She smiled at the god and followed him through the mansion. The room was a peaceful color and she couldn't help but stare at the pool within. "Is it hard? Dealing all the punishments?" She asked and sat beside him. There were gentle waves washing around the pool. "What is it like up there?" She asked and nodded toward the ceiling.

Jo fought the urge to bombard him with questions about everything.she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder and squeezed. "Ready." And Alexander began to work.

"Do the gods usually have significant others? Like...do you date? Or is someone just automatically made for you?" She bit her lip and her cellphone buzzed. It was Tom, a friend from work.

-killer swells coming in tomorrow morning! It is Saturday and you do have a life!-

She smiled at the text and opened the weather app. There was a storm coming this way and was due to hit Saturday night. The wave would be high and rough that morning. She looked over at Alexander, he seemed so focused and attuned to the tasks before him. She almost hated disturbing him. "What do you do for fun?"

She wanted to know everything about them. They fascinated her. Jo scrolled through her phone and watched the pool as the god beside her worked. There were thousands of questions that bubbled up to the edge of her tongue, but she bit her lip. Let him work. Turning back to her phone, she used her free hand to type a reply back to Tom.

-Will be there! Are you going a little after sunrise like normal?-

She surfed with this group often and she loved hanging out with them, but sometimes they seemed a little...Dense for lack of a better word. Jo looked back over at Alexander and then into the pool before them.

Is it hard delivering punishments? was the first question out of her mouth and to that, Alexander pressed his lips together in thought. For him, punishing humans was the hardest thing he could ever do because deep in his heart, he wanted to believe all humans were good. But when it comes to justice, they needed to be set on the right path again so he was without a pause when it came to punishing those who needed it. “Magically, too much work can be exhausting; morally, it’s what it takes to get the humans on the right path.”

With her hand on his shoulder, he held an open palm over the waters and it rippled to reveal the face of a man. At that Alexander snapped his fingers and the image faded away. He began to cycle through, bringing up imagines of people through their daily lives and snapping his fingers without a word, flicking through papers as he did so. Her question stopped him in mid-snap and he looked up at her, confusion on his face. “Like humans, we choose our mates and create families. I’m flattered Miss Jo, however I have no interest in romance at this time. In addition to that, no one really knows if love be4tween a human and a god is possible.” At that he went back to filtering through people and snapping his fingers as he did so.

By the time her attention returned to him, he was more than half way through his pile of papers; almost to the 3/4th mark in fact. “You will most likely be with the lion, who will more than likely not take his work seriously.” Alexander’s voice expressed a large amount of annoyance towards Leon but his expression remained professional as he continued on with this work. “What do I do for fun?” He repeated to ask himself more than to make sure he heard him properly. “I enjoy reading. Knowledge is exceptionally important and I prefer to be knowledgeable than lack knowledge. In addition to that I enjoy indulging in human fictional stories once and a while. The things that humans come up with in their imagination are truly fascinating.” Even as he spoke, he continued to snap his fingers; never breaking his concentration.

After about an hour, Alexander had filtered through the large stack of papers and gently removed her hand from his shoulder a signal they were done. “Thank you for your assistance Miss Jo. I would walk you out but I have a few things I need to complete on the paperwork before I can step away. Please take the stairs back up into the main portion of the house and turn right; that hallway will take you past the sitting room and to the front door. Drive carefully.”

Upstairs in the sitting room was Leon, sitting on the couch he was bent over writing on paperwork. His eyes intense and focused as he scribbled on one paper and placed it on a stack with other writing, he then picked a document not written on from another stack and began to read and make notes. A tea pot filled with tea and an empty cup was the only thing keeping him company in the room. His stomach growled loudly, echoing through the room for the fourth time but he continued to work, writing away on the papers and running his free hand through his hair. Paperwork sucked… and Isabelle always brought him more than the others because of his position. Who would have known looking after so many other employees could cause so much paperwork.

Blushing at Alexanders answers she stuttered a reply but couldn't find the words. She didn't mean for him to take it quite like that. "I like reading too. It's like I can go to a completely different world and be whoever I want to be when I read." She smiled and stood, tugging down the hem of her shirt. "Alexander, you can just call me Jo. All of you can. I'm not some rich princess," She joked and laughed quietly. He nodded slightly but said nothing. She bit her lip as he continued to flip through the paperwork. "Alright, well call if you need me to come help you guys any time okay?" She headed for the door. "Oh and Alexander?" She turned her head back. "Thanks for answering my questions.

