Fallen Angel

Finding Alessa's Armor...Kinda

  

                Alessa's 'house' is actually a shack. Because she's an Undesirable, her shack is small, and has a leaky roof. Undesirables don't get nice homes because technically they don't belong on Mount Olympus. The only reason they're here is because of Merit. For example, Alessa is a great archer, and when she was mortal, was one of the best fighters in Rome. Zeus approved of her, and now she lives her, waiting for the next battle to fight in. He gifted her something called Merit. Merit decides whether or not a fighter can become an Undesirable. Most of the guards here are Undesirables, passed up here to fight in Mount Olympus's army. 

                Alessa banged her fist against the front door, and pushed it open. I remember that the door gets stuck, making it harder to open, and more secure from intruders. I followed her in, almost limping. How hadn't I realized my leg had been cut open? 

                The shack only has one room, and a small outhouse behind it. There is a cot covered in furs and cloaks, leaning against the wall beside the door. A small furnace rested on the wall opposite of the door, and a thick carpet covered the floor. There's a white sink next to the furnace, a cabinet nailed above it. Her weapons are everywhere, littering the floor and piled underneath her bed. Alessa cleared off the cloaks from her bed, and gestured for me to sit down. She went to the sink and turned it on. 

        "No wonder you can't find your armor. It's a sty in here." I sat down on the bed and watched her wet a cloth in the sink. 

                "Have I ever been fond of cleaning?" She smiled and looked at me. I grinned back, and tried to make sure none of the blood from my wound would get on her bed.

                "You know we have a spare room at our house. I don't think my mom would care if you lived with us. She knows how bad Undesirable Shacks are like." Alessa handed me the cloth and sat beside me on the bed. 

                "Athena is way too busy as it is. I'm not going to burden her even more." I gently put the cloth on my wound, and tried to ignore the sting that was coming from it. I scoffed.

                "Are you saying that I'm a burden?" I grinned through my pain. She punched me playfully in the shoulder. 

                    "You are to me!" She stood up and went to the door.

                  "Where ya going?" I stood up and went ot follow her.

                 "I left my bandages outside last night in the cabinet." She opened the door, and I went outside with her. We walked to the back of her shack. There was a large cabinet in the back that held medical supplies, and her own tiny stash of blood. She moved a few stick and leaves from the cabinet (camouflage) and opened the doors. I noticed that her blood supply had dwindled down to three jars. She hated the taste of blood, but cherished the power, so she doesn't drink it as often as gods do. I think all Undesirables are like that. She moved the a jar of clear liquid away to reveal a roll of white bandages. "Okay." Taking it, she turned back around to the front door.  When we were back inside, I sat down on the bed, and let her wrap my leg in the white linen. 

        "Too bad you didn't need stitches. I could've practiced." She grinned as I shuddered. Needles, no no no, very bad. A wave of shivering hit my spine. Sewing up my skin, pulling, pulling, stitching. She laughed.

                "I'm gonna wake you up at night because I'll have nightmares." I groaned. She gave me a gap-toothed grin, and tied the bandage. It was snug around my leg but I was used to it. After all, gods go through way more bandages than mortals, so we're used to the feel. "Are we gonna go back to our posts?" I asked.