Chapter Text
The day Solara is born, the sun beams. The universe welcomes the child with open arms, and the sun’s rays shine brilliantly with pride. Solara is one of its own, a fine vessel crafted by the careful and loving hands of the universe itself. His hair is akin to that of a shimmering light, a ray of shine dripping from the very sun that orbits the sky. His eyes are like that of honey gold, soft and warm. He carries the sun within them, it’s very essence flaming brightly. Solara is the chosen one, the child of the sun, a sun god. The sun gently swaddles Solara in it’s warm rays, entrusting him with its power.
He is placed with the other gods and grows up alongside them all.
At night, Proteus is born, and the moon shines. The universe welcomes the child with open arms, and the moon casts the child in its light with joy. Proteus is that of the moon, a vessel crafted by the careful and loving hands of the universe itself. His hair is as dark as midnight, with stars hiding in the dark locks, speckled throughout. His eyes are a pale yet soft yellow. The moon shines within them, it’s very existence bright and warm. Proteus is the enlightened one, the child of the moon, a moon god. The moon holds Proteus close in it’s moonlight, gifting him its power.
He is placed with the other gods and grows up alongside them all.
Except, these two children do not meet. Not initially. Solara is the child of the sun. He raises the morning star into the sky, and sets it when his jurisdiction of the day ends. Proteus is the child of the moon. He raises the night star into the sky, and sets it when his jurisdiction of the night ends.
They simply exist in two different worlds, two separate spaces.
There are fundamental rules of the universe. Every being and every particle must abide by these rules. There are no exceptions to these rules, no shortcuts or ways of cheating. These rules have been around since the very start of the universe itself, and they are important. They are what keep the very fabric of the world together, what keep the strings woven and intertwined. There are beings that watch these rules, that watch the universe. They are called the Watchers. They are the beings that take the strings and weave them, keeping the threads from snapping.
Some could say that they are the very universe themselves, all encompassing and knowing. They exist merely to keep the order, to keep things from tearing apart. They enforce the rules, they keep things in balance.
And they only allow Solara and Proteus to meet once as children.
They are led by two elder gods, and the Watchers allow it. The god of protection, Alastair, and the god of beauty, Memphis.
Solara has a bright, excited smile on his face as he approaches the other god. Proteus is shy, holding onto the robes of the older god as if it were a safety net. He seems to shrink back nervously as Solara approaches him. The child is almost blinding, with how the sun catches and shines in his hair.
“Hello!” Solara holds his hand out for Proteus to take, but his hand is gently pushed back to him by Proteus’ keeper. Solara makes a face, furrowing his brows for a moment before it passes and he smiles again. “My name is Solara. I’m the sun god.” He introduces, all but chirping the words.
Proteus peeks out from behind the elder god, eyes looking hesitant. He bites his lip, seeming to glance up at the elder before his pale yellow eyes land back on Solara. “I-I’m… Proteus… t-the moon god…” He replies, and his answer makes Solara positively beam. A wide smile spreads across his lips and it reaches his eyes with ease.
“You’re gonna raise the moon, right?! I’m really excited to see it!” The sun child exclaims, all but bouncing in place. His small golden wings flutter in his excitement.
Proteus fidgets nervously, “It… isn’t that special.” He murmurs, shy.
“I think it’s special! The moon is so pretty!” Solara declares, causing the moon god’s eyes to widen slightly. He stares at Solara with surprise, and a small, hesitant smile tugs at him.
“Well, we should probably get things started then, yes?” The elder god, Alastair, gently points out. Proteus flushes in embarrassment and lets go of his green robe, taking a step in front of him.
Solara moves to stand beside Proteus before glancing over at his own godly chaperon, Memphis. He offers Solara a kind smile along with an encouraging nod. Proteus takes a breath, calming himself. The two fledgling gods meet eyes and nod at each other before standing back to back. Solara allows his eyes to fall shut as Proteus does, and his arms raise. He feels the warmth of the sun envelop him, wrapping around him in a warm embrace. Gently, he pulls at the rays of light, guiding them down. His arms slowly lower to the ground right as Proteus’ arms raise to the sky.
