How-not to be an Olympian God!

Chapter 16 - A Story Written On Stone(2)

After coming down of the lighthouse, the sun was already above the horizon and the urban sounds started multiplying, shaping the urban sprawl of the seaside metropolis.

Alex spoke to some of the citizens and asked them about the Arc Of Victory. He noticed that the younger residents had no clue about what he was talking about so he asked an elderly man about it.

"That's a name long-gone from my era, lad. They now call it the Arc of Remembrance. You'll find it in the center-north of the Patrician's quarter..." The elderly man kindly gave him directions and information about the monument. Alex thanked him and gave him some money, then left.

The man had given him some background information on the Arc of Victory. The arc was the resting point of the land armies led by the Greeks, and most notably, the hero Achilles, in the Trojan War.

'So the Trojan War already happened here? That means this must be quite an unimpressive time, as most of the great heroes and heroines are either dead, gods or retired. This era definitely wouldn't be the setting for a book' Alex contemplated. He always wondered, if the fictional worlds back in his world were real, what happens after the main storyline is over? It must feel a bit underwhelming to not be part of the story at all, as an extra even.

He shrugged off these unanswerable thoughts and kept on going through the maze that is the business district of the port quarter. A while later, he would find himself in the plebian quarter where the wide streets and two-story homes greeted his sight.

The patrician quarter was east of his current location and the wide streets of the plebian quarter made his route easier. After walking through the business district which looked unimpressive and monotonous compared to the one near the port, Alex found himself in front of a big gate guarded by stiff guards and tall fort walls. He would need to pay a fine to enter the quarter, apparently, but it wasn't too much so he made his way to the elite neighborhood with ease.

It looked drastically different to the other quarters, hosting extremely wide streets paved with shiny white limestone and bordered by small gardens with well-cut grass and dirt roads leading to opulent mansions and manors. It was very clean and there was almost no one out in the street, only people passing by in large carriages.

To be honest, Alex thought it looked a bit lifeless compared to the messy and colourful alleys of the port quarter.

The Patrician's neighbourhood was also the second smallest quarter of the city, with each extreme being only a 10-minute walk away. Thanks to its small size, he found the landmark he was looking for quite easily. It was situated in the center of a large empty roundabout and stood there, relatively conspicuous compared to its boring surroundings.

It looked a bit similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, except the former was larger and had different sculptures and engravings on its walls, recounting the large army that passed here and the story they would weave.

Alex examined the arc with curiosity, and although he was given strange looks by the aristocrats passing by in their carriages, he truly did not care in the slightest. He searched every nook and cranny of the structure, hoping to find some pieces to complete this historical puzzle he stumbled upon but to no avail.

'Maybe they just....didn't meet, and their story was over the moment they both left the lighthouse' Alex reflected. He thinks it's a bit unfortunate, as a love story written on stone was well-deserving of a Bollyw*od movie adaptation and he was also visiting the city unknowingly, which was his main goal in the first place.

Choosing to give up, Alex walked through the arc, ready to leave, when he noticed something with his enhanced eyesight. Shaded by one of the sculpture's angles, there was a very small sentence written in messy handwriting.

"My princess, I am humbled by your presence. I want to spend more time with you, is that much to ask?" It was probably the so-called 'prince of love' speaking. He was addressing himself to a 'princess'.

Under that was another piece of writing, although it looked much more organized and calligraphic in nature.

"My prince, I feel the same. I have to go back to my kingdom after I negotiate with the king of this land and our time will be cut short. But if the Three Fates will it, let us meet, in the port restaurant, where they serve, the food of my peoples. I hope to see you there on the Day of the Moon(2) at the intersection of sunset and dark."

They must really love each other, engraving letters on stone for the other person to read. It also looked like they shared some kind of unrequited love, one that wouldn't last long. In a sense, it was extremely saddening, that two people, who seem to love everything about each other, would have their adventures cut off by the strings of life and circumstances, as it seemed that the princess had a kingdom and a population to attend to.

But, out of context, it was a bit of a riddle. The text was obviously foreign, not Greek, but how would he know the exact origins of the princess and the restaurant where they serve the food of her kingdom?

It looked like he'd have to do it the hard way. If the restaurant even existed anymore, he would have to search for the ethnic origins of the foreign residents of Abdera and their food.

