"Do you realise what this means" Eos asked - they were sat around a table, Alexios about ready to flip it over.
"What" Alexios snapped as he threw his hands up in the air, he'd had enough, he couldn't deal with this anymore,
"That you need to. Go. Outside. And. Take. A. Walk",
"You sa" he threw his hand out to Glaukos,
"No, he's not cheating. You are losing. It is a different thing" Eos said. That wasn't to say Glaukos wasn't being a dick but still, there was no point in hurting the furniture over it.
"Ugh" Alexios fell back in to his chair with a thud, his arms folded as he blew out of his nose like a bull,
"Its just simple-" Glaukos, bold as ever, had a little bit of a death wish, it seemed.
"Shut up" Eos had, had just as much enough of him as she'd had of Alexios today.
Hippokrates sighed from his seat at the table, smiling at the dice the three of them had in front of them. The doctor had wanted to enjoy a nice game before heading out to do his rounds but, Glaukos, having seemed to have got that much bolder these last few weeks, suggested games that Alexios wasn't exactly knowledgeable on and, meant that the man was going to lose much more than he would win - unless Hippokrates was able to spot an outburst and throw the game first, losing nothing in comparison to the pride Alexios lost when he did.
"Its a stupid game anyway" Alexios muttered,
"It is n-",
"Glaukos, will you join me on my rounds today" Hippokrates asked, "I have a man who may need to have a limb amputated and, he needs a little reassurance",
"I can break the other leg for you" Alexios suggested. Eos sighed, "you can hold hands and have them amputated together",
"Thanks for the offer" Glaukos said, "but, I think I'm good on that front",
"Are you sure" Alexios leaned forward as Glaukos stood up, holding on to his crutch to balance himself,
"Perhaps you'd spend your time better if you learned how to play properly" Glaukos shrugged,
"Perhaps you'd be better on a-" Alexios stood up again,
"Will you just go" Eos asked. Alexios looked over at her but, she was looking to Glaukos.
"Fine" Glaukos said,
"And how about you come back without that smirk on your face" Eos asked him as he turned away, Hippokrates now next to him.
Alexios watched as the two of them left before he turned back to Eos.
"What was that" Eos asked him,
"He's-",
"He's trying to rile you up" Eos told him, "don't let it get to you. You're supposed to be friends",
"Friends" Alexios snorted, he sat back down, picking at the table,
"Oh, I forgot. Big scary Demi-Gods don't have friends, do they" Eos was sat down across from him,
"Eos..." Alexios trailed away,
"You shouldn't have said it, you know" Eos said, "and I don't mean about what you were going to say", well, he shouldn't have wanted to say that either but, still...
"I didn't know he was listening" Alexios said, "but I wasn't lying". He didn't regret what he said, not really, but, he did wish Glaukos would have minded his own business...
"I know" Eos said quietly, "but we're in this together now" she told him. "He didn't have anyone like we did... Akin had Asphodel... Melaina had her voices... Pyros had those boots... Kallinos had a whole damn army... I had you..." Alexios met her eye then, giving her the smallest of smiles, "Glaukos didn't have anyone... books don't talk back...".
This was all because he and Eos had been sat, talking about the night at the fort, how Alexios had almost left, only to avoid being captured when Darius had pushed him over-board - something he'd never thanked the old man, or Natakas for - how he'd found Kassandra at that house...
Then, at the fort, he'd followed his sister for no real reason... and Glaukos had been there... dying and... he'd made a choice to leave him... such a quick choice... if it wasn't for Kassandra carrying him out, Glaukos would have died... he wasn't going to go back for him...
And Glaukos had heard that... They hadn't known at the time but, Glaukos had told Hippokrates and, the physician had mentioned it to Eos.
"What do you want me to do. Say sorry" Alexios asked,
"No, I just want you to remember that the reason I'm still here is because Glaukos helped keep me sane - and if I do mean anything to yo-",
"Eos... don't" he didn't need that, not today.
