Pawns of Olympus

Her shout wasn't loud, but as if he had heard it above the crowd Tyre's head turned and he locked eyes with his wife for the first time in two seasons. His smile faded as recognition set in, the image of her familiar face fighting its way through his drunken stupor. His make-shift litter stopped dead as Tyre attempted to scramble out of it; his men thuroughly confused. Shaking his sandal free of the blanket, Tyre stalked over towards the now silent throng.

Aegina shrunk back from his looming form, bumping into Eiro's chest. His gold eyes searched her face for any idea of what was happening. She tripped over one of Eiro's sandals, and when he caught her elbow to steady her, he could feel the tension in her muscles, like a deer ready to flee.

His touch sent a shock rippling across her skin, clearing her mind and making her straighten. She shook him off and regained her balance, the fear receding a bit. She'd left the house, she'd run away, and now she'd deal with the consequences. She was strong enough to take whatever punishment she deserved. Tyre halted, squinting and off balance, in front of her. His stare made her blush and look down, completely ashamed.

"What," Tyre had to speak slowly, trying to keep the slur from his voice, "are you doing here?"

"I..."

"Who is looking after," he burped loudly and several onlookers giggled, despite themselves, "the house?"

"Um...Leda?"

"Leda!" For the first time, Tyre seemed to grasp the situation. His voice turned deadly quiet. The people behind the couple strained to hear while pretending to be uninterested. "You left our house, our property, our livestock, with Leda?"

Aegina's gaze was firmly afixed on her sandal. She'd only heard his voice get quiet like that once, when his father tried to tell him not to go adventuring. They hadn't spoken since. "I..I sold the livestock."

"You...sold our livestock." His brown eyes were tight slits, the anger glinting like sparks from Hephaestus' forge. Aegina opened her mouth to answer, but a resounding slap sent her to the ground instead.

Her cheek burned, and her eyes filled with tears. She could taste blood from where she'd accidentally bit her tongue, but, she told herself, she wouldn't cry, wouldn't complain. She deserved this, her mind chanted, you're just a woman, you shouldn't have run away.

Tyre spun on his heel, completely sobered, and signalled his men. They pushed back the crowd, making a path through the throng. Tyre offered a hand to Aegina and helped her stand, but his jaw was still tight with anger. He grabbed her wrist and she followed demurely behind him, as he made his way out of the parade.

Eiro had been swept aside by the burly men accompanying Tyre. His head spun. When...her husband, yes, he had to be her husband, had hit her he had to restrain himself from leaping on the man. But it was not his place to help her, he'd reasoned. Aegina had run away from her duty, he knew that. Best not to get between a husband and wife. He nodded imperceptibly. Always better to stay uninvolved. He turned and pushed his way through those who'd stayed to gawk at the retreating forms of the heroic band.

*~*~*

"Proud Daughter"

"Victorious Daughter"

"Wise Daughter"

"What do you see?"

She stared intently into the single eye in the hag's face, her grey eyes widening at the events playing out before her.

"Is there nothing we can do Mothers? Is it all carved into stone?"

"Oh Athena..."

"You should know better than that."

"Nothing is ever certain."

"But.." Her thin lips pursed, and faint lines traced her smile.

"Already it has begun, Daughter."

"Already it has ended, Daughter."

"Life moves as it is supposed to, Athena, you cannot oppose it, though some will try."

Athena bowed, her tightly pinned curls never moving an inch. The lines evened out, and her skin was once again as smooth as a new born's. "Thank you, Mothers. I understand now." She turned to leave the dank cave, still unsettled by her gruesome surroundings, but one whithered voice stopped her.

"It's not so bad, Athena."

"I quite enjoy being ugly and old, don't you sisters?"

The trio broke out into cracked and coughing laughter, and Athena hurried through the passage way back into the light.

*~*~*

Eiro wandered the dusty streets of Berora, mind troubled. His fingers caressed the little vial in his tunic pocket. It was reassuringly real, but disturbing in its own way. His debt had been paid; she'd acknowledged his help and thanked him, so why did he still feel like if he left now, he'd be abandoning his honor?

It was early, still morning, but Eiro felt the need for wine anyway. It would make his stomach settle, at the very least. He ducked down a narrow alley and made his way to his favorite inn, a very no-questions-asked sort of place.

Eiro was thankful for that policy today. He didn't feel much like talking.

