Settling In

by OlivineSleeps (Sillylily04)

Summary:

Polyphemus is having the time of his life taking care of his new sibling.

Rhea is totally fine and no one notices anything is wrong because there isn't.

Polyphemus felt like he understood his kingly father more.

When he was younger, he felt lonely. He often wished for his daddy to stay longer, or visit more, even when he knew there was nothing to be done about it.

His daddy was Lord of the Ocean and a member of the Olympian Council. With such important responsibilities, Polyphemus could understand why he felt comfortable leaving them alone on this island with just occasional visits. After all, cyclopses towered over most creatures and even he, as the previously youngest and weakest, was able to fell trees with his tantrums as a baby. No monster would dare plague them like they would do with normal demigods.

But, Rhea?

No wonder, Daddy decided to send her to him to be protected. She was only a couple feet taller than his sheep. He couldn't imagine leaving such a tiny thing to fend for itself. It was much better for her to be kept safe on their isle.

Of course, there had been initial confusion of a new goddess appearing on an island meant for cyclops. Thank his father’s grace that he still had his club. A few thwacks on the head got the ‘No Eating Allowed’ message across and, once Polyphemus had explained his wish to their father, the others quickly understood.

Confused, but they still understood. (He made sure to give a few extra hard strikes at the ones that still had considering looks in their eyes.)

Life on their isle was meant to be simple. A refuge for cyclops to learn, away from their father’s court and all of its politics and complicated matters. A place for them to grow, learn, and eventually join their father’s side once they had grown old enough.

Polyphemus didn’t want to be the baby. Someone (Rhea) became the baby instead. Definitely odd that their lord father decided to send a goddess, but who were they to question him?

The older ones cooed over her beautiful sea-foam dress and silky hair. The craftiest among them were quick to produce beads, bracelets, circlets, and other types of jewelry for their new sister to enjoy. Others were happy to practice weaving sea-foam style clothes like the nobles in Atlantis would wear.

“After all,” Naida said dotingly, while braiding pearls into Rhea’s hair, “We have no use for any of these. Let our baby sister wear them so that she may look every bit the goddess she is.”

Polyphemus pouted and nearly threw a fit over having to share his baby sister that he had prayed so hard for. But he was instantly cowed by Rhea’s stern look.

“Poly,” She warned, voice hoarse. “Don't be rude. You're still my Poly, right?”

Chastened, he lowered his head and patted her ankle (the only place he could reach with his siblings still hogging her) to show he understood. He always hated having to share his things, guarding them fiercely and never trusting that his siblings wouldn’t break them as soon as he took his eye off them.

Too bad, Rhea was right.

Although it was his prayers that had brought her to their isle, she was a daughter of the seas first and foremost. She couldn’t only be his baby sister (as much as he wished she could).

But, she was still his Rhea.

She was his to care for.

He was the one responsible for her care. It was his responsibility to soothe the nightmares that jolted her awake at night. To block the cold wind of their cave with his body so that she could sleep comfortably. To guide her through her first shaky steps on land. To teach her which plants were safe to eat or touch and which ones to steer clear from.

Polyphemus could accept his older siblings selfishly taking up her time.

He just had to think of it as practice for when his sister went to Atlantis…far, far, far into the future. She still had much to learn from him. So he would allow it for now, just so long as they didn’t get any funny ideas about trying to take his spot as her, obviously, favorite big brother.

With Rhea’s standing (and his status as her dearest, most wonderful big brother), established, life quickly became routine for the two siblings.

Polyphemus had placed her clam-shell bed much further into their cave, down below in a grotto that led out to sea. Rhea was much better suited there, protected by him and their father’s domain. He himself often alternated between guarding the mouth of the cave with his club ready, prepared to defend their home against any sort of intruders, and nestling near Rhea in the grotto.

If he woke up early enough, he would get to brush her pretty hair and choose different accessories or outfits she would wear that day. If not, he had to deal with his big sisters treating Rhea like a doll and often making them late to chores.

First thing in the morning, it was time to tend to the sheep.

He had showed her where he had set up some animal stomachs for turning their milk into cheese, which streams were for the sheep to drink from and where they themselves would get water or bathe (Rhea was very keen on that one for some reason), and, of course, his flock’s favorite places to graze.

While the flocks grazed, they would check their fishing nets as well as dive for any other seafood they'd like to eat that day. Their flock needed to be brought back to their pen near their cave for protection once they were done. Although there weren’t many predators due to cyclopses’ protection, his sheep were his beloved friends. He wouldn’t dare leave them unprotected if he could.

Fruits were harvested and dried for storage. The cyclops in charge of crops would direct others wherever crops needed to collected, water needed to be diverted, or soil needed to be tilled. Rhea seemed to thrive at redirecting the water for the crops using their father’s blessing, and Polyphemus was so proud of her.

After their chores were done, it would time for training. They had all fretted over how to teach Rhea how to fight when she was so much smaller, but luckily, Lanike still had an old toy sword from when she was a toddler that was the perfect size.

