/I'm nothing special,/ Melite insisted, and her words were accompanied by more feelings of shame and anger.

"But you said your dad's the magistrate," I frowned, "Doesn't that mean he's the local ruler or something?"

/My father is a traitor and a coward,/ the voice in my head announced bitterly. /He betrayed our people and my friends, in service of a distant king who's never even seen our lands with his own eyes. And he offered me to a cruel foreign general in order to win favour for himself./

Her emotions came through so loudly I almost cringed, and my tall fuzzy ears drooped so they hung down past my cheeks on either side of my face. We were both silent for the next few seconds, then I finally started walking again.

"I'm sorry Melite," I mumbled softly as we continued our long hike. "That really sucks."

The sun was low in the sky behind us, and the stretched-out shadows left the unfamiliar forest feeling almost otherworldly. In fact I started feeling a little jumpy again, like after the day I'd had I couldn't help worrying that we were about to run into something else from ancient Greek mythology. Like a cyclops or Medusa or whatever.

Eventually I realized Melite hadn't said anything for a while, and I really needed the conversation to keep my mind off my fears and all my other problems. Unfortunately I wasn't sure what else to talk about, so for now I stuck to the same topic we'd been on earlier.

"You said your dad betrayed your people," I commented. "What did he do exactly? Was that back when the Achaemenids conquered the city?"

There was another mix of negative emotions as the voice in my head started speaking again.

/No, that happened before even my father's time. His betrayal was more recent. I mentioned there was a revolt not long ago? When word of the rebel fleet reached our city my father was quick to support them with words, but much slower to offer men and silver to aid their cause. When the rebellion failed he was even quicker to voice his support of the Achaemenid overlords. And when they demanded tribute, my father didn't hesitate to give them everything they wanted./

That left me with a bad feeling in my stomach as I asked, "What did they want? What did your father give them?"

/They demanded the city's most handsome boys, and an equal number of the city's most beautiful girls. My father's men rounded them up, and he personally turned them over to his masters. The Achaemenids castrated the boys before sending them back to their families. They didn't return the girls though. Instead they were taken far away, to the heart of the Achaemenid empire. They were given to Darius himself, to join the king's harem. None of them will ever see their homes, their families, or their friends again./

Her answer was accompanied by a palpable bitterness, strong enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I stopped in my tracks once more as I processed the news, and that cold feeling in my gut got even worse. I was almost afraid to hear the answer but I asked anyways, in a soft sympathetic voice.

"Were you friends with some of them?"

This time when Melite responded her words were accompanied by an almost overwhelming sense of sorrow and loss.

/Just one. Her name was Daphne. My father has never admitted the truth, but she was one of the most beautiful girls in the entire city. She disappeared along with the others, and I have not seen or heard from her in the two years since./

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled. "I wish there was something I could do..."

/There is nothing anyone can do. But thank you Chloe, I appreciate the sentiment./

After another couple seconds I started walking again. And as we continued our trek east towards this mountain temple I asked, "What was Daphne like?"

Melite didn't respond right away so I added, "Sorry if it's too painful to talk about her. I didn't mean to upset you."

/It's ok Chloe,/ she replied. Her words were accompanied by more feelings of sadness and loss as she continued, /I first met Daphne when we were both young girls. Her father was a wealthy merchant, and had frequent business with my father. In a way we grew up together. We were each other's best and closest friend and confidante./

While the sadness remained constant I noticed some flickers of remembered joy, and maybe a bit of embarrassment as the voice in my head continued talking about happier times.

/Daphne shared my disdain for the idea of marrying or laying with a man. We naively spoke of running away together, of becoming each other's wife so neither would have need of a husband. So much for the plots and plans of silly young girls./

"There's nothing wrong with that," I insisted. "I mean, where I'm from it's totally ok for two women to get married. Or two men."

After a moment I admitted, "Ok a few folks don't like the idea, but I mean it's totally legal. And most people are ok with it. Love is love, right?"

/That sounds nice,/ Melite responded with some bittersweet emotions.

I nodded slowly then asked, "What did Daphne look like? You said she was really pretty right?"

