Her story is told in full only by the late writers of Cytheria's scions, it is an old tale. One of the books ascribed to Varl, but probably of a somewhat in later date, during Caelleria's childhood describes how the girl became the woman she is now and her relationship to other Gods, Higher and Lower.
The late writers's works were translated by countless of Scholars, so it is to be expected that most of the stories have been exaggerated, some sound ludicrous but they never strayed away from the source.
Excerpt from the Preface from The Daughter of Cytheria and Oikos, written by Scholar Ilyana
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πππππππ and his group came back from Andania and greeted with sneers and glares. Everyone in Skyrias knew what happened, there was no doubt in that, especially the part where he tried to kill the sleeping woman.
As they walk towards the hut they stayed at, a lot of people snickered and talked in their native language, he knew that they weren't talking about good things. He noticed that their grips on their spear have gotten tighter, when usually it's attached to their back. They don't trust them anymore, he deserved that. He basically tried to murder the woman.
"Yep, you definitely screwed this up." Tellias mumbled, he was still bitter about it.
As they walk towards their hut, Bastien saw a small group gathered by the center and in the midst of it all was Panthea. They were all snarling at her, Bastien may not understand what they were saying but he knew what was happening.
Panthea was being blame for what happened.
She was the reason why the woman woke, guided the outsiders to the cave and angered the Mistress in the process. She was already branded as traitor, an outcast; just because she aided Bastien and may caused their end.
For once, Panthea was quiet, letting herself be struck by their words like she deserved it.
Bastien couldn't handle it anymore and walked towards the group, the people parted and shot him glares but he ignored them. He grabbed Panthea's arm and pulled her away from the circle.
At first, Panthea struggled at his hold but soon gave when he shot her a stern look, Sorine followed them, the eagle probably trusted him when it shouldn't after all he was the reason why Panthea was being dragged by her own people.
Bastien hated bullies, he had encountered a lot of them in the past. People wanted to feel better for themselves so they find someone to project their insecurities.
He was fuming. Bastien was tempted to ruin their minds, use their insecurities as an advantage to him. A single whisper of doubt on their minds was enough for him, it would soon take root and grow as the days past until it would start to fester and become a hindrance on their mind. Bastien would love to do that but he was already walking on thin ice after this disaster in Andania.
Flashes of Theodoros being bullied at a young age for choosing to read than wield a sword came back at him with vengeance. He clenched his hand into a fist remembering his little brother, how men in Naros were bullies thinking that the bigger and stronger they are it would somehow equate them into thinking they are superior to others.
Bastien spent his entire adolescent years protecting his brother, nobody cared that they were bullying a prince because they thought that Bastien wouldn't find out about it but their thoughts weren't so quiet about it.
His ability to influence and read minds grew stronger when he was a teenager, the time where he's honing his ability and training for battle, he didn't know how to control it so all the thoughts of his brother's bullies came flooding in one day after training.
Needless to say, they didn't call him unforgiving for nothing. Whoever penned Mindmonger was an idiot but somehow it got stuck and thankfully for them, no one dares to say in front of him.
He let Panthea go and Tellias was already hounding her like a wolf in heat. "Are you okay?" Tellias was checking her arms for bruises and injuries. After being freed, Panthea immediately left without saying a word and it wounded Tellias.
Panthea hissed and pulled her arm away as if it burning hot. "No thanks to you, jovo!"
"A what?" Tellias asked, his eyebrows going higher than the usual. Bastien couldn't help himself but read her mind, jovo was their curse word for someone who was stupid.
Panthea didn't say anything, just shot him a look that could burn a human alive if possible. Sorine landed on her outstretched arm, letting out a high pitch whistle as if Sorine was trying to calm her down.
"When are we leaving?" She said curtly, only caressing its feather without even looking at Bastien or Tellias. Her eyes were only for her avian friend.
"Today. We can't afford to lose the woman." Bastien said, Kepheos almost broke his neck facing him. Bastien would have laugh at his reaction but the mood was not right.
"Without rest? The Mistress won't even able to go far, she's tired. Wasted too much energy fighting and running away." Kepheos stated.
"Yes, she'll be tired and it will be only our opening to immobilize herβ"
"I won't partake in this stupidity." Panthea said, frowning at the men around her. "I rather have Sorine pluck my eyes than hurt the Mistress."
"We won't hurt her. We need her." Bastien explained, he needed Sorine, if only the eagle doesn't come with a package deal. He would be fine without Panthea, Sorine would suffice but that damn eagle won't leave Panthea... like how the golden eagle was to the woman. He may feel bad for Panthea on how they're treating her but he's not used to having a newcomer in his group.
"That's what you said! Little did we know, you would try to kill her!" Panthea shrieked, Sorine flew away from her arm to avoid being hit.
Before Bastien could say anything, he felt an aching feeling in his head, it lingered and he had to lean against the wall, gripping the table near him and nearly breaking a corner of it.
"Bas?" Kepheos said, concern filled his word. He appeared out of nowhere and supported him, Bastien gently pushed him off because it made it worse.
