[fanfiction/multi-chapters]: Myth - Chapter 15
Title: Myth - Chapter 15
Beta-reader: astrangerenters
Rating: PG-13 (I think?)
Pairing: Sakumoto (main), Masatoshi, NinoxFC
Genre: AU, action, humor
Summary: Dreams aren't really the future sometimes. The boys finally reach Echidna's cave! This is the begining of the end.
DISCLAMER: I own nothing. And the plot comes from Rick Riordan, a damn good writer!
***
Chapter 15
I see the hurt in his eyes. As soon as I hear his voice, I turn around and see that one emotion I don’t want to see on his face. Jun. Don’t think I'm making this decision without thinking deeply about it. There’s nothing more important in this world to me than our love for each other, but without him it would be useless. My mother is right; if because of my selfishness I can’t protect him, then my existence is totally worthless.
I watch him coming towards me. “You can’t do that,” he says in a soft voice as if he’s scared of talking louder. “Not after all we did to be together.”
He’s right; we’ve been through a lot of things, but I see this moment as another obstacle between us.
“Say something,” he begs me, and I notice his teary eyes. Please don’t cry, not now. It will only make things harder.
I look at him sadly as my hand rests on his cheek. “I’m not the same anymore, Jun. I’m useless without my powers. Because of me, you refused to fight back against Theseus. Because of me,” I swallow the knot in my throat, “Ariadne is dead.”
“This is not your fault!” Jun complains, but the tone of his voice makes me think that he doesn’t totally disavow my responsibility.
“Yes it is.” I’m the only one to blame for Ariadne’s death, and that’s why I've decided to take this into my own hands. I don’t want to be responsible for another death. I will not be able to handle it.
Jun’s hands turn into fists as he turns around and stares murderously at Athena. “She’s lying! She can’t do anything to change your love!”
Athena smirks at Jun’s comment and closes her eyes for a second; I bet she’s enjoying it. “You’re right.”
Then a new voice from behind adds, “But I can.”
We turn around and see Aphrodite in front of us; she’s smiling at us, apologetic.
“Not you,” Jun whispers as he discovers his mother’s betrayal. “I thought you hated each other, and now you’re working together to separate us?” he yells angrily.
“Jun, this is complicated,” his mother simply says.
“Complicated, my ass! Why are you against us so much? What’s wrong with us?” he yells louder, looking at Athena, then Aphrodite, and back to Athena again.
“You should be more focused on the next fight than your stupid love story!” Athena warns with a reprimanding tone.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to fight to protect your love!” Jun replies as he grabs my hand and holds it tightly.
“This is ridiculous! A man should fight for honor and to protect the poor and defenseless people!”
“Shut the hell up! All of you!” I burst suddenly. Do they realize that they’re talking about me? About my feelings? I’m going to forget the fact that I love Jun just because I want to protect him. These may be our last hours alive, and I’ll spend them without knowing that I’ve loved him. Without my feelings will I be able to protect him no matter what? I’ll see him just as a friend, just like before. I don’t know what to do anymore. Is it the right choice?
“Let’s do it now!” I order before I change my mind.
“Sho, I beg you.” Jun cups my face between his hands, and his pleading look breaks my heart.
I smile at him sadly as I feel a tear running down my cheek. I rest my hand on his warm cheek and caress it with my thumb. Even with the pain written all over his face he’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on Earth.
“I do it for us, Jun,” I start to explain in a whisper. A tear falls on my thumb, and I sweep it away gently. “Just because I won’t feel anything for you anymore doesn't mean that it’s over. I’ve fallen in love with you before, and the only reason that I'm accepting this deal is because I’m totally sure that no matter what, I’ll fall for you again.”
“What if-” Jun starts to say, but I don’t want to hear that kind of thing. I don’t want to doubt that we’re meant for each other.
“Believe me. Believe in us, Jun. If we have the chance to survive, I’m sure we’ll be together once again.” I gently press my lips against his once. “You’re the only one who can accept an idiot like me as a lover. Don’t even think you’ll get rid of me so easily.”
Jun laughs softly at my lame joke while some tears slide down his cheeks again. Then I bring my face closer and kiss him deeply. I cup his neck and he parts his lips willingly to deepen the kiss. It's sweet and slow, but full of love and hope, just like a farewell kiss should be.
