Persephone: Leonidas' Domina

34- Leonidas

"I do not know so much about you."

"Really?"

"You know that I am right."

"Do I?"

"Domina!"

Leonidas heard her laugh as she dove back into the water then moved towards him, her head coming out of the water as she stared at him while he was seated bare chested on the rock, only his legs in the water. "What is it?"

He pouted, "Why will you not tell me anything about you?"

"What is there to tell?" She asked, her hand now holding his feet as she placed small kisses on his toes. "The me in the past is not important but the me with you is."

Though she was managing to distract him with the way she was bewitching his feet, Leonidas managed to bite his lower lip and say, "You are the one who is always saying the past is important."

He heard her laugh, one of amusement and pleasure as she left his feet and did a butterfly stroke, swimming backwards. "Who would have thought you would use my words against me one day? I dare say Leonidas Aetos, you are getting bolder."

Leonidas' cheeks were already burning with red, his eyes now on the water as he played with his feet but did not say any other thing.

While they had been in 'Ard almiead last night, he had watched different people dance in their many cultures and made a small deal with Alcaeus Chloros to have some of his people perform in the Gathering and though the old man had refused to let them do so, he had agreed that he would let them teach anyone their ways only if the person would not make ill use them.

It had been Persephone who had added that they should also get paid for teaching the other Familias which also Alcaeus did not want to accept but after she pleaded, reluctantly agreed.

Leonidas watched her swim towards the shore now, leaving him on the rock as she came out of the water and wrapped a towel around her hair then wore his white shirt that he had left behind as he said, "Just like I did not know what you do for them. I would have never known if you eventually left me like you planned to."

Persephone slowly sat on a stool, folding up the sleeves of the shirt to her elbows and crossing her legs as she picked up a palette knife from a bucket of blue paint next to her then stared at the canvas in concentration. "I did not do all those things for anyone to know."

"Then why did you do it?"

"So that no one would know."

Leonidas whined now, "Domina."

She tilted her head to look at him then said, "I have this strange feeling that you want to moan my name. Is that what this is about?"

He blushed more there, now remembering how she had finally removed the cloak in the cabin and let him see what she wore underneath. The idea that she had worn such a thing and walked around that night had made him nearly lose his mind. "Stop changing the subject."

Persephone turned back to the canvas now. "Have I ever painted you? I mean with actual paint, and not just sketched you?"

Leonidas shook his head. "Not exactly. I do not think so."

"Hmm."

Persephone turned to her side and searched through a box there then brought out a golden harp before she walked to the edge of the water and said, "Here."

Leonidas stared at it, then her. "You -,"

"I would have given you at the festival yesterday but for some reason Micah had it done today and Miriam brought it over." She cut in. "Take it. My hand is beginning to hurt."