CAN'T STEP IN THE SAME RIVER TWICE;;Wes&Aria;;

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

{The waterfront. Nowhere else to put this- but still in Seattle}

Relief at last. The young man's blond hair whipped in the wind, a little longer than normal while it wasn't spiked with gel, brushing across his bright blue eyes that gazed out to the water. Yet as happy as he seemed, there was an odd tilt to his smile, like his mind was elsewhere. One arm was resting on the railing of the waterfront walk, the other crossed over it. But in that hand he held a small cell phone, turning it over absently in his palm. His shoulders were tensed, and every so often he glanced away from the waves that rippled in to the people wandering past him. If anyone took the time to watch him, they would know that he was waiting.

Eventually he pushed away from the rails, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was dressed in a long sleeved plaid shirt rolled up around the elbows, hanging loosely over jeans. The weather had taken a turn for the better as far as he was concerned- although angry gray clouds threatened to do much worse than the general overcast gloom, at least it brought a bit of a chill to the summer air, breaking through the humidity to pay the city a visit.

His eyes scanned the crowds heading toward him, and to the people just passing by. To his left stood open water, and to his right stood a marina, full of boats gently bobbing, safely tucked in their docks, and beyond that a small break-wall, or wharf.. Though there was a still a briny tang in the air, the view lacked the majesty of the open ocean, trapped in the Puget Sound. At least he had nothing to fear from the water here; it seemed that unlike demi-gods who harnessed the powers of Persephone and others like her, he wasn't a magnet for the thoughts of the animals that dwelled there. Oh yes, he knew from his studies that he could communicate with him, but that aspect wasn't very well harnessed or strong with Wesley.

He flipped open the cell phone one last time, seeing no change on the tiny screen. Of course, he was still early for their little meeting, but he kept getting wrapped up in his own paranoia that everything had to go just right.

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

Aria had had a friend drop her off where she was supposed to meet Wes. As soon as she got out of the car, saying thanks to her friend and then watching as she left; Aria quickly started fixing her appearance. She kept messing with her hair, before pulling out her phone to see what time it was. Two minutes, is all she had left. Of course, that's if she wanted to be exactly on time, but she didn't really care.

It'd been a while since she'd really talked to Wes. They had been pretty good friends, until he started blowing her off. Can't tonight, don't feel good, oh I promised my buddy I'd...It had always been something and finally Aria took a hint and stopped asking to hang out with him. So when he called and invited her to do something she said yes, in a heart beat. But the one thing she was worried about was her fear of it. She basically didn't even know how to swim...so it was good she wasn't here alone. Plus, just the idea of swimming scared the hell out of her, even if she wouldn't admit it.

When one more minute passed by, she fixed her appearance one last time and then began walking to actually look for Wes. Surely this was his element, as he was Poseidon's son. Which was why she had never told him about the whole scared of water thing. What if he didn't want to be friends with someone who hated water. She didn't place Wes at that kind of guy though, maybe he could actually help her get over her fear of water. The nymph sighed as she passed by a couple who seemed to be forgetting to breath when making out. She just grinned, laughing a small bit. Just then, she saw Wes. She smiled, when he saw her and waved. She walked a bit faster and was now in front of him.

She did the whole scratch the back of your head awkward move and then gave another small smile. He looked handsome, and anxious really. "Hey Wes!" she greeted hugging him nonchalantly, and then smiling again. "I'm so glad you called, I was missing you. How have you been?"

[ooc: it sucks, sorry. i am half asleep ]

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

As Aria's red hair bobbed through the crowd, Wes couldn't decide if he was relieved, or even more nervous now that he saw her approaching. At least he was able to push away the indecision for the time being, as her face lit up with a grin while she walked past the couple making out. As the two made eye contact, he lifted his hand in a wave, noticing the way she sped up to meet him. He was a good listener, but usually not so observant; yet today he could find nothing to distract him from analyzing Aria's every move.

