Threat
I had thought a lot of what the conditions of Itaca and its slavery really was, after eating with the kids and feeling how Odysseus was looking at me during my time spent with the kids and his reaction at my actions, I realised I was missing something.
That's why I decided to push the thoughts of disgust back and wait.
And I was glad I did.
But now something much more important was waiting for me.
The creation of my thread of fate.
"Watch the kids for me, would you?"
Odysseus, still holding my hand, nodded with such a pure smile that had my heart flutter.
I truly am the luckiest man alive.
Freeing myself from my king, I started to ascend the stairs to the temple of the sun. The kids tried to follow me, but Odysseus was fast and explained that they would enter later.
Upon entering the temple, I found absolute emptiness.
No priests or priestess were present, but I could feel a presence.
Deep, at the far end of the temple, space seemed to fold on itself and with every step I took, the space unfold itself, until finally showing the existence of three elderly women.
A severe frown was etched on their faces a clear message of their unwillingness to stand there and I instinctively knew who they were.
The Moirai.
To prove how much they hated being here with me, they didn't stand any ceremony and got down to business as soon as I was in front of them.
"Young demigod, for saving the Sun god's son, as promised by the Records, we are here to aide you in the creation of the string of fate."
Fuck, talking at the same time is kind of eerie.
"No need to be afraid. A promise is a promise and no harm can descend on us in this descent."
"Cool."
"That doesn't mean no harm will be brought upon you."
Are these old skunks threatening me?!
"Not a threat, just facts."
"Oh? Let's begin."
Either way, if something bad happens…
The thought of Odysseus seeking revenge on these grannies was invading my mind, a soft chuckle escaped me and the frown on the Moirai deepend.
"If you are done imagining how your scary king will punish us for something we have no power over, we can proceed."
They started explaining how the ritual worked and how I might not get hurt because of them, but because I was basically sewing an already cut thread with a new one.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A flaming sphere of light was flickering on the altar of the temple of the sun, representing its patron and I was starring at it remembering all the passages the ritual needed.
<
I started a ridiculous prayer, praising the beauty of the sun god, his intelligence and his benevolence; while I didn't necessarily believe any of this bullshit and would probably be considered a blasphemer just by existing, that was the standard prayer the sewing sisters had instructed me to make, so I did just that.
Than came the offering. Something that represented me, my desires for the future the path I wanted to take and while there were a lot of things I wanted to do in my life, I was advised to choose only one thing, the rest would be reflected either way.
What is it that I really want anyway?
Money and fame are out of the question, never cared and never will.
I thought of Odysseus and while I knew I wanted him by my side as of now, there was no way to tell if things wouldn't change in the future.
But there was one thing I wanted. Something I so desperately had clinged to in the past.
My family.
Nothing and nobody was more important to me than my family. Sure, if Odysseus was accounted for in it I didn't know, but I knew of at least two existence that I was sure I loved.
Zeus and Hera.
And I didn't have a possession for them, but I had something for me.
I took out a book from my internal space: Onmyōdō - origin of the five elements and yin-yang; if there was something that was a clear representation of me as of now, was the fact that o was able to produce spirit arts.
Putting the book into the miniature sun, I continued my prayer.
"I offer you the Onmyōdō, something that is 100% me, my desire is to be able to protect the ones I love. My family."
A tear found its way out of my eye, but it wasn't a sad moment. I was proud to be their son and I'd do anything to protect them.
Of course unless a catastrophe happens and they become like Yudher and Juna in the past.
With a sorrowful yet happy smile I concluded my offering.
"My mother and my father."
Thunder started to rumble outside the temple and the sensation of their eyes on me manifested.
I was happy.
I knew they cared, I knew they would be here. Even being constellation with god knows how many issues at hand, they decided to let me know: they were with me.
The book completely disintegrated and the next step was already progressing.
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The golden threads were spinning to infinity, but a lot of them were indeed cut. The men who died in this travel, my enemies… every cut string was someone who had already lost their life and those were the threads I need to search into.
Those threads were more brown than gold and coupled with the fact that were the only ones cut, it was easily to discern their consequences, but in the midst of those brown threads, a deep black thread stood.
Different from all the others, this single string was unmoving and I felt it. The Moirai were right.
This is my thread, but why is it black.
"You must not worry about that color, all demigods are different in colour when they are cut."
"But I'm the lightning bringer's son."
"Please continue without further delay."
I pushed my questions at the back of my head and firmly gripped the black string.
It reacted to my touch and the veiled threat the Moirai had previously made, came to reality.
<
Easier said then done.
A sword stabbed in my stomach.
Slashes all across my back.
My legs pierced with arrows.
"Grrrrr!"
My hands splintered with the abuse of the sword.
Other arrows piercing my shoulders.
Fatigue started to possess me.
"Haaaaa… haaaa…"
My breath was rugged, but these were things I already had experience being a Damocles.
