…
ThePurpleFenix 