LYSSANDRA

  I am hungry. So hungry. When was the last time I ate? I could see vultures around the trees, waiting for me to fall. I could not blame them. My body was now all frail, tired from all the running. All skin and bones, and my hunger was too much. And so was his. The snake was breathing right behind me. Faster than any bird, taller than any tree, sharper than any lion, he was following me until the end of the world, killing me slowly, starving me until I perished. When would all this end?

  ‘’This is the end’’The snake laughed as his mouth opened wide, letting his tongue stick out.

  No, that wasn’t the end. I could not…I turned my head to his side, hands opened, with my hand forming a bright citrine bow.

  What is this?

  All my anger, my pride fell in the form of a bright thread of the sun to the snake’s mouth, making him scream. I fell on my own back with the snake now crawling to a cave, taking his last breath. The snake’s body was so tall and fat, the one who had been after me for half a century was finally giving up.

  And I could only watch him die until I realized once again that I was starving.

  What am I saying?

  Inside the cave, I went and I could see now a little boy with a bronze rough skin, on his knees, in front of the snake. I kept walking as I could see the boy’s flaming curls were long to his fragile shoulders while down to his lower back, there was a long gray tail that could belong to a wolf. The snake’s body was letting gold liquid fall out from his scales while the boy was still on his knees.

  ‘’What happened here?’’ I asked, and the boy turned to my side. His face is a wild beauty with eyes estranged wide open. Even with his face being covered with the skull of a great deer, I could see every detail. His lips were dressed in purple while his hands were holding a piece of the snake, already matched up with purple liquid dripping from it.

  He was eating it. He was eating Python.

  ‘’Hello’’He smiled widely, letting the meat drop to the ground. He looked to be sixteen or younger. Based on his poor brown chitton, He was not a king or a great, rich man.

  Before speaking again, the boy hopped like a deer on top of me, making me fall down.

  ‘’You are so pretty.’’He hummed with delight.

  I did not speak as I imagined that I had hit my head.

  ‘’What are you doing here?’’He asked me.

  Think of a lie.

  ‘’I was looking for you.’’I said, and he blinked all confused, while his food was dripping right on my face. He moved away from me like a wild animal, and I managed to stand up.

  ‘’For me?’’ He let out a heavy breath and took one more look around. ‘’Did the queen send you?’’

  I shook my head. What kind of Queen was he talking about?

  ‘’My ‘Father?’ ‘’One more question as his voice turned gentle for a moment, but I could see his body was trembling.

  Maybe lying again wouldn’t be the right thing to do. So I hummed a note.

  ‘’So you just came here to…’’

  ‘’I came to see you’’Another small lie.

  ‘’See me?’’

  I nodded, and he smiled even wider like a joyful fox. I could not help to think how adorable this boy was. A little kid wanting attention.

  ‘’You came to see me…’’He sang again and again.

  My eye returned back to the snake.

  ‘’He is not dead yet’’He said joyfully and grabbed my entire face with his entire strength. And then I realized. His lips were not moving.

  ‘’What punishment shall I give him?’’He asked then.

  Punishment? On his own two feet now, the skull wearing boy was jumping around the pile of scales and blood that was coming from the snake.

  ‘’I can tell Uncle to send him to Tartarus, make a punishment there.’’

  Uncle? How could he have an uncle running Tartarus? Who could that…

  Wait… No, he couldn’t be. The boy couldn’t be.

  ‘’Or kill him and feed him to my Father, he would probably love it.’’

  ‘’Who is your Father?’’I asked the boy, and he turned back to me, laughing hysterically. Lying on a rock now, the boy kept humming an enchanting melody, capturing my entire soul and I was following his side.

  ‘’I can’t tell you’’He sang.

  Sure, he couldn’t, but it felt like I already knew. And the boy gasped as he turned to see the snake again.’’I can make him my child, can’t I?’’

  His child? The boy’s hands snapped wide open, and he began to laugh once more.’’My child, my son, he will do as I please, worship me, and he will be there when I need him.’’The last words let out a painful tone from his lips.

