okminer07

[okminer07]

Mice Among Beasts Pt 4.5

An extra part that takes place between parts 4 and 5.

“Willow!” screamed Belle, tearing at the vines encasing her. She couldn’t see anything, but she had heard a shot fired and a gasp from her sister that had been promptly cut off. Her eyes watered as she clawed at the greenery, finally pulling the vines apart and creating a gap she could see through.   

She could see her! See Willow! She was just standing there… why?  

Belle’s eyes widened as her sister turned, revealing a metal bolt, both tips sticking out from her stomach and back. She shrieked and began tearing at the vines once more with such ferocity that her fingers and nails burned.  

“Willow!”  

Her heart skipped a beat when the vines suddenly gave way, all their structural integrity leaving them as they sagged and crumpled to the floor. At the same time, Willow had collapsed to the ground.   

Belle shoved past the dying plants, stumbling over herself as she ran across the dungeon floor. She paid no mind to the chaos just down the stone steps, where the bear had just pounced upon the goblin that had fired the bolt. Her vision and mind were entirely focused on one thing.  

As she approached her sister, she fell to her knees and crawled the rest of the way over. Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of her. There she lay, faced down, a pool of her own green blood growing around her and staining her clothes and hair. Belle grabbed her head and held it up. Her eyelids lazily half covered her eyes which were foggy and thoughtless. She was breathing, but it was weak, and growing weaker by the second.  

“Willow?” she hiccuped, grabbing her shoulders, heaving her up, and laying her head in her lap. Her sister’s boots scraped across the ground, her limbs dragging along like bags of sand. Belle pushed away the strands of hair from her face, sticky from being dipped in her own blood.   

Her heart raced and only grew faster as she looked over Willow’s body. The bolt stuck out like a massive, thick sword, and around it, blood continued to seep out. Wha… what do I do? D-do… Do I pull it out?   

She stared down at her sister’s face, slapping her on the cheek, “Willow, Willow wake up! Wake up!" Wake up and tell me what to do!  

Heavy and hot tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She wiped at them, rubbing her face till it burned. What was she doing? Crying at a time like this?! Willow was-  

Her eyes flooded over and she gasped for breath. She pulled her sister in and hugged her, nestling her face in her hair, “Please… please…”  

The screams and cries of the goblins died out around her as their hosts bled out on the floor. Belle ignored them, uncontrollably sobbing as her sister’s body grew cold. It was only when the ground beneath her trembled with approaching lumbering footfalls.  

Warm breath blew through her hair and she turned around. Teddy’s face was hovering nearby. His fur was bloodsoaked, particularly around his mouth. If She hadn’t known better or perhaps if her mind wasn’t preoccupied, she would have been scared, terrified even. However, as his eyes bore into her, she could make out the emotions behind them, the consciousness.  

He tilted his head and inched his nose closer, eyes focused upon Willow. Belle shoved his snout away when he went in to nudge her sister’s limp body, “Don’t!” She sniffled, struggling to pull her sister closer to her.  

Teddy recoiled before letting out a low, forlorn grumble. He began to back away, never turning around and never taking his eyes off the two of them.  

Suddenly, his body began to glow a dim yellow that only grew brighter by the second until his entire being was engulfed by it. Belle shielded her eyes as the light became blinding. 

Not a second or two later the light began to dim. As it dimmed, a form rose from the dying light. It continued to rise, growing taller and taller till she realized it wasn’t a bear, it was… it was a man. A bigfolk.  

Belle’s mouth fell open and she began to tremble all over. The big folk’s shadow fell over her as it took a slow step towards them.   

She screamed, her legs scrambling beneath her in an attempt to stand, weighed down by her sister’s body. Fresh tears seeped out of her eyes as she dragged herself and her sister away, “G-g-get… get back!”  

To her surprise, the giant stopped. She gripped her sister’s body to herself as she stared up at the man. He was massive, looking big even for a bigfolk with a towering height and broad body. A tangled mane of light brown hair tumbled down a thick head with two pointed ears on either side.   

From everything she’d heard, everything her sister had told her, she was expecting him to be looking back at her with glowing red eyes and fangs, but he wasn’t. His face… his expression… he looked… he looked almost… concerned? He gazed down at her with not a sharp glare but a soft, sympathetic look.  

Belle let out a whimpering hum as the man took another step forward, rattling the ground beneath her, “St-stay away!”  

He didn’t stop, continuing to lumber closer, “It’s alright. There’s no need to be afraid.” 

She shook her head, “Go away!”   

The man frowned before lowering himself down. Belle scrambled back as his hands came down on either side of them and his head lowered before her, “Please, I can-”  

“Get back!” she shrieked. Her eyes welled up with tears and she hid her face in her sister’s hair once more, sobbing into it, “Don’t… don’t hurt… don’t hurt her.”  

She flinched when the man spoke again, his voice low yet loud to her ears, “It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.”  

Belle peeked up at the man, trembling. She froze as she looked into his eyes, and studied them. They were… familiar… very familiar. Her own eyes widened as the image of that same pair of eyes stared back at her, in the skull of a bear rather than a man’s.  

“T-teddy?”  

A weak smile appeared on the man’s face and he slowly nodded.  

She shook her head, “N-no… Teddy’s a bear… you’re not… you’re a…” 

“Belle.” 

Her mouth fell open at her name. He… he knew her name.    

“Are you… are you really Teddy?”  

The man nodded again, “If that’s what you want to call me.” His eyes flicked down to her sister, widening, “Quick, hand her over.”  

Belle pressed herself against Willow, “No!”  

“Please, I can help her.”  

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, “No…” 

“We don’t have much time until-”  

A loud thud reverberated through the walls. Belle cried out, trembling all over and looking up at the ceiling, fearful that it might come tumbling down upon them.  

The man grumbled to himself before two massive hands, each several times larger than her appeared on either side. They closed in around her, sliding beneath her and Willow. Her heart hammered in her chest as the world was fully closed off by the walls of flesh and they were cast into darkness, tiny streaks of light flitting through the man’s fingers.   

“Hold on.” whispered the man above.  

Belle opened her mouth but was promptly interrupted when she and her sister were thrown against one of the man’s hands and then the other, being thrown around within the odd cage as the man sprang into action.    

She closed her eyes and curled in upon herself and her sister’s limp arm, clinging to it like it was the only thing real. 

[okminer07]

I assure you: somebody, somewhere, is on the exact same wavelength as you are.

[okminer07]

Gala with the Gods Pt 2

She was quick to slip out of her clothes, into her nightgown, and collapse into bed. The mattress settled around her as she sunk into it and before long, she had fallen asleep, distant, whale-like snores reverberating through the walls.   

Eudora jolted awake at the sound of knocking. She groaned and glared over at the door, another round of knocks coming from the other side.  

“Go away,” she murmured, rolling over and pulling the sheets over her. The knocking continued, getting harsher. She ignored it. Hopefully whoever was on the other side would get the message.  

The door could be heard swinging open as whoever was knocking let themselves in. Eudora sat bolt upright and whipped her head around.  

Her eyes widened as a sea nymph swam in. She’d never been formally introduced but the nymph was familiar. Her name was Azin, an older-looking nymph with lavender skin and white curled hair. She was a seamstress of sorts, in charge of making all the clothes for the palace’s residents, so just Poseidon and recently Milo.  

Azin closed the door behind her before turning to Eudora, “Well, are you going to keep me waiting all night?”  

She raised a brow, “I’m sorry, what?”  

The sea nymph let out an exasperated sigh, “Are you going to get up or do you expect me to drag you out of bed myself?”  

Eudora stared at her. By the serious look on her face, she wasn’t bluffing about dragging her out. Throwing off the weighted covers, she hesitantly slid out of bed. The instant she was standing, Azin grabbed her arm and began dragging her along.  

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Azin ignored her, bringing her over to the opposite side of the room near the wardrobe and vanity table. She stopped Eudora right in front of the mirror before letting go. The nymph hummed to herself, looking around the room until her eyes landed on a small footstool. She brought it over and set it down between them.  

“Step on up.”  

She didn’t oblige, “What is this all about? What are you doing, bursting in here in the middle of the night?”  

Azin gave her a confused look, “You don’t know?”  

“No, I don’t”   

She shrugged, “Perhaps he forgot to tell you. Of course he just recently told me.” she grumbled, “With only a few days to get this finished.”  

“Finish what?”  

“Your dress.”  

She narrowed her eyes, “What would I need a dress for?”  

“For the gala.”  

Eudora’s mouth fell open and her face went pink, “But I’m not going.”  

“That’s not what I’ve been told.” hummed Azin, withdrawing from her pocket a measuring string, “Now, if we could get started with-”  

“Who said I was going?” snapped Eudora.  

The sea nymph shook her head, “Poseidon came to me not an hour ago and insisted you needed a dress for the gala.” She pointed at the stool, “Would you please step onto the stool so I can get your measurements?”  

Her eyes widened, backing away. He said what?! She whirled around and started for the door, struggling to walk through the water.   

“Where do you think you’re going?” Azin called after her.   

Eudora ignored her, snatching up her weighted shoes and shoving them on. Once her feet were securely on the ground, she threw the door open and hurried out.  

She stormed down the dimly lit halls, fists clenched. This can’t be serious. He can’t be serious. Has he lost his mind?!  Her frustration only intensified as she navigated through the endless hallways and clambered up stairs taller than her, the place scaled for beings much larger than her.   

Though the place was massive and easy to get lost in, all she had to do was follow the snores echoing through the whole palace. After struggling up a long staircase, she came to an ornate door, hundreds of feet tall and intricately carved.   

She raised her fist, steeling herself before bringing it down upon the door, “Poseidon!”  

The snores didn’t falter and simply rumbled on. Eudora groaned, continuing to knock.  

“Poseidon! I swear- wake up!”   

Again, no sign that she had been heard.   

She sighed, dragging her hands down her face. Why? Why did it have to be a night when he actually sleeps? He doesn’t even need to!   

Glaring at the door, she stepped up and pressed her entire weight into it. The door just barely budged, enough to create a small crack she could slip through. She wrenched her hand away before the door could slam on it and stumbled into the room.  

Since there wasn’t any sort of reason she could possibly think of where she’d need to come in here, Eudora had never been in this room of the palace. She didn’t know why, but thinking about it made her feel all strange. Maybe it was because the idea of a god having something so normal and mortal-like as a bedroom didn’t make complete sense to her.   

This bedroom was anything but normal. For one, it was gargantuan, not in a spacious way but in a way that she felt like a mouse or even an insect looking up at everything. The ceiling was just as high as they had been in the halls and the dimly lit space only made it feel further away. Towering over her was a large bed, at least fifty tall up to the plush mattress. On the edge, she could see the start of a large pile of pillows, like the base of a strange mountain.  

The snores were louder than ever, she wouldn’t be surprised if they rattled the windows. Her anger faltered and was replaced with nerves. Was this a good idea? Waking a god from their slumber?  

She shook her head, No, no. He had someone come and wake me up, he deserves the same. 

