33 Mass

Delphi, Greece.

Hecate stared silently at the rising structure under the rays of the sun. There were spires, towers, and palaces spinning and winding on each other, bathed in the auric glow of the sun.

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It was breath-taking and other-worldly in every sense of the word. It was, in some ways, even more brilliant than Olympus itself.

"Welcome to Delphi." Standing in front of the rising structure, Apollo spread his hands flamboyantly.

"I've lost count of the number of times I've said this." Hecate breathed out. "But still, you are amazing, Apollo."

"And, I can never get tired of hearing it." Apollo said, kissing her cheek.

"All right, come on." Hecate chuckled as she drew him into the Delphi. "Show me around the masterpiece of the God of Art himself."

"My pleasure." The God of Art smiled.

They whizzed through the golden palaces, weaving in and out of the human crowds. A cacophony of murmurs and whispers seeped through nooks and corners as mortals and immortals walked to the Parthenon in the heart of Delphi.

Apollo revealed, as they ran in between ivory columns.

"Delphi was indeed magnificent before, but it didn't have any of my mark or authority. Call me narcissistic, but I wanted the entire world to know it was mine. So I got to work, renovating the entire thing. I drew the plans. And my angels called for the volunteers. They finally began at the beginning of the year. They finished it last month. Ever since then, the gates of Delphi have remained open to all who follow my Order..."

Hecate listened patiently, smiling at his boastful demeanour. He continued to show her everything. From the architecture to the paths. From the spires to the palaces.

She also sensed Apollo's divinity enveloping not only Delphi but also the settlement down the mountain. It exuded strictness and authority, much like Themis, Titaness of Order, but it felt much more powerful and volatile.

'It should be Apollo's order. But it's so different...'

Order, in general, is a set of rules and laws imposed on reality. The ancient laws, which limited even the gods, were part of an order that existed even before the age of the gods.

And, in comparison, the order of Apollo gave off a feeling very similar to the ancient order.

"We've arrived." Apollo came to a halt in the midst of the bustling crowds. And she turned to face the Parthenon, a collasal structure supported by ivory pillars. The rays of the sun glistened through the open ceiling.

Mortals and immortals, nymphs, nadirs, satyrs, centaurs, and many others, entered the Parthenon through the white stairs, their heads bowed. The entire structure was shrouded in a divine aura, adding to its ethereality.

Hecate finally had the opportunity to ask him, pointing to the rising crowds. "What is the event?"

"A mass," Apollo replied, his gaze fixed ahead.

"Mass?" Hecate's brow furrowed. She had never heard of that term before.

"A mass is a rite of worship." Apollo stated. "It is a time and place where people can be close to God and receive his blessings. It happens at the end of every month."

Hecate got the gist of it. Then, she asked, confirming. "So we are going to attend a mass, a mass in your honour?"

"Yes." Apollo simply nodded, as if it were the most natural thing to do. "Come on. I always wanted to personally witness it and see how everything was going. And now with you, the time is better than ever to do it."

"Do I have to participate?" Hecate asked, as they began climbing up the stairs with everyone.

"You could." Apollo leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I heard that the Sun God can be quite generous sometimes. Who knows, maybe he'll hear your prayers and grant your every wish."

Hecate smiled brightly and took his hand in hers. "I'm definitely going to pray to him!"

They entered the Parthenon, which was filled with crowds, mortal and immortal alike, in between shimmering ivory pillars.

An angelic woman with long white hair stood solemnly in front of a golden high altar. She was dressed in a white gown embroidered with gold threads. Her head was held high, and her eyes were filled with indifference.

Cynthia, Light Angel. Hecate recognised it. The fame of the Angels of Apollo even reached the underworld.

She wasn't all. Behind her was a statue of a god, a god that Hecate couldn't be more familiar with.

The statue depicts a young man in chiton robes holding a spear in one hand and a golden sphere resembling the sun in the other. He had a gentle smile, which seemed to light up the entire world. On top of his head was a golden laurel crown, gleaming brilliantly in the rays of the sun.

He was Phoebus Apollo, the Eternal Blazing Sun, her love.

The nine muses flanked her lover's divine statue, four on the left and five on the right.

"Let's get to the side." Apollo said, drawing her attention to himself. He was smiling contentedly. "It has the best vantage point."

They pushed their way through the crowds, halting near an ivory pillar. And Hecate looked at Cynthia as she began.

The Angel of Light looked around, raised her hand, and tapped her chest four times clockwise, drawing the symbol of the Blazing Sun.

"Praise thy Lord." She chanted, and silence fell.

Cynthia spoke, her gentle voice echoing into everyone's hearts and souls.

