"Wow. This is actually kind of amazing," Cyd muttered, eyes wide as schools of fish zipped beneath his feet. Yeah—beneath his feet. Because apparently, walking on water was just another Tuesday for him now.
"Sure, magical. Now move faster." Atalanta's voice was a strained whisper of frustration as she clung to his shoulders like he was a poorly steered chariot.
Cyd glanced over his shoulder. "Uh… you in a rush, or…?"
"No!" she snapped a little too quickly. Then she coughed. "We should just… get to Calydon before something eats us. Again. We've been walking all day, and I haven't even seen a shadow of an island. Are you sure we're headed in the right direction?"
"Probably?" Cyd winced and shook the little compass in his hand. The needle spun wildly like it was having an existential crisis.
Atalanta squinted at the compass. Then squinted at him. "You've been following that thing this whole time?!"
"It's a divine artifact!" Cyd defended, clutching it like a toddler with a favorite toy. "It's supposed to point me toward where I want to go!"
"You don't even know where you want to go!" She lunged forward, locking both hands around his neck and shaking him like a vending machine that ate her drachmae. "GIVE. ME. THE. COMPASS."
"Okay! Okay!!" he yelped, holding it out like it was about to explode.
"You should've given it to me hours ago," she grumbled, reaching for it.
The moment her fingers brushed the compass—zap. Her whole body jolted, and she instinctively unhooked her legs from his waist.
"Whoa—!" Cyd twisted mid-step and caught her in his arms, keeping her from tumbling into the sea.
There was a long, awkward silence. Then—
"I'm going to bite you," Atalanta growled through gritted teeth, her cheeks red as pomegranates.
"I swear this is a misunderstanding!" Cyd yelped, holding her like she was a baby manticore that might explode if you blinked wrong. His mind was racing—gods, her legs, her thighs, her breath on my neck—focus, focus! He forced himself to think of literally anything else. Rocks. Bread. Hercules in a tutu.
Atalanta, meanwhile, was struggling to pry the compass off her hand. "It's stuck!"
"Guess it bonded with you," Cyd said, not quite hiding a nervous laugh. "Maybe it thinks you know where we're going better than I do."
"You think?" She sighed and sagged against him, glaring down at the stubborn compass. The needle had stopped spinning. It now pointed straight ahead. "…Great."
"I'm sure it'll come off once we reach Calydon."
She narrowed her eyes. "And until then you're carrying me?"
"Unless you've got hidden sea-walking powers, yes."
"Then listen up," she leaned close, her voice dropping to a dangerously sweet whisper. "If your hands wander even one inch, I'm going to snap your spine like a dry twig."
Cyd gulped. "Crystal clear."
"To be fair," he added, lifting his left wrist, "I literally can't lie. Hermes' blessing. No one can lie to me either—not even me."
Atalanta froze. "Wait… what?"
"Well, it's complicated, but yeah," he said, trying to downplay it.
A long pause. She stared at him, the gears visibly turning in her head. Her expression tightened, then she silently held up the compass in front of his face.
"Shut up and walk."
"Got it," Cyd said quickly, and the sea splashed behind them as they picked up speed across the waves.
Meanwhile… on Olympus
"Eeeee~! That's so cute!" Artemis squealed, sprawled over Hephaestus' enchanted scrying pool, watching Cyd sprint across the ocean with Atalanta clinging to him like a disgruntled backpack.
"He definitely doesn't think so," Hermes snickered behind his hand. "But I do. Which is why I tweaked the compass. You're welcome."
"Hermes~," a sharp voice came from behind him. A large golden hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"…Apollo," Hermes said with a tight smile. "Didn't see you there. Shouldn't you be off somewhere… playing lyre duels with yourself?"
"No time for small talk," Apollo said calmly, dragging Hermes away by the back of his collar. "You're going on a run with me. Tied to my chariot."
"Wait—WHOA, THAT'S A BAD IDEA—!"
Slam. Crash. Distant yelling.
Back by the pool, Artemis sighed and flopped back onto her elbows, frowning at the rippling water.
"She's having all the fun," she pouted. "And I'm stuck up here with no candy."
"Then go," said a serene voice.
Artemis blinked. Athena now sat beside her, long silver hair flowing like moonlight on a riverbank. Her eyes were calm, but the curve of her lips told a different story.
"You've watched him long enough," Athena said. "Three years is a bit excessive for a background check."
"It's not like that," Artemis muttered.
"Isn't it?" Athena tilted her head. "You want him to be happy. But not just because he could get your blessing, right?"
Artemis hesitated. "I… I don't know. Maybe I want him to like me just because I'm me. Not a goddess. Not the moon. Just… someone he could like."
Athena tapped the water. "Then find out. Go down there. See for yourself."
"But what if he—" Artemis began.
"You're not scary," Athena said, smirking. "Hermes isn't scared. And from what I can tell, neither is he."
Artemis bit her lip. "I just think he's… different. He makes me feel—" She cut herself off, eyes flicking to the water again.
Athena gave a short laugh. "Careful, Lady of the Moon. That sounds suspiciously like the beginning of a love story."
"I can love and still be a virgin goddess," Artemis huffed, standing up and brushing off her silver tunic. "Hand-holding doesn't count."
"For his sake," Athena said dryly, "I hope you don't start with handcuffs."
Artemis turned red. "You're the worst."
"Have fun~."
And just like that, Artemis vanished in a sparkle of moonlight.
Athena, still watching the ocean through the scrying pool, smiled to herself as she saw Cyd stumbling over a wave with Atalanta yelling at him in the distance.
"Pure-hearted Son of Man," she murmured. "You've got no idea what's coming."