[M] Have You No Pity? (NoviDome & cwlee)

[cwlee]

[The following story is rated M for Mature contents including, but not limited to, Drug Uses, Excessive Languages, Violence, Blood/Gore, Sexual Content, etc. Reader discretion is advised.]

Have You No Pity?

by NovieDome & cwlee

---

Atop of Mount Olympus, the Roman gods wielded their ancient influence over the world that once was. Jupiter's thunder rumbled through the stormy skies, Juno's protective spirits guarding the bonds of love and family, while Mars ignited fires of ambition and triumph. Venus sparked passions and desire, and even Pluto, from the depths below, reminded mortals of life's fragile nature. Though many of their temples had crumbled long before our story, their legacy lived on, woven into the fabric of human history, guiding paths with an unseen presence, a gentle reminder of "Don't fuck with gods..."

...

Italy. Of all the places in the world, it has to be Italy. Italy is likely the most overrated country in Europe. Seriously, there are so many better countries that Kelly and her family could have picked than Italy. And to make it worse, they're not even going to the mainland! They're on some small island called Pompay, or something. Literally everybody he knows has gone to Italy. Eighty percent of his friends are Italian back home; he ate pizza, not once but three times, at the airport before on the way here. Italy is nothing special, and whatever temple they're hiking to now, there is no way it's worth it.

The sun is irritating Mason, a twenty-five year old super senior at the University of Pansas City. Somehow, he's been convinced to tag along with his girlfriend, Kelly, and his family on a trip to an ancient island known as Pompeii. Although the majority of the land is destroyed from the volcanic eruption from a long time ago, there has still been temples re-erected throughout history that remains even today, the goddess of Juno being of such gods.

"God, are we there yet?" Mason cries like a famished vulture. "We've been walking... Eliza," he calls to Kelly's annoying younger sister. "What time did we start walking? Come on, you can't do the math in your head? God, what good is that brain if you can't use it in these dire moments? Hey babe, you still got my water bottle?" He paced himself faster to catch up with the rest of the family, leaving Eliza in the dust. "What do you mean you threw it out before we started the hike? What? What made you think I wasn't gonna get thirsty? Ugh...!" He whines. This is going to be a long vacation.

[NoviDome]

Eliza has been looking forward to this vacation for a long time, though that excitement got considerably diminished when her sister told her she'd be bringing her boyfriend along. Mason, the tennis jock, the no-good dim-wit that has really been getting on her nerves lately. She's never particularly liked him, but these past few months have been the worst. She's dealt with enough bullies in her life to recognise a prime example when she sees one, so she's tried not to engage with him wherever possible.

But now he's coming along on the family vacation. When Kelly first broke the news to them, she protested against it, but her parents shot her down. "We're taking this trip for you, remember?" they said. "Grant your sister something too." Eliza had no way to argue with that. It's true. She's writing her bachelor thesis on frescoes, and there are some incredible ones to be seen - and studied - in Pompeii, Italy. Once she mentioned this to her parents, they saw it as a great opportunity for a functional and fun family trip. They have always wanted to see Italy, and Kelly of course perked up at the idea of a sunny European getaway.

So it was decided, and soon enough the time has come. Her parents are in full on vacation mode, but Eliza has spent most of her time on the plane and their time in the hotel on her laptop, typing away and preparing for their hike to actually go see the ancient city. She's got her camera charged and ready, a notebook, and her networking elevator pitch in case she runs into any members of the archaeological team there and can make some useful connections. And, unlike Mason, she's brought plenty of water.

When he starts whining about the length of the walk, Eliza just rolls her eyes and ignores him, looking out at the gorgeous views. She's glad when he turns his attention to her sister, and can't help but grin a little at his frustration. Serves him well, she thinks to herself.

[cwlee]

Just beyond the grassy hills, a rectangular architecture comes into view, at first blended by the foliage decorating the hills but soon reveals itself as a rather grandiose marble temple. Most of the exterior of the structure appears mainly ruined, however, as if somehow it has tried to stand against the test of time, only to struggle, and this is the result, just a bunch of pile of stones, Mason thinks. Fallen pillars line up the way into the entrance of the temple. It appears to be only manmade structure to be seen from miles around, aside from the one outhouse far off in the distance by the valley.

Mason is the first to spot the temple, or so he thinks as he points and starts shouting from the top of his lungs as if he hasn't been dehydrated for the last three hours, "There it is! I saw it first!" For some reason, he cares only that Eliza hears it, because she is the nerdy one that wanted to come to a desolate island in the first place, Pom-Pom or whatever. Seriously, why this place? Mason keeps thinking to himself.