"Today is the celebration of the Sun, but God's response is pity."

"He takes pity on every mother that has her child. He takes on every lonely child. And he takes pity on everyone that has suffered."

"He said that all of this would end. A new era will soon be upon us."

Cynthia's words rang out throughout the Parthenon, Delphi, and even the first settlement.

The mortals and immortals who participated in the mass were both moved and sad, feeling their heavy heart.

The nine muses cleared their throats and began to chant hymns in a high aisle. The ethereal and holy voice seemed to strike a chord deep within everyone's soul:

"Full-faced above the land stood the golden sun;

"And sweet it was to dream of themselves,

"Of child, and wife, and parents; but evermore..."

Unknowingly, everyone felt their spirits being cleansed and their spirituality released.

They appeared to have fallen into a somber dream, strolling in a serene light, reliving their sorrowful memories again and again.

Their pain. Their despair.

Their hopelessness. Their anguish.

Their dreams were slowly eroded by a stirring abyss of darkness, extinguishing their last vestiges of hope.

"We look upward into the bright sky,

"We reverently say his name:

"Eternal Blazing Sun!

"...If He heard us, He would surely agree,

"Smiling with purity at the beginning:

"Come, rest, and sleep well, my children."

The immortals participating in mass could no longer suppress their emotions as they silently released the pain they had accumulated caused by years of suppression.

As if it had a corporeal form, a huge wave of sorrow filled the air, mixed with the chanting of the Nine Muses. One teardrop fell after another. The drops rise. A shadow of dark clouds fell on the sky.

And the sky cried with them.

"Cross your hands humbly,

"Over your chest,

"Make the silent prayer,

"And shout from the bottom of your heart:

"The only escape is light!"

People who were silently sobbing with their eyes closed subconsciously followed the hymns and made similar gestures. Then, they shouted in their hearts, infected with each other's emotions;

"The only escape is light!"

A dazzling of beam of light tore through the veil of sorrow, splashing on Delphi. The dark clouds melted, bathed in auric light.

And the golden sun graced the sky, emitting an infinite light of hope.

Everyone opened their eyes and gazed towards the eternal sun, bathed in auric light. The sun didn't harm their hopeful eyes, but was warm and gentle.

Suddenly, the Goddess of Magic opened her hands and chanted, her deep voice resounding.

"Praise the Sun!"

Her chant was like a spark that lit up the prairie.

"Praise the Sun!"

"Praise the Sun!"

"Praise the Sun!"

Everyone chanted startlingly under the golden rays of the sun, trembling Delphi to its very foundations.

An new era will be upon us.

A era of sun.

__________

Delphi.

The zealous believers emerged from the Parthenon, their bright eyes warm and hopeful, like the sun.

In the midst of them all, Hecate and Apollo walked towards the platform, where Cynthia and the nine muses were getting down, after finally noticing Apollo, who had made his presence known by the end of the mass.

"What did you pray to the Sun God?" Apollo wrapped his hands around her hips.

Hecate rolled her eyes at the Sun God, but she went along with it. "I didn't pray for me. But for him. I prayed to hope that all would be fine on his side."

Apollo kissed her in the crowds without a care for the eyes. It was intense, scorching, and oppressive, leaving her nearly breathless.

And Hecate wanted nothing but more of it. For it to never end. And from his intensifying actions, he too surely shared her emotions.

But, after a moment, they separated, though reluctantly.

"Hecate…" Apollo drawled deeply.

Hecate smiled, pressing her finger on his lips.

"Now is not the time." She whispered, her other hand pointing forward.

The believers had already dispersed, leaving only them, the Angel of Light, and the Muses in the Parthenon's empty square. Cynthia and the Nine Muses bowed their heads in front of him.

Apollo turned and looked at them, nodding. They raised their heads to face him and her.

Cynthia inquired, hesitantly. "Milord, is that…"

"Yes." Apollo nodded firmly. "She is Hecate, Goddess of Magic, my love. From now on, she will be your lady."

Hecate's eyes were fixed on him while the Nine Muses dragged Apollo from her and swarmed around him like a bunch of cheerful girls, leaving Hecate and Cynthia alone.

"Congratulations, our Musagetes."

"And how were our hymns?"

"Was it good?"

"We also want your permission to perform on Olympus. Aphrodite invited us to a celebration. And she said, You will know what it is."

"One at a time." The muses proceeded to barrage Apollo with questions about himself, the music, and virtually everything. And he patiently responded to each of them.

Hecate finally turned her gaze away from him and toward Cynthia, who had been quietly observing her surroundings.

Noticing her gaze, Cynthia bowed slightly. "My lady."

