The Whirlpool

The morning light was the one that witnessed the presence of a loving couple, sleeping close to the other under a lazily-made bed of leaves. As soon as the first traces of the sunrays hit Kassus' face, he stirred a little bit. His arm tightened instinctively around the warm form nestled beside him. Aphrodite, hair tousled and cheek pressed against his chest as if she found a beautiful lullaby in the way his heart was beating. For a moment, he remained still, just staring at the remnants of golden sunlight playing across her skin, the hint of a smile still resting on her lips. She looked peaceful, real. He could not stop himself from leaning closer and pressing his lips against her forehead, finding the moment what he had been looking for ever since he opened his heart again.

But duty called, and he knew that they could not survive in an isolated island surrounded by bones and ash. He brushed a lock of her golden hair away from her face, placing it behind her ear just so he could whisper to wake her up.

"I should go find us a boat." 

Aphrodite's eyes fluttered open, soft and slow. "I'll follow you."

Their fingers laced together once they stood. No words were needed about the night before. It lingered in the glances, in the silence that stretched between smiles. There was no regret, only a tender certainty, like something had settled into place. As they walked deeper into the remnants of Troy, Kassus stole a glance or two, receiving soft smiles or playful winks in return. They looked like two younglings deep in love, as if all their pain was suddenly replaced by the peace one brought to the other.

The ruins eventually led them towards a rocky shore, one of the multiple abandoned spots where warriors used to arrive to Troy to fight and take back who belonged to Menelaus, King of Sparta. Tucked between boulders and seaweed lay a boat half-covered in moss and erosion, forgotten by time. Kassus looked at it, before he knelt down to check out how bad the state of the boat was.

"Hm."

Followed by the soft hum, he began to remove some of the moss and seaweed, careful like a craftsman, but fast like a warrior. His fingers moved across the cracked hull as he finally muttered.

"I can fix this. Just a few pieces of wood over the broken parts and it should be good to go."

But before he could reach for a tool, a soft glow warmed the air behind him, making him turn out of curiosity. Aphrodite stood barefoot on the shore, her arms outstretched gently. The wind played with her hair as her divine aura shimmered, wrapping around the boat like a loving touch. Under her power, the moss receded. The cracks mended. The wood gleamed fresh, shaped with delicate curls along the sides like roses etched into the grain. Soft pink sails bloomed from the mast like petals catching the morning light. When the magic settled, the vessel looked like it had been made with care, not for war, but for a journey of meaning.

Kassus took a couple steps back, admiring the reformed boat that was touched by the divine. He raised an eyebrow and smiled softly at his lover.

"I was going to hammer some boards to fix it."

Aphrodite smirked, stepping beside him. "Then it would've sunk before we even left the shore."

He grinned. 

"Does it mean that we are sailing in a love boat now?"

"Don't get used to it." she teased.

But as they boarded, setting their sights toward Rhodes, her hand found his again. No storm, no god, no prophecy. Just two hearts finally moving in the same direction. Kassus waited for Aphrodite to pick up some figs that were still sweet enough for their trip back to Rhodes. Now the only thing dividing them from their destination and joy was the sea. Kassus jumped out of the boat to push it to the water, and quickly jumped back on once the direction was set and they were officially in the sea. Kassus reached for an oar, Aphrodite used the other and together began to row, following the sun that would take them home.

At times, Kassus took over the rowing work since he did not want Aphrodite to get too tired. Even if he knew she had way more resistance thanks to her godhood, Kassus was too stubborn and too in love to let her delicate fingers get sore. Whenever it was too late at night, Kassus took quick naps, making sure they were still on the way home. After all, he sailed on his own back home after the Trojan War. He still knew how dangerous it could get.

For four days, they sailed beneath open skies. Aphrodite sang softly sometimes, old lullabies meant for mortals who prayed to her under moonlight. Kassus listened with his eyes closed, leaning back against the boat's curved frame, letting her voice carry him further than the wind ever could. Other times, they shared dried figs, or spoke in half-whispers, as if afraid a god might hear them and pull their joy from the sky.

