Sea salt and pomegranates

Seven

I felt my fingers brush against the grainy sand, which was wet from the remaining ocean water left from the waves. It was early in the morning, the sun barely rose. I wanted to speak with Nektarios, but I knew he would still be asleep. He always found it easy to fall asleep, while I was quite the opposite. Bags were underneath my dark eyes, looking like big, purple bruises from far away. Nektarios never asked, he always believed me when I told him that I was fine; either that or he did not want to press on the matter, which I was slightly relieved about.
My toes dug into the sand, I was alone, to no surprise. Nobody, no townsman or servants in sight. "You like to watch the sunrise too?" Somebody asked. I turned my head to see a figure. It was a woman with long, billowing hair, a shade of red. Half of it was up, piled on her head, but the other half was let loose. Her eyes were a shining green, her skin dark, like chestnuts.
"Who...are you?" I had asked her. She merely grinned at me, before looking at the sky once again.
"I am Phoebe, the new prophet of Apollo." She greeted me. My eyes widened in surprise. I knew Cassandra was the most recent one, other than her, but she was cursed to have her prophecies never believed by anyone, which led to Troy falling.
"I-uh..." I trailed off, not knowing how to respond. My mouth felt dry, my cheeks flushed. I wanted to be respectful, but I was not sure how I should have acted.
"A prophecy has been foretold." She whispered, her voice echoing, her green eyes emitting an ethereal glow.
"A prophecy?" My eyes widened. I knew it would be important if she came to me.
Phoebe nodded. "Yes. A prophecy of your shortcoming. Your demise."
I felt a chill go down my spine. My demise? I would die? "Impossible..." I whispered, my voice shaking. Was it really the murderer of my father roaming the palace, hunting down the boys and girls who lived among Nektarios? Were they really after me? I could not leave Nektarios alone, or speak of this prophecy to him. I would not wish for him to act rash.
"Is there a way to make the prophecy not come true?"
Phoebe sighed. "Yes, but it would result in the crumbling, the undoing of the kingdom you call your home."
I paled. Not only was there a prophecy about me, it felt almost exactly like the stories of the gods and heroes that I have heard about. Nektarios told me the stories often, I recalled. He would whisper words into my ear, about gods like Zeus, Aphrodite, his mother, Calliope, even. He would speak of heroes. He was particularly fond of Herakles and Achilles.
I would not wish for the kingdom to fall, but I would not wish to die, either.
I knew that if I told Nektarios, he would care more about me than he would, his future kingdom.
I was the only person he cared about aside from his parents, and he knew he could not let me go.
Phoebe frowned, her expression sullen, her eyes glassy. "It is up to you to decide, not him."
Him? It was as though he knew what I was thinking about.
The next time I turned around to face her, she was gone.

To my dismay, I told Nektarios. He deserved to know, even if it wasn't what I wanted.
Once I told him, his grip on me immediately tightened, his skin pale like the gray of the sky. "Fotis." He whispered. "I will not lose you. I will challenge the Fates, I do not care what happens to me, or the kingdom." He looked choked up, kissing me on the lips before he said in a hushed voice. "I only care about you."
I gripped his wrist tightly. "No, Nektarios, please do not say that again." I bit my lip. "Is one measly life worth more than a whole kingdom full of people?" I asked him.
He nodded. "For me it is. It is worth more than anything ever will be. I was blinded before I met you, and I will do anything to savor you; your touch, your taste, your voice, your words." I felt his warm breath against my face as he held me close, our heartbeats in sync. "You are the only thing I need, the only thing I want in this life of mine."
"Nektarios...you are not thinking rationally." I warned him, caressing his cheek as a way to turn him towards me. "I do not want your kingdom to fall."
"It is not my kingdom yet." Nektarios argued. "If that is how it must be, I might as well destroy it myself in order to keep you safe." There was a chill that went down my spine. He was acting so cold, and I didn't necessarily like it.
"Please...don't say that." I begged. "I don't want you to become something you're not." I whispered, leaning into his warm grasp.
His eyes softened once he gazed at me. "Okay...I will not do anything." His eyes looked glassy all of a sudden, and I realized he was crying. "I don't want to lose you..." He croaked. My heart ached, seeing him like this. He was a broken, young boy, and that was all I could see when I looked at him.
He hugged me tightly, and I did the same as he buried his face into my shoulder. My linen tunic was soaked from his tears, but I didn't care slightly. Most of the tunics I wore now were his, after all.
We laid down on his bed, the soft wool sheets caressing us. Nektarios rested his head against one of his pillows, and I played with his hair gently, which I noticed had become longer, down to back, close to reaching his hips. My hair could never grow, it always seemed to stay the same length, whereas his hair grew frequently, but he never minded.
His hair was thick and he relaxed as soon as I began to run my fingers through it. "Never endanger yourself, or your kingdom for me, okay?" I said to him, my throat tightening.
"Mhm." He replied. "I just want you to be safe..."
"I want the same for you, too." I whispered. I cared about him. He was one of the only people I cared about. I had no family, and my only friend was Selene, but either way, I always had him.
I kissed his forehead, my lips against his skin, gentle and sweet like honeydew. I felt as though I had the world in my hands, and my mind strayed from the prophecy. I didn't care what would happen, as long as he was with me through it all.
Nektarios looked up at me with his eyes-bright green and blue. They were his best feature, other than his long, thick hair. His skin was smooth, and slightly lighter than mine in comparison as we gripped each other's fingers. We did not care if people saw us;god, demigod, mortal. He pressed his lips against mine, the taste was sweet and sugary, like nektar-that was what his name meant, after all.
He cupped my cheeks, bringing heat to my usually cold skin. His skin was always warm, but mine was always cold...it was nice to have him in my arms. "You are not going anywhere." He whispered into my ear. "I swear it-you will be safe, as long as I am here."
I believed him. He was swift, strong, and graceful. He was practically perfect without even trying, so whatever he did, I would support him.
No matter what.