Sea salt and pomegranates

One

      The first thing I saw was his eyes. They were bright and full of life, the color of the sea inside them. I swallowed a gasp, trying to stifle my awe.
"Hello." He greeted me simply, his voice soft and formal. He looked at me, his facial features already ingrained in my brain. I saw his sharp cheekbones, and his dark hair that was swooped up and tied with a piece of leather.
"Your Highness..." I croaked with a stutter, as I forced my practically frozen body to bend into a bow.
"No need for the formalities." The Prince told me, adjusting the position he laid in on the couch. "Just call me Prince Nektarios."
His voice was soothing and soft in tone, relaxing me as I gazed up at him. His sky colored eyes looked majestic, like they were somehow glowing. I could look at them all day, if I wanted to."What should I address you as?" Nektarios asked me.
"Fotis...my name is Fotis." I told him meekly, clearing my throat.
Nektarios got up, the prince glancing at me intensely. There was a spark in his eyes, as though he were intrigued by me.
"Fotis? So you are the new boy I have heard about." Nektarios mumbled. It sounded more like he was talking to himself than to me. I was living in the palace due to unfortunate circumstances, like the other girls and boys.
"That is correct." I replied. I fought the urge to glare at him. Was he looking down at me? Did he consider me a fool? I wasn't sure.
"You are human." He pointed out. I winced at his words.
"Is that so surprising?" I told him, my frown deepening.
I saw his jaw clench as he looked at me, his fingernails digging into his palms. "I am a demigod, son of Calliope." He informed me.
My jaw went slack as I heard that. Of course this perfect prince was a demigod! "Calliope? You mean the goddess of poetry and music?"
"That is correct." The prince nodded. He stretched his lanky limbs out. He then covered his mouth with one of his hands and let out a yawn. "It is late." He said, like I wasn't already aware. "Do you know where the boys quarters are? You will reside there."
My heart pounded as I looked at him, his soft tunic fitting him to the point where I could faintly see the outline of his muscles underneath it. "Yes, I believe so." I told him. It was a lie. I just didn't want to bother him with helping me find it. He was a prince. A demigod. And someone I would never want to be a bother to. I, for some reason, had felt the need to impress him, and treat the prince well, even with the burning envy in my chest.
"Very well then." He said, before leaving me to head to his sleeping chambers.
I watched him leave, my heart pounding in my chest as I left to attempt to find the boys' quarters.

That night, Nektarios lingered in my mind. I remembered the soft outlines of his face as the shadows of night fell upon him, his light brown hair shining with its golden glow. As I thought about him, my eyelids began to feel heavy, the snores of other young men ringing in my ears as the heat of the summer night made my body stick to the bed. I slowly fell asleep, but my mind kept racing, restless.
I am a hopeless, foolish boy...that was obvious enough.

The next morning I stretched, waking up feeling as though I didn't get any sleep. My body was sore, and I struggled to stand as I watched the other boys rushing to get breakfast.
I slowly got out a tunic. I could see faint wrinkles in the fabric, and it felt too snug on my body. I scowled when I noticed that, attempting to brush out my hair with my fingers. I sat down at the wooden table with the other men, and the women, quietly eating as they talked all around me. The food tasted bitter, and I grimaced once I tried it. I could imagine the prince's food tasted perfectly fine. I frowned when I thought that, my raging jealousy increasing. I glared at my food, lost in thought.

