…Weep For The Future…

/Warning/: This chapter contains: cursing, angst sadness, self-harm, a little bit of violence, sad Steve, and worried Tony! All reviews are appreciated.

P.S: This story takes place in ancient Greece but it's in no way historically accurate! Its main concern is about Olympian Gods and the creatures of that time period! It is Monsters/Gods AU that no one asked for but got anyway, so Enjoy!

"Character talking"

"Character thinking"

…Flashbacks…

Chapter 4

It was dawn when he woke up to the sound of birds chirping; singing to everyone that it was time to raise and face the new day that came upon them. Letting out a confused noise, as his conscious finally took over him; he opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times, confusion taking over him at his cloudy vision before his mind finally caught up, causing him to tense as he finally made sense of what was going on around him.

It took time to uncurl his body and relax (It always took some time before he can come closer to relaxing his body that seemed ready to snap any day now from how tight the tension strung him) letting out a sigh as he continued to listen to the birds singing the start of the day, and the sound the water was making as it fell from high up and slammed into the rocks below, as well as listening to his companion's deep breaths informing him that the man was still asleep. Every breath his companion took relaxed him farther and farther, calming his frazzled nerves as it informed him that the man beside him was still alive… still breathing, and soon was going to wake up to see another day… it informed him that whatever fragile trust the two of them had, the man didn't break it the night before as he tried to take his shield away from him and expose him to the world.

Slowly, as to not ruse his companion; he sat up and looked around the place, trying to find something amiss around the small camp the two of them had sat up the night before. The waterfall looked more lively and bright as the sun peaked; the greenery looked alive and thriving, captivating his sight to the beauty in front of him (Even if he couldn't see it in bright colors), as his eyes fell on a couple of fish as they jumped through the water. The sound of the forest distracted him, gaining his attention, as he took his eyes away from the waterfall to gaze at the forest, blinking slowly; the sound of birds chirping, of animals moving, of laughing nymphs in the far distance as some went to sleep and some started waking… the sound of life… it made him ache to go and explore, made him shift in his place as curiosity took over him; almost like a child who wanted to run and play and leave no stone unturned… a child that wanted to be included in a life that wasn't his anymore…

The sound of his stomach grumbling, caused him to snap out of his thoughts; face flushing red with embarrassment as he turned fast to his companion, hoping the man was still asleep and that he hadn't witnessed what would most likely be an embarrassing moment on his part. Thankfully, the man was indeed asleep, causing him to relax, and turned his head to the forest, wondering if it would be worth braving the woods to find some vegetation and berries to eat… but first he needed to…

Shaking his head, to banish such dark thoughts, he stood up, stretching his body slowly; a smile took over his face unconsciously, and he tried to banish away the sad thought of this being the first time in months (A year?) that he managed to rest well enough without his body feeling as though it was about to fail him. A shuffle behind him, caused him to turn his head to the source, only to see the mule gazing at him, shifting restlessly but otherwise not moving to make a ruckus as it munched on the grass; its eyes on him, but otherwise looked bored and uncaring at his presence… a fact that made Stavros give a shy smile at the thought of not being feared… even if it was by an animal that didn't know any better.

Slowly as to not spook the animal, letting it go into a frenzy and cause it to bray to wake up its owner; Stavros leaned down to take his birsa that was used as a pillow last night, yawning a little as he rummage through it, humming to himself as he took a few strips of fabric, clothes, and a knife out, before sighing and looking around the place, wondering if he should take his birsa with him or hide it somewhere until he got back. Biting the inside of his cheek, Stavros glanced at the sleeping man once more before he swallowed, standing slowly and walking to the farthest bush and hiding it there; even if the man found it, it wouldn't matter considering that his birsa contain only fabric and a few knives, there weren't any coins inside to interest people in his belonging… especially a man who looked wealthy enough by the look at his clothes and his mule that carried many trinkets and luggage across its back.