  My hands found the skull, moving at the long antlers, before I was about to pull it off.

  The boy’s lips parted.

  ‘’It is alright, I won’t say it to anyone’’I promised and winced.’’It will be our little secret.’’

  The boy nodded, and as I finally removed the skull, I could see the tears he was shedding right down to his fat purple cheeks.

  He was hunted for so long. He was starving all alone with one to look at him.

  I could just pity him.

  And when the boy noticed it, he was not pleased. He grasped the skull out of my hand, and the antlers left a cut on my hand.

  ‘’How dare you’’ The deer boy barked.’’How dare you mock me?’’

  ‘’No, I did not,’’ I admitted, but he was not listening to me.

  ‘’Are you afraid of me?’’His voice became all heavy and twisted.’’Will you run away?’’

  I shook my head, but my body was trembling like a leaf. Why was I trembling? The boy yelled again, this time he jumped back at me, his weight pushing my body to the ground.

  ‘’Liar!’’He screamed.’’Your are! You must!’’

  I must?

  ‘’I am not afraid of you’’I fully admitted.

  The boy’s eyes snapped as he heard those words, and suddenly, his body grew older by the second.

  ‘’People like you must fear me’’His deep voice whispered to my ear. ‘’Worship me like the poor little sheep you are.’’His cold fingers found my throat. Trying to speak as pointless with my throat now closing tight. I could not breathe.

  ‘’You will be afraid of me’’His voice sang.’’But you won’t leave me right?’’His smile grew wide as his sharp teeth were exposed to the sunlight. It felt like an invitation of his, to eat my flesh just like he did to the snake.

  ‘’You will love me.’’

  ‘’I will love you’’I gasped out. The deer boy turned into a charming young man, his face still covered by the skull. But his words captured my stupid little head. He wants me to love him.

  ‘’But I want you to never leave me.’’

  The man laughed, and his fingers traced around my curls.

  ‘’Who do you think you are to ask things from me?’’

  What? Why was he so cruel? I could have done everything he asked.

  But I understood. He had the power, and I did not. He would be in control no matter the imbalance of scales. Was this how it would always end? I was so tired of fighting.

  Wake up.

  That voice.

  Oracle, you must wake up, please.

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  The deer boy laughed, suggesting he listened to the voice, too. But the laugh was higher-pitched with more humor and less melody.

  And then, my eye snapped, just for me to end up in more darkness.

  But Paris was there with his face being the only one that shone bright. A smile of relief formed on his face as he noticed that I was still alive, but I could not move. Every strength of mine was almost worn out. I couldn’t even imagine that I still had the power to breathe.

  His fingers drew a sharp knife to the ground, and I could imagine the worst-case scenario.

  ‘’Do you want to learn what he thinks of you? All those things he wants to do with you’’

  My body shook from the simple thought of the blade hitting my skin, but Paris had other plans with it.

  ‘’Stay calm’’He whispered with the blade now cutting the tight ropes on my hands and legs. My body was in such pain, I didn’t even realize that my limbs were swollen by the binding of that old crone’s wicked hands.

  Now, free from the binding, I twisted my wrists and took a look at the blonde, panicked beauty that was standing right in front of me.

  ‘’You are still alive and..’’

  I shut him up fast with my hands cupping both of his cheeks. I just had to see it. I just had to see his eyes. All so drawn with pleading and anger. A small fire burns with hatred towards the person he looks at.

  ‘’It is you’’I gasped out with my mouth getting drier. My thumbs pushed at his lips, making his mouth open. My skin tingled from his sharp teeth as he tried to stop me.

  ‘’Ora..cled’’He was muffled.

  It was him.

  ‘’It’s you’’I moved my hands back so I could cover my mouth. Paris blurred out a few words and grinned at me.’’The one and only,’’He narrowed.’’Sort of…’’

  I wanted to hug him so tight that he would explode, I wanted to cry in his arms. But the situation did not give me enough time. And those words that the previous man said…

  ‘’Are you…’’I tried to speak but the man already wrapped his hands around my body, pulling me to his shoulders.

