Not so surprisingly, they ended up at a port for cruise ships. Jonghyun didn’t know how they got there, but he suspected Kibum and Jinki had been co-operating sneakily as the both of them had been in the lead, once again leaving Jonghyun to walk beside a silent, thoughtful Minho.

He hadn’t really paid much mind to it, his attention caught by something else.

There seemed to be weird, child sized creatures following them around, bouncing between the legs of people enthusiastically. Some looked as if their skin were made out of stone and others out of tree bark and some were entirely covered in fur. They all had long, sharp claws, though, and, Jonghyun was sure, even sharper teeth judging by their pointiness whenever they were revealed through a sneer.

Somehow they went unnoticed by everyone except himself and Minho. And the only reason he was sure Minho saw them too was because he had seen him narrow his eyes a few times in their direction when they came a bit too close. The entire situation was unsettling, because they seemed to be up to no good, especially as they gave vicious snarls as if they couldn’t wait to sink their teeth into Jonghyun.

It all became even creepier when transparent figures bearing some sort of demon masks joined them in their pursuit, moving – or rather floating – with eerie grace, weaving between the crowd and waving him over with small, lazy moves of their hands. Like Jonghyun was stupid enough to approach them.

“Pay them no attention,” Minho muttered under his breath and Jonghyun nodded, keeping his eye on one of the stone-skin creatures daring to come closer. “They might get a hold of you otherwise.”

Jinki seemed to notice all the creaturs tailing them too when they came to a stop at a ticket booth to one of the cruises, and a worried expression flickered by his features. He masked it with a small smile when Kibum turned to look at him.

“It’s high season. We can’t pay for this,” he murmured and pointed to the price board.

“Ah,” Jinki said and held up a finger, not really looking at him but keeping a watchful eye on one of the small creatures, who had decided to climb onto the roof of one of the ticket booths and was now jumping on it excitedly. Jonghyun wondered if Kibum couldn’t see them, since he had made no comment about it. Or maybe he knew about the ignoring rule. “We shall not.”

Kibum raised his eyebrows at him, as did Jonghyun. None of them noticed Minho had already made it to the counter. When Jinki raised his eyebrow back at them with a small, playful smile they both turned to see Minho was already at the front of the queue.

“Uh, what is he doing?” Jonghyun asked when he saw the booth lady laugh, looking flattered, a small blush on her cheeks.

“Since it is preferable that we do not take humans with us in our usual way of travelling, we need to travel by ship to our destination,” Jinki explained. “My brother is obtaining our passes as we speak.”

“With what money?!” Jonghyun exclaimed, worriedly looking back to the ticket booth.

Jinki opened his mouth only to close it again with a frown. Then he gave a small apologetic smile along with a shrug and Kibum laughed. Jonghyun groaned, rubbing his forehead with one hand just as Minho returned, four tickets in his hand.

“It will take us two nights and two days to arrive at our destination,” he informed them, pausing to eye one of the transparent figures with an intimidating, sneering mask that passed a little too close for comfort.

Jonghyun saw Kibum look around nervously as well and grabbed his hand. He smiled weakly and Minho continued.

“Thus, I have managed to obtain four rooms aboard the ship for our comfort.”

“Did you pay for it?” Jonghyun muttered, shooting him a pointed look.

Minho looked at him as if he couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth.

“I paid with flattery, the most powerful thing one can use on a woman.”

Kibum started laughing.

“You’re right!”

Jonghyun gave him a dissatisfied frown but didn’t get the chance to argue as it was decided they should board. They turned and made their way towards the boarding bridge and Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at their backs.

A shudder went through him and he caught a movement in the corner of his eye. It was one of those transparent shapes, a horrifying mask of a screaming face where its own face should have been. It moved closer and he could see a few more behind it, while the small creatures skirted about their feet, chattering in a language he didn’t recognise.