/She had the most perfect face, and her smile sent my heart soaring. She wore her hair long, it easily came down within a hand's length of her waist. And it was a deep vibrant brown, that glowed with warmth under the mid-day sun. Her eyes were a mystical blend of brown, green, and gold, and when she was happy they sparkled so perfectly one could lose themself in their depths. Daphne and I were the same height when I last saw her. Even without Apollo's curse I expect she would be taller than myself by now. She was but sixteen when the Achaemenids took her to serve their king, and would be eighteen today. Assuming she still lives./

Melite's emotions were up and down during that description, but ended on another bittersweet note that left me sharing her pain once again. I really wanted to help her somehow, even if it seemed impossible.

"What about her parents?" I asked. "Have you tried talking to them? Even if your dad won't tell you the truth, maybe Daphne's parents would know something?"

That triggered more feelings of anger and loss as she responded, /Daphne's father was an outspoken supporter of the revolt. After it was over the Achaemenids put him to death and seized his properties, including his wife. She was sold into slavery./

"Ah fuck," I swore to myself. "I'm sorry Melite. I wish there was something I could do to help."

/As I said there is nothing to be done. I will never see Daphne again. I can only hope she met a swift and merciful death before she was forced to serve the king./

That left me feeling a mix of sadness and hopelessness, and I honestly wasn't sure anymore if those were my own emotions or if they were coming from Melite. Or maybe it was a blend of both. Either way I decided to let that topic go, since it was obviously a very painful subject.

I noticed the terrain was getting a little more rugged as we kept moving east, and the uphill slope was steep enough that the journey felt a lot more like a hike than a walk. I couldn't help feeling glad that my invisible companion insisted I put the sandals back on, or I'd have had a lot more trouble getting through this area. Especially as it got even darker out.

My ears drooped down once again as I commented, "Is it safe to be out here like this? Or should we try and find somewhere to stop for the night? My feet are still achey from before, and I'm getting kind of tired. I'm really thirsty too."

Then an audible grumble from my tummy called attention to another problem, "I'm also starving."

I finally stopped as I felt another pang of fear and uncertainty, "I uh, I don't know how much longer I can go on like this Melite."

It was a few seconds before she responded. And when she did her words reflected some of my own anxiety, but also they also carried a sense of confidence and resolve.

/Please don't stop Chloe. I know you're tired, but it's too dangerous to sleep in the open out here. And you won't easily find food or water, not at night. We're almost there, the temple can't be too far away now. There you will find food and drink, and somewhere safe to sleep. Trust me, our best option is to keep moving./

I took a deep breath then let it out in a long sigh, "Alright. We'll keep going."

"Are you sure we're still going the right way though?" I asked a few seconds later. "You said it's been a few years since you visited the temple, right? It's nighttime now, I can barely see anything beyond the trees right in front of us."

/Keep going uphill. The sun was to our back all afternoon and evening, we are at the base of Mount Lepetymnos now. I'm certain the temple is no more than an hour away./

"Ok," I nodded as we continued our slow trek into the night.

It was hard staying positive though. Between the hunger, thirst, and the fact that I was growing more tired with each passing minute, it was getting more and more difficult to keep going.

After another few minutes I decided to try and keep my invisible companion talking. I needed the conversation to get my mind off our problems and my growing fears. I didn't want to make her upset again though, so I tried to come up with another subject that hopefully wouldn't be as depressing.

"So um, what's the deal with bunnies?" I asked quietly. "Like Apollo called us a rabbit a few times, but that was before he turned us into a bunny girl. And that big coin with your face on the front, it had a bunny on the back. So I figure there must be a connection, right?"

I felt another mix of emotions from Melite, even before she started talking. And fortunately they were mostly positive this time. There was some remembered joy or happiness, feelings of warmth and even some childlike playfulness. I also felt a hint of embarrassment, but without any shame.

/I just really like bunnies,/ she finally admitted. /They're cute, and fun, and playful. And soft, and cuddly. When I was younger my father even allowed me to keep some bunnies as pets./

That put a smile on my face, "Aww. That's really cute."

