Stepping into Rachel's room after she never came down for breakfast, the rest of them lost all sense of their appetite.
Her room looked as if Percy had summoned a hurricane within it after Cabin Seven went on a binge after being given some of Cabin Four's experimental coffee beans after being dared by Cabin Eleven. Beckendorf had reported that her cavern within Gleeson's Grove looked similar.
It didn't take a wild guess to figure out where she was headed, but it was still a guess to find out how she was going to get there.
A question that was answered after the morning worship within the temples. Percy had barely a moment to react as his sister screamed and nearly fainted in his arms.
The statute of Apóllōn was no longer on its pedestal within the temple. The lyre shaped bow was pointed unnervingly close to her heart. Percy gulped as he carefully eased his sister away. The ten of them stared at the statue, wondering if they should leave it there or figure out how to place it back on their pedestal when something caught Annabeth's attention.
She ducked around the statue until she emerged back into their sights holding a very familiar item.
A blue hairbrush.
Ariadnê stared at the styling tool before looking back at the statue. She hummed, no expression on her face before she pushed the scroll that she wrote the prophecy on into Will's chest and walked off.
It was silent as they all watched her dive into the river, knowing that she was headed for the cave pool to swim in peace.
After they made peace with her personal quest, they focused more on their kingdom while Will with the occasional help from Ariadnê tried to unravel the prophecy.
The best that they could do was believe that the godlings of the sun and moon were Thalia and Will.
They would have probably had more information to go on if Ariadnê wasn't so distracted.
It was amusing if Annabeth was being honest (though if Percy asked, it was sad)(if Ariadnê asked, it was just good karma).
The ten of them had walked into their daily lessons (the plan for the semester was business management and how to run a successful kingdom) to the most unusual sight.
A pair of beautifully crafted daggers were lying on Connor's self-proclaimed desk, surrounded by laurel leaves in the shape of a wreath. They had all paused before casting a glance at Ariadnê who stared at the bundle in silence.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and walked away.
It was only because Clarisse stopped him that Connor didn't chase after her.
Ariadnê didn't come back to class.
She avoided him in the loosest sense of word. She could still be found at his side, playfully teasing him, but if there was any sign of Apóllōn's affections around... she disappeared and her hiding places gained creativity.
Currently, she was hiding away in Annabeth's shop. She had broken in during the early hours of the morn. Annabeth had walked into the building and nearly let out the shrillest scream when she noticed her pile of wool was moving around on the table. She had walked over cautiously to see that it was Ariadnê napping within.
Annabeth wasn't one to pay attention to how young they were as demigods. It was simply just the way of life for them. Percy had even told her how young Theseus had been when he saw him (it still was weird to Annabeth that they were older than the heroes before them). Looking at Ariadnê though, it made her uncomfortable to see how young they were.
Demigods rarely lived to be adults, and Ariadnê had always seemed older than she appeared.
Annabeth could only recall her acting her age whenever she was with her group of friends.
And sometimes not even then.
(Annabeth suspected that the only people she let herself just be were the gods and that was because how could she appear to be stronger than to people that could kill her with a thought.)
Annabeth shook her head, turning to her notes as she looked over the schematics. If they moved a few things around, they could build schools. Place it near the hell-pup pins and the stables with a drop into the underground city in case of an invasion.
(Ariadnê loudly proclaimed that what Troy needed was an underground bunker.)
They would have to have a separate department for any demigods that gained divine power (which meant that they would need to reach out to Amphitryon after Hēraklēs was born and nursed from the breast of Hḗrē to bring him to the school).
She would need to bring it up with the others since every choice that they made affected them all.
Annabeth was drawn from her musing Clover, Thalia's hell-pup, appeared on her desk. There was a small note tied around his collar. She smiled, giving him a little biscuit that Will made for the puppies while she unraveled the note.
Found the perfect place for CHB2 in Plataea. Wanna give it a try?
Ideas immediately sprung to mind about how to build the camp alongside the cabins needed for the gods that had been forgotten in her time. There should probably be two-story cabins in case the Hermês' cabin once again became the visitor's lounge for the unclaimed.
They would need some of the building material from the sea that made the outsides look small yet the inside large enough to fit two crowds during the ball-drop at Madison Square Garden.
She would probably be able to push for a library as the books inside of Cabins Six and Seven had been overflowing (and that did not include the books within Cabin Four, Five, Nine, or Ten).