"Exactly" Eos said, she sat up a little, "you don't have to say sorry. He wouldnt ever expect it off you anyway", she said it so flippantly, it hurt him, more than she would ever know, "but, you just need to... calm down... let him be hurt... let him get it out but, don't rise to it, don't make it worse" Eos told him,
"I'll talk to him" Alexios said,
"Don't" Eos said, she didn't think it would help,
"No. I will" Alexios told her.
Eos sighed and Alexios reached over the table, taking her hand,
"We need to be on the same page" Alexios told her, Eos looked up at him,
"Okay" Eos said quietly.
"Come on, lets go for a walk" Alexios said, he stood up, not letting go of her hand.
"Ugh" Eos put her head down on the table - she didn't want to,
"You heard what the doctor said" Alexios said as Eos let him pull her up, the extra weight and very noticeable bump giving him no problem,
"He said I needed to take it easy" Eos moaned,
"In between short walks" he mocked the same voice Hippokrates had when he'd given Eos her orders - he was very happy with how she was progressing and, although he had mentioned that rest was very important, lying in bed all day wasn't good for her.
"My feet hurt" Eos told him,
"They'll hurt less, come on" Alexios said, "we can go swish them in the baths",
"Oh, remember what happened last time we were at the baths" Eos said - if you took away the whole kidnapping bit - and what happened afterward - it was quite a nice night.
"Come on" Alexios said again, trying to stop himself form grinning.
***
Alexios sat down next to Eos, his feet resting in the water.
"You didn't sleep much last night, did you" Alexios said as Eos lay back, closing her eyes, the greek sun warming her skin as she wriggled her own feet inside the water,
"I tried to be subtle about it" Eos admitted,
"What was bothering you" he asked,
"I don't know" she shrugged, letting out a breath, "I guess I'm just worried",
"You don't need to be, I-",
"Not about the Order" Eos opened her eyes and then put her arm over her face, blocking out the suns light that shone right above them, "just about... I don't know... having a... baby" Eos sighed, "can't do anything about that, can you" she asked,
"No..." Alexios put his arms on his knees, watching as a couple of women passed by them, one of them trying to grab his attention before she saw Eos' bulging belly next to him. The woman had turned back to her friend and, the friend had nipped a quick glance back.
"You enjoying the attention" Eos asked. She'd pushed herself up a little, resting on her elbows as she too watched the two woman round the corner, giggling to themselves.
"How can I when you're both scaring them away" Alexios asked, glancing over to her.
Eos smiled and then put her hands on her stomach,
"It seems like he may just have a sense of humour by the time you come out" Eos said out loud,
Alexios snorted and then looked back to the water.
Was this what it was like to have something simple? To be able to sit and watch the world around you, to watch the people who didn't care to bother them, who thought they were just like them?
If he was honest, it seemed a little boring but, then, he'd look over to Eos, see her relaxed and calm and, talking to their unborn child, and, it wasn't all that bad anymore.
He had been running for so long, whether it was to or from, his family, the cult, the order, himself... mostly himself... and, it wasn't like he didn't have doubts, he knew by the waivered sleep Eos had every night that she shared them to, but, right now, they weren't running.
Eos couldn't do it and, the both of them knew the fight would end up coming to them, one way or another.
He also couldn't ever imagine them staying here in the long run anyway...
Perhaps if they did rid themselves of Amorges, of his followers, they'd be able to make a home for themselves somewhere but, right now, they had to focus on her, on that baby... Hippokrates wouldn't admit it to Eos but, Alexios knew he was a little worried...
"What do you think happened to Melaina" Eos asked him, bringing him away from his thoughts. He honestly wondered why she cared.
"I don't know, maybe she's dead" Alexios said,
"Sometimes I feel like when you talk about her, or think about her, she shows up... with her 'wisdom' that is so needed in the world",
"If she turns up now, I'll kill her" Alexios said.
