Young Writers Society

Pulling his head out of the sand, Kai coughed and spluttered. He pulled himself into a sitting position and tried to wipe the sand out of his eyes, all the while glaring at the stranger. The stranger had been rambling about mortals and other stuff Kai didn't understand, but what the stranger had said was right. Kai's wrist ached, his head throbbed, and his shoulder kept on bleeding.

"You don't know that for sure," he said, glaring at the stranger.

Poseidon raised an eyebrow, then promptly walked over to the other side of the tree. Icarus could see him leaning down, and saw him return a few seconds later dragging a person who looked similar to the would-be attacker. Both of them were bleeding far more than he had ever really seen before - Icarus desperately trying to remember anything he could do to help them.

"I do," Poseidon replied, popping the second person down on the ground beside the first.

Kai gaped at Niwa, who was now spread out on the sand. Niwa's chest gently rising and lowering told Kai he was still alive, but he was very clearly out of it. And the silver fox was still bleeding.

Cracking his knuckles, Kai got up, stepped over Niwa, and walked up to the stranger, fist raised. "You're going to make him better," Kai said, "Or I'll make you worse."

Poseidon scoffed. "It's amusing that you think you even stand a chance against me," he said. "I've had lifetimes to become a better fighter than you, and have more power than you could ever dream of."

He looked down on the unconscious person. Icarus followed his gaze, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he continued to bleed. "And I don't know anything about your first aid, mortal," Poseidon added. "Gods don't heal as slowly as you do-"

"I might be able to help," Icarus interrupted. He really wasn't liking Poseidon right now, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to draw attention to how he felt about the god; he had heard enough stories. Poseidon shot him an unreadable look, but Icarus was already crouching down on the ground beside the injured person.

"I know some basic healing spells and first aid," he said. He reached out a hand to grab onto piece of wood embedded into the person's side, hands shaking ever so slightly as he made contact. He had learned to help his dad out in the workshop, but there had never been accidents as bad as this one.

He took a deep breath.

And then he pulled.

It took a little more strength than expected, but the piece of wood emerged a few seconds later. He quickly threw it to the side and began reciting the spell. It wouldn't heal the injury, but it would stop the rapid blood flow. The blood stopped spilling out onto the ground as he finished speaking, but he still had another spell to do. He wasted no time in uttering it. This one helped prevent infection. Unless he kept using it, it wouldn't help much in the long run, but it was a good preventative measure to take now.

He looked down at the wound, then eyed the edge of his chiton. With another surprising burst of strength, he ripped off the bottom portion of it, wrapping it around the wound with delicate, careful hands.

"There," he said. He looked back up at the person foolishly threatening a god. "That should help."

"Why don't you shut up?" Kai said, making a crude gesture at the stranger. "It's 'mortals' this and 'I'm soooo powerful' that and I get it, you're strong and you like yourself too much, but-'

Kai paused when he saw the other stranger walk over to Niwa. Turning around just in time to see the other stranger rip out the piece of wood from Niwa's side, Kai resisted the urge to scream. He was just about to tackle the other stranger to the ground, but then came the incantations.

Niwa's bleeding stopped.

Kai approached as the other stranger finished bandaging the wound. He punched the other stranger in the chest, then gave him a hug. Falling onto his knees, Kai set Niwa's head on his lap. Trembling, tears falling down his face, Kai waited for Niwa to wake up.

Icarus doubled over just a bit as he was punched in the chest, unprepared for the sudden show of violence - he was just as unprepared for the hug that followed a few seconds later. Poseidon watched the exchange from a spot up against a tree; he had that unreadable expression on his face again.

But since the god seemed to have no intention of saying anything else, Icarus realized he would have to take charge. "We, er, never told each other our names," he said, awkwardly interrupting the stranger as he cried. "I'm Icarus."

Kai sniffled and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "I'm Kai," he said, tugging on one of Niwa's ears. "And this, and this is, Niwa."

"I'm Poseidon," the god said - now he was leaning up against the tree Kai had been in, watching the exchange from afar. "Though, if you were paying attention, you would have heard Icarus loudly announce it to the entire world."

