Athena's Saints
Eirini
ONE
The Beginning of a New Era
I. Camus
The night was quiet and the only sound to be heard was that of the insects enjoying themselves. The place looked overwhelming for the child’s innocent young heart and the sight of it was too much for him to bear. Too much.
He had reached Sanctuary following his master Nivoe. He had met him in France where the child had been born, the very night he had been grieving for his parents' death. He had been devastated and Nivoe’s invitation to follow him was something he could not refuse. He had been left alone. He had just been abandoned. And this feeling was a burden for his young heart.
He belonged to a wealthy French family, yet he did not know most of his relatives and he never cared about them at all. But that night, people claiming to be his parents’ family, therefore, his own, were all over the Funeral Home, yet they did not notice him at all, or at least it seemed so to him. His parents had just died, and these people cared only about their money and possible heir. They did not care about the boy. Just about “his” money. Old, young people, they were. All dressed up and full of crap in their hearts. They made him feel sick. The room was also filled with the smell of burning candles and white flowers. All of this, reminding him of his loss. Telling him that the happiness he had once had, no longer existed. Reminding him of how hypocritical the people around him were.
They were all looking at the child. Asking one another what had happened to his parents. Everybody looked at him suspiciously. ‘How could he have survived?’ some said; ‘His parents were so young and had such a promising future—’ ‘The baby died too —it was a little girl, poor child, he’s all alone.’
A strange man was there, in the same room with them, quiet, like waiting for something. He was looking at each person thoughtfully; how could they say such things, with that little man around to hear them. He knew the child knew all that. He knew it. He could feel the child’s fear, anger, hate towards everything that had happened. He could feel his pain, he could almost touch it, but this young one looked as if nothing had happened. Strange thing for a child, but given the circumstances, there wasn’t much the child could do. So, he kept looking at him, there was something about him, which prevented him for leaving.
He wanted to protect him.
So he stayed.
With each word they said, memories of happy times were reaching him. Hugs and kisses that faded away in the past. Tears fighting to flow out of his eyes. And nobody, not one single person, though the place was crowded, was really there. Then, Michel turned and realized that a man was staring at him. He could feel his respect to him and to the entire situation. He could sense something about him, yet he could not understand what it was, but suddenly, he realized that the only family he had, was this stranger standing some feet away from him. He felt him close. In a strange way, he did. So much, that he did not want to lose him from sight. Then, the stranger came closer and put his hand on Michel’s shoulder and the latter could not help it but feeling his soul relieved.
The two coffins in the middle of the room, this man and he, were a spot in the “beautiful”, yet wicked picture the boy’s family was.
“Your grief is grand, but your life is greater than that.”
“I lost them.”
“No, you did not. They are gone, because it had to be so. Don't pity yourself.”
It was so strange. So unexpected. Who was this man by his side? So familiar and magical at the same time. He was a tall, slender, young man, his hair dark and short, well built though his body was hidden under his cloak but anyone could tell without being mistaken. But his face...there was something about it, his eyes were clear, transparent and his traits were perfect. Simply perfect.
“Would you come with me?”
His question surprised Michel, yet he answered so confident in himself, so convinced, that there weren’t any doubts, and Nivoe agreed.
Nivoe’s look was so peaceful, that he could not say no. He knew that too.
Michel fell fond of him at once.
“Yes, I just need to...”
“I'm Nivoe, and you need nothing but a few clothes, that's all.”
The child listened to him and noticed that he did not care about anything else but him. His voice, his presence, were all he needed.
He nodded and realized he could not deny him a thing. In fact, he did not want to.
He loved him already.
The room lost importance. His parents were already dead and when he became conscious of this, the reality hit him hard. His mother and his unborn sister, laying by his father's side. Lost. Gone. A couple of weeks ago, he had had it all, now— There was nothing but sorrow there, so he held the stranger’s hand and left. He did not wait for them to be buried. He did not even look back.
When they left the place, they started to walk by the road and Michel spoke again, making Nivoe leave his thoughts behind.
“Where are we going?”
“Siberia, then Greece”
He did not reply at first, his young mind trying to collect all the facts surrounding his life. All he knew was that he needed to go away and try to forget.
“Why?”
“Because Athena wants you. Needs you”
“How can you say that? You just met me.”
“You’re right, but then, why are you coming with me?
“Will—you tell me about her—about Athena?”
