Helix

Touched

19 AD

Sharp fire filled Helix's lungs as awareness crept upon him. Ever so slowly, he blinked in the grey morning light. His eyelids felt heavy as stone, as he struggled to join the awakening world. Something damp and sticky squelched and shifted beneath him. Far above, white-winged birds circled and flapped in the bluish grey backdrop of sky.

His head pounded mercilessly and threatened to pull him back into the black abyss of sleep. Spreading his hands Helix pushed down attempting to roll over, but cringed as his hands sunk into the sticky mess underneath of him. Finally, forcing his eyes to open regardless of the pain in his head, he realized where he was. He was laying in the mud of a drainage furrow.

Gritting his teeth, Helix slowly rolled over and lifted himself onto his elbows. Pausing, he tried to recall how he'd ended up here, mired in stinky, disgusting mud. Sliding and slipping in the black gunk, he finally made it to his feet. His head beat in protest. Using every ounce of will he had, Helix stumbled down the road toward the seaside.

Before he had made it even a few steps, he realized his pants had started sliding down. Tripping over the cuffs, Helix cursed colorfully, earning a stare from a nearby man making his own way toward the dock.  Pulling the offending cloth up, he tied the leather cords at the waist securing them.

Finally reaching the shoreline, Helix sighed with relief. Wading into the salty water he washed off as much of the stench as he could. The memories of drinking, and kissing... Helix shuddered. Sal had drugged him. She had kissed him!

Why?

Anger, hot and bright filled him. He was going to find her, and when he did he was going to... to what? He was following her, specifically because he wanted to know if she could teach him how to kill Zeus.

But will she even help me? Especially now. And why, why in all the names, of all the gods, did she kiss me?

The thought disturbed him greatly. Deciding to just ask Sal forthright if she would help him kill the god, he climbed out of the water and followed the path toward the inn. If she refused to help or tried to kiss him again, he could get back on a ship and return to his life. If she did help him... well then he would face that too.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Gone. The inn was gone, not just closed, but completely, bloody,  gone! Helix shook his head violently, trying to clear the still raging headache. He was certain the inn had been on this street.

Thinking that perhaps he was mistaken, Helix began combing up and down each road looking for the establishment, or any of the faces he had seen the night before. By noon he knew for a fact he was not going to find it. Through some trick, the building, and all of its patrons had vanished while he was passed out in that ditch.

Snarling at his own confusion, Helix strode back toward the docks. He would return to the guild. At most he'd be only a day or two behind his friends, and once he was back with them, it would be an end to this god killing, mad idea Sal had inspired. 

"Ready to go to Aquileia?" From behind him, the feminine voice purred ever so cheerfully. Helix whirled, and there she was. Sal, dressed in a man's linen trousers, a tight fighting brown tunic, and holding a leather bag over one shoulder smiled at him.

Stilling his mind, Helix forced his shoulders to square. "You drugged me. And you still want me to go with you to Aquileia?"

Soft laughter emanated from her, "But of course." She closed the distance between them, the twinkling in her eyes, causing Helix's muscles to tense. "Especially after our beautiful evening together."