DIMITRI

  Dimitri never stopped getting into fights. He could always listen to people giving poisonous words towards him or his teacher. That he was a lunatic, and Dimitri was the same. This time, it was two drunk heavy men.

  Where is your Teacher? Dragging you all for his errands? How can he trust a boy and a thief like you? Maybe he has left you, and you are lying. We know that the Madam from the brothel was poisoned. I wondered how your famous teacher failed.

  And Dimitri returned one day with bruises all over his face. The teacher stood there stunned while Pup rushed close to him with a jump and curled up to Dimitri’s legs.

  The teacher covered the wounds slowly, as it seemed he needed a stitch on his forehead. He let out a painful sound and tried to back away from the needle.

  ‘’Careful’’Teacher scolded him and showed his own face.’’You will end up having a scar.’’

  Dimitri never asked about his scars. How old was he when he got them, and how did it happen? He often imagined that he took them from a battle he was forced to fight. Other times, he wondered if he had a strange encounter with a lover, and they went mad when they saw his true self. Or maybe he did it to himself to look charming to the women.

  ‘’I got into a fight that I couldn’t win’’The teacher replied to his rushed thoughts.

  Dimitri narrowed, thinking that he was trying to push him out of trouble.’’ Funny,’’He mouthed.

  The teacher let out a heavy breath. ‘’Is this what you want to say?’’

  ‘’I am not sorry for what I did’’ Pouted the student.

  ‘’What if they decided to cut your fingers?’’Teacher raised his voice.’’Or worse-’’

  ‘’I am not a kid and especially not yours’’He said and pushed the Teacher away from him.

  The teacher pressed his lips into a thin line and walked closer to him, grabbing him by the face.

  ‘’Of course you are not, if you were’’He kept stitching him up. ‘’I would have sent you to an orphanage like your old crusty parents did.’’

  And that made Dimitri’s face red from all the tears he was shedding. He felt his heart being crushed to pieces by those words. And he could see his teacher’s face being less harsh when he realized what he had just said.

  ‘’Boy, I-’’

  He pushed himself away once again, and he rushed upstairs to his room.

  He knew that he would be cruel, he knew that he did not care about him. But he wished that for the one year he had now stayed with him, it would be all different.

  A few hours passed, and the teacher got to the attic with a plate full of figs and a warm smile. As if it could change anything about the words he used.

  ‘’Are your stitches alright?’’He asked.

  He didn’t even care if he had a scar at that point. He did not care if he would die from bleeding. How could he say so cruel words to him and act as if-’’

  ‘’My apology won’t mean anything to you.’’ said the teacher. ‘’I know that much of cruelty.’’

  ‘’Shut up’’Dimitri mumbled and rolled to his harsh mattress. ‘’You are acting as if you know everything about me, but you do not. And you are a pathetic man who can’t even get out of his house anymore.’’

  ‘’Boy, I am trying to be kind to you’’

  ‘’Kind?’’Dimitri laughed.’’I don’t think that you understand what kindness even means’’

  At that moment, the teacher's expression became harsh once again. And he left from the attic, leaving Dimitri alone and his thoughts. The stitches were itching his flesh, and he couldn’t stop thinking of the men who mocked him. How easily some sharp words could make the young boy’s blood boil with anger.

  ***

  ‘’Oh, both your expressions are priceless’’Hermes laughed after Dimitri heard all those words coming from his teacher’s honest voice.

  How could someone react at that moment? That the brave, cunning man who took care of him was as trapped as he was. Or even worse.

  The god kept humming a victorious melody, and he jumped close to the young man.

  ‘’Now, Dimitri’’ Whispered Hermes. His voice made the boy's body weaker, numb. He couldn’t control it.

  ‘’Give me-’’

  Before even finishing, a covered blade found the god’s throat. Immediately, the god moved away from him and took a few steps back. And he was still smiling.

  ‘’Listen now’’Commanded the teacher with a growl.’’You will leave us alone, and you won’t die.’’

  Hermes let out one skeptical hum, and he popped his lips.’ ’No.’’

  The teacher's gaze snapped wide.

  ‘’Now, go on, kill me in front of your student. What can go wrong?’’

  Dimitri never imagined that his teacher could kill a god. He has seen him scaring them to go away and killing demons, but killing a god? Could he have that kind of power?

  He hated how he couldn’t control his body. He hated that with one word, his existence felt numb. He hated that this god could humiliate both him and his teacher. For a second, he wished that he could see his teacher cutting the god’s throat.

  But instead, the Teacher lowered his dagger and looked away from the god.

  ‘’Good’’Chuckled the god and took a deep breath. ‘’Can you let me talk now? Or I can hurt the brat.’’

