The next few hours were filled with shenanigans, hijinks, and joyful laughter.
Every student found a way to amuse themselves, enjoying the warm summer day. Apollon, Yui, Dionysus, and Nari went head-to-head in a battle of water chicken, each trying desperately to knock over their opponent. The skirmish was hard-fought and both sisters brought their A-game. Nari, with her daily conditioning was assumed the winner, along with Dionysus, the larger of the two brothers. But in a surprise turn of events, it was Apollon with his boundless energy and Yui with her nimble Iai training that emerged victorious.
Tsukito, Loki, Balder, and Thor found themselves engaged in a game of catch with the sisters' beach ball. All went uneventfully until an intermission where Loki grew bored and decided to sabotage the other team with the tampered ball. His interference was met with irritation from the thunder god and a harsh scolding from the god of light, reminding him of the results of his last ballgame prank. From there, the group — sans Loki — moved on to a new game, a race swimming along the waves. A game that, naturally, Takeru won.
Even Hades was eventually dragged into the festivities, getting pulled into a splash fight between the sisters and his nephews. After a small break and a tasty lunch, the students split into different activities. Apollon, Takeru, and Tsukito returned to the water to search for seashells and Nari separated from the pair to go for a swim. From the shoreline, Yui relaxed with Balder, listening to stories about his homeland. It seemed that, against all odds, their ocean trip had proven to be a smashing success. Everything was going according to plan.
…Until it wasn't.
Yui saw the change before she felt it. "Huh?" A small gasp left the younger sister at the sight of a bright color fluttering in her periphery. Her gaze shifted downward, eyes widening in surprise. Her hand moved forward, palm skyward, catching a small golden leaf tumbling from her shoulder. Looking up, she saw another fall. Then, another. All ranging in color from orange to red. 'Autumn…?'
A startling gust of wind sent her wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. It had been only moments ago that she had been sitting on the beach, with warm rays kissing her skin. Now, the temperature had all but plummeted, dropping more than a few degrees in a single breath. She had watched the same happen days ago when the seasons changed to summer from spring. What she hadn't expected was for it to happen again so soon.
Takeru was the first to speak up, anger clear in his voice as he leapt to his feet. "What is this?" Turning, he glared at Loki, as though it were somehow his fault.
The other god shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "I had nothing to do with it. I was having fun. This sucks!"
Dionysus was quickly feeling the effects of the changing seasons. His hands rubbed against his arms in a vain attempt to create friction. Wearing nothing more than a speedo, he was by far the most exposed. "It's so cold…"
"It's because of me. I brought everyone misery by coming here," Hades muttered. Turning, he slowly trudged across the sand toward the forest edge with a look of utter dejection.
Apollon, still wading in the water, called after him. He could feel his blood boiling with rage, heat in the center of frozen waters. He looked upward, glowering at the clouding sky. His father was watching them, he knew. "No, Uncle Hades… It's him. He did this!"
Hades ignored him, continuing his way toward the forest. It was a small human hand that stopped him, gently grasping his arm. Yui shook her head when he turned around. "Don't go, Hades, this isn't your fault… Besides, at least we got to have some fun, right?" Her attempts at comfort had little effect, but they were at least enough to stop his retreat.
"Right! Fairy's right! Besides, it's not so bad. We can still enjoy the rest of our day. Don't let the seasons beat you."
"Apollon… I really don't think you should…"
"Come on, Tsuki-Tsuki!"
"Understood."
Yui's warnings were disregarded. Apollon splashed around in the rapidly cooling water to the incredulous stares of his classmates. "This is so much fun!" It didn't take long for the two of them to feel the effects.
"It's cold." Tsukito stood beside him, eyes staring forward. His body was stock still in the water, small shivers slowly running down his spine.
"Ehehe… it's n-not so bad. Come on, guys." Apollon continued to try and convince the others. The god beside him was offering no assistance.
"It's four degrees Celsius."
"I-It isn't c-cold…" The temperature continued to drop. He was losing feeling in his limbs. Apollon's teeth were chattering, his skin slowly starting to turn blue, but he refused to give up. Refused to admit defeat to his father. Tsukito wasn't fairing much better. At this point, his entire body was shivering, lips changing color and looking as though he would freeze at any given moment. Dionysus called to them, trying to get the stubborn god out of the freezing water, but to no avail.
When Apollon finally sneezed, Yui had enough. "Please stop! You're going to freeze!"
"Brother!" Takeru shouted, rushing to the shore to drag his shivering sibling from the water. Tsukito didn't argue when his brother arrived, too cold to provide any resistance. Apollon, after watching his companion move slowly from the water, finally relented. The other gods moved to grab towels for the pair, trying to help get them warm. The exception, of course, was Loki who found the entire situation hilarious.
