“Aris, do you mind stepping away from there please? You’re making me nervous,” said Zoe.
“I’m sorry,” he replied, following her a safe distance away. They both looked up when they heard squawking. A flock of seagulls passed low overhead gliding toward the sea. Enchanted by the serenity of the scene, they stood watching them disappear into the distance.
“Can I ask you something?” said Aris after a few moments.
“Of course,” stammered Zoe, taken aback. Ever since they arrived at the sight, she’d been having these mad thoughts that, perhaps, there was still hope. Aris had been acting strangely. He had been very attentive and tender to Daphne as always, but he had looked somewhat preoccupied too. While Manos spoke about the temple earlier, she’d noticed how Aris had kept looking around nervously, as if scanning the place, expecting something. She’d also caught him giving her some odd looks, while looking pensive and anxious. Could it be possible he was interested in her after all? She turned to meet his gaze. He looked hesitant. “Is everything all right, Aris?”
“Well, as you know, Daphne and I . . .” His voice trailed off, and instead of carrying on, he let out a deep sigh.
“Yes, I know . . .” said Zoe, then chewed her lips. She didn’t want to hear it. She scolded herself for her stupid thinking earlier. To conceal her upset, she forced a smile. There was no way she’d ever allow him to know.
“Okay,” he replied, oblivious to the distress he was causing her. He was still too preoccupied with his own thoughts and worries to notice the lingering frown on her face.
“Well? What was your question?” she asked trying to appear nonchalant. She desperately needed to be distracted by striking up a conversation. That awful silence had given vent to the feelings she was trying hard to suppress. He seemed anxious again, scratching his head and giving nervous chuckles. She watched as he stood against the stunning palette of colors in the sky and felt grateful for the safe sanctuary of her mind that shielded her thoughts.
She was so close to him that it stole her breath away. She was close enough to see the soft movement of his thick lashes as he blinked while gazing at the ground. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck trembled softly in the breeze inside his shirt collar. A strand of hair danced in a hypnotic way before his eyes stirring in her a mighty urge to reach out and touch it.
“Ok, here goes . . .” he said at last, producing a small jewellery box from his trouser pocket. Then, he opened it to reveal an engagement ring with a single diamond.
Zoe’s eyes widened and she stared at the ring as she strove to ignore her wishful thinking. She wasn’t going to jump to any stupid conclusions again. “I’m guessing this is for Daphne.” Her voice was tinged with a hint of frigidity.
Once again, Aris was too distracted to notice. “Yes! I intend to ask her to marry me tonight when we go back home. What do you think of the ring? Will she like it?”
“Well, I don’t know! Tastes vary—”
“Ah! Just tell me what you think! I bought it from England during my last journey. It was an impulsive buy. I’ve shown it to all my buddies on board, but I can't really count on them, can I? What would a bunch of guys like me know? But you’re a woman, and you’re French too, with such finesse! I value your opinion, Zoe. You’re the perfect woman for the task! Go on, say it, I can take it!” He was smiling now, but his worry was still quite evident.
“Well,” she mumbled. His last words had cut her like a knife. Fancy him saying to her he thought she was the perfect woman! How ironic . . . Zoe felt stupid. The sadness in her eyes returned, but this time she couldn’t conceal it. As she looked at the ring wistfully, she felt lost for words and tired of the charade of indifference she had to play.
“Oh, my God! I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t like it! I should have got one in Athens with your help. Go on, tell me, Zoe! This ring is all wrong, isn’t it? What an idiot I am!” Aris kept waving his arms about, touching his face, running his fingers through his hair, his voice breathless.
Zoe met his eyes and saw the full extent of his anguish. Suddenly, she didn’t care for her own distress. She opened her mouth to speak but Aris was faster.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter!” he said, misinterpreting her silence for hesitation to voice her disapproval. “Who cares about this stupid ring? I’ll get her another one! I so want Daphne to love it! Zoe, will you please go with me around the shops tomorrow after work? I need to buy one you’ll approve! I trust no one better than you. Please?”
