I would like to thank those who have stuck with this story, despite the slow progression, as I have just recovered from a lengthy bout of illness that sucked both the creativity and energy out of me for several months. However, I am now doing well and back at it again so here, for your reading pleasure, is the next chapter! As always, positive reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.
The gardens were quiet when I arrived later that evening, with my bow and a single arrow, as Cassandra had instructed. By quiet, I mean that there was not a single other soul there, which was strange in itself because the night was warm, though humid, and the moon had just begun to rise. Normally, at that hour, the other occupants of the palace would often take walks after their labours were done for the day and sometimes, couples would come to take advantage of the solitude and seclusion afforded by the dense foliage. Today, I appeared to be completely alone and not a single other creature was stirring as I made my way along the familiar path that I often took with Astyanax. Looking about warily, I kept my eyes and ears focused for any sound that would signal the arrival of another entity, human or not. After all, Ares had not exactly been subtle when he had appeared in my rooms so one in my position would naturally assume that the rest of his kin would be just as straightforward.
In that, I turned out to be both right and wrong.
As I approached the bench my cousin usually favoured, I felt a slight tug on my mind and paused for a moment, drawing deep breaths and focusing all of my senses on the area around me to figure out what was trying to get my attention. Then it occurred to me that it was a sign. The bench was where my diving meeting would take place and I hastened to it and sat down, clutching my lone arrow as if my life depended on it. Mere moments later, and without a sound, a man walked out from the foliage to my left and sat down beside me purposefully then turned to scrutinize me with dark fathomless eyes. He appeared young, but somehow older than Ares, and wore a vaguely gold coloured garment made of a strangely textured fabric with a gold circlet sitting atop his dark hair. His gaze made my insides squirm and, deep down, part of me understood that I was not supposed to see him like that.
Cassandra had distinctly said that an old priest would come and the man beside me, who was no man by my eyes, was neither old nor a priest. This made me wonder if, by kissing me, Ares had somehow changed me so that I could see his kin as he did and the thought was unsettling to say the least. "Lady Ismena, have you a moment to speak with an old man?" he asked and the reality of my situation hit me like lightening. Zeus had come to give me a task and did not know I could see through the disguise he had chosen. "My lord, you may be old but you do not appear so, nor are you a mere man. Nevertheless, I have as much time as I am given before my very breath fails me. So speak as you wish" I replied.
His eyes fairly glowed then and took on a piercing quality that I recognized very well "Artemis has given you sight beyond that which any mortal woman should have" he said darkly and I swore I heard the low rumble of thunder overhead. Like father, like son I thought uneasily then swallowed hard and tried to diffuse his anger towards my lady. I might not have understood her reasons for giving my hand to Ares in exchange for a Trojan victory when the gods were supposed to be lofty and take no sides but I did appreciate her attempt to try and save my people, though I was the one who would suffer for it. As it stood then, I was not even sure that Ares could save Troy at this point but I'd have faced the entire Greek army alone and with a broken sword before I'd have told him that.
"My lord Zeus, Artemis is your daughter and I cannot claim to know her motives but would she risk incurring your wrath if she did not see it as absolutely necessary for some greater purpose?" I inquired softly, praying that he would not be offended by the question. His expression turned pensive and he pressed his lips together in a thin line "when you have children of your own, young mortal, you shall find that they sometimes take great amusement in testing the limits of your patience" he paused for a moment and his face and tone became neutral again "however, in the case of Artemis, the answer you seek is no. As unruly as she can be, she does nothing without purpose".
To my surprise, he raised one hand and touched my cheek then inclined his head and leaned in closer to me, his eyes never leaving mine. His hand was warm against my skin and seemed to almost hum with a strange energy, which was appropriate considering that it was he who put lightning in the sky during storms, and his eyes brightened into a strange shade that was between green and blue. For the briefest of moments, I thought he was going to kiss me so I neither leaned in closer nor tried to pull away but rather sat as still as a statue and focused on calming my pounding heart. My racing mind, however, refused to be appeased.
I had both heard and read many things about Zeus' appetite for fair mortal women and Helen, to an extent, was living proof of those tales. However, I had also heard that Ares was a violent god who wore armour made out of the skins of his victims, was incapable of love, and raped pretty women in order to father bloodthirsty demi-gods. Men tended to portray those who were different from them- including women- in a way that made the male gender appear great and also to justify their actions, however unethical and brutal, as not only necessary but noble. The historic descriptions of the gods and goddesses were no exception and, as I stared at the king of the gods and he at me, I started to wonder whether anything I had learned about them was true.
"When I leave you, go to the balcony where you witnessed the prince's fall and fire your arrow into the sky towards the Greek camp. If it turns into a falling star, his body may be retrieved this night" he commanded and I nodded obediently before thanking him. His eyes turned almost warm and he rose then motioned for me to stand also "is there anything else you wish to know?" he asked and his question surprised me so much that I could do naught but blink a few times in mute confusion before regaining my voice. "My mind tells me to ask about something wise and important such as the meaning of life but I am unsure as to whether I really wish to know the answer" I said frankly "so I shall ask you this: are gods capable of loving mortals beyond the physical manifestation of desire?".
