Heaven's Gardens

Oceanus

Oceanus was having the time of his life. Not only was he able to roll through the waves at the side of the multitude of creatures he had created to fill the depths of the water, but now, on the surface he now had people on the surface that always welcomed his presence. It was a great pleasure to be welcomed among the ocean-farers on the ground beneath the silver light of the stars.

In the time after they were taken far out to the islands, he spent much time with them, teaching all those willing to learn about the creatures that lived in his waters. Together they discovered ways to catch the fish, both by lines and eventually weaving fibers of the coconuts Tyr had created into nets.

The people seemed to always be singing, taking joy in the world and sights around them. Every time Oceanus visited their villages, the people had come up with another idea for a new way to do things, or new ideas entirely. They built new structures for their homes, wove fabric to wear upon their bodies, and created jewelry to decorate their necks and wrists. The sights never ceased to amaze him.

Oceanus would have liked to say that he was not surprised when suddenly, when he was swimming through water far too deep for any to be standing on the shore fishing, a large hook drifted down right before his face. The only thing that kept him from getting tangled in the line and hook was the fact that he had the ability to control the water about him. Instead of continuing forward, he shifted his momentum to move straight toward the surface, searching for what invention had given the people the ability to fish so far from shore.

To his surprise, floating on the surface of the ocean, bobbing up and down on the waves, was a craft made from split pieces of wood. It was large enough for several people to sit upon the surface, and seemed sturdy enough the men upon its deck were unworried by the motion of the waves. Now this was something neither he nor Tyr had ever considered happening, but that was understandable for neither of them needed such a craft as Tyr appeared from island to island while he himself just dove beneath the waves and move through the water.

The people of the islands had become sailors when he had not been watching, and now their songs would sound far over the open waves. This opened so many possibilities, and yet that was the moment Oceanus realized the Islanders no longer needed his hovering attention any longer. They had survived on their own, and would be able to do so for far longer than he had ever dared consider.

At the spurring of that knowledge, Oceanus released his physical form to return into the deeps without speaking to any of the people he had approached so closely. It was the first time he had not lingered long enough for them to catch sight of him, but for the moment, he did not wish to stay.

Instead, he sent his consciousness to the floor of the very deepest part of the ocean, settling deep enough that he could only feel the waves above because of his connection to the water. The darkness fit the feeling roiling through him like the waves did in response to his anger.

His people did not need him.

High above his head, the waves of the ocean stilled their motion in response to his emotions. It was a time that would be passed through the ages by the islanders, though none truly ever knew what had caused the stillness.