*~*~*

When they reached Tyre's favorite inn he stormed his way through the common room, ignoring the cheers that followed a local hero. Aegina trailed meekly behind him, her wrist still smarting from being pulled along earlier. He reached his room and spun around, eyes boring into her. Her knees started to tremble and she could feel the quivering rage pulsing behind that gaze.

Aegina pulled the opaque curtain shut behind her, giving them a semblance, at least, of privacy.

"You," he snarled. "You...you could have cost me everthing. That boar," he paused, "that boar was a gift from Zeus. A quest, to prove myself worthy of his good graces."

A dark brown curl tickled her nose as she bowed her head in shame, but Aegina didn't dare to brush it out of the way. She didn't dare to move.

"What kind of man will he think I am if I can't even control my own cursed wife!"

Against her better judgement, Aegina mumbled, "Zeus cannot even control Hera."

Tyre stormed over to her, a vein in his neck throbbing. "You are no goddess." He slapped her a second time, this time hard enough to send her stumbling backward into the wall of their room. She sagged a little against the wall, but managed to stay upright.

"Humility. That's what you need to learn, Aegina. You think you can just run off and do whatever you want to, but you can't. You need to learn your place." He nodded to himself as he spoke.

Tyre glanced around the room, the rage in his eyes solidifying into something less violent, but more painful, if possible. Aegina watched him carefully, like a mouse observing the cat who hunts it. They were both silent for a moment as Tyre paced the length of the small room.

At last, he lifted his head, and motioned for her to stay where she was. Poking his head outside the curtain, Tyre spoke softly to a near by attendant, and satisfied that his task would be done, he sat down on the rough mattress. Aegina silently stared at the floor, wondering what further punishment she would receive.

A few moments later, a pretty black haired girl came into the room wearing the stained tunic of a serving girl. She had large, light colored eyes that lit up when she saw Tyre but seeing Aegina standing there, her expression turned to confusion.

Tyre's lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Aegina, I'd like you to meet Zara. She's one of the girls who works here. We've become close friends over the last couple of weeks, haven't we Zara?"

Blushing, the girl nodded. Tyre got up and moved behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "So close that I've gotten to fuck her once or twice. I have to admit, that I enjoyed it. In fact, I think I'll fuck her right now." Upon finishing his sentance, Tyre unfastened the shoulder clips that held Zara's tunic up. The fabric fell to her waist, leaving her breasts bare. Aegina let out a gasp and Zara turned even redder.

Tyre fixed his wife with a harsh glare. He stalked over to her, trapping her against the wall. "Was that an objection?"

Biting her lip and blinking back tears, Aegina shook her head.

"Good." Turning, Tyre once more focused on the blushing Zara. He unfastened his own tunic as he made his way back across the room. She turned her head away from his, thoroughly ashamed, but he caught her chin and kissed her roughly. Fumbling, he found the cord that was holding the rest of her outfit up, and untied it as well.

Fully naked, Zara finally found the courage to speak. "Please, Tyre...not like this."

"I didn't ask you here to talk, Zara. Now, why don't you put that mouth of yours to a good use."

Obidiently, Zara sunk to her knees. She carefully grasped Tyre's half hardened cock and stroked it gently. Leaning forward, she rubbed it reverently all over her face, brushing it frequently with her pouting lips. From her vantage point, Aegina was able to see Zara's tongue flicking out over Tyre's balls, then up from the base of his shaft, over and under the head, and then back down. It was as if Zara had forgotten she was being watched, her eyes sparkling as Tyre hardened for her. When he was completely hard, she drew him into her mouth all at once, as deep as she could get him, with the tip of his cock hitting the back of her throat.

Instinctively, Tyre let out a gutteral groan and clutched her hair, holding her in place. His hips twitched, pushing his cock in and out of her mouth. His eyes were closed in ecstasy, but they flew open as he realized he was getting close to cumming in her mouth, and that was not at all what he wanted. He pulled Zara's face away from his crotch, and she complied, but seemed almost hesitant; a string of saliva connected her tongue and the head of his cock before she finally licked her lips.

Grabbing her around the waist, Tyre practically threw her onto the dingy mattress. Pulling her legs apart, he spun her around until her exposed pussy was facing Aegina directly. Thoroughly humiliated, tears rolled down her beet red cheeks, hot and bitter.