She took a breath to ground herself before looking back up to the bed, “Hey!” 

Nothing.  

“Hello?”   

Still, no reaction.   

She scoffed, Why? Why does it always have to be difficult with him?  

For a moment, she thought about heading back, giving up. She looked down, her eyes falling upon her weighted shoes. Her eyes widened as an idea came to her.   

She leaned down and unbuckled them. Her feet slid out and idling floated, her body becoming suspended in the water. Looking back up towards the bed, she began to kick her legs and swim upwards.  

It honestly felt a little odd. Having spent so much time underwater with the shoes and the charm had made it feel as if she was still above the surface. Right now, it almost felt as if she were flying through the air instead of swimming through water.   

She swam up until she could see over the mattress. On the other side of the bed, the covers sloped upwards over top of Poseidon's colossal sleeping form. His head was turned to the ceiling, his arms sprawled out over the pillow and his mouth ajar a blizzard of bubbles blowing out with each snore.   

Eudora treaded water, suspended just above the covers, “Hello? Would you mind waking up?!” 

It was as if she wasn’t even there, he just kept snoozing.  

She groaned, wading a little closer, “Come on! Wake up!” 

Still… nothing.   

She threw her hands in the air, scoffing. I do not want to do this. I do not want to do this.  

Letting out a long sigh, she swam closer. Her stomach squirmed slightly as she grew closer and his face filled more and more of her vision. She swam until she was within arm's reach of his left cheek.  

Using the back of her hand, she lightly slapped him.  

“Hey,” she hissed, hitting him a few more times, a bit harder, “Wake up.”  

She wrenched her hand away when he let out a short grunt, his eyes scrunching up. A  few seconds later though, he was still and quiet.

Eudora continued to hit him, “Would you just wake up?!”   

A low moan rumbled around her as his cheek twitched. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Before she could move away from it, a hand several times her size slammed into her. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she was shoved against something warm and oddly soft. 

She gasped for breath and tried to move back, only to find herself pinned down, her body being squished against- Oh no…. Oh gods no.  

All she could see was skin, surrounding her on all sides as Poseidon’s hand pressed her against his cheek.   

Her eyes widened and her heart began to hammer against her ribcage, no, no, no, no, no, no! She thought as she began to frantically struggle against him, trying to lift his hand off of her only for it to barely even budge. 

“F-fuck! Get off of me!” she said through gritted teeth, attempting to jam her elbow back and jab his palm. She could barely move and the air- water around her was getting stuffy, becoming increasingly claustrophobic.  

She stopped attempting to try and lift his hand and instead began to try and wriggle out from under. Her heart leaped when she was able to free one hand and use it to drag her body forward, clawing into the skin beneath her. She gasped for breath when two of his fingers parted and she forced her head through.    

Finally, after another minute of struggling, she was able to hurriedly swim up, heaving from exhaustion. Her face turned bright red when she looked down, Poseidon’s hand still pressed to his cheek while a smile played across his lips.   

She shook her head, oh for fuck’s sake! She swam back down towards him, grabbing up a strand of his hair and yanking it as hard as she could.  

A bellowing yell was all the warning she got before he sat bolt upright. She scrambled out of the way as he lunged forward, floundering in the water until he stopped moving.   

The blankets tumbled off his chest as it heaved and he whipped his head around wildly, sending small currents of water every which way. Eudora cleared her throat, her arms crossed.    

His eyes landed on her and widened.  “Wha- what are you doing in here?!” Almost frantically, his arm came up and slapped over the scarred stump that was his other arm.  

She raised a brow, “You’ve got some explaining to do. What is this about me attending this gala thing?”    

He blinked, still staring at her dumbfounded until her words made it through that dense head of his, “Oh, that. I was… going to tell you when you woke up. Wait- why are you up?”  

“Don’t try and change the subject.” she snapped, “Why did you say I was going?”   

“Because you are.”   

She scoffed, “I am not! Even if you had taken the courtesy of asking me I wouldn’t have. So go and tell your seamstress to go and usher someone else out of bed.”  

Poseidon groaned, “I told her to wait till morning.”   

“Well, tell her she won’t have to wait at all since I won’t be attending.”  

“But you will be attending.”  

Eudora’s glare deepened, “I will not!”  

He sighed, “Listen, Hermes expects you to be there.”  

“Well, I expected an uninterrupted night’s sleep. What we expect doesn’t always happen,”  

His gazed hardened, “Not when you’re a god. When a god expects something to happen, it happens.” she rolled her eyes, he definitely lives by that, “and knowing Hermes he’s probably already blabbed about you to everyone else so they’ll also be expecting you to be there.”  

“Can’t you just say I couldn’t attend? Maybe I fell ill, something, something, mortal problems.”   

Poseidon raised a brow, “Do you really think they're stupid enough to fall for something like that?”  

“Yes.” she stated matter-of-factly, “And you are further proving that by being oblivious to an issue with me attending.”  

He gave her an annoyed look, rolling his own eyes, “What?”  

“This gala is on Olympus, is it not?”  

“Yes.”  

“Isn’t there a certain someone up there who is looking for another certain someone? A certain horse thief?!”  

Poseidon shook his head, “My brother knows one thing, the name Eudora. Nothing else. You could walk right past him and he’d have no idea who you were beyond what I tell him.” Eudora opened her mouth to argue but snapped it shut when no argument came to mind. He heaved another sigh and looked her in the eye, “Please, could you do this? For me?”  

She scowled at him for a few more seconds before she gave in, “Fine. If all I have to do is be there, then fine.”  

A small smile played across his lips, “Alright then. You should be getting back to Azin, the only patience she has is with clothes.” Eudora pursed her lips, uncrossing her arms and turning to start the long swim back down to her shoes. She froze as Poseidon shifted, “Here.” he leaned over the length of the bed and reached down the opposite side. When his hand came back up, two of his fingers were pinched around her miniscule boots.  

Slowly he brought his hand over, letting the metal shoes tumble into his palm and offering them to her. She swam over and snatched them away, hurriedly swimming to the opposite side of the bed.   

Once the floor was below her, she slipped them on and allowed herself to be dragged downward. Her feet hit the ground and she started for the door. She paused when they opened just a crack and a familiar figure darted in.  

“Great, now that that’s all sorted out, let’s get those measurements,” before she knew it, Azin had her scaly hands around her arm and was dragging her along, out the door and down the halls. 

[okminer07]

😂

They might have to just do it like humans do, lip to lip, or in this case lips to fully body 😅

Though I can see Nuna being able to do it along Cetus’ neck.

Adorable! I love this!!!!!

Can I be blessed with seeing how the freshwater mers ‘kiss’. With a certain two. (Cetus and Nuna) or just a regular kiss and how that would work out?

To fully appreciate the Cetus-Nuna "kiss" you first need to know how same-sized freshwater mers kiss. Here's an example:

They rub their noses and upper lips against their partner's skin. It can involve the lower lips too, it depends on place and angle. Their noses are very sensitive and has electroreceptors, allowing them to sense many things in this action; their partner's pulse, muscles, heat, scent etc. And for the other it's being vulnerable, allowing sharp teeth near weak spots. A complete trust and the soft sensation of the contact, their bonded being so close. An amalgamation of senses and energies. The neck is the equivalent of the "Hollywood kiss". A classic.

Here's Cetus' attempt to do that. But he's too big and ends up with a Nuna shaped mustache instead. He needs to work on his technique. ;)

Nuna belongs to @okminer07

[okminer07]

Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!! I love it so much!!!! This is exactly how I pictured the scene!!!! It’s perfect!!!!! 🥹🥹

Inspiration struck and I drew a scene from @okminer07's latest chapter of "Nuna" (see here)!!

Look they're adorable and it checked all of the boxes of things I love to draw. So yeah, just a little something! :,)

Nuna be like "What is this feeling?! I must be getting sick!" xD

[okminer07]

Amphitrite all dressed up for the Gods’ Gala

Commission by @valmiliarcrow

Please don’t repost

[okminer07]

Nuna Pt 7

The sun beamed down, making the sand sparkle. Nuna dragged her finger through it, drawing another image. She glanced to her right, along the beach where several other drawings in the sand lay, many of which depicted other sea creatures.  

Though right next to the water that she lay half submerged in, the waves never were able to creep up and wash them away, due to the massive green arm, blocking the way.   

Not long after she’d started, Cetus had awakened and joined her on the beach. At first, she had been a little unnerved by how he constantly followed her, but she’d grown used to it. It was even a little comforting, never having to be alone.   

She had for the most part ignored him and continued on with her drawings. That was until a wave created by a simple flick of Cetus’ tail had come up and washed away everything she had done. Her annoyance was short lived though since not a second or two later, he let out a low whine and placed his arm down where it was now, blocking any waves, created by him or not, to stop short.   

Nuna had muttered a short thanks and had begun redrawing everything that had been lost.  

Pulling her finger away, she smirked down at her latest figure. A low rumble that rattled her bones came from behind her and a warm breeze blew forward her hair and gills. She turned and flinched, her entire vision filled by a pair of dark green lips.   

She gulped, leaning away and looking up. Cetus gazed down at her, the membrane over his eyes pulled back, showing off the amber orbs beneath. He tilted his head and hummed, slowly blinking.   

Nuna stared back, confused. There it was again, that strange feeling. It was like nausea but somehow not as unpleasant, and maybe a bit like fear perhaps? It made her throat go all tight, but she didn’t feel like screaming or swimming away.  

She cleared her throat and looked back down at the sand, her face feeling unnaturally warm. Why did she always react like this when they made eye contact?  

“Ah, I'd hoped I’d find you two here.”  

Nuna whipped her head around, a bit thankful for the interruption. The human, or Taniel, as she had insisted she be called instead, was making her way down the beach towards them. Nuna had come to… tolerate the human. She was for the most part quite harmless it seemed and didn’t appear to have any ulterior motive. There were even times where she might find herself thinking that she was… nice, but only sometimes.  

Cetus raised his head as she approached and let out a low rumble. She gave him a relaxed smile as she got near, looking up at him as if there was nothing odd about him. In her arms, she was carrying a book, which made Nuna perk up slightly. Perhaps it was another book for her.  

Taniel stopped just short of Cetus’ looming shadow, “How’re you guys doing?”  

“Alright.” muttered Nuna, “What do you have there?”  

“Oh, glad you brought that up.” She looked up, “Cetus, remember the conversation we had a few days ago?”  

The giant mer thought for a moment, seemingly coming up blank.  

“You know, about being able to communicate better?”   

He thought for another moment. His eyes widened and he nodded his head, breaking into a smile.  

Taniel chuckled, “Well, how about it?” Nuna flinched as Cetus let out several loud happy chuffs and his tail began to flick, creating waves that crashed onto shore. Taniel backed away as the water crept up to her, “Alright then.”  

Nuna looked between the two, a puzzled look on her face, “Uh… what’s going on?”  

“The time has finally come for Cetus to learn some sign language.”  

