The next morning I awoke and felt totally refreshed. It was amazing what
sleeping in a real bed could do for you! It was so big and soft, just like
the cloud I had seen out the window. Stretching my arms high above my head,
I crawled out of bed and walked out onto the balcony.
Outside, I saw it was still very early. In fact, the sun was just rising. The sky before me was a very dark blue with hints of red and gold on the horizon. As I watched, a huge red burning disk slowly rose higher. The sky brightened with breathtaking colors: golds, reds, orange. How do you describe the beauty of a sunrise from Olympus? Everything was brighter, closer, more intense.
Hmm ... does Apollo really pull the sun into the sky each morning with a chariot? Perhaps I'd ask Ares later. He should know.
But I wasn't hear to write about Apollo, although I was curious about the other Gods. Who wouldn't be? It occurred to me right then that the task Ares had given me wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Ares wanted me to make him famous, as I had made Xena famous. But if yesterday was any indication of a normal day for the God of War, then I might have a problem!
See, Xena goes around and does stuff. She saves villages, saves individuals, does very heroic stuff. And all that amounts to be very exciting stories for people to read. But if Ares just pops around from temple to temple, I can see people yawning as they read about him. Oh, the fights he has with Hercules may be action, but then, Hercules is a Hero like Xena. That wouldn't work. And I don't think he's going to start the Hero bit, which meant I had a real problem!
So what to do? I had to come up with an answer and soon! What I needed was inspiration.
With the sky still golden from sunrise, I climbed over the balcony and dropped the few feet to the ground. Hera's colorful birds were all around me and I was amazed by their beauty. I had never seen such exotic birds before, but I had heard of the Queen of the God's legendary wrath. I was very careful as I stepped among them, avoiding their long tails. One bird fanned its tail open and joy filled me at the sight. No wonder these creatures were Hera's favorites. As I padded barefoot through the garden, their feathers brushed against my legs and I was thrilled.
The garden seemed to go on forever but I finally reached the end. The blooming trees and shrubs thinned out, as did the warm soil under my feet. Stopping, I stared at what lay before me: a cloudbank. Well, it looked like a cloud anyway. Of course, I had never seen a cloud up close before so I wasn't sure that's what it was, but it did look like one. It was white and fluffy looking, kind of like a bunch of cotton. But yet misty and indistinct. Crouching down, I reached out to touch it. My hand sunk part way into the cool surface and it reminded me of walking in a thick fog.
I had the crazy idea of actually walking on it, but I knew I shouldn't. What if I fell through? But didn't all of Mount Olympus float on this cloud? I knew the Home of the Gods certainly wasn't on the top of an actual mountain, no matter what some mortals believed. Why, if that was true, they'd have stubborn mountain-climbing visitors all the time!
Then something caught my eye. Had I seen movement out there on the cloud? Staring, I saw it again. A white horse ... with wings! I sucked in my breath as I realized I was seeing Pegasus. I knew he belonged to one of the Gods, but I couldn't remember which one. Seeing him made most Greek facts fly from my mind!
How should I describe him? The finely shaped head with the dished shaped nose of an Arabian. The pure white flowing main. The large ears that stand up straight and listened for the slightest sound. The graceful curved neck, the large black eyes that bared his soul to you. The prancing legs with golden hooves. The long thick tail that was finer then the most expensive silk. I knew my words could never describe the awesome creature before me, they are pale compared to the real thing. I only know my heart sings at seeing him, especially when he unfolds those huge wings and rears on his hind legs, his front hooves pawing the sky. The shrill whistle he sounds is one of pure joy. Joy of being free and the simple joy of just being. He rears again and this time he takes flight. I watch as his hooves move as if he is running on the ground while his wings beat the air, carrying him who knows where. In a few short moments, Pegasus is out of sight.
Overcome with emotion, I sit down. My heart begins to still as I relax, the warm air caressing my skin. I'm still wearing the nightgown I had found in the closet and it forms a pool of material around my outstretched legs. I lean backward and lie down, staring up at the sky. For a moment, I'm startled as the sky above is black with hundreds of twinkling stars. Have I been out here that long? Ares would be worried ... and angry!
Panicked, I roll over and find myself on the cloud. My arms sink in slightly, but I don't actually fall through. Shaking my head to get the hair out of my eyes, I see firm ground just a few feet away. Several of Hera's peacocks are there, staring at me. Their little heads bobs up and down, no doubt in curiosity. I realize I must have walked out onto it's cool surface while I had been watching Pegasus. I had been so hypnotized by his beauty I hadn't been watching where I had been going! I remember wanting to get a better look at him, feeling cool mist around my legs.
Lifting my head, I see the sun still rising in the sky, the sky just turning the palest of blues. And the garden is there, with my balcony just barely visible.
OK, I'm confused!
It took me a moment, but I figured it out. The night sky is here, above these clouds. The normal sky is where the firm land is. Well, that's what it looks like anyway. I'd have to ask Ares about this dual sky later. But something told me that the night sky was the true sky up here and the other was just for the garden and birds. The plants, after all, needed sunlight to live.
Relaxing again, I stared up at the night sky as I had done hundreds of times traveling with Xena. But this was so much better! The stars looked so close and I had this funny feeling that I could almost float away. The feeling of movement was so strong that I had to check if I was still resting on the cloud.
Then, something else caught my attention. At first I thought it was the moon, Selene's great glowing beacon. But this one was red. It floated high above me, gliding through the night sky.
That's how the moon would look if it was soaked in blood I remembered thinking.
A pair of black boots joined me. I glanced up and saw Ares. He was grinning down at me, amusement in his dark eyes. I quickly remembered the nightgown I was wearing was almost see through and scrambled to cover up. This, of course, only made Ares laugh.
