Pebbles

Creation of the Thriae

“You are on dangerous grounds, Eos. Surely you must know this. The other gods are becoming suspicious and Apollo himself nearly saw your form. Is that what you want, for him to know what you‘re hiding from him?”

The only sound in return was that of utter silence as the second woman lay lounging against a boulder, her fingers dipping lazily into the brook by which they both rested. Overhead the sun was beaming down and illuminated their ordinarily porcelain skin with a soft golden hue, matching perfectly the shining honey locks that spilled over their shoulders. At a distance it would appear as if two divine twins had entered the realm of the mortals. Which of course was the case.

“Why don’t you answer me? This is not to be taken lightly, Apollo will discover you have deceived him eventually.”

The chastised woman sighed heavily and tilted her face upward towards the sun, eyes closed. “Who are you to tell me of such things, sister? You who lay with that mortal Endymion against his will and have born him fifty daughters because of it?”

For a moment all that could be heard was the babbling of the stream. Realizing she had crossed a fine line, Eos sat up and clutched her sister’s hand tightly. “Forgive me Selene, I did not mean to anger you. It is merely that I am growing tired of everyone telling me what to do. If I choose not to tell him, that is my business. Of course I love you and respect your opinion but I must make my own decisions.”

“But why this course? Why do you not let him know? I do not understand.”

“Because he...” she broke off, biting her lip. “Because he will be angry with me.”

“Yet you think this will not anger him? You have hid their existence for more than a decade! And now with another on the way? How long do you think you can go holding your silence?”

“That is easy for you to say, your lover doesn’t even consciously know about your children as he is forever asleep!”

“Eos that is not fair-”

The goddess was cut off by her sister’s abrupt pulling herself into a standing position. Her large belly made it difficult for her to maintain balance but, with a firm hand, she steadied herself against the oak tree that offered shade from the harsh rays of their brother, Helios. Her hazel brown eyes- the one physical difference from that of her sister- sparkled in rage.

“If you will excuse me, I have a party to prepare.”

“Eos!”

It was too late, though. Her sister’s shape had already blurred into nothing and she sat staring at nothing but forest. Sighing, Selene hugged her knees and looked up at the cerulean sky. “Be careful of Apollo’s wrath, sister. I’m afraid you may encounter it far sooner than you think.”

She watched with sympathetic eyes as a strikingly beautiful girl child skipped into view, a strand of hyacinths adorning hair that could have been compared to with the very beams of moonlight Selene herself spread over the world. After a moment’s passing, a slightly older and far more solemn version of the same child followed closely behind from the underbrush. Selene knew them well, though they had never in their lives seen her. They had no idea at all that they were watched closely, curiously, by many of the gods on Olympus.

“Hele, oh Hele look at the brook! Oh can’t we please go for a swim?”

“No. You know as well as I do that we are here solely to collect flowers for the gathering tonight.”

“But Helestria, no one has to know. We can take a quick dip and then dry off in the sun!”

The older one looked hesitant and yet severely tempted by the notion. Her grey eyes took in the glittering blue water of the stream. “Well... perhaps a few minutes won’t hurt...”

Before she had even finished her sentence the younger girl had already begun stripping off her robes and was gently dipping her toes in the water. Her giggles seemed to excite her older sister and, before she could contain herself, she too had disrobed and was wading into the brook.

“Helestria?”

“Yes?”

SPLASH. Anostaë shoved her older sister into the icy water and laughed menacingly when her head popped above the surface again, teeth chattering from the cold and her white hair plastered to her face.

“Oh y-you... will p-pay...”

Suddenly the forest erupted with the sounds of their splashing water at each other and high-pitched shrieks and giggling. For the moment they weren’t nobility, pawns of marriage, orphans. They were normal girls, and as they played they couldn’t have been more oblivious to the smiling goddess watching from beside a tree nearby.

Nor did anyone notice the shadowy figure behind her.



As dusk fell the clamoring within the walls of a small palace that lay near the edge of the forest was immense, with the mingled aroma of incense and sizzling meats and baking delicacies drifting out into the night air. Passers-by gazed enviously at the lit windows before continuing on their journey with rumbling bellies. Outside two young girls hurried alone the stone pathway and towards an entry near the side of the enormous structure, one extremely giddy, the other extremely tense.

“Calm down Hele, we are only a few minutes late. People are going to think you swallowed a lemon whole.”

“You know how long Maera has been planning this celebration for you, Anostaë. Are you so inconsiderate that you don’t even get remotely phased at hurting her feelings?”

“The Troll? Please. Besides it’s my birthday Hele, if I choose to have fun with my sister I shall and I won‘t care what others think!”

Helestria stopped and gazed the short distance down to her sister’s eyes.

“Your pride will be the death of you someday.”

“And that stony face will be yours.”

