Chapter 13
I Love You
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."
Unknown
I awoke to the sound of the pilot announcing that we were soon to land in Maine. I watched the clouds go by, smiling with great anticipation and hope dancing within my soul. When I see Ariston next in private, I will tell him the truth. No matter what he may be, I love him and I need him, nothing will ever change that.
The heat was smoldering when we got back to Blueridge, an odd thing for the end of September. Our bags were carried in for us as we fanned ourselves with whatever spare pieces of paper we could find.
"Why don't we go to the lake?" Margret suggested.
"Great idea." I replied with a smile.
We went through her, our, new things. I chose a white bikini with a deep purple cotton halter-top dress to go over it and some sandals. Margret chose a black bikini with a blue cover up and after a twenty-minute car ride, we reached the lake, its cool sparkling water promising to bring relief from the heat.
The beach and the water were packed with students and people who lived near by. I got out of the car with my towel under my arm, I smiled at the soft breeze coming off the water. I looked out over the people, looking for only one face, the one face I have longed to see all weekend.
Margret and I walked out onto the hot sand, she gasped and started running, and I looked just in time to see her leap into Jack's waiting arms and them kiss. I smiled and turned my gaze back to the water, just in time to see one of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed.
Ariston saw me before I saw him, he was walking out of the water and my knees almost gave out at the sight. His body is even more amazing than I imagined it to be, covered in perfectly defined muscles, his abs, his shoulders, his biceps, even his legs were well defined. He ran a hand through his head of black curls as he smiled, his sky blue eyes locked on mine. My cheeks were stained with a blush and I felt dizzy. I realized my jaw was unhinged and I quickly closed it. His crooked smile graced his lips, his white teeth flashing, making me smile.
Seeing him brought back memories of my dreams, making my blush deeper. My heart was pounding as I started walking, it was all I could do to keep myself from running to him. When Ariston reached me, he looked deep down into my eyes, into my very soul and I looked deep into his. His beautiful sky blue eyes were filled with a love that could never be put into words. The song by Alison Krauss said it best, "Old Mr. Webster could never define, what's being said between your heart and mine."
"Hello, Ariston." I said, smiling.
"Hello, Mera." He said while his eyes said 'if you only knew how I have missed you.' I stood there for a moment just taking him in. "How was the rest of your shopping excursion?"
"It was very enjoyable. How was your swim?" I asked somewhat breathlessly.
"It was absolutely wonder; the water is perfect. Would you like to take a swim with me?" He asked and my smile grew.
"I would love to." I replied.
I laid my towel down on the sand and took off my cover up to reveal my bikini underneath. I could feel his eyes on my body, it was a nice feeling. When I looked at him he quickly averted his eyes and I smiled a little. I followed him through the crowds of people and towards the water. He was right, the water was perfect, cool and refreshing on a hot day like today. I could just barely see the dock in the distance, it looked like a small dot floating in the center of the enormous lake.
"Race you to the dock?" I said. He smiled.
"As you wish." Ariston said.
I dove into the waist deep water and began to swim, swimming as fast as I could. I glanced at Ariston when we were half way there to see that he was five feet behind me. Even though I have always been an excellent swimmer, I knew he was letting me win, that he was holding himself back. I rolled my eyes, always the gentleman.
"Oh come on, are you going to let me win without a fight? What kind of challenge is that?" I called out.
Ariston began really swimming then, and soon he was well ahead of me. I pushed myself harder and he ended up beating me by about two feet. I was out of breath when we reached the dock, but not from the swimming. He was out of breath as well as we laughed.
"You are a great swimmer." He said.
"As are you." I said, still out of breath.
I looked into his eyes, it felt like he was embracing my very soul. My god, I am in love with him. I smiled and he smiled.
"Ladies first." Ariston said, gesturing to the ladder.
I smiled and climbed the ladder, once I was up, he followed. I took in the view, the sparkling water, the red and yellow fall leafs on the trees far in the distance as they climbed up the mountainside. I turned around and came face to face with Ariston's chest, he was only inches away. Drops of water ran down his perfect cinnamon skin. I could not stop myself, I lifted my hand and placed it on his chest, relishing the feeling of his too warm, too smooth skin. Touching him sent a rush of warmth through me and even though every nerve in my body was firing, I felt a sense of peace being with him again, as if all was right with the world at long last.
