The Immortal by Christopher Pike

Author:Christopher Pike [Pike, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)
Published: 2012-04-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Sryope was the daughter of Thalia, muse of Apollo, but her father was unknown. When Sryope was young she would inquire of her mother how she came to be without a father, and Thalia would only answer, "It's a mystery." As Sryope grew, she quickly gained reknown as Thalia's equal in composing prose and poetry. Often Sryope was invited to Olympus to entertain the immortals. But by the time she came of age, Olympus was already in decline. Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Ares had departed for places unknown. It was Apollo who now ruled, but he was seldom ever seen, and no one knew where he spent his time. Yet when Sryope came to Olympus, it sometimes happened that Apollo would appear to listen to her enchanted tales. She had a lovely, mesmerizing voice.

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Sryope's best friend was Phthia, daughter of Tyche, who was the daughter of Zeus. Phthia often spoke of her relationship to Zeus with pride, although she could not say who her own father was. In that way Sryope and Phthia were the same. Many said they had been born on the same day at the same time, although Thalia, Sryope's mother, said this was not so. In either case Sryope and Phthia grew up together and were best friends. Sryope would tell stories and Phthia would play her flute, which had been a gift to her from Pan, the only immortal who was known to have been killed.

It came to pass that a child was born to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. The child was called Aeneas, and his father was known to have been a mortal, much to Aphrodite's shame. It seemed that Aphrodite was not immune to her own magic girdle, which could cause anyone to fall in love. But Aeneas grew up well and was prized by the gods because of his extreme beauty and exquisite manners.

Phthia was the first female to capture Aeneas's attention as he entered manhood. Aeneas was fond of swimming the rivers that flowed behind the temples of Olympus, and Phthia knew of this habit and made it a point to be in the rivers at the same time, but naked, so that Aeneas would lust for her and make her his wife. Now, Phthia was well known for her many lovers, but she had never wanted a god as much as she wanted Aeneas. This she told to Sryope, who could understand Phthia's infatuation because she, too, found Aeneas attractive. But Sryope didn't speak a

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word of this attraction to Phthia, who was known to have a temper.

Now Aeneas, when he spied Phthia naked in the waters beside him, was consumed with lust, for she was very beautiful. Aeneas was unaware of her reputation as a seducer, and he gave himself over to her, and she to him, after she first made him promise that he would love her, and no other, as long as Olympus stood. This Aeneas readily agreed to because he was dizzy with passion.

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