The lycaon was in a hurry and, considering the situation, Eos could see why but, as they'd passed by some stables just east of the fort, she'd stopped. Laelaps had glanced behind him, realising that he wasn't being followed and tilted his head at her,
"Fancy scaring me a horse" she shrugged. The lycaon scoffed back at her before he veered off the path, heading towards a swamp, "if you were nicer to them, they might like you" Eos had suggested. Catching up with him at the green waters edge, Eos had sat down on one of the small bounders, letting her feet soak in the water for a moments. They could still the fortress they'd escaped from but, Eos' feet were already starting to ache and, the fresh air was already starting to make her drowsy. The lycaon pulled at her cloak then but, she swatted him off.
"Me and you need to talk" she told him. Laelaps looked back at the fortress and then, he sat down next to her, his eyes on the road,
"Where have you been".
He snorted at her - quite aggressively,
"I told you to come to Argolis - not stay in Attika".
He snorted again.
"And Deimos... in Megaris" she shrugged her shoulder "so much for keeping your eyes on him". The lycaon turned his head to her, "and what about Melaina" the lycaon looked back to the road, "if you were not looking out for me, at least tell me you looked out for her".
Eos watched as the lycaons shoulders fell, his mouth a thin line as his ears flattened back and he turned away from her, carrying on in to the swamp. He'd glanced back at her, the smallest of wags asking for her to keep following him.
It made Eos feel terrible but, she had every reason to be pissed with him. Especially as he gave her such a hard time when it was she that didn't listen - although, as he thoughtfully led her through the shallows, she wondered if maybe it had been some sort of payback. Now that, that she couldn't blame him for but, there was payback and then - then there was the risk of dying and, Eos had ran that risk very close.
It could also have been a complete accident but, so had some of her set-backs and he'd never once given her the benefit of the doubt.
After eventually passing by the swamps, the two of them came upon what Eos knew to be the Dyapontion ruins. The place where Pyros had been born and, which had subsequently been claimed by the followers of Ares – who were now all dead. The teeth marks told her exactly who was to blame.
"You had some fun Laelaps" Eos asked, looking down at the bodies in a want to make sure that they were dead and not still dying.
Laelaps never was good at finishing them off.
Laelaps had trotted over to her then, something shiny in his mouth. "What you got" she asked; he placed it down on the floor in front of her – a silver dagger. "Oh, you're a good boy really, aren't you" Eos said, scratching him on the ear as she knelt and picked it up. Laelaps had shook his head, still a little annoyed with her from earlier and trotted a little more down the path, glancing back as she rose to her feet slowly.
"I wonder which one Pyros lived in" Eos had said, brushing her hand over one of the doors, the wood flaking underneath her fingers. Laelaps snuffled at the house he was stood near, pawing at the door before carrying on. "That one" Eos asked out loud , "I wonder who set it all alight", the lycaon snorted at her – as if it was obvious and then, he continued on his way, leading her out of the ruins and over to the hills they could see in the distance.
Whining as she followed him up, they passed by the tomb of the first champion - which Deimos had dragged her too one night in search of an stone slate he'd heard off. It had all been very underwhelming - for Eos at least who, did not have the pleasure of seeing all the pretty golden symbols Deimos swore he could see. And then, on the descent down the hill - they passed by the Idean cave - a cave Eos knew all to well. "Are you doing this on purpose" Eos asked the lycaon - who only glanced back at her, his head held high as if he knew how much reliving that part of her past made her want to punch him.
After passing by a bandit camp, they came upon a great arched cliff with a fort on top,
"Archaia" Eos said out loud, not expecting a reply off the lycaon who, was already trotting down the path they'd joined.
After passing by some more ruins, they came to the outskirts of Pellene as the sun sat halfway between morning and night.
Eos stopped, looking to the ships sat in the docks, "Where are we going Laelaps" Eos asked, "Can we not get a boat" the lycaon looked at her stupid but, carried on, "Could be a stowaway" Eos suggested as she trudged along behind him.
Unlike the ruins, he made her walk around the town instead of through it.
Following a path for a little while, Laelaps took her in to the forest – and more hills.
After passing by the Olouros fortress – where she'd killed that old lady Deimos had reminded her about – they stayed close to the water, sneaking past an Athenian encampment and then, coming up on a lake of orange dye.
"Korinthia" Eos muttered to herself, she turned to Laelaps, who was definitely not headed in the towns direction, "Gonna make me walk around this one too".