What are you? The thought echoed in wonder through my mind. No one this beautiful should exist, but god am I glad he does! He placed his hands on my arms gently, my heart beating even faster as I felt that I was melting into him yet again.
How do I describe the feeling that envelopes my being when he is near? It is like a cocoon of warmth and peace, but beneath that there is a deep longing, a hunger that one kiss would not be able to satisfy, one kiss would only make the hunger greater. But oh! How I long for that kiss, a kiss that might never come.
Being close to him does things to me, makes me feel things I never knew existed, makes me want things I have never wanted before. I have never desired to know a man's body before I met Ariston. I wonder if he knows that I desire him in such a way, that I not only want to know his body, but that I want him to know mine. There is a part of me that would not care if he loves me or not, if I could just have one beautiful, passionate night with him, while the rest of me knows that one night would never be enough.
I slid my hand down his chest to his abs, not being able to help it, and saw Ariston's chest rise with a deep, sudden breath at my doing this. I loved the way it felt to touch him. I slowly looked up into his eyes, his gaze was intense, looking into the depths of my very soul while drawing me into his. His lips were parted in an all too enticing way. I honestly do not know how much more I can take. If he does not kiss me soon, I fear I might go mad. Ariston leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, the tips of our noses touching, and let out a sigh.
"I have missed you, Mera." He said, and my smile grew.
"And I you, Ariston." I told him in a breath.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close as his arms wound around my waist. The feeling of his body next to mine, his skin on my skin, his hands on my body made my heart pound. We stood there for an immeasurable amount of time; I had been longing to hold him since the moment I left his embrace on Friday, and by the way he held me with his cheek caressing mine, I got the feeling that he felt the same way.
A moment later, he pulled back and looked into my eyes for a moment with a smile before letting me go. He walked around me and laid down on the dock with his eyes on me, his head resting on his arms behind his head. I watched him for a moment, admiring his perfect body and the way his cinnamon skin glows so beautifully in the sun, while wanting desperately to be in his arms again, to lay my head on his chest and look up at the sky. Instead I laid down a few feet from him on my side and looked at him. It was so soothing to be in his presence again.
"Why did you not want me to let you win our race?" Ariston asked, looking into my eyes. Oh his eyes, was there ever a color so beautiful and true?
"I prefer to win my victories fair and square. There can be no glory without honor." I said.
"I agree." He told me with a smile on his lips and respect in his eyes. I remembered something then.
"I almost forgot to tell you." I said with a smile. "I met your daughter Kallisto while I was in New York. By chance we were shopping in the same store and we went out to brunch together." Ariston smiled a with a look that said 'I should have known.'
"Chance you say?" He asked, his voice almost sarcastic. This confused me but I shook it off.
"She is amazing. I see a lot of you in her." I told him, he smiled.
We laid there looking into each other's eyes, the moment seemed perfect. It is now or never, I thought to myself.
"Ariston, I," The words were on my lips when I heard the laughing.
I sat up to see Heather, Ella and Marge swimming out to the dock. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to rein in my irritation at the interruption.
"Hi, Mera!" Ella waved.
I smiled as politely as I could manage and waved, then turned and looked to Ariston who was now sitting up, his eyes however were not looking at me or at the girls swimming up. He looked to be deep in thought, concentrating on something, then he nodded and looked to me.
"Forgive me, I must go to attend to something." Ariston said.
"Can it wait?" I asked. I only just got back; does he truly have to leave so soon?
"I wish it could," I could see in his eyes that he did. "However, a matter of great importance requires my attention." He said.
Ariston took my hand and kissed it; I grasped onto his hand and Ariston looked deep into my eyes, then leaned in and kissed my cheek, I melted under his lips. A storm ran through me as he rested his cheek against mine, my hand went to his other cheek. Ariston lingered for a moment and his nose brushed against my neck once, causing me to gasp and lean in closer to him, almost like his body was magnetized. His hand went to my waist as he lingered there for a moment, before he pulled away just enough to look into my eyes with a smile. His face seeming to glow a stunning shade of gold, it was most likely a trick of the sunlight.
"I will come to you tomorrow. There is much we must speak of." Ariston said in a tender voice. I nodded, lost in his eyes.
"Until then." I said.
For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, he was close enough to. Ariston let go of me slowly, then stood up. He was still holding my hand, he caressed it once before releasing it. Ariston dove into the water with amazing grace, I stood up and watched him swim swiftly away as the girls climbed the ladder, still laughing. I sighed. At least I got to see him today. I turned back to the girls who were all looking at me with smiles.