She narrowed her eyes, “What?”  

Taniel sat down on the sand and opened up the book, “There are some humans who are unable to hear or speak, so a language that wouldn’t require someone to be able to hear or speak was created. We call it sign language.”   

Nuna tilted her head, pulling herself further up out of the water and closer, “A language that doesn’t require sounds?”  

“Yup. Just hand movements or signs.” She held the book open for Nuna to see. The page had several pictures of humans, each of which was doing different things with their hands.   

“These hand movements… do they all mean something?”  Taniel nodded, “So… so if Cetus was able to learn these hand movements-”  

“He would be able to better communicate.”  

Her eyes widened, looking up at Cetus. He smiled down at her, nodding his head, “So I could… actually have a conversation with you? You know, not just a one-sided one?”  

“That would be the goal,” said Taniel.  

“Wait, then why hasn’t he already been taught it?”   

Cetus rumbled above and the faintest hint of pink appeared on his cheeks. Embarrassment, perhaps?  

“Well, we have thought about it for a long time but never got around to actually doing it. But, he’s shown a lot of interest in learning it lately.” She flipped through the pages of the book, towards the beginning, “Shall we get started?”  

The two mers both nodded.   

“Great, alright. Let’s start with two very simple ones, yes and no.”  

Nuna tilted her head in confusion, “Wait, but can’t he just say that by nodding or shaking his head? Why is there a sign for those?”  

Taniel shrugged, “Well, those two words can also be used in a variety of sentences like ‘no thank you’ which requires more than one gesture to finish the thought.”  

“But he could just shake his head to say that too. Isn’t it a bit redundant?”  

She sighed, “Look, I didn’t make this language and these are two of the very first signs it says are important to learn so we’re learning them, okay?”   

Nuna shrugged, “Okay.”  

“Good.” Taniel put the book aside and held up one of her hands, “Okay, the sign for yes looks like this,” she curled her hand into a fist, her thumb tucked in front of her other fingers. She flicked her wrist up and down, making her fist look almost like a head nodding.  

The sand shifted beneath them as Cetus leaned in closer, squinting down at Taniel. Nuna looked from him to her. How was he supposed to learn this if he couldn’t see what Taniel was trying to show him?  

Her eyes widened when an idea popped into her head. She scooted back towards the water and over to Cetus’ arm, “Could you uh… let me by?”  

The limb slowly rose, a light sprinkle of sand falling from it. Nuna nodded her thanks before sliding into the water. She swam as far back as she could till she was met with a wall of green and white skin.  

She breached the surface and looked up. Cetus’ form towered over head, his body blocking out the sun. He had his chin tucked against his chest in order to keep her in his sights, “Bring your hand over here.”  

He complied, slowly dragging one of his hands through the water and over to her. The small wave his movements created broke against her but she didn’t falter, she had begun to get quite used to them.  

His hand floated in front of her. Nuna swam over to his pinky finger, nearly three times as long as she was. She placed her hands on it and began to pull it, trying to encourage it to bend. 

“Make a fist with your hands, but keep your thumb out over them.”  

The water around her shifted as his fingers began to move. She swam out of the way as his hand closed into a fist. Once his fingers had stopped moving, she swam back over and grabbed the tip of his thumb before guiding it into place.   

“Alright, now, hold your hand up like this.” she ducked beneath his fist and pushed up against it. He responded by bending his wrist up. Nuna swam up and over the top of his hand. Placing her hands on one of his knuckles, she pushed again, “Now move your hand up and down, like it's a head nodding.”   

She backed away as he began to move. Her eyes lit up when he moved his hand almost exactly how Taniel had done.  

“Yes!” she crooned, swimming up to the surface, “Yes, that’s yes!”    

Cetus beamed down at her. In the blink of an eye, his hand unclenched and shot towards her. Nuna gasped as his open palm appeared beneath her and rose upwards, bringing her along with it. She floundered against his skin as his hand began to tilt but before she could tumble off of it, she was squished against his cheek.  

Cetus let out a low rumble, almost like a purr, and nuzzled his face against her. Nuna’s heart began to slow down only to continue to murmur and her cheeks to turn a deeper shade of pink. A smile crept onto her smushed face and she relaxed against him.  

Far below, she heard a faint chuckle, “Alright Cetus, good job. Now put her down.”  

He let out a short chuff of annoyance but slowly pulled away. She fell back into the palm of his hand which began to lower back down to the water, the sensation making her stomach drop. She hadn’t realized how high up she’d been. 

The hand beneath her dipped into the water and Nuna swam out of it. She swam back over to the beach where Taniel was waiting.  

“Not bad thinking on your part. You think you’re up to help him learn some more signs?”  

She smirked, “I don’t think you could without me.”  

Taniel rolled her eyes, “Alright, alright. Next is obviously no.” 

She consulted the book before showing Nuna the sign. Nuna nodded and slid back into the water. Cetus’ hand waited for her, his fingers ready to be guided.  

The sun began to set and the three were still on the beach together, Cetus determined to learn as much as he could in one lesson. So far they had been able to teach him yes and no, please, thank you, sorry, more, all done, help, and stop.  

Nuna flopped on top of Cetus’ pointer finger, sighing. All that swimming back and forth, moving fingers, and learning the signs herself had really drained her. She still wasn’t entirely used to swimming so much.  

A rumble vibrated beneath her and the finger next to her slid beneath her tail and nudged her into his palm.  

“I think that’s enough for today. What do you two think?” asked Taniel. 

Cetus raised his other hand and signed yes.  

Taniel nodded her approval, standing up and tucking the book under her arm, “Alright. How about we have our next lesson a week from today. That will give you some time to get used to signing.”   

Nuna yawned and nodded. Cetus looked down at her and rumbled softly. 

“Well, I’ll let you two get to bed. See you tomorrow.”  

She gave a tired wave. Above her, Cetus’ other hand came down upon the other, cupping them around her. Her surroundings lurched as he began to move and water wooshed by through the cracks of his fingers.   

The low but strong pulse beneath her lulled her into a calm. She laid against one of his fingers and hummed to herself.    

It wasn’t long before they reached the nest. Nuna was set down on the sandy floor and the hands around her pulled away. Above her, Cetus swam around in a few slow circles before sinking down, his long, gargantuan body curling around her on all sides like a wall. He flopped down on the sand, sending a misty cloud into the water.  

He laid his head down a foot or so away from her, his breaths disturbing the sand around his nostrils. She closed her eyes and sighed, allowing the mer to gently press his nose against her as she drifted off to sleep. 

@muppenthings @alserm @mirror2thespirit

[okminer07]

Oh oh! what about 2C for Cetus?

Since I already made this expression for Gorm I switched it up a little! He's head over fins about this little mer~

I hope you don't mind that I added your Nuna, as small as she is. :3

[okminer07]

Commission by @valmiliarcrow

Poseidon design from @neal-illustrator

Please don't repost

[okminer07]

Gala with the Gods Pt 1

This is a future chapter of Winged Horse that I couldn't wait to write, so here it is. I'm going to be splitting it up because it is a long chapter.

Eudora cautiously closed the door, sighing with relief when it didn’t creak as she let go. Why Milo had been so energetic before bed this particular night, she had no idea. It had taken a walk around the palace to tire him out enough to go to his room. After that, she spent the next hour trying to get him to fall asleep. Even when he’d fallen asleep, she had to meticulously wriggle out of the boy’s grasp, having fallen asleep while cuddling her like a doll.   

She turned away from the door and started down the monumental hallway, ceilings stretching hundreds of feet above her. Her limbs felt heavy, and for once not due to her weighted shoes. Groaning, she ran a hand down her face. It was nearly impossible to tell time down here…hopefully, it was night, it sure felt like it.  

She floated down each step of the blue marble staircase, her sights set on the towering, ornate door that led to the throne room. Two merfolk, clad in armor, stood on either side of it, looking just as tired as Eudora felt.  

They gave her a weak nod of acknowledgment and didn’t stop her from approaching the door. Her arms ached as she pushed with her whole body, just barely budging it open. She slipped inside. Why did they have to be so heavy? There’s only one- well, two here that wouldn’t find opening them a chore.  

The door settled back into place as she stepped into the throne room. Ever since arriving here, she had tried to spend as little time as possible here. The dome ceiling was dizzyingly high, and the stained glass would cast eerie shadows and lights upon the marble floor. The room itself was nearly empty, save for the few columns and the single throne at the opposite end of the room.  

She didn’t even bother to look at the throne as she approached, too busy rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes, “Took a while, but I finally got him to sleep. Honest, I’m not sure if you’re capable of this, but can you try to be qui-”   

Eudora had looked up, and instead of seeing one titanic figure, she saw two. Poseidon sat on his throne, his real arm holding up his head while the one made completely out of water clutching a sheet of parchment in his lap. The other was a stranger, a being just as massive with a pile of wild blonde hair draped over his head along with a funny-winged golden accessory. His robes were ornate yet loose-fitting in many places, a mix of white and golden yellow. What drew her attention most, however, were the man’s shoes, a pair of golden sandals that weaved up his legs and had little wings at the heels.  

Both of the two’s attention was on her. Poseidon’s bored expression changed in an instant as his eyes widened, while the other simply stared for a moment before his eyes lit up and his mouth curved upwards.   

“Well now.” he gasped, “Who do we have here?”   

Poseidon opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the stranger moved at lightning speed, becoming nothing but a yellow blur. Eudora’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest when the strange man skidded to a halt an inch from her face, his form now reduced to a similar size as hers.   

She leaned away as he ogled her, “I… um…”  

“Oh, where are my manners?” he suddenly leaned down, grabbed her hand, and kissed it, “Hermes, God of travel, luck, and many other things.” He let her hand go, “And who might you be, Darling?”  

“Uh…” her mind quickly decided on using her true name rather than her mother’s, “Amphitrite.”   

The god’s smile deepened, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I ask, are you a mortal?”  

What? Does he plan to kill me? “I am.”  

Hermes' eyes widened. He whirled around, the little wings on his shoes flapping and creating a blizzard of bubbles around them, “I didn’t know you had a human visitor. In fact, I can’t recall you ever allowing a mortal down here. What’s the occasion?” 

Poseidon remained silent, his lips working to form words that he couldn’t come up with. Eudora cleared her throat, “I am currently staying here for-”  

Hermes spun around and was suddenly right up in her face again, “You… live here?!” he whirled around to Poseidon, looking for confirmation. When the claim wasn’t challenged, he turned back to Eudora, “He’s letting you live here? A mortal? Down here?”  

He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her left wrist. Without warning, he seized it, staring at the bracelet around it dumbfounded.  

“He even gave you one of his little charms.”  

“Well… yes, how else would I be breathing?” 

“Yes, but why are you-” Behind his eyes, something seemed to click. He looked her up and down, a smirk creeping onto his face, “Oh~ I see.” In the blink of an eye, Hermes was at Poseidon's side, still human-sized and looking like an oversized fly buzzing around his head.  

