7DeadlySins: Nice try, but this is not this myth!XD Anyway, I hope you will love this chapter! Thank you for the review.
Chapter 19: Niobe
It happened in the kingdom of Thebes.
In the city, a temple honoring Leto stood. As the mother of two Olympians who went through a lot of pain to give birth to them, she was considered as the Goddess of Motherhood. Mortal women prayed to her to seek her help and guidance when it came to the raising of their children.
Today again, many people came to her sanctuary to bring a lot of gifts to honor and please her. Jewels, statues, clothes, flowers. Despite being a very minor divinity, she received the greatest treasuries.
But her popularity didn't please everybody.
At the entrance of the temple, surrounded by her court, the Queen of Thebes watched all of this. She was a gorgeous woman with long brown hair, a round face, a pulpous lips and piercing dark eyes.
Her name was Niobe.
And she raged!
Yes, she raged at the sight of the sumptuous ceremony! She couldn't understand! Why Leto received such attention for her maternal prowess when she only got one pair of twins?
In comparison, Niobe had seven pairs of twins!
Therefore, she was more deserving of being worshipped when it came to motherhood! How could these people honor someone who only give birth to two kids when their own queen gave them fourteen princes and princesses?
It was completely unfair, even indecent, she would dare to think!
And she bluntly screamed to her people. "My dear people, why are you worshipping an unseen goddess when your queen is just as beautiful as any immortal? Am I not a granddaughter of the Almighty Zeus myself? On the other side, how could Leto be considered as the Goddess of Motherhood? She only gave birth to two children! Look at me! I got fourteen children! So much more! All of them are marvellous and healthy. And my oldest pair of twins are even skilled hunters themselves. They are probably just as good with the bow as Apollo and Artemis! So, if you want to worship someone, if should be me!"
Everybody who heard her gasped before turning to see her. None commoner could dare to talk back to their sovereign but they couldn't hide neither their shock after hearing these provocative words. Was she crazy?
Her husband beside her, the King Amphion, got a scare running through his spine, blanching and opening widely his eyes in a stunned reaction. Quickly, he scolded his spouse. "Be quiet, My Queen! Are you insane? I am really proud of the many children you bore for me, but that is not a justification to brag yourself and insult the gods!"
"Are you accusing me of committing hubris, My King?" She replied with arrogance. "It is only the truth!"
"Shush! My Darling, just stop! You will put yourself in serious danger! Excuse yourself before it is too late!"
"Why? Leto is a minor goddess, do you really think she can do anything?"
Amphion was frustrated! It was sometime so difficult to resonate this woman!
But he loved her, nevertheless. Still…he needed to talk to her. To bring her back her sense. He tried again, but only to fail lamentably.
To compensate, he penetrated inside the temple. He prayed the gods to forgive his wife. To not get mad. To understand that she just got a strong ego. He even ordered a sheep to be brought as a sacrifice to appease their probable wrath.
Sadly… It was already too late.
…
Delphina was sitting on a rock near the shore and the ocean in her mermaid form. She loved it when the sea was calm. She could enjoy the softness of the rock warmed by the sun while listening to the pleasant sound of the small waves hitting the land.
In these moments, she could remember when she was still a simple nymph, young and curious, contemplating the sea like a lure for adventures.
But that period was gone… She had changed… Her heart had changed as well.
Recently, she couldn't stop thinking of Apollo. And every time she did, her heart's rhythm accelerated, her stomach felt squeezy and her cheeks reddened… And yet, she wasn't sick.
Alright! Seriously! She wasn't stupid. She was mature enough to understand why she was feeling like that. What she exactly felt toward Apollo… But she had difficulties to admit it, even to herself.
Apllo became so generous recently and not just toward Admetus and Alcestis. He finally acted like the benevolent god she always knew he could become. She was discovering a so much charming and caring side of him. Every minute spent with him felt like ecstasy. Every smile and laugh he gave sent her on cloud nine.
