Aesacus looked at me questioningly.
"Your... punishment? What does that mean?"
I had already told him too much but I couldn't hold it, I didn't have the strength anymore.
"My punishment for rejecting Apollo" I clarified.
"...for rejecting... my dear, start from the beginning!"
And then I opened up and told him everything. Apollo's declaration of love, the gift of prophecy, the nightmares, his rage. He listened attentively and didn't ask any questions until I was done. I expected him to laugh at my claim that a god had been interested in me but he didn't.
"Cassandra, why didn't you tell him the truth?" he asked eventually.
"What should I have told him? Sorry but I don't want to be ruined by a god? Sorry but I don't wish to be left pregnant? I changed my mind, take back your gift?"
Aesacus nodded. "Now I understand why you were so shocked that night, when you had that terrible crisis. You have been really strong during all this time, Cassandra, I am so proud of you. You were so young... anyone in your place would have gone insane. And you manage not to lose your heart too"
"But look at me! Do you know when you accidentally burn your finger and then it feels numb? My mind feels like that. Polyxena is right, I am as cold as a stone"
"Polyxena is nothing near right" he replied quietly "Of course you need to be detached to go through this, you would lose your mind otherwise. But I can tell you haven't lost your heart. And now you know that you are not alone" he concluded with a smile.
I just smiled at him, grateful for the comfort he was so eager to give.
As I walked back to Apollo's temple, I felt slightly calmer. Aesacus could do nothing to help me but now, at least, someone knew. I had gotten o used to hide my emotions that I had forgotten how good it felt to share them sometimes.
-O-O-O-
(General POV)
Aesacus kept pacing through the temple, unusually irate.
"Aren't there enough goddesses for Apollo to pursue? Poor Cassandra. He said he loved her and didn't even take the time to understand. There must be something I can do to help her!"
On that very moment, he heard a familiar voice from behind his back:
"Now now, Aesacus. What bothers my favorite priest? Your anger reached me on the top of Mount Olympus!"
Hermes, lord of the temple, stood next to the door with a sassy smile.
It wasn't unusual for him to show up like that: during Aesacus' long life they had almost become friends.
"Sir, I am glad to see you in the temple again. Forgive me, I am beside myself!" the priest replied with a bow.
"Yes, I'm able to see that too! What's wrong?"
Fuming with anger, Aesacus repeated what Cassandra had just told him.
At the end of the tale, Hermes just stared at him, speechless.
"Aesacus, I hold your insight in high regard but I still have to ask" the god said eventually, very quiet. "Are you sure that she told you the truth?"
"I've known Cassandra since she was born and she never told a lie to me. She has never been deceitful. And she honors the gods way too much to try and steal the gift of prophecy" the priest replied.
Hermes was serious like Aesacus had never seen him and stayed silent for a long time.
"Very well. I will try to help her. I will talk to Apollo"
"Will you do that?" Aesacus asked, incredulous.
"Yes. I have reason to believe that Apollo would like to know what really happened. Besides" Hermes went back to the usual sassy smile "I know that you wish me to do that, and it's not like you ask something of me every other day"
-O-O-O-
(Cassandra's POV)
It was sunset and I was cleaning the temple's floor when I perceived a deity close to me. For a moment, I thought that Apollo might be there, but this was different. I remembered how Apollo felt like and it wasn't like this. This felt more mischievous.
"Who is there?" I asked uncertainly.
"Good evening, Cassandra" a voice said gently.
I turned around to find a young man leaning nonchalantly against the wall, smiling kindly at me.
He had curly dark hair turquoise green eyes. He was clad in a dark tunic and a large cloak and the Caduceus hung from his belt: he had to be Hermes.
What could he possibly want from me?
"Sir..." I said slowly, bowing.
He pushed himself off the wall and went to stand in front of me, bending his head to look at me in the eye. He was very close but somehow I did't feel nervous.
"Cassandra, I know why you rejected Apollo" he said, turning suddenly serious.
I gulped: "How... Aesacus?"
"Yes, Aesacus told me. Now listen closely: I can help you with this"
That left me speechless. Why would a god bother to help me?
"I will persuade Apollo to come and talk to you"
The very thought of it made me shiver. Maybe Apollo would not believe me, maybe he would punish me even more. And what if he didn't want to come altogether?
Hermes seemed to perceive my discomfort.
"I know what you are thinking, Cassandra. Apollo can be quite scary when he's angry. I happen to know that, having enraged him more than once myself" he added with a small smile. "But I can tell you that he values sincerity. Any attempt at deceitfulness is going to offend him much more than an unpleasant truth. And I can also tell you that he didn't mean to use you. So tell him the truth, all of it, no matter how angry you think he might get"
"What if he doesn't want to come, Sir?"
Hermes laughed softly.
"No need to worry about that. I am the god of eloquence, Cassandra: I will talk him round. Or drag him down here, if I have to" he added with a shrug.
Before I could reply, he was gone.
Would he really manage to convince Apollo? I couldn't be sure, but somehow I felt that I could trust him.