Duncan was taken aback as the other ascended into the air. “No. Freaking. Shit.” He managed to get out, impressed with the other’s ability. The man stuck out his hand instinctively to help stablizie Hunter as he came back down. “That’s impressive. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of that ability,” he admitted, also taking another drink. “It is crazy though. I’m still getting used to the idea that this all exists. Let alone wondering why they chose who they chose. Any ideas, anything make you special enough to make Hermes himself want you?” The question was partially a joke but Duncan was genuinely curious. As highly as he thought of himself, he wondered why Dionysus had chosen him. 

Hunter giggled at the other’s response, grabbing the man’s strong hand as he stumbled around a bit trying to get his footing. The touch Duncan’s hand alone was enough to make Hunter blush. “Pretty cool, huh?”, he replied, just a hint of boastfulness in his tone. “Sorry. Promise I didn’t spill.” Hunter held out the flask for the other to take. “No idea, man. I mean. I was smack dab in the middle of an existential crisis when I was asked to come here. How ‘bout you, handsome? I mean you clearly like to drink. Wasn’t Dionysus the god of wine? Think that could be a part of it?”, he teased, nudging the boys arm playfully.

“My dad always says ‘Luck is for people who help themselves’,” He recites. “Don’t sell yourself short, we’re gods.” That’s one thing Aiden had to get used to himself. They were chosen for a reason, and they were surviving for a reason. He beamed at the other’s reaction to his tiki doll. He looks up to take in the other’s handsome face. “I wouldn’t call it stealing,” He replies coyly. “It technically didn’t belong to anyone. So I thought it would be nice with the collection I got going on.”

“True. I guess I just haven’t fully wrapped my head around that fact just yet.” Hunter was still fresh off of his anointment and he definitely hadn’t had much time to process it. “Ah, true”, Hunter replied. “Sorry, I used to be a bit of a kleptomaniac so the thought of stealing some sort of sacred ancient ruin got me all excited.” Hunter took a moment to examine the boy’s features while he had him so close. “A collection, eh? Other souvenirs?”, he questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

Duncan nodded, pressing the flask to his lips and taking another drink himself. He took a moment to mull over the question.·“Still getting used to some of them. Aiden is a bit of hot head and might get you into a bit of trouble if you don’t watch over him. Adrian’s a bit of a flirt but that never killed anybody.” So far there wasn’t one around that he wasn’t fond of, though that wasn’t too hard for him, especially considering how everyone looked.·“Don’t know how Hawk is when the rest of the guys but we have a pretty good banter. All in good fun. Why? Anybody specific you wanna know about?” he asked with a tilt of his head and a slight grin creeping up. “How’s your first few days on the island been?”

Hunter was unaware that Duncan was also a newby. It was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one. Hunter listened to the other, taking in the information being given and storing it for later. “No, not really! I guess I just wanted to know if there was anyone I needed to watch out for”, he admitted, stealing the flask away and taking another swig. “They have been kind of crazy. Not gonna lie. But I’m super honored to be here with all of you. It’s crazy, right? We’re fuckin’ gods man! I mean, I can fly!” Hunter pushed up off the ground and hovered for a moment, landing not so gracefully on his feet. “Oof. Gotta get a hang of the landings”, he joked, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

“As in a boyfriend? Unfortunately not. I tend to push people away once I feel like they’re getting too close. Not proud of that. But yeah.”

“Yeah, I figured maybe you could help me out with something.” Duncan had decided to ask the new man on the island istead of one of the other guys. Duncan was still warming up to everybody himself and figured getting a good footing with Hunter early couldn’t hurt. Not that the other guy’s weren’t welcoming but the blonde figured it couldn’t hurt getting to know Hunter better. Duncan led the man through a grove a trees and bushes not to far away from camp but out of sight of the others. “Don’t know how you feel about this…” he started, reaching in and pulling out his flask and offering it to the other. “But feel free to have at it. What’s your poison?” 

“Yeah, man. I’m always down to help!”, he replied excitedly. Hunter definitely wanted to show the boys that he was a team player and he wasn’t here to mess around. But he had honestly been eyeing Duncan since he first arrived. He couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to getting some alone time with him. And so Hunter followed the other away from camp, curious as to what he needed help with. He cocked his brow, smirking devilishly at the flask being presented to him. “Thank you”, he replied, grabbing the flask and taking a sip. “So, Duncan”, he questioned while handing the flask back to the other. “You got the lowdown on any of the boys? Anything I should look out for?”