Walking through the forest, Stavros hummed as he looked around the woods, trying to find a secluded place where no one can find him or stumble upon him accidentally, and at the same time, keeping an eye out for the berries bushes, mushrooms, edible herbs, and if lucky, fruit trees. Finding a secluded spot, Stavros sighed in relief as he sat on a small rock and looked around; after a few minutes of making sure that he was all alone, Stavros slowly lowered his Palla, still looking nervously. When once again reassured that no one was hiding or going to stumble upon him accidentally; he started to slowly unrevealed his face, holding back his whimper of pain at the painful sensation of every piece of fabric being pulled off of his head.

By the end of the ordeal, Stavros was left panting, hissing in pain as his head felt like it was throbbing; a few minutes after unwrapping his head and face, Stavros managed to hear weak hissing noises as the writhing mass started uncurling and rising from his scalp, breathing the fresh air after what felt like weeks of suffocation… that caused Stavros to flinch at the sound and feeling; looking at the ground, his fists clenched tightly as he breathed deeply, trying to calm himself before he descends into panic.

It always made him reel up… months had passed, but Stavros never got used to the sensation… the hissing, the writhing… the sudden movement, the flicker of tongues… the feeling of rough and smooth scales, and the many eyes and fangs… it always made Stavros's chest feel tight as the breath left his lungs and his hands started to shake.

It took time, to calm himself down; it took time to make his hands stop shaking, and for his breath to return back to something resembling normal. It took time to adjust to the sudden sharp image of everything around him, and not the muted shades he had been living with; it took time for his fists to uncurl, leaving behind cuts that bled crimson from how tightly his nails dug into his palms.

Letting a shaky breath, Stavros raised one of his hands toward the top of his head, suppressing his flinch when he felt the tip of a forked tongue touch his fingers. Stavros could only swallow harshly, tears misting his eyes as he tried to stop his hand from shaking; biting his lip harshly, he shut his eyes tightly and as his fingers started to feel around his head. Shaking when he felt many heads brush against his fingers in their hast to escape him (But they never managed, they are attacked him, mocking him; forcing him to sob and scream and curse the Gods for what they did to him when he did nothing but be respectful and peaceful being that wanted nothing to do with the world of Gods and Creatures) fearing that he would hurt them or in a fit of rage pull at them and break their bones… a just fear they felt, as they all remembered the first few days (Months) of this madness, how Stavros screamed and cried and shrieked… ripping and tearing and breaking bones until blood ran over his head and face, and fearful hisses and flinches of those damned creatures was the only thing he felt and heard for days…

When his hand touched upon a tiny limp form, Stavros swallowed; his teeth piercing his lower lip, allowing blood to flow as he gripped the knife in his lap with his right hand. Hissing could be heard, and the scent of fear clouded the air around him (Fear that even as the days continued, never once did they try to attack him or hurt him for the unjust they suffered at his hands), tiny forms tried to dart away from his hand and the sharp knife coming, caused nothing but fear in them while some had blood thirst in their beady eyes as they eyed their dead sibling, waiting for the knife to separate it so they would feast on it… not like they could, but they tried anyway… the knife was close and Stavros tensed holding his cry of pain as he cut the limp form closer to the roots; tears ran down his cheeks as he tried to breathe through the wave of pain and blood, hands shaking as he released the carcass and went to find another, and another… and another… all the while trying to hold back his cries of pain, all the while he tried to ignore how sticky and wet his hands and head was becoming, or how the knife kept slipping from his hand.

It wasn't fair… this wasn't fair… what wrong did Stavros commit that he was forced to endure this curse? What creature did he anger to deserve such punishment? What God or Goddess was this cruel to curse someone who never talked ill of them? Someone who tried to stay away from their world and live his life peacefully, always trying to be useful and help people and if could protect them… he who did nothing wrong but fall in love with the wrong person… he shuddered swallowing tightly as he opened his eyes, blinking several times as he wiped the tears and blood away with the soiled strips of fabric… hissing in pain as he dapped at the wounds and bleeding stomps, that would soon stop bleeding and the curse would take hold once more; in a few days' time, a week at most, the stomp would sport… and would produce not one but two of the nightmare that Stavros tried to keep hiding.

