Alithea

Chapter VI: Something About the Water Here

Alithea, Leander, and Perseus travelled steadily on the road, Alithea terrified of the beast on which she sat. Sure, she loved the races, but...she also enjoyed the distance between the stands and the track.

Leander kicked his horse so that he was next to Perseus and Alithea. "Now the tables have turned," he laughed. "You're far from your element, Fisher."

She glared at him, still unsteady and terrified. "When we get to Delphi I swear I will never ride one of these beasts again," she growled.

The two brothers exchanged looks that meant they were low-key laughing at Alithea. She ignored them. It was her first time on a horse, after all, so she refused to feel shame. She'd pay a hefty sum to see the two of these on the highest point of a fishing vessel on an angry sea.

"You're doing fine," Perseus stated, somewhat stoically. "Next time we'll try to get one leg on each side."

Alithea didn't like the idea of a "next time", but she kept her mouth quiet.

In the evening, they arrived in Thebes and found an inn. They boarded the horses and booked two rooms, one for Alithea and one for the brothers, and settled in. Putting down her clothes and sitting down on the bed, Alithea felt several points in her back pop. She didn't realize how uncomfortable the ride to Thebes had been until this point. Pressed up against the Lakonian, she thought, blushing.

"Gods," Alithea muttered, rubbing her face in her hands. How dumb did she look! Terrified of a damn horse! It was then that she noticed just how grimy she was, from her bath in the sea to the dirt that had accumulated on the way here. Gross.

She gathered a bag of her stuff—clean underwear and a clean dress—and walked softly to the innkeeper.

"Good afternoon," Alithea said. "Where are the nearest baths?"

"Just down the street, miss," he replied. Alithea muttered a quick thank you and hurried to the baths, eager to not look a mess.

The baths were modest, but certainly nicer than the ones on Delos. At this time, there was hardly anyone in the women's part of the baths. In fact, as she disrobed and walked into the bath, the last two old women left. She was alone as she sank into the warm waters. Steam scented with herbs drifted to her nose, immediately calming her after the day's travels. With a small rag, she began to scrub her limbs from her sweat and the dirt of the road here. She sank down into the water more, submerging herself wholly. Her hair came loose and whirled around her. She scrubbed her fingertips in her scalp, scraping the oils loose.

Alithea came back up for air and wiped the water from her eyes. That's when she saw something strange: the steam in the room thickened and began to move in a circle around the room, floating upwards, while the water seemed to flow the other way around. The moving was gentle, not like a whirlpool or waterspout.

There must be a leak in the bath and an air current, she thought to herself, but the water didn't seem to be draining, just...moving. She raised a suspicious eyebrow but washed herself with the fragrant oils quickly.

After she was done and dressed, Alithea went back to the inn to the brothers' room to gather them for dinner...or at the very least to not be alone. She sought Leander's joyful company and would bear with Perseus's...Spartanness for it.

"There she is," Leander smiled when she came in. "You smell nice."

She nodded. "They have baths here. I recommend them," she replied pointedly.

Leander noticed the playful barb and scrunched his nose. "So how was your first horseback ride?"

She sneered at him jokingly.