DIMITRI

  ‘’Dimitri’’ He shouted from down below while the boy was still snoring heavily.

  ‘’Dimitri, I swear, you need to wake up’’’His mother’s voice became even louder, but instead of following her orders, he slept once more in his bed. So, his sister moved to his room and pulled him by the leg.

  ‘’Wake up you bastard’’Said Myrto roughly. The boy finally whined and began kicking her, telling her that he was coming in a second. Even on her wedding day, she knew how to make his life a total misery.

  Mother seemed to have shoved herself into the kitchen, repairing the food after the celebration while the father was outside, fixing the tables and helping the servants to bring the wine. Dimitri took a look and snuck a few of the honey cakes to his mouth. As his mother noticed it, she began to hit him with the spoon.

  ‘’They are for your sister and her groom’’She shouted with a smile, and Dimitri wondered what kind of monster would marry the ogre of a sister he had. She had scared far more suitors than anyone could imagine as she was throwing every piece of furniture at their faces. But it was now her time to be wed off.

  So, Dimitri helped his Father by pplacingthe chairs and setting the table. One of them was far too broken for anyone to sit, so his dad was gloating in disappointment.

  ‘’I have to find the carpent-’’

  The boy shook his head and rushed to the nearest river with a net. A few minutes later, he returned with a net filled with shards. Curious, his father watched him open the fish with one hand and rip out their organs. He then found a pot outside, started making fire, and placed the pot carefully at the top with the organs inside. They already spent too much on the dowry of his sister. He didn’t want his father to spend anymore until the wedding, and when the parents of the groom would give him his bargain.

  Finally, the disgusting smell hit his nostrils, and he knew that it was ready. So, he began taking it with a small stick, and placing it on the chairs and tables.

  His father showed him an impressed look.

  ‘’Where did you learn that?’’He laughed. ‘’I certainly did not teach you that.’’

  Dimitri shrugged and replied calmly. "I don’t know, I think from school’’His mind began to think where he even learned it, but it was far too difficult.

  So, his father began to hit his back and showed him the rest of his task.

  They had to cook and roast the meat for the celebration. So it meant that the boy had to chop every tree for it to count.

  A simple life on the farm at one small village in Crete was not as easy as anyone could imagine. His fingers were harsh, his body was giving up on him, but it was still enough that he had love and a warm plate. But he wanted to see more, and the boy was shaking to say to his parents that he wanted to go studying at the capital. Not when the whispers were calling him to go. He wanted more out of his life. More than it could be. And it could also help his family with it.

  He could try atosay it. One day, he would. And it might be today, after the wedding.

  ‘’Wake up’’

  A voice spoke out to him, and chills drew down his spine. What was that?

  ‘’Dimitri’’His father walked closer to him and showed that he cooked a few pieces of chicken just for them, and two pieces of goat cheese were also on that plate. With a wide smile, the boy walked closer to eat after a hard day's work, trying to forget the voice inside his head/

  His mom was now with the rest of the women trying to prepare the bride, and the boy snuck one more honey cake inside his mouth. When did he start liking them so much?

  When the preparations were done, Dimitri opened the door to see a woman dressed in rich gold and blue fabrics. In the eyes of the groom and the rest, she should be beautiful. But Dimitri spoke out.

  ‘’You look like a fat peacock’’

  Myrto gasped and threw her shoe at him.

  ‘’It’s my wedding day’’ She said and fixed her hair once again. ‘’Try to give me compliments.’’

  ‘’That’s your husband’s job, not mine.’’

  She let out a sneer and tried to look at herself in the mirror. She should be happy. But Myrto was more afraid than she had ever looked in her entire life. She was a woman who could fight lions if she wanted to. She once tried to pretend to be a boy to go hunting with Father and his friends. She returned with red cheeks and a heavy scolding.

  Myrto wasn’t someone who could settle into marital life.

  ‘’Did you tell them?’’She asked now, curious and nervous.

  Dimitri stood there silent. How could he say to his parents that the teacher in his school was giving him a scholarship for the capital?

  ‘’It’s your wedding day’’He said, smiling, and his sister walked closer to him. Her dark eyes had such envy in them. She wanted to be at his place. And Dimitri understood it very well.

  ‘’Are you happy?’’’He asked foolish.

  ‘’I will try to be’’She forced a ridiculous smile. ‘’Are you?’’Her hands patted his forehead as he was still two heads shorter than her.

  ‘’WAKE UP’’

  Dimitri stood there frozen, with Myrto now clenching his shoulder.

  ‘’Are you happy, Dimitri?’’She asked again, this time more roughly.

  So, he replied with a nod. ‘’Couldn’t be better.’’

  ***

  Odysseus had already seen the stoic harpy reaching for the boy’s soul. Taking his life slowly bysippingg him off and feasting upon his soul. Dimitri’s teacher managed to scare her away by showing the staff of Hermes, and the wide, broken Harpy flew away.

  But the boy was still asleep.

