Prophecy of the Most Beautiful (10 page)

"Really Chloe, don't stand so close to that particular inferno," L.A. said, "It belongs to Ares, god of War. Stray canon balls have been known to fly out of there from time to time and when they do, it's never a pretty sight." Chloe didn't need any more convincing than that as she backed away from the statue.

"Who is that?" Chloe asked, frowning as she pointed up at a statue of a grotesque man wearing shabby robes and a hideous sneer.

"Hephaestus, god of the forge and fire, the builder god," L.A. replied with a look of undeniable disgust, "He's sort of…adopted." L.A. looked quite done with the matter and Chloe didn't ask anything more about it, though she was curious as to what exactly he meant by "adopted".

Chloe admired another statue of a pretty woman encircled with a very pale yellow ring of fire, holding a bow and arrow while a deer nipped at her heels. L.A. sneered up at it, but Chloe didn't question why.

"This one that you're gawking at is of Zeus," L.A. said at one point, "If you don't want to die, I suggest you get away from the fire. The lightning you see in the flames is real, and if it strikes you, you'll disintegrate into nothingness."

At that, Chloe did not move an inch closer. It was an enormous sculpture, much larger than the others. Zeus was wearing a long skirted tunic that exposed a chiseled chest and muscled arms. His face was strong and fierce and he held what looked like a lightning bolt in his hand.

"He's…big," She gulped.

"Yup. The only thing bigger is his ego." He gestured towards the statue. "His size is a constant reminder that he is the King, a great
Lord of Dominion
––the Sky Lord––and that he is more powerful than any other god." He looked at Chloe and smiled. "He scares you, I can tell.
Good
. He should. Don't piss him off and you'll live to a ripe old age. Zeus doesn't have much tolerance for humans, not that I blame him any. Mortals can be a real pain sometimes."

She ignored L.A.'s mild insult of the human race and his very clear indication that he was not part of it. She didn't want to think about it. If she did, then she would be forced to think about everything else that had happened so far and it was just too much to deal with at that moment.

She looked away and let her attention fall on the statue of a handsome man wearing a toga and sandals two statues down from the one of Zeus. She felt such a strong pull towards it and the next thing she knew, she was standing beneath it. The statues's sculpted face was breathtaking, and he was holding what looked to be like a small harp. Music drifted out of the sunny yellow fire surrounding him. One moment it was a violin, the next a piano, the next a saxophone, and it continued to change until Chloe pulled her ear away from the fire and the music stopped all together.

A flicker of familiarity made her eyes jump back up to the statue's face. It was a face she knew––the structure of it, the round lips, the mischievous eyes, it was all familiar. He stood proud and tall and beautiful in every way. She thought hard for a moment, dug deep into her memory, then sucked in a sharp breath.

Her head jerked towards L.A. "It's
you
," She said.

He was grinning. "It is. Don't tell anyone you've seen me wearing a toga."

"But––but how can this be you? I thought you said all of these were statues of gods." Then it hit her. "You're a
god
?"

He nodded. "Why do you seem so surprised, Chloe? Don't I look like one?" His tone was teasing.

She sighed in response. "I'm so confused."

L.A. chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'll stop kiddin' around." He jumped up onto the rim of the fire pit and put his hand to his chest. "I, am the Lord Apollo, god of the Sun, the Prophecy, and Patron of Music." He bowed like he was in front of a horde of adoring fans instead of just one.

"Lord Apollo?"
L.A., Lord Apollo.
It made more sense than she wanted it to…

"Yes, don't let the tats and locks fool you. I'm the deity Apollo, an Olympian, Patron of the Arts and the bringer of light to the earth. The sun does not rise or set without me. Morning only comes when I drive my chariot across the sky." He made an arching gesture with his arm.

She crossed her arms. "Do I really look that dense? Kingdom in the
heavens
? Driving a chariot across the sky? Come on, guy, get real."

