“Leave them alone”, Cassandra hissed, ignoring Jim who seemed to be clueless about what was going on between Hector and Summer, and Charlie raised one of his currently very bushy eyebrows.
“Who, our two lovebirds over there?” Charlie said and Summer, who had heard him this time, turned a deeper shade of purple at his word.
“Shut up, Charlie”, Cassandra hissed. “It is none of your business.”
“What isn’t?” Jim piped up and Cassandra said that she was leaving now.
She smiled at Summer, thanking her for the pain medication, and then went on to leave. “Don’t stay out too late”, Charlie cried after her. “And no hanky-panky.”
“Hanky what?” Jim said with a mouth so full it was impossible to understand him and Cassandra took flight.
She heard Charlie’s dirty laugh and quickly breathed in a big gulp of cool night air before she made for the palace. When she arrived there, she was indeed already expected at the servants’ entrance and led to the training rooms via the back stairs. It was on the same floor as the living quarters of the demigods where she had last met with Alexander on the balcony in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Cassandra smelled food and thought she heard laughter. She found Ben already waiting at the door to the training rooms. He looked relaxed and smiled when he saw her.
“Glad you could make it”, he said and Cassandra only then felt how tense she was.
She shook herself and tried to smile back.
“You know you really don’t have to do this”, Cassandra said and Ben looked confused for a moment,.“I mean, train with me. I am sure you have better things to do, even if Alexander says you have to do it, you really don’t. At least not on my account.”
“You think I am doing it because Alexander told me to?” he said with a smile that was hard to read.
Without waiting for an answer, he went inside. Hesitatingly, Cassandra followed him. He busied himself with the light controls which gave Cassandra time to take in the new surroundings which were, as was to be expected, quite impressive. The room was spacious and had quite an array of training machines and weapons. There was a mirror on the opposite wall and several punching bags hanging from the ceiling and there were three life-sized dummies with straw sticking out in some parts.
Cassandra removed her shoes and tested the ground. The floor was covered with elastic mats and at first it felt a bit like walking on water. She tried some moves from the katas and found to her surprise that it was wonderfully easy to glide along the floor. She saw her reflection in the mirror and attempted some jumps. She almost did a double flip when she found that she could jump even higher than usual. She took aim and with three fast steps she was behind one of the dummies, running up the wall and then crashing down on it.
She grinned like a kid when it showed a small dent in the leather where she had hit it. Only then did she remember that Ben was there as well. He stood watching her and she could tell he was relaxed by the easy stance he had taken. He didn’t seem to be in a fighting mode. Yet.
“Glad you are having fun”, Ben said strolling over, amusement tinging his voice.
She wasn’t surprised when Ben attacked her without warning. Still, she wasn’t fast enough and once again got smashed into the wall by him.
“Damn it”, she groaned and he laughed. “You are just too…”
Before she could finish her sentence, he was on her trying to keep her on the ground. His grip was iron but Cassandra knew how to find a way out from fighting Hector who was much heavier than Ben. She made sure that he didn’t get on top of her again and kept diverting him just as she had learned from Hippolyta the past weeks.
“You are getting faster but you aren’t fast enough for me yet”, he said and Cassandra noted with satisfaction that he was panting heavily as well. Cassandra thought about throwing him to the ground but it remained a thought. Because with a move so fast she wasn’t even sure he had made it, he threw her so heavily on her back that all air was pushed out of her lungs.
“Don’t get cocky“, Ben panted and let himself fall on the floor beside her.
When she was finally able to breathe again, she sat up and had to fight the urge to kick Ben. He was grinning, apparently content with what he had done to her.
“One day I will be fast enough for you”, she said and he replied that that day was still far away.
“Who is getting cocky now?” Cassandra said and got up with his help.
When their hands touched, Cassandra felt an electric current run through her arm. He seemed to feel something as well because he let her hand go as soon as she was standing. But he didn’t move, so they were still standing very close. Again, there didn’t seem enough air in the room to breathe.
“How about I teach you something about stick fighting”, he said softly and Cassandra’s throat suddenly became very dry.
He took a deliberate step back and Cassandra felt like screaming. But she followed him and they turned to a selection of wooden sticks that had nothing in common with the rather crude ones they had used for training this afternoon. The sticks in here were beautifully made out of dark wood and with delicate engravings all over them.
Cassandra carefully took one and was surprised by how light it was. She swung it left and right and when she had a feeling for it, nodded to Ben that she was ready. He asked her to put on the protective armor and then he showed her the correct breathing and shouting technique while thrusting and striking. At first, Cassandra had trouble with the shouting, as she usually was a quiet fighter. But after a while she found that it helped the movements, that it somehow made them stronger.
She also liked that they were fighting barefoot in here. It gave her a connection to the ground and made the movements swifter, smoother. Ben showed her how to target specific parts of the body that were the most vulnerable and warned her to always guard her throat as fighters could get seriously hurt by a wrong thrust.
Like she didn’t know that already, Cassandra thought grimly, remembering how Bear had almost hurt her exactly there just this afternoon.