"How was your weekend?" I asked them, trying to defer the conversation from where it was inevitably going to go. I was no fool, I knew full well that Ariston could get into trouble for caring for me as he does. And the last thing I wanted was to cause trouble for him.
"Where were you this weekend?" Marge asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile, completely ignoring my question. I smiled, glad to disappoint them.
"I went shopping with Margret in New York. You can ask her if you do not believe me." I told them.
"Oh come on, you have to tell us what is going on between you and Mr. Crete." Ella said in a pleading voice. "Don't try to deny it, you are always spending time together, and you are always smiling and laughing, and not to mention you look at each other like you want to devour one another." I blushed. It feels something like that, only there is much more too it than physical attraction.
"I enjoy being with him. I care for him, greatly." I said with a shrug.
"I knew it!" Ella said. I sighed and smiled, not being able to help it.
"As much as I would love to sit here and have you hammer me with questions, it is very hot and I would like to swim before I go back to my dorm." I said to them. I turned and dove into the water before they could reply.
I swam underwater for a bit before surfacing. I swam and floated in the water for the next hour or so thinking of Ariston. I wondered what was so important that he had to leave and where he went. I also wondered what he would tell me tomorrow. Will it be the same truth I want to tell him?
After Margret and I came back from the lake I took a shower and settled into the couch for the night. Margret was getting ready for Sara Ambridge's party. I sat on the couch in our living room, drawing images of Ariston from my dreams and also the views I have seen today.
As I drew Ariston and I with our future daughter and son, I realized how badly I truly want this future. To be with Ariston, to have a life with him, to marry him and some day have those beautiful children I saw. I would be honored to be known as his wife and have him known as my husband.
The dream lingered in my mind, what Elianna had said. "All this and more can be yours, but you must tell him the truth, you must tell him how you feel."
I tried, I thought. A voice in my mind said, try harder.
I do not know where to find him and this is not something I can tell him over the phone, I need to see his face when I tell him. I shook my head as Margret walked out of her bedroom while putting an earring in, she looked stunning in a knee length strapless dark blue dress.
"Are you coming to Sara's party tonight?" She asked.
"I do not think so, I am not in a partying mood." I told her.
"Ariston might be there, Sara said she invited him." Margret said in a teasing tone.
I could not help but perk up a bit at the thought of seeing him, but I doubted that he would attend to such a party.
"I have nothing to wear." I said, grasping for an excuse to not have to be put through one of Sara's parties.
"Did you already forget we just went shopping?" Margret asked with a smile.
I smiled and went into my closet, which was now filled with the beautiful clothing Margret bought for us. I chose a red, knee-length, form fitting dress with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps and a pair of black, strappy high heels and a simple gold pendant necklace. I ran a brush through my hair, deciding to keep it loose. I wondered what the night would bring, what Ariston would say if I should find him there. If the way he looks at me is any indication, things should go well. I walked out and Margret looked me over with a smile.
"He will love it." She said and I blushed.
I hope so. We walked out of our dorm and took Margret's car to Sara's dorm. We got out and made our way inside, we could already hear the pulse of the music as we walked towards what was once a grand ballroom.
Students danced on the exquisite parquet floor and laughed, there were drinks of course, what high school party would be complete without alcohol? I do not drink, it has never held much appeal for me and I am too honest to lie about it. I scanned the room, hoping I would see him.
"Hey beautiful!" A voice, not the voice I wanted to hear, shouted over the music.
I looked over to see Jack walking up to Margret and kissing her. Could that ever be Ariston and I? The dream came to mind and I smiled as I walked away from them, giving them space while searching for Ariston.
Please Ariston, please be here tonight. I have to talk to you, I must tell you the truth. I pleaded in my mind, wishing with all my being that he could hear me.
"Hey Mera." I turned to see Clark Griffin, one of the popular boys.
He was good looking enough I suppose, with his dark blue eyes and blond hair, but I am too biased to really know. The way he acted, it was easy to tell that he thought he was god's gift to women. Clark was obviously wrong on that account, if anyone is gods gift to women, it is Ariston, no boy or man could ever hope to compare with him.
"Hello Clark." I said, looking around for Ariston.
"So, I heard you and Aaron broke up." Clark said, his voice seeming to care.
"We did; he is a wonderful guy, just not the one for me." I said still looking, god where is he?