“What?” he grumbled, glaring at the tiny god like he was an annoying bug.    

Hermes chuckled, “I must say, this is still quite the development for you, having a consort actually living with you.”  

Eudora’s heart nearly stopped, staring at Hermes like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. “What?”   

He laughed, “Oh, my apologies, I know you mortals prefer the term lovers.”     

Her mouth fell open. What the… no… oh no.  

“N-now wait just a moment! That’s not at all what’s going on-”   

Before she could finish her sentence, Hermes was right in front of her, pressing his finger to her lips, “Oh darling, there’s no need to be embarrassed. If anything, you should be congratulating yourself. It’s been what? Two centuries since his last? Something like that.”     

Eudora peered around him to Poseidon, trying to silently send the message: Do something, you idiot! Her eyes widened. His entire face was beet red, and he looked like he was on the cusp of exploding.    

“Please, let me explain,” she begged.  

But Hermes was no longer at her side. In a flash, he was hovering right by Poseidon’s ear, “My dear uncle, look at you! Don’t you have any decorum? In titan form around your little lady. Are you trying to scare her off?”  

It was her turn for her face to turn red, half from anger and half from… she’d rather not say. Something about him referring to her as his ‘little lady’ made her insides tie into knots. It seemed to strike Poseidon as well. He whipped his head around and swatted at Hermes, who ducked out of the way, “Shut up!”   

“Woah ah ho! Calm down. I’m only teasing.” He floated down and sat himself down on the sea god’s shoulder, “I know you’ve been struggling with shapeshifting ever since your little incident.” He turned and smirked down at Eudora, “It does make me all the more impressed by you. You must be able to… handle a lot.”  

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor, and she just might with how hot her face was getting, “Excuse me?!”  

Hermes wasn’t listening. Instead, he was grinning at Poseidon, who refused to look at anything other than the floor. If her eyes weren’t mistaken, he seemed to be quivering with rage just like her.   

“Oh! You simply must bring her along with you. I’m sure all the others will be eager to see the mortal that’s gotten your tides turning.”  

“Hold up!” shouted Eudora, “What are you talking about?!”  

He chuckled, moving out of the way just as Poseidon poised his hand to come down upon him. She jumped as he suddenly appeared at her side, “Why the gala, my dear. That’s why I came, to deliver the invitation.”  

“Gala?” 

“Oh yes. Every once and a while, we all get together for a night of fun and pleasantries.” he glanced down at the satchel draped over his shoulder, “Speaking of which, I best be off, more invitations to deliver.” He snatched up her hand and gave it another kiss, “A pleasure meeting you. I’ll be expecting to see you again quite soon.”   

One moment he was there, the next he was a streak of light that was only visible for a second before it disappeared. Eudora stared at the spot he had stood before slowly looking up at Poseidon.  

He stared back at her, frozen and still red in the face. She sighed, holding her head in her hand. 

“I’m… I’m going to bed and going to try and forget this ever happened.”   

 Without another word, she spun around and marched out of the throne room.  

[okminer07]

Hi! I just wanted to ask if you have any other accounts with your stories since tumblr doesn’t always work on mobile for me? Other than that, I look forward to your stories and hope to see new and returning ones in the future! Also, I really enjoyed reading your a growing problem stories and hope it returns soon bc it is literally one of the best g/t stories I’ve ever read!

Thank you so much! And yes my stories can also be found on DeviantArt, Ao3, and a few on Wattpad. I do plan to continue a growing problem, I tend to write what I feel most inspired to write so my motivation on certain stories shifts, so I tend to take long breaks from projects to work on other ones, but I always plan to eventually work on them all. Again, I’m so flattered that you think it’s that good and you want to see more! It means a lot to me.

[okminer07]

The Winged Horse Ch 5: Innocence in Chains

CW: Dehumanization and Abuse

Eudora sat bolt upright, the pleasant scene disappearing and being replaced with damp cave walls. The warmth of the fire still lingered though. Her shallow breaths echoed around her as the cold slowly began to settle in. Something was different though.  

She placed a hand on her stomach, it was no longer aching, crying out for food. It felt… full. Her eyes widened and she peered around the cave, half expecting to see the glowing smile of the goddess. Though it was empty, save for Orion who was wandering around. Not a few hours ago and he’d been curled up on the ground, unable to move from hunger. Now here he was, pacing about.  

With a hint of uneasiness, she pushed herself up onto her feet. No wave of vertigo struck her, and her limbs no longer felt like bags of sand that were weighing her down. Glancing upwards, the smallest of smiles formed across her lips. 

“Thank you.”      

Orion suddenly stilled, his ears twitching. He spun around and peered deeper into the cave, letting out a quiet snort. Eudora narrowed her eyes, following his gaze into the darkness.  

“What is it?”  

He remained silent, his ears poised. She followed his example, focusing her ears to try and hear whatever had gotten his attention. Her eyes widened when the faintest sound reached her. It… it sounded like… clanking?   

She looked back at Orion, who was nervously backing away. What is that?    

Against her better judgment, she started forward.   

Orion let out a sharp winnie, causing her to turn. He stamped his hooves and paced back and forth. She rolled her eyes, “Come on.”  

He snorted.  

“Fine. Stay right there.” She turned back around and continued deeper into the cave. A second or two later, the sound of hooves against stone filled her ears and grew louder and louder till Orion was right behind her.   

Their footsteps echoed around them as they traveled deeper and deeper. The glowing fungus provided just enough light for them and seemed to be growing thicker. Something that was also growing were the unknown sounds. They were definitely something metal-like.  

She strained her ears in hopes of possibly identifying them, only for a new sound to make her freeze. Crying, faint whimpers, and sniffles that sounded almost as if… as if they belonged to someone young, much too young.  

“Hello?” she called.  

The crying stopped, a choked hiccup echoing around her. She continued forward at a much faster pace.  

“Hello?”  

Her stomach lurched as the child-like whimpers resumed, only spurring her on. Orion called after her but she ignored him, hurrying after the voice. It was getting louder and louder,  meaning she had to be getting close.  

She yelped as her foot rose but instead of landing on something solid, it was met with nothing. It was too late for her to stop herself, and before she knew it, she was falling, helplessly plunging into the darkness, desperately clawing at the nothingness around her with no clue how far down she was going.  

All the air in her lungs forcibly left as her body slammed into something. She had braced herself for a landing on hard rock, for an eruption of pain, but what lay beneath her didn’t feel anything like a rock. It… it was soft. Her hand gingerly prodded at it. Soft and smooth… and almost familiar.   

Eudora froze when she heard above her the same crying and whimpering, only now much louder and rumbling through whatever she was lying on.  

Slowly, squinting through the darkness, her eyes began to adjust. She pushed against the odd surface, her hand sinking into it as she strained her neck to look up.  

Peering down at her was a face. A little boy’s face. Only, it didn’t look right. It looked much too close, much too…   

Her heart nearly stopped as her hand felt the surface beneath her, finally recognizing what it was. Skin.  

She gasped, hurriedly backpedalling away. The surface beneath her twitched and flexed, only confirming to her what she was currently crawling down. A leg. A leg three times as long as she was tall. The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she bumped into something. It felt like a solid wall but the slight give of the soft material told her different. She turned her head and looked up, eyes landing on a big toe the size of her head.    

A startled yelp left her lips as she lunged to the side, her body colliding with the stone floor. She rolled over and continued backpedaling away, past a pair of feet taller than her entire being. Her muscles tensed when her back became fleshed against the rock wall. She looked up, the rock stretching above her for at least forty feet. She whipped her head around, freezing at the sight.

Now she could fully make out the massive form before her. A giant. A giant she was at the bottom of a pit cornered by.   

Eudora looked back up before scrambling to her feet, finding handholds in the rock for both her feet and hands. She’d rather her chances against the wall than the giant. Her fingers clawed into the rock and she heaved herself up, starting up the wall.  

Within seconds, her frantic climbing got her at least halfway up the wall. Her arms ached but she forced them to reach up for another handhold. As her fingertips found purchase, she froze when she heard something. A whimpering cry. Much louder than what seemed possible for such a weak sound, but childlike.   

She looked over her shoulder, tensing at the sight of two enormous, watery, blue eyes fixed upon her. There was no malice, no hunger, nothing but sadness and… fear?  

Tears slipped down the giant’s cheek, creating a faint line against the dirt and grime stuck to him. His lip trembling as he opened his mouth, barely able to get his words out, “W-w-who are you?”  

Eudora’s eyes widened. His voice, it was so… childlike. Her eyes flicked over the giant, focusing on each blown-up feature. Long thick dark hair fell around his face, nearly every strand having grime decorating it, just like his face. The rest of his skin told the same story, ghostly pale beneath what had to be years worth of filth. All he had on was a shirt and a short pair of pants, both of which were ripped, torn, and looked like a dozen washes wouldn’t return them to their original color.  

What made her blood run cold, and nearly forget completely about escaping, were the chains. A pair of them were around his wrists, Another around his neck, like a leash.  

Her mouth fell open as it finally hit her. It… he was just a child. Just a little boy.   

She turned back to the wall, her arms starting to tremble from strain. She hurried up the rest of the way and rolled back onto level ground. Instead of leaving though, she turned back around and looked down into the pit. The child looked right back up at her, confused and hesitant.  

There was a clunk behind her and she turned to see Orion, nervously approaching the pit. He took one look down there before rearing his head and stumbling back. She ignored him, falling to her knees. Her lips parted, but no words came out. What was she supposed to say?  

“Who are you?”  only after she asked the question did she remember she had been asked the very same.  

The giant answered though, “I’m… I’m n-not supposed to say.”  

Eudora narrowed her eyes, “Why not?”  

“It’s… It’s- It’s against the rules,” he mumbled, starting to look more afraid. 

She opened her mouth to ask another question but stopped, a new, faint sound reaching her ears. Footsteps.  

The boy inhaled sharply, shrinking away against the rock, “Y-you’re not supposed to be here, are you?” he whispered, “Get away, get away from me, or… or he’ll be mad.”     

The footsteps were growing louder, growing closer. Eudora looked back at the kid. 

He was trembling and giving her a pleading look, “Please, get away.”  

She rose from her feet, looking around her for a place to hide. To her left was an offshoot cavern, barely lit by the moss. She turned to Orion and ushered him towards it. He ducked down and squeezed into the tunnel, pinning his wings to his body. She followed closely behind, backing them down till it became too narrow to continue any further.  

The ringing of a bell could be heard, along with a voice, “Wakey, wakey!”  

She turned around, creeping forward so she could see out. A figure stepped into view, most of its features hidden by the darkness. Judging by the voice though, it seemed to be a man.   

The figure walked past the cavern opening and to the edge of the pit, giving the bell in his hand another ring, “Oh, already up I see. More bad dreams?”   

There was no response from the boy.  

The man chuckled, “Well, I guess you’ll be wanting your breakfast.” he let out a fake sound of surprise, “Oh, but what’s this? I don’t seem to have brought it with me.”  