Then Ares told me about HIS planet.
Gabrielle,
Bard of Olympus
Outside, I saw it was still very early. In fact, the sun was just rising. The sky before me was a very dark blue with hints of red and gold on the horizon. As I watched, a huge red burning disk slowly rose higher. The sky brightened with breathtaking colors: golds, reds, orange. How do you describe the beauty of a sunrise from Olympus? Everything was brighter, closer, more intense.
Hmm ... does Apollo really pull the sun into the sky each morning with a chariot? Perhaps I'd ask Ares later. He should know.
But I wasn't hear to write about Apollo, although I was curious about the other Gods. Who wouldn't be? It occurred to me right then that the task Ares had given me wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Ares wanted me to make him famous, as I had made Xena famous. But if yesterday was any indication of a normal day for the God of War, then I might have a problem!
See, Xena goes around and does stuff. She saves villages, saves individuals, does very heroic stuff. And all that amounts to be very exciting stories for people to read. But if Ares just pops around from temple to temple, I can see people yawning as they read about him. Oh, the fights he has with Hercules may be action, but then, Hercules is a Hero like Xena. That wouldn't work. And I don't think he's going to start the Hero bit, which meant I had a real problem!
So what to do? I had to come up with an answer and soon! What I needed was inspiration.
With the sky still golden from sunrise, I climbed over the balcony and dropped the few feet to the ground. Hera's colorful birds were all around me and I was amazed by their beauty. I had never seen such exotic birds before, but I had heard of the Queen of the God's legendary wrath. I was very careful as I stepped among them, avoiding their long tails. One bird fanned its tail open and joy filled me at the sight. No wonder these creatures were Hera's favorites. As I padded barefoot through the garden, their feathers brushed against my legs and I was thrilled.
The garden seemed to go on forever but I finally reached the end. The blooming trees and shrubs thinned out, as did the warm soil under my feet. Stopping, I stared at what lay before me: a cloudbank. Well, it looked like a cloud anyway. Of course, I had never seen a cloud up close before so I wasn't sure that's what it was, but it did look like one. It was white and fluffy looking, kind of like a bunch of cotton. But yet misty and indistinct. Crouching down, I reached out to touch it. My hand sunk part way into the cool surface and it reminded me of walking in a thick fog.
I had the crazy idea of actually walking on it, but I knew I shouldn't. What if I fell through? But didn't all of Mount Olympus float on this cloud? I knew the Home of the Gods certainly wasn't on the top of an actual mountain, no matter what some mortals believed. Why, if that was true, they'd have stubborn mountain-climbing visitors all the time!
Then something caught my eye. Had I seen movement out there on the cloud? Staring, I saw it again. A white horse ... with wings! I sucked in my breath as I realized I was seeing Pegasus. I knew he belonged to one of the Gods, but I couldn't remember which one. Seeing him made most Greek facts fly from my mind!
How should I describe him? The finely shaped head with the dished shaped nose of an Arabian. The pure white flowing main. The large ears that stand up straight and listened for the slightest sound. The graceful curved neck, the large black eyes that bared his soul to you. The prancing legs with golden hooves. The long thick tail that was finer then the most expensive silk. I knew my words could never describe the awesome creature before me, they are pale compared to the real thing. I only know my heart sings at seeing him, especially when he unfolds those huge wings and rears on his hind legs, his front hooves pawing the sky. The shrill whistle he sounds is one of pure joy. Joy of being free and the simple joy of just being. He rears again and this time he takes flight. I watch as his hooves move as if he is running on the ground while his wings beat the air, carrying him who knows where. In a few short moments, Pegasus is out of sight.
Overcome with emotion, I sit down. My heart begins to still as I relax, the warm air caressing my skin. I'm still wearing the nightgown I had found in the closet and it forms a pool of material around my outstretched legs. I lean backward and lie down, staring up at the sky. For a moment, I'm startled as the sky above is black with hundreds of twinkling stars. Have I been out here that long? Ares would be worried ... and angry!
Panicked, I roll over and find myself on the cloud. My arms sink in slightly, but I don't actually fall through. Shaking my head to get the hair out of my eyes, I see firm ground just a few feet away. Several of Hera's peacocks are there, staring at me. Their little heads bobs up and down, no doubt in curiosity. I realize I must have walked out onto it's cool surface while I had been watching Pegasus. I had been so hypnotized by his beauty I hadn't been watching where I had been going! I remember wanting to get a better look at him, feeling cool mist around my legs.
Lifting my head, I see the sun still rising in the sky, the sky just turning the palest of blues. And the garden is there, with my balcony just barely visible.
OK, I'm confused!
It took me a moment, but I figured it out. The night sky is here, above these clouds. The normal sky is where the firm land is. Well, that's what it looks like anyway. I'd have to ask Ares about this dual sky later. But something told me that the night sky was the true sky up here and the other was just for the garden and birds. The plants, after all, needed sunlight to live.
Relaxing again, I stared up at the night sky as I had done hundreds of times traveling with Xena. But this was so much better! The stars looked so close and I had this funny feeling that I could almost float away. The feeling of movement was so strong that I had to check if I was still resting on the cloud.
Then, something else caught my attention. At first I thought it was the moon, Selene's great glowing beacon. But this one was red. It floated high above me, gliding through the night sky.
That's how the moon would look if it was soaked in blood I remembered thinking.
A pair of black boots joined me. I glanced up and saw Ares. He was grinning down at me, amusement in his dark eyes. I quickly remembered the nightgown I was wearing was almost see through and scrambled to cover up. This, of course, only made Ares laugh.
Then Ares told me about HIS planet.
Gabrielle,
Bard of Olympus