Leo groaned as he vaguely felt his head roll to the side. His head was pounding. It felt like all of the blood had rushed into his head. He was feeling dizzy, and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. Leo tried to bring his hand to his head, only to find that he couldn't. His arm was restrained. Leo frowned and opened his eyes, only to find himself blinded by the brightness of the sun. It took some time to adjust to it. After about a minute Leo's vision was able to clear up enough for him to be able to get a vague understanding of his surroundings, or at least he was able to understand that he was upside down.
"Wha-" Leo blinked back some blurriness. He lifted his head so he could look down...or maybe up...towards his feet, or more accurately towards his chest, because Leo noticed that his legs, which weren't restrained the same way his chest was, weren't sticking straight up, and were instead dangling awkwardly. It wasn't natural, and Leo could imagine that the only reason his legs weren't hurting was because they were numb, as all of his blood had gone rushing to his head.
Leo struggled, trying to get out of the rope. He could reach the rope with his hands, but he was so disoriented that he could barely get his fingers moving the way that he wanted them to. He wasn't going anywhere.
"Hey!" Leo paused in his struggling when he heard an unfamiliar voice talk to him. Leo turned to see a stranger who was about his age and had brown hair. He cautiously approached, looking at Leo with calculating eyes. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Leo said. He didn't feel perfect, but he could definitely be worse. "Do you know where I am?"
"This is our island," The other teenager said. He was holding tightly to a staff, probably trying to decide whether Leo was a threat or not. "Were you in the storm?"
It all came back to Leo at once, the reason why he'd been tied up. The storm, the rocky seas. He and Mikey hadn't wanted to be tossed into the ocean, so they'd tried to secure themselves. Sure, it was irritating that he was still restrained, but that meant that the rope had been secured. But Mikey, he wasn't here. His rope probably came untied...oh no.
"Please, I need help," Leo said desperately. "My brother, have you seen him?"
The stranger froze, the calculated and almost cold look in his eyes disappearing as he looked somewhat emotional. "You brother?"
"He's blond, a little shorter than me," Leo said, not considering that information might not be so useful while he was tied up like this. "Please, I have to find him," If Mikey had been tossed overboard into the storm, if he had...Leo would never be able to forgive himself if anything had happened to Mikey. He never would have gone out on the ocean if Leo hadn't come up with this whole idea in the first place.
The other teenager swallowed thickly and approached Leo. He eyed the ropes for a second before going at the knot himself. A moment later the knot was undone. Leo would have fallen to the ground if the teenager hadn't caught him. Leo was lowered gently to the ground.
"Thanks," Leo said breathlessly. He really wanted to go after his brother, but he couldn't currently move his legs. He had to give himself time to recover.
"Sorry for the cold reception," The stranger said. "We've never seen other people here before," Leo frowned as he looked around the beach. Now that he was thinking about it, it did look kind of deserted.
"Who else is here?" Leo asked. He didn't think there were a lot of people, as he probably would have seen at least some sign of it if there were.
"It's just me and my brother, Raph," The stranger gave Leo a small smile. "Oh, I'm Donnie,"
"Leo," He looked at Donnie. "How long have you guys been here?"
Donnie grimaced. "Uh, it's been a few years...a lot of years." Leo stared at Donnie in shock. He didn't look any older than Leo was, and yet he'd been here for so long.
"Were you guys shipwrecked too?" Leo asked.
"Something like that," Donnie said, his tone becoming closed off and tense. This clearly wasn't something that he wanted to talk about, so Leo let the matter drop. Donnie handed him his staff, and Leo used it to pull himself to his feet, and then to support himself to keep from falling over. "I haven't seen your brother around, but maybe we'll find him on the other side of the island."
Leo wasn't so sure about that, but he had to at least give it a try. He needed to find Mikey. He needed to know if he was okay, or if he was...no, Leo wasn't even going to consider it. He refused. Mikey was fine. He had to be. "Let's go."
Stupid ocean. Stupid gods. They'd supposedly chosen him, and now they were just leaving him out to dry. What was even the point of that? He and Donnie had been deemed worthless from the moment they were born, before they'd even had the chance to show just what they could do. The gods had decided to have mercy on them, but Leo wasn't so sure that it was such a great blessing anymore. It was starting to feel like the gods had only spared the two of them because they'd thought that Raph and Donnie deserved more punishment than just being abandoned as children.