Tyre watched her cry with cruel satisfaction before flipping Zara onto her stomach. The small girl gave a surprised yelp and started squirming under his firm grip. Keeping a tight hold, Tyre crawled on all fours around behind her and bent his head to smell the musky scent of her arousal. He positioned himself on his knees and pulled her hips up to his, his cock just brushing against her slickness. As if to test his will, he held himself there, the warmth dripping around him, her clit a swollen nub rubbing against his own hardness.

With a growl of more anger than lust, Tyre thrust himself deeply into her cunt, hard enough to make Zara's head bounce against the bed. Zara began a sort of feral keening, almost something Aegina would have assumed as mournful, if it had not been so obvious that it was a sound of her pleasure. Tyre's face was a mask of rage, his lips a tight line and his eyes harder than granite. Zara's fingers clenched fistfuls of the thin blanket bunched underneath them, her keening becoming a high pitched wail.

Aegina made no move to cover her ears, she knew that'd just bring even more punishment, but she tried not to listen as Tyre's voice mixed with Zara's, a low even groan of hedonistic satisfaction. And then, thankfully it was done. Tyre rolled off the serving girl, and she collapsed on the mattress, spent. Aegina could see their mixed juices dripping out of Zara's pussy and pooling on the blanket between her thighs. It made her gag a little; she could taste vomit in the back of her throat.

*~*~*

A piercing shriek shattered the afternoon calm of Mount Olympus.

"Servants!" Aphrodite screeched. "Assemble now!"

There was a flurry of motion and several rows of nymphs and a few fauns stood in front of the furious goddess.

"Now, who ever has been tampering with my wine should step forward now. I promise your punishment will be lesser if you confess than if I must force the truth from your lips."

The servants shifted uneasily, eyes darting from one to the other, but no one stepped forward.

Finally, the head serving nymph spoke up. "Oh divine Aphrodite, I assure you that no one has been tampering with your wine."

Aphrodite's blue eyes turned to ice as she glared at the anxious nymph. "Are you saying that I am lying?"

"Oh no, beautiful one, just that no one has put anything in your wine. It is quite possible that your meals have been tampered with, or your jewels, but I would know about the wine."

Aphrodite sniffed. "That may be so, but I have been away for almost a week. Since my arrival, I have only had a cup of wine, and then, while bathing, I discovered this!"

With a dramatic gesture, Aphrodite threw off the sheer robe that she had been wearing, revealing the nude body that had given her the title of Goddess of Beauty.

The servants stared in dumbfounded awe at their goddess. One nymph even sunk to her knees in reverence. Aphrodite's icy gaze turned even colder as her servants failed to comprehend the enormity of the situation. "Well," she demanded, "who can explain this?"

This time a faun's timid voice broke the silence. "Explain what, oh perfection incarnate?"

"This!" she shouted, a finger stabbing at her breast. The faun leaned closer, squinting, and finally realized to what she was pointing.

"If I may be so bold, loveliest of lovelies," the faun groveled, "it's just a stretch mark. And a very small one at that."

"A stretch...mark?"

"Yes, many women have them."

"You mean," Aphrodite's eyes narrowed to slits, "many mortal women have them. I am Aphrodite, the exquisite, birthed from the foam of the sea, and sent to Mount Olympus to reign over the realms of love and beauty for all of time! I do not get stretch marks!" She ended her tirade in a fevered pitch, then, chin high, she stormed out of the palace as only a goddess can.

*~*~*

Eiro woke on a street corner when the sun became so unbearably bright he just couldn't sleep anymore. He squinted in the late afternoon light, trying to remember where he was and how he got there. Sniffing the air, he recognized the pungent odors of the slummy part of the town. Eiro pushed himself to his feet, eager to find some fresh air, and hopefully some water to rinse the taste of old wine from his mouth.

Eyes on the ground, he wandered the dusty streets of Berora, ignoring the suspicious looks of shopkeepers and the dirty glances from the wealthy men and women. It was as if nothing had ever happened. He could remember a thousand towns just like this one, faces all glaring at him as if they really knew that he was a monster, a hundred thousand unspoken insults. And he never had cared about those towns, those people or their opinions, but now everything was different.

He'd made a friend. Now the world seemed cold and cruel, when the distance never bothered him before. Now, every one of those looks opened old wounds he didn't even know he had. Now there was an empty space inside his head, where Aegina's smiles had been. Every detail of their short friendship seemed so poignant.

Running his fingers through his unkempt hair, Eiro vowed to stop feeling sorry for himself. He'd travelled a long way without a friend in the world, and he knew he had a long way to travel yet. He most definitely could not afford to sink into a...