Eudora’s eyes widened, the serpent inside her raising its head. She inched closer, continuing to listen.  

“Hmm, I can’t seem to remember where I left it. There has to be something though that can jog my memory. Hmmm.” the man thought for a moment, “Let’s see, my dog whenever he’s hungry whines and whimpers, that usually reminds me to feed him.”  

Her fingers curled into fists against the wall. The serpent unfurled itself and was listening intently. Shut up, shut up!   

“Perhaps it could also remind me to feed you.”  

No, no, stop it!   

“Well, how about it? Do you want to be fed or not?”  

Don’t do it, don’t listen to-  

A faint sound came up from the pit. A quiet whimper, like a dog. Her nostrils flared and her hands began to tremble.  

“I can’t hear you.”  

The sound grew louder, more desperate. It filled the whole cave, the forced whines and whimpers ringing in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, rip the chains from the wall. Grab him. Squeeze him. Silence him. End him.  

“Now that’s better. Oh! And what do you know? I remember where I left the wagon. Just wait right there, won’t you?”  

The figure turned and strolled away from the edge, purposely taking his time with each step. Eudora watched him walk beyond the cavern entrance, glaring daggers at him and her breathing growing heavy.  

Her fist trembled against the cave wall. That… that piece of… that- she squeezed her eyes shut, wincing. Stop, stop. Why do you even care? This has nothing to do with you. Just walk away. The moment she thought that she felt bile rising in her throat. Disgusted at herself.  

She sighed, hanging her head. When she opened her eyes, they landed on a rock. They widened, reaching out and grabbing it. She weighed it in her hand. It was heavy alright, and decently sized. It also had a few jagged edges.   

Her eyes shifted from it to outside the cavern, the man’s footsteps still nearby.  

“Wait here,” she whispered to Orion before creeping forward. As quietly as she possibly could, she stepped out of the cavern. She straightened up, her hand tightening around the rock. The man’s back was to her, mindlessly strolling along.   

She advanced forward, silently stalking towards him. Her heart pounded in her ears, louder and louder as she got closer. He was just a foot away now. She glared at the back of his head, seething. The serpent stood tall, letting out a low hiss.  

With a roar of rage, she lunged forward, slamming her body into him. He shrieked, writhing against her as she tackled him to the ground. She wrapped her free hand around his neck and held him down as her other hand rose, holding the rock above her.  

Terror filled the man’s eyes right as she brought the rock down on his head. It smashed into his forehead, creating a crack that blood began to trickle out of. He let loose an ear-piercing scream. Eudora brought the rock back up and slammed it back down. She did it again, and again, and again.   

She threw the rock to the side after around a dozen hits. The man’s face, or what was left of it, was a bloodied mess of viscera. She let go of his neck and his head lolled to the side. Her arms were covered in blood, along with splotches on her robes.  

Tossing the rock aside, she straightened up and glared down at the man, her breathing starting to slow down. Her eyes drifted up, in the direction of the exit. She looked back down at the man. Who even is he? And is someone going to come looking for you? She sighed, the last fragment of adrenaline leaving her. Leaning back down, she seized one of his wrists and began to drag the limp corpse over to a small formation of rocks. He was heavier than she thought, but she managed to haphazardly deposit most of him behind the rocks.  

As she let go, an odd jangling came from the body. Eudora paused, looking at the man’s torso where the sound had come from. She leaned down, reaching out and pulling the cloth of his shirt off of his belt. Hooked onto the strap of leather was a ring with three keys. Her brow furrowed, unhooking and holding the ring of keys before her. She twirled them around once and peered over her shoulder, her eyes instantly landing on the opening to the pit.   

She looked from the keys to the pit, slowly rising. With a sigh, she started forward. I’m going to regret this.  

Orion poked his head out of the cavern as she approached, letting out a quiet whine. She stopped at the pit's edge and turned to the horse, “I need you to fly me down there.”  

Orion reared his head and backed away, snorting. Eudora frowned, beckoning him forward.   

“Come on.”  

He continued to back away.  

She groaned, looking away and down into the pit. The giant was pressed against the cave wall, staring up at her, his eyes wide and watery. Her throat constricted, something inside her twisting into knots. The longer she stared, the tighter her insides felt.  

With another groan and a quick glare at Orion, she got down, got close to the edge of the pit, turned, and dangled her leg down until it found purchase. Once both feet had found footholds, she let go of the edge and began her descent. Her arms shook, knowing beneath was at least a thirty-foot drop and her hands awkwardly maneuvered around the ring of keys that jingled with each of her movements.  

Finally, after a tense minute or two, her boots touched down and she let go of the rock wall. She reoriented herself before turning around and being met with the unnerving image of the massive creature towering over her, even while seated.   

He continued to stare at her, Pressing himself even more flush against the wall when she took a tentative step forward. She looked him up and down, her heart murmuring in her chest. It’s just a boy, it’s just a child, she told herself as she approached.   

The giant whimpered and wrenched his legs as she got nearer, hugging them to his chest. Eudora paused, the boy was trembling. This creature that had to have at least fifty feet on her was trembling more and more violently with every step she took closer.   

Her shoulders relaxed some and she continued forward. She stopped just a few feet away from the giant’s foot and looked up, looking him in the eye, “Bring your hand down.”  

He flinched at her words before he listened to them. His eyes widened and began to dart from side to side as if looking at the two options before him: do as she said or remain still. Slowly, his hand lowered away from the wall and onto the ground.  

Eudora stepped towards it, her eyes on the metal cuff around his wrist, thick enough to wrap around a horse’s body. She approached it, looking it over until she finally spotted what she had been looking for, the lock. Withdrawing the keys, she kneeled and grabbed hold of the thick lock bigger than her entire hand. She tried the first key. It didn’t fit. She tried the second and her eyes widened when there was an audible click and the lock opened.   

Sliding it off, she tossed the lock aside and grabbed hold of either side of the cuff. Her arms strained as she pulled at the metal, letting out a startled gasp and stumbling when the cuff popped open.  

She caught herself and straightened, looking up at the boy.  

Two blue orbs bore down on her, so wide it seemed they might tumble out of his skull. His mouth fell open as he slowly raised his arm out of the cuff, bringing his hand up in front of his face.  

Eudora cleared her throat, “The other one, now.”  

He looked away from his freed hand and down at her. Still trembling but less hesitant this time, he laid down his other arm.  

The first key she tried opened the lock and she promptly wrenched the cuff apart, now knowing what lay within them, and dug into the child’s skin.   

Once both his hands were free, the boy brought them both up before his eyes, ogling them as he rotated his wrists freely.  Eudora stepped back as the boy leaned away from the wall, nervously eyeing the remaining metal cuff around his neck.   

She gulped as one of his arms lowered down to his side and she had an idea, “Don’t… don’t move.”  

The boy froze, not moving a muscle. She stepped forward, her eyes looking from his arm, to the fabric of his shirt. Don’t make me regret this kid, she thought, stopping right next to the boy’s thigh.  

Taking a deep, grounding breath, she jumped and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. He tensed beneath her but remained still. After dangling for a moment, she pulled herself up, scaling up the giant’s torso like she had the rock wall.  

Her breath caught in her throat as she reached his collar and began shimming over and up to his shoulder. With a great deal of effort, she heaved herself up onto it. The boy cautiously peered out the corner of his eye down at her, watching as she stepped towards his neck, resting a hand upon the metal collar.  

Eudora found the lock and plunged the last key into it. It clicked open and the lock fell off, tumbling off the boy’s shoulder and onto the stone floor.   

She backed away from his neck as the collar popped open. Before he could make a move, she hurried to the very edge of his shoulder and slid down the length of his arm, stumbling away when she hit the ground, her ankles buckling from the fall.  

After putting as much distance between herself and the boy, she turned around. The giant grabbed hold of the collar and pried it the rest of the way open. He gingerly pulled it off, lowering it down into his lap and staring at it. His other hand came up and felt around his neck, his breathing quickening as he felt the bare skin.   

He slowly glanced down at her, his hand lowering away from his neck. His lip trembled but the rest of him finally stilled. Eudora stared back before clearing her throat, “Alright. Well, if you’d be so kind as to not eat me, I’ll be on my way.”  

With a quick nod, she whirled around to face the rock wall and started towards it, wishing Orion had had it in him to help.    

Just as she reached for the wall, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard movement behind her. Before she could react, something wrapped around her from her waist up to her shoulders, forcing the air out of her lungs as they jerked her back. Her eyes widened as her feet left the ground which continued to grow further and further away.   

She came to a stop as she was slammed into something solid that strangely also felt squishy and warm to the touch. Her heart hammered as the flesh-colored wall pressed against her and even seemed to be moving, rubbing against her.   

When she looked up, she saw the boy’s face, his eyes closed and smiling broadly as he snuggled her against his cheek. His hands tightened around her and Eudora panicked as it was starting to become quite a challenge to breathe.   

“S-stop that! Put me down!”  

To her surprise, she was promptly pulled away from the giant’s face. Instead of setting her down, he stood and stepped over to the ledge that only reached his shoulders. Her stomach dropped as the hand clutching her lowered and haphazardly set her down. The hand unwrapped from around her and she stumbled forward, clutching her aching ribs.   

She spun around when she felt a rush of warm air wash over her. The boy was peeking over the pit’s edge, staring down at her and still smiling.   

“Thank you” 

Eudora raised a brow, letting go of herself. She gave a short hum in response.   

The boy raised his head further up and set his chin down on top of the ledge, the stone beneath her feet quivering in response, “Who are you?”  

“I don’t see why that’s any of your business,” she grunted.  

The boy’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he leaned in even closer, “If… if I tell you my name, will you tell me mine?”   

She sighed, the look on his face tugging at her heartstrings. She rolled her eyes and shrugged, “Sure.”  

“I’m Milo!” he declared, seemingly elated to be sharing such information.    

“Eudora,” she stated simply.   

The boy- Milo’s eyes lit up, “Hi Eudora!”  

She winced at the boy’s thunderous voice, “Hi.”  

He grinned at her response, “Where did you come from?”   

“Um… that’s a bit of a long story.”   

“Can you tell it to me?”    

Eudora sighed, “I really don’t have the time so if you don’t mind, I’ll be going now.” she turned on her heel and began to walk away, not even making it two steps.  

“Wait!” the ground beneath her rumbled. She whipped around to see Milo pulling himself further out of the pit. The whole cave shook as he heaved himself over the ledge, his entire cavern only big enough for him to be on his hands and knees.  

Eudora tensed as he crawled towards her, “Where are you going?”  

She gulped, reminding herself to focus on the fact that this was a child and not the fact that he was absolutely massive, “I don’t know.” she admitted, “But that doesn’t matter. You should go ahead and go back to wherever you came from, I’m sure someone’s… looking for you.” a shiver ran up her spine at the thought of how big the mother or father of this boy would have to be, reminding her of the gods.  

