#andromeda sic fanfic

[rainidayss]

Aphrodite (A Damon and Ester Snippet)

Just a silly little thing I jot down after discovering the origin of Damon's name.

Warnings: None

Setting: Tilaarin (Epi 7-8?)

Damon and Ester walk relaxedly, side by side, the sun slowly setting in the distance. Damon stretched; sparring with Nerissa was actually tiring. He had to admit that she knew her way around a blade; flopping into bed seemed very appealing right now. Damon glanced at Ester, whose head was tilted downward, auburn hair tickling his eyelashes. He looked lost in thought.

He nudged Ester’s shoulder, saying, “Keep doin' that, and your brain’s gonna burst one day.”

Ester blinked as if coming out of a daze and looked around at him, “Oh, sorry. I was just reflecting.”

“On what?” Damon asked.

“Some stuff Alisa said,” Ester replied, then his lips twitched into a smile, “...She said she’d hunt me down if I hurt you. I don’t see why she should be teasing you about being protective.”

Damon shook his head, “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

Ester laughed softly, “You really care about each other. She’s like your very own Pythias, huh?”

Damon tilted his head in confusion, “My what?”

“Pythias,” Ester repeated, “From the story?”

“Still no clue what you're talking about.”

“Damon and Pythias,” Ester made a dramatic gesture with his hands. “It’s an old human story. Greek. It’s the origin of your name. You didn’t know?”

Damon rolled his eyes, but it was affectionate, “There’s only one nerd outta the two of us, and it isn’t me.”

Ester whapped Damon on the shoulder lightly, and Damon grinned.

“Well, put simply, Pythias and Damon were close friends, and one day, a tyrant king accused Pythias of going against him and said he was to be executed. Pythias accepted his fate but asked if he could travel to his homeland first to close his affairs and say goodbye to his family. The king refused, but Damon, seeing how important this was to Pythias, said that the king could take him hostage until Pythias came back. The king agreed and said that Damon was to be executed in Pythias’s stead if he did not return. Pythias left, and soon, the deadline for his return started to arrive. The king grew impatient, but just as Damon was about to be executed, Pythias returned. He apologized and explained that he had been captured by pirates but had fled the ship by jumping into the sea and swimming for hours until he found shore, desperate to come back and save his friend. Touched by the pair’s friendship and loyalty to each other, the king let them both go free,” Ester turned to look at Damon, cheek flushing faintly, “It’s a bit of a fairytale ending, but the story grew popular, and Damon and Pythias became known as an icon of loyalty.”

Damon stared at Ester, “How the hell do you remember random stuff like this?”

Ester shrugged, “I don’t know. You interest me, and I suppose a passion for something helps me remember it.” This time, Ester flushed completely, “I-I mean, it interests me. I enjoy mythology, and Greeks played a big part in it—stop laughing!”

Damon bit inside of his cheek to quiet down his chuckling, “You're adorable, did you know that?”

Ester sped up, eyes fixed determinedly away from Damon and ears still bright red, “I’m never telling you anything ever again.”

Damon jogged closer to Ester, “Nooo, oh come on- don’t worry. You interest me too. And besides, if Alisa’s my Pythias, you’re my Aphrodite,” Damon said the last part in Ester’s ear, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Ester turned to make a face at him, and Damon started laughing again.

“You’re so cheesy,” Ester groaned.

“Sorry, I think you mean charming,” Damon raised his eyebrows.

Ester rolled his eyes but smiled all the same.