Demetrios

I met Morpheus, the god of sleep and dreams, and many other things. I met him, and he was lovely.

I had just gotten off work, leaving the building and waiting to cross the street. I was fatigued, and it showed horrifyingly on my pallid face. When the light turned red, I crossed alongside other pedestrians, with my eyelids sunken and my muscles aching with every movement I made. Deciding that I had already crossed the street, I lifted my gaze, but not quick enough because I collided with someone. I knew it was a person because they grabbed my arm before I could stumble back onto the busy road. The thought of that happening made me gasp, and I immediately clutched onto whoever was holding me. A chuckle rumbled within the stranger's chest, and I looked at them. My shoulders stiffened, and I forgot how to breathe because the person in front of me was tall, way taller than I was, and I was extremely tall. I first noticed his eyes, how unrealistically bright they were. The blue of his pupil almost faded into white if it were not for the dark blue circling the orb, which itself fascinated me. What truly astonished me was how eerily familiar he looked, as though I've seen him many times before, but I suddenly couldn't place my finger on where.

"You are lucky it was me who caught you. If it were the man you originally were supposed to bump into, you would be dead." His voice came low and clear like melted ice, and I shivered.

"You . . ." I couldn't find the words. I only looked down at our hands and how large his hand looked next to mine. As if noticing, too, he released me.

"Th-Thank you." I found the words and forced them out.

"You are welcome." He bowed his head, and my eyes widened at his formality.

I turned to walk away, and I did, but I could feel his eyes burning into my back, so I looked at him over my shoulder, and he, indeed, was staring right at me. I have to admit, it was irritating—not the fact that he was watching me, but the fact that I couldn't shake the feeling I've seen him somewhere before.

 "I-I'm sorry but, have we met before? You—You look familiar, and it's seriously bugging me how I can't figure out where I've seen you." The words flew out of my mouth before I could swallow them, and the man seemed to be amused at how quickly I spurred them. A smile tugged at his lips as he introduced himself.

"I am Morph, short for Morpheus."

He stretched out his hand, and I accepted it.

"Demetrios," I said.

Morpheus nodded and shook my hand, prompting me to look down at it. His hands were completely different from his eyes, as his eyes were icy, but his hands were like the sun. I drank in his appearance; his skin, satiny and flawless, the complexion of weak tea with milk; his body was quite Herculean, covered in black and white clothes that clung to him; then I moved up to his face and noticed the silver of his hair, how it appeared white before the sun. He realized my staring, and the smirk that painted his lips forced my eyes away from him.

"You didn't answer my question." I cleared my throat and released his hand. He stepped forward and stretched his hand, prompting me to walk, and I did.

"We have met many, many times before, and we still do." He finally answered.

"Have you ever heard of Greek Mythology?" He asked, glancing at me. I nodded, and he smiled in content.

"What do you know?"

"I know only of Poseidon."

Morpheus hummed and said, "Not a big fan, huh?"

I shrugged, thinking back to when I stumbled upon Poseidon. I had only heard a past schoolmate mentioning his name, and out of curiosity, I searched him up. That was a very long time ago, and I had no understanding of religion or myths. I only knew that that man was a god and a powerful and beautiful one.

"Not really. I don't do religions."

Morpheus halted and looked at me as though I had murdered his heart.

"We have nothing to do with religion, boy."

His tone hardened on the word, 'boy,' and I worried that I had upset him.

"Sorry, I just assumed-"

"I am joking. I am not mad," Morpheus chuckled. "But we do have nothing in common with religion. People either believe in us, or they do not, and yes, that is like most religions. We possess superhuman abilities, but unlike religion, we do not bring division. We bring unity. We bring peace. We are the earth—we exist in and around you. We do not separate ourselves from you because we are you."

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him. "We?"

"Ah, yes." Morpheus cocked his head as though realizing something. "You would not know of me given that your parents never told you about us, and you never took it upon yourself to further your education."

I frowned. "You make me sound stupid."

That triggers a laugh in him. "Perhaps you are. You do not know who you are if you do not know who we are."

We stopped at a pedestrian crossing, and I took that moment to say, "That still doesn't explain why you seem so familiar."

"I will leave that up to you to remember," he replied. "Come. We must hurry."

Morpheus grabbed my arm once again and pulled me across the street. We brushed through people until we crossed, and Morpheus slowed down. The silence that followed allowed me to look at him again, noting how tall he was now that I was standing upright. He wasn't just tall—he was large and broad. I was a pebble next to this rock.

I guess he felt me watching because he said, "I am a god." He captured my eyes with his. "My appearance is similar and different from your kind. We appear in human form, but the difference is noticeable."

