Twenty days had passed since Adonis had received his punishment, and this was finally the last day.
—"Well... I've been very patient with all this. I really don't know how I managed to endure it," —he said, sighing. —"But let's look on the bright side: today was the last day. I won't have to see that fool for a second longer. Now all that's left is to tell Mom and Dad that I want to go to Heliconios Academy this new school year."
Adonis entered his house all sweaty, after the final training session.
—"Ugh, Adonis, you need to take a shower. It looks like you had a lot of fun on your last day of training!" —said the two twins, laughing.
Adonis looked at them, but as tired as he was, he just ruffled both little ones' hair and went into his room to shower.
—"I'm really so tired... That idiot took those trainings way too seriously. Now I just want to lie down and sleep for a while," —murmured Adonis as he collapsed onto the bed.
It was quite late when Adonis woke up. He noticed with annoyance that he had overslept.
—"Dammit, I overslept... and today of all days, when I needed to talk with Mom and Dad. I hope they're home, because they weren't in the morning," —he said as he got up and headed towards the living room, looking for his parents.
Adonis hurried down the stairs, his hair still somewhat messy.
—"Mom...? Dad...?" he called, peeking into the main lounge.
He heard laughter from the dining room. Upon arriving, he saw his parents talking while the twins ran around nearby, making small messes with their toys.
—"Ah, the sleepyhead is finally awake!" —said his mother upon seeing him enter.
—"Well... I was tired," —grumbled Adonis while adjusting his shirt.
His father let out a small chuckle.
—"Of course you were tired, they worked you hard in those trainings!"
—"Yes... it was pure torture," —said Adonis with feigned solemnity. —"But I finished my punishment. And by the way... I have something I want to talk to you about."
His mother raised a curious eyebrow.
"Something important?"
Adonis swallowed.
—"Well... I want you to let me go study this new school year in Greece. At Heliconios Academy."
An somewhat awkward silence fell. The twins stopped and stared, attentive, not knowing why the atmosphere had turned serious.
His father cleared his throat.
—"That... isn't something to be decided lightly, Adonis."
—"I know," —said Adonis, lowering his voice a bit but remaining firm. —"But I want to go. I know I wasn't very responsible when I went alone that time, but... this time I want to do it right."
His mother sighed.
—"Why Greece?"
—"Because... I think there are things there that I must." —He paused for a moment. —"Well, of course I want to go there because that prestigious Academy is there and I want to study there."
The twins looked at each other and then approached Adonis, clinging to his arms.
—"Are you going to leave, big brother?" —they asked in unison.
Adonis ruffled their hair.
—"If they let me... but I'll still call you always."
His father and mother exchanged looks. She let out another sigh, while he adjusted himself in his chair, thoughtful.
—"We'll have to think about it," —his father said finally. —"It's not a no... but it's not an automatic yes either."
Adonis nodded, somewhat relieved not to get a flat-out rejection.
—"Thank you..."
His mother stood up.
—"Alright. Let's have dinner. We'll talk more about this later."
Adonis took a deep breath. He knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them completely... but at least, he had taken the first step.
Dinner proceeded with an unusual silence. Only the clinking of cutlery against plates could be heard.
The twins, curious but somewhat subdued by the atmosphere, ate more quietly than usual.
Finally, his mother set her cutlery aside and looked him straight in the eyes.
—"Adonis. I want you to explain better why you want to go to that academy."
Adonis took a deep breath, setting his fork down on his plate.
—"I've been researching Heliconios Academy thoroughly. It's one of the best in Europe. Its educational level is very high and... well, several of its alumni have ended up in elite universities. Plus, they have a very comprehensive focus on sciences, philosophy, and strategy, things I've been quite interested in lately."
—"Strategy?" asked his mother skeptically.
—"Yes, it's just that... they also have clubs for fencing, chess, debate. I'd like to be in a more competitive environment," —replied Adonis, improvising with a smile.
There was silence
The twins looked at him with big eyes, not fully understanding. One of them spoke.
