DEMIS (A Clash With Lightning)

16

"Wake up. Don't be so lazy," Josh scolded as he kicked Keith's foot, which was hanging off the couch.

Keith groaned, covering his eyes with his arms. "We're supposed to be resting for the island."

"Key word: resting. Not rotting the day away," Josh countered.

"You're not the boss of me," Keith muttered, rolling over so his face disappeared into the crease of the couch cushion.

Josh rolled his eyes before grabbing Keith's ankles and yanking him off the couch. Keith let out a loud yelp as his rear end hit the wooden floor. He jumped up and pointed a finger at Josh. "What's your problem?"

"It's for your own good," Josh said, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. "You can't lie around all day. It's bad for you."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but how are my sleeping habits any of your business?"

"You're part of my team, and I need you at one hundred percent. That's why it's my business," Josh said with a smile. "Now, let's go see what Ban's up to."

"No," Keith immediately rejected. "That guy gets on my last nerve. I'd rather have a peaceful day."

"You two need to bond. We should all get along," Josh insisted.

"No means no." Keith turned and walked toward the kitchen. "I'd rather see what the girls are up to in there."

Josh grabbed the collar of Keith's shirt. "Come on."

He began dragging Keith in the opposite direction, toward the deck of the ship.

"What kind of intervention is this?" Keith grumbled. "Ban and I get along just fine! We don't need to be stuck up each other's asses!"

Josh ignored Keith's complaints. Truth be told, Josh's intentions were far from noble—he was dying of boredom. He figured if he stuck Keith and Ban in the same space, it would inevitably lead to some sort of entertainment. He hated to admit it, but a small part of him enjoyed their petty squabbles. Maybe it had something to do with his father being the god of war.

When Josh and Keith reached the deck, they spotted Ban in his phantom state near the bow of the boat. He appeared to be overlooking the water, his transparent form allowing the crashing waves to pass right through him.

"Gods... That really is creepy-looking, isn't it?" Keith winced. "It's like our ship is haunted by an actual ghost."

Josh ignored Keith and approached Ban. Up close, he noticed Ban's eyes were tightly shut, and his face was twisted in pain.

"Are you all right?" Josh asked.

Ban opened his eyes as his phantom form dissipated, becoming solid once more. "I'm fine. Just training so I can hold my phantom form longer."

The experience with the cyclops proved that he would need to be stronger. Holding the phantom form for just a couple of moments would be unacceptable. He was determined to be able to keep the form for hours. Hopefully, he would eventually be able to live in that form for days. That was the goal, anyway.

"What other parts of your powers can you use?" Keith asked curiously.

"Honestly? I don't know yet," Ban admitted with a sigh. "I haven't really discovered anything else."

"Maybe we should figure out what else you can do," Josh suggested. "You're Hades' son. There's gotta be more to you than just turning into a ghost."

"Can't you age things?" Keith asked. "I saw a movie once with that concept. Dude touched a guy's face, and he turned into an old man before he keeled over."

"What?" Ban raised an eyebrow. "I doubt my power is going to work the same as some superhero movie."

Keith rolled his eyes. "You're the one that can't figure out any diversity in his powers. Sue me for trying to help you out."

"You're like a child," Ban stated in disbelief.

Keith shrugged his shoulders. "It seems like something that would fit your domain, though."

"Sounds like it's worth a try to me," Josh said with a grin. "Let's test it on a fish."

Ban looked down at the water and spotted a fish swimming near the boat. He almost laughed at how ridiculous it was that he was attempting this. He also wasn't sure if his powers would work just by looking at it. Maybe he needed to touch it? There was only one way to find out. He imagined a switch in his mind, flicked it on, and focused.

Keith and Josh sucked in a breath as Ban's eyes glowed bright red, replacing their usual brown. Their gazes darted to the water just in time to see the fish floating lifelessly, its body already decaying. The entire process had happened in the blink of an eye.

"Ban, I just want to apologize for all the times I argued with you or called you a complainer," Keith said, letting out a shaky breath. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Ban didn't respond. He stared at the fish, still in shock at how quickly it had died. That actually worked? He wondered if this power would work as effectively on larger or stronger targets, but he had no doubt it could—if he worked hard enough.

"Damn. That was actually insanely impressive." Josh also didn't expect Keith's movie scene power to actually work. "I guess being a son of Hades is full of surprises."

"You're the first of your kind, aren't you?" Keith questioned.

"'Your kind' is a crazy way to phrase that," Josh scolded.

"You know what I meant!" Keith shouted, exasperated. "You're not offended, are you, Ban?"

"No," he answered simply. "Yeah, as far as I know, Hades hasn't had any other children in history."

"I don't think he's even knocked up Persephone," Keith pointed out.

"That's because she's the worst," Ban said.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true," Keith frowned. "She's still hot, though."

"You're disgusting!" Ban shouted.

"Please." Keith clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Are you seriously going to pretend you've never thought the same thing?"

"I haven't." Ban was genuinely disgusted. "She's technically my stepmother, you sicko."

"Yeah, stepmother," Keith pointed out. "No blood relation."

"Stop talking before I throw you overboard," Ban threatened.

Keith held his hands up in surrender. "Gods, it's like boys can't be boys anymore without being shamed."

"You should want to better yourself," Ban lectured.

"Says the guy brooding as a ghost in front of the boat," Keith scoffed.

"Not only was I training, but I was also meditating," Ban corrected. "Bettering myself both physically and mentally. You should try it sometime."

"I already know what I've got going with my powers," Keith defended. "And my mental is fine."

"I beg to differ," Ban rolled his eyes.

Josh tried to hide his grin as they argued. He could feel himself getting just a little stronger while they bickered. This would be his new version of training in the future. It gave him a nice little power boost, and it was way more interesting than throwing rocks in the jungle.