A man named Lycurgus stepped up to the Arktos and Lukos as they all watched her walk down the deck. He wound a rope around his arm as he shook his head and clicked his tongue. "If I were you... I'd just give her the damned sword, Arktos. Nothin' good comes from fightin' a woman....specially a woman like that. Ask Hyrtius." ...Hyrtius being the man she killed when they first captured her. Lycurgus shook his head and turned to continue his work.

Thalia wasn't exactly trying to walk faster than him or to beat him to the temple. She had no intentions of usurping it for her own or keeping him out of it. As far as she was concerned, she wouldn't be staying long enough to consider it. It was only a matter of time until Lukos let down his guard enough for her to slip away at another foreign port....and with her family's connections, she would make it back to them.

Somehow.

For now, she merely needed to survive and surviving entailed being clean. At least to her estimation, and the best place to do that that she'd seen on this island so far was in the temple. She also needed a change of clothes and she had none of those. But he did. Loads. Crates of garments just ready for the pickings.

She climbed the hill that led to the temple at a leisurely pace and he caught up soon enough. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye but said nothing; her mind wandering to the night before and what position it left them in now. She remembered what he said..why he came back. And, of course, what happened afterward. It was very difficult to continue to despise him after that...even if she was dizzy with drunkenness at the time and he'd taken advantage. She couldn't see how he would find Arktos more favorable for her than Imbrascus. Or anyone, for that matter after what they'd started. ...Then again, such dalliances were probably quite common to a man like him.

When he informed her the would ensure Arktos had bathed for her, she looked up at him as he pushed passed her. She skipped a bit to catch up with him as he slowed near the stairs. "You seem as if you would like me to lose. Is that the case? At least then I'll be out of your hair, no?" She climbed up the stairs and passed through the front door. The temple had been lit with the oil lamps and food had been laid out on the table for him. She wandered by it; pausing to pluck up a candied plum before dropping it into her mouth. She sat down on the bed to remove her shoes and began unlacing her hair; shaking it out. "Did it occur to you that I could win?" She stood from the bed and turned to walk to the back of the temple; untying the strings around her waist and plucking the knife from the straps; propping it atop a crate as she passed. "I'm really rather good... when I'm not ambushed, overpowered and outnumbered five to one...

She stopped long enough to take up a dry sheet to bring into the caves and looked at him. "Your men will only look at me in one way. As a slave. I am not nor will I ever be anyone's slave. The only way to prove that to them is to beat them at their own game." She considered ending that with "as I've beaten you" but she did no such thing. The cage never seemed to make it back into the ship and still sat in a predominant place at the center of the temple as if taunting her. "What better place to start than with Arktos? ...Besides.. he wouldn't dream of giving me my sword back any other way. He's far more stubborn than you and with less..." Again she stopped herself from saying 'vested interest'. Instead, she pursed her lips and turned back to the cave to go inside; dropping the sheet on one of the crates close to the pool.

Stepping back out from the natural entry she worked on a clasp on her shoulder as she spoke. "And if you would like me to train your men, I shall expect a salary." The clasp freed itself and she caught it before it fell. She disappeared around the corner again and removed the garment fully; dropping it on the floor. She went through more chitons with him. How such fine pieces could survive in his world at all was beyond her.

Climbing over the rocks that surrounded the naturally heated pool, she sank into the soothing water and sighed as it's warmth relieved tired muscles and washed away the dirt, sweat, and salt of the sea. Ducking beneath the water, she returned to the surface and pushed her hair back from her forehead before opening her eyes to find him stripping off his pants and climbing into the pool himself. She backed up to the edge of the pool behind her; the vivid image of what had happened between them the night before swirled in the back of her mind. "What're you doing..?"

Lukos ducked beneath the water himself; getting his hair wet and reemerged. She thought about his hand curved around her torso; pulling her hips to him. The way his thumb brushed the top of her breasts and how his tongue invaded her mouth; demanding a response. And how she responded. She sunk a little lower in the water; far more conscious of being without clothes with him now than she was the first night she demanded to walk on the deck of the ship....which made...no sense. She even went as far as to cross her arms over her chest lest he see.