It was then I noticed the eyes following us, following him. His difference showed, and it showed tremendously.

"You are quite the open-minded one, Demetrios. Or is it that you think I am lying and playing along?"

His words startled me, and I shook my head. "What? No, I don't-"

"You are also easy to play with." Morpheus laughed, and it took me a moment to realize that he was pulling my strings again.

"I have always liked that about you. You swallow any bit of information you got and decide where it will travel from there, whether it will remain in your brain or your heart."

His words swallowed me, and he knew that. My hand came up to my chest, clutching at my shirt, and I could have felt the dust of my embarrassment sprinkle across my cheeks.

"Are you tired?" He suddenly asked, slowing down. He looked down at me, and I nodded. It had been a while since we began walking, and I was starting to believe that he had no idea where he was going.

"Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere is fine."

Morpheus nodded and pulled me toward the nearest cafe where we sat and ordered coffee. When the waiter served it to us, I turned to him.

"If you're a god, that means Poseidon is real, correct?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Very much so."

"Is he on earth?"

"Currently? No." Morpheus brought his drink to his lips, and he swallowed.

It brought a sort of relief to my chest, as when I found out about Poseidon, I hadn't only recognized him, but I started to like him more than I should have. It was silly of me, but I was just a child who had crushes on characters I thought were fictional.

Morpheus noticed my shifting and asked, "Why?"

I averted my gaze, my cheeks betraying me. "I kind of had a thing for Poseidon."

Morpheus only looked at me and allowed me to shift in his silence. When I decided to catch his reaction, there was amusement swimming in his orbs.

"I know," he said, and my eyes widened.

"Wh-What? How?" I stammered, my face reddening.

"Your name," He said. My eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"My name?" I asked, and he agreed.

"Your name is Demetrios, lover of the earth. It is no surprise to me that the one god you know and admire is Poseidon, god of the sea."

I slumped in my chair.

"Do not worry. You are not the only one and will never be." His tone was dead, and it was evident that I had unintentionally upset him.

I tugged on my bottom lip with my teeth and looked at Morpheus. He was already watching with his eyes lowered to my lips. When I released it, he met my eyes once more.

"How about you? What god are you?" I asked.

"I will not tell you just yet." That playful tone returned, and he smirked.

I frowned at him. "That's unfair."

Morpheus only chuckled and shrugged, taking another gulp from his drink before he placed it back on the table.

"Why are you telling me all this? What if I had called you crazy and made a scene out of it?" I asked.

"If that were the case, I would not have approached you," he replied.

"How would you have known?"

"That has a bit to do with who I am."

"Then tell me who you are. Don't leave me in the dark." I frowned deeply, and that frown turned into a slight pout. Morpheus glanced down at my puckered lips before meeting my eyes again. Instead of laughing like I'd hope he would, he frowned.

"I have never left you in the dark," he argued.

"You're leaving me in the dark right now." I narrowed my eyes on him.

"False! We are clearly in the light," the god said almost hurtfully. I opened my mouth to insult him, ask him who's the stupid one now, but decided against it, seeing that he was a god and I did not want death to approach me too quickly.

"Still, what does this have to do with me?" I asked. Morpheus took a brief sip from his drink, finishing it off.

"You are one with the gods, Demetrios," he said, and my entire body went cold. He noticed my reaction and shook his head.

"Of course, you are not a god, but you are connected to us."

"That helps. A lot."

Morpheus smiled at my sarcasm and said, "When a human being is in the womb, a god or goddess claims them. Demeter, your godly mother, claimed you; this only happens if there is a believer in the family."

"Believer?" I perked an eyebrow.

"One who believes in us," he explained.

"So, my mother named me after a goddess."

"Yes."

"Okay, you sound unbelievable right now." I pinched the flesh between my eyes and sighed heavily.

"I know," he said, and the god dared to chuckle at me. "Has your father ever told you about the gods and goddesses of Greece?"

"No."

"What is his name?"

"Demetri."

Morpheus seemed content with my response, and I rolled my eyes.

"That still doesn't make any sense."

Morpheus sighed and laid his chin in his palm, his elbow biting into the table between us.

"It does not get any clearer than this, Demetrios," he said. "Demeter claimed you—and your father—the moment you were formed in the womb and placed your name within your parents' mind, and thus, you were born a child of the goddess."

"But, doesn't that mean we have to believe in you guys to be claimed?"

"The one who believes does not necessarily need to be an immediate family member or be alive on this earth. For example, it could be an aunt, or a brother, or a deceased grandmother. Their faith could be so strong that the gods and goddesses remain loyal to their family."

