"Sometimes when it's hard to figure out the present, one must look into the past"
🌿
⚠️ PG 13 basically ⚠️
If nobody sees you, do you exist?
If a tree falls in the forest, but nobody is there to listen, does it make a sound?
There are different kinds of loneliness, some worse than others, but one stands out. The feeling of being alone while surrounded by others. It's the worst kind. You don't feel real, you don't feel alive. When people sit around you, talk around you, but they don't acknowledge you. How can one prove to one's self that they exist, if nobody else is willing to back up that statement? If nobody's eyes meet yours, if nobody's words reaches you. It's a downwards spiral, leading from one negative thought to the next.
Ariadne wouldn't say that she was the ugly duckling of her family, but she was different. Different in a bad way. While her sisters were beautiful, she was average looking. Her strawberry blond hair used to be a more dirty blond, and people would sometimes compare it to the dry wheat on the fields or the sandy roads leading up to their house. While her sisters had bright smiles and sparkling eyes, with distinct features, Ariadne was more normal. An awkward smile, dull eyes and softer features. She wasn't the ugly duckling, but at some point she became one.
She was painfully shy. The leader can recall many days where she didn't even speak to anyone. So shy that she was slowly pushed to become her sisters shadow, someone in the background who is always addressed last. At every word she added hesitance and stuttering. Her hands often shook when she spoke, she couldn't make eye contact, couldn't stand or sit straight without sinking in on herself. After awhile people just brushed her off. Whispers went around. She was a lost cause, that's what everyone said.
They lived at the outskirts of town, and her four older sisters hated it. They were so embarrassed of the house, or more specifically, the location of the house. While all other girls belonging to Aphrodites temple their age, lived in the city, they were forced to head through fields and muddy roads to get to school at the temple. It didn't matter how carefully they walked, dust and dirt always ended up on their dresses. Ariadne on the other hand, being the shy person that she was, reveled in living so far away from the city center.
She didn't have to deal with other people. She could hide away in her room while her sisters were out partying or spending time with their friends. She found some company from the girls belonging to Demeters temple, who often played around or worked in the fields outside her house. But afraid of her sisters ill will, Ariadne didn't socialize with them too much. She might get dirty playing outside. She couldn't be dirty. That's what they always said.
Waking up every morning, Ariadne would tiptoe past her sleeping sisters and stare out the window, which of course was an open hole in the wall. The first rays of sunshine hitting the yellow or green crops always calmed her mind. Those times of day were the best. Nobody else was awake except for her. The birds singing and cool morning air hitting her skin always felt special. But when her sisters woke up she always returned to bed obediently, doing everything to stay out of their way. Life was just like that, for many years. Walking around on her toes, her breath stuck in her throat, ready to make the next mistake that would tick the nearest person off.
Of course there was something that made her turn from a shy, scared girl with dusty hair to the most popular Aphrodites girl in the city. But to be completely honest, Ariadne tends to forget what really happened. Because she wants to forget her past, doesn't want to remember what it was like to live like that. Scared, hidden away, ignored and whispered about. Because truly, there is nothing worse than feeling alone while being surrounded by others. How do you even solve that problem?
Ariadne changed when she met Thea. It was by pure coincidence.
Thea was, and is, one of the most popular girls in the entire city. Knowing her was like a dream. Everyone wanted to be with her, everyone admired her, and of course, everyone already knew that she would become the next leader. Thea hates the attention, as she does now. So she ended up running away from it all, just for a little while, to the fields surrounding the city. Walking around without prying eyes felt like a blessing to the young leader. But it also ended up with her crashing straight into an unknowing Ariadne, who had just stepped outside her house to fetch some water from the well. Her bucket flew to the ground below, Thea landed on her back and Ariadne right on top.
To this day Ariadne wonders if Thea had hit her head on the way down, because her first words to the girl were surprising, to say the least.
"Wow your hair is like, golden"
And for the first time in her life, Ariadne snapped out of her illusion. Her hair had never been dirty or ugly, ruffled up or similar to the dirty roads underneath their feet. Rather, it had always been a strawberry blond. Similar to her sisters, but even more shiny and special. To the point where a confused and slightly out of it Thea mumbled it right into her ear. Thea was the first person to find her beautiful, and as a person from Aphrodites temple, that was very important to Ariadne. She felt confident, she felt alive for the first time in her life.
