Young Writers Society

Icarus looked over at Kai. "I'm wearing regular clothes," Icarus hesitantly said, gaze traveling down to his outfit. His gaze traveled back to Kai; his clothes were in a noticeably different style than his own. "...Are they unfamiliar to you?"

A little farther up ahead, Poseidon barely spared Niwa a glance as he bowed beside him.

"It looks really fancy," Kai said, draping Niwa's shirt behind him like a cape. "It kinda reminds me of what lions like to wear. Are you a lion?"

Niwa looked up at Poseidon and frowned. "Apologies," he said. "Did I do something amiss?"

Icarus faltered. "A...lion?" he repeated. Why would he be a lion? He tried to sneak a glance in Poseidon's direction to get some sort of answer, but the god wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. He turned back to Kai. "I'm not a lion - I'm a human."


Poseidon looked away, heat rising to his cheeks.

"I don't like being worshiped," he informed Niwa. He never knew what he was supposed to do when someone was bowing to him. He should have just pretended to be a human again; that made it easier. He stared at the path ahead of them, trying to ignore how red his cheeks were undoubtedly getting. "It's stupid to worship someone just because they're stronger."

"Are you sure?" Kai said. "I know a lion who would dress like that, and he could look like a human if he wanted to. I could look like a human if I wanted to, but I don't. How do I know you're not pretending to be a human?"

Niwa looked up at Poseidon, watching his cheeks change color. "Oh, sorry," Niwa said. "I was merely paying my respects to you - I already worship my own gods - but I did not know it might bother you. I will try my best to avoid it in the future, though I admit I am not sure how exactly to talk to a god. You are the first one I have personally met."

Coughing out seawater, Beckland crawled through the sand from the sea, the powerful waves having knocked the wind out of him. He wore simple pants, a white collared shirt, and boots. Tentatively he felt at his waist his sword still hanging in its sheath. *Good, at least there's that.* He carefully wiped salt and sand from his eyes, and blinked away the sting, looking around for his sister as he squinted in the sunlight. "Aggie!" He saw her a little ahead of him, sitting up in the sand and looking around them. Beckland himself then did the same, noting the line of trees about fifty yards ahead of them. He could also make out what looked like an outcropping of mountains in the distance. Perhaps that would be a good place to head to. He crawled further towards Agatha. "You okay, sis?"

Agatha coughed but was not stripped of her spirits. "Yea Beck, I'm fine," she answered, also wiping her eyes to be rid of the salty sting. She wore black pants and boots with a shirt and jacket, most unconventional for girls where she came from. But then, she was not the conventional type. Looking up the beach, she noticed multiple sets of footprints and a trail of...blood. She craned her neck, now coming to stand up. Just at the treeline she thought she could make out a few figures amid the shadows. "Beck," she whispered hoarsely, "we're not the only ones here."

Kai's ears perked up, catching snippets of what he was reasonably sure was a conversation between two strangers on the beach. Running past Icarus, he grabbed onto Niwa's shoulders and whispered into his ear, "I think there's others coming."

Turning his head back, Niwa peered down at the shore. After a few seconds, he nodded. "I am told we have some more unfortunate travelers on the shore," Niwa said, looking back to Poseidon. "Should we go to greet them?"

Poseidon followed Niwa's gaze for the briefest of moments before returning to looking at the path ahead of them. Icarus, on the other hand, spun around and stared at the two figures he could just barely make out. He went to take a step forward, but was quickly stopped by a strand of water wrapped around his waist and jerking him back. He spun around to see droplets of water dripping off of Poseidon's fingertips as the strand disappeared.

"Don't be an idiot," the god said, his tone harsh. "They could be people Minos sent after you. I'm not letting you die after I already went through the trouble of saving your life."

"But what if they're not?" Icarus asked. He averted his gaze when the god turned and stared at him. "They might need help, and I can give it - it's not right to leave them there."

Poseidon crossed his arms. "...You have a point."

Icarus straightened a little, glad that the god hadn't been furious with him arguing.

"I'll go talk with them," Poseidon suddenly declared, not even giving Icarus enough time to ask if he could come along before storming off towards the two on the beach. Icarus could only hope that they wouldn't do something to anger the god - something told him it wasn't a good idea to get on Poseidon's bad side.

