I immediately felt at home in the temple.

I liked how quiet it was in comparison to my father's palace, where it was difficult to have a moment for yourself.

I kept visiting my family regularly, since it was allowed by the temple's rules. But it started feeling awkward, especially with my sisters. Until that moment, my sisters and I had been on good terms: we had spent play time together and shared activities like sewing. They didn't know about Apollo's calling since he had asked me to keep it to myself. Still, we were somewhat close, even if I went to school and they didn't.

After just a few months at the temple, I noticed that things between us were changing. Whenever I visited, they just greeted me and then grouped together, leaving me out. At first it hurt, but soon I noticed that I didn't bother. It was surprising how quickly our relationship was changing.

On the contrary, I stayed close to Hector. He was twenty now, but he still tried to spend time with younger siblings like me. After all, he was going to be the king of all of us one day and he wanted us to stay loyal to him. My twin brother Helenus had joined Artemis' temple shortly after I had entered Apollo's - apparently, he had been destined to priesthood together with me. I hadn't seen him ever since.

Myrrhine became the first real friend of my life and I enjoyed spending time with her. The high priest Laxani was grumpy but he developed some affection for me even if he was awful at showing it – actually he was awful at showing anything and generally distrustful of people.

"Myrrhine, if you keep babbling like that when you accept the offers people will think that I beat you." he growled one morning.

"I'm very sorry, sir. It is very hard for me to relax" she answered with a blush. She was just eleven and not used to seeing so many people and talking to them.

"Well, you better find a way, otherwise Cassandra will take your place." he said bitterly.

I thought he was rather unfair with her and I couldn't see how his attitude could help her relax.

"I don't agree with you, Laxani. I think Myrrhine is doing well and that people actually like her. There's no need for me to take her place." I said defiantly.

I meant it: people usually don't like priests who behave as if they were better than the other people and Myrrhine's understatement was very likeable.

Myrrhine looked at me in shock and Laxani turned, slightly outraged:

"Would you disobey me?" he asked very quietly.

"I believe that you're wrong, so yes." I said, trying not to sound bitter.

He looked at me for a long moment and I feared that he would get really angry.

"Consider yourself lucky, Myrrhine. Your fellow novice is quite loyal. You could take some clue from her about fighting back" he said instead, turning to Myrrhine, then he left without a word.

Myrrhine looked at me, cautious: "Princess, I… appreciate your help but you didn't need to put yourself in this situation just for me."

"I've already told you to call me by my name, Myrrhine. There are no princesses here. And it would be unfair to take your place"

Myrrhine smiled, reassured; she made a move as if she wanted to hug me but eventually she thought better of it and just took my hand for a moment.

Soon I felt something in my mind: Apollo's presence had intensified and I felt his pride warming me. He was pleased with me and that was enough to make me happy.

Laxani wasn't actually angry with me – on the contrary, he appreciated my frankness. From that day on he abandoned his wariness of me and started considering me like a trustworthy person.

My novitiate went on quietly and even happily. Myrrhine was still in awe of me because I was the king's daughter, but after some time she started feeling more at ease in my presence. I got used to Laxani and learned not to take his snide remarks seriously. I felt at home.

At fifteen, I was consecrated to Apollo.

-O- -O- -O-

A couple of years later, I was burning laurel leaves on the altar when I felt Apollo's familiar aura next to me, definitely stronger than usual.

"My priestess" said his voice from behind me, and I turned to find him standing by a column.

I gasped.

He was beautiful beyond words, with golden hair and silvery eyes which seemed to pierce my very soul. It was the first time I actually saw him and I spent some moments contemplating a beauty that I couldn't have even imagined.

"My Lord" I managed to say as he approached me.

"You must not fear me, my priestess. You already know me, even if this is the first time we actually meet." He said softly, noticing my uneasiness. His eyes were focused on me and he almost didn't blink.

"I recall you like snakes and healing, Cassandra" he said, coming closer. I could feel a very light almond scent coming from him.

"Yes, my lord"

"Then I'll teach you how to properly extract their venom when they die" Instantly, a dead snake appeared in Apollo's hands "Please, go fetch a knife".

For the next hour, Apollo taught me how to do that and a lot of other amazing things about snakes. I was beginning to relax but I couldn't help but feel in awe in his presence. It was strange, since I was used to feel him in my head all of the time, but still the sight of him, his voice, his eyes made me dizzy and almost shy.