How her heart couldn't feel this way?
"Lost in your thoughts once again, Delphina?" A voice suddenly said.
The mermaid jumped. She turned around to see who it was. She recognized her instantly. "Artemis? God! You scared me! I totally didn't hear you coming!"
The Goddess of the Moon only smiled at the statement. "Well! A good huntress must be really quiet in order to approach her preys. So, thank you for the compliment!"
"Like you needed any compliments." Delphina laughed. And she added. "Anyway! What are you doing here?"
"Ho! I am waiting for my meeting with my brother. We are supposed to meet in the forest nearby for a hunting session together. But the rendezvous will only be in one hour. So I saw you and thought it would be nice to discuss with you."
"Great! Then, tell me. How are you doing?"
And they happily conversed with each other. While they spoke, the topic of hunting versus fishing came up.
"What I mean is that maybe hunting involves bigger preys but fishing is just as thrilling because you cannot hide." Delphina said. "You truly have to be fast to catch as mush fish as you can."
"From your point of view, yes, but that's because you are a mermaid. Humans fish with nets. That's boring!"
"Ok! That's true! But we are not comparing humans. We are comparing each other. And you should know how we are fishing! My dolphins and I not only use echolocation. We also use our mouths to create a net of bubbles to circle the fish's pod. That requires a lot of skills to get the efficiency and the precision to execute it."
"Do your dolphins sometimes chase something different for a change? Like I don't know…seals?"
"Seals are too big for us. And this is hunting not fishing!"
"What is the true difference anyway?! You are just hunting underwater! But the principle remains the same! And I don't get why seals are too big for you. They are not for sharks."
Now, that got under Delphina's nerve. Believe it or not, but she possessed some pride. And she was about to defend herself. "You think that sharks are better than my dolphins? Have you ever heard of how my pod and I once fought a shark that was competing with us for the fish? It was big, strong and fast but we still managed to push it away!"
"I know. Apollo told me about it. He was by the way furious about the useless risks you took. You know how to worry him."
Delphina tried to not let her emotions took over her at the mention of Apollo. She simply responded. "Well, he shouldn't! Nothing bad happened. With the strength of a team, we handled it!"
"You needed to be a team to defeat a single shark? Seriously? Sorry but the dolphins cannot be considered as the greatest predator at the sea!"
"Why do you have to be so condescending?!"
"Ho! Relax!" She laughed. "It is just that most of the time, you are so modest! It is always funny when I manage to trigger your ego."
Delphina sighed. Artemis was something, for sure.
Suddenly, somebody irrupted in the middle of their conversation. "It looks like you forgot our meeting, Sister!"
They both turned to see Apollo standing in front of them, bare chest, his yellow clothes around his waist, equipped with his quiver and bow and a serious look in his face.
Delphina blushed. Every time she saw him was now overwhelming. She struggled to control the symptoms. Her eyes seemed locked on his beauty. Her heart beat so fast it hurt. Her soul trembled of happiness. Outside, she looked calm but inside, the chaos ruled.
Artemis stood up and said. "Well! It looks like it is time for me to leave. Thanks for the talking, Delphina. See you again."
"Yeah. You too, Apollo. I wish you a great success in your hunt."
"Thank you, Delphina." The God said with a smooth voice, so sweet that he only used it for her.
The Sea Goddess waited for them to leave before taking a breath. She needed to reflect. She knew she couldn't keep going like this. The more time she spent with Apollo, the crazier she became. She bore a blissfulness that was ironically painful to support. Mainly, because it came with a sentiment of emptiness that she longed to fill up.
But for that, she would need to admit it… And confess it. This secret feeling that could change her relationship with her friend forever.
…
"Sister, we need to talk." Apollo said with a sense of emergency easily detectable.
Artemis looked at him, ready to listen.