They could place the Stoll's guidebook in the middle of the library: "'How to Survive the Monsters and the Gods Above Us.' Subtitled, "So You're A Demigod Now". alongside power rosters from each cabin.
She nodded to herself. That sounded good. Forget Plato! She and her friends would take over his nonsense.
(Clarisse had opinions about the man and none of them were good. It had been incredibly shocking to hear her arguments and Annabeth felt faint when she brought out her own whiteboard as she argued against his points.)
Annabeth submerged herself into designing, not minding the pained whimpers coming from behind her.
Ariadnê's lungs burned.
Every inhale for breath felt like salt being poured down her esophagus.
Such a pretty little thing. So small and destined to take down my lovely Krónos.
It was almost like a normal person trying to talk underwater as she twisted around trying to locate the speaker.
But it was almost like the voice was all around her.
Do not lose hope, little fish. I'll make sure your future is well prepared.
She tried to scream as something grabbed her. Grass met her hands as something slithered around her legs. Something covered her mouth, flowing down her throat like water.
Your uncles and aunts will come by for a visit.
There was a promise of vengeance and murder in those words. If she had been in the right state of mind, she wouldn't have liked those words.
I cannot wait to meet you.
Ariadnê sprung up straight, not paying attention to the fact that she was on the ground or the hands that were hovering around her. She laid her palms flat against the ground as she nearly hacked up a lung. There were cries of shock around her because instead of mucus... she was coughing up blood mixed with mud.
A hand rubbed soothingly against her back as voices muttered around her. Someone lifted her into their arms, and she turned into the embrace when she caught the underlying scent of the sea. She relaxed a bit. It was thankfully one of her brothers.
She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was being carried away from Chase's storefront and hidden away into Gleeson's Grove. She relaxed as the panic stemmed away from her just from being in the area. When she was placed on her bed, she only paid half a mind to Percy crawling into the bed beside her before she began to vomit into a well-placed bucket.
She grimaced as more mud flowed out of her mouth, thorns prickling alongside her throat coated in her blood. She could feel Percy's fingers carting through her hair as she continued to heave. It took her a minute to recognize Will muttering hymns around her before she finally stopped feeling as if she was trying to have a bowel movement in the wrong direction.
Will gave her a small elixir to ward nausea after taking some blood. He told her he was going to run some tests back in his personal lab to see what was wrong.
(He made a mental note to see when the next time Thalia was visiting as they were almost out of electricity in their generators.)
It was just her and Percy soon enough, just like when they were kids protecting each other from the horrors that were life. They were always so in sync; one didn't move without the other. She cuddled into his side as he held her for dear life.
"I could feel you dying," he muttered. She stiffened. She didn't necessarily forgive him for having their life strings once again intertwined. She understood, but she did not like that he was risking his life for her. "We're immortal and it felt like the Sea of Monsters all over again."
She stayed quiet.
"Do you remember what it was about?"
"Somewhat," she replied. "There was a threat there, but I cannot remember what exactly." She paused before she spoke once more, voice small: "I never want to feel like that again, Percy."
It was almost as if they were kids again protecting each other from the horrors of their life.
"You will never have to," he swore as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll protect you this time. I'll be the sun to your moon. You and me together to the end. I promise."
And like a broken dam, Ariadnê cried.
Years of unresolved tension and trauma and abandonment flowed through her tears. She clutched to her brother tighter, relieved to hear the words she had been longing for since they were twelve years old.
Percy hugged her back in equal strength, making a solemn swear to himself.
The next time he saw Kronos... he was feeding him to Mrs. O'Leary.
They all sat in their respective seats within Gleeson's Grove. What started as a meeting evolved into a silence filled with brooding. The twins were in their own world as Percy fretted by making sure the cloth around her neck stayed warm.
And that was not to mention the flutter of emotions that Nico was feeling if the evidence of the deadened grass that was going through its own rebirth around his chair was any indication.
Will was honestly only concerned with Nico.
Ariadnê would be fine with a swim and an ambro-pop though he was still running tests to figure out why she was throwing up mud and thorns after lying in wool of all things. But- Nico did not get any healing gifts from his godly side. Not in the same way as the twins considering his powers tended to fluctuate between sending him to an earlier grave or prolonging his already eternal life.
And Nico's pain was emotional rather than physical.
