Hey! Sorry if I haven't updated in a long time! My muse keeps on running away from me and then returning with new ideas for other stories! She's really starting to annoy me! Oh... wait! Please don't leave me! (chases after muse) LOL!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Greek mythology! I'm only sixteen for heaven's sake!

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Elusive Love

Chapter 2

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"I'm so sorry... The only beauty I possess is my voice..."

The golden-haired god closed his eyes, trying to forget the trembling musical voice that was full of so much loneliness, hurt and regret. That voice had been enough to make even he, a god, feel the pain behind that voice and see the suffering through those unseeing eyes.

Ebony... the blind, lame, plain youngest princess of Zakynthos.

"I thought I would find you here."

Apollo did not need to look up to know who was currently standing right next to him. "Eros," he greeted stiffly. Eros, however, smiled easily enough.

"Still haven't found your one true love?" Apollo kept silent and Eros instantly knew the answer. His smile widened, but not out of satisfaction. "Look at the matter this way. At least your one true love would not have much of a hard time falling in love with you with your looks and power... unlike this young princess who has been praying to me day and night."

For some reason, Apollo suddenly felt that statement pique his interest. "Oh really? A princess looking for her true love?"

Eros nodded, pity in his eyes. "Poor thing. She's a good child - never complains. I know since I have been watching her ever since she reached adolescence and started wishing for someone to love. But sometimes, I think that is her problem. She never complains. She should do something for herself - not that she could. Psyche has looked into her and my darling agrees with me. She is such a pitiful creature."

Apollo had started losing interest then. However, Eros continued. The archer god fleetingly wondered what kind of life this princess lived if the God of Love pitied her that much.

"...The fool she has for a father is also giving her away to some wealthy merchant slave trader in order to have more trade in Zakynthos. That merchant slave trader is probably going to sell her off as a slave to some sadistic..."

Apollo, who had been drifting off, suddenly snapped into attention at the mention of Zakynthos. A princess... her father was selling her which meant the father was the king...

The God of Light suddenly grabbed the God of Love's arm, stunning the latter enough for him to jump. He was looking at Apollo in great surprise and confusion.

"The princess! Who is she?" Apollo asked urgently.

"Why?" Eros asked, his perfect eyebrows furrowing together as a sign of greater confusion. Apollo, however, just shook him.

"Just answer."

Rolling his eyes, Eros indulged him. "She is the youngest princess of Zakynthos... Her name eludes me... Emmie? No. Effie? No, not that one..."

Apollo dropped Eros' arm, eyes wide as he thought of the name.

"Ebony..."

The God of Love snapped his fingers. "That's it! Ebony!" He turned towards Apollo. "Apollo, why do you..." He drifted off.

The multi-talented god was gone.

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"Now, now, Ebony. You know why we are doing this."

The dark-haired princess turned her face down towards her hands, sadness etched across her face. "It's for the good of the nation," she whispered.

"Exactly!" the king of Zakynthos exclaimed merrily. "And is it not an honor to bring prosperity to your homeland?"

"Yes." A weak whisper.

Ebony could only feel someone wrap her in a silk shawl. All she saw was darkness as she felt herself being lifted up. All she saw was darkness as she felt herself being moved. All she saw was darkness as she felt the descent down the stairs. All she saw was darkness even though she was brought out into the light.

With her sharp hearing, she heard all the murmurs and whispers going around her. Many have come to watch the youngest, pitiful excuse of a princess finally come out of her prison only to be taken to a different kind of cage.

The cage of slavery.

Ebony was no fool. She knew what was going to happen to her. She knew that her life had just been shortened. There was no hope of survival for a blind, lame princess in the cruel and harsh world of slavery. She would die as soon as she was sold off to some master.

But what would it really matter? All her life, she had been an inconvenience. Her parents had been appalled to receive such a useless child. Now, they were finally going to be able to get rid of her, with an advantage to boot. She was a small price to pay - not really even a price at all - for more wealth for the kingdom... or her parents.

