Chapter 48.1 Seafaring
Time passed swiftly, and no one knew how many years had passed beneath the sea.
Venus had been in a bad mood recently, demanding that Poseidon release him.
At first, Poseidon tried to distract him by showering him with mountains of jewels and telling him captivating stories, hoping to pull his attention away from the world outside. When Venus grew bored of these, he was drawn in by Poseidon’s endless variety of enticing games, sinking into them completely with no time to worry about anything else.
Poseidon truly knew how to win the favor of the God of Pleasure.
Now, having mastered every game Poseidon offered, Venus finally began to feel an overwhelming urge to see the world outside again. Spending all his time within the palace had begun to make him feel stale.
Venus didn’t spend all his time locked up, though. Whenever he showed the slightest interest in Poseidon’s games, the God of Sea would allow him to roam within the palace. The palace was enormous, like a labyrinth, fully equipped with everything one might need, and there were no other people. Venus wandered for a long time, but he couldn’t find an exit.
He gave up and returned to continue playing games with Poseidon.
But lately, he had grown more and more tired of this luxurious prison.
Venus decided that the next time Poseidon came, he would do anything to make him take him outside, even if it meant throwing a tantrum, crying, or hanging himself.
Poseidon wasn’t in the palace. He visited Venus every day, though not always for long. The King of the Sea had his own affairs to attend to.
Venus sat idly, munching on seaweed.
This was a rare and precious kind of seaweed. Every time they finished a game, Poseidon would feed it to him, and after eating it, he would gain a slight boost in power. However, the side effect was that it prevented pregnancy for a short time.
Because of this side effect, Poseidon, without a hint of regret, gave Venus this seaweed that the gods longed for but could not get. He certainly didn’t want Venus to suddenly become pregnant and have a little cub disturbing their private world.
Venus didn’t care whether the seaweed was rare or whether it prevented pregnancy. The taste was good enough, so he treated it like candy.
When it came to wasting natural resources, Venus and Poseidon’s values were in perfect alignment.
A blue light suddenly flashed, and Poseidon appeared in the palace. Venus paused mid-chew, swallowing the seaweed in his mouth.
“Poseidon, I want to go out,” Venus said bluntly.
Poseidon, holding a cup of warm milk, replied, “Drink your milk.”
Venus insisted, “I said I want to go out.”
Here it came again. Every time he said he wanted to leave, Poseidon would distract him with something else, clearly implying that he wouldn’t be allowed to go out.
This time, Venus was determined! Nothing would change his mind!
Poseidon held out the milk to him. “Drink the milk first.”
“I won’t drink it!” Venus angrily knocked the cup over.
The scalding milk immediately splashed onto Poseidon’s wrist, turning his pale skin a light red.
Poseidon glanced down at the spill, his expression unreadable.
Venus’ heart skipped a beat, a twinge of fear creeping in. Was this pervert about to punish him again?
In truth, Venus and Poseidon were very much in sync. Over the years, their teamwork in their two-player games had become more and more seamless. Although the difficulty set by Poseidon kept increasing, Venus had always managed to complete the challenges, and the rewards were always generous.
Poseidon was truly the perfect lover.
If only there wasn’t the punishment mode.
The punishment games were set to an impossible difficulty, and the worst part was that there were no rewards after completing them.
To put it simply, after playing, he wouldn’t even be allowed to release his desires.
Was this something the God of Pleasure could tolerate? The vengeful Venus cursed the pervert god countless times in his heart.
Determined not to end up in the punishment game again, Venus quickly relented. “Fine, I’ll drink it……”
He lowered his head, licking the milk from Poseidon’s wrist clean with his tongue. To his surprise, the milk tasted quite good, and he found himself becoming a little addicted.
The god’ physique was incredibly resilient. The skin that had just been scorched red quickly returned to normal. Poseidon, who spent most of his time deep beneath the sea, rarely saw sunlight, so his skin was so pale it was nearly translucent. It was perfect for holding milk like a glass container.
Poseidon, the Glass Container, asked, “Finished drinking?”
Venus replied, “Almost.”
Poseidon chuckled, “Not from the cup, but straight from my hand. Is this how you like it?”
Venus spoke honestly, “I didn’t expect the milk to taste this good.”
Poseidon: “Change your clothes.”
Venus: “I don’t feel like changing.” He had grown tired of playing dress-up games. After all, besides Poseidon, no one else would see his beauty.
Poseidon looked him over, taking in his barely covered form. “You’re going to go out like this?”
Venus instantly became excited. “What? Does that mean I can go out now?”
“I couldn’t bear to keep you locked away for much longer,” Poseidon smiled. “I’ll take you to see the underwater world. But remember to put on your crown.”
Couldn’t bear to keep me locked up? Wasn’t it you who kept me here for so long? Venus grumbled inwardly.
Still, leaving the palace he had grown so tired of was a good thing. Poseidon must have been somehow moved to actually let him go outside.
……
Of course, Poseidon hadn’t been suddenly moved. Every action he took was carefully considered.
