My name is Cassandra, priestess of Apollo. But I am no longer known as such, for no one would believe my prophecies. It wasn't alway this way though. There was once a time, where I was almost as worshipped as my patron. I come from a high class family and grew up with two sisters and one brother. And of all of them, I was the 3rd oldest.

How did I become cursed? Why is it important to tell others about my childhood and up till now?

How I became cursed will be later explained, but the point of me telling you all of my childhood is to better explain the impact that the gods can have on a simple mortal life. How they can destroy you, use you, kill you, and ultimately change your fate. This is my story...The story of my curse...

I was only 6 then and I knew nothing of the dangers of the world. I was in fact, scared of almost anything that moved, but the one thing that scared me the most were snakes. They are slimy, sneaky, and have cold, calculating eyes, almost as though they could see through my mortal soul. So with all these fears, I always stayed close to my mother and she would always nag at me to stop clinging to her skirt. I stayed close to her always, until one day...

OOOOOFlashbackOOOOOO

I clung tighter to her skirt, never wanting to let go.

"Dearest, you are going to trip me, please go and play with your sisters.", complained my mother, while gardening.

She grabbed her skirt from me and walked away, finishing her daily chores and duties as both a wife and a mother.

But I didn't want to play with my sisters, for all the did was cry and stick their tiny little fists in their mouths. So I cautiously took my first steps away from the shelter of my mother's skirt and traveled a bit into a nearby temple. There, I saw a multitude of priests and priestesses, all chanting, "Lord Phoebus Apollo, god of Oricles, prophecy, medicine, music, poetry, and the fine arts. Please accept our offering. Bless our bodies and cure us of all ailments. Amen." And with that, the lead priest raised a dagger in the air and killed a goat before me, his blood splashing across the mosaic floor in velvity ribbons.

This however, terrified me and I ran to the far back of the temple. As I peered behind a pillar to see if anyone noticed my prescence, I felt something slither across my arm and up to my shoulder. I looked over and to my absolute horror, there was a snake. I thrashed and screamed, but the resilient creature would not uncurl itself from my squeezed appendage.

I closed my eyes and waited for the serpent to engulf me, but all of a sudden, I felt the pressure lower off of my arm and looked up to see a man holding the snake.

He had sun-kissed blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a tan complexion. He appeared to look around the age of 18. He looked at me with an amused look on his face and said," Little Cassandra, do not fear my pet. Did you not know that snakes are sacred to me? Do not fear me child, for I can see your future and it resides with serving me."

I looked up at him, cocked my head, and asked, " Sir, how did you know my name? And what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing little one, but yes, I am here, because it is traditional to visit the mortals who pray to me. As for knowing your name,...I have always known you little Cassandra..", he said without hesitation.

I shivered at the word, mortal. What was he ,then?

He started to walk away and I shouted, " Will I ever see you again? What is your name?"

He stopped, turned around with a knowing smile and said, " You will serve me in time, Cassandra. You will serve Apollo."

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And I never saw him again until I turned 13. That was when I became a woman and also when I became a priestess.