Jonghyun swallowed harshly, frozen to his spot as he watched them approach. He didn’t know how they went unnoticed by everyone else and he didn’t have much time to dwell on it as the shape closest to him, the one with the screaming mask, suddenly grabbed his wrist. His heart beat against his ribcage painfully and his breath caught in his lungs. He wanted to scream, or yell or anything to alert someone for help but he couldn’t even let out a sound in pain as the grip on his wrist tightened and, to his immense horror, began corroding his skin. His hand grew numb before it went limp, dangling in the creature's grip.

An arm suddenly slipped around his waist, filling him with warmth all over, and pulled him back. Then a hand shot out and grabbed the forearm of the shape holding on to Jonghyun, which forced it to let go of his now red, irritated wrist. He looked down at it and grimaced in disgust. The skin had begun to peel off and a small trickle of blood ran down his fingers.

He stumbled a little as the body behind him moved and looked up, only now seeing the storm he had been too preoccupied to notice before. The ground was rumbling like there was an earthquake and the waves were splashing angrily against the port, making the boats sway dangerously. He saw people running for cover and turned his head, finding Jinki's furious face just by his shoulder, his hair whipping around his face by an angry wind Jonghyun somehow was protected from. At least he couldn't feel it.

The shape in front of him turned into ice, starting from the place where Jinki was holding it and rapidly spreading across its entire body. Then it shattered into nothing more than a grey heap of dust, only the mask remaining intact. Jinki let out a ferocious snarl at the rest of the creatures and they quickly scrambled away with small hisses of dismay.

“Thank you,” Jonghyun breathed shakily once they were out of sight, trying not to look down at his wrist. He could feel the blood running heavier now and pain was spreading up his arm.

Jinki looked down at him, his eyes widening as if he had forgotten he was there. Then his face crumpled into something akin to anguish and he put his other arm around Jonghyun, pulling him back into a hug, his forehead falling to his shoulder while the storm, which always seemed to follow Jinki's anger, calmed.

“Please, stay close to me,” Jinki murmured hoarsely, squeezing his waist lightly. “They are beginning to notice.”

Jonghyun wasn’t sure who ‘they’ were – although, logically, it should be those creatures Jinki had just scared away – and what they had noticed, but he nodded anyway. He let Jinki pull him back on shaky legs to Kibum and Minho, an arm around his middle supporting his weight. He was sure Jinki knew he would have put up a fight if he had tried to carry him.

“Jonghyun, are you okay?” Kibum grabbed his arms in a vice grip after wrenching away from Minho's tight hold on his own. “Are you hurt? Let me see,” he demanded and grabbed his hand, lifting his now numb arm to his face. He frowned at the steadily dripping blood. “We need to get you to a doctor.”

Minho put out an arm to stop Kibum from going anywhere.

“I do not think it necessary.”

“Not necessary?” Kibum echoed in disbelief. “Look at his wrist! Look at it! Don’t tell me–”

Jinki held up a hand to stop his rant and a thin sheet of water covered Jonghyun's wrist. He stared at it in astonishment as feeling flowed back into his arm and the pain ebbed away. He watched his skin grow back, leaving nothing but a faint pink flush like a bracelet around his wrist. He clenched and unclenched his hand a few times, relieved he could move it again.

“The irritation should disappear shortly,” Jinki murmured, taking his hand from Kibum's grip and tracing a finger along the pink line.

Jonghyun just stared at him, open mouthed, and Jinki gently intertwined their fingers. Kibum glanced between them. wide-eyed and Jonghyun blushed but let Jinki hold his hand since he looked like he would fall apart if he let go. Also, the warmth spreading up his arm was kind of nice after the numbness.

“I forgot you could do that,” Kibum said, awestruck, and Jinki gave him a small, forlorn smile

“We should board the ship quickly,” Minho reminded them and motioned towards it, glancing around.

Jinki nodded and pulled Jonghyun with him, handling him as gently as if he had been made out of porcelain.