Hecate studied her, saying. "Walk with me."

Cynthia complied. And they walked around the Parthenon while Apollo spared a glance at them before being swarmed by Muses again.

"Cynthia." Hecate said. "Is it?"

"Yes." Cynthia nodded calmly under her scrutinising eyes. "Cynthia, Angel of Light."

"Your mass for my love was great." Hecate said, patting her shoulders. "It even managed to draw me in."

"All honour belongs to the Lord." Cynthia stated modestly. For a brief moment, her gaze was drawn to the hands on her shoulders before returning to Hecate. "It was all his plans and ideas."

"I figured." Hecate smiled, while Cynthia remained silent, looking ahead at the sun, which didn't harm her eyes.

As they walked around the Parthenon, Hecate continued.

"You were also high priestess of Delphi before?"

Cynthia gave a solemn nod. "I have served Earth Mother for 543 years, Milady."

"That long..." Hecate raised her brows, beating around the bush. "So, is the faith of the Earth Mother still present in his Delphi?"

"Yes." Cynthia said straightforwardly, "The Lord had still honoured Earth Mother. At the other end of Delphi, there is another temple dedicated to 'Her.'"

"It is also the Earth Mother's will for the Lord to take over Delphi. I may have severed 'Her' for half a millennia. But it didn't shake the oath and faith of my Lord, the Eternal Blazing Sun."

She turned to face Hecate. "You don't need to be concerned, my lady. The Lord has eyes that sees the truth itself."

"That he does, doesn't he?" Hecate asked rhetorically, sighing.

They had returned to where they had left, making a full loop. The muses, holding numerous parchments filled with scribbles and cravings, were being sent off by Apollo.

Then he turned to face them, his gaze fixed on Cynthia.

"You have done well, Cynthia."

"Thank you, milord." Cynthia bowed, her ever-present calm expression finally collapsing into contentment.

She went on. "Milord, during your absence, many gods and even some titans have sent their goodwill. Anastasia had placed it all in your solar."

"I'll take care of it." Apollo gave a nod. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Cynthia said. "Anastasia was asking about the Order artifact."

Apollo said. "Tell her to come to my office by tomorrow."

Cynthia gave a nod. She then bowed one last time to him and Hecate before fading away into light particles.

"Come." Apollo extended his hand. "My mother and sister will soon know I am here."

Hecate had a lot of questions for him, but everything was immediately swept away to the back of her mind with his words.

"Are they going to meet us?" She finally asked, a little nervously. "Together?"

"Yeah." Apollo nodded calmly. "Don't be worried. Everything will be alright."

"Will it be?" Hecate inquired sharply. "After everything that happened."

"It will be." Apollo said firmly.

"My mother..." Hecate gave a weak smile. "You know, she really wanted..."

"What actually happened with Aunt Asteria?" Apollo asked, his eyes narrowing.

Hecate took a deep breath. "It's the Queen of the Night. She forbade her children and subordinates from interfering with Olympus' affairs. And when the cries of help from Aunt Leto echoed throughout the underworld, my mother desperately begged the Queen of Night to make an exception. She, on the other hand, rejected all of the pleas, claiming that it would only make things worse and that everything would be fine in the end."

"That is what happened." She looked him in the eyes as he remained silent for a moment, as if digesting what she had said.

Finally, Apollo took her hands in his. "We will mend the broken pieces of our family."

"I hope so.." Hecate spoke softly.

Apollo suddenly asked, his hold on her tightening. "You are not under the Queen of Night, are you?"

"No." Hecate shook her head, seeing right through his worries. "I never swore fealty to anyone."

Apollo's tense shoulders immediately sagged, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from them.

Then, unexpectedly, he inquired. "Can you give me the honorific name of the Queen of Night?"

"Why?" Hecate asked, her brows furrowed.

"Give it to me." Apollo insisted. "When the time comes, you will understand everything. Trust me on this."

Hecate looked at him in silence for a moment before raising her hand and magic materialised into a parchment with the honorific name of Queen of Night.

She handed it over to him. Apollo examined it.

The honorific name of the Queen of Night is:

"The Queen of Night, who stands higher than the universe.

"She is the first darkness at the beginning.

"She is also the Mother of Concealment.

"The Empress of Misfortune and Horror.

"The Mistress of Repose and Silence."

Apollo studied it sombrely. The honorific titles of the gods are closely related to the divinities that they hold.

He dragged Hecate out of the empty Parthenon after putting the parchment in his personal space.

"Come on, let's go to my solar. I have already sent a message to my mother and sister."

Under the glimmer of sunlight, they strode through Delphi's colossal palaces, temples, and spires.