"Boy, there should be an old spare set by the dresser. Go fetch it for your sister"
Atreus obeyed his father and grabbed the outfit he outgrew a couple of winters ago. It had laid neatly in a draw by his bed since his mother Faye insistent in keeping a lot of his clothing for sentimental value. But, it worked out in the end and he gladly handed it to his sister.
Calliope looked at the clothes offered to her with interest. They were a lot different than the fashion worn in spartan, which was either a thin tunic, or nothing at all. It wasn't uncommon to see citizens in the nude, slathered in oil, and out on the field racinging. In fact, it was encourage to be outside naked. Young fit people were the future on their city state. They would bare a new generation of strong soldiers to protect their land. It was considered an honor and duty above all else. But, the weather here was very different and required one to bundle up.
In contrast with greek clothing, her brother's was made up of thick brown furs and layers of fabric. It really reminded her of the way the soldiers described the barbarians. Giant furry men whom did not understand the perks of civilization, and for that the gods frown upon them. Her brows furrowed together while her hand explore the soft fur. It lacked the beautiful simplicity of greek garb Calliope thought. Unaware that the simple fabric was the source of culture shock for her. She could recognize the practicality of the outfit. But, it was a reminder that this place was not her homeland. In fact, the girl had no idea were she was. Only that she woke up freezing in the snow at a new strange land.
She folded her clothing and placed it on top of the bed with care while ignoring the lump in her throat. Negative thoughts began to swim inside her and twist at her heart. The fact of the matter was she may never see sparta again, which hurt more than she thought it would. For eight years of her young life the land her mother took care of with such pride was all she ever knew. Her mother….That was another source of pain. Calliope had never seen her in Elysium. And may never see her in Hades she wondered alone. Her eyes subconsciously downcast to the ground.
This was a new land. A different underworld and different customs. Calliope tried to put a positive spin on it by thinking some good did come out of this place. Calliope was happy to have a new brother, since it was something she secretly wanted for ages, but could never ask from her parents. Her father was often busy engaged with miliary life and her mother focused on their estate and raising Calliope. Plus, it would only embarrassed them further if they provided another sick child. That's what Calliope told herself anyway. She alone burdened them enough.
But,the fact of the matter is time had moved on without her. The existence of Atreus was proof of that. He appeared healthy and strong which was the only thing any spartan could ask for. Yet,it bothered Calliope that she had no idea how long its been since her death. She wasn't naive enough to not know her father's life moved on without her and mother. He had a new wife and new child. It had been that long at least she thought. Calliope slipped on the undergarment first while the corner of her eyes begun to stung.
' She was a selfish daughter. It was a selfish move to come back from the dead' she scolded herself.
Even unnatural in fact, but she missed her father. More than anything else in the world. However, She never stopped to wondered if her father wanted this. Calliope couldn't help but to glance in the direction her father was located while putting on the overshirt. As if all the answers to her doubts lied there.
She shook her head in order to caste away all doubts and to focus on the task at hand. The goddess wouldn't want her to waste the gift of life again anyway. Not a lot of people got a second chance to live their lives. Calliope continued to dress while ignoring the appherasion of her choice.
"Οι μπότες είναι τουλάχιστον τοστ" Calliope announced
Overall, this makeshift outfit was still designed for a boy much older than her tiny adoslant body. It swallowed her frame, but it was doable. She tapped on her brother's should, whom was turned around a long side her father looking in the opposite direction, to grab his attention.
"Σας ευχαριστώ που με αφήσατε να δανειστώ τα ρούχα σας Atreus" Calliope gave a small smile that she forced to reach her eyes
Atreus nodded "It's not a problem " he waved his hand in a nonchalant manner.