"Our mother has been insulted!" He spoke with an anger so loud the earth was almost shaking. "A mortal named Niobe bragged the fact that she had more children than her. And because of that, she pretended to be more deserving to be worshipped as a goddess of motherhood."
The virgin goddess wasn't prepared for the fury she would experiment after hearing those news. A desire to kill, to hurt, to inflict pain, to curse and to torture took over her mind.
The twins would never hesitate to punish anyone who insult them. But their mother… Their overprotectiveness of their mother possessed no equal in this world. She suffered lonely to find a shelter where to give birth. Facing rejection, fatigue and even an attack from Python. She had been a poor victim of the wrath of Hera. But through her torments, she had stayed strong for them, while, powerless in her womb, they wanted nothing more than to protect and defend her.
She even suffered nine days of labour in the case of Apollo. Which woman could pretend she had suffered worst trial for her child to see the light of the day?
And now, this woman dared to diminish all these facts just because she got only two kids? Who did she think she was?! Granddaughter of Zeus or not, she was still a mortal! She couldn't compare herself with a Titaness and mother of two Olympians! Leto had always been so kind and helpful toward her worshippers. She took her role very seriously and with devotion. A true role model! She was the last deity deserving a humiliation!
Artemis and Apollo looked at each other intensively. They required no word to communicate. They perfectly knew they thought the exact same thing.
They would avenge their mother's honor no matter what!
A voice inside Apollo's mind spoke. The one that made him the God of Reason. It urged him to not do it. That it would ignite a huge anger in Delphina toward him. That these actions would bring the danger of losing her once again. It ordered to not risk it! To remember the pain in the aftermath of the Marsyas' tragedy.
But his love for his mother fought better. And his anger unleased all the violence he could afflige.
In his mind, it was the point of no return.
…
Niobe went to see her children before going to bed. She wanted to wish them a good night and tell them that she loved them… Just like every night.
In a huge chamber divided in a lot of small parts, most of them separated by curtains where each child had his own bed. The siblings loved each other very much and they never minded sharing such an intimacy between fourteen people.
They were seven pairs of twins. All twins were composed of a boy and a girl. What a miracle, considering the low percentage of chances, to observe seven consecutive birth of mixed pairs of twins!
No wonder Niobe prided herself about this exploit. She paid visit at each of them, kissing them on their front, praying Hypnos to bless them with sweet dreams.
"Good night, Darling."
"Good night, Mother."
Her children… She couldn't put words to describe how much she loved them. Her youngest were four years old, so small, pure and innocent, asleep peacefully in their beds. The oldest pair had already reached sixteen years old, ready to marry. But none of them looked around for a mate. They occupied their free time by hunting in the wood nearby.
The oldest twins were often compared to Artemis and Apollo. The similarities between the royal siblings and the divine ones surprised everybody. These twins rarely missed their target. When a deer came in their sight, it would be done in a record time. They were truly skilled!
But they didn't inherited their mother's vanity and so, they disapproved her words at the ceremony made in honor of Leto. They didn't find themselves better than Apollo and Artemis. Clearly not! But they didn't discuss their disapproval very much. They had to respect their mother and they trusted their father to resonate her.
Still, they prayed that nothing would fall upon their family. After all, they were also protective of their little sisters and brothers.
And they were right to worry.
In the middle of the night, a mysterious immaculate white mist penetrated the big room where the royal children rested. It brushed the floor like a wind and thickened. Then, the fog concentrated itself in one point to form magically two humanoids incredibly beautiful.
But their eyes reflected a terrifying glow. Like demons waking up in the dark. Their evil intentions shined in their irises.
Artemis raised her bow. Apollo raised his.
One by one, she killed the girls. He killed the boys.
They just left two.
The oldest pair of twins suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. Their instinct told them that danger had unfiltered their health.
And their instinct didn't fail. They heard the cries of the brothers and sisters. And suddenly, nothing else. What was happening?!
They took their weapons and penetrated the room, holding their bow to attack the intruders.