Mason is the first to climb to the top of the hill where the temple lies. Kelly follows not too far behind either chasing after him or trying to beat him. Either way, by the time she makes it up the hill, there is only a frown on her face. Her parents loosely follow, not needing to sprint as unlike the rowdy couple, they're enjoying the view and everything it has to offer. The temple is situated on a flat, stretching land, and there's a few tourists like them as well, but nobody else is on a family trip, just history enthusiasts. Just a bunch of Elizas, Mason thinks.

"Oh, honey, this temple is gorgeous!" their mom cries out in excitement as she settles her sunglasses atop her head to get a clearer look at the temple. "Honey, do you see it?"

"Yes, yes. I'm literally right here too, honey," the dad responds sarcastically, him thinking he's hilarious when fully knowing she's speaking to Eliza.

"Oh, hush, honey," the mom addresses him in a bit of a different tone, none that catches the younger audience. "Eliza, honey," she calls to her youngest daughter who seems to be the last one trailing. "What is this temple called again? Bruno, was it?"

"Hey, babe!" Mason exclaims.

"Ugh, what, Mason?" Kelly agitatedly responds as she turns to look at her annoying boyfriend, and as she does, she spots him atop a fallen marble pillar, posing like Hercules. "Look at me! Guess who I am! And could you also take a picture of me while you're at it?" He grinned sharply, his sunglasses reflecting off the sunlight right onto Eliza's eyes like the gods above are teasing her.

[NoviDome]

Eliza rolls her eyes once more when Mason tries to claim some strange form of first dibs on this millennia old temple, and just watches as he and her sister take off up the hill. Not her, mind you: she knows how to use and conserve her energy efficiently. A steady pace, plenty of water, and regular breathing will do the trick. She pays no mind to the fact that her family gets to the temple faster than she does.

She looks at her parents when they call out to her, and smiles a little smugly. "I told you it would be worth the hike," she responds as she catches up to them. "The temple has no known name of its own, but it's a tribute to Juno. The Roman goddess of marriage, among other things." She pauses and looks up at the stonework along the tops of the pillars, the beautifully decorated tympanum, and just the overall majesty of this structure. She thanks her lucky stars she gets to see it in this day and age. And she knows for a fact that inside, this temple holds one of history's most well-preserved frescoes.

She resists the urge to tell her family about the Corinthian decorations, the symbolism in the sculptures, the age to which this temple must date back, the rituals the Romans would have performed inside or around it, and the riches inside. She knows her parents won't understand half of it, and Mason's just going to give her shit for being a 'nerd'.

She looks over when Mason poses on the fallen pillar, and lifts her hand to her eyes to shield them from the glare coming off of his glasses.

"Mason, you absolute child, get down from there. That pillar's worth more than your college debt times a million," she scolds.

[cwlee]

"Oh, shut up!" Mason shouts at Eliza. "You're distracting me." His legs start to wiggle as his balance beings to tip. "You're supposed to be a history nerd, Eliza. Don't be a math nerd too! That'd make you a super nerd!" Mason's laughter echoes through the gentle air, but it's short-lived. In an instant, his foot slips from the pillar, sending him tumbling down its side. With a resounding crack, the marble beneath him yields to the impact of his muscular frame, leaving a faint fissure on the pillar. "Ow, ow, ow. Fucking Eliza." Mason curses.

Kelly jogs up to her nonchalantly, pretending to care. "Shouldn't have been up there, Mason." Mason pouts.

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't have even happened if Eliza didn't distract me!" He crosses his arms as he picks himself back on his feet without any help. He dusts off his pants and shirt, a bit of blood having been drawn on his shin. "Gah, goddamnit Eliza," he curses her out again. Seemingly, their parents have wandered deeper towards the temple, them letting the youngins be youngins. Mason hops on one leg then the other to make sure he hasn't sprained any part of his body. He's perfectly fine. "God, imagine I got hurt. My tennis career would've been over, Eliza. Over!"

[NoviDome]

Eliza winces when she hears the crack in the marble, and she clenches her fists by her sides when Mason blames it all on her. She forces herself to take a deep breath, knowing he's just trying to get a rise out of her. Too bad it's working. Those marble pillars are priceless, and he's just messing around on them like they're his personal playground. She knows the country of Italy disagrees with her, or these pillars would have been in one of the many museums. These are probably not very rare over here. But to her they are. They're not just beautiful, they're relics. A glimpse into the past.

She wishes she had just come here alone. Surely there would have been other places on the island Mason and her family would have enjoyed more than this. She could have come here and enjoyed the peace and quiet. But no, they all had to come along. So here they are.