I feel our tears on our lips, giving our last kiss a bitter taste. I hear him choke, but his arms tighten around my waist, bringing our bodies closer to each other. My tongue caresses every inch of his mouth, teeth, tongue, everything as if I I'm trying to make a memory of it although it’s useless because I know I’ll forget everything. Our breaths mix together; I feel the lack of oxygen, but I don’t want to let go of him, not yet. Eventually after a short moment we break the kiss, breathless. I press my forehead against his and take a deep breath. I want to feel his warm body against mine. I want to hear his heart beating for only me. Gods, I never thought it would be so difficult. Jun breaks the contact and kisses my forehead, whispering that he loves me.
Athena clears her throat, and I know it means that she has waited long enough. I take several steps back and stand in the middle of the garden. Then both goddesses come closer, one on each side of me.
Aphrodite looks at me sadly. “This will be painful, my dear.”
My focus goes to Jun right away. “Leave or you’ll feel the pain too.”
“I won’t leave you!”
“Jun.”
“I SAID THAT I’LL STAY!” he replies stubbornly, his hands turned to fists, his eyes never leaving mine. I can see the determination in those two beautiful orbs.
“One day you’ll understand, my son,” my mother says in a low voice.
I don’t look at her as I reply, “I don’t think so.”
Then a strange aura surrounds me; it’s warm from one side and cold on the other. During the entire process I keep eye contact with Jun. Suddenly the pain that Aphrodite talked about is slowly running through my veins. I can feel it; it comes from my heart. This is unbearable, it’s like my heart is going to explode. However the one crying from pain isn’t me but Jun. I see him fall to the ground, his hand clenched upon his chest. I call his name once, twice, and then he lifts his head to look at me. He doesn’t scream anymore, but I can see how much he grits his teeth.
My head feels dizzy. I try to keep my eyes open but everything is blurry. The only two things that I hear before I faint are Jun and my mother’s voices.
“Sho!”
“Forgive me.”
**
I wake up suddenly in my bed, totally covered in sweat and breathless. This is the first time I’ve had such a dream. I’ve already dreamt of our deaths before, but this time I felt everything. All the pain from my friends, their despair. This world isn’t a good thing; I want to go back to our own world so much right now.
“Satoshi?” I hear Masaki’s soft voice next to me. I face him and I try to smile, but the images of my dreams are still in my brain.
“What’s wrong, Satoshi?” he asks me, concerned as he sits up and wraps an arm around me.
“Did Sho accept his mother's deal?” I ask with a trembling voice. I clear my throat, but I can’t get rid of that strange feeling. This is the first time that I've dreamt as another person.
Masaki shakes his head once and runs his fingers into my damp hair. “You don’t remember?”
To be honest I don’t remember at all, but I’m glad that for once it’s not a premonition. I don’t talk about my dreams with the others; I don’t want to scare them. I’m the only one who knows how everything will end. I knew from the beginning that Ariadne was a traitor, but I also knew she would regret it and help us in the end. Unfortunately I also know that Echidna will win in the end, but I can’t tell them. It would change our destiny, and that can’t be good. If we’re destined to die, then nothing can change it, no matter what we do.
“So Jun and Sho are still together?” I ask, just to be sure of it.
“Yes,” Masaki says softly, kissing my cheek “When you told him he would recover his powers, he believed you and refused the deal with Athena. You fainted right after that. You scared me, you know?”
So that’s what happened? Why did I dream the opposite though? I’m torn from my thoughts as I feel Masaki’s hand resting on my neck. “Hey Satoshi,” he whispers while softly kissing my ear. “How do you know that Sho will get his powers back?”
“I simply know it.”
“Does that mean that you know if we’ll succeed against Echidna?” I can hear the uncertainty in his voice. He’s as scared as I am. Not knowing the truth is more frightening than knowing it, isn’t it? I shake my head once; I prefer to lie to him. I don’t want to see my friends fighting Echidna knowing they’ll die. Masaki kisses my lips gently. I like that fact that when he’s around me I can forget my problems; he’s like a breath of fresh air in this world where chaos and death rule.
