Okay so I need to put in a lot of pre-warnings here. First of all, Haru is going to be EXTREMELY ooc for a lot of this story. I just have this feeling that if Haru wasn't so indifferent and shy, this is how he would talk and act normally: just really quite sarcastic and snappy, with a lot of bitter humor. But I really do think Haru is funny, and would think a lot of the things he comes up with are funny too, but he just never says them in the actual show. Also, I tried to be as historically accurate as possible with the greek mythology and stuff, but keep in mind that a) there are a lot of characters that were not actually from mythology so I have to make stuff up for them and b)the language is going to sound more modern just for reader convenience, and because I have another little headcannon that the gods have developed their own sort of "slang" and it's basically how humans talk now. So yeah, that's also why Makoto sounds more formal most of the time than Haru, which should change after the more time he spends with him. Okay, I think that's it for now. Enjoy! ~ fikki
The most of the gods were never excessively fond of me. Maybe because I was devious from their wishes, maybe because I always seemed to cause some sort of trouble with the mortals, but to be fair, it was never completely my fault.
And to tell the truth, I don't really care what they think.
Now Aphrodite? I'm near certain she'd like to fry up my tail and serve it at a fish fry for all the gods to feast on (not the most original idea, but at least it's more tastefully done than Tantalus' unforgettable feast). While I'm known for causing trouble with the mortals, what I'm best known for is meddling in Aphrodite's favorite godly force.
Love.
Alright, sex mostly, but we all know she likes to pretend it's the former she's all about.
But what's a Naiad like I to do? All these wonderful mystic charms, and all these near-godly privileges, and not to mention immortality can make a man go a little drunk with power, and boredom. I try not to be out of hand, since all I truly need is the water and nothing else, but a little human pleasure isn't completely out of the question on occasion. And the Athenian mortals around this part seem impossibly bound to wander near my spring in the woods far too often for their own good, and they also seem exceptionally susceptible to my charms. It was only a matter of time before I started to abuse my power for my own entertainment.
Oh now relax, it was never anything that tragic. Just a little harmless lust for a few hours, maybe bewitch one mortal to want another and laugh at the pathetic chase following, but never had I sent anyone to Hades for their trouble. Or at least, not intentionally.
Which is why I find myself on Olympus today.
"Haruka, it would be most appreciated if you would get the seaweed out of your ears and listen when I address you." Aphrodite scolds from her "throne", although I don't know who finds sitting in a clam all day comfortable. Olympus isn't always as regal as the mortals make it out to be.
"Enough with the seaweed jokes. I'm a Naiad, not an Oceanid. Those salt-brained sharks are an insult to all nymphs." I spit. "If Zeus can remember the names of all his kids, then you should know the difference between your fish friends." I'm aware she knows the difference, but I still feel the need to correct her anyway.
"Look, Dolphin-boy, I don't care what you do in your little pond all day, but once you start manipulating my job, then I have a problem."
I shrug it off. "Okay, but how was I supposed to know that girl was Persephone? I mean, I thought the guy was just trying to court a girl from the village by following her into the woods. Not the most romantic thing but- see I was just trying to help him out! Clearly he didn't know what he was doing."
"I don't care what you were trying to do. The point is that Hades is now very angry with me because someone tried possessing his wife so she would fall in love with some mortal," she says accusingly.
"No, no. You see, Aphie, I don't do that whole 'love' thing."
Aphrodite groans in frustration, which for some reason always sounds more like a pleasurable sigh coming from her lips (trust me, I've heard her sign enough to know), and rubs her temples. "You and your technicalities."
I smirk, though it's mocking and sarcastic, "I'm aware."
"My point is that I'm astounded that you think you can do my job better than I, since you supposedly see it fit to intervene with the destiny of mortals nearly every day, despite your foresight abilities," she stands from her seat, her light blue gown moves almost like the cool liquid that I soak in at my spring. It's more than tempting to touch, but Aphrodite can be quite defensive when it comes to unwelcomed suggestive gestures towards her.
"Look, I'm telling you those powers don't work. They're selective or something, because earlier today I had a vision that it was springtime and there was this man standing in a field of flowers, and then when he tried to pick the most lovely flower in the field, he burst into flames and… and… Oh." I trail off, the pieces starting to come together in my mind. There's a long pause. "See," I say sheepishly, "now that it's all happened, it all… sort of… you know, makes sense now… yeah."
