Deep Water (29 page)

Lightning flashed outside, revealing a
figure at the foot of the bed. He struggled to sit up, throwing a protective
arm across Amphitrite.

And then stopped as another bolt of
lightning illuminated a golden trident.

Fumbling, he reached for one of the tiny
bedside lamps and snapped it on. The room lit with a faint glow. A wet and
dripping Poseidon stood at the bottom of the bed, weariness etched into his
bearded face.

“Oh, my God,” Griffin breathed in relief.
“Are you all right?”

“Yes. We were able to run off the
creatures. I—”

Amphitrite slowly sat up, rubbing her
eyes. “Griffin?” she mumbled, before noticing her husband at the foot of the
bed. “Poseidon.”

The god gave them both a pained smile. “I
see the two of you have met already,” he said, trying to sound happy and
failing miserably. “That’s good. I won’t have to worry about introductions,
then.”

Amphitrite glanced at Griffin, then back
at her husband. “Thank you for saving him. Griffin has told me what you’ve
done.”

Poseidon nodded back, fidgeting with a
fold of his sodden chiton. “I did what I was supposed to do,” he said. “You
have my apologies for intruding. I just wanted to make sure Griffin was all
right. I’ll leave the two of you now.”

 
“What?”
Griffin blurted. “No! You can’t just leave.”

Poseidon shook his head. “It’s all right,
beloved. The two of you belong together. I knew this would happen.” His
mustache twitched as he tried to smile. “I wanted this to happen. I wish you
both all the happiness you were denied because of me.” He gave Amphitrite a
brief glance, but Griffin could sense the yearning beneath it. “If he begins to
weaken, let me know and I will come and help. Otherwise, I won’t touch him. He’s
yours.”

Oh, bugger this.
Griffin threw off
the covers and stood up, realizing too late that he’d gone to sleep naked.
“Listen to me, you great
oik
,” he snapped, fists on
his hips as he glared at the god. “You’re my
agapetos
, too. I want you in my bed, and not just because of your
magical joy juice. I love you, and I’ll be damned if I’m letting you wander off
and play the martyr now.”

“He’s right, Poseidon,” Amphitrite
said, her voice quiet but firm. “Griffin is just as much your
agapetos
as he is mine. He loves you,
and he deserves to be in your arms.”

Poseidon had gone still, hands now
clenched at his sides. “I want Griffin in my arms,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“I want both of you in my arms. Amphitrite, I am sorry. I am so very, very
sorry for what I did. Griffin knows everything. Out of the gracious kindness of
his heart he’s forgiven me. But you’ve had to live all these centuries without
him, because of what I did.” He struck himself on his chest, and Griffin winced
at the solid thud of the impact. “Please, let me do this one thing to make it
up to you. Take Griffin, and be happy with him.”

“I
am
happy with him,” Amphitrite insisted, her eyes shimmering with tears. “But I
cannot be completely happy as long as you hold yourself apart from us, even for
the best and most selfless of reasons.” Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the
edge of the blanket and lifted it in an unmistakable gesture. “For the love of
Gaia, husband, come to bed.”

Poseidon stared at her with longing, but
didn’t move.

Right. If the
pillock
needs a push, I’ll give him one.
Moving
deliberately, Griffin sat back down on the bed, swinging his legs up and
getting comfortable against the pillows. He left a space between himself and
Amphitrite, and patted it now. “She means you’re forgiven, mate,” he said. “Now
get in here. If nothing else, you’ve got over seven thousand years of makeup
orgasms to get started on.”

Amphitrite gave him a shocked look but
laughed, wiping at a rogue tear. “He’s right, you know. Come to bed,” she
repeated, smiling now. “You great
oik
.”

Poseidon let out a low, ragged breath. His
clothing and armor disappeared, and his skin and hair dried instantly. Naked,
he crawled onto the mattress to them, hesitating one last time before lowering
himself into Amphitrite’s arms.

His shoulders began to shudder.
Understanding, Griffin spooned around his back and pulled the covers over the
three of them as their mate cried out the loneliness of the last seven
millennia.