He didn't mean to be rude, but he was a bit distracted. Atreus was really focused on his father's actions. He watched as Kratos tossed the cloth on the floor out of the way. He threw up the hatch which was a rare sight to see for Atreus. There Kratos reached down in a crack between the floor and the ground itself. His callous fingers only stopped when it got hitched on a object wedged in there was rare for the spartan to ever unlock the hatch, because he kept the more personal items from greece in there, like those fire blades Atreus thought. Kratos pulled out something in a square shape Atreus noticed. Whatever Kratos held was covered in to much dust to be regronizable right away. The spartan wiped away the majority of the gunk. Only then Atreus realized what it was. It was a book of some kind.
His father looked at the worn leather binding with strong interest. His fingers trace the sigil handcrafted on the cover. It was a metal omega symbol. One that he adopted as a symbol to represent himself.
"Father, what is that?"
"Something I kept from my homeland, a journal." He stated in his normal groff voice "However, it may come in use"
That caught Atreus's attention "You kept a journal? Like the one I do?"
His father gave him a simple nod before pushing the book in his direction "Would you like to take a look at it, boy?"
Atreus's eyes light up at this surprising offer, since his father wasn't the type of person to share such an intimate item. His fingers laced around the worn leather with curiosity. Kratos watch as his son flip the first couple of pages only to pause at a drawing. Inside was a realistic rendering of a woman holding a small bundle proudly. Atreus noticed that the infant looked very familiar until it hit him that it was in fact his sister. Calliope drew close wondering what they were exchanging on about only to find a drawing of her mother. Her eyes flash towards her father whom didn't look at them directly.
"Who is that woman, father?"
"This is Calliope's mother." he paused for a moment "Η μητέρα σου Calliope" he stared at the sketch along with his children "Her name was Lysandra. I drew that the day your sister was born" Kratos admitted while distracting himself with the texture of their floor.
The warrior felt uncomfortable sharing it with his children, but the overwhelming feeling that he needed to was greater than his self consciousness. He knew Atreus kept his own journal to track their journey together., and as a reminder of his later mother. Kratos hoped sharing this detail about himself might give them some common ground.
"What happened to her?" Atreus couldn't help but ask since there were so many unanswered questions about their current situation.
"Hnm" He stroked his beard while assassigning the right words to say. These topics were hard for Kratos to share even with the ones closest to him. But, He did not want to hide any important information from Atreus since last time it rendered him uncontrollably sick. However, this wasn't an easy topic for Kratos to breach. It didn't help there stood Calliope watching with big round eyes that were so similar to his Lysandra. The very embodiment of all his terrible mistakes and guilt. He could practically hear her blood curdling scream. Their hot blood splattered across his face. Kratos stared off to the side while the memories flashed in his head.
He stood there in front of his children like a fool battling his mouth to say some words. Kratos couldn't at the moment, since his senses were to clodged to listen to his mind's demands. He clear his throat in hopes for ridding of the closing sensation. The taste of smoke triggled on his tongue. He could hear the throbbing of his heart against his chest. The hot blaze courising through his baldes. At that moment he was there again.
"Η μητέρα πέθανε την ίδια στιγμή που έκανα" Calliope said in a hushed voice "Έτσι, ο πατέρας και εσείς είστε οι μόνοι που έχω" She took her father's hand breaking the trace he was under.
Atreus gave a slight nod while eyeing his father. From what he gathered from Calliope's statement was she died alongside her mother. She didn't go in much detail after that, and he couldn't blame her. However, The air around the two felt a bit weird during this encounter, but it was a hard topic. Maybe, he should tread these grounds with more care. Well, he knew he really should but curiosity got the better of him the majority of the time.
"I understand…., My mother is dead too Calliope. She got sick last month" Atreus came closer and patted her back "But, at least we found each other, right father?"
Kratos could only look at his two young children who awaited a response. He took his daughter's hand and gave it a small squeeze. Enough to acknowledge her words, but not enough to harm her small self.
A simple"Yes" was all he manage to say.
