Embrace of Moonlight

Revealed

Selene POV
It has been a goddamn week! Over the past week o have waken up almost every morning exhausted. There is so much on my mind these days: Viktor, the Templars and their goddamn vendetta against supernaturals. But today I promised Sebastian I would teach his class. I drag myself into the shower and hopped in the Jeep. I will have to catch up on sleep another day.

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I sauntered up to the lecture hall podium smiling at Drogo who was smirking like an idiot. I winked at him. I am sire he and Peter probably weren't taught this. Viktor wasn't exactly running a Vampires 101 class anytime in the next millennia.

"Well, seeing as your lovely professor has such a portrayed such a beautiful picture about vampires and their monstrous bloodlust. " I roll my eyes towards Sebastian. I don't know what his problem was. The Bartholys in Mystery Spell were the perfect example of what vampires could be. "I thought it would be important for you to hear about the origin of vampires, through Greek legend. You may be surprised that their existence is due to a love story"

I could see the students leaning forward in their seats. Even Drogo and Peter had screwed up and confused expressions on their faces.

"The first vampire started out as a mortal man named Ambrogio. As an adult he traveled to Greece to visit the oracles and have his fortune read by the oracle Delphi at He temple of the sun god, Apollo. He was quite shocked, though, when he received his fortune. It was much less pleasant than what you would receive in your average fortune cookie.

"The Curse, The Moon. The Blood will Run"

Ambrogio stated up all night contemplating the meaning of his precarious fate. That morning he met a beautiful maiden named Selene as she went to perform her duties at the temple of Apollo. He was immediately entranced by her good nature and beauty and fell in love with her. He basically stalked her over the following week and then asked her to marry him and return with him to his home in Italy. She agreed and promised to meet him the next morning. This was a very bad idea.

This angered Apollo as he took a liking to the lovely Selene and here was Ambrogio taking one of his maidens away. Apollo appeared to Ambrogio and cursed him. From that day forward the mere touch of Apollo's sunlight would burn his skin."

I looked around to the class. Every student was on the edge of their seat. This is why I study folklore and mythology. Hearing the origins of legends like this were what shaped my own life and my career. Sebastian, on the other hand had a strange look on his face. I wondered how much of this tale was new to him. A lot of this information I acquired from Viktor's texts, and some I got from Viktor himself.  When I was younger and he was around more, this was one of my favorite bedtime stories.

"Unable to meet his love and tolerate sunlight, Ambrogio met with Hades, god of the underworld, deep within a cave. In exchange for protection for Ambrogio and Selene, Ambrogio would steal Artemis' bow.

Hades gave Ambrogio a megal wooden Bow with 11 arrows to hunt with and he was to offer his trophies to Artemis to gain her favor. As collateral Hades bade Ambrogio to leave his soul until he returned to Hades;  should he return without the bow he'd have to live in Hades forever never returning to Selene.

Without a way of contacting Selene, he killed a swan, using its feather as a pen and blood for ink he wrote her a note that he could not meet her but would find a way to for them to be together. Selene was devastated but as to not anger Apollo kept working at the temple. For 44 days before dawn, Ambrogio would slay a swan and write Slene her letters and poems, then after draining the bird he'd offer the body to Artemis as tribute to the Goddess of Hunting, the moon and sister to Hades.