“I would trust him if I were you,” Circe said gently. “I can’t say that about most men.” Hecate froze before disentangling herself from Circe’s grasp.
“Men and their freedom, Circe.” Hecate shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Men love a lot of things,” Circe offered by way of explanation, waving her hand in the air as if she was brushing off Hecate’s concerns. The pair headed towards the door where the men were waiting outside. Hecate’s mind was spinning. She had watched how quickly Aeëtes had moved in order to save Circe. He had acted without any regard to his own safety; they didn’t know if weapons would work on those cursed animals. What if they didn’t?
Then he would have been dead in an instant…but Circe would have gotten away.Hecate’s thoughts were tumbling over themselves as she ran through all the possibilities.Either way, Circe would’ve lived. It was lucky what Aeëtes did, but he didn’t seem to mind those odds.
As if Circe seemed to sense Hecate’s mental anguish, she stepped forward and pulled Aeëtes and Pelias into conversation. Hecate watched on as Aeëtes and Circe said their goodbyes. Her heart felt like it was about to burst forth from her chest, something building inside of her, and she took a deep breath as she tried to keep her walls from crumbling.
“It’s not every day that I learn I have a sister.” Aeëtes laughed, hugging Circe farewell. Her face lit up, and she chuckled, rolling her eyes in a way that only a big sister could.
“It’s not every day that I meet my younger brother because he let Hera turn him into a sheep.”
“It was aram!”Aeëtes said exasperatedly, his head falling back in disbelief. Pelias snorted at that and gave Aeëtes a sharp elbow to the ribs, looking to Circe.
“He’s very concerned about the perception others have of him as you can see.”
“I’m sure he is,” Circe said knowingly, in such a way that Hecate knew what she was referencing and prayed that neither Pelias or Aeëtes understood. She took that as her signal to break up the small party and stepped toward them, tying her hair off in a braid as she approached.
“Off we go. We’ll want to make sure that we catch the tide back out to the ship.”
There were general noises of assent amongst the group and another round of embraces exchanged. Circe thanked Aeëtes once more for saving her life, and Hecate pretended not to hear it.
I wonder if I can set wards around my own feelings.Hecate distracted herself with the one thing that always got her attention—witchcraft—and began walking off towards the path to the sea. Pelias trailed behind her, and Circe watched until Hecate was out of earshot. As soon as she had stepped away, Circe pulled Aeëtes close to her.
“Be careful with Hecate, okay?” she whispered, looking genuinely worried. Aeëtes’s brow furrowed as he turned on impulse to look for Hecate.
“She’s fine,” Circe rolled her eyes, getting Aeëtes’s attention back. “Just…with her heart. Be careful with her heart.”
Aeëtes’s eyes got wide as he looked at Circe, understanding the gravity of what she was saying. He got the feeling that this was a rare admission coming from her, and he bowed his head, expression solemn.
“I will.”
Circe took a step back and appraised him before giving him one final nod before she turned and walked back to her house. Circe didn’t look back once as she stepped inside and shut the door. Hecate hadn’t put off their departure or wasted any time, either, knowing that quick exits were best for Circe. She didn’t take well to goodbyes, watching people walk away from her and Aeaea. It was different with Hecate, whom Circe knew loved her and would return, but the scars remained.
Aeëtes caught up to Pelias and Hecate in a few minutes, slowing his pace as they walked towards the shore. They were silent as they moved through the sparse trees, the ground under their feet slowly becoming sandier. As they climbed up to the top of the small hill that looked over the sea, they all breathed a slight sigh of relief to see the small rowboat waiting for them. Nothing would be past Hera at this point, so every step that they took without interference was a good one.
Pelias rolled his shoulders back as he took off down the hill first, stretching his arms out as he prepared to row them back to their ship. That ship, too, was luckily still sitting out in the deep water, waiting for them. Aeëtes took in a deep breath, taking in the feel of magic in the air.
“Do you feel this all the time?” He turned and asked Hecate, referring to the atmosphere around them. “Does everything feel this…alive?”
His eyes were full of wonderment, and it sent another sharp, stabbing pain into Hecate’s chest. She had never seen a man who was so attuned to magic, towomen’s magic,a man who was so welcoming of it. Hecate knew for a fact that it was this power in the air around them that made most men turn from the island, that made soldiers and heroes claim that the island was cursed. They could sense it from the air, that a woman lived here and practiced her magic here, unapologetically, and they called it cursed.
Not Aeëtes.
He looked like a child witnessing a rainbow or their first shooting star. There was a light to his eyes that was electric. He was smiling softly as he felt welcomed and encouraged by the power in the air around them.
Oh, Aeëtes.Hecate’s thoughts betrayed her stoicism.You don’t realize how radical you are, do you?She cleared her throat, hiding it with a cough, before she answered him.
“Yes,” she gave him a small smile in return, “I always feel connected to this magic.” Aeëtes’s expression was one of pure glee as he shook his head in happy disbelief.
“That must be wonderful.” His voice was full of awe as he looked out over the island again. Hecate hummed a noncommittal noise, picking up the folds of her himation as she began descending towards the rowboat.
“It’s…” she paused, ready to negate him, but found herself simply nodding. “Yes, it’s wonderful.”
She turned back to him with a smile, and Aeëtes winked at her, jogging down the hill and passing her to help Pelias haul the boat to the water. It was a small moment, but something had passed between them. Hecate had not admonished him or disputed him; rather, she surrendered to him in the smallest of ways. Aeëtes had gently pushed her to acknowledge the wonderment and the gift that was her magic; he had gotten her to agree with him. It was small, but the repercussions spread through Hecate like she was falling into warm water.
What am I going to do with you?Hecate shook her head as she followed down the hill, wondering what part of her Aeëtes was going to chip away at next. Pelias and Aeëtes had got the boat to the water, and as Hecate approached the shoreline, Aeëtes extended a hand to her. She didn’t hesitate in slipping her hand in his, his grip tightening ever so slightly as he helped guide her into the boat. As she stepped in, his other hand went around her waist, steadying her as the small vessel rocked back and forth.