L.A. grinned and hopped down to the floor. "True speak, you'll never meet a god more real than me. Prove it, you say?
HaHa.
My pleasure."

He plucked the strings of his guitar and the shrine swirled away, but before Chloe could even begin to feel nauseated, they appeared inside a beautiful, grand library with treated hardwood floors, multiple levels and countless rows of books encircling the entire room. Winding staircases led up to vaulted landings containing fancy carved bookcases, and ladders on wheels were poised to move about the taller bookshelves. Trinkets, souvenirs, and a million other random objects (like shoes and dog collars) decorated every available inch on the shelves and the walls not taken up with literature. In the center of the library, dozens of old world maps and scrolls were laid out upon beautiful carved wooden tables paired with matching chairs and colorful abstract lamps.

"This is my own private collection of literature," L.A. said, as they moved among the tables. He stopped once to smooth out what looked to be an old world map of Spain. "I come here a lot to read and to meditate and to refresh my memory of the past. Even a Greek god can't remember everything." They stopped at the end of one of the tall bookcases. L.A. flicked his finger and one of the ladders rolled over to where they were standing. He gestured for her to get on and with a slight hesitation, she climbed aboard. L.A. climbed up behind her and the ladder pulled away.

"My books are arranged in order––by subject, then from the beginning of time until now," He explained as she made a visual exploration of the countless books, "Once you’ve been convinced the heavens exist, and you will be, you’ll be dying to get back in here. Everything you could want to know about us gods, about Olympus, ancient Greece, anything, is in my library. Because you're the Oracle, you can come here whenever you want. My bad though, I don't have any pop-up books." The ladder rolled over a section of books called "
Brutes and Beasts
", the scripted name being etched into a gold plaque at the very top of the bookcase. One very large book had a picture of a dragon with the upper body of a human woman and the tail of a Scorpion on its bind. "That's
Kampe
," L.A. said, noticing her staring at it, "Three things to know about her. She's cunning, sneaky and her teeth leave a hell of a mark."

He got no response from her. She didn't want to know how she might end up in the presence of something that looked like that.

The ladder rolled on and crossed over more sections of books like, "
Ancient Greek Battles
", "
The Royalty of Greece
", "
Great Heroes of Olympus
", and it seemed each of the gods had an entire section of books dedicated to them as well. Chloe didn't see how she could ever be expected to learn it all. But then again, it didn't matter. She wasn't staying.

The ladder made an abrupt stop in front of an endless section of books on
Oracles, the Prophetic Ones
. "Oracles have been in existence since the beginning of time, Chloe."

"What
is
an Oracle?" She asked as she ran her fingers across the bindings of a few of the old books labeled with names and years. One book stuck out as it was newer than all of the others. She turned her head to read the name on its binding and gasped with surprise.

"There's a book on me here!" The bind read
Chloe (Present).

"Sure there is," L.A. watched her pull the book from the shelf and flip through it. "The pages are blank because there's no story to tell yet, but that will change soon enough. Once you're ready, the pages will fill themselves."

Chloe slid the book back into its space between "Carmen (1902-1927)" and "Charlotte (1734-1771)". "You still haven't told me what an Oracle is yet," She said.

"An Oracle is a prophesier of the future," L.A. said as if she should have already known this. "The Oracle before you is now deceased. You will now be the teller of prophecies, the riddles that hold the answers to the future. You will be the
Oracle of Delphi
." Chloe thought she must have looked unconvinced, or absolutely bewildered. "Why do you think you have so many crazy dreams, Chloe? Don't look so surprised. I know all about them. This is your destiny, kid. The Fates decided that long ago."

Her heart was practically in her throat. "But I don't see the future. I only hallucinate."

"Ah, hallucinations. One of the Fates many gifts to you. You should thank them."

"
Thank them?
I'm on like six different meds because of them, whoever they are!"

L.A. chuckled. "And as I'm sure you already know, there's no cure for your particular set of mental…
abilities.
That's because they're real. Hallucinations and dreams are simply the present projected. What you see is actuality. Always remember that."