The sea had been kind. Too kind. Suddenly on the fifth day, just before dawn, the light began to shift. Kassus was the first to notice the change. The subtle tilt of the waves, an odd silence that spread like fog. The sea, once rippling with light, had grown glassy and slow, as if it were listening. Watching.

And then, in the distance, Rhodes. Its cliffs rose dark against the horizon, and beside them stood the Colossus of the island, that mighty bronze sentinel towering above the port. Arms wide, one foot on either side of the harbor entrance, watching over the island as if still daring invaders to try their luck, or ready to greet its favorite champion. Kassus stood, bracing against the mast.

"There it is." he said, shading his eyes.

Aphrodite came to his side, her gaze soft and already imagining her new life as Kassus' lover, possibly even wife if times blessed them. 

"Home." She said softly.

But just as the sails caught the wind and their boat glided forward, the ocean pulled them back. Not a current. Not a tide. A force. The boat jerked violently as the water surged in reverse, dragging them backwards into the open sea with a sound like a great inhale. The Colossus grew smaller. The sky darkened, clouds spiraling as though stirred by a giant hand. Kassus grabbed the sides of the boat, swearing and trying to keep the boat stable as the wind howled in reverse.

"Oh, come on! What now?!" He cursed.

Aphrodite's hair whipped around her face. She looked at the waves, her jaw tightening. She recognized immediately what was happening, she could feel that strange and powerful presence.

"No, it can't be him." she muttered under her breath, before wrapping her arms around the mast of the boat, trying to keep her emotions in check.

A monstrous wave crested ahead. Impossibly tall, rising like a wall of pure wrath. And from its heart, something emerged. Not gently. Not quietly. The sea cracked open with a thunderous roar and Poseidon rose. His trident gleamed like lightning, barnacles clinging to its shaft. Seaweed crowned his tangled beard, and his skin was the color of storms: deep gray-green, slick with divine power. His eyes were whirlpools of fury, ancient and wild.

Kassus immediately pulled out his sword, taking a step closer to protect Aphrodite. Despite how Aphrodite tried to push him back, his stance was too firm it made the sea god laugh. Poseidon loomed above the sea, larger than any man, yet terrifyingly precise in his fury. His voice boomed across the waters as he spoke.

"You two really think you arrived without a storm or a small whirlpool in the way, didn't ya?" He said between dry and sarcastic laughter before continuing. "You think love can protect you, son of a traitor?"

Kassus was about to reply, but Poseidon's trident struck the sea beside them. It was not meant to kill, but to warn. The wave it sent snapped the boat in half. Water crashed over the deck. Kassus fell to one knee, coughing after he swallowed some water, but gripping Aphrodite's hand to stay steady.

Poseidon in the meantime began to approach, walking on water with malice and amusement in his face. He knew he had the upper hand, the couple were in the water, in his element.

"I let you live once, and it wasn't even 'cause I wanted to. Helios was too annoying to ignore." The god growled, wielding his trident tightly. "Ya killed my niece and took away Aphrodite."

His gaze turned to Aphrodite, colder than the abyss.

"And you? ya betray yer kind for a mortal boy. How stupid." He shook his head, before aiming directly at Kassus. "Let's see if he's good swimmin'."

Poseidon gave them no time to recover. With a simple motion of his hand, the sea obeyed. A massive tendril of water curled beneath Kassus and Aphrodite like a serpent and then launched them through the air, straight into the jagged face of a rocky outcrop just a few meters above the sea. The impact cracked the air with a sickening thud. Kassus' back took the brunt of it, shielding Aphrodite as best he could. They both fell hard onto the slick stone, the world spinning and soaked. Blood pooled in Kassus' mouth as he staggered to his feet, sword still in hand though his arm trembled with pain.

Poseidon stepped forward, walking across the waves like they were solid ground. Every stride echoed with storm and tide. Kassus tried to raise his blade again, but Poseidon was already there. The god's fist met Kassus' ribs with inhuman strength, launching him across the wet stone like a rag doll. His body slammed against the rocks again, this time hard enough to dent the metal buckles of his armor. Aphrodite screamed his name, but Poseidon ignored her. Kassus coughed violently, blood spraying from his lips. His hand still clung to the hilt of his blade, as if he could swing back to fight the god of the seas.