Taking his water skin, Stavros put pressure on the open wounds to stop the bleeding; succeeding only when the curse kicked in to heal him, enough not to die. From then it was only cleaning; wetting the strips of fabric and cleaning the blood, grimacing at the feeling when his hand touched the writhing mess. The whole ordeal would have been smoother if done near the waterfall (And he was about to do it last night if the man he left sleeping didn't found him), where he can wash away the blood and tears in silence where no one was looking, but Stavros can't take that risk, can't take the risk of hurting the innocent who were going to stumble upon him; especially the man who slept near him last night, offering him the first taste of human interaction for what felt like decades of living in fear and terror of hurting those around him.

It was only after he was done that he dared to look down at the mess he made; biting his lips harshly at the carcasses surrounding him… the dead snakes gazing at him… mouth wide open and eyes unseen, caused Stavros to swallow and direct his gaze away, taking deep breaths to calm down.

It took time before he calmed down, standing on shaky legs as he walked toward a tree and start digging; not turning to the rock, blood, and the mutilated snakes littering the floors. It took even longer time for Stavros to gather his courage and go to the critters on the ground, picking them one by one and gazing at them long and hard as he studied them. They were… strange… with golden scales, a strange color he never saw a snake possess, but similar to how his hair looked once upon a time; with bristly scales above its eyes, that looked like a hood or eyelashes… a strange snake it was… a venomous one at that (Stavros learned that fact after one of them bites a Cyclops who tried to pull him from his hair, only to realize that his hair was nothing but writhing snakes that bite him hard and ripped tiny chunks of his hand… he died two hours later, and Stavros started wrapping his head and face afterward) with slow working poison that would destroy someone from the inside out.

After picking every golden snake there was, Stavros went to a hole he dug, disposing of the snakes inside and burying them deep in the ground outside of anyone's reach; hoping that no one would find them and realize he was there. A few minutes later, he went to change his clothes, exchanging them with his new ones as he took the new strips of fabric to start his routing of wrapping his head; ignoring the angry hisses and the snakes trying to escape the punishing fabric that Stavros tightened until they were immobilized and unable to move, ignoring the harsh spike of pain as he felt bones grinding the tighter and tighter he tied the fabric… hours later, Stavros would be numb enough not to feel a thing, and weeks later when the pain would be unbearable and the scent of death surrounded him, he would unwrap the fabric only to repeat this experience all over again… a cycle of pain, fear, and self-loath that kept eating him alive… he wondered what his sisters would do seeing him now…

Shaking his head, Stavros banished those thoughts away, knowing well enough that news such as this would bring nothing but pain and anger for his sisters, who never once felt ashamed for what they were and how they looked; his sisters who never apologized for their nature when Stavros all but took his life away when he turned half of his village into nothing but statues. His sisters would rejoice for him being like them, without the fear of hurting him… only to feel horror at the way he treated their way of life, turning it into a punishment worse than death when he never once commented on it when it was his sisters.

As he finished tidying up, he regained control of his emotion and started walking back to the waterfall; stopping on the way only to pick some berries and mushrooms he found, making sure that his bloody clothes do not come in contact with the food last the kind man who would share his food would be poisoned. Reaching the waterfall, Stavros couldn't help but shift in his place when he saw the man was already awakened and seemed to be cooking fish around the fire pit; Stavros had hoped to leave the berries and mushrooms as a thank you before leaving the man to his journey as he once more tried to find a safe place to hide in… Stavros's plans seemed to fade away when the man smiled as his eyes fell on him and waved for him to come… Maybe a few hours of the company won't hurt… right?

Was the thing that he tried to convince himself…

Anton could only gaze at the man sitting opposite of him with concerned eyes; studying him as he seemed to be too lost in himself to notice how Anton's eyes never strayed from him. Not because of any mistrust that took place last night (The man sitting near the fire was too noble so such thing it seemed, as everything Anton possess was still in its place when he woke up alone; not that Anton would have cared if the man had robbed him, to begin with) but it was the scent of blood, even if faint, it was there, causing Anton to study the man up and down, trying to see through the layers of fabric to find if he was injured; Anton had half a mind to confront the man about his injuries, an action he feared to case Stavros to go hysterical on him. So Anton stayed silent, giving Stavros his share of the fish he caught, and in return, receiving the mushroom and berries from him; a surprising and sweet action that brought a smile to Anton's face.

