My hands pull at the cuffs straining my arms above my head as he takes me ruthlessly. His prisoner to take from and eventually kill. All I can do is hold on, helpless as he takes me over the edge.
"I'm supposed to kill you but I can't stop fucking y...
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"But death is a thing that comes to all alike. Not even the gods can fend it away from a man they love, when once the destructive doom of leveling death has fastened upon him."
Odyssey by Homer
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The rain thunders across the rooftops of Olympus.
It almost sounds like the pounding of fists and sharpened cries. On nights like this, sleep escapes all of us. We all lie against the cold hardwood floors, my brothers sleeping near the door and Vera away from all of us. Where I always find her waiting on nights like this when sleep escapes and nightmares stay.
Without even looking, Vee knows I'm here. The tether between us is like a spark of flame and she speaks, "On the third day it rained. Hard like this." Her small fingers are pressed against the glass, it is so loud I barely hear her soft voice. It is a lullaby. The first thing I noticed when I met her was her eyes and her voice. I still remember the first time she said my name, the way it floated through my mind every time I slept. Dreaming of her saying it again.
I couldn't live If I never heard her say it again.
"I thought I would freeze with them." I don't hear its usual thrum, her voice drained and holding sorrow. Her voice is filled with such sadness my heart aches, I rise from the floor and make my way towards her, stationed in front of the glass window. The distorted view is covered by iron bars, giving only a glimpse of the outside. All we can see is the looming dark forest that surrounds the mansion.
It has been six months since Vera arrived here, it has been a brutal process as she prepares for her test. At six, she is two years behind all of us but it does not matter to Ares. He is determined to catch her up to us. He says we all must be ready for what he has next. I am not allowed to tell her anything, none of us can warn her of what she will find on her eighth birthday. I wish I could take all of this away.
Vera turns slightly to me and my heart jumps when I take in her bruised face and busted lip. The color on her beautiful brown skin should never be there. The anger I feel is like fire and when I have the chance, I will burn this place to the ground.
My hand reaches up and I hold her face in my palm. The way she leans into it makes my heart beat faster. As if it could leap out of my chest at any moment from looking upon her. I want to bring her comfort, give her things I don't know anything about. I will learn, I will learn how to give Vera everything she needs. But this, that night and her parents, I don't think I could ever fix the hole they left.
"What do you need?" I find that I ask this question to her many times and still don't have the answer. She gives a small smile before it fades once more, it never stays long but I admire them anyway.
