THE SEA QUEEN'S PEARL
Being pregnant was probably the most difficult thing Sally had ever done in her short life. She was alone, young and inexperienced. She had no idea what to do and was frightened of doing a single thing that might hurt the baby. On top of that she felt lonely, her apartment felt too big, cold, empty and quiet without Poseidon, ever so slowly, her heart was breaking. She was going to have her first scan soon and she desperately didn't want to go alone. For the first time in a very long time, she wished for her Uncle. Who, while being disappointed and disapproving of her situation, would have accompanied her. Looking stern and strict, never comforting her but just being there for her. She didn't want to be alone. And so, she turned to the only person she could ask. A co-worker who had three children already. "I didn't know you were in a relationship" Julia said looking surprised after she spat out her tea. "I mean you never spoke of a guy..." "It was a very brief fling" Sally half-lied. It wasn't a fling but six months wasn't that long for a relationship. "He's gone out to sea now...and I just don't know what to do...i feel so useless, Julia please...just come with me for this one scan" "Don't worry Sal, I'll help you out. I got some pregnancy books and name books from when I was first pregnant. I'll give them to you tomorrow when we go for the scan" Sally smiled properly for the first time in weeks. "Thank you Julia" "No problem, but you're not getting out that easily. Who, when, and how good was he in bed?" "Julia!" Sally cried out, scandalised and blushing brightly. PJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJ The scan had gone very easily. Sally had brought a scrapbook on her way back home and stuck the scan in on the first page. She could barely make out where the baby started and ended but she felt a burst of pride as she stared at her baby's first photo. The heartbeat was healthy and according to the doctor there was nothing wrong so far. After reading the books Julia provided, Sally found saving money easier as she gave up her caffeine and certain foods that would unsettle the baby. She stuck to drinking just tap water and buying food cheap from the market. She had enough to buy a cot and high chair second hand. She's buy the clothes new since there was no way she'd put her baby in dirty used clothes. She wanted its first set of clothes to be clean and fresh. A good start in the big scary world. "You can have my old baby stuff" Julia said as she sniffed at the cots in the charity shop. Some were broken, a bar missing or no mattress. "You can't put your little babe in this flea ridden stuff. I keep mine in good quality in case I end up pregnant again. The cot is almost good as new and the highchair and pram" "Thank you so much" Sally said gratefully. "You've been such a wonderful help" "Sally, you're a young girl and you need someone looking out for you" Julia said giving Sally a comforting hug. "That young man of yours should be paying support. If I could get my hands on him I would hang him upside down and shake him so hard that even his grandparent's money would be falling out of his pockets" Sally giggled at the mental image of Julia, mother of three and shop girl, shaking the great god of the sea. "There's nothing he can do. He doesn't have much money either" Sally lied. She was sure Poseidon is extremely wealthy considering his palace but she wasn't going to depend on him and get him into trouble with his brothers. With his son. "I'll get through this Julia" "Honey, no offense, but this isn't just for nine months. This is for life. You got this baby's education and future to worry about. You got to feed him and take care of his health; you got his birthday and Christmases to worry about. Kids don't understand money troubles. They're always wanting something new" "I know" Sally mumbled. It hadn't been that long since she was a child herself. "But I will get through this and I'll raise my baby to be a good strong person Julia gave Sally an assessing look. One her teachers used to give during an oral exam. "I think you could" she said eventually. "But still you need as much money and help you can get. I still have my maternity clothes. You can have those too" Sally gave her another grateful smile. "Thank you" "No problem girl, have you thought of parenting classes? You're going to need to know how to change a nappy and what not" "I'll be fine. I did a fair amount of babysitting when I was in High School" Sally said confidently. She knew how to take care of a baby when it came to nappy changing and bottle feeding. It was just the giving birth, naming and being that sole person that the baby will rely on for the rest of its life that scared her. Julia snorted. "Trust me honey, babysitting is not being a mother. Being a mother is the hardest job you'll ever get in your life" Sally was becoming very aware of that. PJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJ A few more months passed. Sally was finally over her morning sickness and just had her second scan. She could see parts of the baby more clearly in this one. The shape of its head and the curves of its arms and legs were very clear. Every morning she looked at the scans before getting ready for the day. Every evening she spoke to her belly and told it stories and sang songs. Much to Julia's displeasure though, Sally took on a second job to earn a little more cash to keep her and the baby comfortable. "By the time you're finished you'll be more