Through her confidence in herself, Ariadne kept getting more and more popular. Her sisters didn't care much, continuing with their own lives. They weren't necessarily bad people, definitely not the jealous kind. Just a little inconsiderate and not very caring towards their youngest. Their lives continued to grow separate from there. Ariadne moved to the temple, and she hasn't really seen them much since. She continued to spend time with Thea, to the point where their relationship turned sexual and even romantic, to some secret and hidden level.
So Ariadne has always had a soft spot for the leader of Athena's temple. Their relationship is complicated, in more ways than one, but she can't go a day without thinking about the black haired girl.
They fight a lot. While Thea is more strict with her opinions, Ariadne is more free and liberal. They often disagree at meetings. Sometimes the other leaders full on ignore them because they can't stop disagreeing and fighting and complaining, even turning petty after awhile. But in the end their disagreements are left at the doors of the palace and temple of Hera, and their sexual and even friendly relationship carries on together. Sometimes they are playful with each other, sometimes they pretend not to feel butterflies in their stomachs when the other flirts or does something special. But one thing is for sure. They have a sweet, push and pull relationship where everything moves nice and slow.
Ariadne can't remember if she has managed to spend an entire week without Thea since they met, so many years ago. No matter how much they fight, they always end up making up one way or another. Which is why Ariadne felt like she was missing the leader of Athena's temple. She often comes to visit Thea, but today is different. She doesn't really know why she waited for Irene's lessons to end so she could drag the smaller girl with her. She doesn't know why. But something has her connecting and being drawn to both Thea and Irene, and whatever it is, Ariadne isn't complaining. Ever since she became who she is today, she's been opened minded and ready for practically anything.
But she also knows that Irene is still a bit new and shy. In a way Irene reminds her of how she used to be. Drawn back, shy and unsure of everything. Ariadne has found herself wondering, on more than just one occasion, if that's how women act in Irene's home. Overall it's quite cute rather than pathetic, but it's also something that has Ariadne placing Irene on a tour of the temple with someone else, so that she can first spend some quality time with the one person she knows the best.
Thea.
And what quality time it is!
In a span of forty minutes, Ariadne has left the subject of politics behind and concentrated on why she is really here. She came up with some issue that could concern Athena's temple as well as her own, just to find an excuse to talk to Thea. The issue was differences in quality between imported crops from Demeters temple, which temple got better crops, at which time of year, and why. It sounds like an important issue. Imagine if Demeters temple favored another temple and gave them better crops!? But in reality it's just a rumor, which Ariadne made clear to Thea, just so the leader of Athena's temple would know what harmful false truths are going around these days.
Ariadne isn't sure if Thea saw right through her dumb excuse to meet her. But either way, they moved on from crops to Irene. Thea asked how the smaller girl had been doing lately, and Ariadne answered honestly.
"She sleeps with me these days"
And of course Ariadne worded it in a way that would make it seem sexual, when in reality it is not. Thea choked on her spit and coughed for awhile, making Ariadne smirk wider. When the black haired girl had gathered herself, she sent an angry glare towards the blonde's direction. Ariadne feigned a look of innocence.
"What? She's been sleeping in my bed every night. What were you thinking of?"
They leave the matter at that, as Thea refuses to answer her question.
"How are her lessons coming along?"
Ariadne thinks that Thea is awfully interested in a girl she barely knows. It seems like the tall girl has caught an interest to Irene. Now, Ariadne has known Thea for years, and she probably knows her better than anyone else, so her emotions are no secret to Ariadne. She can see right through her. And that sparkling look in her eye, no matter how hidden, still stands out when Ariadne analyzes her expression.
"She's doing great, I think she can understand a lot now. We are focusing on verbs so she'll understand simple commands, like "get over here" or "let's go" or "let's eat". I actually brought her with me today"
Thea's eyes widen at that. She raises an eyebrow and looks at Ariadne questioningly.
