“Is something about that funny to you?” she asked rather genuinely. She had never seen a mortal man with such a trivial response to getting caught up in the whims of the gods. It was often fatal to man.
Pelias wiped a tear from his eye as he stood up, clapping a hand over his belly. “Aeëtes always said that no force on earth would get him to go to Colchis willingly.” He gave Hecate a slight bow. “It looks like it took a force from the Underworld, after all. Now, if you will excuse me, we’ve got a new heading, and there is no way that I am going to be handling all of this sober.”
He sauntered past them, disappearing below decks, presumably straight to the galley.
“He’s…something.” Hecate noted without any malice in her voice.
“He is.” Aeëtes grinned, leaning back on his elbows against the railing. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. He comes from a well-known merchant family, so he trained a little at the palace. Since then, he’s been hired by my parents.”
“To do what?” Hecate raised a brow.
“Essentially, make sure I get back on the boat every time I need to go to Colchis.”
“You really don’t want to go back, do you?” Hecate studied him, her head turning ever so slightly to one side. Aeëtes looked at her, feeling his heart tumble around in his chest as she met his gaze. He felt everything that had ever tied him to the mortal world begin to snap, bit by bit, as he realized that he would chase the moon itself for the chance to keep looking at Hecate.
“No, I don’t want to go back,” Aeëtes said quietly, the words hanging in the air between them before he stood up straighter and cracked his knuckles. “But what can you do?” His impervious smirk was back, grinning at Hecate like he had a secret.
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Has anyone ever told you that there are dogs more mature than you?”
Aeëtes’s smile only got wider. “That’s because you’re the Goddess of dogs, Hecate.”
“Well, they listen to me when I tell them to sit down and bark.”
“I would, too.” Aeëtes winked at her and stood straighter, pushing himself off the railing. As he passed Hecate, he leaned down until his lips barely brushed the shell of her ear. “I could be a very good boy.”
She turned around as her face flushed red, ready to throw him overboard, but he was already laughing, disappearing down into the galley after Pelias.
“Ridiculous man.” Hecate pressed a hand to her chest, trying to ignore the heat that had curled up at the base of her spine. She walked over to the edge of the deck, peering out over the moonlight on the water as the ship began to slowly change course for Aeaea.
? ? ?
Aeaea was not farfrom Crete. It was a small island, walkable from one side to the other in about a day, and hardly ever attracted any visitors. That was due in part to Circe.
There were very few people who could be mentioned in the same breath as Hecate when it came to magic, but Circe could stand her ground. She was more well-versed in potions, and on some levels, her affinity with animals was even stronger. She had once been Hecate’s greatest devotee, but since she was born immortal, she transitioned into a deity in her own right after years of study. There was a deep respect and a love between the two women that was shared through mutual pain as well as joy; each woman knew that there were parts of themselves that no one would quite ever understand like the other.
The night had passed rather uneventfully with Hecate staying on deck to try and keep her sea legs under her. Pelias and Aeëtes had disappeared to the galley, and judging by the amount of noise, Hecate rightfully assumed that meant getting drunk for the better portion of the night. As soon as it was nearing sunrise, the coast of Aeaea was finally coming into view.
Hecate peered over the railing as she looked at it, getting as close to a sense of homecoming as she could get outside of the Underworld. Aeaea was only ever visible to those who were allowed to visit—Hecate being one of them—and that visitor’s list was subject to Circe’s whims. As the glimmering sands came into view, her heart swelled. She hadn’t realized how many things had been weighing on her since leaving the Underworld, and she was desperate to get to talk to Circe alone…if only just to beg for her help. And she would likely have to beg.
“I’m surprised you never stepped down for a drink!” Pelias’s voice carried over the deck, and Hecate turned to face him. He was ruddy-cheeked and wild-haired, looking—but thankfully, not smelling—like he hadn’t bathed in weeks. He had warm, gray eyes that matched his graying hair. It was her first good look at Pelias, and he was obviously very warm-natured, with a million small things hanging off his person, from sea-faring instruments to small wine jars.
“I figured it was best to let you two catch up.” Hecate smiled gracefully, nodding in the direction of the galley. “I assume that Aeëtes is still…”
“Drunk off his ass?”
“Weighed down from last night’s engagements.” Hecate chuckled, unable to help herself around such a disarming personality.
“He’ll be up soon enough. I know he’s eager to speak with you before the sheep thing happens again.”
“Ah, the sheep thing.” Hecate raised her eyebrows and looked out over the horizon, seeing it begin to glow with the promise of Helios’s journey. “Did he tell you anything else about the night that Hera cursed him?”
“No. You know Aeëtes.”
“I’m rather afraid I don’t,” Hecate said quietly, her eyes flickering down to the floorboards. She desperately tried to hide the curiosity in her eyes.
“Ah.” If Pelias caught onto what Hecate wasn’t saying, he didn’t mention it. He merely clapped his hands together loudly, letting them come to rest on his waist. “He’s a good lad.”
“You say that as if you were older than him.”
