Regency in Diagon Alley [Theodore Nott | Harry Potter AU]

Chapter Fifty

It would take pure chance to spot the. The prison island of the goddess and sorceress Circe was enchanted to hide in the middle of the Mediterranean that Mi-Magaea or Muggles and even magical folk cannot find the silhouette of the place in the horizon, even when its inhabitants claim to see the coast of the mainland from their palaces. But there were those who would spot the island, whenever Aeaea thought of teasing mortal eyes every now and then, either by people on the coasts or by sailors who have ventured too far from the shore.

White sand beaches were always the beginning of their tale of the mysterious island, with ocean of cerulean blue, beyond the beach was a forest so thick and rich with trees that they cannot identify its species, even botanists who managed to see it were unable to classify the flora that was there. There was no sign of life there, no footprints left on the sand, no animals roaming but for the fish that swam the sea, but for the sign it left: a large marble statue of a god or goddess missing a few limbs. Then there were the mountains, tall and vast, but one was what stood majestically as it had ruins of an ancient villa.

A beautiful place, yet no one would dare to come close because whenever they tried, a storm would brew instantly and push them away or drown them or bad luck would come to them, that the island became a sign of bad luck for sailors and would either change course or not sail for a week, waiting for the island's presence to disappear.

That was Aeaea, to outsiders.

But Theodore was no outsider. His mother's blood runs through his veins, so as they approached the silhouette of the island, no storm touched their ship and they were welcomed by the cerulean sea. The docks located by the large arch of rock formations by the was filled with Greek ships for some came from the mainland or other countries for trade, while others were the Achillia's own. Like the one they rode, the Achillia ships had black sails and the goddess' symbol which has been the family's sigil: two crescent moons pressed against a gold, full moon.

The ship docked where an older woman with exquisite beauty stood, wearing a red peplos with gold linings, her skin was a beautiful golden tan, and her dark hair with streaks of silver pulled back to its large bun just above the nape with gold ornaments styled to be like wreathes, and a few curls to frame her face. She wore minimal jewelry as her beauty was enough. Lips thin and slightly tainted with gold was etched with a small smile, and her eyes were a deep brown. Just like his.

The woman was not alone, she was joined by a group of armed witches and wizards wearing leather armor, helmets, and a bronze sword, their wands were tucked in there somewhere, but Theodore knew that they had no need for it. There was one who did not wear the armor, instead the man wore the modern clothes of the mainland than the ancient fashion the family has chosen for their island.

A hand suddenly clasped his shoulder, pulling Theodore from his reverie. His grandfather smiled down at him, which made his scowl.

"Welcome home, Achilles," said Alexander and went to the ramp where upon his descent he brought the woman to an embrace and kissed her lovingly... like a faithful husband, and not a man who had a taste of what London has to offer him for the past few days.

Gathering his travel pack, which Roman magically managed to the things he asked to pack, Theodore went down to join his grandfather. Still wearing his leathers, he earned many looks from the others, especially from the man wearing mainland clothes who smirked at him. But the older woman did not, her smile grew at the sight of him.

"Achilles!" She brought him to an embrace, she spoke in Greek as she said her praises on how he has changed since the last time he was there. "How I've missed you. Will you be staying here long?"

The question meant well but it felt like a jab. Flashes of his last moments with Carina, of their handfast, how Roman held her firmly in his arms because she tried to get to him, to not let go of him, as they watched him leave on the ship.