"Still standing?" Poseidon asked, his voice full of loathing. "Let's fix that."

He rammed the base of his trident into Kassus' gut, pinning him to the stone. Kassus gasped, all the wind knocked from him as the prongs of the weapon bit into his flesh. Not deep enough to kill— but deep enough to hurt. Poseidon twisted it once, slowly, drawing a cry of pain from the mortal.

"I could drown you a thousand times and it still wouldn't be enough." Poseidon hissed, pressing down harder to make Kassus cry of pain again. "But I want you to beg. I wanna hear you scream for her to save your sorry ass."

Aphrodite scrambled towards them, slipping on the wet stone, her divine aura flickering wildly with panic and anger. She reached towards Kassus, but Poseidon knocked her back with a mere flick of his wrist. A tidal shove sent her tumbling, her skin grazed and cut by the rock, releasing some ichor. 

Poseidon turned back to Kassus, savoring the agony. "This is for Hephaestus. For my blood. For my dignity. You're just a worm playing hero."

Another stab. This one into Kassus' left shoulder. He let out a howl this time, his sword falling from his grip and clattering to the ground. Kassus tried to use his good hand to pull out the trident, but he only caused Poseidon to change the stab from his shoulder to his right forearm, practically keeping Kassus pinned and bloody. 

"Stop it!" Aphrodite's voice cut through the storm, she was panicked and horrified.

Poseidon's hand hovered for another strike, but he paused. She was standing now, hands clenched into trembling fists, eyes wide with horror and fury. Her golden hair clung to her soaked skin, and ichor trickled down her cheek from a shallow cut.

"I'll go back." she said breathlessly. "To Olympus. To my old life. I'll leave him. Just— stop. Please."

The words tasted like poison in her mouth. Her heart cracked even as she said them, but she could not watch him suffer another second. Not like this. Poseidon studied her for a moment. The rage in his face not fading, but shifting into cruel satisfaction. He yanked the trident free from Kassus, who slumped to the ground, barely conscious and bleeding.

"You belong to the gods, Dite." Poseidon said darkly. "Not to broken little men who think love can rewrite fate."

He turned to Aphrodite, towering over her. "You come with me. Now. Or I finish what I started."

Aphrodite stood frozen, torn in a storm of her own. Every part of her wanted to run to Kassus, to cradle his broken body, to whisper that she would never leave him. But she knew Poseidon would not allow it. He had made her choose and he had won. Her hands shook as she took a small step towards him, her heart breaking with every inch. Poseidon did not smile, but his expression curled with grim satisfaction. Not victory— just dominance.

But before summoning his chariot, he turned one last time towards Kassus, who lay barely breathing, the warrior's limbs trembling and soaked in blood, teeth clenched in pain.

"You forgot something, boy." Poseidon said, his voice suddenly quieter and dangerous. "Something you were taught in the war. Something yer cursed blade knows better than your heart ever did."

Kassus opened one eye, barely able to focus. Poseidon crouched, gripping Kassus' hair and forcing him to look into those whirlpool eyes.

"Close your heart or you'll suffer. You forgot that. She made you forget. And now you'll learn again."

With a terrible grunt of effort, Poseidon hurled Kassus off the stone outcrop, not into the sea, but into a spiraling whirlpool that had formed at the edge of the battlefield. It had not been there before. The god had called it. It spun with unnatural fury, like a hungry mouth in the ocean. Aphrodite cried out in horror, a sound that pierced the very sky. She lunged forward, but Poseidon raised his trident and cast a barrier of churning water between her and the edge. She hit it hard, falling back to the rock as the whirlpool swallowed Kassus whole.

Kassus could not scream, he simply sank, limp yet conscious.

Poseidon raised his trident once again, and the chariot of the sea rose from the depths, drawn by hippocampi snarling and wild. Water parted for the god as he stepped into it, never once looking back.

"Let Olympus chain your heart again." he told Aphrodite coldly. "You were never meant to love a mortal."

And with that, the chariot vanished into the storm, taking Aphrodite along with him even if it was against her will. She knelt in silence beneath the gray sky and on the divine chariot, watching the whirlpool collapse into calm waters, taking the love of her eternal life away in a moment.

Kassus was gone.

End of act I.