crowned in glory

"That's what happens when you don't warm up and just go straight into a sparring session." Malcolm uttered out as he started to undo the wraps around his hands. It had happened to him before in the past and he saw it happen to others,. He'd be fine in a couple of minutes or so...hopefully. "Fine, lemme see." He responded as he began to apply some pressure to Paul's shoulder, massaging it the best he could. He wasn't a masseuse but he had gave an ex an attempt at a massage once.

“yeah you’re right,” he nodded. he should have known better, but paul got too excited to work out and ended up suffering the consequences. he undid the wraps on his hands and dropped them on the ground as he walked to malcolm. “thank you,” he nodded in appreciation, turning his back to his friend. he was wearing a sweaty tanktop which he slipped off; malcolm’s hands were massaging his shoulders shortly after. the pressure was immediate relief on the athlete’s back; he let out a loud sigh of relief, “hell yeah that’s the spot. keep going there.” he relaxed his shoulders. “you're great competition to spar against. how do you think it went?”

the son of athena cocked his brow when he saw paul pull out a bottle of oils and lather up his hands with it. “and what exactly are the benefits of these oils? aside from showing off the male form.” henry was always thinking from a pragmatic point of view, what was the most beneficial thing he could do to help his form or in battle. “i have to say, i am flattered that i was the first one you thought of.” the tactician nodded, undoing the buttons of his shirt and letting it slide off to reveal a slab of pure muscle underneath before unbuttoning his pants and pushing them off. “my curiosity has been peaked, paul. i suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it out.”

“well, that is good enough reason in itself.” he stated plainly, “what better way to honour nike than to show off and accentuate the tools that provide victory?" he nodded, assured in his reasoning. paul watched as henry pulled off his shirt, admiring the man’s perfect physique. he rubbed his hands together again, ensuring they were warm. “it also helps keep my muscles feel loose and relaxed, i promise i’m not a pervert.” he said with a straight face, “but you also know how hot we all think you are," paul was no exception.  “even taking your pants off, what a treat for me.” he grinned and reached for the man’s chest, immediately starting to lather the oil on the taller man’s tits. he pressed into the muscles, eyeing up his body and locking eyes as he started to massage the demigod.

location: The island woods, middle of the night.

for — open starter .

Nightmares and Maddess. Out of the domains for Niklausto feel connected to, it was the two that he should have hated and yet- Niklaus felt nothing but power running through his veins. Leaves crunched under the young man's feet as he walked through the tall, imposing trees of the island. He could feel it, the impulse to lean into those nightmares. That fear in someone's eyes that he could practically taste on his tongue the moment he saw it.

The long shadows of the imposing trees seemed to stretch and wrap around his feet as he walked. It was always easier at night- perhaps because so many of his fellow demi-gods were lost in dreams. He could feel his body already starting to change. His smile grew wider and wider as his hand reached out to lean against the tree, and he could feel himself getting taller, broader with every passing moment. The sound of a tree snapping in two as several long, black, tentacles suddenly slithered out of Nicholas's back to crack it down the middle.

For the moment, he still looked mostly human, though with every passing moment, he seemed to be gaining more and more monstrous. As if an eight-foot giant version of the young man with tentacles squirming out of his back wasn't nightmareish enough.

His head snaps over towards a spot in the darkness of the woods.

He can tell somewhere was there.

Waiting.

Watching.

"You know that's fucking rude, right?"

paul was out of the cabin more than in. a true son of nike, he was outside training whenever possible. paul's favourite thing to do on the island was jog. he went out at least once a day, usually enjoying the sunrise as he ran the perimeter of the island. 

being cooped up indoors all day, paul was starting to feel stir crazy. he hated days when he couldn't push his body to the limits. paul left for his run past nightfall, nothing out of the norm for the athlete. he was wired from the day and running faster than normal. not thinking straight. as he ran past another demigod, he didn't think twice until catching a bizarre reflection.

“wh--” paul startled at the noise. he turned to the demigod he was running past, seeing a glimpse of what looked like morphed body parts. the fright cause paul to lose his balance, falling on the trail. he looked up to the demigod who looked as he normally did. had paul seen something? “what the hell was that for?” he stood up and brushed himself off, giving the other an irritated look. paul studied niklaus for anything amiss.

“well, you’ve only gotta be on your back here when you want to.” paul laughed, eyeing up the new islander. he must have been at the right place at the right time; he’d just been walking past as kevin arrived. he stepped forward, reaching out for a handshake. “it’s for the best we don’t have a welcome bar, some would never leave or get any work done.”

paul eyed the handsome demigod, sizing him up as he stepped closer. “welcome, i’m paul. hope you made the best of tokyo ‘cause we’ll be stuck here for a while now.” some demigods felt trapped, but paul appreciated the ample opportunity to train and better himself. “your grandmother has sound advice, though rude is stretch.” he winked, “so you got here as we were on vacation? i’ll gladly take you on a tour if you’re new.” he’d spent countless hours training across the island, and started every day with a jog around the perimeter.