Call for absolution

A couple of days have passed since the fight with the Nemean lion. Eurylochus and Hali were still hunting down the remaining lions, Odysseus still didn't give signs of waking up and my head was still hurting.

I conferred with Merlin, but he said it was normal, after all I've been through, to have some side effects and to not consider my abnormal body condition. It seemed that pushing through the limits of mental capabilities was a standard issue for new mages, removing the constraint of logic from the mind was a taxing, but necessary procedure to face, better sooner than later.

I was also under pressure since Odysseus, although healthy, was still unconscious and I needed to take care of the crew.

At dusk of the second day, Merlin approached me with a golden sweater and brown pants.

The Nemean Lion's mane had successfully been transformed in modernish clothing.

I immediately changed, and the familiarity of the clothes gave me some sense of comfort. With my new clothes and a little more energy I decided it was time to bring Odysseus back to our cabin.

Sure, being near Merlin was the smartest thing to do in case of emergency, but I was sure the familiarity of his bed would help him further I had just avoided doing so because I didn't want to tarnish his image moving him back, but at this point everyone knew there was something bad going on with him.

Under the eyes of my men, Odysseus was brought to our cabin in a princess carry, but nobody dared to utter a word.

Day's continued to pass, Eurylochus and Hali completed their challenge and were asking me to give the final verdict since none of them had knowledge on the other's numbers.

"Are you completely sure there's no more lions on this island?"

They both vehemently nodded and urged me to tell them who had won.

"Well this should really not come as a surprise, Eurylochus won the bet."

Hali was somewhat dejected, but soon grew out of it and just went her way leaving me and Eurylochus alone on the shore.

Looking at him change from an happy face to a more concerned one, curiosity about his question started gnawing at me.

I didn't think asking me something could be so hard.

Of course I wanted to know, but I waited patiently.

"Second Commander, please don't take this the wrong way. Whatever your answer is, nothing will change for me."

"Eurylochus, you're making no sense. Just ask away."

Eurylochus stayed silent again and I was starting to get angry.

"If you don't want to ask, then don't. You're just wasting our times at this rate."

"Who are you really? I'm sure you are not the old Dimitris, I just want to know who you are…"

"…"

I was stunned, sure I knew someday this conversation was bound to happen, but these once foolish war hungry monkeys were turning in smartass bastards too quickly.

"I'm not even going ask what gave me away.."

Eurylochus and I said at the same time the only possible answer.

"Damocles"

Yes, I wasn't exactly hiding my heritage, I honestly hoped they would think of it as nothing more then something I'd pick up randomly.

"Why don't I give you 2 answers, mine and Odysseus, then you'll decide."

Eurylochus just nodded and I then went on to give him a brief explanation.

"Here's my answer: my name is Klaus Damocles, I was born and raised on a far away land that is currently not known to this side of the world about 3200 years in the future, here's the catch. The world I come from is not exactly this… we didn't have mana or aura, constellations is a name we used to refer to a group of stars and certainly gods didn't exist."

Eurylochus mouth hung low in clear disbelief of what I was saying, but I didn't give him any chance to interrupt me.

"And here's what Odysseus thinks: after the war of Troy I've been cursed, my memories stolen and I've been given memories of a past life."

There wasn't much else to add, he wanted an answer and I gave him exactly that. What he'd do with it was none of my business.

"It's your call what you decide to believe in, if you think I'm to be held accountable or not. That is out of my powers, however you should know. Every action I did up until now, was 100% genuine."

I was about to leave, but I couldn't just ignore the men trying to hide and spy on our conversation.

"I hope this clears all of your doubts, and I mean all of you."

Polites and Menelaus came out of the bushes and weakly apologised for intruding.

"There's no need to ask for forgiveness, I am at least proud you were brave enough to try and spy on me."

I then left leaving a trail of petals giving my men the time and space to think and decide.

It really wasn't my call.

Back on my cabin, I stripped and entered the bed Odysseus was laying on.

Garden of illusory flower.

Merlin said it wasn't necessary for me to keep healing him, but I just wanted to do whatever was possible to ease his situation.

I brought him to my chest and started recounting what had happened. In my old world it was a known fact that talking to someone in a coma had beneficial effects, of course this was a completely different matter, but it didn't hurt to try everything.

Once the daily bullshit was done, I told him how Eurylochus and the others now knew about me.

"You know Odysseus? In my past life… I've been abandoned a lot. The slightest inconvenience was enough for anyone to leave me alone. When I chose knives instead of any kind of weapon for my training, my family was supposed to leave me in the mountains for 3 months… you know what happened? Those 3 months became a full year, their excuse was that I was doing good on my own. I was just a kid, but they forgot me. My brothers and sisters abandoned me as soon as I showed a little speck of talent. But I held on, even if everyone was leaving me alone, I at least wanted to make my father and mother proud… I grew up alone, training, going on missions, always surrounded by people, but alone. Then as I got older I got an illness. An illness with no cure in my past life. I was to die and nothing could change that."