By the Gods, a voice said in his mind with a taste of darkness. A familiar mind. Kepheos. His mind was like entering a cold shadowy room and those shadows are like tentacles, wrapping around him.
Fuck, Bastien thought to himself. His control slipped and managed to insert himself in Kepheos' mind. He tried to pull back but somehow, the headache stopped him.
He felt like the younger teenager version of himself, trying to control his ability and failing.
"Bas, you're pale. You need to lay down before you collapse." Kepheos said as he tried to lay Bastien on the nearest flat surface.
Phenikas! A scream punched his mind, all agonized at desperate. Feminine, ethereal and tired. He may not know what or who Phenikas was but he had an idea.
He knew what just happened and somehow that scream alerted him to the source. Boeotika.
"We need to leave now." He snarled, this time not so gently pushing Kepheos away from him.
Kepheos didn't argue and grabbed all their stuff. Panthea watched all the men began packing as Bastien held himself together and left the hut. As much as he wanted to stay and enjoy their culture, Bastien was hunting down the woman and that was more important.
"What's happening?!" The Skyrian woman panicked, grabbing his biceps. Even with her anger at Bastien, her compassion for others still overcome the anger. He did not deserved her sympathy.
Wow, look at those muscles. Panthea's voice whispered in his mind.
Fuck. Bastien groaned and lightly pushed Panthea. "I know where she is." That's all he needed to say before Panthea whistled and Sorine replied with a shriek.
"We better get going before something bad happens."
We're too late for that. He thought, he didn't want to say it out loud.
As the men finished their packing, they began venturing towards the mountains when they reached their destination, the view in front of Bastien was astounding. The vast lands in front of him, he could basically see Boeotika's tall trees, Elos looked tiny in here but he could see some people walking around the town. Panthea led them to the rope tied to a post. Bastien saw Sorine soared ahead of them and Panthea jumped on the cliff and used her sheath dagger body to glide against the rope, making a quick descent down the fields. Bastien used his sheath dagger and jumped, the others following suite. The wind slapped his face and messing his hair in different directions.
Bastien had to ignore the stabbing pain because he really didn't want to die falling off a zip line.
As soon as they reached the ground, where they first saw Panthea, the headache subsided and waited for the others to land before ordering Panthea. "Have Sorine scout Boeotika, she's there."
Panthea didn't argue and they all watched as Sorine turned and changed her direction heading towards Boeotika.
He just hoped the woman haven't killed anyone.
Bastien stared at the darken gap forest, Sorine landed on Panthea's extended arm as she stared at the forest in front of them.
They didn't have permission to enter the lands of Boeotika and the Huntresses are ruthless warriors, entering without permission was like asking for death. Unlike Skyrians, they wouldn't attack unless provoked but Boeotikans would straight up attack them.
But they didn't have a choice.
"Sorine saw a group of women gathering at the eastern side of the forest." Panthea pointed to the smoke rising from the trees.
"Are we sure about this, Bas?" Tellias asked, everyone in this group knew how skillful the Boeotikans are especially in an area they all knew. Even Phelan, a strong and survivor of many wars, feared the Boeotikan Huntresses. Kiran would rather bed a Huntress than fight one. He saw how the Huntresses fought, he fought with them as they drove the Tesserians off Cythera. Especially if they are accompanied with their animal.
"Let's go." That's all he said.
He beckoned the horses to enter the forest, all their horses hesitated but in the end complied to their orders. They watched as Sorine did a vertical take off and soared to the direction of the smoke as they followed the eagle.
The forest was dull and dark, it was nothing like the Boeotika he saw as a child. Alive and bright. Some of the trees were dead and black, branches curving in a creepy way. There were no leaves. Some were on the process of dying.
He couldn't find an animal roaming around, not even a squirrel. Are they all dead? He thought, using his senses to find any mind he could connect to.
None.
Bastien's mind was on alert, waiting for a scout to appear and kill them before they could blink but so far, no one had tried to kill them.
"It's so quiet," Kiran whispered, as if afraid to alert any nearby wildlife. If there was one.
Phelan grunted in agreement and looked disturbed.
Bastien finally got a mind to connect to. A Huntress, who was panicking and frustrated. By the Gods, Cytheria will kill us. He could hear her voice, her mind was frantic and he saw what she was seeing in front of her.
The woman. She laid naked on a cot, Bastien took a long look on her chest, trying to see if she was breathing. If it weren't the fact, the sleeping woman was unconscious, Bastien would admire her curves and conjure inappropriate thoughts.
"I found her." He said, all his companion's head swung to his direction in curiosity.
The golden eagle was laying on the woman's stomach, unmoving or at least from the woman's perspective.
Bastien didn't need to wonder who or what Phenikas was.
The woman was dirty and bruising, the need to grab her and dressed her up shook Bastien. He just tried to kill that woman and now, he wanted to protect her.
No, he had a duty to Cythera and he won't let his mind stray from his mission.
He just needed to get laid. More specifically, with her. His lust ridden mind suggested. He needed to eradicate such thoughts. Probably Chryseis, she'll be up for it and it will help him rid the lust he felt from the woman.
"Fuck." He mumbled.