As well as her legs feeling as if they would fall off, she was also hungry – at least whatever Deimos was doing, it wasn't trying to starve her.
Although, just the thought seemed to make the lycaon look back at her, snorting at her as if she should be that little more grateful.
Passing by some more forest, Laelaps took her over to some sort of indent in the land, a lake at its centre and a cave set back in to it. A cave Eos knew to have wolves inside.
Very big wolves.
But then, that was the benefit of having a lycaon and, the wolves scattered almost at the smell of him.
Although, Eos did often wonder how lonely it would have been for him had they not found each other – especially if his own kind didn't want to be anywhere near him.
Inside the cave, along with some long-dead bodies that just so happened to have a little bit of drachmae in their robes, a dusty old chest held a small pouch of it and, a silver belt, far too big for her to wear but, it'd bring a good amount of drachmae if Laelaps let her anywhere near actual people.
Leaving her inside, Laelaps had left the cave, coming back as night finally fell and plopping a dead snake at her feet.
"You couldn't have got me a rabbit" Eos asked.
Setting up a small fire just outside the cave, Eos managed to burn the thin meat almost too a crisp before she stomped it out and returned inside. Lying down in the middle of the cave, it didn't take Laelaps long to return from his own hunt, his belly full and, he'd laid down next to her, his head leant over her good shoulder and his eyes closed,
"Thanks Laelaps" Eos had said.
And then, for the first time in what felt like forever. Eos slept without a dream or a thought and, waking as the lycaon sneezed in her face, she managed to stand without an ache.
"Fancy finding me something to eat" Eos asked as she trudged along behind the lycaon; watching him diverts slightly off his original path and, to the outskirts of a ruined temple of Zeus and, more bandits.
"Laelaps. Steal me some goat and I'll get you some dried beef" the lycaon stopped, turning his head to look, as if he was thinking about it. And then, with a small wag of his tail, he disappeared off. It was only then that Eos noticed the small limp in his front right paw but, by the time he came back, it was gone and he was holding a large cooked goat leg in his mouth. The bandits hadn't even realised. He dropped it at her feet.
"Thanks" Eos said.
The two of them crossed by the original ruins of the argo - for which her own Captains ship was named after - and then, they came upon Megara.
Eos looked down from the cliff on to the city, the waft of cooked pig already reaching her nose and making even Laelaps lick at the air but, like all the rest, he started down the mountain, heading for the way around instead.
"One of the eyes were there, before" Eos told him, "I even saw Hoyt. Stupid man was gonna smuggle her off somewhere from what I gathered. I hope he thought better of it",
She probably should have made a point of asking Deimos if Sotera had gone but, if she was honest, she'd forgotten all about it.
Finishing off what was eatable of the goat, Eos tossed the bone to Laelaps and he caught it, parading around with it in his mouth as they came upon a cave - that, from the sound of it, had some homestead inside.
Catching another whiff of food, the both of them carried on, passing by the ruined pyramid of Apollo Karinos and a few more ruins - which again, had some bandits trouncing around and then, they came upon what seemed to be an abandoned Spartan camp - if you didn't include the wolves who had made a home there.
They'd already sensed Laelaps but, instead of bothering with them, they carried on - eventually coming to the Fort of Plataia. It was then Eos realised they were heading in the direction of Boetia.
"Please tell me we are almost there" the lycaon snorted at her, stopping on the top of a small hill and looking down. The scorched plains of Boetia at the bottom. "I hope you actually have some sort of plan" the lycaon snorted at her again and carried on, passing through the black fields and dead crops.
It was already starting to get dark again when they finally came upon Thebes. And, after taking her down alleyways and peeking around corners, the lycaon finally stopped outside a door.
"Melaina better be inside" Eos told him, he also better have a great reason for not having come to Argolis.
But, instead of a rat, there was a doctor.
"Hippokrates" Eos breathed, he looked up from his many vials and potions and smiled,
"Ahh, I thought you may show-" he stopped, taking the whole of the girl in.
Eos couldn't see what she looked like but, from the look on the doctors face, perhaps the lycaon had avoided the busy streets just in case she made someone wretch, "Sit down, sit down",
"I'm a lot better than I probably look" Eos had assured him,
"I don't doubt that but, at least let me look at your shoulder" Eos looked down at the sling, mud splattered and soaking. It hadn't hurt since she'd left but still, she sat, feeling the pain just as Hippokrates pulled the sling free - although, she didn't know it was more of a stiffness than an ache, "How did it happen",
"Arrow" Eos said. Hippokrates gently pulled the cloak from her head - she hadn't realised how bad she smelled.
