A Hall of Mirrors

A Radiant Beginning

Kath awoke and was bathed and dressed before the sun was fully up. One of her nymphs brought her a leather satchel filled with food and provisions for the day, even a pouch full of gold coins that must have been provided by either one of her parents. Kath left before any one of them bothered to find her, slipping past the pearly gates with the help of the shadows that continued to guide her.

She wondered about that, why the shadows in the halls of the palace now seemed to respond to her—to help her in their own little way such as showing her where she wanted or needed to go. It was odd because they have never done it before. Or at least never noticed it before.

But never mind that now. She took one step down the wide stairs that would lead Kath directly to the outskirts of the Village and inhaled the crisp air deeply, a current running through her body.

This was what it meant to be free, Kath realized with a huge grin on her face while she half-ran down the steps. She felt like glowing with happiness. The breeze tickled her cheek, blowing back her loose satin blouse. At least she was wearing jeans, albeit they were a little tight for her liking. It was one of those designer pairs Aphrodite had made sure occupied a small part of her wardrobe. She supposed it was comfy enough, and sturdy for a day of exploring.

“You’re not trying to ditch me, are you?”

Kath whirled and would have tripped on the edge of a step, dangerously falling what most likely would be several flights of stairs if it had not been for a pair of strong, warm hands steadying her against an equally strong, warm, and solid chest.

A sandy brown brow flicked up at her in amusement. “Falling head over heels for me so soon, Kathy-boo?”

She pushed off of Apollo, his sky-blue eyes glinting when she fell on her ass with a small yelp. Glaring at him, she said, “Don’t call me that.”

“Why? Do you not like it?”

“As a matter of fact, no.”

Apollo smiled, his straight white teeth momentarily blinding her. “Then I’ll keep calling you that. Simple.”

Kath scowled, standing and brushing off the dirt on her pants. “You’re impossible. Why are you here, anyway? I thought that a clueless person like me would not warrant the time of day of an important god like you.”

His head lolls to the side, a lazy gesture that showed nothing but ease while he crossed his arms. Kath noticed his plain white tee shirt that highlighted Apollo’s tanned skin and what she supposed were nicely muscled arms. Handsome, Kath thought. Apollo was very handsome and had a body that she imagined not many people objected to. His dress shirt from last night hid the veiny arms, and those low-hanging jeans was doing something to Kath’s mind that made her blush significantly red.

Apollo, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice Kath’s stare on him and merely pointed to what was left of the stairs down.

“This could go one in two ways,” he drawled. “You can either take the easier, non-sweaty way down these steps with me, or you keep climbing down and I just see you for lunch at Mesa’s. Which one is it, Kathy-boo?”

Kath’s eyes strayed down the countless steps left and bit her lip. Apollo was right. It would take her quite a while to get down to the Valley by herself and by then she’d wasted time she would much rather use exploring. And these damned steps could not very well be such a hindrance for her every time she went exploring. For now, Kath could bite the inside of her cheek and let Apollo take her on the fast route.

She frowned, looking around. “How, exactly, are you going to take us quickly down the mountain? Are you going to speed dial your chauffeur to come and get us?”

“Please,” Apollo scoffed. “Chariots are for going slow. Today, we simply…poof!”

Wide-eyed, Kath choked on a laugh. “‘Poof’?” She laughed again. “What’s that?”

He grinned, his eyes sparkling in the kind of amusement that for once was not directed at her. “The technical term is ‘bridging’, because in doing so we manipulate our surroundings and time to create a bridge from one place to another.”

“So it requires power then?”

It was Apollo’s turn to frown. “Just how inept did the people who raised you wanted you to be?” He shook his head, the sun catching the gold in his hair. "Anyway, I suppose you'll pick up on it soon enough. For now, hold on to me."

Kath doubted that she would, as Apollo said, ‘pick up on it' as easily as he thought she would. Apollo would also, no doubt, make fun of her when he learned that she was only a goddess by name and had no real powers. 