****

Poseidon didn’t know how long they held
him, how long he poured out the scalding tears that gushed up from some unknown
reservoir deep within him. He felt the firm warmth of Griffin stretched along
his back, protecting him, and the sweet softness of Amphitrite against his
front comforting him.

Finally he sucked in a shuddering breath.
“Thank you,” he whispered.

His wife kissed his forehead. “You’re
welcome,” she said softly. He looked up into her eyes and saw that she meant
it. “In every sense of the word, my love.”

“We need you, mate,” Griffin said, kissing
his shoulder. “To quote Tony Stark, who was actually quoting Jerry Maguire if I
remember correctly, you complete us.”

Poseidon glanced back at his mate. “Tony
Stark?”

Griffin sighed. “Yeah, we definitely need a
movie night. I’m going to introduce both of you to the wonder that is the
Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Amphitrite let out a ladylike snort. “I
hardly need an introduction. I’d happily watch Robert Downey Jr. read the
Eleusinian
Mysteries
.”

Griffin perked. “Really? I would’ve pegged
you as a Captain America fan.”

“Oh, Chris Evans is most aesthetically
pleasing, don’t get me wrong. But I’m more inclined to pat him on the head and
give him cookies. Whereas Mr. Downey is—” She let out a little purr.

Poseidon had no idea what his mates were
talking about, but he was sure he’d enjoy whatever it was if they were with him.
He also knew they were trying to lighten the atmosphere, and loved them even
more for it. “A marvelous movie night it is, then,” he said.

Griffin laughed again. “Marvel. Never
mind. I—”

He stopped. Poseidon felt something
thickening against his ass, slowly swelling, and glanced over his shoulder. “Griffin?”

“Oh.” A look of almost comical surprise
crossed Griffin’s face, before it was blown away by a huge grin. “Fuck. I’m
getting hard!”

Joy lit Amphitrite’s face. “Darling,
that’s wonderful!” she said, reaching across him to stroke their mortal mate’s
arm. Then she gave Poseidon a look that could only be called saucy. “We should
celebrate this, shouldn’t we, husband?”

“Indeed we should, wife.” He shifted onto
his back, sliding his arms around each of their shoulders and pulling them
close. “And I believe I promised you something, Griffin, for when you regained
this particular function.”

Their mortal mate blinked at him. “You’re
serious?”

“Indeed. I think it would be an excellent
way to celebrate our union.”

Amphitrite propped her chin on Poseidon’s
chest, studying them both. “What are you two talking about?”

Griffin hesitated, and he chuckled. “We
had a very philosophical discussion about penetration, my dear. I told Griffin
that when his issue abated, he could take me.”

Amphitrite’s eyebrows rose almost to her
hairline. “You’re going to let Griffin top you?” she said, disbelieving.

“Yes. I’m rather looking forward to it.”
He gave her a seductive smile. “And I was hoping that you would let me make
love to you while he did it. I find the idea of the three of us together like
that extremely arousing.”

Griffin’s cock twitched against his ass.
“You’re not the only one,” Griffin said, half groaning. “Christ, just thinking
about it makes me want to come.”

Poseidon ground back against his mortal,
earning another groan. “
Ammie
?”

“Oh, yes,” Amphitrite said, her voice
dropping into the throaty tone that he still remembered. “But Griffin will have
to prepare you first. Am I allowed to watch?”

“I would certainly hope so.” Poseidon grinned
over his shoulder. “What do you say, beloved? Should we give our lady a show?”

“Fuck, yes.” Griffin kissed him and Poseidon
gave himself to the hunger in his mate’s lips, enjoying the heat and need. In
mid-kiss he glanced over at Amphitrite. High points of color had come out in
her cheeks, and her nipples were already peaked. Yes, she definitely liked the
thought of watching them together.

He lay back and surrendered himself to
Griffin’s attentions. Still kissing him, Griffin trailed light fingers down his
chest and abdomen, toying with the auburn curls that graced his groin, before
taking his cock in a loose clasp. It began to thicken as Griffin played with
it.

