I woke up in sweat. My hair laid flat against my face. I had jeans and a plain grey shirt. Zeus knew style. I looked around and saw Mount Parnassus; Delphi's cave was inside of the mountain. I looked around to see what Lord Zeus had given me and I saw my bow and arrows that Lady Artemis gave me when we went hunting, a bag that contained all different types of currency, drachmas and a cell phone. I walked around the mountain. Quietly but quickly like how Artemis showed me when she took me here so she could hear a prophecy. Anyways, as I stalked around the green mountain I heard more and shuffling. I saw the entrance to the cave and ran at full charge. It smelled horrid like I remember. I couldn't see a thing then finally when my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw Pythia. She looked exactly the same as I saw her centuries ago. She stood close to me and whispered nonsense with a glassy look in her eye. Finally she shook her head and looked at me.
"Why hello Orion! Come to wake up Apollo? He said he would no longer raise the sun if I didn't go out with him." Pythia sound so joyful. I missed our talks.
"Then tell him yes. If you don't mortals will be afraid, and we both know Apollo is as stubborn as a mule."
"But my dear Orion I have already seen what happens! He leaves me on the boat to go after a water nymph. Besides it's bad to date your boss let alone your God."
"Touché, since you know why I'm here will you-"
"Follow me." She said after cutting me off. We walked for what seemed like hours. Tiny fires on the wall floating around like a dancing flame. Pythia talked to me about her life since I died. And it was full of prophecies and rejecting Apollo. Finally we reached a door at the end of the wall.
"Well this is my stop I do not want to be in the room when he wakes up. Bye Orion good luck with your decision!" And she skipped away. What decision was she talking about? What was she talking about? I opened the door and saw a flame. I walked toward the light and it got brighter and brighter and I saw it was Apollo on a couch fast asleep. I had to wake him up. But how? He was generating so much heat it would burn me to get any closer.
"Shoot an arrow past him. He will wake up mister." Whispering past my head said.
I listened to it and shot my arrow past his face. He woke straight up. He looked at me and snorted. "Young poor Orion. Back from the dead now? Well making my sister shoot you with an arrow wasn't enough then I have no clue what will make you get away from her. And before you ask your stupid question 'how do you know I'm Orion' I'm the god of prophecies. I know all."
"Apollo I know you hate me. But you have no idea what Artemis needs but I do."
"You have no idea what my sister wants. She does not need you. She is trying to forget you. And you are no help." Apollo practically spit it in my face. And it angered me.
"I am helping. We belong together no matter what you say or do. Lord Zeus said to wake up and bring the sun. His had to get Helios from retirement."
Apollo crossed his arms and sat on his couch like a toddler. "I will not! Not unless Pythia says yes to me. Helios could use the exercise. He's been getting bigger around the middle."
"Lord Apollo if you know all then you know why she won't say yes to you."
"Of course I know. But the forbidden fruit is all so tempting. You know what I'm talking about Orion. Fine I'll go raise the sun but you have to get Pythia to say yes." Apollo said lying on the couch again. But before I could protest a voice came from behind me.
"Fine you buffoon. I will go on one date with you. But once you go off with that nymph you better find me a ride back or I will ask my beloved Hermes to play a trick on you. Just to make the record straight I am only doing this for Orion's sake so he can get out and go to Calypso's island quicker," Pythia came forward to the light. "I know you will be happy my dear Orion with your decision. And I hope you all the love in the world." And with a flick from Apollo's wrist I was gone out of the cave and next to docks.