Chapter Twenty

## Twenty

Apollo was waiting at the Great Temple of Delphi. Assembled around him was a throng of various members of the clergy: acolytes, inquisitors, templars, chalicers, lamplighters, hierophants, and even the Grand Pontifex and Grand Oracle sitting on the oracle's dais with the god. As his fingers rapped on the arm of the replica throne of his Olympian throne, Apollo felt a hand grip his wrist. The god glanced over at the oracle's withered hand and then at the woman herself.

"Pythia," he said, acknowledging his first oracle. "Is something the matter?"

"You should go outside," she said.

Apollo was unsure how to respond to such a vague statement, but he knew better than questioning the oracle. He gave her a firm nod, stood up and quickly held a hand up to cease the approach of templars ready to escort the god. "I got this," he said as he stepped forward and hopped off the front of the dais, clearing the piles of daily sacrificial offerings and gifts laid at the base of the dais to appease the oracle.

The god strolled across the foyer, walking over the vast intricate yellow and blue marble tile mosaic of the great sun Helios at its zenith in the sky, with its smaller star Phaeton orbiting it at its brightest position. Unlike the sun of Earth, the great Sol Invictus, Elysium had two stars. Helios, a golden giant that resembled Sol considerably, but also a much smaller light-blue or sometimes white star that orbited Helios. This smaller star was Phaeton and could only be seen at specific points in its orbit. If it were behind Helios, it could not be seen for obvious reasons, but it was difficult to see except as a white flicker across Helios' surface if it were in front of Helios.

Of course, the stars were named after two gods formerly associated with the sun of Earth. Apollo had named the stars himself to correlate to the names Artemis gave the three moons of Elysium. Due to having two stars under his purview now, Apollo was more influential on Elysium than he was on Earth. Apollo could now draw greater power from solar energy as the god of two stars, but the god also underwent physical changes. As a result, his skin became darker than it was previously. This further differentiated him from his twin sister, who had gone paler due to her association with the increased lunar affinity.

Leaving the oracle's shrine and entering the grand hall, Apollo was reminded that this temple was the Faith's headquarters. It was grander in size and splendor than any other temple, despite the island of Delphi having such a small population. This was the world's temple. Though the Grand Pontifex usually chose to keep residence at the Grand Temple of Knossos on Mt. Olympus out of tradition, the Grand Oracle of the Faith had always been on the Island of Delphi. While the Grand Pontifex may have overseen the world's clergy and been the practical head of state for Knossos, Pythia had always been the spiritual leader of Elysium's Faith. With the advent of airships, world leaders came to Delphi almost annually to pay respects to the Grand Oracle and seek her counsel.

After a long trek past the anchor, its altar, and many shrines which featured the most accurate and massive sculptured likenesses of his pantheon, Apollo came to the foyer where small sculptures and altars were found for various minor gods, as well as an entrance to a basement shrine where Underworld gods could be sacrificed and prayed to. Apollo navigated this to reach the exterior landing overlooking the tall staircase and its descent into the small port city.

At the base of the stairs was a grand plaza where templars had sealed it off for that day's grand ceremony, but in the middle of this reserved and vacant plaza, an ornate carriage pulled by four giant black stallions was parked. The carriage's coachman leaned against the side of the vehicle and whistled loudly when he saw the god descending the stairs.

"Yo, boss," Charon called out, though Apollo could barely hear him, even at this distance.

Hades appeared from a gathering of templars. The warrior-priests were likely discussing the matter of his carriage being in a sealed-off area. He silenced the conversation by walking away and approaching Apollo. The considerable distance gave Apollo time to find Persephone sitting near the templars with someone that Apollo could not recognize at this distance.

"Uncle," said Apollo, greeting his uncle with the usual mutual grip of right forearms. "I had expected you to arrive by ship."

Scoffing, Hades shook his head. "This was faster," he explained. "Immortal steeds can run across the surface of water or across the air itself. Why would I bother with a cramped and leaky ship? Do I look like my brother to you?"

"I meant airship," said Apollo. "They're all the rage this century. Of course, there are luxury liners in the skies these days, too."

"Ah," said Hades, nodding. "I'll be sure to look into it for next time. Persephone and I did enjoy that continental train ride you booked us for a few years back for our anniversary."

Apollo smiled before glancing over to the young man Persephone was seated with. "Who is he?"

"Rouvin of Dasaki," said Hades.

"Who?"

Hades shook his head. "No one of importance. A Corinthian commoner. He's either a heretic with regrets or a fool in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, I chose to spare his life. Instead, he and his friend will take oaths to the Faith."

"Mercy?" asked Apollo, raising an eyebrow. "You have grown soft in your old age, uncle."

Hades rolled his eyes as he adjusted his tie and waistcoat. "Yes, well, don't let that get around like some of the other silly rumors you're known to spread. I've got a reputation to uphold."

Apollo nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said as he and the God of the Dead approached the carriage. "So, is she in there?"

"Yes," said Hades, nodding as he looked over to his wife as she and Rouvin were approaching. "Is there something the matter, dear?"

"Nothing," she said, sauntering over with all the grace a goddess of her position should possess. "I only wished to greet my cousin," she said as she closed the distance and embraced Apollo, taking him by both hands and giving a brief and aromantic kiss on his lips, as was the old custom among equals.

"It does me well to see you, cousin," Apollo said, nodding to the Queen of the Underworld. "Is my uncle treating you well?"

"Between you and me, he spoils me rotten," she whispered in Apollo's ear. "But don't let him know that. I enjoy it all too thoroughly," she said with a giggle.