tired and ill! You'll harm the baby if you keep this up and on top of that you end up walking home alone in the dark. It's not safe!" Sally argued that it was summer now and it was lighter in the evenings now. She also pointed out to Julia that her jobs don't require a heavy load of work. She stood behind the till in the sweet shop or did some paperwork and she stood behind the counter in the library. It was only for a few more months. "I need to afford child day-care for when I go back to work" had been her last argument which had shut Julia up completely. So it was fairly dark and very late at night when she walked home. She was tired and rather hungry since she hadn't eaten for over six hours. The baby had kicked in complaint. She decided to go down a short cut through a few backstreets to save her time once she had gotten off the subway. None of the backstreets were pleasant; there were sounds of homeless and teenagers mucking about. There were very little street light and the darkness was starting to spook her a little. She could hear footsteps behind her. She fastened her pace. They quickened too. They were very heavy footsteps. A large hand grabbed hold of her arm and turned her round. She let out a little shriek. He was huge. Very tall and not that good looking. One large eye blinking at her as he slowly grinned. He was missing a few teeth. "You have a little Godling in your tummy" he said in a deep slow voice. "A very powerful Godling" "Please..." she whispered. "I just want to go home" "I want to play with the Godling" the Cyclopes said. "I want to play! No one ever plays!" "Cyclopes" a cold voice said from their right. "Let the girl go" Sally felt relief burning up within her. He looked young and boyish but she knew he was thousands of years old. "If you let her go, I'll take you to the arcade and buy you dinner" "You will?" the Cyclopes said looking excited and eager. The boy nodded. "Yes. Now let the girl go and walk ahead. I'll be with you in two minutes. I promise on Styx" "Ok" Sally almost fell on the floor when the Cyclopes suddenly let her go. He eagerly ran ahead, practically skipping down the street like a little boy. "Cyclopes. Not the brightest of monsters but very endearing. They get left on the streets by their parents and therefore very eager to find someone to love and play with them" he turned to look at her. His eyes were still cold but there was concern in there. "Sally, my father has been watching over you and he is most displeased with your second job. You put yourself and the baby in danger with this recklessness" "I know" Sally whispered. For the first time in a long time she felt rather ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry" He held out a bag. "It's over two thousand dollars. It should pay for the first year of childcare. My father sends his love and wishes to be with you" "Thank you Triton" Sally whispered accepting the bag. She knew she had no choice but to accept it. If monsters on the street can smell the baby inside of her then she should stay inside during the nights. "Tell your father, thank you as well" she didn't ask for him to send her love. She didn't think it would be an enjoyable task for him and it wouldn't make her anymore likable to him than she already was. "You shouldn't be needing this at all" Triton snarled. "If he just left you alone, didn't touch you, then you would be safe. You're in this mess because he couldn't keep his hands to himself" Bravely she put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't blame your father for this" she said firmly but gently. "It takes two to tango. Again, thank you Triton" "I'll walk you home" he said stiffly. "Hades knows what's lurking in the dark here" PJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJ It was early September when her waters broke. Chaos began as she struggled to get herself into hospital. Julia finally met her two hours later when she just got into the E and A room. The next few hours were a battle as she went through the worst pain she had ever felt. Worse than all the hurt when her parents died and worse than any other physical pain she had felt. She screamed. She cried. She begged for some sort of saviour to rescue her from this pain and then she cursed Poseidon with so many swear words she had shocked Julia. She had never been the one to swear before. A loud cry broke through her screaming. "It's a boy!" a nurse said cheerfully. "Congratulations Miss Jackson, you have a healthy bouncy boy" "Oh thank god" Sally said collapsing back on the bed as Julia pressed a cold compress on her forehead. "Can I hold him?" "Just a moment Miss Jackson. We're just cleaning him off" the nurse said as the baby continued to cry. "He's got a good set of lungs here. Probably wishing for his first meal and a cuddle with Mummy" The next five minutes were the longest in Sally's life. She had always been patient but right now she had an impatient desire building in her that was longing to hold her little boy. They cleaned him up, weighed and measured him and wrapped him in a blanket before handing him back to her. He stopped crying the moment he was in her arms. "There you go. He was missing his Mummy" the nurse cooed as Sally stared at her baby in awe. He was so tiny. So delicate and small and fragile. And he was all hers. "My little boy" she whispered. "My beautiful son, my strong brave little man" His eyes opened slowly and her breath hitched as the greenest eyes caught hers.
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