Akhill

Chapter Six: FortNight II

***

"Where was I, yes, before the mighty Mr Zeus summoned for one of Athena's aid. I lived under her lovely caring hand you know."

"Really," Thetis partner said, intrigued by his story.

"Oh yes really, Zeus' new toy." He said. "I was one of the weapon bearers and had access to rooms of literature and others not opened to all."

"That would have been beautiful to behold, my Lord."

"Oh yes, my new friend, the literature room was the most beautiful I have seen though I hear Apollo's library is more magnificent but who cares. My Athena is the greatest."

"Your Athena?"

"Yes my friend, Zeus' new toy." The Accompanying Hermes said. "The fragrance of her hair, the majesty of her voice and you go numb at the mastery she commands over any weapon known to man." He drank in his memories.

"Sorry, for prying but why stay far away when you love her so."

"You see my young listener, there is something called forbidden love."

"Uh, what? You are not to love on Olympus."

"By the gods no, though my heart may skip at the sight of her and my sleep stolen at the memories of her. My voice fails in what words I should say to woo a goddess as such."

"Poetry seems to be how we speak in Olympus."

"No my new friend. Poetry is just how those who reverence Mr Zeus respect him behind his back since he rarely speaks without poetry of some sort."

"But what if—"

"We are here, my subordinate, Let's continue when you return from this." Thetis's partner came down from the chariot and as Hermes attempted to wake Thetis, her partner pleaded to leave her be.

"Are you sure, Zeus' weapon."

"I am my Lord."

"Fine then, the next one lays underground, one way in and out. No fire please, also she was the Athena before the recent one. Though old she may seem and her battle sense weakened, she is still dangerous."

"As your will intend."

"I bid thee, safe return."

"Much appreciated my Lord." Thetis partner ran towards his target.

"I like that boy, he keeps saying my Lord this, my Lord that. My heart just can't help getting drunk in his praises but this,—" he looks at Thetis. "—waste." He scoffed. "No respect for superiors."

"I won't be long." Thetis partner muttered as he went through the path that lead to the confines of his target, jumping down into the flowing river, tracing it backwards. An arrow came straight for the head which he evaded. "I have been sighted." He said as he threw is the spikey rope-like chain, cutting down the enemies one after another, some were skilled enough to evade the chain but with a little scratch and they found themselves dead because the posion that took down the giant still lingered on his weapon. He continued on and on until he found a doorlike pit that lead underground to where his target was.

He opened it and jumped down. Upon landing a spear came towards him so fast he could only evade by an air run forward to punch the wielder, who staggered back and again ran towards him with the spear in a narrow passage. Thetis partner assured that his death wont be by the hand of one whom he had grazed and is soon to die even if he did nothing, ran straight at him then slide at the instance of contact, kicked his leg then places a punch on his neck as he fell.

"My death is not today." He stood up and continued towards his target evading, catching and subsequently letting some dart and arrow pierce his body, so he can maintain his acceleration. Minutes passed and all that came out was the sound of dust and the boy struggling to breathe properly and his body covered in the blood of both his and his enemies.

"So soon, was she that easy."

"No my Lord, Death had whisked her away before I got there. Maybe, maybe old age."

"I doubt that." The Hermes got ready to move. "A rebellion I presume either way. Let's keep moving till Tartarus has it full this night." Hermes looked at the boy with arrows embedded in his body yet held a broad smile. "Get rid of those arrows, here use this it will hasten your healing. One more than Athena."

"As you will my Lord." He bowed then entered the chariot, checking if Thetis still lived.

"Worry not, Zeus' plaything, the girl is fine. My hope is that she wakes up before we get to the bridge."

***

"And finish." Thetis handed the last dish to the biy who rinsed and set the dish where necessary.

"So did the archer find the rest she seeks."

"That my dear aid is yet to be told," Thetis replied.

"But you said it had a happy ending."

"Yes it will." she gestured the boy closer.

"It will? is it not a story?"

"By all means it is but it is also a dream yet to be born." Thetis robbed her belly, as she smiled at the boy looking confused.

"A dream, how do you make that?"

"You know, you look and look then see that one thing then boom! It is a dream and the end of the story you pursue."

"You know, even I will not understand that if I was told that is a dream." Lucille enter with her dish and handed it to Thetis. "Dish on you, my Lady.' Lucille bowed to imitate the boy in an attempt to tase him but he stood blank not understanding what she was doing.

"Are you also my Lady's aid?"

"god no, I might have ended her. She is one of my subjects and I am their queen?"

"Hail queen Thetis." Lucille courtesied.

"Then why are you washing and your is —"

"In my kingdom little man. Everyone is equal."

"Is that something you say to make people laugh?"

"No, it is, Lucille, explain."