  ‘’Hey, what are you…’’

  He did not speak for the rest of the moments we were now walking. Well, he was walking. He was carrying me like an object. My gaze fell to the ground that we were passing, which was decorated with bones and clothes. How many people failed to get out of here? How many victims did the snake and that woman take over the years?

  With the time passing, I noticed that the stones were glimpses of a sky blue light that belonged to a few peculiar stones. And as we kept moving and moving, a bright light appeared right in front of us.

  I was about to turn my head to see, but Paris flew past my body on the bright side of the cave. My body had a leap of faith in him, but my body broke into a pile of water.

  With my lungs filled slowly with the cold liquid I could only now push myself higher. Surprisingly, the water was not deep enough so I could even walk on the cold rocks. Above me, I could see the rocks above us shining like diamonds as the water had the bright light of the horizon. And that could even…

  ‘’It’s relaxation waters.’’ Paris’ voice echoed from above me as he was walking down the rocks slowly. I was confused at the start, before my body began to feel stronger. An energy struck my spine, making my entire body tingle.

  ‘’Stories say that Apollo created them, hiding them in caves for them to be showered by the stones above and the bright starlight gems.’’

  My curiosity grew as he spoke about that myth. I haven’t heard that one before. Was he really speaking the truth? And if yes, how did he know?

  Paris smirked. ‘’Of course, there is also a myth where he visited the places with his lovers.’’

  I arched my brow and looked down at my almost ruined and wet wedding garments. I would die today either way, but I prefer to die heroically by poison and not by cold.

  ‘’Wha..what are you doing?’’Paris stuttered while I was taking my chitton off. Why was he surprised? He has seen my body before hasn’t he? Why is getting flustered now? And a creature like him he had probably seen greater forms.

  ‘’I don’t want to catch a cold,’’ I admitted and stretched the fabrics and let them dry on the nearest rocks. Looking back at him, I noticed that he was now knee-deep inside the water, and he began to undress himself. I knew he had a great physique, and he never hid it, but this time, my gaze decided to forcibly look into his eyes. If I looked any lower I knew I could give him any nasty ideas.

  My body sank deeper into the water as he followed me. Wondered if this was the creature’s game. Charming people and then helping that woman to send them here, so they could be eaten.

  I heard his voice before, sure of it. He called her. Leto, as the goddess of motherhood and the mother of Artemis and.... She was prideful and uncanny herself.

  Paris’ hand slipped behind my neck, taking my curls away.’’Let me help you’’He whispered.

  I am so sick of this.

  Turning back to see him now was one of the many things I was not prepared for. Especially for what I was about to say.

  ‘’Who are you?’’I finally asked.

  Paris blinked and smiled.’’Oracle, I am..’’

  ‘’Why are you here?’’My voice rose, creating a loud echo.

  He laughed.’’Oracle, you know why…’’

  ‘’Do not. Lie.’’I spat. If the gods were real, then who was this man standing in front of me?

  ‘’I know that you are not a mortal,’’I spat, and his face drenched out of color. His eyes lost their playfulness just like his smile faded. Was he out of tricks and lies?

  He simply despises you.

  ‘’Just tell me the truth, stop trying to trick me, I know that you despise me.’’

  ‘’Despise you?’’His breath shuddered, and he cupped my face. The look in his eyes was the same, painted the same.

  ‘’Oracle I..’’ Lips quivering before we both listened to a third sound, crawling near us.

  Python?

  I rushed to my clothes and got out fast from the water fast. Relaxation was nice enough, but I did not want the snake to find me.

  ‘’I will tell you’’ Paris’ tone echoed behind me.

  Will he?

  We both kept walking as the pain slowly returned, now moving on my chest. But thanks to the stones, the cave was not dark anymore and we could await for Python any moment. I wondered if I could take a few of them and have a fortune after all of this. Maybe I could travel up north. Or visit the old battlefields of what Troy was once.