   “just wanted to check up on you after that…. shall we say mission?” he chuckled, shaking his head at the mere memory of that god damn statue, before he was pulling a glass bottle from behind his back. “thought i might offer you some tequila as well, to help you relax after that.” atreus remembers what his first hard encounter was like and what it was like being thrown into this world and how all he wanted was to bury his self in a bottle of tequila. “what do you say?”

“So you do have tequila. Bless your fuckin’ soul”, Hunter replied excitedly. He grabbed the bottle out of the other’s hand and took a wiff, his eyes widening as the fumes went through his nose. “I say hell yeah! Thanks, man.” He wasted no time taking a big swing from the bottle before handing back over to Atreus. “So, Atreus. How are you feeling? I mean after getting whacked by that fuckin’ statue. You okay?”

He stood there keeping watch as Hunter leaned down to scoop up some water to drink. “Yeah, well. It’s good to keep hydrated. Pity it’s not like, some nice oasis with a waterfall and all that though,” Zayn chuckled, grinning at the other man. The sky god cocked a brow at Hunter, his blue eyes tracing over his new companion’s frame. “You sure that’s what you want to see? Pretty sure you were wanting another view in mind, weren’t you?” he ribbed, giving the other god a sly wink before moving away from the water source. “C’mon. Shoreside it is.”

Hunter let out a quiet chuckle, looking down at the ground and then back up at the other. “Can’t I view both? At the same time?”, he questioned playfully, cocking his eyebrow and smiling over at Zayn. He could tell where this was going and he was definitely down for it. He was quite the playboy at home so he figured here it wouldn’t be any different. Hunter began to follow Zayn through the jungle again, reaching forward to slide his finger’s in between Zayn’s. He glanced over at him again, smirking sweetly as they walked towards the shore.

“Yup,” Aiden replied, leading the other back to his shelter. “First off, great job earlier, with the riddle and everything. It was a close call but at least we’re one step closer to getting off this island.” Almost every encounter was a closer call, but at least this one no one died, so Aiden considered that a win. Still, he wanted so badly to beat the shit out of that Odysseus guy. When they make it to the shelter he turns to face the other. “Figured I should show you since you figured out the riddle,” He sits on top of his makeshift bed and motions for the other to do the same, before grabbing his backpack and taking out the wooden tiki statue he found at the grove. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Wow, thanks! I got lucky.” The last thing Hunter wanted to do was come off as some arrogant prick to the other boys. But he was honestly proud of himself for his contribution. He was the new guy and he had something to prove. He was just really glad that he lucked out with the whole olive branch thing. He would’ve felt worthless otherwise. Hunter followed Aiden onto the bed, smiling over to him as he pulled a small tiki statue from his backpack. “Dude, this is sick!”, he replied, leaning into Aiden and running his fingers over the statue. He looked up again at Aiden. This time their faces only inches apart. “You little thief”, he teased. “You steal a lot?” Hunter was well versed in thieving so he was definitely into it.

Zayn couldn’t help but laugh, amused at the other’s banter with him. “Glad to know where your eyes are at then, Hunter,” he hummed as he continued to guide them through the woods. He stopped for a moment, only pulling back some branches to reveal the small drinking pond that several campmates found. “You can get fresh water here if you need. If you need to wash up or something, the beachside is once place people go to do it. Close to camp, and you can get a nice sunset there. Or other views,” Zayn chuckled, nudging Hunter’s shoulder teasingly.

“You betcha, chief”, Hunter replied, winking at Zayn playfully. He followed the boy a bit farther until he stopped in his tracks, gently pulling some branches to the side. Hunter looked over Zayn’s shoulder and his face dropped as he stared at the tiny pond. He was definitely expecting something a bit bigger. But apparently, according to Zayn, this pond was for drinking and he was grateful for that. He leaned down a bit, cupping his hands to collect some water before taking a sip. “Wow. That’s fantastic”, he mused before standing up again and looking over at Zayn. “I’d love to see it. If you don’t have anything to do?”