They didn't expect to fall face to face with the Goddess of the Moon and the God of the Sun.
Two pairs of twins. All four of them were good archers. The two best among gods and the two best among mortals.
All surrounded by corpses.
"Look at them, Brother." Artemis commented. "These two dare to compare themselves with us. Yet, they are trembling with their bows."
Indeed, it was exact.
"You killed our sisters and brothers!" The daughter of Niobe yelled, horrified.
"Yes." Apollo confirmed coldly. "And now, it is your turn."
And between gods and mortals, we could easily guess who were the fastest to shoot.
…
Delphina woke up anxiously in the middle of the night. Panicked, she tried to breathe slowly. She had experimented a huge nightmare.
She had seen Asclepius on the floor as a child, bleeding intensively, motionless, his skin pale, his eyes closed and his breath absent. She couldn't move at all. It was like a force was preventing to get closer and to just stay there, watching this horror powerlessly.
Ho! By Zeus! It was so awful! She still trembled!
She got up fast, leaving her bedroom and running in the hall. She needed to see Apollo. Every time she did a nightmare, she now always went to him to seek comfort while he always provided generously.
She knocked on the door but no one answered. Worried, she decided to enter without permission. "Apollo?"
But she discovered an empty room. She blinked her eyes. Where was he? Disappointed, she still hadn't the strength to run around the palace to look for him. She was tired. And so, she decided to go lie down on his bed while waiting for him to come back. Wherever he was, he will probably come back here really soon.
She took his blanket and inhaled his smell on it. The print of his presence comforted her. She cried silently. She couldn't forget her nightmare and prayed for her friend to come back to her very soon. She needed his arms around her so badly!
But suddenly, something caught her attention. Or more correctly…the absence of something.
Apollo's bow was not where it was usually. He always kept it so close to his bed during the night. For it to be out of the room, Apollo must be using it right now.
But why would he hunt at night time?
Unless…
Delphina stood up. She panicked. She understood it wasn't normal at all. The God was up to something. She also realised that her dream was also abnormal. When she made this nightmare, it was always the same scene where Asclepius died in front of her, hit by the thunderbolt.
But it was the first time, she got a vision of her godson as her child bleeding on the floor. She feared that it meant something.
She screamed to call someone. Someone she could trust to share the truth.
Five minutes later, a black bird entered the bedroom. Reassured, Delphina told him. "My dear raven, you have the duty to announce the death. Please, tell me… Did Apollo kill somebody tonight?"
The raven was sinisterly mute.
"Raven?"
He just told her where to go. He couldn't say it out loud. Understanding him, she just got up and prepared herself to travel to Thebes rapidly.
…
"NO!"
Niobe had entered the room to find every single of her children lied down on the ground, lifeless.
No…
Her own blood was dispersed everywhere in a macabre montage. These innocent kids so young were stroke by Thanatos before truly enjoying the greatest joys of life… And it was clearly her fault!
"NO!" She screamed even louder while falling on the floor, crying with all the voice and the tears her body could handle.
Her husband arrived quickly alarmed by the distress of his queen. Then, he screamed as well when he discovered the cruel tragedy that fell upon their family.
He couldn't even blame his wife for having provoked the wrath of the gods on their poor guiltless children. It would be pointless and not erase the pain inside… All he could do was suffering!
Artemis and Apollo, well hidden on the roof of the palace, observed the scene. They savoured each sob, each lamentation, each plea, each sound of agonising pain… There was no pity in their stare.
Niobe only received what she deserved.
"How dare you?"
Apollo got a huge chill in his spin when he heard that voice. No… Not so soon. She would not understand. But Fates worked against him, once again.
So he turned and faced a very disappointed Delphina. Disappointed was in reality a very weak description. She looked terrorized and traumatised. He hated that look, but knew that he was in part responsible.
Nevertheless, he managed to respond. "Delphina, listen. It had to be done."
