Hi! Everyone! I need to apologize for my long absence! A lot of things were going on in my life and it was pretty hard to find time and motivation for writing but here I am in the beginning of this new year. You will also notice that this is not the continuation of the spin-off but the next chapter of the main story. So, about it, I owe you some explanations.
I am not saying that I am giving up the project to publish this story professionnally, but I have to admit that editing a book in order to reach a professionnal level is very hard even though my editor did an excellent job providing comments and advices. I just realise I will need more time and practice in order to achieve this. I have to take off any pressure from my shoulders and do it for myself with the time it would take me to achieve this project (I want to do it, but I want to do it well because I know I can).
On the other side, I felt really bad letting you in a huge gap in order to know the end of the story. Many of you have been very faithful to me and have been very invested in this story. I owe you a lot and I will be forever grateful for all the attention and love you gave to my fanfiction. This is why I decided to write the ending of the story. After all, there are only a few chapters left, so it shouldn't be so hard. Also, finishing it gives me back the joy of writing while I totally needed after all the changes going on in my life.
Don't worry, I will also write the spin-off, but right now, my priority is to focus on finishing this story and reawake my passion for writing.
Chapter 38: Delphina
Delphina felt the sunlight on her skin for the first time in ten years. The sensation was exalting like getting near a fire after spending many hours in the snow. But she couldn't savour it longer as reality of her tricky situation hit her hard and fast.
She got brought on board of a ship, stuck in a net. She opened her eyes. She was surrounded by sailors, many of them at first confused then scared as they realised they had captured a goddess. Well, it wasn't the first time it happened to her. In her very long life, this might be her fourth time. Usually, she was very careful but even immortals can be careless.
Clearly, just like the previous times, they would release her immediately. Mortals were not stupid enough to attempt to restraint a divinity. Also, Apollo was without any doubt coming so it would be unwise for them to not set her free in a hurry.
But they didn't.
The captain looked at her with a mixture of satisfaction and disgust. He was a man very tall with short black hair a little curly, a large thick beard and a tanned skin. He possessed dark eyes while stared at her like a dog protecting its house from intruders. Rarely she had seen such hatred from a mortal before but with the current context, no surprise came to her. Was he a Trojan? She checked the clothes and their style didn't match with Trojan culture, so she excluded that theory. In fact, they displayed the usual Greek clothing of sailors.
So, here was a Greek who clearly hated her and wasn't afraid to show it. For which reason? A lot of things must have happened during her long absence.
"Well. Look what we got here. A dolphin tail, long blond hair and a perfect skin… I cannot be mistaken. We got the Goddess Delphina herself. Seriously? You got caught so easily? This is pathetic for an immortal."
"You are lucky that I don't punish mortals for such insolence like others do." She said. "However, it would be wiser to release me and allow ourselves to have a civilised conversation."
The man started to laugh. His subordinates around him didn't share his amusement and seemed more nervous.
"Captain, I don't think it is a good idea to mock her." One of them said. "Other gods are watching us."
"Do you think I care? I have nothing to lose and this is too hilarious! This Goddess still think she is so merciful!"
The statement made her body ache. She bit her own lips. Now, she couldn't deny the truth, but she refused to show her insecurity. She will rebuild her reputation. Let it begin with this man.
"What is your name?" She asked.
"Timaeus of Taras."
Her eyes widened. "I know that place."
"Of course, you know. You saved the founder of the city a long time ago."
Indeed, she remembered it so clearly. Taras was another bastard of Poseidon. One day, he sailed on the sea and unluckily got shipwrecked during a storm. Delphina rescued him with one of her dolphins and quickly brought him to the nearest shore. That place became the exact spot where he chose to establish a new colony named after himself. A small shrine dedicated to her was built there as a gift for her service and the dolphin is often used as a symbol of the city.
Now that she thought about it, if this guy truly came from this place where she was highly venerated, then having him despise her was pretty strange… Or it explained the things themselves.
She needed to know what happened during her absence.
"As a citizen of Taras, you must have been educated about me. Your birthplace is one of the most important places of my cult. Many of my priests are even formed there."
"Indeed, and your priests are a group of blinded adorers. They still pray foolishly thinking you will come even though no one heard of you until that moment when you get yourself in my net. Well…"
"Wait! My priests were still praying?"
The captain rose his eyebrows. "It puzzles me that it surprises you. Everybody kept visiting your sanctuaries. You were receiving more gifts than I saw any other deity receive in my life. Numerous children would light candles. Numerous women would sacrifice their time in order to venerate you. People even began to offer sacrifices for you… Only for you to be deaf!"
Delphina could hardly breathe under the realisation. Not only had she lost her powers during that last decade, but her mind had stopped listening to any call concerning her. She didn't believe it could happen to an immortal, she always assumed that all mortals had turned their back on her in order to explain the sudden silence.
