Sweet Temptation

On rare occasions Gavin was dragged along when his mother's elder business required traveling to the villages of other circles. She had one rule: stay out of trouble. He was sixteen years old bored out of his mind waiting for his mother to finish her council meeting in the fire village when he first saw her.

She was practicing throwing fire balls at a nearby tree. Her long strawberry blond hair flowed wildly down to her waist. She was tall, lean, and fair skinned much like the others of her kind. She turned around and those green eyes saw right through him. She seemed unimpressed, turned back around, and continued what she was doing.

The pull was undeniable. He had to know her. She was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. And it was apparent he wasn't the only one who thought so. It was hard to miss the small crowd of young male admirers nearby. What could he, a boy born of water, ever offer someone like her? Certainly nothing as appealing as the daring boys of her own circle.

"You shouldn't do that."

She turned to face him. "Excuse me?"

"The trees, they can feel pain. You should practice on something non-living."

"Such as yourself?" She smirked.

"I am very much alive."

"Hardly. Those born of water are weakened by their emotions. While you write poetry and sing silly songs, we of fire known how to really live." She walked off into the crowd of her admirers.

It is true what they say about the thrill of the chase. The more she resisted his charms the harder he tried. He frequented visits to her village despite his mother's protests. It took him five trips before he was able to even get her name. Athena, a name fit for a goddess, and that she was. A goddess on earth. Hopefully someday she would be his goddess.

Gavin had no idea how this fierce determination became so strong in a boy that had always been so timid and weak. His friends convinced him to move on from her for clearly she had shown absolutely no interest in him. Additionally there was the prophecy to consider. Although he was not one to put that much faith in old legends that had no basis in truth or reality.

And ironically it was that prophecy that opened the door for him to be with Athena. After nearly six months of chasing her she finally sat down with him to have a talk. She explained that he seemed very sweet and kind, two things she didn't particularly care for. And it might be best that he finds himself a sweet and kind girl born of water to run off and play with. Her tone was so cruel, so condescending. It was one thing for her to brush him off, but it was something else entirely for him to belittle him because he was different from her.

His voice hardened, "Why do you assume that you are so much better than me? My mother says no one element is more important than the other. We all play an equal part in maintaining the balance and order of things."

She cocked her head back in laughter, "Your mother? Oh you really are a small minded little boy, aren't you?"

Gavin stood up, "I can't even imagine a prophecy that would unite someone like me with someone as heartless as you. What was I thinking? For someone born of fire you are incredibly cold." He began to walk off when she grabbed his arm.

"The prophecy?"

"Yes, I assume you've heard of it. If you and I were to ever get together it would throw nature off completely causing the ultimate end to us all. No big deal." Finally he had her attention, but he needed to play it cool.

She leaned in to brush her lips against his. She tasted like fresh peppermint. He wondered if all girls of fire tasted like this or just Athena. When she pulled back her green eyes were completely lit with joy, "Let's cause some trouble then."

It was clear that even though Athena had given in to his advances he was still very much in a game of chasing her. He always came to her and when she told him to. Gavin didn't care because he was so crazy about her. It has been said there is no greater power in the world than love. Gavin had fallen fast and hard for this girl. There was nothing he wouldn't say or do for her including blatantly disobeying his mother.

It is nearly impossible to keep secrets from someone with such a refined sixth sense. His mother knew from that first meeting between Gavin and Athena that a dark path had been cast for them to travel down. She warned him of the prophecy, to follow his head instead of his heart, but the pull was just too strong for him to ignore. And he believed the prophecy was just another way for the elder's to maintain what they saw as fit for the circle instead of letting people freely choose for themselves.

The passion that radiated between him and Athena was so intense it would often leave his entire self drained for days afterwards. She had a thirst that was never quite quenched. Gavin sometimes worried if he didn't give her everything she wanted she would start to look elsewhere. He needed to please her in any way he possibly could. She was the most important thing that existed in his world, there was no life worth living without her in it.

The day she told him she was pregnant was the day he decided he needed to stop being a foolish love sick boy and turn into a grown man. The right thing to do was to make sure he provided the best possible life for his new family. The problem was that he was naive and needed guidance. After all that had happened he ran home to his mother begging for her help.

All hope he had of her blessing vanished when he walked in the door. She knew everything. The color was drained from her face. Her pale blue eyes were nearly opaque like that of a blind person. He held her and rocked her in his arms while he explained that this was a good thing. Gavin and Athena were in love. What could possibly be bad about that?