Usual disclaimers apply.

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Chapter 52

"At Amphipolis in this fateful hour,

"I place all Heaven with its power,
"And the sun with its brightness,
"And the snow with its whiteness,
"And the fire with all the strength it hath,
"And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
"And the wind with its swiftness along its path,
"And the sea with its deepness,
"And the rocks with their steepness,
"And the Earth with its starkness
"All these I place
"By God's almighty help and grace

"Between myself and the powers of darkness". Grinning I handed Rory her breakfast plate. "I remembered the rune."

"Sounds like you changed it a bit too," Rory commented as she began to eat her stew.

"Just a bit," I chuckled. "Wouldn't it be cool if we could summon a dragon or a unicorn…."

"Or a time traveling Doctor," Rory finished. "That would be so cool."

"It would be," I agreed. "Not realistic, but it would be cool." Looking at Rory in confusion as she began to laugh and almost choke on her stew I finally addressed her. "What?"

"Not realistic?" Rory began to laugh again. "You and I are in ancient Greece living as Amazons, but a time traveling Doctor isn't realistic?"

Letting her words digest I began to laugh as well. "Yeah, and let's not forget having the goddess of love as a godmother."

Finishing our breakfast through our laughter we made quick work of cleaning up camp and getting ready to head out for the day. Hoping we wouldn't have too many surprises on the road I gave Mavri a final pat before moving to Jedi and easily getting into the saddle while Rory did the same on Mavri. "Ready?" I asked.

"Yep." Rory's posture straightened a bit as she turned Mavri to move out with me. "Time to ease on down the road," she quipped as her gentle voice began to sing.

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Our morning on the road had been uneventful so far and after playing a few games of 'Who am I' and I spy we had ridden in silence for a while. Finally hearing running water, I smiled and turned to Rory, "I think there's fresh water up ahead. Ready to stop and have some lunch?"

Rory nodded, "I could use a break. How long are we going to ride today anyway, Sam?"

"I figure until we find a decent shelter or get tired of riding. Whichever comes first." I replied as we found ourselves in a lovely clearing with a small pool being fed by a fresh stream.

"Sounds good to me." Rory agreed as we dismounted.

We had just finished our lunch when I groaned. "Damn it, just once I'd like an uneventful road trip." Standing I moved my head toward the path and Rory sighed and stood as well.

"You and that bionic hearing. I don't know whether to be thankful or pissed off," she quipped as we waited for whatever the sounds I was hearing would bring.

"Oh, for the love of the gods," I hissed. "Really?"

"Bloody hell," Rory's quietly spoken curse and low whistle caused me to respond to the sight in front of us. "Get the first aid stuff and come help me."

"Yeah." Rory headed to Jedi and I moved to the help the person in front of me. "Come on," I said quietly allowing him to lean on me, "I'll help you."

Getting no response, I guided the pre-teen towards the pool and helped him sit on a fallen log. Using the rag Rory had soaked in the water, I gently washed the blood from the stranger's face and managed to staunch the bleeding from the wound on his forehead. "Hand me the cotton wool, would you?" I asked.

"Sure," handing me the needed supplies, Rory watched as I bandaged the wound. "Is he going to need stiches?"

"I don't think so," I replied. "It should stop bleeding soon. If not, then I might have to put a few in."

Rinsing out the cloth I used it again to wipe off the boy's dirty hands and arms. "That's as good as I can do now."

"Hey," I gently tapped the boy's shoulder and was glad when he finally looked at me. "What's your name?"

Looking at me for a moment, he said nothing and then started, "My sister!" He exclaimed. "You have to help me with my sister!" Standing he ran past me and back down the path only to stop near a thicket of bushes. "Please, she's really hurt."

Nodding I parted the bushes and shook my head. "Rory, get a blanket and start some water to boil."

"Gotcha." Rory's footfalls back to camp were quick and I was thankful she was still one of the fastest runners in the tribe.

Turning away from the unconscious girl I looked into worried hazel eyes, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Soldiers." He whispered. "My village didn't have money to pay them. They attacked us." Holding in a sob, he continued. "Melodia and I hid in the barn loft but they found us. We tried to fight them."