"Haruka," she ignores my recent epiphany and continues on with her point, "do you really think you can do what I do so easily?" Her smile is challenging, her eyes sparkle with mischief I know too well.
"Yes, I do." Letting her be right is not an option.
"Is that so?" She purrs, and approaches me with a strut that is clearly meant for the eyes of a lover and not a "Dolphin-boy" like I. She lays a hand on my bare chest, fingers tracing the lines of my abdomen. "Would you like to prove it?"
"More than you know," I play along, tilting my head to meet her gaze and slipping a hand around her waist. If she thinks I'll back down, she clearly doesn't know me as well as I thought she would by now.
"Perfect."
Before I can think, Aphrodite is gone from my arms and has moved to the small pool of water in the corner of her palace and is gazing into its reflective surface, swirling a slender hand in graceful motions above it. I join her by the water to see an image of a young man bubbling up to the surface. He's tall and muscular, clearly a man of labor, and has been tanned bronze by the Mediterranean sun. Most noticeable are his green eyes, piercing and aware, almost smiling still while the rest of his face remains relatively placid, content.
"Who is this?" I murmur, transfixed on his moving image in the pool. He seems to be walking somewhere near the woods, a jug balanced on his hip.
"Makoto, son of Tachibana, eldest of three children. Eighteen years of age. He comes from a peasant family, but lives on his own near the edge of the city. He is a craftsman, warm of heart and skilled of hand." She glances up at me, that evil smile returned to her lips. "He loves like no other."
"What are you implying?" I say wearily, eyes wavering between her and this Makoto.
"While he loves more than I've ever seen in a mortal, he also loves only those who truly love him back. He is more than careful on who he places his affections on, for fear of being hurt. And rightfully so-"
"No," I interject finally, "I'm not going to seduce this man for you. I don't know if this is some sort of Adonis-related issue you're still trying to get over, but you can fetch your own meat if you want it."
Her eyes nearly spring from her head. "You disgusting, worthless, insufferable, bottom dwelling slug! How dare you venture to insult my beloved and beautiful Adonis! Men with faces such as yours should not even have the gall to utter a name as sweet as the nectar the gods feast upon."
"Oh, I see I've prodded a sensitive spot," I say in mock concern, slowly backing away towards the exit of her pearly chamber, "I should be going then. I'm in need of a soak anyway, and your pool isn't quite large enough to satisfy me. Goodb-"
"Hah, crafty thing. You can't escape so easily," her voice echoes around me, and suddenly the floor disappears from beneath my calloused feet, and I'm floating in mid-space for just seconds before I'm back on lumpy dirt.
My least favorite thing.
"What the-" I whip my head around, trying to figure out where I am while at the same time checking my limbs to make sure Aphrodite hasn't turned me into some pathetic creature, as the gods are often so inclined to do. Once I've confirmed my humanoid arms and legs are still in order, I give a more thorough look at my surroundings. There's no doubt it's my forest- the tree nymphs always flinch when I walk past them, even in disguise, and I definitely just saw a few branches quiver- but the problem is where in my forest am I?
Aphrodite's voice booms all around me again, but I get the strange feeling that only I can hear it. "Listen, Haruka. Approximately one mile down this path walks that boy, Tachibana. He's heading towards the spring to gather water. I suggest you do you best to make a good first impression. Those are always so important for a first date." I can hear the wicked smile in her voice.
"This is impossible, Aphie," I call out in no specific direction. "I don't do love; I told you that!"
"Nonsense, Haruka," she chuckles lowly, "I always get what I want."
"You know," I grumble, checking the path to make sure this Makoto guy hasn't gotten too close yet, " I can really see you're a lot like your father, Aphie."
"And how is that?" She hums.
"You're a real fucking dick."
I would have laughed at my cleverness if the goddess herself hadn't just spontaneously manifested right in front of me. "You're a real stitch in my side, Haruka. Really," she says flatly. "Hopefully your natural charm comes in handy, because your lover is approaching soon."
"Alright, alright. So say I… do go along with this whole seduction thing. What's in it for me?" There's no way I'm sleeping with some virgin mortal just for the hell of it.
Aphrodite grins pleasantly, as if it's the most obvious and satisfying answer, "An important life lesson, of course."
"Yeah, and?"
"Well," she drops the fake grin, "what is it you want, Haruka?"
