The Children // ASSASSINS CREED ODYSSEY // DEIMOS

C27: The Distraction

Eos had been wrong.

So very wrong.

Zeus, as just and fair as he supposedly was, as much as it was the Gods that had gifted her a lycaon in the first place, had made it so she had a chance to survive that night... Just like before, Laelaps entry in to the temple, his loyalty, it had come at a terrible price.

The lycaon collapsed as they reached the paved walls that surrounded Patrai, only meters away from where Kleon stood, in agony - the thought of which made Eos roll Laelaps over the edge, having had no other choice.

The wall was not high. It would not have hurt him, not usually but, as the lycaon pushed up on to his unsteady feet, the first step he took had been painful, the second so excruciating Eos had to grab him, had to haul him over to the bottoms of the mountains, his feet only able to touch the ground so gingerly, Eos did not know if they had enough time to get away. To get far enough from them.

It became apparent quickly that running would not work, not now and, having remembered seeing some crevice in the rocks on the mountain face, Eos hoped that it would lead them in to a cave.

The crevice wasn't so small, the ivy sprouting down from the top covered the entrance and, it was only as they got closer, Eos saw how the leaves looked torn and twisted and pushed back in to place.

Someone else was already inside.

Eos had lay the lycaon down in the grass, his breath so fast, she was almost worried she'd return back to silence.

Inside, for a moment, Eos could hear nothing as she stuck close to the cave wall - the streaming bits of sunlight would have exposed her had she went through them - but, she could smell it. Something was simmering on a fire.

Their helmeted heads and leather armour told her that it was just bandits. Thank the Gods it was not the Followers of Ares. Eos could not imagine that she would ever be hungry enough to eat what they ate, although she was sure Laelaps would not mind some freshly cooked man meat.

Eos snuck up on the first, pulling him over the little barrier where they'd set up their sleeping area. The bandit had hit out before she was able to silence him, crashing some pots to the floor and attracting the other two who were leant over their stew.

They drew their swords and Eos had thrown her dagger, impaling one of them as he'd fallen back on to a spear, the dagger still sticking out of his chest. The other was just that little more nimble though. He had run and swung his sword at her feet, making her jump that little bit before he swung his own leg and tripped her on to the ground.

The bandit had raised his sword and Eos had grabbed for his fallen brothers next to them when she'd seen the entrance of the cave go dark.

The bandit had hesitated, giving Eos time enough to stab him through the belly and kick him backwards. Eos had jumped to her feet, sure that it was Kleon but, it had only been Laelaps.

He'd tilted his head at her before he'd stumbled forward and collapsed, a small, very annoyed groan coming from him as Eos sighed and put her hands on her hips,

"I told you to stay" Laelaps didn't grace her with a reply, only letting himself turn in to dead weight as she ended up dragging him over to the bandits bed. She was sure that must have hurt more. "We'll just rest then" Eos tried not to yawn, "we can afford it".

It was a lie but, they had no other option.

"Why did you not just stick to the plan Laelaps" - the very stupid and unorganised 'plan', which Laelaps would have cackled at had it not hurt, "I would have been fine",