National Capodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, Athens, Greece. 2018

POV Aiolia

"Dear Aiolia,

We would like to interview you about your participation in the exchange and scholarship program that your university has carried out with the Kido Foundation. Go to your college department to express interest in your vacancy by the date of the interview, which will take place at the previously agreed upon location. We are waiting for your answer.

Marin"

Aiolia had not only already answered the e-mail, but he had also already gone to the department and was at the college cafe, waiting for the interviewer's arrival. Apparently, it would be this Marin person who would interview him. And apparently, he was selected for a fully paid exchange scholarship by the Kido Foundation.

In fact, he had already applied for so many scholarships and programs that he had already lost count. However, he did not imagine that he would be selected for any scholarship, and worse: he did not know he had been selected for a scholarship paid by the Kido Foundation that his brother is advocating against.

Did they know that? They must know, Aiolia thought as he sat down in the cafe chair, after all they must investigate everyone's lives to make the selection of the scholarship.

And if they did not know, he would not be the one to tell.

The other problem was that he did not realize they had such an interest in him. This Marin woman wanted a meeting with him right away, and he could not even put on more formal clothes so he could be interviewed. Although she assured him that it would only be a casual conversation, Aiolia did not know what kind of impression he would make when the lady in question saw him in old jeans, half-dirty All-Star sneakers and an Arctic Monkeys T-shirt. She had a rather old name, which made Aiolia think she might be older, so his appearance worried him a little.

- Man, it's going to be all right – Adonis told him – if she said it's just a conversation, it's just a conversation.

- Yeah man, you've already been approved – completed Dimitris – it's not like she could disapprove you in an instant. Calm down.

- But if she finds out about my brother? – Aiolia said – because that way, I'll lose the scholarship, if they find out that my brother is on Kanon's side.

- Do you think they don't already know? – said Adonis, putting his hands behind his head – surely, they already know the story of your life. Your name even looks like his. If he wasn't older, we could have sworn you were twins.

- We'll stay here to give you morale, boy – said Dimitris – when the woman shows up we'll leave and you'll stay here talking.

There, watching the people, Aiolia saw a person enter the cafeteria. She was talking to the attendant, asking for something. When Aiolia focused his eyes on her, he realized what seemed to be the most obvious.

The woman was beautiful.

Red hair peaked to the shoulders, slightly wavy. Dark blue eyes, slightly narrowed, looking as if he was of Asian descent. A few freckles around the small nose. Full lips and radiant smile. Slim, tall, and strong, with beautiful curves, dressed in a tight, formal, and dark dress, valuing her shape while showing seriousness. She had a bag on the side, wore high shoes. Beautiful. Aiolia had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life, and he believed he would never.

- Oh no, man – said Dimitris – no redhead, no redhead!

- Aiolia, control yourself – said Adonis – it's just a redheaded woman, there are several others around the world.

But Aiolia did not even pay attention to what they said. After all, how could a woman be so beautiful? Her imposing, elegant and overwhelming look, her perfect smile. This woman was a perfect fit for the red-haired woman he saw in his dreams, who smiled at him, who sat beside him on the grass, hugging her legs, in a gentle voice. He could never see her face as it was always covered in mist, but he could feel her presence or hear her voice.

He was mesmerized, fascinated. Finally, the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and he could see the face of the dream woman.

She approached and he rose, mechanically, but he could not take his eyes off the woman's face. It was like seeing one of Michelangelo's frescoes for the first time, from which you look at the painting, and tries to absorb every possible detail, to keep in your memory, forever.

Her melodious and sweet voice, as in dreams, God, was like the voice of dreams, directed her speech to Aiolia:

- Good morning, you must be Aiolia, right?

POV Marin

Gods how was he… different.

She had a very vivid and solid memory of Aiolia, embedded in her mind. He was the loyal, brave, and honorable Lion Gold Saint, an example of a soldier in the ranks of Athena's army. His look was haughty but kind. He had a humility characteristic of someone who had suffered a tremendous stigma for being the brother of a traitor. He was different from the other Saints, who had his brave side, but who, deep down, proved to be a sensitive and cordial man. He was a bit of a rebel, yes, but that was just a trace of his courage to face whatever it took to achieve justice.

