Enamore came too. Groaned, "Oooh..." And put a hand to his head as the world spun like a dancing nymph. He screwed his eyes shut, fighting the urge to vomit. He felt sore. And a coldness made only his face numb. He realized then that he was lying on a floor. Tiled. Spotless, but still...When he opened his eyes and saw the carpet - the warm, fluffly, inviting carpet- that lay only a few inches away, he cursed his captors.
But no...It wasn't captors, or captors...It was a guard. A stout, swaggering, smelly flesh of a thing that tried to throw its weight around (of which there were many pounds to throw) and then had tried to come on to him!
Enamore hadn't mean to hit the man. Okay...maybe he did. But, in this case, wasn't he justified?
He shook his head, shuddering as the image of the guard's cracked, puckered lips lingered on his mind a second more, that was a second more than he wanted.
"You're awake."
A woman's voice. He wasn't alone. The woman to whom the voice belonged too, sounded bored; and growing up, he was taught early that, there was no such thing scarier than a bored god - which, by being on Mt. Olympus, almost certainly assured that this woman was. Or a goddess, at least.
He stood on unsteady feet, and bowed, without ever looking at her face.
"You fool! How do you know I am a goddess that you should bow before me?"
"It is your voice," he blurted out, truthfully.
"You are saying my voice is strong?"
The voice was calm and even - the sound of a voice that had endured much pain and suffering with calm and soothing words that had hid its true intentions. Enamore instinctively knew. The voice was trying to trap him. He had to proceed carefully.
"No..." He started.
"Weak, then?"
Choose your words carefully.
"It is powerful in a way that only a higher being's voice can be. And womanly, in a way that says for a fact that you are undeniably a goddess. But I go even further. Your voice is so powerful that I do not hesitate in saying this..."
He paused. Silence held it's breath, waiting for what would come next.
"And before I finish, let me say I am honored and humbled...
The silence lingered about like a conspirator waiting for the coast to be cleared so it can strike and make a quick get away.
"To be in your presence..."
The silence pressed in, so palpable he could feel it trying to strangle his courage and shove his words back down his throat.
"Queen Hera!" he choked out.
The silence pounced then, struck, and fled.