The Wave’s Wrath

He threw his head back and groaned, “Don’t tell me you’re apart of that weird ass cult too? They keep trying to convince me I’m a god, ah-uh- Zeus or someone like that.” He hung his arms around Hermes shoulder and propped his chin on top of the other’s head, “Are you, what, like, Dionysus or something? You alcoholic.” Finally, his Mythology class was paying off.

hermes couldn’t help but snort. “let me guess, someone is trying to say you’re posedion? what’s so wrong with being compared to a god?” he asked curiously, his head tilting up as the other’s arms hung off his shoulders. “not quite. but i am hermes. guess that still makes me a drunk.”

Karzon wasn’t fond of the water, whether that be a pool, a lake, or the ocean. It was the unknown- open water was treacherous and his fate was left up to chance and his ability to flail his arms. He couldn’t swim. But despite that, the water called to him, singing a familiar song where the lyrics were on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn’t spit them out. So he watched at a distance, not admiring it- no- he couldn’t admire something he hated, but cursing it for keeping secrets.

He heard someone call out to him, again familiar, what it brought wasn’t quite comfort but safety, like the secrets of the lake could t hurt him any longer. But when he turned his head expecting to see a long lost friend all he saw was a stranger, and the smile that found itself bubbling up fell and shattered. “No,” he managed a strained laugh, “Don’t like the water. Never have.”

there was no real recognition in his eyes, & she almost fell short, stopped walking. poseidon had to remember her. how could he not ? how could he ? he was her best friend. she needed her — she stopped the thought in its tracks, drawing herself up, head held high. zeus didn’t need anyone. she never had. she couldn’t. she gave a thin smile in return, & didn’t think about how it should have been a grin.

There wasn’t much that embarrassed Karzon anymore and this was no different. He held no shred of pride for himself when he walked into the doctor’s office- late into the night- cradling his arm as the bruise on his face turned a nasty shade of purple. The nurse sitting behind the desk didn’t even bother to ask what happened, they just sighed and led him to the only doctor left in the office.

He knew she was talking to him, he could see her mouth moving, he could register the words but he had no idea what she was saying, “I got kicked by a horse.” He assumed it would be easier for both of them if he just admitted to his stupid mistake, “And I would do it again. If she didn’t want to be pet she shouldn’t have come up to me. I touch everything that comes up to me. I’ll pet you too!”

.

His blunt statement made her pause. “A horse?” She was once an ob-gyn–she’s seen weird things before. And yet, this story had to be somewhere up there on her list of crazy. “Where is there a stable in the city?” Had he come from outside Athens? And if so, why come to this clinic? She blinked several times and tried to put her professional mask back on. “Don’t pet me. You have to ask very nicely before I let you do that. But first, sit. You likely have a concussion.” She pulled out a light to check the dilation of his pupils. “Do you know you name? What day is it today?”

Karzon didn’t go to clubs- especially not this one- he wasn’t fond of the way people would ram into him and call it ‘dancing’. He swore that the second it hit midnight all decent human beings disappeared and were replaced by hell things that spawned from this very club. The little scuffle he just witnessed only strengthened that opinion.

He raised an eyebrow as the crowd that gathered around the petty criminal scattered when the bouncer questioned there motives but the eyebrow fell into a scowl when he realized that he was the only one left to answer, “Nope. Just passing through,” which wasn’t entirely a lie. He had left the safety of his dorm to waddle around the city trying to find a snack to satisfy his late night cravings, and it was only human to be drawn towards a fight where a man was being beaten to a pulp, “Rough night? Wanna treat?” He rummaged in his stuffed mini mart bag and pulled out a box of sour patch kids, pressing it into her hands.

.

        Cerberus could have seen the offer of food as a condescending sort of notion, especially if Poseidon actually remembered who he was, but rather when the dark haired male offered her the foreign candy she observed the brightly coloured packaging and seemed to soften. Food was probably one of the few mortal delights that she found there was and whatever he’d handed her she’d never seen before, not simply because of knowing who she truly wa sbut also because the candies were not common to Athens. “What are they?” she asked, tearing them open, her victim entirely forgotten in favour of food. 

