The Deviant Path to Olympus

Chapter 5

"You don't say much do you?"

"My brother said I shouldn't talk to ghosts."

Dioscuri smiled at the little girl. She was six years old. He wasn't sure why his master kept buying child slaves, but as a loyal servant he wouldn't question it.

"Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't."

The girl's eyes furrowed. She asked, "Are you going to eat me?"

Dioscuri shrugged. His glistened white hair and dark red eyes were off-putting to most. People often mistook him as an animal, believing he was a spirit whenever he walked by. "Of course not, children aren't exactly tasty."

The girl's mouth shrank. Instead of saying something more, she began whistling as they walked up toward the hill. The grass rustled on their way up as they reached the cottage at the top of the hill. In front of them, two teenagers aged fifteen were tending to the vegetable gardens at the front of the building. They looked back at Dioscuri and the little girl. "Aw, that's adorable."

The twin brother walked up to the two of them. "Hello there little one, and what's your name?"

The little girl only whistled, too afraid to answer. He placed a hand on the girl's head. His smile was kind, but his aesthetic was unkind. Like Dioscuri, the twins had silver hair and red eyes. From the little girl's perspective, they all seemed like a race of strange people.

"You're safe now," the boy lead her inside, "I've got a nice stew set up and ready just for you."

The girl perked up at the mention of food. He lead her inside after taking her by the hand. Castor, his sister, told Dioscuri, "you look glum."

Dioscuri rubbed at his eyes. He turned around to not face her, "glum? Why would I be glum? Life is wonderful. Life is spectacular! The sky isn't bloody and the birds still chirp whenever they see me. I'm a handsome fiend and I've all the money and wine a man could ask for. Why would I be glum?"

"You're rambling," Castor said simply.

Dioscuri rubbed at his eyes again. He didn't want to tell them. Their brother, Pollux, came out of the cottage, "alright, the kitty is asleep. Any news I missed?"

Dioscuri asked, "if the entire ocean rushed at you at once, what would you do to breathe?"

The twins glanced at each other. Castor answered, "I wouldn't even try. I'd just drop dead and die like the wretch that I am."

Dioscuri chuckled. Pollux rubbed at his chin and said, "I'd just swallow the ocean. It wouldn't be the hardest thing I've swallowed this week."

Castor groaned aloud. "When I said we should take things head-on, that is not what I meant."

"Only because you're not imaginative enough."

"You disgust me."

Dioscuri let out a sigh, "the Spartans claimed war on Persia."

Both twins froze. "What?"

"A merchant told me. The Spartan king pushed a Persian emissary down a well. He lived, but has promised the wrath of the Gods to befall on Sparta."

Castor tugged at her hair, "that can't be true, how could the Spartans be so stupid?"

Pollux crossed his arms, "then again, that is pretty Spartan-like. Would you expect any less?"

"Ugh!" Castor shot her arms in the air. "What happens to us when master finds out? He'll toss us aside like used up cattle."

Dioscuri rubbed at his chin, "I'll tell master, let him take out his anger on me instead of you both."