The Goddess Ch 01 3

This is my first story! If people like it, I will continue. This chapter is pretty much just plot. No sex yet. Enjoy!

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"The time has come my child."

Wide dark brown eyes looked upwards into those of the temple priestess.

"I'm not ready" she spoke, standing up and pacing to the other side of the room. She stopped by a marble pillar and leaned on it, silently asking the priestess to engage in an argument.

The priestess sighed. "You are 7 years removed from your first blood. The prophecy has stated - "

"To hell with the prophecy" the girl muttered quietly. She twisted her hand in her skirt, willing herself not to vomit from the stress of hearing the priestess's words. She knew this day was coming but had managed to push it from her mind for as long as she possibly could. Now that the process was set to begin, she knew that she had no choice but to fulfill this destiny. The very least she could do was rebel slightly until her consort was chosen.

"You will have some say in the final candidate," the priestess reasoned. "He who would serve a goddess must have your approval." The girl cast her eyes downward.

It's not just that

, she thought to herself. "When will we start?" she asked. The priestess cracked a small, sympathetic smile. She knew the girl would be hesitant; the smart ones always were. Eventually she would come around. Perhaps that intelligence would translate into a wise mate. "We will begin making announcements around the villages. Men will come from far and wide, so it will take a while for all to respond and gather. Once we have everyone the process will begin."

The girl shook her head in affirmation and walked to the scroll room. She picked up a religious text and began to look at it until the words blurred together. She put her head down and began to sob quietly.

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Alexiarus was generally considered to be one of the handsomest men is his village. He was tall, olive skinned with dark hair that he kept well groomed. His best attribute was his flashing blue eyes, eyes that conveyed all emotion. However, he was not often seen with women. Rumors had circulated that he was more interested in men, but those had no basis. Rather, he was more discreet in his affairs, preferring to keep his relationships between himself and his lover. He was a man of some means, as his father had made them a good living as a merchant. Alexiarus helped by fishing for things to sell, bartering with other merchants, and taking trips to other villages to bring back goods to trade. He was about 22 years old, almost an old man by marrying standards, but he was happy and content with his life. He worked with his father, took care of his mother and siblings and regularly prayed at the temples in the village.

On his way to the market, Alexarius was alerted by a large gathering in the square. He spotted his cousin Leonidas, who waved him over. "What is going on?" he inquired. "Have you not heard?" Leonidas answered, quizzically. "They're searching for a consort for the goddess Athena."

Alexarius had heard of the incarnation of Athena. It was a girl that was selected from birth due to factors that showed the mark of Athena. She was raised by priestesses in the temple on the mountain that over looked the village. Seven years after her blood a sexual consort was chosen, and the two would be consulted in matters of prophecy until they died. A girl had not been selected in a long time, and Alexarius was sure his life would pass before another appeared. Apparently, the priestesses had selected one in secret and now was her turn to take a consort.

"I'm assuming all eligible men will be taking the journey to the mountain," Alexarius said. Leonidas clapped his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "You'll have to represent the both of us then, huh?" Leonidas had been married for all of 5 years now. "There is a chance I will not even be chosen," Alexarius observed. There were records of what happened when the last consort was picked. So many men gathered, but the majority were sent away within a few hours of arriving. They were unable to even see the goddess. No one was quite sure what criteria merited a man being chosen. Since the goddess chose to reveal herself in different ways, different kinds of men were selected in order to please her.

"I will start making arrangements for the journey that is upon us," Alexarius said to his family that night at dinner. "You should take one of the mules, so that you will not tire from carrying your wares," his father remarked. "Aye," he agreed and continued to eat. As he watched his family eat and be merry, Alexarius thanked the gods for his good fortune. He was excited to start on this adventure and prove his devotion, but he was also sure that he would not be picked as the final consort. At the very least, he hoped that he would make it inside the temple and see the goddess

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"My dear the suitors will be arriving in the morning," the temple priestess said, appearing in the girl's doorway. "Therefore, we will begin your preparations tonight and into the morning."

"That means I will be exhausted when they all arrive," the girl pointed out. "Such is the sacrifice of a goddess," the priestess said. "Rest now. Later we shall begin."

