The boy woke up on a comfortable mattress with the hot sun caressing his hair and cheeks. The heavy smell of milk had covered his nose as he was about to open his sore eyes. He could see now that Ishani was all smiling with joy while she was taking care of him, treating his wounds. She explained slowly that she found him at her doorstep, gasping from the pain and blood dripping all over his body. Dimitri couldn’t believe that he actually was in so much pain before, but now, as he was trying to move, he could feel a million needles piercing his arms and legs.

  She had treated his wounds carefully, and he told her that he and his teacher wanted to come and help with the secret wedding, but danger appeared on their journey. Which was not all lies, but it was better to tell this than the whole truth. He later explained that his teacher will probably come sooner or later.

  Ishani nodded, smiled gently, and said that when he had the strength to come outside, there was a friend of his waiting in the main room.

  Friend was a strong word, because when he got out, he found a tall man with paper milk skin, long dark hair, and covered eyes with a green fabric. His clothes were once again a rich black and golden tunic, but it was more of a northern attire rather than eastern and south with his hands being surprisingly bare of any jewels, and his dark hair was now free from any ribbons.

  And Dimitri wanted to return to his room.

  ‘’Such a rude host you are,’’ Hermes chuckled and looked at Ishani, who was still smiling gently at Hermes. But he did not seem to have the same reaction to her.

  ‘’Shall we go for a walk?’’He suggested this, and they were walking outside the house with Ishani watching them over.

  When they were out of her house, Hermes grunted.’’Is this woman a demon?’’

  Dimitri blinked, thinking of the time she got possessed by Mara.

  ‘’Well, she had one inside her body if I remember right.’’

  And Hermes’ lips got pressed into a thin line. ‘’I do not like her; she seems odd.’’

  Says the man who has the form of a goat and a rooster.

  ***

  They were sitting in a tavern, and the boy was shocked that Hermes paid for his dinner. How long has it been without food? It didn’t matter because in front of him, there was a feast of meat, fruits, vegetables, and even sweet dried dates. He began to gobble everything up like a wild animal while Hermes was slowly drinking his wine.

  ‘’Would you like to drink?’’He asked the boy, offering him a glass.

  Scared Dimitri, tried to say no. What was he doing with him/ Why was he there? Where was his teacher?

  ‘’She is alright if you want to know’’Hermes explained. ‘’She will come sooner or later.’’

  So, the boy nodded and kept eating the goose thigh he hadinn his hand.

  ‘’So,’’ Dimitri narrowed and swallowed the meat hard on his throat. ‘’What now?’’

  Hermes scoffed. ‘’Well, she had freed him, and they seem to want to spend their mortal time together.’’

  Mortal life? Did that mean that his teacher was now human? What would come next?

  Dimitri could see that Hermes’ interest was wandering somewhere else, with the people talking around the tavern about the fate of the world and what was happening backino the capital.

  ‘’It seems that I lost my only bet horse’’He sighed. ‘’Shame, I wanted to have the same power as I once had.’’

  ‘’But you are the god of gambling, are you not?’’

  And Hermes laughed.’’Exactly, I should have won, but it seems time changes.’’’

  Dimitri took a bite from the dates and finally asked him.

  ‘’Why did you save me back there?’’

  The god’s gaze turned to the boy, and his smile faded.’’I saw your teacher caring for you.’’

  The boy’s shoulders relaxed.

  ‘’At first, I wanted to see her suffer, I wanted to remind her what she was for me. Maybe if I could hurt you, her ward, maybe she could see that there was no escape from he brown fate.’’

  Dimitri raised one brow.’’Of course.’’

  ‘’But then, when I saw her in how much despair she was…I did not enjoy it. I actually hated it. And when I saw your dream world…’’His words were cut off, deep and grunted.

  ‘’You have the same curse as your teacher’’He mumbled, and Dimitri did not want to learn more about that comment. Maybe he didn’t want to show him that he actually cared for him or anyone else.

  ‘’Also’’Hermes took a sip from Dimitri’s glass. ‘’I would like the dagger.’’

  Oh. Dimitri began searching his bag until he found the blade and showed it to him.

  ‘’What are your plans with it?’’He asked.

  ‘’Have you ever heard of Ragnarok boy? Of course, you haven’t’’

  He didn’t even try to answer that question. But Dimitri had heard from his Teacher that the Norsemen believed that it would be their own Apocalypse.

  ‘’A few centuries back, there was a village in the Norse lands that was considered Elysium for them. One day, your teacher drew her blade there and made it vanish, making those people believe that the end of the world was near.’’