  ‘’Come now, kid, wake up.’’

  Do not panic. Please do not panic now.

  With all the fear and worry, more monsters were about to come. But thanks to Caduceus, almost everyone was getting far from him and his student.

  He took a quick search of his body. He was bleeding from everywhere, with each limb now broken, and a dragon was still trying to catch a breath. Odysseus tried to take care of half of the wounds by cleaning them, placing a paste of herbs and bandages again. But it seemed it wasn’t enough. What was his student seeing?

  ‘’FREE ME’’ A voice shattered Odysseus ' mind and looked back at the dagger.

  ‘’You got the wrong person,’’ Odysseus replied.

  ‘’BUT I CAN HELP YOU, LYSSANDRA’’

  Odysseus bit his lower lip and smacked his head so he could ignore each sound. He began checking the boy’s pulse, and it seemed that if he still stayed inside his dream, he wouldn’t return.

  ***

  The church was bright with every flower blooming with scents and attacking Dimitri’s nostrils while his eyes were shedding tears for his sister. Surprisingly, the man was appealing to watch. And his smile melted Myrto’s worries instantly. Everyone was laughing and celebrating with rice falling on her head at the end, and so was the groom.

  And then, they all returned to Myrto’s old house.

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  The family of the groom belonged to the army, and it seemed that they offered Dimitri's parents protection and five horses. A fine price for the cow he married. Dimitri thought.

  But it seemed that the groom’s parents wanted to speak about what was going on in the capital. That it wasn’t safe as it once was, with every church burning up.

  ‘’Thank God we are not there’’Father laughed, and Dimitri looked at him with pain in his eyes. There was a small pressure inside his chest, but instead of speaking, his teacher grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer.

  ‘’Did you tell him yet?’’ She whispered while the groom was admiring his bride with his surprisingly blue eyes.

  Dimitri squinted his eyes and pushed himself away. ‘’I was about too’’ And he took a sip from his Influence for courage.

  He cleared his throat and tried to stop his Father talking with the new side of the family.

  ‘’Father’’He spoke out.

  His dark eyes looked down at him with a sudden smile.

  Take a deep breath. A dee, deep breath.

  And he told him everything for his mother to listen to. At first, there was an expression of pain conquering them both. They were about to see both of their children leave. It shouldn't be like that, it shouldn't.

  Will you leave me? He once asked someone years ago.

  The sky began to shake from that thought, and his Father rested his hand at the top of his shoulder.

  ‘’We are so proud of you’’He said with a smile. ‘’If this is what you want, we will support it’’

  Even his mom nodded, and everyone began to celebrate again. And it was time for the dances. The first one belonged to the groom and bride, with everyone in the celebration crying like infants. Especially Dimitri’s father, who was trying to hide it so hard, but it was pointless. Even when he was dancing with her, he couldn’t stop crying. And then, it was everyone’s time to dance. The boy was hesitating with his mom still eating the food she had been preparing for days.

  ‘’She looks so happy’’ The mother said, looking at Myrto. And Dimitri couldn’t help but agree. Even if she was still in pain, she might have a good future. And he couldn’t help but be hay too for his life. That he would actually go study in the capital, and find a proper future.

  ‘’It’s not real. Wake up, boy’’

  The voice shattered him again, and a young woman touched his shoulders.

  ‘’Would you like to dance?’’She asked with her strange lilac eyes, brightening the entire world. And so, he began following her to the light.

  ***

  ‘’No, no no’’Odysseus panicked as he began slapping his student.

  ‘’Boy, please, you cannot go’’

  He tried to think of a plan. Screaming at him, thinking of a ritual to get inside his head. But it wasn’t time for rituals.

  ‘’IF YOU HELP ME, I WILL SAVE HIM-’’The voice whispered again, and the teacher shook his head. He knew very well not to trust the god’s words, especially the king of the Titans. But what else could he do?

  It was his fault. His fault was that he kept those secrets deep in his heart, far from the student that he was now hurting.

  ‘’Dimitri, please, I cannot lose you too, you are my-’’His voice broke, and the man that was once named Odysseus was slowly vanishing.

  And suddenly, Hermes appeared right next to him. His face was steady and calculated.

  ‘’Let me do it’’He said, and Odysseus pushed himself and the boy far from him.

  He wouldn’t let this god touch any of them ever again. He wouldn’t let him hurt them.

  However, Odysseus could see the determination. The sudden honesty the god was trying to show.

  ‘’Let your pride drop’’He whispered to Odysseus.

  ‘’Please Lyssandra’’His voice was shaking, and Odysseus' eyes opened wide from the sudden shock as Hermes showed his hand.

  With one deep breath, he removed the necklace from his body and gave it to Hermes. The staff now grew with the snake moving on Hermes’ command as they crawled from the metal, to the ground, and then to Dimitri’s head.

  And his Teacher was simply now facing everything escalating. He could simply stare at the god who was trying to save his student.

