(PS: Please support me on patreon there 135+ chapters there and there also my new GoT: The True Dragon Fanfiction of Game of Thrones
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The four companions walked quickly toward the priest guarding the grand entrance of the Temple of Apollo. The priest, adorned in white robes, stood impassively before the massive bronze doors.
Alexios confidently stepped forward. "We are here to see the Pythia."
The priest looked at the four armed figures with slight disdain. "Only those who are chosen by the light of Apollo can enter."
Alexios, confused, asked, "Then how does one get chosen?"
The priest smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He pointed toward the painfully long line of pilgrims and ambassadors. "One goes to the back of the line and waits for his turn."
Alexios was stunned and about to argue, but Atlas smoothly cut him off. "Then perhaps you can make an arrangement for us." Atlas said this while discreetly handing a small, heavy sack of drachmae to the priest.
The three—Kassandra, Alexios, and Lukas—notice this but remained silent, watching Atlas handle the situation. The priest felt the weight of the sack, weighed it briefly in his hand, and then tucked it into his tunic with practiced ease. His smile became genuine.
"You may go inside," the priest stated, his voice now accommodating. "But only two people can enter and speak to the Pythia. It is tradition."
The four frowned at the restriction but had no choice but to cooperate. Lukas immediately asked Atlas, "So, Atlas, who is going to meet the Pythia?"
Atlas thought for a moment before saying, "Why don't Kassandra and Alexios go meet her?"
Lukas and Kassandra were taken aback. Lukas replied with uncertainty. "I understand Kassandra going, but Alexios… are you sure, Atlas?"
Alexios, who heard the doubt in Lukas's voice, bristled. "Hey! What's wrong with me going to the Pythia? I still have questions for her!"
Lukas looked at Alexios as if the answer was obvious. "Exactly that you have questions is what I'm worried about! Usually, when you question others, trouble follows!"
Alexios choked, unable to refute the claim for a brief moment, before confidently declaring, "That was in the past. This time is going to be different."
Lukas gave him a blank look, clearly not believing him. Before they could argue further, Atlas cut them off.
"Okay, it's decided then. You two will meet the Pythia."
Just then, the temple door creaked open, and the priest gestured to them that they were next. Atlas gave a nod to the priest and turned back to the four. "Okay, now it's your turn to go inside. Go."
Alexios and Kassandra gave a nod and started walking into the hallowed gloom. Atlas and Lukas watched them go.
"Are you sure about Alexios meeting the Pythia, Atlas?" Lukas asked again, his uncertainty lingering.
Atlas just gave a knowing chuckle. "I don't know about that either."
Inside the Temple of Apollo, Alexios and Kassandra walked down a long corridor. The room was filled with the smoke of burning olive candles, forming a soft, shifting light mist. As the two walked further, they saw the Pythia in the center of the chamber. Her eyes were closed, and she was kneeling in front of a giant statue of Apollo, muttering something incomprehensible. two large, silent guards stood beside her.
Kassandra and Alexios approached and stopped at a respectful distance in the center of the room.
The Pythia suddenly spoke, her voice echoing in the chamber. "Enter into the light of Apollo, the light that illuminates shadow." She continued, her voice sounding as if she were in a deep trance. "Choose your question wisely, mortal. For you have but one. Speak, truth seeker!"
Alexios felt a surge of irritation and decided he couldn't question her without his anger overriding his purpose. He gestured to Kassandra that she should speak first.
Kassandra thought for a moment, calming her own rising emotions. She spoke, her voice measured. "We lost our mother when we were young. We have to find her. Where is she?"
The Pythia opened her eyes instantly. She saw the two figures standing before her and gasped, a look of profound shock crossing her face.
"It's both of you! From the visions! The children on the mountain!" she exclaimed, the trance completely broken.
Alexios and Kassandra were stunned into silence. Kassandra recovered first. "How could you know that?"
The Pythia slowly stood up, her gaze darting nervously toward the two guards positioned nearby. "Both of you need to leave now."
Alexios was getting irritated by the evasiveness. "Leave? Do you have any idea what we've been through to get here?" he asked, anger creeping into his voice.
The Pythia clasped her hands together, speaking softly as if trying to calm him down. "Oh, but I do. There is wisdom and kindness in all of your decisions. Any other misthios would have killed those people in that cave in Megaris, but you all held back for the truth, and balanced judgment with their lives."