Eos didn't argue. A part of her, once, had thought Melaina had been on her side but, now, she didn't know what to think. Melaina said so many things, claimed the future was in her words but, Eos wondered what her game was. She had told the Order that Deimos was dead too... and, like Eos, they thought all of him was gone.
And then, then she'd up'd and left them all...
Eos took a deep breath, a few flutters in her stomach making her feel a little sick.
Still,she didn't think she'd stop him from killing her. The world could do without knowing what the future held for them.
***
It took Alexios almost a week to get Glaukos alone. Hippokrates was making use of him and, most days, he'd flop in to the wooden chair near the fire and be drooling by the time you managed to say hello to him.
On the one hand, it had meant that there had been no dice games in which Glaukos could berate him with.
"We need to talk" Alexios said. Glaukos snorted, smiling as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes...
"No, we don't". He and Hippokrates had talked about it at length and, they had equated together that Alexios was never going to feel or act like a normal person. "I shouldn't have expected anything more from you" - Eos and Alexios had been through far worse shit than he had - yes, people could see his shit - or not, considering the leg wasn't there anymore - but, Eos and Alexios, on the surface, except for some of the bumps and grazes, looked as if they were fully functional adults and, nothing more or less, was expected of them.
People couldn't see the demons locked inside, didn't see the way Alexios would get up in the middle of the night and stare out of the window, his face paled and his eyes bloodshot - as if he'd seen a ghost.
It was something Alexios hadn't mentioned to Eos, blaming it on the constant fidget she seemed to be in whilst they slept.
And Eos. No one knew how much she was trying to keep it together.
"No, I'm sorry" Alexios said. Glaukos smiled and shook his head,
"If it had been me, I wouldn't have gone back for me either" Glaukos admitted, "hell, I would have died from the smoke by then, so" he shrugged his shoulders,
"But it wasn't right for me to say it" Alexios said,
"No but" Glaukos shrugged, "I'm here anyway aren't I. I don't deserve to be but, here we are, sat next to a fire, talking about how we feel..." Glaukos smiled, "this was never something I envisioned",
"I don't think any of this was".
"Tell me, how far would you have gone" Glaukos asked, "if Eos had died, if the cult really had killed her" - he'd always wondered...
"Nothing of me would have made it off that mountain" Alexios said,
"You still think you would have ended up there" Glaukos asked,
"I'd have to one day" Alexios said quietly.
***
The end of spring was upon them by the time Eos had decided she'd had enough of carrying a baby - which, fortunately, coincided with the time Hippokrates said the baby would have begun having enough of her too.
The walks Hippokrates claimed would do her good were also getting that little more unbearable now - if they hadn't been already and, she spent far more time sat down then she did on her feet. The doctor was pleased though, he really thought that the girl would have spent much more time in bed, especially in these later months but, she'd surprised him.
This time though, a little pang of pain made her body shudder and she stopped to put her hands on her stomach. Hippokrates had promised her that it was nothing to worry about. Her body was just preparing her for the birth and, also, her insides was just accommodating the growing human inside of her. There had been so much trauma the last time and, the doctor suggested that even her body was surprised they'd been able to manage it.
Which didn't give Eos much reassurance in the grand scheme of things.
"I just need to sit down a minute" Eos grabbed on to Alexios arm to help lower herself down on to the wall, a growing field of wheat behind her. Alexios turned to her, putting his hand on her shoulder as she took a deep breath and looked up at him. He stroked her cheek as he looked around, his eyes scanning the distance - just in case, "go get it" Eos told him, "you'll end up carrying me back if I go any further",
"Are you sure" he asked,
"Yes" Eos said, she closed her eyes and a few butterflies fluttered against her insides, they thought it was a good idea too.
"Okay, I won't be long" he promised. It was only a little more down the path; one of Hippokrates patients hadn't been able to make it to the clinic for his medicine and, they'd offered to take it to him.
Eos fidgeted a little, another shudder overcoming her as she closed her eyes. She didn't know how ready she was for the birth... the thought of it coming out actually made her feel a bit sick...
