Untangling Aella

Chapter Seventeen

Hello my pretties! It has felt like a long time since I last updated but I hope this will assuge your annoyance somewhat?

Hope you love it as much as I enjoyed writing it (well, some parts. I know you'll figure out which ones :) )

Without much ado!

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His image is still imprinted in my mind.

I can’t believe that he is the champion. Why did it have to be Ari?

I regain my composure and exit the arena, heading back towards the village after hastily confirming that when the signal is given for the girdle to be returned that I would be ready to pounce.

I walked away from the arena feeling forlorn. Barely paying attention to the people around me, I felt sombre as I knew what the outcome would be once I gained what we were looking for. I was never one to use other people to get what I needed and knowing that I would have to betray him would dampen my mood.

If it was any other Greek, I wouldn’t care. But having to rifle through and steal his possessions would mean that I was destroying our budding friendship.

I was so focused on going away that I was snapped back into reality by a tap on my right hand shoulder. I turn around but no one was there. Then out of habit, I look left to see who had trolled me.

I gulped, dreading having to slap on a fake face to keep up appearances.

“Gotcha!” he said happily, blinding me with the brilliance of his teeth.

Despite the shock I was feeling, I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face.

“Ha-ha” I reply weakly, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. Boys will be boys.

“Hey, did you watch the match?” he asked excitedly.

“You bet. You we’re great out there” I reply, with faked enthusiasm albeit honestly. I had to admit, he was the best.

“Yeah it was intense! She was like-” he said, waving his arm about like a sword “then I was like-” using another arm to deflect the sword. “But in the end- lets face it: I was awesome.”

“Cocky much?” I again shook my head, laughing.

“”

While my external façade was kept in place so as not to betray what I needed to do, his exuberance and heart-warming nature brightened up the remained of my short time on Olympia.

When I would made my daily deliveries and because he has more than sealed their victory for the games, we would encounter each other. Our banter was always friendly, cheerful and ultimately hilarious.

I had received near one my handles on the cart, letting me know that we would be making a grab for the girdle tonight due to the fact that the awards ceremony would be in the evening, then the closing ceremony and finally the raucous drinking. Taking all of that into consideration, it would our best time to make a grab for it.

The Amazons who worked behind the scenes would accompany me, whilst the Deltas would be at the ceremony with a stoic face and their tail between their legs as the Greeks again paraded their victory.

After destroying the note, I began to lug my cart back when I was interrupted from my reverie.

“Hey!” Ari called out to me, nearing me then waving his hand in my face. “Are you awake? Hello?”

“Oh! Top o’ the morning to ya!” I said back.

“Clearly, someone is intoxicated”

Oh, little did he know. Alcohol whilst pregnant? I think not. Resuming the façade, I screwed up my face.