“Yes, my love, not long now,” he said, checking his watch for the hundredth time that day.
Mr. Giorgis came out from the shop, and Ksenia greeted him with a genuine smile. She was still in Phevos’s arms and didn’t care if the whole world knew about them. That was so unlike her. She’d always kept up appearances and a low profile in her community. But love had come into her life now. Like a mighty wind it had swept through her being, taking away her reserve, her shyness and her pretences. She had nothing to hide any more. She felt strong in Phevos’s arms, ready to take on the world if she had to. Mr. Giorgis hardly presented a potential threat anyway. To prove it, he was now smiling widely at them both.
“You lucky rascal,” said Mr. Giorgis with a chortle. “You’ve won the lottery of love from the looks, haven't you? You’d better take care of our Ksenia, or you’ll have to deal with me, you hear?” he teased shaking his finger at Phevos. The young couple started laughing, and he let out another uproarious laugh as he turned around to go.
“I’ve something to tell you. It’s about Manos,” Phevos said as soon as Mr. Giorgis had gone back into his shop.
“What about Manos?” she asked, her smile freezing. She knew her brother had gone out to play with some boys on their skateboards. It didn’t happen often, and she’d been glad to hear it, but now, she felt uneasy.
“Well, he had a fight right there with some other boys just a few minutes ago,” he replied pointing to the street.
“A fight? Did he get hurt?” she asked, her face ablaze with alarm.
“No, not physically anyway. But he got upset. They smashed his skateboard. I don’t think it’s repairable—”
Ksenia tipped her chin and rolled her eyes. “Oh, why can’t they leave him alone? Damn them all to hell and back!” She gritted her teeth.
“Has he had this kind of trouble before?”
“Try, forever . . .”
“But why?”
“Because he’s different! Because he hasn’t got any parents! They’ve been bullying him for years in school. You don’t know what he’s been through . . .”
“But it’s so unfair! He’s such a kind and clever boy. He doesn’t deserve this. Surely he has friends at school too, who accept him for who he is?”
“He has no friends, Phevos! Not one! He’s been low on self-confidence for years because of all this!” she said with a quivering voice, the upset rising in her chest.
“Don’t be upset, my Ksenia! It will be all right! As he grows up, he’ll eventually feel strong in himself. Life works miracles for good people. You will see,” he said as his arms closed around her again.
“I hope you’re right, Phevos,” she replied taking a deep breath. She gazed into his eyes and felt thankful. She had him now. She wasn’t alone any more.
“Would you like me to speak to him?”
“Thank you, but he’s not very good at talking about his problems. I’d better go home and check on him.” She turned to go.
“Don’t worry, Ksenia. He’ll be fine. Children are incredibly strong and resilient. Before you know it, he’ll be a confident teenager surrounded by girlfriends,” he joked, trying to amuse her.
“Thank you, my love,” she replied, forcing a smile. “Indeed, he’s very strong. Every time they try to hurt him, he doesn’t dwell on it for too long. He gets over it soon enough.”
“That’s encouraging,” he said with a wink, smiling still.
“Yes, I guess so. See you soon, my Phevos!” With her good spirits partly restored, she left a grateful peck on his lips and hurried to her house.
Ksenia went from room to room but didn’t find her brother. In the end, she came out to the backyard to find him in the orchard, playing with Odysseus. Manos greeted her with such a joyous smile that had Phevos not said anything, she’d have been none the wiser. That made her wonder how many times he’d come home from school looking like this, unwilling to share with her any similar incidents.
Her heart went to him as she watched him play. His laughter filled the air as he ran with the dog among the trees. Their branches swayed lightly in the breeze full of blossom as if cheering them on. Manos kept throwing a tennis ball, and the dog would run frantically after it. He’d grab it in his mouth and return it to Manos while chewing it relentlessly. He’d growl if the boy tried to take it from his mouth but would eventually allow it. Manos would throw the ball again and the whole thing would start from the beginning. Over and over again, the tennis ball would be chewed mercilessly. Each time Manos took it in his hands to throw it, it looked a bit more tattered than before. Ksenia watched them and laughed until her gut hurt.
