LYSSANDRA

  The forest was full of life with birds playing their morning tune and the bright sun kissing the earth warmly. And there she was. The woman’s face was painted in sickness while she was holding her long staff tight, probably without noticing the dead snake that was wrapped around it. Her face was facing down while her knees were shaking. The dress, pale white with copper jewels on her arms and wrists, had peacock feathers as engravings, and for her neck, a golden bright jewel. Expensive accessories for a poor looking woman.

  ‘’I can’t do this anymore’’She cried. ‘’I didn’t mean to do it’’

  Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of her while the shadow was casting the form of a buck. The woman looked up, and she fell to her knees.

  ‘’Pitty.’’A familiar voice spoke from the now white buck. My chest tightened just by hearing his voice, and my mind was forcing my body not to run at his side.

  ‘’A priestess of Hera herself, down on her knees.’’ Sighed Apollo.

  ‘’Please, patron of healers, my name was once Tiresias. ‘’The woman spoke. ‘’Seven years have passed since I was once a man, climbing to a mountain and seeing two snakes. Disgusted by their action, I managed to kill one of them, and Hera found a punishment suitable for me. Or that’s what she said.’’

  The buck now was trying to look away with his shaking body. Was he laughing?

  ‘’Please. Lord Apollo'’ Her eyes now looked up, her silver eyes shedding fat tears on her bronze skin. ‘’Help me. I had suffered enough, you don’t understand what…’’

  The buck walked closer to the priestess of Hera and remained silent, letting her speak.

  ‘’Before I found a temple to become a priestess, a simple slave girl, I was used and abused for my master’s entertainment. When I managed to escape, shelter in the temple of Hera was the only thing I found. Because there was no peace, not with the pain and endurance. And that if anything would happen, my freedom would be shackled once again because I…’’

  ‘’You are cursed as a woman’’ The god spoke with a mocking tone. ‘’And you want me…to help you… for what price?’’

  Tiresias remained silent and turned to her staff. She looked at it for a couple of seconds before she dropped it to the ground.

  ‘’Lucky, for you,’’The god sighed, and the forest brightened, making the woman look down once again. But I could not stop looking. Not when I could finally see his true form again. Why was I so pathetic?

  ‘’Messing with Hera is one of the little things I enjoy’’ And the god offered with his hand a snake to the priestess. ‘’Kill it’’He commanded.

  And Tiresias faced the fat snake on the ground, and she grabbed the staff once again to kill it with all of her strength, letting out a loud cry. Not even a second passed after the snake died, the woman vanished, only for a man to appear in front of the god.

  The man gasped from the surprise as he touched his bare, thick face, his torso, then right between his legs.

  ‘’Thank you’’He cried with a wide smile as he began to run far away. But the god was still standing above the staff and the two now dead snakes. And with that, a mourning tune echoed to the valley. A song that was played by a lyre. I kept watching in silence as Apollo twisted the snakes now around the staff, trying to keep them all frozen like statues at the top. Meanwhile, the mourning song was coming even closer with a familiar sighing accompanying him.

  ‘’Is it strange?’’ Hermes whined while he was flying with his sandals above Apollo. ‘’For a god of healing, showing someone the ways of death?’’

  Apollo ignored Hermes while he was taking three long breaths. And now my gaze shifted to the lyre of Hermes. Such an interesting design for an instrument, as it was made from a tortoise shell, where the bright light was reflecting off the hard shell.

  ‘’If it weren’t the snakes, it would have been him who would be dead.’’Apollo explained. ‘’And he is not ready to die.’’

  Hermes’s lips pouted and leaned closer to his brother. ‘’His name was signed for today’’He explained coldly. ‘’My job is already difficult with my harsh travels to the underworld, I do not need more paper-’’

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  ‘’Here’’said Apollo and tossed to Hermes the staff, and now I could see the familiarity. Hermes twisted it for a while, studying it as if now at the top of the stuff, a pair of silver wings appeared.

  ‘’This will guide you around the Underworld with safety’’Apollo explained calmly, but Hermes still watched him with suspicion.

  ‘’In return’’ Apollo gave up and his gemstone eyes faced Hermes’ instrument.

  Now there was just the god with the citrine skin, fire for hair, and characteristics of both human and deer, playing his new lyre around the valley, making the threads of the sun dance around nature. A melody that was once the lullaby the priest of Apollo was singing to me.

  To Gaia, the Mother of All. I will sing of well-founded Gaia , mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all the creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly, all these are fed from her store.

  Through you, Oh queen, men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away. Happy is the man whom you delight to honour!

  He has all things abundantly: his fruitful land is laden with corn, his pastures are covered with cattle, and his house is filled with good things. Such men rule orderly in their cities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sons exult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bands play and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is it with those whom you honour, Oh holy goddess, bountiful spirit. Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Ouranos, freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart!

  The parents of the king of Titans. The one who ate his own children because of the same nightmare as his father.

  I could not help myself. Not when this sound was melting my heart, not when he was standing there, facing the unknown. I began rushing to him.

  ‘’Paris’’I cried out loud with my body aching.

  I should have stopped. I should have stopped my emotions, my feelings towards him, and yet, I just wished that I could save him.

  His lips parted with his music finally stopping. But just for a second before, telling one more song.

  A mourning tune that resembled the wailing of a widow.

  ‘’Paris, please talk to me’’I leaned close to him.

  Centuries passed, times changed, people changed, but he seemed to be just timeless.

  ‘’You are not here’’I gasped, moving back slowly. ‘’You are…’’My lips shook. ‘’Is there any point in trying to rescue you?’’

  Of wanting to escape?

  No answer.

  I read everything, every scroll, Hermes offered to me. And with that dream, I knew that Caduceus was the key. But at that moment, I felt absolutely nothing.

  ‘’Maybe I should give up after all-’’

  Wait, where am I?

  I fell asleep after the ceremony…

  ‘’I am dreaming’’I said, snapping finally out, feeling my mind lighter.

  How did I return from the ceremony?

  Forget Lyssandra Hermes whispered to my ear.

  Forget what? That he use his staff to move me back to the room? Why would he want to hide it? Just for me to not take it from him and escape? No, there is no way this god would care so much just for me.

  Safety. Caduceus provides safety to the Underworld. But this memory was centuries before, he sure grew stronger.

  He doesn’t want me to go to the Underworld. He wants me to give up. What is he hiding in the Underworld?

  My brother will kill me.

  What is Apollo capable of?

  My curiosity grew even stronger. Now, for certain, I wouldn’t give up.

  The song kept playing my Apollo’s bleeding fingertips. The wailing of a widow. Of a woman who found that her husband, who went to war wouldn’t return. Little did the widow know that the man was trapped in the sea. In a bed of a goddess, forcing him to never leave, forcing him to love her. Both the husband and the wife were wailing on that song. Because neither of them could see the truth.

  ‘’I have a plan’’I announced to Apollo. ‘’Please, for a little longer’’I leaned closer to him and touched his cold shoulder. Could he actually listen to me? I wanted to see him. I wanted to tell him everything.

  ‘’Wait for me’’

  The song stopped, and Apollo took a deep breath, facing his gaze down to me.

  No words needed to be shared at that moment. Because I could listen to his thoughts as the dance of the sun.

  I will.