10 The Glowing Mare

"Where's your Percheron, dear?"

"i didn't choose one," she mutters.

"What's that?"

"I said I didn't choose one, Father!" she yells.

Her brown eyes start tearing up. Katalyne dismounts Màtia and hides her face in his black hair. Luke quickly gets off Agrio and wraps his arms around Katalyne. "Sir, if I may, the princess was looking at the Percherons and was close to choosing one until this horse over here screamed loudly and she confused the sound for your previous horse. Thinking Genikòs came back, she rushed over to see what the commotion was. She started to take this horse to the stables when I stopped her. Clara came by soon after."

The king looked at Agrio closely then to Katalyne and Luke. "I know that I haven't been to the stables in a while but I think I'd know if my horse returned."

"That's not Genikòs, father." Katalyne cut in. "This is his son."

Agrio was clearly uncomfortable at hearing his father's name so many times in a short period of time.

He snorts loudly. Everyone turns to him. They could tell he was getting uncomfortable.

Luke leads Agrio, Solangelo, and Màtia into their stables.

"Yo, Agrio," a familiar voice calls.

"DJ? I thought you were in a different stable!"

"Nah man, the stable hands thought I didn't get along with the others in stable 2."

"Cool."

They watch as Luke, the princess, and the king walk out of the stables. When they are out of the barn and the two could not hear them anymore, DJ snorts, " Dude I haven't seen you since- " He stops.

"Since my argument with Duke. Spit it out, I'm not afraid of that guy."

"Ok man, but seriously what happened after class ended."

"They took me to Stable 5." He stares at DJ who looks shocked. Stable 5 was the stable for 'troublesome' horses. Most of the horses there were adults who had been retired after a battle and were so traumatized that they could not handle being ridden.

"Man! No wonder you let the princess ride you."

Agrio whinnies. "Are you saying that I've gone soft? The only thing I learned from 2 years at Stable 5 is that a girl with light brown eyes, super dark brown hair, tan skin, and refuses to dress like a princess is actually the princess."

Knowing not to mess with Agrio, DJ says; "No! I meant that you learned something about the people around you. The only horse stupid enough to call you soft is Màtia."

"Nice save," Agrio chuckles.

A few hours later DJ was dead asleep and Agrio was starting to feel drowsy. As he's closing his eyes he sees a soft white glow coming towards the stables. When it gets close enough for Agrio to make out a shape, he finds that it's a mare.

"Are you Agrio?" She demanded.

"Woah, yeah who's asking," he responds.

The mare had two different colored eyes, the left eye was unnaturally, striking green and the other was an icy blue.

"Come with me. Now." She quickly unlocks the door and signals towards the woods, " you said you wanted to go back to the woods didn't you?"

Agrio stares at her in amazement. "That was two years ago! Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Olivia." She says. "Now come along I'll race you to the Stones of Olympus. You should know the way."

"Fine. I'll give you a head start," Agrio offers.

"Actually, I'll give you a 30 second head start. After all, I never lose."