The Oracle of Delphi (Greek Myth Fantasy Series) Read Free

watched Dictys’ mouth open, about to object, then close again when he noticed his wife nodding her head toward them. With a smile toward Perseus, he excused himself and followed her inside.
    “You are a wonderful athlete,” his mother told him. “I am very proud of you, son.”
    “And you are a wonderful liar, Mother. I may be able to outrun anyone in a foot race or even throw a spear farther than the king’s men, but I am no athlete when it comes to tossing a discus.”
    He placed his arm around her shoulder as they walked along the beach. Hot sand beneath their feet cooled as the waves lapped at the shore. Danaë’s long robe dragged along the wet sand, leaving a trail behind them. A chain of island flowers Perseus had woven into a belt for her, hung low on her hips. Flower essence nearly as sweet as his beautiful mother drifted on the breeze.
    He wore the usual attire of the Greeks: a short white tunic ending just above his knees; a thick black belt encircling his waist; and a sword swinging from the scabbard he himself had constructed from leather.
    “You just need to hone your demi-god strength,” she told him. “With practice, you will be just fine.”
    “I’d rather not use it, than make a fool of myself. I can perform the sports better if I am in control.”
    “Every athlete needs to learn control,” she told him.
    “I’m not an athlete, Mother, unless I compete in the games of Athens. And we both know that will never happen unless I leave this desolate little island. I need to go to Athens where the real athletes are pitted against each other in games of skill.”
    “Don’t tell me you want to leave again.”
    “I’m a grown man, Mother. I need to go out and be part of the world, not be hidden away on a small island being raised as a fisherman. I am the son of Zeus, King of the Gods. You’ve told me to be proud of who begot me. But how can I, when I live the life of a hermit, hidden away from the rest of the world?”
    “It is best if you stay right here, Perseus. ’Twould be better for all involved.”
    “And why is that?” he asked. “What are you keeping from me, Mother?”
    She feigned a laugh. It was forced and awkward. She tried to blink the wetness from her eyes, but Perseus saw her tears.
    “This island is our home, Perseus. We don’t need to go anywhere else.”
    “Someone needs to leave, if only to show King Polydectes that he cannot control us. I’ve stayed for you all these years, but it’s time to move on now. I’m going to take you away from here, Mother. We will go to the mainland and live among others who were begot by the gods. I will make you proud by competing in the skilled games. Who knows, I may even decide to climb Mt. Olympus and finally get to meet my father.”
    “Perseus, I understand your burning desire to explore. I once had it too, many years ago. But this is our home. If we left, where would we live?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Mayhap Sparta or Athens.” He watched his mother’s face as a shadow seemed to darken her features. “Or perhaps … Argos,” he continued.
    She had never told him they had once lived in Argos, but somehow he knew. His suspicions were confirmed when he noticed the alarmed look in her eyes.
    “Why did you take me from my homeland?” he asked. “What is it you are trying to keep from me?”
    “I was trying to protect you, son, by keeping you here. I didn’t take you from Argos. We were sent away by the hand of my own father. I’ve been trying to cheat the Fates, but I can see it’s of no use. I think it is time I told you the whole truth.”
    Perseus sat his mother down under a tree and took a place at her side. The crowd dispersed behind him, going about their daily chores of fishing, stomping grapes into wine, and plowing the fields - all for the king.
    The skies over Seriphus were brighter than his mother’s eyes. The sands, like gold, sparkled in the sun, graced by the aqua waters of Poseidon, King of the Sea. He