Besides, who would remember the poor, little blind, lame youngest princess of Zakynthos? There were many stories about her but they were all false and hurtful. Some say she was so hideous her parents had to hide her. Some say she was cursed. Some say she brought misfortune. No one would mourn for her loss. No one's life will change or even become affected. She would just fade away, leaving no trace of her existence. She will be forgotten. Or maybe she already has been.

Tears started pooling at her eyes. She scolded herself harshly, wanting to slap herself. She had read plenty of tales about heroes and princes rescuing princesses. Ever since she was little, she would daydream of someone - anyone - who would rescue her from her tower and take her with him to his home - to cherish, love and protect her... to live happily ever after. But as she grew up, she realized that there was a trend in the fairytales that she did not follow. All those rescued princesses, all those damsels in distress...

They were all beautiful.

And sadly - painfully - that was something she was not.

Beautiful.

Ebony had always thought that life was so unfair. Why did she have to be lame? Why did she have to be blind? She would do anything to be able to see! She wished with all her heart to be able to walk on her two feet again. Ebony had always been a dreamer. Despite the fact that everything seemed so hopeless, she continued to hope. Hope that one day, her one true love would climb her tower and whisk her away. She had even turned to praying to the God of Love, Eros, for her true love to rescue her.

She remembered one time when her sisters were visiting her. One of them had asked what her greatest wish in the whole wide world was.

Her reply was, "I want to fall in love, be loved in return, marry my love, have children and live happily ever after."

They had scoffed at her, laughed at her. They said that it was a silly dream for it was too plain and simple. But that was all Ebony wanted. She did not even care what he would look like for physical looks were wasted on her. Her lack of eyesight made her value inner beauty more than the outer.

Ebony had not realized that she was actually in the presence of the merchant until her mother prodded her. She sat straighter and tried pinning down the merchant's voice. She heard a deep chuckle that made her shiver.

"She is endearing, Your Highness! Looking around her in such an innocent manner! She will be able to scrape for a master!"

Her heart sank as her father replied in a way that told her he did not see her as a daughter anymore but as a slave.

"I will take her now." Ebony suddenly heard chains and shrank back in fear. She did not want to be caged again!

However, the sound of chains moving ceased. The merchant laughed again.

"Oh, no need for chains! I'm sure the little princess will not be able to run away!" There was collective laughter as they had fun at her expense. Ebony choked back a sob.

The deal was taken care of swiftly and soon enough, Ebony was carried to the port and onto a ship carrying slaves.

As soon as she was inside, she was stripped of her silk shawl. The merchant's laughing voice became cruel.

"Strip her of all those fine clothes and give her a rag," the slave trader commanded. "No one touch her. She is going to be my gift to the prince of Argostolion."

Ebony paled. The king of Argostolion was ruthless and merciless - especially to enemies. Zakynthos and Argostolion did not have a good relationship and it was only the equal size of each army that prevented a war. If she was given to the prince of Argostolion, she would surely die! Without the gift of beauty, she would never be able to enchant him long enough to stay alive and escape.

Was this it? Was invisible Ebony of Zakynthos finally going to really disappear?

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Apollo walked among the mortals, unseen and undetected. He had been too late. Ebony was not in her tower anymore and the slave ship had left two days ago.

His common sense told him it was was foolish to waste his time looking for some weak mortal girl-child when he could spend this valuable time looking for his true love.

But something pulled at him. Something that made him want to look for the clever princess with the silver eyes and the beautiful, enchanting voice. As she talked to him, he had wondered - fleetingly - if she would be able to ensnare a man with that lovely voice.

"What are you talking about? I heard the petite plain princess is going to be given as a gift to the prince of Argostolion. My source is very reliable. My brother works for that slave trader!"

Argostolion! But weren't Argostolion and Zakynthos bitter rivals?

That obviously showed how much Ebony's parents valued her.

They had sealed her fate.

Or maybe...

Determined, Apollo looked towards the direction of Argostolion.

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Please review! Sorry for the delay!

Chisakami Saiyuki