(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 five quickly finished their conversation, the new information about the Pythia's corruption hanging heavy in the air. Herodotos shook hands firmly with the four, his historian's mind already racing to document this conspiracy, and then went his own way, promising discretion.
The four—Kassandra, Atlas, Alexios, and Lukas—started walking quickly on the road toward the village of Chora of Delphi, with Atlas naturally taking the lead.
"So, Atlas, what's the plan?" Alexios asked curiously. "How do we talk to the Pythia without starting an Olympian brawl?"
Atlas continued walking without turning back. "It's simple. I heard from the crowd earlier that the Pythia has a home near here, in a village called Chora of Delphi. I'm sure that the Pythia was taken there and is being watched and guarded by the Cult." Atlas explained, his voice low. "If the Pythia is inside, we can sneak our way in and talk to her."
The four talked and walked toward the southwest of the Sanctuary. After some time, the night had fully descended. They saw the imposing outline of a large house that accounted for nearly half of the entire village land.
Atlas immediately gestured to the three, pointing toward a stand of tall trees bordering the property. The trio nodded, and followed Atlas into the dense woods. The tall pines and the darkness of the night perfectly concealed the figures of the four mercenaries.
Using the tree line as cover, they slowly approached closer to the house. They stopped when they had a clear, overall view of the structure. Instantly, Atlas, Alexios, and Lukas activated their Eagle Vision. The complex was a vibrant orange web of enemy threats.
Lukas raised a heavy brow, commenting on the sight. "That's a lot of protection for the Pythia."
Kassandra, still unable to master the vision, frowned and asked curiously, "How many are they?"
Alexios frowned, without turning his head from the view. "Ten of them surrounding the house, most likely elite masked guards, and more patrolling the outside of the house."
Kassandra also frowned at the numbers.
Atlas then spoke, his voice quiet and analytical. "The numbers confirm one thing: the Pythia must be inside that house. We will use stealth to approach and get inside. The question is," Atlas turned to them, "who will go with me?"
The three looked at each other for a moment. Eventually, Lukas was the first to speak. "I'm out. Sneaking isn't my specialty."
Alexios and Kassandra looked at each other. Alexios spoke awkwardly, scratching his head. "Why don't you go ahead, Kass? After all, if I go, I might kill her on the spot."
Kassandra just chuckled, amused by her brother's honest reasoning. She turned her head to look at Atlas, a challenge in her eyes. "Shall we?"
Atlas also chuckled, a rare moment of levity. "Well then, keep up and follow me."
Atlas started running silently and climbed the closest tall tree with impossible speed. At the top, Atlas walked slowly toward the edge of a branch that extended over the house. With a calculated leap, Atlas launched himself through the air and landed silently on the tiled roof of the Pythia's house, not a single movement noticed by the masked guards below.
Atlas turned his head to look back at Kassandra. He saw her standing still at the base of the tall tree, a genuinely shocked expression on her face at his athletic feat. He just chuckled and signaled for her to follow.
Kassandra snapped out of her daze and started climbing the tall tree. She copied Atlas's technique, reached the end of the branch, and made a leap, landing to the roof a little less gracefully than Atlas, but still without raising an alarm.
Atlas began moving slowly across the roof tiles toward the aule (the courtyard) below. He made sure there were no guards in sight before descending down a pillar. Atlas then positioned himself to help Kassandra descend from the roof.
Kassandra, who was about to go down, made a mistake, slipping her hands on the grip. She braced herself for the inevitable painful fall. Atlas saw this and instinctively moved his body and positioned it to catch the falling mercenary.
Kassandra felt a strong body catch her, holding her in a princess-style carry. For a moment, time seemed to slow down in Kassandra's eyes as she looked at Atlas's face.
The moment was interrupted when Atlas said teasingly, "You okay, princess?"
Kassandra instantly snapped back to her pragmatic, slightly annoyed self. "Can you put me down now?" she said, flustered.
Atlas looked at her cute flushed expression, chuckled, and gently put her down. Kassandra quickly fixed her clothes and returned to the mission to divert the awkwardness she was feeling. "So, which one of these rooms does the Pythia stay in?"
Atlas activated his Eagle Vision and swept his eyes over all the rooms. They stopped at a door emitting a faint, golden aura surrounding a figure inside. Atlas pointed at the door. "That door. The Pythia is inside."
Kassandra was momentarily confused but remembered Alexios and Lukas talking about the special sight. Atlas walked toward the door and discovered it was locked. He knelt down to the level of the lock and took out a small set of specialized tools from his pouch, immediately starting to tinker with the mechanism.
Kassandra watched, speechless, about to ask Atlas where he had learned such a precise, sneaky skill, when suddenly a faint click sound was heard. Atlas quickly started putting away his tools and gestured for Kassandra to stay close.
Kassandra positioned herself behind Atlas. Atlas then pushed the door open, revealing the Pythia inside, who looked up with a startled, surprised expression.
Atlas saw that the Pythia was about to scream for the guards. Atlas instantly rushed forward and covered her mouth with his hand. Kassandra quickly closed the door and turned the lock back over for security.
Kassandra whispered, persuading the terrified priestess. "We are not here to hurt you. We just want answers."
Seeing that the Pythia calmed down slightly, Atlas released her mouth, though he kept a firm grip on her arm.