"What Thetis means is, Me; Lucille and My husband; Luke are friends and the children we adopted she more or less dumped on, more like trust us with. So we are familiar because of—"

"No ya mixing it up.—"

"So she can go saying." Lucille cleared her throat to imitate Thetis. "I have a dream."

"Oh shut up."

"As you will my Lady." Lucille bowed, imitating the boy again and still, he didn't get it. "Forget it, he has no sense of humour."

"I do!" The boy said. "But do I need it now?" Thetis looked at Lucille and by some mind-linked juju they thought the same thing and bowed "Welcome oh thou caveman." Lucille stepped out.

"Why are you even washing my Lady."

"I will explain that also later. Now just rinse and dry."

***

"Finally, the factory of the north-west, the very place that Athena and Poseidon fought to acquire but it seems Zeus as deemed it unworthy." The accompanying Hermes looked at the boy breathing gently to keep his pain to the minimum.

"Should I wake her—"

"No! My Lord, I will make a quick word of the place." The boy walked, groaning and clutching his teeth as he moved, seemingly unable to run. "A factory." He thought. "It would be surrounded by woods for pillar. Fore should save me the pain." He looked around for something that could ignite but found none then went back to Hermes to change his weapon to one that could achieve his goals.

"I see you can't see properly because of your pain," Hermes said. "Here take this touch, it can also be used as a weapon of some sort."

"Perfect." He thought with a smile brighter almost than the amber surrounding the weapon. "Long Live my Lord," he said as he bowed and limped back to the factory which like the last target lay buried underground. "I can't afford to—" His eye beamed with light as he saw the factory was not a wood factory but an oil well. "Oil." His calculating thought simmered down. "The gods indeed have shined on me." He looked from above not bothering to enter in as he afore planned, spotted a stream of oil then shot the fire and ran as fast as his limping legs could carry him.

In seconds rose the sound of boom, boom, boom that shook the floor, floor, floor under the feet, feet, feet sending the boy flying as he hits his back. A tree laid unconscious with a smile not for him as consciousness slipped from his fingers but for the marble-greyed eyed lady with caramel dark skin. "Finally."

***

Hermes felt the tremor and saw as the fire from the old dark factory rose carried upwards into dispersal. The time passed and the boy didn't emerge, causing Hermes a bit of a worry— one, for his head and two, the one he preferred amongst the two children who refused to return. "By the gods, please don't die now." He stepped down from the carriage and stood still, so still, you thought he was a withered tree. A gentle wind blew, Hermes opened his eye, "That's where you are?". It is known as one of the many core skills of Hermes; The wind steps— The ability to track not by smell but by the flow of the wind.

Hermes ran to pick up the boy, confirming he was still alive then they journeyed to the river before crossing the bridge to the land of the west.

***

"My Lord, the gift are all well in the room."

"Any from Athena."

"No my Lord, No word or gift."

"Hmm. Then is the stage set for the emergence."

"Yes my Lord and the prospect seem to be on the edge."

"In less than two moons, inform them."

"Yes my Lord and—" Another Hermes came in.

"Letter from Hermes sent to deliver the two to Athena." Mr Zeus lifted his brow staring and Hermes. "All names have been cleaned, my Lord."

"Hmm," Mr Zeus gestured them him out. "I await your story Thetis and her partner." Mr Zeus smiled lightly as the light in this throne room changed and his orchestral strummed the stringed instruments to aid Zeus to the land-only he knows, while every Hermes left the room.

°°° Why say ye though my love,

Ever so tender I hear you so,

Why love me not my tears,

Draining my hate increasing my wrath,

Why really really hold me up,

When the end you throw me out,

My hope and dream, painted on canvas of red,

Why can't I stop, drinking into the emptied cup of wrong,

My love, My Love, say ye though today°°°

***

The high sun seem conquered by the tick-tock of time as she slithered through the sky gradually giving way to the moon.

"The sun's strength is doused, come with me to the marketplace," Thetis told the boy.

"But you haven't even rested properly since we came in." Lucille worried.

"I will when ah return."

"Don't be late, you know how Luke gets."

"I know, I just wanna get sam-things that's all."

"And that can't be tomorrow."

"If nat today tomorrow be too late."

"Be careful you stubborn, stiffnecked woman. And you please don't let her off your sight."

Thetis and the boy walked out and landed in the county's marketplace.

"How are ya?"

"Real good, Thetis, who this? Ya boy"

"Ya"

"Real. How old, you look too young Thetis."

"I birthed early ya know and see another on the way." The man looked at Thetis stomach.

"I see, you don be some baby factory or something.?"

"Now, Now ma friend. I am bat a lover."

"Indeed." The man cut the head of the fish, responding to another.

"Care for any today."

"That one."

"Why?/that is a lump of bones"

"Exactly, ma physician say 'eat bones.'"

"Really, Thetis is it bone or calcium."

