As Val walked after Tavras, the sandy beaches shifted into a rocky surface. Water accumulated in the natural dips and crevices, and within these, vibrant life gathered. The tide pools provided an ecosystem all its own, so close to both the ocean and the forest beyond. They stopped alongside a particularly large one of these pools.

“Would you like me to heal your head or your shoulder first?” Tavras asked as he crouched down. The tips of his fingers skimmed over the surface of the water.

Her heart beat fast. Nervous as to how this would go, Val said, “Can we do my shoulder first, please?”

“Yes. Sit.”

Val did so, just as he had gestured. Apparently she did not sit satisfactorily close to him, as Tavras relocated himself to immediately at her side. His hands placed along the upper portion of her forearms, guiding her to twist around.

Her shoulders spun so that her injured one faced the tide pool, which also made her back turn to Tavras from where he sat behind her. The proximity between them practically allowed her to feel the immense presence of him, leaning close to her. At once, her heart rate doubled.

Why did Val have to wear long sleeves? If only she had braved the subtle chill of fall in a t-shirt, she could have felt the warmth of Tavras’s hands directly against her skin right now. More concerning though, why did Val think like this? It was the concussion, she told herself. It had to be.

“Your skin will need to be exposed in order for me to heal you.”

Tavras had just said what now? At least Val did not make for the only one who thought about having more skin exposed, albeit for different reasons. “Are you telling me to take off my shirt?” she stammered.

A chortling laugh came from him in response. “As much as I like to make young women go shirtless around me, no. I don’t think that you would be able to get your arm out of that tight sleeve with the condition of your shoulder, anyway. May I have your permission to cut the fabric away, just over your left shoulder?”

“Yes.” Val said. Both the way that he had joked so crudely about shirtless women and the way that he had asked so politely to cut away a sleeve of her shirt…. The combination of that made her cheeks tinge pink. In truth, Val should have asked for her head to be healed first so that she could stop thinking like this.

Of course, concussions did not make a young woman any more susceptible to finding a man attractive. Val knew this, but she would blame her flighty reaction on her head injury nonetheless.

The tip of a knife drew along the top of Val’s shoulder. So close to her skin, it never made contact with her body. Only the fabric was cut until her sleeve stripped away.

Her bare skin met the cool, open air. At the touch of his warm hand, she could not help but draw in a little gasp.

“What? Do you like that?” Tavras asked casually.

By any chance in the world, was the Sea Itself teasing her? “No. It just hurts.” Val tried to keep her voice as straight as possible, which was easy enough. She did not exactly lie, given how her whole body ached, especially her shoulder most of all.

Water rose up in wavering tendrils at a motion from Tavras’s fingers. This water gathered at the palm of his hand which he then pressed to her shoulder. From the peripheral of her vision, a soft, blue light began to glow.

A small grunt escaped her which made for an incredibly embarrassing sound. For a moment, Val winced, but a soothing sensation soon flowed throughout her shoulder.

“I’m sorry that my sea serpent was so rough on you. That had been the most convincing way to get you off of the ship.”

“Why did you need to get me off of the ship?”

“You are not ready to go to the Summit of Ascension yet.”

When Val tensed up at this statement, renewed pain entered her shoulder. Apparently, one of the oldest and most powerful gods was telling her that she was not ready for her dream to come true yet, and that stung.

“Don’t work yourself into a tizzy over this. You need to relax and allow me to heal you.”

With a deep breath, Val forced herself to calm down primarily so that the pain would dissipate once more. The cool, numbed sensation returned, though Val could still feel the bone move back into place along with the muscles tightening. “Why am I not ready for the Summit yet?”

“You are hardly stronger than a mortal child, as most demigods and demigoddesses start out. However, most demigods have some kind of connection to keep them safe. Mess with the little fish, and you have got to deal with the sea serpent—that kind of thing.”

Val cast her gaze down to the subtle movement of life within the tide pool. As a demigoddess born in the mortal realm, estranged from her father with divine blood, she had no such powerful connections. Given how her father had never decided to reappear in her life, she assumed that she would never have a connection like that. This was the hand that she was dealt, so Val would just have to make do and look out for herself. “You can’t keep me from the Summit because of this—”

“No, that is not what I am saying. Quite the opposite, in fact: I have a proposition for you.” Tavras clapped his hand over her shoulder, all healed. “I will give you a connection to the Sea Itself. No one will mess with you if they do not want to mess with me, and let me tell you, no one wants to mess with me.” He lowered his chin with a smug look on his face. “I won’t have you embarrassing me, though! If you wish to have my protection, you must meet my standards as a young demigod that I would associate with.”

Val stared at him utterly dumbstruck. She was awed to the extent that she could ignore being called a demigod. “You mean to say that you would help me?”

“Yes, I would help you train until I deem you worthy of making an appearance on the Summit.”

Her eyes might beam with the magnificence of this opportunity, if only she could believe her ears. Instead, her mouth opened and closed until she managed to stutter out, “You’re not joking with me, are you?”

Tavras laughed. “Ha, no! That would just be mean. My sense of humor is a little more light-hearted than that, in case you haven’t noticed.” Of all things, he winked at her.

From that, Val’s head began to spin, more so than just the concussion. “Yes. Yes, of course! Please!” Her excitement could not be contained now that her initial amazement had registered with reality. “I would be so honored to be taken under your tutelage.”

“Actually, I was joking.” Tavras said that with a sneer and some added emphasis for cruelty's sake.

“What?” Of course an arrangement like that had to be too good to be true. Val should feel grateful enough that she had not been left to drown at sea. If she had anything left to say, then she would have grumbled in her own gullibility.

The entire time, Tavras’s lips wavered with the struggle to keep a straight face. Within moments, he burst out laughing. “You should see the look on your face! I just wanted to see your reaction. I was serious about helping you all along, just you had given me the irresistible idea to mess with you.”

As annoyed as Val felt with Tavras for directing such an unnecessary jest at her, she could not help but feel herself swell with gratitude. While his joke was not funny at all, genuine laughter peeled from her lips simply from her glorious, good luck.

To learn under Tavras, the Sea Itself, would be the opportunity of a lifetime, even for the immortal life of a demigoddess. Her head twirled around faster and faster. The daze of her concussion only magnified her excitement for the future. She may not be headed to the Summit of Ascension anymore, only because something far greater had happened to her.

Character Update

* New information is marked in cyan.

* All entries are based on what Val knows.

Tavras Title: The Sea Itself Rank: God, Fifth Seat Attributes: Water Abilities Name Class Description Aquatic Rejuvenation medical - heals injuries with water Bend Water combat, practical - move water at will

Unknown

n/a

- probably has a lot more abilities