Uncharted Waters Pt 11
CW: Violence
Amphitrite awoke with a gasp. She immediately tried to sit up, only to struggle with the blanket practically swaddling her. After freeing her arms, she wriggled her way out and gazed around the hovel. She seemed to be alone, the only sound coming from the dying fire.
Her whole body ached, nothing like what she had experienced earlier, just a soreness in her muscles. She threw off the covers and sat up. The markings all over her body had returned to their original color.
There was a pitter-patter of footsteps. Amphitrite looked up, realizing she wasn’t alone.
At the opposite end of the home, Eleni crouched, pressed against the wall. Amphitrite was about to smile until she saw the girl’s face. Her eyes were wide and watery, the surroundings red. She stared at her as the others had, like she was a dangerous animal.
Amphitrite’s heart sank. She stood up and stepped closer, “Eleni?” The girl’s eyes widened, looking her up and down. Amphitrite stopped, “Eleni, what’s wrong?”
The girl remained silent.
It didn’t take much thinking for Amphitrite to come to a conclusion—last night, when she had been in agony. She tried to picture what that must have looked like, her writhing and screaming like a mad woman. Poor Eleni had been right there, witnessing it all.
Her expression fell, a sinking feeling taking over her. She looked back at the girl, lips trembling, “I'm… I’m sorry.” She rubbed her arms, wishing she could simply rub away those horrid marks. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Eleni relaxed a little, but held onto her cautious countenance. She seemed to be torn, her young mind working to try to understand.
Amphitrite sighed, turning around and sitting back down on the bed, continuing to rub her arms, “I’m scared too.”
A silence fell between them. Amphitrite didn’t push it any further. She wasn’t sure how to fix this when she was the problem, so perhaps it was best for her to give the girl some space. How was she supposed to explain something she herself didn’t understand, and would explaining it make it any better?
The minutes dragged on, and right as she began to wonder if she ought to do something more, the front door opened. Sophie and Sebastian stepped in. The moment her eyes fell upon Amphitrite, Sophie ran to her.
“Oh! my dear,” She enveloped her in a hug, “Oh, we were worried you’d never wake up.” She withdrew from the hug, cupping her hands around Amphitrite’s face, “How are you feeling? Any pain? Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“N-no, ma'am.” She said.
“Can you walk?” Sebastian stepped forward, a serious look on his face. Amphitrite nodded, “Good. We just got back from the temple. After… what happened, we think it is imperative that you meet with the hiereiai as soon as possible.”
Sophie grabbed her hand, “If you are able, we’d like to take you there now. Can you manage that?”
Amphitrite nodded. She didn’t care if she was sore or that she would be getting the opinions of God-loving fanatics. All she wanted was to do something about the markings, “Thank you. Both of you.”
The two nodded. Sophie helped her up, hesitant to let her go. Sebastian turned to Eleni, viewing her behavior as nothing new to him, “You stay here, okay?”
“Will… will Ms. Amphitrite be okay?” she mumbled.
Sebastian hesitated before answering, “Yes, we’re going to see to it she is.” He strode over to the door and held it open.
Sophie led her forward, still refusing to let go of her hand, “You’ll be alright.” She whispered, more to herself than Amphitrite.
The town, thankfully, wasn’t far. Half an hour of walking down a well-worn path, and buildings appeared on the horizon. The path went from dirt to stone that warmed Amphitrite’s bare feet. Sebastian and Sophie walked on either side of her, like guards or smugglers.
The first person they came across was a farmer who was hulling his crops. He smiled at the couple until he spotted Amphitrite. He stopped, his eyes widened, and stared unabashedly at her.
Amphitrite’s insides squirmed. She lowered her head, still able to feel his burning gaze.
To her dismay, he wasn’t the only one.
As they walked deeper into the town, the streets grew more crowded. Every time Amphitrite looked up, she saw a pair of eyes on her. People did double-takes as she passed, clumping together and whispering, all the while continuing to stare.
Amphitrite grimaced, unconsciously tugging at her hair or trying to cover it with her hands. That didn’t fix anything, though. Not only was her bright blue hair something impossible to hide, but the hideous markings up and down her arms were now on display for everyone to see.
A few gasped; their whispers grew louder. Faces twisted in disgust. Sebastian and Sophie moved closer, trying to shield her from their stares.
She hugged herself, rubbing her arms. What she wouldn’t do for a cloak right now, something to hide the freakish hair on top of her head and her mutilated skin. Why hadn’t she asked for one before they left?!
