Delphi carried the fragrance of gods. It smelled of myrrh, spices, herbs and goods,...And under all those aromas it smelled of tired animals and of the people that chatted on each square. Buyers and sellers alike, all tried to win the favor of fortune on this early summer day. On one corner - someone was haggling for prices. Right beside that stall - a mantis was telling an old woman her fortune. Some children were chasing chickens around. Just a bit later, they'd be served as offerings. That refers to the chickens of course.

A short, chubby woman made her way through the commotion. Her hair was a mane of dark curls, held back only by a thin green scarf. In one hand, she held a bridle of an equally small donkey, upon which sat a more gaunt old man, completely absorbed in himself. In her other hand she held the strap of a huge bag. The sort of bag that the donkey would've carried, had its back not been occupied by the old man.

"I can still walk, you don't have to strain, kid." The old man persuaded for the fifth time in the last hour.

"I'd rather you rest now, while you can." The woman responded, similarly as she did when he had proposed that choice the last time and the time before that.

"You could do this all yourself if..." He grumbled, leaning forward on the donkey, leaning closer to the girl. "...if you had a husband instead of me to slow you down."

She kept quiet. She wanted to argue that she could make the trip even without other people, but in the end, she simply walked forth. They were approaching a temple. It wasn't any temple- though there were quite a few to choose from in Delphi - no, this was The Temple of Delphi. The one where the leaders went to have their fortunes told and where wise women told of prophecies to come. It was one of the higher set parts of the city, if not the highest - the stairs certainly made its altitude seem higher - as if it was trying to touch the gods the people desperately wanted answers from.

They were approaching the temple. She helped her father out of the saddle and stood behind him as was customary. The two guards who had been staring at them the whole time through their crossed arms now raised their eyebrows. The old man bowed gently. "Greetings."

One gave an almost imperceptible nod that represented their own bow. Another took out a parchment. "Name?"

"Eustachys." The old man said, then gestured towards his descendant. "And she is Selene."

"The chef Eustachys?"

Selene bit her tongue. Of course, her father was more famous, but at this point it was ridiculous how invisible she felt next to him.

"So it is." The old man nodded. “You must be new if you didn't recognize our faces."

The guard's eyes widened as if their biggest secret had been revealed.“We heard…sorry um…the priestesses were expecting you."

"So they were." Eustachys smiled, his short fingers brushing through his flour-coloured beard. The Oracle expected them every week at the same time. That was kind of the point. But still, perhaps there was an expectation on the gods to help this prediction come true. After all, they could always have perished on the journey to Delphi. At least, that is what Eustachys always told Selene.

"Well..." Said one of the guards after staring at the parchment for another long few seconds. "I don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to come through then."

Eustachys politely squeezed around the guards and began climbing the stairs. Meanwhile, Selene tied the donkey near the guards, as she did each week, and caught up to her father who had managed to climb a total of three stairs out of perhaps one hundred. The rest of the way up was easier.

They managed to run into a few more guards and priestesses but all of them regarded Eustachys with a greeting or a smile and let them pass. Sometimes, they asked for an item from Selene's bag of goods. Always, Selene conjured something that was exactly the food they were craving. Jam, Pastries,... there really was everything in that big bag.

Eustachys led the pair into the temple's complex, no longer needing Selene to lean on, now that the stairs were behind them. He walked into the kitchen where offerings for gods, the Pythia and whoever else ran the temple were prepared. He greeted the people there as well and soon, he exited to secure the payment and left Selene in the kitchen to unload the goods. She did so, idly chatting with the people there. She may have helped chop a few vegetables… and she may have seasoned the soup that was bubbling over the fire. At this point, this was second nature to her. And at least here, in the kitchen, everyone recognised her as someone on equal footing with the old Eustachys. He and her mother taught her well.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Selene didn't even notice how much time had passed when Eustachys coughed into his fist to rouse her from work. She was currently showing another cook how to hold a knife more efficiently. "I didn't mean to disturb a warrior with her sword, but it's time to go."

"Ah- sorry. Let's go home then."

"Well hold on, daughter of mine." He smiled victoriously as if he was holding onto a secret that would win him the lottery. "...I was able to secure a personal divination for you."

Selene set down the knife, just in case it would drop out of her hands within the five seconds it would take her to process this. "Here? In Delphi?"

"Yes- well, not with the Pythia, but one of the hiereias said she wouldn't mind looking at your...love-life situation."

Selene was glad she set down the knife because she wanted to die from embarrassment and the knife looked pretty sharp and lethal right about now. The entire kitchen was staring at them. "Dad, I said I was looking-!"