The kitchen door being thrown open put an abrupt end to their exchange and, blinking, they both looked up into the face of a massively built woman whose arms were held open wide. Before they could do anything they were both enveloped within the monstrosities, both wincing a bit. The woman Pemphredo always smelled of fish.

“Aaah, there you are my ladies! Maera was thinking you had been kidnapped or something. Come come, let‘s get you into the party!”

In unison both girls’ eyes widened, immediately beginning to protest. Surprisingly it was Anostaë who pleaded most desperately.

“No, Pemp, we aren’t even dressed! We look like peasants, I refuse to let the courtiers see us like this.”

“Oh nonsense, you both look just fine.”

Before either girl could break free they had been pushed headfirst through the large oak doors. Immediately silence ensued and, feeling the tension, the children looped fingers. They were only too aware of the fine togas their guardian and her friends were wearing and, in sharp contrast, the dirty, soaked robes they had on. Their hair was still damp and clung to their shoulders. Worst of all, they were barefoot. When it came to Maera, this was a horrible offense. She had specifically told them to dress their best as tonight there would be possible suitors for both girls. They could feel her angry eyes boring into them but refused to meet her eye. Instead they both gazed down at the marble floor.

Next to Maera stood a woman they had seen only on occasion and, of all the people in the room, gazed most kindly at them. Much to their surprise Maera stood silently behind as the woman stepped forward and stood directly in front of them, one hand placed on her large belly. She smiled.

“Happy birthday Anostaë. It would appear as you’ve already had a finer time than could be offered here.”

A good-humored laughter spread through the room and the addressed girl looked up at her older sister who, as usual, watched the woman with a cautious eye. Not wanting to appear as rude as her sister, Anostaë turned back to her and bowed her head.

“Yes, madam.”

“Ah, good. I have bought a present for you. Would you like it now or later in the evening?”

Anostaë’s eyes lit up. She adored getting presents and frequently received them. Trying to control her excitement, she nodded fervently. The woman smiled and reached into a fold of her toga, pulling out a little wrap of indigo silk. After caressing the fabric for a few moments, she held it out.

“It was mine as a child. I hope it brings you as much joy as it did me.”

Anostaë glanced up at her sister again and, ignoring the obvious suspicion etched on her face, accepted the small package. There was silence in the hall as she delicately unfolded the silk and a gentle gasp as what was inside revealed itself. There lay the most stunning ivory comb Anostaë had ever seen.

The rubies embedded in the handle glittered in the light of the tapers and the gold lining it shimmered. For awhile all the girl could do was stare at the treasure in her hands and, finally, clutch it to her chest. Her voice wavered the slightest bit when she spoke.

“Thank you so much. It’s beautiful.”

The woman’s smile broadened.

“Well it’s not everyday a girl turns six.”

With that she turned and waved at the crowd in the hall. Not even a second later the noise had once again commenced and, to both girls’ surprise, Maera walked over and stood staring up at the woman. Their guardian was a tiny thing as it was but, standing next to this tall, elegant creature, she looked more like a troll than ever. For that is what both girls called her, The Troll. They met eyes for a split second but looked away immediately- a fit of giggles nearly overcame them.

“Madam, what is the meaning of this? I thought you told me you were merely here to see them, not give them gifts.”

“Oh, but I haven’t even given a gift to Helestria yet, have I? Which reminds me.” She reached into the folds of her toga once more and brought out another item, this one wrapped in emerald silk. “For you, Hele. Since I missed your birthday a few months past.”

Helestria’s hand didn’t move. She merely stared at this woman, calculating, analyzing. They had seen her on occasion, yes, but they didn’t even know her name. Why did she care so much about their birthdays? And why would Maera look so jealous? When the woman continued to smile and held the package out a bit further, Helestria cautiously reached out and took it in her hands. At first she didn’t open it, merely stared at the gift giver. It took Anostaë leaning over and nudging her in the ribs to finally get her to unwrap it.

Maera gasped the loudest of all.

Inside lay a gold ring with three small emeralds embedded around a large pearl, the thin gold band crafted to mimic the shape of twisted ivy. The two girls stared down at it, dumbfounded, as Maera turned on the smiling woman.

“How dare you! Are you trying to turn them against me? Take them for yourself?”

“My dearest Maera, you know very well that I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that.”

“Then what is your goal here?”

The woman turned and stared at her attacker who, in her frustration, had crossed her arms and was tapping her foot impatiently. Her eyes glittered. “Am I not allowed to give presents to my favorites on their birthdays then?”

“And just why are they your favorites, Eos?”

Silence. Worse than the one a few minutes ago, this one was caused by the deep, honey-rich voice of a man. An ominous shudder went through the crowd as it seemed to echo off the columns and resonate over the now unsmiling woman. She turned her face over her shoulder to meet his eyes.

