It has been days since they realised Glaucia was with child. She was slowly getting accustomed to the changes in her body. The previous moments were all the same hellish circumstances, like morning sickness and the unpredictable appetite. But later on, she was getting better, even more radiant than the first time the old couple knew of her increasing.
With those passing dusks and dawns, Papa Aegeus and Mama Elpida patiently taught her more about the household, childcare, and even a little hobby like weaving, to which they noticed how their beautiful silver-eyed foundling was very eager to learn and instantly understood what Mama Elpida taught her about the craft.
"It seemed like a returning memory to her." Mama Elpida told Papa Aegeus as they watched her.
"Perhaps she had done it before." The old man assumed, smiling brightly as he saw how jolly Glaucia was now. "The child is slowly recovering from those sicknesses."
"And she began talking now. Maybe not a tale, but she is beginning to form sentences." Mama Elpida curved a smile as well.
It was true that the foundling now spoke. The gradual and consistent teaching of the old couple had become fruitful. Glaucia could now speak phrases like 'I am fine' or 'thank you, papa' or 'thank you, mama.' Her voice revealed more of her soul—serene, sweet, and not a hint of hate in her tone. Glaucia proved that she was benevolent and that not a drop of madness flowed in her blood.
To their neighbours on board, Glaucia now smiled and greeted them, and they responded with the same sunny gestures. One thing that was quite a little distressing was the envious tongues of some women and the unwanted attention of some men who gazed at the beauty of the foundling. Without question, Glaucia was all the rage even to the other ships. Hearsay told that she was the "princess of few words", for she spoke only a few sentences. Good thing that no matter how many eyes dallied on her beauty, not a sharp tongue cut through her soul, especially when it comes to her pregnancy. Those who had inquired about her pregnancy understood her situation from the farce tragedy told to them by either Mama Elpida or Papa Aegeus. "Oh, what a pity, sweet girl!" Those were the sentiments said when they heard about Glaucia's tale.
The recent days had been better. They are now far from destruction and were told that they are about to approach the promised land of the mysterious god. It appears like fate has now been kind to them—the grey skies faded, the rain was not much of an occurrence, and birds were flying in the morning sky and stars multiplied on the night. The gods of their old world might be dead, but their spirit lingered.
Glaucia was engrossed in her weaving—spinning the wool and slowly creating an image on the small fabric. When Papa Aegeus and Mama Elpida excused themselves from the room to ask some crew about their docking, Glaucia continued with her weaving as she hummed a song while her pets played beside her. She giggled as she glanced at her puppy and kitten and then returned to her singing while fingers waltzed on the woolly threads. Her mind spared not a single second on her loom, working with all her might to finish the image on her fabric that had been haunting her head.
The first image of a jaw was finished. It was sharp and very pronounced, as Glaucia observed. After a few minutes had passed, a complete profile was almost formed. The face was distinct, and the person's features seemed real. Before lunchtime, Glaucia was done, showcasing the full image of a man with a helmet. Truly strange, for staring at her work, Glaucia could never believe how she created such a portrait. Yet, a sudden bolt hit right through her, realising it was… him. There he was again, manifesting in her work. The fabric was the size of a woman's veil, enough for a single head image, and it was his face that was woven on it, making Glaucia ask herself why.
Satisfied with her work, the silver-eyed beauty reached out a hand and touched the image she unknowingly weaved onto her fabric. This time, the entity's eyes were no longer red but amber-like. She stared into them while her fingers dragged down to the face and to the jaw that she seemed to remember the feel of. Her chest breathed deeply as her heartbeat gradually grew in pace. She knew him somewhere and sometime, but her mind immediately went blank as if trying to discredit what she felt was nothing more than a fragment of a nightmare she had survived.
If such were true, why did the feeling of familiarity grow stronger every time he appeared in her head? Glaucia could even remember the feel of his large wound on his abdomen, his scent, and the roughness of his hands.
"Soldier…" The foundling whispered as she went on, caressing the image on her fabric.
"Athena…" While her mind went out and about heedlessly, a whisper blew in her ear.
Glaucia rushed out of her seat, knocking her wooden chair as she searched around to see if someone had come inside the room without her noticing. "Ka-ka-li-kalimera!" Her voice shivered as she tried to greet the stranger.
"Athena…" The voice called again, pushing the confused foundling to go and search every nook and cranny of their room.
Paeona, the three-legged puppy, and Hoplitus, the half-blind kitten, paused in their play as they watched Glaucia becoming a little frantic about something. The two followed her—even Hoplitus bit the tip of her dress and pulled with all his might to get her attention. But Glaucia kept hearing the unknown voice that continued to taunt her.