She also wondered when it was Kassandra would make an appearance... They'd had news of her so, she was still alive - she'd been causing trouble for the Order in Messenia and, even killing off a few cult members in the progress, getting closer and closer to that ghost that Glaukos was also doing his best to discover the identity of... Kassandra had given a lot of her clues to him before she'd left and, that, along with some of the horrible stories Deimos had told him, Glaukos was sure he could figure out who it was.
Eos took another breath, another chill coming over her as she shuddered.
"Eos...",
That voice though, it made her want to puke. The chill that ran through her body made her stand up, grabbing at her stomach as she glanced up the road, no sign of Alexios...
"You" she said, finally turning to Amorges. He smiled at her, his hands together in front of him, as if he meant her no harm at all. "What...",
"My plan is in action" Amorges told her, rounding the small, broken wheat wall, he wasn't in any hurry it seemed,
"Your plan isn't working" Eos said, choking on a lump in the back of her throat. She felt so scared, as if she was about to cry.
"Thats what you may think but, it is going exactly as I wanted it to" that smile made her feel even more sick, "you are seeing the chaos with your own eyes, allowing it to swallow you as it did before". Eos took a deep breath,
"What do you want Amorges" she hated that she sounded so desperate,
"What I've always wanted" he claimed,
"Order?" she asked - she didn't know anymore, she wasn't sure he did either.
Amorges smiled, "you'll find out soon enough, once the chaos falls away. It won't be long now", it was then he pulled her dagger from his pocket.
Eos took small step away from him, now seeing Alexios had snuck up behind him, having used the wheat to circle around them both.
Then, Amorges had turned, the signal from his own man making him thinking that he could jab the dagger in to Alexios' stomach but, Alexios was too quick, getting a hit in with his golden sword but, not doing much more than smacking Amorges with the side of it.
An arrow came from afar then, smashing in Alexios shoulder and, in the small hesitation Alexios had, giving Amorges time to drag it through Alexios calf and make him fall to his knees.
Eos ran towards them, Amorges attempting a second time to stab at Alexios stomach but, still a little too quick, the dagger had got stuck in the bottom of his chest plate, the blade only scathing the surface as Alexios grabbed on to his neck.
He could have squeezed enough to kill him when Eos cried out.
Another arrow, meant for Alexios, had smacked Eos in the back. She'd only just caught herself as she'd hit the ground, rolling on to her back and feeling the arrow snap as she lay on it.
Throwing Amorges across the path, Alexios had dragged himself to her.
Amorges, still alive, had held his hands up, shouting at the archer to stop.
Alexios held Eos up a little as she cried, trying to find where the arrow hit as she shuddered, finding it stuck in just below her shoulder blade,
"It's coming" Eos said, "the baby" she rolled on to her side, wanting to take some pressure off the pain in the back but then, another shudder made her fall back, Alexios catching her as he tried to keep her calm, his voice being lost in all the shouting she could hear, the pain, it was so bad...
Amorges had got to his feet by now, a small limp in his step as he made his way over to them, only just able to miss the swing of Alexios sword, the man screaming at him to stay away.
And, he did.
For a small moment, Alexios had watched him. He could kill him right now, before the archer who was coming to his masters rescue could get to him but then, Eos had grabbed on to his hand, squeezing it so tight and crying, he reknew he couldn't...
People were coming towards him now though, the patient he'd given the medicine to had already sent for Hippokrates, screaming at his young son to get the doctor before it was too late.
"Eos" Alexios said quietly,
"It hurts" she cried, "I don't want to" she grabbed on to his shoulder as she tried to pull herself up, "just make it stop...",
"Eos" it was Hippokrates... she could hear him now... his voice was so off in the distance though, "Eos" and now it was closer but, still... so far away.
"Eos...".
***
A/N:It's kind of crazy that almost a year ago, I actually published the first chapter of this story and somehow, a year later, there's still people following it and reading it and, we're getting to that end game... So, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and, I'll see you in the next chapter!