The two of them eat their food in silence, Anton watching the man hiding his face behind his palla, lowering the strip of fabric covering his mouth and taking tiny bites from the fish every now and then; still worried at the man even if the sharp scent of blood seemed to disappear as the time passed, leaving only a ghost of the pain. Everything around them was silence, the two of them couldn't bring themselves to break, but to his surprise, it was not an awkward one that Anton thought he would suffer from. Their last two encounters with each other were with Stavros running from insane and mad creatures that bent on killing him, and in the third one, Anton was nearly ripped a new one for accidentally stumbling upon him while he was bathing. To feel this kind of calm with someone who clearly distrusts everyone out there… made Anton kind of light… it told him that Olympus had not screwed him and his empathy too bad that people would lump him with the nastiness that was the Olympians.

"Where are you heading?" Anton decided to ask after the two of them had finished their morning meal, his words brought Stavros's attention to him, making him pause in his cleaning, and turn his sight to his hands in the water; Anton waited for the man's words, waiting for him to speak, even when time seemed to stretch around them… he was worried, part of him couldn't help remembering what happened the night before, giving him a forbidden feeling that he couldn't shake.

"Away…" Stavros finally spoke, just when Anton was about to give up and apologies, his words causing Anton to still and his gaze to never stray from the man who stood up and shook his hands from the water. "Somewhere… secluded… somewhere that no one can stumble upon me…" Those words caused Anton's heart to give a painful pang in his chest, not knowing what to say to such an admission; part of Anton felt so furious at the person who dared to hurt the man in front of him so badly that he decided to seclude himself so far away that no one would find him.

"I… I do not think that is possible…" Anton ended up saying, his response made Stavros shift, almost curling around himself, and in doing so making himself look smaller a fate that was supposed to be impossible; Anton couldn't help cursing at his insensitivity when answering the hurt man. "But… I heard that Hephaestus, God of metal and fire, is granting asylum to those who seek it!" Anton rushed in to reassure Stavros, wanting the man to know that even if he didn't have any safe place to hide in, Anton would make sure to create a safe place for him, just like he did everyone who came into Lemnos to live peacefully; his words causing the man to raise his head and look at him (Or not? Anton never knew for he faces nothing but troubles trying to decide with the palla and fabric covering Stavros's face) long and hard, causing Anton to shift.

"There are creatures and humans living there… that would do nothing but defy the purpose of me wanting to be alone," Stavros said after what seemed like a long time, his words holding a bit of amusement in them as he came to sit near Anton, which was honestly an achievement that told the God this mortal trusted him to an extent. "…How do you know about this? I do not recall the creatures talking about any news regarding the God Hephaestus giving safe places for people and creatures…" Stavros asked, his words causing Anton to blink in surprise.

"It is a common knowledge…" Anton said, wondering how Stavros didn't hear about this when practically every other God and Goddess made fun of Anton for opening his home to pests that would destroy it; Stavros looked skeptical at his words so Anton tried another approach by saying. "I live in Lemnos, and never once did Hephaestus refuse anyone an asylum, be it a human, creature, or one of the lesser Gods…" Close to the truth, but not close enough to make Stavros suspect him to be anything but Demigod or at least a creature that's more humanoid than others.

"That must be nice…" Stavros whispered, taking a stick near his right foot before throwing it to the fire, seeming to be lost in his thoughts before turning to Anton. "If you live in Lemnos, you are far away from home…" Anton hummed, nodding his head at that; he had spent months on his journey around the land, and right now, even when he was making the journey back home, it would take him and his mule over a month to return to Lemnos; he could finish the journey in a day using his powers, but Anton liked the feeling of being normal every once in a while, and after his ordeal with his late wife and brother, followed by Athena, Anton knew he needed some time to himself. "Tell me about your home…" Stavros's question snapped Anton out of his muse; the shy way the man asked Anton to talk about the island he was raised on, brought a smile to his face as he remembered his youth and the many memories that took place.

"It is beautiful…" Anton started before he launched into a full explanation about his home; talking about the island and the volcano it housed, the waterfalls, the mountains, and the greenery. But most important, Anton talked about the creatures and humans that lived there, and how kind and helpful they were; hoping in his explanation of his home and its kind people, Stavros would be swayed to come with him, choosing his home, instead of a life in isolation that the young man was no doubt thinking about.