As she headed back up the stairs of the mansion she thought about the people that had passed through the pool in front of Alexander. She couldn't help but feel a little twinge of sorrow for them, but at the same time she knew that he was right. They needed to be guided. Her mind sifted through the images of all the gods and goddesses that she had ever learned about and wondered what type she was. The door closed gently behind her as she gathered her things from the table against the wall by the front door.

"Keys, phone, wallet," She ticked each item off as she gathered them in her arms. The sound of rustling papers and a sigh startled her. She jumped slightly and then laughed at herself. She spotted a shock of golden blond hair on the sofa. Leon. She walked over and perched on the arm of the couch and coughed gently to get his attention. He didn't look up. He was engrossed in his paperwork. "So, I'm finished with Curt and Alexander." She stated and leaned forward, peering at him. "Thanks for only making me do 2 at a time." Silence. Just scribbling and flipping through pages. He sat stone still.

Jo huffed and stood up abruptly. "I am going surfing in the morning." She slid her phone into her back pocket and jangled her keys. "I can help you when I am finished or you can come with me." She said shortly and headed for the door. "I will finish around 12 probably." She door creaked open and a wave of warm air hit her. "I leave my house at 6:45 am," She stated and closed the door behind her, not giving him time to look at her or protest. He shows up at 6:45 or I meet him here when I'm done.

The presence of the little goldfish wasn’t all too surprising while he didn’t seem like he was paying attention, he really was. He heard every word she had to say and she even thanked him. His body shifted slightly when she sat down on the edge of the couch but nothing more than that.

Ssssurfing? His mind raced at the idea of surfing. He had watched the humans do it from the heavens and while they were shores and waters in the heavens there were no oceans so surfing wasn’t something they did. But the idea of it looked basic enough and seemed similar a few other activities they did. A smirk moved across his face as he heard her storm out. Leaning back on the couch he glared at the paperwork. So he had until 6:45am to get all this done…

-----------

The morning rolled around and Leon climbed out of his bed and stumbled down the staircase to the main hall and into the dining room. Hue looked up at him, a confused look on his somber face before shaking his head and returning to his book. Obviously the groggy Leon had something on his mind or the Lion would not be awake at this hour. Either he had something he wanted to do or stayed up way too late… or both.

“Oh my god…” A whispering sunbather said to another as they pointed in a direction.

“Whoa… he’s so hot…”

“Look at him he’s like a god!”

“You could wash shirts on those abs and hang off those arms.”

Conversations exploded on the beach as a young man in a pair of swim trucks walked along the shoreline. His body tan reflecting from the sunlight, every muscle more defined than the last. A large hand ran through his golden hair as his amber-gold eyes scanned the scene around him. People seemed to unknowingly lean towards him as he walked, some girls he passed stumbled in their walk and nearly fell on each other. But did he care?

This was Leon, of course he didn’t care. His focus was on one thing and one thing only. “Goldfish.” He said with a smile as he set the board standing in the loose sand and leaned against it with a cheeky grin; any photographer would want that picture and slap it on the cover of any magazine. “Sorry I’m late. Are we ready to surf?”

Jo stood with her back to the parking lot, taking in the sunrise and the waves that were beating against the shoreline. Tom stood beside her, grinning from ear to ear. There was another man sitting in the sand, waxing his board with a small pink cube of wax. His name was Jack. Jo looked from Jack to Tom and grinned back. "The swell looks great this morning." She looked down at her watch and adjusted her rash guard. She was wearing her black and red rash guard and a pair of red bikini bottoms. There was a small, braided string of pinks, blues and purples tied around her left ankle.

"Let's hit it then! This is going to be awesome!" Tom nearly shouted and tucked his board under his arm. He and Jack took off toward the waves whooping and hollering.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Bunch of kids," She muttered and was about to pull her board from the sand when she heard a deep familiar voice. She felt him before she saw him. His aura was so strong that it nearly pulled her in. She fought to ignore it. glancing over her shoulder at Leon, she smirked. Then she took in the sight of him. Her mouth dried and her stomach did a little flip. He looked heavenly for lack of a better term. He seemed to be laughing. He was in good spirits today.

"Yes you are late." She acknowledged, still baffled by the board and his appearance. "You know how to surf? Mr. I-don't-do-anything-fun," She puffed out her chest and mocked him. He seemed to play it off. "Alright. Let's go." She waded out into the water with Leon close behind her. "Tom! Jack!" She called to them. They stopped paddling and sat up on their boards looking slightly confused. "The one on the right is Tom and the other is Jack." She made the brief introductions as they caught up to the two men.