Atreus gave him a small smile "And now I know where I got my artistic abilities from!" He said trying his best to lighten such a heavy mood "Here I thought it all came from mother! Calliope, here look" he said fishing out his own journal from the scachel by his bed.
He beckon his sister towards him with eagerness "I wrote down everything when me and father went off on a journey together." he flipped to a page with a couple of drawings in it "You are welcome to read it anytime you like. I know there is a lot of weird stuff here, so hopefully this will help you prepare"
Calliope couldn't help but smile at her brother's eagerness. The greek was still iffy here and there, but she gathered enough of what he was trying to say with context clues. It made her really happy that her brother was trying to talk to her and even willing to share his personal story.
"Father, ίσως θα μπορούσα να πάρω και ένα περιοδικό…?" Calliope asked with hope.
"If that is what you wish then we shall get one for you"
Calliope tossed her brother a smile as bright as the sun itself. Atreus in return laughed and gave his sister a hug. The two siblings were already so close after a single morning Kratos noticed. Kratos did not know how he fathered such children, but he was glad he did. They already were much better than he ever would be, and that's all he could ask for.
"Boy, are you and your sister ready?"
Atreus nodded "Yes, isn't that right Calliope?" he asked while closing the journal. The boy placed both his and his father's in a pouch with a lot of care.
Calliope nodded ready to go and see this new world, only to be reminded of the fourth person they lived with.
"Brothers, you haven't forgotten me now, have you?"
Noticing Mimir being left on the table Calliope felt a bit bad for forgetting about the head. She head over to picked him up and head towards the door.
"Συγγνώμη. Mimir. Είσαι τόσο λίγος καιρός" Calliope said glancing down at him.
"Aahh, thank you lass. Ya are so much more reliable than these two already" he quipped
"Head" Kratos warned while pushing open the massive front door.
"Alright, alright. Keep your skirt on" Mimir rolled his eyes at the spartan warrior "All work and no play with ya"
"Mimir, do you ever miss your legs?"Atreus asked out of the blue
"I right say I do, but they just weighted me down. At least now I get to hang around away from Odin's troll kissing face"
Atreus paused for a second questioning mid grab of his bow, to ponder if Mimir really did suddenly throw in some jokes about his current situation or not. Mimir was quick witted enough to come up with puns, but it cut the young god off the end he threw the head a smile since even if it was on accident that word play was funny.
The site Calliope was greeted with was way more than she ever expected. Last night she did not see the massive trees that seemed to reach forever towards the sky. Nor did she appreciate the vast blankets of snow that covered every inch of the ground. It feels so surreal Calliope thought while taking her first step out in the open. She could hear the pleasant sound of her boots crunching against the ice. Calliope bent down, while still maintaining a good grip on Mimir, and picked up a good portion of it in her hand. It was a more pleasant sensation than it was last night. She already could feel the substance start to numb her hand, so naturally she let it fall back down on the ground.
Atreus took notice of this interaction and hatched a plan "Calliope, Wanna see something interesting?"
Calliope nodded while taking a step to her brother whom was gathering some snow in his own hands. She watched as Atreus press and shape it into a ball formation. Kratos watched as well from the side lines somewhat amused at his son's scheming.
"Okay, so now that you have it in a ball you…!" Atreus quickly squashed it on top of the spartan's burnett head. She stood there stunned as white flakes showered her body.
Calliope walked to her father without a word and reached Mimir out in his direction. Wordless, Kratos listen to his daughter's demand and took the head into his possession. There Calliope started to gather a massive amount of snow in her tiny arms. Atreus wasn't sure what was happening until a ball slugged him in the face.
"Ζητάς τον πόλεμο, οπότε θα τον παραλάβεις αδελφός!" Calliope rang out in her best warrior cry before getting more material to attack her brother with
In response Atreus started to make a bunch of snowballs himself with haste. He ran dodging each one of his sister's attacks. Calliope in return did the same, but used her small stature as an advance in the speed area. Kratos watched as they ran past him back in forth debating if he should break them up.
