LYSSANDRA

Of course, they were followers of Zeus, aiming at us, unarming us as one of them took my bag and kept laughing like he won a prize. I kept narrowing as he commanded me to follow them.

I did not speak for the entire walk while Paris seemed to have a colder gaze now. His eyes steady, losing every part of the light that his eyes once had. But when he turned on me, his smile appeared again, the sun attacking me with his teeth.

I replied with a nervous brow and as we finally stopped walking we were in front of a dark cave. Away from it, there were a few more followers of Zeus with Dion in charge and next to him, there was a girl, tied up tight to ropes. Long chestnut hair, down to her olive-skinned shoulders was now beaten up. Her eyes were staring at me as they were red from tears and her dress ruined while her mouth was covered with one more rope. Myrto.

‘’You finally made it.’’Dion smirked as he looked at me.’’I knew that you could not resist.’’He grabbed Myrto’s face and kept facing me.’’I know how much you care about your accomplices and…why do you have that face?’’He raised his voice at the end while I had a disappointed glare at him.

She wasn’t trapped by a venomous mythical snake who was supposed to not die and no cure could heal the poison but…Them? All this for them?

‘’Really?’’I arched my brow looking at her and she started apologizing again and again.

I let out a sigh.’’It is not your fault, they always like to pick the ones they think they are weak.’’

Dion chuckled.’’You are saying that your follower is weak? My in front of her face too…’’He pulled her closer.

‘’No, I said that you thought.’’I corrected myself and looked at her and kept having a disappointed brow around my face. Seriously could there have been at least another poisonous snake? Or a chimera, echidna, gorgon…

Paris noticed it.’’You really wanted to see Python?’’He whispered with the sun falling slowly.

‘’Maybe’’I tried to avoid his eyes as a smile fell on my face.’’It is just disappointing’’I said again, looking at Dion as his face twitched. ‘’Now, can you please let her go? The soldiers are already inside the cave and they must get out in a few minutes…’’

‘’Oh, they will…’’Dion raised his shoulders and pointed his sword at us.’’But you will also go down there… so the monster will feast upon- why are you so happy?’’He yelled at me while I could feel my cheeks turn red from the thought of seeing a dangerous snake. A snake of stories and legends. An actual killing snake. I could hear Paris chuckling as he covered his mouth with a fist.

Dion rasped.’’You are insane.’’

‘’You are threatening my followers’’I said, looking back at Myrto. She was heavily injured. I looked around and saw thirty men surrounding us with swords and arrows.

‘’I was sure’’He pulled away from Myrto and walked closer to me and his eyes turned to Paris. ‘’But your follower threatened me first.’

My followers? I turned to look at him and he had a childish pout.’’I might…’’His lips pressed to a thin line. ‘’Did try to threaten him last day…’’

‘’Why?’’I almost hissed.

‘’He gave me money to prove that you are impure.’’

How could he possibly prove…wait.

‘’Oh.’’My brow arched and looked at Dion while I pointed at him.’’This was your best plan?’’I asked Dion and then another follower walked closer to us and looked at Paris.

‘’Do you know that he was sneaking today into King Perseus’ house?’’Questioned the man with a smile on his face.

I did not speak because I knew what they were trying to do. Make us argue, show us how weak we are… Paris noticed it too and remained silent. And yet why did he do that? Why did he sneak into Perseus' house? How did he do that?

I shook my head, realizing I did not care about it and Dion looked even more furious as he now grabbed Myrto’s throat.

‘’Alright, let’s make a deal now ' ‘Oracle’’’ He mocked and I could see Myrto starting to shake.

Keep calm, keep calm, and do not show any emotions.

But it seemed that my body was quicker than my thoughts as I started running to her side.

One arrow crossed right at my arm, passing right from my dress.

I gritted my teeth as I could see Dion’s smile growing wider.

‘’Would you attack a follower of Apollo?’’Paris asked behind me but I could only listen to his tone, his rasp. How much he was controlling his anger. Even if he was trying to act rational, he was furious. I checked my dress, noticing the scratch on my sleeve. My favorite dress.

Dion chuckled. ‘’I do not know where you are from strangers’’He said to Paris. ‘’But in this world, there are no Gods. Only one God and the one is Zeus. The king of all. The rest of them are false, liars and deceivers, just like this one.’’He glared at me. ‘’But I suppose you can be useful.’’One more pressure on the neck of Myrto’s. I swallowed harshly as Dion now had all the power.

‘’Sure’’Paris rasped. ‘’Then again, follower or not, she is a mere mortal. What would Zeus even care about someone like her? Or any other god or..an oracle of them.’’

What was he trying to say? He leaned to me and whispered close to my ear.

‘’If you show weakness now, they will all win.’’He squeezed my arm tight as if he was trying to break it. ‘’How about you walk out of it, pretend that God Apollo told you one more prophecy.’’ His words cut like venom.

