The Necklace of Goddess Athena

by Effrosyni Moschoudi

  “No silly,” said Aris with a titter. He bit his lower lip, regretting what he’d said, in case it had offended her. He was still very cautious around her, but she was smiling still and her face was glowing. She was waiting for him to explain, and he had planned this a million times as he thought of her night and day on board ship. He couldn’t bear any longer her not knowing how he saw her in his mind. “That’s a fairy, you see? This is how I see you. Incredibly beautiful, I mean!” He chewed his lips and studied her face for warning signs, surprised at how badly he was doing.

  He could remember other women in his past with whom he’d been far more eloquent than that. But back then, his chest was not burning with this kind of love. He wanted to tell her more but he faltered. There was a lump in his throat and, as he gazed into her eyes, he felt lost for words despite the fact that he had a lot to say.

  For example, how he’d been running across the advertising posters of this perfume on every port he had visited, and how he had associated her in his head with the fairy on the box. Many times, as he stared out to sea on the deck, he’d got frustrated when he couldn’t remember her face, and his mind could only produce the image from the poster instead. In the end, he had felt he should get her the perfume as a present. He wished now that he could confess the tricks his mind had been playing on him but he couldn’t. All he could do is hold her hands and hope she wouldn’t spread her wings and go.

  As if guessing his insecurities, Daphne smiled at him then. She wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, she slipped one hand out of the cradle of his own two hands and caressed his fingers tenderly.

  Chapter 29

  The next few weeks passed in the blink of an eye. It was now early August. Since reuniting with Anna, every Saturday afternoon all four would take the bus and head back to Anavyssos. There, mother and son tried to catch up on lost time. Anna talked to Phevos extensively about his childhood. Sometimes, they’d chat for hours on her veranda looking out to sea, or they’d take long strolls along the beach.

  Ksenia, Daphne, and Manos would often volunteer to help Mr. Fanis in the kitchen so Anna could have this quality time with her son. On Saturday nights, they’d sleep on the veranda floor with Anna amongst them. That was their favorite time together. They’d talk under the stars till their eyelids grew heavy and fall asleep with the susurrus of the sea for a lullaby.

  Each one of them had been blessed with so much since the day Phevos and Daphne came to Plaka. Anna was reunited with her son, Ksenia found love and Manos gained confidence in himself. Phevos had Ksenia, and his mother back in his life. As for Daphne, she’d found a new mother and confidence in herself through her work but that wasn’t all. The last few weeks had changed her life again in a major way.

  On the day Aris gave her the perfume, that evening he asked her out and confessed his feelings for her during a quiet dinner on a taverna terrace. On their way home, as they walked along a quiet cobble-stoned lane, Aris pulled Daphne gently to him and kissed her.

  Everyone had been thrilled to receive their news and especially Mrs. Sofia, who couldn’t imagine a better bride for her son and could see it was heading that way. Daphne was walking on clouds these days, even though there was still a dark one among them called Zoe. Despite Aris’s love, she still couldn’t help feeling uneasy when she thought of her.

  That Saturday afternoon in early August, Aris was back in Pallada and now that Daphne was finally his girl, his daily routine was different. This time, he didn’t have to miss her while having solitary strolls or meeting colleagues in the city or reading in his mother’s room for hours. This time he followed her like a shadow all day around Pallada, helping her with her chores, eager for her to finish sooner so they could go out afterwards.

  He’d just carried all the dirty linen downstairs to the laundry room and returned upstairs with a bucket. He put it over his head behind Daphne’s back and startled her when she turned around to see the ludicrous sight. She laughed uproariously and he growled like a beast, chasing her up and down the corridor, bumping his knees against the odd chair and low table as he couldn’t see where he was going.

  Their laughter echoed everywhere, filling the air with vibrations of happiness. Mrs. Sofia heard the noise and came out of her room in a rush. She’d spent all morning in there. Aris had volunteered to do all her chores for the day with Daphne, as long as she made for lunch a meal he’d really come to miss: papoutsakia, stuffed aubergines with mince and bechamel sauce. The elderly lady came out startled, holding a ladle in her hand.

