The prince was wrapped around Vasilios' finger from the heavy petting and sweet nothings whispered in his ear with the backdrop of a crackling fireplace and the subtle swaying of the sheer canopy over his bed. The sounds of wet kisses prompted wishful thinking into both their hearts, one yearning for true love and the other desiring to claim the new incomparable beauty of Greece. His intentions, Vasilios', were not pure and driven by love rather than the will of a God who believes he can take all the shiny things from the world he wants, unchecked and unstoppable.

However, this time was different as he tried to go further than skin-deep attractions and affections. Kalliás pushed the man's shoulders with a minute bit of force as Vasilios, lips glossed with lust, paused and creased his brows. "Is something wrong?" The man asked, and the prince shook his head. "No, my lord, I just am not sure if this is right." Kalliás responded with a heavy heart, oaky eyes meeting a sea of blue. Vasilios had never been rejected, and knowing he could have him in an instant with his divine charm and seduction, he leaned back and huffed.

Kalliás stood up and went to the vanity, grabbing a whale-bone comb and plucked a flower from the vase. "I want to know you." The prince uttered and sat back on the bed, gently touching Vasilios' inky hair, "Is this alright?"

With that, the God found something sweeter than lust with this mortal. His heart swelled in his chest like it had before at the fountain, and suddenly he felt like a teenage girl with a crush. And what was this heat he felt on his face? While Kalliás was combing out his long hair, he noticed that his cheeks were hot like embers and he turned his head over his shoulder, noticing the prince was humming and looked up to smile at him. He had only just met the prince, but he felt held and cared for instead of blindly obeyed by the life in the sea. An impenetrable fortress opened by the keys of a golden heart and nurturing hands.

When he felt those fingers grazing his scalp and gently tugging the strands into a braid decorated with pieces of laurel leaf and red aster petals, he wanted more than to follow desire but to mingle his heart with Kalliás'. "Done! Do you like it?" Kalliás asked, handing the man a handheld mirror, and Vasilios looked at himself all flowery and humble, his cheeks...he was blushing? Vasilios could only give a simple nod and turned to face the prince, "May I kiss you?" He asked, as if they weren't doing just that and more moments ago.

The prince seemed to ponder for a moment, a rosy redness forming on his face as well, and he agreed. "Yes...I-" He began, and Vasilios caught him mid-sentence into a deeper kiss and hands that were mindful of where they were placed, and he loomed over Kalliás, not to spoil his virtue in a one-night stand but to taste the addictive splendors of a romance blossoming.

"I can show you what it is like to be touched by a God."

The doors to the bedroom swung open, and a dramatic series of events followed. It was Gloriana who was red in the face at the improper display of affection shared between the prince she was supposed to protect and a strange man with strange clothes on top of him. "By the gods!" Her face ignited into flames with shock and screamed for the guards who rushed into the room and pulled Vasilios off of Kalliás.

"How dare you! How dare you spit in the face of the Emperor and try to take his son?! Have you no respect?" Gloriana's roars were born from years of a sworn oath to protect and approve the prince's affairs, and this was certainly way out of bounds. As the guards began pulling Vasilios away, who lightly fought back, Kalliás had jumped off the bed and ran down the corridor and pushed one of the guards with all his might to get back to his newfound love once more.

"Don't take him away from me! Please! It isn't what you think-" The prince protested, and in the heat of the moment, one of the guards had accidentally shoved the prince onto the hard marble floor. Vasilios became enraged and desperately wanted to end this forced separation. He knew that he could destroy this palace with one stroke of his fury, have anything his way, and yet something stopped him. It was the painful feeling of love cracking the shell of his once cold heart that only cared for pleasure. No he had yearned for more just as the prince had, he couldn't destroy the prince's life in a selfish act.

In the chaos, Gloriana gasped at the prince falling to the ground and glared at the guard who had struck him. "Alexi! Throw this man and this palace guard out! Both have offended his majesty." And with breaking protocol, she grabbed the prince by the wrist and with the strength of a hundred men, she brought him to his room. "And for you, your highness. I'm sure your father will be very disappointed! The ceremony has been ruined by this scandal!" Gloriana was blinded by her need to keep this prince's virtue intact, she couldn't let some man spoil the prince who had yet to learn about the world and what beasts disguised themselves as attractive nobles.

The prince tried to pull away from her, but the woman was stronger than a palace guard! "It isn't what you think! I beg you to let me go! I can explain I swear!" The prince began to weep, his eyes fighting to catch a glimpse of the man he had devastatingly been falling in love with. It didn't matter, Gloriana had made up her mind. "You'll stay in this room until morning, your highness!" She firmly declared and pushed the prince inside, quickly closing the door so that he wouldn't make an escape. She locked it and muttered something to herself.

"Let me out!" cried Kalliás.

"Unhand me!" spat Vasilios.

"Gloriana! Please!" begged Kalliás

"You'll regret this!" roared Vasilios.

Gloriana bit the inside of her cheek as she approached Vasilios who was apprehended by the guards. "The Emperor would have your head for your transgression against his only child. You have tried and failed to spoil the prince, you dog! Guards get him out of my sight along with the palace guard who dare raise a sword at the prince!" She ordered and the guards had quickly made work to escort Vasilios and the other guard out of the palace.

It was though Kalliás and Vasilios were relentless in their protest, until being forced to give up to their terrible fate of separation. The prince eventually collapsed to the ground and placed his forehead to the door, weakly banging his fist against the wood, and tears began to run down his face. On the other hand, Vasilios was thrown outside of the palace gates that were closed shut behind him. His anger building as his eyes started to glow a bright blue and the guard who was thrown out next to him backed away. "By the gods! Your eyes!" said the palace guard who had forgotten about his own offensives.

Vasilios grabbed the man by the collar of his armor, "You laid your hands on him, I will destroy you for that!" Vasilios was getting scarily ahead of himself, eyes like blue flames and thunder and rain beginning to form in the sky. "I command the seas, and I bring the tide to your shores-" He began to inspire fear in the mortal man's heart. The guard was trembling like a doe caught in the clutches of a wolf. "I swear to you! It was not on purpose. I can promise you this, please don't kill me. I'll never do such a thing again, my lord." The guard had begged as he was lifted into the air by Vasilios who was beaming with rage.

"I am no lord! I am Poseidon, God of the seas. You will know my name as your eyes burn inside you skull. You will see the true form of a God!" Vasilios was blinded by his anger and his body seemed to morph to a greater size, way taller and stronger than any mortal man could ever hope to be. The guard then realized that the man was no dignitary and that his godliness was in fact the truth. "Have mercy! Please—." The guard's cries were cut off by a bloodcurdling scream, his eyes had turned completely white, but before he could burn up into dust. A ray of light blasted down and with it the God was gone in an instant. The guard fell to the ground trembling, overcome with fear.

It left a pile of the fur-lined clothes Vasilios once wore, and the so-called guard was now blinded and unconscious. The guard's face was beet red as though seeing the true form of the disguised God in front of him nearly killed him.