"That is… nice…" Stavros mumbled, hugging his legs tightly, with his chin on his knees; the sad tone Anton managed to detect from the man caused the God to shut and turned to him, taking in the dejected posture, and causing Anton to straighten himself, more determent to bring Stavros with him home than anything else.

"You can come with me…" Anton said once more, ignoring how Stavros shook his head and looked away. "Listen! You said you wanted to be alone in a place where no one would bother you, right?" That gained Stavros's attention as he turned toward Anton, which the God took as a win as he continued. "There are so many secluded spots on the island, especially the mountains and the volcano. No one would bother you there, and everyone knew not to raise their hand to hurt Lemnos least they were punished by Hephaestus… you would be safe!" Anton said, his words causing Stavros to inhale sharply before turning away.

"You do not understand…" Stavros whispered, the pain in his voice causing the God to clench his fists tightly to stop from trying to shake some sense into the mortal. "I am not afraid of people hurting me… I am afraid of hurting them…" Stavros then sighed tiredly, hiding his face even more as he pulled his palla down; before Anton even rebuffed such claims the man spoke once more. "I have two sisters…" That made Anton still in his place, waiting for Stavros to continue; the mortal seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before he continued. "I do not know their whereabouts; usually, they come to visit me every new moon... I have been searching for them but no matter where I went I cannot find them… and I cannot go back to the village… not after…" The rest of the mortal's speech went unsaid, but Anton knew enough to know that Stavros was terrified out of his mind to return home after he was violated there, and whoever hurt him had convinced the man he was the one at fault and was responsible for his pain. That brought nothing but fury and anger in Anton's heart as he bite the inside of his cheek harshly, so as to not say something that he would regret.

The two of them sat in silence, with Stavros lost in thoughts, and Anton trying to contain his anger and sadness, he felt at the behave of the young man… because want it or not, even when Stavros looked like a Demigod with his tall and built body; the way he acts, and even the way he spoke… indicated that he was still too young, maybe he was twenty mortal years or younger; and for a young man to be so violated that he had no other choice but to run from his old home, was enough for Anton to jump at the chance of saving the mortal even if he didn't need saving.

"You can come with me," Anton repeated his request, his words gaining nothing but protest from Stavros as the mortal grunted about Anton, not understanding. "No, listen… you can come with me; the two of us can search for your sisters until we find them, and I know that you would be safe with them. I know many people and creatures across the land, and I am sure that they would be a great help in finding your sisters; and if we did not manage that… there is no harm in you waiting in Lemnos for them to come and find you, I am sure if I spread the news about you being there, they would come. It would be better than wondering aimlessly and endangering yourself." Anton offered, sharing his plan with the mortal, hoping the young man was smart enough to consider this option… if not, it meant that Anton would follow the man constantly until he gave up and listen to him.

When the silence seemed to stretch more than necessary, Anton was about to speak once more and try to convince Stavros of coming with him, it was only the words he heard next that still him. "You said… you said there are many places on Lemnos that no one goes to?" Stavros asked in a small voice, his words made another pang make itself known in Anton's heart as he nodded his head; waiting for Stavros to continue his line of thought as he once more seemed to be lost. "How long does the journey take?" Stavros asked, and Anton's body finally relaxed, not knowing how tense he was until he all but let out a relieved sigh.

"A month… maybe more, especially if are searching for your sisters along the way," Anton stated, his words causing Stavros to hum and gaze at his hands, his thumbs twiddling around before he raised his head to give Anton his answer; the God nearly shouted in triumph at the answer he got from the mortal…

He knew Stavros would see it his way…

So what do you think?

This is a late update I know, but what am I to do?

Life is a mean, mean, entity… and college is a bitch!

But! Steve and Tony's journey is about to start!

Warnings for this chapter are self-harm and animal abuse (?) in a way.

The snakes mentioned in the story are the eyelash palm pitviper; if you want Google them, they are deadly as they are pretty!

Birsa is what the Greeks called a backpack, a kind of bag or skin made of leather that used to serve as a travel bag.

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama