Kalos the triumphant shrank back to her meat. Meat was, objectively, the best breakfast and she had many breakfasts to make up for. A short silence stretched between the two as they finished up, and by the time they were both done eating, the morning had faded into an early afternoon. Kalos was stuffed and sleepy despite the first rays of the sun that were sliding through the windows to paint little rectangles of light on the floor next to the windows. She generally stayed up at night, but also tried to be present for every meal. She wasn't getting the best sleep.

"Is it always so bright every day?" She posed a timid question, sure she had offended him and afraid of backlash, but still too curious to remain silent.

Ignacio had finished eating his food and was debating gettig up and getting up and grabbing an entire bowl of fruit to snack on. God, he loved fruit. He loved fruit almost as much as he loved name brand clothing.

>> "Is it always so bright every day?"

The eighteen-year-old solar-mutant turned to look at Kalos. "Not always. Sometimes it's all gloomy and rainy, but today it's wonderful! Do you like going outside?" Ignacio asked, cocking his head to the side. "I like going outside."

Outside was probably the worst thing about being on land.

"I do not go outside." She sniffed imperiously. Outside was below her. "There are flying things and the ground goes on forever. The sky is very... there is a lot of the sky. It does not end." That from a girl who was raised beneath the waves of the ocean beneath a magical island in a bubble. Kalos eyed the spot of sunlight that ever so slowly crept toward their table.

"The light in Atlantis was mutant made. The weather is perfect always. This outside is very changing even between morning and noon."

>> "I do not go outside...There are flying things and the ground goes on forever. The sky is very... there is a lot of the sky. It does not end."

Ignacio raised his eyebrows at Kalos. "...Well, it's not that scary, Kalos. I know it might feel that way at first, but there's nothing to fear." He puffed out his chest a little and grinned at her. "Chico Iggy will protect you! The carol princess!" He wiggled his eyes at her jokingly before deflating his chest and relaxing his seat.

>> "The light in Atlantis was mutant made. The weather is perfect always. This outside is very changing even between morning and noon."

Atlantis? Really? Iggy blinked a couple of times and turned his attention to the table that he was at. "...Tell me more about Atlantis. I want to know more about you."

Was it scary? Chico Iggy boasted that he would protect her, but even she wasn't sure what all she needed to be protected from. She had wanted to go outside. Desperately. But she'd never had anyone offer to protect her before...

"Would yo—? Can I—?" She flushed, embarrassed and flustered. "Please hold my hand? I don't want to be pulled away." As if the sky might gobble her up or the wind would be a rip tide. It was horrifying to have to ask a demigod for his touch and to trust him, but at this point she wasn't sure what choice she had if she was ever going to go out...

> "...Tell me more about Atlantis. I want to know more about you."

"It is in the Atlantis Ocean." She started off slowly. "We were under water for my whole life until we were not." She very tentatively held out her hand to Chico Iggy. "I did live in the place where no one leaves to do the jobs no one talks about."

>> "Would yo—? Can I—?" She flushed, embarrassed and flustered. "Please hold my hand? I don't want to be pulled away."

Ignacio placed his hand over his chest and made the "aww" face. She was just so damn adorable! "Of course I'll hold your hand! It'll be my pleasure to escort just a beautiful little creature like yourself outside." Ignacio happily took her hand and led her toward the outside door. He wanted to make sure that Kalos feel as safe as possible.

>> "It is in the Atlantis Ocean...We were under water for my whole life until we were not...I did live in the place where no one leaves to do the jobs no one talks about."

"I didn't know a place like that existed." Ignacio giggled and ran his fingers along his slicked back hair, "...I'm sorry about that last part, chica. They didn't hurt you, right?"

He was making fun of her. This was doubly confirmed for Kalos when chico Iggy called her a "beautiful little creature." Beauty was for demigods. Creature was for gorgon. There was no such thing as having both. Still... he offered his hand and Kalos took it. Some amount of mockery was to be expected from a pretty person. "Don't let the sky gobble me up." In fact, she needed two hands. Two hands to hold onto this handsome man-boy.

He walked toward the outside like it was no big deal. Kalos gulped and did her best to hold on with both hands.

The door opened. No great rip tide of air sucked her away like she expected. In fact, nothing happened except that the door that had previously been blocking the sunlight was now open and the warm morning sunlight was now illuminating her toes.

> "...They didn't hurt you, right?"

She nodded as the pair of them took those final steps outside. Yeah Atlantis hurt her, but she found despite her strong opinions on the matter that she didn't have a voice. She felt the need to duck. Like the sky was just so incredibly everywhere and if there had been something she could stand under, then it might have been safe to be out there. But they were so exposed! Anything could have come from anywhere and land on her head. She yelped as a dragonfly flit past and that was when the real panic set in.

"It's not safe." She was breathing too fast. They needed to go back to the inside!