He…

I turned to him and my eyes glared at his face. I could not imagine the expression that I made but it left him speechless.

He knows. What is he planning?

‘’Tell me prophet,’’Dion’s voice made me return to them. what will happen if both of you get to the cave?’’He asked me.’’Will I let her free? I think that it will be the right thing to do…’’

In the cave inside the snake, eating all of us. Then again, soldiers were down there weren’t they? I could listen to the echoing steps of them as one kid was whispering down there. Please save me. I miss my mother. My mother…

‘’But what will happen if you don't?’’Asked once again, leaning closer to her with everyone around laughing in victory.

We had no weapons, I had no herbs or poison around me and he had her. I could not…I could not… Her eyes stopped shedding tears but I knew…

You love her. Asked Paris. If it was that simple.

‘’When we took our first step inside’’I spoke clearly with a formal tone, the one I was using for prophecies. ‘’Let her go. Or else…’’I looked up to the trees and noticed a silver bird staring at all of us as it was flying around. And it hit me. I took one more deep breath before I replied coldly.

‘’You will all perish.’’I said grinning. Dion’s face twitched as he remained silent while watching me walking near the cave and looked at Myrto. She would not get hurt. I promised her that she wouldn’t get hurt by my mistakes.

How dark it was with no light appearing from it. How quiet…Why was it quiet? Twenty soldiers had been sent inside. Where were the soldiers? I turned back to see Paris staying frozen in his place.

‘’My rocale’’He whispered with the falling sun, making his skin shimmer. His eyes burning in anger and shock.’’My Oracle, step back.’’

‘’Are you a coward now?’’Dion mocked.

I could not understand why he wanted me to stop but then, screams erupted from the cave. Screams that kept going and going until the scream became only one. A soldier got out, running fast with tears in his eyes and blood all over his armor.

Getting on his knees near the entrance he started panting and fast enough, vomiting.

‘’Help..’’He gasped out of his saliva and I tried to rush to him but this time, an arrow scratched my arm.

I held my pain by gritting my teeth and kept walking to him. I don't care if they hurt me. I did not care if I would die at that moment.

‘’What happened?’’I asked, cupping his bare face to see the blood dripping from his forehead and his eyes with rage.

‘’Liar…LIAR’’He screamed, echoing the voice to the woods. ‘’None of them…none..’’

I tried to calm him down but that moment was too late as something crawled fast out. Someone pulled me back and now a dark long snake swallowed the soldier like it was a grape.

I fell to the ground next to the person who I found by looking back that it was Paris. I did not care at that moment because the snake was Python.

Tall like a house, long with dark scales and purple ooze dripping from his mouth. Eyes golden, looking at me, looking at all the people in the woods. Everyone’s attention was on the son of Apollo.

Dion twitched as he released Myrto and pushed her close to it.

‘’Run’’He commanded and everyone, like a coward, tried to flee. But Python replied by crawling fast to the ground and attacking everyone, biting them, lifting them, and swallowing them. Someone shot an arrow at it but nothing passed at it. Like it was made from armor.

Everyone was panicking with others managing to flee and yet Myrto was still tied up, still in Python’s eyes. He noticed her.

‘’No’’I screamed and rushed to her.

I met her near Athens a few years ago. Me, Admantious, and Thais were walking for days with one horse to carry two people. We usually got turns so it was my time to walk.

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‘’I am hungry’’I complained to Adamantiou as I was dragging my feet to the ground. ‘You just ate the last bread’’He judged me while Thais was sleeping.

‘’And I am still hungry.’’I let out a whine and turned my head towards the valley which had a figure escaping the forest with people in horses after them. Adamantious stopped the horse and got down, letting Thais fall to the ground.

‘’Hey’’She shouted as she woke up and looked where the figure was running. She stood up and drew her knife and Admantious his long sword.

The fire stumbled as she was surprisingly faster than the horses and she moved to our sides.

She was younger than me with her brown hair tight behind as they were forcefully covered in a red veil. Her wrists were dressed in gold bracelets her face painted heavily in crimson. Yet, tears made her charming face look ruined by the paint.

‘’Help…’’ She panted with an arrow getting shot next to her, making our horse start to panic. I tried to calm down but more of the horses came and we could see that the riders were also wearing rich clothes with heavy shacks around their belt.

‘’Ah’’One older man with a dark beard sighed heavily as he got down from the horse and tried to reach for the girl.’’Apologize for her, she has cold feet.’’

‘’Who is she?’’I asked. He did not reply like he did not even notice me. Then again, his eyes were only looking for Adamantious.

He sighed.’’The oracle of Apollo asked you a question.’’He explained.