  He wasn’t surprised that he had done that. There was not even a shocked expression on his face. But he realised what he meant. It was dangerous for people to hold it.

  ‘’Will you destroy it?’’He asked Hermes.

  And the man replied with a heavy breath.’’It will not be easy, but I will find a way.’’ And with that, Dimitri gave it to him, thinking that he would trust him with a powerful weapon like that.

  ‘’So,’’ Dimitri fidgeted, his thumbs nervous. ‘’What now? What will you do?’’

  The god’s face carved a warm smile.’’I lost my bet. And..I give up trying to make your Teacher see her fate.’’He stood up slowly. ‘’I think that with all of this, I lost my way too…Of what a god I actually am for the few people that still believe in me.’’

  One more deep breath.

  ‘’It’s funny. Lyssandra always believed that power shifts.’’

  Dimitri tried to look more clearly at the man.

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  ‘’She thought that there would be an enormous change in the world because of her, everyone turning to her side or even holding the power.’’

  Power shifts. She once mumbled back to the underworld. But there was no sign of shifting.

  ‘’However, she was also a toad, living in a well. Couldn’t see the ocean outside and the waves she had caused.’’

  His eyes opened wide.

  She was once a woman forsaken by gods, filled with rage and thirst for vengeance. But over the years, she had made gods respect her. And her rage slowly vanishes through time.

  She couldn’t see it.

  ‘’Maybe I will travel,’’Hernes touched his sharp jaw. ‘’Find my few followers…’’And his head turned to the boy.

  ‘’Would you like to come with-’’

  ‘’Not a million chances in Hell’’Dimitri interrupted him fast. And the god let out a loud laugh.

  ‘’Yes, I do not think you would have been a good companion for me.’’

  And with that, he began to walk away, waving his hand at him. ‘’See you in a few years.’’ He spoke ominously and finally vanished.

  Dimitri knew that his teacher would be late even if she had promised it. But he didn’t care as he had more important things to do, like preparing a secret wedding in Cairo. He was bringing flowers as the groom while Ishani was pretending to be his wife. He was arranging everything, and it seemed that even in the port, there was the familiar ship. Captain Marcus and Jonah, the man with half the fingers, appeared and began cheering for the boy as he showed him what he brought for the wedding.

  Joyful now, Dimitri noticed that there was no Michael.

  And then, Marcus and Jonah took out their hats.

  ‘’He got married’’They both wept, and Dimitri arched his brow.

  It seemed that he found a good wife on a trip in Rome, and he would never set foot on a ship ever again.

  He kept helping everyone, with now more men to help out, while Ishani and her beloved were preparing themselves in sweets and dresses.

  The wedding was about to happen in a secret cave, with Ishani being dressed in bright purple clothing with her beloved in a red one. Dimitri learned quickly the ceremony he had to prepare with spices and herbs and praying to the gods above. And now, he wished for his teacher to be near.

  ‘’You will do it wrong’’A voice of a witch echoed right behind him, and he turned to see a woman with scars on her face. Raven long curls and her one good eye in the shade of emerald.

  Marcus and Jonah, looked now their ones eunich teacher, turning to be a woman all alone, making their jaws drop and their faces flushed.

  ‘’I won’t do it wrong’’Dimitri lifted his head and took a better look to see the man who was next to her. There was nothing godlike or important characteristic that the boy was expecting to see. Just a very handsome man.

  ‘’You…’’ Dimitri’s lips parted. ‘’I almost died for him?’’He gasped and tried to hold out his pain from his still-healing wounds, and he now looked at their fingers. Right on their right hands, there were two golden rings.

  And Dimitri stood there, shocked.

  ‘’When did-’’

  ‘’Let’s continue the wedding’’Lyssandra spoke, and the man stared at the boy for a while.

  ‘’Nice to meet you kid’’He said, offering his hand. ‘’I am Apol- Paris’’He said after.

  And Dimitri blinked. Apollo? He tried to say Apollo. Was that the god that the old myths were saying?

  ‘’Dimitri.’’

  Demetria 743 AD

  The boy had now become a man with a family and kids. A bright apothecary with Lyssandra’s and Paris's help. In the bright sun, he could see his wife playing with his newborn daughter while he was getting ready for work. He never expected him to get a family. A family that loved him so much. It seemed that everything shifted.