It was cruel. Sure, the gods had saved them, but Raph and Donnie had been so young that they hadn't even known what they'd done wrong, or what was happening. Now, they both knew better. They were aware of the pain that was being thrown at them, and they could recognize how unfair it was. They could actually feel betrayed. It was horrible to hurt someone who didn't know any better, but it was cruel to pretend that you were helping someone, only to give them a false sense of hope just so you could hurt them again later.
Donnie kept on trying to tell Raph that he was being unreasonable and unfair towards the gods, but he couldn't help it, and he definitely wasn't about to apologize for it. So what if he was angry at the gods? What were they going to do, strip him of his powers? Isolate him from humanity, when all he'd been trying to do was give the humans a way to live without depending on unreliable gods who sometimes couldn't care less? The gods had already done that. The only thing they could do to him now was take his brother from him, but they wouldn't dare. If the gods even considered separating Raph from Donnie, he would never forgive them. In fact, Raph would make it his life's work to destroy the gods, because immortal deities or not, nobody messed with Raph's family.
Raph scowled as he glared out towards the ocean. He didn't know what he'd done so bad. Yeah, he'd stolen from a goddess, but so had Donnie, and yet the wind was still talking to Donnie. Was it because Raph had lost his sais? That would be infuriating, because at first Donnie had lost his staff too, but it had still washed up on shore. The ocean had gone and given Donnie's staff back to him.
But Raph, the demigod of the freaking sea, apparently didn't deserve the same luxury. No, instead, for some reason, the ocean hated him, and refused to even talk with him long enough to tell him why. It wasn't fair. Nothing about any of this was freaking fair.
Raph flinched when he felt the water brush up against his feet. He had been careful to sit away from the shoreline. The water shouldn't reach him from here, and yet it had. Raph glared at the ocean. "What, so now you want to talk?" Raph tried to kick at the water, but at the last second it pulled away from his read. Raph scowled and stood up. He'd known that this wasn't just the ocean acting like the ocean, this was the sentient water that used to be his partner, his friend.
"What do you want from me?" Raph shouted. "If you're going to abandon me, why can't you just leave me alone already?"
The water drew up close to Raph's feet again. Raph closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he felt the water thicken around his feet, like it was grabbing him. The grip wasn't threatening, but it was definitely insistent. The ocean wanted something from him, because of course it did. Why else would the ocean finally be talking to him? Goodness knows it couldn't be because the ocean actually liked the demigod that it had chosen. Now that would be ridiculous.
Raph growled as he opened his eyes and glared out towards the ocean. Well, if he finally had the ocean's attention, he might as well give it a piece of his mind. Raph was just about to tell the ocean just what he thought of it, but stopped when he saw something out there. Day after day, ever since they'd landed on this stupid island, Raph had only ever seen the ocean as smooth and empty. Nothing had ever been out there, so it was almost strange to see something now out there in the distance. Even weirder though, it seemed like the water was trying to pull him out towards it.
"You've got a lot of nerve," Raph seethed. "I dedicate my life to you, and you think you get to ask me any favors?" Raph had half a mind to just walk away and never even look towards the sea again, but...well, as furious as Raph was, it also felt kind of nice that the ocean was acknowledging his existence again. It was pathetic just how desperate Raph was for the ocean's attention.
Besides, Raph may not be as curious as Donnie, but he still wanted to know just what was out there. First there had been a storm out there, and now there was something out in the water. Something weird was going on, and Raph wanted to know what it was.
"...Alright, fine," Raph walked out towards the water. "But you owe me one after this," Raph was done with being the gods' little lap dog.
This wasn't the first time that Raph had walked out into the ocean, though he'd never gone very far. He didn't even think about it, because Raph knew that if he tried to leave this island he would just be tossed right back here. But if the ocean was specifically asking him to go out there, Raph had to have its approval. This had to work.
Raph walked through the water until it reached his chest. This was the farthest he'd gone, but he still had a ways to go. He had to swim from here. Raph took a deep breath and dove into the water. He swam towards the figure in the ocean.
It felt...weird, to be swimming again. The ocean was surrounding him completely, and if they had a decent relationship with each other it would probably feel great. He might have seen it as reassuring, like the ocean had his back and wouldn't let him down. With their history though, Raph just felt restricted and held back, like the ocean was only watching him so closely because it was expecting him to miss things up every second now. It was stressful.
As Raph got closer he saw that the figure was a person, a teenager. They were just floating on the surface of the water. The teenager was unconscious, at the very least, but they didn't seem in any danger of sinking. The ocean was keeping them afloat, which meant that this was someone that the ocean cared about.
