Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:12:04 -0400 From: Joe Barker Subject: SF-Fantasy / A Greek Story / Apollo's Trials I have been giving Prophesies for near a millennia now, and it's interesting they always seem to be more and more painful. I mean it actually hurt when, my eyes went misty and my voice became vibrant, using me as a speaker for the fates. I don't know why I was born with this gift, but it was part of my heritage. My father gives prophesies every now and then and so do some of my other siblings, but the fates choose me...for some unknown reason to be used the most...it's because I'm beautiful. Although I did eventually learn how to channel it through a lesser one, and set her up on a stool to relieve my pain, I still got the more important prophesies myself. "APOLLO!!!" My name was called through the marble halls of Olympus, my home. I dematerialized and rematerialized, in my usually swirl of light, next to my father Zeus. "Yes father?" He smiled up at me. "Have you seen your Sister?" He asked "Which one?" I asked "My Headache..." "Hmm...which one...no I'm only teasing, I have not seen Athena, anywhere, and she must be playing with one of her toys." I mused. "Is there another Champion then? You know how she loves those..." He asked up to me. I shrugged and turned, dematerializing to earth. If he could look in your eyes long enough, not even Hermes god of trickery could fool him. I had to leave because I did know something, I had been dreaming of a prophesy which was the warning I got before I actually spouted one off. I had been having nightmares, dreams of a conquering pair of people, which I had to take care of before they dominated what they were destined to. I rematerialized in front of this dingy building in Sparta...my brothers city...blech...War was insane. Plague is a much more efficient way to kill people. I know I say that the building was dingy but in reality it may not have been, I thought the entire city was dingy...you probably could have put me in the greatest palace in all of Greece and I would have called it dingy. People were looking at me, and I realized that my complete nudity was slightly unprecedented here; they wore armor, and cloths to protect the skin. Even the women wore mock breast plates, they were not for fighting but they were slightly fashionable. I, on the other had preferred that naturalistic feel of my skin to the air. I really was beautiful. I walked into the building and looked around, it was dingy...yes everything really was dingy to me. There were bottles on the shelves and walls and a boy stood at the table. He reminded me of Hyacinth, he was pretty gorgeous himself. He didn't wear the armor of a Spartan, but he wore the robes of a healer from Athens. "Can I assist you sir?" he was almost gawking at my nudity, I didn't understand. Then I saw it, the look in his eye...slight desire. I smiled. "Good morning, Nephew." He stopped gawking and screwed up his face to look at me. "Do I know you?" He asked slowly. "Not personally but you should. It's always good to know the identity of your murderer; my uncle likes to give credit where credit is due when you get to his domain. Gods have sent many to tartaros, and the Elysian Fields, you will have a special place in Hades domain." I almost started singing a song about the way I would kill him, but I stopped. "Try as you might Patron God, but killing me may be difficult." He put down the bottles he was holding and pushed up his sleeves. He glanced down at his hands and in an instant I had pulled out my bow, strung an arrow and released at him. He looked up in the nick of time, and moved to where it caught his shoulder. He screamed out and dropped to his knees. He pulled out the arrow and dropped it to the ground. I had another one aimed at him when he stood up and glared at me. I released that arrow and smiled as it flew across the room, but I lost my smile quickly as he stared at the arrow, floating safely in front of him. His eyes focused intently on it; it turned in air and flew back at me. I was so shocked by this that it hit me square in the chest. "Ouch..." I touched the arrow, pulling out, and felt weird; it was almost felt like pain. No mortal has the power to wound me...or hadn't until now. I pulled the arrow out and tossed it aside. I held my hands together calling forth the abilities I myself was born with. Blackness began to gather around my fingers...a curse of deadly sorts. I saw him throw his hands forward and I felt as if I had been yanked backwards. I flew backwards, out into the streets in the midst of a crowd. I dematerialized; I didn't feel like testing my luck with that one, he was very adept in the skill that my sister had blessed him with. I thought instead that I could take the other one easier. I rematerialized by the wall of the training quarters, I slowly shifted into the form of the healer boy. I walked out the middle o f the battle circle and punched the smaller boy in the face, he flew out of the circle and I turned to face my other nephew. "Solon, what are you doing?" He looked at me confused. "I want to fight you, I want you to die." I said confidently in his voice. "I thought that we had this conversation. We wouldn't attack each other we were friends yesterday, what changed?" he asked pained. "Because he didn't have that conversation, we did." The boy that I just fought with the arrows walked into the ring with us, and stood next to the Spartan boy. I glared at him and shape shifted back to my own form. "You both will die." I don't normally use a blade but I held my hand out and a silver blade formed there. I danced my way over to them and began to swing my sword haphazardly at them. The Spartan shoved the Athenian out of the way and began to glance my blows effortlessly. He was beginning to strike back pushing me backward. I tripped, do you know how embarrassing it is when you see fault in a god. Especially me, I was Apollo god of Light, and healing, and the Plague. I stood up and the Athenian advanced on me, I almost laughed in his face before he raised his hands and I felt a ripple slide across my body as I flew backward and was pinned against the wall. Two spears flew from the hands of the Spartan and pierced my arms to the wall. He held a third spear, ready to force his way into my stomach. Then it happened. Pain rushed over me and light flooded from my eyes. I opened my mouth and words resonated out. "When the Child of Ares and the Child of Athena consummate their love, they shall receive the power of and over the Olympians." I knew that all my strength would leave me for about a day now, so I took what I could and dematerialized, fleeing from my first fight ever. I always won but these two were going to be something, and Zeus would want to know what's going on. This story style is unique to any of my other stories; please continue to read this series. It will be worth your time if you enjoy my writing. As always I LOVE COMMENTS...so email me Jbark217@gmail.com And visit my website... www.niftyscrypt.webs.com Thanks!