"She should be here in a few minutes, I sent her on a tour of the temple. She'll be fine"
Thea doesn't really have the energy to argue with the other leader right now, so she doesn't. Instead she simply sighs and leans back, rubbing her temples to get the slight headache away. This past week has been really stressful. Everything from injuries caused by training at the temple to criminal activity around Artemis temple grounds have been plaguing her day. Soon they'll have another meeting with the leaders, and she can already tell that it's going to be really long and really exhausting. There is so much that has happened over the past few days. So much to cover.
Ariadne however, sees her stressed expression as an opportunity, not letting concern cloud her objective.
"Need to relive some stress?"
Her voice is taunting and smooth, but through her thoughts Thea doesn't think much of it. She only groans and hums in acknowledgment.
"Yeah- people are purposefully getting on my nerves today"
By the time she has finished talking, Ariadne has already rounded the table and snuck her arms over the black haired girl's shoulders. She starts off by giving a soft massage, rubbing away all the tenseness from her shoulders. All the worry and stress need to float away. The pressure of being a leader with a record of making little to no mistakes must be really weighing down on Thea. Ariadne understands. After all, she is a leader too. She knows exactly what it feels like to be overwhelmed, thousands of things to do and so little time.
Thea looks at her questioningly for a whole five seconds before she just accepts it. She closes her eyes and lets the slightly shorter leader do whatever she wants to do. But Ariadne, as always, has an ulterior motive. The massage stops after just about two minutes, when the blond turns around and sits on top of Thea. The leader of Athena's temple isn't even fazed at this point. She should've seen it coming, maybe she even did see it coming, so she only sighs and gazes tiredly towards the other. Ariadne smiles.
"I wanna kiss you"
Thea studies her face. She lets her strong arms slither around the blonde's perfect waist.
"I know you do"
Her voice is rough, but there is no bite to her words. In fact, they have a rather sweet tone. Something soft and nice, that calms her nerves and sends shivers of excitement down her spine. Ariadne knows what Thea says is true. She always does want to do something like this when around the latter. Sometimes it makes her think, is there something between them that she hasn't dared to think about yet? Something more than just simple lust, admiration and friendship? But as always, Ariadne lets the subject go in her head as soon as it comes. Instead she wraps her arms around Thea's neck further and leans in.
Their lips meet sweetly. They have kissed for years, and know each other like a book from back to back. Ariadne feels Thea's hands around her waist, putting just a little pressure. Their lips move in sync like they always have, skillful, a little sloppy, but overall sweet. The quietness of Thea's office surrounds them as they continue to kiss, only the two of them there, nobody else in the entire world to see. As people who are constantly in the spotlight, it feels refreshing to be alone for once. Alone without prying eyes, without people to talk about them. Only Thea and Ariadne, and their confusing yet lovely emotions.
When they pull back for a little extra air, Thea's eyes don't leave Ariadne's.
"Do you like her?"
Ariadne feigns innocence for as long as possible. Her eyes wander down to the black haired girl's collarbones, and she draws simple shapes with her fingers over the smooth skin. Her answer comes out as a low hum.
"Who?"
Thea doesn't waste any time. Her eyes are practically burning Ariadne, piercing through her skin, trying to read that complicated mind of hers.
"Do you like Irene"
Ariadne's eyes finally meet Thea's. She squints, weighing her options and dragging out her answer. Slowly her smooth hand raises up to the other leaders head, brushing away stray strands of the black hair.
"Of course I like her. She is a good person"
Thea rolls her eyes.
"You know what I mean. Do you like her romantically. Is that why you make her sleep in your bed every night?"
Ariadne doesn't answer her question. Instead they sit in silence for a second or so, before she leans in again. Thea sighs, accepting the fact that Ariadne won't answer her. Instead she lets her lips connect to Ariadne's again, and her arms wander across the blonde's back. It's in that exact moment that the door opens, a silent gasp resonating through the room. Ariadne and Thea hesitantly break their kiss to see who it is.
Irene.
🌿
It's been like two weeks, so here's a super late chapter😖☝️
As you guys know, I'm on break, but I might publish another chapter this week, and possibly another the next as well.
Have a nice week!