“You’ve rescued the wrong person.”
Their pointed face hardened. “Are you notthe one who broke the oracle?”
“Well...yes.”
Manto sighed. “Thank fuck. You had me worried there. Do you know the amount of work that went into getting you out?” They fixed her with the intense stare of someone trying to solve a particularly complex puzzle. “You know...you’re not what I expected.”
No, she supposed she didn’t look like the sort of person who had the power to destroy Apollo’s oracle. Whether it was the smoke, or the hours of running, she suddenly felt intensely lightheaded, and the edges of her vision began to crackle.
“You all right?” Manto’s voice sounded far away. “When did you last eat?”
Danae shook her head sluggishly.
Manto disappeared for a moment, then returned with something that looked like a rodent on a spit, although it smelled delicious. Lithos howled, then sat bolt upright, his white-tipped tail whipping the ground.
“In a moment,” said Manto. “Our guest needs to eat first.”
Danae took the spit and sank her teeth into the meat. It tasted a bit like goat.
Manto pulled a small amphora from their bag, popped the cork with their teeth and took a swig.
“Perks of knowing a wine merchant.” They watched Danae eat for a few more moments then said, “Leave some for the person who saved your ass.”
“Sorry,” Danae mumbled and handed over the remains of the meal. She licked the grease from her fingers and sighed. She felt a lot more human.
Manto tore off a few strips and threw them to the patiently sitting Lithos, then devoured what was left on the carcass.
“I didn’t mean to do it.”
“Umph?” Manto mumbled through a mouthful.
“The oracle,” Danae whispered. “I don’t know how I broke it, or why I keep having visions of a tree with golden apples. I only came to Delphi to be cured.”
Manto threw the bones to Lithos then took another swig of wine. “You don’t need to do that.” They wiped their mouth on the back of their hand. “We can talk freely here. So, what’s next?”
“Next?” It still felt like she and Manto were speaking different languages.
“The grand plan.” Manto’s eyes sparkled. “To liberate us from the gods.”
Danae gasped and instinctively recoiled. She expected Manto to suddenly drop dead or a thunderbolt to come crashing through the roof. But nothing happened.
She eased herself to her feet. “Thank you for rescuing me and for the food...but I really need to go.”
Manto lunged forward and grabbed Danae’s wrist. She tried to pull away, but Manto held her tight, desperation etched across their face.
“You can’t forsake us now. So many have died so the prophecy,yourprophecy, could survive. You’re our only hope.”
Danae yanked her arm away. She could feel the eyes of the people around the fire on her back.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” she hissed. “I’m Danae, a fisherman’s daughter from Naxos. I don’t want to liberate us from the gods and I’m going home.” She straightened up.
Manto stared at her as though she had just shattered their world.
“You don’t know who you are,” they whispered.
“I just told you who I am. Goodbye, Manto.” She turned to leave.
“They’ll kill you.”
