Hi my beloved readers. I know my updates are sparse and I have no real excuse other than I am busy with other things. Uni, work, my new house, my family. We're all busy, but it appears all those times your parents moan about these things when you're a kid, they're talking sense, so be more lenient with them.

I don't have time to run through all the messages and reviews I received in the interim between chapters, but please know that I read every single one of them, and each made my day. To all of you who love my writing enough to leave such dedicated responses, good or bad, it's what pushes me to be a better writer in my original work. I wouldn't change that, and I thank you for it.

This is not a promise that I will update on a more regular basis or that I will prioritise this over other stuff because, to be frank, there are other things that require my attention. But I can give you all my word that, whenever I have a spare minute to myself, instead of being idle I will open a new document and write this for you. You all mean so much to me, and this fiction is such a nice break from making the adult transition.

I love you all, and I will finish this for you, no matter how long it takes. But for now I have wasted your time enough, so here's the long-anticipated update...

"P-Poseidon!"

Athena bit her lip to keep from crying out. She was sitting on the desk in the war pavilion, amongst all their designs and war plans, holding tight to Poseidon's shoulders as he made love to her. They had been cooped up in here for three days producing more and more brilliant ideas and every now again, caught up in the excitement of their own genius, they got carried away and launched themselves at each other.

She dug her nails into his flesh as he kissed her neck, leaving crescent-shaped marks, and he pulled her hips up to get a better angle. As he hit her sweet spot, she forced him to face her and crushed his lips with hers in a searing kiss to drown out her cry of ecstasy. The last thing she wanted right now is for someone to walk in and ruin this perfect moment. The noise of rushing, weapon-making and anticipated chatter was obscuring the blissful moans and murmurs of their activities. But with the brink drawing ever closer, they were only getting louder.

Poseidon pushed her dress further up to touch the delicious olive flesh of her hips. Athena shuddered as his fingers gently ghosted over the sensitive skin, throwing her head back in pleasure. Her gorgeous neck exposed, radiating warmth and her scent, drove Poseidon insane. He latched his lips to it, greedily claiming her with bruising kisses. Athena called out and locked her ankles behind him. Poseidon could feel his end fast approaching, speeding rapidly like one of the chariots they had just designed, and he leaned forward, pushing Athena against the desk. He stopped his thrusting for a moment to look at her.

"You are a queen among women," he muttered, brushing his nose against hers.

"You are a king among fools," she replied with a smile. He kissed her with all the fire burning in his belly and thrust into her again, hard and fast. The table beneath them vibrated as Athena slammed her hand down on its cold surface. The clanging and rabble outside faded from earshot as they screamed each other's names, plummeting as one.

Their comedown was halted by high-pitched laughter. Poseidon looked down at Athena, but he already knew it couldn't have been her voice. Both turning to look at the entrance of the tent, they saw Aphrodite staring at them, eyebrow raised in apparent approval. Poseidon leapt away from the table like a cat, his brain rapidly searching for a viable explanation to what she had seen. Athena, seeing his struggle on his rugged and effort-worn face, stood up in front of him, flattening the front of her dress.

"Be calm, lover," she whispered, gently putting a hand to his chest. "Aphrodite knows. She saw us outside the council chambers. She's promised me her silence."

Poseidon looked between the two women, clearly uncomfortable that he hadn't been told of this, but his features soon relaxed into begrudging acceptance. Athena beamed and nodded to reassure him.

"I came to warn you." Aphrodite said. "Zeus is on his way; he needs the new designs because my 'dear sweet husband' is kicking up a fuss about being called idle. I believe his exact words were: 'Take it up with your arrogant arse of a brother and my own perfect sister. If you're looking for someone to call lazy, tell them I can't build something I have no instructions for.'"

"Charming." Poseidon rolled is eyes and crossed his arms.

"He'll be here soon, so look lively. Well," she scoffed, "you looked pretty lively anyway but look busy. And, Athena, I would do something about the state of your dress. Zeus is not a perceptive character, but he's a bloodhound when it comes to the affect of sex on women's clothing." Aphrodite paused and her delicate nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. "Oh, and there's no way he'll miss the all-too-familiar musky scent of animalistic rutting, but I can help with that."