Beckland's attention caught a larger figure strolling quickly towards them. Instinctively, he stood up and protectively took a step in front of his sister. He lay one hand on the hilt of his sword, and one hand sort of stretched out in front of Agatha. His eyes narrowed as the figure came closer, and he sized him up and down. A peculiar figure, who somehow seemed not of this world at all. It made Beckland wonder again where they were; what mysterious island had they stumbled upon? Silently, he prepared to hold his ground.

^Beck, I can take care of myself,* she wanted to say, but for once decided it best to hold her tongue. She squinted, taking in the muscular figure walking toward them. A salty spray hung in the air, and Agatha suddenly became aware of the seemingly large distance it was between the two groups. It seemed somehow to be taking forever for the stranger to reach them, but then perhaps they were holding their breath. "Who are you?" Agatha suddenly snapped toward the figure. She crossed her arms and tilted her weight to one side with attitude as Beckland briefly turned to glare at her.

"Agatha! Please let me do the talking," Beck warned.

Poseidon mirrored her posture, crossing his own arms as he came to a stop in front of the two. Their clothing was unusual, and one of them was armed. He doubted that the king had sent them after Icarus - that man knew little of places outside of Crete, and their clothing suggested they weren't from an area he was familiar with.

"Poseidon," he simply answered. "Who are you?"

Despite herself, Agatha laughed. "Poseidon? I don't think so. More like Hephaestus if anybody," she snorted, referencing the Greek god of blacksmithery. She met the gaze of the so-called Poseidon dangerously, and held it.

In the moment Beckland stiffened. Remembering his own schooling on Greek Mythology, he knew Poseidon was one of those gods not to be insulted without severe consequences. In fact, he remembered Poseidon as being quite...moody. *Don't be so foolish, Aggie!* Quickly he tried to dissolve the insult. "Our father is the greatest blacksmith of Aldin. She means it in the highest regard."

Niwa and Kai stayed back at the treeline. Standing next to Icarus and staring at the path that led into the swamp, Niwa wondered if he'd made the right decision not to go with Poseidon to the shore. The god obviously needed some space, and Poseidon was also probably more equipped to handle a possible fight, but Niwa didn't like the alternative of standing around and waiting.

He turned back and walked up to Kai, who stood behind a tree and peeked out at the beach. "How's it going?" Niwa said.

"It's boring," said Kai. "They're just talking about him like he's something special."

Niwa frowned, setting his paws on Kai's shoulders. "He effectively is," Niwa said.

"Well," Kai said, "I hope all that specialness keeps him safe, because it looks like they don't trust him all that much. The girl doesn't, anyways."

"I'm more worried about them," Icarus quietly spoke up, watching the two newcomers with concern in his eyes. "I think they're irritating him, and irritating the gods is never a good idea..."

He had barely seen what Poseidon was capable of so far, but he knew the myths. They did seem to hold some merit - Poseidon was certainly a powerful being, and certainly had an abrasive personality. It wouldn't be hard to anger him in the slightest.


"I'm nothing like Hephaestus," Poseidon slowly said, looking between the two. He shared almost nothing in common with the god; their appearances, personalities and interests were completely different. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Besides being called by the wrong name, it seemed like the man was trying to be respectful in lieu of his sister's lack of it.

Which made this situation even more uncomfortable than before.

Just as he opened his mouth to wisely change the topic, he suddenly realized that a vine had been snaking around his leg. He had been so distracted that he hadn't even seen the attack coming - he didn't even stand a chance of winning the battle.

A second later, the surprise attacker emerged from the woods and promptly stabbed his immobile opponent with his all too familiar xiphos. Poseidon frowned as the blood seeped out of his wound and stained his shirt.

"I win," his attacker declared.

"That was unfair," Poseidon protested. "You took me by surprise."

"All's fair in love and war," he said, giving a grin as he jerked the bronze sword of Poseidon's stomach. The wound immediately began to heal the moment the blade was removed, but the cut in the fabric and the blood remained.