Apollo smiled. "I shall keep your secret," he replied in a hushed tone.

"See that you do," Persephone said with a playful wink as she stepped back and placed a hand on the mortal's shoulder. He was a somewhat chubby young male with tan skin and blonde hair. Though something about him suggested the fine suit he now wore was a gift from Hades and not his own, he looked like he was born to wear such fine fashion. "Might I introduce to you, Rouvin of Dasaki," said Persephone before gesturing toward the sun god. "Rouvin, this is-"

"Apollo, the son of Zeus and Leto, Divine Poet and God of Prophecies and the Suns," said the young man, stepping forward with all the confidence of Zeus himself. Then, extending his hand, Rouvin grasped Apollo's forearm and gave a respectful bow of his head. "It does me a great honor to be in your presence."

Apollo glanced at his uncle and cousin, then chuckled as he looked back at the mortal. "Someone seems like they'd make a fine orator," said Apollo. "Is that what you're hoping to become?"

Rouvin shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe. Alekos and I are from a simple small town. We don't know what all these different sorts of clergy are. We had a single priest where we lived, and he was drunk half the time. So we came to the city to visit an oracle and quickly found we were in over our heads. We had no idea the Faith was so vast and expansive. I've done my best since to brush up on scripture and the like, but I fear I still have much to learn."

"But you have a passion and a gift for speech," Apollo said. "Scripture, you can always learn. Unfortunately, having the talent to spread the word of the Faith is not always so easily taught. The orators could use you, Rouvin," Apollo said, nodding.

"If you say so, then it is," said Rouvin, nodding.

"You mentioned another... Alekos?" asked Apollo, glancing about the plaza. "Where might I find him?"

"He's in the carriage," said Hades.

"He fancies Nitsa," said Persephone.

Apollo raised an eyebrow, prompting Hades to grip his shoulder and lean in. "The girl," he whispered.

Nodding, Apollo took a step toward the carriage. "I will speak with them," he said before Rouvin caught his sleeve. Apollo glared at the mortal but kept himself from anger.

Persephone put her hand on Rouvin's wrist. "Never presume to grab a god like that," she warned him. "Some templars would have your hand for such an offense," she said while presently Hades was checking the perimeter's templars to be sure none had seen this trespass.

"I'm sorry," said Rouvin, releasing his grip. "I just- I was going to ask if I could warn them first," he said with a nervous chuckle. "You see, they might be- uh... well..."

"Fecking?" asked Apollo with a smile.

Rouvin nodded. "Yeah. I didn't know if that was a word I'm allowed to say in front of the gods."

Apollo smirked and turned back to the carriage. "I'll give them a warning knock," he said with a dismissive wave.

As Hades and Persephone led Rouvin up the stairs, Apollo continued to the carriage. He paused to look over Charon and offer a smile. The folksy Underworld god waggled his eyebrows and scratched his beard but otherwise said nothing. Apollo flicked it to the god, who caught it with deft skill, producing a dinar from his waistcoat. "Well, how do you do today, sunshine?"

Apollo smiled. "I'm fine, ferryman," he said, glancing at the carriage. "Traded your rowboat in?"

Charon laughed. "No. This is a temporary gig. Boss is payin' good coin for this."

Apollo smiled and stepped close enough to hear the carriage's occupants. Then, he stepped up to Charon with his finger over his lips and gave him another dinar. The ferryman-turned-coachman took the coin and wandered off with a smile, leaving Apollo to freely do what his mother had always been on him about as a godling: eavesdropping.

"I don't know how else to say this," said the male voice, which Apollo assigned to that of Alekos.

"Just say it," said the female voice, closer to where Apollo stood, likely just on the other side of the curtain of the carriage's window. "We might not get another time."

"What do you mean?" asked Alekos. "I know it's supposed to be a big temple, but I'm sure we'll still see each other."

"Just humor me," said Nitsa, giggling.

"I love you," Alekos blurted out. Nitsa was quiet for a long while. She gave no reply. Finally, Alekos sought to inquire. "Did you hear me?" he asked, concern wore heavy in his voice.

"I heard you," said Nitsa, though her tone was different, full of regret and deep sadness. "I just... I wish we had more time. I wish you had told me this before and we could have done something about it."

"I'm telling you now and-" Alekos paused. "Wait. Have I made a grave mistake? Are the clergy not able to have relationships?"

Nitsa giggled as Apollo did his best not to chuckle outside the carriage. "No," she said, composing herself. "There is no marriage as everyone in the clergy is technically married to the pantheon, but they can still have sex. A perk of the clergy is you'll probably have sex with the gods themselves. It's supposed to be mind-numbingly spectacular. Pasi has a sister who is a priestess. She fecked one of the Throne Guard. I think it was Cratus. She said she couldn't stop orgasming for nearly an hour."

Alekos and Apollo were both stunned into silence upon hearing that. Alekos was likely somewhat disturbed, while Apollo wondered if he owed it to himself to inquire about Cratus's weekend plans and how he felt about a solar chariot flight across the sky.

Nitsa broke the silence with a sigh. "You're upset."

"I'm confused," he said, clarifying his emotions.

"Why?"

"Back at the chapter house in Corinth, I told you how I felt then," he said with some emotional quivering in his voice beginning to show. "I did not say I loved you, but I might as well have, and you were so forward in reciprocating then. Was I wrong in thinking that we would have been intimate if Rouvin had not disturbed our intimacy when he did?"

"You weren't wrong," said Nitsa, a slight chuckle in her voice filling the carriage's cabin. "It's a shame that we did not have the chance. It would have been so exciting."

"What has changed?" asked Alekos.

