APOLLO

  I found the strength to visit her when the winter sun was at the top of my head. How could I have fallen for her? Not like a god but I had fallen like…

  Ignore it, Apollo. Just ignore it. Try to find…

  I found Alexious cleaning one of my statues while he was stealing glances to watch Myrto holding a broom and sweeping away the brown leaves.

  The cold was now all invented in this place. Another warning was that time was running out.

  Alexious gaze found me and with a big smile, he rushed at me, singing as fast as lightning.

  She sent who far away?

  This woman was far more insane than I thought. Maybe she actually wants to kill herself.

  Wait, I am caring again. But it was sure without the protection of people who had fighting experience it was a sign for every enemy to be ready to take action. And she had now two brats, a girl with no experience in fighting and…

  Alexious moved back to see Myrto who was now stepping into the valley, his cheeks flushing. Eyes admiring every part of her and the boy could not even try to hide it.

  Was this temple cursed? Must everyone fall for someone?

  He wanted a lyre, correct? If I could make him and help me play, maybe his mind would be clearer.

  Well, it would also be great for me.

  Inside their room, there was wood stocked like a pyramid which was next to an army of small wooden statues. Alexious explained to me that it was Leon’s work.

  It was childish, made by someone who had almost zero experience but taking a better look at them I could see that that little boy was carving figures of Gods. Almost everyone, even me. My hair was short and my entire face seemed broken but I could see the lyre that I was holding tight.

  ‘’Alright’’I turned to Alexious and I grabbed one long log and one of the knives. ‘’Let’s start.’’

  Lyre was made of animals and shells. But this one was mostly a toy. I can still remember when Hermes gave his sad excuse of a lyre as an apology from him, stealing my cattle. But when I traced my fingers on the strings, the most astonishing melody came out. I could see the harmony in the air, on the light, and my little brother’s face. I could see his true intentions and the real reason he did all of it.

  He was still in a child-looking form, his hair was cut short and his eyes wide open with mischief written all around it.

  And yet his true intentions…

  He was very thin, his chopped hair dirty and his grayish skin filled with bruises. In a corner there was his mother, hiding with her hands shaking.

  I woke up from my thoughts when Alexious began to poke me. Or maybe he did it longer because the lure was finished. Carved slight, few twists. Normally mortals could finish something like this in a week or two but I just.

  I blew my cover.

  I pressed my lips to a thin line and begged that Alexious did not notice anything strange. His mouth grew a wide smile and jumped far to his table, showing me a few threads of fabric. That still wouldn’t do the job and yet.

  ‘’You must truly love that girl’’I signed.

  Alexious nodded with cheeks turning red.

  I wondered.

  ‘’How does it feel when you love her?’’

  His smile faded and his fingers began to move. As for me, I took the threads and started moving them on the lyre.

  ‘’My dad was a blacksmith, the one he taught me everything was him.’’

  A long pause as he looked away.

  ‘’When he passed I ended up on the streets, taking what I could get. One day, as I was hiding from some angry merchants, behind a caravan, I found a girl with an apple in her mouth. She looked at me and I looked at her.’’

  My fingers began to hurt from the threads.

  ‘’She tried to speak to me, telling me that she needed a hiding place. I guided her to my dad’s old workshop. It didn’t take long for her to understand that I could not…but she did not care as she looked around and noticed a few of my works and then…’’

  ‘’Wait here’’Myrto whispered as she was moving inside an inn. And by moving inside I mean climbing the window from pillar to pillar until she jumped on her entrance. I waited outside, holding one of the daggers I made circles on the ground until the sun was ready to fall. My mind was on Myrto, her hair being threads of treasurer against the sun, her smile so sweet like fruits as for her voice…it was the kindest voice that I had ever heard of.

  ‘’Kid’’

  I jumped from that harsh heavy voice and turning my head up I could see that this terrible tone belonged to a witch. She looked like a witch at least with her long dark hair and her wild wounded face was not enough as she looked at me with a frown expression, shouting from far away that she wanted to put a curse on me. Myrto held her hand and smiled gently once more as she took a look at me with flustered cheeks. The witch noticed it.

  ‘’Lyssandra told me that she needed me for my mind’’He was finally finishing his story and he wrapped his arms around him.

  And then he moved on signing.’’I knew that it was not that. But then again I could have been in man…’’He stopped and looked away. Even if he never continued it was not hard to find what he meant.

  He was a frail mute boy who was once a thief. And he did not seem a great blacksmith either. The woman probably lied to him so he could be close to Myrto. He could have had so many different endings and if one girl paid attention to him, everything changed.

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  ‘’Is this love or gratitude?’’I asked him. Mortal love cannot be only that.

  Alexious blinked and he signed.

  ‘’Why can’t it be both?’’

  My eyes twitched. What did he mean by that? Love was love, wasn’t it? Wanting someone, needing someone that was it.

  Alexious noticed my struggle and chuckled.

  ‘’You do not seem to have any experience with it have you?’’

  I took a deep breath and looked above. I could say every man, woman, gods, and nymphs I had kissed and climbed in bed with but I knew that this man would not believe me.

  All happy as he was, he wanted to show it to Lyssandra first so I followed him.

  It can be both.

  But why? Why could it be both? Why could it be many things and not one simple thing? Why did I have to hate her, wanting to make her pay, and yet I wanted her to be safe?