A second later, his best friend was pulling him into a tight embrace. The vines retreated back into the earth, but Poseidon was just as immobile as before - he had an incredible strong grip.

"I've missed you," his best friend said, bright green eyes alight with joy as he let go. He kept a hand on his shoulder. "You're looking good - much happen since I was gone?"

He gave a small smile.

"Zeus ordered me to Crete," he simply said.

"Yeah, I heard about that - sorry you had to deal with that crazy king." He looked around the beach, gaze landing on the two only a short distance away. "I see you made some new friends."

"We're not friends," Poseidon slowly said, glancing between the two and his best friend. "We only just met...Was that supposed to be an expression?"

He nodded. "It was. Good that you're finally catching on, though! Imagine how good you'll be at it by the end of this century." He turned back to the two in question, and gave a little bow. "Sorry for interrupting your conversation - just had to make sure Poseidon wasn't getting rusty. Pan, god of the wild, at your service."

He popped back up and gave them a wink.

"Though I'm sure that the furry legs and horns gave it away," he said, a joking tone to his voice as he gestured to the features in question.

Looking back at Icarus, Niwa tilted his head and frowned. "I am not sure about that," he said. "Based on what little conversation we have had, Poseidon merely seems hesitant to talk to people. I doubt he is particularly harmless; he just does not enjoy his status as a god, nor all the ramifications that come with it. If worst comes to worst, I cannot imagine he would be harmed-"

"Yeah, stab him!" Kai suddenly shouted. "Stab - no! No! Don't hug him! What are you doing?"

Whirling around, Niwa stared over Kai's shoulder. Sure enough, there was a man hugging the blood-splattered Poseidon, a sword in one of the man's hands. The man looked...odd. Almost like he was a hybrid of a human and a goat, but more visibly so than most of the hybrids Niwa knew. Furry legs gave way to a human's body, save for the pair of horns on his head.

"Who is that?" Niwa said, drawing in a breath. Poseidon seemed to be alright, but this stranger had appeared so suddenly and had briefly harmed Poseidon so thoroughly that the fox suspected he was also a god. And Niwa wasn't sure how to approach two gods.

Beckland found himself a little dumbfounded as to why he was seeing what he was seeing. Was this some sort of weird dream? Was he blacked out? Was he dead? He shook his head in an effort to clear some of the confusion. *What a weird day.* He cleared his throat and looked over at Agatha pointedly, then back at the two figures in front of them. "Look, we're just two apprentices who shipwrecked and ended up here. We don't want any trouble - we just need to find a way off this island." Somehow he sensed they weren't going to get very far if they kept listening to these two so-called gods catch up.

"Nice to meet you, Pan." Agatha said sarcastically. She watched as her brother started to trudge up the beach toward the treeline. He probably trusted she would follow him, but she was a bit intrigued by these individuals they had just met. Yet she was even more curious about the rest of the island itself. Agatha turned and followed Beck past Poseidon and Pan, briefly nodding her head towards them as she did so. "Would love to stay and chat, but ya know."

Icarus gaped at the exchange that had just transpired. Though he couldn't entirely hear the conversation, the name and the features were enough to confirm his suspicions: this was another god.

And not only that.

This god was Pan.

"That's Pan," Icarus whispered, eyes wide. "He-He's the god of the wild. But why would he have just stabbed Poseidon, and why are they so close...?"


Poseidon followed the two over to the treeline, knowing that it was time to return to the three he had left standing there. He could see Pan watching him out of the corner of his eye. The god's gaze did wander to the two mortals they were following, but it never lingered for quite as long.

"You're probably creeping them out," Pan suddenly said from beside him.

Poseidon paused, a frown flickering across his lips as he crossed his arms and stared at Pan. "That's not true."

"You look like you're brooding and creepily following them," Pan replied, an almost amused look to his face. The frown on the sea god's lips became more defined. "I know you're not brooding and creepily following them, but they don't know that - you have to try smiling more, and maybe explain why you're also heading the same way."

Poseidon for another second before trying to follow the first part of his advice, only to fail miserably when his smile looked far from genuine. "I'm not a creep," he said, still trying his best to smile. "I need to protect Icarus."