"Well..." said Nitsa, uncertain where to start.

"No," said Alekos. "I mean... I know a lot has happened. We were whisked across the world by the God of the Dead and his bride. We came to some island I have only ever heard about in tales of far-off places-"

"This is where I am from," Nitsa said. "It's not an imaginary place, Alekos. It is real."

"No," said Alekos. "I know, it's just... I never thought I'd ever leave Corinth and here I am in a land I know next to nothing about."

"You know this is where I am from," Nitsa said. "That's a start. It's a nice place. You can make a good life here, especially as a clergy member. Delian society revolves around the clergy. More so here than even the Freelands."

Alekos said nothing but groaned with tremendous irritation.

Nitsa fell quiet too.

"What aren't you telling me?" Alekos cried out.

Nitsa was quiet again. "Alekos..." she said so softly and faint that Apollo doubted the mortal man inside the carriage could have heard her.

"Why were you forward with me then and why are you so determined to keep me at a distance now?" Alekos asked, demanding an answer.

There was a long silence. Apollo reached for the handle to the carriage door, prepared to enter. Then, Nitsa spoke.

"Alekos... I'm supposed to be an oracle," she confessed. "It's my fate to be such. It is not something I had a choice in... That is why we are here. The oracle of this temple is growing weak and soon I will need to replace her."

"What?" asked Alekos. "Why you?"

"Why anyone?" asked Nitsa. "It is the will of the gods."

"But..." Alekos paused. His voice made sounds that only resembled words to those with great imagination or poor hearing. "You're a heretic," he said, finally forming his words correctly. "You were, I mean..."

Nitsa let out a long sigh. "Not a good one," she said with a giggle. "When I was told I was to be an oracle, the Faith paid me a dowry. So I used that to travel the world. I went to Thebes first, as it was the cultural centerpiece, but soon I went to Corinth... because well... free love," she giggled.

Alekos was quiet. He said nothing, taking this all in. As did Apollo.

Nitsa giggled. "I also thought I could invest what was rest of my dowry with Corinth's market and make it last. Which, I somehow pulled off, I don't know how but-"

"You used your oracle foresight to know where to invest to turn a profit?" Alekos asked, then paused. "Prophecy for profit?"

Nitsa giggled. "No. Uh... It doesn't work like that. Even if I were the oracle now, I couldn't predict the future. It's a misconception. Foresight is the ability to have insight into the way things might play out, by reading patterns and making an educated guess, but it's not seeing the future," she explained. "But that's moot. I don't have such powers. I'm not the oracle, yet."

Alekos was quiet for a moment but then spoke up. "So you cannot read my soul? You don't know anything about me except what you see with your eyes and hear with your ears?"

"And what I feel with my heart," Nitsa said, shifting her position and causing the carriage to rock. Apollo ascertained she had moved across the cabin to sit beside Alekos. "Can you feel that?" she asked.

Another long pause, and then, Alekos said, "Your heartbeat."

"My heartbeat," she agreed. "It beats for you, Alekos... in this moment, at this time... but soon it will not be mine to give you."

"What do you mean?"

"The oracle I am meant to be is Pythia," she said softly. "The Grand Oracle, who has not tasted death in a thousand years," she explained. She must have sensed Alekos' confusion, and so she continued. "Every temple has an oracle. They are anointed as young females who are sensitive to the essence patterns in the world. They use herbs, potions, and drugs to enhance these abilities. However, Pythia is an oracle with a heroic soul."

"A heroic soul?" asked Alekos.

Nitsa scoffed. "You are jesting."

"No," said Alekos with a chuckle. "I know what a hero is, I just... I was not aware there were heroic oracles."

"Pythia is not the only one," said Nitsa, "There is also Kassandra, for instance, but Pythia is the most powerful of the oracles due to her expertise. That is why she is the Grand Oracle."

"So you're not Nitsa," said Alekos, still confused. "You are Pythia?"

"No," said Nitsa, giggling. "Pythia is in the temple... Waiting to meet me. Unlike other heroes, Pythia follows a unique reincarnation cycle. Pythia doesn't die and go to the Underworld like most oracles and heroes do. Instead, the tribe of Delphi selects a young girl who is sensitive to the flow of essence. When that girl reaches an appropriate age, she is called upon to fulfill her destiny and become the new host of Pythia."

"And you're that girl?" asked Alekos.

"I am," said Nitsa.

"If you're meant to be an oracle, why were you with the heretics?" asked Alekos.

Nitsa sighed. "I was there to test my faith. I knew I was going to be the next Grand Oracle and though I don't know how much of me will survive the joining of my soul to Pythia as they don't really tell you that when you're a scared girl, I thought that maybe if I heard what the heretics have to say, I'd be in a place to help bring the heretics back into the Faith."

Apollo smiled upon hearing this. He could tell he was going to like this girl.

"If nothing else, maybe it would help me help the Faith crush the heretics once and for all," she added.

Now, Apollo really liked her. Without waiting any more, the sun god cranked the handle and let himself in, sitting across the young couple at the front of the carriage. "Good morning," he said with a smile. "I take it by your dropped jaws that you know who I am?"

The well-dressed Alekos was dumbfounded, leaving Nitsa to speak for the pair. "Y-yes," she said nervously. "You're the Divine Poet. Apollo."

Grinning, the god nodded. "And you know why I am here?"

"I have a measure of an idea," she said, nodding with the god.

"Good, then shall we?"

Nitsa looked back at Alekos briefly, then back to the god. "If it is not a burden, could we have a final moment together?"