She stepped back, stunned beyond imagination. "What? You cannot be serious?" And suddenly, she roared. "You killed children!"
She wanted to destroy mountains! She was so mad and devastated. She understood the silence of the raven. She herself couldn't succeed to find the words to describe what she was seeing.
But to learn that it was Apollo who did this alongside Artemis… How? How? How?!
"I thought you changed."
Where was the good man he became during his exile in Thessaly? The one who could finally have some compassion toward mortals and have some humility? How did he forget the lessons from Marsyas and Coronis' incidents?
Where was the man she grew to love?
Gone. She concluded it as he only stared at her with intensity without any once of regret. Like he always used to do before.
Artemis didn't dare to speak. She let her brother do it.
"Delphina… Of course, I know you would disapprove, but I want to be clear. She insulted our mother. Any insult to her has to be punished. It was not against me but against someone I cherish more than my own life."
"And innocent children had to die for this?"
"She lost her children as a lesson! She was proud to have so much children, now she doesn't have them anymore!"
"But the children had nothing to do in it!"
"I don't care! They would have only grown to be just as arrogant as their mother! This world will be better off without them."
Something broke inside Delphina's body like cracking bones, cutting skin or exploding lungs. She heard the echo of his statement in her mind like a fact that wanted to integrate her brain against the resistance of her fragile heart.
"Apollo, please…" She begged. "You cannot truly think something like that!"
"Enough! I don't want to listen to your usual speech! I don't want to hear anything more, Delphina. You need to remember that we are Olympian and you remain a minor goddess. We have the right to do whatever we want! You should keep this in mind."
At that exact moment, something exploded and emerged inside the goddess' spirit. Sadness came face to face with anger. They fought for a while to end with the victory of the anger.
Delphina was angry!
How could he?!
Suddenly, she ran away, unable to face him any longer. She felt powerless and furious. But she didn't desire to let her emotions be seen! She didn't want to look weak. She wanted to protect her pride.
She wanted to fight and do something about it!
But what could she do for children already dead?
Unless… She had to try!
She hurried up. She descended the roof carefully, breathing hardly, chasing away the wisdom in her advising it was pointless to attempt it. But she refused to give up without trying.
And she succeeded to pass by the guards to enter the room, now empty since the parents left to evacuate their grief.
Once she entered… Her heart menaced to break in a thousand pieces when she had the impression to observe fourteen Asclepius in front of her. She advanced one step. Her sandal got tainted by a trace of blood. Another step. Her other sandal felt the thickness of the hair of a young little girl. No part of the floor could be walked without any reminder of the infanticide that had cursed this somber place.
Many children. Some are no older than four years old. All at the dawn of their lives brutally cut down. The smell of corpse invaded her nose, the sinister silence gave too much room to her mute cries. Her own memories of the loss of the only child she ever rose herself haunted once again her thoughts.
All because they were mortal! All because the gods were so powerful that they gave themselves the right to decide what it is fair or not.
She was only a minor goddess, but she will attempt to do something!
She sat down, concentrating herself to work on her magic. She never tried this before. She didn't even know if she possessed this kind of power. But she didn't know before that she could create dolphins.
She pursued until she got abruptly interrupted. "Delphina! Stop that!"
She ignored him. Apollo had to nerve to even prevent her to intervene. Could he just leave her alone?
She felt him coming closer. "Delphina. I know what you are trying to do. You want to take their souls in order to transform them like I did with Hyacinth. Stop that immediately! You are not strong enough! And it will only drive you a lot of energy."
"Shut up!" She riposted angrily. His overprotectiveness was becoming truly annoying. If he could do it, why didn't he help her instead?!
"Delphina…" He spoke with authority. He took her in his arms to obligate her to stand up. As expected, she debated against his hold. But he maintained it nevertheless. "You are not feeling well. You cannot stay here. You have to get out to clean your ideas before getting yourself in danger."
And all of a sudden, something hit his cheek.