He caught her in a one-armed hug, pleased to see how happy she was under the circumstances. Her cheerful greeting only enforced the guilt, and he felt his brows pull together worriedly while he fought back the urge to just admit to the crime already. Yes, he had been avoiding her on purpose. Just thinking about it made his heart beat a little faster, but he was trying very hard not to go there. It seemed that ever since they had started hanging out, he couldn't get the idea out of his head that he was reading more into the relationship than she was. What had started out as a lunch date to get to know her had gradually become a curious musing, that then kicked in. He liked her, and as friendly as Aria was, he got the feeling that it wasn't mutual in that way. So he had decided that until he could figure this out, he'd give her some distance. He didn't want to smother her and chase her away either. Being friends was fine, but he wanted to be sure that it was the only course first. The whole thing just seemed very counter-productive, but he didn't have a better plan unless she suddenly gave some very clear sign- which for all of his worldly experience, he was having a hard time picking up on.

"I've been busy, but pretty well considering." He tried to summon his usual smile; it felt a little odd, like maybe he was grinning too widely, but it would have to do. "What have you been up to lately? How's Moka?" Somewhere along the line they had started walking again, up toward the wharf, and he took his time looking out on the water to arrange his expression. When he next glanced back at her, it was with a genuine smile. He just had to remember not to over-complicate things; he was here, with her, and that was good enough. Later, if things were going well, he was going to casually bring up the topic of dating, but his best bet was to let things go that way on their own. He didn't want to suddenly blurt out something embarrassing like 'so, have a boyfriend yet?', or ruin what they already had by jumping the gun.

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

"I've been busy, but pretty well considering."....."What have you been up to lately? How's Moka?"

Aria smiled, brushing her red hair out of her face. She'd straightened it and parted it to the left. It looked rather adorable, especially since she'd gotten it re-dyed two days ago. She'd convinced herself it wasn't because of today, her "date" with Wes. She didn't exactly know what to call it. Sure, it was a date. But was it a date date? If that made any sense at all. It was like a kid saying...do you like like me...or just like me not like like me. And if it was a real date, which secretly she wished it was, then she was doing things all wrong. Plus with how he had been avoiding her, surely he didn't feel that way. Or so she thought.

Looking over at him as they walked, she stuck her hands in her back pockets. "Not much, I'm a boring person but Moka's good. She misses you ya know. I'm sure of it." She laughed and smiled at him. Really, Moka seemed to miss him but she figured it was because she couldn't hear her complain so without Wes...Aria would continue doing what she normally did whether Moka actually likes it or not. Moving away from her thoughts about Moka, she looked over at the water. This was a gorgeous place, and she found it adorable that the Poseidon demigod was here at a wharf. Seriously, the whole breathing underwater thing was kind of sexy if she thought about it. She had always been a bit boy crazy, so her heart did melt just a bit thinking about him shirtless.

Of course, she was trying her hardest to tell herself that he didn't feel that way. That they were just friends. Though seriously, they both needed to put out there what their relationship was. Surely she wasn't the only one a bit confused. Or maybe she was. Who knew?

She watched him as he walked a little bit ahead; staring at the back of his head a smile would creep onto her face. He seemed a bit nervous but it had been a while since they'd gotten together.

"Hey, lets go down to the beach"

She smiled, following behind him as he led the way. She had no idea whether he was planning to go swimming or what but surely, the water wasn't that wonderful. Who knew though, she never kept up with how the water was obviously. She hoped she wasn't going to have to swim though, it was embarrassing not being able to swim and being seventeen. Really, it wasn't not being able to, but it really was a fear. She bit her lip nervously, tensing her body up just when Wes turned his head back to hers. Quickly she tried summoning up a smile but really she didn't think she'd been quick enough. Craaap. Now he thought she was upset or something. Oh well, all she could do was hope that a smile would fix it.

So she skipped a bit and was now walking beside him. Smiling at him, her shoulder touching his every now and then. "So, have you ever tried the whole talking to sea animals thing?" she asked, meeting his gaze when she knew there were no other people in hearing distance.

[ooc: better i guess lol ]

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

There seemed to be a lot of missed glances between them, where one and then the other looked away as Aria gave her nonchalant answer. He wanted to assure her that she wasn't boring in the least, but it took a lot of effort to think of a way to do that without...you know, sounding blunt and kind of creepy.

