My feet ache; head churning, and a dull pain in my rear. My face is barely recognizable at this state, tears streaming down it. Is there any way to make this stop? This cruel punishment isn't something I find myself deserving of. What did I do? Did I say something wrong? Oh wait, yeah I think I did.
A dark laughter could be heard throughout the ship. Many heads turned toward the sound as their work is forgotten for a few moments before they went back, acting as if nothing had happened.
About A Year Before Hand, Leaving Circe's Island
"Are we all ready to board?" A calm strong voice asked his crew.
"Aye sir!"
The whole pack padded onto the great ship and started to arrange their personal items. The water is glittering with the rising sun, heads lifting to watch the canvas of colors across the sky. Every so often you'd see a stray crewman gaping at the view before his mate bumps into him and smiles at the knowing face. They were all excited for the journey and every man was willing to leave everything for the opportunity. As you looked over the side of the ship you could see Circe waving and crying as they left. It was a very emotional time for Odysseus and mixed feelings were also had.
A hand pats me hard on the back unexpectedly and I fall forward onto the wooden planks. The man chuckles as I groan and attempt to sit and look at who it is. My eyes blink at the bright sun flowing around his face. After a few moments I gape at the sight. The sun glowed across his tanned features. He is very good looking and I couldn't seem to find any words.
Thankfully he spoke up, "You ok? I don't know my own strength sometimes…even thought that's very cliché of me to say."
He laughs at himself and offers a hand to help me stand. I take it, still shocked. Who is this man that seems so friendly?
"Um…I'm sorry but what is your name? My name is Kit," I ask nervously.
"Oh I don't recall us being formally acquainted. My name is Odysseus. Very pleased to meet you." He bows low and majestically. His golden brown hair shines in the bright light and I feel a need to touch it coming over me. I shake my head to clear my mind and quickly bow in response. God I'm such a spazz.
"Well aren't we being all polite over here," Tycho, a friend of mine, said as he heads over to join us. He's the one person that I can absolutely trust. He has soft green eyes that make you want to tell him everything about yourself. His skin is milky smooth though he's out in the sun most of his days. His passion is a bow and arrow and he has skill with it also. There's just this air about him that no one can deny.
I blush as I realize what he's said. Looking down I hear Odysseus speak, "What may your name be?"
"I'm Tycho if that's what you're asking."
Tycho has never exactly understood common politeness and usually I end up apologizing for him. Right before I start my normal intervening Odysseus speaks up with a low laugh and soon he's outright in hysterics. My eyes go wide as the whole scene unfolds. Other crewmembers start to stare and I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable in the situation.
Odysseus begins to compose himself, " My name is Odysseus. It's very nice to meet you." This time he didn't bend down to bow, as the situation didn't allow so.
Tycho's eyes go wide, "Do you mean that you are the captain of this ship, our soon to be leader? The one who brought us all together for this magnificent journey?"
This current information sinks in and I soon lose all feeling in my legs. I head over to a chair and bend over with my head in my hands. I just made a complete fool of myself in front of the captain. How will I ever fix this? A hand pats my shoulder and I look up to see Odysseus smiling at me, "Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong. Actually I was wondering if you'd be interested in being my personal assistant. That is if you want to at least. This isn't an obligation or anything. Just your own choice."
I stutter, "W-why?"
Tycho glares at me, "Just give the man an answer!"
"I-I y-yes I'd l-love to."
"That's good to hear, Kit. Just come to my personal quarters after you've settled in. I'll give you your instructions then," A bright smile spread across Odysseus face.
2 Months Later
Everything that I was expecting out of this trip has now changed. I have new goals and with now being at the right hand of the captain I'm hoping to be of great help. I've never wished for glory or fame, as those things have never appealed to me. Just being of some use is good enough for me.
We land on an island unpredictably as we are about to change pace. The dense fog clouded our view for quite a long time before we realized that we had landed. The ramp was lowered onto the sandy beach and a small group of men go to explore the island while the rest of us prepare to camp on the shore.
"It's such a thick forest. I'm sure that there will be plenty of meat around," Odysseus informed the rest of the crew as he wiped his brow with a stray cloth.
"Would you like me to gather a group to hunt our dinner for tonight?" I try to sound official per usual but something about this place isn't settling well with me.
Odysseus looks down at me for a few seconds before replying, "Yes, that will be fine."