  She looked up and when she spotted them on the landing, she told them off for the racket while shaking the ladle in her hand. Deep down though, she thought it was the sweetest thing her son was acting like a teenager. As she walked back to her room, she couldn’t help chuckling to herself.

  A few moments later, Zoe entered Pallada accompanied by Ksenia. Zoe had invited her friend to meet her for coffee because she had some pressing news. They’d met in Syntagma Square after the end of Zoe’s shift at the travel agency where she worked during the summer. Ksenia was thrilled to hear the news and the girls had come to share it with the others. When they walked in, they saw Aris and Daphne kissing on the landing.

  Zoe was taken aback because Ksenia had not told her anything about them being together. She threw Ksenia a puzzled look, and her friend issued her a mute nod of confirmation. Daphne was private about her life and that’s why Ksenia hadn’t told other people about this, including Zoe.

  When Zoe darted her eyes to the top of the stairs again, she took a step forward and stumbled clumsily on a coffee table by the door. The noise startled the couple, who drew back from each other and greeted the girls with awkward smiles. Still, that didn’t stop them from holding hands as they came down the stairs.

  Aris greeted Zoe in a friendly manner, shaking hands and asking her for her news. Daphne felt uneasy again, though she noticed for the first time that Zoe seemed different. She had the same air of confidence about her, but the look in her eyes seemed dark, distracted.

  Zoe then started telling her big news to Daphne and Aris. Her boss at the travel agency had offered her the chance to bring her friends along on a coach excursion for free. It was to take place the following day. Daphne was annoyed at first, as they had all planned to go to Anavyssos again for the weekend. This time was special to her as she was taking Aris along to meet Anna. She didn’t want to postpone it just because Zoe came up at the last minute with an alternative plan.

  Daphne listened, her anger brewing inside her, as Zoe relayed her news. However, her face lit up when she heard that the excursion was to Anavyssos and then to the Temple of Poseidon for the famous sunset at Cape Sounio. This had to be the sign they’d been waiting for, according to Phevos!

  When Daphne’s eyes sought Ksenia’s she realized she felt the same. Daphne tried to hide her enthusiasm but found it impossible. In the end she gave in, jumping up and down in Aris’s arms and squealing. Zoe had invited everyone including Aris and Anna.

  The offer from Zoe’s boss was the result of a major cancellation from a large group of German tourists the day before. They had tried to sell more seats to cover the lost revenue but were unsuccessful. A great number of passengers had been booked, as well as the driver and the guide for the day. Zoe’s boss offered two of his best agents the opportunity to go along, with their friends. Zoe was the best in the office. She was sociable, chatty and never lost a sale.

  When Zoe left a while later, Ksenia rushed to the fruit store to tell Phevos and he was agog with the news.

  Mr. Giorgis heard their cheers and laughter and came outside to see what the excitement was all about, but all he found was Phevos and Ksenia cradling each other in silence. He hovered there for a while, gazing at the two young lovers standing on the pavement. His mind drifted back to the time when he had their youth and their zest, when young love burned like fire in his heart, when every touch felt like electricity, and explosions of such excitement were still possible.

&nbs
p; Ksenia and Phevos noticed him and wondered why he stood so quiet, with his eyes gazing into space. Phevos opened his mouth to ask him if he was all right, but Mr. Giorgis shook his head of graying hair, still staring into space. With a melancholic smile on his face, he turned around and went back into his store.

  Chapter 30

  The coach arrived on time at Syntagma Square to pick up the group. On its way to the south Attica coast, it stopped again briefly to pick up more passengers from a couple of hotels. It reached Poseidon Avenue and was cruising through medium traffic, heading east.

  Many of the cars that followed the same route were laden with beach umbrellas, bags and foldable chairs. The faces of their passengers were radiant with the anticipation of a full day on the shore. The suburban beaches outside the window were already crowded despite it being early morning.