Well, wasn't that just fantastic. The only reason that the ocean had started talking to him again was because it wanted to show off its new favorite. Raph knew that the ocean couldn't just want him to help this person, because if the water was able to keep someone from sinking, it could certainly drag them to the shore itself.
This was demeaning, and useless, but he'd come this far, and Raph wasn't about to take any chances with this person. He wasn't about to let a kid drown just because he was made at the ocean.
Raph wrapped an arm around the other teenager's chest, pulling him close. Once Raph was sure that he had a secure grip on the teenager he began the swim back to the island. This time, the water felt different. It wasn't the stifling and overwhelming ocean that Raph knew, it was just fluid, gentle, unthinking water, and Raph resented it for that. Apparently the ocean didn't care as much about this kid as Raph thought it did, if it couldn't even be bothered to make sure that they were okay.
Just once, Raph wished that the ocean would be a little more consistent and make up its mind.
Finally, Raph was able to pull the kid to the shore. He laid the kid out on the sand. The other teenager was unconscious, but Raph was positive that he could see the kid breathing. So he was alive, at least that was something.
Raph sighed. He was way too tired to be dealing with this. He looked out towards the water, which seemed to be back to its calm and quiet self. It should be soothing, but Raph thought that it was just mocking him.
Raph frowned and laid down next to the unconscious teenager. He stared up at the clear blue sky, with not a cloud in sight. Now this, this felt calming. The sky was always there, completely surrounding him, a lot like the ocean was, but it felt different. While the ocean was trapping him here on this stupid island, ignoring him until it wanted something from him, the sky was like an old friend. It made Raph feel like they had an escape from their island prison, promising a whole world just waiting out there for them. The wind spoke to Donnie, and it comforted Raph. If it weren't for the wind, Raph would think that the gods had all abandoned and forgotten about them.
"Hey, Raph," He looked to the side when he heard his brother's voice. Donnie usually gave Raph a lot more time after there was conflict between each other, or at the very least he was more cautious when approaching him. "We've got a guest,"
"Yeah, no kidding," Raph sat up and gestured to the kid next to him. "What, you find a stray too?" There wasn't that much of a point in asking, Raph could clearly see the black haired boy standing behind Donnie. The stranger didn't acknowledge Raph at all. When he caught sight of the teenager next to Raph, he quickly rushed to his side, dropping Donnie's staff on the way.
"Mikey!" The stranger pushed Raph out of the way and knelt next to the unconscious boy. The teenager shook Mikey's shoulders before he seemed to realize the obvious, that he was unconscious. The teenager snapped his head to the side and glared darkly at Raph. "What happened?"
Raph scowled. What was with the accusing tone? "I just saved this kid from drowning," Raph growled. Donnie stared at him in shock.
"You saved him?" Donnie looked at how soaked Raph was. "You mean, from the ocean?"
The black haired teenager gave Donnie an odd look. "What's so weird about that?"
Donnie looked conflicted. He loved explaining things, but he knew that this wasn't his secret, and Raph wasn't all that eager for a total stranger to know that he'd been rejected by the ocean.
Thankfully Donnie was spared from choosing what to say as the kid that Raph had grabbed began to wake up.
"Ehn...everything hurts," Mikey groaned as his arm twitched. He opened his eyes and looked up at the teenager next to him. "Leo...what happened?"
"The storm," Leo helped Mikey sit up. "Remind me to teach you how to tie a proper knot," Leo wrapped his arms around Mikey's shoulders and hugged him tightly. "Never do that again,"
"Okay, hang on," Donnie said, and Raph knew that look in his eyes well. He had questions, and he wanted answers. "What do you mean you saved him from drowning?" Donnie looked at Raph. "Was he actually out in the ocean?"
"He was far enough out there that I couldn't see that it was a person from here," Raph said quietly. Donnie stared at him in shock.
"The-the ocean let you swim all the way out there?" Donnie sounded somewhat hopeful. He was probably hoping that this was a sign that the ocean was forgiving Raph for whatever he'd done wrong.
Raph shook his head, feeling too bitter to even feel a little guilty about crushing his brother's hopes. "The ocean practically dragged me out there," Raph glowered at the water, which was looking way too innocent. He didn't buy the act though, he knew what it had done. "The water was keeping this kid up when I got there. It wasn't going to let anything happen to him. The sea just wanted me to be the one to help him."