Kibum refused to let Jonghyun sleep alone after the incident so they ended up in the same compartment, in-between Jinki and Minho's. Compartment was however not the correct term, since it was more like a small hotel suite. Jonghyun had no idea how Minho had managed to get them the most expensive rooms on the cruise with just flattery and he felt guilty using it without paying.

Kibum rolled his eyes at his worries and told him they were doing it for a good cause after all before ordering him to bed. Jonghyun tried to protest, since he felt he really needed to talk to Jinki, but according to Kibum he’d had enough adventure for one day. He obliged disgruntledly only because Kibum threatened to have security put outside the door – with a little help from Minho, of course.

He actually fell asleep in less than a minute, more exhausted than he'd thought.

When he woke up again it was dark outside. He rolled over and almost collided with a sleeping Kibum. He smiled faintly at his friend before sitting up to look at the time. It was two in the morning and he let out a small sigh. Feeling too rested to go back to sleep, he gently rolled out of bed and put on some clothes before quietly exiting the room. He squinted in the bright light of the corridor and veered around two drunk, loudly singing men making their way to their room as he looked for the sundeck.

After a few moments of following signs on walls he arrived at a set of glass doors, beyond which he could see padded sunchairs, tables, and a small Tiki-bar out in the open under the night sky. The sundeck was deserted and he thanked whatever force had made that happen. Once outside he walked over to the railing, where he took a deep breath and tilted his head back to look at the twinkling stars. His hair and shirt danced gently with the wind and the scent of the sea filled his senses.

It was weird really, he thought as he looked back down at the waves all around the boat, how things could change in the blink of an eye. Just a few days ago he had been blissfully unaware of all things mythology, only worried about what he would do and whom he would meet when he entered university. All that had disappeared from his mind, when he had encountered Jinki and Minho and found himself in more life threatening positions than he had ever been in. Even now, he was probably heading straight towards something that could end very badly. Taemin didn’t seem so keen on keeping things peaceful and it worried Jonghyun. He hadn't thought of the possibility of dying until now.

Another thing that worried him was Jinki, who once again had looked as if he was about to break apart.

Jonghyun knew he had tried to conceal it, but he hadn't missed the dark shadow passing Jinki's eyes or the small frown on his forehead. He wanted so badly to make it go away but he was beginning to think that unless Jinki actually got his soulmate back, the pain would never completely leave him. It bothered Jonghyun, because the very thought of Jinki not being okay ever again hurt more than he'd like to admit.

“Are you unable to sleep?”

Jonghyun whirled around, his heart almost beating out of his chest, and he readied himself for another confrontation. He calmed down when he realised it was only Jinki standing in the shadows, smiling at him tenderly.

“Yeah,” Jonghyun breathed, face warm. He sincerely hoped gods couldn’t read minds. “Kibum made me sleep early so I couldn’t go back to sleep when I woke up.”

“I see,” Jinki murmured and came to stand beside him, looking down at the waves following the boat.

Jonghyun watched his profile for a moment, letting his eyes trail along his cheekbones, his nose and his soft lookin lips. Then he bit his lip and turned his gaze to the waves as well, trying very hard not to blush even more. He blinked when his eyes fell upon what had to be small water spirits running along the waves, waving up at them cheerily. Jinki chuckled lightly and waved back.

“You know them?” Jonghyun asked in astonishment and Jinki gave him an amused look. He mentally face palmed. “Right. God of the seas and all that.”

Jinki laughed.

“And all that.”

Hearing his laugh, Jonghyun couldn't help smiling down at the water spirits.

“They’re not dangerous?” he asked.

“No.” Jinki shook his head. “However, if you ever happen to see a beautiful woman, you should immediately turn and walk away, lest you wish to drown.”

