ARISTOS ACHAION // Awesamdude X Reader

28

Sam and Ceres met in the middle of the arena with a clash, the metal of Ceres wrist bracers meeting the edge of the trident Sam had called back to him. It was all you could do to watch as they traded a whirlwind of blows.

You had never seen Sam fight before - not really. When he would spar with you, it was to teach, not to win. Cognitively, you had known that Sam had been a champion before he had become the warden, but there was a difference between knowing something and actually seeing it.

He was terrifying.

Jaw clenched and teeth grit into a grimace, Sam met each and every one of Ceres blows with matched intensity, using his trident like an extension of his own arm. He spun it around so fast that it was almost just a blur in the air, landing strike after strike on Ceres. It was a feat to watch - almost hypnotizing.

It was a spray of sand from Ceres shoving Sam backwards that snapped you out of your daze. Sam was here - in the arena, here - fighting off Ceres like he was the one who's life was on the line.

"Really?" Ceres growled, catching the edge of the trident and turning the momentum of the swing back on Sam. "You'll lose your job-"

"Some things are worth more than a job, even one for the caesar." Sam gritted back, swirling his trident away and going in for another blow.

Your gaze turned up towards the caesar's box, finding Vesapasian's face among the officials and worship members that sat there with him. His gaze was stony as he watched his prize fighter trade blows with the man who was supposed to be managing his prison - nothing like the pure rage and shock that had been written in his eyes when you had killed Prosperine. Losing a champion was nothing like insurrection in your own ranks.

Around the caesar's box, the cheering had quieted - the people were obviously confused as to whose side they were supposed to be on. That didn't stop them from gasping when Sam threw his trident though, sending Ceres flying across the arena.

Moment of peace bought, he hurried over to you, gentle hands coming to scoop you up under your shoulders, hauling you out of the sand like you weighed nothing.

"Sam-" You started, grabbing onto the plates of his armor.

He didn't let you get a word in though, looping an arm around your waist to hold you up, pulling one of your own arms over his shoulders. "I couldn't let you die." He said, pressing his lips to your forehead for a second. "I couldn't."

You grabbed his hand and squeezed as much as you could.

The moment was fleeting though, as Sam called his trident back to him with an outstretched hand, twirling the weapon back into attack position. From where Sam's throw had pushed them across the ring, Ceres pulled themselves back up out of the sand, charging back at you and Sam with renewed rage.

Sam curled his arm around you tighter, and met Ceres in battle.

Even with only one hand, Sam spun his trident around almost faster than you could see, fending off blow after blow as Ceres struck again and again. The force of the fight shuddered through you, and it was all you could do to cling to Sam like a lifeline, your body too worn out to do anything else but hold on.

"You're a fool, Sam." Ceres repeated, low under their breath. "I have to kill you."

"Let us run." Sam returned, fending off another hit. "Let me send you flying and then no one can blame you when we get away-"

"Prosperine and Diana are gone." Ceres said, cutting Sam off with another hit. "And for what? For your lover to run away? I cannot leave them unavenged."

"Would you rather I kill you too?" Sam shot back. "After all the lives you've taken? Amartia would be pleased to have you in the fields of hell, I'm sure."

Ceres laughed - not that mocking laugh that had been directed at you before, but a genuine laugh. "You amuse me Sam. We both know very well that I won't be meeting Amartia today."

"Neither will we." Sam said, spinning his trident in his hand again before he sent it flying out, the prongs embedding themselves in Ceres' chest armor again, sending them skidding away from you and back into the arena. Sam didn't waste any time, turning back towards the archway you had entered the ring from, and scooping you up into the same carry he had done all those weeks ago, when you had killed Diana.

You squinted as the sunlight met your eyes, turning your face into Sams' chest as he started to run. "Where-?"

"Anywhere but here." Sam replied, the light fading as he carried you back into the shade of the vestibule.

The gentle rhythm of his footsteps and the absolute beating you had taken out in the arena made your eyes begin to lull shut - but you forced yourself to stay awake. You weren't safe - not here, not when Sam had abandoned his position and broken all of the rules of the colosseum in order to save you from your own doom. You wound a hand between the plates of his armor, holding on to the smooth bronze.

"Stay with me." Sam murmured under his breath. "Please."

You watched as he turned a corner into a part of the prison you vaguely recognized, stopping at a pair of wooden doors and shouldering his way inside. The first training room you had ever been in - when you had first seen him up on the balcony, the same balcony he was ascending to now.

At the top of the stairs, Sam paused, setting you down. You slumped against the wall, following him with your eyes as he began to unbuckle his armor, letting the bronze pieces fall to the floor without care. Instead, he threw a pair of bags over his shoulder before scooping you back up.

"What about your trident?" You asked, clinging onto him as he ducked into a doorway you hadn't seen before.

"I won't need it anymore." Sam said. "Not where we're going."