Nymph of the Gray Shade

Lulling along with the sparrows' morning praise, fair Athena seized her moment by putting the dog into a tender slumber. 

 Once more, the clouds were blue, and the sun peaked on his glory. The gloomy days were gone with the passing rain, leaving only a little twinkling of hope. 

"I never knew how lovely the outside walls of the megaron were," Athena murmured as she stared at the framework on top of the ionic columns. 

The background was of the palest blue, while other inlays were gold. There were the symbols that represented the Olympus. And for the first time, she complimented how Ares styled his abode—quite far from the typical monotonous of his dwelling inside the heavenly Olympian palace. 

"Who could have thought a brute like him would dare to choose the downiest shades for his domicile? I wonder how many moons he already stayed here?" Before her thoughts divert, a sudden flash of the pomegranate appeared—poking through like an unrest spirit. 

She gasped, causing the dog to stare at her in worry. 

"I—I'm sorry, my dear." She told him, gently brushing his head. "I just felt a little critter crawling under my feet. Please do forgive me."

The dog just shoved off the surprise and rubbed his head against her arm, telling her there was no need for an apology. 

Contented, the maiden ordered him to rest once more as she leaned back into the strong trunk of the tree—staring at the rows of columns that served as frames of the megaron. She could not conceive vividly that such beauty could contain a sinister atmosphere on its belly. The whole structure was the truest quintessence of the statement, a wolf in sheep's clothing, for its magnificence was the abode of the fiendish trinity that only held on to their greed without thinking of the consequence. 

Because of their pride and arrogance, Hellas paid the price. 

"I wish they had killed me like the others—" She pondered in a melancholic voice, only to alert the dog that whimpered at her statement. "But I am glad they did not, for I might not have met a dearie like you." She then smiled at him, reassuring him that no more misery should halt her from learning the new life forced upon her. "I am glad—" She continued, now observing the calm little waves of the pond, "that they did not end me. Look at this beauty—if I was gone like the others, I might not see this little paradise.

The earth circled on Helios's form as it relied its whole weight on the back of Atlas. Time moved forward, and the only thing that looked back was the guilt and wonderment of what one could have been if one had done it before. I thought being a deity was hard, but now I have misjudged that being a mortal was ruthless. Life was caving on you, and there was no certainty whether tomorrow would be better or not, regardless of how well you have made during the present. Although a painful reality—that is— I have, indeed, learned for just days of being a mere woman that it was much better to absolve those individuals who are bitter towards you. I would rather sleep with a light soul than inflict the same heavy circumstance on others. The notion of control was only pliable when I was a goddess, but now I have no authority. I would prefer to conceal myself amongst the conventional men and women. 

I now wonder what mortal works I should begin with my new life?" 

With wonderment deepening in her head, she lingered on many possibilities—thinking of escaping the area and finding little work despite the place seeming so foreign.

"That would be better than being chained under the tenacity of those—deities. A better resortment to be out of their sight." She lowly spat yet regained her noble poise as she remembered her vow of clemency. 

Drowning herself again in her thoughts, Athena wandered off—visualizing the final beauty of the garden when the roses and peonies would overgrow the violets and perhaps new sprouts rising when birds would then drop new seedlings on the earth. 

"Titan!" All of a sudden, her dallying mind ceased as a loud call reverberated from a distance.

The dog's ears perked up—and sprinted away toward where the call seemingly came from. 

Athena gasped as she was left bewildered by the suddenness of the event. 

"Titan!" Another call followed, responded by the dog who barked as if telling the stranger of his whereabouts. 

Noticing that the calls were getting closer and closer, Athena grasped that the voice came from a little boy. And when another shout trailed along with the first, she comprehended that there were two young ones and the last voice was of a little girl. 

"Oh no!" She exclaimed in fret, knowing that she had no clothes on and it would be a scandal if innocent eyes would see her whole flesh. 

Nearer and nearer, with broken twigs from the footsteps that came forth, Athena ran towards a larger tree and hid behind its dark shade. 

"Oh, Titan! Where have you been?" Alas, emerging from the little alleyway covered by the thickets was a little boy and a smaller girl tailing behind him. 

"You naughty dog!" The little girl childishly scolded while she poignantly hugged their jumping beast. "Mother would sure be mad since you escaped without leaving any clue." She added while her face was receiving ardors from the four-legged beast. 

Witnessing the lighthearted scene, Athena could not help but smile at them. She knew now that the dog's name was Titan, and those children were his little masters. Their little laughs, as their dog licked and joyously barked at them, gave her spirit some vigor as if conjuring the shadows to leave her body. 

"Their squeals reminded me of my Erichthonius when he was still a tumbling toddler." She sighed as her dear heart reminisced. 

Staring back at the children, Titan was obviously in bliss to finally see them since he left their sights. Athena felt relieved but also saddened, for it was only for a short time she had happy moments with him. 

As she again gazed at them in thoughtlessness, the fair lady in hiding had not noticed that Titan was looking at her, beckoning his little masters to follow where his eyes darted. 

"What is it, Titan?" The little boy asked. 