He took a seat on the edge of the sidewalk, eyeing the bloodstain left from the fight with disgust. Carefully he took out each and every package of candy that was stuffed in the little plastic bag and lined them up next to him, “I have skittles, starburst, MnM’s, snickers- Come, join me.” He patted the space next to him.

He was caught dipping the tips of his fingers into the lake by the stranger that approached him. Tall, broad, and honestly, scary. “Yeaaaah?” Karzon took a step back and then another, arms crossed against his chest to protect him from…whatever this odd man may do, he looked unpredictable, “Gods, don’t tell me, you’re a part of that cult too? I already told your leader I’m not interested in joining, now fuck off I’m busy.”

it was supposed to be an easy few hours, supporting one of his undergrad friends by watching their debut night as a college actor. instead, amphitrite found himself sitting in the audience with a knot in his throat — oblivious to the ongoing story, gaze helplessly fixed on him. poseidon. it had been so long. he hadn’t thought he’d see him again, & … he could not chalk up the change in his husband’s demeanor to acting. he couldn’t.

He planted himself in the middle of the crowd, his demeanor beckoning anyone and everyone to come give him praise. But it wasn’t that he begged for it, no, he thought he deserved it and he was prepared to pluck that sweet ambrosia from their lips. He was slow to turn toward’s the other’s voice- such a godly display of dramatics- and although he puffed out his chest the smile on his face quickly dropped and his sharp gaze went hazy. A kiss, a wedding, a life time of love, then gone. “Thank you-thank you,” he shook the remaining haze from his head and put on a keen smirk, “I’m glad I didn’t pick you out from the crowd or I would have completely lost myself. You’re gorgeous but I’m sure you get that from everyone. The name’s Karzon and it is more than a pleasure to meet you.”

Dr. Amalia Osorio leaned back in her chair, drawing crude doodles in her notebook as she counted the minutes to the end of her shift. Only thirty seven more and then she could go to the bar and drink away the day like a normal person. She was starting to put detail to a dick pic that she was drawing when the door opened and one of the nurses, Katerina, opened the door. “We got one more.” Sighing heavily, she closed her notebook and pocketed it into her doctor’s coat. Amalia nodded to the nurse and a few minutes passed before the young man stepped into her office. “Hello, I’m Dr. Osorio. How can I help you today?”

He knew she was talking to him, he could see her mouth moving, he could register the words but he had no idea what she was saying, “I got kicked by a horse.” He assumed it would be easier for both of them if he just admitted to his stupid mistake, “And I would do it again. If she didn’t want to be pet she shouldn’t have come up to me. I touch everything that comes up to me. I’ll pet you too!”

Karzon paused, pursed his lips and snorted- the audacity! “Are you so hungover that you think you’re a god? Far from it asshat, you have absolutely no divinity in you.”

hermes couldn’t help his eye roll. “you’re only making it worse, pose…karzon. or whatever the fuck you go by now. couldn’t you have picked a less complicated name like kevin or some shit? you look like a kevin.”

Karzon couldn’t help but laugh as he slapped a hand against the other’s back, “Too much to drink last night? Told ya a bottle of tequila would fuck you up.”

hermes huffed as the hand slapped at his back. “i used to be able to drink that and be fine. i hate being mortal.”

         Cerberus’ fist collided with a man’s face outside of Hades club. From the wet stains on his knees she had obviously dragged him out of the place and was now keeping him on the cobbled sidewalk to work over. It wasn’t exactly good for business for her to be doing this but this wasn’t a work issue, this was an idiot guy who thought he could be grabbing people’s wallets in the club - obviously unaware of the kind of person who owned it. “you don’t fucking come back here,” Cerberus said, knocking him in the face again and feeling blood on her knuckles from the mortal bones in his face caving in. 

He raised an eyebrow as the crowd that gathered around the petty criminal scattered when the bouncer questioned there motives but the eyebrow fell into a scowl when he realized that he was the only one left to answer, “Nope. Just passing through,” which wasn’t entirely a lie. He had left the safety of his dorm to waddle around the city trying to find a snack to satisfy his late night cravings, and it was only human to be drawn towards a fight where a man was being beaten to a pulp, “Rough night? Wanna treat?” He rummaged in his stuffed mini mart bag and pulled out a box of sour patch kids, pressing it into her hands.