If Rhea was good at using their father’s blessing to water their crops, then sword fighting was where she shined. Before any of them could even begin to teach her the proper grip, Rhea had already amazed them by going through a few sword stances they recognized and some they didn’t. Despite the unfamiliarity, the more experienced among them could still see the grace and fluidity of each movement.

Polyphemus was thrilled. He happily jumped around and eagerly sparred with her, while the older cyclops were troubled.

“A war goddess, perhaps?” Tahy questioned, uncertain. The others murmured uneasy.

They had heard rumors of their loathsome cousin, born fully-grown from their uncle's head in full armor and spear in hand. The Moirai were known to equip immortals with powers they would need to survive from birth. So what would being born with such skills as well as being plagued with nightmares mean for their little sister?

Despite being the smallest on their island, they all knew Rhea wasn’t weak. Far from it, she was as fierce as they come. Still, “war goddess” sounded nothing like the tiny girl who cried whenever they had to slaughter one of their herd.

“Perhaps not…?” Lynn murmured.

A few of them decided to start crafting armor and weapons for her.

Just in case.

Even with proof that Rhea could handle herself with a sword, Polyphemus could never stop himself from fretting over her.

The first time he had seen her out of breath and panting from the exertion just from trying to uproot a tree, he had grabbed her and dashed toward the only person on the island that knew anything about healing. Nerine, a healer that used to work in Daddy’s palace before retirement, was kind and always had a soft spot for younger folk.

“I can tell you for certain that she’s not sickly,” she said, checking her pulse and looking her over for any signs of malaise. ”She’s healthy, just not as strong as us. Maybe in water it would be different, but she’s going to have to be much more careful than us on land. Take a look.” Holding up Rhea’s arm, she only needed to press down a little bit for a small bruise to appear.

Horrified, he snatched his baby sister back. Afterward, he was much more careful and didn’t dare let her walk around the island alone.

He already had to fight one of the other cyclops for being too rough with Rhea.

They had been herding their sheep back to the cave when Aindriu knocked into her while carrying some logs. All things considered, it could’ve been much worse than it actually was. A sprained wrist and a twisted ankle was a light injury considering how easily their kind could shatter boulders.

With the others, it would’ve been fine. An apology, a smack for being reckless, and a soak in the ocean would have smoothed things over.

But, of course, it had to be Aindriu.

Arrogant and proud, the yellow-bellied bottom feeder was always eager to show off in petty fights. It had gotten him in trouble with many others. Even their father warned him of the dangers of a big ego in battle. But Aindriu was too stubborn to listen.

Instead of apologizing or even looking at all regretful for his horrible action to their baby sister, the walking disgrace to his kin had taunted Rhea for getting in the way.

Polyphemus snapped.

Uncaring of any wide-eyed looks, he grabbed his club and beat Aindriu as hard as he could. Aindriu had been stunned and couldn’t believe that the ‘crybaby’ would come to the defense of such a small creature. He hadn’t even noticed himself go down until Polyphemus had him pinned and was pummeling whatever he could reach.

Polyphemus was furious. He howled and wailed, and there were tears staining his face, and the nice blue tunic with its pretty seashell embroidery that he had worn to specially match his baby sister was ruined. And he was so…so….angry. Who in the name of their father did Aindriu think he was? Shoving around his little lamb and speaking to her in so shamefully.

Poor thing hadn’t even thought about fighting back. She had been glaring, sure, but all she did was rifle through her clothes as if she had some sort of secret weapon hidden away.

It felt like there was one of daddy’s hurricanes trapped in his chest.

Pressure built up inside of him. His eye fogged over. All other sounds were drowned out by the waves roaring in his ears. His body was no longer his own. All he could register was the rage. Nothing like the annoyance he felt when other cyclops bullied him. It felt grotesque and monstrous, twisting and churning in his gut, like it wanted to burst through his chest to give itself a new life.

He couldn’t hear other cyclops yelling for him to stop. He couldn’t feel hands frantically trying to pull him away.

All he could feel was the stickiness on his hands. Rich and warm and so satisfying. He drove his fists deeper. Eager to feel and relish in how freeing and alive he felt-

A small hand on top of his giant arm.

“Poly...?”

Polyphemus frowned. Rhea sounded scared. Of what? Rhea wasn’t supposed to sound like that. She always sounded lively and warm-

Warmth on his hands.

He froze. Immediately, Zale grabbed him and hauled him off to the side for punishment so that the others could start tending to Aindriu. Their gazes towards him looked different now.

Where there was once indulgence and maybe some annoyed fondness, now there was a hint of respect. But even that was overshadowed by the fear in their gazes.

It was important to establish rules early on their island.

Father may be our Lord Father, but he is also King of the Ocean, so you must always respect him. What is done to others will be done to you. If you want food, you need to get it yourself. Never speak the names of father’s various and dangerous kin.

On that day, Polyphemus had established a new rule.

