Open Your Heart

by Aspen Winters

  We all do need to get to know Clara more.

  Since she woke up though, she had been trying to listen and not be so stubborn. I hoped that lasted.

  "Since you have time, why don't you see if you can get some insight on the matter? Just talk and see if she gives you any information." I wanted to find out what could have made our bonded so cautious with her heart.

  "I'll do that..." Poseidon moved toward the stables, and turned to give me a smirk. "Have fun working. I know some more Egyptian gods arrived. Eros is thrilled." He then laughed as I glared at his retreating form.

  Today was definitely going to be a long day.

  ~Clara~

  I was alone in the sables and smiled. I was still a bit weirded out by talking animals, but it was just going to take some getting used too. Maybe they could give good insight on things, one never knew.

  "Come on Ace." I patted my leg, motioning for the hellhound to follow me. He was getting too close to one of the winged horse’s stables for comfort. Ace gave a whine before moving to walk by my side as I went deeper into the building.

  "You're back," a masculine voice sounded.

  I blinked and looked to a pure black Pegasus, who was looking at me with piercing blue eyes. He was huge too. At least two heads taller than me.

  "Hello," I said, breathless as I looked at him. I didn't see this Pegasus when I was here yesterday, but apparently, he saw me.

  "Um, I am back. I was bored and wouldn't mind company." I paused, licking my lips before I continued, "That is if you all don't mind?" I didn't want to force my company upon them, but I had hoped to chat or maybe hear stories from the Pegasus.

  "We don't get a lot of visitors who just want to talk," the Pegasus spoke, eyeing me with calculating eyes. He shook his head, giving a sigh as he stamped his hooves on the ground.

  "You are welcomed little bonded. My master has spoken to me many times about you."

  I had a feeling I knew who his master was, but I wasn't totally sure. I was guessing it was either Zeus or Poseidon. They seemed like they would be the owner of such a Pegasus.

  "Who is your master?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

  "He is mine."

  I jumped, spinning around to see Poseidon, a smirk on his face as he looked me over.

  "Master," the Pegasus greeted, before moving away from the stall door to leave the two of us alone.

  "Hello," I greeted, a small smile on my face. He returned the smile, and motioned me to follow him. A smirk came to his face as he saw Ace by my feet.

  "It seems Hades is making sure he gives you gifts." Green eyes glimmered with amusement, as he put a hand on the small of my back and led me through the stables until we were at a small sitting area.

  There was a long couch with a table and on the other side were two chairs that matched the crisp white couch. On the table was a chess set made of different types of crystals. My eyes stayed on it as Poseidon led me to the couch to sit.

  "Yes. He gave me Ace as another form of protection," I said, but had a feeling he knew that already.

  "He will be good protection once he is full grown." Poseidon bent down and pet the hellhound, who was watching the sea god with wary red eyes.

  "How do you like Olympus so far? I know we haven't been around much because of the situation…" Poseidon trailed off as he took a seat next to me. He looked comfortable as he relaxed into the cushions.

  "You seem just as tired as Zeus," I told him, a frown on my face. They all were working around the clock to get everything done.

  He chuckled as a smirk stretched across his face. "I was away from Atlantis for longer than I should have been. I had a lot to do there. Paperwork and seeing my subjects, as well as making sure the kingdom was secured."

  I paused at this, biting my lip. I didn't know much about the gods’ real lives. I knew what they were the god of, and knew the mythology I had read in books. I didn't know how accurate those stories were though.

  "Atlantis is real then?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him as I felt Ace make himself comfortable by laying around my feet. He is too adorable to be a hellhound.

  Poseidon brought me back from my thoughts as he started to talk, bringing my attention back to him. I was curious to hear about Atlantis.

  "Yes. It is very different from the tales you have heard, I am sure." He grinned, knowing he had my full attention.

  "What is it like there? It is underwater correct?" I really was curious how that worked. He didn't have gills or anything. I wondered if there were merfolk then.

  Laughing Poseidon shook his head as he saw the childlike glee come to my face and I quickly made myself calm down.

  "Yes, I can breathe underwater, like most of the people who live in Atlantis." He paused, for a moment before his green eyes connected to my blue ones. "Though the stories you know of Atlantis are a bit different than what you have read."

  I tilted my head to the side as I looked at him from the side of my eyes. "Can you tell me about it?"

  “For one, merfolk aren't as you think they are." He laughed at my disappointed look.

  I remembered reading about mermaids and watching The Little Mermaid when I was young. Mermaids had always fascinated me along with most little girls.

  "Now don't go making that face. We do have Sirens. Those creatures are a bit difficult to deal with though. The mermaids you probably read about aren't true."

  I was disappointed at this, but I had a feeling that would be so.

  "Most of the people I watch over are like humans, but are able to breathe and live under the water. Some of my people have gone and lived on land. Though, most who go to live on land, end up coming back," he told me, his eyes taking on a faraway look.

  "I don't blame them. I bet they didn't like how crazy it is up here," I replied, a laugh leaving me. I wouldn't blame them at all. The world was a crazy place, and getting worse as time went on.

