Fuck, I’m about to.
Aeëtes cursed his own thoughts, a bit of shame making his face flush as his brain quickly rifled through all the ways that he would worship Hecate if given half the chance.
Not here.He snapped at himself, almost violently. He knew that Hecate’s temples were safe spaces for women, and her priestesses didn’t always pledge to her temples when they were young. Some of them only came to her after great hardship—and he’d be damned if he followed her inside thinking about her like that. No matter how enchanted he was.
“Aeëtes,” Hecate poked her head out of the door, a smirk crossing over her features, “we don’t bite.” There was a playfulness to her words that Aeëtes was still unused to hearing from her, as if being in her own temple pulled some of the weight off her shoulders. When Aeëtes stepped inside, he could see why.
The temple was beautiful, but he was immediately struck with the expressions of the acolytes, who had gathered around Hecate. They stared up at her with warm glances, their faces peaceful and content, with real admiration and affection glowing off them. Aeëtes had never gotten the chance to be around gods before. He was clearly overwhelmed in the presence of Hecate alone, but he knew that most of them didn’t inspire devotion like that.
“Goddess,” one of the women nodded towards Aeëtes, “who is he?”
There was no animosity in her voice, but she was curious all the same. Aeëtes noticed that there was a glimmer of panic that crossed Hecate’s face, as if she hadn’t thought about how to explain the situation to her devotees. The fear died in her eyes quickly. He had a feeling that she was relatively unaware of the sensation, but she made no move to speak. He bowed his head slightly in the most nonthreatening way he could to show his respects to the women around him.
“Priestess,” he answered in response, his tone respectful and almost formal in nature, “it seems Hecate has done me a great favor, and I am in her debt.” He left out the fact that she had taken responsibility for his life, putting the burden on himself instead. There was something that softened in Hecate’s eyes although he couldn’t be entirely sure what it was.
The priestess seemed to accept the answer, her expression utterly neutral as she raked her gaze over Aeëtes. Her voice was cold when she spoke, as if she had changed her mind and didn’t like what she saw.
“The goddess does you a great favor in allowing you to stay on with her and fulfill your debt.”
“She does,” Aeëtes agreed easily, and the priestess seemed surprised, as if she had expected a more combative attitude from him. Hecate watched on, her expression unreadable as Aeëtes poured on the charm and bowed once more to the priestess. “I shall always be indebted to her for that alone, but now, I am at least able to work off the bulk of my transgressions.”
The acolytes seemed content with his answer and went back to discussing amongst themselves, bringing Hecate into the fold of the conversation. She kept her eyes subtly on Aeëtes, watching as he waited calmly by the door. This mild acceptance of him was the most that any man would get out of her devotees, and it was an impressive feat all its own.
The thing that is dangerous about Aeëtes,Hecate mused,is that his charm extends beyond being a smooth talker. He knows the best approach to win anyone over, it seems.
“Sisters,” Hecate turned her attention to the room. “I’m afraid that I must depart sooner than I had intended.” She paused and gave the women space for their reactions. Some of them were moved to tears instantly at the idea of losing the physical presence of the goddess so soon. Aeëtes watched on, ever waiting, leaning up against the doorway with a steady gaze.
“I know,” Hecate began again, and there was genuine sorrow in her eyes. “Now you know, like you always have known, that when you pray, I hear you. What happens behind this door, between these walls…” Hecate raised her hands slightly and looked at the temple around them. “I know of it. Be not of sad heart that I take my leave. You see me in your sisters, your friends, in one another. I am always with you.”
Hecate waited patiently and bid each woman farewell, most of them stepping away from her with tears in their eyes. Aeëtes felt himself beginning to twitch, something stirring deep within him that he didn’t want to acknowledge. Once Hecate was nearly halfway through her goodbyes, he took a few steps outside to wait for her there.
Aeëtes took in a deep, slow breath, tasting the salt on the wind. He looked up at the sky, knowing they only had a few more minutes until the sun would rise.It looks like Hera takes dawn very literally.Aeëtes pondered the curse.I wonder if she knewexactlywho my father was…and added that in as a little treat. Although, I suppose she never intended for it to last more than a day.
His thoughts were moving too quickly for him to keep up. He needed some air. He had only known Hecate for a matter of hours, and now here they were, on their way to Colchis, and she had taken on his life debt. She had taken on his life debtfrom Hera.He knew that the utter fascination and pull that he felt towards her had nothing to do with the fact that she was one of the first immortals he had truly seen. Well, it had something to do with that, but not enough to explain the intensity of his feelings. So Aeëtes did what every man had been known to do when faced with a challenge of the heart—he buried it until it would grow to the size of something that he would try to fight with his bare hands.
By the time that Hecate stepped out of the temple, she was brushing away a few tears herself. She opened her mouth to say something but sucked in a harsh gasp instead. Aeëtes turned to her, and as soon as he did, he felt it. There was a warm, almost liquid-like sensation running over his limbs as his vision began to flicker like a flame. He desperately tried to keep his eyes on Hecate, to anchor himself on the image of her face, as he felt his grip on his own mortal body disintegrating. It wasn’t painful, but it was an entirely unpleasant process to be transformed from your own body into one that you were never meant to possess. There was a shining, burst of golden light, and Aeëtes felt like he was tossed into a stone wall. One burst of impact… then nothing.
He blinked his eyes open a few times, finding himself eye-level now with Hecate’s waist.
Ah, so it is to be a ram again.Aeëtes sighed, praying that it didn’t come out as a bleating noise.
“We knew this would happen.”Hecate’s voice echoed in his head, and Aeëtes huffed in confusion, stomping a hoof on the ground. She leaned down and picked up her shawl, draping it across her chest and tying it into her himation again.
“How are you doing that? Are you in my head?”
Hecate nodded.“I have an affinity for animals, Aeëtes. I can’t speak to all animals this way, but it seems that I can hear you still, quite clearly, as a ram.”
“Great.”Aeëtes was suddenly nervous at the idea of Hecate hearing all his thoughts.
“Why would you be nervous about that?”Hecate’s voice echoed between his ears, sharp and cunning, matching the devilish grin that she now gave him.
“This spell of yours better work.”
Hecate turned towards the street and began walking in the direction of the pier, Aeëtes following close to her.
“It will, but we’re going to make a stop first to confirm my suspicions. I also know someone who might be able to put a temporary stay on your curse, so you don’t turn every morning.”
“Really?”Aeëtes scoffed mentally.“And who might that be?”