What had she done? She fought vainly the shame resurging within her. She stared at Timaeus.
"I… It may be hard to believe but I was kind of deaf for real. I couldn't hear the prayers at all. I thought I lost all my followers."
"Seriously? I thought the gods knew everything going on among mortal affairs. Were you hidden in a grotto?"
"No… I was at the bottom of the sea."
The captain simply blinked his eyes. "That's it? You simply hid away and disappeared for ten years? Then, you come back and you think we should all act as nothing happened? Well, maybe others will easily forgive you but I won't!"
His hand went to the left side of his belt and he picked a sharp dagger. Delphina could feel her adrenaline increasing. He seemed very serious. One mate reacted. "Captain! Don't do this! It is foolish! She is immortal!"
"I don't care! She can still feel pain!"
"She has powers! She will easily defend herself!"
"Then, be it! I am still taking the risk!"
Delphina trembled a little but not for her safety. She was surrounded by water so, of course, she could easily defend herself. However, she didn't want to fight. Not at all. Her first encounter with a human in ten years should not turn out like this. She had to restore her reputation but she had no clue how to do it!
Timaeus advanced, squatted and grabbed her by the neck. It didn't hurt as much she thought it would like if he was still restricting his own grip. She could still breath. Nonetheless, she was afraid.
"Why are you doing this?" She whispered. "What did I do to you?"
"What have you done to me?" His face now deformed by his rage. "You killed my son!"
"What?!"
But before she could talk back and before he could stab her, a flash of sunlight hit the boat. The knife she felt on her throat was gone. The hand on her neck as well. She was free. She covered her eyes with her arms as the light blinded her. Once she felt the intensity diminishing, she uncovered them.
Without any surprise, she saw Apollo. Wearing a yellow clothe around his waist and wrapped around his torso to a shoulder with his iconic laurel crown on his bright blond hair, he looked magnificent like always. But as usual, as someone who knew him well in this kind of situation, his hands held his bow and his golden arrow threatening the captain while she noticed was now put on the floor, with the foot of the god maintained firmly on his chest. The other members of the crew, trembling of fear, had bent the knee, probably hoping the God would spare them from his fury.
Of course, Apollo would have not waited too long to intervene with everything happening under his eyes. She even supposed he would have arrived earlier.
But no time for happiness and relief provoked by his presence as her gaze could not be deviated from the view of Timaeus, totally terrified.
"You… What makes you think you have any right to treat a goddess like that?" Apollo pushed further his feet on the chest making the man screaming and searching for some air.
"Apollo, wait!" Delphina changed her tail into legs and quickly turned the net into clothes. Then, she stood up and confronted the god. "Don't hurt him."
"Why? He just threatened to harm you!" He didn't even face her. His own stare remained locked on the man under his hold.
"Apollo… This is my business. So, I will simply ask you to leave it to me." She surprised herself with her confidence in her tone. Now that she had retrieved her own powers, she would not take her status as granted anymore. She needed to take the lead. "I am the one who got offended."
"An offense to you is an offense to me." He had difficulty to control his own fury, she could see it.
"Defending me is not your job as much as I appreciate your care for me. I am not asking. I am demanding you to stay out of my own business! This is between me and this man alone."
"If I let you, you will probably forgive him. You expect me to accept this?!"
"Yes, Apollo! I expect you to respect my own choices and my own values in my own life. In particular, after everything that happened between us!"
A silence passed. She waited for Apollo to speak. They have been in this tricky situation way many times before. Way too many times. This tension felt too familiar. She still loved him for sure, but now, now…
'Please, Apollo, don't…'
Then, very slowly, he turned his head to her. They looked at each other for the first time since a while. He seemed resigned. So many things had happened between them. Once had she looked at him with affection, then hatred followed with indifference. Now, she could only feel love. In particular, as she remembered how he helped her to reconcile with her father.
Apollo seemed to fight with himself. He looked at her but then at Timaeus and back to her. The God of Music seemed immersed in a dance of dilemma. Sometimes, she wished to be a mind reader just so she could see what he thought. He was the God of Truth but knew how to keep his secret garden.
She still waited. What would she do if he didn't listen to her?
After what felt like an eternity, to her comfort, he pulled off and said. "Understood. He is yours. I will be there to leave with you once you are done."
She breathed. Ho! Fates! He did it! What a relief. "Thank you." She whispered as he passed near her.
Now, she could concentrate her attention on the captain who remained laid down on the floor even though he regained freedom. Clearly the shock. "You may stand." She said gently.
He turned to her slowly. He regarded her as if she was grander than nature. As if he couldn't believe she was here. It felt different than ten minutes ago. When was the last time a mortal looked at her and made her feel like a legitimate goddess?
But she didn't only see awe but also the fear that came with her status. Yet, she didn't want to scare him.
The man finally got up, then they faced each other as if they were equals. "I'm sorry if it hurt you to ask you that but I need to know. What happened to your son?" She asked.