Venus, with his divine nature, would never be content to remain with just one lover until Poseidon had fully mastered his desires. If freed, Venus would immediately put one, two, three, four, five, six, or even seven green hats on Poseidon’s head.
But now, Poseidon had complete control over Venus’ desires. After centuries of taming him, no one knew Venus’ body better than he did, and Venus had long since grown accustomed to obeying his commands. The so-called games were all part of his plan to make Venus slowly grow used to being around him, and only him. Without Poseidon’s orders, Venus would not be able to release his desires with anyone else.
This reward for completing the game could only be given by Poseidon.
Poseidon had tamed Venus’ body, but he had not tried to impose mental control over him.
True taming, Poseidon believed, meant breaking both the body and the mind, reshaping them into exactly what he wanted. Poseidon desired a perfect lover, someone who would be completely obedient, without a single thought of rebellion. That would align with the God of Sea’s innate desire for control. Instead, Venus now constantly argued about going out, dared to spill milk on him, and secretly called him a pervert behind his back.
As for why Poseidon hadn’t taken that final step……
He, too, had thought long and hard before coming to an answer.
He had chosen Venus because Venus was born perfect, and Poseidon just happened to be searching for a perfect lover.
Transforming into Adonis and meeting Venus in Cyprus had been because he would not allow Venus to be taken away by the gods of Olympus during his youth, to slip out of Poseidon’s control.
When did it all start to unravel?
Perhaps it began when he had to leave for three hundred years. Knowing that Venus would find someone else, Poseidon couldn’t bring himself to cast the celibacy spell on him.
After that, Venus had married and taken lovers on the divine mountain, even having a child whose father was unknown. He no longer met Poseidon’s perfect standards.
But Poseidon still brought Venus back.
Adonis had been Venus’ one true love, and that pure little white rose might have even won Adonis’ heart.
Later, it transformed into a red rose, its brilliant and delicate form growing more and more enchanting.
Poseidon had once considered whether he should tame Venus to be completely obedient, reshaping him into the perfect lover he had envisioned. But when he closed his eyes and imagined it carefully, what he envisioned wasn’t Venus meekly submitting with soft eyes. Instead, it was Venus complaining about everything, all the while gnashing his teeth and cursing him as a pervert.
Poseidon laughed softly.
He had tamed the rose.
And the rose had tamed him, too.
Poseidon summoned his sacred beast, the dolphin, and lifted Venus onto its back. He followed, sitting behind him and wrapping his arms around him. “Open your eyes wide and look carefully.”
The dolphin flicked its tail and swiftly swam forward.
As they glided through the water, the entire underwater world came into view.
Vibrant coral reefs, schools of fish, guards patrolling with seahorse tails, and mermaids weaving through the bustling city streets……
It was a beautifully ordered kingdom.
Venus marveled, “Is this your kingdom?”
Poseidon corrected, “Our kingdom.”
Venus whispered, “It’s truly beautiful.”
The dolphin made a circle through the sea before finally stopping at the gates of a city called “Atlantis.”
Poseidon dismounted from the dolphin and reached out to help Venus down. “This is the newest city. I haven’t had a chance to visit yet, so I thought I’d come for the first time with my queen.”
Venus curiously walked alongside Poseidon into Atlantis. Although the residents had never seen the real Poseidon, his iconic crown and trident were impossible to miss. Besides, the city was filled with temples and statues in his honor.
By Poseidon’s command, statues of Venus were placed beside those of Poseidon in all the underwater cities. The crown of the Queen of the Sea rested atop his head, so all the sea’s inhabitants knew that they were a couple.
However, the Queen of the Sea rarely appeared in public. This was his first time being seen by others.
When the cool and handsome God of Sea entered the city alongside the radiant and dazzling God of Beauty, the residents froze for a moment, then quickly arranged themselves into rows to welcome them, cheering loudly, “It’s His Majesty the King of the Sea and His Majesty the Queen of the Sea!”
“I can’t believe I’m finally seeing the King of the Sea with my own eyes. Aaaah!!!”
“The Queen of the Sea is truly beautiful!”
Venus was puzzled. “Can a Queen of the Sea really be called ‘Your Majesty’? Isn’t that a blatant rebellion?”
“Oh, I swore an oath to the laws and promised you half of my glory, a status equal to mine, and a respectful title shared with me, just like Zeus’ promise to Hera back then,” Poseidon said casually and then added, “But I promised one more thing than Zeus. I also promised you eternal loyalty.”
Venus was stunned.
It took him a moment to find his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me about something so important……”
Poseidon smiled. “Didn’t you always say that marriage wasn’t a big deal?”
Venus couldn’t find the words. He now realized that it wasn’t such a small matter after all.
They walked through the fervent crowd, with mermaids throwing flowers at them, which fell into Venus’ golden hair.
Venus marveled, “I can’t believe you’re so loved.”
Poseidon raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Venus muttered, “I thought you were a tyrant.”
After all, the games were so twisted……
Poseidon raised an eyebrow again. “Then what kind of king is Zeus?”
Venus thought of Zeus, always lost in wine and women. “A fatuous ruler, I guess.”
Poseidon laughed, clearly amused.
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