Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(9)

Venus and Athena gasped as they felt the immediate electric drain of divine power course through their palms and slam into the girl priestess who still lay with her eyes closed in Hera’s lap. The girl’s back bowed as her body glowed, and then, just as suddenly as it had happened, the light and power were gone, and with a small cry, the girl sat up. Automatically her hand lifted to feel the ugly wound on her arm—then her eyes widened as she found nothing but healthy, newly healed skin there. Her gaze went immediately to Hera.

“My Goddess!” she cried in a soft, musical voice. “It is you. I thought I was being granted a beautiful dream before my death.”

Hera smiled and touched the girl’s cheek. “You shall not die today, child. What is your name?”

“Eleithyia,” she said, bowing her head down so that it touched the floor beside Hera. “Forgive me for not protecting your temple, Great Goddess!”

“Sweet daughter Eleithyia, this desecration is not your fault. I do not expect my priestesses to battle warriors! Arise, child, and have no fear that you have displeased me. I only wish I had known about this defilement sooner so that I could have saved the other priestesses.”

Slowly, the girl raised her head to stare with wide, adoring eyes at Hera. “We had no warning. For all these years the Greeks have left the temples outside the city walls in peace. There was no reason to believe that they would attack so suddenly.” Eleithyia bit her lip to keep from crying.

“Eleithyia, you said Agamemnon’s men stole Hera’s priestesses?” Athena said.

The girl bowed her head respectfully to Athena before answering. “That is what they said, Athena. First they came pretending to be nonviolent. Their leader, Talthybios, said that Agamemnon was angry. His war bride, Khryseis, had been returned to her father, and Achilles refused to part with his own war bride, Briseis, so they were looking for a fair young maiden to take her place and appease their king.”

Athena nodded her head. “I heard Artemis speaking of this. Khryseis is daughter to one of Apollo’s favorite priests. Artemis was so angered by this that she rained darkness and death over the Greek camp until they returned the girl.”

“Artemis and Apollo do get very upset when either has been insulted,” Venus said. “It’s that whole twin mentality.”

“Yes, we all know how touchy the two of them can be,” Hera said impatiently. “But did you note that the trouble always harkens back to Achilles?” The other two goddesses nodded, in complete agreement once again with their queen. “Go on, Eleithyia. You were saying that the Greeks came to the temple after Khryseis had been returned to her father,” Hera prompted.

Eleithyia ran a shaky hand over her brow. “Yes, they were so charming and handsome that, at first, we thought they only jested about coming to take us away, and we laughed with them. Of course we explained to them that those of us sworn to the service of the Great Goddess could not become war-prize brides. They seemed to understand. Then they saw Leis.” She paused. Shuddering she drew a deep breath before she could continue. “Leis is a great beauty and only recently sworn to your service, Goddess.”

Hera nodded. “I do, indeed, remember the fair Leis taking her vows.” A shadow crossed the goddess’s lovely face. “But I do not remember seeing her body amongst the dead. Is she here?”

Eleithyia shook her head, tears leaking down her cheeks. “No. The Greeks took her. We tried to stop them, and the men became outraged that we would reject them. They cut down any of us who got in their way.” The girl’s shoulders shook but she forced herself to talk through her sobs. “They even defiled your innermost sanctuary, Great Goddess. They found the princess there, and murdered her at the base of your statue.”

“That’s why she looked familiar to me. They’ve killed King Priam’s youngest daughter, Polyxena!” Venus said.

Eleithyia nodded. “The princess’s handmaiden, Melia, comes here often to pray for your aid in ending the war so that her mistress’s marriage with the young king of Sardis can finally take place. Today Polyxena accompanied Melia to pour libations and burn incense.” Tears flooding her face, Eleithyia looked up at her goddess. “The Greeks struck the princess with less remorse than they would have cut down one of their horses.”

“What a terrible waste,” Hera said. “She was so young—had so much of her life yet to live. It couldn’t have been Fate’s plan to have her leave the mortal realm so soon.”

Venus’s sudden gasp had Hera looking questioningly up at her.

“That’s it! That’s our answer.”

“What ever are you babbling about?” Athena snapped.

“It’s perfect, really.” Venus pointed to the inner sanctum. “There are two bodies right in there. Two lovely, young, soulless bodies. And in my temple I just happen to be the proud possessor of two bodiless souls.”

“You’re not implying we should—”

“Of course I’m not implying,” Venus interrupted Athena. “I’m saying outright. We just fixed up Eleithyia’s body with no problem. The three of us can certainly do the same to Polyxena and Melia. Then I retrieve the modern mortal souls, place them in the new bodies, and Polyxena becomes Achilles’ new war bride.”

“But, Goddess, Achilles already has Briseis for a war-prize bride,” Eleithyia said in her sweet, shy voice.