The girl slept for a while and was awoken a few hours before dawn. The priestesses first bathed her in water, cold and hot. They rubbed her body with different oils, that of rose, lavender, and of course, olive. As the ground the oil into her skin, the girl thought about how useless the fragrant rose and lavender were. It's not as if the men would get close enough to her to smell it. The priestesses spent hours on her hair, twisting it into a halo that would fit under her veil. After dressing her, she and the priestesses purified the temple and prayed for a favorable consort. The girl was left alone in her room for a while to pray and reflect. She began to hear voices and knew the suitors had descended on the mountain. It would be any moment now before the temple priestess came in and requested that she come out. The girl spent her last few minutes weaving a few flowers into her hair. "They're ready for you," she heard the temple priestess say. She gave a world-weary smile and stood up to join the older woman. She linked arms with the priestess and gave her a kiss as they strolled to the entrance of the temple.

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Alexarius arrived late enough that he was not in the front, but early enough that he was not in the very back. A group of young men had decided to travel up the mountain together and he had chosen to go with them. Although they talked along the way, none of them talked with confidence as if they would be chosen. Rather, they talked about what would happen to the ones that would be chosen and how the process would be. Since no one knew what she looked like, the goddess's looks were a subject of hot debate. Alexarius had chosen not to try and formulate an image, as he wanted to be surprised. A goddess could look like anything.

As he and his mule settled into a spot in the crowd, everyone began to murmur excitedly amongst themselves. After a while, the crowd started to fill up. So many people around further convinced him that there was no way he would be chosen as the final pick. Even his optimism about possibly getting inside the temple started to diminish. The odds were decidedly not in his favor. There were men from other villages who were much handsomer than he. He didn't know how much attractiveness would be factored into the decision, but he hoped that he was pleasing to look upon compared to some of the other men. Just then the temple priestess stepped into the entrance, and a hush fell over the crowd. Alexarius craned his head to see.

"Gentleman, may I present our incarnation of Athena," the priestess said with a smile. She stepped aside and motioned for the girl to step into the entrance. Alexarius was surprised. There had never been talk of the goddess making an appearance before the general crowd. He wondered what had brought on this change. He looked skyward to thank the gods. At least he would get to gaze at the face of a goddess in his lifetime. A shadow appeared in the entrance and then a brown foot stepped into the sunlight. The crowd went completely silent as she made her way outside. Alexarius realized why: she was black.

"She's an Ethiop," he heard someone near him whisper. Alexarius couldn't believe it himself. He watched, entranced as she reached to take off her veil. His mouth dropped open. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was so small, one wouldn't believe she was seven years past her blood. Until you saw how developed she was. Her dress couldn't hide her generous bust or hips. She was a vision in that red garment, trimmed with gold; the colors bringing out tones that inflamed his desire. Aside from her dainty hands and feet, her face and neck were the only parts of herself that she showed. Her eyes were so big and dark, her skin was mesmerizing, and her lips were full and sensual. He was sure that if they hadn't kept her under wraps she would've been someone's wife. He glanced around the crowd, realizing that one of them would get to lay with this beautiful creature. She actually looked like a goddess. There was no way she was an incarnation of Athena. She was Aphrodite herself.

The girl said nothing, only allowing herself to look at the suitors and for them to look at her. The temple priestess glanced at her out of the side of her eye. "Let's whittle them down then," the girl said simply. She gathered her robes and whisked herself back inside the temple. The lesser priestesses replaced the girl at the entrance. "Each of you choose 5 suitors to enter the temple. Let the gods guide your decision," the temple priestess said quietly. The 6 lesser priestesses then descended onto the crowd.

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Alexarius was highly disappointed that the goddess had went back into the temple. She had been so pleasing to gaze upon. Now that the lesser priestesses started to make their picks, he started to shift his belongings on the mule, preparing for the journey home. He couldn't help but feel jealous of those who were being ushered into the temple. They had the chance to look at the goddess once again. He closed his eyes and smiled. The image of her taking off her veil and revealing her face would be forever burned in his mind. At that moment he felt a hand softly clamp down on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a lesser priestess giving him a small smile. He immediately abandoned his mule and made his way into the temple.