“Something is bothering you, Satoshi, tell me what it is.”
I really wish I could tell him, but it’s better if he knows nothing. There’s no point having the two of us worrying. I caress his cheek tenderly and smile at him, telling him silently that I’m fine.
At least if my premonitions are correct, I’ll die before I have the time to see him die.
The next morning we’re all ready to leave the castle. Neither the king nor his family is here. I think they prefer to avoid us because of their attitude. I’ve heard that Theseus had been banned from the castle the day before, and King Minos made sure that the story about Theseus the coward will be known throughout Greece.
We ride on the horses King Minos gave us. According to him Echidna’s cave is in the mountain behind the castle, and we’ll reach it by the end of the day. The gloomy mood that surrounds our usually cheerful group is really unnerving. Sho and Jun aren’t very talkative. Having spoken with Sho before we left the castle, he’s really worried about his lack of powers. I understand him; I would feel the same if it was me. Life is a funny thing. We all hoped to be normal, but when we lose our powers we don’t know what to do anymore. In the end we’re demigods, and no matter how much we want to be normal we can’t be anything other than that. I did something wrong telling him that he would recover his power; I shouldn’t have told him that. What if I changed the future? What if we die earlier than what’s predicted? Maybe that’s why I had this dream. I’ve changed the present, and now I can’t know what will happen.
I watch Kazunari who’s ahead of me. My friend has been very quiet since the death of Ariadne. Maybe I should have told him not to fall for her. It hurts to see him so down and according to Jun, Kazu is really angry and in pain. Fortunately for Jun he seems to be controlling his powers a bit better; at least he can control his empathy, and little by little he can stop himself from reading our minds. I wonder, does he read mine? If he does, then why doesn’t he talk about it? Contrary to me, Jun thinks that it’s possible to change our destiny so I bet he would have asked me what I’ve seen in my dreams.
Or maybe he does. People are used to telling me that I’m hard to understand, that they don’t know what I'm thinking. If that’s the case, then for once I’m glad that it helps me.
We stop near a river to let our horses rest a bit. The poor animals don’t stop whining about being thirsty (according to Masaki). I climb off my horse and move closer to the river, taking some water in my hands and drinking it eagerly. On the opposite side of the river I see a man bend over the water. I stand up and look at him curiously. The man seems deeply absorbed by what he sees in the water, so much that he might fall in it. I’m going to call out to him, but Sho stops me quickly, his hand grabbing my forearm. As I look at him he rests a long finger against his lips.
“I think he’s Narcissus,” he says softly.
I think I’ve read something about him. Isn’t he the man who died because he fell in love with himself?
“How can you be sure it’s him?” I ask as I see the man standing up and walking away.
Sho shrugs, his gaze lost in the horizon. “I know it, that’s all.”
Does that mean he still has his powers? Athena had lied a few times before; maybe it was a trick again? But why would Aphrodite take part in it? I know I’ve seen Sho with his powers during our fight with Echidna in my dreams, but maybe he had them because he accepted the deal with the two Goddesses? Maybe he won’t have it when he’ll need it the most?
“Sho I-” I stop as I turn towards him and see that he’s totally frozen. Quickly I check around me and realize that not only Sho, but everything around me is frozen. I run towards my other friends, but they’re in the same state. What’s going on?
“I bet you didn’t see it coming, right?” a strange voice resonates through the air. I turn around and come face to face with my father.
“D-dad?” What is he doing here? He’s the cause of all this?
Morpheus rolls his eyes and sighs. “Satoshi, can I ask you a question?” he says with a gentle voice.
I nod once and the second after, I feel a pain on my forehead as he flicks his finger on it. “Are you the son of the Fates?”
Huh?
“Dreaming of the future doesn’t mean that you know it. Everything can change, Satoshi. Each action you do, each decision you make can change your destiny.”
So does that mean that we won’t die when we’ll face Echidna? Does that mean that Sho will really recover his powers?
“I really don’t understand you, Satoshi. You were the one who told Jun that he can change his destiny. Why don’t you follow your own advice?”
This is difficult. I lied to Jun because he doesn’t know the truth as I do. I want him to keep the faith; to believe that he can achieve anything as long as he wants to. I want the four of them living their lives as much as they can.