"It's okay," I assured him. "I'm sure that you did your best, but you and your sister are probably a lot smaller than the soldiers."

He nodded. "We are, but I'm almost twelve summers."

"That's a good age," I agreed. And Melodia, how old is she?"

"She's almost twelve summers too. We were born on the same day," he whispered turning around as Rory returned.

"Help me get her wrapped up. The soldiers did a number on her," I growled. Switching to English I looked at Rory and spoke again. "I'll kill every last one of them if I get the chance."

"I'll help," Rory returned as we wrapped the girl gently in the blanket trying to avoid the blood and still forming bruises the best that we could.

"What's your name?" Rory asked the boy as we slowly carried his sister towards the pool.

"Arion." He looked up at us and gave a half smile. "My mother loves music and poetry. She figured having twins meant giving them names that matched a little."

"She did a nice job," Rory complemented.

Lying Melodia on the blankets and furs that Rory had already spread out, I turned to her brother. "Arion, I need to ask you to help us. Will you please sit by your sister's shoulder and hold her hand? You can be the first face she sees when she wakes up that way." I added.

Nodding slowly, he moved towards her head and sat down back towards Rory and me before he gently picked up her hand. "I'm not hurting her?" He asked quietly.

"No," I assured him. "Right now, it probably helps make her feel safe."

"Okay." Wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand, Arion turned quiet once again. Removing my boot dagger from its usual place, I shook my head as I gently cut the girl's clothes from her body.

"The bastards." I muttered in English. "If we run into them, it's kill first and ask questions later."

"I agree." Rory replied as she helped wash Melodia's body. "How they could beat a child like this. I don't understand."

"I don't either," I admitted. "And I'm wondering just how more injured her brother is then he has told us."

"If these bruises are any indication, then I'd say he's probably hurt pretty badly himself."

"I imagine so." Throwing the filthy rag to the side I tossed a dry towel to Rory. "Let's get her wiped off and then changed into something a little more comfortable."

"Comfortable?" Rory looked at me as if I'd grown an extra head. "Sam, we're Amazons. Comfort isn't exactly in our vocabulary."

"No," I agreed. "But it is in Auntie's vocabulary." Closing my eyes, I sent a silent plea to my goddess mother and was rewarded with the feel of my locket warming. Opening it, I smiled for the first time since finding Melodia.

"Son of a Bacchae," Rory whispered. "I love that goddess."

"Me too. Help me dress her." Handing Rory the soft undergarments, we managed to get them onto the girl before pulling on the soft leggings and loose fitting long top. A pair of socks joined our pile and I knew they would be a comfort as the temperatures dropped that evening. Completing the outfit was a soft pair of leather moccasins and I thanked Auntie as silently as I had as the favor of her.

"Thank you, Auntie." Rory's yell caused Arion to jump a bit before his mouth fell open in awe.

"How did this all get here?" He asked noticing the pillows and blankets surrounding us.

"We have our ways," I replied cryptically. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit," he admitted.

"Great, because it seems that we have enough food for tonight and tomorrow." Noticing the huge pot of stew on the fire, I thanked Aunt Hestia this time and was rewarded with a basket materializing from thin air.

Lifting the cloth, Rory whistled. "Aunt Hestia, we thank you." She said quietly. "Oh, do we thank you."

"Chocolate cake?"

"Oh yeah," Rory smiled. "Not to mention bread, and some preserves, butter, and a dozen eggs." Handing me a bowl and spoon from the basket Rory shrugged at my look. "She also gave us dishes and utensils."

"How is this possible?" Arion asked again.

Putting some stew into his bowl and handing it to him. I reached into the basket and pulled off a hunk of bread and allowed him to take that as well. "Sit back and eat and let me tell you a story." I began shaking my head as a large wooden glass materialized filled with water. Placing that near Arion too, I leaned against some pillows and looked at his sister quietly. I knew we had some time before she woke up, so I turned back to her brother and began my distraction. "Once, there was a girl born of the gods whose destiny was only to help them maintain their status on Olympus….."

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Finally, another chapter. I know this one is a bit shorter, but I wanted to get it out to you.

Hope you all enjoy.