I do what I suggested and find a group of men lazing around a completed tent. I send them out into the now black woodland, watching as their outlines slowly disappear. I feel as if I just sent them to their death, a guilty slime coating my stomach. I move to sturdy myself against a stack of boxes that haven't been unpacked yet. As I attempt to calm my stomach I listen for the bright sounds of the forest but find that only the echoes of our men can be heard. Something isn't right. A dense, healthy wood should be filled with the vast noises of animals.
That Night
"Lights out boys!" Odysseus and I go around to make sure everyone is set for a good nights rest.
"Shut up! I was half asleep, thank you!" Tadd, another crewmember, yells at us harshly. He's not exactly the nicest guy when he's tired. Not to say that he's a bad guy but he does know how to speak his mind.
"Tadd, you idiot, don't talk to Kit and the captain like that! You'll get yourself in trouble with that mouth one of these days!" I smile as I hear Panos defending me. I know that he's never liked the captain and has always had a soft spot for me. He's kind of like my protector when I'm not with Odysseus.
Odysseus glares at the noisy tents and stomps off to his own tent, closing the flap frustratingly. I notice the anger in our captain and hurry off to my own tent and tent mate, Tycho. I know that letting Odysseus calm down by himself is best. He's never taken insults well and with him being exhausted doesn't help.
Tycho stares at me when I hop into the tent quickly, almost slipping because I forgot to take my wet shoes off, "You ok man?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Though I wouldn't talk to Odysseus right now."
"Another one of his hissy fits I assume?"
"You could diffidently say that," I climbed under my covers and laid my head against my pillow. I never thought I'd be happy to sleep in this tent.
I wake up shaking, a shear sweat covering my whole body. A loud thumping sound could be heard from the direction of the forest. My hands grip at my covers as I imagine all the things the sound could be from. Reluctantly I stand up and step out of my tent, slipping my shoes back on. Once I'm out in the open air I find that nothing has changed but a coating of dew on the grass.
I go toward the forest. The faint sound resonates throughout the darkness but no one else seems to notice. I slink past the last bit of grass and my feet thump on the dry dirt below the trees. All the surrounding grass has been ripped out and there's nothing left but a few roots and dirt. A moan echoes to my ears from deep within the dark forest. My feet take me in the direction of said echo and a great black shadow loom s above my head. My eyes go wide and I take a step back. I didn't bring any weapons, not that I could use on anyways. I wasn't trained for it. The creature moves forward and I automatically scream for Odysseus.
Odysseus jumps at my ruckus and runs over to help me, sword in hand. Right before he reaches me he trips over a stray tree root and falls flat of his face. My previous face of distress was replaced with laughter as I find that Odysseus is still in his pajamas, yellow with little blue flowers on them. The giant creature flew back a few meters at my commotion over my captain. I turned swiftly to see what had caused it when I realized it was because of my laughter. It was because of my lack of worry. Before I could voice my discovery Odysseus ran over and started to slash at the creature wildly. A smirk played across my face and I continued to giggle loudly. The giant shrinked down and took the form of a small house cat. I ran to make sure Odysseus didn't harm it. It was obvious that the cat was taken over by an evil spirit.
"Stop, stop! It's just a cat, stop!" I grabbed his arm and Odysseus stopped and blinked at me.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I think I just made the demo-." I was interrupted.
"I killed it. I saved you," Odysseus is now bending low and panting.
"No, I think I-." Again I was stopped.
"Everything's fine. I'll go tell the crew what happened. You just go back and lay down. I'd think you'd be upset." Odysseus runs off back to the campsite, leaving the small cat and me.
I reach down to pick up the cat, "You know what really happened. You know that he really didn't save me."
Back At Camp
"…And I bravely saved him!" The strong voice I'd learned to trust rang out.
I walk up; cat in hand, to Odysseus and the crew, "I don't think that's what happened sir. The creature moved back when I started to laugh at you. I think that was its weakness. It consumes dark energy so when I emitted light energy it shrunk back and then disappeared altogether."
The whole crew stared at me and then started laughing at me heartedly. Odysseus was going along with it though he knew it was the truth. Tycho lead me back to our tent.
