Young Writers Society

Icarus stared at Kai, eyes wide as he commented on something he thought he had hidden a little bit better. He glanced over at Poseidon - now he was giving him a questioning, irritated look. Pan, on the other hand, looked more than a little amused.

He wasn't sure what was worse.

"I...um..." He shifted uncomfortably. "I thought it looks nice when you smile."

Poseidon didn't seem to hear Carter's comment from down on the beach; if he did, he was too busy giving Icarus a wide-eyed stare to notice. Then his gaze dropped down to the ground - again - and there were no questions from the god.

Kai did a double-take. Someone liked Poseidon? Well, there really was someone for everyone.

Since Icarus and Poseidon were a little too busy being awkward, Kai turned back to look at Carter, who was still relaxing on the beach. "That's a weird thing to say," Kai said. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't eat people."

Flynn had heard Carter's grumbled joke and now Kai was giving a rather innocent answer to the whole matter. Actually, he was surprised that Carter hadn't been more crude. That Carter hadn't included the word "blow" along with the words "your highness", which would have been a flashback to another deity they dealt with.

"No, Kai, he's talking more figuratively. Carter is just a bit flustered with Poseidon and other gods that we've known in the past."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I hate figures - they don't make any sense. And it's always something stupid, like this eating people thing."

Though the conversation only indirectly involved him, Poseidon gave a nod in agreement as he continued to stare down at the ground.

“Well Kai and Poseidon, if you want to know Carter’s meaning, either ask him yourself or go running off to your boyfriends.”

Flynn was not having this talk with a small fox and a grown god. If they couldn’t figure out Carter and his weird sexual allusions, then they’d just have to suffer through it. The point of their grouping was survival - not Carter pissing off everyone in sight.

When met with a confused look from Poseidon, Flynn just gestured to Icarus, hoping maybe they would piece their own obvious attraction together.

Kai looked over at Niwa; the other fox shook his head. Not the "I don't get it either" kind, but the "don't ask" kind. Kai decided to take his word for it.

"So, what now?" Kai said. "We've been standing next to this beach for a long time."

Icarus had gone bright red when he heard what Flynn said. Flynn could have been talking about Pan, but then there was the gesture in his direction. Poseidon, meanwhile, had slowly looked from Flynn to Icarus, understanding dawning on him as his own face went red.

"He's not my boyfriend," Poseidon said. He looked back at Flynn and crossed his arms - the reaction was delayed to the point that it came after a response from Kai, but he didn't seem to care. "I just rescued him when he was being stupid-"

Pan cleared his throat.

"Let's talk about you and Icarus a little later," the god of the wild said. Icarus felt a wave of relief wash over him at the suggestion. He turned to Kai as he slung his arm over Poseidon's shoulder. "I think the plan was to head inland. Maybe we can find something useful there."

Eugh. There was no way that Icarus and Poseidon were a thing. If they loved each other, they would just say it. That's how Kai had done it.

Still, he felt like talking about that would lead right back to eating people, so he chose to look over at Pan and answer him. "Let's go do that!" he said. "I want to go swing around on the trees for once."

The denial between Icarus and Poseidon, and Kai's prompting to go off into the forest brought Carter back from the beach. He still let the cigarette hang out of his mouth, relishing in the smoke before having to deal with these people.

Flynn hung back for him, punching Carter hard in the arm, and hissing, "What was your 'eat me' comment for? And then you left me to be the one explaining it to a bunch of people who don't understand?"

Carter rotated his arm a few times from where the impact was made and in a very purposely loud voice, looking directly in Poseidon's direction, he announced, "Would it have been better if I told Poseidon that he could just kiss my ass?"

Kai snickered at the comment, but Niwa grabbed him and began pushing him into the jungle.

"Why would I-" Poseidon started to reply, only to stop when he suddenly seemed to understand what was being said. He frowned and crossed his arms. After a moment of staring/glaring (even though Pan knew him well, it was hard to tell what he was intending sometimes), he turned away.

Pan wisely took it as a cue to lead him off into the woods, Icarus trailing behind the two as they entered the jungle.

Carter silently wished he had brought a flask to go along with the ever dwindling pack of cigarettes. He shouldered his rifle, finger resting on the safety, and with the consideration to shoot anything that moved.

That fortunately counted Poseidon.

Flynn walked on beside him, rifle also at the ready and knowing they would probably have to use the guns at some point. They followed the group into the forest and while walking, Flynn asked, "Why would Poseidon kiss your ass?"

Beside him, Carter was biting his tongue clearly smiling at the remark. Carter waited until they got up closer on Poseidon and the rest of the troupe to say, "I don't know. I don't think I'm quite his type."

Poseidon froze the moment he heard the comment, but not because he was shocked by it. In fact, it was barely on his mind. But he had noticed that Pan had stopped a short distance ahead, and had a look on his face that clearly said he heard something in the woods.

"I don't think we're alone," Pan whispered.

Poseidon nodded.

A vine appeared by Pan's side, and Poseidon made his trident appear in his hand once more, watching and waiting for someone to emerge from the woods. It could be like Carter and Flynn, but it was hard to tell.

Footsteps got closer.

Icarus froze as well, peering out from behind him.

And then the source of the noise emerged from the woods.

"Thor, buddy, what's wrong-" the strangely dressed man started to say, only to be doused in water and captured by a vine wrapping around his ankle. Poseidon saw something in the man's top pocket begin to fall out, but there was no need to worry about it - it was just a snake.

The man stared at the group assembled, albeit upside down.

"Uh, hi?" he said.

"Hi," Pan said, only to let out a surprised noise a second later. His gaze dropped down to his leg, and Poseidon's quickly followed it - the little snake from earlier had sunk its fangs into Pan's leg.

The brief lapse in concentration was all that was needed for the vines to let go of the man. He fell to the jungle's floor with a loud thud. But instead of trying to attack them, or bargain with them, or even run away, his first decision was to grab the snake from where it was slithering around Pan's leg.

"Thanks," the man said.

The snake nodded.

Poseidon stared.

Behind him, Icarus gave a nervous laugh. "I must really be losing it," he said. He was rubbing his eyes when Poseidon finally tore his gaze away. "Because it looked like that snake just nodded-"

The snake nodded again.

"He does that," the man replied. He hopped to his feet and brushed the dirt off of his strange clothes. He gave a small bow. "Loki A. Lias, at your service. And this-" He gestured at the snake he had just put on his shoulder. "-is Thor."

Well then. Kai had gone from hearing jokes about Poseidon and butts to standing in front of a hyperventilating Niwa, watching the snake on the stranger's shoulder closely. Poor Niwa; he hated snakes. And this one had gone out of its way to slither in, bite Pan, and come out completely unharmed.

While Niwa crouched down, wrapping his arms around Kai's chest and trying to take deep breaths, Kai crossed his arms. "What do you want, and what's with your snake?" he said, glaring at the stranger.