73 Death of Christ

Poseidon continued his search, after all Jerusalem was a rather large city in its entirety. And Poseidon was taking his time.

It was beginning to set, the sun was. So, Poseidon decided it was time for a meal. Or more like the constant rumbling of his stomach forced him to finally find something to eat to ease himself.

" Okay, Okay. I gotta find some food. I haven't eaten in days, or has it been weeks? i can't remember. Whatever." Poseidon wandered around the village he was in, looking for any place he could find to help him get some food.

Eventually Poseidon wandered upon a tavern.

" Hello, can I help ya?" The female servant asked.

" Yes, I need food. Whatever ya got. And a lot of it." Poseidon replied.

" All right, ye gonna need to be a bit more specific than that. What do ye want?" She asked. Her voice had the slightest accent that Poseidon had only ever heard from up north. He wanted to question it but his mind was too busy trying to find food.

" Meat, all of your meat dishes and as much water or milk or booze as you can give me." Poseidon replied. One cursed thing about being a god. You naturally eat far more than any human ever will.

" Right away. But first do you happen to have the coin for all of this?" She asked. She stared at Poseidon's dirty cloak skeptically, wondering if he could afford to actualyl eat at her place.

" Of course." Poseidon replied. he could tell by the look on the woman's face what she was thinking. He reached into his robe and pulled out a bag full of nothing but gold coins.

The moment he handed it over and the woman looked inside her eyes nearly jumped out of her head.

" This... Is this all gold?!" She asked.

" Yes. Food now please." Poseidon asked.

The woman jumped up and kissed Poseidon on his cheek.

" ABSOLUTELY SIR! COMING RIGHT UP!" She exclaimed. She turned around and ran into the back. Presumably to begin cooking.

" Guess I'll just seat myself then." Poseidon mumbled.

" Just seat yourself!" He heard her yell from the back. Her excitement, if you want to call it that, did bring a smile to Poseidon's face. From the look of the tavern, not many people visited it, in fact there were only four other men in the place, that looked like it could easily sit at least thirty. So, Poseidon was happy to be able to give the woman a little help.

After a long time of preparation, the woman came running out of the kitchen with bowls of different kinds of soups in her hands and mugs of different kinds of liquid pleasures.

" BAAAAH! That was amazing!" After stuffing his gullet, Poseidon let out a loud and gassy belch!

" Ha! That was quite something there. I've ne'r seen anyone eat that fast in all me life. How did ye enjoy the meals?" The woman asked.

" It was delicious ma'am. I haven't eaten anything so good in such a long time." Poseidon replied.

" Well, I haven't had to work so hard in such a long time so consider us even." The lady spoke. " So, what is a handsome young man like yourself doing here? You don't seem to be from Jerusalem." The woman spoke.

" Neither do you." Poseidon replied.

He and the woman both started laughing.

" Well, that's true. The names sera. I moved here a long time ago with me father. He used to be the owner of this tavern. But he's gone and passed on now, leaving me behind to run the place." Sera explained.

" I am sorry to hear that." Poseidon replied.

" Don't be. He's with the others now. Resting in place far better suited for his nonsensical humor than this one. So, what about yourself. Why are you here?" Sera asked.

" I am looking for Christ." Poseidon replied bold and simply.

" Oh, you need to be careful. The people to be don't really like him that much around here. I've been hearing some pretty dreadful news lately. But I don't know if they're true." Sera replied.

" Oh? I haven't heard much. I figured he just must be someone who prefers his privacy." Poseidon replied.

" Just be careful okay." Sera stated.

" Heh! Well, he doesn't need to be careful for much longer." One of the few patrons in the bar spoke from across the room.

Poseidon and Sera both turned upon hearing the man and he laughed,

" What haven't you heard? They caught Christ. They're going to be crucifying him this afternoon." He stated.

Poseidon's eyes widened and he hoped up and sprinted out of the tavern.

" Why are they about to kill the son of their god? Who the hell does that? Whatever, I haven't even met the guy yet. I can't miss this opportunity." Poseidon spoke. he ran through the streets of Jerusalem looking for any signs of a gathered crowd, that's most likely where his target would be.

As he ran the sound of cries grew louder and louder.

He continued running and when he eventually reached the open plain, the grizzly sight before him sickened him beyond belief.

High above the plains, laid bare for all to see was a man, covered in blood and lash marks, wearing a crown of thorns, crucified to a cross.

Poseidon looked closer, as close as he could from so far away, and when he saw the man, who had been done so cruelly, he recognized him as the good man he had met a few times in his search for Jesus. And when he did, he muttered a single word.

" Jesus."

Jesus Christ, despite his pain and being so far away, looked past the crowd of people and smiled at his friend.

Poseidon's heart dropped and an anger was born into the very pits of his stomach. This wasn't a hurricane, no this feeling, this burning was a storm. No, not just a storm. THE STORM!

Poseidon's face twisted with anger, he raised his Trident to the sky and the clouds above turned black.

Lightning bolts raged down from the heavens in front of Jesus, blocking any and all paths towards him. The winds picked up, like a hurricane, and the rain plastered the ground below.

Poseidon was ready to both free his friend, Jesus Christ, and end the people who had done him so. But just before he could strike, he felt a warm and gentle presence grace him.

" No, my friend." Jesus mumbled. The people so close to him could not hear his voice or even see his mouth move, yet so far away, Poseidon heard him clearly.

" Why not, Jesus. I had come to find you. I wanted so badly to meet you. You were a good man, a man of true faith. Why won't you let me save you now?" Poseidon asked. " Why save them?"

" Because they know not what they have done. Not all of them sought me out for such a thing. They are not beyond redemption, my friend. No one truly is. I know there is good in them. I believe it. And so should you. I am glad to have had this last chance to meet you, my friend. Though we have only met two times, I feel like you know me better than anyone ever truly has. You listened to me speak when you could have easily just ignored me. And you shared with me your wisdom, that has allowed me to better understand not only myself but those around me. Thank you." Jesus spoke. His voice was soft and gentle and calming, despite the amount of pain he was in.

The sight broke Poseidon's heart more than anything has for more than a hundred years. Not since the passing of his Friend Qin Shi Huang, the death of his family, and the loss of Phoenix had Poseidon wanted to cry so badly.

" I only ask that in my passing you do not harm the people. But continue to protect them, so that they can become the best they can be. Will you do this for me, my friend?" Jesus asked. Even near death and in agony as he was, he still cared more for the people than his own wellbeing.

Poseidon, now fully crying tears of sadness and pain nodded his head.

" Yes, my friend, Jesus Christ. You have my word, that for as long as I live, I will never forsake the people of this planet. And I will always fight to protect, even from themselves." Poseidon replied.

" Thank you." jesus spoke softly for the last time. He then looked to the sky and smiled. " Father, forgive them... They know not what they do." Jesus spoke.

Poseidon brought his raging storm to an end, as he had promised his friend jesus, only for the earth to begin shaking violently. Poseidon looked around and wondered where this fury was coming from as he hadn't been the one to start it. But then he realized it.

" So, you can feel rage to?" He asked. He looked to the sky and watched as the heavens shined down on Jesus' body.

The earthquake continued to rage on, only ending once the soldier beneath Christ had pierced his body with a spear, cutting open his flesh and killing him.

A rage burned within Poseidon, but for his friend and the promise he made, he allowed the people to live with what they've done. And for the first and only time in history a God prayed to another God.

" Rest well my friend, I pray God has received your soul and that you are resting now in your eternal paradise. Amen."