They did not move for a second, inspecting the shadows for some small animal to pass by. However, the little girl caught the movement of Athena's shadow.

Moving farther from her companions, she studied the odd shadow that seemed to blend in with the shade. Her patience did not deceive her—in a flash, a head poked through the tree trunk only to hide back when both felt startled as their eyes met. 

"Ha!" The little girl gasped, clearing her eyes with her hands only to conclude that someone was hiding from them as she still saw the shadow under the gray shade of the branches and leaves. "Phoebus! Phoebus!" She called to him. 

"What, Helena?" 

"A nymph!" She told him excitedly. 

"Huh?" Confused, the little boy scratched his head. 

"A nymph!" Little Helena emphasized once more. "There is a nymph behind that tree."

Phoebus squinted and focused on the tree she pointed. He saw nothing but the tree itself and the large shadow of its wild branches. Looking back at her, he scowled and snuffed at her infantile thinking. 

"There is nothing there, Helena!" He told her while crossing his arms. 

Helena pouted and did not take his rebuttal too lightly. "Yes, there is! I saw her head peeking through."

"There is no nymph here. See these trees? If there was a nymph in this place, the trees would not look so overgrown since nymphs were caretakers of nature. Do not forget mother's stories."

"My two eyes do not lie, Phoebus—a nymph was hiding behind that tree."

While the two children argued, Titan ran back to Athena with his tail waggling in glee. 

"Oh no, no, no! Do not come, Titan." Athena lowly cautioned as the dog did not retract his steps. "Oh—please, no."

Her last plea fell on deaf ears as Titan barked and hopped in front of her. 

"Goodness, you dearie." Athena knelt, receiving the jolly beast's kisses.

With Titan barking and noticeably acting strange behind the tree, the two children followed. 

"Something wrong, Titan?" Phoebus asked as he protectively took Helena's hand. "Stay there, Titan. We do not want to get into trouble."

"It is the nymph!" With a slight delight, the little girl whispered. 

As the children drew closer, Athena's heartbeat grew louder and louder. The sight of her bare body would stain their gentle innocence. And with a few more steps, she blew her cover. 

"Stop!" She shouted, still hiding behind the tree—curling beside Titan. 

The children ceased and immediately followed as they were both surprised and frightened. 

A woeful sight it was if one could gaze into their faces. Bewilderment and fear were entwining in their eyes with the lips tight, and bodies froze that not even a little muscle twitched. They were shaking, thinking that a creature of deception was hiding behind the tree. 

"Who—who is there?" Though staggering, Phoebus bravely asked. "If you are a monster, please do not hurt Titan."

"I would never do such a thing," Athena responded while trying to hide her chest with her hands. 

"Well, if you are no monster, will you—you please show yourself?" 

Her silver eyes widened, "No! I am sorry, little one. I cannot do that." 

"Then maybe you are a monster,"

"No—I am far from that." The maiden calmly responded. 

"Are you a nymph?" Helena now questioned as her curiosity was slowly eating her up.

Athena let out a lovely laugh that somehow eased the shivering spirits of the children. "I am not a nymph, my sweet. I am just a wandering traveler."

"Then please show yourself." Phoebus humbly requested, fidgeting on his fingers as he secretly nibbled into his inquisitiveness. 

In careful words, Athena honestly said, "I am an image of shame, hence why I am hiding. I do not have clothes, and I have no possessions. Please forgive me if I can only acquaint with you through my voice and behind this tree."

"Oh, no!" Helena expressed with sadness in her voice. "Poor lady."

Phoebus's mouth curved downward, feeling sorry for the stranger. But as he brushed through his chest, he remembered his folded cloak that hung across his torso and decided to lend it to the unfortunate traveler.

"I have a cloak here!" He shouted. "Maybe you can use this to cover yourself."

"You would let me borrow it?" Athena inquired. 

"Yes." He smiled and ordered Titan to give it to their shy acquaintance. 

Though still bound under the shadows of the large tree, the children covered their eyes once they saw a white hand reach out and take the fabric from Titan's mouth. 

In a simple wrap-around fashion, Athena felt decent again as she was no longer naked. 

"Are you done now?" Phoebus wondered with a hand still covering his eyes. 

"Yes, dearie," Athena said with a slight giggle. 

Once they put their hands down, Athena slowly appeared to them. Their eyes twinkled—enchanted by her beauty and the uncanny glow she emitted. 

"A nymph!" Helena whispered without blinking.

Phoebus's mouth gaped wider when the lovely lady smiled before them. "You—you do not look like an ordinary girl." He said, stammering as he remained stiff and bemused by her apparition. 

Athena only laughed as she bent down and brushed Titan's head. 

The children could not comprehend something about her—nor could conclude if she was indeed a wandering traveler or some kind of heavenly being since she was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. 

Both could not stop staring at her distinct silver orbs that somehow cast a good spell on them. Phoebus and Helena thought that the lady's eyes looked like stars of the velvet sky or shining pebbles on the seashore. 

Maybe a mortal now, but Athena never failed in captivating the young one's soul with her ever-ethereal radiance.