When Manos had played enough, he took out his old bicycle that had been rusting away in a corner. Odysseus lost his interest in the ball and let it drop from his mouth. He followed Manos and lay on the ground near him, watching him inflate the tires with a hand pump. Manos hadn’t used his bike since last summer when he’d got his skateboard. As he inflated the tires, Manos told Ksenia how he’d missed riding his bicycle and how he thought it would be a nice change from the skateboard.
Ksenia chose to respect his obvious intention not to tell her what had happened. It was enough for her to see that he still sought to play outside and not only with his computer in his room. After all, he had better chances to make friends one day if he played outside in the real world rather than games with virtual characters. Mostly, Ksenia was relieved to see that her brother had taken remedial action, seeking alternative means for enjoyment rather than allow his heart to sink in the sorrow of his loss.
Ksenia remembered Phevos’s advice. He was right. Her brother would be fine. He’d first found consolation in his four-legged friend and now in his old bike. She sighed with relief, as she watched her brother ride his bicycle in the backyard with Odysseus barking away behind him. She thought how easy it is to replace an irrepairable skateboard. A strong heart makes sure that’s done easily, the way her brother had just shown her so well. The only thing that would be hard to replace, would be a weak mind that is stuck in defeat and self-pity. From what Ksenia could see, her brother wasn’t in any danger of that.
***
Daphne came out of the bathroom in her nightdress. It had been a long day and it was now half past ten. She yawned and sat on the stool to brush her hair in front of the dresser. Phevos was lying in his bed with a wide grin on his face. He was staring at the ceiling lost in happy thoughts.
“So, Phevos . . . it was nice on the Lycabettus Hill, was it?”
“Oh yes, Daphne! You can see the whole of Athens from up there. Ksenia and I had a great time. The café was great, too. Next time, you and Manos must come along.”
“That would be nice.” Daphne shuffled to her bed.
Phevos smirked behind her back, his eyes lighting up just before he spoke. “So! This guy Aris . . .”
Daphne slipped between the sheets and gave a frown. “What about him?”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Well, he could take you there instead of me, couldn’t he?”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous, Phevos! I hardly know the man!” She huffed with a shocked expression on her face, amusing her brother enough to push the point.
“I don’t think so, Daphne! Ever since I came back today all I’ve heard from you is Aris this and Aris that. You seem to know him pretty well.”
“That’s preposterous!” She sat up on her bed. “I just thought it’d be nice to tell you all about Mrs. Sofia’s son, that’s all.”
“Okay,” he said holding up his hands. “I’m sorry! Looks like I got the wrong impression there! Thought you liked him or something . . .”
“Apology accepted,” replied Daphne, tipping her chin and looking away.
“So, how long is he here for then?”
“I don’t know. But Mrs. Sofia has said in the past that he never stays for long periods. Just a few days, I guess.”
“Oh yeah? And what does he do with his time here? Does he have any friends in the city?”
>
“From what I know, he spends a lot of time in Pallada with his mother. He has a few colleagues in Athens, but they seldom meet because they don’t often have time off simultaneously.”
“Oh! If that’s the case, why don’t you ask him to take you to Lycabettus Hill?” he asked, letting out an uproarious laugh.
Daphne served him a silent stare of disapproval, then switched off the light in a huff. She hid under the covers as her brother’s amused laughter lingered in the darkened room.
“Oh come on, Daphne, admit it!” His voice echoed in the gloom full of mirth. “Your face is radiant when you speak about him. I’ve never seen you like this before. You like him!”
“Good night, Phevos!” Daphne felt thankful for the darkness that hid the crimson color of her cheeks.
