The Gorgon Queen

Chapter 10

As soon as the sun hit the horizon the next morning, I grabbed my cloaked and basket, heading to the market. Mother had left before dawn to go hunting, so I escaped her questions as to why I needed to venture out so early.

But I couldn't escape Stheno's.

"Where are you going?" she asked me as I tied the strings of my cloak. The morning was always cool this time of year, for spring was right around the corner.

Without looking at her I said, "I'm getting more herbs. We're out of chamomile and we need more fliskouni."

What I was saying was partially true. Last night I saw that we were low on chamomile and with the sudden stress that mother was under I knew she would need more fliskouni, for her headaches and bath water.

But I didn't tell Stheno that I was really on a mission for the chance to see Orion again.

My sister narrowed her eyes at me, as if she could see through my half truth. Sighing, she waved her hand at me, as if she were shooing away a fly, "Don't be long."

Grabbing my basket, I headed out the door.

The market wasn't crowded this early in the morning, for people usually slept in on a Sunday. Sunday's were dedicated to the Gods. People would go to their temples and pray for guidance and then provide offerings. People slept in because they would go to the temples in the afternoon and stay there until late in the evening. It was the constant cycle of offering something of value to the Gods and then waiting for the upcoming week to see if your luck would change.

I've never witnessed such miracles but I've heard many stories.

There used to be a shepherd by the name of Eros Bella. He had worked for the town of Athens his entire life. One day, his five year old daughter became sick with a nasty fever. The doctors of the town had said that she wouldn't make it for the fever had spread throughout her entire body, even to her lungs.

Eros Bella and his wife Calliope didn't want to see their beautiful daughter taken away from them at such a young age. So, they decided to go to the temple of Zeus in Mount Olympus to ask for guidance, to pray for their sick daughter. As an offering, Eros and Calliope Bella gave Zeus fresh cut roses, a scallop shell and a priceless silver mirror.

"Bless our daughter and heal her from the inside." they prayed.

The parents had stayed at the temple until the sun had set below the horizon and the moon rose on its axis.

After they prayed, they returned home to their daughter, where she was being watched by the servant. As the night drew on, their young daughter coughed and sputtered. Calliope Bella held her daughter close, for she didn't know if and when her prayers would be answered.

Then, as the sun rose the next morning, the daughter of Eros and Calliope Bella was fully healed. There was no more cough, no more fever. It was as if she never was sick at all.

Over the few years, their daughter grew into a beautiful young woman, who men all over Athens admired. Her hair became more gold by each passing year, and her eyes became a more supple blue, like a crystal clear sky. Her skin was the perfect shade of ivory, that the woman of the town marveled at how she gotten her skin to be so soft.

And above all, at the age of seventeen, the daughter of Eros and Calliope Bella was blessed by Zeus. She had become a Goddess.

When Zeus came down to bless her, he took in her abundance of beauty and the love she had for people, especially men. Therefore, he declared her the Goddess of Love and Beauty.