As she slowly walked back to the academy, Cemia reveled in her newfound sight. Faded memories of colors were suddenly bright as ever, and she made new memories of the blue of the sky, the green of the trees, and the brown of the dirt road. Mia caught her breath and stopped as a little bird swooped down and flew across the path ahead, uttering a sweet cry that she had heard time and time before, but had never seen the owner of the voice.
Spotting a small spring not too far from the road, Cemia had the urge to find out what she looked like. She aproached the spring and leaned over to look ar her reflection...
...and saw her mother's face looking back at her. The same small nose... the same high cheekbones... and the same clear green eyes. A treamendous sense of sorrow and loss overcame her and she fell to her knees, hugging her shuddering self as dry sobs of grief racked her kneeling form.
~~~~~
Slowly she woke and pushed herself from the ground. The sun had dipped lower in the sky and Mia realized that she had cried herself to sleep. Touching her warm and swollen eyes, she got to her feet and stumbled over to the spring to spach some cold water on her face and try to sooth her dry throat. Starting to get over the shock of seeing her mother's features on her own face, she headed back to the Academy.
She approached the academy, taking in the tall surrounding walls and the heavy metal gates. The walk back had clamed her down and now she was feeling much better and was excited to see the Academy for the first time, as well as her best friends. Cemia let her gaze wander over the rock walls and the stone and wood buildings. It was like she was walking into one of her father's stories, it was just how he had described it so many years ago. She heard the familiar ring of steel on steel coming from the training room that she and Herc had walked past on her first day. Without quite realizing it, her feet steered her towards the dorm. She could hear Hercules and Iolaus' voices from within, and remembered all the practical jokes Iolaus had played on her in the last few weeks. She walked in, keeping an eye out for any more tricks Iolaus had laid out, when she saw Hercules for the first time. He had heard her walk in and turned towards her, smiling.
By the Gods, he was beautiful. Slightly shaggy blond hair, deep blue eyes... Mia felt her heart melt, even as her eyes involuntarily unfocused and looked away from him.
"Hey. You're back." Herc said as she walked over to her bunk. "How was your run?"
Cemia had noticed the air-filled pig's bladder that Iolaus used on Feducious last hoolie day lying on her bed where she usually sat and avoided it, sitting further down on her cot. She couldn't believe it, she had forgotten to take the run! Of course, regaining your sight after eight years kinda makes you lose track of details. "Okay." Out of the corner of her eye she saw him give her a questioning look, but she ignored it. She didn't know quite why she was still pretending to be blind... she guessed because it was like a protective shell around her, and because she could pull a Tartarus of a practical joke on Iolaus. If she could just think of one...
Another cadet was standing there, shorter than Hercules. He looked older, though, with long curly blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. ::Who do we have here?:: she thought as she noticed the vest he was wearing. It was a horrible orange color, like somebody had thrown up on it. Besides the vest, though, he was very handsome.
"Well, what do you think?" he said to Hercules, strutting around like the rooster Mia remembered from when she was a kid.
"I think the same thing that I thought back at the market, Iolaus. It just isn't your color." Herc replied.
::That's Iolaus?!?!:: Mia was shocked. Two of her best friends were drop-dead gorgeous hotties! She smiled a little as she remembered the phrase the mergirls back at the clan would say about any merman they swam across. Just then a blond girl walked in. Mia knew that this had to be Lilith, the only other girl at the Academy.
Lilith picked up the whoopie cushion and tossed it onto his own bunk, "Very ingenious, Iolaus." Cemia motioned beside her, and Lilith took a seat as well. "And why are you wearing such a gross color vest? It's so ugly."
"The girl who sold it to me didn't thing so." Iolaus replied, slightly offended. "She said the color brought out my eyes."
Cemia couldn't help it. She laughed and said, "Iolaus, that color had nothing to do with your eyes. She probably said that because no one else would buy it." she smiled, then froze because all three cadets were staring at her. "What?" she said, glancing from face to shocked face.
"You can... see?" Iolaus asked.
Mia blushed. She hadn't meant to tell her friends in this way, but why not? "Yeah. I got it this afternoon."
"How?" Hercules said.
Cemia shrugged. "I went walking this morning like I was planing to. I ran into this guy, a seeker or something. We talked a bit, and he suggested I ask Artemis for my sight back."
At the goddess's name, Herc stiffened for a moment. "And she did it? She just gave you your sight for free?"
Mia replied, "Uh...no. I traded my mer form for it. But I didn't use it much anyway. Why?"