“Of course I will. I’m Aquarius Saint Nivoe and I swore to protect my goddess; and so will you now that you’ve decided to come with me.”
“Aquarius? Like in the Zodiac?”
“Exactly like that.”
“How did you know that I’m—”
“Call it a hunch.”
He knelt to reach the boy’s height and the latter could see the other’s eyes again. So clean. So spellbinding.
“You won’t have this wealth you have now, you know?”
“All I had is already gone.”
He looked at him thoughtfully.
“You will have to kill one day, and very likely, you’ll die.”
“Tell me about that goddess of yours, teach me to love her, and I’ll happily die for her.”
Nivoe was amazed by the answer, but also pleased. Michel wanted to forget that he was once loved and that now, there was no one there for him.
Oblivion.
He needed it.
All this happened some months ago, Michel was only five, and now they have just returned from Siberia. Michel is standing in front of Sanctuary waiting for Nivoe to enter with him. He has told him everything about Athena already and he has learnt to love her, the same way he loved Nivoe the very first time he saw him at the Funeral Home. Michel’s grief is still alive in his heart, but his master relieved him just by looking at him. And the truth was, Nivoe did not know that Michel’s admiration towards him grew more and more everyday. How could he have told him they are meant to kill? Michel wondered from time to time. Nivoe was everything but a killer, and peace inundated him, as well as it inundated the place.
“Ready to go upstairs?” The boy turned and looked at him.
“Yes Master”
It was the first time he called him like that. Nivoe did not like it, so the other never did it. But rules were rules, especially in this place. They were at Sanctuary.
Upstairs they went.
Thousand of years of history where before Michel, and his eyes were astonished as if they were apart from his body; and he had to force himself to calm down and not fall in worship. It was amazing.
Soon, they reached the Eleventh Temple. The way through the tenth before was a blend of excitement, fear and admiration. Each of the Temples had an inundating, powerful and eccentric energy, which filled his heart and overjoyed it.
The Eleventh Temple was sacred to the mastery of the watery, cold ice, so its deco was very simple, yet impressive. When Michel entered, he saw a frieze of Ganymede pouring some wine in Zeus’ cup; he recognized it because Nivoe had told him about it.
‘Ganymede was a gorgeous young mortal man and Zeus fell in love with him, so one day he turned into an eagle and abducted him from earth, then to keep him by his side. Zeus named him the cup-bearer of the Gods, which made Hebe and Hera go mad, but they did not care, they were completely happy. Ganymede was Zeus’ lover and Zeus loved him until he died and turned him into the Aquarius Constellation, though it has been represented by a woman pouring water, it is Ganymede the origin of this House.’ Michel remembered.
He was caught by the image. Zeus had abducted him, however, Ganymede never complained, he wanted to be with him as well. He loved Zeus back, and he could see it in their eyes, right there in the frieze where Zeus was holding his cup, while a loving young man stared at him. Ganymede naked in front of him, their fingers almost touching. Zeus staring back with the same light in his eyes; loving eyes. They were in love, no doubt of it. And Michel knew it. His innocent eyes with the naivety of a five-year old mind saw that unspoken love through a painting. Zeus rewarded his love by immortalizing him, and because of that act of love; the Aquarius House existed.
Because of love.
“Don’t you want to get to know your new home, young one?”
Michel looked at him and nodded. They walked into the private part of the Temple and the impression was even more shocking than it had been at the mere entrance. The place was decorated in pale blue and white with lots of scenes from the mythic times on the walls. Ganymede and Zeus were portrayed everywhere. The ancient Gods and constellations inhabited the Temple. It was sober and special at the same time. But what shocked the child the most was the cold he could feel piercing into his bones. He was shivering. Then his arms around him.
Warmth.
“This is the last time I’ll ever do this to you Michel. You’ll live in the cold and you’ll learn to deal with it. The cold will become part of you and vice versa, you two will be one and the same.”
“So, you don’t feel any cold, Master? You’re so—warm—”
“I used to, I learnt to understand it, besides, I don’t fear it, and so will you.”
“And if I don’t?”
“‘Then, you’ll die. I won’t lie to you Michel, from this moment on, it is your life what is at risk, and it’s up to you whatever happens.
Your decisions.
Your choices.”
He nodded though he did not quite understand, but the warmth of his arms, his heart beating near his ear and a strange mixture of feelings, made him feel like he used to feel before his parents died. And so he fell asleep.
In his new home.
In his arms.
Ariadne, 2004