Apollo glanced between the two for a moment. Then, finally, he smiled and leaned forward. "You're not going to die, Nitsa," he said with a soft chuckle. "Though you will cease to be the person you are here and now, nothing is removed. You will have Pythia's power thrust upon you, but the knowledge and insight will only come to you slowly. As it does, more of Pythia's own personality will merge with you. In three to ten years, you and Pythia will be one. A new being not entirely yourself, not entirely the Pythia you will soon meet. Also, within Pythia's soul, will be the souls of all her previous hosts, too. So... in a way, you will become as immortal as Pythia is. As immortal as I am."

Nitsa looked oddly concerned. She looked to Alekos, her lower lip quivering. "I won't transition to the Underworld?"

Apollo leaned back and placed his hands on his knees. He let out a long sigh. "I see the rub now. How about I introduce you to Pythia, and then as the next ceremony is prepared, I'll show you two to my residence. The final ceremony for Pythia will take several hours. It should be plenty of time for you two to, uh, wind down," he said with a chuckle and wink.

Alekos turned to Nitsa as Apollo slid out of the carriage. "Did a god just tell us to-"

"No," said Nitsa, shaking her head. "He must have meant something else."

As the god left the two in the carriage, he paused to turn around and look at them once more. "Yes, this god is encouraging you two to feck until your nethers are sore," he said with a wink and a chuckle as he turned and walked away, snapping his fingers to summon a band of templars to escort the couple into the temple.

The meeting between Pythia and Nitsa went smooth enough. Alekos and Rouvin stayed back, neither one seeming interested in meeting the oracle that was not long for this world. Hades and Persephone disappeared without circumstance, having disappeared shortly after Apollo brought the couple into the temple. There was a small feast during which Apollo overheard Alekos asking Nitsa why Pythia did not seem that old. Nitsa told him to look at her hands and see how withered they were before reminding him that Pythia's power burns through the host, giving them a shorter lifespan. Most oracles only last ten years. Twenty years was rare. Thirty years was unheard of.

True to his word, Apollo showed the couple to his residence and had templars stationed outside to ensure the two were not disturbed until Apollo returned to retrieve them. Then, after setting the mood with some aphrodisiac incense and a spinner song playing, Apollo made his way to the Font of Purity.

Inside the pool of Nektar at the center of the oval bath that was slightly raised from the floor, Pythia waited with two chalicers sitting on either side of the bath, one male and another female. Standing in the corner of the room were the Grand Pontifex, Aegeus, and the Delphian Pontifex, Iphigenia. It was a relatively new practice for the Grand Pontifex to assure that the ritual had been completed, made possible by the advent of airships, making it easier for mortals to travel such distances with ease. Before this, the Delphian Pontifex would be the sole witness and write to inform the Grand Pontifex of a new Grand Oracle.

Apollo approached the greater and lesser pontifices as he unbuttoned his vest. "Fair warning," he advised them. "I will be doing things a bit different this time," he explained.

"Differently?" asked Iphigenia, a reasonably young pontifex. "I- I- I'm afraid I don't follow. How different? Different how?" she asked nervously, obviously having only read about the ritual and not having partaken in one before this.

Aegeus was a different sort. He was the oldest person in most rooms he ever set foot in, at least among the mortals. He was wizened, half-blind, and hard of hearing. Apollo thought he would have died many years ago, but the heroic pontifex proved himself able to remain actively engaged in the Faith—at least ceremonially. His lesser pontifex at the Knossossi Temple handled most of the day-to-day governing of the temple, the Freelands, and the Faith. This left Aegeus free to travel on the theocracy's splendid airship, visiting all the major cities and being present for Elysium's most significant events, accompanied by his entourage.

"I will conduct the separation here," said Apollo, "but the joining will be handled in my residence."

"That is unusual," said Aegeus, nodding. "The new oracle needs to be inducted into the Sworn Servants for the joining to commence. That is tradition."

Apollo sighed. "Yes," he said, untucking his shirt. "And she will be so, but it will be done in my residence."

Aegeus nodded. "I understand," he said, nodding as he leaned forward on his massive scepter that doubled as a walking stick. He turned to Iphigenia. "It has been some time since I was here last. I will require you to guide me to the residences," he said in a slow, shaky tone.

The young pontifex nodded. "Of course, your holiness," she said, glancing at Apollo. "Might I ask why the need to change from tradition? Have we done something wrong? Is the site not prepared correctly?"

Apollo pulled his shirt off and set it on the nearby table set aside for his clothing. "No. Everything is great," he said with a grin, being reminded of what he had seen in Iphigenia when he inducted her into the Sworn Servants with Artemis while in Delphi for the previous transfer ceremony. Then, for no reason at all, he tapped the young pontifex on the forehead, his fingertip stroking the outline of her chalice tattoo. "Relax," he told her, now that he had her attention. "You're doing great, Iphigenia."

The pontifex blushed as Apollo kicked off his boots and then slipped from his pants.

"And you did the separation ritual," said Artemis, folding her arms as she sat on her bed, wondering when Apollo's long-winded story would end. "I'm sure it was like the hundreds of others you have done before," she said with a chuckle. "Why are you bothering to tell me all this?"

"Patience, sister," Apollo said with a smirk. "I was just getting there."

"Were you?" asked Artemis with a scoff. "Cut to the chase, brother."

Apollo sighed. "Okay, well, I did the separation ritual. Old Pythia died with a smile on her face," he said as he moved to sit next to Artemis on the bed. "Her body was collected by the Deep Druids. Then, I made my way to the residence with the pontifices in tow. We arrived and those two mortals I mentioned earlier-"

"Nitsa and Alekos," Artemis said, nodding. "I remember."

