The new day began, and I let yesterday's frustration fade away during the night. It was obvious Hermes knew something; he just chose not to tell me. Apollo would have to be the one to answer my question, but reaching the Sun God seemed impossible. I woke up before sunrise, calling his name when he passed in the sky above me. If he heard me, he ignored it. The arrow had disappeared; I doubted it had been stolen, but I couldn't find it anywhere along the shore where I had left it.
Maybe it had gone with the current. The wind here wasn't very strong, but it could have carried something light, like the arrow. Just as I had thought the previous night, I began walking along the riverbank in the direction Creuza had taken the day before. The forest seemed to stretch on for several kilometers. The riverbank turned to gravel about 200 meters from my lake, and even the river itself was different here. The fish stayed below the waterline as if they were hiding, and the current grew stronger as the river curved sharply to the right, forcing me toward the forest. I didn't want to enter the forest again and risk encountering a centaur, but if I wanted to learn about the world around me, I had to go.
I couldn't resist dipping my feet into the water, as if it was calling me back. A fish jumped between my steps, startling me, and fearing I might hurt it, I returned to the green grass of the land.
"Don't scare me like that," I said to myself. The fish seemed to listen because it stopped jumping and looked at me for a few seconds. I laughed, and it returned to its usual behavior.
The river did lead into the forest. I took a deep breath and continued. If I followed the river and encountered any danger, I could always jump into the water and swim upstream.
This part of the forest wasn't as dense; it was more like a clearing where mushrooms and various plants grew, along with flowers and small shrubs. The animals here were much more visible. I could see a group of deer to my right and another group on the left bank. Maybe they were neighbors or even part of the same family.
I didn't recognize the trees or plants in front of me, but they were beautiful. Now I regretted not studying herbs and plants in my past life, or at least some traditional medicine, which could have been useful.
This place was stunning. The clearing was illuminated by the golden sunlight, and sometimes it reflected the light, creating little rainbows. I wondered if Peneus would let me move here—it was much prettier than my lake.
I sat by the water, letting it soak my knees. With all the stress I'd had since that image of my future, this was the most relaxed I had felt.
I was focused on the birds singing around me when the herd of deer across the river suddenly began to run and jump into the water, startling me. They seemed scared, too, and the first thing that came to my mind was the cursed centaur again.
But I didn't hear hooves. There was a sound in the air, but nothing that compared to the weight and speed of that mythological creature. I looked around, and I also glanced upward, just in case it was Apollo or Hermes again. Neither of them was above me.
When I looked back in front of me, I saw a brown horse and a man, probably a mortal, sitting on it. He wore a sword and armor. The horse was trotting slowly toward me; it was obvious he had seen me, and maybe he even slowed the horse's pace to avoid scaring me.
The horse approached, and the rider dismounted with a leap, grabbing the animal's reins and bringing it to the riverbank to drink, all while keeping his eyes on me. I didn't take my eyes off him either, alternating between watching his hands and his sword. I wasn't sure if humans had a tendency to kill nymphs, but I knew they did with Poseidon's daughters, the sea nymphs who lured fishermen to the bottom of the ocean.
"I apologize for the way I entered the clearing," the mortal's voice was respectful and strong. "But the horse was desperate for some water."
I nodded in agreement, and the rider seemed to relax. I think he had been waiting for me to curse the water and for his horse to drop dead.
"I come here often. I've never seen you before," he continued.
"My home is further up," I saw the man's features flush at the sound of my voice.
"I'll be on my way. But may I ask you for something before I go?"
"Yes."
The man knelt, his knees sinking into the water. He took his sword from its sheath and stretched it out toward me. The blade was shiny and nearly blinded me. The hilt was made of light wood and had engravings of a god, probably Ares, the Greek God of War. There were also initials carved into the grip—perhaps from whoever forged the weapon or someone special to the rider.
"I ask for your blessing. I am about to embark on a journey to seek contact with the God of War, Ares. It will be a difficult journey, and I may even die. But I cannot ignore what my heart demands. I promised my late father that after inheriting his sword, I would drive it into the place where they say Ares first descended to Earth."
"A noble cause. May your journey be blessed, and may you return to those you love. May the dangers on your path, which surely exist, heed the desires of your heart and yield to your memories and cunning." I dipped my hand in the water and ran it along the blade. I could feel the sharpness of the sword against my palm; I swore that with just a little more pressure, it would cut me.
"Thank you for your kindness." The warrior sheathed the sword, still kneeling, and bowed completely over the riverbed.
"Come back to tell me how your journey went."
"I will. May I know your name?"
"Daphen."
"Ulysses," he introduced himself.