"Where do you come from? Please…" She mumbled, trying to figure out where the whisper came from.
"Athena…" It repeated, hovering over her like an obsessed lover. "Athena…" Almost on the verge of tears, Glaucia then turned around to face the image of her weaving and realised that the whisper came from the face of the unknown man.
Slowly, she started her way back towards the loom, only to be caught off guard by a strong wind that pushed a little window open, welcoming the bright sunlight, which made her animal companions go merry. Instead of returning to her weaving, Glaucia ran towards the window and poked her head out to catch a glimpse of such a lovely scene of the faint land that went clearer and clearer as the ship she was on drew near. A smile then tugged on her rosy lips.
"Good news, my dear!" Mama Elpida rejoiced as she came inside the room.
"We are almost near the promised land, Glaucia." Papa Aegeus smiled. "Oh, careful now, my dear." He then told her as he took her hand and gently pulled her out of the window. "You must be mindful of poking your head out." As he set Glaucia beside his wife, Papa Aegeus also looked out and saw the land that slowly turned vivid on the horizon. "In Zeus's name! We are really near the said land of the new god!"
"You must also be careful poking your head out of the window, darling!" Mama Elpida reminded him, followed by a sweet smile to Glaucia, who held onto her arms tightly. "Are you excited, my dear? So am I! Soon, you will meet your sister and her family. I hope we will find peace and prosperity there as promised."
Glaucia smiled back, nodding her head to her old mama's question. In truth, she was more anxious—afraid of what the future had for her. Nothing was about her past, and she was not certain about her future. The only thing she was definite about was that her present was colourful. There was brightness whenever she was with her family, and there was darkness when the image of him kept appearing out of nowhere. She bit her nails again, wondering about the voice that called her Athena. Unlike before, her soul stirred when she heard that name. Did she know someone of that name? Or was Athena he—
"Are you feeling well, my dear?" Mama Elpida inquired as she played with the curls of her golden-brown hair.
"Yes, mama." She answered, beaming a little smile at her while she placed a hand on her belly.
"Oh, look—What magic does your hand have, my dear? Are you done with your weaving? Look at this work!" Papa Aegeus was astounded when his gaze was drawn to the loom.
"Indeed! You work fast, my dear." Mama Elpida followed. "Look at that handsome face."
"Yes, papa," Glaucia answered, hastily went back to the loom and tried subtly to cover the image away from them. "I am finished."
Seeing her flustered and blushing, the old couple encouraged her skill and told her not to fret about a possible criticism. They conveyed to her that what she created was not an average work of an amateur who was still learning the wonders of the loom, but it was a magnum opus of someone who had already mastered the craft of weaving. They saw her potential, how magnificent her work was. Even her swiftness—it was as if her hands were mightier than the piteous Arachne.
"You need not hide your work, my dear." Mama Elpida smiled.
"You did an excellent job, my sweet. You are blessed with talent. With that lovely silver eyes of yours and your weaving prowess—it is almost like we are facing Goddess Athena herself!"
Glaucia's eyes widened—wider than the full moon and enlivened with horror when she heard that name. Athena… such a name began to give her a full-blown anxiety as if the ground was shaking and the waves were angry again. Her chest heaved heavily as if her lungs were about to erupt like the roars of a volcano. Athena… such a name bore great might that poor Glaucia tumbled down to the floor, hitting the loom on the process. Her head was spinning, and the wails of her old parents were muddled along with the echoes of the wind and the sea, so she fell instantly into the realms of unconsciousness.
***
Selene smiled as she gazed at her on her balcony. She sighed in content and continued to absorb the beauty of the full moon and the tranquillity of the whole night—except for the distant music down below the heavenly palace.
She never liked such a grand feast. Never even dwell during late hours. After having dinner with her folks, she escaped and went back to her abode, where it was quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was that of her precious owl, Noctua. She gazed above the sky and heeded no mind what was happening below her, where the lust for excess like wine and sex were glorying the hours. She deeply sighed once again; however, the silence she treasured was shattered when he appeared.
As he climbed onto her balcony, his eyes never moved away from her serene face. Her silver eyes gleamed under the moonlight, giving him the vitality to climb on the vines that would lead him to her.
When he came face-to-face with her, his lips found hers, surprising her that the silence of the hour was no more.
"What on Olympus are you doing here?" She whispered, demanding him as she pulled him inside the balcony. "What if someone sees you?"
"Who?" He gave a quizzical gaze at her. "Everyone's bloodstream is now filled with Dionysus's wine. An orgy commenced, and everyone is now high on lust and ecstasy. So, your worry meant nothing." He then chuckled.
"I am only concerned." The fair lady pouted.