Apollo touched his face where it burned. He couldn't believe that she dared to slap him. "Delphina…"
"Don't dare to touch me!" She yelled. "Don't ever get close to me! You see these children? You were mad when your son was killed and you defied your own father after this! Don't even try to stop me when I try to do the same by defying you! You hypocrite!"
And with the power of her wrath she succeeded to summon the souls of each child and they reunited in her hold. She stared at the light between her hands. She was close to her goal.
But Apollo didn't let go easily. He was surprised that she managed to do that. But he had to insist on the truth.
"Delphina… Look. You are tired already. You will never find a way to transform them. Just let them here for Hermes to bring them to Hades."
He only received a dark glare. Apollo knew it would be difficult to obtain her forgiveness after this. He would have to work harder this time and yet, he still couldn't even think about helping her.
And that fact, she knew it. "I told you to shut up." She responded. And with this burden in her arms, she exited to walk toward the sea. The God of Almost Everything followed her. Of course, he did.
"Delphina, you listen to me!"
"Shut up!"
"We need to talk."
"Shut up!"
"Don't be a fool! You cannot transform souls into dolphins! You will not only fail but hurt yourself!"
"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do!"
Apollo wasn't a patient god. Yet, he learnt to manage Delphina's stubbornness. Or he thought he learnt. This crisis surpassed everything he had been through. His love for her commanded him to stay close to protect her from herself. But his pride prevented him to help her to do what she wanted to do with his own powers.
What a curse!
She reached the sea. She appeared so extenuated, yet she held tightly the souls in her. Apollo didn't like it. All he wanted to do was to force her to let the spirits go and comfort her. If only it was that easy. There, she summoned her dolphins.
Fourteen of them came. What was happening?
"Delphina. I don't know your exact intentions, but stop it right now."
"You are right. I am not strong enough to do this."
"Then why?"
"Apollo…"
For once, he obeyed and shut up. He was ready to listen.
"Do you know the difference between you and me?" She said while turning to him. "You were born with your powers. I wasn't. I was only a nymph who someday encountered poor men abandoned all alone on a boat at the sea. Not just men. But slaves. The lowest kind of mortals. Not even considered as people. They had done nothing for me. They were just there. In distress. Screaming for their lives. Begging for some mercy on them who had always been treated so unfairly."
She took a breath before pursuing. "I was only a nymph, powerless. Yet, I prayed so much inside me to be able to save them. I longed to rescue them like if they were my brothers. Because for me, it was just the right thing to do. And suddenly, a miracle happened. You know which one I am talking able. And those slaves that no god had ever paid attention to became my most loyal companions and changed my life forever. They made me discover that I was no ordinary."
And after that, she took two souls. The youngest pair. She couldn't transform them into a physical form. But…
She sent them to two dolphins. The fusion created a transformation.
Two creatures similar to the common dolphin emerged, but with white, blue and gray strips. The stripped dolphins.
She sent the second youngest pair. They metamorphosed into two dolphins with a conical head and a slender nose. The rough-toothed dolphins.
She sent the third youngest pair. They became two dolphins with a round head, a gray body and creamy belly. The skin somehow seemed heavily scarred. The Risso's dolphins.
She sent the fourth pair. With a beautiful light gray on their skin that shined under the sun, these dolphins appeared and jumped like if they were fated to be huge stars in the future. The common bottlenose dolphins.
She sent the fifth pair. The creature generated didn't have a beak. But the whole body was elongated. Its skin was dark gray, almost black. The false killer whales.
She sent the sixth pair. Similar to the last one but bigger and in pure black with the exception of a grayish belly. The long-finned pilot whales.
Artemis joined Apollo. She had assisted to all of this so far. She was truly impressed by the powers of the Goddess of Dolphins.
Delphina had noticed her presence. She looked at the last and oldest pair. Two teenagers blessed with hunting skills that matched the twins Olympians. She smiled. She turned to the Goddess of the Hunt and told her. "You said that my dolphins were not the greatest predators of the sea. Not anymore."