Milo’s smile faded away. He averted his gaze as his eyes began to water and his bottom lip trembled. Eudora’s eyes widened when she saw the first few tears slide down his face. The cave shook once more as the boy’s arms gave way and he collapsed onto the stone. shit! Shit what did I say? What do I do?  

“H-hey hey, it’s okay. Please don’t cry.” she stepped closer. Milo's eyes flicked back onto her. He sniffed loudly and wiped at his nose.  

“S-s-sorry.” he mumbled, desperately trying to clean up his face.  

The tone of his voice made her insides squirm, making her move even closer, “No, no it’s okay. No need to be sorry.” 

As the boy continued to quietly sob, Eudora wracked her mind for a solution. She’d never been good with kids, or maybe that was just due to her lack of experience. Okay, think like a kid, what made you feel better? An image came to mind. Her mother, sitting by the hearth, holding her daughter close, stroking her hair and back while humming a soft melody.  

She looked back at the boy, at the clear paths his tears created through the grime on his face. Closing the distance between them, she raised a hand and pressed it against his cheek. The skin beneath her tensed and Milo fell silent. He glanced down at her, hiccupping.  

His eyes closed as he leaned into her touch. Eudora paused for a moment, before she also leaned in closer, stroking the boy’s cheek in what she hoped was a soothing manner.  

“No…n-no one is looking for me,” he muttered.   

Another tear rolled down his face and fell onto Eudora’s head. A shiver ran down her spine but it was more from the boy’s words rather than her now damp hair. What was she supposed to say to that? She feared that asking any further questions might further upset him, but she needed to know more.  

“Do… Do you have somewhere you can go?”  She stepped back as he shook his head. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed, “Guess that’s something we have in common. I have no idea where to go either.”   

“R-really?”  

“Yeah, I’m still trying to figure that out”  

He lifted his head slightly, “Since… Since we both don’t know, can I stay with you?”  

Her eyes widened. Stay with her? But… but how am I… how do I… I can’t take care of-  

“Please?”  

It felt as if someone had poked at her heart as he stared at her, pleading with her. She sighed. Nothing to lose, I guess. 

“Fine.”   

[okminer07]

Poseidon design from @neal-illustrator

[okminer07]

The Winged Horse Ch 4: A Dream Visitor

Eudora flitted in and out of consciousness, jostled from her sleep by Orion’s wings or her stomach dropping to warn her that she was slipping off. After who knows how long, she blinked awake at the sensation of weightlessness. She gasped as she slid up against Orion’s neck. The clouds below were growing closer until they broke through them. She winced as the humid air hit her in the face, the experience luckily short-lived as they continued their descent.  

The storm clouds that had darkened the sky were behind them now, no longer blocking out the sun and darkening the work below. She peered down, panic hitting her when she saw nothing but water below. 

“O-Orion,” she breathed. 

His ears flipped back, listening to her before they turned back around and started to level out. A few dozen feet above the ocean, he glided forward, letting out a snort to seemingly get Eudora’s attention. She looked up and followed his line of sight, her spirits instantly lifted. 

An island. 

She weakly patted Orion on the neck, “Good job, buddy.” 

He snorted back and continued to huff with every beat of his wings. Beneath her, she could hear his hammering heart. He was getting tired. This was his first time, he’d never had any time to get used to flying, and certainly not for as long as he had been. 

She leaned into him, continuing to pet him, “Just a little further.” 

Orion let out a wheeze, dropping a few feet before righting himself.  

The island grew closer, its beach only a few hundred feet away. At the same time, the distance between them and the ocean was lessening by the second. She tensed, hearing a faint splash and looking down to see one of Orion’s hooves dragging through the water. 

Within an instant, his wings fell to his sides and he dropped. Eudora’s eyes and throat stung as salt water swirled around her, the force of the collision with the ocean throwing her off of Orion. She flailed about, frantically swimming to the surface and gasping for air.  

Her eyes widened, looking down at her submerged lower half. Images of chains and ropes made of water filled her mind, wrapping around her and dragging her beneath the surface. 

“Get out of the water!” she barked, scrambling forward towards shore. The moment she was close enough, she got on all fours and began clawing her way forward like a crazed animal. Orion splashed behind her, following her lead. 

Stumbling onto land, she collapsed onto the damp sand, breathing heavily. Tiny waves tickled her toes, causing her to pull her legs in and scoot further away, staring at the ocean as if it would lunge at her any second now. Orion shook himself down before his legs bent and he lay down, breathing just as heavily. 

Eudora breathed, lying down and staring up at the sky. She closed her eyes, relief washing over her. Somehow, they had both made it. 

She sighed, wiping her hair out of her face, something odd catching her attention. Her brow furrowed and she opened her eyes, holding her arm up before them. 

Long, twisting red lines covered it, sharp and angular, almost like… like lightning.  

Her eyes widened, and she sat up, looking down at the rest of her. Her entire body was covered in those red lines, her arms, legs, even some creeping up her neck. She held up her arms, gaping at the dozens of lightning-shaped marks. She tentatively raised a finger and rubbed it along one of them.  

She looked up at the sky, her heartbeat reverberating in her ears as she began to imagine dark clouds swirling above her. 

“We have to find cover,” she snapped at Orion, stumbling to her feet. He looked up, giving her an odd look before laying his head back down. Eudora whipped her head around, looking for anywhere hidden from the sky. Almost instantly, she spotted it, a cave, tucked under the cliffside that towered over them. 

She looked back at Orion, groaning and hobbling over to him, “Come on!” 

He snorted but stretched out his legs and got up. He gave her an exasperated look but followed her as she started up the beach. Her legs shook from exhaustion, but she forced them to keep moving. The shadow of the cliffside fell upon them, the sand beneath her feet dropping in temperature.   

The cave’s mouth lay before them, at least twenty feet high. She hurried inside, the cold sand quickly turning to cold, damp rock. Orion’s hooves clunked behind her in the dark, echoing through the air around them. She stopped, doubling over and breathing heavily.  

She peered over her shoulder. Orion came to a stop behind her and was about to let out another irritated snort but stopped when he saw her face and posture. He tilted his head before creeping closer, nudging her with his nose. 

Eudora’s hands curled into white-knuckled fists. She stared down at the ground, her eyes glazed over.  

 A sharp yell tore from her throat and she slammed her fist into the stone wall. The pain didn’t register. She stood there, seething, feeling like her blood was trying to bubble out of her. 

“They lied to us,” she spat.  

Orion let out a short huff. 

She turned, fist still curled tight, “They were going to give you to… to Zeus!” she growled, her body shaking. 

Orion stiffened, raising his head as he processed what she had said. He turned and looked behind him, out of the cave. With a low whimper-like sound, he backed away deeper into the cave, his wings folding and tightening against him. 

Eudora’s heart sank at her friend’s reaction. He had been there too, had seen the two fighting, knew what they were capable of. 

Another angry roar escaped her as she shoved away from the wall, “Those monsters. Those mother fucking monsters!”  

Her voice echoed around her. It faded and she heaved a sigh. Her limbs weighed her down like bags of flour while her mind spun. She collapsed to the floor, curling in on herself. Everything hurt, everything was sore. Her skin prickled from the cold, reminding her of the hideous marks that now covered her. Marks that he had given her.  

She blinked and glanced over at Orion who had followed her example and laid down, his chest heaving beneath his wings that he pulled in close for warmth. He glanced over at her as he laid his head down, his nostrils flaring. 

Eudora averted her gaze, curling up tighter and staring down at the damp, cold floor. Her eyelids grew heavy and her vision began to shrink until she saw nothing but darkness. 

                                                                        . . .  

She felt something, something in the air that fell upon her skin and made it beg for more. Warmth. Warmth flickered around her, quickly surrounding her. A faint crackling sound reached her ears and she could feel something on top of her, something soft. 

Eudora cracked her eyes open, groaning as the soreness returned to her body. Wherever she was, it was dimly lit, a soft glow filling the room and giving it a feeling of familiarity… of nostalgia. Her surroundings unblurred, only causing more confusion. She seemed to be in a room, a room of a cabin, perhaps? Small paintings and shelves adorned with small trinkets decorated the walls, and long maroon curtains covered where there must have been windows. 

What the… 

She glanced down. A thick blanket lay over her, all tucked neatly around her body like a swaddled baby. She was lying on a lounge, plush and well-loved looking. 

A soft clunk made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She looked to her right and froze. A short table lay before her and beyond that stood a fireplace, large and rustic. Before the flames stood a figure, their back to her and hunched over. She stared at the form. It was covered in long robes, several layers and colors draped over their body. A hood was pulled over its head, the edges of the fabric seemingly to emit the faintest glow. 

Eudora went to sit up, another pained moan escaping her lips. The figure went still. She tensed as it straightened and turned. Feminine hands rose and grabbed hold of the hood, pulling it off. 

It was a woman. A woman with a soft face with full cheeks and laugh lines. Dark wavy hair was pulled back and adorned with simple jewelry, stray curls falling onto her forehead. She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her because her skin seemed to emit a faint glow, as if the fire behind her was casting its light through her.  

Her eyes seemed to twinkle as they landed on Eudora and a smile appeared on her lips. She glided over to her, her long shawls trailing behind her. As the woman grew near, Eudora stiffened, leaning away from her and regarding her with a nervous glare. 

“Who are you?” 

The woman stood over her, the smile on her face faltering and something flickered behind her hazel eyes. She leaned down and grabbed something from behind Eudora. She stiffened as one of the woman’s hands slid behind her neck and pushed her up. A pillow was slid beneath her, propping her up. 

Her hand pulled away while her other reached for Eudora’s face. She stared, frozen as the woman gently swiped her hair out of her face. Her mouth cracked open and she gaped back at the mysterious person as she finished messing with her hair and backed off. 

Something caught her eye, something she should have noticed before. Around the woman’s neck was a bronze brace. Upon the metal was a symbol, one that resembled a fire contained within a hearth. 

Her eyes widened and she gawked back up at the woman, “H… Hestia?” 

The woman’s smile deepened and she gave a slow nod. 

Eudora felt a pit form in her stomach. Another god. Another god she was at the mercy of. Oh gods, what does she want with me?

Her face must have portrayed her thoughts because Hestia frowned, her eyes twinkling with sympathy. But… but that’s not possible… gods don’t feel such feelings. This has to be some kind of trick. 

She flinched when Hestia turned and gilded back over to the fire where a large pot hung over the flames. The goddess reached down, picking up a large wooden spoon, and took off the pot’s lid. An enticing aroma filled the room, one that made Eudora’s nervous insides pause in their panic. 

Hestia dipped the spoon in and stirred once before scooping up a spoonful of the soup and bringing it to her lips. She sipped and nodded to herself, reaching down and swapping out the lid in her hand for a bowl.   

The goddess filled the bowl with the steaming liquid, giving it a little blow. She turned and headed back over to the lounge, moving slowly so as not to spill any soup. Eudora sat more upright and leaned away as she plopped herself down on the cushion next to her. Hestia leaned down and picked up a smaller wooden spoon off the table, giving the soup another stir with it. 