He thus went back to the plebian quarter and started investigating with the locals. Most of them had no knowledge about it but he was lucky as one the locals he spoke to was the Overseer of Demographic Matters of the Council of the Plebs, who manages the matters of the commoners. Alex was really lucky as the local was headed on her way to the administrative quarter, and he would have a hard time entering it if he didn't reveal his identity, which isn't the best outcome.

The woman shared some basic but comprehensive information about the city's demography and Alex bribed...thanked her by giving her some gold coins.

The city's biggest minority ethnic groups were the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Ukrainians and Levantines respectively.

Alex started by searching for Mesopotamian food places, and thankfully, there were few.

It was all to no avail, though.

He did the same with the Egyptians, and it was equally unfruitful.

He investigated every Ukrainian trace in the city and found nothing yet.

At this point, the searing sun was high up in the sky and was casting its burning rays on the city, but Alex didn't feel so bright. All of the moving around even made him hungry.

He shrugged, although he was actually a bit bummed but he decided on forgetting about it and went to the restaurant he ate in yesterday.

Stepping into the familiar rooftop that was as equally crowded and smelled like paradise, Alex sat down on a couch and ordered some food.

He was soon presented with a tray of appetizing food. It was a flatbread filled with fresh and raw vegetables and various cooked meats and all topped with a yogurt and chickpea based salty dressing. Alex diverted his attention the food as he wrapped the flatbread sandwich and started savouring it, almost forgetting about his earlier sadness.(2)

While he was eating, he caught something at the back of his vision. It was very very well-hidden, as it in a corner of the short wall that naturally received the most shade. Alex won't let it fool him though, it was clearly writing.

Alex squinted his eyes and finished the rest of the sandwich in one mouthful, and he stood up and walked up to the culprit of his curiosity, which was in fact a piece of text written in the same messy and organized style he had seen earlier.

Alex almost jumped out of joy, well, he jumped out of joy and he was stared at, but the last thing he cared about right now was other people, except the 'prince of love' and the 'princess'.

"Princess, this is some of the most enchanting food I have tasted, far better than what my mom's servants make for me back home and appreciating such good food with you, here, only makes it better!"

"My prince, our people are known for their cuisine. I, likewise, have come to love your presence. I don't have much time left, but, if you please, spare some time for us to meet in the grand mill west of your residence tomorrow at sunrise. See you there, my Enkidu(3)"

Their letters grew more affectionate and bittersweet as the moment of of her departure seemed to near.

'A mill? It should be easy to find'

Alex paid his bill and went out, annoying the locals again with him constantly asking for directions.

The grand mill, was in the industrial quarter of the city, west of the habitations, so the western winds blow the unpleasant smells and byproducts of the industries out of the city.

He soon reached his destination, and the mill was in the north of the fort along with the art studios, and to the south, where he currently was, contained cloth dying facilities, liquamen production plants and tanneries. It did smell quite unpleasant so he hurried his steps to the north where the bad smell was thinner.

His destination was now in view. It was a big red mill and the sails of the windmill were rotating fast, crushing the grain inside into usable matter.

He entered through the main door of the mill, and the scent of crushed wheat assaulted his senses, though it didn't smell horrible. He went up the staircase in the mill and reached the top where the milling operation was visible and guarded by a few soldiers.

The soldiers stared at him and asked him about his intent here and he made it clear that he was searching for some sort of writing on the mill. The soldier looked at him weirdly but showed him the way to a corner of the walls where he could see the familiar manuscript, although the text looked more sloppy this time, as if the writers were anxious.

"My princess, I have never met someone who made me feel as you do. You are my Helios, brightening my cold, lifeless and starving heart. You are the blood that runs through my veins and arteries, giving me life. My mother has discovered our encounters and is in fervent disagreement with them, but, my love, if it wills it, may I come with you to the land of your people, to live out your remaining lifespan and then accompany you to the heavenly fields of Elysium in the Underworld as we spend the rest of eternity together"

"My Enkidu, I understand. You are to me as water is to a desert plant and I cannot imagine returning to my land, to spend the remaining sand in the hourglass without your company. Please...meet me in the Temple of Beginnings today at the time when the sun has moved partly east"

Alex felt his eyes redden. He felt the end of this story approaching and he needed to know how it ends, and hoped from all his heart that the two got a happy ending.

The only problem, however, was that the Temple of Beginnings was located in the religious quarter, and he wouldn't be allowed through normally. But no problem, when Alex climbed the stairase on the hill leading to the religious sector, he induced sleep in the guards and all of the surrounding citizens and advanced sluggishly, feeling his energy drained.