And she sent the last pair. Suddenly, two majestic creatures jumped. Three times bigger than humans, a huge dorsal, white and black skin with a scary face where two white spots could confuse you for passing for their eyes.
Yes, they were the orcas.
Delphina stood up, satisfied. The souls of the children were saved. They would now have a second life.
She didn't forget the presence of the two other gods. She turned to them and directly said. "You know what is funny? It is that you did it for your mother. Yet, a long time ago, she slept with you father who was married. By her acts, she hurt and humiliated the Goddess of Marriage herself. Of course, she punished her just like you two would do the same ironically."
Silence was probably the most appropriate reaction they could give.
"See? But the children that she bore had nothing to do with this. Why should they be punished because of the actions of their parents? And so, I dared to help her to give birth. I didn't ask for a reward, for a temple or for any kind of grant gift. I just did what I thought was right. But your father thanked me by making me a goddess. Unlike you, I earned my godhood. Me, the pathetic minor divinity."
Artemis could say nothing. However, Apollo had to ripost. "Delphina, listen. I know you are mad. But…"
"But what? You are not going to apologize? Don't you believe in the wisdom of my own words? How could you?!"
"Enough! You are not giving me a chance to talk! We should go back home. We will talk again once you will have calmed down."
"You are accusing me of not giving you a chance to talk?! But you are not taking me seriously. Why I should calm down. I am mad for good reasons! Or maybe you think I will forgive you later like I did with Marsyas and Coronis."
"Please, be reasonable. You are not thinking…"
"I will not forgive you this time. I swear upon the river Styx that I will never come back to Delphi on my own will!"
A thunderstorm followed by a rain had struck Apollo's heart once he heard those last words.
Delphina began to cry. It hurt more than she wanted it to. But it did and painfully did. She couldn't believe what she just said. It was so taboo to give up a patronage over a city. And also, she loved Delphi, but she couldn't bear to be with Apollo anymore. And this was the only way to do it.
But ho gods! Why it had to be this way?!
Apollo panicked and reacted like a furious man. "You cannot be serious! I order you to take back this oath right now!"
He couldn't lose her! He refused this! He would fight this!
Tears flooded Delphina's eyes. "It is too late." She answered. "I'm sorry. I thought that you had become a good man. But I was so naïve."
"Delphina…" This time, Apollo's voice was weak. Totally begging.
"I loved you, Apollo." She confessed.
And she jumped to disappear into the water, along with all the new species of dolphins.
Artemis had remained mute. She couldn't comment. Why could she even say? She turned to her brother. Ho! No! Her brother!
He had known this pain in the past but the River Styx had not been involved. This time… This time could be permanent.
And when he realised this… "DELPHINA!"
The echoes of his suffering could be heard through the forests, the mountains and the plains.
But they couldn't reach the sea.
Thank you for reading.
Did I have completely reinvented that myth? Yeah! Kind of! But according to the myths, it was said that the dolphins had the power to conduct the souls to an island called the island of blessing. So, for some people, dolphins were a symbol of the life after death. I wanted to honor that.
Nothing said that the children were divided into twins. I just added that. But there were seven girls and seven boys for sure!
The oldest were not archers at all! I just decided to add this!
I took all the species of dolphins that exist in Greece. The only exception is the orca. The only place in the mediterranean sea where you can find them is in the detroit of Gibraltar. But they are so awesome that I had to include them!
At first, I wanted to involve Leto in this chapter, but I lacked time and inspiration.
Now, you probably want to kill me! And I am afraid that this new conflict is going to be longer. By the way, I am happy to finish 2019 with this chapter, because from now, we will enter a new phase of the story. We will enter the Iliad.
That also means that it is the end of the hints at the end of the chapters. From now, I will more often use cliffhangers (yes, you can hate me for this!).
I still hope you enjoyed it!
See you soon!