  "It is rather...lovely up here," Poseidon commented.

  I scoffed. It was more than lovely. The world was a big mess. People were selfish and didn't bother helping people. "People are cruel and selfish. Most people would rather take a video of an event happening than helping to make that event stop. I have seen it plenty of times."

  It was true. People would rather record something bad or good happening to someone else, than go help or congratulate said person. It was a sad but true fact.

  I shook my head. "So there are no mermaids...but there are Sirens..." I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about what I had just said.

  "Yes. Sirens are creatures that tend to lure dark souls to their death. Usually, humans with guilty souls are taken to their demise." Poseidon let me change the subject, and I was thankful for that.

  "My people look like normal humans. We live underwater, but Atlantis isn't underwater itself. It is almost a bubble. They breathe air as any human would." Poseidon grinned as he probably noticed how closely I was listening to him.

  "Do you spend most of your time down in Atlantis?" He had been quick to find me when he felt the bond start to form. I had assumed he lived on Earth or Olympus, but now that we were talking, I knew that was most likely not true.

  "I do. I spend a lot of my time going between Olympus and Atlantis. Though I do spend my personal time on some of the beaches." He grinned, his teeth showing as he leaned on the arm of the couch.

  "Beaches. I guess that fits with you being the God of the Sea." I laughed, I could see him sitting on the beach with a book, or just admiring the scenery.

  "It is true. I prefer places that are close to the sea. It makes me more at ease."

  "What is Atlantis like?" I wondered if it was like a palace or something else. I had pictures in my mind what it could look like, but I knew that wasn't even close to what it would really be.

  "There is a palace. I stay there and so do many others. It is almost like its own town. There are homes, shopping places and even schools." He paused, a thoughtful look coming to him, "Though Atlantis
, has a different social system. There are guards who help protect Atlantis from sea monsters that are occupying the sea. There are also plenty of politicians who live there."

  "So the stories are true and there is a King of Atlantis?" I could tell he was amused by this as he shook his head.

  "That is correct. I am known as King of the Sea. I do have the power to control the ocean and its creatures." His fingers went to a pendant that lay on his shirt. I never noticed it before. It was a pure gold with engraved carvings, and shaped like a trident.

  I blinked at the piece of jewelry. "What is that exactly?" I motioned to the gold trident he touched.

  "This is what you would call a 'weapon'. I am sure you have seen it in some of the mythology books." He pointed to the gold trident. "This grows when I want it to and becomes the trident that I can use in battles. I haven't had a need to wear this for a while, but I am being safe." His eyes had a cold hard look as he dropped his hand back down so it rested in his lap. "I’d rather have my weapon of choice than not have it at all."

  I could understand that. Better safe than sorry was an accurate saying.

  "Would you like to ask some more questions?" Poseidon inquired, raising a dark eyebrow at me.

  A small blush dusted my cheeks, I had been spitting question after question out. "If you would like to tell me more about Atlantis, I wouldn't mind."

  "Ask away, little dove." He laughed, it was pure and carefree.

  At that moment I knew maybe I could get used to this.

  I yawned, the sky was getting dark and Poseidon and I had been talking for hours. It was nice to just get to know him. It was definitely something I wouldn't mind doing again. I got to see a different side of him and learn more about him.

  "I think it is time for you to retire. I can have someone come and deliver dinner to you. We have been out here longer than I anticipated." Poseidon stood up, offering his hand to me.

  I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. I gave him a nod. "I think that time got away from me today. I wasn't expecting to be out here all day. I had wanted to go see the gardens, but I can leave that for another day." I wanted to get a closer look at the tree with the golden apples. It fascinated me.

  "Can you have food delivered for Ace as well?" I looked at the dog who had moved away from us when we had been talking. He was sitting at attention in one of the plush chairs across from us.

  Ace gave a low bark, as if asking about food himself causing me to laugh and take a step away from the god.

  "Food shall be arranged for the both of you. For now let's get you back to your room." He spoke softly, moving my arm so it was in the crook of his like he had done before.

  "Come, Ace."

  The hellhound barked and jumped off the chair so he was standing next to me. His red eyes were alert and following my every move.

  "Come. We can walk by the garden on the way back."

  I nodded, this way I could still see a bit of the garden today. Maybe I could remember where it was and try to find it tomorrow on my own. I most likely wouldn't be able to, but it wouldn't hurt. I had a feeling I would be seeing more people around now too. I didn't know if I was looking forward to that.

  "Did you enjoy your day here?" Poseidon asked as he led me out of the stable, and outside.

  The air was crisp and had me breathing deeply in. The air here was so different from New York that was for sure. "I did have a good time talking to you...even though I wasn't fond of really talking about myself." I gave him a grin at his amused look. "Now you know my favorite color and some other useless information."

  He hadn't asked any real invasive questions about my life. They had been mostly likes and dislikes. He had been surprised when he learned I was a vegetarian.

  "Little dove, all information about you is useful." He chuckled, as he gave my arm a squeeze. "I am getting to know you. All information is letting me do that. I may not know everything about you, but that will come in time."