“Aris, don’t be silly!” she finally said. Her pain was gone, or rather, if it was still there inside her, now she was willing to let it go. All that mattered to her was his happiness. She’d just witnessed his devastation at the prospect of disappointing the woman he loved. He’d bared his soul before her, and it had made her see he was worthy of absolute happiness, regardless of what she wanted for herself. This thought had finally delivered her from the ache of unrequited love.
Aris gave a frown. “What do you mean?”
“The ring is beautiful, Aris. It’s perfect! Daphne will love it, trust me!”
“Really?” His eyes turned huge, and he opened his arms to embrace her.
“Congratulations!” she said when he hugged her, and they kissed on both cheeks as is customary in Greece between friends in such circumstances. She knew there was no harm in it but couldn’t help feeling guilty all the same, hugging him in a secluded place, hidden from view. Because of her secret feelings, it felt wrong, as innocent as it was.
Smiling nervously, she stepped away from his arms muttering something about going back to join the others. She was about to hand the ring in its open box back to him when a tiny, uncertain voice echoed from behind her.
“What . . . what are you doing?” Daphne had emerged from behind the bushes and was standing before them, broken at the sight of Zoe in Aris’s arms. It had brought tears that were now streaming down her face.
Aris tilted his head. “Why are you crying, my love?” He put out his arms and moved toward her.
“Don’t come near me! I saw what you were doing with her! And you know something? I knew it! I could tell!”
“What are you talking about, my darling? You know I love you! Only you!”
Daphne’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t lie to me! How could you, Aris?”
“Daphne, please listen,” said Zoe, “Aris is telling you the truth!” She felt guiltier than ever now although she hadn't done anything to cause this awful misunderstanding.
“Don’t you speak to me, you devious snake! Aren’t there enough men in your life? You had to get my Aris from me?”
“Please, my love, please don’t cry and listen to me! I’m not lying! There’s nothing going on between me and Zoe!” Aris made another attempt to approach Daphne, but this caused her to start retreating. The direction she was taking was dangerous.
“Daphne, be careful!” cried Zoe.
“Please, don’t go that way! That’s a sheer drop, for God’s sake! Will you please stop and listen to me?” pleaded Aris, paralysed with fear.
“I saw you! He gave you that ring! How long has this been going on behind my back?”
“No, Daphne, you misunderstood! I was just handing it back to him,” replied Zoe.
“Stop lying! How dare you insult me with this nonsense? I saw you kissing!” Daphne put her hands over her ears and, with her eyes tightly shut, retreated further.
“We weren’t kissing, Daphne! Not the way you think, anyway! Please listen,” Zoe begged, daring a step forward along with Aris.
“Don’t come close to me! I’m warning you both, I don’t care any more!” Daphne shrieked, her pain rising in her like a roaring fire.
“Please!” shouted Aris, halting again.
“Listen, Daphne! Aris showed me the ring, but it’s for you, not for me! He asked for my opinion, you see?”
“I told you not to speak to me! You’re a liar!” cried Daphne inching further back.
“Please don’t take another s
tep, for the love of God!” Aris stretched out both arms toward her as if he could reach her. “Please come to me! You’re making a big mistake!”
“You said you loved me . . .”
“Oh I do . . . I do . . . More than you can ever imagine! Please believe me, my sweetheart!”
“From what I saw, you love her, not me . . .”
“Please listen!” Aris pleaded, taking the ring from the box in Zoe’s hand. “You see this ring? It’s for you! I only showed it to Zoe! I wanted her opinion, that’s all! Tonight, I was planning to ask you to be my wife! I swear, please believe me!” His voice trembled, his eyes were glazed with the promise of tears, his mind numb by sheer terror.
“What?” muttered Daphne. “Is this the truth?” Shaking all over, she searched their faces.