Both the sun and the moon follow the movements of the two obediently, until the sun disappears below the line of the horizon. The moon, meanwhile, sits high in the sky among the clouds. It shines down upon the four gods joyfully.
When the two finish, Solara turns around to look at Proteus, bouncing excitedly in place. “That was incredible! You’re incredible, Proteus!” He exclaims, a large smile on his face.
“T-Thank you…” Proteus’ hand comes to rub at his nape shyly as Solara continues to share his childish excitement.
“Will we get to do this when I have to raise the sun?!” Solara asks, looking between Alastair and Memphis.
“Erm… well, you see Solara…” Memphis winces at the question, meeting Alastair’s eyes. He sounds hesitant, soft, using a tone of voice one would use to speak with a child when giving bad news. Which… he is.
Alastair looks hesitant about answering, but takes over for him, “Because of the nature of your powers, it’s best to limit how often you both are around one another. I’m sorry, Solara, Proteus.”
Solara’s shoulders sag in disappointment, and Proteus frowns a bit. “Oh…”
Memphis is quick to jump in, seeing the boys shared disappointment, “But it’s alright! You’ll see each other again whenever an eclipse occurs!”
It seems to lift both of their moods. And with that, Solara and Proteus are separated from one another. The Watchers observe as they go their separate ways, nodding. They are kept from one another in order to protect the balance. The gods and goddesses are all powerful beings, and if their power were to be left unchecked by the universe, it would pose a great threat.
Solara and Proteus especially. If left unchecked, their powers could cause mass destruction.
But this doesn’t mean their story is done. For theirs is a tale of love and tragedy.
Just as Alastair had told them, Solara and Proteus are hardly together. In fact, besides the one meeting the Watchers allowed, the two celestial gods do not see one another at all. They are kept to their palaces, their places of respite. And perhaps they would have been upset about it, if not for the other fledging gods around them.
Solara meets a few of them first, like Medea, a cunning young god. The first thing that drew Solara to him was not just the scars along his jaw, but the mysterious way in which the boy tried to sell crystals to him.
They became incredibly fast friends, which often leaves Alastair exasperated.
There’s also Caius, the god of joy. He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth, but Solara enjoys how happy he always seems. He’s more than happy to tag along with whatever pranks Solara and Medea feel like pulling.
And there are so many others that Solara doesn’t think his days will ever be boring. They all bring excitement, and so much warmth. Yet despite this, Solara’s mind still trails back to Proteus. Perhaps it is because he’s grown into quite the little rebel. He doesn’t exactly listen to the Watchers, not entirely at least.
He does things his own way, which has apparently categorized him as “rebellious”.
So maybe that’s why he’s so curious about Proteus. Maybe that’s why he has this desire to find him, to get to know him. But perhaps it could also be because Proteus has the same responsibilities that he does. He is held to a higher standard like Solara is.
And so, maybe it is a combination of the two. It is both the rebellious feeling as well as the burning desire to know more, to find someone who understands.
Not that Solara is willing to admit it.
The next time Solara and Proteus meet, it is years later. A ceremony is being held, one which allows for the two of them to safely meet. It’s a ceremony for an eclipse. A solar eclipse, specifically. It’s the first eclipse that the two gods will participate in, and it’s something rather important. Solara realizes that these very eclipses will give himself and Proteus a chance to see one another.
The moment he hears about it, Solara can hardly wait. The moon god seems rather nice to be around, and he’d love to befriend him! They hadn’t gotten a real chance to chat when they first met. They were whisked away from one another as soon as they were done.
So this time, surely it’ll be different. At least, Solara hopes so.
The day of the eclipse, Solara rises the sun a few minutes earlier than normal. Perhaps it’s from his excitement of meeting with Proteus once more after having not seen him since they were but fledgling gods.
Medea teases him for it when they meet a few hours later. He has a large grin on his face as he saunters into Solara’s room, a small hat sitting on his head. It hardly covers his mess of dark brown hair, but Solara isn’t in the mood to tease him about it. He’s far too preoccupied with his excitement (though he knows he’ll tease him a few times. Medea seems to enjoy pushing his luck).
“Well you’re certainly chipper today, Solara! Saw the sun a bit early!” Medea greets, that grin never once leaving his face. “Looking fancy!”