Tom puffed out his chest a little and made a gruff noise. "Didn't know you were bringing anyone, Jo," He looked at her accusingly. She shrugged. "Well. I hope you don't drown. It's going to get a little rough," Tom stated and started paddling again. Jack looked from Tom to Jo and then shook his head, helpless. Tom mumbled something under his breath along the lines of 'stupid guy. Why'd she bring him.'

Jo looked at Tom, confused, and then at Leon and shrugged. "Well. We like to wait for the bigger ones, they are more fun to ride anyway," She explained and stopped paddling. They were a good ways away from the shore at this point. There were a few other surfers out, but not many brave the rougher waves. "Here we go!" She shouted as Tom and Jack turned, preparing for the swell. It was a large wave that looked like it would barrel before it crashed down on them. They all started paddling.

Once it hit, Jo stood up and yelled, "Woohoo! Here we go, boys!" She spread her feet apart on the gripping surface of the board and cut across the water, leaving a trail of white foam as she sped past the guys. She was the only one from the lab that would surf with them. She was actually the only girl at the lab as well. She kind of had that personality that made it hard for her to have many female friends. She gravitated toward males naturally. The wave rose high above them. Jo tilted her head back and laughed as it crashed, knocking her off balance. She fell back into the water and came up laughing. "That was awesome!"

“Come now goldfish.” Leon said playfully as he scooped the board and tucking it under his arm. “I am a god. Of course I know how to surf.” With that he followed her out onto the water and began to paddle. Of course he was met with dislike form another male, envy was very common for him to feel and he couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle as Tom made some comments under his breath. Shaking his head and continued to paddle towards the outter waves.

Falling in formation with the group he followed their patterns and soon was up on the board like they were. Watching Jo with interest he matched her movements and soon speed passed the other men and followed in Jo’s trail. Why… well he’d like to think that it was because she was the goldfish who could help them complete their lives on earth and get them back into the heavens. And while that is part of the reason, the other part was that he found her fascinating and that showed on his face.

Leon ended up speeding by her and making it out of the tunnel before the wave crashed down. He lowered himself back onto the board and looked over at the group who had popped back up out of the water. Scooping some of the water up in his hands he ran his fingers through his soft hair and down his neck. Opening his amber-golden eyes he looked back at Jo and for the first time, he smiled. It wasn’t an arrogant ‘I’m better than you’ or the cocky ‘I am a god’ smile; it was a genuine smile of joy. As bright as the sun and as white as a natural pearl; but what do you expect from a god?

Pulling herself back up onto her board, Jo giggled and yelled "woohoo" once more as Tom and Jack paddled over to them. She took her hair down and shook it out. "What a rush!" She exclaimed. She looked over at Leon and her breath caught in her throat. He was smiling.

Tom cleared his throat. "Glad you stayed on, mate. These swells can be a bit much for some people." He nearly scoffed at Leon and turned back to Jo. "You okay?"

She waved him off. "Yeah...yeah I'm fine," she panted, trying to catch her breath. A small blush crept into her cheeks as she turned away from the god in front of her. "Last one out is shark bait!" She called and started paddling back out to where they had originally started. Distracting herself from all the thoughts rushing through her mind.

~*3 hours later*~

Jo sat down in the sand just out of reach of the water and dropped her board beside her. She was panting hard. Tom and Jack had said their goodbyes. Tom was sure to emphasis that he would see Jo Monday morning. She fell back into the sand laughing. "That was so much fun! I can't believe you came! And you have so much work to do!" She tried to put on a serious face. "Do we need to start now?" She laughed, unable to stay serious. "Or can we eat first. I'm starving!" She buried her feet in the soft warm sand and closed her eyes, enjoying the day.

“Only goldfish fall off their boards unintentionally.” Leon called back to Tom when he commented about him being able to stay on. Unlike the rest of the group; Leon was the only one to stay on their board the whole time. Jo was laughing when she feel so far as he was considered, she fell off for fun. He followed them out to the rest of the waves and despite the best attempts of the other men; he never fell off of his board.

---

Upon suppurating from the other men Tom seemed to scuff more towards Leon who just tilted his head back and smirked at him. Silly goldflish, he was in the presence of a god; of course the god would get more attention than he would. As they walked away Leon stuck his board into the sand with a natural easy. Sitting down next to her, he held his hand open and palm up. In a smooth motion he moved his other hand over his palm and a hot dog like the one she ate at the carnival. Without giving it much of a word he placed the hot dog in her hand.

