Voyage to Athens and Eleusis (41.3)

April 7, 2017

“Also, Our Beloved instructed so to inform you that on the fifteenth day of each month, beginning January, he will give this noble City, another chest of golden nuggets so to fund the glory of Athens,” finished Alliona.

Sophie, as Sunrise, added, “City magistrates, here are two small chests of pure gold.”

The soldiers in the second chariot dismounted and delivered to the magistrates, placing the chests at their feet and opening the top. They return and mount their chariot.

Sophie continues, “Our Beloved presents you with this gift so to reimburse the City for declaring a three-day holiday in honor of your immortal poets, Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. He requests that the poems and plays of your immortals be performed over these three days in theaters, temples, and open areas.

“Every street and corner of major byways, the inns, the restaurants, and plazas shall be filled with the most pleasant music, day and night. Each morning and evening in the Agora, the three of us will perform music as compelling, sublime, and divine as the music and hymns of Orpheus.

“The Temples shall be provided incense, food, and drink for celebration of their divinities. For these three days, there shall be no master and no slave, only celebrants. We shall provide free food, drink, and clean clothes for the residents of this polis. This is a celebration of euphonia, a time for peaceful union of man and god.

“However, the following restrictions will apply. No person shall verbally berate, shame, or strike another. No person shall force his or her person upon any other person without willing permission. No person shall disturb the general peace and goodwill of this holy festival by belligerent drunkenness or lewdness. Celebrants of Bacchus will be respectful to devotees of other gods and goddesses. Celebrants may enjoy the sexual favors of the festival, but are not to cause embarrassment to the elderly or the children.

“Anyone found to be disturbing the peace and goodwill shall be arrested and jailed during the festival. Such restriction will apply to disorderly drunkenness lewdness, and aggressiveness. Our own soldiers will police the city during this festival so all may enjoy.

“If you accept Our Beloved’s terms and conditions, he will do much more for Athens and its populace than we have related. Our Beloved is not capricious nor envious of mankind. He possesses none of the degraded qualities of your gods. But, it is not wise to invoke his wrath for he can be most severe,” finished Sunrise

The head magistrate conferred with the three other ones present. In a moment, he replied, “Granted. You and your husband are the honored guests of our City and will be honored in all matters. This we swear by all the gods. When is the celebration to be scheduled?”

Sunrise replied, “We shall first enter into the City tomorrow afternoon when Phoebus’ Chariot is at its daily summit. We shall enter into the City, unannounced, with a total of seven chariots and one centuria of soldiers. We shall bring wagons carrying our goods. We request that you summon six of your most notable citizens to greet us at the City gates so to assure your citizens that we are most honored guests of the City.

“When, we arrive tomorrow noon, each citizen will mount a chariot. Each chariot will follow in a line behind the first chariot, as we proceed to our final destination on the Acropolis, the Erechtheion. For this is where Our Beloved desires to recline during our nine months in Athens. Our Beloved is much loved by your patroness goddess, Pallas Athena, she calls him, μυστική ερωμένη μου (my secret lover).

“After the chariots, we shall have a small number of players of the lyre and harp performing some of the melodies of Orpheus. Behind the musicians will come a wagon from which some of our soldiers will distribute bronze and silver coins to anyone lining the route. Following the wagon will be a second ensemble of musicians. Finally, our Beloved and the two of us, without helmets, will follow in the last chariot, followed by our remaining infantrymen.

“The soldiers shall be housed in appropriate lodgings within the City for which we shall pay for in advance. They will cause no problems, we assure you. During our stay, twelve soldiers will guard the Erechtheion continuously. We anticipate no issues, but it does have great crowd appeal.”

“On the fifteenth day of December, when Phoebus is highest in the sky, the festival must begin. This shall give you five days to prepare. You are to come to the Erechtheion to discuss details of the festival with our Beloved. Do not worry about the short notice. Our Beloved is most powerful for good.

“Our Beloved and the two of us, pledge our resources and make an oath of peace and common good to this wondrous City. The oath and pledge of an Immortal has never been dishonored in any universe. As we have your oath and your pledge, the matter is consummated and cannot by undone, neither by Fate nor by Zeus. We bid leave of you. May the gods be with you,” finished Sophie.

Sophie and Alliona remounted their chariot and the two chariots returned to the harbor. As they left the City Alliona said, “Gabriel was correct. I never imagined staging a play in real life, a play in which the other players do not realize is a play. Sophie, how is your tummy? These breast plates were a little tight on my pregnant belly. Are you OK, sweetheart? You know how much it bothers me when you are not comfortable.”

Sophie, keeping the reins in her right hand, she turned toward Alliona and quickly kissed her on the mouth, “Alliona, you are such a mother to me. I guess the forgetting pill could not remove this quality. I love you and I love the sweet baby you now carry.”

Alliona replied, “Sister, Mother, Wife, Lover, Auntie and so on, all rolled into each of us. You and I are always merged with each other and our beloved husband. It is such a warm feeling, isn’t it, Honey?”

When they arrived, Gabriel was waiting at the pier. He asked, “How are my daughters doing under the armor? Could not be avoided, as Athene is the patroness goddess of the City. Tomorrow you dress as she does without her armor. Did our little play unfold as planed?”

Alliona replied, “Yes, my true love. It went as you said it would. I found it curious how cooperative people became when shown gold. It is not something we see in our Djinn world.”

Sophie answered, “My precious and innocent sister, what you saw is called greed and it is the root of most of the evil in our world.”

Gabriel interrupted, “I love both of you so very dearly and am so proud to be your beloved husband and father of two wonderful elfin girls. We shall make love for a long time this night.”

Sophie and Alliona looked at each other, saying in unison, as was their habit, “We are happy that such an old man can satisfy the needs of his most beautiful and amorous wives.” Then, they began to giggle, as the aging potion really had not worked so well.

TO BE CONTINUED