(Will wished he had paid more attention to the psych lessons that Lee and Mirajane from Cabin Ten taught. He couldn't do more for Nico other than offer his friendship and a place to hide from his duties as king. Admittedly, the hospital wasn't much better, but the boy seemed more at peace doing his Ghost King duties than his Castellan King duties.)
They all startled when Nico's voice broke the quiet around them: "I'm stepping down as king," he said. They all stared at him, but only Ariadnê looked unsurprised. Will was sure that he had never seen anything shake that careful control that she has except for the deaths of Lee and Silena (and when they got trapped here.)
She had seen untouchable even when his siblings went too far in their quest to defend their dad's honor.
(He had wanted to be like her when he grew up. Her and Percy and Lee.)
Being here and closer to her showed him that she wasn't the goddess amongst men that he had thought she was.
She was human too.
She nodded her head, hands moving into hand signs that were somewhat similar. Chris watched her movements carefully: "I was thinking about that though I was thinking more of the lines that we switch out every ten years or so." He paused as she did before continuing: "We should use makeup and effects to make us look older. Do the citizens know we're immortal?"
Travis shook his head, "No. We didn't tell them though I suspect some do think we are deathless."
She hummed, hands falling back into her lap.
Connor and Clarisse didn't look surprised as everyone else stared at them. "What the hell was that" Katie demanded, eyes furrowed on her boyfriend.
The quintet blinked at them slowly, shrugging their shoulders. Percy looked at his sister, "Ari?" She looked back at him, a conversation happening within their eyes before she shrugged once more. Percy sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get anything substantial from her.
Nico suppressed a smile as he looked back around him, "I was also thinking about slowing down our production. We are making ourselves different from the status quo, but what are we going to do when time catches up to us? Beckendorf was drawing up schematics for a plane. A plane!"
The quintet pursed their lips because it sounded reasonable, no more long boat rides. Nico was right of course, but the point remained.
(Maybe they could do the small crop planes?)
"And that's not to mention the people have been coming to me complaining about not focusing on the marriage seasons."
"Marriage season," Will repeated. Nico nodded solemnly, "When all the girls in town are dressed in their best clothes and prance in front of the nobles in hopes of being chosen by the men like pigs going to the slaughter."
The girls furrowed their brows, "And they want us to do this?"
Nico nodded.
All of their faces darkened.
Clarisse cracked her knuckles, "Fine. If they want a marriage season, we'll give them one. Anything else?"
Annabeth sat up in her seat, "We should start up a school. I've already been making plans, but we can do a lot more if we do it right. Agriculture, architecture, social science, science and medicine etcetera. We can give a head start to neurodiversity so that no future demigods will go through what we did."
All their noses scrunched up at the thought of school. Demigods so rarely managed to live long lives, but-
Connor nodded, "I'm fine with it. It'd be cool to see my future siblings not get kicked out of school."
Percy and Ariadnê agreed, the younger speaking up: "It'd definitely be good for the future version of us. We wouldn't be getting kicked out of schools if they knew it was typical demigod business."
The twins sported small blushes. Sure, most of them had been kicked out of school. But none of them had been kicked out of every school they had attended (at least until the gods started interfering in Ariadnê's case and keeping her at her academia even though she was not catholic).
"Who would be our next leader," Connor asked as he looked around at them. Ariadnê smirked, immediately signing in which Connor translated: "I vote Rachael. Greece is a patriarch country. Think of how pissed conservatives will be to see a Queen with no husband. It'd be like the Amazons, but more cohesive!"
They all snorted in laughter. They could just see the blood vessels bursting on those misogynist assholes.
"Gods, this would have been the perfect job for Thalia too."
They all nodded their heads at Annabeth's words.
"They're going to write us out of the history books," Chris laughed with delight.
They all shared bright smiles at the thought.
Being the daughter of such well-known socialites meant that Rachel had visited a lot of places in her life.
And yet-
None of them compared to the beauty that was Delphi.
The location of the oracles of the axis of earth.
She knew that Cabin Seven would have had a field day here, maybe even the hunters from what little that she would have loved the place.
And Rachel could honestly admit that she felt more at home within the city-state than she did in Castellan.
Her gaze roamed over the land, taking in the different sights before her. Musicians and dancers were intertwined in one area as the art overlapped with one another. A few feet away there were painters and sculptors and sketchers that placed the scenes before their eyes onto their chosen easel to immortalize the images for years to come.