Jonghyun shuddered.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jinki laughed again and they watched the water spirits play in the foam the waves from the boat created. Content filled Jonghyun, as if everything was in order if he just had Jinki by his side, and he let out a soft breath. He threw a quick glance at Jinki, gathered his courage and reached out to grab his hand, trying not to pay his wildly beating heart, and the warmth which was once again spreading up his arm, any mind. Jinki turned to him in surprise and a warm smile graced his face.

“Thank you,” Jonghyun mumbled. “For earlier.”

Jinki's gaze dropped to his wrist and his smile fell.

“I should have been more cautious,” he murmured, regret clear in his voice. “I never whished for you to be hurt. Especially as it is my fault.”

“Your fault?” Jonghyun frowned.

Jinki looked up at him hastily before pulling him into a hug.

“They wish to hurt me, thus they target you, as you have my mark,” he whispered in his ear.

“Huh…” Jonghyun whispered back, hesitantly putting his arms around Jinki's waist. His chest filled with some sort of fuzzy warm cotton. “Then, are you hurt?”

Jinki let out a soft laugh at that.

“No, not yet.”

The answer made Jonghyun freeze and he tried to pull back to look Jinki in the face. But Jinki refused him and tightened his grip around his shoulders, hiding his face in his hair.

“Jinki,” Jonghyun started but cut off as Jinki mumbled something into his hair. “What?” he breathed.

“I really like you, Jonghyun,” Jinki said a little louder. “I would hate to be the cause of your pain.”

His pain… Jonghyun frowned again. He was feeling more pain at the fact that Jinki was still very much lost without his soulmate and close to falling apart.

“What about your soulmate?” he couldn’t help but whisper.

Jinki pulled back to give him a sad smile but didn’t answer.

“Does it hurt?” Jonghyun asked instead.

“Yes,” Jinki swallowed harshly. “It does. However, you…” he stopped short, looking unsure.

“I can make it go away?” Jonghyun filled in questioningly.

Jinki wrinkled his nose apologetically.

“I want to make it go away…” Jonghyun mumbled before he could stop himself and blushed when he realised just what he had said.

Jinki smiled again, but this time a little warmer, and it looked as if his worries were melting away. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against Jonghyun's, gently nuzzling their noses together.

“Is that a testimony of love, Kim Jonghyun?” he murmured, a mischievous but happy smile on his lips.

Jonghyun felt himself blush to the tips of his ears.

“W-well…” he fumbled for words. “It's getting a little cold, isn't it?” he tried to avoid the question, backing away.

Jinki wouldn’t have it though, and pulled him back, forcing Jonghyun to grab the sides of his shirt in order to not stumble. Then he brought a hand up to cup Jonghyun's face, brushing their lips together ever so lightly. Jonghyun was feeling warm and fuzzy all over by then and it must have made his brain stop working.

“It might be,” he mumbled when Jinki pulled back a little, but still close enough to have their noses touch.

“Hm?”

“A confession.”

Jinki's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Jonghyun to actually admit it. Then his whole face seemed to glow with happiness and he smiled so widely it looked like he would burst.

“I might kiss you,” he murmured, his lips so close they nearly brushed against Jonghyun's.

Jonghyun smiled softly.

“Oh?” he whispered back, staring up at him challengingly. “Because I’m gazing at you intently, looking inviting, right?”

Jinki let out a soft laugh.

“That would be only one reason of many.” He raised a hand to gently graze his knuckles against Jonghyun's cheekbone. “However, I do find you quite irresistible. It is very difficult to stay away.”

“Uh-huh,” Jonghyun breathed just before Jinki leaned in the last few millimetres and connected their lips.

His grip on Jinki’s shirt tightened as he leaned up to reciprocate the kiss, his eyes falling shut. Jinki’s hand moved up into his hair and tilted his head a little, while the other pulled him closer with a palm pressed against his lower back. Jonghyun's heart threatened to explode. It felt like he couldn’t be in a more rightful place than where he was at the moment. Even if Jinki did this to escape some pain Jonghyun couldn’t even fathom, it felt right – like it was supposed to be that way. Instinct.

