Untold

Slave

I rise from the darkness within for my hate shall never relent until I do Hades bidding and my soul settles in rest. I don't care why you are here. Like the lives of those whose remains surround us, yours will end here and now with me. I am not a monster—much less an animal to be hunted. You don't care, but I do.

Here we sit on opposite sides of this boulder exhausted from our fight. You shouldn't have dropped your adamant sword. It's heavy. No wonder your grip failed you. Do not bother thinking of your next move. You are not going anywhere. We both know it. Do not worry. I won't kill you just yet. Just sit there and bleed. I've waited for this moment for a long time. I want to remember it all. I do remember every single moment.

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It was at Ilion's Temple of Athena. Like the rest of the slaves, I was brought in as an infant. My first memories were pleasant. We were well cared for. As children we raced through the wide open spaces of the temple playing hide and seek behind the statues and columns which lined the main halls. Inside the Domos we laid flat on the stone floor while the afternoon sunrays crept through the wooden grilled windows and warmed us. We loved those windows, as they allowed us to have a glimpse at life outside the otherwise sterile brick and wood walls of the temple. We were happy.

As we grew, we were taught the daily routines of our adulthood. Our purpose in life was to take care of the priestesses who dedicated themselves to the service of Athena. Still it all remained a game to us until we reached menarche. It was then when we were introduced to the young priestesses we were to serve for the rest of our lives.

 Euryale was her name. I could never forget her image. Her blonde hair was like gold flowing down and around her neck. Her unblemished ivory skin had never been exposed to the elements. She looked at me with her hazel eyes, not with the look you give to a possession but rather as if you'd set your eyes upon a long lost close relative. She smiled at me. She was a kind, loving person who treated me with respect and appreciation. I kept track of all her duties while tending to her every need. As a young priestess she took care of those who came for either spiritual or physical help.

I didn't think much of what we did or why we did it. To me it was not important to have a reason to do things. Meeting Thalian made me rethink that. He was a boy about half my age. We saw him wondering alone through the grove of trees on the south side of the temple grounds. He had gotten lost while his father had been taken to the healing rooms. It was the first time he had been outside his farm. Euryale eased his fears of the unknown. I talked with him on our way to the healing rooms. He was no different than a squab, of frail mind and body and still growing. He was worried about their farm as he was too little to take care of their animals. He had no siblings as his mother died some time ago trying to give birth to a daughter that never held the spark of life. Yet, despite his predicament, he had great appreciation for Athena and the help she provided through us. Thalian and his father embraced in a tender hug upon seeing each other again. They both left a couple of days later once he had healed.

"We serve Athena," Euryale said, "but we also take care of the common folk. Immortality has no context without mortals. We give The Gods purpose, while they watch over us." That day I learned why I mattered beyond the walls of the temple. I understood the higher calling of my existence.

We grew closer together as we blossomed into young women. On slow days we would gossip or joke about the older priestesses and slaves that constantly roamed around. We admired the men who from time to time came to pray or the ones we healed from the ravages of war. I spent most of my time with Euryale. Unlike most priestess-slave couples, our relationship overlooked our differences. Sometimes we walked holding hands or would fool around with each other. We were too innocent to realize we were beginning to get too old for those things. We just didn't know better. The only times we were apart were when we were sleeping or when she was inside the Palladium chamber. Unless called upon, slaves were not allowed inside of it. For many seasons every day seemed like the other. A man changed everything.