"It is a free divination - and Apollo is known for being truthful."

Selene wanted to yell. Not at her father, who was still waiting for an answer. She just wanted to yell in general. Maybe if she yelled loud enough, the gates of Hades would open where she stood and swallowed her whole.

But she wasn't about to make herself into a main character in this kitchen-based soap opera with a stunt like that. There were already enough eyes on them. So she took a deep breath in and then exhaled her answer. "Then so be it."

⁓Ψ⁓

Fifteen minutes later she was standing face to veil with a priestess. Eustachys assured her he’d make the trip down the stairs on his own and that he’ll wait for her with the two guards by their donkey.

She stared at the priestess who was sitting on a hole in the middle of the room. It was more of a pit, really. Thin layers of smoke and fumes emitted from it, coiling around the room in thin stripes. That was where Apollo would always speak to Pythia and the other priestesses relayed the cryptic, short messages. But not this priestess. She was alone. This was a priestess that looked like she was incredibly happy to try her scamming techniques on Selene. Which sucked for her, because Selene was already sliding closer to the non-believer scale. She still believed that gods existed, but come on, which god would care about her love life? Apollo? Now that was just silly.

But her father meant well. She knew that. He was getting older and she was as well. Selene was already in her twenties which meant that she was in the category of spinster, for all intents and purposes. If Selene could just find someone half-decent and marry, her father would finally have his well deserved rest. But no man ever stuck. And Selene was too proud to be with a man who got scared by a calloused woman. Or maybe it was that Selene in general was coarse like sandpaper in both personality and looks. It wasn’t entirely her fault. She just had much to take care of, being the unspoken head of the family.

The priestess cleared her throat. “Well then…let us begin.”

“How much were you paid?” Selene jumped in.

“That is between me and the esteemed Eustachys.”

‘So it wasn’t free.’

Which meant Selene had even less incentive to leave. She either had to come back with the money, or divination results. Well played. And well paid as well. Whatever. She’ll just have to make sure to never leave her dad alone like this again. With a miffed tone, she sat down in front of the priestess: “Let’s get this over with then.”

The hiereia nodded at her, trying to immerse herself in thought. Eventually she spoke in a voice that Selene was sure she made intentionally lower, masked in the strange fumes that were said to contain Apollo’s guidance. “Apollo said… that he sees you have much good in your hands and heart…Ask your questions now.”

Oh how lovely. Apollo said I am a good person. Personally! Selene tried to think, but it was pretty difficult. It was like the fumes were blocking her ability to think critically. “I suppose I should ask about my quest for love, otherwise my father is going to be greatly saddened.”

“I see…many men in your future…”

‘’So just like in my present…?’’

The priestess briefly opened her eyes, glaring at her to shut her mouth. “No…new men…different men. I see that they are very powerful. One is enchanted, one is cursed and one is blessed. Out of these… one might even be royalty.’’

Now that was ridiculous. What was this ancient equivalent of a scam email from a Nigerian prince? Selene was starting to think she should ask for her money back. “Okay, and next you’re going to tell me I marry a prince and have two children and retire happily, right?

The priestess ignored her. ‘’Apollo says you are drowning, but where you go, gods will follow…and…and I see much, much misfortune and…animals?” Confusion colored her tone.

“Some…giant bull and a mouse…and I see dead people…” The priestess was whispering now. She was pale - as pale as the marble walls of the temple. "So many dead people…"

“That’s...great but that’s not really what I asked…?”

The hiereia looked ready to faint and her white face stared somewhere behind Selene, as if somebody stood there. Okay, that wasn’t normal. “Somebody will betray you…oh gods…I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I can’t say-'' The priestess rambled, too quickly to be proper in any pronunciation.

Selene noticed a thin stream of blood coming out of her nostril.

Definitely wasn't normal.

“Hey- Are you okay, ma’am-?” Selene got up, reaching out her hand, ready to deal with the situation. She had to get her out of the fumes. Now.

“Please, please don't hurt me.” The priestess said weakly, backing away from her.

Selene stopped in her tracks. The priestess was no longer sitting in the pit in the center of the room and realistically she should no longer be delirious from this…Apollo's presence. So why did she keep backing up?

One of the soldiers she met earlier stormed into the divination room. “You are under arrest for poisoning the supreme Oracle!”

The room echoed his words.

“What?” Selene forced out, staring at the soldier who marched over to her and gripped her arm.

“You poisoned the Pythia. Nobody is allowed to leave until we figure this out.”

Selene’s jaw hit the floor only seconds before the fainted hiereia's body did. At least one thing in that prophecy was accurate. This was definitely some giant bull-