The Argive Ch. 046-050

"Does it? Hmm," said Athena, pulling back her spear. "I think if you look closer, you'll see that his offer isn't real to begin with. That there is untold suffering in the existence that he wants for you. It's just below the surface."

Praxis looked around at the party-goers, all of whom were completely ignorant of the conversation happening so close to them. Was this what freedom truly looked like? He saw the wine drinkers obsessing over getting every last drop. Was that true freedom when you were merely enslaved to the cup? Or was true freedom always needing a new person's body to rub up against your own? Wasn't that addiction at the heart of slavery?

At that moment, Praxis saw the emptiness of what Apollo was really offering him.

"Yes, think through it, Praxis," whispered Athena, grinning at him. "Use your mind to see through his tricks. Have you figured out where we are yet?"

Looking around again, Praxis realized that his dreamworld wasn't entirely fake. It existed on a plane of existence that transcended the mortal domain. And this temple was only the beginning. He could see now that just past the temple, an entire city was waiting for him--a gray city on the edge of shadows.

This was not a dream nor was it the underworld. This was some kind of odd stage of purgatory.

And Apollo was the gateway to it. Following him meant death. Athena meant life, descending from the skies with the glorious blanket of light.

"Yes, I feel you, Praxis," replied Athena. "Your wisdom is bountiful for your age. It won't take much to see through his lies. Just a little bit of brainpower."

For his part, Apollo looked heavily annoyed at how the tides were turning. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Praxis.

"Is this how it's going to be then? Are you going to go withher?"

Praxis looked over at Athena. "I think I have to. I think it's the reason I was put here. She represents me the best. I'm not ready to surrender yet."

Apollo scoffed. "Suit yourself but you'll need to remove yourselves from my party. You're spoiling the atmosphere."

There wasn't much truth to that last part as the orgy continued without any interruptions. Praxis turned toward the entrance of the temple as Apollo called out again.

"And don't seek my blessing again," he warned Praxis. "I've withdrawn it from you. You will receive no more favors."

"Understood," said Praxis. He looked over at Athena. "I'm ready to go if you are."

Athena only smiled back at him. "Ready to go? We're already there."

Looking around, he could see that she was right. Apollo's temple had completely disappeared, only to be replaced by a small grove of olive trees. It seems to be a fitting sanctuary for the warrior goddess and for the first time, she took off her helmet, letting her blonde hair flow freely.

"This is my home," she said, gesturing to the trees. "It's the only thing that I need to be truly happy. Apollo may like his parties but for me, nature is best."

"It seems fitting," replied Praxis, at a temporary loss for words. Now that he was alone with the goddess, he didn't quite know what to say.

"Don't be shy," she said, smiling at him. "It's perfectly reasonable to be shy but not today, not for you. Not after what you've just accomplished."

"What would that be?" asked Praxis, chuckling. "Pissing off Apollo?"

"No, rejecting him. It wasn't an easy thing to do. Most take his offer."

"But it's a gateway to death though, isn't it? Why take it?"

A sad look appeared on her face. "Because most can't discern truth from fiction. They pick the course of least resistance without thinking. I had high hopes that you wouldn't disappoint me and you didn't."

"It's generally not a wise thing to make an enemy of a god though."

"No, you're right, Praxis. But in this case, you're an exception to the rule. You have a powerful new patron by your side. You don't need Apollo any longer."

Praxis swallowed heavily. "My family has called upon his protection for generations. It won't be easy to look past that."

"No, it won't," she replied. "But then again, the easy thing would have been to take his offer, no? You're used to making the hard decisions and this is no exception."

That made sense in an odd sort of a way. Praxis got the feeling that Athena knew more about him than he did. For someone to show that much faith in him, let alone a goddess, it was hard to turn away from it.

"So what now?" he asked. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, you go back to the mortal realm," replied Athena. "There's a doctor doing everything he can to bring you back to life right now. There's also a beautiful young woman that thinks she's never going to see you again."

"Lysandra," he whispered. He looked at Athena. "So there's really no catch? Nothing else I have to do to keep your blessing?"

"Just keep being you, Praxis. Stand up for what's right and have the courage to listen to your mind. With a bit of refinement, you could become a hero even greater than Achilles. You just need to believe in yourself and keep me close."

"Will I heal down there?" he asked, pointing to the mortal realm that he envisioned as being under their feet. "I won't be a cripple for the rest of my life, will I?"

Athena grinned at him. "That's only for your doctor to answer. Remember me, Praxis. Think of me in times of battle and hardship. I won't abandon you as long as you stand up for what's right."

Praxis never got the chance to respond. As quickly as he'd appeared in the olive grove, he was gone again. This time, he found himself lying on a very uncomfortable bed. The sun was shining, catching him right in the face. It was morning and he was alive again, having coldly thrown away Apollo's offer.