Tears started to flow again, ever since I came to this world, I've been such a crybaby. Sometimes I couldn't even recognise myself.

I didn't have memories of crying as Klaus.

"You know what the father and mother I so much loved did when they discovered my situation? They said I should forget my family and bring all its secret to the grave with me, their grace was to not kill me instantly."

"Can you believe that even after all this, to this day, I love them so much, my heart hurts just thinking of them?"

At this point I was weeping.

"Odysseus… please, even if it turns out I'm not the real Dimitris… please don't abandon me…"

As I was about to release him, his muscles tensed and something wet was bathing my chest.

Odysseus was crying.

___________________

-Odysseus' POV-

I didn't know how long I had been in this grey cloud like expansion. Time seemed meaningless, but I could feel my body changing, I could feel the power slowly making a place inside my body. It was nothing like mana.

It was primordial.

Then, out of nowhere, thunder started rumbling.

A golden light enveloped everything on sight and a couple appeared, slowly and ethereally making their way in my direction.

Both blonde with green eyes and both, the splitting image of the Dimitris I saw at the Arena. The man was actually scarily identical to him.

But I knew who they really were. Dimitris' new divine parents. Zeus and Hera.

I knelt and greeted them only to be brought back up without a word.

"Odysseus, it's almost time for you to wake up. But before that, you need to know what happened."

Zeus brought up a screen similar to the system and started to inform me.

"You need to know what happened when you lost consciousness because of what happened with our other daughter."

The simple mention of Athena was enough to make me angry, but then Hera raised her hand to interrupt whatever I was thinking of saying.

"Odysseus, focus on what really matters. Here's what Dimitris did."

The screen started to play images like real life happenings while also displaying His thoughts.

All the suffering, all the torture, everything he went through to appease someone who clearly didn't even deserve him.

I was furious, disgusted. I wanted to erase those memories from him.

"Now listen closely, he's about to enter your room. We'll open a way for you to listen before waking up, you'd wake up tonight anyway, but you need to listen closely."

Zeus was about to bring Hera and himself back, but she stopped him.

"Odysseus, despite what you might think of us, we love him just as much as a mother and father SHOULD love their child."

With those parting words they disappeared into thin air and I was left alone again to listen to my man rumbling about random stuff and how was I able to cope with all my responsibilities, then it happened. He started to tell me how our men had discovered his situation and he was feeling good about finally coming clean to them, but at the same time he was terrorised. He sang horrific stories of abandonment and abuse yet carried with the most loving voice I had ever listened him talking.

He loved his family so much, he was happy to receive any and all kind of torture if it meant they would acknowledge him, but then he got an incurable ailment and was once again abandoned by those he loved the most.

He was set free by a promised death…

He was crying profusely, I could feel the tremors in his voice. How his heart ached just remembering something he so desperately needed and deserved, but never got. A loving family.

"Odysseus… please, even if it turns out I'm not the real Dimitris… please don't abandon me…"

Those words. They broke me. This man, my man was broken and I needed to be there for him.

That's when I could feel my consciousness back in place, his body warm and trembling from the tears

I too started crying.

I need to be with him.

I didn't care who he thought he was. I didn't care who he was. Dimitris and Klaus, they were the exact same person. Sure with different experiences. But they were exactly the same.

I lifted my eyes to meet his, now bloodshot, but beautiful nonetheless. As he noticed my awakening, a smile bloomed on his face, the scent of flowers that always accompanied him grew stronger and stronger.

He said nothing, tears continued to flow but his smile didn't falter.

He knew in that moment that I wouldn't leave him, I could feel his recognition.

I leaned in and kissed his tears.

I savoured them like it was the elixir of life.

"Dimitris…"

"No. Don't talk."

I knew he was using some kind of skill on me to get away with avoiding arguments, I decided to let him do his thing and just leaned back on his chest.

"I'm happy your back, Odysseus. Why don't you check your status? I'm sure you'll find a strange yet pleasant surprise in it."

I wasn't really in the mood to check my strength at this moment, but since he wanted me to do so, he must have had his reasons.

"Status"

[•Name: Odysseus

•Affiliation: Itaca

•Constellation: -

•Trait: selective intelligence, creator, demi-god

•Stigma: Aegis, Owl's vision, Master of Crafts

•variable stats:

Strength - 21.1

Constitution - 27.3

Agility - 32.9

Dexterity - 39.7

Intelligence - 36.5

Mana - 30

Aura - 1

•invariable stats:

Luck - 2

Willpower - 9.9

•divine blood: the Eternal Owl

•magic circles:

1st circle - wind, the Aurae

2nd circle - wind

3rd circle - wind]

[Congratulation on awakening your divine blood!]

[!attention! Create an aura core before cultivation]

"You knew?"

Dimitris just nodded.

"That is so fucked up, is it okay that I want to kill my divine mother?"

He let out a crystalline laugh and brushed my hair.

"It is okay my sweet killer, but useless."

"Why so? You think I will not be able to?"

"Oh no, I'm sure you could, it's useless because I already promised I'd kill her myself."