There was a pause, then for some weird reason, she laughed. She couldn't hold it in any longer. It all sounded so ridiculous.

But then again, in the deep dark depths of the part of her mind that harbored her ability to reason without interference from annoying voices, crazy visions or medication, it all made plenty of sense. Maybe her dreams did actually mean something, even if they were horrifying. Maybe her hallucinations had a purpose––the boy she'd hallucinated at school and every one before that.

But when she thought about it, she felt silly for even thinking that way. It was more likely that she was dreaming right now and her subconscious was running a muck, only making her
think
what she was seeing was real. Maybe she was asleep and would wake up any minute now, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

It didn't take her long to realize that she didn't believe that for one second.

L.A. didn't seem concerned with her unwillingness to face reality as he helped her down. "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

"So now you're quoting Winston Churchill?"

L.A. laughed. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice." After sweeping his dreads out of his face again, he leaned against the bookcase. "As I said, I'm the god of the Prophecy as well, and I'm your patron. I govern your gifts and see that they're used the right way. You see, I'm like you in a sense, only better. I can see the future of anyone I want, but only subjectively. When free will enters the equation, my visions change to accommodate one's new course in life. Comes in quite freaking handy sometimes, annoys me all the others. You, however, weren't blessed with such a gift. No biggie though. You have quite a few other things going for you…" He smiled. "Oracles are always female, you know, and always human because humans have minds that are open to accepting almost anything. That's not an insult though. Oracles are revered in my world, and you should be grateful that the Fates picked you to take over the gig. You're in the big time now, Chloe Clever."

Who were these Fates he kept bringing up? What even was a Fate? How could he expect her to be grateful to them if she didn't even know what they were? He had said something earlier about them being goddesses of destiny, but what did that even
mean
?

"How do I know what you're saying is true?" She asked, "It just doesn't seem possible."

L.A. just smiled. "I've moved you through space and time, and you talk about what isn't possible." He blew at his hand and a ball of fire, a mini sun, appeared there. "
Anything
is possible."

"A few cool magic tricks isn't enough to convince me," Chloe said, though she knew that last one had pretty much done it.

L.A. tossed the ball of fire into the air and with a
poof
, it disintegrated into a harmless flutter of ashes. "It's only a matter of time," He said. He struck a chord on his guitar.

The room swirled around them.

*****

VIII. Chloe

Ace was sitting where they had left him and was starting in on his fourth apple. The fruitless cores of the first three were piled in his lap.

"Welcome back!" He said as he took a bite.

Thaleia was still sitting on the floor. She offered up the bowl of grapes to L.A. as he returned to his lounge. Euterpe sat beside her and Mel remained reclined across her own chaise. Her eyes were closed but Chloe got the feeling that the drummer wasn't sleep. She began to wonder, if L.A. was a god, then what were these three women?

"So Chloe," L.A. said, kicking back across his lounge, "It's question time. Ask what you need to. I probably won't give you the chance to do so again." He began to strum his guitar and waited for Chloe to say something. Seconds later, Euterpe joined him.

Chloe couldn't concentrate for listening to the melody. "Why me?" was all she could think to ask.

"Because it's your destiny," L.A. said once again, "Your mind is a vessel. You were born with this power already manifesting inside of you. This is why the Fates chose you. You're more special than you could ever know." He nodded at Euterpe and led them into a new melody. Chloe wished they would just stop talking and she could listen to them play and forget about all of this for a few hours. But she couldn't do that. She had to figure out what was going on.

"So my mind really did save me?" She remembered Ace saying something close to that. She looked at the boy, who shrugged as if to say "I told you so".

"It's true, Chloe. Your mind saved your life. The
koma
acted like a shield around it, protecting your power. It would not let you go. At times when you find yourself in trouble, your mind's powers will often reach out to protect you. Maybe you'll even learn to control the
komas
one day. Fates willing, of course."