Aiolia was much more than a companion in arms, he was a friend, someone who helped her in difficult times. They had an unbreakable connection and were inseparable.

Only now she felt there was a chasm between them. Aiolia was no longer Leo Gold Saint full of scars and certain hurts from the past. He was a young man, just another twenty-two-year-old college student with a brilliant career ahead of him. He was wearing dark jeans, some dirty sneakers, a band shirt. His hair was still the same rebellious blond mane, which contrasted with his green eyes like the grass of the savannahs. The only thing that changed in his appearance, besides his clothes, was his beard, which gave him a relaxed appearance, but sensual and full of youth. He sat nonchalantly in his chair, half slumped, a soft smile on his face as he chatted with fellow college students and smoked a cigarette.

And that is where a thought came up, not strong or solid, but rather those soft thoughts that pop into our heads while we are paying attention to other things.

Aiolia looked beautiful in his innocence and joviality.

I mean, that does not mean he was not handsome before, when they were Saints. The Saints, for the most part, were handsome men. Rodorio's girls were always gossiping about that (and it was a pain, by the way). They talked about the androgynous beauty of Aphrodite, the divine beauty of Saga, the youthful beauty of Milo. She recognized the beauty of all of them, because after all, it was the same thing as recognizing the beauty of a flower. But Aiolia was Aiolia, her friend, her comrade, her brother-in-arms. She never dared to think of him beyond that, for there was no "beyond that." They joined together because there was need and continued because there was connection. She was the weird Japanese who was stealing Eagle cloth he was the brother of the traitor who was stealing Leo cloth.

She felt like an old woman around him.

Of course, she had been through a lot more than he had, and now she could say it properly. She saw her disciple die, saw Athena break down in grief, saw the army of Justice fall apart, saw all the ideals she fought for go down the drain, saw her brother disappear. And after ten years nothing has changed. Now they are forced to face an unknown enemy, without Nike in hand, without the support of Olympus. Before, they were four years apart, and she was the youngest. Now, she was four years older than he was, and it looked like she was an old woman, and he was a boy still untouched.

She knew that in those days, all they both wanted was peace. Aiolia no longer wanted to be persecuted for being the brother of a supposed traitor, she did not want to be persecuted for her nationality. And now, Aiolia had peace. Her brother was alive and well, he was not an outcast at Sanctuary and had a comfortable life, attended a good college, was far from the endless battles being fought at Sanctuary.

Who was she to get him out of this place, out of his quiet and normal young life, and into yet another suicide mission on matters he now has nothing to do with?

Focus, Marin, Focus. Marin needs to rescue him, for his sake. Aiolia needs to come to the Sanctuary as it is the safest place for the Saints. The forces of evil could pursue him, Saori was aware of that. And she too.

She felt his gaze toward her as she approached her table after ordering a cappuccino. Her college classmates walked away, looking…afraid? She would not hurt him. Aiolia looked at him with a certain fascination, a slight smile on her face, as she got up from the table to greet her.

- Good morning, you must be Aiolia, right?

- Yes - Aiolia said, a little hesitant - You must be Mrs. Marin, right?

- Yes – Marin replied, squeezing his hand – are you alright, Aiolia?

- Yes, I'm fine – replied Aiolia – and you?

- I'm fine, thank you.

It is amazing how charming Aiolia is. Not only charming, but eloquent and persuasive. Not in the bad sense of the words, of course. He is someone you can sit in a pub with and talk to about anything, and he will never be boring. As Aiolia talks about his personal life and academic achievements, Marin does not miss the firm line of his jaw, how he smiles and shows his perfect white teeth, how he looks to the side and runs his hands through his blond hair, careless.

How he does not take his green eyes off her lips.

He talked about his past. Apparently, whoever manipulated his mind made him believe that he lived his entire life in Thessalonica, that his father died when he was still a baby and that his older brother took care of him like a father takes care of a child (the latter part was the truest). How he was always inspired by his brother and wanted to go to law school, like him, to fight for justice like him.