Laelaps had definitely given the world the benefit of the doubt.
"The stitching is good" Hippokrates said before he got to work, cleaning the wound and stretching out her arm, which hurt like hell, concluding that she'd need another few weeks of it being of no use - which even the lycaon had whined at and then, after applying some creams to some of the deeper cuts she'd sustained in the last few weeks, Hippokrates had sat back and smiled at her.
"That should do you for a while. Those robes though, I think we'll have to find you something else". Eos sighed and looked down, she thought so too.
Pulling over a screen, Hippokrates had left Eos to wash herself and dress, Laelaps lying on the floor, on his back, tilting his head this way and that as he stared up at the ceiling.
"We have a lot to talk about" Eos yawned,
"We do" Hippokrates asked,
"Most likely" Eos said, "I'm assuming you don't mind me spending the night doc?" Eos asked,
"Of course not" Hippokrates told her.
By morning, Eos was sat on the bed, staring at Laelaps. He sat himself and tilted his head at her.
"Hippokrates" Eos said, she swivelled herself around to look at him at his work station, "How long has it been since I saw you in Attika?",
"A very long while" Hippokrates replied,
"Last night, you said you were expecting me" she gestured at Laelaps, "Did he?"
"Yes, he arrived here with a girl", Eos looked at Laelaps and he batted his tail on the floor,
"Melaina",
"I did not ask her name but, I had the same 'feeling'" - Laelaps - "as I did when you turned up on my doorstep",
"Is she well",
"There was nothing physically wrong with her" Hippokrates said, "her mind however, is very... broken",
"She's not here is she" Eos already knew the answer but, she couldn't help but not ask it,
"No" Hippokrates looked over at Laelaps, a lot less wary of him now,
"She left not long after your lycaon" Eos looked with him,
"Is he well" Eos said quietly, she saw the lycaons ears prick up,
"I have noticed a limp" Hippokrates said just as quietly but, the lycaon was already glaring at them, as if daring them,
"Yeah, I noticed that to" Eos said, she gestured for him to come with her head, "Laelaps, come here". The lycaon only turned his head away from her. Eos sighed. "I am sorry about what I said. And, thank you for coming to rescue me". Laelaps tilted his head, still averting his gaze "what more do you want me to say",
He rolled his eyes and trotted over.
"Whats up with your leg, let me look" Laelaps too a step backwards but, Eos had already grabbed for it and was pulling him towards her. He went to snap at her but, she held up a finger and he huffed at her. Eos turned the pad over, finding only a small cut in the middle of his pad, "Do you have some water" she looked over at Hippokrates. Laelaps let out a low growl and Eos glanced back at him "You want to die from infection, do you" Eos asked, he snorted and then looked away from her, "Honestly, I'm surprised something got you. You're getting old Laelaps - can even see the grey around your muzzle" Eos had turned to grab the wet cloth from Hippokrates and the lycaon had pulled his paw from her lap. Eos sighed, "You are acting like a child".
Laelaps shook himself and then placed his paw back up on her lap. Growling, Eos cleaned it out and, if only for the time being - to make sure he didn't lick off the ointment she'd put on it - she wrapped it in a bandage. He hopped away from her then, holding his paw up and whining. He sat himself in the corner, his head down.
"You're so dramatic" Eos told him before turning back to Hippokrates. "Do you knew where Melaina went",
"Ah yes, the girl - she mentioned something about her eyes before she left" Hippokrates said, "But, there was nothing wrong with them".
Eos sat back. Melaina was after the source of the problem - which was the cult.
The cult she was sure that Hippokrates had some knowledge about - especially if he'd met Kassandra before.
"You know Kassandra. The eagle bearer" Eos asked,
Hippokrates nodded "Yes",
"And you know what it is she's trying to destroy" the doctor nodded again, "Well, me and Melaina... We were a part of that. Except, I swapped sides and I think, in all the chaos, Melaina has too - she may seem crazy but... she's deadly. If she wants to find you - she will" which honestly meant that if she'd really wanted to find Asphodel, she would have. Pushing the thought from her mind for a little while longer, Eos said "And, if she's after who I think she's after, they won't be able to hide anywhere" Eos looked over at Laelaps, he was lay down, licking and nibbling at the cloth around his paw, "But what changed her mind" Eos said quietly. Laelaps glanced up at her, "What happened after I left".