Solara glances down at his clothing for the ceremony, and supposes that it is a bit fancy, yes. A gold headband is woven into his hair, exposed between bits of it. A cape sits on his shoulders white, and draping down his back between his wings, ending just a bit after his feet. The cape has a gold trimming, along with the brown corset that wraps around his middle. The shirt underneath sits comfortably, the sleeves puffy around his wrists. It matches the white pants tucked neatly in his brown boots, a red piece of fabric wrapped around his waist as a belt, with a bit of length hanging off to the side.
He gives a weak chuckle, “It is a tad fancy, isn’t it?” He turns to look at his friend.
Medea places a hand on his chin, tilting his head in thought. “Mhm, definitely screams ‘god’, yep!” He replies, making Solara fondly roll his eyes at his friend’s antics. He then throws an arm around Solara’s shoulders, a familiar grin dancing along his lips, “ Well~, how are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? It’s your first solar eclipse!”
Solara huffs in reply, “Me? Nervous? Never. Quite the opposite, actually.”
“Oh! Wonderful!” Medea replies, and he hums contemplatively. “You know, I checked on Proteus last night and the poor guy was sweating buckets! He seemed very nervous.”
And that’s the interesting thing about Proteus, Solara has come to realize. Most gods and goddesses alike carry an air of confidence, it pools in the air around them in waves. They all have their own ways of exuding that confidence, whether it be in posture, attitude, or self regard. Yet from the stories that Solara has heard, and their brief interaction all those years ago… it sounds almost as if Proteus doesn’t have that. As if he doesn’t carry that air of confidence.
Some may find it annoying, but Solara finds it interesting. He wonders if any of that confidence will be there today. (He hopes so.)
“Did he now?” Solara replies, turning to his best friend.
Nodding, Madea goes to reply but the sight of Memphis opening his door cuts him off. “Ah, that’s my cue to leave! Good luck out there with the whole eclipse thing, Sola!” The god shuffles out of the room, and Solara chuckles softly.
He makes eye contact with Memphis, and he knows.
It’s showtime.
Solara is led to a large coliseum, marble pillars and all. The roof is open, circular, giving them all a clear view of the blue sky above. He walks forward, stopping just before the platform in the middle of the coliseum. He casts a glance around, seeing all sorts of gods and goddesses spill in along the sides. His eyes focus on a specific area of the wall however, narrowing at it.
Engraved in the wall is a rectangle sitting upright, but it’s corners broken. The lines on top, the horizontal ones, don’t connect.
The symbol of the Watchers.
Solara… doesn’t like the Watchers. He doesn’t like how they operate, how they keep the universe in balance. He understands their purpose, why they do what they do. But they’ll do anything if it's to keep the order, to keep things in tact. Even if it means doing something bad. They believe that the end justifies the means. Solara doesn’t agree.
Feeling eyes watching him, he tears his gaze away from the symbol.
And then – a flash of purple catches his eyes. He turns, and there stands Proteus, speaking with another god. Solara’s breath catches in his throat. Proteus is dressed in a mix of purples and blues, black feathered wings tucked against his back, an elegant and gold trimmed black cape trailing behind him. The dark purple sleeves are tucked into brown arm guards, a tunic running down the sides that stops around his thighs. He’s clad in black pants, matching the black flats on his feet.
Solara can see what everyone says about Proteus’ lack of confidence. He can see it in the way Proteus’ back is slightly hunched, the way he’s a little curled in on himself. But Solara can hardly look away from him. He’s…. captivating, in a way that no one has even been to him before.
He must be staring for too long, as Proteus’ gaze meets his own, and Solara squeaks quietly before quickly looking away from him. He hadn’t been expecting their eyes to meet! His face feels warm, and shyly, he raises his gaze back up to look at Proteus. The moon god is still looking at him, and it only makes Solara’s face burn. Why does his gaze fluster him so?
Timidly, Solara raises his hand and offers a shy wave. Proteus looks surprised for a moment, before his face softens and his lips curve into a fond smile. He waves back, and Solara feels like his heart leaps.
The horns sound, and the ceremony begins.
Together, the two gods create the very first eclipse.