The man’s brow arched and looked at me again, nodding.’’She is going to be my wife today’’He announced proudly, grasping her wrist, making her stand up and echoing a scream. Looking behind, I found another far older man smiling while he had a resemblance to the girl. Was that her father?

‘’I see’’I pouted, letting out a tired sigh, and made a signal to Adamantious and Thais to stop at that moment with their swords. The girl’s feet were well bruised with her ankles also dressed in gold. Everyone was looking at her like a lamb to the slaughter, ready to take everything from her. Every part of her existence was ready to be destroyed.

‘’Do you have food?’’I asked them.’’We have been traveling for days and I do believe that my god will be grateful to see this wedding.’’I smiled at the husband who replied with a wide smile. And the girl tried to escape once but he knocked her down with a fist.

The ceremony had food that we could eat for days and wine not even kings could dream of. But my job was to move to the small house near the ceremony where the girl was being hidden. Trapped from everyone. I jumped inside the window, ending up falling with my own face. I let out a shout of pain and looking up, I saw the girl being tied up limb by limb as she could not do anything else but cry.

‘’Hello’’I said smiling.

‘’Get…’’Spat the girl but I stopped her.’’Do not drink anything tonight.’’I commanded her. ‘’No water, no wine, nothing’’

Her eyes rose, letting the tears stop. ‘’What are you…’’

I avoided her as I took from my bag a piece of bread and a chicken leg and started munching, salivating from the taste. Oh, I missed eating like a human.

I wiped my face with my hand and looked around her room, noticing tablets hidden down on the bed. She could read. And she was fast it seemed.

‘’Oh, I poisoned everything so it’s better for you to not drink it,’’ I said, licking my thumb from the grease of the leg.

She blinked again and again until she replied.’’Are you insane?’’

‘’Well, you tried to run from your wedding, not me,’’ I smirked, swallowing the rest of the bread.

Her lips parted as she touched her wedding necklace.’’I have no other choice now…’’

‘’Didn’t I say that I poisoned everything?’’

‘’And then what? What will I do?’’Her body was shaking. She broke everything and told me what happened. Father was cruel as he had only a daughter. He lost everything and he could take everything back if he married her off. She was running for three days until she got caught up with the horses.

Running for three days… Hiding well for three days and none could find her…

I tried to hold my grin as I thought of an idea that could help both of us.

‘’Come with me’’I told her. She looked at me with a strange light in her eyes.

‘’I will become an Oracle that will be remembered by historians as a God’’I admitted to her. ‘’So, it would be better if you were on my side.’’

She was ready to laugh but my words stopped her.

‘’But I will need someone like you to help me.’’

She covered herself fast. But I moved to her and touched her hands softly.

‘’It won’t be like that. The work won’t be decent though. The work will have you may be beaten or killed. But I won’t force you to stay or do anything that you don’t want to.’’

Her eyes opened even wider. I could not let her stay like this. We all had choices and I could give her one. Just this once, I could actually save someone. The heavy pressure of holding someone’s life in my hands…And I could just give up on it. Yet I did what I had to.

‘’But I am not going to force you to come with me.’’Taking one deep breath. Why was I feeling so vulnerable with her? Her eyes were still stained from the tears, her form was fragile and yet I felt far worse. Like she was far more mortal than me.

‘’Whatever You will have me do’’She spoke.’’Please promise me something.’’

I looked up to her gaze, now burning with anger. ‘’Do not let me be like that ever again.’’

‘’Oracle no’’Paris warned me but it was too late as I was next to her with Dion’s dagger next to her. Released her from the binds and cupped her face. ‘’It’s alright’’I told her.

‘’I am sorry, I did not mean.’’

‘’Myrto it’s…’’ I forced myself to speak as I felt Pyton’s eyes watching me. Purple and red shades falling to the ground with the scent of sweet poison hitting my nostrils, eyes watching us like sheep, and yet…I could not stop staring at this beautiful creature. He opened his mouth and was ready to attack us. To kill us. And I could not help but smile.

‘’Stop’’ A strange voice echoed from the forest, making Python move back. His head turned and right until the voice echoed once more. STOP.

And the snake replied by moving back to the cave.

I started breathing heavily and turned to Myrto who was crying and shaking like a leaf.

I hugged her tight, feeling her beating heart.

‘’You are alright’’I whispered, trying to get her up with my hand still bleeding. I looked back to see the sun was now gone and Paris with it.

Where did he go?

I fixed myself up and then I saw Dion moving back up with a sword. I could listen to the remaining people with him, approaching the shadows.

‘’Now, how can you be alive?’’He laughed.

‘’My God showed mercy upon me and my followers’’I replied gently and calmly while the pain kept getting worse. Dion didn't have any remorse as he tried to attack both of us. And then, a sharp blade appeared near his throat.

‘’Now now’’Thais smiled. ‘’You do not need to act like that.’’