"They had made extensive use of my apartment," he said with a chuckle and a wink. "It reminded me of when we were on that long train ride," Apollo said.

"It was an airship ride," she reminded him, shaking her head. "Remember, Athena, insisted we be part of the maiden voyage of her personal contraption and would not let me decline. You came to my room and... distracted me."

"Never took you for being a nervous flier," he said with a grin. "Considering your lunar chariot."

"I'm controlling that and I trust my team," she explained. "I had no notion as to who was flying that... machine... or how that thing functioned in the first place," she said with lingering frustration. "Anyway, brother, you were saying?"

"Yes, well, I introduced them to the pontifices and then I had my apartment bath prepared with Nektar," he said with a smile. "Before we proceeded, I had Iphigenia take oaths of service from both Rouvin and Alekos. After that, Rouvin did join the orators, and Alekos asked to join the inquisitors."

"The inquisitors?" asked Artemis. "Was this boy a particularly stout sort then? Good with a sword?"

Apollo shook his head. "Not the impression he gave me."

"The curious sort?" asked Artemis. "Good with puzzles and that sort of thing?"

Apollo shook his head. "I couldn't say."

"Why'd he join the ranks of the inquisitors then?"

Apollo glanced at the floor and slowly turned his eyes back to his sister. "Hades had found him, Rouvin, and Nitsa among the ranks of a heretical cult," he said, pausing to look about Artemis' Haven apartment bedroom. The room was lit only by an unshuttered window exposed to the ether, with its ceiling-mounted essence lights unactivated. "I think that he wanted to prove himself loyal to the Faith by finding and exterminating heretics. No..." Apollo said, shaking his head. "I think, he felt a lot of shame to have been discovered by the gods in such a place. I think he wanted to prove his loyalty to me... and by extension, the rest of the pantheon. He had a look in his pale eyes as he cast them over to me moments before he declared his intent to join the inquisitors."

"Hmm," said Artemis. "There may be hope for the young man yet."

Apollo gripped his knees and continued. "After the oaths were given, I took Nitsa to the bath and conducted the joining there and then. I allowed Alekos and Rouvin to be present for it and act as additional witnesses."

"That must have been awkward for Alekos," said Artemis. "Watching the woman he felt so much affection for be engaged in a ritual of intimacy with a god," she said, showing an alarming empathy for someone she had never met—a mortal man at that, too.

Surprised, Apollo eyed his sister measuringly. "I think it was."

"Was that your intent?" asked Artemis. "Were you were trying to break them up?"

"She was the host of Pythia," said Apollo. "If Alekos and her were to have any future together, they needed to accept what was required of her. So I did them a favor by giving them their first test."

Artemis visually examined her brother's face for a long moment. She sucked on her lower lip as her mind weighed his words and the meaning behind them. Finally, she flashed a brief smirk. She was not convinced, but she would concede to side with her brother as she usually had.

"In the ranks of the clergy, relationships between mortals come after the relationship between clergy and the divine," Apollo reminded his sister. "I have seen you remind your wardens of much the same."

Artemis scoffed. "Have you? Well, the wardens' first obligation is nature, not to the gods," she explained.

"Demeter is nature," said Apollo, folding his arms. "That is the first rule of the Natural Order. Specifically, *'Demeter is nature. Therefore, to act against her is to act against nature,'* is how it is said."

Artemis rolled her eyes and let out a sharp scoff. "Fine, I admit that the wardens and clergy have similar duties, but... I have never fecked a warden in front of her lover just to make a point."

"You have killed my lovers to make a point," Apollo said, though the instant it escaped his lips, he regretted it. It caught him off-guard. "I'm sorry, sister, I don't know why I said that the way I did."

Artemis shook her head. Her eyes would not look at her brother. She was hurt by his words, but she did her best to quell her anger. She could sense he was hurt saying the words just as she was by hearing them. "Trouble yourself not, brother," she said, staring at the floor. "Continue your tale, please..."

It took Apollo a moment to remember his place. Then, finally, he filled the empty space by extending his arm and resting his hand on his sister's shoulder. He expected her to knock his hand aside, but she did not. Instead, she reached up and placed her own hand on his. "The moment the joining was completed, something interesting happened."

Nektar did not stick to the divine like the honey it resembled. Instead, it slid off, leaving a divinely warm glow on the skin for several minutes. Nevertheless, it was tradition for the new oracle and Apollo to be rinsed off by the witnesses. Iphigenia and the Grand Pontifex did the honors for Apollo, while Alekos and Rouvin saw to Pythia.

"Careful not to touch the Nektar," Iphigenia said to the young men as she poured a bronze amphora of warm water over the god, drenching him.

The warning caught Rouvin staring at the naked oracle, his bronze amphora loosely held in front of him. Then, blinking, the young man looked to the Pontifex of Delphi. "Why is that?"

"You have not been sworn into the Sworn Servants," said Aegeus, struggling to lift his own amphora. Iphigenia exchanged his filled one with her empty one and did the honors of pouring it over Apollo for him. "Mortals are banned from touching the divine substance, save for the Sworn Servants. Same goes for Ambrosia."

Alekos was staring at the woman who used to be Nitsa. It was clear he wanted everyone in the room to leave so that he could speak to her alone, eager to find how much of Nitsa remained and how much Pythia there was to be found in his lover.

Standing there, sticky and naked, the oracle looked to Rouvin and then to Alekos. Her hands were lowered, clasped together in front of her, to make the rinsing easier, but it was clear she wished they were free to slap the two young men. "Excuse me," she said. "Could I be washed? There is a draft in here," she said.