“I’m going to need some lube, love,” he
said.

Poseidon reached out and fetched some of
his favorite unguent from Olympus, handing the pot to Griffin. “Here.”

Griffin stared at the small cut-glass jar
and its creamy contents. “Is that what you were using on me?”

“Yes. Why?”

“It explains a few things.”

“Oh, dear,” Amphitrite said, sniggering.

Poseidon flushed. “Why are you giggling?”

She grinned at him. “It’s just that for
someone who’s incredibly up to date when it comes to technology, you’re
somewhat old school when it comes to sex.”

He huffed at that. “I haven’t had sex with
anyone in centuries. It’s not my fault if I’m somewhat behind on the cutting
edge of lubricants.”

“Never mind,” Griffin said, sitting up and
shifting until he was sitting between Poseidon’s legs. “I did a bit of reading
up on the topic. Why don’t we try something that’s made for the activity?”

He named a specific brand of modern
lubricant, one that was silicone-based. Shrugging, Poseidon sent the unguent
away and fetched a black tube, handing it over. “Is this it?”

“Yeah, perfect.” Griffin uncapped it and
pumped a thick, clear glob onto his fingers. Tossing the tube onto the bed, he
urged Poseidon’s legs up until they were bent at the knee. “
Ammie
,
could you keep his mouth occupied while I’m working here?”

“I believe I could do that.” Amphitrite stretched
out across his chest and kissed him, nipping his lower lip and letting it slide
out from between her white teeth. “I missed you, you stubborn old bull,” she
said in Ancient Greek.

“Gaia, how I’ve missed you. I love you,”
he said in the same language. “I’ve always loved you.”

“And I’ve always loved you,” she said,
kissing him again. “Even when I was furious with you.”

He felt wet fingers slide into his crease,
teasing the sensitive flesh there before circling the tight iris. “Are you
happy with this,
Ammie
? Truly?”

She stroked his cheek, gazing into his
eyes. “I’m happy, beloved. I have everything I ever wanted.” She glanced down
at Griffin. “And I’m sorry, my love.”

“For what?”

“For keeping Medusa from you. If I’d told
you about her from the beginning—”

The last bit of pain in his heart
dissolved. He smothered her words with a kiss. “Don’t apologize, beloved. You
did what you thought was right at the time.”

“But we’ve lost so much time already. And
now Griffin’s illness—”

Poseidon gasped as Griffin’s fingertip
penetrated him. “I’m working on that. Chiron is searching for Apollo.”

“I should have known you’d have it in
hand.” She reached down and stroked his cock lightly, playing with the growing
veins along the shaft. “Speaking of having things in hand. Do you remember the
first time we did this?”

He swallowed, vibrating between the
sensation of her hand on his cock and Griffin’s finger slowly opening him up.
“You’ll have to define your terms a bit more clearly, beloved. I don’t believe
we ever entertained a third partner before.”

“I meant this.” She squeezed his cock, and
he groaned at the throbbing sensation. “It was shortly after our wedding, at
your temple in Crete. You were so eager, but I was supposed to meet with Mother
and Father and you had to speak to your priests.”

He panted softly. “So we made ourselves
invisible and you brought me off behind the altar. Yes, I remember.” It was the
moment he knew he would love his feisty, sensual, fearless consort forever.
“Although I still think fellatio would have been more appropriate.”

“You always thought fellatio was more
appropriate,” she said, chuckling. “It was a marble floor, beloved, and I
wasn’t able to summon things yet. My knees would have bruised.”

“I would have kissed them better. I should
have kissed you between them more often, as well.” He licked his lips,
remembering her taste. “I was foolish. So many years of joy lost to us.”

“And so many still to come,” she reminded
him, running her thumb over the head of his cock. “Now that we have Griffin.”

Who picked that moment to clear his
throat.
“Just a reminder, I don’t actually speak Ancient
Greek,” he said.