Without saying anything he began to look around the beach, he could hear the wishes of the people around them none of them were documented but that didn’t mean they weren’t important. His eyes stopped on a little boy who was struggling to build a sandcastle, “Goldfish, given me your hand.” He said softly and when she placed her palm in his, he snapped his free fingers and the little boy’s father woke up from his nap and began to help the little boy build a sandcastle. A nod left him as he let go of her hand and turned back to her. “There, I’m working.” He said simply with a shrug.

Rolling her eyes, Jo chewed on the last bite of her hot dog and admired the simple work that Leon had just done. It was so simple, and yet it seemed to have a giant impact on that little boy. She didn't take her eyes off the boy when she started to speak. "Does it give you a warm feeling in your heart when you grant wishes like that?" She remembered the couple that she had helped Curt with the day before. Sighing, Jo closed her eyes again. "What I wouldn't give to see the heavens like you have and help people like you do."

Her heart went out to all the gods and goddesses that help turn people toward the right path and reward their earnest wishes. She leaned back on her elbows and looked over at the lion. "Where did you pick up surfing? Do you do that much where you're from?" She twisted her face up into a funny grin and then laughed out loud at herself. Her toes scrunched up in the sand as she thought about surfing with Leon some more. No matter how much fun they have, though, a nagging feeling that this will never last kept eating at her heart. They had all said so in so many words.

"I feel like I come close when I help animals," She admitted. "They are helpless in their own world with no one to really defend them. That's why I moved here." She stopped herself. Well, she moved here for a guy, but she wasn't going to let that sour her mood. "I focus mainly on the sea life because the ocean kind of reminds me of the heavens. So much of it is undiscovered and there is so much we don't know." Jo was mainly talking to herself at this point, She forgot about Leon sitting statue still beside her.

She was focused on something far beyond the horizon, staring out at nothing as she continued. "I just feel like I can't do enough while I'm here. I want to make a difference, but I don't have the power, the means to do it. No matter how hard I try I can't put a dent in anything." She took a deep breath, returning to the present, and blushed a crimson red. She had completely forgot that she wasn't alone and talking to herself. She had just poured her soul out. "Oh shit," She muttered and looked any direction but his.

Boy this girl loved to talk… But Leon didn’t mind listening. In fact he was learning more and more about the human world than he had ever expected. Tilting his head to one side he watched her closely. Though they lack manners, not even a thank you for the hot dog… Maybe humans had a longer way to go than he had originally thought in order to catch up with the gods. Hm…

Though she brought up some valid points that he couldn’t help but have turn over in his mind and his expression turned slightly to one of pondering. Animals had no real way to defend themselves and neither did humans. They were somewhat alike in that since. However, since his time on earth, he has found that humans really can fend for themselves and sometimes the simple wishes like the one he just granted for the little boy who only wished to make a better sand castle proved that the bigger wishes that reach the heavens are those desperate need for help… but it’s not all humans.

“I learned by watching the humans as I was walking the shore. The closest thing in the heavens is the human idea of ‘skateboarding’.” He said with a nod before leaning back on his hands and watching her closely as she began to ramble on about how she felt like she couldn’t do enough because she didn’t have powers. Powers like his were great but… “I envy your ambition.” He stated bluntly never breaking eye contact. “We can do whatever we please and yet you work for everything you do. What you assume doesn’t affect anything can make the big difference. Goldfish never look at the small picture and enjoy the little things they do to make the world better. That is your downfall. Take more pride in what you do goldfish…” His voice was soft and gentle, “Only you can do what you do. And you must do it to your best abilities.”

At that he got up and grabbed the board. “Come goldfish, we have work to do.” Leon began to head towards the parking area where he knew her car would be, but not three feet from her he dropped the board, grabbed his thigh and fell to the ground groaning in pain. “Hot… hot… hot…” He grunted as he pulled up the left short leg to reveal a pitch black tattoo. Leon was wincing in pain as he covered it with his hands as if to protect it from burning anymore. His face buried into his board to hide his expression of pain but there was no doubt it hurt.

Jo clicked her tongue against her teeth as she listened to him speaking. She found even the sound of his voice seemed to be hypnotic. Blinking her eyes, she tried to pry herself from the trance we was weaving. She was still staring into the distance of the horizon trying not to look him in the eyes again. If she continued to stare into the golden gaze, she didn't know what would happen. It was only when he stood up and brushed the sand from his shorts that she actually remembered they had a job to do.