  In the coach, the enthusiasm among the four was even greater, but they also felt guilty for having to keep secrets from Aris and Zoe. For them, this wasn’t just a day out on the beach. This was the blessed day they’d all been waiting for. It seemed to them the sun had risen just for them that morning, to make it all possible. Even the colors of the world around them seemed more vivid today. They pulsated with energy. It felt like someone had removed a veil from their eyes, revealing a world of resplendent clarity.

  Aris sat with Daphne and, behind them, sat Zoe and Manos. Across the aisle, Ksenia and Phevos sat together, behind them Zoe’s colleague Maria with her eleven-year-old son, her husband and her sister.

  Manos hadn't yet exchanged a single word with Maria’s son. It wasn’t due to shyness, though. He had no problem striking up conversation and making new friends these days. But he still had a soft spot for Zoe, and as she sat next to him, he had eyes only for her. He kept looking at her every now and then as she gazed out of the window, wishing he were a bit older so he could ask her out.

  He spoke to her again, telling her how he couldn’t wait to introduce her to Anna and Mr. Fanis. Zoe smiled but hardly said anything and Manos thought that was strange. Zoe was a chatterbox but today she looked aloof. Manos resumed reading his magazine and thought no more of it. He trusted that by the time they got to Anavyssos, she’d be back to her normal, jovial self.

  Oblivious to Manos’s frustration, Zoe gazed out the window and into space. Every now and then, she threw a glance at Aris and Daphne, and every time, the stab in her heart returned. She watched through the gap between the seats as they kissed, as they held hands, as she put her head on his shoulder, her hair falling in thick auburn curls on his back.

  She watched as they turned to look at each other, their eyes electrified, oblivious to everything else in the world, least of all her. Every time she looked, Zoe’s feelings of pain and guilt stirred inside her. She turned her gaze to the coast again, the way you come up for air after you’ve dived underwater. But even as she looked away for relief, in her mind, she still saw Aris’s eyes full of love and adoration. It was such a wonderful sight, but it devastated her because he reserved that look for someone else, not her.

  The previous day she’d arrived at Pallada full of hope . . . but what she’d witnessed there devastated her. It had taken more than her usual reserve to hide her feelings. Of course, she’d had boyfriends in the past. Her parents were liberal enough to even encourage it, but she’d never felt this way before. No one knew how she felt about Aris. Not even Ksenia. It’s easy to talk about boys with your girlfriends when your heart is intact and safe. But when you lose it to someone like that, you don’t dare talk about it. You pretend it never happened, or perhaps hope to confess it one day if you receive enough encouragement, but clearly, that would never be the case with Aris.

  The coach arrived in Anavyssos around ten and parked on the side of the main road across from the aero-modelers’ wasteland. Manos squealed with excitement when he saw where they’d stopped. The sound startled the boy sitting across from him. With a start, he looked up from his electronic game that had kept him occupied in the last hour.

  “Hey, would you like to see model airplanes fly?” asked Manos reaching out to touch the boy’s arm.

  The boy nodded eagerly, and Manos urged him to follow as the passengers started to alight. By the time they were all out on the roadside, Ksenia had talked to Maria, confirming that Manos had been to the wasteland many times before. Anna’s restaurant was close by, and the boys could join them there soon. Maria was happy to let her son go, and the boys went off, blabbering excitedly.

  Manos had revisited the aero-modelers on every weekend since that first time. A couple of them were happy to let him take the controls by now, and he managed to impress his new friend with his abilities.

  After an hour or so, the boys went to Anna’s restaurant to join the others. A few of the German tourists from the coach group had followed the Greeks there. The restaurant was busy. After the intense heat in the bus and then on the beach, everyone relished the cool breeze on the balcony. It felt welcoming like a dive into river waters. They all seemed to enjoy their delicious meals and the fine, barrel wine.

  Anna stole some time from her serving duties to join her guests for a while. She sat between Daphne and Aris, patting his hand every now and then. At the agreed departure time, Anna joined the group to board the coach. Mrs. Gregoria had arrived earlier at the restaurant to relieve her so she may enjoy the rest of the day with her children. Phevos went up to her apartment to fetch her wand, and it was now safely put away in the company of his own inside his backpack.