They all seemed relaxed and comforted as they enjoyed the peace of the Letoids favored place.
There were people practicing their archery skills in one corner while others were loading up their hunting gear to head out into the woods.
There were people meditating, communing with the nature and spirits around them; a few even managed to draw forth their spirit animals. Her bag felt heavy as she brought forth items that wouldn't be created for centuries to come. A Ouija board that Nico had helped her make, and a deck of tarot cards that she hand crafted herself.
(Each card depicted one of the other castellan members.)
(Katie being the one on the Death card would always be her favorite thing.)
(She also used Silena and Beckendorf as the Lovers.)
The shrines to the twins and their mother stood tall as people left gifts and sacrifices on the steps.
Rachel felt at peace.
Making her way towards where she could feel the presence of Pythia, she stopped when her intuition told her to not go there. She turned away from the center and headed towards where she could see people giving private offerings to the gods.
She stopped in front of the statue made for Apóllōn.
The statue resembled nothing like the goofball that she had met and became her patron. His hair was also a lot longer which was another thing she didn't understand until she met the god in this timeline.
(If anything, the hair was shorter than how he appeared in Castellan.)
(Ariadnê had beat, burned, buried, and resurrected their nerves as she insisted on getting every detail of his hair correct and styled perfectly.)
His statue wasn't what he came for (and Rachel had a horrified feeling that Ariadnê would kill her if she lingered for too much longer.)
It was the sound of crying that caught her attention.
There was a woman who bore a remarkable resemblance to Amphion and Zethus. Quite simply put, the girl was beautiful. Her hair flowed down her back in beautiful loose curls with a wreath crown of laurel leaves made from silver and diamonds. Her skin was flawless that highlighted her eyes that were such a dark blue that they were almost blue.
Her belly protruded, covered in jewelry. She took note of the symbol of Thebes woven within the fabric.
The only thing that ruined it was the sadness in her eyes.
Rachel hesitated before questioning, "Are you alright?" The dialect was still heavy on her tongue despite speaking it for so many years. She didn't really get how Ariadnê, Percy, the Stolls, Chris, and Nico could have full conversations without stumbling over their words. It was as if Greek was their first language on some days.
The girl startled, wiping at her face. "Oh, I'm fine. The blues of pregnancy had almost overtaken me."
Rachel hummed, she had a really big suspicion, and it had a lot to with the shrine that they were now standing in. "Is there anything that I can do to help? My name is Rachel."
The girl tilted her head, wind picking up in the shrine to Ζεύς Euênemos. She wondered if the god recognized her from Castellan. "I have never heard a name like that before."
Rachel laughed lightly; she had gotten that a lot. (And she was quite flustered when other people began to name their children after her.) "Strange names exist purely in Castellan, I assure you."
The other girl lit up in excitement. "Oh, my nephews reside there. They have sent for me."
"Are your nephews by chance Amphion and Zethus?"
The girl nodded pleasantly, "Why yes. I am Princess Semelê, daughter Kádmos and her lady Harmonia."
And the mortal mother of Dionysos.
Well fuck.
Yew Village was the place for half-divine people only.
They had come to a decision to have the area after the demigods that visited Castellan were usually only a quest and discontent followed at their heels.
(A child of Hḗphaistos had been blessed with the ability to conjure flames that he was not afraid to wield against anyone. He had set fire to a patch of flowers that Katie favored. Travis had pummeled the boy into the ground which was the better outcome as Katie's wrath was overwhelming and she had new poisonous flower darts that she wanted to put to good use.)
Mortals could still visit if they preferred, but it was for safety reasons that only the half-divine could stay there.
(It was also a good place for when Thalia visited with some of the hunters; they had a place to stay that was far away from males and the occasional female.)
(And for the males that did stay there when the hunters were in town were nicely warned to stay away from them by the hellhounds that had been trained to devour anyone that got too close to anyone forcibly.)
Connor had been making his way there with a basket filled with two dozen nectar covered strawberries. Ariadnê and Clarisse had traveled there under the guise of training which was really just an excuse for them to beat up new people.
Percy had thought that the two had been out there for too long since lunch had passed hours ago. He had thrown himself into looking out for his sister; keeping a timetable of the medicine that Will prescribed her so that she could get her voice back. (The thorns had turned her voice box into shreds, though she had never needed words to make someone feel small.)