Laelaps looked up at the ceiling and then rolled on to his back.
"You... waited" Eos said to him, "Then?". Laelaps jumped up, a rumbly growl coming from his throat, "Someone came... Deimos", she saw Hippokrates flinch at the name. Laelaps snorted at her, "No. Someone else". Laelaps rubbed at his face, "One of the eyes". Next, the hair on the lycaon back rose up and Laelaps grabbed a pillow from the bed and started to rag it around, snapping and growling at the air as if it had done something terrible. "The master" Eos said quietly and Laelaps growled, she smiled, "He's dead Laelaps, no need to waste your energy on hating him". The growls cut off and Laelaps looked over at her, the pillow falling from his mouth, the stuffing stuck around his teeth, "I made sure of it". Laelaps relaxed and then, he continued on his little show, starting to circle, his body down low, as if he was stalking something at the centre of it, "Like a vulture" Eos said,
"This is fascinating" Hippokrates put in before Laelaps continued.
"And then" Eos asked, Laelaps snorted at her, Eos rolled her eyes "obviously". Hippokrates had looked from one to the other, dumb-founded, "Then". Laelaps lay down and started to crawl away slowly, glancing back every for moments, "She crept away from him. She left him that note personally".
Laelaps bolted from his spot then, over to the door - it made poor Hippokrates jump.
"You ran. Where? Here", Laelaps shook his head, "Then where". Laelaps started to hack, almost as if he was going to vomit. "The sea".
Hippokrates had to stop her - "How did you get that, from that",
"Laelaps isn't too fond of the sea" she looked back at him, he'd sat down, "Right, why" he looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at the ceiling, "You saw someone" Eos shrugged, "Who". Laelaps looked around the room and then, he walked over to some folded clothes, rooting through them before pulling one out. Eos looked to Hippokrates, "Was that someone else's before" Eos asked him.
Hippokrates looked from the lycaon, to the cloth and then, back to Eos, "It belonged to a sea captain. He'd got foot rot and I gave him some clean robes but, that was-"
"Where was he from" Eos asked,
"Keos",
"You went to Keos" Eos asked him, the lycaon snorted a yes. It didn't take her long to realise who he meant - Laelaps had been enthralled by the size of the pirate queen - a friend of Hoyts. "You saw Xenia" Eos asked, almost as confused as Hippokrates was with the whole thing. How would Melaina had known to go to her - why would she have gone to her. Unless, she'd gone to see someone else. It was the sort of detail that Laelaps wouldn't be able to give her - unless he spouted a voice box. So, instead, she asked the questions she knew she could understand the answers of. "All good with her" Laelaps batted his tail on the ground, "Right, where then". Laelaps looked over at Hippokrates and Eos looked with him, "But Melaina was not sick" Hippokrates only nodded his head. Eos looked back at him, "So?".
Laelaps tilted his head and sighed,
"Ohh, now you worry about me" she grabbed at his ear and rubbed it, the lycaon pushing in to her hand before he placed his very large head on her lap. "How did you know where I'd be" Eos asked. Laelaps sniffed at the air, as if it was obvious and closed his eyes.
Hippokrates sat on the stool.
"It's amazing how you...communicate with him",
"Well, when you've been together as long as we have, it sort of just comes naturally. Although, it has its limits" Eos said, Laelaps snorted at her, "Thanks" she said,
"Still, it seems as if a snort is able to tell you as much as a person would",
"I don't have much of a choice if I'm honest. He can get quite... annoyed" - for lack of a nicer word - "if I don't so" she rubbed his ears again, "and, he's been the most constant thing in my life since I was... nine" she shrugged, "I owe him so much, least I can do is understand all his snorty little words". Laelaps had nipped at the robes she wore and she'd grabbed at his snout, holding her hands around it before he sneezed on her and she let go.
After Hippokrates had prepared a little bit of breakfast for them, Laelaps had left - to ensure that he wasn't going to scare off any of the doctors patients - and Eos had helped Hippokrates go about his day.
It was the least she could do, considering and, he also came back from the market with some dried beef.
"It'll be like I said nothing at all" Eos told him.
