The Avatars -- Chapter 6: Lost and Found
Kassia, stiff and sore, knelt gingerly in the prickly grass. The sharp needles made her tender flesh throb, but she was too tired to do anything more than stay put and let her silken fall of black hair pool around her, providing what meager protection it could from the world.
That morning, she had awakened to a usual scenario: Ares was gone, to the gods knew where he never saw fit to tell her, and she had been left with her aches and pains and the room of shattered dreams. While she had been putting the room to rights, picking up the cushions and righting the furniture, Kassia happened to glance at her reflection in a mirror hanging on the mail. What she saw hurt more than the physical pain: inside the mirror was a defeated woman who had shrunk in upon herself, who had built walls so high around her battered soul that they would never come down... Who she saw frightened her.
Kassia pressed her hands against her face, trying to stifle the moans tearing out of her throat. A gushing waterfall of tears followed suit, and she crumpled onto her side, curling up into a ball. She was reduced to this indignity, this pitiful existence that haunted her daily. And the last remnants of her pride, all that youthful pride that her elders had told her would never get her anything but enemies, was the only thing allowing her to keep up a relatively normal front for her friends the friends who knew nothing of what she suffered, because she couldn't tell them.
Once the tears had stopped pouring out of her eyes, leaving them redder than before, Kassia staggered upright and over to the shallow pond to splash water on her face. She closed her eyes as she reached the muddy edge of the pond, unwilling to see her reflection again. It was time to return to Ares's quarters: it would mean more trouble than it was worth to let anyone see her this way. She had made the mistake of letting it happen once, and even though he had not found it, she knew she could never let it happen again.
It was Demeter who had seen her stumbling down the hallway with one eye squeezed shut. Her left eye had been puffy and bloodshot, and the colors purple and green featured prominently around her blackened eye. There had been another bruise along her right cheekbone, and her lower lip had been swollen.
When the goddess had asked her how she had hurt herself so badly, Kassia had replied that in the dark, she had fallen down a flight of stairs... She hadn't dared to look into Demeter's eyes as she said it, but the goddess had helped her back to her rooms and only advised her to put certain ointments on her scrapes. To this day, Kassia was unsure of how much Demeter had guessed, but she was sure that she had said nothing.
That had been one of her earliest days on Olympus. Ares's beatings had gotten less severe over time, especially once he had "broken her." Now, he seemed bored with her, demanding that she rejuvenate the dauntless spirit she had once possessed, and more and more intent on re-courting Aphrodite. He was also extremely careful to inflict pain on her only where her clothes would cover the hurts...
Kassia looked down at herself dully, noting the green and brown stains on the white folds. Aloud, she said, "And this is what is considered one of the most fortunate women alive." She struggled to hold back more tears. The white she always wore mocked her, professing a purity she knew she no longer possessed. She hated Ares with a passion she had never thought possible a hate that helped to sustain her through her miserable days but she hated herself even more.
A strong gust of wind whipped the folds of her gown around her, and Kassia winced as she was blown back several steps by the strangely-violent wind. It rustled through the grasses and growled a challenge to the tall trees; some of their branches snapped and came flying Kassia's way. She ducked less agilely than she normally would have, and once the wind settled down again, she heard an almost inaudible cheep coming from somewhere below.
Kassia bent down on her hands and knees and began searching for the bird. She loved birds...had always envied their graceful flight, their unattainable freedom. A crow, clearly not a baby but somewhat smaller than an adult, hopped away from her with one wing held out at an odd angle. She had dealt with such injuries before...if she could splint the wing, there was a good chance that he would be able to heal and fly away again, if he rested the wing and didn't tear the muscles trying to fly before it was feasible.
Kassia glanced at herself dubiously, unsure of whether she was up to the challenge of it today. With a shrug, she snuck up on the bird as noiselessly as she could, ignoring the pain that came with keeping her body tense. At last, she grasped the bird deftly, trying to ignore its angry, frightened caws and savaging claws.
"Are you all right?" a masculine voice asked from behind her.
Still managing to keep a hold on the crow, Kassia whirled around, crouching into a defensive position.
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Eurus knew he had startled the girl, but he hadn't expected her to resemble some cornered animal as well. Holding up his gloved hands to show that he meant her no harm, he spoke slowly, "You shouldn't be trying to hold the bird without gloves. Your hands, are they hurt?"
All he could see was a long mass of raven-dark hair and luminous purple eyes from behind that curtain, peering out at him. In one long, fluid movement, she threw her hair behind her and stepped back, staring at him.
Thinking that she was perhaps some simple little creature kept here by sympathetic, aged grandparents, he repeated, more slowly, "You hands, are they hurt?"