With the extra weight of the dozens of eyes on her, their walk seemed to drag on for hours. Finally, they reached a set of marble steps that led up to an ornate building. Sebastian took the lead while Sophie stayed by Amphitrite. They ascended, and her eyes widened once they reached the top.
The building was massive. Nothing but dozens of columns that shaped the perimeter held it up. Only the pillars weren’t simply just that; they were statues, statues of the gods. Save for scale, they were surprisingly accurate, at least the ones of Zeus and Poseidon. It looked close enough to the real thing that it made her stomach churn.
The three of them continued inside, Amphitrite’s eyes lingering on the statues.
After a short flight of one or two steps, they stepped into a grand room. Bowls of fire illuminated every inch of the room, illuminating twelve separate altars lined up against the far wall, piled high with fruits.
At the very center of the room stood twelve chairs situated in a circle. One chair was larger and had a purple cushion that had an indent in the center. Only one chair was filled.
A man in orange and white robes stood up upon seeing them, “Ah! You’re here.” He hurried forward. He was young, especially for a hiereus. Not a single wrinkle decorated his rounded and full face. The smile on his face faltered as he got closer, his eyes on Amphitrite. He was quick to mend this, smiling warmly at her, “Welcome. You must be the one with the… markings?” his eyes trailed down her arms as he said it.
Sophie ushered Amphitrite forward. She looked the boy up and down, barely able to hide the skeptical look on her face as she nodded.
He held out his hand, “May I?”
She stepped forward and took his hand. He led her forward towards the chairs, stopping at the one he had been in and offering it to her. Amphitrite took it, nervously swinging her legs.
The hiereus stepped back, taking her in full, “Well, that is certainly something.” He stepped forward and plucked at her hair, “Haven’t seen anything like this before.”
“What about the marks?” said Sebastian, “Surely you’ve seen those before.”
The boy’s brow furrowed. He grabbed her arm and held it up in front of his eyes, “I'm… not sure.” He stooped down and pulled up her robes to look at her legs, “These are everywhere?”
Amphitrite nodded, “Up to my neck.”
“Huh…”
“Wait,” piped up Sophie, “We were told you would know? Aren’t you a patron of Apollo?”
“Well, yes. ” He thought, “A relatively new one, though.” He cleared his throat and turned back to Amphitrite, “I’ve been told you’ve been experiencing intense pain?”
“Yes. Last night.” She sighed, “It… it was horrible. Like nothing I had ever felt before.”
“And nothing has helped?”
She shook her head.
He thought for a moment, “When did these markings appear?”
She froze. When the family had asked, all she had told them she had discovered them around the same time they discovered her, which wasn’t a complete lie. What she didn’t mention was what exactly had happened before. She had told them she had been in a ship wreck, and that’s it. She didn’t say who had caused the shipwreck.
“They were there when I washed ashore.”
“And did anything happen before that that could have anything to do with them?”
She bit her tongue, “I’m not sure.” She stood up, “Are you sure you haven’t seen something like this before?”
He let out a nervous laugh, “I can assure you, I’ve never seen anyone with hair that color.” His eyes widened and lit up, “Wait right here.”
Without another word, he ran over to a door on the wall behind the altars. He pulled it open and yelled.
“Thales! Thales, we need you in here.”
The hiereus held the door open as another man appeared, adorned in deep blue robes. He grabbed the stranger’s hand and led him over to Amphitrite, gesturing at her. The man’s eyes widened, having to do a double-take.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Thales just continued to stare. The other hiereus shook him and asked again, “I…I- no. Never.” He turned to Sebastian and Sophie, “Where did you find this woman?”
“Unconscious on the beach,” answered Sebastian.
Thales turned back to Amphitrite, grabbing a chunk of her hair and giving it a yank. She winced, recoiling, “I'm… I’m more concerned about the markings,” she held up her arm to him, “Perhaps you’ve seen something like this?”
He thought for a moment before turning to his fellow hiereus, “Go get Phoebe.”
The boy nodded and rushed off.
Not ten minutes later, Amphitrite was surrounded by eleven different hiereiai. The storm of colorful clothes swirled around her as they all took turns poking and prodding at her, exchanging remarks of confusion. All the while, Sebastian and Sophie stood off to the side, growing more anxious.
Amphitrite watched them scrutinizing her, feeling sick to her stomach when not a single one of them could come up with an answer. At this point, she believed she was more of a spectacle than someone who had come for their help.
“The color won’t wash out?” asked a woman in pink robes.
