A GODDESSES PARADISE (girlxgirlxgirl)

4; Into the palace

"Her village is nothing compared to this place"

🌿

Irene has honestly never seen anything so big, not even in her history books.

But what can she expect? Being raised in a small fishing village far away from other cities and towns does have an effect on how you see things. All the houses are one or two stories tall, never anything else. The richest person in the village owns two wooden boats and a house with glass on the windows, two floors, and a small garden. Yet despite that small achievement, people still stare at his properties with awe, thinking that he must be one of the richest people in the world. Even in school, their one and only history book (that was shared) didn't include any photos of temples or buildings this big.

Irene has no idea why this city has more than one temple. The one they just walked past, with the huge gardens and animals, was already big enough to satisfy the people of the city, right? So why make another, huge, temple? Because Irene can't speak or understand their language, she has no idea about what is going on, or what the temples are made for. All she knows is that this temple, in the center of the city near the water, is terrifyingly big and decorated with so many fancy things it makes her head spin.

No offense to that guy in her village, but even the poorest houses in this city leave him in the dust.

Nadya still has a firm grip over her wrist, but not hard enough to hurt her. Especially now that Irene has given up on fighting, and is moving through the marble city willingly. She feels incredibly out of place in her brown and broken clothing, short figure and bruises. Irene is sure that she has looked at each and every person that she came by here, and not a single one is shorter or as short as her. She wonders what is going on with these people. Are they human at all? They all walk with so much comfort, power or calm, with character and some with smiles on their faces. Things that seem almost impossible in her poor village.

The three girls exit the small, narrow street and enter the big main road. This road leads from the opening of the city, through the market square, right to the temple of Hera. Of course, Irene has no idea of this, but she can only stare with awe at how many people are walking here, and how big it is. Some market stands lay by the road, and a sea of women walk to and from the temple. Some guards stand around, dressed in short white dresses, white pants, a leather belt and a golden chest plate and helmet. They have big swords in their belts, and Irene almost feels intimidated. But since they all look friendly, sometimes smiling and talking with the people around, she doesn't have the heart to be scared.

The temple is only a few minutes away, and it looks even bigger from the front. Two pairs of wide, long marble steps lead up there. In the middle of those two stairs are long white platforms of marble, where guards stand, checking everyone who comes in and out, dismissing some. On the very top of the second set of stairs are huge white marble poles that hold up the ceiling. Very much like the ruins in her history book, but clear and stable, not broken at all. Another set of guards stand by the opening to the temple, or palace, and barely let any people walk inside. On the east and west side of the temple are two smaller temples, where more people walk in and out. Irene has no idea what this place is used for or where she is, but since she has no other choice, she lets Nadya and Penelope lead her up the first set of stairs.

It's more exhausting than she first imagined, and with the bruises on her feet and overall tiredness, it's even harder. Nadya and Penelope are kind enough to walk really slowly, but they also know that it's best to hurry things up. Irene understands completely despite not speaking their language, for she too doesn't like the stares of the people around her. Clearly they are looking at her because she looks different, and Irene gives up on exploring this place with her eyes and simply looks down, focusing on walking up the stairs.