Chapter Twenty
I sit in the cafeteria, alone. It's much too early for anyone else to be here, so I know it's completely empty. I wanted to have the opportunity to get a first look at the new apprentices, besides I think I may have an early visitor. I also have a lot to think about. Apollo's whole family will be here today, including Sabrina's father. He never care much for me. Just then, the door creaks open and someone walks in, just as I anticipated. "I had a feeling you would be here."
"No more of your little mind games, huh Oriah?" I respond to him with my own derision, "Seth, what could we possibly have to talk about?" I stand, wanting to leave, but he walks around the table and meets me, eye to eye, "Your sons, for starters. We both know there's a lot more at stake here than our petty differences." For once, the old man is right. It's amazing what genetic science can do, Seth is over seventy but doesn't look a day older than myself.
I sit back down and demand an answer to a question, returning his grim stare, "And what happened with Brutalius? He must pay for his crimes, you know. I don't view what he did as petty." Seth's demeanor calms, "Neither do I Oriah, but I'm sure you know by now he's escaped." With that, Seth drops a red coin on the table. I reach out and slide it across the surface until it's at the edge, snatch it up and let it flip it over and over across my knuckles. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"
"Oriah, don't play your games with me! I've grown tired of your rhetoric over the years." I counter Seth's disdain with, yet again, more of my own, "And you know just as well as I do where he went and there's nothing we can do about it. It's just an unfortunate circumstance."
A few students start to trickle in now to get their morning meal. Seth calms his tone and steps to me, as not to cause a scene, "That's where you're wrong, Oriah. It's way more than some unfortunate circumstance. This will certainly lead to another war, more destruction and more bloodshed on both sides. You know that as well as I do." I watch him leave and I know he's right, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm wrong, there's still nothing we can do about it.
Soon after, Apollo walks in and looks around, like he's searching for someone. I motion for him to join me and he does. "Who are you looking for?" I ask and he replies with what I fear, "Seth, wasn't he just here?" I answer, "Yes, but he left." I anticipate Apollo to run after him but I'm surprised when he doesn't. He just takes a seat across from me, "I wanted to ask him about Grace." I try to dissuade him once more about that distraction, "You need to forget about her."
My words cause him jump up, but instead of running off, he just scowls at me, "You can't tell me who to care about!" Then he storms off, getting in line for breakfast with the other students. I ponder how I can ever resolve his anger towards me. I'm afraid the only answers I have will only bring more mistrust.
Eventually he comes back and sits down with his breakfast, continuing his questions, "So what did he want?" And I try to act nonchalant with my answer, "He just wanted to ask me the time of the ceremony." But I can tell Apollo doesn't buy it, "So he'll be here?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
I search for an explanation that will satisfy his curiosity and I am distracted by a voice over my shoulder, "Hey Apollo, everything alright?" I get a degree of hostility toward me from Apollo, as he answers his mother, "Yeah, we're good." I realize now, Apollo already knew the answer to his question and he just wanted to see if I would tell him the truth. Sadly, I'm pretty sure I just failed his test.
He ignores any acknowledgment and continues his talk with Sabrina, "I was wondering if I could stay with you tonight?" Sabrina walks around the table, "Of course you can, you know you're always welcome, we will be thrilled to have you." She smiles and he returns it by standing, hugging her. While she holds Apollo in her arms she looks over at me and her face explodes with surprise, "Your eyes! They're better, what happened?" Apollo interjects, "ARIES repaired them."
"Well that's wonderful! I'm glad to hear it." Then Sabrina's expression changes to something more astringent, "Oriah, I'm afraid we need to talk." I get up, and notice she nods to Apollo as he sits back down to finish his food. I follow her outside and anticipate another argument, but surprisingly, her tone is calm and right to the point.
"I think he wants to live with me"
"Okay, but you could have said that in front of him, you know."
Sabrina then walks closer to me and asks for something I didn't expect, my advice, "I need your help. I think Daddy wants to take Apollo to the Oculus tomorrow for training and I don't know what to tell him." I react without thinking. "To tell who, our son or your father?"
"Our son, of course!"
"Then that means you agree with your father? That he should go?"
Sabrina catches my tone and gets my meaning. She grabs my shoulders and looks directly in the eyes. "Whatever you think you're talking about Oriah, I agree with you. He needs to stay here."
"Then tell him, your father." I say and Sabrina quickly backs off, dropping her head in apparent shame, "Oriah, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just didn't know what else to do." I reach in to console her, " I know that." I wrap my arms around her and she lets me, causing my heart to swell. I haven't felt her embrace like this in years.
The door opens and Apollo walks out. Sabrina and I let go as he joins her by her side, "So am I going with you?" His words remind me how I failed his test of trust. It's difficult to accept the entire blame for all the secrets kept from him about his heritage, but still they seem to all fall directly on my shoulders, alone.
Sabrina replies to him with a stroke of her hand against his cheek, "Later Apollo, I promise. Right now you need to go with your father and prepare, you need to be ready." He tries to argue with her but she just kisses his cheek and whispers something in his ear. Then she grabs my hand for a brief moment before walking away, back towards town. "Well it looks like you two are warming up, one big happy family, right?" At first I take Apollo's words as sarcasm but then he laughs and I realize I don't have a clue where my son is coming from anymore.
As we walk around the Acropolis, I begin a conversation that is hopefully a start of a new, candid relationship with my son, "Apollo, I realize you are aware why Seth and the other members of the Corsair will be here tomorrow." Apollo maintains his silence as I continue, "You know the Corsair was once part of Alcazar and there are ties that reach across to both sides." Then he interrupts, ""Quit treating me like a child. I'm not ignorant!" I respond by getting straight to the point. "I know you're not. You know Seth is your grandfather, right?"
"Yeah, but why are you telling me this now?"
"He wants to take you back with him today, to stay at the Oculus, to train you how to fight."
Apollo then says something to me that makes me think that things just might work out between us after all, "Then what do you think I should do?" I answer instantly and with complete honesty," I think you should stay here."
We spend the rest of our walk in silence. I wish I could read his thoughts but his mental block remains intact. I finally ask Apollo what his intentions are but he still doesn't give me much of an answer. It's just enough to confuse me even further. "First, I need to go talk to someone. I promise I'll be back soon.”