A golden glow surrounded her, and then dispersed around the room in a fragrant dust that masked the odour of their intimacy completely. As the perfume entered Poseidon's nostrils, he felt dizzy and closed his eyes, memories of a nymph he wanted so badly to forget filling his head, though he wasn't sure why.

"It was not 'animalistic rutting' as you so shrewdly label it, Aphrodite," Athena said sternly, flattening all the crumples in the silk fabric of her peplos. Aphrodite smirked.

"Call it what you will, dearest Athena, it looked rather animalistic to me." She raised her hands when it looked as though Athena was going to argue. "There is no judgement from me. From what I saw, you do not have to be the Goddess of Love to see your passion for each other. Now, Zeus will be here soon. Pull it together, Force and Reason, and bless you both."

She left as quietly as she had entered, leaving Poseidon and Athena alone once more to anticipate Zeus' arrival. Athena noticed the frown etched in Poseidon's brow.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Poseidon shook his head.

"I'm just not happy that Aphrodite knows about this. I know this is no fault of yours," he added when he saw her face fall, not wanting her to think he was angry with her, "but I'm not sure I can trust her not to tell anyone, and I don't want to entertain what Zeus will do to us if he finds out from someone else. You are, after all, his favourite. He will most likely have me gelded and you locked in an iron maiden. And that is not a fate becoming of such a rare and independent beauty as yourself."

"Oh, my beautiful idiot." Athena caressed his cheek. "There is so much to fear for now, and my fate for being yours should not be so high on your list."

"Forgive me, but your life is more precious to me than any other." He took her hand in his and kissed it. Pulling it from his grasp, Athena rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Come along, Force. Reason needs your head and heart in the right place if we are to win this war, in case you've forgotten why we are here."

He happily followed her to the table and they reordered their designs from where they had been scattered. Not one parchment had been moved before they heard the tent flap open, and two prominent footfalls behind them.

"Well?" A stern voice barked. They turned to face Zeus, looking grand in his impressive gold armour.

"Zeus." Poseidon nodded.

"Let us dispense with the pleasantries, brother, or are you forgetting we are at war?" Zeus strode towards them, covering the distance in a few steps and standing between them to look at the designs. Anger flared in Poseidon's face at his brother's mood, but Athena rested a hand on his wrist and shook her head subtly, diffusing his rage.

"Hephaestus tells me you have neglected to send him a single design in over a day. Tell me, what has you so distracted that you forgot the importance of this work which was, may I remind you, your idea?"

Poseidon did not care for Zeus' attitude, almost enough to want to tell him exactly what it was he had been doing. He also did not fail to notice that, while his speech was meant for them both, he was only glaring angrily at Poseidon. But then, this was a war, and Poseidon could understand that, if not appreciate it. He did not waver in staring back at his brother, jaw stiffened.

"There were a few faults we thought we should work out involving suspension. Pegasi can be a little rough under fire. We were just making notes to ensure Hephaestus took that in stride."

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Daughter, I trust you to get these to Hephaestus within the hour. We cannot be delayed another day."

"What has you in such a rush, father?" Athena asked. "We have had no further aggression from the titans on Olympus."

"Not here, no. But on their way to Mount Othrys, they have laid waste to almost every city, town, village. Any mortal population between here and there." Zeus looked away from them both, and Poseidon and Athena exchanged expressions of guilt and worry behind his back.

"Work fast," Zeus grumbled, and he strode purposefully out.

"Take these to Hephaestus," Athena ordered, thrusting five of their designs into Poseidon's chest. "They're finished. Zeus is right; we shouldn't forget why we are here."

Poseidon did not need to be asked twice. He left Athena scribbling furiously at the rest of the diagrams and stepped out into the panicked mess that was Olympus. Gods he didn't even recognise ambled about in armour, shouting and demanding things of those around them. Black smoke billowed in thick tendrils from the furnace of Hephaestus' workshop as Poseidon walked in. The god himself was sat over the fire, hammering at what had the makings of a sword. His bare chest and arms were blackened with soot stains, and his dark hair clung to his brow with sweat. He looked up and eyed Poseidon disdainfully as he entered.