Leon was only a few feet in front of her as they walked to the car. She had her board under her right arm and her towel draped across her left shoulder. Jo wasn't paying to much attention to her surroundings because she was watching Leon closely. He seemed to move with the elegant grace of a big cat. She looked over her shoulder at the ocean one last time for the day and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a guttural groan.

Dropping her board and towel where she stood, she sprinted the few feet to where Leon laid on the ground, cradling his thigh. Jo could see the thick black lines of a tattoo just underneath his short leg. Leon was rolling to the side and muttering incoherently. "Shit shit shit shit shit, Leon? Leon, are you okay?" She dropped to her knees beside him and tried to pull his upper body into a sitting position. The tattoo seemed to radiate heat.

Jo looked around and saw that people were starting to stop and stare. She used every once of strength she had to tug him to his feet and half walk half carry him to her jump. She sat him slightly roughly in the backseat. "Sorry," She muttered and leaned across him to swing his feet in. Jo ran back to grab both boards and then climbed in the jeep beside Leon. She didn't know what to do or what was happening. Gods can't die from sunburn right? "Leon?" She said gently and touched his cheek. His eyes were still scrunched closed and his face was twisted in pain. "What do I do?"

She called the first person she could think of that might know what to do. "Curt?" She nearly gasped when he answered on the second ring. "Leon is, well, I don't know." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest. "He collapsed on his way to the car and his tattoo on his thigh is burning him. She hung up and got into the driver seat. "Mansion. I'm going to get you to the mansion, Leon. Hold on." She put the jeep in gear and started to drive.

His whole body became exhausted as he held his thigh in pain. “Hot… hot… hot…” He kept muttering over and over again as he attempted to bury his face further and further into the board. Being one of the stronger gods in heavens he felt pathetic. Letting something as small as a burn get to him like this was nothing he was proud of. Yet here he was, curled up into a ball in pain because of the damn mark the king gave him.

Being pulled into the upright position was a strange feeling to him, simply because he wasn’t the one who was doing it. Lying against her shoulder, he felt the warmth of her being and could even feel the pounding of her heart as if stressed or worried. Did… did she generally care about his wellbeing? As he was lifted to his feet he attempted to walk beside her, limping most of the way as he did so. Her warmth… her comfort… the smell of her hair… the pounding of her heart… the beauty of her soul… “Oooowww….” He groaned again. By the time they had reached the car he had lost most of the control of his body and practically collapsed in the back seat of her jeep. The last thing he remembered was her hand gently touching his cheek and despite the pain he was feeling, he leaned into her palm before completely passing out.

“Hello?” Curt’s voice echoed on the other end of the phone as he turned to Hue and pointed to the phone, “See, I told you this was a good idea!” It wasn’t until then that he heard what Jo actually had to say. “What?!” Voice filled with panic himself, he did his best to remain calm as Hue leapt to his feet and dropped the book from his hands. “Just get him to the mansion Jo; we’ll take care of him when you get here.”

The two department of Wishes gods were outside when Jo pulled up to the mansion. Without badgering her with questions, the two gods pulled Leon from the back of the jeep and half carried half drug his nearly unconscious body. Leon’s head rolled back, looking behind the two gods who were talking to each other in a rapid fire pace trying to figure out what was going on. His golden-amber eyes flickered open and he mouthed in her direction, “Don’t go…” His expression was one of pain and sorrow. It lasted for a moment before he was out again, his eyes shut and his head fell forward, his body going limp.

The men took Leon up the stairs and pushed the door open to reveal Leon’s bedroom. In the far left corner of the room was a pool of water like the one Jo used with Hue downstairs but smaller, the golden water reflecting the ceiling above. Hue and Curt laid the passed out Leon on the bed before Curt began to look him over.

“Miss Jo.” Hue said, speaking up rather quickly as he turned to her. It was a bit surprising to them that she would follow them all the way into the bedroom but maybe she was worried. “Please let’s step outside so Curt can work and tell me exactly what happened.” At that he ushered her out of the room, his cold stare demanding obeisance got them to step outside. His face softened and as if reading her mind, he spoke as he shut the door. “He’s not dead or going to die.” His voice held a knowledgeable and ‘matter of fact’ tone to it, “It takes a lot more than pain to kill a god; much less someone as stubborn and hard-headed as Leon. Now, I need you to take a few deep breathes and tell me exactly what happened from the beginning.”