"Now I must go, Cassandra" he told me "but I can tell you will see me again very soon"

With that he left and I stood alone next to the altar, unable to move.

-O- -O- -O-

"Cassandra, you have often asked for the gift of prophecy in your prayers to me. Why so?" Apollo asked me on the following encounter, almost a month later.

"Since I was a child, I've often had dreams and visions that looked like prophecy, but they are so confused that I can't interpret them and it troubles me. They upset me very much, sir." I answered.

Dreams and nightmares taunted me since I was a child, so much so that sometimes they awoke me in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep anymore. I kept dreaming about a brother who had been abandoned and whose return would brinng doom to the city. There were dreams about a baby thrown down Troy's wall, about me on a ship with many strangers laughing at me, about calloused hands touching my legs... There were also happier ones, like my brother Hector smiling at a baby on his lap.

"Well, I will think about it. Prophecy should not be taken lightly and I must warn you that sometimes it is a burden. For now, you are still too young. We will see."

"Yes, sir. Thank you"

Apollo visited me very frequently and I was getting used to him. He taught me many things and often I would just listen while he told me about animals, plants and how to cure diseases. Of course, I would still hold my breath upon seeing him, but I was beginning not to fear him so much. Nevertheless, his touch was shocking and bewildering to me. One day he was teaching me how to properly cut some herbs and he covered my hand with his to show me the appropriate movement of the knife. That was the first time he touched me and I felt a long, intense shiver from my hand to my back and a blush forming on my face. It was a sensation I was not used to and I gasped.

He looked at me almost worriedly: "Am I causing any discomfort?" he asked.

"No, not at all." I breathed, hoping that he wouldn't lift his hand from mine. His skin was incredibly soft and hours later I would still feel his almond scent on my hand.

That night, while I lay awake in my bed, I felt with anguish that I was beginning to love him. I was starting to wait impatiently for his next visit, to get nervous when he didn't show up for a long time, to hope that he wouldn't leave so soon whenever he visited me, to hope that he would touch me again. I asked myself if he was aware of my feelings: although we shared a mental connection, I couldn't read his feeling good enough to know.

But apparently, if he was aware of them, he didn't hold a grudge against.

He was so calm that he seemed almost emotionless; he also seemed gentle and understanding, but I had heard that his wrath was to be feared, so I was always very careful with him.

-O- -O- -O-

It happened about one year after our first encounter.

"You are a courageous young woman, Cassandra, and you have a number of rare, exceptional qualities. I have thought about it for a long time and I am going to give you the gift of foresight" he told me one day.

"Thank you, sir!" I said, not believing my ears "Though I do not believe that I have such special qualities"

"Oh, but you do!" he told me with a smile I had never seen, and his eyes lingered on my face, my body.

Then he said softly: "Cassandra, my beloved, I ravel in your presence. Your grace, your strength, your swift intellect and thirst for knowledge never cease to amaze me"

Shivering, I broke eye contact with him, because I felt so drained to him that I was about to lose my mind. I wasn't used to such compliments.

Apollo reached for me and he gently turned my chin so that I was looking at him again.

"My dearest, I love you." He said adoringly and I gasped. For a moment I felt both his affection and his lust in my mind and this shocked me.

I had already noticed how men often stared at me. I could tell when someone was looking at me with lust and it made me uncomfortable. The sudden wave of desire coming from Apollo was both pleasing and unsettling.

"And tell me, Cassandra, am I indifferent to you?" He asked seriously, as if my answer really mattered to him.

"No! How could you be?" I exclaimed with a blush. He smiled lovingly, took my hand and kissed it slowly. Then he looked back at me:

"Now I will give you the gift you asked for. You will find it difficult to manage at the beginning, but you will soon learn what to do. As I told you, this gift is not to be taken lightly. You will see things other people cannot even imagine. You will see things you will have trouble believing yourself. And you will see things which will cause you pain. Are you still willing?"

I thought about it for a very long moment.

My dreams were causing me pain already. I could never understand whether what I saw in my dreams was the future or just a nightmare, whether it concerned me, what it meant. I would become able to sort out my dreams. Besides, I would know what was going to happen in the future, maybe even change some bad things.

"Yes" I said eventually.

Then I felt a wave of warmness surrounding me, the power of Apollo encircled my body and soul and I felt as if I was floating. It was a moment; I soon found myself standing in the temple, as before.

"I will come back to you very soon, my beloved. I will not leave you alone." He said again in a sweet voice, before leaving.