It felt good to be alive. Praxis took a deep breath of the morning air, letting it fill his lungs. He felt pain in his side and he was partly relieved to see his wound had been dressed and it no longer hurt as much as it did.

His movements attracted attention. From the side of the room, a pretty redhead jumped to her feet.

"Thank the gods," whispered Lysandra when she saw his eyes. She crossed the room quickly and embraced him.

Praxis found himself chuckling as he embraced her back.

"You're back," she continued. "I was so scared that you were gone forever. We thought we lost you."

"It's too soon for me to go," said Praxis, looking in her eyes after the hug ended. "I have too much to do. I can't leave the world the way that it is. Someone has to stop Xanthos and the Spartans. It's going to have to be me."

Chapter 50: All We Need

It certainly felt good to be back.

Moments after waking up, Praxis was being cared for by Lysandra, who was trying to take care of his every need. She got him the first sips of water and the first food that he'd had in days. She made sure he was comfortable but most of all, she was a familiar face in a world that had greatly changed.

And he could surely use a lot of familiarity right now.

About twenty minutes after waking up, the door to the small house opened and in came two men. The younger man was vaguely familiar to Praxis while the older one wasn't. There was no cause for alarm, as Lysandra beamed at the older man once he was inside the room.

"Whatever you did worked!" she said passionately. "He's alive! You did it!"

The older, bearded man nodded and made his way to Praxis' side. He had a kindness to him that Praxis found reassuring.

"You certainly gave her a scare, son," said the old man. "There were several times during the night that I thought you weren't going to make it."

"There was a time when I thought I wasn't going to either," replied Praxis, remembering his dream about Apollo and Athena. Or what is a dream? "But ultimately, I chose life over death."

"If only it was that easy. My name is Demetrios by the way and this is my house. It was only with the help of my grandson, Rastus, that you were found."

"It was Rastus that helped me carry you here," said Lysandra to Praxis. "Otherwise, I don't think I could have budged you."

Rastus managed to look embarrassed at the sudden mention of his name. The youth looked at the ground as a shy smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me," said Praxis to both Demetrios and Rastus. "I'm sorry that I've stayed so long in your house. We will be moving soon, I promise you."

"Not so fast," said Demetrios, putting his hand on Praxis' arm. "You sustained very grievous wounds. You won't be going anywhere for at least a week minimum, possibly two. You need time to heal, son. And if you get back on the road now, you'll only end up at death's door once again."

"I can't stay here though," said Praxis, causing Lysandra to whisper his name furiously.

"He's been so kind to us," she said. "Listen to what he says."

"No, he's right about what he says," interrupted Demetrios. "Neither of you can stay in this village. Not for very long at least. Not with who you are."

Lysandra looked at Praxis before looking back at Demetrios. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're from Argos, aren't you?" asked Demetrios. He gestured to Praxis' wounds. "And you sustained those fighting the Spartans."

"How did you know?" asked Praxis.

"News about the city's fall has reached us here in the village. We know that the Spartans quickly subjugated Argos and are now on their way to Corinth to do the same. What you might not know is that this land is considered part of Arcadia. And while it may be a backward, rustic area, the Spartans have considered Arcadia to be their backyard for centuries. Nothing happens here without their approval. No leaders are elected without their backing. Their vengeance can be swift and cruel and that's what worries me the most."

"You see, the people of this village know that Sparta is both a predator and our protector at the same time," Demetrios continued. "They won't do anything that might bring down Sparta's wrath on our poor village. Nearly two weeks ago, there was a village in the south of Arcadia that elected a leader that was critical of the Spartan leadership. What do you think the Spartans did? They disarmed all the men and killed them before consigning the women and children to slavery. Do you see the extent of their brutality? The people of this village are a fearful lot and for good reason. They won't risk the same fate."

"Then we ought to leave quickly," said Praxis. "Before we're discovered."

"You won't be discovered in here," said Demetrios. "As long as you stay inside my house, they won't see you. But if you go outside, they will know and they will have no choice. At best, you will be thrown out. At worst, they will kill you to please the Spartans. It is the only way that we stay in their good graces. I will keep you here as long as I can but eventually, you will need to go. And you will have to sneak out of the village."

"I don't want to bring any trouble to your doorstep," said Praxis. "What will they do with you for harboring us?"

Demetrios smiled. "Nothing good most likely. But I'm a healer first and foremost. I will help those in need. I can still help you in secret without earning the village's wrath and that's the path I'm going to walk. But I would appreciate it if you two stayed put inside the house. Let's not go about tempting the gods, all right?"

"That's fine, we'll stay inside," said Lysandra. "We won't give anyone a reason to know we're here."

