Stolen Moments

[Mnemosyne]

"Illios!" Mnemosyne called out to the little Pegasus that was her son. He was running around with his arms wide spread, pretending to be flying. In reality his pretty white wins weren't quite strong enough to carry him, so he had to content with spreading his arms and running. "Careful or you'll fall!" She warned, but Illios just ignored him.

Mnemosyne smiled and stretched out by the lake, letting a hand droop in the cool water. They really were rare moments spent with her children, for she was always busy. Right now Adelphie was sleeping in her crib and Briseis was off to Gods knew where, but at least her son could spend the afternoon with her. She smiled, he really did look like his father. Curls that were just a bit more golden than the sun God's and a smile with the dimples that she'd sworn she'd seen on Apollo, or at least her Apollo. The electric eyes, at least, were hers.

She really did miss Apollo, he was the one guy she'd never gotten over, though she'd had other men before. Nothing ever does compare to a God. She sighed in memory and banished it from her thoughts. "Ilios, come here!" She called and her energetic little boy came running. She rustles his curls and smiled. "What a handsome man you're gonna be when you grow up!" Ilios just grinned, his freckled face lighting up with a smile. "A heartbreaker that's for sure!" She laughed full of pride. Just like his father.

[Guest]

Anastasia was in need of a good swim, with the stress of being a mentor; welcoming new warriors, setting up new lessons, and organizing other things. She needed to feel the water of the lake. It was almost that day, the anniversary of the day she won the Tournament. The day when she murdered her love. Anastasia couldn't get the look on his face out of her head;

"Anastasia wins again!" said some voice outside of the arena. "Onto the next and final round! Anastasia vs. Spyridon."

Her head snapped up as she heard his name. No, no, no , NO, NO, NO! Not him. Anyone but him, she thought. They were the only two left. One of them was going to walk out of this arena alive. The Gods must be enjoying this two lovers having to kill the other to live. She watched the shock and disbelief on his face as he walked into the ring, facing her. They communicated with their eyes.

I don't want to hurt you much less kill you. His said.
Neither do I. Anastasia's said back.

She could tell by the clouds that the Gods were getting angry with them because they were staring at each other secretly communicating. Anastasia made a decision, by the look Spyridon was giving her she knew he had his own plan or he understood what was going to happen. "Spyridon. I love you." She said and then bent water down his throat drowning him. His eyes bore into her heart and chest, his eyes said, I love you too, Anastasia." Anastasia then collapsed by his side sobbing and crying. Mnemosyne had to come and escort her away from his body and away from the arena to the Temple.

She shuddered at the memory. Anastasia also felt like a burden to Mnemosyne that day, she had to drag her out of the arena. She stopped, there was Mnemosyne with her youngest son, a pegasus. Anastasia decided to leave her be, so she turned to leave. But being the klutz that she is Anastasia tripped on a fallen branch, making a huge thud noise; resulting in Mnemosyne realizing her presence.

((Oh wow did I right a lot....once I start I can't stop the creative juices form flowing. I'll try to cut it down next time...))

[Mnemosyne]

((No, don't cut down. Longer posts are good C: Question: How long's it been since Anastasia's tournament?))

Mnemosyne looked over and saw Anastasia, tripping over a branch, as per usual. She laughed. "Ilios, go say hello to Anastasia," she gave him a little push and he ran up to the mentor, almost crashing into her at the same time.

"Hi!" He greeted, eyes wide and smile plastered to his face. "Anastasee, I'm Ilos!"

"Ilios, his name is Ilios," Mnemosyne corrected, walking over laughing. "How are you doing Anastasia?" The question wasn't just a polite question, the dryad was honestly concerned about Anastasia.

Mnemosyne had never been a fan of the tournament, her own memories were haunting enough, and her opponents had mostly downed themselves. But Anastasia's tournament had to have been one of the bloodiest in history with the most murdered Warriors, and Anastasia had been a large factor in that. Mnemosyne had seen the broken form of the girl after she'd drowned the last boy, who, if Mneme wasn't mistaken, she'd had and involvement with.

One could always hope that a love got killed before one's self, but it was those matches that hurt a being where it rarely heals. That's why Mnemosyne had be been slightly reluctant to let Anastasia teach, fearing the wounds had been far from healed...

[Guest]

((75 years, so its pretty recent...sorta)

Anastasia laughed at the little pegasus. Ilios, what an adorable little boy, she wanted to hug him and cry at the same time because he would hopefully never be sponsored by a god to compete in the Tournament. "Hello Ilios." She said smiling at the little boy.

