Remote

Hyunjin opened his eyes and jolted at the memory of him diving into the cold ocean.

He looked around and saw tall strong trees shielding him from the burning rays of the sun.

His clothes were soaked in salty water, yet he was very much on land. Even standing tall he couldn't catch a simple glimpse of a body of water. Nothing but trees and sand.

He was disoriented, confused and dizzy. He could barely balance on his two feet dug under the sand.

-Jeongin? Felix? Minho? Changbin? Guys! he called for his friends without success.

-Curse these insects! I shall bring kill them all! a familiar voice mumbled in the background.

Seungmin stepped from behind some bushes. He looked infuriated, on the edge of tearing the forest apart tree by tree. His hair was messy and his clothes dirty.

-What happened to you?

-Brilliant question! Tell me when you find the answer, he spat back while fighting with a branch that had slapped him in the face.

-Do you know where we are? Hyunjin asked.

-No idea. We were on the boat, you jumped, I caught the syrens and then I woke up here.

-Do you think another god brought us here?

-Or a nymph.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrow at Seungmin's statement.

-Look around! We're in the middle of nowhere. This must be an island.

-We have to find the others and get out of here! Hyunjin sighed.

-After you! Maybe you'll lead us to a volcano I can jump in, Seungmin rolled his eyes.

-Well, you're not being very helpful!

-Neither are you! Without your little compass friend we're pretty much lost.

-We can at least move. Maybe we'll find Jisung or Jeongin or even Chan. Any of them would be a great help right now. I hope they're okay! Hyunjin gulped in fear.

Minho jumped awake with a sword in his mind and started teleporting frantically around the same spot until he finally stopped in front of Changbin.

The tip of his sword was almost poking the prince's eye.

-What in the name of Hades are you doing? Changbin widened his eyes and backed off a little.

-Sorry! Minho finally relaxed and dropped the sword to the ground. I get defensive when I'm confused.

-No kidding. You almost made a hole in my skull.

-Where are we? Minho looked around unable to recognise the surroundings.

-I don't know. I just woke up here and saw you on the ground.

-Where's Jisung?

-Missing. Felix too. And the others. I can't remember what happened after Jisung got Hyunjin and Felix out of the water. Someone is playing tricks on us.

-Whoever that is will face my wrath, Minho frowned. Wait- If we're both here, Jisung has no source of fire besides him. He needs fire to survive. Especially after becoming that big.

-What happens if he doesn't get fire in time? He's a titan. He can't die.

-He fully becomes a water nymph. For good. And dies on land. We need to find him! Minho started panicking.

-Felix, wake up! Jeongin gently shook the human until the latter finally opened his eyes.

-What- What happened? he got up and squinted his eyes at his migraine.

-I have no clue. Someone must have brought us here. I don't feel anything. No signature. I can't recognise this place either.

-Where are the others? Felix started to worry.

-Probably scattered all over the forest. It was important for someone that we won't be together, Jeongin reached the conclusion.

Felix noticed his sword propped up by a tree and went to get it back when a sweet chuckle started taunting him. He recognised the voice in a second and felt his heart racing.

-Olivia? Olivia, is that you? he started screaming for his sister.

-Felix, this can be a trap. Let's think it through! Let's regroup first!

-What if she's really here? It was never my intention to put my family in danger. I have to go and find out if she's really here or not, Felix admitted before running into the woods.

-Felix, wait!

Jeongin was about to follow him when his eyes suddenly lit up.

He stood frozen for a few seconds before processing whay he had just felt.

-Father? he turned around, convinced that he had sensed Hermes's signature on the island.

Was he going crazy? He could recognise that power anywhere... But how could it be?

-I must be going crazy, he mumbled to himself before following Felix into the unknown.

Meanwhile Chan was also on the island, taking care of a passed out Jisung whose fever didn't seem to stop.

They were the closest to the ocean and could see the waves crashing into the warm sand, coming closer and closer to them as if they were trying to claim them back into their depths.

It wouldn't take long for them to succeed. Chan figured that out. Therefore he had to take Jisung into the forest until the latter would regain his strength and hope that the others would eventually find them.