The awkward silence made Ari nervous for the next of couple hours. Arell had not turned away from the window until the caravan finally pulled into the forest away from the road and came to a stop. It was dark out now, the night sky full of twinkling stars. Ari could see the mountain ridgeline over the treetops behind them, indicating that they were now in Othan territory. Two small fires were made right away. A few guards were cooking some fish bought from the Atranian market over one fire and a pot of rice was simmering above the second. The rest of the guards went to work putting up tents, which proved to be a difficult task in the dim light. Arell left Ari in the carriage to help with the tents.
Ari took that time to check once more on the boy. There didn't seem to be anything wrong other than the head wound, so she tried to rouse him by gently patting his cheek. The child groaned softly and his eyes fluttered, then squeezed as he winced in pain. He brought his hand up to his head as he slowly opened his big, brown eyes and took in his surroundings. Suddenly, he was panic-stricken and hopped away from Ari.
"Wh-Who are you?!" he asked loudly.
Ari gave him her sweetest smile, lifting her veil now that it was dark out. "It's alright," she cooed. "My name is Ari. You're safe with me."
The boy eyed her cautiously, then relaxed just a tiny bit. She certainly didn't look anything like a bandit in her lavish clothing. "I am Odion," he told her nervously.
Ari nodded, trying to read the boy as best she could. "Odion, please be careful moving around so quickly. You're probably feeling light-headed and have a headache on top of the pain." Her hand floated above his head where the bump was hidden, not actually touching it since he was bruised so badly. "You should try to relax until you feel better."
"I feel fine," Odion lied. He tried to stand up and get out of the carriage, but swayed and fell to the seat as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Ari took hold of his arm to steady him. "Let me help you," she told him sternly.
Odion's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why do you want to help me?" he asked, bewildered.
Ari furrowed her own eyebrows right back at him. "Why wouldn't I?"
After a moment of Odion trying to process that question, Arell cleared his throat at the carriage entrance, startling the boy. Which was understandable. Most people would be frightened by a very tall, scary-looking man suddenly appearing behind them.
"You're up," Arell stated the obvious at a near-hyperventilating Odion before peering around to Ari. "Your tent is ready. Food should be ready soon as well." He glanced away from Ari awkwardly, then made his way back to the row of tents being put together.
Ari sighed, feeling every bit of that awkwardness herself, then smiled at Odion. "Let's go eat." She kept her hand on his arm while he staggered out of the carriage. She got out herself and helped him walk over to sit on a log next to one of the small fires. The night was quite chilly now that the sun wasn't out and the breeze still blew. Ari held her hands out closer to the fire, rubbing them for extra warmth and Odion followed suit. Vida brought plates of food for them and herself, plopping herself down next to Ari tiredly.
Grateful for the hot meal to warm her further, Ari took a bite of the fire-roasted fish with rice and chewed for about one second until she really tasted it. BLAND. Ari didn't like seafood very much to begin with but the taste could be masked. Except that this fish had nothing on it! It tasted WAY too fishy. Swallowing hard, she looked over to find the same sour face as hers on Vida, but the guard powered through the lack of flavor. When she glanced at Odion, she had to do a double-take. His plate was empty. Ari looked around the log to see if he might have dropped his food and he looked at her with an eyebrow raised. When she blinked back at him in confusion, he opened his mouth and pointed inside.
"I ate it," he stated bluntly. Ari blinked at him again in awe, then quickly deposited her almost-whole fish onto his plate. He looked up at her with adorable brown eyes sparkling in admiration before he wolfed that one down as well. Ari watched him, somewhat fascinated and somewhat disgusted, as she ate just her rice, trying desperately to get the fishy taste out of her mouth. Judging from the rags Odion was dressed in and the complete lack of meat on his bones, Ari didn't think the boy had a family to go back to. He was probably taken from the streets to be used as bait for the bandits.
After they were finished, Vida led them to one of the two large tents, surrounded by the row of smaller tents. Before Ari entered, she looked over at the other large tent to see the shadows of Arell and Ronan already inside. At the other fire, Milli and Jannah were eating and listening to the Othan guards boisterously chatting. Vida handed Ari a lantern, then took Odion to one of the smaller tents before returning to Ari's.
Inside was a small cot set up for Ari and heavy bedding on the ground for her guard. Vida had also brought in some of Ari's bags so they could change clothes in the morning. Mere minutes after Vida blew out their lantern, Ari was fast asleep.
~*~~~*~
Athena's golden hair flowed behind her as she strode determinedly into Hera's garden. The ground was the softest of grass and felt like walking on pillows. The greenhouse walls sparkled with some unknown source of light and the ceiling shown a most vividly colorful sunrise, never before seen by man. Rows upon rows of colorful plant life filled the garden with statuesque water fountains marking the ends of each row, filling the room with the soothing sound of flowing water. Athena stopped a few feet behind Hera, whose back was turned to her.
Hera bent down and smelled her flowers with a soft smile on her beautiful face, her long chestnut hair floating in waves around her. She wore a blue and white gown that resembled a perfect sky and clouds, and was adorned with a gaudy golden crown and jewelry to match. She was surrounded by the glow of a blue light that somehow still seemed warm. There was no mistaking the Queen of the Gods.
Hera spoke to Athena without looking up from her flowers. "To what do I owe this pleasure, dear daughter?"
Hera's voice was as sweet as a voice could possibly sound, but Athena knew that her visits to Hera were never a pleasure. She straightened herself behind her step mother and asked, "What, exactly, are your plans with my vessel? None of my previous ones have ever gotten married. I assumed that this was an unspoken agreement between us."
Hera stood up straight and turned around to face Athena, her hair and dress swirling slowly with the motion. "Well, this one is different," she answered nonchalantly, still smiling sweetly.
Athena narrowed her eyes, trying desperately to hold in her anger. "Why?" she asked slowly through her teeth.
Hera walked the garden, with Athena following behind her. "Her marriage was decided even before her birth. Just as it was decided that you would be connected to her."
"She doesn't need to be married to become a great woman. I can assure you that she is MORE than capable by herself. She's very strong," Athena informed her confidently.
Hera only nodded, stopping at a group of daffodils shooting proudly up out of the ground to gently caress the petals. "I'm fully aware of your vessel's capabilities." She glanced at Athena, her smile growing deeper. "Her mother was my vessel."
Athena couldn't hide her shock. "Then, why...?" Her question hung in the air.
Hera glided up to Athena and placed a daffodil in her step daughter's hair. "I think it's time for some change."