Hurt Rhea, and you will deal with Polyphemus’ wrath.

After he was lifted from his punishment (three whole weeks without his beloved sheep or baby sister), Polyphemus made sure to grab Aindriu’s stupid head and knock it into the ground a few times for good measure. Just to make sure the new rule got through his stupid head.

Polyphemus smiled, poking at the fire roasting a fresh fish. It was worth the angry, halting lecture he received from her if it meant his Rhea stayed safe. His little lamb was a picky eater, but if cooked food was what she wanted, then cooked food is what he would give her.

She deserved everything and more.

---

Rhea felt as if she were in a dream.

She had already asked Nerine, and she said that it was common for newborns to be confused or unclear of their surroundings. Maybe not with gods, but who could really say? What god would actually be willing to admit not understanding something?

She had already been looked over by the healer and, aside from her troubles speaking, was given a clean bill of health.

So to prevent Poly or any of the others from worrying anymore about her, she kept quiet. It’s not like anything was wrong, either.

It just felt like nothing was as it should.

When going to the fields with Poly for the first time, she had been confused and asked where all the strawberries were. He had taken it as a request and proudly presented her with an entire basket's worth, uncaring of the others scolding him. (She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she was asking where the fields she had seen in her dreams were.)

At training, while Poly lavished praises over her skill with a sword, she was frustrated at how unbalanced she felt. She knew it was a toy sword from Lanike, she knew she shouldn’t expect much and instead be grateful that they had anything for her at all. But still, she knew what a proper blade felt like in her hands. Some of the weapon focused cyclops promised to make one suitable for her, but she felt vulnerable and weak. There was a blade meant for her, but she had no idea where it was.

At least swimming was easy.

If anything, it felt too easy. The water felt nice on her skin, warmed by the sun and free of any debris she expected to find. It wasn’t anything bad, it just felt too…clean. Too pure and strong compared to what she had imagined. She felt guilty at the thought of the disrespect to her father’s domain, and made sure to sacrifice a bit more of her dinner as an apology.

All in all, she really liked living with her big brother and their other siblings. Most of them treated her kindly, and the ones that didn’t were at least civil after Poly’s wild show of power and strength in the name of her protection.

(And if sometimes she wept at the thought of a small cabin on a beach and a tray of sweets, that was her business only. Just like the way, no one had to know a part of her cried whenever she looked at her siblings with stormy gray eyes.)

Her main problem lay with her speech. If given enough time to think, she could speak well enough. Her throat still felt sore, and she spoke hoarsely more often than not, but she could still talk.

It was the quick, almost instinctual responses that hurt.

She would trip and loud exclamations would come from her, but the words would burn as they left her throat as if leaving a trail of fire behind them. Poly would look to her for praise in that achingly familiar way, and she would open her mouth without thinking, and acid would crawl down as sound left.

That alone was concerning enough.

She would think herself cursed if it hadn’t been the confusion of those around her when she made those noises. They had dismissed it as a baby’s babble (even if she was born an adolescent, thank you very much). Poly even cooed (cooed! as if she were an infant!) at her little ‘made up language’ as he coaxed her into learning more phrases from him.

The problem was that she knew what she said were real words. She recognized what she had spoken as a language she spoke more fluently than the Hellenike spoken by her siblings. It was a language, but none of her siblings, even Nerine, who was once part of their father’s court, had ever heard it.

It terrified her.

This language, one that she knew better than her father’s, was all she heard in her nightmares.

Blurry faces cried out to her. They cried with her. They were covered in blood. Some of them cursed at her. Blamed her. Others begged her to do something. They screamed that she was supposed to know what to do. That she was a hero, she was meant to lead them. She knew them. She always knew them, even if their faces were blurred, and she could never say their names outside of her dreams. She always knew that in some way, all of these faces had relied on her.

And she failed them.

Then there was always the falling. She hated it. She hated the way she couldn’t feel any weight against her. Nothing to cling to or grab around her to try and feel any sense of control.

By the time she woke up, drenched in sweat and wiping away tears, Poly was always by his spot near the entrance to their cave.

He never said anything about the nightmares, even when she started trying to avoid going to sleep. She would try to make excuses of being too restless or wanting more stories of their father.

It never worked. He would just scold her playfully and tuck her deeper into her nest of woolen blankets in her clamshell bed.

He had no idea that the precious sibling he had prayed for had, somehow, already failed people. That instead of a precious goddess, a useless nobody was sharing his cave with him. It was okay. She would enjoy their care and do her best to show her own until they all found out, and she was cast away or sent into exile or-

No, Poly didn’t suspect a thing.

Which meant everything was fine.

She was fine.

Notes:

In case it wasn't obvious, Poly and the others absolutely know and Rhea is lying to herself.

We'll be dealing with that next time.

The nightmares also have Rhea as an unreliable narrator, so don't take her word for what happened.

--

Good news! This is now a series and next up, we got the SeaFam start being introduced to their newest member!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Accidental Child Support