Even If It Means War || Ennead

Hellas

Looking at it like this, the water wasn't as intimidating as Seth used to think. It was the sand, of course, that held him back from indulging in the beauty of the water. He didn't hate it, it never gave him a reason to, but he was wary of it.

It was the essence of all that was alive and yet it was his biggest weakness for thousands of years. Only now, it wasn't and now he had to accept that he'd be at its' mercy for at least the next week.

His raven hair fluttered in the wind as he looked back at his homeland, now fading away in the distance. He'd miss the yellow landscape, the feeling of warm sand under his feet and if he shed a tear or two as he sat there in the back of that ship, then that shall remain a secret between him and the water of the sea that absorbed them.

He heard Zeus' voice from where he was giving out orders in the front of the ship. Steady and confident, yet smooth like the flow of thick honey.
And maybe if Seth could lie to himself some more he might be able to convince himself that his feelings towards this god were of romantic nature. That he wasn't doing this only to escape his fate, his punishment, his brother, and now his son.

If he tried hard enough he could forget about Nephthys and her betrayal, Osiris and his obsession, and Horus. No one needed to know what he thought about Horus. He would forget all about his family and start anew next to Zeus' as he'd requested.
'Be mine' he had said to Seth and in turn, he'd be free.

A hand on his shoulder made him look up, it was none other than Zeus with a knowing smile on his face, "You alright?"
And how could Seth say no to that? So he didn't, he nodded, smiled even, and said "Fantastic."

Apparently, his acting skills were not as good as he thought.

"You should work on that fake smile of yours." Zeus took a seat next to him, "I won't judge you for being sad. But I still hope that you're not."

Seth sighed and took Zeus' hand, holding it in both his own, "I can't wait to start over. And I want to thank you for helping me. Don't get too cocky though, this is the only thanks you'll get."

Zeus laughed a heartfelt laugh, "I see you're getting back to your usual self."
Seth slapped his hand away and huffed, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was never not my usual self."

"Oh? So then what about last night? If didn't know better I would have thought the god of sex has taken over your body and come to take my soul and my dick–"

The crew of the ship had to fish Zeus out of the water while a sulking Seth made his way inside the ship cabin, grumbling something about bloody murder and that Zeus should swim the rest of the way to Hellas.

Zeus in fact did not have to swim the rest of the way to Hellas but had to endure Seth being celibate for the rest of the journey. In his opinion, that was even worse than having to swim but Seth didn't agree, so Zeus had to accept that the only time he was allowed to touch Seth was during the awful storms out on the sea when Seth was sure that they were all going to die and it was a sign that he should've stayed in Egypt if he didn't want to die an early death.

The cuddles on those days were not as enjoyable and ended with bite marks and scratches all over his body.

The morning they arrived in Hellas was when it really hit Seth that he's left his homeland for good. And as he was standing there on that ship, watching the crew unpack it he felt a tinge of fear.

"Come on, I'll help you." Zeus offered his hand but Seth ignored him and jumped off the ship right into the foreign sand. It felt different against his feet. Instead of sand dunes, there were trees and bushes all over the coastline. Even the air was different although still warm.

Zeus crossed his arms as he took in the image of Seth in front of him, tired from the journey but eyes glowing with uncertainty and curiosity.

"Before we go up to the Olympus," he pointed at a large mountain in the distance, "you should know that my siblings can be quite a handful."

Seth was less surprised by what he said than what he did, "Did you just point at a fucking mountain?"