Serpent In Love (🔞) - Completed

3. A Snake's Unrequited Love

Just as Lady Persephone has foretold, the trinket box containing a single stalk of narcissus flower let me pass the golden gates without any issue.

To my surprise, the enchanting Horai, three guardian goddesses of the golden gates of Mount Olympus, also gave me direction to Lord Zeus's palace when I inquired.

"Little serpent. If you don't mind telling us, what business might have you with Mighty Zeus?" Asks one of the guardian deities. This was promptly after one of them swiped a palm across my eyes to project a vision of the location to me.

Shyly, I clarify to her that I'm actually looking for the lord's eagle.

"Aquila...?" The third guardian goddess inquires, "well, you've missed him today. He flew down the mountain early this morning to the human realm. No doubt attending to one of the lord's errands."

"Oh." I sigh my disappointment before expressing my gratitude to the smiling Horai for their assistance and kindness.

"It's no trouble at all," utters the same guardian who slipped me the location of Lord Zeus's palatial estate. Her eyes radiate perplexing emotions when she bids, "We wish you luck in your quest, dear one..."

My quest?

...Is my attempt to track down Aquila what they consider a 'quest'? Or could they mean something else entirely?

I'm not sure which. "Um, thank you...?" I curtsy again before making my entry.

Afterwards, I strode down the vacant, cloudy streets in direction of a deity's temple given to me by the guardians of the golden gates.

There, they have asked me to wait for their signal before I can go up to Lord Zeus's residence.

As it turns out, the mysterious temple I arrive at belongs to Lady Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

My words, said lady deity is as divine and spellbindingly beautiful as what have been written about her in plays and poetries.

At least, her statues are. These adorn the temple and its surrounding rose garden like prized collections. Or a lawn exhibition of exquisite self-sculptures curated by one obsessed with oneself. Take your pick. Myself, I go with the former since I am an appreciator of all things beautiful...and Aquila.

Feeling overwhelmed by disappointment and physical exhaustion, I take to one of the golden benches in the rear garden to rest my achy feet.

"Hello stranger." Calls a female voice fills with sweet melody of a love song.

Startled, I nearly fall off my seat. But, since I didn't, I sharply turn right - in direction of the melodious voice.

Nobody there. I turn back, then blink. When I reopen my eyes to look ahead again--

In front of my bleary, blood-shot eyes, stands the most enchantingly beautiful and dazzling goddess in all of the three realms combined.

"H-hello," I know I croak like a bullfrog so I clear up my throat to retry, "Hello, my Lady," as I offer my greetings I leap off the bench with a ceremonial curtsy.

"...You are not from this realm, are you, child?" The goddess asks, eyeballing me from head to toe, then back to my face.

Looking at her shiny pearl necklace, I tell her I came from Emerald Sea.