The Greek Sacrifice

Chapter Six

Hera and her sisters were placed in a line their shackles joining them as they were led to the arena to watch the executions. In ancient Greece people condemned to death by the court were executed either by taking hemlock or by being thrown over a precipice or, finally, by death “on the board’. Poisoning of the condemned with hemlock was first practiced towards the end of the 5th century BC. Rather than a mode of execution, poisoning must be considered as an exhortation to suicide, after all, a merciful treatment of the condemned, since his corpse was delivered after death to his relatives for burial. In throwing a criminal over a precipice, an executional practice common not only in Greecr but n other countries as well. The convicts were pushed over a high and steep cliff into a deep trench called Varathron.
Since New Age Rhemus came into being the main type of execution used was hanging. The gallows had become an important part of their culture as it was the only method of capital punishment. Though it was severe, Hera thought that is was better than beheading people.
Hera and her sisters shuffled along the path leading to the arena feeling defeated and worn out. Their eyes welled with tears as they watched the maidservants being hung one after the other. Zoe screamed as she watched Shira approach the noose. Hera closed her eyes she could not bare to watch. Shira was not just a maid she was her friend too. Her hatred for Nehram grew exponentially. She would get her revenge one day. Her breath caught as Pontus approached the wooden platform. Her lips trembled as she fought to hold back the tears. As the executioner put the noose his neck, his eyes searched the crowd until they rested on her. Their eyes locked and her heart broke into a million pieces as the trapdoor gave way, she bawled uncontrollably as the snap of his neck echoed through the arena. In that moment she did not care about any thing or anyone, all she could feel was the immense pain rocking her body. Hera felt so useless, if she could not have protected the man she loved, how could she save Illyricum?
By the time the executions ended, Hera felt lifeless.
“Hey Hera remember that we have an entire army back home, once we do not return they will know something is wrong and come to rescue us.” Phoebe whispered.
“Nehram maybe cold and ruthless but he is not stupid. Illyricum has probably been seized by his soldiers already.” she responded. Their situation was dire. Hera could see no way out. She sighed loudly. Just then the Orien guards came to take them back to the palace. They were wearing red tunics with plaited belts around their waist and a holster to carry their swords. Their faces looked hard and callous just like their master’s. They walked aimlessly to the palace. The guards took them to the main hall where all the Gods from all the provinces were gathered. They were put to sit on a large bench facing the Gods who were sitting at large wooden table.
“By now you must have come to the realization that your fates have been sealed. We have already captured Illyricum and you have no allies.” Nehram informed them. Just then he signaled his guards and they brought in Agapy, Elodie, Seleny and Ereny. Hera gasped at the sight of her sisters. She was so happy that they were alive. They looked tired and their clothes were soiled and tattered.
“Your own people assisted us in conquering you. Your laws were just too frustrating for your people.” Apartheid stated, “They would have done anything to be released from under your rule”
By now, all the Goddesses were seated on the bench.
“Now that we have regained power we will need you to understand that you will accept and obey our laws. You will get married and you will bare our children. Before our fathers passed away they had made arrangement for marriage for each of you and these arrangements will be honored.” Nehram explained. Hera was barely listening as her thoughts were consumed with her people’s betrayal. Even though she broke the laws, she did not put anyone in harm. Yes, she was a hypocrite but to allow another to overthrow them was near unforgiveable.
“The weddings will start tomorrow, starting with the youngest God, and Goddess, Zoe and Apollo and will progress to the last pair, myself and Hera.” Hera refused to look at him, she stared at the white marble floor as though she was going to bore a hole into it. She wished that she could bore a hole into him using his own sword. Her hatred for him intensified with each word he spoke.
“The marriage must be consummated within the first thirty days after the first day of your weddings. Myself, Apollo, Perseus and Ares will rule Illyricum along with our wives.” Nehram continued, “Attempts to escape will be futile as you will each have a guard assigned to you, and two will be outside your rooms at all times. Please do not let this be any harder than it needs to be.“
Hera finally glanced up towards them. Nehram was looking directly at her, his eyes were narrowed and he seemed to be challenging her. She squared her shoulders and looked back at him defiantly.
“Guards take them to their rooms, “ Nehram commanded, “Our Head servant will plan the weddings.”
Hera thought of the long ceremonies that lay ahead of them, eight different ceremonies, she sighed in exasperation but the God thing was that the New Age Rhemus wedding weren't as long as in ancient times. The ancient Greek marriage celebration consisted of a three part ceremony which lasted th  the proaulia, which was the pre-wedding ceremony, the gamos, which was the actual wedding, and the epaulia, which was the post-wedding ceremony. Most of the wedding was focused on the experience of the bride. The wedding would take place at night.
The proaulia was the time when the bride would spend her last days with her mother, female relatives, and friends preparing for her wedding. The proaulia was usually a feast held at the bride's father's house. During this ceremony, the bride would make various offerings, called the proteleia, to the Gods "Toys would be dedicated  by adolescent girls prior to marriage, as a prelude to finding a husband and having children. More significant as a rite of passage before marriage was the ritual of the cutting and dedication of a lock of hair. It is also likely that she would have offered the girdle worn since puberty to these goddesses. These offerings signified the bride's separation from childhood and initiation into adulthood. They also established a bond between the bride and the gods, who provided protection for the bride during this transition.