The whole world seemed to turn on its axis as Jo drove to the mansion. Leon seemed to be going in and out of consciousness the whole time. She couldn't seem to get there fast enough, and once she did she watched helplessly as Curt and Hue dragged Leon up the stairs and into the mansion. Tears blurred her vision, but she could have sworn that he called out to her somehow. Jo rushed through the mansion to keep up with them, but was cut short by Hue as he pulled her back out of the room so Curt could work. She blinked up at him, not understanding for a moment, trying to listen to what was going on.

What happened. That's what he had asked her, wasn't it? She thought for a moment. What had actually happened? "Well..." She paused, trying to catch her breath. "I had met some friends at the coast and we were surfing. Leon was surfing as well, and he was fine! We were in the water for a few hours." She stopped and craned her neck over Hue's shoulder to try and see into the room. "What's happening, Hue?" She asked, desperate to be out of the dark.

He remained calm and urged her forward in her story. "We sat on the beach and talked, he granted a few wishes, we talked a little more, and then we packed up and were headed for the Jeep when he collapsed. I managed to get him into the backseat, but I don't think he was really awake for any of it." Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she bit her lip. Her stomach felt like it was in knots. Jo flinched as Leon let out a loud scream from within his bedroom. Her eyes met Hue's once more. "When he's awake I want to see him. I'm going to sit in the living room." She tried to peak into the room once more before turning to go. "He asked me to stay, I think, so please tell him I did and get me as soon as he wakes up," She begged and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

This whole day had been one from a dream, until about 30 minutes ago. It had all went to shit after that. Jo sat down on the sofa and hugged a pillow to herself. Jiggling her foot off the edge of the couch, she became more and more antsy. "I wonder if Isabelle is here," she wondered a loud. Looking around the room to see if anyone was there, and noting that no one was around, she got up and began exploring the mansion a little and wandering from room to room. there was no way in hell that she could just sit idly in the living room waiting.

“Miss Jo, don’t worry. Curt’s ability is to enhance the properties of something. As Leon heals, Curt can speed up the process, now please. Tell me what happened.” Hue briefly explained before giving her a nod and crossing his arms under his broad chest and listened intensely to her story. He remained silent as she spoke and gave her a nod of ‘okay’ when she said she would be staying but a look of confusion moved across his face as she said that Leon asked her to stay.

Tapping his foot against the ground he turned and went into the bedroom as Curt was finishing up. He explained the situation to Curt before he turned his gaze down to the sleeping Leon. “You don’t think he’s that stupid do you?”

“I don’t know…” Curt said in all seriousness as he looked down at the sleeping man. “But who’s going to argue with the wild lion of the heavens? I’m sure he knows it’s bad and will do his best to get rid of it. But… I don’t know if it will work.”

“WHAT?!” Scorpio roared as the gods stood outside of Leon’s bedroom and the Punishment gods received the explanation from the Department of Wishes. “How is that possible?!”

“The human is doing her job.” Hue responded with a nod and a shrug of his shoulders. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Leon figures it out by the time he work up. He’s almost as desperate to return to the heavens as you are Scorpio.” The girl scuffed at him as if to say ‘it’s not fair’ that Leon was figuring it out faster than everyone else. “But it seems like there was a mix of pain before everything settled.”

Axel finally spoke up, “So could it have gotten worse before it got better than? Like he was pushing the boundaries on the sin or committing one then the king decided it wasn’t a big deal?”

“That does sound like something the king would do…” Alexander commented quietly as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his thought filled gaze to the floor.

The gods’ attention turned to the hallway to see Jo had arrived to them gathered outside of Leon’s room and Scorpio was the first to her. “Goldfish!” She snapped in her authoritarian tone as she sized up the woman. “Leon’s mark has faded to almost half visible. What are you doing to remove his sin? Explain, now!”

“Goldfish!” Leon’s voice boomed from his room despite the door being closed. Scorpio stepped in her way to stop her from going in only to hear, “Scorpio you will regret letting her pass.” Leon’s cold and arrogant voice echoed through the door, threatening enough to convince the scuffing and irritated-looking Scorpio to step to the side and let her enter the room shutting them out.

