Zöe

Chapter VI

*Chapter VI*

Demetrius and Zöe left Philipp lying in the temple with the spirit of Persephone keeping him safe. They headed for the woods where Demetrius had set up a fire and had some how gotten a hold of one tarp and one blanket for the night. The crisp air made the two huddle close to the fire. Zöe needed to know who Demetrius was now. He'd been gone for so long that he might have changed and if he did what changed about him. She decided to test him and see if he was the same man who she had fallen in love with.

"Demetrius, how was the army?"

"Honestly? It was horrendous! There was no war and no blood shed so the leaders decided to ship us to the coliseum and have us fight to the death. I wanted no part in killing for entertainment, but before I could refuse I was thrown into the ring and facing a challenging opponent. We were in the middle of our battle when a messenger from Italy came and summoned for the general. While I was distracted my opponent slashed me from my right collarbone to my left hip."

Demetrius lifted the top piece of his tunic and displayed a large scar. It was white, but had bits of pink from infections.

"He aimed his sword straight at me and forcefully drove his sword towards his target, my heart. I rolled over on the rocky, hard ground and dodged his sword but many pebbles entered my wound. He left his legs vulnerable, so I sliced the back of his leg cutting the tendon and he toppled to the ground. They all cheered. We both were severely injured and we stopped moving so once they got bored they left us both there to die. I laid there waiting to die, waiting for the gods to finish me off." Zöe could see his jaw clench, his breath getting labored, and his voice get shaky as if he were reliving those terrifying hours. "After a night of lying next to my competitor, he took his sword and finished himself off. Before he died he told me I should consider doing what he was about to do because it would be a long, bloody, ugly death if I didn't kill myself. I fought with myself and felt so alone and afraid and it was just a matter of time anyways, right? I took his sword which was coated in blood, put it up to my throat, but couldn't will my hands to cut."

Both Zöe and Demetrius were quiet.

"I closed my eyes for what seemed like hours and when I opened them I felt much better. I was alert and looking for useful items to keep me alive. I found a 4ft. twig!" Demetrius said pleased.

Zöe joked trying to lighten the mood, "Wow! Really? That's an excellent find."

"Be quiet, Zöe." Demetrius scowled but couldn't really manage to be mad at Zöe. "That twig was probably the only thing that kept me alive, it gave me inspiration and urged me to live. I used the stick and pulled my body, which felt like it weighed ten times what I actually weighed, up so I was standing. I tried to walk, but the sensation of moving was completely overwhelming. I ended up falling again and again trying to get out of that death trap. I was coated in gashes that were seeping blood, sweat, and dirt. I was so exhausted I couldn't move. I had been dragging my body for over 5 hours and had only gotten half way. I slipped in and out of consciousness feeling lightheaded and dizzy. I saw boots then blackness and I heard voices echoing through the walls of my head. A massive headache was gnawing at my skull and the sun was blaring in my eyes. Everything was fuzzy and as I started to sit up I moaned because everything ached. A figure emerged and blocked the sun, and just as my eyes started to focus their boot struck my chest and my head went flying backwards hitting the ground with such force it caused a decent size gash. A voice I recognized called out to me but I couldn't understand it. The figure, still blurry, came so close to my face I could smell the wine and cheese in his breath. It was all familiar. He backed off and made a booming noise that sounded like deep, satisfied laughter. Then, a second person came up and spit on me. After falling in and out of sleep, I was finally aware, but the figures were gone. I was left alone and on guard."