Anastasia turned her attention to Mnemosyne and answered her question. "I could be better Mnemosyne. I could be better."She said looking out at the water. The lake another painful memory to go with the Haven. For it was where Spyridon and she actually admitted feelings for each other in their third year. Anastasia felt the tears welling up in her eyes. But no, never was she going to cry in front of anyone ever again, Anastasia swore after she broke down in the arena. She didn't feel stronger, she thought that with the years to come she could cope with it but no she was wrong, Anastasia was weaker. The other mentors she was closer with could sense it too.

"How about yourself Mnemosyne? How are you doing?" Anastasia asked. For months after she fought for her life in the Tournament. Anastasia stayed with Mnemosyne, Mneme wanted to keep an eye on her she was so broken, she had learned a lot about the high priestess. It was almost as if she had died with Spyridon. She looked like a corpse, dark circles under her eyes and her hair was still short from cutting it.

[Mnemosyne]

"He's beyond Anastasia," Mnemosyne said soothingly. "There was nothing you could have done. If not you, then the Gods would have, his mentor wasn't one to be most forgiving." Mnemosyne had repeated this many times in the years, waiting for the pain to dull and the old Anastasia to resurface, at least somewhat. But Mnemosyne had definitely learned that Anastasia was a good person, a friend she loved dearly. And who was not without their faults?

"I... could be better as well. After all those years the Gods are still cross with my for my tournament, and it seems that old anger is starting to catch fire once more. I am especially afraid of Zeus and Ares." She sighed. The two Gods were definitely the two with the biggest pride. Plus, their Warriors had been amongst those who met their ends 'accidentally'. The suspected foul play rang deeply within the Gods. Just as it had settled for a few decades something was now refueling it, and she didn't know what.

"Also I'm worried about Briseis. There's something off about her, I think someone's been speaking to her about the tournament, lies of course. Glory and immortality. She won't tell me who, but I have my suspicions," Mnem said bitterly. There were only three Gods who usually sponsored Nephelae...

[Guest]

((also the guy with gun is scaring me...like your gonna jump out with a gun at any second...))

"Thank you Mnemosyne." Anastasia replied. "But it never gets better. Seventy-five years and the whole in my chest feels bigger." Anastasia stopped, she was doing it again being a burden. "I'm sorry, you have your own problems, you can't be worrying about mine."

"So they still suspect, you know who, helped you?" Anastasia asked. In the time after her tournament, they had become good friends, each knowing about the others problems. So Anastasia knew what she was talking about.

"Really? Why would she listen to said person, if she has you and all other mentors to tell her that the tournament is nothing like. Immortality yes, glory I'm not sure how many people who have won thinking its glory. I know I don't think of it as being glorious. Who do you think it is?" Anastasia asked/said/ranted to Mneme.

[Mnemosyne]

((Sorry, I'll change it pretty soon, it's just SO difficult to say goodbye to Bond-guy ))

"You know what?" Mnemosyne asked, gently smiling. "Maybe you should get out there, have some fun? With the Eisodos coming up, and Morph convincing me that it was really the best idea to have a dance party for all the ages." Mnemosyne sighed. "That crazy Satyr... But the point is that there is a hole in your heart that needs filling, and I'm certain that he wouldn't have wanted you to suffer on his behalf."

"I believe they always will. I don't know, he told me he hadn't, but everyone lies. And confessing it to me would have been like broadcasting the fact to the world," she sighed. "I don't know, all I know that he's gone, and he's been gone for a while, and someone's opening old wounds."

Another sigh. "It's all my fault. With the Athenaeum, and my shaky ground with the Olympians, I just haven't been able to be with my children a lot. Most of the time I'm busy, this is a rare occasion where Morpheus forced me to take a break." Mnemosyne smiled. "What would I do without that Satyr? Either way, I think Briseis is taking it hardest of all. She blames be for not being there with her, making her susceptible to other influences. And you know how young women can be."

"I'm... reluctant to say. It could be anyone, a Warrior trying to brag, a slave pushing their dreams into someone else, or maybe a higher power with their own agendas. I'm just worried, I don't want her to become like I've seen others become. Immortal, perhaps, but not whole."

[Guest]

Anastasia smiled at Mneme, " You're right, Spyridon wouldn't have wanted me to be like this half living creature that I've become. He was so free like a spirit, never dwelling on much. Thank you,I think I do need to get out there have some fun. Only Morph would request a dance party."