He grinned at Hunter’s excitement to join him, only pausing with a raised brow at the final statement. “You’re bold, aren’t you?” he teased, a smile forming on his lips at the other man. Zayn was getting used to the compliments now, learning to take them in stride. “What, you don’t get enough staring at mine when we’re sharing a shelter together?” the thunder god rumbled, only moving to walk away from the camp. If Hunter wanted a show, he could get one.

“It’s definitely a nice spot, although I wouldn’t go too often by yourself. You might run into some things here on this island. It’s just better to be in company so that you’re always safe and protected at least,” Zayn hummed as he ducked under a tree branch.

“Honestly, babe? I don’t really think I could ever get enough”, he teased, smiling back at the other. Hunter was a known flirt and he certainly wasn’t shy about it. Although he chose not to get too attached to anyone emotionally. In his experience they always ended up leaving, in one way or another.

Hunter began to follow Zayn through the lush forest, ducking branches and hopping over rocks when necessary. This place was so different from the city he’d come from. Quite the opposite, actually. “Well then, I’m lucky I have you with me! I could certainly use someone around who knows what the fuck they’re doing.”

Accepting the fact that Harley had just vanished one night without as much as a goodbye was really jolting for Zayn. Aside from everything that had happened on the island and how many people they had lost, it was disheartening to wake up one morning alone in his shelter. Still, it didn’t take long for the towers to send someone new in the other’s place, and Zayn had graciously accepted Hunter with open arms. A new roommate was much better than none. Stealing him away the next chance he got, the young man nodded eagerly. “Figured I’d show you where some water is. Could freshen up there if you need to.”

At this point hunter was well aware that he was a replacement. Although he had no idea why he was chosen. Perhaps the boy before him didn’t end up being the vessel Hermes was looking for. In any case, Hunter was not going to allow that to happen to him. This was his chance to be happy. His chance at a new life.

Luckily for Hunter, his shelter mate Zayn had welcomed him with open arms. “Water? Yeah that sounds amazing”, he sighed. The idea of a cool dip sounded like heaven. “You can lead the way! As long as you don’t mind having your ass stared at...” His eyes flickered up into Zayn’s, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

collecting coconuts was an easy task. in fact, henri could very much do it all by himself. however, he wanted to see if the new kid was willing to be a team player and show his worth. hunter was off to a good start so far. he complained less than even henri did upon first arriving to the island. not to mention really good looking. as if the gods and goddesses ever chose ugly vessels. even hayden who was the incarnation of hephaestus looked absolutely stunning. “right over here,” he spoke while leading hunter through the dense jungle.

eventually, the pair reached a group of trees abundant with coconuts. “i was gonna suggest me transforming into a falcon and cutting them loose for you with my beak. you’re supposed to be the catcher. how do you propose getting yourself up there, hm?” he inquired.  

Hunter hovered for another moment before diving back down to the ground, landing hard on his feet. “Ouch”, he cried, reaching down to rub his calves. He clearly hadn’t gotten used to his abilities just yet. Sticking a landing wasn’t as easy as it looked.

He followed Henri through the dense, lush forest in search of a coconut tree. This place was absolutely glorious. He had truly never seen anything like it. He was used to living in a jungle concrete and brick. “You can transform into a falcon? Amazing”, he mused, a bright smile on his face. “Dude, did you not just see me fly?” Hunter raised an eyebrow.

all it took was one evening before harley apparently left the island. henri was saddened to hear that the tall blonde disappeared in the middle of the night. he woke up the next morning to realize there was only thirteen of them. but before he could even grasp the fact that a close friend of his was gone, a new student arrived on a pegasus to seemingly take harley’s place. henri was reluctant to extend his hand and become buddies so quickly, but he found the other male quite fun to be around. he eventually learned to enjoy hunter’s company during their short time together. “nothing special, unfortunately. just needed your help collecting coconuts for the rest of the camp. think you’re up for the challenge?”

“You got it, darlin’”, Hunter replied, offering Henri a wink. He reached over, giving the boy a couple gentle pats on the back. Henri didn’t seem to be too thrilled when Hunter had first arrived. Apparently he was somebody’s replacement. But he wouldn’t let that fact shake him. Hunter was ready to show the boys who he was and what he could do. He definitely had something to prove.

Hunter pushed off the ground and up into the air, stopping at roughly the height of a treetop. “Should be pretty easy for me”, Hunter bragged, looking down at the other. “Maybe I could throw ‘em down to you? You a good catcher?”