Alithea

Chapter II: House of the Gods

Before Alithea had time to even blink, the god grabbed her wrist, and they flew out of her home.

"Father!" she cried, reaching out to the one person who could have kept her on earth.

Hermes and Alithea whooshed out of her humble home, and then ascended at a stomach-churning pace—what looked like regular-sized homes and people suddenly became the size of the dolls Alithea had had in her youth! They burst through clouds and the temperature got colder. She clung to the god, hearing a high-pitched noise searing through her ears before realizing it was her scream. She shut her eyes and focused on the feel of her hands, tightly balled in the god's cape.

"Please, Alithea, don't fret! I gotcha."

His words did nothing to calm her. However, the temperature began to change; it went from freezing to warming up.

"Hermes!" she shrieked. "I'm begging you, Lord, put me down!" Tears barely escaped her eyes before they were ripped away by the wind whipping around them.

"Oh darling, you'll get your wish!"

Just as suddenly as they left the earth, they landed upon a soft, cool ground. He laid the young woman down, but her eyes stayed tightly shut.

"Alithea," Hermes said gently. "Alithea, honey, we're here. You can open your eyes."

"Please tell me we're back down on earth," she begged.

This time, Hermes grabbed her arms with impatience and lifted her up. "Hop up, darling; there's absolutely no time for this nonsense. Open your eyes, say chaire, you're on Olympus!"

This entire exchange, from being at her altar to being—wherever she was—had shaken Alithea in a way she had never been shaken before. She opened her eyes and saw her feet sinking into soft, white mist. Around her, the sky was pink before fading into cerulean, and then an ultramarine color. It was...beautiful. White clouds fluffed ahead of them, but they appeared warm and inviting. Ahead was the most beautiful city Alithea had ever seen, with pristine painted columns, elaborately carved pediments, and glittering bronze statues everywhere.

"Welcome to Olympus, darling," Hermes grinned. He began to walk towards the largest temple complex with large, confident strides, waving at almost everyone he saw. she struggled to keep up, wanting to sit and gaze at everything.

"Lord Hermes, are those...other gods?" she asked timidly, gazing at the beings that populated the beautiful city.

"Most of them," he shrugged, like it was absolutely no big deal that she, a mortal was up here.

"Am I going to die?" she demanded. He stopped and looked at her like she had grown two heads.

"No, you're not going to die, darling," he said. "You're going to receive your destiny." The way he said that this time did not sound inspiring, and the grim look on his face confirmed her fears. They walked past deities, both major and minor, as they walked to the large palace in the center of the city. Alithea kept her head down for fear of offending someone with power over her mere mortal life.

Her footsteps echoed on the marble floor as they walked into the palace, Hermes silently floating beside her. Inner columns bordered niches filled with colossal, brightly painted statues of the gods. Hermes noticed that she was staring at the sculptures and stopped in front of a sculpture of himself.

"Phidias did a great job, didn't he?" Hermes stated proudly. "Although he looks a little more boyish than me."

To be truthful, Alithea thought the likeness looked exactly like the youthful god, but she didn't say anything.