"Don't worry about them. How can you expect them to believe you? That doesn't exactly seem very realistic," Tycho stared at me intently, like he expected me to do a trick or something. His eyes were judgmental and I didn't feel like trying to explain myself. He wouldn't understand anyways. How can anyone believe that Kit, the smart weakling, triumphed over Odysseus, the brave, strong one, in a battle against an evil spirit? I was at a disadvantage but glory didn't matter so I let Odysseus go with the fame of the situation for the moment.
I fell asleep around midnight but before I had done so I whispered one last thing, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
6 Months Later
The winter was cold and we all were just trying to stay alive. We've stayed on this island for over 5 months and out supplies are lacking. My earlier status is now ignored as we all do the same chores. Odysseus has pushed me down in other stations and now he has a new assistant named Erebus. I'd never liked him and for some reason I feel as if that's why Odysseus chose him. Odysseus has been quite unpleasant to me since the incident with the cat and evil spirit. I've kept the cat and he's one of my only companions now. My crewmates know not to mingle with someone who isn't liked by the captain. My only human friend is Tycho. He's stayed with me and tried to help all he can. I really appreciate him.
"Alright everyone. We'll be setting off to sea again by the end of this month so make sure everything is prepared for our journey." Odysseus heads toward the ship to make sure everything is working properly.
The End Of The Month
We have everything packed and the ship is working wonderfully. The only thing left to do is assign the crew their individual jobs. Sense we've been on shore for such a long time everyone might have different specialties.
Odysseus yells out to the crew, "Everyone line up and I'll give out the assignments!"
Everyone does as told and I follow in suit. Odysseus goes through most of the line before he comes to me. He looks at me for a while before he titles me, "You are to be on the cleaning crew."
I look down at my feet and glare at the ground. I should have known that he'd give me such a crappy job. I look up once I reach the ship and a determined look spread across my face. I will excel at my job no matter what it is. That is my duty as a member of this crew.
3 Months After Being At Sea
"What have you done? I told you to clean this room and all you've done is mess it up! You should be demoted for this! Wait. I can do that. I will do that! You are now assigned to the holding cells at the bottom of the ship. Prepare for a nice welcome." Odysseus cackles at his achievement and heads back to the deck of the ship.
We've gained many prisoners since our sailing began for the second time. Many ships were destroyed, many lives taken. The few that lived were kept in the cells far below the deck where I am now assigned. This is the worst job you can have on a ship. The smell is ripe, the floors rotted and slick, and the company rude. It's not exactly the most welcoming place to be.
I set down my mop and bucket and attempt to clean off the molded floorboards. It was a failed attempt. I soon gave up and settled myself in a near by chair. The door in front of it blocked off the prisoners from this area. I was smart enough not to open it until I have no choice. The inevitable trip was something I wasn't looking forward to. I could hear rude laughter from behind the door and I shut my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. This wasn't a day that I wanted to stay in for too long.
The Next Morning
I knew the time was approaching when I'd have to feed our "guests." I padded up the stairs and got a grouping of trays from the kitchen. I'd bring down the food afterwards. The door creaked when I opened it, slinking in trying not to be noticed too soon. I placed the trays to the side and went back as quietly as possible to the door. I reached out for the handle and a loud thud vibrated through the room. I stepped back and passed the many cells until I found one with a dark heap of what I thought was a man. I took a step forward and he suddenly reached out and pulled my head harshly against the bars. Blood streamed down my face and onto the floor.
He leaned his mouth over to my ear as he whispered to me, "You'll need to be taught straight. You have no manners around here. I suggest you straighten up."
The deep, scratchy voice made me gulp as his harsh words echoed in my head. I knew I was in trouble.
The man pulled my face away from the bars and pushed me roughly against the cell across from him. A hand weaved out to wrap around my waist. I struggled against the grip but the arm was too strong. A tongue licked my cheek coarsely and I shivered slightly. I wasn't used to this kind of hands on treatment. My crewmembers just ignored me. They never tried to physically harm my body. The thick arm threw me to the neighboring cell and this time I faced the man standing with both of his arms wrapped around me. He breathed a filthy smell into my face and I coughed pathetically before I was once again thrown but this time to the ground onto a pile of rusted nails. The sharp pain made me shriek and my company just laughed at my pain. I was officially in hell.
My feet ache; head churning, and a dull pain in my rear. My face is barely recognizable at this state, tears streaming down it. Is there any way to make this stop? This cruel punishment isn't something I find myself deserving of. What did I do? Did I say something wrong? Oh wait, yeah I think I did.
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