Chapter Nine – The Root

Eos looked down at Chrysis.

This woman was the closest thing she'd ever had to a mater and, looking at her now, she felt nothing. She thought that, despite everything, she'd feel a little sad, maybe even pity her but, she didn't. If anything, it was more like a relief. Like breaking apart from something. The root of her life, now plucked and torn and broken and ungrowable.

It was so freeing – except, it had let something else free too.

"Eos" Kassandra said quietly – she still didn't understand. She had a feeling of what Eos might mean, of the words she'd said to Chrysis but…

Eos took a deep breath and turned her head slightly, she shrugged a shoulder,

"I did something terrible. Really, really terrible" her voice got quieter "and I don't regret it" Eos swallowed back the lump in her throat, "not in that moment… but I… I wish I hadn't had to…but" Eos sighed, "I did and…" Eos looked back at Chrysis. It wasn't that Eos had forgiven herself for it. She didn't know if she could.

Choice. Control. It was something Eos had never had until that moment. Not really. She'd never had a choice. She'd always been too scared… too much of a coward…

And in that moment, she'd taken that choice she had and done something unspeakable… something she was sure she hadn't even been punished for yet…

"What did you do" Kassandra asked, Eos shook her head,

"I can't…", she almost laughed "I can't tell you". It didn't matter anyway. It was done. It had happened. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing was going to undo it. Nothing would bring him back.

"Show me" Kassandra said after a moment. Eos turned around confused but, then… the spear? Kassandra was holding it out to her.

"What" Eos took a step back,

"I don't know how it works but…" Kassandra shrugged, she took a step forward "It might" - it had only showed her moments before, of her family, her own blood but, Kassandra felt the want to try it, the spear was calling for it.

"Kassandra, I don't…" Eos put her hands up, "I don't want to…".

"Help me understand Eos. Help me understand what they did to you". Eos shook her head,

"I did this to me Kassandra. Not them. Not Chrysis. Me. If I'd just let them…" Eos put her hands on her head, trying to stop them from shaking.

There had been so much pain afterwards; she'd never had the chance to mourn. Then, when she was healed, she spent her time experiencing a world she'd never known; the sight of it all making her realise what it was she had to do. She had to show them, the others - had to show them that the choice… that the control over their lives that they always wanted… it was right there, just beyond their grasp.

Then, she'd been stupid and gone to Attika. The new found thoughts making her overlook the obvious; making her ignore all the signs that Laelaps had given her. She should never have left that little hut… She should have never locked him inside but, she'd seen Deimos. He'd been just metres away from her when she'd felt someone grab on to the back of her head and smash it against the marble – no wonder she hadn't seen Kallinos – all she'd remembered after that was the heat of the volcano.

But, all that pain, made it so the pain of what she did got left behind – like she was running away from it.

Maybe this was her punishment.

The Gods had given her a taste of a world she'd always wanted – only for it to be torn away by the only world she knew.

"If you hold it in. You'll never accept it. It'll never be real" Kassandra found herself saying, she held the spear out more,

"Kassandra..." Eos sighed.

Eos had accepted it. She'd accepted it before it had even happened.

Still, maybe it was about time that Kassandra realised who it was she'd struck a bargain with on that night back in Naxos. Eos placed her finger tips on the spear, closing her hand around it as she shut her eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened, they just stood there. Eos even went to pull away but then, she felt the ground fall from beneath her feet, felt her stomach lurch – like it had when she and Kassandra had touched the artefact – she'd braced herself; for that moment, that terrible flash of pain and anger and hate and love…

Except, this time, it wasn't just a flash… it was almost as if she relived it…

Kassandra was like a ghost, watching it from the side-lines… Eos could see her, out of the corner of her eye, but, the scene played out like it should have.

Eos walked around the torch-lit training yard. She could hear it, that slight little breath, that clink of his armour… She turned just as he rushed her, only just missing the hit, making him trip over his own feet before he spun, grabbed her by the arm and threw her on to the ground… Deimos.

"Too slow" he said, tilting his head as he looked down at her,

"You're too loud" Eos replied. Deimos smiled and then held his hand out, pulling Eos up,

"Again" Deimos said, he turned away and Eos stretched her arms in the air and yawned, shaking her head,

"Enough is enough" Eos said. She closed her eyes, putting her hands behind her head as she leaned back, it was far too dark and even the torches were giving up.