“No, she said she already tried that,” responded Thales, “And apparently these markings glowed last night.”
“What?” mumbled several of them, pushing past one another and grabbing at her limbs to look at her markings again.
“Have any rituals been attempted?”
“None were mentioned, but perhaps one might help.”
“What kind of ritual? We don’t even know what’s wrong with her!”
Amphitrite’s stomach sank. A ritual?
“It’s worth a try.. Isn’t it?”
“Not if we have no idea what it’s for.”
“Quiet!”
All the hiereiai fell silent. They all looked in the direction of the new voice.
“Show me the girl.”
They all stepped back, revealing a twelfth hiereus. He was old, older than the rest, but stood with perfect posture without a hint of weakened bones. Ornate, golden robes were draped over him. He pulled down his hood, revealing a face that looked like it had been carved out of stone by a very sloppy stone mason.
He approached Amphitrite, his robes hiding his feet and giving the illusion that he was gliding across the floor. His shadow fell over her, tall and slender. He looked down at her, contempt in his eyes.
Without warning, he seized her wrist and held her arm up to his gray eyes. His eyes widened. He let out a horrified gasp, letting go like he had been burned.
“Filth,” he growled, staring down at his hand and frantically wiping it off on his robes, “Filth!”
“Sir, have you seen anything like this before?” asked the patron of Apollo, trembling with nerves as he approached the old man.
Amphitrite backed away, the man staring at her with a mixture of pure anger and disgust, “W-what?”
“Sir, what’s wrong with her?”
The man raised a finger and pointed it at her, “You, you are an abomination!”
She gaped at him, “Excuse me?”
“Sir,” the boy tugged at his arm, “What are you talking about?”
The old man glared down at the boy before looking to all the other hiereiai, “I have seen markings like that before. Do you know where I saw them?” He rounded on Amphitrite, seething, “Upon the corpse of a man. A detestable man.” He stepped closer, “An evil man. A wretched creature.”
Amphitrite stumbled back, but the man seized her by her robes.
“An enemy of the gods!”
She struggled to free herself, reaching for his hand. The moment she touched him, he let go, crying out in disgust. She fell to the floor before quickly getting back up and bracing herself against one of the chairs.
“W-what are you talking about?!’
He jabbed his finger at her, "How did you get those?”
She looked around at the others desperately for help, “I-I-I don’t know.”
“Liar!” He screamed, “Zeus gave you those, didn’t he?”
Amphitrite’s mouth went dry. She gulped, putting the chair between the two of them, “And what if he did?”
“He has deemed you as filth, a filthy wretch!” He turned to the other hiereiai, “There is only one cure for this!”
Amphitrite’s eyes widened as the man withdrew a bejeweled dagger from his robes. She scrambled back, “Wait, wait, wait! what-”
“Seize her!”
Half of the other hiereiai started towards her. Her heart stopped. She turned and ran, running straight into the arms of Sophie, who had appeared behind her. The woman wrapped her arms around her and hid her behind her.
“Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!” She cried, her grip tightening around Amphitrite, “Have you gone mad?!”
“Get out of the way, woman.” Spat the old man, pointing his dagger at them, “Step away from that creature.”
“What is wrong with you all?!”
“Sebastian, control your wife!” demanded the old man. Amphitrite paled as another form approached her, bracing for the worst.
“No, Diogenes.” Sebastian stepped in front of the two of them.
“The will of the gods must be carried out!”
“Is this what the gods would want?! to murder an innocent woman?”
The old man was red in the face, the hand clutching the dagger trembling with rage, “She is not innocent or a woman! She is an abomination! Every breath she takes is an insult to the gods!”
“Shut up! All of you!” cried Sophie.
“Sophie,” she whispered, looking from her to the hiereiai, “Sophie, don’t do this.”
She ignored her, starting to back away with her in tow, “If you can’t help her, then I see no reason for us to remain here.”
The old man’s eye twitched, his face somehow growing even redder and angrier, “If you choose to associate with her, then you are no longer welcome here.”
Amphitrite’s eyes widened. She tried to pull away from Sophie, and addressed the hiereius, “No, stop this! If anyone is innocent, it’s them. Leave them out of this!”
“Keep your filthy mouth shut, you heathen!” cried the man. He turned to Sebastian, “Is this what you want? You are protecting an enemy of the gods!”
Sebastian hesitated and fell silent.
Sophie scoffed, “Well, maybe the gods judged too soon!” She wrapped an arm around Amphitrite’s shoulder, “Come on, dear. Let’s go.”