  Those words made Dimitri’s heart stop beating.

  ‘’Seriously, what did you find so interesting to him and raise-’’

  ‘’Three minutes.’’ Explained Odysseus.

  And Hermes’ smile faded.

  ‘’As you can see, the world is changing fast. The people are different, more cruel, the wars are different as they are fighting for different values now, and you know what is behind all of this.’’

  Dimitri and the teacher stayed silent.

  ‘’Faith. People believe in so many different planes of religion that each one is trying to silence the other. And what is happening when they get silenced?’’

  ‘‘Two minutes,'’ the teacher reminded him.

  ‘’We are getting forgotten. Dying’’The voice of the god became cold. ‘’Soon will not be worshiped; our remaining followers will be hunted down.’’

  ‘’One minute’’

  ‘’Stop and listen’’Hermes raised his broken voice.’’And help me change this.’’

  The teacher laughed.’’And why should I help you.’’

  ‘’Because I will free Paris.’’

  Silence dropped when he said that name. Dimitir couldn’t understand what he was talking about, but he could see his Teacher’s gaze.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  ‘’He was the one to bring light and healing, music and plagues and prophecy. If he comes back, maybe’’Hermes approached closer, and Teacher shut him away.

  ‘’Times up’’He barked. ‘’Now listen to me, Clepsiphron’’

  Hermes’ lips parted.

  ‘’Why should I believe you? And why are you telling me all this?’’ The teacher slowly walked back closer to Hermes with a furious smile of madness.’’Why can’t you do it yourself?’’

  Hermes took one more deep breath and looked at the night sky.

  ‘’No god or mortal can get him out of his prison.’’And he slowly looked back at the Teacher. ‘’But you are none of those things.’’

  What were they talking about? Dimitri thought.

  ‘’You are a woman trapped in time. No power, no believers, nothing.’’

  Dimitri turned to see his Teacher's painful gaze.

  ‘’You are a loophole that can get him out. If you go to the underworld, visit Tartarus, and find him’’ His long fingers grabbed Teacher’s wrists. ‘’You can free him and everything will be’’

  ‘’Do you hear yourself?’’ The teacher shouted and began panting.’’You think that I didn’t search for a way to free him? That I made every possible scenario and…’’

  His voice shook. ‘’You come to give me a chance on a silver platter with poison? If let’s say it’s possible to go, I will probably die at the first step I take inside the underworld.’’

  But Hermes shook his head. ‘’Not if I come with you, not if I have my key, my power’’

  His gaze turned to Dimitri.

  ‘’I could take it by force any moment now, couldn’t I? I could have already commanded him to give it to me or even tried to kill him. I did not.’’

  He did say that he would, though. Dimitri hid his thoughts behind his mind, but his Teacher had the same thoughts.

  ‘’Please, Lyssandra just’’The god now knelt, and Dimitri could see the angle of Teacher’s lips forming a smile. His eye was beaming with satisfaction as he formed his hands into tight fists.

  ‘’Just come to the underworld with me and let us free him.’’ The god panted.

  After a few seconds of silence, the teacher finally spoke.

  ‘’Boy, give me the necklace’’’ He ordered, and Dimitri followed shakily, trying not to show off much. He hated that plan.

  He said that this necklace held his power? What could happen if he were lying? But Dimitri gave the necklace to the teacher and showed it to Hermes, who now stood up with a smile.

  They didn’t speak as the Teacher now pinned the beginning of the necklace to him.

  ‘’Wait’’The god slowly realized. ‘’What are you do-’’

  ‘’Japan’’ The Teacher announced, and Hermes vanished in the blink of an eye.

  The pup finally returned, wagging his tail and gasping as he moved on Dimitri’s side while Teacher faced the ground with his trembling body.

  ‘’Teacher’’Dimitri finally stood up.’’What…’’

  ‘’He is far away from us and weaker there’’He explained. ‘’It will take a lot of time to find me until I am far away’’

  Find me. I will be far away.

  As the teacher was all around the web of his thoughts, Dimitri could see how it would end up again. He didn’t want the teacher to leave him. He didn’t want to end up alone again. However, he knew how the story would go.

  So he took a turn and walked away slowly.

  ‘’Boy’’Announced the teacher. ‘’Where do you want to go?’’

  Dimitri turned back and looked at the teacher who was facing him with genuine sympathy.

  ***

  Dimitri found in the darkness of a tavern, the men who let harsh words spit from their mouths about him and the teacher. This time, with anger in his veins, he was prepared to make them pay. He hated that they humiliated him; he hated the idea of them staying unharmed. So he tried to get out of his hiding spot slowly.

  But the men did notice him with their drunken eyes, blazing fire.