“You have the same rights, my son.” For the first time in my life, my father hugs me strongly. I have to admit that it’s a bit strange but so wonderful at the same time.
“What will happen next?” I ask as he breaks the embrace.
I feel his strong hand on the top of my head as he pets me fondly. “I can’t tell you. I don’t have the right to help you, remember?” But isn’t it what he’s doing right now?
“No. I just wanted to have a father and son’s talk, that’s all.” I swear I can see the smirk behind his beard.
Then Morpheus disappears in a flash of light, and I hear the voices of my friends mixed with the sounds of the nature.
My father is right. Those dreams are only dreams, and even if some of them are premonitions, it doesn’t mean that all of them are. I’ll just do what I expect of my friends: I’ll fight with hope.
I sit next to Masaki by the river, and I hug him strongly, inhaling his scent.
“W-wo! What, out of the blue?” I hear him laughing; he’s surprised that I'm showing some signs of affection. Usually he’s the one who makes the first move, but I want to change that. I’ve always tried to stay calm because I didn’t want one of us to feel the pain if the other dies, but now I want to live fully thinking that none of us will die and even if that’s the case, we’ll have great memories to cheer us. Thinking about that, I kiss him passionately; at first I feel Masaki tense against me, but quickly he gives in and wraps his arms around my neck, bringing our bodies closer. I can feel his smile against my lips before he parts his and I deepen the kiss. Our tongues swirl and dance together; I have the feeling that I'm discovering him for the first time. I can’t get enough of it. I like everything about him: his scent, his smile, his mere existence. We break the kiss, breathless, and I rest my forehead against his.
“Something happened?” he asks, licking his lips.
I shake my head no and close my eyes. In fact something did happen. I’ve made the decision to enjoy every single moment without thinking about a possible future. “I love you, Masaki.”
As I lean for another kiss, Masaki stops me by putting his hands on my chest. “Satoshi,” he whispers, his eyes expressing his surprise but also the seriousness of my confession. He shyly smiles at me, caressing my cheek tenderly before he gives me a chaste kiss. “I love you too,” he whispers against my lips.
“At least some of us have the opportunity to spend their time with their lover,” I hear Kazunari complain as he passes behind us.
I push Masaki gently to look at Kazunari, and I see that Sho and Jun are also in each other's arms.
“Kazunari…” Sho starts with an apologetic voice.
“Don’t.” Kazu lifts his hand and motions for Sho to be quiet without looking at him. “I don’t want to hear your apologies. I know that you’re feeling guilty and all, but I still think that you should have been the one who died instead.”
“Kazunari!” Jun shouts angrily, but Sho grabs his arms and shakes his head.
“Don’t get me wrong, Jun. I feel bad about thinking that, but I do and I won’t lie to you. I think it’s unfair that I didn’t have the time to forgive her, that I didn’t realize my feelings for her earlier. Screw that, I’ve been scared of loving her because right from the beginning I knew it was impossible. I’m so pathetic,” he chuckles, his head low.
“You can cry if you want, Kazu,” Masaki says gently.
Kazunari sniffs a few times and laughs softly. “I don’t cry, Masaki.” He brushes his nose once and takes a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
I silently watch Kazunari riding his horse. I think this is the first time I've seen him so sad. He’s always giving off the image of the guy who’s not moved by anything, who doesn’t care, but I know that Ariadne’s death has left a scar in his heart. This is the first time that Kazunari seems so bothered by a girl; he must really love her.
We ride on our horses again and follow the path ahead of us. The day passes slowly in front of our eyes; there's less vegetation, and instead more rocks and dust form the path leading to the mountain.
We arrive in front of a huge cave. The horses stop suddenly and despite everything I do to make it go further, my horse stubbornly refuses to move.
“He says that he doesn’t want to continue,” Masaki explains as he climbs off his horse. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t worry, we won’t force you to follow us.” He reassures his horse gently, petting his head.
Kazunari climbs off as well. “You think we’ve reached Echidna’s cave already?”
A strange sound resonates around us, something like a whisper of a crying child, frightening the horses; they run away, but before that Jun’s neighs and rears up, making Jun fall on his back. I look around me but see nothing; the air around us is eerie and abnormally quiet, no sounds at all, not even the birds’ cries are heard.