—"If you leave, will you not have breakfast with us anymore?"
Adonis smiled a little, though he looked tense.
—"Of course I will, even if it's by letter or video call."
His father narrowed his eyes, thoughtful.
—"But not long ago you hadn't even shown interest in changing academies, much less moving to another country," —he said. —"What changed?"
—"I guess I matured," —replied Adonis, shrugging. —"After all the trouble I caused, I realized I want to make better decisions. Over there, I feel I could concentrate better... learn more."
His mother crossed her arms.
—"And this has nothing to do with your last 'excursion' to Greece, right?"
Adonis immediately shook his head.
—"Nothing at all. I just... saw the city, saw the academy from a distance, asked at the reception, and well, I liked it. But that's all. Nothing else happened," —he said, with the most neutral expression he could fake.
His parents looked at each other again, exchanging a silence laden with judgment. Finally, it was his mother who spoke:
—"We're going to need to think about it. We won't decide now."
—"And we'll also talk with your cousin," —added his father. —"He can give us a good reference about you during these weeks."
Adonis suppressed a grimace.
—"Of course, no problem. Although you know we aren't exactly the best of friends..."
—"That's exactly why," —said his mother with a slight smile.
Adonis sighed inwardly. He knew it wasn't all said and done yet, but for now... he had emerged unscathed.
Adonis collapsed onto his bed, exhausted, staring at the ceiling with no desire to move. His hair, still damp from the shower, stuck to his forehead.
—"Alright, Adonis... think, think..." —he murmured, tapping his temple gently. —"Come on, little genius, how are you going to convince Mom and Dad completely?"
He twisted a bit in the sheets, getting comfortable while his head buzzed with ideas.
—"Well... I hope that fool doesn't say anything bad about me. I think I behaved well these twenty days... more or less," —he admitted with a sigh.
The silence of the room was only interrupted by the faint chirping of crickets outside. Adonis let his gaze wander around the dark room, barely illuminated by the weak light filtering through the window. It was then that something caught his attention.
A thin ray of moonlight came through the slightly open curtain and fell right on the small glass bottle he had left on his desk. Inside, the golden flower seemed to come to life, bathed in the moonlight. Its glow was soft, but constant.
Adonis felt a shiver run down his spine.
"The full moon..." he murmured. He sat up a little to see it better. Outside, the moon dominated the sky, immense and radiant.
And he remembered.
Two moons, Hades had said. Two more moons until they met again.
—"Dammit... one has already passed," —he said in a low voice. A hint of anxiety marked his face.
He got up and took the bottle carefully, as if it contained something fragile and sacred. He observed how the flower remained the same as always. Not wilted. Not changed.
—"I have to convince them... I don't have much time left," —he whispered, pressing the bottle to his chest.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on the illuminated flower. A plan had to form in his head. He couldn't fail.
Finally, he took a deep breath and fell backward, looking at the moon through the window.
—"Two moons..." —he repeated, closing his eyes with resolve.
The night advanced in silence, while inside him stirred the promise of something much bigger than a simple school trip.
Adonis remained like that, with the flower glowing softly on his chest, listening to the slow beat of his heart. His breathing calmed, but his mind couldn't find rest.
—"Dad and Mom... I just need them to trust me," —he murmured, barely audible, as if speaking to the flower itself.
He felt a slight tremble in his hand thinking about everything that could happen if he didn't manage to go. If he wasn't there when he was supposed to be. If he broke the promise.
A cold wind entered through the window, making the curtain sway and project moving shadows on the walls. Adonis shivered a little, but didn't look away from the moon.
—"I promised... and this time I will keep it," —he said with a firm voice, more to convince himself than anything else.
Finally, he carefully placed the bottle on his nightstand and settled under the blankets, taking one last look at the full moon.
"In two moons..." he whispered as sleep began to overtake him.
The glow of the flower was the last thing he saw before closing his eyes, determined not to let anything or anyone stop him from keeping that silent but powerful promise.