  This time, Dimitri was prepared with a dagger in his hands. But the men were still larger and stronger than him. When he tried to attack them, they grabbed his wrist with a knife and smacked it into the wall. And the drunk men kept hitting him in the face, kicking him in the stomach until he was letting out screams from the pain, and fell to the floor.

  Such a brat like you needs to pay attention to the world. One of them said.

  There is no place for the weak.

  For a moment, Dimitri wished he could close his eyes, rest on the cold alley, on the wet floor, with his body in pain. Because they were right. He was weak, he had no power to get out of the mess.

  And with that, a familiar voice shouted from the alley.

  ‘’What are you doing there?’’The teacher asked, and one of the men turned to him with a wide smile. Dimitri tried to look, but he couldn’t see very well. Not with his eyes all swollen.

  ‘’Teach-’’His voice tried to get out, but his throat let out a harsh cough.

  ‘’We are simply teaching him our lessons’’ One of the men spoke. ‘’If he can’t survive our lesson, then he needs to get stronger.’’

  ‘’I see’’Dimitri heard the teacher stepping closer to the man and the boy. ‘’So, hitting him until he passes out will make him strong? I suppose that’s what your dear pappa did to you, too.’’

  The man growled.’’Watch it, doctor’’He rasped.

  ‘’You still look weak, though, Papa should have done a better job beating-’’

  The man now stormed his fist at the teacher, but he dodged it fast, and he hit his other friend in the jaw.

  Both of the men were stunned and looked at the teacher with anger.

  ‘’As much as I want to see you both to the ground, I know my strength.’’His gaze looked down at Dimitri.’’Unlike my student, so here’’He said, tossing a flask of possible wine.

  ‘’Here, take it, and I will take my student'’His voice was steady and rational. ‘’And we can all forget what happened.’’

  The men remained silent for a while, and then they laughed as they agreed on that term. But when they took the wine, one of them punched the teacher on the jaw, making Dimitri listen to the crack.

  ‘’You shall teach your student to bring a better weapon to a fight.’’

  When they left, the Teacher finally walked closer to Dimitri and grabbed his body up.

  None of them spoke for a while. Dimitri did not have the power to speak, but his mind was rushing to what his teacher had just done.

  ‘’It was poison.’’Dimitri whispered shakily to the Teacher. So much pain for a boy his age.

  ‘’Wasn’t it?’’

  He couldn’t see his teacher’s expressions. He couldn’t see what he was thinking in that moment.

  However, Dimitri knew his Teacher’s medical skills and the way to use poisonous herbs to his advantage.

  ‘’I didn’t lie to you ‘’He finally spoke. ‘’That I got the scars from a fight that I couldn’t win.’’

  Ho sad his voice sounded.’’So that’s how I tried to find other ways to win my fights.’’

  ‘’I don’t want to poison people’’He admitted.

  Teacher scoffed.’’I never said that you should. But you have to find a way of surviving sooner or later. You will become a man sooner or later. And your childish tricks won’t be handy then.’’

  When they got inside the house, the Teacher put cold, wet towels on his bruises as he began stitching him again. Once again, silence with Pup weeping near them.

  Dimtri took a look at his teacher’s expression with the candlelight flickering between them.

  ‘’What you said before,’’ He took a deep breath to gather his strength. ‘’About my parents…’’

  ‘’I will not leave you.’’He stopped him. ‘’Not without a second thought. Got it, kid?’’

  Dimitri felt a sudden warmth in his body as he tried to close his eyes and rest.

  ***

  Where do you want to go?

  Did it matter at that point? For a strange reason, he was now controlled by a god. No matter what way, he would be found by him and he would be tortured or worse.

  But he knew one thing for certain.

  ‘’With you’’He answered. ‘’Please, Teacher, take me with you.’’

  Cold wind brushed his face, with Odysseus remaining silent.

  When he tried to speak, Dimitri interrupted him.

  ‘’I know what you said, what you are planning, but I don’t care. Please just let me.’’

  ‘’Alright’’He replied.

  Dimitri stood there, stunned.

  ‘’It’s better for Hermes not to try to kidnap you again and use you against him’’He tried to make it all about himself, but Dimitri knew that he was actually trying to take care of him.

  But he tried to hide his smile of joy and walked closer to his Teacher now, and Odysseus grabbed him by the shoulder and pup being next to them.

  Whatever he was planning, surely, both of them would be safe.

  ‘’Where are we going?’’ He asked, and the Teacher showed the necklace.

  ‘’To Acheron, of course’’

  Dimitri blinked with a stupid expression. ‘’What?’’

  ‘’We are going to the river so we can pass to the underworld.’’ The teacher explained simply.

  WHAT?