Okay, so maybe he was omitting some things. Like the fact that he had seen Moka a few times during their little break- he had just made sure that Aria wasn't around, which just made him look that much more guilty.

Hands in his pockets as they strolled side by side, he finally caught her eye, and took her smile as encouragement, suggesting they head down to one of the beaches nearby. Gray clouds on the horizon hinted at rain, but for now remained where they were- it wasn't like he was planning on sunbathing or anything.

"So, have you ever tried the whole talking to sea animals thing?"

He could have cringed, but the fact that she kept bumping into him, by what seemed to be accident, kept him smiling.
"To be honest, not really. Remember I said that I thought I was going crazy when all the 'hearing random thoughts' from horses thing started happening? It wasn't long after I came to Thaedeus that I found out the same could happen in the ocean." He was more embarrassed than anything, grinning sheepishly her way. "The breathing underwater was enough to get used to. And when I asked a teacher about it, they said that sea creatures wouldn't sense me as clearly as horses. Something to do with mammals, and being on land, and just the make up of their minds. I mean, I'm sure a fish wouldn't be the best of conversational partners." He shook his head, laughing as they made their way further from the crowd. The wave of people was thinning, and a quiet walk through a small park in view of the marina brought them to an iron-railing staircase down the rocks. It wasn't insanely steep, but it ended in a rocky beach, smooth pebbles turning to big round domes, and eventually jagged outcrops in the bay. If you continued on it was possible to see past the river where it bled out to the ocean, but from here they were met with water, and dark blotches in the distance.

Wes led the way, holding out his hand to Aria if she needed it as he took the last few steps onto the rocks.
"Its great, right?" He was fighting back nervousness again by staring out at the water that splashed against the biggest boulders, and then calmly rolled in to fill the little tide pools of the inlet. When she had joined his side, he picked his way closer to the edge of the water. "Careful, the rocks get slippery here. Its fun though, you just have to step right." He grinned encouragingly, still oblivious to her discomfort around water as he headed for the bigger boulders. It would be romantic to stand up there, right? Maybe she'd be more inclined to accept his offer if the mood was right.

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

"To be honest, not really. Remember I said that I thought I was going crazy when all the 'hearing random thoughts' from horses thing started happening? It wasn't long after I came to Thaedeus that I found out the same could happen in the ocean." He kept flashing a smile slash grin towards her as he talked, which only kept her smiling. She wished a nymph had some kind of power. Really, you get to be young forever or whatever and can't have a freaking power? She looked down at the ground and then back up, meeting his soft gaze. He had gorgeous eyes.

"The breathing underwater was enough to get used to. And when I asked a teacher about it, they said that sea creatures wouldn't sense me as clearly as horses. Something to do with mammals, and being on land, and just the make up of their minds. I mean, I'm sure a fish wouldn't be the best of conversational partners."

She laughed, surely a fish would be hilarious. She remembered watching Finding Nemo and it'd be so funny to meet a fish like Dory. It would be hysterical really. Plus a dumb fish, even saying bubble would make her burst into tears of happiness. Or excitement, whatever that was. "I don't know Wes, maybe you'd meet Dory. Or hey, a fish that only knew one word would be great for laughs." She smiled, tugging at shirt just a tiny bit before looking ahead of them. She was following Wes, and wasn't exactly paying attention to where they were going. Thought it was easy to tell now they were headed to the beach below. They took a stair case before eventually finding their way to some pretty huge rocks and of course, water.

"It's great, right?"

She was really glad he was having fun, and how he'd planned this out; and of course, she was having fun too...but then again, she was a nervous wreck inside. That's why she kept close to Wes, always keeping within arms reach. A few times when she almost lost her balance, she'd grab his arm or put her hands on his back to steady herself. "Careful, the rocks get slippery here. Its fun though, you just have to step right." When he spoke again, she had just got on this huge rock. It felt sturdy and really not wet. That's why she'd got on it. It was safe. Though when Wes moved to a different rock, she turned her head.