"Right," said Rouvin, nodding as he stepped up and raised the amphora. He had been given an initiate's clothing after giving his oath. The clergy of this temple did not wear much due to the warm climate of Delphi. Initiates wore even less, not yet having earned the markings of their sect. Rouvin wore loose gray shorts and simple sandals with a gray vest.

As the water poured onto the oracle, much of the Nektar washed off. It pooled at her feet with the consistency of oil. When Alekos stepped up to pour his amphora, she turned to face him. Their eyes met, and Alekos took a startled step backward.

"Your eyes," he said, blinking.

The oracle stared blankly at Alekos. "My eyes? What of them?"

Alekos turned to face the god. "Her eyes are different," he said. "Is- Is that normal?" he asked.

"Those are the eyes of an oracle," said Apollo. "Do not fear. She is not blind as many think when they see such eyes for the first time. She can see more than the rest of us combined... or will soon enough."

"Soon enough?" asked Alekos. "What does that mean?"

"It means that it takes time for Pythia's soul to find her bearings," said Aegeus. "She will be without her foresight for a few hours. And then she will begin to see," explained the Grand Pontifex.

Apollo caught Rouvin and Alekos sharing a concerned glance. He was poised to ask them about it, and then Rouvin looked down and gasped. "Alek! Your feet! Watch your feet!"

Alekos and everyone else watching realized that some Nektar had dripped off the oracle and landed on his toe. The young man stood there, uncertain about what to do.

"Does it burn?" asked Rouvin, stepping forward. "I heard it burns."

"It's not ichor," said Apollo, chuckling. "Just wash it off. A morsel of that mere size is not worth execution."

"Execution?" asked Alekos, his eyes wide and alarmed.

Sighing, the oracle took his amphora, dipped her hand in it and then wiped her wet hand over his foot, washing the Nektar. She then took the amphora and poured it over her own head. Once she was so rinsed, she shoved the amphora back into Alekos' chest, forcing him to grab it or drop it, before she marched out of the room.

"Huh," said Rouvin. "I wonder what has got her so upset."

Alekos sighed and set his amphora down.

Apollo glanced at Iphigenia, who was giving him a concerned look. He chuckled and smiled. "I'll go have a word with the oracle," he said as he stepped out of the room, closing the door as he left. In the dressing room adjoined to the bathing chamber in Apollo's private temple residence, six lamplighters of various heritages and genders were waiting with fresh linens. Three were in the process of adorning the new oracle in her new raiment, and the other three were watching. The god had to clear his throat to announce his presence to prompt the other trio to step forward with the god's laundered clothing.

Apollo caught a moment where the oracle's gaze met his as the two were dressed. He spoke up then. "I have been through a few of these ceremonies in my time and I'm still not certain what to call you right now."

The oracle raised her arms to allow a lamplighter to wrap a sash around her breasts. She bit her lower lip as another lamplighter ran her hands through the oracle's hair, slathering it in a paste that would leave dye the hair blonde to emulate Apollo's hair—a common Delphi trend. "You may as well call me Pythia," she said. "I will need to get used to it."

"Not sure you will," said Apollo with a chuckle. "Most will simply address you as 'oracle,'" he said as he stepped into his pants. "If you choose, you could still answer to your old name... for a time. The urge to do so will fade, but it might make this transition easier."

Her tongue licked her upper lip, where some small glob of Nektar still remained. She considered pulling it into her mouth, tasting the divine substance, but instead, she turned her head and spit it on the floor. "Fair," she said, nodding. "As I still feel like Nitsa, I should still go by such name."

Apollo nodded. "Nitsa, it is," he agreed as the lamplighters were finished dressing the oracle and held the boots out for the god. Apollo snatched the boots and slipped them on as he moved to follow the oracle out of the residence. "Hold up," he said, hopping behind her as she stepped onto the upper floor balcony that looked over the grand hall.

Leaning against the railing of the balcony, Nitsa folded her arms. "Did you need something else, son of Zeus?"

Walking with mild discomfort in his boots, Apollo approached the railing and gripped it with one hand as he gazed upon the new oracle. "You are upset."

She evaded eye contact, looking down at the worshippers admitted into the temple now that the ceremonies had been concluded. Although, no doubt, many hoped to get a look at the new oracle. Word had spread about the previous oracle's passing after the temple bell had rung seven times. If only the worshippers would think to look up, they might spy not only the new oracle but the God of Light standing beside her, but they would not. Many Delphians did not know about the residences above the grand hall, and they were used so rarely and so infrequently that no one would gaze up, hoping to catch sight of a god coming or going.

"You are mad at me," he said, doing his best to read her expression. "You disagree with my decision to have Rouvin and Alekos present for the joining."

"It is not my place to question the divine," said Nitsa, still refusing to match his gaze with her own.

Scoffing, Apollo shook his head. "If anyone can question the divine, it is the oracle," he said, sidling up to her and resting his elbows on the railing just as she did. He then nudged her elbow with his. "That is what you wanted to do when you joined the heretics, is it not?"

Nitsa seemed unsettled by his knowledge of that. She bit her lower lip, trying to disguise her expression, but released her lip soon after. "God of Truth," she said, nodding with a sigh. "Of course you know."

"That," he said, looking at a mother below as she tried to wrestle her twin children. Thoughts of his sister and mother were impossible to ignore. As were his mother's cautions about eavesdropping. He chuckled and licked his lips, still tasting Nektar in the corners of his mouth. "And I may have overheard you and Alekos earlier."

Nitsa sighed. "I am the worst oracle, aren't I?"