She looked up, smiling as she scooted closer. She filled the spoon with soup and raised it towards Eudora’s face, who went cross-eyed, staring down at the spoon hovering by her mouth. Is it… poisoned? 

She turned her head away like a fussy toddler. Hestia raised an eyebrow, looking down at the soup and then back at her. She pulled the spoon away and brought it to her own lips once more, making a show of drinking it, looking at Eudora expectantly when she had drained it.  

The spoon was filled once more and brought back up to her face. Instead of turning away, though, she tentatively opened her mouth. Hestia smiled and poured the liquid in. Her eyes widened when it hit her tongue, it was delicious. Maybe this was just because she was so hungry, but it tasted like the best thing she had ever had. 

By the time she swallowed, another spoonful was being offered to her. She took it, and the one after that, and the one after that.  

Eudora let spoonful after spoonful be fed to her, the whole situation registering in her mind as quite odd: a grown woman being spoon-fed by a goddess. 

The two sat in silence until the bowl had been completely drained. She swallowed down the last spoonful and looked up at Hestia. The goddess smiled back before standing and heading back over to the hearth. She leaned down, withdrawing from a woven basket a loaf of bread and grabbing a knife hanging off the mantle.  

She walked back over and sat back down, setting the bread and knife on the table. As she began slicing the loaf, Eudora cleared her throat, “I uh… thank you, but why are-” Her sentence was cut short as a slice of bread was shoved into her mouth. 

Hestia placed a hand under her chin, encouraging her to chew. She nodded as she did, going to cut off another slice as soon as she’d finished. 

Eudora shook her head as another slice hovered in front of her, “W-wait.” 

Hestia lowered her hand, tilting her head.  

“Where am I?” 

She thought for a moment before raising a finger and tapping it to Eudora’s temple, who flinched at the touch. The goddess’s smile faltered, and she slowly pulled away, looking down at her hand. 

Eudora blinked, pulling her hand free from the blankets and touching the pointing to her head, “I’m… in my head?” 

Hestia nodded, closing her eyes and slumping over. She looked back up after a second, seemingly to see if she had got her point across.  

“I’m… asleep?”  

She nodded. 

Eudora looked around the room. “So, this is a dream?”  

Again, she nodded.  

She studied the goddess’ face, trying to decipher anything beneath that soft smile, “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” 

What was left of Hestia’s smile faded away. She sighed, looking up at the wall opposite them. Eudora followed her gaze, her eyes landing on a painting. Six figures stood. In the center of Hestia, smiling softly with her arms tucked behind her. Next to her were two women, the one to her left had her arm wrapped around the arm of a regrettably familiar face. Zeus grinned down at them, looking just as smug as he had the first time she’d seen him. Next to him was another familiar face, just as smug, Poseidon. 

Eudora glared at it. Seeing those faces looking so happy and proud of themselves made her blood boil. 

Hestia looked back at her, the slight glow of her skin dimming. She raised her hand towards her but paused, giving her a look that seemed to be asking permission. Eudora didn’t say anything and the goddess took that as her approval. She reached down and grabbed the mortal’s arm, pulling it into her lap. 

She tensed at the sight. The marks were still there, traveling up her arms like jagged veins. Hestia’s finger trailed down one of them, a trail of warmth following behind it. She sighed, shaking her head.  

Eudora met the goddess’s eyes, “Are you… able to get rid of them?” 

Hestia gave her a mournful look and shook her head. Her fingers wrapped around her wrist and she lifted her arm up, her other hand joining it. She sighed, staring down at the twisted scars with heavy eyes. When she looked up, she had a sympathetic look on her face, a look Eudora didn’t know was possible from a god.  

She gulped, pulling her hand out of her grasp. “Why are you here?” 

The goddess sighed before managing a small smile. She slowly leaned in closer, puckering her lips and planting a kiss on her forehead. 

She pulled away and Eudora sat there frozen. Did… did she just- 

The hearth goddess stood and as she did, the room began to darken. The last thing she saw before everything went black was her twinkling golden eyes. 

[okminer07]

More art from the amazing @valmiliarcrow

Eudora and her adopted son (and by adopted, he started following her one day and hasn’t stopped)

[okminer07]

Eudora has been brought to life!

Thank you so much @valmiliarcrow

[okminer07]

The Winged Horse Ch 3: Thunderous Tides

The god stared down at the humans with disdain, like they were little more than pesky insects. A few of the crewmen fell to their knees and entered a deep bow. Eudora began to back away, clutching her knife to her chest where inside, her heart pounded against her ribs. 

“Who is this vessel’s captain?”  

Her hands flew up to cover her ears as his voice rumbled all around them. Several others had done the same, while the rest slowly raised their hands and pointed over to Thucydides. All the color drained from the ambassador's face as Poseidon’s eyes flicked onto him and narrowed.  

The ship rocked, and everyone on board flinched as he raised his hand and beckoned the mortal forward. Thucydides shakily got to his feet before making his way forward, every step towards the deity forced. He fell into a deep bow as he neared.  

“O-oh g-great ruler of the s-s-seas,” he whimpered out, “W-what has caused you t-t-to grace us with your presence?”    

The god’s glare deepened. His mountainous form shifted as he leaned over, and his hand descended upon the ship. Everyone scrambled away, trying to escape the shadow falling over them. To the whole ship’s relief, the hand moved past them and instead headed for the bow. There was a faint snap, and Poseidon brought his hand up to his face. Pinched between his fingers was one of the metal plates. He wrinkled his nose at the tiny symbol.  

“You travel through my domain and have the gall to not only adorn your ships with my brother’s symbol but to do so with the purpose of giving him what is mine?!”   

The ship gave a violent jerk as a wave crashed into it, knocking several crew members to the ground. Thucydides lifted his head, trembling all over, “W-we didn’t mean to offend. I-I can assure you under different circumstances w-we would have-”  

“Are you trying to justify your thievery?!”  

“No! No! Of course not.” he paused, “W-what exactly is it that we s-stole?”  

Poseidon’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer, the water dripping from his hair to rain down upon them, “The horse.”   

Eudora’s eyes widened.   

Thucydides stumbled back, “T-the horse?”  

“Yes!”  

“I-I-I��m sorry. I wasn’t aware he b-belonged to you.”  

The god’s glare intensified, “All horses, from the moment they’re born, belong to me.”  

Eudora’s throat constricted. Yours? Yours?! She gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep her mouth shut. He doesn’t belong to anyone. Her hands clenched into fists, and especially not you, or your-  

“It-it was your brother w-who c-commanded we b-bring it to him! It-it wasn’t our idea,” pleaded Thucydides.   

Poseidon raised a brow before straightening, “You will hand him over then.”  

No  

“O-of course, your greatness!” Thucydides spun around and hurried over to the nearest crew member, “Go get the-”  

“Brother!”  

Thunder rumbled all around them. Eudora slammed her hands over her ears and looked up to where the deep voice had issued from. The sky that had been clear seconds ago was now being swarmed with thunderclouds, forming rapidly and blocking out the sun.  

Poseidon looked at the storm clouds and groaned, “Oh great.”    

Hands appeared from out of the clouds and grabbed at the surrounding ones, ripping them apart to create an opening. There stood a colossal form, similar to Poseidon, only a tad broader. A smug face with a mane of jagged yet cloud-like hair smirked down at them.  

Her eyes widened as she stared up at the god of the skies, Zeus.  

“Interrupting my errand boys, I see.” He hummed, lazily glancing over at the ship.  

The towering form of Poseidon moved away from the ship, glaring up at his brother, “You mean your thieves?”  

Zeus’s smile faltered. “Since when is receiving an offering thievery?”  

“Since the thing you are being offered already belongs to me!”   

The crewmen all stared up at the two gods, all too terrified to move and threaten catching their attention. Eudora’s mind was conflicted, one side telling her to be afraid, the other spurring on what felt like a serpent uncoiling within her that hissed louder and louder at the gods’ words.  

The king of the gods rolled his eyes. “What makes you think that creature belongs to you?”  

Poseidon looked at his brother like that was the dumbest question that had ever been asked, “It’s a horse.”   

“And?”  

He threw his hands up in exasperation, inadvertently sending a wave crashing into the boat, “What do you mean ‘and’!? It’s a horse. Therefore, it's mine.”   

Zeus crossed his arms, “It’s not just a horse, though. That thing’s got wings.”   

“So?”  

“It’s a creature of the skies. I daresay it’d make more sense for its ownership to fall under me.”   

Poseidon groaned, “With that logic, all the birds belong to you then.”  

“Well, why shouldn’t they?”  

“Ugh! Because not everything that enters the sky is yours!”  

Another wave struck the boat, causing Eudora to stumble. She braced herself on the ship’s railing and shot a glare up at the ocean god. The two were still arguing, the smug smirk on Zeus’ face being replaced with a pointed frown.  

She looked around the deck. Everyone was either staring up with bated breath or covering their ears from the increasingly thunderous shouting. Her eyes landed on Thucydides, huddled behind one of his men and watching the two deities, all his attention on them. She straightened and peered over the edge of the ship. Her heart sank. The increasingly choppy waters had caused the cattle ship to float off, away from the rope ladder.  

Eudora surveyed the water. She could swim, not well but good enough to possibly make it. If she could make it over there and back onto the ship… all she’d have to deal with is one crew member, perhaps he could even help steer the ship away from all this if she showed him her dagger.    

She shot another glance around the ship before turning and staring down at the water, mentally preparing herself. Just as she raised her leg up onto the railing, a deafening shout rang out.  

“That’s it!”  

Right before her eyes, the water began to churn. The waves grew in height, crashing and mashing together. Her eyes widened as two collided right before her, their impact creating another, larger one that instantly began hurriedly towards the ship.    

Eudora wrenched her leg down, falling to her knees and grabbing hold of the railing. The wave slammed into the boat, causing it to violently rock from side to side. Cold, salt water splashed onto her, sliding into her eyes and making them sting. She gasped for air, falling onto her rear and shaking her wet hair out of her face.  

The rest of the people on deck were in a similar condition, soaked and or had collapsed to the ground. Poseidon towered over them, seemingly unaware of their plight. He raised his hand, a bubble of water forming and quickly morphing into a trident.  

Her blood ran cold as the god raised the three-pronged weapon to the skies. No, no, they’re not going to-  

Zeus’ eyes widened, raising his own hand. Clouds pooled together, swirling around until they formed a jagged lightning bolt. The storm clouds crackled overhead as he raised the bolt over his head, directed straight down at his brother.  

“Get down!” screamed Thucydides, right as two long, snake-like pillars of water shot up from the ocean and sped upwards.  

Zeus threw his lightning bolt. It flew through the air, blindingly bright until it struck Poseidon’s water arm. Within the span of a few seconds, the water boiled and evaporated. He glared down at it before it reformed in an instant.  