"About time one of you showed up. I've had Zeus' nose up my arse for days demanding updates in between the rest of that mindless mob barking orders at me. All the cyclopes, most of which you so graciously... produced for me by the way, are engaged in the smelter's workshops slaving tirelessly over every tedious, medial problem and for what?" He propped up his hammer against a cinder block and snatched the diagrams from Poseidon.

"For the war-effort, nephew." Poseidon followed Hephaestus to the table where he pushed aside several pieces of clutter to make room.

"You don't have to kiss my father's royal posterior now, uncle. He's not here, he can't hear you," Hephaestus grumbled.

"You had best watch yourself," Poseidon growled. His nephew just scoffed at him and didn't look up.

"First Athena, now Zeus. I had no idea you got your jollies off of defending people you outwardly detest."

Poseidon clamped a hand on Hephaestus' shoulder, enough to cause him to cease his actions, and leaned close to his ear. "I think you ought to take the situation more seriously. There is a time and a place for your malcontent, and a titanomachy is certainly not it. So kindly keep your misery to yourself for a measly five minutes, and concentrate on the matter at hand."

Hephaestus huffed out an angry snarl, but did not argue as Poseidon left the workshop. On his way back to the tent to help Athena with the rest of the final adjustments, he was struck by a flustered Hera, whose eyes were red-rimmed and tired. She tried to manoeuvre past him, but he held her firm.

"Hold it, sister," he said softly. "What has you in such a state?"

"Those beastly nymphs! It's all confirmed. All of it!" Hera howled. Poseidon shook his head.

"Slow down, Hera. What is confirmed?"

"That Parnicus bitch, Calista!" Hera exclaimed. "She and her hellish predator sisters have moved into Athens. They've turned on us, and they're occupying the temple."

Poseidon's throat seized up. "What do you mean? They have openly desecrated Athena's temple?"

"If only!" Hera cried. "They sneaked in pretending to be priestesses. Some of our allies in Athens tried to stop but they've barricaded themselves in with Athena's true servants. Gaia's opened a huge rift in the earth at every entrance. No one can get in."

Eyes widening, Poseidon's shock was coupled by a seething anger when he heard a piercing scream echo over the noise. Leaving hysterical Hera to report to her husband, he ran back to the tent and threw open the flap.

Athena was alone, crumpled on the floor, fists balled in her thick black curls. Tears streamed down the olive complexion of her cheeks, which had paled in colour, and she wailed loudly as if someone were twisting a blade in her gut. Poseidon knelt before her, forcing her hands away from her head and making her face him. The pain reflected back at him in those big silver eyes almost made him weep.

"They-they're in my temple. They killed my priestesses in my temple! They're killing them. I can hear them screaming!" She cried out again as if she was in physical agony. Poseidon held her close to his chest and she struggled, beating at his arms with her fists.

"I'll go there now. I'll stop this, I promise." He held her tighter to him until the struggling stopped, and she lay limp against him.

"I... I can't move," she murmured in a voice so small it was unidentifiable as her own. Crawling over to the table, Poseidon gently propped her up against it and looked into her eyes.

"Wait here. I'll go down there now and put a stop to this. No one is going to hurt you again."

Athena gripped his breastplate as he tried to stand. "You-you shouldn't! You'll get in trouble. Zeus ordered no immortal to leave Olympus before the – AHHH!"

She screamed again, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her head. Poseidon had already made up his mind.

"I don't care what Zeus says, I'm not leaving you like this," he stated. "These traitors have gone far enough, and now they will know what it means to desecrate an Olympian temple."

Kissing her forehead, Poseidon grabbed his trident and strapped on his armour, refusing to listen to Athena's constant screaming for him to stay. Her protests fell on deaf ears in the chatter of the panicked gods, and Poseidon disappeared before her in a flash.