The room was a mess: the sheets were on the floor, the TV was off the wall, and the dresser drawers were open. Sunlight streamed in through the blinds as the air conditioner reached a comfortable 63 degrees. Someone had broken the lamp on the nightstand, and something red had stained the white paint on the popcorn ceiling. Finn was sprawled out in a chair, his shirt and pants missing, leaving him only in his Fruit of the Loom boxers. He groaned, rubbing at his pounding head.

  The simple act of opening his eyes presented a challenge he wasn't sure he could beat. The hand that rubbed at his head slid over his face, gently gripping his nose. The best way to deal with a hangover was either to get drunk again or to bulldoze through it. With a burst of movement, Finn sat up, sliding into a standing position. Swaying slight, he caught himself with one hand on the dresser for balance. "Fuck me," he mumbled; even talking seemed to hurt.

  The back of his throat was dry, and everything was too bright despite the room being mostly dark. What did he do last night? other than drink like it was going out of style. Things were hazy, and he stumbled to the bathroom of his hotel room. This was his hotel room, right?

  Opening the door, he turned the lights on; he let out a small cry of pain as he was momentarily blinded. Shuffling into the room, placing both hands on the sink, and leaning over so his head pressed into the bowl of the sink. He took a moment to collect himself. "Ugh." He could say that he would never drink like this again, but that would be a lie. From the corner of his left eye, he caught sight of something.

  Turning his head to the side, he saw the curtain for the shower was pulled to the side, and lying in the tub like it was a bed was Tavi, equally as pantless and shirtless as Finn, the only difference being he wore Calvin Klein instead of Fruit of the Loom.

  Yeah, it was far too early for this. It seemed that Finns default to a problem was thinking thoughts like that whether it be him not being drunk or not awake enough and so on. But that was just his way of avoiding problems. He moved to the nozzle in the tub, pulling up the little plug thing before turning the warm water on. With a splash of the cold water, the showerhead rained down on the sleeping self-proclaimed god.

  Tavi woke with a start, sitting up immediately; goosebumps marred his perfectly tan skin, and he held himself as sleep still filled his eyes. He sat there now, the water pelting down on him as it slowly began to warm up. He didn't seem to mind and just looked to Finn. "Yeah, dick move, man." He smirked, though, grabbing the edge of the tub and pulling himself up. He closed the curtain and turned to face the downpour.

  Finn had thought that if he had woken the man up in the fashion he did, then he'd well leave, letting himself get ready for the day. and right now his day would most likely lead to him washing his face and going to lay down in bed till this hangover passed. He didn't comment, turning back to the sink and turning the hot water on.

  For a moment, there was just the sound of water running as the two men casually went through their routines as if they were long-term roommates. It was oddly familiar and comfortable to Finn.

  "What the fuck?" Finn's voice was full of confusion as he stared into the mirror after rinsing his face. His eyes glanced over his chest and the black trident painted into his skin between both his pectorals. He didn't have any tattoos well not apart from this one apparently, and he knew you weren't supposed to get one when you were drunk, something with your blood being thinner or whatever. What was really weird was how it didn't hurt. Weren't tattoos supposed to hurt after you got them?

  "So okay, you got really drunk last night," Tavi spoke up. The sound of a bottle popping open and the subsequent squeeze of either shampoo or conditioner was heard. Where the fuck did he get either of those things? "And as you implied when we were in that restaurant after you got drunk enough, I gave you the offer once again, and you took it."

  The sound of the water falling off Tavis's body became louder as he rinsed his hair clean. "You're my chosen, and you've decided to help me and my cause. So I marked you as such." It was an explanation that led to more questions, but Finn wasn't sure which to ask.

  "Great, so I decided to get taken in by some self-proclaimed god that wants me to go on some quest when I came here just to…." He took a deep inhalation of air and let it out through his mouth. For some reason, he wasn't mad. not at Tavi or the situation he knew when he was sober what drunk him would choose, and he actively chose to get drunk. The only one at fault was him… Okay, no, Tavi did take advantage, but really, Finn didn't care, which was weird, but he didn't stay on that train of thought.

  "You're a god, but you need a regular-ass guy to do your dirty work. Can't you just like snap your fingers and everything you want just happens?" He asked, not really understanding just why Tavi chose him or claimed him or whatever this entire process was. He traced over the tattoo-like trident and hummed. Honestly, it looked kind of cool.

  "Hand me a towel," Tavi spoke whilst turning the water off. Shrugging, Finn grabbed one of the small towels hanging off the door, pushing it into Tavis's outstretched hand. "Because gods, most at least, aren't all-powerful, omniscient beings who can get what they want by a snap of their fingers."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Stepping out of the shower, Tavi stood with the towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was longer when wet, and he walked by Finn. They were both basically undressed, but there was no looking under the belt for either man.

  Still, Finn couldn't help but compare. Tavi was muscular, built like a swimmer with no hair on his torso. chiseled rippling muscle like that of a swimmer; he really did look like a god; he could admit that even when he was attracted to the fairer sex. But for himself, Finn wasn't fat, but he had some chub, and he had hair on his chest and stomach. He had what men would consider a dad bod, just maybe without the full-on beer belly. It made him feel a bit inadequate, but what could he do?