"Well, you see, bones make calcium and calcium in bone. Same, same."

"You weird pregnant Lady." Another who came to buy said. "That say pregnancy change people."

"No more! Would stop spewing insult at her." The boy who had heard enough of the back and forth broke the discussion. "Bone, fish, just sell it already!"

"Ease down, Thetis boy. We just—"

"Thetis boy." The woman customer wide-eyed, jaw almost on the ground, looked and the boy then at Thetis. "By the gods. When did you?"

"And that is a bother because?" Thetis turned to her brow raised with a dep smirk.

"No, No that's not what I— but you look so small."

"Ye, my customer, very very small indeed."

"Come on you two, would ya stop. Small I may be in stature but incapable, I think not." Thetis sassed and the three laughed profusely at Thetis while the boy looked ear steaming at the two who laughed at the one he was on a payroll to aid in every possible way.

"Come on. But they are saying the truth." Thetis said to the boy. "Even I amma find it a tad hilarious, if I was the mother of someone ya height at ma age but lucky me right." Thetis smiled but the boy remained unamused as the boy grumbled as the walked. "Next stop, Ahm, There." The boy looked where Thetis pointed and felt his legs lose the energy they once had. The closers they got, the more the boy choose to settle for inertia.

"What wrong? Are you—"

"My Lady, I don't, really don't, don't think that place is safe."

"Why so? Mr Nigel be good to all."

"Yes, my Lady but he loves his money more. You you know."

"True. He did kill to save his coffers but he still loves people except you are one of those with a hook aimed at his coffer." Thetis smiled so broadly she put the joker to shame. "Do ya want to tell me something eh? Mister My Aid."

"Nor-nor-nothing, I just fell a bit uneasy. I think it is my danger senses you know."

"Are ya sure?" Thetis said, every word crawling out no faster than a snail in a sprint race.

"I, I, I— Nothing I swear it."

"Fine then, tell them danger senses that you are—"

"You!" A man with a head-on fire and fangs like sabertooth with a red almost ready to kill at a glance stomped towards them, grill-utensil pointed. "You!"

"Omigosh, see my Lady. Danger-alert. Run!" The boy's body that was fixated, jolted and turned to run for its life only to find his feet airborne as a string grip held his hand.

"No, my precious aid, ya don't." Thetis turned to look at him like a robot needing oil—crink, crink, crink— eyes opened broad it send creep to its viewers and smile so broad it stress through her face and formed a horn— literally.

"Well," The boy thought."I submit my acceptance to Tartarus." The boy said as his foot made connect with the floor.

"You are dea—" The boy coiled up as the man raised his utensil to strike him.

"Ease down Mister Nigel."

"Oh, Thetis, I didn't see you."

"O'Cos, ya didn't." Me Nigel, a master griller with a glass-half-empty mindset. "We came to apologise." She continued as the boy brought his head out of the coil, confused about his recent predicament.

"Apologies." He glared at the boy. "So you mean this thief decided that or you forced him. You know Thetis, in my days, we hang thieves upside down and sent a touch towards their head to give them a real grilled brain then we eat—"

"Mister Nigel!" Thetis shouted, noticing the convulsive nature by means of the flood of memories as Mr Nigel spoke. "Would ya stop? I paid ya losses."

"What?" The memories popped off like bubbles exposed to a pin.

"Yea, I know but a bit of a scare won't hurt."

"Yea, Mister Nigel, Little, ya going overboard." Thetis held her stomach with the hand that held what she bought earlier and the other hand the boy as anger rose.

"Fine, Missy, you know if I don't another will if you are not around."

"Amma be around for long Mister Nigel—ugh." She felt a sharp prick in the side of her head, causing her to close one eye slightly. "We only came to apologise, Mr Nigel, Ya know for da stress we caused ya. Nat being grilled."

"Not accepted, let him bow."

"Please bow to apologise, so we can head home." The boy stood stupified at what he heard, eye fixated on Thetis. "Come in now."

"Bow, yea bow." He bowed before Mr Nigel who folded his hand high and mighty, looking down at the boy.

"Is that enough, or should he go lower."

"A bit lower would be a drag. I accept for now but if it happens again just—"

"Jast sends the payment bills to me and amma do right by you." Thetis word seems to sit not too well with Mr Nigel.

"You know Thetis," The man glared at Thetis then the boy even more intense. "Forget it.'

"Thank you, Mr Nigel." Mr Nigel walked off, steaming back and forth like the royal shu-shu train that has a lot to say but its tracks getting wobbly.

"Let's head home now, all debt settled."

The journey back was nothing special with the usual silence and drowned thought. The sun itself made it clear it was the turd of the chapter as it ran off before the appearance of the moon.

"Why?" The boy muttered

"Uh?"