  Why…

  When I saw her now her expression was what I wanted. She looked at me with fear, her lips were trembling and her eyes darted. It was obvious from her chest pounding up and down that her breath was becoming thin. Even when I asked her if everything was alright she lied.

  Her expression was beyond imagination. I did not like it one bit.

  I signed to Alexuous to leave us and out he went.

  He said that she looked like a witch. A snickering witch that could curse to everyone she pleased. Perhaps she was a witch, after all, casting a spell on me, putting me into this mess. But now as she was looking at me, trying to cover her bandaged arm.

  My gaze narrowed, realizing that it was getting worse.

  I sat next to her and her entire body trembled. What was the matter with her? Could she…No impossible I am always careful.

  ‘’Let me help you’’I insisted.

  She blinked slowly and after realizing she nodded her head, showing me off her bandaged arm. Unwrapping the fabric my eyes could now see the deep purple color her flesh was being consumed by. She did not have enough time.

  The woman kept staring at me as if she was expecting something from me. She kept staring and staring and I could feel that irritating tambourine on my chest.

  I cleared my throat and looked back at her table. ‘’Where….’ ’My voice was cowering. ‘’Do you keep herbs, wax.’’

  ‘’Oh’’She pouted.’’Oh yes.’’

  Standing on her two feet she rushed to her table, taking a jar with chamomile, two wax jars, and a jug of water which she moved on her head. Looking at her like this made my cheeks flush.

  She replied with a pout.’’What is it?’’She asked me.

  Telling her that she looked adorable was not the right answer so I looked away, shaking my head.

  I washed her arm, rubbed it slowly, and then mixed wax with chamomile around the skin, making sure the poison would not hurt her. And every minute I spent my time treating her she was glaring at me. Judging me, criticizing me. Will she put a spell on me?

  I swallowed harshly as I realized we barely had a conversation now.

  I opened my mouth and tried to speak but she caught me fast.

  ‘’About last night’’ Her tone was clear.

  About last …OH.

  I almost forgot about it. How did I forget when she was so close…

  ‘’Your face is crimson’’She judged me and I turned on the nearest mirror to see that the woman was not lying.

  My lips let out a soft chuckle as I tried to speak but nothing came out. However, I could see that her attitude became rude and cheeky once more.

  ‘’I think that you know that Adamantious and Thais left’’ She changed the subject.

  I nodded. Even if Alexious did not tell me the reason why I had one in the back of my head evolving into a little girl who was now sneaking from the window to listen to us.

  I let out a smirk and I moved closer to the woman. Her eyes drew up to mine, cold and rational as always.

  ‘’We have company’’I whispered close to her and she narrowed. But instead of moving back, she leaned to me, one breath for our lips to share a kiss.

  The tambourine again.

  This woman will kill me one way or another.

  ‘’Come on, don’t be shy’’she played with me, her fingers tracing my golden curls.

  ‘’I mean you did beg didn’t you?’’

  Damn it. I bit my lower lip and found the little girl’s face turning deep red and falling down.I pushed the woman away and jumped to the window to suspiciously check the little girl who was facing the sky.

  ‘’Were you..’’She asked me with a pout. ‘’Making a baby?’’

  My head turned lighter as behind me there was she, glaring with irritation.

  Even if she seemed to not be afraid of me, she had such a gaze of dislike.

  My days after that were spent far away from that woman as she was kicking me out with one of her sandals. What was the matter with her? I was mostly cleaning, watching her tell lies to the crowd, and helping Alexious play a special song for Myrto. Sometimes even Leon and Deimaria seemed to pay attention and enjoy the lessons. That night, the woman announced her job and was sent to the brothel to find information about Dion from that stupid woman. Each time she informed me she was also trying to invite me to her bed.

  Her body was sample with her lips looking so inviting but I knew that even the golden threads would not be enough for me to hide from the lady of Justice.

  Instead, I pushed each and every offer and asked her once again. Why was I doing this? Most of the time she had no news either. Maybe threatening her would do the trick again. Returning to that woman empty-handed and not seeing her at all made me sick. But at the fifth full moon, she told me something t

  I was standing in front of her door with frozen daffodils every night, explaining what was happening.

  ‘’It seems that Dion is buying people and sending them to the cave.’’I tried to restrain my smile.’’Seems that he will need more people.’’

  No answer.

  I lifted my head as I was expecting her any minute now. Why wasn’t she responding?

  For a mere second, there was the thought of her being down to the floor, paralyzed, limbs shaking. That mere second made the music on my chest louder and I jumped inside the room. Whatever feelings were trying to grow inside me, she shouldn’t disrespect me

  ‘’Listen to me woman whatever you’’I shouted and what I saw made my hand slip the flowers to the floor.

  None was there. The room was empty with tablets scattered all on the floor. Looking at them I could see that most of them were about venomous snakes, Python, and stories of my child. But the tablet which caught my attention was about…

  Wife offerings.

  Written all so hard there were those words that made the instrument silent.

  I let out a curse and began to search the temple, the corners, everything. Outside, in the forest, in the river. My breath began to quicken as I was facing the cave where my son was feasting on people's flesh. None around to spy on me

  ‘’Oracle’’I shouted for only the nymph Echo to answer.

  My body tightened with cold sweat showering my spine.

  ‘’Where is she?’’