Leon was sitting upright, a wet towel dabbing his head as his large chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. His broad back was resting against the assortment of pillows on the large bed and his short covered legs stretched out in front of him. The pant leg rolled up to reveal the tattoo, the mark of his sin, had truly faded. Unbelievable, he could go home once it was gone but… as his amber-golden gaze turned up to the goldfish walked in, now he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go back…

Jo walked tentatively into the room and closed the door on all 5 sets of eyes behind her. Her cheeks were only slightly tear stained and she had made sure that her eyes didn't look to red or puffy. It would be ridiculous to be so upset over a guy she met three days ago, and yet she was. Her heart ached for him as she stood just inside the doorway. His hair was wet and matted to his forehead, his breathing was quick and slightly labored, his skin was ashen pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Jo almost couldn't bear to look at him.

What she truly wanted was to run to him with open arms and press his nose against the stubble on his cheek and just breath him in. Her questioning eyes took in the sight of the tattoo fading on his leg, and then it hit her. 'Once our sins are erased we can return to the heavens.' That was the deal, right? The thought almost brought her to tears again and made her want to run to him that much more. Instead, she walked over and gently sat on the edge of the bed on his right side. "are you alright?" She whispered.

Leon really did look awful, but in the grande scheme of things he was really getting what he wanted. To go home. With trembling fingers, Jo gently reached up and stroked the side of Leon's face, running her fingertip down the side of his jaw. She was memorizing the lines of his face, the contour of his muscles, the color of his eyes as he stared up at her with a sort of dazed look on his face. This man, the man that had nearly forced himself on her when they first met, the man who seemed to arrogant to be friendly with anyone, the man who she truly wanted to despise because of what he made her feel. This man is the man that she really wanted to stay on earth.

"I suppose you have what you came for then," She said quietly, trying to keep the hurt from her voice. "Once this is gone," She pointed to his mark, "You can take Isabelle and go back to the heavens, right?" She turned her face away so he couldn't see it anymore. "What was your sin anyway? It seemed like it didn't take hardly anything to fix it. We didn't do anything but sit and talk on the beach." Jo brushed her hair behind her ear and ran her hands over her face, taking a steady breath.

Her eyes once again met Leon's gold gaze, searching for answers. She reached her right hand up again and gently touched his cheek. "I am glad you are feeling better thought. You had me, had us all worried," She corrected and looked away again, leaving her hand resting lightly on his forearm.

It took every ounce of him not to give in. Not to lean into her tender soft hands, not to reach out and hold her. Not to keep her all to himself and smoother her in his lo… Wait. He can’t think like that. It’s against the laws of the heavens to love one human more than another. This could be dangerous for both him and… mainly her.

“Isabelle lives in heaven, she just comes to visit but I wouldn’t have to worry about her being alone.” He said softly, he could feel the color returning to his cheeks and his body regaining strength thanks to the unexpected nap. Sadly, he figured out what the king wanted from him; he also figured out why the burning sensation happened. It was against the laws of the heavens to fall for a human…

When she mentioned his sin, his eyes darted from looking off into the distance straight to her face. An intense stare filled with a silent debate. He had to stop her from falling for him, it would be easier that way when he had to leave. In a quick motion he grabbed her wrist, reached forward and placed a hand on her hip. With a strong yank he pulled her onto him, flipped and pinned her down beneath him. Her wrists in his palms which he held firmly so she couldn’t move but didn’t hurt her; he stared directly down at her his eyes dancing in thought. What does he do… what does he do…

Leaning down he whispered in her ear. “I thought you’d never ask…” Pulling back he smirked down at her, though his eyes betrayed him; telling her that there was more to the story than he was going to give. Moving, he went to her other ear and whispered, “I defiled a goddess…”

Everything happened so quickly that Jo didn't even know what was happening, and by the time her senses caught up with her she was pinned beneath him, unable to move. The words he whispered in her ear made her stomach turn. In an instant she had went from thinking that she loved this man, to wanting nothing more than to kick him in the stomach and get as far away from him as possible. She had fallen for him, and he had done nothing but use her.

With both of her hands on his chest, she pushed as hard as she could, but couldn't move him. "Why does that not surprise me, Leon." She spat at him. Her tone dripping with venom. "I thought you were different and actually acting like you had some sense, but I was nothing but wrong. You did nothing but use me for your own personal gain and amusement!"

Jo's worst fears were confirmed as he pinned her down and all but leered at her. 'You are nothing but a sick man who doesn't know what is good for him if it bit him in the ass!" She pushed at him again and kicked her leg out. "Get off me! I never want to see you again! You used me!"