  Poking a small out was easier than I expected and moved it closer to my face. The color was all vibrant, as if I had a star on my hands. I let my tongue lick it, and I found out that it was salty like the sea.

  ‘’What is this gem?’’I asked Paris, who was far away from me.

  ‘’Ouranos’ fluids’’

  I threw the gem down immediately as my lips were now inside my mouth from disgust.

  ‘’It’s alright, they are not dangerous if you don’t place them in the sea’’ He let out a heavy growl. ‘’The world doesn’t need another Aphrodite.’’

  His tone was different now that I had revealed his identity. His voice was formal as his gaze was steady, serious. Was that his real expression or another facade?

  And then, the man who was once Paris spoke.

  ‘’I was sent here by the king, father.’’

  King father, who could he possibly mean? Perseus? No, it couldn’t but…All father…

  ‘’Oh.’’ My lips parted, and Paris walked right next to me.

  ‘’When you…killed that man to his temple, he was very upset and he sent me to make sure you will uhm…’’

  ‘’Pay?’’ I asked, but it was pretty obvious. One more lesson, a myth, a story for the people to be afraid of the gods.

  Paris did not speak for a while as I kept my thoughts deep inside me. Zeus wanted me punished. Leto tried to hurt me before saying something about her children. But where was he in the picture?

  ‘’You must understand, whatever he told me to do’’Paris’ hand found mine. So soft and warm, it could truly belong to a celestial being.’’My feelings about you-’’

  I pushed myself away.’’Feelings? You were tricking me.’’

  Paris’ lips twitched as he took a deep breath.

  He despises you.

  ‘’If you cared for me, you could have healed, right?’’

  For the first time, he had not a single comeback.

  A smile grew on my face. ‘’You wouldn’t because what? I am mere? I do not fit any of the titles?’’

  ‘’Oracle, please’’He pleaded, and suddenly hot air fell on both of our faces. The earth shook, and two green orbs were coming closer and closer with the sound of a crawling.

  ‘’Run’’barked Paris, holding my hand tight.’’Oracle, run.’’

  I could not listen to him. I could not obey him. because screams ran to my ears as Python walked to our side.

  ‘’Help me, please help me.’’ Couldn’t he listen to them?

  His hand grabbed even tighter, and he started the leading run. The walls of the cave became brighter with the gemstones around the walls growing less and less. Sooner or later, we would be hunted blind. Even the cave grew tighter.

  ‘’Paris, I have’’’I managed to catch a breath

  ‘’We have to find a way out.’He wasn’t even looking at me, trying to see at least if I was alright. But his hands were shaking. Was he afraid of Python?

  I stopped running and pushed my hand away from his wrist.

  The voice kept calling me, asking me to help them. Even in darkness, I could imagine what kind of face he was making. He could frown, he could plead, but I could not follow him.

  ‘’I have to kill him,’’I muttered.

  ‘’Oracle, listen to me’’His hands grabbed on my shoulders.’’You can barely walk,’’His voice shook.’’He will use your bones to take your meat out of his teeth. You are not a warrior.’’

  ‘’No, I am not’’I pushed him away and took a few steps back. I was not a hero, trying to save kingdoms and princesses. I was not a warrior leading a glorious battle. I was a stupid woman who thought that I could steal and lie until the end. But if I could kill him, it could make the gods furious once more, taste defeat.

  ‘’Please, oracle’’He spat, and his fingers moved on my cheek.

  ‘’Then stop me,’’I whispered. Why aren’t you healing me? Why aren’t you helping me? Punishing me? Stopping me?

  Paris frowned.

  ‘’Why are you here?’’

  His breath shook with his hand moving away.’’I don’t know’’

  Should I trust him? He wouldn’t heal me, he wouldn’t help me, he despised me. He was ordered to punish me.

  ‘’Please, protect the others’’I begged him, and my legs started running away once more, back to the light. I could listen to his voice, echoing through the cave, calling me Oracle over and over again.

  He despises you.

  Then why did I know that he was about to cry?