ARISTOS ACHAION // Awesamdude X Reader

20

Your entire body hurt. The burns on your skin blistered under the sun, and you weren't sure if you remembered what it felt like to be cold. Still, you hauled yourself up out of the sand, righting yourself onto your feet again. The crowd's roaring made your ears ring, but you couldn't care less, not when Vesapasian, up his in box, was looking down at you like you had stolen the very crown off his head. 

You supposed killing now two of his precious champions was something similar. 

You grinned to yourself, your gaze falling back down to Prosperine's unmoving body, fingers still clutched around the spear twisted around his throat. This felt nothing like when you had killed Diana - that had been an accident, pure adrenaline and survival instinct, and there had been this sinking feeling. Now though, you had meant for this to happen. You'd had a plan, shaky as it was, and it had worked. Prosperine lay dead in the sand, and a sense of acheivement washed over you.

You turned back towards the vestibule you had come from. Sam was still standing there, fist curled around his trident. He hadn't relaxed a bit, judging by the way his brow was still drawn and the tension in his shoulders, even though the fight was over and you had emerged triumphant. It made you cast a glance behind you before you stared across the sand, checking Prosperine was still dead on the ground.

You made your way towards Sam and the vestibule, ignoring the painful burn of your muscles as you moved. The shade underneath the archway was welcome relief from the beating heat of the sun, and you slumped against the slightly cooler stone, smiling up at Sam. "I did it."

"So it seems." Sam said, smiling thinly down at you. "Almost died doing it, but here you are - covered in burns but still alive." He extended a hand, pulling you back up off the wall where you had leaned. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

You let Sam place a hand on your back, supporting you as you walked to ease some of the pain that was already building in your legs as the adrenaline drained away. You looked up as him as you made your way out of the vestibule and back into the underground sections of the colosseum, and found the same tension drawn in his face. He kept his gaze straight ahead as you walked. 

Again, this was different than the aftermath of Diana. Then, Sam had carried out of the sand, keeping you awake and aware as you bled out, until you were in the safe hands of the medics and healers in the infirmary. You supposed those wounds - really the one in your neck - had been more pressing, but you couldn't help but feel a bit put out. After all the training you had done together, you would have though he would have been more happy - or at least not as stony as he was being now.

"Sir warden," You started. "Have I upset you?"

This got Sam to look at you, those striking green eyes finding yours for a moment. "Why would you think you've upset me?"

"You seem upset." You said simply, because he did. The Sam you had come to know was quiet, yes, but never like this. 

Sam sighed, ducking his head for a moment. "You could say I'm a little upset."

"What is there to be upset about?" You asked. "We've won - another one of the caesar's champions are dead, and I am still alive."

"Yes," Sam agreed. "But now you'll have to fight your third champion, and I have no doubts that it will be Ceres. Now that you've managed to kill one of the Caesar's favorites, he'll have Ceres be your final test of strength - and you'll fail."

The image of Ceres ripping a man in half came to mind, and your mood instantly soured. Sam couldn't have let you enjoy the victory for even a moment before turning your mind to the next fight?

"Not to mention again that you almost died today." He continued. "Those burns will take a while to heal, and they could inhibit your training."

"Ever focused on the battle ahead, I see." You said, a slight grumble in your tone. 

"I only want you to be prepared." He said. "Ceres is-"

"I know." You cut him off. "I've seen them fight before. I'm likely to get torn in half - I understand."

"Their invisibility is nothing to sweep under the rug either." Sam said. "We'll have to think of a way for you to work around that - perhaps some kind of specialized spear that would force them to keep their distance- though chances are you would still lose the fight."

"We managed to beat Prosperine today, didn't we?" You said. "Who's to say Ceres is undefeatable?"

Sam didn't answer your question, his gaze still trained on the hallway ahead of you. His silence only soured you further - what kind of teacher has no faith in their student, especially after witnessing them triumph not an hour before? Ceres might have been the champion of champions, as the people called them, but even the best of the Vesapasian's men didn't have the hunger for revenge, or the need to survive, that you did. 

Your footsteps slowed as you approached the infirmary doors. Turning to Sam again, you asked, "Would you have rather me died today, to Prosperine?"

He paused, mouth pressing into a thin line. Eventually, he said, "No. But it would have been a quick and merciful death, to go up in a fire instead of being torn to shreds later on."

You stepped away from his hand that had still been pressed against your back, stumbling to the infirmary doors yourself. You said nothing as you pushed inside, leaving Sam out in the hall. Some ally he had turned out to be. You had triumphed over Prosperine, and were moving on to the final fight, and suddenly his faith and support wavered. 

For all his good, he was backing away when you needed him most.