“I don’t like it,” Sho says, unsure as he helps Jun to stand up.
“Were you expecting a green meadow full of cute little rabbits and unicorns?” Kazu comments sarcastically.
“We can’t fight Echidna yet. I don’t have my powers back,” he explains, glancing at Jun.
“Kazu, stop!” Jun warns angrily.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“No, but you’re thinking too much.” Jun sighs and massages his temples slightly. “I’m working hard to not hear your thoughts, guys, but please help me a bit too.” He turns towards Kazunari. “And you, despite the fact that you’re my best friend and that I’m really sorry about Ariadne, can you please stop thinking about how different your life would have been if Sho had died instead of Ariadne?”
Masaki comes closer to Kazu and rests a hand on his shoulder. “Sho being dead won’t make her come back.”
Kazunari looks sadly at Sho, then his fingers curl around a dagger that hangs at his waist. In a swift motion he grabs it and throws it at Sho’s feet. “Without his powers he’s already dead.” And he enters the cavern without another word.
Masaki follows him quickly, calling after him. Jun rests a hand on Sho’s shoulder; the latter picks the dagger up from the ground and looks at it, thoughtful. I’m just about to comfort him when I hear Masaki’s scream coming from the cave. Without thinking I run into the cave; it’s dark inside and I have a hard time finding my way around, but Masaki’s scared cries help me to locate him. After a short moment the voice seems louder; I turn at a corner, trip on something, and land on Masaki who’s still screaming like crazy.
“Oh my gods! Oh my gods! Satoshi!” he yells in my ears as he holds me tightly, making me losing my breath.
“A-are you al-right?” I ask him while grabbing his hands.
He shakes his head vigorously and points at something behind me. I turn around and see a skull at our feet, then I gasp as I feel Masaki hiding his head against my back.
“I thought you were in danger,” I sigh, but I feel relieved that he’s safe.
“There’s a skull, Satoshi. A skull! I am in danger! We all are!” Masaki yells again with a disapproving tone.
Jun and Sho come after me; they had the brilliant idea to enter the cave with a torch. At least we’ll see where we put our feet. I may be not disturbed by human skulls, but I still think it’s gross if we walk on them. As the light from the torch illuminates the cave, I spot Kazunari sitting in a corner, his arms crossed upon his chest.
“Hey! You were just beside me and you left me alone?” Masaki reprimands him with teary eyes from his previous fear.
“I don’t want to become deaf, sorry.” I can sense that Kazu isn’t his usual self. He tries to joke, but the tone is different than usual.
We hear a strange noise coming from ahead, something that sounds like a heavy breath followed by a growl.
“I don’t like it,” Jun whispers, his fingers curling more tightly around the torch and pushing Sho behind him.
“Let’s go.” Kazu stands up in one jump and walks ahead of us.
“Satoshi, I don’t want to go,” Masaki says with a childish tone. He’s clearly afraid (after all, Masaki is scared easily, but when it comes to ghosts and dead people it's even worse for him).
I wrap an arm around his waist, and we walk just behind Jun and Sho. With each step the sounds seem nearer, and soon we find Kazunari waiting for us in front of a huge beast that looks like a lion but has giant wings and the head of a woman (a beautiful one, by the way) sleeping on a rock that’s two times bigger than the creature itself.
“Oh shit,” Sho gasps and puts his hand in front of his mouth. “This is the Sphinx.”
“You mean the creature that likes to ask riddles and devours the humans who can’t find the answer?” Jun asks out loud as he seems deep in thought.
“What?!” Masaki screams.
“Shh, Masaki, don’t wake her up,” I try to calm him down, but he’s already in his ‘I-am-going-to-die’ state.
“I don’t want to be eaten! I want to get out of here! Let’s go! I want to get out!”
The ground trembles suddenly; we just have the time to avoid a big rock falling on us. “Mere mortals,” the ghostly voice resonates into the cave, “who dares to disturb my rest?”
The creature sits up and opens its eyes slowly, bringing its face close to us. I can feel the hot breath against my face. One by one it looks at us carefully before moving back, his tail swinging from right to left lazily.