"You talk about the ocean like it's sentient," Mikey said. He didn't say it like it was completely crazy, more like it was just an interesting note. Like Mikey knew that the ocean was more alive than it acted like it was, but it was a secret that only a chosen few people were privy to. Raph felt a strange feeling build up in his chest. He hadn't seriously thought that the ocean had actually seen Mikey as something special. Just how much did the ocean care about him? What was so special about this mortal? What did he have that Raph didn't?
Donnie could see how tense and seething Raph was getting, and he stepped in before things could get much worse. "I'm glad you found your brother," Donnie said to Leo. "That looked like a pretty bad wreck,"
Raph blinked. "Wreck...like, from a ship?" Do they have a boat here?" Raph asked a little too eagerly. Raph may not be on very good terms with the ocean at the moment, but Donnie's relationship with the wind was as strong as ever. If they had something like a ship or a boat, then they could leave just so long as it had a sail that could be pushed by the wind. They could get off this island.
Donnie gave Raph a sharp look. "Raphael, do you really think that this is the best time for this?" Raph rolled his eyes. What did Donnie want from him? They'd been on this island for five hundred years, could he really be faulted for wanting to get off?
"What? I'm sure these guys want to get off this rock just like we do," Raph looked at Leo and Mikey for backup, but they were both just looking at him in shock. Mikey almost seemed in awe, and Leo looked a little horrified.
"You...your Raphael?" Leo pointed at him. Raph raised an eyebrow at him, but before he could answer Leo turned to Donnie. "What about you? Don't tell me that Donnie is short for Donatello."
Donnie narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Leo. "How do you know us?"
"Oh my gosh!" Mikey exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. "You're the demigod brothers!"
Donnie and Raph looked at each other before Raph turned to Mikey. "You...know us?" Sure, five hundred years ago it had been normal to run into someone who had heard of them, but after all this time? Were they still known among the mortals? And sure, Leo didn't look impressed, but Mikey certainly did. Raph couldn't believe it. There were mortals out there who admired them? Who liked them? That...that was actually the best news that Raph had heard in a long time.
"Our dad used to tell us about your legend all the time!" Mikey said. Raph felt his excitement dim slightly. Legend, as in singular. He and Donnie had done so much, would it really all be summed up in just one 'legend'?
Donnie also looked confused. "What legend?"
The heart of Miwa," Leo said simply, coldly. Donnie tensed and Raph felt the strong urge to hit something. After everything they'd done, everything they'd gone through, the only thing they were known for by the mortals was the one mistake they'd made? What about all the good they'd done? All the people they'd helped. All of the ways they'd helped the humans to progress and thrive without the gods.
Would they ever get away from this stupid Heart of Miwa?
Mikey seemed to sense the tension between all of them. "Hey, I've never been on any island except for ours," Mikey said cheerfully, just a little forcefully. "Can you guys show us around?"
Raph rolled his eyes. There wasn't all that much to see, Mikey had to be able to tell that much, but he sincerely wanted to see the island. Either that, or he sincerely wanted to change the conversation. And if they had been about to continue talking about the Heart of Miwa, then Raph really couldn't blame Mikey for wanting a change in conversation, because he actually wanted the same thing. "Yeah, we can give you the grand tour." Besides, if it let Raph get a look on this boat of theirs, he was all for it. If the wrecked boat was even the least bit salvageable, Raph wanted to see it for himself.
Leo didn't seem all that eager to drop what was on his mind, but Mikey took his arm and looked at him with wide puppy-eyes. There seemed to be a silent conversation going on between the two of them before Leo sighed and nodded. Whatever that little battle of wills had been about, Mikey had just won it.
Raph didn't let himself relax a lot though. He didn't know Leo that well, but the teenager seemed proud, and arrogant, probably super self righteous. Raph was going to be surprised if Leo actually let the matter drop for good.
But Mikey had bought Raph some time to figure out how to avoid the conversation at all, so that had to be good enough for now. He'd figure it out though, or maybe Donnie would, because Raph knew that his brother wanted to get away from their past just as much as he did. Or maybe Mikey would come up with another distraction.
Whatever the case, Raph was going to make sure that they didn't talk abouted the cursed Heart of Miwa. He didn't know what Leo was so mad at them for, and he didn't care. Raph thought that he and his brother had suffered enough for their little lapse in judgement. Despite what the ocean and the gods, and apparently Leo too, seemed to think, they didn't deserve what they'd been through, and Raph wasn't about to just roll over and let it continue.
Even if he himself didn't deserve the best things in the world, Donnie definitely did, and Raph was going to do whatever he could to make sure he got it.