“All right, Daphne. I will let you off for now.” With a last chuckle, Phevos rolled on his back and let his mind wander to his Ksenia again. Soon enough, his eyes got used to the darkness, and he started to make out shadows from all the surrounding objects. Beams of light from the other buildings crept through the shutters and huddled on the ceiling like reunited friends.
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier as he thought of his new life with Ksenia and, soon enough, he surrendered to a peaceful sleep.
***
In spirit, as he slept, Phevos found himself on a beach of fine sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sand dunes caught his attention first; they sparkled as if covered in gold dust. A hill towered over the beach at a great height, a magnificent temple on its top. Its marble and gold decorations glinted in the sunlight. Before him, the sea was deep blue and calm, small waves lapping gently on the shore.
Phevos welcomed the cool caress of the sea breeze on his cheeks and felt safe there, protected and happy. But then, he heard a great whooshing sound and darted his eyes to the open sea. He swallowed hard and willed himself not to panic. Something or someone was coming to shore, he could sense it, and the feeling he got was that whatever this was, it was supernatural.
His eyes filled with inexplicable tears that felt salty and stung his eyes. As he continued to watch the open sea, waiting, his apprehension began to fade, and he realized he had nothing to fear after all. Phevos didn’t know how he could guess all that; he just knew it was so.
All at once, a gigantic wave rose from the sea. It rocketed sky high hiding the sun as it foamed with an exploding sound. Foam and clouds became one against the dark blue of the sea, and Phevos fell on his knees, terrified, with his eyes tightly shut. He felt the wet sand under him for a few moments only and then a mass of cold seawater took him in an instant, carrying him to a crystal blue abyss.
He was on the seabed now for he could see colorful corals, black urchins with long, glistening spikes and fish with iridescent colors. And then, as suddenly as he’d been taken there, he found himself on the shore again. He was kneeling on the sand, but somehow, he wasn’t wet despite having been in the sea just moments ago. Phevos was shocked to the core at this realization and then instinctively looked up.
Towering over him, stood a majestic-looking stranger. He was stocky, and unnaturally tall. He had a long, red beard on his harsh-looking face and appeared resplendent in his robes of blue silk and crimson velvet. They were adorned with gold thread and buttons made of pearls. In one hand, he held a long staff that shone in a blinding way. Phevos couldn’t look at it any more than he could look directly at the sun.
In his other hand, the stranger held a much smaller object that Phevos could see clearly. It was a wand made of crystal. Shards of seashells in various colors swam in a transparent liquid inside, along with grains of fine golden sand. The wand gave off an eerie light that made its contents sparkle like stars on a summer night sky.
The sight of this magical object overwhelmed him, and he bowed before the tall stranger, who smiled in response. His eyes were kind, and they filled Phevos’s heart with an inexplicable feeling of reverence and awe.
“Don’t be afraid, Phevos! I am here to help you!” said the stranger. His voice echoed across the beach like the roar of a thousand horns.
“You know my name?”
“Of course I know your name! And I know your father’s too. It is Efimios!”
“You know my father? Who are you, good sir?”
“It does not matter at the moment who I am! What matters now, is this!” he bellowed, stretching out his hand to give the wand to Phevos. Phevos took it and, as he brought it close to his chest to examine it better, it gave off a blinding light, and an image of his father appeared in its midst. He was smiling reassuringly, as if he was giving him comfort. Phevos stood mesmerized until his father’s face faded away, and the iridescence of mother-of-pearl took his place as the shards of shells swam in a golden sea of sand and light.
Phevos shuddered and nearly dropped the wand but managed to tighten his grip in time. Astonished, he looked up again gazing at the stranger with unbelieving eyes.
“What . . . what is this? I don’t understand! My father—”
“Your father is safe! And soon enough, you and Daphne will be reunited with him. But first, you must trust me!”
“Your Lordship, I don’t know who you are, but if you know my father I will do as you ask!”
“First of all, there are a few things to explain. What you saw in the wand is not reality, but a glimpse of what will happen if you take the right steps.”
“What do you mean, my lord?”