Hercules looked a little worried. "Oh, no reason. It's just that, deals with gods usually have strings attached. I don't want you caught in a trap."
Cemia smiled. "Don't worry, Hercules. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
Spotting a small spring not too far from the road, Cemia had the urge to find out what she looked like. She aproached the spring and leaned over to look ar her reflection...
...and saw her mother's face looking back at her. The same small nose... the same high cheekbones... and the same clear green eyes. A treamendous sense of sorrow and loss overcame her and she fell to her knees, hugging her shuddering self as dry sobs of grief racked her kneeling form.
~~~~~
Slowly she woke and pushed herself from the ground. The sun had dipped lower in the sky and Mia realized that she had cried herself to sleep. Touching her warm and swollen eyes, she got to her feet and stumbled over to the spring to spach some cold water on her face and try to sooth her dry throat. Starting to get over the shock of seeing her mother's features on her own face, she headed back to the Academy.
She approached the academy, taking in the tall surrounding walls and the heavy metal gates. The walk back had clamed her down and now she was feeling much better and was excited to see the Academy for the first time, as well as her best friends. Cemia let her gaze wander over the rock walls and the stone and wood buildings. It was like she was walking into one of her father's stories, it was just how he had described it so many years ago. She heard the familiar ring of steel on steel coming from the training room that she and Herc had walked past on her first day. Without quite realizing it, her feet steered her towards the dorm. She could hear Hercules and Iolaus' voices from within, and remembered all the practical jokes Iolaus had played on her in the last few weeks. She walked in, keeping an eye out for any more tricks Iolaus had laid out, when she saw Hercules for the first time. He had heard her walk in and turned towards her, smiling.
By the Gods, he was beautiful. Slightly shaggy blond hair, deep blue eyes... Mia felt her heart melt, even as her eyes involuntarily unfocused and looked away from him.
"Hey. You're back." Herc said as she walked over to her bunk. "How was your run?"
Cemia had noticed the air-filled pig's bladder that Iolaus used on Feducious last hoolie day lying on her bed where she usually sat and avoided it, sitting further down on her cot. She couldn't believe it, she had forgotten to take the run! Of course, regaining your sight after eight years kinda makes you lose track of details. "Okay." Out of the corner of her eye she saw him give her a questioning look, but she ignored it. She didn't know quite why she was still pretending to be blind... she guessed because it was like a protective shell around her, and because she could pull a Tartarus of a practical joke on Iolaus. If she could just think of one...
Another cadet was standing there, shorter than Hercules. He looked older, though, with long curly blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. ::Who do we have here?:: she thought as she noticed the vest he was wearing. It was a horrible orange color, like somebody had thrown up on it. Besides the vest, though, he was very handsome.
"Well, what do you think?" he said to Hercules, strutting around like the rooster Mia remembered from when she was a kid.
"I think the same thing that I thought back at the market, Iolaus. It just isn't your color." Herc replied.
::That's Iolaus?!?!:: Mia was shocked. Two of her best friends were drop-dead gorgeous hotties! She smiled a little as she remembered the phrase the mergirls back at the clan would say about any merman they swam across. Just then a blond girl walked in. Mia knew that this had to be Lilith, the only other girl at the Academy.
Lilith picked up the whoopie cushion and tossed it onto his own bunk, "Very ingenious, Iolaus." Cemia motioned beside her, and Lilith took a seat as well. "And why are you wearing such a gross color vest? It's so ugly."
"The girl who sold it to me didn't thing so." Iolaus replied, slightly offended. "She said the color brought out my eyes."
Cemia couldn't help it. She laughed and said, "Iolaus, that color had nothing to do with your eyes. She probably said that because no one else would buy it." she smiled, then froze because all three cadets were staring at her. "What?" she said, glancing from face to shocked face.
"You can... see?" Iolaus asked.
Mia blushed. She hadn't meant to tell her friends in this way, but why not? "Yeah. I got it this afternoon."
"How?" Hercules said.
Cemia shrugged. "I went walking this morning like I was planing to. I ran into this guy, a seeker or something. We talked a bit, and he suggested I ask Artemis for my sight back."
At the goddess's name, Herc stiffened for a moment. "And she did it? She just gave you your sight for free?"
Mia replied, "Uh...no. I traded my mer form for it. But I didn't use it much anyway. Why?"
Hercules looked a little worried. "Oh, no reason. It's just that, deals with gods usually have strings attached. I don't want you caught in a trap."
Cemia smiled. "Don't worry, Hercules. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."