And for what... in case he was lost to his own lustful desires? .....She felt ridiculous for even thinking about it.

If there was one thing that Lukos did well it was stalking her. She'd begun to grow accustomed to his predatory gaze and how he moved slowly closer as if not wishing to frighten a gazelle as he watched his prey. He was every bit the lion he mimicked; broad and a fearsome predator to behold. ...But she was nothing less than a lioness as well; the only creature able to tame the wild beast, and even then only just. When he lashed out, they both ended up mauling each other until they found their respective corners again. ...But last night the lion curled up next to her. After returning to, what, save her? From Imbrascus, he'd brought her back to his lair and sheltered her until she was able to fight again.

But she didn't want to fight with him now. She had to fight Arktos in only a few hours time. For now, all she wanted was a bath and it required ignoring Lukos as he stalked around the crates behind her. He could wait a few minutes for her to bathe; she wouldn't take that long.

Only he couldn't. She averted her gaze as he climbed into the water (well...mostly, at least) and did her best to keep him at a distance when he broke the surface. His dark hair slicked back from his face; water dripping down his cheeks and the strong angle of his jaw. Even here he looked haunting; menacing. It was his eyes. They were dark and cold and brooding. Devoid of emotion and feeling. The pool was rather deep in some places; the bottom uneven. And while the water was crystal clear, the movement of the bubbles below and the darkness in the caves concealed everything beneath the surface. She'd stepped down to a deeper section; keeping her hidden from the chest down as Lukus moved further into the pool. Her face flushed and she was sure it was most definitely not from the heat of the water. Behind her, the cave rose up overhead; arching with the ceiling where small stalactites hung; some having broken off years ago. There was nowhere for her to go that wasn't mostly blocked off by him.

He seems to sense her discomfort, and even after she told him what had happened the night before wouldn't happen again, He pushed the boundaries of propriety. She moved until her back was against the uneven surface of the pool and there was nowhere else to go. He stepped down into her previous spot and his hand found her hip; grazing a thumb against her hipbone. The caress felt...invasive and territorial. She unwrapped a hand from around her chest to push him away wordlessly, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she watched her fingers curiously as it trailed over the exposed mass of his chest; tracing his pectoral with a softer touch than she was used to leveling on anyone. She willed herself to push him away; to steel her resolve. But Lukos was raw masculinity; divine in his own right and she couldn't resist him any more than he could resist her. As if coming to this realization, her lips parted and she sucked in a breath so she could look up at him. "Lukos..." She said his name. It was meant as a warning but it was a bit too breathless. Nothing could happen. She wasn't his and she never could be. That was up to her parents and whomever they decided worthy of her hand. This was...forbidden and wrong. It wreaked of Stockholm syndrome. How could she ever desire him after everything he'd done?

How could she not?

Those water droplets were fascinating. She watched as two raced down the front of his chest; diving around hair and careening over the curve of muscles over his taut stomach and lower... past the indention of his belly button and then into the pool to join the rest of its brethren. She swallowed the moisture that had gathered in her mouth and looked back up at him as he stepped down into her little spot; closing what little distance there was between them. His hand slid around her waist and cupped her backside as his fingers folded over hers. Every graze of his knuckle or step that he took was a challenge meant to find out how far she would go until she lashed out at him. Her free hand wrapped naturally around the crook of his arm as he held her from behind. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she meant to push his arm away, but it just didn't seem to work here. He'd drawn her hand up around shoulders and her eyes moved over his collarbone and chest as her fingers tangled into the fringe of hair along the base of his neck.

As if waiting for her to push him away; challenging her again to do so, he paused for a moment.. but the silence in the room was deafening and she had no words. Finally, she looked up into his eyes just as he leaned down and captured her mouth against his. His lips were warm and wet and pliant. Demanding her to respond. And she did. Sucking in a breath, she traced his lower lip with her tongue as her other hand moved up to caress his cheek. Her body naturally pressed against his as that final barrier between them was lost. He kept her close; his hand around her waist and the feel of all of him there...hard and warm and wet against her was overwhelming. The tips of her nipples ached painfully and the need for more radiated from her core.

