He had no interest in court politics or defensive tactics. Aeëtes, though he was forced to learn how to be proficient with a weapon, failed miserably at combat. He had no heart for it. Whenever he was put to the test, he would simply run his opponent ragged with simple defensive maneuvers, never once striking on the offensive.
Aeëtes had lost track of how old he was. He didn’t look any older than a man in his thirties, but he knew he was at least eighty years old by mortal standards. He had no particular gifts, no great strength, power, or healing abilities of any kind. He had no god form and could not breach Mt. Olympus.
Aeëtes was simply immortal, with a love for the water and a desire to spend all his countless days exploring every known corner of the world. His adoptive parents were growing tired of his antics and refusal to return home to Colchis. Aeëtes dug his heels further into the sand as he thought about his father’s parting words to him.
“Everyone dies, Aeëtes—even immortals. It’s time you seriously considered taking the throne. I don’t care how long I live. I won’t wait forever.”
It had become clear on his last visit home that his patience had run out. The king and queen now threatened to call on Helios if Aeëtes didn’t return home within a year to take the throne.
Now it was time to do what Helios had always done best… It was time to run away. The ability to run away from responsibility was a privilege almost exclusively limited to immortals and crown princes. Aeëtes was lucky enough to be both.
So there he sat, fresh off the boat from Colchis and nearly buried in the sand on the beaches of Heraklion. He had no idea where he was going to go next, and that didn’t bother him the slightest. There was an ache in him, a longing, to be a part of something bigger and grander than himself. Not as the king of a country, no, but something that belonged to the rest of the world. It was out there for him, Aeëtes knew it, waiting beyond the horizon and nestled somewhere where the sun met the water—where his mother and father stayed tangled in a permanent embrace. That was where Aeëtes was headed.
He stood up, not bothering to dust the sand off his chiton and slowly began the walk back to the center of the city. He was too far away from the palace to go back, and he didn’t want to spend the night cooped up in the trappings of royalty. It was too real, too symbolic of the entrapment that he faced. No, tonight, Aeëtes would sleep under the stars. He made his way through the streets, which had finally started to clear out as the sun began to set behind them. He was always more comfortable in the chaos, amidst wagons and stalls and the noise of the marketplace, even when it had quieted down for the evening. It brought him a sense of obscurity that he could never have when he was in the palace, in Colchis or Crete, where he was always theCrown Prince Aeëtes.
Even without the title, he could never completely blend in. He was a head taller than most men, with a wide chest and dark skin from a life mainly spent on boats. Aeëtes never bothered to shave, except to occasionally trim his beard when it got too unruly, and always walked around barefoot. He looked slightly wild when he stood next to mortal men like there was something undomesticated about him.
He loved his adoptive parents, and he cared deeply for those who had raised him, but nothing would keep him tethered—no force on earth could. Aeëtes shook his head clear of his melancholy as he approached a two-story stone house, just past the market.
“Pelias!” Aeëtes’s face lit up in a smile, clapping his hands together as he called out to his friend. Pelias was a merchant and a sailor, who had frequently crewed the boats that took Aeëtes home to Colchis. Once they had been headed into a storm, and Pelias responded by breaking out the wine and declaring that he would never die sober. Aeëtes had liked him instantly.
“YourHighness,”Pelias stepped out from the doorway, wiping his hands on a cloth and matching Aeëtes’s infectious grin. He knew how much Aeëtes hated it when he referred to him with royal titles.
“Knock it off.” Aeëtes rolled his eyes, walking up to Pelias and embracing him. “Or I’ll finally seal the deal with your sister.”
“Ha! You’ve never met my sister.”
“I don’t need to. I could win her over, and you know it.” Aeëtes winked playfully, stepping inside of the dwelling and immediately settling down at the kitchen table. It was only partially a lie.
Aeëtes was charming—and he knew it. While immortality may have been his only gift from the gods, genetic material from Helios and an oceanid wasn’t exactly common. Aeëtes ran a hand through thick, dark hair, parts of it bleached by the sun, and pulled out the cord that secured it. It fell to his shoulders in permanently salt-kissed waves, complemented by the wildness in his green eyes. As he leaned back and helped himself to a glass of wine on the table, Pelias shook his head in mock disbelief.
He was used to Aeëtes and his general familiarity everywhere he went and made no comment as he returned to the dinner that he had been preparing. Pelias, living the life of a sailor, had never married and lived alone, creating the perfect place for Aeëtes to retreat to.
“Are you staying the night then, I presume?” Pelias prepared a second plate and placed it rather unceremoniously in front of Aeëtes. He dug into the hot food and avoided his friend’s question for a few moments. Pelias didn’t push, knowing that Aeëtes was a free spirit. It was better to give him space. If he felt forced into anything, he’d resist, but once he decided that he wanted something, there was no stopping him.
After Aeëtes had sated his initial hunger, he leaned back once more, sighing deeply. He nodded slowly as his head tilted to look out the window.
“If you don’t mind.”
Pelias nearly startled, having forgotten his initial question in the silence. He nodded. “The usual place?”
Aeëtes stood, chewing on his lip. “Yeah, that would be best.”
“It’s easier than making up a space for you inside.” Pelias sounded nonchalant, almost uncaring, but Aeëtes knew that there was no one else that he trusted more. Aeëtes said nothing in response and slipped away, ducking out of the doorway and almost disappearing up the stone steps before Pelias called out to him.
“Aeëtes.” The crown prince poked his head back into the kitchen, and Pelias studied him. “What of the king of Colchis’s mandate?” A grin covered Aeëtes’s face, and Pelias’s heart sank like a stone. He had hoped to see that his friend would take this somewhat seriously, but it looked like he had hoped for too much.
“Oh, you know Father,” Aeëtes shrugged, turning on his heel and jogging up the steps before Pelias could continue the conversation. His response echoed down the stairs. “He would have to catch me first!”
Oh, Aeëtes,Pelias sighed.If you don’t find somewhere to land, the world will anchor you the first place it can.He went back to his tasks, as if it was perfectly normal to have the crown prince of Colchis crashing at his house.
As soon as Aeëtes stepped out onto the roof, he felt like he could breathe again. There was a thatched awning and several worn cushions underneath it, but most importantly, it was open to the sky and sea. Aeëtes stepped as close as he dared to the edge, taking in a deep breath and extending his arms out in a stretch. He smelled the salt on the night breeze and watched as the torches at the docks bobbed on the water. The moon was bright that night, casting light on the rippling sea that would make the sun envious.
Do you ever get jealous of the moon, Father?Aeëtes took a few steps back and settled down, getting comfortable under the stars.I think it would be perfectly natural if you did. I certainly wouldn’t judge you for it.Aeëtes found himself staring up at the constellations, barely visible with such a bright sky. This was where he was most at peace, not in a palace or on a gilded throne. The lines around his face softened as he felt the tension of the past few weeks fade away, the sounds of the ocean nearly lulling him to sleep.
Aeëtes blinked his eyes open a few more times, unable to look away from the full moon.Oh, Selene. If the sun gets too angry with me, you’ll speak to him…won’t you?
He was asleep before he knew if his prayers were answered.