Alexios and Kassandra were once again shocked. Kassandra pressed the point. "But how did you know what we did?"
The Pythia explained mysteriously. "No one can hide from the light."
Kassandra, seeing the urgency in the Pythia's eyes, pleaded. "Please, we've come this far. You must have the answers we seek."
The Pythia glanced at the guards, who were becoming alerted by the strange exchange. She leaned in slightly and spoke to Kassandra as if warning her. "Children of the Mountain, the Cult of Kosmos have eyes everywhere. They will kill you, all of you"
When Alexios heard this, his shock turned to hot irritation. "So, it's truly them!"
The guard closest to the siblings heard the forbidden words—Cult of Kosmos—and instantly became alarmed. He gestured sharply to his subordinate to take the Pythia away. The subordinate grabbed the Pythia's arm, trying to drag her out of the chamber.
The Pythia, resisting for a split second, cried out one last thing before being pulled away. "The Oracle has spoken. The prophecy is yours."
Alexios watched her being dragged away, thoroughly enraged. "You never answered our question!" He was about to step forward, but the guard physically blocked him.
"The Pythia is done for the day," the guard said flatly.
"I'm not leaving until I get answers!" Alexios warned.
Kassandra saw the situation was about to turn violent, which would be disastrous in the Sanctuary. She hurriedly grabbed his arm. "That's enough, Alexios. We are leaving."
Alexios calmed down enough to cast a final, furious glance at the guard before being pulled away by Kassandra. The two walked toward the entrance door, which closed with a heavy thud behind them.
Outside, the sun had set, and it was already getting dark. Atlas, Lukas, and Herodotos were waiting for them.
Kassandra immediately addressed the historian. "Herodotos, you're still here." She then turned to Atlas. "Where's Barnabas and Phoibe?"
"He's gone back to the ship," Atlas replied. He looked at her and Alexios closely. "You don't look happy with your prophecy."
Kassandra explained, the revelation still heavy on her mind. "She… knew who we were."
Herodotos was unperturbed. "She's the Pythia, it's her business to act like she knows you."
Alexios, his patience worn thin, explained, "That was no act. She said she had visions of me and Kassandra as children on a mountain."
Herodotos, who knew nothing of their past, still didn't grasp the severity. "What child hasn't stood on a mountain?"
Seeing Alexios starting to seethe, Kassandra cut in and explained clearly. "Alexios and I were thrown from that mountain. You could say our life started and ended on that mountain. I'm telling you, she knew who we were, what we've done. She tried to warn us…"
Lukas asked curiously, "Warn you, about what exactly?"
Alexios, unable to keep his anger in check, finally stated with a cold fury. "She mentioned the Cult of Kosmos."
Herodotos was stunned when he heard the name, whispering. "You know about the Cult of Kosmos?"
Kassandra looked directly at him. "It seems you know about the Cult too."
Herodotos looked around their surroundings nervously and gestured for them to follow him away from the main road. The five—Herodotos, Alexios, Kassandra, Lukas, and Atlas—walked into a deserted alley, ensuring they were not followed.
"I'd heard whispers," Herodotos admitted once they were concealed. "A cult, unlike any other, coming to Delphi. But I paid them no mind. It seems that was a mistake." He looked at the four. "But you all seem familiar with them."
Atlas just smiled, the knowledge of the centuries sitting easily on his face. "We had a bad encounter with them, but it has been dealt with. but We do know that the Cult is everywhere, and it seems to be true."
Herodotos had a worried expression. "Then the whispers were true! If this Cult has corrupted the Pythia… this is devastating news. Do you understand what this means? Through her, the Cult controls the world."
Atlas thought for a moment before speaking, his decision firm. "Alright, we need to speak with her again."
Alexios threw his hands up in frustration. "But how do we speak when she's guarded and protected so well? They dragged her away the moment she said the Cult's name!"
Herodotos sighed. "That would require a miracle from the gods. She is always protected."
Atlas just chuckled at the historian's dramatic pronouncement. "A miracle, you exaggerate too much, Herodotos. We don't need a miracle to see her. We just need to find her house and meet her in secret."
Herodotos was puzzled by the blunt pragmatism, while Lukas, Alexios, and Kassandra just chuckled, knowing that Atlas had a plan.
(PS: Please support me on patreon there 135+ chapters there and there also my new GoT: The True Dragon Fanfiction of Game of Thrones
https://patreon.com/BX_XDS)