Apollo shook his head. "Three oracles ago, the Delphians chose a crazed young woman to be the next oracle. They assumed her incoherent ramblings were omens that only needed to be deciphered. After the joining, she ran through the temple barking like a dog."

Nitsa giggled. "You're making that up."

"I wish I were," he said. "We only knew the joining had worked several days later when we found a letter from Pythia, written in a moment of clarity, asking us to free her from this torture," Apollo sighed. "The clergy hoped that with time, Pythia would suppress the insanity of the new oracle, but when that did not happen, Pythia took matters into her own hands."

"Kiss of Athena?" asked Nitsa.

"Kiss of..." Apollo blinked in confusion as he looked over at Nitsa. "Pardon?"

Giggling, the oracle shook her head. "Euphemism for hemlock," she said with a smirk. "I'm sorry. My mother was Athenian and-"

"Ah," said Apollo, nodding. "I hadn't heard that one," he said, chuckling. "Yes," he said with a dark chuckle. "She was found the following day, laid out on the altar of Hades in the basement."

"Quite dramatic," she said, then paused. "I thought Pythia had not tasted death for a thousand years?"

Apollo nodded. "She was not yet dead. She only did so to force the hand of the priests. My sister Hebe happened to be at the temple, enjoying a vacation, when she was aroused from her sleep and asked to perform the separation ceremony for the oracle. On short notice, a new oracle was found, an initiate from the temple's lamplighters," Apollo said as the mother below kneeled before the shrine of Hermes, uring her children to do as she did, praying for the god's blessing on a voyage they were about to undertake. "She turned out to be a great oracle."

"What was her name?" asked Nitsa.

"Pythia," he said with a smile. "Pythia the ninety-eighth," he said with a chuckle. He glanced at Nitsa and then sighed. "You meant her name before the joining..."

Nitsa did not say it. Instead, she only bit her lip and gave a single nod.

"There are records for that," he said. "You have access to those now. You can find that information... but not from me," he said, slumping his shoulders. "I apologize. Mortals come and go with me..."

Resting one hand on the other, Nitsa nodded. "I suppose they will for me, too..."

Apollo sighed and nodded. He stood up and turned around, having heard the sound of a door opening. Alekos stood in the doorway. "Maybe," Apollo said, placing a hand on the oracle's shoulder and turning her toward the door. "But maybe some are worth holding on to for as long as you can," he said, then gave her arm a light squeeze as he walked away.

"And...?" asked Artemis. "What then?"

Apollo's eyes left the ether, which he had lost himself staring into as he leaned against the wall and gazed out the window. He chuckled and shrugged. "Uh... I believe I went to the anchor and ascended. There was a meeting of the Twelve scheduled, and I did not want to be late."

With a scoff, Artemis got to her feet and approached her brother. "That cannot be all of the story," she said with disbelief running rampant in her eyes. "What was the point?"

"What was the point?" asked Apollo, parroting his sister.

"You told me this story to tell me what you knew of Nyx," said the huntress, reminding her twin of his original intent.

"Right," said Apollo, nodding. "I apologize. I called upon my gift for insight and, in so doing, got lost in the moment," he said, chuckling. "Well, Nitsa was the new oracle. The hundredth Pythia... It was quite a celebration that followed as a result. So many world leaders sought her out, and she was pretty popular with the people from the start. After that, however, things went differently for Alekos and Rouvin. Alekos became a capable and respected inquisitor. Rouvin became a beloved orator. The two traveled to Thrace together on a one year mission for the Faith. They were very successful... and then, four years later, I was called back to Delphi. I had been summoned by the pontifex there."

"What do you mean?" asked Apollo, standing in the pontifex's private chambers. Iphigenia was wearing a nightgown and sitting at the edge of her desk. She wasn't wearing her glasses and had a chaotic head of hair. As the god's eyes fell on her, she glanced at the woman sitting on the sofa placed at the foot of the pontifex's bed.

Pythia was wearing a simple shift. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her hands clasped together. Her white eyes stared at her hands. Next to her, on the sofa, were laid out several papers. She let out a long sigh and looked up at the god. "Rouvin and Alekos lied to us."

"Explain," said Apollo.

Pythia snatched the papers from the sofa. "I found these correspondences in both of their chambers. They've been exchanging letters with heretics."

Apollo stepped forward and took the letters. As he began to read them, he found what read like extortion letters, threatening to expose the young men to the clergy. Apollo scoffed. "I know of their history with the heretics," he said, lowering the papers to his side and chuckling. "They were pardoned of such offense when they swore themselves to the clergy."

Pythia shook her head. "They were being blackmailed by heretics threatening to expose something else," she said, a quiver on her lip. "After finding these letters, I go curious. So, one night, just days ago, as I laid in bed with Alekos..."

Iphigenia let out a sigh. "Alekos and Pythia are lovers, your grace," explained the pontifex. "I discouraged it, but she is the oracle and who am I to question her wisdom?"

The words of the pontifex reminded Apollo of his part in allowing this relationship to continue. He was genuinely impressed they had still been lovers after five years, considering that the woman the oracle used to be was now only a fraction of the complex identity of Pythia.

"As I was saying," said Pythia, "we were in bed, and I chose to look into Alekos' soul. That is when I realized that Alekos was not Alekos at all."

"What do you mean?" asked Apollo, now looking back at the papers he had in hand, shuffling through them for some answer to his inquiry.

"He's a hero," said Iphigenia with a long sigh. "A rogue hero... Rouvin, too."

"Pardon?" asked Apollo, uncertain which woman he should lend his focus on. "What do you mean they are heroes?"

