A/N Ahh don't kill me for not updating in like 4 months! I have received many encouraging reviews and I thank you all.
"Well Sophia," She said, putting her veil back into place. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, but I must go. I'll send someone to escort you to the bathhouse and I'll hopefully see you at dinner."
With that, Mara swept out of the room. I sat, leaning heavily on the soft pillows thinking about my strange situation. What would any God, especially Apollo, want to do with me? Was he the shining man I'd seen last night?
At that moment, a servant woman emerged from the doorway carrying a fresh change of clothes and a large bag strapped to her broad chest.
"My lady has told me to accompany you. I brought you some clean clothes to change into when you are done bathing. Follow me."
I slid out from under the heavy covers and jogged, which was no easy feat considering the long dress I was wearing, to keep up with the servant's brisk pace.
When we reached the bathhouse, the servant left me, telling me to come out when I was finished. I sat in the bath enjoying its warmth and the opportunity to scrub my skin clean of the dirt and grime. Over the past weeks my hair had become an assortment of knots at the base of my neck. I spent most of my time trying to untangle my braid . When I was done my hair hung to my lower back easily.
I slipped the white dress that had been left for me on and opened the door to the large bathhouse slowly. Outside the servant woman was waiting patiently for me on a small stool.
"Follow me." She said, standing up and stretching.
We walked in complete silence, save for our light footsteps. I was the one to break the peaceful quiet.
"I didn't think to ask before, but which temple in Delphi is this? It is larger than any I've ever seen before and vastly more decorated."
"Did the Lady Mara tell you anything about this place?"
"No, all she said was that this was the temple of Delphi. I don't remember her telling me anything else."
"Well she's right; this is the temple of Delphi."
"Surely Delphi has more than one temple." I said, confused.
"Of course, silly girl, the gods themselves would blast us all if we didn't. What I mean is that this is the most popular temple, the most visited, the most worshipped. This is the temple of Apollo, the temple of his great prophetess, the Pythia. Have you never been taught about the major temples in Greece?"
Embarrassed, I said, "I just wanted to confirm my thoughts. And yes, I have been taught well by my father about many things, including major temples and the gods." I still held my head high even when the servant doubtfully shook her head and muttered under her breath about stupid mistresses of the gods.
After what seemed like hours of wandering the vast halls, we finally came upon the gardens of the temple. There were many beautiful plants and flowers and trees of all kinds.
"Lady Pythia, will you not make an appearance today?" A voice said.
"At least do something to keep your body busy. Take a walk through the city streets." Another person said.
"The Lord Apollo will return when it is time and you will see him arriving beforehand so please, be at peace for a few hours. Rest, take a walk, do whatever you please, anything is better than sitting here idly." Said a definitely male voice.
We came into view of a group of men of all ages, probably priests, pleading with a familiar young woman in white clothing with a veil over her face.
"Lady Pythia, please we beg you to do something." Said a man with thinning gray hair.
The young woman they were speaking to, the lady Pythia, was facing away from where we standing so I couldn't see her face when she lifted her veil over her head and held it in her hands instead.
"I think a walk would be nice." She said.
A few of the men were already distracted by my presence and were giving me more attention than was necessary. The lady Pythia turned around and caught my wondering gaze with a smile.
"Hello again friend." Mara said waving off the servant woman who bowed very close to the ground before giving me a pointed look and returning to the main part of the temple.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier about –"
"I didn't think it was the appropriate time. You were bewildered and unfamiliar with your surroundings, I didn't want to add to the building confusion. Come let's take a walk." She said gesturing towards the wining path through the garden.
My mind was slowly processing all that I had seen and heard in the last two days. I still shied away from the possibility that a god had actually rescued me. It was nonsense, wasn't it? They had to be mistaken.
"What's happening that's got your priests all in frenzy?"
"In case you haven't realized, this is a temple of Apollo. We worship him, among other gods of course, but to see him in person was truly amazing." Mara said dreamily.
"Are you sure it was him? I find it hard to believe that a god would take such interest in me."
"It was him, I'm sure of it." She said confidently. "And he told me something, that he didn't tell anyone else." She looked behind her at the guards making sure they were out of earshot.
"Go on. That is, if you can tell me." I whispered.
She took a deep breath, "He told me that he has plans for you. Do you know how special you are? The gods have taken interest in you." My head started to ache; this was too much to comprehend.
"What plans? Did he say anything else?" I asked quietly.
"I am not sure and he said nothing else. It was quite unexpected; we were all shocked to see him in physical form here on mortal soil." She looked away. "It was unnerving to see a person so beautiful, it was unnatural."
That night at dinner, I sat at the right hand of the Pythia as her guest. Everything looked delicious, and yet my stomach was twisted in knots that refused to unwind and my head filled with frightening thoughts of being stolen away to Olympus for the ominous purposes of the gods.
(Apollo POV)
It was a bright, brilliant day on Olympus. The sun was shining, the ground was warm beneath my feet and a slight breeze ruffled my hair. Everything was perfect. Perfectly boring.
Nothing interesting had happened in quite a while. Most of the nymphs had decided to go down to the mortal world to visit friends and be with mortal men, which were easily disposable to them.
Sighing, I shot another arrow into the distance, flawlessly piercing a bird in mid flight. "There is no fun to be had when you are alone." That was when I realized, no one would notice if I took a little trip down to the mortal world.
It was generally frowned upon for me to make visits to the world below the gods because I had a tendency to bring women back with me. It was only when they were full mortals that it was a problem. Mortals were not allowed to set foot on Olympus, unless they were made servants which meant they would never be allowed to leave.
I joyfully stepped down to the mortal world, feasting my eyes on the forests, where the nymphs would be, to see what I could find. I spent hours walking among the trees, glowing vibrantly in the dull mortal world.
I easily found a whole crowd of tree spirits lounging in a meadow, enjoying the setting sun warming their perfect skin. I spent a little time with them, as I usually do.
The night went on and it was as dark as Hades' lair when I heard her.
She was shivering softly at the base of a tree nearby. The tree nymphs disappeared, frightened by the human girl. She was quite small, and her dark hair was tied back. What I could see of her face was attractive. She wore a long black shawl, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. A wave of pity overcame me and I softly shook her shoulders to see if she was awake.
I looked around to see if she was alone. I could hear men in the distance, very drunk or at least that's how it sounded. She looked up at me tiredly, and to this day I am not completely sure what happened.
All at once I was overcome with sympathy, for when I saw her eyes I felt as though I were looking into the eyes of my baby sister, Artemis. She reminded me of her strongly.
I could also feel my prophetic side take over. I knew that instant that she was significant. Not vitally important, but special. Enough that I knew I should have her taken care of. From there I took her to my temple in Delphi. I knew they would take great care of her especially since I delivered her in person. I made sure to tell my Pythia that she was important and that I had plans for her.
I left immediately and headed straight for Olympus. I could not take her with me because she was still mortal, but I knew that might change soon, especially after I convince Zeus of her importance.
A/N I'm not sure why I cut it off there, it might have been because it took me a while to write this chapter. Let me know if there are mistakes, I didn't take as long to edit this one as I have others. I realize this chapter isn't as good as previous chapters and it is kind of slow, but I'll just fix that by updating soon with a better chapter. Until next time...