Connor was already heading that way simply because he had learned that one of his half-brothers was visiting with items to place in the Stolen Treasures' catalog.
The familiar sound of Clarisse laughing echoed throughout the air as someone was thrown into the air with a water whip before falling back down onto what looked like a trampoline made from water.
Being in this was somewhat good for them as it gave them a better chance to be kids even if they did have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
(They had a kingdom-wide game of hide-and-seek a few weeks prior in which Katie won after falling asleep within one of her rose buds. It had taken Travis and Ariadnê climbing up and opening the bud to grab her out.)
Halfway to the training grounds, the hair on his arms began to rise. Connor got the feeling that someone was watching as he subtly sped up. The heat from the sun began to rise, and he began to regret wearing his hoodie even though he knew that Luke and kids of the Kronidês had worked hard to make sure Castellan was reasonably shaded and cooled away from the strength of Ellada's heat.
He turned slowly, and there he was.
Wow.
Just wow.
It was easy to see why Ariadnê was obsessed, even if said obsession was more subdued.
Apollo had been attractive in their own time, walking around as if he was The IT-boy of teenage heartthrobs.
But Apóllōn...
Apóllōn, wearing nothing but a chlamys with his long blond hair hanging down his back in a single braid; skin that glistened as if it had been kissed Hêlios himself glowed under the fabric that flowed as if the Aurai were flying around him; his eyes were brighter than most blue highlight yet there was a softness within them that even the heavenly domain of the gods could not match. His body was lean yet deadly, like a cobra waiting to strike.
Tracing his eyes down the god's body, Connor had to force himself to breathe.
The gods in heaven knows, there was no lie when they claimed him as a god of beauty.
There was a soft yet smug smile playing on the god's face, none of that wrath that he secreted away in sight.
Haha.
Connor was in danger.
There was a lilt to his voice as if he was singing a soulful song as he said, "Hello, Connor." His voice even sounded beautiful. It was softer than how it was in the future as the years of grief had not weighed upon it.
Between one blink and the next, another god appeared before he could even think of a reply. He was instantly recognizable as Connor had a lot of his faux-human features. His Father.
Without looking away from Connor, the elder god inclined his head in acknowledgement: "Brother."
The demigod could feel his cheeks reddening even as Hermês huffed irritably.
Green eyes flashing in a color so similar to greek fire, the younger god glared at his favorite brother: "I thought I made it quite clear to stay away from my son."
Some may find it strange but it was moments like those that reminded him that his Father was a child of Ζεύς. His otherwise easy-going nature made his children more proud to be the grandchildren of Μαῖα alongside creating strong bonds with the Dionysos' cabin.
(It was weird to know that he had the chance to meet her in this timeline after he and his brothers demolished Ôriôn and buried him into the earth. The mound had been disturbed when they made their way back to Castellan but at least their grandmother and great aunts were safe.)
Apóllōn waved away the words, eyes burning as he dragged his eyes over Connor appreciatively. "He's beautiful, Hermês with such a pure heart. I cannot help but to fall for him."
The demigod felt almost scandalized as the god seemed to be undressing him with his eyes. He had never been more thankful for their modern-day styling. Even as he was burning under the sun, at least his hoodie and sweatpants provided him with some cover.
(He wondered if with some extra training could the twins bring forth a snow day. Something small that would chase away the heat for a few hours with help from Lady Kheimon. With a little work, they could even have Silena start a winter clothing line.)
Hermês narrowed his eyes at his elder brother, moving to cover his youngest son from sight. "I do not care for your crafty wiles, brother. Find another that is neither my son nor my friend."
Silence settled around them as it was made clear just who his Father was speaking of. Even when she was not around, Ariadnê still managed to be the point of topic.
Delighted screams echoed through the air like cheerful background music. Connor peeked around his Father to see that the elder god wore an expression filled with hidden emotion.
Was it guilt that Ariadnê stood true to her words and attempted to sacrifice herself so that he may be happy with his mortal lover?
Was it grief as every moment that she walked across the earth was just another reminder that the prince could no longer do the same?
Or was it curiosity for the girl who looked at him as if he were the one to create the universe and place love into the hearts around him?
(Connor could admit, even a little bitterly, that it was strange to see his Dad being so firm in keeping Apóllōn away from Ariadnê when he was the reason that the two of them had gotten together in the first place!)
"Connor!"