With both gods out of the ocean, faces dark shades of purple, Yui scolded the two of them. "You guys can't swim in cold water like that. Human bodies can get very sick."
"S-S-Sorry… F-Fairy…" Apollon apologized. Kusanagi said nothing, only shaking her head as she rubbed his fluffy towel over his shivering arms. While she appreciated his dedication to their education, his lack of regard for his personal health was terrifying. With nothing more to be done, she moved on to the other god, trying to help his brother prevent frostbite. With the towel growing drenched, she took it from him and folded it together. "Nari, could you grab another towel please?" she called.
She received no answer.
A few moments passed in silence. "Nari?"
Turning, Yui looked behind her to where, she assumed, her sister would be standing after following the gods. Her assumption was wrong. She wasn't there. Looking around, she did a quick headcount, taking note of every student. Dionysus, Apollon, and Hades were exchanging confused looks. Tsukito was staring forward, his brother rubbing his arms. Balder and Thor were looking at one another, then to the area around them. Loki was no longer laughing. "…Have any of you guys seen Nari?"
At the looks of uncertainty, Yui felt her stomach drop. Where could she have gone? Her sister could be inconspicuous at times, certainly, but surely, she couldn't have wandered off the beach without catching someone's attention. She called again, her worry growing into panic as any number of horrific scenarios slowly entered her mind. Her sister had been swimming with the other gods. Was there a current in the water somewhere? What if she had been caught in a riptide and pulled out to sea? What if she had been too far out as the temperatures plunged, sending her body immediately into shock? What if she was sinking, right at that moment, drowning beneath the ocean waves?
Yui was two seconds from bolting into the water when a quiet splash pulled their attention. Emerging from crashing waves, Nari slowly wandered onto the sand. Her head shook, tossing sea water from her dripping strands. Her fingers squeezed the navy-blue tresses, walking toward them with slow careful steps. Utterly oblivious to the other students panicking around here.
"Nari!" Yui called, rushing toward her older sibling with clear worry in her expression. Her face twisted into sheer terror when she fingers touched her pale skin. A yelp of surprise escaped her; her sister grabbing her forearm and dragging her along the sand. "You're freezing!"
"Uh…? Yui, what…" Nari blinked, stumbling along the beach after her frightened sister. Her eyes darted toward the gods, taking note of their various looks of concern before back to her younger sibling, who would probably be carrying her if she could. "I am so confused…"
"Of course, you are, you're going into shock. Come on, we need to get you inside. All of you."
The younger sister's tone left no room for argument. With a look of befuddlement, Nari allowed her sister to drag her down the forest path with the other students, leaving their towels and other supplies behind.
. . .
It was not even 20 minutes later when the gods found themselves relaxing in a warm cabin not far from the beach. After drying their clothes and warming themselves by the fire, the gods gathered around in the large lounging area. Though they were happy to no longer be freezing to death, most were clearly displeased with the sudden turn of events. The day had gone very far from planned, their early morning and afternoon-long journey ending with only an hour or two of actual activities. Unsurprisingly, Loki and Takeru were the most agitated and the most vocal about it.
An argument was inevitable, and it didn't take long for their bickering to escalate. The result was both refusing to remain in a finite space with one another and each of them threatening to leave. Their attempts to stop them were met with fierce resistance, as neither sister had any more authority over them than anyone else. But a reminder of Apollon's position as student council president temporarily dampened their protests. The situation came to a boiling point when Apollon and Yui left and returned, going on about a prophecy before disappearing into the night and — to Nari's horror — leaving her in charge of the remaining ornery students.
Now, the group sat in a small circle, looking at one another in awkward silence.
Balder offered an apologetic smile to the older sister, which she returned with a sigh. What exactly what she supposed to do? Yui had left her there without a plan and not the slightest clue of what to do with the rowdy group of gods. Unlike her younger sister, she didn't possess the patience of a saint nor was she as proficient at deescalating situations. Even worse, she was trapped with a particularly troublesome god who was guaranteed to cause trouble in three… two…
"I'm so booorreed," Loki complained, flopping backward against the couch.
"Loki, don't start," Nari snapped, narrowing her eyes at the whining god. Her glare was quickly met with one of his own as he sat up again, pointing an accusatory finger right back at her.
"You can't tell me what to do."
"What are you, five? Just sit down and be quiet."
"I'm not sitting here all night!"
"You don't have to. Just until the other two get back."
"Why is Apollon going to all this effort for the seaside school anyway?" Loki demanded.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you trying to say?"
"Isn't he Zeus's son? Maybe he's only pretending to be our friend while working to ensure his plan goes well."