Demetrios let out a sigh of relief. "That would help me greatly. I think the worst is over for Praxis. Let's continue to monitor him for the next few days and then we'll see if he's well enough to get going."

That seemed to settle the matter and Demetrios and Rastus didn't linger in the house, leaving Praxis alone with Lysandra. Once they were gone, Lysandra managed to look hopeful.

"At least we're not being kicked out right away," she said. "Although I could understand if he did."

"No matter where we go, the Spartans have a long reach," said Praxis, shaking his head. "Even here in the middle of nowhere."

"It could be worse," she said hopefully. "He could have turned us in already but he didn't."

"No, he didn't. But it's still not safe here. We won't stay any longer than necessary."

"Where will we go?" she asked. "Keep going west? To Elis like that caravan? Or somewhere else?"

"No," answered Praxis firmly. "We will go to Messenia. I think that's the best path for us right now. It's the one place the Spartans can't find us, where they aren't welcome."

"Messenia," replied Lysandra, giving him a knowing look. "That's where your father is, right? Is that why you want to go?"

"I think Messenia is the gateway to figuring out where I came from," said Praxis. "It also has the benefit of neutrality, far from Spartan control. There's almost no place left in the Peloponnese that could offer safety like Messenia."

Lysandra swallowed heavily. "I don't know anyone in Messenia. Do you?"

"I've never been there before," answered Praxis before broaching a delicate subject. "Lysandra, I'm not sure the best way to say this but I'm going to say it anyway. You don't have to go to Messenia if you don't want to."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Why do you say that?"

"I know Messenia is far from here and that we don't know anyone in that city," he explained. "I also know that you could realistically go back to Argos if you wanted to. You weren't exiled and the Spartans wouldn't know who you are. You could go back to your life if you wanted to. Otherwise, the only path in front of you is going to be one of hardship. I don't know what we'll find there but I think we're going to struggle. It's not something I would ask you to do willingly."

You might not ask me but it wouldn't change anything," replied Lysandra fiercely. "I'm going wherever you go, as long as you want me around. They killed my brother, Praxis. I can't just go back to Argos after that. Not after what they did."

Praxis reached over to grab her hand. "I had a feeling you'd say that. You're kind of like me in that regard. You're the only other person I know that picks the hard path instead of the easy one."

"I've always been hard-headed," she said, smiling at him. "When I know what I want, I just know. Good luck standing in my way."

"That's what I like about you," he admitted. "You might be stubborn but it's an admirable quality."

"I owe it to Lysander," she replied. "I feel like I've let him down. I was his protector, his big sister. And it's because of me that he's dead."

"He's dead because he chose to fight," corrected Praxis. "There was nothing you could have done to stop it."

"If I'd have just gotten him locked inside the house--"

"Then he would have found another way to get out," interrupted Praxis. "Lysander was always going to intervene. He was a good man and you should be proud that he was your brother. I'm proud that he was my friend."

"Oh, Praxis."

Lysandra put her head against his shoulder and started to weep. "Are we really going to turn this around? Will we see better days again? Or are we just going to know hardship and death moving forward?"

"I wish I had an answer for that question," he whispered. "But I don't think it's going to be easy. Not in Messenia or anywhere else. But you'll always have me. I promise you that."

"And you'll always have me," she said, smiling through her tears. "You have my heart as well, you know? I don't think we've ever talked about it but you have it. I know you won't break it."

She didn't give him a chance to respond before she buried her head again. Praxis ran his fingers through her red hair softly.

"All we have is each other," he said finally. "But that might be all we need right now."

That seemed good enough for Lysandra. She kissed him gently before straightening up, going after a cup of water that was on the other side of the room. As she walked, Praxis noticed that she was limping.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, pointing to her leg.

"Just a cramp," she answered before grinning at him. "I think I got it trying to drag you over here alongside Rastus. You're a heavy man to move, do you know that?"

"So I've been told," answered Praxis as he chuckled. "At least your wound should heal faster than mine."

"Perhaps if we ask the gods, they just might oblige us to make it right sooner rather than later," she teased.

There was something about the way that Lysandra said the words that gave Praxis an idea. Calling her back over again, he asked her to point out exactly where it hurt.

"Right here," she said, stroking the muscle of her thigh. "This is where it's most tender."

Praxis put his hands on her soft skin. Internally, he began to ask for healing for Lysandra.

"What are you doing?" she whispered after a moment.

"I'm asking Athena to heal you as soon as she can," he replied.

Lysandra gave him an odd look. "Why Athena? I thought Apollo was your household god."

Praxis could only shake his head. "Not anymore. I have a new god now, one that is taking care of me. One that will help me recover what's been lost. Let's just say my brush with death gave me a new perspective on life."

Lysandra nodded slowly. "Are we going to be all right then, Praxis?"

"Yes, yes, we're going to be just fine."