Room 520's Secret

34. Antiope

I'm truly sorry for the lack of updates. I have been so busy this past few weeks, it's been a lot.

This chapter might not fully satisfy your urges, but it's important and you'll get why in a chapter or two :)

-A

Song: Pompoii - Bastille

***

"I hope he's going to be okay," Naz says walking up to me.

"Who Brian?" I ask surprised he was worried about Brian.

"No," He says with a look of visible disgust, "Helix," He finishes.

"Helix? Why wouldn't he be, he wasn't the one that got beaten?" I say amused.

Naz stays silent looking at his back.

"He did, just not physically," he says and lets out a deep breath. His words and action puzzles me. As I attempt to ask for more details he taps my shoulder, "I need make sure he's okay, see you later Hestia," he says and leaves me standing confused in hallway. Was it about his sickness? But he didn't drive? Shaking my head in realization that I was not getting an answer anytime soon, I head towards the library to borrow a book for my animal behavior class.

Arriving at the library, I walk through an aisle on the second floor with books on mythology to get to the aisle with books on animals. My steps pause as I remember the tattoo on Helix and wondering if they had anything on Zhetus and Amphion.

"Excuse me," I say to the librarian next to me stacking books into shelves. She looks up.

"Do you have anything about Zhetus and Amphion?" I ask.

"The children of Antiope?" She asks.

"I'm not sure. I heard they are unpopular twins who died by suicide?" I ask to which she smiles, "I won't say they're unpopular considering they built the walls of Thebes. Hold on we should have something," she says and walks over to a row and pulls out a book.

She then hands it over to me. I glance at it; it was an encyclopedia for Greek and Roman mythology.

"This should have something for you," she says to which I relay my thanks and head back towards searching for my book. Finding it, I grab it and head over to a stall to take a seat in the corner. Placing my Animal Behavior book to the side I open up the encyclopedia.

Their mother's beauty was so outstanding that Zeus, came to her in disguise as Satyr and had sex with her. Antiope realizing what happened to her, fled to a new place where she met and married King Epopeus. When her father found out what happened to his daughter, he led his army to get her back and started a war with her husband's kingdom. Her husband won the battle, and her father was so wounded that he died. However, before his death he made his brother promise to bring her back home.

After many tries, her uncle finally succeeded and took her back home. However, Antiope was pregnant at the time and later gave birth to twin boys. Thinking they were the son of the king who killed his brother, her uncle wanted them dead and so he took the kids from her and abandoned them on a mountain to die.

Luckily, they survived and were raised by shepherds. Zethus grew to be a master of hunting and agriculture, while Amphion who was extremely artistic became a great musician who played the lyre.

Antiope on the other hand lived under the constant abuse of her uncles wife who was filled with jealousy at her beauty. Eventually Antiope escaped and found her sons living near Mount Cithaeron. After they reunited and found out what their mother had gone through, they were so angry they conspired and killed their aunt by tying her to the horns of a bull. After which they gathered an army, and conquered Thebes, becoming its joint rulers after killing their uncle-though some say they forced him to give up his throne.

They built the walls around the Cadmea, the citadel of Thebes at the command of Apollo. While Zethus struggled to carry his stones, Amphion played his lyre and his stones followed after him and gently glided into place.

Amphion married Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, the Lydian king. While Zethus married Thebe, after whom the city of Thebes is said to be named after, though other say it is named in honor of their adoptee father Theobus.

Amphion's wife Niobe had many children but had become arrogant and because of this she insulted the goddess Leto, who only had two. Leto's children killed Niobe's children in retaliation. Amphion commits suicide out of grief.

Zethus meanwhile, had only one son, who died due to a a mistake by his wife Thebe. The grief ended up causing Zhethus to also take his own life.

I let out a deep breath and close the book. What a sad tale, neither their mother nor the kids had long lasting happiness. Why would anyone tattoo folks with such a tragic tale to their body? Shaking my head, I get up and head downstairs to check out my book.

           The following days quickly pass by as things got handled with rapid speed. I was awarded justice with the revelation of what Brian had done. He was stripped of his win, and I was awarded the win. A formal apology was also provided to me by the school and organizers as well as Professor Kay. Brian got suspended and not expelled. I didn't really mind, what mattered was his name was no longer on my paper. It was currently Monday, the day of the disciplinary hearing for the cheating Helix got blamed for.

"Do you think he'd get expelled?" I hear a group of students say as they pass by me.

My case with Brian had only helped further shine a light on this hearing. Especially considering how Brian who was thought to be the epitome of goodness turned out to be a thieving cheat. While Helix maintained he never did. Maybe, lured by his heroic acts, or moved by the injustice of Brian's action, a sort of revolution had started on behalf of Helix. It was all over social media with varying opinions and teams. With several students speaking up that he indeed must have been falsely accused.

Some even protested that such a heroic person could not be a cheat and even if he did it's okay since it was in the past. Stating that his heroic deeds on Brian should cancel out the mistake. Of course, some disagreed, but those on his team were either louder or more in number publicly.

I walk towards the memorial union where the aftermath of his hearing was to be announced in the Arik conference hall. 

My eyes glance at a bunch of reporters that were arriving.  All drawn by the story of his actions during the Brian saga and wanting to know how he'd end up. 

I sigh and shake my head. Turning around I bump into someone causing their purse to fall.

"I'm so sorry," I say quickly bending to pick up the purse and a bracelet next to it. The bracelet had a lock that was now open revealing the picture of a cute little kid.

Rising up with both items I am met with the face of a lady wearing shades with an air of elegance, dressed in a black pantsuit.

"He's cute," I say handing the lock and back to her.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you how rude it is to look at other peoples possessions?" She asks with a chilly tone.

"I'm sorry, it was open," I say and pause, whose fault was that? "I'm sorry," I say not making any more excuses. 

She snaps the lock shut and walks away with a group of men following closely behind her as I watch her back in a bit of awe.  

***