"Flea-bitten worthless piece of horseflesh!"

Eiro spun and dashed down a side street, following the frustrated voice that pricked his ears.

"By the gods, I swear the next time you bite at me, I'm giving you up as a sacrifice!" Aegina tugged sharply on the pony's bridle, but the stubborn animal simply flattened his ears and swished his tail. "Please," pleaded, "I have to pack, I have to get home...I have..."

Aegina sunk to her knees, spirit broken by her own acceptance. She'd left home because she was dying there, and now she was begging to go back. Tears, hot and wet streamed down her face. Would this desperation be all she ever knew? Would she simply wait around for Tyre, just sit and wait for Phlegyas to ferry her across the Styx?

The pony snorted and Aegina looked up, blinking through her tears. Eiro's gold eyes gazed down at her with such a tender expression she started crying again and hid her face. He knelt down beside her, hands in his lap, unsure of what to say. After a few moments, Aegina managed to regain her composure. Nose running slightly, she looked Eiro straight in the eye and smiled. It was strangely uplifting for him to see her expression changing so quickly, to see that she could still smile when she was so obviously upset.

The little brunette sniffed and wiped her nose, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "I thought you'd have left Berora by now." Her voice was quiet, but Eiro didn't have to strain to hear her.

"I...thought I would have too," he responded just as quietly. "But, I had a friend I wanted to say goodbye to, first."

Aegina laughed a little, trying to suppress a new round of sobs. Eiro stood up, and helped her to her feet. She brushed as much dust off her dress as she could, trying to avoid his beautiful, penetrating eyes. She would miss those eyes...

"I guess this is goodbye then," she mumbled to the ground.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Eiro breathed deeply, catching a whiff of Aegina's unique scent. "Unless...unless you would want...to come with me?"

The question caught Aegina off guard. Surprised, she allowed herself to make eye contact with him, a mistake that made her heart ache and her stomach twist. A friend, adventures, freedom...

"I...I..." She stuttered, incapable of speech, lost in those vulnerable gold eyes. "Eiro, I..."

"Aegina!" the rough voice of her husband jerked her from her trance. "I gave you strict orders not to speak to anyone. And you haven't even finished packing!" Tyre stomped over to them. "Do you think you are above following my orders?"

Her shoulders slumped and she mumbled something to the effect of no, knowing it was no use. Eiro watched, confused, as Aegina became meek, so unlike the Aegina he knew.

"You're lucky anyone even bothered to marry you, you insolent bitch!" He raised his hand to slap her again, and Aegina shrunk back, eyes closed, waiting for the stinging pain. When it never came, she tentatively cracked an eyelid, then gaped in shock.

Eiro held Tyre's arm firmly by the wrist, both men silently glaring at each other. Tyre finally wrenched his hand away, nostrils flaring like a bull about to charge.

"Who in Zeus's name are you?" He shouted, little flecks of spit flying from his mouth.

"A friend of hers," Eiro answered stonily. Aegina watched the two men face off, complete opposites. Tyre's face turned redder and redder, almost madder than he had been when he first dragged her out of the parade crowd. Eiro on the other hand, seemed to be made of ice. His eyes which had been so soft a moment ago were now hard and metallic. His lithe body was tense, anticipatory.

"Who do you think you are? This business is between my wife and me!"

"I won't let you hit her."

"Then leave, bastard!"

Chin high, and with a hint of challenge to his voice, Eiro uttered his one word response. "No."

Tyre charged him then, fists pulled back. Eiro seemed to flow, moving like one of the spotted cats Aegina'd seen in menageries. He easily evaded Tyre's charge, spinning on the ball of one foot, striking the back of Tyre's neck with the edge of his hand. Tyre stumbled and fell to his hands and knees, a few drops of blood dripping from where he bit his lip.

Pushing himself to his feet, Tyre spat, and charged at Eiro again. Smart enough not to be dodged a second time, Tyre's fist was barely blocked by Eiro. Twisting his wrist, Tyre grabbed Eiro's arm and attempted push him to the ground and pin him there. Eiro dropped to his knees, throwing the captured arm far behind him, and making Tyre lose his balance. As the larger man stumbled forward, Eiro caught the waist band of his loincloth with his free hand. With a dancer's grace, he bent himself completely backward and used the big man's momentum to throw him past the startled faces of a few gathered onlookers.