This is the price we pay to live. VOL. 1

Chapter Sixteen

Before the event of The Clyclops Saga

Cleopas was in bed with his knee covered with the bloody bandages. The medic left him there with the fever while the others were drinking and eating on the deck. He was sweating and the blankets were soaked. He slowly managed to get out the bed,yet he had a few steps before falling on the floor.

He tried to get to the door by crawling, but he passed out on the floor. He woke up in silence as he heard the dialogue coming from another cabin in the ship. He slowly dragged himself to the closed door at the end of the corridor. He grabbed to the door frame and started to hearing the conversation.

"What keeps you up so late at night,my friend?" Polites... his voice was soft, delicate, full of care. Cleopas remembered him like one of the few that treated him right, like a real person than a monster or enemy. He was a great friend of the capitan and kinda a pacifist. "All I hear are screams, every time I dare to close my eyes. I no longer dream, only nightmares of those who've died. Nothing's what it seems.." Odysseus said, it was almost an whispered.

"Nothing's what it seems,not every choice is black and white-"

"I keep thinking of the infant from that night..."

"Hey..."

Cleopas stood outside the door. He felt the pain,regrets turning in anger as he listen to Odysseus. He could never feel pity or even a bit of kindness to men like that, he learned that at Troy.  Achilles, Agammenon,Paris...All them let their emotions having the best of them,they replaced their brains with their hearts. Odysseus wasn't much more different from them, he was a great capitan and general yet he had flaws. His arrogance, pride, quick temper, and stubbornness often lead him to dangerous situations. Cleopas decide not to eavesdrop anymore and got back to the sickbay.

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"Are you even paying attention to me right now?" Cleopas snapped out of the flashback and looked at Odysseus. He got an flashback while Odysseus was braiding his hair. They were both on Calypso's island...

"Sorry, I zoned out for a few minutes." Cleopas admitted. He wasn't sure of telling everything at Odysseus, he wasn't sure to say anything that was going in his head. Their relationship was built on years of experience and trust during the years of traveling. But Cleopas wasn't confident enough about his problems. He remembered Permides' depression that kept him from love anymore (except Elpenor but that was just a rumor-).

"Flashbacks? Odysseus asked just for receiving a nod as answer. "Didn't mean to trigger you. I apologize." He was about to get his fingers away from Cleopas' hair, but he was stopped. "No,don't need to worry about it." They stood there in silence, the soft white noise from the waves which were hitting the sand. They were sat on the shore as Cleopas didn't spoke.

Nausithous and Nausinous were with Calypso, probably doing chores or some other sort of small activity. "Are you okay with this?" Odysseus questioned him. He nodded again. The noises in the background were so calm, yet the smell of salt made him feel disgusted. "Yes, it is just the smell of salt that makes me uncomfortable."

"Don't you get triggered by physical touch?" Odysseus closed the braid with a piece of fabric. "Yes, not when it's you and not like this." Cleopas responded and looked over the horizon line. "Honestly I would rather having my hair braided by you than even to smell the salt in the air or touching the water of the sea." Which was true. After all what happened, Cleopas let only two people having even the smallest form of physical contact with him. One was Hermes, the second was Odysseus. "What about you? Any triggers?"

Odysseus looked at Cleopas, as his brain began to elaborate the answer. "Calypso's voice, that cave." Cleopas laid back on the sand, next to Odysseus in silence. "Why don't you leave?"

"How? I'm stuck here, I prayed Athena to help me but-"

"Nothing happened." Cleopas finished the line for Odysseus before receiving a nod from the other man. He just looked at the sky as they stood in silence for a moment. Cleopas laughed contemptuously as he brought a hand over his mouth,one of the curls of his hair fell on the black eyes. "When I was there on Olympus,I prayed Hera to make him stop but she didn't help me...They don't care, you know? The gods." Cleopas mumbled as he sat up. "They don't give a shit about any of us. So I say fuck them." He hissed as Odysseus stared at him in disbelief. The boy turned his head and stared into Odysseus' eyes. The king of Ithaca didn't  hear anyone insulting the gods like that. 

"Did you hear me? I defy them, I defy Poseidon, I defy the gods." Cleopas declared, he remembered the prophecy. If they want a perfect toy, he would lead that lamb to slaughter.