The problem was: I was feeling them like Dimitris had felt them, not like I would.
Fuck! Mmmmmmh! Am I really such a maniac?
My mind was somehow able to remain clear, but this was not the pain I should perceive.
Fuck Dimitris! Were you so weak to pain?!
Then a sword stabbed into my heart, my mind blanked for a second.
This must be it, am I done with the hard part?
But contrary to my expectations, I felt my body burn, I was enveloped in fire, melting my very essence.
"Grrrr! AAAAH!!!"
How the fuck is this possible! I WASNT EVEN WOUNDED WHEN I CAME TO!
Then a voice spoke into my mind, a voice I didn't recognise, yet felt so familiar.
A distant echo of someone powerful, someone I felt was related to me, yet that same voice made every air on my skin stand and regardless of the fire, I felt like freezing alive.
[[it's time.]]
And everything blacked out.
All the pain I had been feeling disappeared and when I opened my eyes, there it stood.
The once black thread was now marbled with golden lighting all across.
I knew this was a success and that the ritual needed to continue, but all I felt at the moment was utter confusion.
"This is not the time nor the place, focus Dimitris."
The three elderly women spoke at once again, effectively waking me up from my dazed state.
"Proceed, we are almost done."
With my free hand, I brought up the ceremonial dagger the sisters had previously given me, cut into my other arm and started to drop my blood upon the thread still coiled in my hand, at the same time my Archana was filling the thread at rapid pace.
<
Just like they had promised, as soon as my blood came into contact with the thread, the sewing sisters started to weave around my hands, gestures too stranger for me to catch.
Ancient movement, a message to destiny on its own and I felt completely ignorant on the matter.
Is this some kind of ASL? Just for gods?
The ancient sign for gods language continued and at some point music was accompanying those weird movements until the string started to grow in my hand.
That was the final moment of the ritual and the most important.
<
It was natural that my fate couldn't revolve around other people, it was my life after all, but in my previous experience I didn't really do much with it and I needed to change myself. Just like I was slowly changing thanks to Odysseus and Merlin.
"I will not be silent."
I couldn't keep running away from my emotions.
"I will be the bad conscience."
I couldn't let things proceeding as they were. People were actively trying to bring back a real catastrophe to the world.
"I will be the bane against the unnatural."
I needed to reach the world tree and do everything I could to save it.
"And I will never stop."
That was everything I wanted in this life.
I wanted change.
For me, for those trying to effectively destroy this world without even realising it and for nature itself that was suffering too much for stupid mistakes.
The glow in the temple intensified.
The string of fate in my hand freed itself and erupted towards the sky.
A golden shine vibrantly rose from it enveloping me in its warmth.
[fate has been dictated. Your oath has been accepted.]
[congratulation. Reflecting your oath, a new moniker has been added to your name.]
[Dimitris Damocles, The Defiant, The Rose of Redemption.]
______________________
As I was making my way out of the temple, the commotion outside was really not missable.
A huge crowd of nobles were held at bay by Hali and my men, while Odysseus was keeping watch upon my kids, but along the nobles I immediately spotted other children, they were older then my chicks, but in much worse state.
In each of their hands, the purple pulse of that wretched curse was making my blood revolt.
It seems I'm going to keep up with my oath immediately.
I descended the stairs and after smooching softly Odysseus, I was in front of the nobility.
Duty is duty, but he too is my priority.
Deluding myself that my actions were completely normal in front of such an audience, I finally spoke up.
Not to the nobles, not tho even Hali.
"Kids, come to me."
The enslaved youngsters looked up, but not even a second later their heads were down again.
"Kids, come to me. Young people like you need only two thing, to play and to eat."
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO ADDRESS OUR SLAVES! YOU ARE NOT EVEN SHOWING RESPECTS TO THE NEW QUEEN!!!"
I looked at Hali and winked, she burst out laughing and simply ignored everything.
"Kids, leave those pigs and come to me. You need food, hurry up."
Finally some of the kids started to show some reaction.
Maybe thanks to Hali's laughter or maybe seeing how my chicks where signaling them that I was safe, but some started to move.
"DON'T YOU DARE MOVING! YOU ARE OUR SLAVES!"
"Or else?"
I looked at the shocked noble.
"Who are you to chose for someone else's life? Who are you to enslave children? What will you do if the same fate was brought upon your own kin?"
"ARE YOU THREATENING US?! YOUR MAJESTY! DO SOMETHING!!"
Hali looked at them with shock, she then shook her head and informed the nobility.
"You are honestly lucky he has not killed you all until now, I guess he doesn't want to show the kids ugly things."
Silence.
Nobody spoke after her comment, but of course I didn't care.
"Youngsters, to me. Now."
They run, and in a second were all around me. I knelt down and brought them all to my embrace.
Garden of illusory flowers.
"Paragon, it's time to eat."