His hands moved from around her waist and tangled in her hair; holding her to him so he could kiss her and her own fell from around his neck to drag trails down his chest and around his ribs; hands splaying over the tightly honed muscles of his sides. Her thumbs caressed the most sensitive of flesh there. He was distracting and consuming. He'd broken through every barrier; forced his way through every defense and stolen away her fight. She didn't want to fight him now and she damn sure didn't want to leave. At least not now...not yet. It was the first time that home wasn't her goal...the first time that something else nagged at her.

She returned his kiss with just as much ferocity and virility as she did everything else. Nothing had been soft and gentle with them; they were both far too hard for that. They were demanding and urgent and challenging. His hand dragged down the back of her arm and curled around her waist again to pull her more forcefully against him. She could feel the length of his erection on her stomach and it both thrilled and alarmed her. Part of her wanted to pull herself up; wrap her legs about his waist and get it all over with. She'd been saving herself for years and for what? An awkward experience with a man she would hardly know who'd been promised to her? They'd probably either be too old or wet behind the ears. Lukos was neither of those things. He was virile and hard and...experienced. There would be nothing boring between them. If she let herself stop hating him, she could feel the need to best him twist into something completely different.

Her hand moved around the back of his neck again; ready to pull herself up against him so she could wrap her legs around his waist when he tore his mouth from hers. His hands lifted to caress her cheeks with his thumbs as he asked her if she could win. Her gaze was foggy and the fight with Arktos seemed lightyears away. "Hmm? .....Oh... Yes." She said it as if it was an afterthought. As if the idea of being someone else's slave hadn't even entered her mind. Arktos was a means to an end and with how he'd treated her in the past she would gladly defeat him ten times over. Brothers or not, one against one and when she was armed, he was no match for her. And she would show him that today.

Lukos leaned down and captured her mouth again; possessively and demanding. A show of what she would miss if she went with Arktos. the message rang loud and clear. Arktos could never please her as Lukos could. And she knew he was right. Lukos lit a fire inside her that burned bright. Whether it was all-consuming fury and disgust, or desire to the point of exhaustion, no one had ever made her feel what he did.

His hands fell away from her and she stumbled forward; having become dependent on him to stand. With those final two words, he ducked under the water and turned from her; leaving her in the pool. She watched him climb out of the water as if barely holding herself together as he stole her sheet with another challenging grin and left the caves. It wasn't until he was out of sight that she sighed and sank beneath the water; its heat doing nothing to cool her burning libido. She screamed beneath its surface; the water drowning out its volume as she attempted to release the pent-up frustration he'd left in his wake. He had to leave though.. there was no way anything could have happened between them. They needed to stop flirting on the edge of insanity as they were. She had.....no interest in him. It was simply the result of a man and a woman being in close proximity for too long. .....But when she tried to think of another man that was worthy of her attention, there was no one both on this island or anywhere else she'd ever been that could hold a candle to what she felt in those few moments with Lukos.

Thalia wasn't nervous.

What was to be nervous about? It was only her life and freedom on the line. Nothing to worry about, right? She knew none of them believed in her. If she were any of them she'd overlook her as well. Even Lukos seemed skeptical; as he should. Arktos had bested her with his strength every time she'd gone against him. But she was getting more than she'd been given in this challenge. The chance for the debate as to whether she was a slave or not to end in one fight. Not to mention, she'd get her sword back.

