Olympians <> {C&T}

Wrapped up, so consumed by, all this hurt,
If you ask me, don't know where to start,
Anger, Love, Confusion, Roads that go nowhere
I know there's somewhere better
'Cause you take me there

Necrotising is the stares of two sets of spheres burning bubbles of anxiety and anguish into my every inch of skin. Lethargically time tilts into a freeze, only the beating of a bare heart sustains small moments of motion. Overhead the blinding beams of the operating lights are irrevocable. A subject's sliced skin erects walls around my existence, encasing me in angst and enrapturing my mind to reach the apex of its acquired intelligence. And in this moment I remain paralyzed, stunned by the stares of two Medusas monitoring every shift in stance and every cut of metal into life. I can feel my body begin to burn as my cells shout in designed desire for a need of immediate enrichment.

My lunges inflate and the world awakens from short slumber back into a state of constant stress. 

Fingers follow veins as eyes angle towards the thundering center of my patient. Powerfully his pulse pumps supplying circulation to his system, but in dreadful danger it remains of clogging. In the mists of my mind, the lessons learned and sessions attended flicker like falling flakes of snow in a constant flurry of memory. The words of past procedures and forced failures taints the otherwise clarion perspective of my history within these hallowed halls of medical Olympus. For years I have been studied among a league of my siblings to taking part in endless trials always angled towards the achievement of the levels of excellence of the already ascended. In reference to Hercules, I have completed the equivalent of Nine of my Twelve Labors. 

This man before me, and the Council of this sacred Congregation of intellectual immortals, is my Tenth Labor.

Should death bloom as an orchid sprouted from the failure of my methods, then to severe punishment I will be sentenced. To a realm of unspeakable reckoning sullied by the shadows of sin I will be cast away by the hands of my own Mother. Should safety find itself as a veil over the life of this man, then to praise and honoration I will be blessed. And the deciding factor to this selection of fate is no other than myself and the final motions I am making now. Odd how to save myself from suffering I must do so by saving the life center of another human being. 

Silver lines the skin of a stitched surface and the beacons of trial become devoid of their light from above. A soft spur of approving voices acknowledges completion before the watchers, my parents, the Highest Rulers, among them, depart the room for discussion, deliberation, and dissection of my work. Meanwhile my service continues, now through the remaining time of their decision making, I am to observe my patient and ensure that no matter what his heart does not lose its beat. 

For three hours by his bedside my eyes trace charts and monitor medical devices. Weariness hangs heavy on my eyelids, but such sweetness as the indulgence of sleep is not allowable to a Court within the walls of our truest territory. Luckily, I am soon taken away from the side of my recovering test to a board room filled with unwavering expressions and silence. Such silence does not hold for long. 

A woman I know by the name of Regina Court clears her throat before speaking on behalf of the rest of her gathered lessers.

"After evaluation and deliberation we, the acting Council of Surgical Teaching here at the Court Center of Medical Innovation, declare that you, Collin Court, have successfully completed your Tenth stepping stone and are now an Eleventh Study Student. Congratulations."

After a brief round of claps followed by smiles on the faces of my family's followers, as well as the rare ones of happiness staining my parents faces, my Mother continues.

"You can find your full Tenth stepping stone notes and audio dissection in your specified cabinet in the main office area. You are now off duty and we will assign another doctor to monitor your patient. Make sure to check in on his recovery in the morning. You're excused."

With the ending of my "Mentor's" speech, I leave the room swiftly. No hugs are ever given, all that there every is are their smiles when one of their children succeeds. It makes my stomach sink as though filled with stones just thinking about it. About the coldness that comes with living life as a Court. Thankfully while leaving the hospital, I spot the other remaining shard of kindness in the family.

"Heading home?"

I ask Thalia with a small smile, more than I give anyone else. After a day trapped within our parents' den of cruelty, I could use a touch of tenderness. 

Came to you with a broken faith,
Caught before I hit the ground,
Tell me I'm safe, you've got me now
Will you hold me now? Will you take me home?