Chapter 8

The wave of teleporting faded slowly and once she could breathe again Helena made her way to her temple which was quiet and almost empty save from a few servants who she knew would be in their chambers or the temple of some other gods. She made her way to her room and realized that she was still holding the package Demeus had given her, heat suffused her cheeks at the thought of him. She started to open the package to see what he packed for her when she tensed. There was a change in the atmosphere. A god was coming.

As fast as she could she hid the sack and concealed it with her powers. She had barely finished when the door to her chamber was blown open.

Robos.

He liked to make an entrance. He filled every corner of the entrance with his huge frame.

She swallowed. She was scared of him but she was worried that he knew about her disappearance.

“Helena, queen of the gods and the woman who has captured my heart,” he rumbled as he came close to her. Once those words would have made her blush but today she watched without affection as he came closer. He slid his hand to cup her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. She tasted the mead in his breath which meant he was drunk and was just returning from one of his many mistresses. She pulled back. He frowned.

“What is it?”

She wasn’t even surprised that he did not question her absence from Kpamos. Of course, he wouldn’t notice since he was between the thighs of another goddess. Or servant.

“Nothing,” she replied him. “I am just a little tired.”

His hand slipped down to her belly. “Perhaps you are with child again?”

“How can that be when we have not seen each other in days? Or weeks?”

His frown deepened as he dropped his hands to his side.

“Was I not here yesterday?”

She fought the urge to blast him with her powers. Did he think she was a fool? That she would not know that he was entertaining one of his mistresses in his temple? She ground her teeth to keep herself from saying anything. Instead, she pasted a wide smile on her face and turned away.

“I must be mistaken, my love. But I blame my tiredness for my forgetfulness.”

Robos sighed and looked longingly at her retreating back. He probably couldn’t tell the difference between her and his whores if the was drunk now. Helena did her best to ignore him as she slip onto the cool sheets of her bed. She closed her eyes and waited until he left. Only then did she open her eyes again to secure the look in her door. She materialized the sack Demeus had given her and opened it. In it were fruits but most of it was one which she had favored the previous night. It was yellow and rough with a tangy smell. She bit into it and savored the taste of the sweet juice on her tongue. Her heart was so full of raw emotions as she ate the fruits. It was his second show of kindness, she thought. First, it was the damp cloth with which she shielded herself, now it was these fruits. He must have observed her preference for it the previous night.

She released a short breath that bordered on longing to see him again. How was she to go about it without seeming desperate? She paused at the thought. Was it really necessary to see him again? What if she didn’t have the same effect on him as he had on her?

Her appetite was suddenly gone, she pushed the sack of fruits away and lay back on her bed with her hands behind her head. Even if he did feel something for her, which was unlikely, was she to begin an affair with a stranger from a distant land? She was a lonely woman but she was not like Robos! She had honor! No matter what I felt with Ramus I have to keep him behind me, she thought.

By evening she was still on her bed looking up at the ceiling. Life as a goddess was not supposed to be this boring but hers was. In a bid to beat her boredom she stood from her bed, changed her clothes, and went out of her room. Her destination was the arena of Kpamos where gods, servants, dragons, sometimes demons, daemons and other beings gathered for pleasure. There was news of a race between the dragons and satyrs. The race was fixed as a result of the drunken boasting of one satyr at the orgy Aloni held at his temple. Dragons were relatively slow runners but fast flyers and they were also known to take challenges to heart. That was one of their weaknesses.

 The race was one entertainment she knew would take her mind off her problems. She materialized herself in front of the arena.

Contrary to the belief of the men of Camelorn, Kpamos was just a mountain full of temples, it was a progressive, well-developed civilization that consisted of all beings except man. At the square of Kpamos crowds of powerful beings moved about. The only difference between the world of man and gods was the lack of trade. The gods didn’t need to buy or sell since they had the power to get whatever they wanted. Helena personally thought that was a shame because some gods could use some lessons in toiling and farming like men, maybe then they wouldn’t so lazy.

The arena was already crowded with spectators. In the high-rise benches built in a circular design gods sat, talked, drank, flirted and watched the participants of the race prepare themselves. Even though demons were not commonly allowed in Kpamos because of their lack of integrity, there were a few demons who sat to watch the match. Helena made her way to the seat reserved for her and Robos. It was designed in such a way that she could see everything happening in the arena. The middle of the arena itself was where activities took place. It was covered in white sand. Helena sat and watched as 3 dragons took their place on the starting line that had been drawn on the sand. The satyrs positioned themselves on the line too. At the sound of the horn, the runners took off.

The crowd began to cheer and yell. Some laughed at the dragons whose heavy footsteps shook the foundations of the arena. The satyrs, small, slippery and sly ran speedily to the finish line stopping just a few feet away from it to taunt the dragons. Helena laughed at their antics and shook her head, glad that she had decided to come here after all.