“The sons of the Gods. I was waiting for you,” she smiles evilly. Now I’m sure that the Sphinx isn’t friendly at all.
“You want to kill my mother, Echidna, don’t you? I won’t try to stop you; however, you will have to answer my riddle before going further.”
I lean closer to Sho and whisper, “tell me that you know the riddle and its answer.” At least for once those stupid books will be useful.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t read this part yet,” Sho bows slightly with an apologetic look.
Great. Judging by the numerous corpses and skulls around us, it means that the riddle will be hard.
“Okay, bring it on! I’m ready!” Kazunari says suddenly, clapping his hands.
The Sphinx smirks. “Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker is?"
“Okay, so it’s about animals. I can do it!” Masaki says resolutely, already picturing the animals he knows and what could fit the description. “Oh I think I know, it’s-”
Jun covers Masaki’s mouth with his hand and answers, “Man. Who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane in old age.”
We all stare at Jun with our eyes wide open though he seems very confident. The Sphinx grunts softly. “You gave the correct answer.”
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Thanks to Jun we're able to pass the Sphinx and continue our journey.
“You’re not the only one who likes to read stuff,” Jun smiles at Sho, who is a bit surprised by Jun’s quick answer.
As we’re about to walk ahead, the Sphinx calls us. “It’s not over yet. There’s one last riddle.”
“What?!” Kazunari exclaims.
“I’ve never read that there was a second riddle," Jun tells us, dumbfounded.
“Of course, you’re the first humans who answered the first one correctly. Here is the question.” The tail behind the Sphinx swirls quickly; I bet she’s enjoying it. “There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first.”
We all look at Jun expectantly, but unfortunately he shakes his head no. This time it’s really the end. I try to find the answer, but I can’t think of anything. Who can give birth to the one who gave birth to her first? If they’re sisters, it’s impossible. This riddle is impossible. There’s no answer.
As I’m deeply thinking I feel Masaki’s fingers curl around my wrist. I look at him and see he’s staring into space, a strange glow in his eyes.
“Masaki?” I call him softly; he blinks and smiles at me warmly.
“Day and night.”
We all look at the Sphinx and anticipate the answer. I can feel my heart beating like crazy in my chest.
The Sphinx closes her eyes and grunts, “You gave the correct answer.”
We shout happily and pat Masaki’s head and back warmly. How did he know the answer? Seeing his state a few seconds before, I bet it has a link with the fact that he’s the son of the Goddess of the moon.
Now it’s time for us to continue further into the cave. We look at the Sphinx, waiting for her to show us the way, but she doesn’t move at all. She simply looks at us, that disturbing smile still on her face. Then she lifts her right paw before slamming it on the ground.
The ground trembles, and we all fall into the hole that opens under our feet.
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]
***
Note : Hi everyone ! Sorry for the late, but with LJ being mean recently, I’ve read that some entries disappeared and I didn’t want to post it twice ^^”
So what do you think of this chapter? Please, Sakumoto’s fans don’t kill me, I know that some of you wanted some angst but if you’ve read my others stories you know that I don’t like angst ^^”” Also it's finally the time for Satoshi's part! ^___^
Anyway, we’re near the end! Yaaay!...or not?
I hope you enjoyed it!
Now I have a special request to my readers… I need your help (this isn’t fandom related though…) On September I’ll have a job interview for a famous amusement park in Paris (yeah you know…the mouse…who had the damn chance to sing and dance with our boys!)Anyway! You can think I’m ridiculous but even though I have a job already (well the renewal isn’t confirmed yet…) I really, really, REALLY want to have that job at the amusement park, we can say that it’s my little girl’s dream.
In my resumé I’ve written that I’ve learn Spanish and Italian but…it’s been more than 4 years that I haven’t spoken those languages. So I wonder if some of my readers are Italian or Spanish and would like to help me to remember all the vocabulary I’ve lost. If you want to help me (and if that the case: THANK YOU VERY MUCH I LOVE YOU!) just leave a comment below, in your native tongue. According to the rumors the questions during the job interview will be random like ‘what are your hobbies?’ (Yeah I’m happy! XD) and stuff like that.
Thank you and see you soon!