Tears flowed unbidden from her eyes, staining her cheeks once more. She couldn't tell if she was more hurt or angry. Mostly she was angry at herself for deluding herself into thinking that he actually felt something for her. "Leon. I am glad you got what you wanted." She wedged her knee underneath his stomach and pushed him off of her.

She was crying. She was crying because of him, because of the short description of his sin; because of what everyone in the heavens called the reason he was thrown out. Very few knew the whole story and here she was. Assuming like everyone else and crying.

When she kicked him off of her, he gave in, letting go of her hands and abruptly standing up. Snapping his fingers, his work clothes appeared back onto his body. “And here I thought you were different than the others.” He said, his voice a mixture of darkness and despair. It took every ounce of his strength not to turn back ground to her and hold her and let her cry on him. Instead he walked to the door of his bedroom and placed his pale on it.

Upon opening the door, it was nothing but blackness and he stepped inside, shutting the door with a heavy slam behind him.

A moment later the door slowly crept open, the little blonde girl stuck her head in. “Lord Leon? I brought tea…” She carried in a tray before looking around. The room was empty outside of Lady Jo sitting on the bed. Isabelle hurried across the room carrying a tray with tea cups, a sugar container and a fresh tea pot. Placing the tray down onto the end table, she reached over and grabbed Jo’s hand in her two little ones. “Lady Jo, what ever is the matter?”

Jo dropped her head in her hands and let out a strangled cry after he slammed the door behind him. Silence. The only sound in the room was her ragged breathing as she tried to catch her breath. "I thought you were different," She half whispered half gasped. She jumped when the door open and she hastily wiped her eyes and face. Jo saw Isabelle carry in a tray and hurry over to her. Jo really liked this little girl.

"Oh, Isabelle, I feel so used." Jo shook her head and wiped her face again. "Leon's sin is nearly gone. He will be returning to heaven with you soon enough." She gave the little girl's hands a squeeze. "He told me what he did to get him banished. I feel like all he did was use me! Use me to get back to what he wanted!"

Jo stood up abruptly and paced around the room. "At first he thought seducing me would erase his sin and send him back, so he tried to force himself on me! Then they all figured out that wasn't the case so he stopped trying to. I thought he was really coming around. He even asked me to stay when he was in so much pain, and I did! I stayed and all he did was try to seduce me again probably just like he did that goddess that got him thrown out in the first place!"

Kicking at the rug covering most of the floor, she let out another angry cry and flopped onto her stomach on the bed with her face buried in the pillows. "Isabelle, I thought it was him making me feel this way when I was near him, but I don't think it is. I think it's just me. I think I like him," She mumbled into the pillows without looking up as Isabelle sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

“Well…” Isabelle began as she gave Jo’s hand a small squeeze. “I bet you feel used but they need you to help them do their jobs and to figure out how to get rid of their sins. So yes… you may feel used and to be honest, you are being used. They can’t do anything without you.” She then let go of Jo’s hand as she began to pace around the room.

Sure she may look young, but she understood everything that Jo said when she explained that Leon had forced himself onto her. When she finally claimed down, at least to some degree and threw herself on the bed, Isabelle walked up behind her and placed a hand gentle on her back after sitting down. “Lady Jo, if I may… do you know the story of his sin? Or just the label? More importantly, do you know his story?” A small pause filled the room and a stiff air happened.

“I think he likes you too Lady Jo. More than just a friend does.” She said with a nod as she slid herself off the bed. “When we went to the carnival… I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lord Leon so relaxed unless he’s in his special place.” At that she went to the door and placed her little hand upon it. Her hand radiated a soft yellow light before she pulled open the door, revealing the same blackness that Leon had walked into minutes ago. “This is Lord Leon’s special place, or at least as close as he could get on earth. Only I know about it…” She nodded and let out a soft sigh. “You adults are so confusing. Why would you assume one sentence is an entire story? If you like him more than a friend, or even as a friend; you should know his side of the story before judging.”

At the end of a small stretch of darkness was a bright light. Which opened into a beautiful field of flowers with a mountain view and water. Since he couldn’t get back to the heavens for his secret spot, this was close though; surprisingly enough something beautiful happened on earth. Leon stood in the middle of the flower field his large hands in the pocket of his white slacks as he gaze out over the scenery. He put too much faith in a goldfish to be different… to not judge him on first sight… to hear his side of the story… to accept him for who he was… no. Not even a goldfish or a goddess could comprehend him. And here… here he thought she was different.