Chapter 81: Plans
“Ha…” Eutostea sighed, leaving the pair alone to their bickering and sat on the edge of the pond with her skirts rolled up, filling the golden chalice with liquor. The golden cup, which should’ve been a pair of two, had only one left. Dionysus said he’d lost his somewhere. She thought it amusing that it’d taken him this long to lose with that clumsy personality of his. He shrugged, though. Said that it’d come back on its own and casually dismissed the issue with a wave of his hand. Eutostea thought that he had left it in an unusual place. It hadn’t come back after two days had passed. The god she served truly had little care for earthly possessions.
As Eutostea sank by the brass bowl, she lit the candles and looked at the pond where fireflies floated. Apollo and Dionysus fluttered on both sides of her. They each held their glasses as if they had decided that drinks came before arguments. It was Dionysus’ wine. Eutostea was offered a glass, but she declined. She wasn’t up for a heavy meal, so she had yogurt and a light drink.
It was quiet, but the silence was comfortable.
“Great work,” Dionysus said to Eutostea.
“The western forest still needs a lot of work.”
“You can leave it as it is.”
It was a dense forest path with weeds and woody vines rolling around. Dionysus let the plants grow as they pleased.
“That’s where Ariadne’s tomb belongs,” Apollo chimed in. “Actually, this temple itself is her grave.”
“Do I have to hold a memorial for her separately?” asked Eutostea.
At her pure questioning, Dionysus let out a cheerful laugh. “No, just ignore it like it doesn’t exist. Anne would want it like that.”
Anne. It was the name Dionysus called in his sleep. Was his love for her heartbreaking that he was moved to tears in his dreams? Eutostea was surprised to discover this new side to him. She finished her yogurt with her eyebrows arched up.
“Now that the temple’s redecorated, what do you plan to do, Eutostea?” asked Dionysus.
“My priestly duties, of course.”
“Management of the temple?”
“No, attracting devotees.”
It was a calm remark, one he hadn’t expected.
Looking at the dazed Dionysus, it looked like he’d been hit in the head. She explained her thoughts. “You can’t bait the people with oracles like the temple in Delphi, but since we’ve decorated this temple well, we should increase the number of visitors to the temple by promoting your sovereign power. It looks like you haven’t received a single prayer from a visitor so far. The issue could possibly lie in the difficulties of travel. There’s no way to travel from land to here without a ferry because of the huge river.”
“They don’t need to come…”
“So I plan to ask the god of the Pactolus River to put stepping stones. It’d be locked in the soil during the rising hours of the early dawn, and since it’ll be dry in the late morning to the afternoon, the bridge would be exposed. We can manage to attract visitors even for a short visit. The limited visiting hours will add to the mystique of the temple, too.”
“What will the river god do?”
“I plan to ask him a favor while giving him more mead. I’ve already invited him to the upcoming festival, so we’ll need a few guests present to make this happen as soon as possible.”
The river god, he was quite the festival, women, and liquor-loving gramps. Dionysus sighed and placed his head on the palm of his hand.
“Does your drink not affect him because he’s the river god?” Apollo added, listening to her story. He observed Eutostea with curious eyes. He thought he knew everything around him and all things happening in Mount Olympus, but the incompatibility of powers and a priest who interprets and transforms the power of the god she served in her own way… it was new to him. The changes happening to Eutostea was new.
“Yes, he liked it. He said it was full of flavors.”
“I’m a little jealous of him,” said Apollo.
The river god had the privilege of savoring her drink while keeping his mind sane. He never thought that he’d become jealous of one of the lower gods. He must’ve lived too long a life.
Chapter 81: Plans
“Ha…” Eutostea sighed, leaving the pair alone to their bickering and sat on the edge of the pond with her skirts rolled up, filling the golden chalice with liquor. The golden cup, which should’ve been a pair of two, had only one left. Dionysus said he’d lost his somewhere. She thought it amusing that it’d taken him this long to lose with that clumsy personality of his. He shrugged, though. Said that it’d come back on its own and casually dismissed the issue with a wave of his hand. Eutostea thought that he had left it in an unusual place. It hadn’t come back after two days had passed. The god she served truly had little care for earthly possessions.
As Eutostea sank by the brass bowl, she lit the candles and looked at the pond where fireflies floated. Apollo and Dionysus fluttered on both sides of her. They each held their glasses as if they had decided that drinks came before arguments. It was Dionysus’ wine. Eutostea was offered a glass, but she declined. She wasn’t up for a heavy meal, so she had yogurt and a light drink.
It was quiet, but the silence was comfortable.
“Great work,” Dionysus said to Eutostea.
“The western forest still needs a lot of work.”
“You can leave it as it is.”
It was a dense forest path with weeds and woody vines rolling around. Dionysus let the plants grow as they pleased.
“That’s where Ariadne’s tomb belongs,” Apollo chimed in. “Actually, this temple itself is her grave.”
“Do I have to hold a memorial for her separately?” asked Eutostea.
At her pure questioning, Dionysus let out a cheerful laugh. “No, just ignore it like it doesn’t exist. Anne would want it like that.”
Anne. It was the name Dionysus called in his sleep. Was his love for her heartbreaking that he was moved to tears in his dreams? Eutostea was surprised to discover this new side to him. She finished her yogurt with her eyebrows arched up.
“Now that the temple’s redecorated, what do you plan to do, Eutostea?” asked Dionysus.
“My priestly duties, of course.”
“Management of the temple?”
“No, attracting devotees.”
It was a calm remark, one he hadn’t expected.
Looking at the dazed Dionysus, it looked like he’d been hit in the head. She explained her thoughts. “You can’t bait the people with oracles like the temple in Delphi, but since we’ve decorated this temple well, we should increase the number of visitors to the temple by promoting your sovereign power. It looks like you haven’t received a single prayer from a visitor so far. The issue could possibly lie in the difficulties of travel. There’s no way to travel from land to here without a ferry because of the huge river.”
“They don’t need to come…”
“So I plan to ask the god of the Pactolus River to put stepping stones. It’d be locked in the soil during the rising hours of the early dawn, and since it’ll be dry in the late morning to the afternoon, the bridge would be exposed. We can manage to attract visitors even for a short visit. The limited visiting hours will add to the mystique of the temple, too.”
“What will the river god do?”
“I plan to ask him a favor while giving him more mead. I’ve already invited him to the upcoming festival, so we’ll need a few guests present to make this happen as soon as possible.”
The river god, he was quite the festival, women, and liquor-loving gramps. Dionysus sighed and placed his head on the palm of his hand.
“Does your drink not affect him because he’s the river god?” Apollo added, listening to her story. He observed Eutostea with curious eyes. He thought he knew everything around him and all things happening in Mount Olympus, but the incompatibility of powers and a priest who interprets and transforms the power of the god she served in her own way… it was new to him. The changes happening to Eutostea was new.
“Yes, he liked it. He said it was full of flavors.”
“I’m a little jealous of him,” said Apollo.
The river god had the privilege of savoring her drink while keeping his mind sane. He never thought that he’d become jealous of one of the lower gods. He must’ve lived too long a life.