In his eagerness to land a blow, his brother hadn’t stopped the water hurtling towards him. It broke through the clouds and encircled Zeus’ wrists like chains. He tried to break them, but they wouldn’t budge. They jerked down, and in an instant, the cloud cover broke as the mountain of a man fell from them.  

His body slammed into the water with a deafening splash that sent up a monumental wave. Eudora rolled over and crawled back to the railing, tucked her dagger in her pocket, and grabbed hold of one of the wooden beams, not a minute too soon.   

The wave collapsed down upon the ship, she barely had time to catch a breath of air before her head was underwater, being spun every which way. She held on, water pulling and straining her arms.   

Her lungs heaved when she felt the droplets of rain on her face. The boat continued to rock as she got to her feet and squinted through the rainfall. Half the crew was missing, the other disheveled or still clinging to whatever they had grabbed to stay on board. Some began getting to their feet and scrambling for the cabin, tripping over themselves and slipping on the wet planks.  

“Last chance to surrender!” boomed Poseidon, pointing his trident directly at his brother, who had gone to stand before dozens of chains composed entirely of water wrapped around him. He glared up at his brother before closing his eyes, a strained look on his face.   

Sparks began to light up around him, growing larger and more numerous. A near-blinding flash of light engulfed him, accompanied by the crackling of dozens of bolts of lightning.  

Zeus let out a thunderous roar of fury as the water binding him boiled and turned to steam in seconds. He stood, shaking back his mane of hair and giving his brother a seething look, “You…” he raised his hand, another bolt of lightning forming in an instant that he promptly chucked at Poseidon. He pivoted out of the way, the bolt missing his face by mere inches, “I’m starting to understand how that mortal bested you so easily.” 

If Poseidon had looked angry before, he now looked murderous. His hand tightened around his trident before charging forward, a wave large enough to flood an entire town following closely behind him. Zeus wasn’t the only thing in its path, though. 

Eudora scrambled to her feet and joined the rest of the crew as they sprinted towards the cabin, to safety. She stumbled, the ground beneath her rising as the boat rode up to the wave. Her heart hammered in her chest as she desperately tried to keep moving forward even with the boat being pushed more and more vertically.  

 Screams filled her ears, the deck becoming more like a wall they were all attempting and failing to scale. Men began to slip and slide down out of sight. Her feet frantically searched for purchase and she clawed at the planks. She gasped as she began to slide. Thinking fast, she dug out her dagger and plunged it into the wood.  

Her body jerked to a stop, nearly losing her grip on the hilt as her other hand came up and wrapped around it. She watched, dangling there as those around her slid down, either slamming into a part of the boat or tumbling into the ocean.  

The boat’s bow soared higher and higher. The wave curled over it, the very crest of it splashing down onto the upper deck. Eudora braced herself around the blade as the water came rushing towards her. Her head whipped back as it was drug by the current. She gritted her teeth, forcing it forward and ducking down, the water still pushing and pulling against her.  

The wall that had once been the deck lurched towards her as the boat reached its tipping point, going from standing vertically, braced by the wave, to being pushed over and rapidly descending back down.  

Eudora looked over her shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut as the ocean approached. A second later her body erupted in pain as she slammed into the water. Her hands slipped off her dagger, yet the weight of the boat still forced her deeper. She gritted her teeth and forced her limbs to work through the aching, kicking her legs and pushing away from the sinking ship.  

Her eyes burned as she forced them to peer through the salty water, only able to make out dark blurs and open water. Running out of air, she swam away from the dark blurs of the ship and into the expansive blue abyss.   

She swam upwards, breaching the surface. As she floated there, treading water, she felt something unnatural slipping around her fingers. When her eyes adjusted, she was confused to see black rope-like strands blocking out bits of vision. Whatever they were, they had to be real, she could feel them sticking to her face, almost like her own hair.   

Wait.  

She looked down. Instead of water, surrounding her were hundreds of the black strands, pooling and drifting around her. She held up her hands, it was dangled between her fingers. Her eyes widened as she wiped the strands off her face and stared down at it. 

Suddenly, the strands tense before rapidly whipping past her. The bits stuck to her slid off her while new bits took their place along her arms. She looked up, her stomach dropping. 

Towering above her was Poseidon, his back to her and his black hair cascading down into the water around her.   

She scrunched up her nose in disgust and batted the surrounding strands away. Whipping her head around, she spotted one of the boats, still intact and floating nearby.   

With a newfound vigor, she ducked underwater and swam towards it. She breached and was relieved to find herself surrounded simply by water, choppy, but hairless. The boat drifted her way, the rope ladder within her reach. She went to grab for it but paused, catching a flicker of movement out the corner of her eye.   

She turned, all the color in her face disappearing. Another wave, just as large as the one that had toppled over the main ship, was roaring off in the distance, heading her way. Her eyes widened, looking around frantically, both the options in front of her were unfavorable.  

As her panic grew and the wave closed the distance, her eyes landed on the black mess of hair, floating atop the water a few feet away. Eudora stared down at the rope-like strands, an idea emerging. A crazy idea, but an idea, nonetheless.   

She swam over, gathering and bunching up strands of hair till the pile she had amassed was as thick as her. Turning back to the boat, she heaved it onto her shoulder and swam towards it. With one hand, she grabbed on and climbed up the rope ladder, struggling with the mass on her shoulder.  

Stumbling onto the deck, her eyes landed on the mast of the ship. She glanced down at the pile on her shoulder before running forward. Once face to face with the mast, she slid the hair off her shoulder and into her hands, which tossed it around the mast. She grabbed the loose end and began tying it around the wooden pole as tightly as possible.  

Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked up, the wave closing in.   

She peered around her until her eyes landed on something sliding along the deck. An axe, most likely left behind by one of the guards. With not a moment to lose, she dove and seized it. She heaved it up over and behind her as she stood, aiming right for Poseidon’s head.  

“Keep your grip towards the end and put your whole body into it” whispered Atticus’ voice in her ear.  

Eudora screwed up her face, her grip tightening around the axe. She gritted her teeth and hurled the weapon up as hard as she could at her target.   

It flew through the air, rotating faster than an out-of-control wagon wheel. As it neared the god, she stumbled over and collapsed onto the mass of hair, wrapping her arms around it and bracing herself for what she hoped was to come. Come on, turn your head, turn your head motherfuck-  

A booming shout of pain filled her ears, followed by the feeling of all her organs falling out of her and being left behind as she was thrown forward. She clung to her makeshift rope as everything around her became a blur, and the winds blowing around her slammed into her as if trying to do everything in their power to get her to let go.   

The flying boat began to descend. Eudora cried out as it struck back down into the water and skidded across it. She looked up, her eyes widened at the sight of another one of the boats, directly in the flying boat’s path.  

She let go, flying back, her back slamming into the railing. There was no time to gasp for air. She grabbed onto the slab of wood and threw herself up and over it, diving into the water below.  

A deafening crash, filled with the sounds of splintering wood, hit her ears just as she dove under. She was quick to surface, looking over and seeing the remains of both boats.  

The sky lit up and thundered above. She flinched and looked up. Lightning, more than she had ever seen all at once, was coming down from the sky, bolt after bolt striking the water’s surface and the boats, setting them on fire.  

As she gawked at the lit-up sky, she saw it, the cattle boat. Her face lit up. Orion. Ignoring the chaos breaking out around her, she swam towards it.  

She grabbed hold of the rope ladder and hurried up onto the deck. The place was devout of any signs of human life, but below her feet, she could hear the sounds of dozens of cows. She spun around, spotting the stairs leading under and began sprinting towards them. Waves crashed against the boat, causing her to stumble but she forced herself to keep standing and keep moving.  

I’m coming, Orion. I’m com-  

For a fraction of a second, the hairs on the back of her neck stood and she could see the approaching light. In an instant her body went from damp and shivering cold, to feeling like every inch of her was on fire.   

She screamed, collapsing to the ground, feeling like she had just been hit by an immeasurable force. It burned, burned like nothing she had ever felt before, and it was everywhere as if it were sizzling her skin with her still in it. She writhed in pain, praying for the first time in years for it to stop. It was becoming too much to bear. Her vision blurred and grew dark. The burning began to be replaced by numbness as her eyes rolled into the back of her skull.  

Eudora’s ears rang, muffling the sound of crashing waves and thunder. She groaned, her head throbbing painfully. All the muscles in her body ached and tingled. Her eyes fluttered open. 

The world slowly came into focus. Surrounding her were broken and splintered bits of wood, bobbing in the water. She shivered; the broken slab she lay upon was cold and wet. Her heart murmured in her chest, beating irregularly, causing her breathing to be reduced to a wheeze. 

Her eyes roamed over the wreckage, bits and pieces still on fire or smoking.  

Not too far off, there was a disturbance in the water. Eudora looked over and gasped. Orion. He was still alive, splashing and flapping his wings, letting out panicked cries as water sloshed over him.  

Tears stung her eyes as she watched him struggle. She dragged herself to the edge of her raft, wincing as her body protested. Ignoring the new wave of pain each movement caused her, she dipped her hand into the water and began to paddle over.   

Orion spotted her, neighing and attempting to swim closer. Eudora let out a quivering sob, slipping into the water and letting it take her the rest of the way. He closed the distance between them, his feathery wings brushing against her.  

She looked up at him, reaching up and resting her hand on his face, “Get out of here. Now.” 

He sighed, leaning into her touch.  

“Please,” she wheezed, “Go.”  

Orion stared down at her, lowering his head and nudging her with it. She pushed him away, her arm trembling.  

 Her vision began to blur once more. She stopped trying to keep herself above the water’s surface, it hurt too much. Her face slid underwater, and she closed her eyes, hoping she’d lose consciousness before she started to drown.  

There was a splash, and she felt something clamp around her arm. It tugged her upwards and dragged her along. Something slid its way beneath her, something soft, warm, and alive. The thing clamped around her arm tossed it against a fuzzy wall, a pulse thrumming beneath it, and she felt the fingertips of her other hand.  

She cracked her eyes open. Orion’s mane of shimmering white hair filled her vision, her arms dangling around his neck. He let out a snort before swimming forward, towards a sizable piece of one of the ruined boats.  

Eudora interlocked her fingers and held on as he clambered onto it, shaking himself down. On either side of her, his wings rose and flicked off the water clinging to them. Her eyes widened as they flapped a few times as if being tested. The muscles beneath her tensed, and Orion peered up at the sky, his wings poised.  

With one great flap, her stomach dropped, and the wind whipped past her as he entered the sky. She gasped and hugged herself to Orion, the vertical ascent and the flapping of his wings causing her to nearly slide off.   

Her mouth fell ajar as he flew higher. She peered behind her, back down at the ocean. The monumental forms of Poseidon and Zeus began to dwindle in size, the two still locked in combat.   

She turned back to Orion just as they entered the clouds. The grey monstrosities fell behind them, giving way to a blue sky and warm sun.  It was as if they had entered a completely different world, one none the wiser to the storm raging below.   

As he continued to fly further away from the scene, Eudora lay her head down, the wind in her hair and the weightlessness making her feel… free.