“I mean that with every decision you make, you take a step along the path of your life. There are millions of alternative paths that you will never walk as a result of your choices. The right path for you is the one that is favored by the Gods, and you are fortunate, for I can tell you that you are treading the right path now! In your endeavors to reunite with your father as well as with your lost mother, you will have plenty of divine protection. But beware; you will succeed in your purpose only if you take all the right steps! Wrong choices along the way will lead you to alternative paths, but only the right one will take you to your purpose. So take extra caution not to stray from the one path that has been prepared for you!”
“Sir, I think I can understand what you mean but it sounds terrifying! How do I know what choices to make when the time comes?”
“Do not worry, Phevos. That is why I have appeared here before you. I can help you but you must trust me first!”
“I trust you, Your Lordship! Tell me what to do!”
“The wand in your hand is indispensable for your journey. But to let you have it, I must take something from you in return.”
“Of course! Just name it, sir. What is it?”
“It is the necklace that you wear around your neck.”
“My necklace? How do you even know about that?” Phevos took the necklace out from under his shirt. The moonstone in its center sparkled in unison with the tiny quartz crystals all around it. On either side of the moonstone, two shapes were engraved: a spear and a battle helmet. Phevos shook his head, unwilling to part with the sacred object that Athena once gave his father in return for his services to her.
Phevos jutted out his chin. “This belongs to my father. It is not mine to give, kind sir.”
“I only ask that you lend it to me. That is why I told you to trust me. I promise that once you have walked the path, I will return Athena’s necklace to you.”
“How do you even know this is Athena’s? How do you know so much?” he asked and the wand in his hand shone with a brilliant light again. Phevos was startled and his uneasiness turned to rage. “What trickery is this? Who are you and who sent you to deceive me?” Phevos threw the wand away, and the tall stranger caught it in mid-air in his massive hand, his face darkening like a stormy sky.
The wand gave off a blinding light, and the stranger raised his head, letting out a thunderous cry that sounded like a stampede of wild horses. He raised the long staff in his other hand and started to shake it with terrible force. The white clouds turned murky and start
ed to move. Lightning bolts ripped the sky, and the deafening noise of thunder filled the air. Huge waves rose from the sea, threatening to swallow the beach while whole flocks of seabirds took to the skies and flew in manic patterns inland. The whole beach shook with a powerful earthquake.
Overcome by it all, Phevos fell on his knees and shut his eyes against the salty wind that carried sand and hurt him like a whip. Although his eyes were shut, he could still see the tall stranger. His height had increased three fold. His face was contorted with rage against the backdrop of a dark sky strewn with flashing lightning bolts. The waves kept rising higher and higher but seemed to be held back by an invisible force. They were not moving towards the shore but rather hovered over the surface of the sea, foaming and roaring.
“Did you think that I have a reason to deceive you? Do I look as though I need anything from you?” echoed the stranger’s voice through the raging storm. “You fool! I can command these waves to crush you in an instant! There is nothing in the sea that I do not command! Enormous creatures of the deep, mighty storms and powerful sea currents are mere servants of mine! Large, magnificent ships laden with mythical treasures have perished underwater in the hour of my wrath, and you dare think that I require your permission to take your meager necklace from you? Nothing could stop me from taking it from you right now! How foolish you are! Don’t you see that it has no value to me, unless you part with it willingly?”
And then, everything fell silent. Phevos opened his eyes to see the stranger back to his original height looking at him with his head tilted to the side, his expression calm.
“Do you see now?” The stranger asked, his eyes kind.
“I . . . I think I do, my lord . . .” stammered Phevos.
“That is better, my boy! I am sorry if I scared you a bit back there. I do find it hard to control my rage sometimes. But you challenged me!” The stranger winked.
“I am sorry too, Your Lordship. I didn’t mean any offence. Let it be as you wish!” Phevos grasped the necklace, about to take it off, when the stranger put up a firm hand to stop him.
The Necklace of Goddess Athena Page 10