Her arms flailed in the air, a small shriek leaving her mouth and her eyes closed from the fear. She'd lost her balance, her whole body falling backwards off the enormous rock into the water below. A huge deadly splash echoed through the air and when Aria went under; it all happened so quickly. The scream, the loud thunk, and then total darkness. The darkness only lasted a few seconds and she regained a visual but by then; she'd sunk a good bit which only panicked her more.

She screamed, flailing her body around...searching for something to get her out of the water. The only thing she could thing to do was close eher eyes; as she lost a bit of breath with every second.

[ooc: i wasnt sure if wanted her to fall in this post or not so here ya go haha. and sorry its not better described. i suck at that ]

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

His laugh echoed in the curve of the cliffs behind them that supported the city they had left behind.
"As fun as that sounds, I'm pretty sure its an issue of communication. Fish aren't exactly known for their body-language...or any language, at that." It was something he had often wondered about. How was it that horses could transmit speech to him? Some of them had a better grasp, while others just had disjointed little words. For Demeter or Persephone demi-gods he had heard that all kinds of communication spanned over the different animals. Ones that had frequent dealings with humans were more likely to be organized, and even more so if they lived in a pack or herd or something similar. Then there were ones that only projected images in their minds, or moods. It was all very confusing, which made Wes all the more grateful that he had fewer species to deal with- at least on land.

He always seemed to catch her smiling when he glanced back at her, missing the panic that was surely stealing over her. As he walked on ahead, carefully balancing on the larger rocks closer to the water, she occasionally reached out for his arm, or he felt her hands touch his back, stopping her from slipping. Each time he laughed, teasing her just a little, turning to make sure she was fine. If he had known how scared she really was he would have felt ten times the guilt.

Eventually his pace quickened, and she was no longer directly behind him. He noted the absence of her little squeaks and the touch of her hands, but kept going, not wanting to rush her toward the bigger outcroppings that he was heading for at the other side. From time to time he would hop to the big boulders that stood alone in the water, avoiding the algae that streaked the sides, before returning to the actual beach.

The moment Aria screamed, Wes turned, losing his footing for a second before straightening up. He watched, frozen, as she plunged backwards off of one of the biggest rocks that sloped out over the water. It wasn't like falling from the cliffs, and he knew that the undertow didn't start until farther out, but it was far enough that she could easily hit the concealed rocks below if the height was just right. Little waves rolled off from where she fell, the initial splash simply fading away.

His heart felt like it had surged up in his chest, as he charged toward the water. His feet were slipping on the rocks, but by the time the waves rolled in around his legs he simply dove in. She had to have been far enough under if she was moving and no waves broke the surface, so he made for just past the rock. Despite a little resistance, moving through the water for him was as easy as...well, breathing. He didn't need to gulp in air, and he was definitely in his element. Lucky for him it wasn't murky like a sandy beach, where every move just turned up all the gunk from below. His vision underwater was no better than a regular human's, but it wasn't exactly necessary. He was already pushing himself out of the water as his hands extended toward her.

When his head broke out into open air, his feet were planted on one of the rocks, the water touching just around his shoulders. He had Aria gripped tight, pulling her up. In all of her kicking and flailing, he managed to wrap one arm around her shoulders, the other grabbing her by the waist to stop her from moving so much, already yanking her back through the water toward the shore.
"Calm down!" His voice was unusually sharp, and he had yet to look at her face, instead focusing on where he was putting his feet as they were more and more exposed.

The longer he stayed in the water, the stronger he seemed to be. He stopped when the tide was only around his knees, loosening his grip on Aria only to hoist her up in that classic movie rescue move. But there was nothing particularly kind or romantic about his dark expression as he carried her out, water streaming from his slicked blond hair into his face. He found the nicest spot he could under the circumstances, which consisted of a small slope against the cliffs that was a little less sharp than everywhere else. Here he helped her sit on the flat slab of stone, and by help, he really set her down, gripping her tightly by the shoulders so she couldn't lie down even if she wanted to.
"Can you breathe alright?" He asked loudly, thankful at least that she was conscious. Wes was momentarily distracted by the heat against the arm he had behind her. Shifting slightly, he saw red against the pale skin of his wrist and swore, getting up on his knees to look behind her. He pressed his fingertips gently against her hair, and it wasn't hard to find the wound when the excess water from their impromptu swim made the blood course down her neck. With a sigh that was more little an irritated growl, he pulled off his soaking shirt, bundling it up around her head and shoulders without a word.