  ***

  Everyone kept dancing, family, friends, and workers around the fire. Dimitri could still see the woman with the brown curls and colorful eyes staring at him as she was luring him into her heart. He could not help but follow her path. And so he did as they were moving now to the forest.

  He was happy looking at her. Happy as she was guiding him far from the celebration. Soon. She said. Very soon, they would stop. Everything would stop.

  ‘’Alright boy’’A strange voice spoke from right behind him, and the entire world began shaking.

  The woman now faced Dimitri with such fear. But turning his head back, he could see a simple man in silver with long dark hair and wings on his head, trying to speak to him with his eyes covered for anyone to imagine what it could be.

  Such a gentle voice this man had.

  ‘’It’s time to go’’ He said to Dimitri, and his head began to ache. No, he couldn’t go. Where would he go? Who was that man dressed in dark? Tonight was a celebration. He could remember that. He was there.

  Celebration for what? For who? Where was he now? Did he know any of the people at the celebration?

  ‘’It’s close’’The girl rushed to him and clutched his knuckles. ‘’Come with me, you will see.’’

  ‘’It’s nothing there boy’’The man dragged him far from the path and showed him a thread.

  ‘’Take it’’He said, and Dimitri followed his orders.

  ‘’No’’The woman growled, and she soon vanished as the boy touched the thread.

  There was a man with dark curls and a dog on the ship. The man was no more than an illusion to hide what she was. He was a man who taught him everything he knew, every joy so small that he had once felt. But it wasn’t joy like his parents. Not the love of a family. It wasn’t that.

  ‘’Stop,’’cried Dimitri, and the god stood there, realising every memory he had for this family he once dreamt for so long was an illusion. His eyes looked up and saw the familiar now god showing a painful expression.

  ‘’I need to see my mom’’He said, crying and trying to rush back, but he could see that the entire celebration was coming to an end. Hermes placed his hand on the boy’s waist, stopping him from going any further. ‘’I need to see her’’He screamed.

  ‘’She was never there.’’Hermes’ voice shattered. ‘’She is gone.’’

  ‘’No, you lie. You always lie.’’He kept crying, and the furious god tossed the boy in front of him so he could see his expression.

  ‘’This world is an illusion to trap you and take your soul. Your father is dead, your sister is dead, and your poor mother is also.’’His voice shattered in those last words.

  ‘’But you are still someone who loves you as if you were her own child, and she cries for your return.

  ***

  The boy opened his eyes, and in front of him, there was Herme,s who was facing him with a tired gaze, while next to him, there was his Teacher who was relieved. Relieved that he was now there alive and…

  The boy snatched the dagger with the blood and pointed it at them with fear in his heart.

  ‘’Stay back, both of you’’He commanded with a trembling heart. Why were they together? Why did Hermes help him? Was this another trap?

  The teacher tried to take a step front but the boy showed the covered dagger once again.

  ‘’Kid, listen to-’’

  ‘’You lied to me’’He shouted. ‘’You …’’

  ‘’YOU ARE SO CLOSE, FREE ME NOW’’

  He wanted the voices to vanish. He wanted everything to stop. Who was the person who loved Dimitri? Cause there was none there. Only two liars made him feel like a fool.

  ‘’I would have told you’’The teacher tried to speak.

  ‘’No, you wouldn't, you would have let me here. ‘’He shouted. ‘’Unlike you, I am a mortal; I cannot escape.’’

  His gaze turned back to Hermes, who was trying to face away.

  ‘’There’s always a way, kid.’’He tried to explain, but Dimitri shook his head.

  ‘’You hurt people, I saw it. I thought that you might change, but no, you hurt me too. You knew who I was, where I came from, and you still’’

  Rage was not the word to describe what he was feeling at that moment. The boy was beyond that. His fingers grasped the cover, and he was about to open it.

  ‘’Kid no’’The teacher spoke up, but the boy wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t listen, and none would stop him. He could have had a happy life with them. He could have a peaceful life with no gods or monsters like the two that were standing in front of him. But why? What happened?

  ‘’I killed your parents’’The teacher rattled out, and the dagger fell to the ground. His eyes were watering while Hermes was standing there silent, and he now walked further away.

  ‘’You…’’His voice began to shake, and Teacher sat down, waiting for Dimitri’s legs to give up and do the same.

  ‘’Why?’’

  His teacher’s eyes were broken now as he was about to speak. ‘’When I was still mortal, I had met people whom I was calling my family. I helped them, and they helped me. But I had to push them away. I couldn’t hurt them anymore. And as the years passed, I found out that they survived. Their families survived, and they also kept a memory of me. As they were all waiting for me to return. To bring something that I couldn’t.’’

  Dimitri stood there, confused as his teacher was talking.

  ‘’I wanted to protect them, to stay with them, but…’’His fingers clutched to his neck, and with the angle of his eyes, Dimitri found Hermes moving his wings close to his face.

  ‘’So, I couldn’t stay. Not until I could be actually free and then…seven hundred years ago, I finally escaped Hermes.’’