When Lukos left, it gave her time to refocus in the pool. to let the water seep into her bruised skin and ease tense muscles. And while it was difficult to think of anything but him, it also gave her the chance to consider her opponent. She thought of every time he'd bested her or forced her to do what he wanted. When he backhanded her the first time they'd met. ...Which meant she couldn't let him hit her because he was too powerful. His strength and ease at moving her around; either by dragging her or hefting her over his shoulder. When it came to brute strength, she would never beat him. But he was slow. His body just couldn't keep up with her more agile step, and he was older. She doubted he would have the same level of stamina. It was more difficult to keep all of him moving for long periods of time. ..And finally, the fact that he would ever backhand a lady suggested that he wouldn't fight fair. She considered all of her training; everything her brothers taught her and what was considered fair needed to be tossed out of the ring. Every time they told her she should never do a certain thing meant that that was exactly what she should do. Because pirates had no honor...or what honor they had was not the same as a nobles.

Thalia took her time washing her hair and skin. Climbing out, she used the fine scented oils to make her skin glow despite her bruises. Shaking her wet hair out, she padded barefoot out of the room as she called to Lukos. "You know the least you could do is return my sheet when you're done using it..." ...But there was no answer as she entered the main part of the temple.

He was gone.

Frowning, she went and plucked up another sheet and dried her skin and hair before wrapping it about her chest. She then opened a few crates and glanced through the various chitons; all delicate and gauzy in material. None of which were suited for a fight. Especially after he'd stepped on her gown that afternoon. She glanced around the room and lifted the tops of a few more crates before she came upon a crate of men's chitons and another of armor. She pulled out a knee-length chiton and shook it out. Tugging it over her head, she took up the length of cording she wore earlier and wrapped it about her slender waist. She fashioned a smaller loincloth for modesty and dug through the battle armor before settling on a fairly small Persian design. It was still too big for her, but if she tightened the buckles on the side, it didn't move around too much. It would be tolerable and useful in what she'd need it for as any blow to the torso from Arktos could effectively end her challenge. She wished there was a set of women's armor, but that was asking for a lot.

She found some shin guards and strapped them on over her sandals. All in all, she looked absolutely ridiculous. She knew she did. But she wasn't trying to look good. She was trying to win her freedom. To hell with her appearance. She braided her hair tightly and tied the tail back so it couldn't be used as a weakness. Hair grabbing was an easy handicap to have as a female and these men had already proven they were not above using it against her.

When she'd finished, it was growing late in the day. She lifted the mattress and pulled the short sword Lukos kept there out. There was no holster, but she didn't need one. She knew she would have to use it. Grabbing a few bites of meat and bread to sustain her, she drank a full glass of wine to help ease her anxiety that was growing and followed it with some water to ensure it wouldn't be too much at once.

Taking a deep breath, she stole herself and willed the spirit of her brothers to be there with her. For Artemis to guide her and finally, she stared up at the ceiling and prayed for Ares to give her the skill, strength, and speed she would need to best the bear. Finally, she set out from the temple and descended the stairs that lead to the path down to the village. The docks were surprisingly devoid of crewhands, and even the village seemed quieter. On the crescent-shaped beach, she noticed a gathering of people and made her way to them; her feet sinking into the soft sand made it hard to walk. It was in no way an ideal surface to fight on. It made it harder for her to move quickly. She crossed to the gathering of people. It seemed as if the whole crew of the ship had turned out, as well as a few people from the town. When they noticed her, they turned and looked her over; many of them laughed at her get up or jeered that she'd challenged Arktos. Some even gave made indecent and lewd comments and sounds towards her. When she pushed through them, she felt hands tug on her chiton; reaching beneath it in an attempt to intimidate her for what she wore and she shoved them aside to get to the center of the circle.

When she stepped through, she found Arktos with two women leaning over him. They looked her over and laughed as well. She clenched her hand around the short sword and didn't look for Lukos. She couldn't see him laugh at her. No one else mattered, but him? For some reason, the idea of seeing him laugh at what she looked like made her anxious. "Let's get this over with."