"That's not possible," Hades interrupted. "He has a love for you purer than you could possibly understand. For all of us."
"Yeah. He's not you, Loki," Nari shot back.
An angry scowl was her response, the god of fire shooting daggers at the older sibling. Nari had struck a chord, and he wasn't going to let her get away with it. "Tch… whatever. This is all your fault, you know?"
"My fault?!" The fuse had been lit. "How the hell is this my fault?"
"Because you were the one that dragged me here."
"I didn't drag you anywhere!"
"Yes, you did! With promises of entertainment and 'strengthening our bonds'." Loki argued, making air quotation marks with his fingers. "This trip was supposed to bring us closer together, right?"
Nari's patience was reaching its end. "And it would if you would stop bitching and act like you had some sense."
Dionysus and Balder looked nervously at one another. The two were quickly descending into a shouting match. They weren't sure what his brother and her sister were planning, but they sincerely hoped they would get on with it soon. At the rate things were going, their little truce wasn't going to last much longer. To be honest, it was a wonder it had lasted this long. With a tired sigh, Balder attempted to intervene, focusing his attention on the other Norse god.
"Loki, please. This is supposed to be a fun trip. Can't you try and cooperate?"
"I've cooperated enough. If puppy doesn't find us something to do, I'm getting out of here."
"Oh, my g — you are insufferable!" And there it was. Nari's final sliver of patience evaporated.
"Of course, I am. I'm the god of tricks…" Loki rose from his chair, also finished with their argument. "…and now, I'm gone."
"Guys, come on…" Dionysus tried, hoping to succeed where Balder had failed. His attempt went no better.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
"Puppy, you really need to work on your comprehension," he taunted.
"Apparently, so do you. Apollon is the student council president, and he's given his instruction. So —"
"Well, he's not here, and you aren't the president of anything." Loki threw her a smug grin. This battle was over. "See ya."
With that final retort, Loki sauntered from the room, leaving the seething older sister glowering behind him. She gave no retort. The god of mischief — at least for this argument — had won. With nothing more to be done, Nari let him go. Out of options and pushed far beyond her limits, she scoffed and stomped away to the side of the room with an exasperated sigh.
"I… have brought misfortune," Hades muttered. He slowly backed away, sinking back into the shadows.
Nari leaned against the wall with a huff and took a deep breath. She was done. All patience was gone. She didn't even have the energy to wave off Dionysus when he followed behind her, stopping off to her side.
"Hey… you okay?"
The god of fertility was more than ready for an explosive response. Having witnessed the entire falling out, he knew that the older Kusanagi sister was at her whit's end. And he couldn't blame her. The god of fire was exceptionally talented when it came to pushing people's buttons. But instead of shouting at him, she surprised him; turned toward him and unleashed her frustration in tired sigh. The burning fire in her eyes had vanished. All that was left was utter defeat. "Just peachy. Loki's gone, Takeru's going to be right behind him. The ocean trip was an absolute disaster and I managed to fail at the one thing Yui asked me to do. Yeah. I'm perfectly fine."
Dionysus let her rant; acting as a sounding board for her to vent her frustration. She ended her rambling by leaning against the wall, letting her head fall against with it a quiet thump.
"Why the hell did she leave me here alone with those two…?"
"Relax… it can't be helped. You tried your best."
"And my best wasn't good enough, Dionysus. What am I supposed to do? I'm not Yui. I'm not cut out for this nonsense…"
Dionysus joined her against the wall, placing a hand against her shoulder. Her body was trembling with strain, vibrating beneath his fingers. He gave a gentle squeeze. When she shifted to look at him, he gave her a comforting smile. "You're doing fine, Fotia. Managing those two is nearly impossible for a god, let alone a human."
Nari sighed, gripping her hair between her fingers. She knew he was right. Spending five minutes with Loki alone could prove the validity of his words. Yet still, she couldn't help but feel inadequate. As though, yet again, she had found herself falling short at another given task. "Yeah… I know you're probably — wait, what did you call me?"
Dionysus chuckled. "Fotia… it means flame."
"In… Greek?"
"Yes. A fitting name for one so fierce. And I would hate to see that fire extinguished."
"Hehe… Fire huh?" Nari smirked, forcing herself up from the wall. "Then, why do I always feel cold like ice…" Tired and depressed, she shook her head and looked passed him to observe the rest of the room. Gods sat around the lounge area; couches and chairs situated before an open fire. A small coffee table near the center and rustic paintings lining the walls. A particularly gorgeous art piece — that of a moon flower — drew her attention from the corner of the room. It sat proudly on the wall seated high above…
"Hey, Dionysus. You and Apollon are gods of the arts, right?"
"That we are. Why do you ask?"
"…You like music?"