I sighed, placing the soft, lush pillows on the prince's bed. I just wanted to lay down on it, but I knew that would be inappropriate for a lowly human like myself. My fingers fumbled with the soft, crimson blanket in my hands, and I noticed the scent in the room. It smelt faintly of pomegranates and sea salt. I scoffed, hating the fact I was constantly thinking about the prince. I moved away from the bed, cleaning off a corner of the room that was surrounded by scrolls, a loose vase rolling around in the middle of the corner. I sigh, picking up the scrolls and placing them all in the vase, assuming that was what I was supposed to do with them. After a long time of cleaning the room, the Prince walked in, his hair wet, as though he had just bathed.
"Hello." He greeted me yet again with his soothing voice. His voice was so soft and quiet that it somehow bothered me. It was annoying and grating, almost as much as his flawless and ethereal features were.
"Hello." I reply, sounding more sharp than intended. He didn't look at all offended by it, more curious than anything as he looked around his now cleaned room.
"Thank you for cleaning my room...it looks better than before." He told me.
"I was just doing my job." I snapped back at him. In order to live in the palace for free, I had to complete tasks to help the prince and the king out. He was complimenting me, but for some reason I felt offended. He was obviously doing it to get on my nerves, right?
We sat in silence for a while, and he slumped on his bed. For some reason, I was reluctant to leave him. "Where were you?" I asked him.
"Training." He casually replied, his voice gentle and calm.
I raised an eyebrow. "Training? For what?"
"My future." Nektarios simply told me. He hugged his pillow to his chest. I did not ask what he meant by that, nor did he continue to speak, so we stayed quiet. I still did not budge, staying in the prince's chamber, even though I most likely wasn't supposed to.
"My Mother says that I will become a grand hero." Nektarios continued after a while of silence.
"Your mother?" I question. He nods, stretching out his arms and limber fingers before he opens his mouth to speak again.
"The Goddess, Calliope, remember?" He told me softly.
I completely forgot about that until now. He was so different from other boys I know, but also so similar. "The eldest muse?"
He nods. "Who else?" There is a stark contrast between the way he said that from everything else he told me. He seemed snappy, almost annoyed with me. Was I being a bother? I wouldn't want to be a bother, despite my burning jealousy when I looked into his eyes of sky blue.
We sit in silence again, but I still do not budge and try to leave like I should. Instead I stay put as if I was a marble statue, unable to move.
"Do you like music?" The Prince asks me. I perk up, unable to take my eyes off of him as I nod. I've never been good at it, but I appreciate and like music, and enjoy watching people play it.
"I'm not good at it..." I admit to him, blushing in embarrassment. I did not want to admit any weaknesses to him. He made me feel immature and small, somehow, even though we were the same age and he was only slightly taller than me.
"I enjoy music too." The Prince agreed. He stood up, walking to a corner of the room I somehow had not noticed before now. In the corner, however, was a shiny, beautifully carved and crafted lyre. I suddenly felt the urge to pluck at the strings. I also noticed that there was a wooden kithara as well, the material shiny and smooth. He picked up both of the instruments, and walked to the bed again. I had not sat down yet, I was not given permission to do so.
"Which instrument would you like to hear?" He asked me with his crisp and soft voice.
"I do not care." I replied, though my voice sounded slightly on edge, like it always was when I tried to talk to him.
He picks up the kithara, and to my dismay places it on his lap. Was he actually going to play? A soft and high pitched sound came out of the instrument, and he played a light and airy tune. I felt mesmerized, full of awe, though I was reluctant to tell, or show him that. His fingers moved nimbly, and I idly fidgeted as he did so, not able to take my dark eyes off of his light eyes.
Before I knew it, the song was done. I frowned at that, somehow saddened. He placed the kithara down, and looked at me. "You are excused." He said.
I felt furious at that. He said it with no emotion, and seemed to expect me to listen to him. "What?" I say, clenching my fists.
"You heard me. You're excused." He repeated, yawning, his hand covering his mouth. He looked uncaring. Whether he felt that way or not was something I did not know.
I left the room, my footsteps loud, and my face red. I somehow felt the need for him to want me around. What problem did he have with me, anyways? I gritted my teeth, heading towards the less luxurious side of the palace, where the young, boys and girls resided, being commonfolk and all.. I wondered why people admired and loved the prince so much? The only good thing about him was his flawless features...right?
That night, I left the palace and went to the nearest beach, the soft sand in between my toes, and the water going down to my knees. The sun was setting, nobody was there except for me. Suddenly, I heard someone walking behind me. Expecting it to be someone else, I turned around curiously, only to notice it was Nektarios. I tried not to glare at him as I took a deep breath.
"Hello." He greeted me, grabbing a smooth, yet sandy rock beneath his feet as he attempted to skip it, being successful. Why was he here?
"Why are you here?" I demanded, the salty sea air filling up my lungs.
"Because I am able to." He told me, no hatred in his voice. I wondered if he noticed my tone when I talked to him- I wasn't sure whether I would want him to or not.
I wasn't sure whether I wanted my hatred of the prince to be known by him. "Fotis is your name, right?" He asked me. I felt my anger grow once he said that. He didn't remember my name?
"Yes." I replied sharply, my brown eyes narrowing.
He yawned, before walking closer to me, his shoulder brushing against my own. I noticed something about his eyes...something I didn't know before. They were quite lovely, with streaks of blue and green, and flecks of hazel in them. I wasn't focusing on the sun setting anymore, that was for sure...
"Do you like the ocean?" He asked me as he waded around, the smooth rocks in the water against our feet.
I nod, feeling speechless as though I was in a chokehold.
His formal tunic got wet on the ends, though he didn't seem to care, continuing to walk deeper into the water, his brown hair swinging from side to side as he did so.
My cheeks flushed a bright pink, and I attempted to stay composed and hide it from the Prince's view.
"I like the ocean as well..." He mumbled, walking further into the water.
The sky became darker, the wind rustling in our hair. "It is late..." I told him.
"Yes...best we head back to the palace." The Prince told me. But despite what he said, both of us stayed where we were.