"Ah" he said, seemingly amused "you wish to know if the tales told about our relations with mortals are the entire truth". When he put it like that, I could not help but smile myself because I could see how strange it would sound to one who was a participant in many of said tales "yes, that as well" I agreed. He gave a heavy sigh and the weight of his rule seemed to fall upon him for he regarded me with eyes that had again grown dark and intense "we cannot love mortals in the way they love each other for, if we did, all three worlds would be in a constant state of chaos. Physical desire is truly the only way we can show the regard we have for you without destroying the natural order of things in your world - meaning that every living thing born here will also eventually die here. However, our emotional indifference also makes child-rearing difficult for us. Ares was, in his youth, the most sensitive of my children and is possessed of turbulent emotions that he is unwilling to fully control, which has gotten him into trouble with the other gods and myself on many occasions. His mother, in particular, does not understand his tendency to favour strength and fiery spirit over fragile beauty when it comes to the opposite sex and she disapproves of his infatuation with mortal women. Which, I will say, is something he comes by honestly".
It was a long winded answer to what I thought was a simple question and yet it made perfect sense even to my short-sighted mortal heart. The gods could not afford to form emotional attachments to mortals they favoured because then the former would be focused on making the latter immortal in order to avoid losing them to death. This, in turn, would remove the former's attention from the mortals who desperately needed divine guidance to achieve their ultimate purpose in life.
A subtle throb in my temples informed me that I was in over my head again so I struggled to simplify his explanation. First, many of the tales, particularly those of Ares and Zeus and their involvement with mortal women, were indeed true. Second, the gods were capable of love but could not afford to allow themselves to feel it as mortals did. Which was something I understood, having seen the effects of one spectacularly unwise love affair between mortals. But his description of Ares made me pause, for it was very similar to how one might have described the youngest son of Priam. From what I recalled of our encounters in our youth, Paris had been a rather sensitive boy and also quite reactive, unlike his level-headed oldest brother, but he had made no attempt to rein in his behaviour- regardless of how unbecoming it was for a prince or how often he was scolded.
And they had both set their sights on me.
I looked up at Zeus, who surely had more important things to do than watch a Trojan priestess sort through her brain, then nodded "thank you, my lord". He gave me a look of appeared to be sympathy – or perhaps it was pity, I could not be entirely sure – then cupped my face in his oddly warm hands and kissed my forehead very gently "Worry not, Ismena. The lives and natures of myself and my kin shall never be fully understood by mortals. That you, a woman in the midst of a war, are even trying to understand..." he smiled at me then, an almost paternal smile that illuminated his entire face "that gives me hope for your people".
"For that I am truly glad, as I have a tendency to over-think things which are completely unrelated to my lot in life" I blurted
His expression turned strange at that "are they? You are favoured by three of us and have been chosen by two for different purposes. It is not strange for you to wonder about those who are different from yourself and how they live" he pointed out and I nodded in agreement, as he was entirely correct.
He stepped away from me and his appearance began to blur at the edges, signalling his imminent departure "my son loves you as he is able but you are a mortal woman, meant to marry a mortal man, and you shall make a fine queen someday. Now go. There is one who waits for you". Then, in a flash of gold, he was gone.
I mulled over his words, with equal parts concern and confusion, as I made haste towards the viewing area to follow his instructions. What did he mean by say that I would make a good queen? If Priam died, my cousin would be queen regent until Astyanax became of age to ascend the throne. If she died of grief, then whoever married Helenus would become queen but, even were he to ask it of me, my hand was not mine to give unless Troy lost. In which case, none of us would be queen as there would be no country to rule. A little voice in the back of my mind told me that I was being short-sighted again so I stored our conversation away for later contemplation and focused on my task.
Once again, I stood at the wall and looked out over what had been a battlefield only days before. Only now; I stared not at the field itself but out into the darkness, toward the beaches where the Greeks had surely made their camp, and drew my solitary arrow. As my fingers released the bowstring and the arrow flew straight towards its final destination, I was suddenly aware of someone standing nearby but dared not look away from my intended target. Then a brilliant light streaked across the sky and I closed my eyes for a moment, fighting back the urge to weep with relief and gratitude. "Our prince can be sought and found" I said to no one in particular, nearly choking on the words, and was only half surprised when King Priam appeared out of the gloom, wearing dark robes and carrying a small torch that barely cast any light.
His inner pain was almost palpable and I swallowed hard as he took my free hand in his "I was told to come to this place and that the great god Zeus would send an omen to signal if I could retrieve my son. It appears that he chose you, young priestess, to deliver it on his behalf and I am most thankful. I will return with Hektor before daybreak and will send a servant to summon you but, until then, I ask that you tell not a soul of what occurred this evening" he said quietly.
"Of course, your highness. I shall tell no one" was my solemn reply and he touched my cheek, thanked me, and turned away.
After the king had taken leave of me to prepare for his journey, I stared up at the night sky and smiled through tears that I barely felt. Though my human parents had died, my sister was a stranger, and my cousin was possibly lost to grief, I was not truly alone. Somewhere, unbound by the circles of the mortal world, were Zeus and Artemis and, despite being neither human nor my parents, they were watching over me.
And that was enough.
"Thank you" I whispered and my smile broadened when a star twinkled overhead, letting me know that they had heard.