The Pythia argued, her voice trembling. "The Pythia is a sacred vessel of the gods. People travel the world for my answers. But none of them would dare break into my home! Apollo's wrath will be cruel and swift." She then let out a loud shout, "Guards!"
Before she could continue to shout, Atlas covered her mouth again, pressing close. "You may know the siblings as the Children of the Mountain, but you—as the puppet of the Cult—might know me." The Pythia's eyes widened, revealing confusion and curiosity. Atlas looked straight into her eyes. "I'm Atlas, the boy who rebelled against the Cult several years ago in the region of Argolis, and made sure that any member of the Cult died when they set foot on that region. And, most famously, the one who killed Chrysis, the high-ranking member of the Worshippers of the Bloodline branch of the Cult of Kosmos."
The Pythia was beyond shocked. Her body began to tremble violently in fear. She had heard the rumors within the Cult—that the region of Argolis was forbidden because of a man named Atlas, a ghost who killed without remorse. Though she was an unwilling puppet, she was still technically part of the organization hands
Seeing this fear, Atlas knew he had succeeded. He warned her again. "If you raise your voice, or if you tell a lie, I will let you experience what it's like being on the other side of my blade." Atlas then let go of the Pythia.
The Pythia seemed to resign herself to her fate, explaining miserably. "I'm dead already. They'll find out you were here. And they'll kill me for it."
Atlas crossed his arms. "You have a choice: either die by the Cult's , or speak the truth to our question and maybe be spared by me. Just maybe we will protect you from the Cult's reach."
The Pythia seemed to regain a sliver of hope. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Okay, okay, what is it that you want?"
Kassandra stepped forward first. "You said you saw me and my brother in your visions. What did you see?"
The Pythia explained quickly. "There is an artifact under the Temple of Apollo. It reveals what only the gods should know."
Kassandra pressed on. "You called me and my brother the Children on the Mountain."
The Pythia elaborated, fear still visible in her eyes. "Several years ago, a prophecy was revealed by the artifact: that a child would be born in Sparta, grow up to be a strong warrior, and destroy the Cult. Knowing this, the Cult controlled the high official of Sparta and the Pythia at that time to get rid of you."
She continued, her voice heavy with shame. "Everyone thought they succeeded in getting rid of you, but just until recently, another prophecy was revealed. The artifact showed the child survived the fall. The Cult now hunts a Spartan child who survived a terrible fall from Mount Taygetos. The artifact revealed that child is you and your brother."
Atlas, guarding the door, listened intently. So that's how it is. It seems that in the game, it only said the child Alexios would cause Sparta's fall, but now it seems that the Cult controlled the prophecy and made changes to hunt them down.
Kassandra heard this confirmation of her destiny and fell into deep thought. After a moment of silence, she snapped back to attention. "Thank you for the truth. Now, you have an opportunity to do the right thing. Tell us where to find the Cult gathering tonight."
The Pythia was surprised. "You know about the gathering?"
Kassandra gave a grim nod. "We got it from Elpenor when we hunted him down."
The Pythia thought for a moment. "Elpenor, I see. So Elpenor is dead then."
Kassandra was surprised. "You know Elpenor? Indeed, Elpenor is dead."
The Pythia explained. "He visits me from time to time. Makes sure I'm well taken care of. I have the biggest house in the Chora of Delphi, yet he still offers drachmae for my troubles. Gives me the creeps."
Kassandra nodded. "So, about the question. Where is the gathering?"
The Pythia realized she was going off topic. "Oh, right. Beneath the Temple of Apollo, there's an ancient chamber. I think they meet there. But without one of their cloaks and masks, you won't make it more than two steps inside."
Atlas smiled, the solution to that problem already secured. "Don't worry about that, because we already got the cloak and mask when we killed Elpenor. But there are only two sets of them. Do you know where we can get more?"
The Pythia was impressed by their preparation. "No, for now I don't know where you can get those. Usually, Elpenor handled those things, but since you killed him, it's not possible for me to get those for you."
With the most vital information secured, Kassandra felt a wave of gratitude toward the unwilling informant. "Thank you. You've been helpful to us."
The Pythia waved both of her hands lightly. "Now, both of you need to get out of my house!"
Kassandra and Atlas nodded and walked toward the door. Before leaving, Atlas turned back to the Pythia. "If you reconsider, my offer still stands. We can protect this place from the Cult's reach, just like what we did to Argolis."
The Pythia thought for a moment, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "Hmph. You have to survive this first before we can talk about your offer."
Atlas just chuckled. "Very well. We will be seeing you soon then."
Atlas left the room with Kassandra. They slowly climbed up to the roof and quickly left the Pythia's house without the guards noticing them. Soon after, they regrouped with Alexios and Lukas in the woods.
Seeing Kassandra and Atlas unharmed, Alexios and Lukas breathed a sigh of relief.
Lukas asked, "So, did you ask the Pythia about the Cult's gathering location?"
Atlas and Kassandra gave a nod. Atlas spoke, urgency now back in his voice. "We need to hurry back to the Sanctuary. The Cult's gathering will be there, beneath the Temple of Apollo."
The four then started running towards the Sanctuary, the heavy silence of the night broken only by their pounding footsteps.
(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)