Pythia let out a long sigh. "I confronted Alekos. I am ashamed to say I allowed him to convince me to keep his secret, but then I got curious and looked into Rouvin's soul. He was also a hero... I feared a conspiracy and chose to confront the two of them, along with the pontifex and templars."

"We had no idea the matter of the confrontation," said Iphigenia, "or else we would have had inquisitors present and possibly requested the Throne Guard."

"That serious?" asked Apollo, raising an eyebrow.

Nodding, Pythia let out a long sigh. "Alekos realized what was about to happen. He probably saw it in my eyes when he walked into the room. The inquisitors had taught him too well. He grabbed a carbine from one templar and shot another. Violence broke out in my shrine. In the scuffle, he and Rouvin fled."

"We locked down the city," said Iphigenia, "but they are heroic adventurers. They have centuries of experience that the templars and inquisitors pursuing them do not. They are likely hiding in Thrace right now, planning their next move."

"Which is?" asked Apollo, still sifting through the handwritten documents in hand. "What is their goal here?"

Pythia sighed. "I do not know why they kept this a secret. Alekos had told me that he had only wanted to make a new life for himself and not be unfairly associated with who he was in previous lives, but that may have been a lie. I cannot say."

"Who were they in their previous lives?" asked Apollo.

Both women bit their lips and looked at each other, each one pleading with the other to be the one to tell the god. Eventually, it was Iphigenia who gave in with a sigh. "Alekos is the son of our late Grand Pontifex Aegeus."

Apollo racked his mind for a moment. Then, as the knowledge came to him, he let out a soft gasp. "Theseus? Alekos is Theseus?! *The Theseus?!"*

Iphigenia sighed. "It gets worse... Rouvin is actually his best friend. Pirithous," she said with sad eyes. "The two had conspired together in the scripture to-"

"Yes," said Apollo, nodding. "They once tried to abduct Persephone from the Underworld," he said, shaking his head. "The irony being that Hades and Persephone were the ones that spared their lives..."

Pythia sighed. "In the letters, the heretics wanted them to kill the pontifex to buy their silence."

Apollo scanned the letters again. He saw this much to be true. The god paused at the signature at the bottom of one of the letters. "Who is the 'Daughter of Nyx'?" he asked aloud.

"Nyx is a figure of the old lore," said Iphigenia. "Doctrine now tells us she never existed, but was cited as a divine being predating Gaia and Ouranos."

Apollo sighed. "I know that, but these letters are signed 'The Daughter of Nyx,'" he explained. "Who is that? Is that a heretic we know about?"

Pythia shook her head. "I only am aware of the name from those letters. They ask Alekos-" she paused to sigh. "The letters ask Theseus to kill the pontifex and prove himself worth becoming a 'Child of Nyx,'" she said. "I believe it is a title used by those at the depths of the heresy."

Iphigenia nodded. "I believe the oracle has the right of it. I believe Nyx may be the title used by the leader of this heresy movement. This Daughter of Nyx, is likely a member of the inner circle."

Those were the last words spoken by Iphigenia in this life as her upper body went taut as a high-speed slug blew threw the side of her head, scattering her brain matter across her office and showering the horrified oracle. A second later, the loud sound of a gunshot broke the silence. Apollo spun around, stepping in front of the oracle as another slug slammed into his chest, causing him to stumble backward.

Gritting his teeth, the god gazed into the night air through the pontifex's window and saw a hooded man dressed in gray and black a thousand kubits away. Of course, only a god or hero could have made such a shot as that with a carbine, and even then, it would require a specially modified carbine specific to such a task. But, sure enough, just the right sort of weapon was in the man's grasp as he stood up from his rooftop perch, wearing a mask over his lower face, and turned to flee.

Drawing his bow and an arrow, Apollo took aim, but the cries of the panicked oracle fleeing for the door broke his focus. Her safety was the more important matter. The god lowered his weapons and ran to the corridor, shielding the oracle's body in the event of a second assassin.

"Iphigenia's assassination," said Artemis, remembering it. "That was six or seven years ago," she said. "Why am I just now hearing of this 'Nyx'? Surely we should have discussed it in Council and-"

Apollo sighed. "I fear I am to blame for that," he said, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I felt personally responsible for this. I wanted to settle this personally, but after three or four years of them laying low, I just..." he let out a long sigh. "I forgot about it."

Walking to her brother and giving him a shove, Artemis scoffed. "They tried to kill you, brother! You let them live and now we are being hunted."

"I'm sorry," cried Apollo, deflecting his sister's wrists as her hands moved to push him again. "I made a mistake, sister. I am not perfect."

Artemis sighed. "Do you still have these letters?"

Apollo was quiet, looking at his sister's shoulder rather than meeting her eye-to-eye.

"I do," he said. "I have been over them a thousand times, sister. There is no damning evidence to be found," he said hopelessly.

"Maybe," she said. "But you didn't share these with the Twelve. We are clever, you and I, brother. But we are not the most clever gods. I admit that... The god that should be looking at this is the God of Writing."

Apollo's eyes snapped to his sister's gaze. He grinned like a fool as he grabbed her by the shoulders and passionately kissed her. "Oh, sister! You're right! Damn, you are right. I am a fool... Come quick! He may still be here in the Haven!" he cried as he stepped by his sister and grabbed her by the hand, jerking her out of the room with him.

## Characters

### Gods

* Apollo
* Artemis
* Hades
* Persephone
* Charon

### Heroes

* Nitsa (Pythia)
* Alekos (Theseus)
* Rouvin (Pirithous)
* Iphigenia