“Must I have a reason, Apollo?”

“Perhaps it is because of the secret that you are going to inform me of tonight.”

Of all the shocked faces in the room, none appeared more alarmed than those of the two sisters who stood side by side, their large grey eyes widened. The same thought was running through their heads. A god and goddess? Here?

“I will tell you nothing,” she hissed and turned back to Maera. “I am tired. Would it be possible for me to take up lodging here for the evening? I would like to see the girls come morning.”

“Eos, turn around.”

More silence. Maera shifted her weight, looking very much like a cornered rabbit about to sprint towards safety but too afraid to.

“I said turn around. Face me, Eos. I want to see you from the front.”

For a minute she showed no sign of even hearing what her lover had said. Then slowly, cautiously, Eos turned to face him. Her chin was held high but her eyes betrayed how afraid she felt, along with the involuntary shaking of her arms that she tried desperately to constrain. The white toga that was gathered under her chest was with it’s many folds designed to minimize the roundness of her growing belly but, as everyone in the room realized, she was too far along to do much masking of it. It was this which brought a smirk to the god’s face.

“So it’s true then.”

Eos glowered at him.

“Is it mine?”

She hesitated and looked at Maera, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say “Don’t ask me”. Finally, very subtly, she nodded her head in affirmation.

“And them?” He turned his eyes to Helestria and Anostaë, who appeared more than slightly alarmed at being under the scrutiny of the god Apollo himself. They didn’t seem to grasp the concept of what was being discussed, however. All they could do was stare wide-eyed at the man addressing them. When Eos nodded her head once more, all eyes fastened on the girls.

Anostaë’s jaw had dropped. Helestria’s eyes narrowed.

Eos screamed.

In a blur of a moment there were women surrounding her and blood-curdling shrieks filled the building. Shouts of “It’s too soon!” and “Hot water, now!” were the rare comprehensible phrases that could be made out. Helestria stood on her tiptoes to see the woman with dark chestnut hair who had appeared out of nowhere and was now crouching by the panting woman. Eos clung to her arm and tried to speak, to which the woman merely shushed her and stroked her hair.

“Breathe, Eos. Just breathe. You‘ve done this two times now, you can do it again.”

Her sister noticed Anostaë glance around at everyone in the room. She had never liked it when she wasn’t the center of attention but her curiosity seemed to overtake her vanity. Instantly she had hurried over and was crouching on the other side of Eos, watching with fascination as the other goddess massaged her abdomen. It was as if her hands had a magic touch in them as, with each stroke and pressure of her fingers, the goddess’s screams became more and more subdued. Helestria turned her face on the man who had stirred the uproar.

If there was one thing to be said about him, it was that he was very athletically built. Tall and with imposing strength of his arms and legs, his broad chest, it didn’t escape Helestria’s attention that, while females, her sister and herself had the same body structure as he. His hair was the same shimmering gold as Eos’s. His eyes, though... they were grey, just like theirs. Somehow it didn’t come as a shock to know that they were related.

Holding herself to her full height, Helestria walked over and stood by his side, staring up at him.

“Are you our father, then?”

At first his eyes didn’t leave Eos’s form sprawled on the floor. Then, after a moment or two, moved down to where his daughter stood. Impulsively Helestria shuddered. She felt his eyes boring into her own with more ferocity than she had ever encountered and yet she refused to look away. Instead she merely stared back at him, her chin raised ever so slightly.

He grinned.

“It would appear so, yes.”

“But if you are a god then how could you never have known about us? I was told gods know everything.”

“It appears you were misinformed, then.”

She hesitated.

“It is still difficult not to notice your lover when she is nine months with child, is it not?”

Apollo’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you calling me dense, child?”

“Perhaps I am. I’m sure I would have noticed had it been myself in your position.”

His hand raised threateningly but Helestria didn’t flinch. She knew she had gotten the last word and it gave her the confidence to face the beast of a man before her. The red flush in his face only gave her more satisfaction. He lowered his arm to his side, though his eyes still showed a threat.

“Do not think that because you are my daughter I will spare you from pain.”

She smiled contentedly, turning her face to the woman who‘s screams were growing louder and louder, the birth of the child within imminent.

“I am no man’s daughter.”

“Eileithyia, promise me something,” Eos gasped, clutching at the brunette woman’s hands.

“Hush, Eos.”

“Lei you must promise me this, please. Promise me!”

The goddess sighed.

“What is it?”

“Do not let Apollo touch my child. No matter what happens, do not let him touch her.”

Eileithyia blinked and looked over at Apollo. He glared angrily at her, daring her to comply. Daring her to go against his will. A glint came to her eyes, remembering how he had spurned her, and she squeezed her friend’s hand. “I swear it, Eos. He will not hold her.”