"Again" Deimos said. He was in front of her now, she could feel his breath on her neck, feel that want. Eos smiled and then opened her eyes. Eos took just a step closer, and then, hooked her foot around his ankle and tripped him up, landing him on his ass.

"That quick enough for you" Eos asked, raising her brow as she looked down at him.

Deimos smirked, bringing his knees up and resting his arms on them. He watched as Eos turned around. She picked up the weapons rack that he'd knocked down and laid it back on the wall, "Why do you make such a mess for" Eos asked, shaking her head at herself for even asking. Deimo only sat there, watching her intently. She turned back to him, "Come on" she said, she held out her hand to him, "Give it up". Deimos had chuckled before he pushed himself up, swatting away her hand and backing her up on to the wall, Eos sighed.

"You'd like that" he said quietly. Deimos grabbed at her wrists quickly, holding them above her head with one hand, letting the other stroke down the iron breast plate she wore,

"I think I like this better" Eos replied, she moved her body towards him and his grip got tighter, making her slump backwards in a sort of protest. Deimos tilted his head, a small tentative smirk Eos knew exactly how to wipe off.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

The air stood still, tense, the only thing Eos could feel was the way her heart wanted to beat from her chest - she was sure even he could feel it. Then, he let her wrists fall and grabbed her by the waist, hoisted her up and kissed her back, nibbling at her lip as she let her hands fall to her side. Even then, she hadn't known where to put them.

"Kassandra".

The next image, Kassandra was happy she didn't get to see much of…

The bed… Eos... her brother…

"Kassandra".

It was night time. Eos was leant out the window, watching as a storm raged over the streets below… Attika… Phokis... A noise… a creak… a door. Eos spun around, her hand clutched around her dagger.

Chrysis.

'Eos… It will be a gift… a gift so…" Chrysis took Eos' hand as she swooned, 'Kosmos has blessed you' she squeezed her hand so tight, it went numb. Eos had shook her head, this was no gift. 'Eos' Chrysis said gently, she raised her hand to her face, wiping away the tear that had fallen. Her hand was stone cold. 'The others will see… they will see that this is an opportunity…" Eos felt the breath leave her body. This was no opportunity.

"Kass-Kassandra".

I know what I must do.

Eos leaned her head on the stone, she felt so sick.

The silence... it was too quiet...

"Kassandra, pl-"

Eos lurched forward

The pain… in her stomach…

It was too early…

Too soon…

"Kassandra. Please".

There was so much blood. Eos' skin was so pale, so tired. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. It was there, just lying on top of her. Skin to skin.

So small… so delicate.

His skin… it was so thin… his breath so slow…

I will take him… I will make him strong… He will lead us… the cries of hope came from outside the door… the light shining from underneath it…

No… he won't…

The words were so muffled. The images were flashing around Kassandra's head as if something was trying to stop it. She held the spear tighter.

Eos tried to push herself up but, the pain was too much. Her body shuddered, and he looked up at her with those little olive-brown eyes. She knew it then… He was too small. Too wary… to weak… Chrysis couldn't make him strong… It was only time until…

They were arguing outside the door…

The darkness was coming for her. Eos could feel it. It was only a matter of time until it took her too…

She couldn't let them have him…

Even if he did live… his life… it'd be worse… so much worse…

She couldn't let that happen…

Eos looked down, saw the sweet helpless babe close his eyes. Saw him stretch out his small fingers…

"I'm sorry".

"Kassandra, please... Kassandra. Stop" Kassandra willed the cries away.

What have you done… You did this… You…

Eos fell from where she lay, the floor starting to shake beneath her – as if the Gods were truly angered.

You would betray us… You would take from us which is ours…

'He was mine' Eos cried.

The words, the screaming… Kassandra couldn't understand it. Until.

"KASSANDRA".

Kassandra shook herself, opening her eyes to Eos laying on the floor. The spears tip was stained red, Eos holding on to it for dear life, her hands bloody in an attempt to stop Kassandra from ramming it through her stomach. It had already cut threw the snake skin armour.

Kassandra took a step back, letting the spear drop out of her hand.

