Contents
Chapter 36: Sleeping Arrangements
Overview
After Zeus’s lethal display, a subdued symposium pushes Alexis, Kharon, and Augustus into fragile intimacy as they share a bed and find brief peace. The next day Hermos brutally defeats four Gorgons while Agatha shows signs of torture over Medusa. On Day 8, Patro and Poppae slay two Nemean jaguars, setting the stage for Achilles’s imminent, un-muzzled turn as Zeus conspicuously appears without his scepter.
Summary
In the muted symposium after Zeus’s lightning display, Alexis joins Kharon, Augustus, Drex, Achilles, and Patro. Kharon and Augustus try to learn Alexis’s tastes, revealing their growing tenderness—Kharon fixates on Alexis’s golden curls, and Augustus reverently praises her scarred eye. Hermos arrives drunk and traumatized by Agatha’s interrogation, crushing the moment.
Escorted back to their room, Alexis, Kharon, and Augustus confront the single bed. They agree to only sleep, but intimacy deepens as they cuddle with Poco nestled between them. Kharon vows to keep watch, and for the first time Alexis sleeps without nightmares.
On SGC Day 7, guards rouse them. Despite Kharon’s rare, endearing sleep, they are led to the arena. Hermos enters with a massive spear and, amid boos, faces four male Gorgons. In a swift, brutal clash he skewers all four, winning to mixed reactions. Agatha, sporting fresh bruises and black eyes from Olympian interrogation about Medusa, stands and claps, confirming her torture. Alexis dissociates under the weight of it.
That night, the trio’s trust consolidates in sleep: Kharon wraps Alexis protectively, Augustus holds them both, and Poco perches on Alexis, all of them briefly content.
On SGC Day 8, Zeus appears without his scepter. Anxiety rises—Fluffy Jr. lies unwell back in the room. Patro, with Poppae, confronts two oversized Nemean jaguars. In an aerial, bloody exchange, Patro and Poppae dispatch both beasts. The stadium erupts; Patro salutes Achilles. Drex warns that Achilles goes next and his muzzle comes off, sharpening the looming stakes.
Who Appears
- AlexisPOV; navigates fear and captivity, bonds intimately yet chastely with Kharon and Augustus; witnesses arena carnage.
- KharonProtective husband; feeds Alexis, shares bed, promises safety; is caught sleeping; later watches arena with her.
- AugustusGentle husband; admires Alexis’s injured eye; asks to cuddle; reassures her at arena; notes Zeus’s missing scepter.
- HermosTraumatized after Agatha’s ordeal; then spears four male Gorgons in the arena, winning decisively.
- AgathaAppears with severe interrogation bruises over Medusa; applauds Hermos, highlighting her suffering and their strain.
- AchillesTense and watchful; reacts to Patro’s victory; slated to fight next with muzzle removed.
- PatroPerforms a dazzling kill of two Nemean jaguars with Poppae; salutes Achilles.
- DrexGrimly supportive at the symposium and arena; warns that Achilles fights next.
- CharlieAlexis’s brother; sits with her for comfort; exchanges supportive signs.
- ZeusPresides over Days 7–8; notably appears without his scepter after prior lightning display.
- NyxSnake familiar; sympathizes with slain Gorgons’ snakes and seeks shielding from the gore.
- PocoPet who settles between the trio during sleep, reinforcing their newfound closeness.
- PoppaePatro’s Nemean jaguar; helps kill two larger Nemean jaguars in the arena.