"Why?" The boy said a bit louder but still weaker than the texture of the wind.

"Why what?" Thetis ask as she seems to look around like one searching for something in the air.

"Why would you go that far?"

"I don't get it, I thought ya said ya ma aid."

"Why would you go that far for a stranger?"

"What nonsense. We have known each other for a week now. You are even my—"

"That's not it!" The boy shouted startling thetis who carried away by looking away.

"Ah come, you can tell me anything." Thetis moved to the boy to hug him but he moved back.

"I thought you were a stalker planning to take me back to that place but you, you—" The cracked dam holding his emotions expanded as the water licked out stronger.

"Whatever I have done, I did because I have something called a dream." She moved closer this time he stayed.

"In that dream, My family lived in peace." Thetis eye grew heavy as she remembered the original owner of the dream that she held so tightly quoting the words exactly. "In that dream, the world with my family knew no scarcity of a smile in joy not living in—" Thetis pulled the boy out of the way as an arrow pierced her shoulder.

"So there you are." She said as another arrow aimed at the boy. Thetis again moved him out of the way to evade the arrow.

"What wha, what is going on?" The boy inquired."you are bleeding."

"Temporarily. Let's get out of here to where there are lots of people." Thetis sat while running as fast as her legs could carry her while dragging the boy, pulling him around to evade the arrow series.

"Oh no, you don't." The sniper said as he sent one arrow with the intention to change the direction of his target but his quick to learn that the woman though pregnant was a beast in a battle.

Thetis looked back at the approaching arrow, released the boy who tripped and caught the arrow before its intention was accomplished.

"Are you fine," Thetis asked moving backwards towards the boy with her bleeding shoulder.

"Yes, ye, ye, yes my Lady." The boy answered catching his breath, first in fear than in anger when he saw Thetis's shoulder. "Well, Old Hephaestus will definitely have my behind even if I live."

"Why is that?"

"One thing I am grateful for is also the one thing I am hateful of, about how they raised us."

"What?" Thetis flustered as another arrow came flying but with her reaction time slowed, she found her eye widened by what she saw as the boy flew and caught the arrow with his mouth.

"Bloody, South-Olympus." Thetis mouth said it before she could think not to.

"Let's stop it together my lady." Thetis looked dumbfounded at the aura the boy emitted as his eye flooded with tears. Thetis saw through his eye a familiar word "I wish I never remember."

"Your enemies Thetis, shall all die by my hands. That's my vow, even if it ends me." Thetis just stood there unsure what to say with her defence high at protecting the weeping boy.

"Well, now that is a story I would love to hear." The sniper jumped down and walked close to them.

"Who are you and why are you after my Lady?"

"You Lady. That is cute but my arrows were aimed at you." Thetis looked at the arrowheads and body and thought it looked familiar. "Who would have thought a Cerberus survived the m******e back then." The Sniper said as he closed the distance. "Unlike you, my arrows are useless at this distance, so what do you say Thet?"

"Thet." She thought. "Only a handful calls her that." The sniper held an attack position.

"If I win the boy is mine, if not whatever, whale mama."

"Whale mama," Thetis thought again. "Only one person calls her that in the whole county." The Sniper ran towards Thetis and whispered "Eli sends her greetings."

"Chirry ya heartless, craze argh!" The sniper threw a series of punches aimed at Thetis's face, shoulder and legs, nowhere near her stomach. "Urgh" Thetis blocked it all. "Chirry, what are you doing to a helpless pregnant woman." The aura of Thetis rose like the apex predator she was but she came back when she felt a kick within her round belly. "Sorry!" She held her stomach.

"Phew, I thought she would use that." The sniper thought as a jolt of fear crawled in then came at her and repeated the attack, intentionally missing her womb. The boy watched with an eye-piercing gaze like a lone wolf drooling at its prey waiting to prance at it— his prey the sniper.

"Why you Chirry ya shot an arrow through ma shoulder. Ah though we be frie—" The Sniper evaded Thetis counter.

"You my Job is not for the weak at heart." The held Thetis and threw her but she countered fluidly escaping his grip then attacking his legs which he jumped only to receive and headbutt from the boy on his chest, sending him back.

"Now that is how an animal should attack but it feels weak are your senses still dull child." The sniper landed on the fall with a smile that could be felt through his mask. "You are—" The landed another kick on his unprotected leg seconds after he landed, which caused him to fall then the boy punched him on his face which made contact but he kick the boy back as he land flat on the fall.

"No one hurt my Lady and live." The boy ran towards the sniper, picking up one of the arrows that stuck on the fall with a blond intention to drive it through the sniper's heart. He kept on running as fast as his legs could carry him, seconds away he saw flashes of memories he had buried in the abyss of his heart, causing his anger to raise even hotter then dived towards the sniper who lay without any known way to protect himself and just then he str—