Her hand shook as she grabbed hold of the smooth hand he offered to her. Sky-blue eyes connected with sparkling silver for all of one moment, anchoring Kath in a way that stole her breath at the same time the mountain, the palace in the background, and the stairs fell and tumbled away. The world whirled, broke and reformed in only a handful of seconds until they were standing underneath a stone archway made of limestone. Groves of Olive trees spread out behind them, the Village lying just beyond the archway.

But all Kath could stare at were those damned eyes the color of the sky.

Apollo's smirk brought her gaze down to his lips. This time, the blond god did not miss her obvious swallowing.

"Like what you see, Kathy-boo?"

"Just wondering," Kath murmured back.

That intrigued him. "What does?” he asked, his voice becoming heavier, his eyes more lidded with an emotion that Kath was wholly unfamiliar with but had her heart stopping all the same.

She quickly schooled her expression to something that resembled innocence. He didn't even bat an eye, still transfixed, and Kath didn't know whether she should be offended or not.

"Oh, just when we'd get a move on from standing here.” Kath fought her grin as he blinked at her in confusion. "A tour was implied when you offered me your charming company, Apollo. I expect you to follow through.”

Apollo blinked another time. Then another, before a devious grin slowly bloomed across the sun god's features. He took a step, one small movement that brought him so close that when at last he spoke, his breath fanned across Kath's face like a warm summer breeze.

"You, Kathy-boo," he murmured low, eyes shining. "Are going to regret this."

***

Or, Apollo realized, he might be the one to regret this.

He had been watching Kath swish her hips in those gods-sent jeans that did many favors for her small waist and round ass for hours as she explored the Valley. He let her go to as many shops as she was curious to go into and he often just waited for her outside, attracting the attention of the villagers, mostly of female variety. Apollo still gave them a smile, a wave here and there, even the occasional autographs. But his mind kept flitting to the goddess with her curled chocolate hair swaying with her every movement and who rocked those jeans like she was a bit of riddle he cannot seem to figure out.

And riddles were basically nasty little poems and he was the god of poetry, dammit. He should not be as confused by her as he actually was. Not that his vehemence on the matter make things better. Gods, why did he have to offer himself like cattle to slaughter during last night's dinner? 

Apollo was surprised about something, though. While he wasn't exactly sure why the girl's education had been, in his most honest opinion, neglected by Zeus and Aphrodite, he swore that there was an actual inherent intelligence he could see within her whenever he baited her or she asked something about the Village. Those silver eyes of hers never seemed to dim with buffering when a new concept was presented  to her.

Apollo admired her thirst for knowledge. Greatly.

When he was finally able to haul her to lunch, Apollo took her to a local restaurant that served authentic Valley cuisine and was pleased to learn that she was game for anything. He ordered one of the classic platters of lemon and pepper salmon, a side of the day's salad as well as his favorite: rhubarb pie. Kath barely looked at the menu and only smiled at the waiter as she asked to be served whatever was a crowd favorite. The waiter seemed to be stunned and delighted at the same time, both by her looks and her charm that Apollo felt the need to clear his throat loudly to snap the poor guy out of his charmed stupor.

They were first handed a couple glasses of water to wait, the waiter almost stumbling on his feet as he turned back to the kitchen.

"Turn off the charm there, Kathy-boo. If he drops our food when he comes back, I don't think he would be able to keep his job."

Kath rolled her eyes at me a smile curving the corner of those butterfly lips. "Don't be ridiculous, Apollo."

He arched a brow, staring at her. He realized he must have been laying it on a little heavy when she blushed and demanded, "What?"

"You don't know the effect you have on people, do you?"

"Excuse me?”

Apollo shook his head with incredulity. A vixen, that's what she was, and she haven't even got a damned clue about it. A wolf in sheep's clothing. Apollo swore. He'd intended today's excursion to be a one-time thing only. Now? He wasn't sure if he could trust her wandering the Valley by herself or without a capable chaperone.

F*ucked. Apollo was, undeniably and unequivocally, f*ucked.

Then the food came, and at Kath's breathy moan on the first bite of her baked asparagus wrapped in spiced meat that inadvertently sent blood rushing to his manhood, Apollo wasn't entirely sure if he'd survive this altogether.