  My heart fluttered at this, but I didn't say anything for a moment. This god was starting to get under my skin as I spent more and more time with him.

  "I may not have told you everything about me, or my past like you wanted... But maybe soon I will." I looked at him, my blue eyes trying to convey what I was feeling. I really would try to open up to about my past, but some of the things in my life I had never spoken about with another person. I had to get to that point where I felt comfortable with telling them.

  "You can take your time. I will wait for you. We all will."

  I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I really appreciated it. It meant a lot to me that they would wait for me to open up about my life. "Why are you all so..." I didn't know how to put it. They all had been so understanding through this whole process, more so than I thought they should have been with me. I knew if I had been in their situation, I would have wanted to strangle me. I hadn't been easy on them, and I was still wary of some things.

  "We all know you are being thrown into a different world, same as the others. You aren't the first one to fight the bond to a god." He laughed as he led me down a hall I recognized. I had been down this hall more than once.

  "I didn't really believe in gods, so it was a bit harder for me to swallow at first." When I was first told about gods, I thought Eros was crazy.

  "That is why we are trying to give you time, though waiting for you to come to terms is a bit hard to do." He gave me look, and I knew he was going to refer to my runaway incident. "If you had come to terms earlier, you might not have run away."

  I gave a weak smile, but didn't say anything back about that. I knew I was in the wrong for running away, and there was nothing I could do about it now.

  "We all are starting to...become attached to you, so don't make us worry about you more than we need too."

  I tilted my head at this. The conversation we had before raced through my mind. Grinning I stopped and took my arm away from his as I turned so I could look him in the eyes.

  “Are your...affections dangerous to me then?” I asked eyebrow raised as I took a step closer to the god of the sea. I was feeling bolder, it may have had to do with how much time I had spent with him today, or how the energy around us seemed to almost crackle.

  My lip twitched as I felt his hand cup my cheek, a scowl was on his face making my grin grow. It was definitely fun to tease him. He had a serious look on his face half the time, so to get a reaction from him was something I found fun to do.

  "What?" I asked, my voice filled with false innocence as I tried to suppress my smile. I clearly failed by the unimpressed look on his face.

  "You really do like to push buttons, don't you, little dove." He bent down and gently kissed my lips, startling me.

  The kiss didn't last long, it was a chaste one, but I could still feel the emotion in it. He quickly pulled back, his lips hovering over my own as a slow grin stretched across his lips.

  "You should know it isn't nice to tease." I lifted an eyebrow at the god of the sea and rolled my eyes when I saw the smile on his face grow as his eyes almost seemed to glow in amusement.

  He leaned down and captured my lips again, this time I responded back. I knew that this was the turning point in our relationship. I was slowly starting to accept them all. I just didn't know if I liked that thought or not, but at this moment I didn't care.

  Thirteen Years Ago

  ~Clara~

  It was dark in my room as I laid in bed with headphones on my head. It was a weeknight and my mother was not home. It was past three in the morning and she was with her new boyfriend. I had a feeling she was staying with him. Lately, I had gone days at a time without seeing her. She was really immersing herself in this guy’s life.

  That usually ended up bad for me. I was only fourteen, but I had enough time knowing my mother’s patterns to know that she let herself be attracted to the wrong kind of men. She had been better the last two guys though. They hadn't bothered to talk to me, which was great. I didn't like having to deal wi
th her men of the week or weeks, depending on how much she liked the guy....or on how many drugs he could provide her.

  With a sigh, I sat up and glared at the digital clock on my dresser. The big red numbers seemed to mock me. I wasn't worried.

  Okay, I was.

  I didn't know if my mother was alive or dead. The men she hung out with, I knew wouldn't blink at shooting someone if provoked. My mother could bring out the worst in people. I had seen the arguments she had gotten into with some of those men. Some were not a pretty sight. I had seen her bruised and beaten more than once in my life. It was something I didn't want to see again.

  I got off the bed, removing my headphones and throwing them back onto the bed. I felt my feet hitting the cold floor and made my way out into the silent apartment. I could hear the wind outside making the apartment make creaking sounds. It made me feel uneasy.

  "It is just sounds, nothing else," I muttered to myself as I made my way into the kitchen, flipping on the light switch. The lights flickered on and off before staying on, making me sigh. This apartment complex was worse than the last one we had lived in. Things seemed to always break, but there were no bugs at this complex. I’d rather take the things breaking than bugs.

  I moved through the kitchen and into the living room. There was an old television sitting on a coffee table, and there was a recliner and a couch. That was all that was in the room. There used to be more, but when we got evicted from the last apartment we ended up not taking the bigger furniture.

  I sat down on the couch, my body relaxing into the lumpy cushions. My mind started to wander as I sat there. I couldn't fall back asleep because my mind kept going to situations that my so-called mother could be in.

  It wasn't like I had a phone at my disposal to try to call her either. A phone was too expensive so we never got one for the apartment, and cell phones were not even up for discussion. My mother had the only phone and it would stay that way until I was eighteen and could afford one myself.