Arion’s head jerked up, startled. They hummed, shoving away the face of the man next to them. The golden-haired man pouted, causing Arion to roll their eyes. “Quit your whining. There’s a human in the cave.”

“So?”

“He’s one of yours. An Ash. Perhaps you should be a bit more amicable towards him as you’ve essentially ruined his life forever.” The blonde man shrugged. “Not my problem. He was unlucky enough to be one of the few that arrived late.”

Arion stood up, brushing their hands along the silk of their dress. “I’ve never understood why you and your sister made such a hierarchy of power. Why not simply give them all the same amount? Let their skill speak for themselves.”

The blonde jumped up after them. “Oh come on. As if you and the others don’t do the same thing! Your powers are never evenly distributed!” Arion shot a glare at him, flipping the sleeves worn past their knees behind their back. “I choose based on worth. You choose based on pure luck. Do not compare us.”

“Well, isn’t luck a virtue on its own? Besides, it’s none of your business how I give out my powers anyway! Not when you guys all leave us with the sloppy leftovers!”

Arion had already walked away. The man scowled, scrambling to follow them. “Oi! Wait up! Where are you even going-” He froze at the sight in front of him.

Arion’s hair billowed around their waist. It was as smooth as water, starting blue at the top of their head and fading into vapor. The modest, layered dress they were wearing was soaked at the hemline as water pooled around the floor around them. It made the man ashamed to be in his simple shorts and flip-flops.

What captivated him most was their eyes. Their eyes glowed a mesmerizing blue. Blue like the ocean was reflecting the sea grass inside it and glittering under the sun. Arion was always so gorgeous. And not interested in him. And… using their power?

Recalling their recent conversation, the man lunged forward to distract the other. They glared at him, eyes fading with their lost concentration. He narrowed his eyes at them. “What do you think you’re doing? Did you just use your powers on that human?”

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Arion shrugged. “I found him interesting. I thought I’d see how he fared in the space of the Gods.” The man gritted his teeth. Arion had always had a bad habit of randomly testing humans for their own amusement. “That’s no excuse! He’s an Ash! You need my permission before messing with someone under my jurisdiction.”

Arion raised their brow. “Are you going to stop me?”

The man froze. He scowled. No. No, he wouldn’t. He would give anything and everything of his to them. And Arion knew that.

A moment of silence passed before the Water Deity spoke up again. “Look,” they murmured. “He’s here.” The blonde looked past the small strip of white sand they were standing on, watching the water that filled the rest of the cove ripple. Indeed, the boy was here. He grinned, “Wow. He’s conscious.”

Arion nodded. “Quite a surprise, isn’t it?” He shrugged and replied, “He’s not the first.”

Arion cocked their head to the side. “It seems he is following our voices.” The man snorted. “That’s not going to end well for him. The second he gets closer, he’s going to— oh yep, there he goes.” Arion and the man watched as the boy went under as soon as he got close, overwhelmed by the transcendental energy overflowing every pore in the cave. Just like all the others before him.

The blonde couldn’t say he was disappointed. After all, there’s no way any human could withstand the true presence of a God, let alone two of them. Arion was still watching though, so he begrudgingly dragged his eyes up to watch bubbles forming at the spot where the boy was last seen.

Arion gasped. The blonde snapped his head to the side to glance at them. Their eyes were wide like a ghost, and their mouth parted slightly in surprise. Arion was never surprised. What could have made them react that way? The man turned back to the lake just in time to see a set of gloved fingers protrude from the water.

The fingers sunk down once more after that, but the image was already imprinted in his brain. This boy, this Ash, had managed to break free from the mind-fogging sensation of not just their presence, but their voices too. No human had ever accomplished such a feat, and many had tried.

A faint glow from the corner of his vision told him that Arion was using their powers again, and the water bowed down to form a trench around the boy, resting him gently on the soft sand. With one flick of the finger, the water he had choked on shot out of his lungs, triggering his body into a coughing fit.

Soon enough, he was breathing again. The water that settled at his side began to rise again, gently carrying him closer to the Gods. A sudden flash of blue light had the blonde blinking erratically. He turned to the side to see Arion in one of his human forms, kneeling down to check the young boy’s vitals.

A swat at his leg prompted the blonde to do the same. He rolled his eyes as he switched to a humanoid form with flickers of red and orange. He looked down to see Arion’s eyes shining up at him. “Tell me everything you know about this kid.”

The man grumbled under his breath. So much for his little ‘date’.