This is about the time when Pythagoras would be ten years of age. Children of royalty were usually tutored at home during this time from what I hear, so this begins when his tutor is tutoring him.

Thymo̱ménos had never taught a child who had actually been interested as this one was. He'd tutored the royal family of Atlantis for three generations now and was relieved to find he had a child who wanted to learn. If only he would slow down. He was onto teaching him hieroglyphics advanced things more suited for a thirteen year old than a child of ten. He didn't mind, but it was starting to make him feel useless.

"I feel you won't be needing me much longer." he told him.

"Why?"

"I won't have anything left to teach you."

"I'll be seeing you after you go, won't I?"

"Maybe when you have children." Thymo̱ménos tugged regretfully at his whitening beard. "Although I may not live long enough."

The door creaked open before Pythagoras could reply. Medusa looked inside the room. "Are you finished?"

"Soon." Thymo̱ménos had no patience when it came to serving girls. 'They shouldn't even be allowed to speak, especially not to royalty', he thought to himself. "Go away."

"What are you doing?" Medusa asked Pythagoras.

"We're looking at our history."

" By the gods, child, get out!"

Medusa looked a little hurt. "Alright." she pulled back and closed the door.

"I wish you would be nice to her."

"She is a servant. You shouldn't be speaking to her. She's below you."

"She's my friend."

Thymo̱ménos ignored this and pointed at the passage in the book. "This is your grandfather Ischyrós. He..."

The door slammed open and Medusa stood there again. "Dáskalos, the..."

Thymo̱ménos stormed over to her. "I told you to leave! Are all servants like you, disrespectful," he grabbed hold of her hair, forcing her to look at him.

"No, no Thymo̱ménos! Please!" Pythagoras knew exactly what was going to happen. He hadn't forgotten what it meant, to be held like that. He ran to his mentor and started clawing at him in a desperate attempt to free Medusa.

The teacher released her and turned his attention to his student. Pythagoras was reminded of his father going onto him after he'd finished with his mother. He stepped back, eyes widening at the intense fury in the tutor's harsh, green eyes.

"What's going on here?" Joya's voice barked at them.

They looked over at the queen, who had her hands on her hips and, in her crimson robes, looked like she wasn't in the mood to be messed around.

"He attacked me."

Joya glided over and looked at his torn arms. She looked at her son with amazement. "What made you do this?"

"He was going to hurt Medusa."

"Why?"

"She kept interrupting." Thymo̱ménos muttered.

"I sent her here to bring you to me. No wonder she was so upset..." Joya looked Thymo̱ménos in the eyes. "You are dismissed."

Joya knelt down and pulled her child against her shoulder. She could see that while no harm had been done to him, he was afraid and worried. He leant against her, holding tightly onto her. She didn't let go until he did.

"Where did Medusa go?" Pythagoras asked Joya.

"I don't know. I'll ask her mother." Joya half-smiled. "The anger of Ev̱gení̱s is not something I wish for you to see. Why don't you look for her in case her mother doesn't know?"

She was nowhere in the palace. He'd looked in all their hiding places, he'd looked in all the rooms and Medusa was nowhere to be found. He gazed out of a window in passing and then stared. He'd seen a blur of orange and a smudge of brown. Medusa must have been truly afraid. She'd gone back into the forest.
He ran to the entrance as fast as his legs would allow and he was back, breathing in the earthy air, underneath to dark green leaves.

"Medusa!"

"I'm here." a small voice answered from behind a boulder, streaked with crystal.

He wasted no time in clambering over it and throwing himself at Medusa. She clung onto him and hid her face in his shoulder.

"He's gone. You can come back..."

"I was scared. I've been hurt by grown ups before." she looked at him with wide eyes. "You protected me."

"Of course I did. I'd never let anyone hurt you, Medusa."

"Thank you." she brushed her face and squeezed his hand. "Is he truly gone?"

"Yes."

"Alright." She stood up and helped him stand and the two turned...and froze.

Ev̱gení̱s is the Greek word for 'gentle'.

Thymo̱ménos is the Greek word for 'angry'

kakó syngraféas pou ekmetallév̱etai ypervoliká af̱tó pou o kathénas miseí to pio is Greek for 'evil writer who overuses that what everyone hates the most'