"Well, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." He said.
I looked at Clark and shook my head. Unlike when Ariston had said similar words to me, I could tell what Clark wanted, it could all be summed up in one word, Sex, and he, like most other high school boys and many men, would do and say anything to get it.
"Thank you for the offer, but I am doing fine." I said coolly, holding my head high, not a trace of smile on my face. I was trying to find the man of my dreams to tell him that I am in love with him. I did not have the patience for some high school boy who was only after one thing.
"In that case, how about tomorrow night?" Clark asked with a smile, stepping up to me.
Clark would not be the first guy to ask me out since Aaron and I broke up, but somehow he seemed the most vulgar. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I pushed him away with surprising strength, he stumbled a few feet back much to his surprise.
"No way." I said.
"A tough girl, I like that." Clark replied with a smile.
He obviously does not know who he is dealing with. My hands curled into fists and I saw Clark freeze as he looked behind me with wide, fearful eyes.
"When a woman says no, she means no." Even though Ariston's voice was dark, like a storm about to strike, it made me feel like I was made out of Jell-O. "Only a weak man would try and force an unwilling woman." Clark stiffened and walked away quickly, tripping over himself in his drunken state.
I turned around to see Ariston watching Clark leave with crossed arms and a dark expression, then he looked to me and his expression changed, softened, and he smiled, his arms uncrossing before he held his hands behind his back.
"Hello Mera." Ariston greeted.
"Hello Ariston." I smiled. Just looking at him made me feel like my skin had burst aflame. "I was hoping to find you here." His smile grew as he looked into my eyes, searching them once again. I took a shaky breath, I cannot wait any longer, I cannot let another chance pass me by. "Can we speak? Privately?" I asked, he nodded and motioned towards the doors.
We walked out into the hallway and went down a few other hallways, until we could no longer hear the music. I rested my back against the wall and looked into his eyes as he stood facing me three feet away.
"You look beautiful tonight. That dress is truly something on you." Ariston said, I blushed and smiled.
"Thank you." I replied and he nodded.
"What is it you wish to speak about?" He asked.
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding. No matter what he feels for me, even if it is nothing at all, I have to tell him the truth.
"Do you believe dreams are more than random thoughts? That they have meaning?" I asked him.
"Yes, dreams can show us the way when we are lost, and can reveal truths." Ariston said in all sincerity, I smiled.
"I had a dream while I was away." I said. "It said that I should tell you something."
"And that is?" He asked. I took a deep breath.
"Understand that because I say the words I am about to say, that you are in no way obligated to repeat them." I told him, looking into those eyes. "I only want the truth from you, even if it is not what I would like to hear. I have to say this." He nodded. Here goes nothing. I looked into his eyes.
"Ariston, I love you." It felt wonderful and freeing to say those words directly to him. "I have been in love with you since the moment I met you. This is not just a crush, I do not simply like you, I love you with a fire and a passion and a grace that I could never hope to put into words." I said the words with all my heart, praying he would hear the truth in them. "And I have to know if you feel something, anything for me."
Ariston just looked at me with a smile. I knew what I was seeing in his eyes like I know the sky is blue and grass is green, a deep truth. What I see in his eyes is love; deep, passionate, unconditional, undying love. Yet he was silent.
"Am I misreading what I see in your eyes? The way you are around me?" I asked him.
"No, you are not. Do you honestly not know how I feel about you?" Ariston asked as he looked at me with such a smile. My heart broke out into a sprint. "And here I thought I was being far too obvious." He shook his head with a chuckle before speaking again. "I have been yours since the first time I looked into your entrancing eyes. I love you Mera, yet somehow, those three words cannot fully convey how much you mean to me. I do not know if I can put what I feel for you into words, but for you, I will try." He looked deep into my eyes. "You have brought me to life. Every time you smile, you bring me a joy the likes of which I thought I would never feel again. Your laughter is like a drug to me, a high only you could offer, and your face…" Ariston sighed and shook his head in a kind of wonder. "No words could possibly describe the beauty you possess, inside and out. I have wanted you for my own from the moment I first laid eyes on you, hay and all." He said his words so profoundly, which told me that to him, there was no greater truth than this. I half laughed, tears of pure joy in my eyes. "For who you are, and for who I am when I am with you, I truly, deeply, profoundly, with all my being love you Mera." Ariston said, I could see in his eyes that he is just as hopelessly in love with me as I am with him.
"Neither of us are in a relationship, and I will be eighteen in just over a month." I said with such joy within me. "Ariston, if you love me the way I love you… then I have honestly run out of reasons for why we should not be together."
"So have I." He said with a chuckle. "For some time now."
"Then why do you pull away from me?" I asked him. "Why do you not go further whenever we are close?"
"You just ended your relationship with your boyfriend of two years less than two weeks ago." Ariston said. "I highly doubted you would want to be in a relationship again so soon, and I was more than willing to wait for you."
"You thought wrong." I told him with a smile. "Just because I did not want to be in a relationship with Aaron, does not mean I do not want to be in one with you."
"Why have you not told me this?" He asked with a breathtaking smile.
"I know that you have been hurt by a tragedy few can comprehend, and I know pain like that takes time to heal. I did not want to rush you." I told him. "Whenever we are close, you always pull away from me. I assumed that you were not ready for another relationship."
Ariston stood perfectly still, his breathing quickened, and his eyes shone with such intensity that there was only one way to describe this moment we were in, the calm before the storm.
"I do not pull away from you for the reasons you think," Ariston said each word slowly, letting them sink in. "You have no idea how tempting you truly are to me. You seem to have a power over me Mera that makes me go against my better judgment with shocking ease. It is all I can do to stay sane when I feel your heat. Every time I am close to you, it takes everything I have within me to pull away from you, while everything in me screams not to let you go. I know that if I am too close to you for too long, I will end up doing this."
Ariston stepped up to me, his body against mine, and my back against the wall. The storm broke free in his eyes, his hands went to my hips and my hands went to his chest. Every coherent thought left my mind as his mint and vanilla scented breath washed across my face, my heart pounding even harder feeling the heat of his body pressed up against mine. He leaned down and my eyes closed as he gently brushed his lips against mine. No words could be put to this kiss, no words could do it justice. This kiss was even greater than I dreamt it to be.
It started out sweet and soft even though his lips felt like moist, smoldering granite, and set a tempest raging within my soul. My hands went into his hair and I pulled him to me to deepen the kiss, my body arching against his as his arms tightened around me. The kiss was slow, deep and passionate and filled with a power I could not explain.
This kiss was nothing I was used to, it was not the sweet kiss of an inexperienced boy. It was the kiss a great, beautiful and passionate man that has obviously had much more experience. He knew how to hold me, how to touch me, how to kiss me. That combined with the fact that I am madly, head over heels, over the moon in love with him drove me wild.
Our breathing was ragged when the kiss ended and every inch of my skin felt like it was on fire, my body trembled against his. We kissed again a moment later, this time the kiss was of fire and passion. Ariston held me even closer, then he licked my lips as he brushed my lips with his own; my mouth opened for him and he slowly took the opportunity, and everything within me found yet another way to respond to him as such a sound came from the both of us, his hips flush with my own as we tried to get our bodies even closer. Unlike when Aaron tried something like this, I could not find it in me to pull away. No part of me wanted Ariston to stop touching me, on the contrary, I wanted more.
Our kisses did not stop, they became deeper, more passionate, making the flame I carry for him within me ignite into a full blown wild fire, growing stronger and hotter with each passionate touch as our kisses became far more urgent. My leg wrapped around his waist to hold him closer to me. I knew where these kisses were leading and I wanted it, badly, even more so than I had in my dreams.
Ariston stopped kissing me, his body stopping all motion except for his chest rising and falling with each deep rapid breath. I opened my eyes and saw the storm raging in his, Why is he stopping? Is he pulling away from me again?
I realized then that he was asking for my permission to continue, that if I asked him to stop, he would, no matter how difficult it was for him. I smiled and pulled him back to me and kissed him deeply, I could feel the smile on his lips. I would not dream of asking him to stop, I was burning with passion for what I was feeling and a deep, uncontrollable hunger for more.
I quickly undid the buttons on his shirt and felt the perfect plains of his chest as his hand slid down my body, under my skirt, to run his hand up my thigh as he kissed down my neck and placed such kisses just below my collarbone. I felt something else just then, his essence, the very core of his soul. It felt like he was radiating light and warmth and strength, an all too familiar combination. The truth became all too evident as we were giving in to each other, and four coherent words ran through my mind then. He is the light. He felt as if he were made of light, of everything that is good in this world. I smiled then became lost once again in him, in his touches and kisses. It would not be long now.