“Yes, this is the truth!” confirmed Zoe. “I congratulated him, and we kissed on the cheeks like friends do. This is the only truth! I’m so sorry!” Zoe felt spent by her feelings of remorse. If anything happened to Daphne she’d never forgive herself.
Daphne had stopped one breath away from the edge. “Aris? Do you swear this is true?”
“Of course it’s true! I love you more than anything in the world! Please come away from there!” he begged and started to walk slowly toward her, still afraid she might step back again. He couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t even dare imagine it in his head.
“You love me? And you want to marry me?” Daphne managed to say in a broken voice. She was still cautious. The indescribable joy that knocked on the doorstep of her heart found it hard to gain passage. The fear of pain and loss still stood guard at the threshold. She was standing at the very edge of the precipice. If she tried to take a single step back, she’d fall into the sea for certain.
“Yes, my love! I know it’s early still but I already know! If you’ll have me, I’ll spend the rest of my life telling you how much I love you. Please come to me!” Aris beckoned to her with two eager hands. All he needed was for her to take a single step forward, and then he’d rush to take her away, into the safety of his arms.
He watched as she weighed his words in her mind. He saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes, the relief, the realization of this awful misunderstanding. But she stood frozen still, and he found himself praying now, praying she would believe the truth of his confession. If he were to lose her like this, before his very eyes, he’d surely jump to his death from there too, no question about it.
At the dreadful thought his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, kneeling before her just a few steps away from her. He looked up, peering at her through his tears. Against the backdrop of the sky filled with warm colors, he thought then she’d never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment. Her cotton dress flowed in the breeze like the open sail of a ship. The fabric stuck to her lithe body, and she seemed like an elusive fairy more than ever before, about to fly away after all, just as he’d always feared.
Long strands of hair swirled before her face taking away her tears to mix them with the salty air. Aris felt his heart swell with his love for her. When he saw a hesitant smile slowly form on her face, he jolted upright like a coiled spring. He moved toward her but, right then, the earth started to shake.
“Oh my God, it’s an earthquake! Daphne be careful!” shouted out Zoe.
“NO!” cried Aris as he watched Daphne falter on her feet. He froze on the spot, just two steps away from her, stumbling uncontrollably. He reached his hand out to her, and she did the same, but it was too late. Unable to control her footing, Daphne stepped back one time too many. Her eyes were full of terror as Aris watched her fall in stunned silence.
“DAPHNE!” he burst out in a bloodcurdling scream. The earthquake stopped, and he rushed to the edge just in time to see the splash in the deep waters below.
Zoe rushed to him and they looked down together, mad with worry, waiting for Daphne to emerge. They started to shout for help, but didn’t move from the edge nor take their eyes from the water, waiting for a sign of her.
“Tell the others! I’m diving too!” said Aris grabbing Zoe by the shoulders. She didn’t try to sway him. She’d have jumped too in his place. He took off his shirt and scanned the water surface one last time, but then, an incredible thing happened. A flash of light appeared before his eyes, and he screamed with pain, collapsing to the ground.
“What is it? What's wrong?” asked Zoe kneeling before him. Aris had both hands over his eyes and was wailing with pain. “Aris, talk to me! What's happened?”
“I can't see! Oh, my God! I can't see!” he cried when the pain subsided and he removed his hands. All he saw was darkness.
“What?”
“I can't see, Zoe! Can you see in the water? Can you see Daphne?”
“No! No sign of her . . .” Zoe mumbled checking on the water below. She knelt before Aris again and put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t understand! How come you don’t see? What’s happened?”
“A flash of light! It was so bright! Didn’t you see it?”
“Where?”
“In the water just now! Where Daphne fell—”
“But there was no light! I was looking down there all the time too! How’s that possible?”
“It doesn’t matter! Tell me, can you see her? Oh, my God, Daphne . . .” Aris rocked himself in despair. “Please get the others, please hurry! We need to help her. Please! NOW!”
Zoe squeezed his hand in silent response and sprang up, running through the bushes.
