The S.S. Olympus -under refurbishment

Chapter XXVIII: Captivus

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"Be like the cliff against which waves continually break, but it stands firm and tamed the fury of the water around it."—Marcus Aurelius
***Walk on Water-Thirty Seconds to Mars***

"Let go of me, you overgrown cockroach!" Cornelia screamed as she strained against Gastonus' grip.

"Make me!" he laughed as his nails dug deeper into her skin, drawing blood. "Just accept that you are mine now." He chuckled as he watched her kick and thrash like a caged animal against him. " You were expensive; but, worth it." A lechers grin spanned his face as he enjoyed her vain struggle for freedom. "keep fighting, kitten, it's getting my blood flowing."  

Cornelia's heart stopped at his intimate implication, the reality of her dire situation sunk in further. Rocks and gravel tore at teh skin on her legs as he pulled her through the untamed forest floor. Her body lurched into the air as he tossed her body into, to her, a crude wagon. Long gone were the advanced textiles and shock absorbers of the advanced technology. She lay on the rough wooden floor, fresh bruises forming on her limbs, in her new desolate reality. 

My dream is dead.

Where she so little rights, in Rome, not even her birth name was hers, it was a feminized version of her fathers'. Her life was and had become again, no more than a bargaining tool for the games of Roman men. I am not meant for this life, not now, not when I know what could be. 

A cool breeze stroked her cheek, and it pushed her to take in her surroundings. The entrance remained unsealed. Gastonus, the penultimate buffoon, underestimated her again. Hope surged within her. He did not bind me or my escape route.

A gap in the fabric was her only hope if I relax. If I seem complacent, maybe he will do the same. Her controlled fury simmered, and she relaxed the tense muscles in her arm, one reluctant sinew at a time. Artemis' cautionary words from a prior training rang in her mind. 'Do not let anyone get you to a second location.'

Breath, in response, her chest rose and fell in slow and controlled succession.

Breath, Cornelia repeated to herself. Images of her garden at home and on the Olympus filled her mind. The dancing leaves and colorful silk petals decorated her happy places, her oases in the chaos and strife. The next breath, this time came more naturally.

The sudden stillness of her movements attracted the monster's attention. Gastonus' grip loosened as he tried to ascertain her unexpected docile countenance.

Breathe, Cornelia told herself again as his body shifted to face hers, and his grip relaxed even more. Her heart danced in her chest to the beat of her adrenaline, but her focused breaths remained steady. Almost there, A pre-battle calm filled her with renewed focus. A hopeful tingle traveled from her mind to her limbs; I can do this. 

Gastonus released his grip further, but she hesitated when a thieves twinkle entered his eyes. Swallowing nausea, she attempted to smile back at him. "I am not falling for that act again," He grinned as he raised his voice in victory to a soldier outside." See, It's more fun to break them" To emphasize his point, he slammed her head against a nearby wooden wall.

Cornelia went limp, and darkness took over her mind. Her last feeble words were. "I will end you." However, due to the dark waters of the concussion inundating her mind, all Gastonus heard was gibberish.

------The second location----

Cornelia awoke in a strange dark room, or at least she assumed it was a room. Laborers pounded on her head with a thousand tiny hammers as she regained consciousness. Carved stones served as her bed, and no light entered her prison. On quivering limbs, she attempted to stand but failed. Her body collapsed in a pile on the unforgiving stone, and saltwater threatened to take over what little she could see.