The familiar sweet voice of the aforementioned girl startled them all. It was still a little raspy from her bruise vocal cords and disused, but it never failed to make his heart skip a beat. The gods before him tensed as the sound of her giggles drew closer. "ConCon!"
Connor flushed.
The girls used every chance that they had to tease him about Allie from the Fifth Cabin kissing him after the Battle of the Labyrinth and admitted to her feelings. Ariadnê and Drew had not spared a moment from trying to get the two of them together.
Skis made from water appeared first; their rider navigated them easily as her hair whipped around her. Her eyes, as blue as the rivers and deep as the oceans, were alight with happiness.
Connor could see the exact moment that she realized exactly who was with him. The water evaporated under her feet as her eyes widened. She went plummeting to the ground. There was barely any wind to be felt before his Father appeared at her sides, catching her and placing her gently on the ground.
She gave him a small smile, whispering a thanks before she turned around slowly.
Tension filled with the air, and it was like watching her meet his Father all over again.
The scene before him was almost too intimate to witness as a plethora of emotions flitted across her face. She was visibly stopping herself from falling into his arms, and that was without mentioning the emotions that the god was showing.
If love at first sight existed (as the children of Aphrodítē claimed), then the moment before him was what it looked like.
There was no other word in any known language that could describe the sheer depth of emotion that dwelled within their eyes.
It was agony watching the girl he had loved since he was thirteen love someone else. There was a lightness within his heart that was matched by a pain too heavy to bear.
He knew he should let her go.
He had still hoped that she could love him even if a part of him knew that she could never see him as nothing more than a friend. He had dreamed for so long for her to look at him in the same way that she gazed at Apóllōn. He had longed for so long to be the object of her affections. He had never seen the god as a contender for her love-with her unashamedly proclaiming her dislike of him-until it was much too late.
(A dark, bitter part of him that he wasn't proud of whispered of how Zephyros had done nothing wrong. That part of him whispered to reenact the scene. He buried that part of him deep and ignored it for his peace of mind.)
Still-
Connor could not deny how happy he was for someone to see her in the same way he did. The way the rays of the sun wrapped around her like a curtain and lit her entire being. The world was her backdrop as she was the main focus.
One couldn't help but be drawn to her, to linger within her orbit. She provided safety and comfort even when she was deep within her bloodlust... one never had to fear her sword.
There was a point where no one could believe that the twins were not actually children of Aphrodítē. They had to be legacies in some way. They were too beautiful, too loveable, too adoring, too divine. They were simply too much of everything.
Her eyes flickered around them, taking in everything in disbelief as if the sight of Apóllōn before her was nothing more than a dream. Her gaze turned back to his Father at her side, who looked between her and his Brother with something similar to hope in his eyes.
(It was almost like how he looked at them in the future-past when the couple announced their relationship.)
Her gaze landed on Connor and- the breath was almost knocked from his lungs.
Envy... love... rage... adoration... hatred all battled within her eyes before she turned her head away. Connor... he- that wasn't how it was supposed to be. He never wanted her to look at him with hatred. He never wanted her to hate him.
But-
He watched as she turned to look back at Apóllōn, all negative feelings burned away from her at the intensity the two looked at one another.
One... two... three steps was all that she took, leaving an arm's length of space between her and the god. They looked so good together as if the love between them personified outside of the control of Aphrodítē and Érōs.
What was that one verse that his grandmother used to quote when she gave him and Connor religious trauma because their Mother fell in love with an Olympian god?
It was from... Genesis!
["So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the area with flesh. And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for out of man she was taken."]
That was what the love between them resembled as if Ζεύς or Poseidón had taken from Apóllōn's essence and created her to be his lover.
It was as if they were made to be together.
His hair was woven into a long braid down his back, crowned with a wreath of laurel, and her hair was swaying freely through the light breeze, wild celery intertwined with the braids woven into a crown around her head.
She took another step forward, eyes shining.
With only one word, there could be no mistaking the longing and love and desperation and intimacy within.
Soft as the cloud within the air, Ariadnê whispered: "Phanaeus."
WORD COUNT: 5,785
WORDS TO KNOW:
Phanaeus - an epithet of Apóllōn that means giving or bringing light
Ζεύς Euênemos - Ζεύς, the giver of favourable wind
GODS:
Kheimon - The goddess of the Winter Season. Mentioned in Nónnos' Dionysiaká.