Atreus gasped loudly watching as a snowball smack his father's head. He paled while watching the snow dance down his father's giant frame. His father closed his eyes and crossed his arms at this situation. Meanwhile, Calliope began to laugh at her father without a care. In fact, the little spartan warrior started to take aim at Kratos on purpose. Calliope took aim and cheered as another ball fell apart on impact when it landed on his chest.
"Μην πάρετε μια πάλη δεν είστε έτοιμοι για κόρη." Kratos warned in a low voice
"Είμαι έτοιμος για αυτό!" Calliope threw back before grabbing more snow
Atreus looked at his sister like she had a death wish. She was either brave or completely crazy, and in all honesty, he wasn't sure yet. It couldn't be to bad though since his father hadn't reacted in a negative manner yet. He assumed anyway.
Kratos sighed as Calliope threw him a wicked smile. Atreus froze at that unsure how this situation would play out. However, his jaw dropped to the floor as he witness his father place Mimir on his belt, gathered some snow, and pelted Calliope back. His sister began to laugh harder while dusting off the snow. She ran behind Atreus to use as a human shield. Kratos could feel his lip twitch wanting to form a smile. His son realized what his sister was doing and quickly pushed her in front of him.
"I never said who's side I was on Calliope!" Atreus rang out
On cue Kratos used two of his massive arms to pick up all of the snow around his feet into a giant pile. Atreus held his sister whom struggled to get away from this bad situation. Kratos leisurely took his time to make it over to Atreus and Calliope. He dropped the pile on the top of them. The force was enough to knock both of them on the ground. Calliope was practically buried in the stuff while Atreus managed to get the tail end of the attack.
"Gaah!" Atreus yelped out as snow sneaked its way into his clothing "Father! I thought we were a team!"
"We are boy. Your sacrifice has brought us victory"
Atreus stuck out in tongue at such a lame response. Calliope on the other hand was losing her collective shit at this. Real tears were forming at the corner of her eyes and she bend over forward laughing. She shook her entire body trying to get the snow all off of her.
"Father, Κερδίστηκε ξανά"
"Yes, Ναί" Kratos confirmed "But, you already knew the outcome. " He reached his hand out and helped Atreus up "It's time to go. We've spend enough time here this morning"
Atreus let out a small sigh but chuckled a bit. 'This was an interesting morning' Atreus thought happily. Already he was glad that his sister came around. Even if she did get father to attack him.
Meanwhile, Calliope dusted herself off and ran over to her father feeling a lot better than she did early. Without hesitation the spartan girl took Kratos's hand ready to meet Rock and Cinder. She was eager to see what else this land had to offer.
Notes:
My next chapters might be a little bit slower due to the fact that I'm moving. That being said I shall try to keep posting at least weekly :D
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Translations:
Οι μπότες είναι τουλάχιστον τοστ
(The boots are at least toasty)
Σας ευχαριστώ που με αφήσατε να δανειστώ τα ρούχα σας
(Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes, Atreus)
Η μητέρα πέθανε την ίδια στιγμή που έκανα
(My mother died at the same time I did)
Έτσι, ο πατέρας και εσείς είστε οι μόνοι που έχω
(So father and you are the only one I have)
Father, ίσως θα μπορούσα να πάρω και ένα περιοδικό…?
(Father, maybe I could get a journal...?)
Συγγνώμη. Mimir. Είσαι τόσο λίγος καιρός
(I'm sorry. Mimir. You are so quite some time)
Ζητάς τον πόλεμο, οπότε θα τον παραλάβεις αδελφός!
(You ask for war, so you will receive it brother!)
Μην πάρετε μια πάλη δεν είστε έτοιμοι για κόρη.
(Do not pick a fight you are not ready for daughter.)
Είμαι έτοιμος για αυτό!
(I'm ready for this! )
"Father, Κερδίστηκε ξανά
(Father, won again!)
Ναί
(yes)