"I don't care," Kai said, glaring at the stranger leaning against the tree as he wiped away more tears. "I don't want to remember your name when you've been an as-"

He heard something shuffling beneath him. Kai looked down in time to see Niwa's eyes flutter open. Pushing Niwa into the sand, Kai flopped down beside him and started to cry into his shoulder.

Niwa tentatively wrapped Kai in a hug and patted his back. "Hello?" Niwa said, lifting his head up to look at the strangers. "What all happened? Is Kai alright?"

"Hi," Icarus awkwardly said.

He glanced over at Poseidon, who promptly turned away the moment they made eye contact. He wasn't sure what to make of that - and didn't want to think that he had managed to get on a god's bad side - so he stopped looking in the god's direction.

"I think he was just worried," Icarus hesitantly replied.

He sat down on the sand, trying to ignore the bloody piece of wood a short distance away and trying to ignore the god that he had almost certainly angered. It was hard to tell if the crying had resulted from the injury being taken care of or the threat that Poseidon posed.

"I'm Icarus," he said. He glanced over at Poseidon. "He's....well, this is going to sound crazy, but he's Poseidon."

Niwa pulled himself up into a seating position. As he reached up a paw and absentmindedly scratched behind Kai's ears, Niwa tilted his head. "Apologies," he said, trying to ignore the tears that streamed down the back of his shirt as he looked at the stranger who was avoiding eye contact. "Is this someone I should recognize?"

Icarus blinked.

"You don't know who Poseidon is?" he managed to get out, glancing over at the god in question. "How-How could you not know that? He's the god of the sea. Everyone knows him-"

"Not everyone," Poseidon interrupted.

Icarus stared. "...I don't understand."

"Our religion isn't the only one out there," Poseidon said. He was using a tone like he was talking to a child, something that made Icarus bristle with annoyance. "Other religions exist. If you asked one of Anubis's mortals who I was, they'd give you a blank look and walk away."

Poseidon looked Niwa and Kai over.

"They're not even from this world," he added. "I've never heard of anyone like them."

Icarus wildly looked between the pair and the god, unsure of what he was supposed to say to that. Niwa and Kai clearly were some sort of monster, though they were very nice ones. And other worlds? He had never heard of them before, and doubted their existence.

...Then again, Poseidon was a god. Wouldn't he know things like that?

Niwa blinked. He didn't know what to make of the possibility of other worlds. On the other hand, he'd done enough research about gods (when his parents hadn't been around to tell him no) that he knew there was no Poseidon worshipped anywhere on Fayne. It could've been a local cult, and Icarus could've been a worshipper, but that didn't seem likely. Poseidon didn't look like he had the ego or temperament to do anything other than sulk by his tree.

Standing up, Kai still clinging on to him, Niwa made a small bow. "An honor to make an acquaintance with a good, then," he said. "It would have been nice to have had such a meeting under better circumstances, but-'"

Kai blew his nose into Niwa's shirt. Rolling his eyes, Niwa pulled off his shirt and draped it over Kai, then looked back at the god.

"These circumstances are far from ideal," Niwa said, turning to the treeline. "Perhaps there is a better place to talk in there? It is rather unfriendly out here, thanks to the sun."

Poseidon didn't say anything. He just nodded and walked into the line of trees, leaving Icarus alone with two people who were still essentially strangers. Icarus gave them a hesitant smile, unsure if he was supposed to follow after the god or linger with Niwa and Kai until they entered the trees as well.

"Talking in there sounds like a good idea to me," Icarus agreed.

Poseidon didn't say anything from the line of trees.

Holding Kai's paw, Niwa walked into the trees. At least Kai was in a better mood now; the fox couldn't stay in one place. He ran ahead, slowed down, and did everything in his power to be as inconsistent as possible.

As they approached the god, Kai hissed. Turning to Icarus, Kai pulled at the edges of his robes. "What's that you're wearing?" Kai said. "It looks neat."

Ah, Kai was trying to avoid the god. Well, at least Niwa could help with that - letting go of Kai's power, Niwa walked up to the god and made a small bow.