A few of the men in the crowd gave a mock intimidated sound before laughing and Arktos did as well. Arktos slapped the backside of one of his girls to send them off and pulled her sword from his belt at her side. "You cleaned up for me, I see. I've never been with a scented noble before. Will you make my dick smell like fine oils, princess?" Thalia grit her teeth. She wouldn't let his goading get to her. She was here for one reason. To take her sword back. Slowly she began stalking around his left side. She didn't like the idea of having the crew of pirates at her back and decided she'd much rather be able to see all of them, not just Arktos. She twisted the sword in her hand; getting the feel of its weight as it was different than the one he held. She'd also not had the chance to practice in almost two weeks.

Arktos turned with her before lashing out heavily. Thalia sidestepped the blow and leveled a heavy hit on his sword; twisting her hilt with both hands to disarm him. His sword toppled to the ground and he gave a grunt of surprise. He stared at her and the laughter behind him began to die off. Taking a step back, she let him pick the sword back up and he narrowed his glare at her before doing just that. He swiped it up angrily and charged at her. She backed up until they were on the wet sand so that her footing would be surer and then stood her ground as he swept his sword in wide arcs left and right. He favored his left leg and he overturned his shoulders. She made mental notes of both faults to use against him later. When he swept straight down, she guarded her head with the blade; pushing him off with a grunt and narrowly avoided his hand as he reached out to grab her. She twisted around him and used the blunt end of her sword to slap his ass. He grunted and spun around angrily as she smiled at him. "This all you have, bear? " He growled and charged at him and she waited until he got close enough and ducked beneath his arms as he grabbed for her; holding her foot out to trip him on the wet sand. He flailed and caught himself before he stumbled to the ground and she turned to face him again. For every use of brute force against her he used, she parried by ducking, sidestepping or twisting out from beneath him before he could grab her. There was very little swordplay as she simply needed to wear him out for now. As he was not properly trained and was used to using his sheer size and girth over his opponents it was rather easy to keep him at bay. Finally, he began swinging his sword and she retaliated in kind; blocking each blow as he drove her back over the beach. His hits were powerful and the vibration as they hit her sword ricocheted down her arms; making her hands sore. He swiped left and struck her arm and she grunted. She'd moved in time so it wasn't more than a superficial wound, but it was still painful. She growled and parried back; using the full force of her strikes to drive him back towards the crew as they watched. With Arktos running out of juice, her blows were more productive now. He fought to keep her back, but he was sweating profusely and heaving for breath. Where the first half of their fight was spent avoiding his underhanded maneuvers, this half was spent overpowering the great man; challenging his sword work and cutting him down in the way she'd been taught.

Finally, Arktos gave a roar and threw the sword aside; charging at her; fed up with being bested by a girl. Thalia's eyes widened and she backed up quickly before turning to outrun him. He lept at her and grabbed her legs and they both went to the ground in the hard sand. Thalia hit hard and she saw stars. He fumbled over her; pulling her shoulder around so he could force himself between her legs. His arms went to her neck to strangle her. She stared up at him wide-eyed as he attempted to choke the life out of her. Her hands crossed over his; grabbing his wrist and she pushed down on them; attempting to break his hold on her throat but he was too strong. She arched her hips and pushed down on his wrists; breaking his grip before twisting so she could kick away from him by pushing against his hip. She turned and attempted to crawl away from him, but he pushed her down into the dirt and she growled as he climbed atop her from behind. Covering her head, she pushed her hips up and tucked her knees beneath her body; throwing his mass off center so he was pitched forward, When his hands hit the dirt in front of her, she grabbed his wrist and pushed it with all her might from the sand and rolled him off her; landing on top of him before jabbing her elbows into his side with all of her strength. Finally, he let her go and she scrambled off of him; taking up her sword again before standing over him as she gasped for breath. He coughed and held his ribs where she'd hit him. "If you move, I will kill you. It's over, Arktos.." He was far too large and far too tired to move quick enough to get the better of her. Both of them were gasping for breath and covered in sand. He stared up at her angrily and moved to roll over and she pushed her blade into his chest. "Say it."

