AN: Apologies for this taking so long. I was doing other things in my free time. Also writing is slow so this does take me setting aside a few hours, and it goes faster when it's one sitting.
Farther and farther they flew, for even on the ground being put to flight spoke of one's speed. And here even though the Machine God possessed no physical body. Their flight could still be considered such given they moved through the air. True they had no drag or weight to slow them. No aerodynamics to consider except for the robes as cargo. But it was flying from many a perspective. It would be pedantic to claim it something else if one did not care.
Their speed was great, travelling in what took many a whole day in minutes. This was slow in comparison to what they had achieved when they came to Terra from Mars. But none the less they were beyond any mortal pace of this time and for a long time to come.
They flew past many islands and could just barely see the makings of human settlements on some of these islands. If the lord of all knowledge had focused they would have easily been able to observe the people but saw no value in the effort. Soon enough the deity came to see the mainland of Hellas. Korban had told of not only the 'creation of this world', myths, and stories but also the name of this land.
They had not dived into the specifics of the surrounding lands and cultures but nonetheless. They continued to travel, they followed their senses toward their destination. The lord of all machines was confident they knew of the name of their destination too. Olympus, home of these 'gods'. 'Or at the very least, the most prominent of them.' their thoughts were concise.
'If Korban is to be believed completely this world is absolutely swimming in immortal beings, from all of the nymphs to the minor deities.' They came closer to the mainland and began to fly over it after a brief period. 'It seems we shall have to investigate much in order to understand this unfamiliar place we are familiar with in the future.'
There were greater amounts of people and settlements to be seen. And the resonance they had felt strengthened. As if they were before on Crete walking through many crossing streams, and now those streams were more numerous and intersected far more. These streams lead to the direction of their destination if their senses did not fail them. As they flew they saw a large city.
The Machine God was about to move on further when they felt the 'stream' the resonance was incredibly strong and the whole city seemed to be heavily saturated. It felt similar to the blessing they had put on their shrines. 'This is worthy of making a detour.' and so their flight moved down towards the earth.
The robes were kept balled up to keep them somewhat hidden as the city came closer. The lord of knowledge had now come to rest at street level in a back passage that was currently unoccupied. They roamed between streets listening to the people talk, 'We must first know of what city this is.'
And while there were many conversations to be heard none of them made sense without the context of these peoples' lives. That was until a particular conversation between two women caught their meta-physical ear. "...I heard that she was finally married off to the rich merchant Avel's son, Andras. He is considered one of the best bachelors in all of Athens by many a-"
The deity had heard enough, this was likely Athens. They had of course heard of it and it fits with evidence to be found. This city was not like Dimitis or even the other streams/sources of what was likely faith travelling to Olympus. 'No, there is of course the greater resonance but that could not be the full explanation for this feeling.'
The air was almost thick, not physically of course but their metaphysical self found it to be so. Almost like swimming, not bad, not good, it depends on your outlook and current situation. That and how it hampered their movements without more effort. For now, the feeling was fine, in fact, the deity had to stop themself from almost automatically absorbing the faith themselves.
It wasn't even directed towards yet they felt small amounts seeping into them even after blocking the majority. 'Perhaps the shared domain?' Whatever the reason they moved on. Since this was a city that had the patronage of the goddess Athena, a blessing was expected. It also explained the greater resonance given Athena's supposed nature. Not that it sat well with the deity.
They now understood their surroundings to at least a minor degree, the lord of all machines moved above the streets and towards what looked to be a large temple on a plateau. It had many supportive columns and a triangular roof. It was the largest building on the hill. All of which seemed to be minor temples or secular commerce. They moved without notice from the occupants of the city below them.
As they got closer the lord of Mars had to find a place nearby to hide the robes low to the ground. There were many detailed frescos and sculptures which were painted and showed much artistic skill. The lord of all knowledge noted that there weren't just 'streams of faith' to Athena. To whom they were directed was not obvious unless you inspected what they were connected to. A statue or altar which bore iconography and nearby praying pilgrims or city dwellers could give the context, or.
Reaching out with their senses the Machine God felt the streams. No longer travelling through the air they could focus on the domains present. They only felt rough ideas. These did not absorb as easily into their non-existent body. 'We suppose that does support our idea of it being domain-related.'
'How much strength could we gain if we were to siphon faith, would the Olympians notice? Would we even want that faith, if it is not given to us freely?' But those thoughts mattered little to the deity right now. Deciding to move among those who moved around the temple. A few entered the inner temple. But they appeared to be priests. They quickly gave the robes form and kept the hem of the cloth near to the ground.
Low enough to not show anything of their body but high enough to not drag the edges of their only possession. They mimicked the up and down motion of a normal walk with their robes so as to not draw immediate attention to the seemingly sliding figure. 'Well, no more than an odd stranger who hides their "body" no one seemed to pay much mind to another figure in the background as those who shifted around the temple grounds.
After nearing the temple the deity felt a large uptick in faith, the air was like soup and they were soaked. 'This is certainly annoying, it feels… tiring?' the feelings were foreign to be sure, even with them absorbing faith, it wasn't theirs and thus they were unused to being surrounded by it. There were no ill effects. Even now they were getting used to the small bit of exhaust they felt.
They'd have noticed anything else being amiss by now. No, what drew their attention was what appeared to be an old priest within the temple kneeling near a large statue. A thought struck within their mind as they saw the very old man. Moving into the temple seemingly unhindered they saw the inside of this place of worship.