As night broke, the lycaon returned. One of Hippokrates patients had been sleeping soundly but, just at the lycaons presence, he'd started to twist and turn, getting unsettled.
"Thank you Hippokrates" Eos said, "I hope we see each other one day and, it's because I came to visit on purpose",
"As do I" the doctors smiled, "If you see Kassandra before I, make sure to tell her that I wish her well" Eos smiled and nodded at the doctor.
Full and, that little more awake, Eos and Laelaps walked through the quiet town, people minding their own business as they put their wares away,
"Melaina's in Attika, isn't she" Eos said. "You know. I didn't say before because... because it's..." Eos stopped and Laelaps looked back, concerned, "I found her... Affy..." she didn't need to say it, the lycaon already knew by the look on her face. Still, she had to get something off her chest and, she hadn't wanted the doctor to bare witness to it. She continued walking, "You know, I thought that she'd be stronger. That she would have tried harder... That even Akin would have found her by now..." it hadn't been that hard, not really. Perhaps if she'd given it a little more thought, it would have led her to the temple in the first place. "I thought they loved each other Laelaps. I thought that's what love was. Not giving up. Being indebted to someone".
The lycaon only listened.
"And I... well... maybe the cult did it... maybe their that bad that love - as true as theirs was supposed to be - just won't survive" the lycaon snorted then, he didn't agree with that, "maybe they never really had it... maybe they just gave up hope on each other...".
Eos had considered that maybe Akin and Asphodel had let each other go - but, if they'd let go off the only thing that made them truly happy, had there any been any hope for them in the first place.
Attika, Athens. It was much like Eos had left it. There were slightly more guard here and there but, they paid her no attention and she went relatively unseen. The robes bore no blood or leather and, she blended in with the rest of the crowd.
"Do you know where you are going" Eos had said in to the night. No one else would have been able to see the large black wolf lurking next to her. The lycaon stopped, his ears pricking up.
Eos looked to where he stared to.
The Agora.
That was what had been on Midas' letter from the eye, that she was awaiting his word in the Agora...
"Are we blinding an eye Laelaps" Eos asked. Honestly, if it had been as long as she thought it had, why would they have even stayed. With Midas and the Master dead, you'd think they would have at least got the message - but then, if Midas had been getting on their last nerve and, Sotera had wanted to leave - maybe there really was some sort of conspiracy going on.
The lycaon hadn't advanced any further forward, a sign to Eos that he wanted her to go first. Eos took a step in the direction of the Agora but, she felt the lycaon paw her leg and watched his nose point to another building, a small house just off to the side. "Not gonna give me any hint of what I'm about to walk in on" Eos asked, the lycaon sat down, gesturing his head to it again. "Thanks" Eos said quietly.
With her hand wrapped around the dagger Laelaps had gifted her, she quickly realised that the door was ajar, a small push making it creak as it opened. Eos took a step back, staring at the inside.
The once furnished room, most likely belonging to someone of great wealth had eyes had been painted on the wall in nothing more but blood. candles lit in almost every crevice of the room and, a woman, tied and bound at the centre of it all.
Her eyes had been gouged out, the blood seeping down like tears and, her tongue, half split and lying on the floor in front of her.
And, the worst bit.
She was still alive, her body writhing this way and that as she tried to escape, inaudible words escaping her mouth.
"I said I would hunt down that which had taken our greatest mind".
Eos froze, her hand clutched so tight around the dagger, she felt as if she may crush it,
"And I have".
Eos turned her head, finding Melaina stood in the corner. But, she wasn't staring at Eos, only at the woman. Melaina walked towards them, passing Eos as if she wasn't there and stood in front of her,
"You took from us one who would speak the truth, the greatest mind we had left... after..." Melaina trailed off, glancing behind her at Eos. Her eyes sad, yearning.
Deimos had been wrong on both accounts.
Melaina hadn't meant Kallinos - she'd meant Asphodel. Kallinos had his smarts, he had a great mind. Although, in the very end, it was not great enough to bare the truth but, Asphodel's had been - even if she'd thought the truth had not been enough.
Eos watched as Melaina started forward on to the woman, the woman's head going from side to side as she started to panic, cries and gasps escaping her mouth.
Eos knew then that this was the eye, the one who had taken Melaina as a child and... turned her in to what she was now but, this, this wasn't right. Eos was no innocent to torture but, something prolonged like this, when the torture gained nothing more than a zest of excitement or feeling from the one who did it, was wrong. No matter what you'd done.