"Sometimes the Gods, get on my nerves." Anastasia said so boldly. The clouds above darkened. She bent her head in prayer repenting for insulting them, the clouds disappeared. Again, I'm sorry for what happened with you."

"Aw, Mnemosyne its not entirely your fault. Both parties have to surrender to understand each other. I'm sure eventually Briseis will come around. Us young women are difficult. She said with a laugh at the last part. "She'll come around eventually."

[Mnemosyne]

"Only Morph, he is definitely one of a kind," Mnemosyne smiled. "Who knows what could happen, anything could. Why should only Warriors have fun at a dance party?" Mneme was happy to see a little change in Anastasia, the hint of better days to come, faint as it may be.

"Gods are... difficult. They are immortal beings of pure power ruling over lives that seem so fleeting to them. The Gods have absolutely no understanding or compassion for the human life, or nymph for that matter, they see us as but ants beneath their feet." Mnemosyne thought of Apollo, the ever-shining sun. "They try sometimes, try to have regard for us and it is true that we do capture their attention from time to time, but their existence and ours is simply too different to match."

"It is my fault, Briseis is my daughter and I ought to look out for her and protect her from these things, but I'm not doing what I should. And if divine powers are truly at work, I have no idea what will happen."

[Guest]

"A dance party." She said wistfully. Fun, she'll try to have fun. Attempt to become the old Anastasia, the happy go lucky girl she used to be. "Is Morph going to be singing along with the Satyr orchestra? I would love to see his dance moves." Anastasia giggled at the last part.

"We are pawns in the game of the Gods. We are theirs to manipulate and play with throughout our lives." Anastasia told Mneme. She was being reckless today.

"Mneme, I wish I could help in someway." Ana said. "Divine power," she whispered.

[Mnemosyne]

Mnemosyne giggled too. "He claims to have quite a few of those! But really, is Morph ever predictable? The old satyr's as wild like the woods he came from, in his own enclosed and quiet little way."

"True, but are we any better? When we see an ant strolling along somewhere we don't want it, don't we squish it? Or when a wasp decides it wants to sting us, do we let it? Sure, every once in a while there's a butterfly that looks exquisitely pretty, and we might even cage it and keep it, but most of those inferior bugs we disregard until they catch our attention, be it good or bad."

Mnem sighed. "We can't help anything, divine power is not to be undermined. I wouldn't be a high priestess if I did not respect and acknowledge just that. It just stings so much more directed at you."

[Guest]

"Then I can't wait to see them!" Anastasia laughed again. "He is most definitely unpredictable, even after many years of knowing that satyr I still don't know what to expect!"

"We aren't any better, you're right. The world almost needs to change for it to be fair. We are in fact bugs in the lives of the Gods. We are only of significance to them if we prove ourselves to them."

"And you make a fine High Priestess at that. Then I guess we must wait and see what happens." Ana looked out to the water.

[Mnemosyne]

"Well he was a 'Dionyssus after all," Mnem laughed. "He doesn't always pick them for their ordinary was. But he's a wonderful teacher, tough he loves his mathematics a bit too much sometimes I fear."

"The world will never be fair, but that is how it is. And one must always remember that we aren't all bad, and neither are they," she smiled. "But we mustn't dwell on such dramatic topics, they tend to depress easily."

"Why thank you, if not I would have been blasted out of the air already!" she laughed again, noticing Ilios by the water. "Ilios! Be careful by the edge, your wings aren't fond of water!"

[Guest]

Anastasia giggled at that. "Yes, Morpheus is very passionate about his mathematics." She wished she was like Morph in some aspects, he didn't dwell on negative things and was always looking out for people.

"Yes, depressing topics that we dwell on do end up making the dwellers depressed." Ana replied. She though about what she just said. Did that even make sense? She asked herself. "So is everything ready for the Ceremony of Eisodos?"

Anastasia walked over to Ilios standing by the water. She knelt down in front of him, so that she could look at the little pegasus; with a swift fluid motion out of the water an orb of water floated above her hands. Ana held it in front of Ilios. His eyes widened in amazement, the childlike amazement that little kids get. The expression on the little boys face made her feel, something, that maternal love that she never got to feel for children of her own. Children of her own, something broke inside of her. She could still have children, she would love them, but she wanted a child she could have said was Spyridon's. The pain in her chest grew because she almost had that child, but she lost it just like she lost him.

[Sponsored content]