There was a truly large statue of Athena made of what seemed to be gold and ivory. 'Well, she certainly can't complain of sacrifices to her with monuments such as this. Given the technology available this is truly a piece of artistry and expense.' Putting aside the thoughts of the statue, they moved up to the old priest. Then the Machine God spoke in an even voice, "Excuse us, elder. But we were wondering something."
The old man looked up from the floor mid meditation, his thoughts and peace interrupted. He heard an unfamiliar voice, an odd thing given worshippers were almost always accompanied by a priest in the inner sanctuary. Once the source of the voice met his eyes he became even more confused, robes hiding all features looked back at him.
The old man thought the robes seemed familiar but couldn't place why, he spoke after a moment. "What is it? I don't recognize you, what is your name?" the robes didn't move much but a steady voice came from within the robes to answer him.
"We suppose we shall introduce myself first since it seems rude to ask you something without answering your question first. We are called Omnissiah, and we were wondering if you could tell us. Are you familiar with a priest of your goddess named Korban?" the name was odd and foreign, how they spoke so fluently despite their odd use of we was ignored for focusing on the question.
"Why, yes he was a long-time friend, who are you, how do you know of him?" the tone was not hostile but this was highly strange. The robes still seemed familiar and the question certainly hadn't abated that feeling.
"We have told you who we are. As for how we know of him. He is… a friend, we ask because we have just travelled to this city from his town of residence. Though we know from our conversations with him it is not his birthplace." the old man's eyes widened.
"Truly, well then you must tell me of how he fairs? You see I have not seen him in many years, and my travelling days long ago left me so I can not visit him even if I knew exactly where he was. Those days have perhaps left him to given how long it has been." the man spoke with a small amount of joy due to the subject of the conversation.
"He fairs well, he is devoted to your goddess Athena. And is viewed by the inhabitants of his new home with respect. He acts as the religious leader and guides for its inhabitants. We had recently met him along my travels and sat in his house as he spoke many tales of your lands to me. And before we left that night he gifted me these robes you see us in." the words seemed to fill the old man with yet more happiness.
"My good man, what you tell me brings me much joy. But tell me and tell me true. Where is it he resides, I know not more than it is a town on Crete he wished to travel to before he left?" the man was now standing and smiling as he spoke with the hidden deity.
"He is indeed on Crete, and Dimitis is the name of the town. It is within a day's travel of the sea and hosts a thriving community." Their explanation was short. "We are glad to have given you joy, we were merely passing through the city and we came upon you in our sight."
While the lord of knowledge spoke they did a few motions with the robes' arms and continued, "We felt the thought of talking to you enter our mind. And since you are a priest we thought you may know one another. It would seem our intuition was right."
The old man laughed, "Well, that is the work of the gods if I ever saw it." The Machine God silently nodded, it was true to a degree, after all, they were a god. As much as they disliked sharing that status. "I suppose that might also explain how you came in here, though perhaps your gifted robes have to do with it."
They made the show of looking at their robes, "Are they significant?" The old man nodded and chuckled.
"They are old priest robes, no one stopped you because they thought you were one of us. A good thing too, otherwise I might never have heard the news from my friend. The gods work in mysterious ways." a hum was the man's only response. 'Speaking of, I have yet to see their face… perhaps they are deformed and wish not to be seen. It is best I do not ask, for it matters little.'
"Tell us, we do not think you have introduced yourself unless we have forgotten your name so soon." the man let out a small cry of shock as he realized that was true.
"Ahh! Apologies my good man! I am Aegis, it is good to make your acquaintance." the robes nodded again.
"And you as well, we fear we must be leaving now though. This city was but a stop on my journey. And I think I have seen all I came to expect, I plan to finish my trip and then return to Dimitis." they moved to exit the temple.
"Ah, wait. If you are returning to this Dimitis then could I ask you to bring something to our mutual friend? It is much to ask but I am sure Korban would reward you greatly for your kindness by returning it in kind." the deity paused and nodded.
"Please follow me," the old man walked and the pair exited the temple and made their way to what seemed to be living quarters for the priests. They came to what was clearly Aegis' room and the man handed something to the deity. "Please give him this, it isn't a lot but I just want him to have it."
The object was a small blue-coloured stone that had a stylized owl carved into it. "We are sure he will appreciate it, we saw the stone altar he carved for Athena. This will be a cherished item not only because it is from you but due to its symbology."
The words of the altar brought a great smile to the old man's face, "I am glad you think so. But if you really intend to leave now I won't keep you. I am glad to have met you Omnissiah. May the gods and especially Athena bless you for this." the robes nodded, no need to take genuine good intentions and hopes for their well being badly.
Especially from what could be a good friend, the lord of Mars did not know why but perhaps he felt a kinship with those who followed Athena. 'She must attract some of the kind people we see much of my worshippers as being. Some, the many forge worlds from which our priests and servants served their varied duties lead to differences.'
This thought "Thank you, perhaps we shall meet again someday again in the future." the lord of all knowledge began to leave the plateau which contained various buildings all of wonderful art and scale for their technology. 'Another visit someday, if only to place the seeds of a church. In this city though, we shall have to use caution. Lest we find our servants killed by others.'
AN: Yes that was the Parthenon if you don't know what that is. Idk how to explain why that's an important building.