After a while, Cassandra felt that stick fighting was more like a dance, like a complicated sequence of movements and she wasn’t sure how much of it would help when it came to real combat. As if reading her thoughts, Ben told her to concentrate on the moment and that sometimes you had to go the long way to get from A to B. She wasn’t quite sure what he meant but she trusted him. He was patient and he took the time to explain everything in detail and Cassandra listened and followed his movements exactly. After three hours of training she felt that she had at least begun to understand the basics of stick fighting. She also knew that her arms would fall off if she had to lift them one more time.
“I think we are done for today”, Ben said, panting, just when she was about to ask for a break.
They put the wooden sticks back to where they belonged and Ben helped her get rid of the armor. Cassandra was bathed in sweat, feeling sticky and tired and incredibly thirsty.
“Next time we will do more on hand to hand combat”, he said and Cassandra saw the silvery band glowing on his wrist again.
She reached for it but when she touched him, he drew his hand back as if he had been slapped.
“I have to go now”, Ben said with a strained voice and Cassandra, feeling stupid, nodded and told him thanks.
He was almost at the door when he turned around again.
“You can take a shower over there”, he said, indicating towards a door at the side, and with that he was gone.
Cassandra felt empty and hurt. She hadn’t wanted to reach out to him, it had simply happened but his reaction had made it clear that he didn’t want to be touched by her. She had thought… Well never mind what she had thought. She had clearly been wrong about it.
Cassandra considered walking through the cold night air drenched in sweat and decided it was worth looking into Ben’s offer. She approached the door to the showers and upon entering knew she had made the right choice.
&nbs
p; Cassandra wondered what the demigods’ private bathrooms looked like when this one already came close to bathroom heaven but decided that she didn’t care. This was perfect. She undressed quickly and then went into one of the four showers in the bathroom. The shower head was as big as a wheel and there were steam jets at the sides and multi-colored lights were blinking in a slow, pleasant rhythm that instantly calmed her. The stalls were see-through from the waist up but as no one else was in there with her, she didn’t mind.
The warm water caressed her beaten body and she felt herself relax so much she almost started to cry. She put her arms against the wall and struck her head up and let the warm and soft water fall into her mouth. She was just about to reach for the soap bottle at her side when she heard someone cough politely behind her. She cursed herself for getting herself into such a vulnerable position and almost slipped when she searched for something to cover herself with. She ended up using her arms and turned around to find Alexander watching her with amused interest. For a split second she imagined him joining her under the shower. Then the reality of the situation hit her.
“Towels are on the shelf over there”, he said and Cassandra bit her lip when she realized she would have to pass him to reach them.
“Don’t even think about looking”, she said and made for the towels as quickly as possible. “Because Zeus’s son or not…”
“There are some bathrobes as well”, Alexander said in an even voice that barely hid his amusement. “And then maybe you could start explaining yourself. After all, you are in our personal bathroom.”
Cassandra rubbed herself dry but when she tried to put on her clothes again, she realized that they were just too damp and grudgingly took a bathrobe.
“I don’t care whether it is your personal bathroom or not”, she said and came very close to him. “You must have heard that someone is in here and you could at least have knocked.”
Alexander smiled his warm smile again.
“I did”, he said. “Several times. Apparently you didn’t hear me. And after all, I expected Ben to be in here.”
Cassandra let go of his wheelchair.
“He told me I could use the shower”, she said quietly and suddenly felt stupid.
“Don’t worry”, Alexander said, holding up his hand in apology. “I didn’t mean it that way. Of course you can take a shower in here. It’s just, I only have a bathtub in my room and these are the only showers I can use. With help, of course.”
The two dark-skinned men still stood at the door with a hesitant look on their faces. Obviously they didn’t know how to handle the situation. Alexander solved it for them.
“I won’t be needing you tonight”, he said towards the men. “Come back tomorrow morning.”
The two hesitated, then nodded. Alexander turned his turquoise eyes on her. His next words weren’t really a question, rather an order put with the phantom of a question mark.
“You look thirsty. Why don’t you come to my room and have something to drink.”
“I am not going into your room naked”, Cassandra said and Alexander threw his head back and laughed.
“You are really quite something”, he said with grim amusement. “What do you think I am going to do to you? And besides, I promise I won’t do anything to you that you don’t want to be done.”
“That is not funny”, Cassandra said but then had to smile in spite of herself. “I will be needing clothes.”
There was still much too much of a twinkle in his eyes for her taste.
“I am sure we can find something for you.”
With that he turned around and Cassandra, after weighing her options, picked up her clothes and followed him. The carpet in the hallway muffled her steps and she thought that it must be difficult for him to push the chair with just one arm. But he didn’t seem to want any help and Cassandra felt that she would insult him if she offered any.
They stopped in front of a huge wooden door that had the face of Zeus carved into it.
“Subtle”, Cassandra said.