He had no time to appreciate the beautiful structures as he entered the largest temple where he found a priest performing some kind of ritual and made him visit Hypnos, god of sleep.

The epilogue to the story had to be somewhere around here as he examined every pillar, every angle, every wall of the temple, in search of a needle in a haystack.

He eventually found the needle. It was a short sentence, solitary on the wall, written in messy handwriting, unaccompanied by the usual tidy manuscript.

The writing said in concise terms.

"My Psyche. I will love and remember you forever and give sermon to not appreciate any other living creature or landscape on this damned world. We cannot meet again, but if your soul is still existent, meet me in the lighthouse, where we loved each other, for the first time. And let's dance to the stars while reminiscing on the past, on our story, a story written in stone."

The end of the story was....heartbreaking. There was no follow-up from 'Psyche' and it seems like they never got to spend time together in the end.

It was a bit overwhelming for Alex, but he stepped out of the temple with quiet steps and a poker face, hiding the turbulence inside of him.

Outside of the temple, one could find a sculpture. It was a marvelously sculpted piece of art depicting a young man sitting in fetal position and glaring at the horizons.

It was titled "Eros, god of melancholy, by the Konstan Studio"

The sculpture looked a bit old and the title gave Alex an insight. Back in his world, there was a myth, a myth of the love story between Eros and Psyche, where they ended up living happily ever after as immortal gods unbothered by the disapproval Eros' mother, the goddess Aphrodite.

'But...This is different...It's supposed to end happily...Did Aphrodite do something again?' Alex made notes in his mind. This felt suspicious. They were supposed to end up together in the end, not separated, what happened?

Under the sculpture was the name of the art studio that produced it, the Konstan Studio. A familiar name as Alex saw it while navigating to the mill. He thought that if he wanted to get to the end of this, he needed to visit the studio.

He therefore made his way out of the religious quarter and back to the industrial quarter, this time unbothered by the scent. After walking north for a bit, he came across a building with a sign board that read "Konstan Studio"

He entered the studio and found various people engaging in painting, sculpture and writing, all concentrated. A young woman came up to him, and greeted him with a smile.

"Good day, Sir. What brings you here?"

"I....'m searching for the creator of the sculpture entitled 'Eros, God of melancholy' "

The woman nodded and led him to a room on the second story of the building, where there was a young man sitting on a desk and signing documents, surrounded by various artistic items.

The young woman whispered something to the man, which he nodded to, and then she left, leaving the two alone.

"Hello there, I'm the Chief of the Konstan Studio. I heard you came for the sculpture created by my grandfather?"

"Grandfather? Ah, yes. I would like to learn more about that sculpture." Alex responded.

The man looked at him with slanted eyes and passed him a chair to sit on, and left the room and then came back, bringing some tea with him.

He then sat down and took the fuming tea to his mouth, sipping a bit and then talking.

"My name is Kal. I'm the grandson of the creator of the sculpture you're wondering about. Unfortunately, my grandfather has long since left to the Underworld, but he has told me some stories about it. So tell me, what do you want to know?"

"A certain event concerning this Eros and a certain Psyche." Alex mumbled while holding the teacup.

"Ah, I understand. I'll start from the beginning. My grandfather had some business in the temples, as he had to sculpt the figure of Lady Aphrodite. But when he came there, he found a scene unlike any other he's seen before. Son of Aphrodite, Eros was seated on the ground and his disposition, his expression and his figure all radiated of pure melancholy. My grandfather felt inspired and started sculpting the lord and it is said that in the two month's time it took to complete the sculpture, Eros didn't even move once. After completing his greatest work ever, my grandpa investigated the possible reasons behind this feat. It seemed that a few weeks prior, Eros had met up with a foreign princess named Psyche, who he fell in love with. His mother, Lady Aphrodite, was in complete disapproval with their relationship and one day, destroyed Psyche's soul while she was waiting for her lover in the temple. When Eros discovered what his mother did, he remained in that position for a whole two months and was never seen again after that."

Again, Aphrodite. It was always Aphrodite. She literally killed her son's lover. Alex clenched his fists, breaking the teacup he was holding and spilling hot tea everywhere. He apologized and cleaned up the mess.

"Then why does this city worship Aphrodite? Why?" Alex asked angrily.

"Being on her good favours is much better then being her enemy. Trust me, you don't know how vicious she can be to her enemies."