I would think about what happened after I was safe at home. I took advantage of the fact that the centaur was no longer chasing me and hurried back to the felled tree where I had sat earlier. The eight sisters were no longer there, and I didn't expect them to be. They had made it clear they were leaving. I continued along the path until I reached the edge of the lake once again, took a deep breath, and advanced. I had never felt the coldness of the water; it seemed to be exactly my body temperature, as if those waters were a reflection of myself.
As soon as the water reached my knees, I dove forward, letting the water wash away the sweat and the bits of grass and weeds that had stuck to my body during the escape from the centaur. The flower crown had already been destroyed by a high branch I hadn't been able to avoid, and all that was left were small white petals scattered here and there in my hair. If I found the sisters again, I would prefer that they teach me how to make that beautiful hairstyle.
It was strange, but unlike in my former mortal life, I didn't feel hunger. It was as if I didn't need to eat at all. There wasn't much there that could serve as food anyway, and I refused to hunt my fish friends. I feared they would stop liking me, and I would feel even more isolated.
I was distracted when I heard rustling behind some bushes. I immediately thought of the centaur. I ducked my head into the water and hid behind a rock in the lake, observing carefully.
I saw a young woman place an apple and a cup filled with a yellow liquid at the edge of the river. She sat down, and her words reached my ears like a song to which I had to respond.
"Nymph of the lake, I ask for your help in a noble cause. I bring you fruit and golden honey; I hope it pleases you. In exchange, I ask you to grant me the ability to bear life. My beloved will soon leave for war, and I would like to at least be able to tell him that when he returns, he will have me and his child waiting for him."
It was curious that it hadn't even been a day since I reincarnated, and people were already coming to ask me for something. I guess this is exactly how things worked for divinities like me. Probably some oracle, to whom the woman had sought help earlier, had told her, by the gods' command, to come to this lake with an offering and ask the lady of the river to hear her plea.
I didn't know whether I should reveal myself or not, or even how to grant the woman's request. I just imagined her with a child in her arms, and when she leaned toward the surface of the water, I cupped my hands, and she mirrored my movement, offering her the water from my lake. Whether my attempt was what it was supposed to be and had the effect it should have, we would have to wait and see. But the woman seemed happy as she thanked me and left, leaving behind the apple and the bowl of honey.
Offering small gifts like these was common in Ancient Greece. Honey was considered a costly and valuable food. I carefully picked up the apple and took a bite. It was nothing like modern apples; this one was much sweeter, with a much softer flesh, somewhat like a juicy peach but firmer. The honey in the cup was more liquid and seemed mixed with some other thinner substance. I tasted it cautiously at first, but as soon as the sweetness touched my taste buds, I immediately knew it was mead, an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey.
For a first offering, it wasn't bad at all. I ate the apple and drank the mead with great satisfaction, leaving the cup and plate in the same spot, knowing the young woman would look for them the next day. Maybe she would even bring more of that drink of the gods.
If I thought my life before was busy and suffocating, now I had all the peace and relaxation I could want. Still, I couldn't deny that I was afraid that, out of nowhere, an arrow would hit me, and I would begin to harden and turn into a tree. With that thought, I went deeper into the water.
What were the chances of encountering a Greek god around here? Clearly more than in the world I came from, but even so... it would be good to meet someone from whom I could ask for information. Part of me wanted to meet Eros and ask him not to strike me... I think I could solve things myself.
While I was lost in my thoughts, a large white horse bent down to drink from my river. It didn't seem to belong to anyone, probably a wild horse. I swam toward it. The animal wasn't startled, behaving just like the deer had. While the horse drank, I stroked its fur and stayed by its side. Its ears perked up, and, to protect myself from whatever it had sensed this time, I quickly moved away from the shore, submerging into the lake.
"There you are!" I couldn't deny the beauty of the man standing in front of me. His curly blond hair and white garments matched his strong and muscular build. He had a bow strapped to his back, along with a quiver of arrows at his waist.
If this wasn't who I thought it was, then I knew nothing about Greek mythology. In front of me, petting a horse and looking at the sky, was the Greek god Apollo. As if he had sensed my surprise, his eyes found mine, even though I was underwater, moving through the dark bed of the lake.
"And you? What are you doing there? I'm not going to hurt you."
That's debatable, I thought.
I could swim along the riverbed and escape. In fact, that's exactly what I did. I turned quickly in the water and, like a frightened fish, swam as fast as I could upstream. I didn't hear any hooves, so I assumed Apollo wasn't chasing me. Still in the water, I raised my head a bit to peek. I saw no one, so I leaned against the riverbank. I was near the spot where I had woken up that morning.
"Alright. Hello, my name is Apollo."
My breath caught when, in front of me, a white horse appeared, and Apollo greeted me.
"How did you get here so fast?" I asked, not having heard a sound.
Apollo smiled, and only then did I realize that the horse had wings...