Melaina was being as cruel as they'd taught her to be and, it only meant that they won.
Eos didn't give Melaina a choice, she didn't even look at her as she plunged the sword straight in to the woman's eye socket, killing her instantly.
"No" Melaina screamed, grabbing on to the body as it fell forward, "you... you killed her" she spat. Melaina shook the woman, as if somehow it would bring her back, her eyes streaming with deluded tears before she stopped, letting the body fall to the floor.
Laelaps was there now too, having nudged the door open at the frantic girls screams.
"Why would you..." Melaina looked over at her, she sat back, her body almost collapsing on itself, her head swivelling around to stare at the woman again,
"They win Melaina. If you let that sort of cruelty over take you, you are no better than them".
Melaina's head snapped to the both of them, her voice shaking,
"And you are any better. You killed Kallinos because he betrayed you" Melaina spat the words, "Our friend. Our family" she pushed to her feet, "What makes you have the right to take your revenge but not us" Eos took a step back and Melaina's voice settled, turning snarky and more bitch-like. "What makes you any better than me" Melaina scoffed."You were always an entitled bitch. You always felt like you deserve so much more than the rest of us", Melaina shrugged a shoulder, a cruel, twisted look on her face "Because you had him and then..." Melaina rolled her eyes, "Then, you had a gift. A gift you destroyed. It would have been wonderful. It would have been what we needed. What I needed" Melaina pointed her finger at her, "It would have brought us to greatness. It would have fixed this... this mess. It would have brought us the order he can't because you-"
"Him" Eos grabbed at Melaina's wrist and pulled her towards her, "They would have turned him - not it - in to something worse than his own father" Melaina pulled with her other hand, her body now shaking and scared - like she'd been back at that house but, Eos didn't let go. "He would have been a puppet they wore on their hand and he'd... he'd be less human than the minotaur, or the cyclops" Eos told her, "He'd never be a gift to anyone but people like her" Eos grabbed on to her shoulders and shoved her around, making her look at the woman sat on the chair, "And" Eos pushed her forward, "Where were you? When I needed you? My friends. My family. You... you just let them have me... after everything they did to you... everything she did... you just left me... I would never have done that... and if I'm so terrible, what are you",
"Eos" Melaina closed her eyes.
"Kallinos... It wasn't because he betrayed me Melaina... I killed him because he was a coward... and cowards have no place in this world" Eos took a step back, turning her head to Laelaps who had sat down, watching the both of them intently - he had nothing to say. "That woman Melaina.... that woman did terrible things to you and you..." Eos sighed, "You think - that somehow - that's okay to happen to someone else",
"Eos" Melaina said quietly but, Eos wasn't finished yet.
"They made us in to monsters and... is it such a terrible thing that I do not want that anymore... that I want something more than order. That night, Melaina, I didn't make it out of that room... Not really. Sometimes I don't even know who I am anymore. Most days I don't even know why I'm here" Eos shrugged, "doing... this... It's not like you deserve it" Eos took a step back, "or I deserve it... All I know is that he didn't... That all those children to come... whether their Kosmos or not, should not have to live under a rule that punishes them for happiness or love or..." Melaina looked up at her, tears in her eyes, "Maybe we don't owe each other but, do we not owe them" Eos asked.
Melaina didn't answer her - there was no reason why Melaina had not been there for her - no real enough reason that could have made it better. Melaina had been scared and, she'd used the spite she had for Eos against any want to go to her. She knew that Eos had done the right thing but, the more she thought about it, the more she'd wondered whether or not Eos had been the problem all along - or, maybe it was just easier to blame everyone else but herself.
"I found her, you know" Melaina looked up at Eos, she was looking away from her, staring at the door, "I watched her die.." Melaina knew who it was she spoke of, "She's gone and... the cult did that... she did that... and... you want to be like them" Eos turned back around, swallowing back a sob, "go right ahead - be everything they want you to be - everything you hate - but just..." Eos trailed off, she sighed "Do not expect to do it for very long".
Even if Melaina had joined in the chaos, even if it was the cult she was after; she'd only fall deeper in to the hole they'd dug for her if she continued the way she was and, Eos didn't know anymore if digging them out of that hole was going to do anything. All she could do was show them a truth they did not want and hope they believed her. Melaina had to want something more than herself and, if she didn't, she'd end up like Asphodel - whether at her own hand or someone else's.