{I hope this is okay as far as a rescue goes- I figured since she hit her head she'd probably have a cut of sorts, but I can change it if you want. Also, excuse the whole taylor-lautner-esque move with the shirt :[ }

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

"Calm down!"

Wes said, just before he hoisted her up in his arms like the classic rescue move. Only Aria didn't even evaluate what it felt like to be in his arms, she just clung onto him with all her life. her head nestled into his chest. Tears flowing down her face. She was slowly down, her body finally falling limp. She only whimpered every now and then, refusing to cry. She shouldn't have come. She should have told him that water scared her. He looked mad. Or maybe she was imagining it, really the only thing she could see was his neck. Her hand rested right on his chest. Her head was throbbing, it hurt so freaking much. She had felt so stable on that rock, it had been one of those moments where she felt like she could face her fear of water and then boom, look how that turned out.

When he finally sat her down, just the few seconds that his hands left her she felt empty but felt a sense of comfort when his hands went back to her shoulders. He had yet to look at her, and she wondered if he was mad or if she really looked that bad. "Can you breathe alright?" he asked rather loud and then his attention went to her neck slash the back of her head. She tried focusing on him rather then the extreme throbbing pain. When he sighed, or growled, she looked at him trying to meet his eyes. She felt so bad. He was obviously mad, like she'd ruined something. She had ruined their time, he had really picked out a cute place to have them go...just...the water. She really should have told him.

She nodded, a delayed response to his question, just as he went to rip his shirt off. A small grin went on her face when he ripped it off, even if she was in pain she couldn't deny that his body was gorgeous. Her reflexes were delayed, and after placing around the back of her head he turned, she was sure that he saw her staring at him with a grin. She didn't really care anymore though. Maybe it was just the whole clingy feeling she felt right now but she desperately wanted to be back in his arms. She looked at him, ignoring the pain and sighed. The tears finally ceasing, she felt sleepy but knew better. Plus Wes was here, he'd stop her if she tried going to sleep.

She motioned for him to sit next to her. She needed to tell him, like right now. He seemed mad, and she really didn't want him to feel like that. "Wes." she whimpered, finally breaking the silence. She tried meeting his gaze, and when he finally looked at her...she could see it. Behind his anger. He did have this all planned, she had no idea how she saw all this but it was there in his blue eyes. He liked her. And almost positively, she felt the same way. But he was mad, so ...had she blown it? Was she really seeing all this in his eyes, maybe she was just making it up. She didn't think it was just a false sense but who knew, she had just hit her head.

"Wes, I should have told you. I can't swim; water scares the crap out of me. I just figured I couldn't turn you down and I wanted to see you and, and, I just thought I'd be fine. I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to ruin your good time. Are you mad?" she saw him look away, not meeting her eyes and she felt like that answered her question.

[sort of used him, whatever you call that but yeah, hope its okay.]

[WESLEY ADAM BENNETT]

Wes wasn't an angry guy. He didn't sulk, or even really hold grudges. He was easy to get along with, and tried to make everyone happy. But sometimes genetics just can't be helped- and like other Poseidon demi-gods before him, it was in his blood to let the heat of the moment rule over cool judgment. It just so happened that he never had much in his life to piss him off. Some might say that he avoided conflict for that reason, but the truth was that he was just an ill match-up for his powers.

He pretended to not see the grin on her face, figuring she had hit her head harder than he thought. For once it didn't fuel guilt, but something more raw, more fiery. He could feel it, in the pit of his belly, that desire to act out, be angry, but there was that little voice in the back of his mind that asked him why?

