The Farland Files

Unnamed Island Outside Greece

Lena found herself in a large courtyard with the sun beaming down on her, but even as she instantly scanned her surroundings for anyone in sight, she was alone. Still having one of Gellert's pastries in hand, she sighed and studied the area further, not knowing what to do.

Towering statues lined the courtyard, and she noticed that before the statues were food and objects that looked like offerings.

Moving around and studying the intricate stonework of the statues, she found a statue with little to no offerings at its base. It was a statue of a very stern man with a sword and shield that triggered a memory in the back of her brain, kneeling to mutter a soft 'oh' when she saw the Grecian runes around the base of the statue.

"You must be Ares then, huh? The so-called God of War and Bloodshed..." Breaking the pastry in half, she set one part on the base of the statue before standing again and brushing herself off. Looking at the statue, she gave in to the urge to reach out, place her hand over the stone one holding the sword. "And when the bigger wars end I would bet you become the God of those fighting the battles of their own everyday lives."

The statue didn't respond and she didn't expect it to.

Letting her hand fall, she looked at the other half of the pastry and then around the courtyard that was missing a statue.

And yet...

"Of course." Her lips quirked up when they landed on the small fire burning in the center of the courtyard that didn't give off any heat. Gently tossing the other half of the pastry in, she watched as the fire grew in size for a moment before going back to flickering softly. "Hestia, Goddess of children like me, who had to find their own homes."

"You see them then." Stepping from the front of the courtyard, a woman with dark skin like the night sky in loose white draped robes moved to stand a bit away from her, hands clasped behind her with a smile. "It's not every day we get visitors that see our temple as anything but pretty decoration, leaving objects or trinkets but never truly speaking to their patrons."

Lena raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the statue of Aphrodite and where a phallic object was placed at the base of the Goddess's feet. "You mean to tell me that they don't like getting obscene objects from random strangers that don't understand love can be more than physical?" Her voice was dry. "Color me surprised."

The woman laughed softly, a hearty and ringing sound that echoed around the temple. "Even though the woman that left that object here got a bit of... unusual luck on the island, no matter how many times we try to move it, it always shows back up. I believe the Goddess finds the same humor in it that you do."

Lips curling up, she glanced at the statue, feeling as if it was just more right to address the stone than the woman in front of her. "Good for her."

"I am the Oracle of the Main Temple, though most just call me Phoebe." The woman held out a hand that was sort of to the side of where she stood and she then noticed that her eyes were not fixed on an exact point. "Welcome, traveler, to the Island of Hellena and the final resting place of the gods from the so-called 'Greek' pantheon."

Making her steps clear and slow, she clasped the woman's hand gently. "Nice to meet you, Phoebe. Please, call me Lena."

Squeezing her hand, the woman moved slowly to reach up and run her fingers along the planes of her face gently. "I felt you were young, but I have not seen one so young be chosen by Ares in... many years." Then resting on her shoulder, the woman's eyebrows pulled down slightly. "Lena, as is tradition on our lands that if one such as you passed through the temple and is lucky enough to have one or more of the Gods lay claim to you, I help them find if their place."