Morpheus' orbs lowered to the vase between us, and he pulled a loose white flower out of it; a cosmos. He grabbed my hand and placed it in the middle of my palm.

"Bid me, do you love this earth?" He asked, closing my palm around the cold and wet flower. He released my hand. I brought it toward me, looking down at the petals that were beginning to darken in color.

"Of course, I do. Everyone does-"

"But not like you do. Not like Demeter's children do." Morpheus grinned at me in awe. He was desperately searching for a similar reaction in me, but I couldn't give him one.

"You feel connected to the earth, as though she guides you everywhere, and you especially feel connected on your highest day."

That piqued my interest.

"My highest day?"

Morpheus nodded, and I furrowed my eyebrows. Then it became clear to me what he was referring to.

"My birthday."

"Correct."

"But—But, no one told me-"

"About us. And I do not blame you for feeling small and confused. It is not your fault."

I remained silent for a moment, then looked at him. "Why are you the only one?"

Morpheus raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Why are you the only one that I see?"

That seemed to brighten up his already radiant eyes, for the man grinned widely at me.

"I am the god associated with sleep and dreams. I have the privilege most gods and goddesses wish they had. You see," Morpheus leaned towards me, eyes widen in bewilderment at his ability. "I am the only god who is allowed to meet your kind."

"Why me then?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

Morpheus' face fell, and he gulped. He averted his eyes immediately. Once he met my gaze again, he sighed as though agreeing with himself.

"Well, the thing is . . . you are in my favor."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Favor?"

"It is when a god claims you in a . . ." He stopped himself, and I looked at him

"In what?" I asked. He didn't want to answer, so I decided to change the subject.

"How long have you been visiting me?" I asked.

"Ever since you learned how to dream."

"And you visit everyone?"

Morpheus nodded. "Yes, but I enjoyed your company the most. I enjoyed watching the you in your dreams grow as the you on earth matured. You became such a lovely being. I had to meet you."

Morpheus laughed to himself as though falling back on a precious memory.

"I especially loved when you dreamt about the earth."

"You should have just told me when I bumped into you," I told him, my voice in a whisper.

"But then you would not have come to like me as much as you do now." His smirk was all it took to have me turning red.

"W-Who said that I liked you? I told you. I-I like Poseidon." I stuttered.

Morpheus chuckled, reached for my hand, and I allowed him to clutch onto it. "Liked. You liked Poseidon."

I looked at him and gulped as he met my eyes. His gaze intensified, and I shifted.

"Ca-Can you stop looking at me like that?" My cheeks burnt vehemently.

Morpheus asked, "Like what?"

"Like you're gonna capture me and keep me forever."

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea."

My eyes widened, and Morpheus laughed. "Of course, I cannot do such a thing, Deme. That would be harsh of me."

I flushed at the nickname and cleared my throat. Morpheus' eyes continued to pierce through my skin, and it brought me back to what he mentioned before.

"You claimed me," I murmured, and he heard me because his shoulder stiffened for a second before he relaxed.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"Does that make you my godly father or-"

Morpheus cut me off. "Oh gods, no. You either have a godly father or mother, never both."

"Then, in what way did you claim me?" I dared to ask.

Morpheus was silent for a moment before he replied, "I think you know."

I had my suspicions, but I wanted to hear it from his mouth, and when he cupped my cheek, I melted.

"You are mine, Demetrios, until you leave this earth, but only if you accept me. The Fates have tied us together, but it is only you who can cut it."

My breath left me, and my knees turned to water. "Fates?"

Morpheus nodded. "They are like our god."

He sighed suddenly. "It is almost time."

"Time?"

"To go back to my world."

"There's a limit?"

"Unfortunately, yes. So, whether or not I kidnapped you and kept you with me forever, the gods, and your mother, would never allow it." Morpheus smiled. He stood from his seat, never once letting go of my hand as he led me out of the cafe. We walked back to my house, this time in comfortable silence.

"Will you be back?" I asked him when we reached my doorstep. He insisted on going up to my room, and I let him.

His nod did not bring me comfort.

"Not in my dreams, Morpheus."

He cupped my cheek. "I will be both in your dreams and on this earth."

A smile painted my lips as I lowered my head, finally content. "Okay."

Morpheus lifted my hand and kissed the back, then moved up to my wrist before he skipped my arm and arrived at my face. He kissed my forehead, then my cheeks, then my nose. Before he went to kiss my lips, he whispered. "Sleep well."

And darkness consumed me.

That was the day I met Morpheus, the god of sleep and dreams, and many other things. I met him, and he was tremendously lovely.