NEW HORIZONS

  Be careful with her. Said my mother. Love her no matter what the road will lead you to.

  The ceremony was hosted by Hera herself as we were offering what we could in that exact moment, for everyone to see. Both of us were on our knees, worshiping the goddess, the queen who was in front of us. Lyssandra, radiant as she was with her veil, offered her immortality and the words, her stories, her life. She told everything that would be said at that moment, but it felt as if she was holding half the truth. Hera, though, was pleased. And there was I. Offering my immortality, one of my harps, and a song FOR ONLY THE Queen of the gods to listen. A song of a wedding that could last for centuries if the fates would allow it. A celebration of love. And Hera took a few seconds before she agreed. And we both stood up. I lifted her veil, with her gaze shaking. She was so beautiful, even when she was trembling. With that, I kissed her warm lips.

  As I was about to leave Olympus, the queen stopped me once more. Her face was all worn out as I could see my mother walking right next to her. She was there. My mother was still alive. I wanted to run, to embrace her, to cry in her arms. But Hera stopped me with a single glare. And both of them shared a glance, studying each other. As if they both had the same thought.

  ''Are you certain?''Leto finally spoke out.

  My eyes rose up confused. ''I am''I admitted. And Leto turned to the Queen, who had an empty gaze. I wondered if she could still see my father in me. Maybe that is why she was afraid of actually letting me go. Because I could hurt her. Or the fates will bring a new enemy.

  ''You are a god.''She reminded me. ''And you know what the love of mortals can do to you. And''Her words were cut off as Lyssandra was approaching with a bag full of food from Hestia, wine from Dionysus, and heavy golden jewels from Aphrodite. She could hardly hold her grin on her face.

  ''Vice versa''Hera scolded me, and I turned to see her.

  ''We will be fine, oh great queen of the sky''I said, lowering my head. And so, she left us. And Lyssandra turned to me. ''Everything alright?''

  Yes.

  ***

  I haven’t felt so tired. My bones were in pain. My eyes were heavy, and I could feel my breathing get heavy. Maybe it was because we got on a boat the second we were done with her business in Cairo. I didn’t expect her to officiate the wedding. Or that she could have friends. After what she said about her painful life, I didn’t think that she would embrace mortal life ever again. However, I could still remember that she had a way with the people, and they were drawn to her.

  And she wasn’t on my side of the bed when I woke up. She had left my side to sit on her tiny desk, scribbling.

  ‘’Who are you writing to?’’ I asked Lyssandra, whispering to her as she was slightly ignoring me now. How fixated was she in her writing?

  ‘’Oracle?’’ I asked, mumbling kisses to her shoulders.

  ‘’To the boy,’’She answered coldly. ‘’I think that he would like to know that we are in Ravenna’’.

  I let out a pout and returned to the bed, feeling the entire sheep moving.

  ‘’Why are we going there again? Judging by what you told me, they were the cause for us to get forgotten.’’

  Us. I still talk like a god. But I can feel a drum playing in my chest, the veins and blood inside me roaming slowly.

  Lyssandra turned to me now, finishing the letter. ‘’I want to see something.’’

  I raised my brow. And she let out a heavy breath, walking now closer to me.

  ‘’Don’t worry, Paris, ‘’She cupped my cheek, feeling her touch, making me feel that I belong somewhere. ‘’You will choose our next destination.’’

  And I let out a wide smile.

  ‘’How about on our bed?’’I spoke softly, and she let out an empty gaze, pushing me away. But I could see her restraining her sweet smile. ‘’Later, godling.’’

  ***

  The people at the port were making a strong sound, causing my ears to hurt. The sea salt was rubbing my nose, making me gasp out plus a strange sound. The heavy red robes Lyssandra made me wear were itching my body. The sun was burning my skin the second we got out of our cabin. The sun was burning my skin with its heat. Even looking at it was hurting my eyes, and I tried to rub them. Was that normal? After a second, when I was rubbing them, I could see strange figures dancing in the darkness of my eyelids.

  Opening them later, I could still see those figures while the image of Lyssandra talking to Captain Marcus was clear. The charming old man was surprisingly blushing at the sight of her, trying to speak.

  ‘’We all thought that you were simply eh…’’He rubbed the back of his head, and she answered with a sweet bow on her lips.

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  ‘’It’s fine, I am glad that it worked out.’’

  ‘’That explains so much…’’He let out a harsh laugh. ‘’Every time we were at sea, there was trouble coming down upon us.’’

  She raised one eyebrow. ‘’It was nice to meet you, too, Marcus.’’ Her voice was rough, as it belonged to a man, and she turned to me. I moved closer to her side and waved to the man, and he responded with a bow. Strange captain, but as soon as Lyssandra was about to walk out, the captain grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.