  Walking out of the bathroom, he decided he'd grab some clothes, shower, and then talk to Tavi about what this whole chosen business entailed. He didn't know how or why he kept such a clear, open mind, but it wasn't a bad feeling; quite the opposite, actually.

  Now at the ground floor of the hotel, sitting at a table, Tavi and Finn had an assortment of food in front of them. It was free hotel food, so not the best, but it was something. Finn sipped at his cup of coffee which he loaded with cream and sugar before stabbing a sausage link and putting it in his mouth. "So moving past the fact you took advantage of me when I wasn't in the right state of mind, I'm guessing now that you have your claws in me, you aren't letting go. best to just cruise along and all that."

  Tavi, seemingly not offended or ignoring the comment about taking advantage of Finn, nodded, stabbing a waffle he made in the waffle maker with his fork. "Yes, let's get onto the nitty-gritty. You asked earlier why I can't just get this all done myself, and that's because as a god, directly interfering with another god's chosen is almost always seen as a means to start a war. Right now, war with any other god is just… bad. There are a few friends of mine, people I'm either in good relations with or neutral ones that I haven't heard from in a while. I've been focused on my domain; lesser water spirits and monsters have been on the incline, and I've had my hands full, really."

  As Tavi spoke, Finn listened, but he couldn't help but think of how the man so casually spoke of other gods and monsters when not even 24 hours ago the closest Finn had gotten to anything supernatural was television or a book. Even now he wasn't sure if this was all some big elaborate prank or some other ploy.

  "Find these chosen few, have them contact their patrons, and when we get that far, I want to set up a meeting. most likely on an island where there's no clear domain of any god. neutral territory where we can discuss the current ongoings of the world and just how bad things are getting lately." There was a seriousness in that last bit that Tavi expressed clearly.

  "and. Just how fucked up is everything?" Finn asked with a raised eyebrow. "On a scale from one to giant octopus nearly killing you."

  "Words can't describe just how awful things are right now. That's precisely the reason I'm staying here, defending what's rightfully mine, and ensuring that no one gains more power through my domains. Listen, Finn." Tavi took a sip of his orange juice and stared at the man across from him.

  "You want to die. As my chosen, I'm even more privy to that feeling. There's a chance you could die in your attempts to help me, but I genuinely do need help. And in by helping me, maybe you'll find a reason to go on. Apart from, you know, gaining superpowers, traveling across the United States, gathering other people like you, and so on."

  Tavi smirked; it was a confident expression, one that fit him really well.

  "Superpowers"—yeah, it was official: Finn was a novel character. "Listen. I'm not… I don't know how or why, but you're kind of info dumping, and I'm taking it all in for sure, but why aren't I, like, short-circuiting or breaking down? I should feel more right, but I don't; it's weird."

  Tavi paused, his finger tracing the rim of his glass of juice. "In my presence, should you not feel calm. I am your patron, the source of your power. You are safest when by my side; you are strongest within my domain. Being my chosen isn't just a title; Finn and powers aren't just physical aspects like summoning a tsunami. There's a mental aspect too. It's not perfect, but to just digest information like this, well, it's natural."

  There was a small pause.

  "And on your journey, you'll take in much more; you'll learn things and discover others. It's a big world, and me explaining what you'll have to do will really only feel like a little speck when it's all said and done."

  Finn wasn't sure if he understood. He frowned but didn't make any further comments on it. powers journey and so on. There was so much he didn't know. Being in the dark about anything was horrible. He had to keep it simple, key points, and just move on from there.

  "Powers. What am I getting? Can I fly?" Yes, that was important.

  "The other chosen, I'm sure I'll learn of the other gods and all that good stuff, but I'll need a direction to find them. I'm not a private investigator; I was a stocker at a dollar store before the whole chosen by a god gig."

  "My car is busted, and most of my money most likely isn't going to get me far if I have to travel all over the states like you said."

  Those three things he would get answers and solutions for them first. Tavi hummed, smiling as if Finn was a little brother asking questions about a game.

  "Powers? Well, that's all dependent on you. As my chosen, you'll take in aspects of myself, which is also sorta, kinda why you aren't breaking down from all this information. I'm quite headstrong, and you seemed to inherit that much," even though before the chosen thing, Finn seemed pretty headstrong despite his suicidal thoughts.

  "It all depends on you, but you can probably breathe underwater. Apart from that, only time will tell. other chosen. I'll be frank. I haven't been in contact with any of the other friendly gods in a while, nearly half a year, I believe. The last I heard, the closest one should be in Louisiana, New Orleans. a woman with red hair and freckles. She deals with spores; that's all I have. Find her, and perhaps she will have the location of the other chosen as well, because I do believe, unlike my fellow gods, the mortals are better at keeping in touch."

  A clear jab at his fellow divine brethren, "As I said last night," Tavi's smile widened, "I will provide you with money, riches, and luxury. As my chosen, of course, you'll need to move with style."

  With those three questions answered, Tavi and Finn ran over some other details. Smaller questions were being asked and answered; their entire breakfast was rather uneventful, but the two grew closer. There was a weird pull towards Tavi, and Finn fell into it like a vortex. Bonds were building, and the journey had yet to even truly begin.