Now that is quite the question. Seeing as Poseidon's not quite close to retiring yet, there's no use in asking to be God of the Sea. Nor would I want to be surrounded by those damn Oceanids all day either. So maybe…. Endless riches? Well, there's no point really. What am I going to buy, more water? I have a whole spring to myself that's free anyway. I'd love to go the predictable mortal route and ask for immortality, but I'm already blessed with it. Something less life-changing might be better…
Got it.
"You," I say, a smug smile on my lips.
Aphrodite sounds apprehensive when she speaks, "Me? How so?"
"I want to bed you."
"Why you-!" Her eyes begin to glow with rage.
"You said I can have what I want. You know, it gets pretty boring when you're the only male Naiad in existence and you've already 'been there done that' with the rest of the females. And if you sleep with me, then maybe I'll stop interfering with the mortals," I wink. She seems slightly less angered by this, but it's clear she's beyond annoyed with my request.
"Fine," she growls, "if you can make Makoto fall in love with you, then I will allow you into my bed." She steps closer to me and runs a delicate finger down my cheek, eyes still fierce behind her temptress gaze "And I can guarantee that it will be life-changing."
I really hate her whole weird, almost mind-reading thing.
"Deal." I abruptly extend a hand, which she looks at with confusion for a second, as if she was expecting a more explicit gesture, and then tentatively reaches out and shakes it.
"Deal."
She's gone almost as quickly as she had appeared, which is nothing new. I'm used to her popping in and out just to scold me for being an idiot. I have bigger problems on my hand now than Aphrodite calling me a useless fish filet though. I can hear soft humming coming from down the path, and I can only assume it's the boy. Well, this can't be THAT hard, I think to myself. She said to use my charm, and all that takes is a snap of my fingers, a little singing and-
"Ah-ah-ah," I hear that goddamn sing-songy voice of hers in my head again. "No cheating, Haruka."
"No cheating? Wait a minute, what do you…?" My voice trails off, because I feel this sort of tingling within me, like something is being sucked out. No. Nononono.
That bitch is taking my powers.
"What the hell!" I scream to the sky, because I know that's probably where she's watching me from and laughing manically. I have to know what she's taken from me. Now.
I turn on my heels and bolt down the path in the opposite direction, heading deeper into the woods. It should take me to my spring hopefully. I run as fast as I can until I can practically smell the moisture in the air and feel it on my skin. I'm so used to it when I'm home that whenever I leave and then come back, it hits me like a waterfall. Within minutes I see my beautiful pool come into view, afternoon sunlight dancing like jewels on its surface. I dart past the shoreline and into the shallow water, then peer in at my reflection. I can only see visions in the water, so maybe if I concentrate hard enough…
No use. Even if I did still have my powers, I have no idea how to induce a vision by choice. I'd rather not risk it and see if she took my immortality away too. I check my hands and limbs for the usual shimmering scales that appear when I enter the water, but their not there, and even my fingers and toes have lost their webbing. And there's no one around to hear me sing, so I can't see if that still works either-
Well, at least not yet.
My mind flickers back to the man on the path, currently walking this way. He should come to the clearing in minutes, seconds even! I can test my charms on him then and see if my voice still works its magic. I dive into the water before me, smooth and quiet as ever, and swim behind rock outcropping near the middle of the pool, where I normally lay upon to sunbathe. From there I watch the path for any movement and wait for my chance.
It doesn't take long before that same humming from before comes into earshot, and a man comes into view shortly after. From what I can tell, it looks like the same one Aphrodite had shown me, and he's wearing the same pale tunic and flimsy sandals with a large jug in hand. It must be him. I wait for him to get closer; I watch him sit on his knees upon the bank of my spring, and just as he dips his water jug below the surface, I begin to sing.
And just some final notes: Considering writing chapters from Makoto's perspective, but I'm not sure yet. I feel like Haru's mind is more amusing and you don't get a lot of fics written from his point of view. Hopefully no one minds the first person thing? I know a lot of people make fun of writers who do first person, but I feel like it's the best way to keep the other character's thoughts unknown, which is really important to this story for later reasons :) anyway, thoughts and comments would be appreciated! Thanks for reading!
P.s. If you didn't get the dick joke about Aphrodite, here's a short greek myth lesson! Aphrodite was literally born from a penis. During the battle between Cronus, the titan, and Uranus, his father, Cronus castrated his father's genitals, threw them into the ocean, and then up sprang Aphrodite from the foam! A literal penis child. Isn't greek myth great?