He lowered his eyes. His throat trembled. She waited patiently and got rewarded.
"You probably know better than anyone else how much beloved you are in my birthplace. The tale of Taras saved by you is the foundation of our existence. I descend from a bloodline of sailors. We have traded everywhere in the Mediterranean sea and we always prayed for you to offer us safety. I had the privilege to observe the dolphins so many times that I couldn't count during my whole life. No offense to the Olympians but you were truly our favourite deity. I shared the myths about you to my own son just like my father did with me. He wanted to become a sailor as well and pursue the tradition. However, when I brought him with me on a boat for the first time… I didn't see any dolphins. News of what happened in Troy then came to us.
"My son was so disappointed. I could only comfort him by saying that next time, we may manage to see the dolphins. However, after learning that you tricked the Trojans to their death, I was so disturbed. So were most of your followers. We had hoped that what we feared could be proved to be wrong. Because how could you disappoint us? But then, I continued to bring my son on sailing and never did I get a chance to show him the dolphins.
"We prayed and prayed. But nothing. You were deaf. I tried to reassure my son by telling any lie I could. I told him you were travelling so far. I told him that you could only appear to worthy people that he had to be patient and just continue to be a good boy. But how long could I keep the secret?"
Delphina kept listening… Then, she noticed the tear falling from his eye.
"One day, I don't remember clearly what happened. My boy was playing too close to the edge of the deck of the boat. I tried to warn him to step back, but it was too late… I saw the body of my boy falling in the water, in the middle of the sea. He didn't know how to swim and I didn't have the time to reach him with a rope. I had only one hope. While I heard my boy screaming, I prayed and prayed. I begged you to come and save my son's life. I had faith that despite going missing for such a long time, you could at least make the effort to rescue the life of an innocent child. Well…"
No more words came from his mouth. Not like he needed to. The man lowered his eyes.
Delphina now understood the price of her cowardice. Dying was natural in the mortal world. It was what made them mortals in the first place. However, death felt different depending of the age. The worst being when it hit a child. Delphina had seen the children of Niobe dead, she had thought that Iphigenia was dead, she had witnessed the death of the Trojan children as well of the murder of the baby of Hector.
But she had never left someone die at the sea if she could help it. Even more when it was a child. Dying at the sea was the scariest kind of death. Not because it was the most painful but because it meant the body would be lost. No body, no proper funeral. No proper funeral, no way to cross the Styx and have a peaceful afterlife.
Delphina had hidden herself in the abyss for ten years, running away from her own problems, shaming herself non-stop while neglecting the rest of her duties. Her duties were the essence of who she was, of why she was born into this world.
She knew what she had to do.
"Where did your son drown?"
"What?" He rose his chin to look at her again. There were tears but no hate. Mostly confusion.
"Ten years ago, I let my ego dominate me. Ten years ago, I lost my powers. Ten years ago, I retired myself from my godlike life. You were right, I did betray you all. Now, I got it all back but you will never recover what you lost. And I know that no apology will ever erase the pain. But the least I can do, I have to do it. So please, tell me where he drowned? No need to be precise. I just want an area."
"I cannot be sure, but I think it was near the southern coast of Sicily."
"Thank you. I forgive you but I won't be upset if I don't receive your forgiveness in return. You can tell all the others who I might have offended to not hesitate to pray for me so I can rearrange things in the best possible way I can."
Timaeus looked at her, his mouth open with no word getting out. The halo of hatred she had felt from the moment they met had seemed to be evaporated. Or she wanted to believe. At least, he appeared paralysed by her words and tempted to trust her. It was the least she could hope for.
"Thank you." It was almost murmured but she heard it. She smiled then she turned around. Apollo was still there, waiting for her. She knew that according to Zeus' orders, she had to return to Delphi. Pretty fine with that.
He stared at her but with stoicism. He would always restraint his emotions in presence of mortals but she guessed he felt relived and happy to see her again. They had a lot of things to tell each other, but now wasn't the right moment.
"I need you to bring me somewhere before we go back home. Can you, please?"
He nodded his head. He called the swans who brought his golden chariot here then they embarked and left.
Later, she used her powers to find the soul of the child lost in the sea. In the same way she retrieved the souls of the children of Niobe, she retrieved his. She went to see Hermes and told him to bring him to Hades. She herself gave the coins to pay Charon, the passer of the Styx.
She didn't know how many other humans died at the sea since her disappearance. She had a lot to do to repair her mistakes and rebuild her reputation. But she will. She felt reborn and more than certain of what she wanted to do with her life.
She was Delphina, the Goddess of Dolphins.
Thank you for reading.
The city of Taras still exists today in Italy and is now called Taranto.
So, we are coming closer to the ending. I think there are like three or four chapters left. I am so happy to be able to finish it.
Never hesitate to let me know if you enjoy it.
See you soon!