"Good luck suing me for your own stupidity," she bounces back and turns around to follow her parents.

[cwlee]

Mason stomps over to Eliza, chasing after her. "Sue you? Please, you'll be lucky if I sue you," he tries to insult, trying to come up with something worse than being sued; he couldn't come up with anything. His mind's too frustrated at the eyesore next to him. He pulls Eliza over to the side, stopping them in their tracks, a faint cloud of dust rising in their wake. "I'm literally here only for Eliza, okay? I need you to seriously lay off my back! I don't understand your problem!" Mason gaslights.

Before Eliza can even say a response, her parents call them over. "C'mon, guys! We need to actually buy tickets to go inside it seems! Eliza, honey! Did you exchange the currency like I told you to?" their mom exclaims from a bit away. The parents and Kelly have already made it to the front entrance of the temple while the other two argued.

[NoviDome]

Eliza is careful not to yelp when he grabs her, knowing full well how bullies latch onto any sign of fear. Though this isn't the first time Mason is getting physical with her, it is starting to worry her. Things could easily escalate from here, and it bothers her that her parents or Kelly are almost never around to see him behave like this. She stares him down as he tries to blame her for the situation, her hand moving to her waist bag. Maybe, just maybe, Mason has to learn the hard way. She opens her mouth to warn him when she hears her mother's voice, and she looks over. With an angry glare at her sister's boyfriend, she pulls her arm free from his grip and follows her parents to the entrance.

"Of course," she says softly and reaches into her bag. She pulls out some neatly wrapped rolls of Euros and an envelope with bills. She looks up at the price board and goes over to the window to pay for all of them. In her mind, she's pushing her frustration down. Mason probably isn't strong or cruel enough to seriously hurt her, though she's starting to doubt that too. But she doesn't like this continuous antagonising. She just wants to enjoy her trip. So she looks over at her sister and murmurs to her out of earshot of her parents and Mason. "Hey. Keep that guy of yours on a leash, Kel. You wanted him here."

[cwlee]

Upon hearing the parent's voice, Mason lets her go. It's not like he was holding her that tightly any way, he thinks. Following Eliza, Mason tags loosely behind, mumbling and cussing to himself about this entire situation and the trip. Every so often, Eliza's name would slip out of his tongue, likely catching her attentive ears. Still, Mason doesn't care. He wants her to hear it. He needs to make her life as miserable as possible, he thinks, for bringing them here of all places. Hell couldn't be that much worse, Mason continues to think.

"Alright, babe, get over here. Stop messing with Eliza," Kelly orders Mason like a dog, and to no surprise, Mason seems to obey and listen to Kelly as he walks over quietly and stands next to her. "Look, babe. This is for my sister, okay?" Kelly insists, but Mason isn't having any of it. "Mason, c'mon. This is for Eliza and her educational career. For me, please, babe?" Mason frowns.

Kelly has to pull the ace card out to get this man to cooperate it seems. "Okay, babe. If you behave for this entire trip, no complaints, no messing with Eliza, having a good trip overall, then I will do that thing you like... for one week!" Kelly blushes embarrassedly as she attempts to bargain with him, and like a dog who has spotted a treat on his owner's hands, she has his full attention.

Mason ponders. "Mm, two weeks!" Mason bargains.

Kelly rolls her eyes and sighs. "Okay, fine. Two weeks, but just behave yourself, alright, babe?" she pleads as she sighs once more and holds Mason's hand. As long as he behaves, everybody will have a good time, that is a given. Mason doesn't grip her hand back but still keeps it there so at least Kelly can hold onto him. Rather, Mason seems more occupied with something else, or someone​ else. He turns his head behind him to see where Eliza is... He's going to win his side of the deal with Kelly and still find a way to fuck with Eliza. Mason smirks as the couple walks into the temple, followed by the parents.

[NoviDome]

Eliza breathes a soft sigh of relief when Kelly seems to strike some sort of deal with Mason. She doesn't know the details, and isn't interested in them either. As long as he stays off her back. She follows the rest of the family through the doors, and then stops dead in her tracks when she sees the interior of the temple.

It has been masterfully renovated and replicated. It looks exactly like the pictures she has extensively studied, up to the detailed stonework, the floor, the atrium... and, on the back wall, painted in vibrant colours: the fresco they have come all this way for.

Eliza's eyes light up with excitement and she quietly excuses herself as she brushes past the others, heading straight for the back. She gets as close as the ropes will let her, and carefully studies the surface with an absentminded smile. It looks as authentic as she has imagined, and she quickly starts to get her camera ready.