Instantly, his belief was nullified, for her voice was cultured and her words perfectly intelligent. "No, thank you; I'm perfectly all right." As he advanced towards her, Kassia held the crow, which was still bent on slashing her fingers to shreds, out in front of her.
Eurus nodded, although one dark blonde eyebrow was raised in skepticism. Unfortunately for her, he had been able to see the dark circles and tear stains on her face since her hair was no longer shielding it. Trying to figure out how to deal with the two wild creatures before him, he came to the conclusion that a harsh interrogation would do nothing but provoke the woman she really had marvelous eyes, he had decided after only a few seconds of seeing them and it really was none of his business.
There was any number of things that could have caused her distress. It could be unrequited love, but he doubted that she would have helped the bird while swimming in self-pity. From what he saw of her, she didn't seem like the type to cry lightly over insignificant details.
She could be an abused wife or daughter, which seemed more likely, but he could see no injuries on her except the open wound in her eyes. Eurus despised men who hit their woman, whether it was her husband, her lover, or her father. But even if she wanted his help, which she clearly did not, he knew the ways of life. She would be disgraced in front of her entire village, her entire family would be dishonored as the townsfolk whispered about how they could have let this happen to the girl, and the resulting chaos and probable homelessness would do her more harm than good.
And yet, there was Hestia's temple, which took in maltreated girls... Eurus promptly decided that he would speak with her at the earliest opportunity. For the moment, he removed the usual sarcasm from his voice and spoke gently. "Here, why don't you give me the bird," he offered. "These gloves are quite strong, and your hands are getting quite cut up."
Kassia, still looking at him warily, gratefully transferred the bird into his outstretched hands. "There was a very strong wind a few moments ago...it was very strange, really. I think a branch may have snapped off a tree and hit his wing."
Eurus flushed, but she didn't seem to notice. That wind had been him, in a foul mood over the predicaments of his friends. He had registered the bird falling to the ground somewhere behind him and instantly taken human form to find it only Kassia had come across the creature before him with, apparently, the same intention.
"I think we should splint his wing," she continued. "Only, I don't have anything with me to use to bind the wing to a splint."
After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Come with me. There's a cottage just a short distance from here where I live for...part of the year, and I have materials there." Walking on without waiting for her to follow him, he prodded the bird gently, easing it into a more comfortable and trying to calm it down.
Kassia stood still for a moment, letting the sunlight and the man's warm concern for the bird fall in waves over her. If he turned out to be an insane murderer with evil designs, all she would have to do was say Ares's name. Ares's wrath would certainly be great directed towards both her and this mystery man, but she would rather have him angry at her than dead. She really didn't think it was fair to sic Ares on anyone, but if the man was going to murder her, than he would deserve it.
And if he was just a nice, harmless, kinder-than-average man, there would be no need to call upon Ares to save her. Of course, the odds of that being true weren't very good, but she had always been somewhat of a risk taker. Her current fatalism only added to it.
"Are you coming?" he called, finally realizing that he couldn't hear her footsteps behind him.
She ran to catch up, and her hair flashed out behind her. She smiled apologetically at him. "I'm sorry...I drifted off for a minute there."
He stared at her, and his azure blue gaze was somewhat unnerving, but she met his eyes unflinchingly. It had registered, in some distant portion of her mind, that he was extremely handsome a little too handsome, Kassia concluded. She had learned, long ago, that handsome men were dangerous. This one looked as though he knew he was handsome, and the arrogant tilt of his nose and the curling fair hair confirmed it. So far, he hadn't done her any harm, but her philosophy was the sweeter they were in the beginning, the fouler they were at the core.
"Who are you?" she asked abruptly, surprising herself out of her trance.
Similarly, he seemed to realize that they had halted on the path to stare at each other for several minutes in unblinking silence. He scrambled for a pseudonym. "My name is Jadeite," he said at last. Unable to bow with a very feisty crow on his hands, he inclined his hand formally. "And you?"
Oh yes. Definitely one of the forum politicians with their polished manners and perfect etiquette. She could imagine him sitting on a council with other dignified-looking men, his clothes spotless and his manner stiff and uncompromising. His claim of living at the cottage part of the year made more sense, if he was the type to escape from the city for some peace and quiet or perhaps from a nosy wife with a particularly desirable mistress.
He was still looking at her, and it was Kassia's turn to blush. "Um...ah...I'm Rei," she said in a rush, then was appalled what had she told him her birth name for? And yet, it was the first thing to come to mind... Kassia was the broken woman, the avatar who was easily recognizable, especially to this city man. As Rei, she could pretend to be her former self: lively, defiant, and she didn't care if he thought she was somewhat eccentric.
"I don't think I've heard that name before," Eurus said, trying to make conversation. He wondered if she was lying about her name, as the hesitation indicated.