“Yeah, we can be like that”, Alexander said and then wrinkled his nose. “I really like you but you are not going to take those clothes into my room with you. Put them into the laundry slot over there and they will be returned to you clean in the morning.”
She did as she was told and then saw him press a button at the side of the door. It swung open and together they entered a room that was just a little too much. It was huge, of course, with an impressive window front and a big fireplace and big sofas and cushions and big everything. To the right, there was another door that revealed the entrance to his bedroom with yet another fireplace and a huge, wooden four-poster bed hung with red brocade curtains. It smelled slightly of disinfectant and Cassandra saw an array of flasks and bottles that seemed to contain medication mostly.
The floor had the same plush carpeting as the floor outside but Alexander seemed to be used to it and navigated without trouble. There was an abundance of statues and pictures of Zeus and also of Hera and Cassandra felt like their eyes were following her everywhere.
“I like what you have done with the room”, Cassandra said and wondered where she should sit down.
Alexander laughed.
“Are you hungry?” he asked and then waved towards a big leather sofa in front of the fireplace that seemed a little less cluttered, as if Alexander had made some room for himself there. Before sitting down though, Cassandra stepped up to the book shelves that spread the whole of one wall and gingerly touched the backs of the books.
“They are beautiful”, she murmured and took her time to read some of the book titles. Most were in Ancient Greek or Latin, some of them more modern. With a sigh Cassandra sat down in one of the armchairs, careful not to let her bathrobe slip.
“I like to spend my time reading”, Alexander said quietly and then offered her some refreshments again.
Before she knew it, Cassandra had tucked in her feet and started eating some fruit and bread that were sitting on a little table like they had been waiting for her. Or maybe Alexander simply had a constant supply of food and drink in his room, something Cassandra thought was more likely than him expecting company at that time of day.
After drinking a glass of cold water, Cassandra felt strangely refreshed and soon enough, she found herself not only eating but also talking with enthusiasm. She told Alexander how Bear had destroyed her that afternoon and how Ben had shown her how to fight properly with the sticks. She also mentioned how she had managed to damage the dummy which made him laugh. After a while though she seemed to have run out of things to tell him and they were silent for a moment.
“I wish I could still fight with you all”, Alexander said softly.
Cassandra saw the longing in his eyes, the regret, the pain and wondered what kind of fighter he had been once. Probably not much worse than Ben, maybe even better.
“What happened to you?” Cassandra asked and immediately regretted it when she saw how painful the memory was to him. But he recovered quickly and once he started talking, he didn’t seem to want to stop.
“I remember every detail of that night”, Alexander started and suddenly he seemed to be in a different place, in a different time. “My father had decided to throw a big feast in honor of Achilles and of course, Arissa and I weren’t invited.”
When he saw Cassandra’s frown, he smiled an infinitely sad smile.
“You know that Achilles is the representative of the gods on earth, right?”
Cassandra nodded. Achilles was the emperor of the Western world. As far as she knew Achilles, if not exactly immortal, was at least invulnerable and had with the help of magic managed to stay alive for several thousand years now.
Cassandra had only ever seen pictures of him and thought that the tall, thin, bloodless man with eyes of fire had very little to do with the depictions of the warrior Achilles whose only weak spot had been his heel. He had been Zeus’s representative on earth since after the Trojan war and no one had replaced
him since then. There were rumors that even the highest of the gods were afraid of him, of what he had become, but of course those were only rumors.
“My mother is not Hera”, Alexander continued and somehow Cassandra was not surprised. Zeus wasn’t exactly famous for being faithful to his wife. “My mother’s name is Thetis.”
It took a moment for Cassandra to process the thought.
“So you and Achilles are what, half-brothers?” Cassandra said after a moment’s hesitation, trying to figure out what that meant.
“We have the same mother, but not the same father”, he said and seemed to wait for Cassandra to say something but she remained silent, processing the implications of what he had just said. “We are not exactly on friendly terms. And how could we with this kind of background history? By the look on your face I gather that you know what I am talking about?”
Cassandra nodded.
There was a famous prophecy that said that Thetis would give birth to a child greater than its father. Zeus, who had been very much in love with Thetis, had given Thetis to a human man then because he had been afraid to father someone that would threaten to overthrow him. Instead, Achilles had been born and to protect him, Thetis had dipped him into the River Styx. That had made him invulnerable except for the spot on his heel where she had been holding him.
No one had been able to get to Achilles since. He had made sure that this spot had become invulnerable, too, and it was rumored that he would live forever and that there was no one to stop him, not even the gods.
Cassandra wondered whether this was the reason why Zeus, after all this time, had decided to father a child with Thetis despite the prophecy that there would be a child greater than him springing from this union. Cassandra looked at Alexander and felt his power and wondered what this would mean for Arissa. After all, she was Zeus’s daughter with Thetis too.
“I am five minutes older than my sister”, Alexander said as if reading her thoughts. “I have no idea if we will ever be greater than my father. I can’t imagine how. Not like this anyway.”
The Unclaimed (University of the Gods Trilogy Book 1) Page 10