The gamos was the wedding day, where a series of ceremonies surrounded the transfer of the bride from her father's home to that of her new husband. It started with a sacrifice, proteleia, (premarital), which was for the gods to bless the two being wed. The day's rituals began with a nuptial bath which was given to the bride. This bath symbolized purification as well as fertility, and the water would have been delivered from a special location or type of container called the loutrophoros. The bride and groom then made offerings at the temple to ensure a fruitful future life. A wedding feast at the home of the father of the bride would be attended by both families. However, men and women sat at different tables, the women would sit and wait until the men were done. The most significant ritual of the wedding day was the anakalypteria, which was the removal of the bride's veil. This signified the completion of the transfer to her husband's family.
However, in recent times the tradition of placing a delicate, white crown on top of the bride and groom’s head was still done and is one of the most important Greek wedding traditions. Modern Greeks wedding ceremonies feature an elaborate ritual with the crowns. First, the priest places a crown on both the bride and groom’s head. Then, the Koumbaros, or wedding sponsor, intertwines the crowns three times to symbolize the couple’s union. Finally, the crowns are tied together with a ribbon. Once a Greek wedding ceremony is complete, the Koumbaros will often hand out a tiny lapel pin with a small ribbon to the wedding guests. The Greek wedding traditions colors are white, blue or pink and many also have a small cross in the center. These are meant to symbolize the sacrament the wedding guests have just witnessed.
Food is one of the most important Greek wedding . Yuvetsi is lamb or beef stew with orzo; tiropita is a cheese pastry and baklava is, of course, the pastry sweetened with honey and nuts.
Kalamatiano is a festive wedding dance that shares the same name as the ancient Greek folk dance, but for a Greek wedding it has a pretty specific meaning. The bride stands in the middle with her main witness to the immediate left and the female wedding guests hold hands and encircle the two. It is meant as a women-only celebration
Then you had  the Zembekiko which is for the groom, his best man, groomsmen and other men at the reception. It’s a similar circle dance as the Kalamatiano and it’s customary for those who aren’t joining in to kneel and clap along to the music while the groom dances.
Once the wedding reception is in full swing, a traditional Greek wedding dollar dance will probably ensue. This is a playful dance between the newlywed couple that is rewarded by guests tossing coins or jewels onto the dance floor or pinning them onto the couple’s attire. It’s totally optional for guests and isn’t a substitute for wedding gifts, but rather a fun, symbolic way to congratulate the couple on their new marriage.
“Before you go, please be prepared to entertain your fiancé this eve, individually.”
“Why were we meeting individually?” Zoe whispered
“How would we know?” Agapy responded
“How are we going get away from this place?” asked Elodie
“Get away and go where?” Phoebe asked,  “Our people whom we took care of for years turned against us, betrayed us. We have no home to go to.”
“We could go to earth,” Hera said quietly, “We could easily blend in there and live in peace. We have nothing else to lose.”
“How can we escape with these shackles, our powers are useless and we cannot just break them off, they were made especially for this purpose.” Replied Athena
“Another thing,  don't you think you think that Nehram has put guards at the portals?”
“Do you guys remember the portal that we used when we were teens, no one knows about them. All we would have to do is escape and get to the caves.” Hera explained
“I had not remembered that, but how do we get out of these shackles without our powers?”
“Remember that our shackles are removed just before we bathe and yes they put stones in the water so we would have to attack in that small window just before we get into the bathtub.” Zoe laughed in excitement and one of the guards leading them told them to shut up.
“That's a brilliant idea,” she whispered, “Let's wait until after the seventh wedding ceremony, to attack, that way they will think that we have surrendered to them making them more relaxed around us and drop their guard."
“That's a start as we get closer to the time, we will discuss the finer details. We must now act submissive, engage them in conversations and let them feel comfortable with us. We have to do it gradually though, we don't want them to become suspicious.” Hera explained. They each went to their rooms feeling a bit more calm as they had developed somewhat of a plan to escape.