  ‘’I uhm…the wood is very thin on the boat. The sound escapes easily.’’

  And I looked at him, confused for a second, but I realized soon what he meant by his flushed face.

  ‘’Well, it was nice travelling’’I said grinning and followed Lyssandra .

  The buildings were built with heavy marble or wood; the marketplace was filled with people, even some women with their husbands, and everyone had a strange necklace around their neck. And close to us, I found buildings, decorated in all the riches with bright crystals and paintings of a mother holding her baby. Was this the new god they were worshiping?

  A sudden panic found my heart. Was this it? Will everyone worship this new god, and I will be…what was this pain on my chest? And the growling in my stomach.

  ‘’Are you alright?’’ Lyssandra asked and walked closer to me. How free she was around those people. Blending in with the crowd, meanwhile, I could see people staring at me.

  ‘’I suppose’’I admitted.

  And she knew that I was hiding something, and she touched the hand that had my ring. ‘’We can figure it out together.’’

  Why wasn’t she scared?

  She informed me that, soon after, we were in a port city that was a few days away from Ravena. So, we had to rest and travel in a wagon. If I had my powers, we could be in an instant. But I was a mortal now. A tired mortal.

  The food at the inn was surprisingly delicious, even with half the wine dropping to the meat. But what I liked most was the music. Even when they were singing about their god, the lyres and tambourines were the ones that were stroking my ears.

  And my gaze moved up to Lyssandra, who was eating her chicken thighs like a wild beast. For a second, she looked at me.

  ‘’What?’’ She asked, all muffled.

  And I smiled, touching her ring. ‘’I am happy.’’

  The bed in the room was far more comfortable than the ones on the ship. And I was certain that the walls were better than covering the noises.

  She finally got out of the bath, and she let out a wide, joyful smile.

  ‘’So, may I know the reason why we are going to Ravenna?’’

  And she sat next to me.

  ‘’I want to see a friend first.’’She explained and took out of her bag a small golden coin.

  ‘’A friend?’’I leaned closer to her.

  And she scoffed, moving it back to her belongings. ‘’It’s not like that.’’

  ‘’What about your captain?’’

  ‘’Marcus was a boy when I found him. And’’Lyssandra jumped right at me, pinning me to the bed. ‘’I prefer men far older than him.’’ She let out a husk and let a kiss right on my neck. Her warm lips were tingling on my skin, with her sweet scent rubbing on my nose.

  ‘’I see’’I moaned out, and my hands grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to my side. To my lips. ‘’What can this old man do for you then?’’ I asked, kissing her lips. My fingers began tracing beneath her garments, feeling her harsh skin once more.

  Her gaze became heavy as she was trying to speak. ‘’Whatever you want…’’

  ‘’Oh, are you leaving your pride for me?’’I said with a gasp. And she slowly nodded.

  And I finally let out a wide grin, and I moved far from her.

  Did she really want me to do whatever I wanted to her? As much as I enjoy her being in charge…I wanted to see it.

  ‘Stay still’’I said. And she did. I walked closer to her now and kissed her mouth with my hand around her neck, trying to choke her slightly.

  ‘’Why are you doing this?’’ Her voice screamed right in my head, and I pulled away with my body shaking. She was choking, she was dying, bleeding, her face melting. And I was standing there doing…

  ‘’Hey hey’’ She whispered. How was I looking at her gaze? Was I so pathetic to her? We both sat down on the bed. ‘’I don’t know why…’’

  ‘’It’s fine’’ Lyssandra tried to encourage me, but we both knew it was not true. How long would I suffer from what I have done? Her expression was soft, understanding, but I could sense that I was holding her back.

  My fingers moved on her heavy curls, trying to play with the mess they had turned. Her lips invited me once more with her soft fingertips touching my jaw.

  ‘’I wish we could have a proper wedding’’I said, gasping outloud. ‘’With all the right preparations and celebrations.’’We rested on the bed together, looking at the broken ceiling.

  ‘’For it to be proper,’’She spoke with a laugh.’’You had to talk to my father, my family’’She played with her hair, wrapping a few of her curls around her fingertip. ‘’But I do not have it. And I was never proper.’’

  I simply nodded and kissed her ring. ‘’No, no, you are not.’’

  Stay away from me. The voice kept screeching into my ears.

  ‘’Everything feels so new to me’’I admitted. ‘’I don’t know how you do it.’’

  And she let out a chuckle. ‘’It’s hard, but we can do it together. But we have to be honest with each other.’’

  ‘’Said the lying oracle’’My eyebrow rose, and my lips moved to a pout.

  But I agreed with her. We had to be honest. I just wish that we could do it.

  She was calling me Paris like I was always born with that name. She was fiddling with her fingers on my hair as if the bland color was always that. Was my skin always that shade? Were my nails this short? Who am I?