In one motion, so quickly that I was unsure how it happened, Ariston pulled away from me, wrapped one arm around me and held me close to his side in a protective way as he hurried down the hallway. I did not understand what had just happened until I felt it, the cold darkness. My hands curled into fists and the warrior within me showed herself. My senses expanded and I was not surprised to feel that the light, my protector, was the man who held me in his arms.
I felt that there was more than one of the dark beings, and they were growing closer. My body prepared for the fight I knew was to come.
"No, Mera, I can handle this." Ariston said. "You must not fight them."
I looked up to him, trying to understand what was happening as Ariston rushed us to the exit. He opened the door and quickly brought us outside. He released me from his hold only to grasp my arms and look into my eyes.
"Stay here and whatever you do, do not come near me, or them." Ariston said, his eyes a different kind of intensity than they were a minute before.
He leaned down and kissed me once then in a movement so quick that my eyes could hardly make out more than a blur, he turned away from me and ran a hundred feet away, standing in the moonlit field where most students play soccer behind this dorm. Ariston's eyes were closed, in a flash two swords of a glowing metal appeared in his hands. The night grew darker as thunderclouds rolled in, hiding the light of the moon. The ground shook with the deep rumble of thunder that resounded throughout the field with a sound that could shatter eardrums with ease. Things lit up in brilliant flashes from the lightning so that every few seconds the field would be as bright as day.
"I have been waiting for you." Ariston said in a low, dangerous voice. I knew that he was not talking to me.
Ariston opened his eyes but they were different. His eyes were no longer the sky blue I know so well, they were white and glowing like the lightning itself. In his hands the two short swords shone as brightly as his eyes.
When the lightning flashed I saw shadows take form around Ariston. They were as tall as a man, with eyes that were somehow darker than they were, like black holes that promised to pull all light into them. Their mouths opened up twice as large as a humans could, their teeth like razors, like a piranha's teeth. Instead of hands, three claws made out of wisps of darkness grew from their arms, the claws looking as sharp as Ariston's glowing swords. All together they made a fearsome sight. There looked to be about twenty of them surrounding Ariston.
I feared for the man I love, seeing those dark creatures surrounding him, my heart pounded, but at the same time, I got the feeling that Ariston could handle himself.
"This is all you bring?" Ariston asked in a low voice. "I am insulted." The creatures screamed back at him, their voices like fingernails on a chalk board.
A lightning bolt shot down from the dark clouds above and destroyed two of the creatures, their darkness dissipating before the light that engulfed them and with that, the fight began. Two attacked; Ariston fought them with ease. They screamed when his swords touched them. It looked like light was taking them over, seeping into their darkness through their wounds and spreading. The only way to defeat darkness is with light, a voice whispered in my mind. My hands grew hotter as I watched the fight with wide eyes, it was all I could do not to rush over and fight.
A bolt of lightning came down then branched out into three different streams of light and destroyed three more creatures as Ariston fought two others off. Ariston continued to fight, he spun in a circle with his two swords held out, slicing more of the creatures with his swords of light while simultaneously blocking their attacks.
Ariston moved with amazing grace and even though I feared for him, I could not deny the beauty of this sight. His swords were an extension of his arms, moving with him as they were meant to.
There were still ten dark creatures left. Ariston pointed one of his swords at a creature that was charging him and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, went through Ariston and burst forth from his sword, destroying the creature. Then Ariston swung his right sword over his head to build up momentum before slicing the sword through the neck of one of the dark beings. It went right through and the creature disappeared, turning into nothing more than ordinary darkness.
I watched in amazement as Ariston fought off the rest of the beings. Not once did the creatures touch him. Lightning continued shooting from the sky and Ariston's swords did not cease their movements as he fought until every single one of those cold, dark beasts were vanquished. I could feel that none of the dark beings remained.
Ariston stood there and closed his eyes. The clouds dissipated and the moon shone brightly once again. Ariston's swords disappeared and when he opened his eyes, they had returned to sky blue.
Ariston looked at me for a moment then began walking towards me as I walked to him in a kind of daze. The earth was scorched where the lightning had hit. I was grateful to see that he was unharmed, not so much as a scratch on him. We stopped a few feet away from each other.
"You are the light." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I fear I have not properly introduced myself." He said. "I am Ariston, son of Zeus."
Author's Note: Two whole chapters posted in one day! Guess you see what reviews do ;) I adore this chapter, and I would LOVE to hear what you thought!