'Hippolyta will kill me.' The Huntress thought. A vision of a dead Huntress that she found on the ground alongside with a golden eagle and a naked woman conjured in his mind.
The woman killed someone.
He saw the rock formation on the vision, a body across from where the rock protruded and vines wrapped around the body. An arrow on the golden eagle, laying on the ground unmoving.
Bastien decided to slither in the woman's mind while she was unconscious yet still connected to the Huntress, even though he found the act violating, he couldn't stop himself.
He saw himself, back in the cave, the woman was angry at him calling him a cowardβbefore he could see more from her, he saw from the Huntress' view that the sleeping woman was awake and angry. Then a large incoming rock appeared out of nowhere andβ
He blinked his eyes, almost falling off the horse and beckoned his horse to go faster.
Bastien couldn't afford to have the woman escape again.
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Caelleria stood naked, leaning against the tree as she struggled to catch her breath.
She was surrounded by group of women their bows pointed at her, Caelleria knew she could kill them, take the air from their lungs or worse, control the liquids in their body but she was drained. But she too tired to move her hand.
Besides, if she were to try it; she would find herself full of poison arrow. She could smell the poison from her spot.
She watched as another woman kneeled beside the unmoving form of the Huntress, checking for pulse while the leader, she knew by the pendant she woreβher friend used to wear it as a sign of leadership over the Huntress. The Arrowhead. She looked at the slump body. The other woman looked up and shook her head.
Dead.
The leader sighed and rubbed her forehead as a sign of exasperation. "We need to perform a ritual for her."
Rituals were a thing for their dead, she knew about it. Since, she was friends with their ancestral leaderβGalateia, sometimes, Caelleria would participate since Boeotikans would prefer that she would lit the body. At first, she was grossed out with the idea of burning someone but respected their wishes and did it anyways.
The leader faced her, a tired look etched in her face, "Welcome to Boeotika," she greeted, calmly.
"I would prefer if your people would lower their aim at me, seeing as you injured my eagle." She gestured at the sleeping form of her eagle, surrounded by vines and far away from their poison tipped arrows.
"I am sorry for your eagle." The leader said, her hand making a gesture to lower their bows. "We aren't used to people walking to our lands without permission. Especially, naked." She gave Caelleria a body check, as if pointing out the fact she was naked.
Slowly, she managed to catch her breath, steady and calm. Somehow, she didn't feel any threat to these people like she did with the people who tried to kill her but she knew she still had to be wary.
"Well, I didn't expect Boeotikans were this welcoming. Galateia would be so disappointed at you." She snapped, the vines slithered like snake from her and towards the women. She was in no mood to be cordial. People here tried to kill her too many times in a single day.
Was this even Cythera?
All the people around her looked shock, they didn't expect for a naked woman to know the Legendary Galateia of Boeotika, they were close friends. She joined battles with Galateia.
The Lead Huntress wasted no time and bowed, a Cytherian bow. On one knee and a clenched fist on their left side of the chest and pounding it twice before bowing. Everyone soon followed suite, leaving Caelleria standing.
"Mistress of Cythera, Daughter of Cytheria and Oikos, Giver of Life and Deathβ" The Lead Huntress said.
"I rather not hear the titles, if you mind." Caelleria hated the titles, it sounded so... entitled.
"The Great Galateia have spoken about you, we apologize if Boeotika is not what it seems back in your past life, Mistress."
Caelleria did not like the fact, everyone treated her like her mother.
"You can call me Caelleria." She said. The Lead Huntress nodded and did not from her bow. "You can stand now, I don't like bowing or any of that."
The Lead Huntress look uncomfortable with her request. "I-I am Hippolyta, Lead Huntress of Boeotika."
"Do you... have extra clothes for me?" Caelleria asked, knowing that Galateia must have left some clothes for her but did not know if these people actually kept it. Hippolyta gestured at the another Huntress and the Huntress left to gather what she seems to be her clothing. She then stared at Phenikas, who was awake and staring at her. She knew Phenikas' was hurting, she needed to heal him. "Are the lakes here clean?"
Hippolyta seemed to wince and sighed. "There is a last lake that seems to be untouched. Mistress, theβ" she stammered when Caelleria gave her a look. "Caelleria, the forest are dying. I ask for forgiveness and know that we prayed for salvation, offered sacrifices to the Higher Godsβ"
"Sacrifices?" Caelleria was shock to the prospect of killing any animal to offer to the Higher Gods. Cytheria would not welcome the idea of killing animals for her name or her husband's. Especially Mereia.
Something in Caelleria's tone made Hippolyta flinch. "Isn't what you told the people of Cythera before you... slept?"
Caelleria racked her mind for any memory of that and found none but she couldn't bare to see or hear another sacrifice. "The Higher Gods do not like sacrifices. They find it... repulsing."
"B-but..."
Her patience were getting thinner than before. This was happening whole she slept, no wonder there's no wildlife lingering in the forest. She couldn't believe people here thought of sacrifices.
"Take me to the lake." She said with finality, the emotion she kept tucked was slowly resurfacing.
"Of course, Mistress." Hippolyta said.
This time Caelleria didn't bother to correct the Huntress.