/What of you Chloe? Do you like bunnies too? Or are there other cute animals you like?/

"Yeah I like bunnies I guess," I shrugged. "I never had one as a pet though."

After a brief pause I admitted, "I wanted a kitty when I was younger, but my parents wouldn't let me. Instead they got me a couple goldfish then tried to convince me that was just as good. You can't exactly pet and cuddle a little fish though. They don't play much either."

/Kittens are very cute. I remember Daphne loved them as much as I like bunnies. I'm sorry your parents didn't allow you to have one as a pet. I've never heard of gold fish before, but I can't imagine any fish being kept as a pet. They catch many kinds of fish here, but they are sold in the market for food rather than companionship./

The positive feelings were still there when Melite began her response, but they faded by the time she was finished.

"Yeah," I grimaced. "Goldfish aren't food, they're too small. I'm not really sure where they come from, and they're not even really gold? At least not the ones I had. They were kind of orange I guess."

That was about all I could think to say on that subject, without wandering back into sad or depressing topics again anyways. The conversation sort of died off after that, and I ended up trudging along in silence through the darkness.

Fortunately it wasn't pitch black out, or I probably would have been tripping over things or walking into trees. Instead we were lucky enough to have a clear sky overhead, filled with more stars I'd ever seen before in my life. The moon was even brighter. It was about two-thirds full and it lit up the landscape in a pale unearthly glow.

So I kept walking, but it felt like it only took another half an hour before my mood started dropping again. My legs hurt, my tummy kept grumbling, I was so thirsty my mouth was parched, and I was weary enough I felt like I could curl up and sleep right there on the hard-packed ground.

Eventually I mumbled, "I'm sorry Melite, I don't think I can go much further. I think I'm done."

/It's alright Chloe, you did it. Look, do you see it? Just up there ahead of us!/

The words were accompanied by a sense of hope and accomplishment, which buoyed my spirits just enough to keep me on my feet.

I stared, and after another a second or two I finally saw what she was talking about. There were two points of orange light, flickering in the distance. It took my modern-day brain another few moments to make sense of what I was seeing, then my eyes widened and I let out a deep sigh of relief.

It was a pair of torches, and behind them was some sort of man-made structure. I could just make out enough to know there were some stone columns, and an open doorway between the torches. It was the temple, built into a steeper part of the mountain a couple hundred meters away.

That's when I realized we weren't in the forest anymore. There were still a few olive trees here and there, but area immediately around us was home to rows of grape vines. And I was sure I could see something like a primitive farm in the distance, just barely visible a little ways downhill from the temple.

"We made it," I whispered to myself, as a little wave of hope replaced the despair I'd been feeling.

That was enough to get me the rest of the way there. I stumbled past the row of stone pillars and between the torches, then past some markings and inscriptions carved into the wall around the doorway. I continued on a few more steps into the temple, before finally coming to another halt.

The interior was almost pitch black, with the only light coming from a couple tiny flames several meters away in the darkness. I took another couple steps towards the light, but the air was thick with smoke and incense and I had to suppress a couple coughs before I got used to it.

That's when I realized the dim candles seemed to be ontop of a small altar. And just beyond that I could see what looked like a female figure cloaked in long robes and standing in an archway. The dim flickering light made it impossible to get a clear look at her, so I started shuffling forward again to try and get a closer look.

As I approached I realized what I thought were candles turned out to be a pair of oil lamps, and the sputtering smoky flames looked like they were barely hanging on. At the same time the figure beyond seemed to shrink away, until I found myself standing directly in front of the small altar. And what I'd first taken to be a woman standing in a doorway was actually the small statue of a goddess, set into an alcove set into the wall above the altar.

"Oh," I sighed to myself as my shoulders slumped.

I turned back towards the entrance, only to find another tall cloaked figure standing directly behind me. My heart skipped a beat and my eyes bulged in shock as I looked up at the stranger towering over me, while my tall bunny ears drooped down on either side of my head. Then without a word the imposing figure suddenly reached out for me with both hands.

I felt trapped, with the altar and wall behind me and the stranger in between me and the exit. My whole body tensed up I let out a frightened little squeak. Then everything went black.

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