Project GODS

Project GODS: Seperating

                 I wasn’t thinking clearly as I ran, at first just wanting to put myself as far away from them as I possibly could. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered.

                 A straight, obvious trail is easy to follow and I would soon be dead. I was leaving a clear, obvious trail. So I ran to the woods, looping it around and backtracking in many different directions. I sometimes could hear them behind me, feet pounding on the virgin ground, dark shapes that flitted through the trees and were gone as quickly as they came.  I didn’t hear pursuers after an hour or so, so my next step was to climb up a tree.

'               It was a huge plant, sixty feet tall at least, but with many low branches. Luckily for me, my slight weight was easy for the thin branches to support. I also knew that a monster like Ares couldn’t climb the small appendages.

                I traveled through the trees after that, climbing from branch to branch and using vines to swing myself across.  

                For hours I traveled in this pattern, until I knew I was far enough away for them to have given up. Though they were all smart and strong, none of them would be able to follow a complex trail that I had laid for them.

                I fell into a shallow, fitful sleep after that.

                The next morning I rose before dawn and began to travel again, using trees whenever I could and keeping all of my weight in my toes when I had to touch the ground.

                The trees seemed to free a part of me that I didn’t know existed, making me feel like a bird that had become free from its metal cage.

                I left little or no tracks, walking until sundown for the second time. I was tired, my eyelids nearly crashing down like waterfalls by the time the sun had begun to sink below the horizon. I climbed up another tree and fell asleep quickly.

                The next few days passed in the same fashion. I walked until sundown, mostly through the trees and whenever I was on the ground I left a confusing, near-invisible trail. And every night, I climbed up high in a tree and fell asleep, rising before it was light out.

                In about three days, finally, I was on the other side of the island, far from where the rest of my kind was.

                Absolute solitude is a strange thing to experience, being totally alone in the world.

                I was alone in the world.

                I had no one, and it was a strange, depressing thing to experience.

                Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to dwell on my latest realization. I needed sleep, and the dark clouds that were gathering overhead were a bad omen of an oncoming storm.

                I gathered thick fern leaves and strung them together, creating an overhead canopy and a quick curtain. I climbed into a tree and strung it up; creating a makeshift shelter that would house me until I found a more permanent abode. However, I knew that it would take a very long time for me to set up a permanent house. It would take a long time for them to give up the search for me, and if I knew Ares, it may never stop.  

                My next step was to get thick vines and fibers, weaving them together over a wooden frame I had fashioned from tree branches. Soon I had a thick platform I could easily sleep on, which I installed under the canopy. Protected by the camouflage, height, and covering, I was nearly invisible to any predators and difficult to reach.

                Food. Food and water was my priority now. I was hungry, and thirsty, my supply had run out that morning.  

                For an hour I searched, and I was soon afraid that it would all be in vain. My hunger was ripping at my stomach now, making me ravenous. I felt faint, and my throat was dryer than a bone in the desert. I collapsed, and walking became a chore too great to complete. I was on my knees; pulling myself forward to something I wasn’t sure existed.

                When I thought I could take it no longer, I heard a noise that filled my brain with a relief so strong I felt tears come to my eyes.  

                Running water.

                I nearly crawled over, my throat constricting, longing for the cool liquid. I forced myself to wait, checking to see what kind of source it was.

                It was a small spring, cool and clear. I was ready to take the risk of uncleanliness.

                I constrained myself from gulping it down, instead taking small, slight sips.

                When my thirst was quenched, I filled up the canteen I had by my side, assuming that the water was fine. Looking up, I saw satisfaction for my hunger.

                There was a bush of berries, the same kind Demeter had pronounced good when I was back at their camp. Above them were trees full of a fruit I remembered from my studies at the order, papayas. Washing them off in the stream, I ate three of them before restraining myself. I stuffed as many as I could into my bag.

                I remembered the area, cataloging it into my brain for future reference. I now had a place that was a source for food and water.

                Night was quickly falling, and I decided to retreat to my makeshift shelter. Climbing into it gave me a sense of security I knew was farfetched, but it was nice to have somewhere I could presume to be home.

                I opened up a gap in my curtains, staring up at the stars and the full moon that shone in the black night. It gave me a sense of peace that swept out the constant fear that had resided in my heart for the past few days.

                It was time to think of a solution, fast. I couldn’t survive longer than two weeks, even with my skills. I was one against six, if Athena had fled like I assumed she did. Without Athena they were sorely crippled as far as strategy went. Athena was gone, and it was doubtful that I would ever see her again. But even then, I was outnumbered. 

                They wouldn’t give up the hunt for me if they knew I was still alive. I was a liability, something against Ares’s leadership. He can’t afford to have an outspoken, sane person who is speaking out against him and trying to persuade others to do the same.

                I had no idea what could have caused my comrades to become so evil.

                Ares was never even that awful. He had believed in quick killing, fast and clean so he could move on to the next one. 

                We were all killers. We were made to be. But our killings were supposed to be quick and clean, fast and efficient. Not torturous and sadistic.

                None of us believed in prolonged suffering until now.

                With these thoughts running through my head, I had a hard time falling asleep. It was like trying to rest with cars constantly crashing into one another right next to you.

                Sleep was fitful at best, most of the time I spent awake, staring at my leafy ceiling.

                The next morning came apprehensively, like it was afraid to take over from the controlling night. Daylight for me was frightening, but at the same time it was welcome.

                I knew what to do now. I couldn’t run forever, I was smart enough to understand that. So my goal was to make it look like I was gone.

                Faking your own death isn’t as easy as it sounds.