When she whimpered his name, he looked over, brows pulled down over fiercely intent blue eyes. It took him a minute to realize she was saying more. For a second he felt the anger slip, expression going slack, before he turned away, jaw clenched as he examined the bloody mess of his shirt pressed to her head. She seemed okay- head wounds just bled a lot, no matter how small. Still, he'd make sure someone checked her out before he brought her home. He wasn't taking any more stupid chances.

While he kept her face out of view after her confession, he tried to get a handle on what exactly he was feeling, but he got the impression it was a losing battle. When she finished with a timid 'are you mad?', he could sense the coming storm. He leaned back so he could see her face again, keeping the pressure on the shirt.

"No, why would I be mad?" His voice dripped sarcasm. "You let me drag you somewhere that you knew you hated. And then you managed to fall off a rock and crack your head open and-" He groaned in frustration, eyes flashing up to meet her's. "Why would you even-?!" He lifted his hands above his head, apparently at a loss for words. But after a few huffy breaths, letting the silence just sort of hang there between them, he brushed his hair out of his eyes, seeming to lose all vigor. Slowly, ever so slowly, his temper seemed to cool, and was replaced with shock.

"Aria, I'm..." He began quietly, suddenly apologetic, expression open, vulnerable. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" He sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I-I promise." With his free hand he took one of her own, as if to drive home the point while giving her the puppy-dog eyes. "I'm mad at myself. I just had this plan, and I got scared, and just-" He shook his head, looking down. It was no excuse, he had let his temper run away with himself in the moment, and it wasn't fair to blame her. Aria of all people, who had suffered enough after losing her brother, who had a valid reason to be frightened. How had he been so blind?

He was at a loss to do, staring back at her, both of them soaking wet and looking miserable. She looked ready to pass out or something, and it only sparked him into action.
"We have to go." He told her firmly, but he wasn't sure where to take her. The hospital seemed like a good option, but he wasn't sure if he ought to call an ambulance or not. "I'm sorry." He muttered again, slowly getting to his feet. Maybe standing for her wasn't such a great idea. With great care he took one of Aria's hands and put it in place to hold his shirt to her head, while he picked her up again. Lucky for him she wasn't heavy, and he wasn't out of shape. His gaze strayed to the stairs that they had descended to get to the beach. He'd have to take his time with those.

{lulz I have an idea}

[ARIA LYNNE HOLLAND]

Aria flinched when he started yelling and just looked away, her head still throbbing like crazy. She was still so tired, it seemed that if she closed her eyes that she'd easily pass out. She tried keeping her eyes open but careful to not look Wes in the eyes. Had she been less dizzier; she would have already been in his face and then walking away but walking didn't seem like a good idea right then. Plus, Wes has never gotten mad and considering the way she'd messed his plans up, he really had a reason to be mad. The way he was talking to her though, made her whole body go numb. She didn't like it when he was yelling or even angry; it just wasn't Wes.

Slowly she saw his face expression change and his breathing softened. "Aria, I'm..." ..."I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" "I'm not mad at you. I-I promise." He took one of her hands and gave the cutest, most apologetic look she thought he would ever be able to conjure up. "I'm mad at myself. I just had this plan, and I got scared, and just-" All she did was nod, and give a small whimper before moving her hand to her head. She kept it there and looked up at him, before giving a small smile. "It's not your fault, I messed your ..plan... up. It was a wonderful plan, Wes." She gave another smile before the pain got harder. Pain meds would be lovely right now, she thought.

"We have to go." He said before adding an I'm sorry and he moved her hand to keep his t-shirt pinned to the back of her head and then all of the sudden his bare arms wrapped around her and picked her up. He didn't seem to sweat at all when holding her which made her smile...at least she knew she wasn't over weight. She felt her body melting into his chest, he was surprisingly warm as she was getting colder and colder. She kept pressure on the t-shirt but mainly, she just laid against Wes; looking up at his face. She was just ...so...tired. She really just wanted to fall asleep while she was cuddled up in his arms.

"Wes, talk to me. I'm...I'm extremely tired. You're so warm...did you know that?" She sounded like someone who was talking in their sleep but as she heard his voice; she focused on staying awake. Though finally it seemed like they were making head way up the stairs and were almost to the very top.

{It sucks and it took forever to reply. Sorry <33}