Dion gasped and shouted for his men. None responded as Thais looked up and pouted with her eyes looking back to the fallen men. ‘’I am sorry, you see…’’She pressed her lips to a thin line.’’They were in my way.’’

‘’You would never hurt peo-’’Dion tried to speak but Thais interrupted him.

‘’You are thinking of my brother who is all muscles and empty threats. She changed the angle of the knife, pressuring the sharp part on his skin, making it look like she could cut it like a chicken.’’I prefer it drastic.’’

The follower of Zeus panted, letting down his sword and Thias obliged by hitting his head with the back of her knife. But then, he laughed.’’Does it matter now? The king will find the truth about you after that’’His voice became harsh with his smile growing wider.’’And…’’His gaze turned fully on me. ‘’You do not seem to be in the right condition to stand.’’

My eyes darted as I clenched my arm tight, feeling a strange itch coming from my flesh. And after that, Dion vanished with Thais facing us now.

She looked at us with a smile that sure enough faded as she moved to our side and poked our ears.

‘’Ouch Ouch, ouch’’I whined in sync with Myrto.

‘’Oh, now you are worried’’Thais scolded us and looked at my arm and she was ready to curse me but she took one deep breath. ‘’We have been sick of you.’’She moved back and hit our foreheads. Such as saving.

‘’How could you find us?’’ I asked her as she moved back to the track. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Later she replied by.’’I knew that you would do something stupid to save her’’

I told her everything in the road about the soldiers, about the snake. About Paris vanishing far away. She did not seem pleased about those things but she kept glaring at us from back.

I laughed and looked at Myrto whose gaze was down.

‘’Ah…’’Myrto winced while I was treating her wounds in my room. As Alexious informed me the man that I had treated was getting better at walking but he insisted on sleeping in a different room than me so he would sleep in the boys’ room. I hadn’t seen Adamantious since I entered the temple and I did not need to listen to him shout at me now.

‘’You should be careful,’’I complained to her as she kept facing down. I took a look at her arms, her knuckles which had red stains.

‘’I punched one of them’’She informed me. ‘’But it seemed that…’’

I cupped her face and rested my forehead on hers. I could feel her cold skin against my hot one as I could sense her need to rest.

‘’You can leave.’’I reminded her.

Everyone that I told them to join I gave them the choice to stay and the choice if they needed to leave they would leave. Myrto was in despair and I took advantage of it because she was fast. I took advantage of her like anyone else did. And she got hurt this time more than she could handle.

But she touched my wrist. ‘’What will you do if I try to kill them all?’’She asked with her calm voice. ‘’I hate them. I hate all of them’’She begun to shake.’’What if I want them…’’

I grabbed her wrist.’’You can leave’’I said again.’’I can give you enough money to find a place and…’’

‘’I do not want to leave’’She broke to tears.’’I have a bed, food, friends, I have Alexious, I have you.’’She moved up to me.’’Just promise me…vow to Apollo that you will make them pay.’’

‘’But -’’I tried to speak but I could see in her eyes. That it was pointless to vow to him but she would not take this for an answer. Even after everything that happened she still believed in them. Even everything that we have done she still believed.

You love her.

I envy her.

My lips pouted.’’I vow to make them pay…’’I sighed.’’And if you try to kill them.’’I stared at her bright eyes, holding every hope to me. ‘’You won’t be alone.’’ And I patched one more cream in her hand, making her shout of pain. ‘’Now don’t do that ever again or I will have Adamantious scold you…’’

‘’He is not here’’She explained.’’He went to the village to see…’’She cut off her words and covered her mouth.

I nodded, realizing where he had gone. I already knew and yet…

‘’I can stay here for tonight’’She suggested, squeezing my hand. ‘’Thais can snore sometimes and’’She let out a scoff.

I nodded and I shook my head, no words to come out as I felt worse pain in my chest than the fear that I had felt with Python. I did not want to see anyone that night. I just wanted to be alone.

Myrto stood up and showed my arm.’’Just treat yourself. Goodnight Oracle.’’

Oracle…

After I cleaned my still fresh wound I laid my head near the window and tried to force my eyes close. But I could smell a sweet aroma coming near me. I looked out the window and found a bouquet of hemlock and daffodils. Like the ones I lost today. And next to it, there were purple hyacinths. Blooming with the moonlight shimmering their dark color.

I could not help but smile at that. On that thought that Paris was out there spying on me.

And then his words hit. He knows what I am. He has power. Rich or not, he had something against me, and unlike the others, he was offering me flowers. Was that a twisted game of his? He did run. He left me.

I threw every flower as far away from the window as I could but when I tried to push the Hyacinthus I just stood frozen.

His sharp dangerous words. He was poison. And that made me more interested in him.

‘’You better appear tomorrow’’I whispered, hugging my knees with my fingers touching the petals of the hyacinth.’’You are one of my followers after all.’’