Thalia glared at him angrily. He swept the blade away with his hand and she returned it right back to where it was, pushing harder against his chest until he laid back again. "SAY. it." The tip of her blade drew blood and he scowled before sweeping the sword away; cutting his chest in the process. "Take your bloody sword, you bitch.." Thalia backed up from him as she panted. With the fight over, she lowered her blade and held out her hand to help him get up from the dirt. He was a worthy adversary and the fight was good. Not always fair and far more dirty than she was accustomed to... but he was someone she'd still have to live with for a while. She really didn't want to make an enemy out of him AND the cook. Life on a ship would be damned near unbearable then. "C'mon... let's find something to drink..."

Arktos refused her hand and stood on his own; grunting in the effort of climbing up in the sand. He glared at her and told her she wasn't a man and she raised her chin; wondering if he would attempt to draw out their challenge. But he accepted her offer of drinking and then shoved her back by the chest. She stumbled a bit in the sand, but grinned and turned to follow him back to the crowd of men who had started to move towards them. She worked at undoing the armor on her side as they were swallowed by the crew and their woman. Wine and food were handed over and freely given. Thalia slipped out of the chest piece and set it aside as someone shoved a chalice into her hand and filled it from a skein. Her hands shook; the adrenaline that coursed through her body from the fight seemed to have no other outlet and she took a long swig as someone slapped her back hard. She grunted and fought not to choke on her wine. A woman sat down next to her; congratulating her on her victory and began to wash off her arm. Thalia smiled at her and thanked her. "This will need to be stitched up.. If you'd like I can do it tonight, but not when you're drunk as it will bleed more.." Thalia nodded and set the chalice down. "Now then..."

She stood to follow the woman, looking about for Lukos, but she didn't see him. Instead, they went into the village to the woman's home and she sat on a table as the woman pulled out a threaded needle. She set to stitching the jagged wound up. Each time the piece of metal broke skin Thalia thought she was going to come undone. She bit down on a piece of leather to keep from screaming and the girl laughed at her. "You just bested Arktos in a challenge and you cannot tolerate a needle and thread?" Thalia glared at her. This was slow torture without alcohol. It was just as bad if not worse than Imbrascus's attack on her because she broke skin with each stitch.

When the wound was finally stitched up, the woman wrapped bandages on it and Thalia stood up shakily. She gave her some bread to sustain her and then they walked back to the beach where the festivities continued. She still felt a bit self-conscious in the men's chiton she wore. Not that she hadn't worn them many times in the past, but never in front of others; only ever in the privacy of her own home or with her brothers who weren't concerned with what their sister won. In the circle, she was given a spot to sit next to Arktos and he handed her her sword as well as a chalice and some food. She took it and drank timidly at first; not knowing what to expect from the band of pirates. But as the evening wore on, most of them ignored her completely. She carried on with a few of the wives, and one or two of the crew sat heavily next to her; leaning forward into her space as they spoke or draped a possessive arm over her shoulder. Thankfully, that was as far as any of them would go. She laughed at their jokes and how hey ribbed Arktos by being bested by her. But he was was sufficiently shit faced by then and couldn't give a rats ass. That and he had the attention of the women who were doing their best to out whore each other. She stood to leave when clothes began to come off and pushed her way through the crowd; grabbing up her sword and armor and a skein of wine as she followed some of the other women back to the village. They gave her secret congratulations and stared at her with a mixture of jealousy and admiration before separating to go to their own homes. Thalia had no home though. At the edge of the village, she looked up at the dimly lit temple and down at the port where the ship sat low in the water. Brushing a lock of hair from her forehead, she sighed and wandered up the hill to the temple; in no mood to sleep with the rats. Then again, there weren't many options in the temple either.

the path beneath her feet swayed a bit beneath her; the liquor in her system not having fully kicked in as she'd finished a glass of wine before she'd left the beach. Her arm burned, but the alcohol made it tolerable. Lukos wasn't hard to see sitting in the grass alongside the path a few yards off. The light of the moon shone down on his form; making him an oddity amongst the rolling hill and she sighed; dropping the armor by the path before tromping through the grass to him. She sat down heavily by his side; tossing her sword down in front of her for him to see. "...Now what...?"