He could feel Jinki smile against his lips and brought his arms up to put them around his neck, pulling him in closer. Jinki hummed in appreciation and used the hand on Jonghyun's back to pull his body flush against him.

When Jonghyun pulled back for air Jinki smiled at him dazedly, expressiong quite blissful. Jonghyun's lips quirked and he gave a small snort, reaching up to brush his thumb over Jinki's lower lip. Jinki kissed it gently, smile widening at Jonghyun's surprised noise.

“Are you aware you caught my attention the moment I saw you carrying that vessel of water?” he asked in a low voice.

Jonghyun looked at him confusedly.

“Vessel?” he asked.

Jinki froze, his face panicked, looking like he had said something he shouldn’t have. Jonghyun was about to promt him to continue, but was interrupted by Kibum bursting through the doors to the sundeck.

“Jonghyun!” he called desperately and Jonghyun almost pushed Jinki over the railing. Though, he was the god of seas so it technically shouldn’t have hurt him. “Oh my god, there you are! I’ve been–”

He stopped abruptly and eyed the two of them suspiciously. Then a smirk stretched his lips.

“You know, next time you should leave a note before going off on your romantic midnight dates,” he teased. Then he turned serious. “Especially after what happened earlier today.”

Jonghyun gave him an apologetic look.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Silence fell as Kibum proceeded to watch the two of them with a small smile. Jonghyun wanted to ask Jinki what he had meant by 'water vessel' but he didn't want to pressure him in front of Kibum. He also had a hard time looking at either of them. Jinki let out a small chuckle.

“I should retreat,” he said and Jonghyun finally looked at him again. He gave him a tender smile. “I bid you a good night.”

He caressed Jonghyun's cheek, making him blush, before giving Kibum a small nod and heading back inside. They watched him go silently but as soon as the door closed behind him Kibum turned to Jonghyun, his eyes narrow but a smile still on his lips.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jonghyun muttered, knowing what he was thinking. “I kind of told him that I maybe kind of like him.”

Kibum let out a very amused laugh, shaking his head.

“As long as you don’t ditch me to go sleep in his room,” he chuckled.

“Kibum!” Jonghyun exclaimed, scandalised. He hadn’t even thought that far.

“Like you haven’t thought about it!” Kibum laughed harder as if he had read his mind. “Anyway, let’s go back.”

Jonghyun scowled at him, but followed, trying very hard not to just reach out and strangle him as he continued to chortle to himself.

”You know,” Kibum said casually as they made their way down the corridor, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Poseidon, aka Jinki, is known to be associated with especially two kind of animals in general by the Greek.”

”Okay,” Jonghyun said slowly, not quite following. ”Like what?”

Kibum snickered deviously.

”The stallion and the bull.”

Jonghyun blinked at him, still not understanding what Kibum apparently found very funny.

”And why is that?” he asked.

”Well,” Kibum laughed, clearly highly amused by his ignorance, "let’s just say it’s because of their usual potency and ferocity concerning certain intimacy.”

Jonghyun felt more puzzled than ever.

”Certain intimacy?”

”, moron,” Kibum cackled and quickly ran down the rest of the corridor to their room.

Jonghyun felt his cheeks burn as he followed him, murder intent on high. He seriously needed to burn every last one of Kibum's mythology books – and his laptop while he was at it – before he would end up killing his best friend.

A/N: Yeah, last part not proofread at all and large chunks of the rest is not proofread either so sorry if it . And this chapter became quite long since I didn't know how to divide it otherwise... anyway, what? Haha

Little info; I'm going to be quite busy and well, I'm stupid enough to have started another story when I still have two unfinished ones OTL Like, there is one I completely have no inspiration for at the moment ;__; Ugh... I'll try my best...

I hope you liked this though!

Love to all of you! <3

Bye~