“Wait, what about-”
Sophie shook her head, “Sebastian?”
Amphitrite looked back. Sebastian stood before the hiereiai, slowly backing away from the advancing group.
“You are making a mistake, Sebastian.” Warned the old man.
“I don’t think I’m the one whose mistaken.” He stole a look at his wife and Amphitrite, “Because I am doing what my goddess would want, and maybe that isn’t what Zeus wants, but so be it.”
He turned his back to the hiereiai and followed Sophie and Amphitrite out.
Amphitrite looked at the both of them as they descended the temple steps, “You don’t have to-”
“No,” snapped Sebastian, “Not another word on the matter.”
She hung her head, her insides tying themselves into knots over and over again. The man’s words echoed in her head.
Filth
Wretch
Abomination
Enemy of the gods.
Her gaze hardened. She was already an enemy of the gods, wasn’t she? She and Atticus, all of the Prometheans. It’s what they took pride in; why not now? The only difference was that this wasn’t one-sided anymore. They weren’t being ignored anymore.
Atticus would be proud. Atticus would declare her an enemy of the gods with admiration and pride.
There was a tremor beneath her feet. She stopped and looked down, raising a brow. It came again.
She looked at Sophie and Sebastian. To her shock, they seemed unfazed. If anything, they looked more concerned about her concern.
The ground shook again. Amphitrite looked around. No one seemed the least bit surprised.
“What’s going on?”
Sophie took her hand, “Come on, let’s go.”
Amphitrite pulled away. She could hear something, it was almost like… like the clinking of metal chains… and something else… something moving.
Another sound broke through. A snap followed by a rumbling whine. Her eyes widened.
She ran in the direction she thought the noise was coming from. Sebastian and Sophie called after her, but their voices were drowned out by the sound of labored grunts and that snapping sound. She slipped through the space between houses, which fell away to make way for a large open space with barren ground.
She froze.
There, standing just shy of forty feet tall, was a cyclops. Though tall and broad compared to a man, the creature’s ribs were visible. Its great bald head was bowed, sunburns running all the way down its back.
And standing around it, each holding a chain or a whip, were a dozen men.
“Quite slacking!” One man raised his whip.
Amphitrite clapped a hand over her mouth as he brought it down upon the cyclops’ already bruised and shackled ankles.
The creature let out a deep grunt, stumbling forward and swaying like a living mountain. Without any resistance, it picked up the pace, lumbering forward and bending over to grab a pile of bricks.
The men yanked on the chains around his ankles, wrists, waist, and neck. The creature let out a choked gurgle and turned in the direction they were guiding it.
A man snapped his whip, causing the cyclops to flinch, “Move!”
The creature stumbled along, dragging the men with it. Even though it was doing what they wanted, the men continued to snap their whips, marking up its skin and chiding it to go faster.
Amphitrite watched, mouth agape. At first, she felt like running at the sight of the cyclops, but as she watched it, she felt something else. The way it dragged its limbs, its head hung, the scars on its body, everything…
It made her heart ache.
She started forward, fists curled, “Stop it!”
All of them, even the cyclops, stopped and turned. Their eyes widened, looking her up and down.
She ignored their stares and ran right up to one of them and seized his whip, “Stop!”
“Are you crazy?!” he yelled, reaching for his whip, “Give that-
Amphitrite snapped the whip at his feet. He screamed, falling to the ground.
"You bitch!” he cried.
The other men with whips left their posts and charged towards her. She braced herself and raised the whip again, prepared to fight.
“Amphitrite, stop this!”
A hand wrapped around her wrist and wrestled the whip away from her. She spun around to see Sebastian. He pulled her behind him before addressing the men.
“I’m so sorry,” he pleaded, “My niece is unwell, please excuse her.”
They all glared at the pair of them. The man Amphitrite had stolen the whip from stood up and held out his hand expectantly.
Sebastian hurriedly handed the whip over to him, “Control that woman,” he spat before turning his back to them and retaking his spot among the others.
Amphitrite flinched as he raised the whip and cracked it against the cyclops’ leg, “Breaks over, get moving!”
Sebastian grabbed her arm and led her away, “What were you thinking?” he whispered.
“I… I don’t know,” She peered over her shoulder.
The cyclops had gotten back to work, its— no, his head hung, but turned to peer after her. A single, bloodshot green eye stared after her.
She stared back, unsure why the pitiful look on this monster’s face made her sick to her stomach.
Amphitrite turned her head back around and kept it lowered as Sebastian led her back into town.
