Title: "Olympias' Request"
Author: BalianswordA/N: Once again I must thank all of my wonderful reviewers. Most recently I send thanks to Queendel, Elithraniel, and Hpgryffin. To all of my other past reviewers as well, I thank you. Hope you enjoy the latest installment.
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"It must be done," Olympias said as she threw the scroll across the room. She whirled around, her dress billowing around her legs, her eyes flashing with anger. Cassander sat, his head down, staring at his hands on the table. She crossed the room and managed to get between him and the table. She sat, using his thighs as a seat, and put her hands to his face.
"Look at me," she uttered in her exotic voice. She put a thumb on his lower lip, lightly rubbing, and then leaned down and kissed him softly. Cassander put his hands on her hips. For a moment he kissed her back. He then shoved her away, causing her back to hit the side of the table. He pushed back in his chair and came to a standing position.
"No," he said once more. "I have done what you asked, and that alone is enough to kill me. I will not try to harm Hephaestion again."
"Please," she spat angrily. "Hephaestion is nothing more than an expensive whore. What do you fear? He is nothing, and shall never be worth what you are, Cassander."
He shook his head, "No!"
"Come here," Olympias said as she walked out onto the balcony. They stood looking out at Macedonia now. It was an empire, as lovely as one could be, and Cassander loved his home more than anything else. "Look at it."
Cassander did as he was told. He surveyed the land, the people working it, as well as the market below. It was wonderful. No, not as big as Greece, and not as wealthy as the Persian Empire, yet it was wonderful all the same.
"It will not last," Olympias said. "It cannot last under the rule of a weakened king. Look at what Philip did, strong, yes, but not forever. Alexander could conquer all of the world. The prophets have told me this, but he cannot do it when his thighs are wrapped around Hephaestion's. What you do will be for your people."
"What will happen," she continued, "if Macedonia were attacked? Can you tell me this? Do you think that old woman down there would have a chance to run? Do you think they would not send that boy to be a slave in a foreign land, and what of that girl, do you think they would not rape her? What about you Cassander – would you be spared?"
"Alexander knows what he wants," Cassander disagreed. "He will conquer the world, for he desires it, as he desires Hephaestion. As king he gets what he wants."
"Do you think he will ever love you," Olympias asked, referring to Alexander. She put a hand on his shoulder as she walked behind him, crossing to the other side, where she whispered in his ear once more as if her words were poetry. "He never will my handsome one. Alexander does not desire you, and never shall, why protect him? Your love of him means nothing to him."
"I do not love him," Cassander undoubtedly told her. "Passion has nothing to do with my choices. It is Hephaestion who acts on devotion and lust, not I. Do not confuse the two of us."
Olympias smiled maliciously, "Perhaps it is not Alexander that you think of at night. Is it the other then?"
Cassander left her side and stepped back into her rooms. She followed, relentless to try to destroy her son's happiness. She put a hand on Cassander's shoulder as he tried to walk away. She spun him around and pushed her chest against his. She let her hand wander down to the material that covered his manhood. Olympias did not feel shy about cupping him.
"Do you desire him," she asked.
"Damn you," Cassander said and tried to push her away without hurting her. He managed to squirm out of her grasp again. "It has nothing to do with what I feel for Hephaestion or Alexander. It has to do with honor! I will not desecrate my name by helping you rid yourself of Hephaestion, who poses no threat to your son, but to you! You hate him because no longer can you be the only one to tell him what to do with his life! Now he has someone else to love, you can no longer influence him, that is why you want him dead!"
"What you say is true," she agreed calmly. "He threatens me. Yet you should be wiser in your accusations. He threatens you too Cassander. Did you not know of Hephaestion's plans for you when Alexander decides to invade Persia?"
Cassander tried to ignore her. However, try as he might, he wanted to know whether or not Hephaestion had planned something of him. Hephaestion thought he was so clever, that he deserved more than others, but it was not true. Olympias was right, he was an expensive whore. What fear could a whore fill his mind with? The answer, all the fear he needed.
"You will be put with the foot soldiers when you face Darius' legions. Would that please you," she questioned. "Do you know how vast Darius' legions are? It would be almost impossible for you to survive. There is a chance, but not a good enough one to risk your life for, would you agree?"
"I'm leaving," was all that Cassander said.
"So soon? Too bad, you will not get to see what was sent to one of my mercenaries. It is very interesting really. I did not know that you were so hated. In fact, that is not even what I find strange. I find it odd the names signed, asking of your death."
Cassander did what he knew he should not. He turned around. Olympias nodded and turned back to her desk. She picked up a folded piece of parchment. The wax seal had been opened, but Cassander could still see that the press was authentic. He opened the letter and instantly knew the handwriting. It was Alexander's.
"Where did you get this," he asked. He read down until he came to the names. Alexander, Ptolemy, and Hephaestion had all signed. "You think that I will fall for this? I know that you wrote it! You had to have. Of course, we used the same trick on Alexander, this is just a replica."
Olympias shrugged, "How would I get Alexander's seal? How would I be able to write all of their names as they would? Trust me Cassander, such a note is real."
Cassander dropped the parchment and left the room. Olympias watched him go. As he slammed the door behind him she came closer and picked up the parchment. She smiled evilly to herself as she tore it up and tossed it into the fire. She laughed quietly as the flames engulfed the lies.
"Oh Ptolemy," she laughed, "the things you will write while drunk."
Cassander did not hear this of course. Instead he angrily made his way back to his rooms. He locked the door behind him and tossed himself down on the bed. He felt like screaming and so he did, not caring who heard, and thought that no one would care in any event. Things were going so wrong.
First, Alexander had decided to outcast him from his life so that he may be closer to Hephaestion. This did not offend him as time wore on. He had found some comfort in Hephaestion. Yet now, nothing, they were not even close to friends. They instead were enemies, constantly nagging at the other, insulting instead of telling each other their dreams as they should have. Second, there was Olympias, who was the worst of his problems.
Did she have a point, perhaps? It could be but he did not care. It was wrong. Not to mention, no matter how much he thought he hated Hephaestion, he didn't. Call him names, offend him, curse him to the gods, he did all of this but still did not hate him. Perhaps that is what scared him the most; that he felt nothing like this for Hephaestion.
Cassander did not want to delve into any further thoughts of his problems though. Instead he closed his eyes and lay back in bed. He closed his eyes and slowly moved his hand down to his thigh. He began to stroke the erection he had gotten until he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. All the while, he thought of Hephaestion, whom he was supposed to kill.