Chapter 31
Manos returned from the café to find the others still debating whether or not they should enter the temple. Anna had remained adamant that all they had to do was wait, trusting Poseidon would make his move when the time was right.
However, Phevos was still restless, insisting on entering the temple, just in case. The others sided with Anna but, even then, Phevos wouldn’t change his mind. They watched as he began to walk away on his own, eager to get inside as soon as possible while there was still no guard present to stop him.
Suddenly, the earth began to shake, and Phevos stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground. The duration of the quake was only a few seconds. As soon as it ended, everyone hurried to Phevos to find he was all right. Then, they heard shouting and calls for help coming from the distant bushes across the empty space. As they rushed in that direction, they saw Zoe running toward them, her expression wild. She beckoned and urged them to follow, mumbling things that made no sense. When they reached the edge of the precipice, they found Aris crouched on the ground in a frenzy of despair, still unable to see.
From his incoherent mutterings, they finally made out some sense; Daphne had fallen over the edge. Horrified, they scanned the water surface below, but there was still no sign of her. Anna grabbed her son by the shoulders and took him to the side. The intense expression on her face made him understand, even before she opened her mouth to share her thoughts. Poseidon had caused the earthquake, but he wouldn’t hurt Daphne. He was attempting to lure a specific person into the water. What’s more, he had blinded Aris in order to stop him from diving in. Aris wasn’t supposed to do that, Phevos was! It had to be him, the leader among them. Phevos nodded.
“Go my boy! God be with you!” said Anna, putting her arms around him.
Ksenia heard and rushed over to them. Phevos explained to her their theory, and she nodded her assent.
“What is it? What’s going on? Have you seen her?” asked Aris upon hearing their whispers. Manos and Zoe helped him up, and he kept turning around, facing all ways but seeing only darkness. Yet, he didn’t care about his predicament, and how it had happened. All he cared about was to know Daphne was alive and well.
“Don’t worry, Aris! I’m going to get her,” said Phevos clutching his shoulder. He turned to Ksenia, who gave him a hug and started to pray as soon as he walked away. Anna stood with her, holding her hand. Beside them, Manos cheered Phevos on, his eyes twinkling.
Zoe sat on the rocks nearby, looking lost, worried ab
out both Daphne and Aris, and wondering what madness had possessed the rest of them.
Phevos stood at the edge of the precipice, secured the straps of his backpack over his shoulders and dived headfirst into the water.
***
The sea swallowed Phevos into its dark depths making him lose his sense of direction. It seemed to him he’d been tumbling in a cobalt blue wash for a while, and now, he couldn’t tell any more which way was the seabed and which the surface.
Breathing out, he let some air bubbles escape, watching to see where they’d go but, to his surprise, they scattered in all possible directions. He barely had time to think how strange that was when he started to swirl, carried away by forceful underwater currents. Phevos closed his eyes, willing himself not to lose consciousness.
Then, he realized he was breathing normally again. How is this possible? His eyelids felt heavy and, next thing he knew, he was out of the water. He felt the warm caress of the sea breeze on his face. He was lying down and could feel the coolness of wet sand underneath him.
***
“What is that?” Aris muttered to himself. He was sitting on a rock near the edge with his back to the others. They were all standing on the precipice watching the water, looking out for signs of Daphne and Phevos. They never heard Aris speak, and he was too preoccupied by what was happening to him to repeat it. Before him, where up till now he saw only darkness, he started to see swirls of light. Gradually, this turned into a haze, then a blur, and now, it was clearing up quickly. Stunned to silence, Aris started blinking repeatedly and rubbing his eyes. They felt stingy, the way your eyes feel when you’ve had one dive in the sea too many. The blur kept clearing and he continued blinking, willing his eyes to focus. He could see movement now. Something was approaching from behind the blur. A silhouette. It cleared some more. Who is that? And then, in a flash, his sight was fully restored.
The Necklace of Goddess Athena Page 29