Legacy

ten

As hard as she tried, Alessa found herself unable to make conversation with the surly god. Every word out of her mouth was met with a grunt of dismissal or complete silence. Before long she gave up, trailing her hand through the water as Silenus rowed, the sounds of his drunken hiccups echoing in the night.

She found herself dwelling on Marcus, wondering if he was thinking of her also. Her neck felt bare without her charm and part of her felt guilty for giving away the one thing she had left of her parents. But something about it had felt right, as though Alyosha would have approved of her decision. She hoped he had kept it, and would for the duration of the Trials. Something about it felt like a tie between them, tugging her towards him. It was a promise that she would find him.

"I would sleep if I were you," Silenus advised eventually, breaking through her thoughts, "It is the last proper rest you may ever get. I'll answer any questions when you wake."

Her stomach turned at his callous words but she nodded silently, for once deciding not to argue. She curled up into a ball as small as she could force herself to be, limbs awkwardly bent in the tiny confines of the boat. Polo hooted gently, perching himself next to her head with a quiet thud. She nuzzled gently into his feathers, allowing the comfort she so desperately craved to wash over her. Mindful to be quiet, though doubtful Silenus would notice, her shoulders shook with oncoming tears and she allowed them to finally fall as she awaited sleep to take over.

---

She was jolted awake by the conclusion of yet another jarring dream. Panting, she brushed her hair out of her face and sat up, the rowing of the boat momentarily turning her stomach as she adjusted to her surroundings. Like the rest, she and Alyosha were stranded in the woods together, near death. She wondered how long these dreams would plague her, perhaps for the rest of her life. She glanced at the back of Silenus' head, watching for a few moments as he rowed, muscles straining from the exertion.

The sun was slowly rising on the horizon, the golden hue glistening across the water. She was surprisingly well rested, despite the ache in her neck she couldn't shake off. Polo hadn't moved from where he had been beside her, his eyes closed and head drooping downwards. He had an odd look about him, dirty white feathers clumped together and a dark brown beak, lined with scratches.

"Are we near?" She asked over the soft sounds of lapping waves.

"Not much further." He turned to face her, changing up his rowing technique, "I have a question for you."

"Go for it."

"I know you were at the centre but...are you trained? You held your own fairly well with those men back there."

She nodded, "My brother and I trained together. My parents thought it essential that I could defend our farm just as well as my brother could."

They were fond memories, though very distant. She may have been exaggerating when she said she had been trained. Her and Alyosha would fight with wooden swords he had crafted down by the lake, swinging at each other with no real intentions. It had stopped once they grew older, once Alyosha grew to be much stronger than she ever could be, and he refused to hurt her.

The side of his mouth quirks up, "Good to know. Maybe you're not a complete lost cause. Now, do you have any questions for me before we get there?"

"Who is Mela?"

Silenus grimaced, "Mela is one of the princesses a part of the fifth task. She's known for her...attitude."

"How so?"

"She is usually reserved until near the end of the games, but it honestly depends on how you choose to play the game. The men usually don't go for the princesses until the very end, not wanting her to slow them down."