  This time, when they boarded the coach, Phevos sat with his mother. Little did they know that as she held his hand, the wands in his backpack were glowing in unison. The time was drawing near, and their power had been amplified. As they headed to Sounio in a pilgrimage of hope, Poseidon awaited them for the final part of his ingenious plan.

  ***

  The temple stood proud on top of the hill despite its deterioration over the centuries. The German tourists gathered around the female guide like chicks around the mother hen. As the young woman informed them about the history of the temple, they hung on her every word in reverent silence.

  The small group of Greeks stood on another side of the temple, and Manos saw an opportunity to impress everyone with his newly acquired knowledge. The night before, he had read a lot on the Internet about the temple and was now eager to share a few interesting facts about it. “This magnificent Doric temple was built circa 440 B.C. by the Athenians during Pericles’s rule” he piped up, flinging an arm out to point at the impressive ruins with a theatrical gesture. Everyone listened with interest as he spoke of its destruction by the Persians and later by slaves, who looted it during a revolt. At the end of his presentation, Manos added the Athenians had also built a temple in Sounio dedicated to Athena. Then, he commented with glee that it was situated at a lower level on the hill and was nowhere near as glorious as Poseidon’s. The majority of Manos’s audience received this last piece of information with appreciation but without grasping the secret meaning behind his words.

  Those among them in the know, Phevos, Ksenia, Anna and Daphne, responded with glee. They already knew about Athena’s temple close by but felt obliged to show him they understood what he was trying to say. This was clearly Poseidon’s kingdom, not hers. It was their sanctuary; a place where Athena had never ruled over him, not even in antiquity. This was the perfect place for him to orchestrate his plan, being the ruler of these sacred grounds through the ages.

  The air was getting cooler as the sun crept toward the horizon, filling the sky with colors. The guide finished her presentation to receive an outburst of cheers and applause from the tourists. As they still had ample time till sunset, she invited them to follow her to the nearby café for refreshments. When she passed by the Greek group she offered them to join her. Maria went along with her own party and Manos followed eagerly to get an ice cream, but the others lingered behind, drawn by the imposing temple and the idyllic sea view.

  Anna, Phevos and Ksenia sat on some
marble blocks by the temple while Zoe stood further away with Aris and Daphne gazing out to the shimmering sea. Phevos called his sister over as they’d started to wonder what they were to do next, and he wanted her input. So far, there had been no sign, and Phevos had grown restless.

  Daphne was aware her brother needed her opinion too, yet she felt unwilling to leave Aris alone with Zoe. Phevos kept beckoning to her, so she excused herself reluctantly and went to join them. Phevos proposed they go with his mother into the temple in case Poseidon were to appear before them in a vision, as he had with his father. There was no guard in sight, and he thought if they went then, no one would stop them.

  Anna didn’t oppose his suggestion but didn’t feel restless as he did. She was happy to wait, having faith that Poseidon wouldn’t leave them guessing but would make his move unprompted. She was certain he’d come to them when he was ready. She voiced her opinion and, for a while, they mulled things over.

  All the while, Daphne watched in silence, feeling the unease grow inside her, pricking at her insides like needles. She hoped Phevos’s anxiety would subside soon so she could rush back to Aris. He had walked on further and was now out of sight with Zoe. She couldn’t see them behind the dense foliage in the distance. She watched as Phevos and the others discussed the matter some more, considering all possibilities while she remained silent, the irrestistible urge to seek Aris screaming inside her head.

  ***

  Aris had proposed to Zoe to take a stroll together. He was thankful Daphne had left them for a while, as this was perhaps his only opportunity to speak in private to Zoe. Out of sight from the others, they stood together near the precipice, impressed by the beauty of the scenery unfolding before them. Like a live painting, the sky changed every second with brushstrokes of ingenious artistry. All they could hear was the soft break of the waves on the rocks underneath. Aris dared a few careful steps toward the edge of the precipice and looked down. It was a sheer drop.