Chapter Text
Hunter was five years old when he first learned of the human god.
His uncle had led him into a small, curtained off section in his personal chambers. He was old enough to understand now, Uncle said. He was old enough to keep this a secret from the rest of the castle.
Hunter was expecting something exciting. He thought that maybe his Uncle wanted to show him something forbidden like necromancy, or something powerful like a secret artifact from the Titan that will give him magic. He expected something a lot more than a low table that held nothing more than a wooden cross and some candles.
"Uncle?" he asked quietly, trying to hide his disappointment, "What's this?"
With a hand on his back, Belos gently ushered him forwards. "Kneel in front of the table, Hunter," he said, smiling.
Obediently, Hunter knelt on the hard, marble floor, watching as his uncle carefully lit each of the candles with a match.
"This, my dear nephew," Belos whispered reverently, "is an altar to God."
Hunter tilted his head curiously, his ears twitching. "God? Who's that?"
His uncle's smile widened. "God is the Creator of the human realm. Through His infinite grace and wisdom, all life on earth was born."
"Soooo, like the Titan?" he questioned, recalling all the history books he'd been studying, "The humans have a Titan too?"
Belos chuckled, resting a hand on his head. "They do. However, their God is much stronger than our Titan. The Titan had to die to give the Boiling Isles life over the span of centuries. But God, on the other hand..." he trailed off, an uncharacteristic shine in his eyes, "It only took Him seven days to create the world."
It was... hard to imagine something stronger than the Titan. But something had to have killed the Titan.
A chill clamored up his spine as he imagined the massive, hulking creature that could have delivered that final blow.
The smile faded a bit as Belos looked at him, as Belos's hand slid down his hair and brushed against the pointed tip of Hunter's ear. "I'll be teaching you how to talk to God today."
"But why?" The question slipped from his lips before he could stop it. "We're not humans. Why not learn to talk to the Titan instead?"
"Because to speak to the Titan is to speak to me, Hunter," Belos replied, "I am the Titan's messenger, His prophet. The humans' God has no such person in the Boiling Isles, so we must find other ways to connect with Him." The smile twisted into something teasing. "Why, is there something you wish to tell the Titan without telling me, Hunter? You already know who I am, and what purpose the Titan gave me, after all."
Hunter flushed, picking at the hem of his sleeve. "I just wanted to ask if I could get more dessert," he admitted in a mumble.
Belos laughed at that. "We'll see if he grants your wish at dinner, little one. Now, press your hands together like this and bow your head..."
Hunter dutifully copied his uncle's movements.
"Good. I will recite a prayer to God, and you must repeat exactly what I say."
"Will He be able to hear us from the Boiling Isles, Uncle?"
He could feel his uncle's intense gaze land on him. "Of course He can," Belos answered gently, "God is all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful. As long as you pray with the intent of reaching Him, He will listen."
Privately, Hunter wondered how He could hear them. It wasn't like the Titan, who heard, saw, and felt everything the witches and demons did because they lived on His bones. God was in another realm entirely, and he had no messenger on the Boiling Isles.
He opened his mouth to ask, but Belos already began speaking. "Our Father, who art in heaven-"
"What's heaven?" came out instead, the new information sweeping away the old musings.
His uncle immediately shushed him. "Don't interrupt the prayers, Hunter," he scolded lightly, "Ask your questions later, just repeat after me."
Hunter pouted, but ultimately relented. "Our Father, who art in heaven..."
As he fell into the rhythm of chanting prayer, he let his mind wander, fantasizing about round-eared witches kneeling and chanting at the foot of a massive skull.