He kissed her forehead and responded to her light disheartening, "I know. Besides, don't you find climbing on the balcony quite romantic?"
"Are we even romantic?" She teased him while he grabbed her towards her bed.
"You still do not find our relationship romantic?" He inquired as he sat on her bed, followed by her, who sat closely beside him, linked her hands to his, and stared deeply into his amber eyes.
"I do not know. I knew nothing of the eros type of love." Their eyes met, and their gaze went deeper, restricting the world that surrounded them. "I—I do not know how we ended up this way. Wise, they say, that I am, but I have never foreseen in all of my years that this god in front of me—the god I once loathed, detested, and challenged on the battlefield with pride—has become both my weakness and my strength. Have you ever wondered about such a thought?"
His nose touched hers, savouring her breath when he told her, "I do. Since the moment I defeated you in the duel and kissed you instead of giving you a beating. I was surprised I did that. But I was even more surprised when you did not retaliate and returned the kiss instead before you left the arena without saying anything."
She looked at him for a second before she gazed down and rested her head on his shoulder. There was tranquillity once again in the room. There were no more words exchanged, but their connection got even deeper as they let their breaths sync together like the resonating music of the feast. Sleep then came over to tempt her, drizzling her eyes with a certain magic as it began to feel heavy, gradually closing in from the lovely scenery of the night sky that peeped through her balcony door.
Once sleep almost had her, she heard him lowly growl, "not yet—" as he gently lay her on the bed and kissed her passionately, with his tongue hungrily wanting an entrance.
Opening up to him, their tongues danced to the melody they are now familiar with. His hand glided up and down her body until he succeeded in tearing her robes off and rested on her ample breast for a while. Slowly, he caressed her two nipples, squeezing them and playing with them before he ravaged them with his mouth.
Her moan echoed as he sucked her breast. Her head spiralled by his hunger for her while she held on to him, stroking his thick dark hair as he went on fondling her hard buds. Her heartbeat doubled when his hand found its way down below, warming up her entrance, specifically her soft button that now felt hot. She then fully closed her eyes, squinting hard because of the great arousal he made her feel, and another moan escaped from her tight lips.
He was delighted by such sound from her—a harmony to his ears. He knew she had a lovely singing voice, but her passionate sob whenever they sneakily made love was another thing that was so dear to him. Once he was satisfied with her breasts, his kisses snaked down to her stomach, and down to her womanhood, leaving a wet trail on her milky white skin. With his hands free, he cupped her breasts, encasing them again, as he kissed and savoured her blooming vulva and the very entrance walls of her femininity. She squirmed a little, surprised by the act and how the pleasure numbed every nerve of her body. She felt his tongue going deeply inside of her, wanting more of her taste, that greed was no longer the best way to describe what he even wanted to imply.
Her scent was immaculate—a combination of peonies and roses seducing his nostrils to have her more. Her taste was as sweet as the nectar they secretly took when they became honest with how they felt for each other. And her flushing, the shade of pomegranate—from her lips, to her nipples, her pulsating rose bud of womanhood, and to her face that was now vividly heating from their passion—her beauty dethroned everyone else who the majority believed to be the fairest of them all. She was his fair lady, his goddess he saved from the shackles of her stern obligation…
And forevermore, she was his long ballad of serenity that gave him rest after years of amok.
When he realised she was ready, he positioned himself on top of her and slowly lowered his manhood to her entrance, and whispered to her mouth some endearments that brought more colour to her now red face. "I do not believe Aphrodite's schemes did this to us. What we have now was far beyond the prowess of the gods and the magic of Olympus."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." She whispered as her silver eyes dreamily fixed on his attractive face, which was marked with a fiery shade of bronze.
He then kissed her as he carefully entered his hard shaft into her womanhood. A moan escaped again from her; however, this time, his mouth was there to catch it and lingered on the wetness of her mouth and her opening flower below that welcomed him with tightness.
Their lovemaking lasted until the night deepened and the choir of crickets gradually quieted down. He cradled her in his arms, warming her cold skin, and kissed her forehead as they steadied their breaths. He remained inside her, dwelling on her pulsating nerves that encouraged him not to pull out of her immediately. He even giggled at his wishful thinking that his seed might now be sprouting in her womb—if such a possibility existed.
He hoped it was a possibility, smiling at the darkness of the night as he kissed his sleeping love's head again.
She looked up at him with sleepy eyes. Suddenly, everything began to fade… he, too, started to vanish while he remained smiling at her. Her eyes began to well up with tears when he kissed her, all the while continuing to fade into the darkness.
She begged for him to stay until—
Glaucia woke up and realised it was just a dream. A dream where she finally saw his face and those distinct amber eyes that seemed firm yet hid a yearning for her return.