  And so was the Teacher that he had. Even if she wasn’t now so often at the shop, she was travelling the world once again, leaving Pup to play with Dimitri's children. But this time, she wasn’t alone. With Paris on her side, it seemed to write more letters, showing where they were going. But he wished they could have taken Pup with them

  753 AD

  They finally settled in the same city as Dimitri was. He could see them in the house up on a hill, gardening flowers and talking. They were smiling like it was their first time they met. Pup was once again with them, but it seemed that he was growing weaker. And it also looked like his once Teacher was growing some gray streaks. Just like her beloved. But even when they were fighting or crying, they were always returned to each other's grasp. He wondered if they could remember who they were before all of it. That one of them was a god, the other was a very old oracle. Maybe he had to write everything in a book. Maybe he had to tell those stories to someone.

  Their house was growing slowly each year with children, and they had lost their homes and families. The teacher had said that she wanted to protect people like her. Lost causes that have the seed of wrath growing inside their souls. Causes that they would need protection and love. But as soon as they were growing, they were leaving and trying to visit as soon as they could and wanted.

  773 AD.

  Dimitri was the one to dig the grave of his wife. Everyone was crying and weeping at the sight of the corpse being dragged to the ground. And with the angle of his eyes, he found his teacher and her beloved now getting shorter, growing older. That year made the once god to break into pieces. He was shouting, he was arguing with Lyssandra louder than before. And as he walked out of his house, Dimitri was waiting for him, sitting on the porch.

  ''I cannot watch her'' He admitted. ''I do not know how I will..''

  His golden hair had turned silver, his sharp face turned soft, and his eyes were all so tired. It might have been the first time he faced mortality like this. Feeling so weak and tired. And he was in such sorrow, knowing that he might not see Lyssandra ever again. Now, he was embracing the death of one of his beloveds so slowly. He couldn't handle it. Because the mortals can leave without the gods. But gods cannot live without mortals. And also..

  ''Do you want to face her ending alone?''Dimitri asked wisely.

  Mortals cannot live alone.

  Paris' tired eyes looked around in the darkness and faced one of Dimitri's daughters, who was walking with a basket full of food.

  ''Thank you, dear'' Dimitri said with a weeping tone, and Paris walked back inside. With a corner of his gaze, he found Pari dropping to his knees with a bunch of hemlock on his hands. He was barely keeping his shaking legs in shape , but Lyssandra seemed to enjoy it with her trembling smile ending close to her ears.

  783 AD

  ‘’What’s that?’’The teacher asked Dimitri, showing her a white flower.

  ‘’Hemlock, Teacher’’He explained and showed her the garden again, which Paris kept growing more and more. But the teacher let out a smile and took it from his hand.

  ‘’Yes, Hemlock, I know…what does it do again?’’ She asked once more and tried to eat it, but the once boy, took it away from her. Now Dimitri couldn’t bear to see his teacher in so much pain. She had begun to forget herself. The way of the medicine, the myths, the pain that she had seen. However, he wouldn’t let her get forgotten in time. He knew that she would hate it. So, he wrote down everything. Each detail that he had learnt from her or Paris. Each adventure they had both endured. Her love and sadness will never be forgotten, as he had told even his children and grandchildren about a woman living for centuries, making the impossible possible. A woman with the form of a beast, the tongue of a snake, and yet, with a heart drunk in kindness. She wouldn’t die in anguish. And she wouldn’t die alone.

  Because Paris was so close to her now, kissing her forehead.

  ‘’I am here, my Oracle’’He whispered and she held his hand tight, her soul, knowing very well who it was.

  Their faces had turned to raisins as the time came to an end.

  No matter the pain, they endured, the god of life and the woman who once brought him suffering, they were now holding hands with their time slowly ending.

  Painfully now, Dimitri walked out of the house, letting them talk once again, and he saw that Pup was standing great and tall, showing something outside the meadow.

  In front of him, there was a god that he once forgot existed. For a while, he thought that everything that happened decades ago was a bad dream. But there he was. In a mournful and tired expression, he touched Pup’s golden head and whispered.

  ‘’You protect her well’’

  And the dog slowly passed on.

  ‘’What happens after that?’’Dimitri asked the god. And he turned to him with a painful grin. What will happen to them?

  ‘’Life keeps going.’’ He said and smiled at him like they were long lost friends.

  He wondered for a while what happened after that visit. Did they turn to gods? Did they stay together for eternity? Or they fought and never spoke to each other ever again? Maybe the woman with the sharp tongue finally got punished.

  Or maybe, they were in another meadow, in a house with a garden filled with daffodils, and they were embracing the sunlight of the endless music of their love.

  END OF FORGOTTEN RHAPSODY