"I'm sorry" Eos said quietly. Kassandra turned away from her, her hand fisted so tight, her knuckles had turned white. "But I… I couldn't let them have him… if he'd lived… they would have turned him in to…"

They'd wanted something better than Deimos. Something easier to control.

"I…" Kassandra didn't understand, she didn't know if she could…

"I didn't want to tell you like this" Eos said. She would have… Kassandra deserved to know… But, not like this… Not with all that...

Kassandra looked down at her spear. Eos looked with her. She couldn't blame her if she really did want to ram it threw her chest. But, instead, Kassandra only picked it up and placed it on her back.

The cult; it had taken something from Kassandra she'd never even knew she wanted, something she never would have known about had Eos died.

What would she have done?

Was death really any better than the life that babe would have lived?

Eos hadn't known what was coming. Even from the side-lines, Kassandra had felt how isolated Eos had been in those last few days. How would she know Kassandra was coming for them… for the cult… Did her brother know what she would do… Was he really that far gone not to care…

Was it terrible that it was the only thing Kassandra really feared?

"Does he know what you did" Kassandra asked, she didn't look at her,

"I told him what I would do" Eos said quietly, "He didn't say anything… but I think…" Eos shook her head, trying to hold back the sob. "I keep telling myself that he never cared… that he knew what they would do and his… lust for power and control… meant that he didn't want any competition… that he wanted to be the only one that could be what the cult needed… but… I don't know…".

She'd told him and he'd sat there, just staring out of the window. She'd been the one to leave, the silence had killed her, and she couldn't stand it.

The next day, it had been like it had never happened. Like she hadn't told him anything – like it was already decided and they didn't need to talk about it anymore. He hadn't told anyone what she had said and, she didn't know if it was because he wanted it or because he knew it was the 'right' thing to do. He'd treated her just like he had before. They still even had their little moments - when their watchers weren't looking over them, scowling at just the sight of her.

She wasn't sure if what they had was love - or just something to cling on to that didn't hurt so much.

Then, they'd moved her to Phokis, keeping her locked up and shut off from the world except for a window. She'd spoke to him though, a door sat between them. Deimos had told her that he'd seen something in the pyramid, that a traitor had walked in to the cave and he'd let them go free. She'd told him to go after them, to find out what it was they knew.

She didn't know what time he actually left; she didn't know if he'd sat on the other side of the door as long as she had.

"I'm sorry Kassandra". Eos didn't know what else she could say; she didn't even know if she could look her in the eye anymore. How could she have forgotten how much they looked like his?

How could she have kept it so hidden that she'd gone about a life that she didn't deserve.

Kassandra held her hand out then, "We will destroy them Eos… Every single one of them" Eos looked up at her, "I swear it".

Eos couldn't understand. How could Kassandra even want to look at her when Eos wasn't sure she wanted to look at herself. How did she ever really come back from something like this? After everything Kassandra had been through, everything she'd learned, how did she show such mercy in the sight of something so terrible?

Kassandra knelt down. Almost as if she could see the struggle behind the dark eyes she'd made a bargain with.

It was because Eos showed something that even Kassandra's father hadn't.

Nikolaus had stayed loyal to Sparta and, it was only when she'd confronted him that he let her decide his fait… She'd let him go, the man who should have killed her, the man who had sent her brother to his death… to something worse than his death… to find his honour which he had lost…

But Eos had not stayed loyal… She had suffered and fought back… for family…. for love… Even if she had kept it hidden… Kassandra knew that moment, that choice, that was what drove her…

And how could she make a judgement against her when she'd left Nikolaus go free? Eos had faced the wrath of the Gods multiple times and she was still here. Maybe Nikolaus wouldn't be so lucky. All those babies Chrysis had took… How many had ended up in a pile of bodies that had never come back to life… that hadn't been strong enough to endure what the cult would do to them... However short his life, it had been filled with more love than Eos had ever felt. Kassandra knew that.

Kassandra placed her hand on Eos'.

"His death will not be in vain Eos. It will root itself in to this world and he shall not be another forgotten soul in this war. He'll be one of the reasons we stop it".


This wasn't a very nice chapter to write... But, I hope it gives you a little more insight in to what Eos experienced and how the cult made her feel... I hope I did it justice! Anyway, I hope your still enjoying this story! The reviews/pms literally light up my day - as does the favourites and follows! I'll see you next time!