“Thank you Lei-” her voice broke off into a sudden high-pitched scream, then faded to a whimper. There in the arms of the waiting goddess lay a tiny wriggly thing with a shock of white hair. Anostaë leaned over Eos’s belly to get a better view.

“It’s ugly.”

Eileithyia smiled and bundled the child up in clean robes, cradling her.“She is your sister, Anostaë. Identical to how you and Helestria looked when you were born.”

Out of nowhere Maera jumped up and snatched the child, who instantly began screaming, from her arms. She held the bundle to her chest and glowered down at the half-conscious woman still lying in the arms of the women surrounding her. “This one is mine, Eos. You promised she would be, and I’m taking her.”

Eos attempted to speak but nothing other than a few gasps escaped her lips. She licked them and tried to sit up, then fell to the floor again. Eileithyia stood up and held out her arms. “Hand the child over. You know very well why you were made barren, and are lucky you were given these dears as foster children in the first place. She is not yours.”

Maera’s face crumpled up in displeasure, the pockmarks turning into potholes and the sparse hairs on her lip protruding even more than normal. “You can’t have her, I have claimed her!” She spat onto the feet of Eos, her left eye twitching slightly.

Eileithyia raised herself to her full height, her arms still outstretched.

“I warn you Maera, Hera will not take kindly to this and nor shall I.”

“Shit on you and Hera! You cannot hurt me you dirty, filthy-”

The room exploded into a roar of blinding white light, and the screams of the people in the room resulted in an aftermath of utter chaos. Helestria was suddenly jostled around in a stampede of those trying to escape, and she could feel that the god Apollo was no longer by her side. Beams of heat flew past her head.

“Anostaë, where are you! Can you hear me sister?”

She tripped over something big and heavy, and fell face first onto the marble. Looking down at her legs, squinting to see in the unnatural light, there lay the incinerated remains of Maera, the bundle still grasped tightly in her arms. Panicking at being so close to a dead body she pulled herself to her feet, screaming as loud as she could over the deafening roar.

“Anostaë, answer me!”

“Hele I’m over here!”

Faintly she could hear the terrified voice of her sister and as the light slowly began to dim to normal she saw her buried in the corpses of the women who had helped Eos in her delivery. Their remains were charred as well, and ashes were sticking to her hair and face. The near-hysterical expression on her underneath the mess was mingled with terror and disgust. Helestria ran over and grabbed her hands.

“Use your legs, I’ll pull you out.”

After many revolting sounds made from the crumbling human remains, the ashen-clad girl slid out onto the marble, coughing. Helestria pulled her to her feet and began swimming through the bodies on the floor towards the large oak doors they had entered from, then stopped. Anostaë looked up at her.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Wait here.”

She lowered her sister onto the floor and stumbled back to where Maera lay.

“The Troll is dead Hele, let’s go!”

“Not her, the baby!”

“Hele just leave it, who cares? Let‘s get out of here! The smell of burned flesh... I‘m going to be sick...”

Gingerly she reached into the clenched arms of Maera and pulled out the bundle covered with ash. Half-afraid of what she might see, she lifted the cloth and peered inside. There looking back at her were eyes as grey as her own, and a smile spread on the tiny pink lips. The child giggled.

Clutching the infant to her chest, Helestria made her way back to her sister.

“Follow me.”

With no real plans as to what would happen once they reached their destination, she led the way out of the palace and onto the dirt road through the village. Numerous people attempted to stop them, to ask what had happened, but Helestria refused to break their run. She knew that no one would believe their story but, what’s more, she knew she couldn’t risk putting herself and Anostaë at the mercy of those knowing they were on the run. It wasn’t until they had made it safely back in the forest and emerged near the stream did she let go of her sister only for both to collapse onto the ground, panting from the sprint.

In the distance she could vaguely make out the screams coming from their old home. By then the villagers must have wandered into the palace and found the corpses lining the hall. More than likely the girls were to be blamed. Looking down at Anostaë who, in her weariness, had already fallen asleep leaning against her shoulder, she knew that they were on their own. At ten years old, she was to be the mother to her six year old sister. It wasn’t that big of a stretch for her as she had been a mother to her their whole lives but... how would they survive on their own?

The bundle squirmed.

Helestria had forgotten about the baby, it had been so still the whole time. She moved away the fabric and looked once more into the face of her new sister. What Eileithyia had said was true- the child did look eerily like her older sisters. That same white hair, the grey eyes reminiscent of clouds on a rainy day. She held her finger out and placed it into the tiny hand that had crept out of the dirty robe and, when it clenched around her own and she saw the tiny eyelids flutter closed, she realized she was never given a name. Attempting to fight the squeezing in her heart, Helestria smiled down into the sleeping face of her baby sister.

“Happy birthday, Obsynne.”

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