"Why do you want so much to fight for justice?" asked Marin.

Aiolia sighed, looked at the cafe garden and gave a slight smile.

"I've seen a lot of innocent people being judged and condemned in this world you know? Imagine, a person's reputation and life go to waste because he was tried for a crime he didn't commit. And even if you did, you don't get a chance to start over. I do not want to see this."

Marin smiled. The gods could make Aiolia forget his origins, but he would never cease to be who he was. The gods would never steal that from him.

"And how do you see yourself in five years?" asked Marin. It would be a harmless question, which is asked by many interviewers, but which she genuinely wanted to know. What did Aiolia think about his future?

"Finishing college, obviously" Aiolia said smiling "Having my office. Get a master's degree, who knows. Keep studying hard."

"I also want to travel, visit some places, see the outside world. And find the woman of my dreams" finished, laughing.

"The woman of your dreams? You look pretty romantic to me."

"As a matter of fact, she is literally the woman of my dreams. Whenever I sleep, I see her, calling my name, running, or training in some sport, whatever. But I never see her face..."

Marin's brain was thinking too fast. A woman. Calling Aiolia's name. Running. Training. Aiolia dreamed every night of a woman, whom he could never see her face in dreams. The Amazons did not show her face. There were several in the Sanctuary, but he was only close to two. And Shina had already shown his face to him, it would not make sense for him not to remember. There was only one Amazon who did not take off her mask in front of him.

Aiolia dreamed of Marin. Every night.

He must have noticed the look of astonishment that formed on her face, as he was already apologizing, saying that his comment was inappropriate and that he did not want to embarrass her. Marin accepted the apology but did not think about it much at the time, just thought that, with so much to remember, Aiolia remembered her precisely, running through the fields of the Sanctuary, training with him, as they always did.

Marin did not want to feel the happiness she was feeling at knowing that.

What were his dreams like? Did he remember the conversations they had had, sitting near some broken pillar? Or when they watched the sun set on the beach, as she had released Seiya from training? Or when they trained together early in the morning? Or even the times he spoiled Seiya, buying him candy in Rodorio while she fought for him not to, but at the same time, was happy for him to help her with his pupil?

"I... I believe we already have the necessary information, Mr. Aiolia" said Marin "don't worry, I'm really not embarrassed by your personal report. On the contrary, it shows your sensitivity, and the Graad Foundation believes in it."

"Ah... ok" said Aiolia, more relieved "but do I still have the scholarship?"

"Of course! Look, we'll talk a lot yet. Take my number" she handed him a card "let's make an appointment for you to visit the Graad Foundation headquarters here in Greece to learn more about our projects. And can you text me anytime you want?"

"Can I?" Aiolia said, with a look different from the one she knew. Marin's head was creating the thoughts like when you put pieces of a puzzle together. He did not take his eyes off her lips throughout the interview. He mentioned that he wanted to find the woman of his dreams, just for her. Now, her eyebrows slightly arched, a mischievous glint in her eyes, a charming smile, but not meant to be kind. Intent on seducing.

Was Aiolia interested in her?

They got up from the table and she walked with him to his campus. She looked at his young face, the short golden curls tousled by the wind, the pink lips, the immensely green eyes, the straight nose. Like old times. There were only two new things: one of them was the blond beard.

The other was the shortness of breath and the palpitation she felt in front of Aiolia.

Aiolia was trying to seduce her. Aiolia was being charming to her. Aiolia was attracted to her.

She did not know what it would be like from now on. When she accepted Saori's invitation to meet the Gold Saints, she thought she would find her friend back. But at some point, he stopped being her friend, and instead of being a stranger, he awakened feelings in her that even she did not know she could feel.

The problem is, she was too old, too hurt. And he was beautiful, immaculate, without the blemishes of the past. What could she offer him? Nothing but sadness and grief. She promised herself that she would keep the feelings to herself, that they would disappear, that he should lose interest in her when he got to Sanctuary. It was better this way.

The future scared her a little.