Upon entrance, he took note of the scenery. The temple let in a lot of natural light, but there were candles and incense burning all around. The goddess was seated in the back of the room, guarded by the high priestess. After all the chosen men were inside, two of the lesser priestesses guarded the door to make sure the rejected ones took their leave. "You will all be given places to sleep and food to eat during your time in this process," the high priestess began. "Some of you will be here for a day, others much longer, and one, for eternity." The goddess turned her head slightly to the side. Alexarius was watching her every move, infatuated. He'd barely heard what the high priestess said. At one point the girl leaned down, flicking her floor length veil out of the way to scratch her ankle. This shifted her sleeves, exposing the brown flesh of her arm. Alexarius ran his hands through his hair. How would he ever talk to her? If they were even allowed to speak to a goddess. He hadn't even heard her voice. What did the voice of a goddess sound like?

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The girl was already tired. Today had been so long and now she was expected to play host to these strangers who were looking at her like a piece of meat. She was sure many of them had never seen anyone with her coloring before. She was afraid that that was causing many of them to be dismayed at having been chosen. No matter. If no one amongst them was deemed suitable then they would simply try again, casting the net wider than before. As she scanned the thirty of so men she began to think about the things that she would want in a consort. He would have to be intelligent of course. Well-educated and open to education. Peaceful where she was hot-headed. Handsome, too. If she had to spend eternity with him then he had to be pleasing to the eye. But she also knew that looks faded, and if anything, chemistry was important. The temple priestess said something, startling the girl out of her thoughts. "Yes?" The girl asked. "I asked if you were ready for introductions," she said. "Very well," the girl said.

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One by one they were to be brought up and introduced to the goddess. They had not been instructed on what to say to her. Alexarius wanted to say something that she would remember, but he was also terrified that he wouldn't be able to say anything when the time came. He had never been this infatuated with any of his previous conquests. Perhaps because none of them were divine. She looked bored there, on her throne, being admired by all. He couldn't imagine that any of them would be able to impress her. She had been raised on the highest forms of scholarly and religious texts. She had incredible foresight as an incarnation of Athena. She was a paragon of virtue.

Alexarius watched as men spoke their names and maybe said a few other things to her, but her face was immovable. Her expression unreadable. Eventually, his time came. He approached her cautiously, as though she were made of smoke and would evaporate. She was even more beautiful up close, staring at him with those inquisitive eyes. They dared him to say something that all the others had said. She fidgeted with her hands in her lap, but those eyes never moved. Since she was sitting, he towered over her. "Hello," she said to him in a lyrical voice, formal and detached. "What is your name?" he asked. It was then that her expression faltered. He assumed that up until this point, no one had asked her anything about herself, much less what she was called. "They have always called me Sofia," she said. "I suppose that is fitting. You are wisdom itself," he remarked with a smile. She let out a small laugh, stopping his heart. "Yes, I suppose it is," she paused, "and your name?" He smiled and bowed low. "I am Alexarius." The high priestess let out a small gasp that Sofia could hear, but she did not acknowledge it. Sofia thrust her hand outward. Alexarius grabbed it and softly kissed it, wanting to convey his infatuation in this gesture. He had to stop himself from kissing the length of her arm up to her soft neck and to those beautiful lips. Lips that held behind them the promise of her sweet mouth and tongue. She let out a small quiver, which did not go undetected. He dropped her hand and was then ushered along by the lesser priestesses. He shared a lingering gaze with the goddess and went to join the other men.

Alexarius knew that the people who would be chosen to move forward with the process would be chosen by the priestesses. The goddess would not get a say until the proposed final consort was before her. After the introductions were over, night was among them. Each man was shown where to sleep and given a small meal. Alexarius was able to see the goddess, Sofia, once again before he went to sleep. Seeing her stalk to the other side of the temple to her room, face illuminated by candles, garments dragging the floor, a searing look, filled him with need. His member began to swell, but he held off on touching himself. He couldn't do that in a temple.

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"He is the one," the temple priestess said.

"You don't know that," Sofia said, rolling her eyes. "There are thirty men here. After one conversation with number 11, you want him to be my consort."

"I am only stating facts, my child. He is named "One who wards off war." You are a goddess of intelligence, war strategy! It is complementary. It is written. Tell me you felt nothing when he touched you." The priestess argued.

Sofia hesitated. She knew the priestess was right with respect to those points, but Sofia was loath to choose a consort based on so little. "I did," she agreed, "but I have never been touched by a man." The priestess sighed. The girl was so stubborn at times.

"Your caution will serve you well, but you must learn to recognize a sign from the gods when it is in front of you," the priestess advised.

Sofia was fully aware now that Alexarius was the temple priestess's favorite, she would push him along in the process. He would at least make it past tomorrow, past the next elimination.