And everything Solara thought about Proteus’ lack of confidence flies right out the window. He watches the way Proteus raises the moon, how his hands move as if they were dipping into water, fingers leaving ripples behind. He looks calm, face set in easy determination, lips pulled into a thin line. His eyes are soft, light. The very essence of the moon shines within them and Solara has never seen something so enchanting before. His posture is sound, tall. He does not hunch, instead his shoulders are straight, and his head is raised to the sky. His movements are fluid, confident.
If it weren’t for the fact that Solara had to pay attention to the sun, he’d never want to look away.
With everyone distracted by the celebrations, Solara takes a chance to find Proteus. It isn’t difficult, seeing as he’s standing a bit away from the crowd of partying gods. Distantly, he thinks he hears Memphis cheering loudly somewhere, words slurring. He chuckles at the mental image before his eyes land on his target.
Proteus is standing alone, and his body language screams awkward. He’s running a hand through his tousled black locks and his posture is a tad slouched. He looks like he’d much rather be anywhere else. Oddly enough, Solara finds the sight endearing.
He gets an idea suddenly, and he holds his hands behind his back as he approaches the other. With one wing, he nudges the god, startling him. “Proteus!”
“GAH!” The moon god exclaims, jumping. Solara bursts into a fit of giggles, finding the reaction entertaining. Proteus places a hand on his chest, calming his heart as he takes a few breaths. He then looks down at Solara and blinks a few times. “Oh, hello Solara.” He greets, and the sun god grins at him.
“Hello! Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you so badly.” He totally did. And judging by the look Proteus gives him, he knows it too.
“It seems like you are just as playful as everyone makes you out to be.” Proteus hums, but there’s a pleased smile on his face. “Though, I have heard it gets you into quite a bit of trouble.”
Solara shrugs, moving to stand beside him. “Ah, my reputation precedes me!” He chuckles. “A little trouble is nothing to me. It’s worth it if it gets a good laugh out of everyone.”
“Mm, I suppose you raise a fair point. Alastair often speaks of having to clean up after you, though I don’t think he truly minds it.” Proteus returns, side eyeing him.
“I will have you know I always clean up after myself! A good prank always involves helping to clean afterwards.” Solara retorts, puffing his chest out. He draws a few chuckles out of Proteus, which makes his chest warm.
They fall into silence afterward, and Solara bites his lip. His eyes dart around, as if trying to find something interesting to stare at. He feels a bit awkward, but perhaps that’s to be expected seeing as they’ve spent so much time away from one another. The last time they met, they were children. Solara bounces on his heels slightly, glancing at Proteus a few times. He doesn’t know what to say, or how to make the conversation continue.
It’s so very frustrating.
He wants to know more about Proteus, about his role as a moon god. Is it similar to his own role as the sun god? What does he like to do for fun? What kind of person is he? What does he think of humans? So many questions to ask, but he doesn’t know which one to ask first. Nor does he know if Proteus even wants to talk to him! There’s many unknowns, uncertainties.
And then – “I’m sorry but – does my mustache look weird?”
Solara blinks. “What?”
Proteus raises a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it anxiously. “My… mustache. Medea had said it was erm… a bit odd to see me with facial hair the other day. I know we've just been reintroduced to one another but I’ve been thinking about it all day and who better to ask than you since you don’t know me very well! Oh goodness I’ve just begun to ramble now, haven’t I?”
Solara lets him talk, lets him ramble on as much as he likes. And when he finishes, he can’t help but burst into a small fit of giggles. “Y-Your mustache is just fine!” He gets out eventually, a smile on his face.
Proteus’ cheeks grow a little warm, before he smiles as well. “Is it? Oh, what a relief! I was worried I would have to shave it!”
Solara’s smile turns a bit mischievous, “I can always find a way to steal it from you if you’d like.”
“Wh – no thank you! That will not be necessary, Solara!” Proteus retorts, and the sun god cackles.
“Are you sure? Because I don’t mind helping you out!”
The pair fall into this… rhythm with one another. They banter, tease, as if they have been friends for years. Proteus asks about pranks that Solara has pulled on their friends, and the way they speak about it, it’s almost like Proteus was actually there when it happened. And by the end of the eclipse, Solara finds himself very much enjoying Proteus’ company. He just… wishes they didn’t have to part.