About to panic, she tried to calm herself down. Orphans' names were often irregular, and as long as she could remember, Rei had been her name. She should have chosen a normal name to tell him... "Yes, well, it's the name I was given at birth, and I'm afraid it can't be altered now," she said with determined cheerfulness. "And what about Jadeite?' Rei' is not much stranger; in fact, I believe it is less unusual than Jadeite!"
He laughed, and the unrestrained laughter startled her with its richness of tone and amusement. "That is true."
They reached the humble dwelling before long, and Kassia peered inside cautiously as she held open the door for him, as he was burdened with the bird. There was no mistress in sight; in fact, there were no feminine touches about the home. To her surprise, it was neither luxurious nor a colossal mess. The table was clean, the floor swept, and the furniture simple and carved from cherry wood.
Eurus handed the crow, who was still struggling to get free although it was looking somewhat defeated to Kassia. "Here I'll only be a minute. Let me get you a pair of gloves and some cloth to bind the wing." Without waiting for her reply, he disappeared into the other room of the cottage and began opening and closing drawers.
She heard him rummaging around in the other room, and she smiled as she stroked the crow's glossy feathers and listened to the bumps and thuds that accompanied his search. It was an unusual calm that had descended over her that day; it could be partially attributed to the fact that she had cried all the emotion out of her and was now exhausted, and it could also be the cause of the man Jadeite. It had been a very long time since she had been among mortal men; unlike the other avatars, she had never returned to her home after ascending to Mount Olympus for the very first time.
Under her breath, Kassia crooned to the distraught bird the melody of a childhood tune. It was her earliest memory, the haunting, sad-sweet tune. At first, she thought it had been one of the temple priestesses, but after some questioning, she discovered that none of them knew the song it must have been her birth mother, wherever she was, who had sung the song to her. The melody caught her up in its spell, as it always did, and her soft singing grew more audible as she closed her eyes and opened her darkened soul to let in the light.
As the line swelled to a crescendo, she opened her eyes to find Eurus standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on his face. For a moment, her chin lifted defiantly, as if to ask "what do you think you're looking at?" Then her face flushed slowly, and she looked down at the crow cradled in her hands. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you. I just thought it might calm him down."
The odd look on his face disappeared, leaving it unreadable as ever. "It was not a disturbance," he said briefly. He set down the appropriate materials needed for splinting the wing and a pair of gloves that looked as if they might actually fit her. She didn't know it, but while his back had been turned in the other room, he had worked on creating gloves to fit her. After more silence, Eurus raked his hand through his already-tousled hair and said, with a nod at their patient, "You seemed to have succeeded. Wild animals seem to respond if they hear gentleness in a voice... I've always thought them to be more responsive to women than men."
She nodded, with a somewhat perplexed look on her face, and they began the exhausting process of splinting the wing. Eurus did most of the work; she soothed the crow by stroking its feathers and helped Eurus hold him down on the table. Once or twice Eurus stopped to wipe the sweat beads from his forehead, but Kassia barely moved an inch. Neither of them spoke during the tiring ordeal; the only sounds were made by the bird, who had renewed his struggles.
Just as they finished, Kassia felt the familiar, detested pull of Ares's will. She stood with a gasp, knocking her chair backwards as everything rushed back to her. She had believed for one afternoon that her life could be normal, that she could be someone she was not. It would never happen. He would never leave her alone...he would haunt her to the end of her days.
Meanwhile, Eurus was looking at her with concern. "Rei. Rei! Are you all right?"
She stared blankly at him, and the calm descended over her once more. It was the same false front she was tired of using, the one even her friends failed to see past. "Of course. I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just remembered I'm expected to be at home now."
Definitely the victim of a warden of a husband, he decided. Standing as well, he righted the chair and grasped her hand. "Thank you for your help," he said, then lifted her hand to his lips.
"It was my pleasure," she responded distantly, the skin of the back of her hand prickling with unease. Kassia could see that there were many women who might have fallen prey to his casual, automatic charm, and he would never have noticed them. Even now, he had turned his attention back to the crow, figuring that she would leave on her own accord.
Suddenly, he said her name just as she was passing through the threshold of his home.
She turned back to face him, surprised. "Yes? Was there something else?"
He paused for a minute, as if considering the propriety of his words. "If you ever need anything..either I will be here, or the place will be empty and at your disposal." He didn't mention that his power would notify him if she stepped foot inside the cottage, and he could be there instantly, if he wished it.
Kassia was speechless, taken aback by his offer and by his perception that something was not right. "I need the help of no man," she said finally, and walked out of the door with finality in her steps.
He looked after her thoughtfully and then asked silently, And the help of a god?'
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The Avatars
