Chapter Two - Bloom of the Sun

The banquet is gracefully decorated with candles, vines, and food from places I can not pronounce. I want this to be remembered throughout history, even if it is a ruse.

I grasp Hyacinthus’s hand, now warm and shaky. He looks at me, tilting his head up just the slightest to make direct eye contact.

“You okay?” He gives a sympathetic smile.

“Of course, what about you?” I kiss his soft lips, I can feel him smile as he kisses me back.

“I think nervous is the right word.” He pulls away.

“I won’t let him come near you, I promise, just stick with me.” I squeeze his hand. He nods and I smile. I feel bad, but I will make it up to him. We will hang out, just me and him, no one else.

Soon, Thamyris arrived.

He entered the room with the confidence of an Ox, he might as well be as clumsy as one. He touches all the decorations that took hours to put up, and I bite my lip with annoyance.

He keeps looking behind his neck, searching for Hyacinthus. Hyacinthus is with me, so I don’t greet him like you usually would.

The guests start to roll in and I smile. My Muses are set up in the back, playing the most amazing music, I really outdid myself.

Everyone takes to the floor and start to dance in diverse ways, I grab Hyacinthus’s hands and I drag him over.

He laughs and smiles as I hold his hands and move them up and down in a playful motion. He is not a very good dancer, so he relies on me for most moves. He holds me tight and I smile.

But soon I can’t stall much longer, and I have to make an announcement about Thamyris because he is the whole reason I’m holding this banquet.

I let go of Hyacinthus’s hand and walk up to the front of the room, no one’s attention directed towards me, yet.

“Excuse me, I would like to raise a toast to Thamyris, the reason we are all here tonight!” I shout to grab everyone’s attention.

Thamyris waves his hand and smiles. I force a smile back as he walks up towards me.

“Well, I am not surprised. I am the best musician here,” The crowd laughs. “I just thank you all for recognizing that, and celebrating it with me! In preparation, I wrote a song tonight, just for you!”

He walks back to my table and grabs my lyre as he pats my Hyacinthus on the shoulder, I cringe with resentment, but I don’t say anything as he walks back to his place next to me.

He grabs the instrument, and starts to play. His fingers dance across the golden strings like a leaf in the wind, while the sound plays a beautiful soft and confident tone, perfectly mixing the 2 opposites together, and for a second I forget why I am here. The music starts to become sick and streaky as I remember what I need to do.

I started to alter the tone of my lyre so it sounds untuned without touching it.

I watch in delight as Thamyris’s eyes grow wider and more impatient by the second. He frantically inspects lyre while snapping his neck back to the crowd.

“Thamyris, I thought you were good?” I taunt as his skin grows as red as his hair.

“I- I am. I swear to Zeus, I am good! Better than the Muses themselves!”

“Is that so?” I laugh, and call over one of my Muses. As she comes, her white and golden dress flows behind her, her dark hair following.

“Yes, Apollo?” Erato asks with a sing-song voice.

“Our guest, Thamyris here, says he is even better than you Muses?”

Erato tilts her head. “Even better than I, Lord Apollo?”

“Even better than you”

“Well then. I challenge you to a music contest! Whoever wins will be declared the best in all of Sparta!

“And whoever loses?” He asks.

“Will face a punishment designed by the other”

“Very well”

It was settled, the competition would begin shortly. The crowd is still as water, and one word could create a tidal wave.

Erato summons her Lyre and starts to play. Such a beautiful tale that I can visualize it. A million different interpretations can be imagined from her song. A hero’s life cut short, a rival romance, or a happy ever after, something so rare, even I am impressed. I look over to see Thamyris. He purses his lips and runs his fingers through his curly hair. 

Erato finally stops, the crowd is in awe, no words are spoken, the water is still unbothered. She looks at Thamyris and gives a half sympathetic smile. 

“Well, that was nothing- I could do better!” Thamyris sneers while tripping over his own words.

She nods, as if giving him the right of way to go and try to be better than herself. 

He hesitates for a moment, but then grabs my lyre, I cut him off. “Ah, see that is mine, meaning, you can’t use it. Good luck though!” Erato glances at me and silently her face reads  ‘Really? Just let him use your lyre. But I do not. 

He spits at her feet, and for a second I am about to maim him right here, but Erato cuts me off.

“Borrow mine. I will not mess with it or anything, you probably forgot yours, just borrow mine.” She speaks softly, turning him away from the crowd so he is not embarrassed.

I stare in awe. She is too nice. “Erato-”

“Apollo, you cannot make it impossible for him.”

She is right, I nod, my golden hair is sweeping in front of my face. I tuck it into my ponytail to see Erato handing her lyre to Thamyris.

Thamyris scoffs, and snatches her lyre. I turn to her and I whisper “I’ll make you a new one”, because Thamyris would somehow find a way to ruin hers.

She nudges me in the side, and lets him play.

He uncomfortably grasps the instrument, as it was not fitted and carved for his unnaturally long fingers. Eventually he situates himself and starts to strum it. He manages to play a beautiful tune. I hate to say it, but I start to become engaged with it. I listen closely as a bead of sweat trickles down Thamyris’s freakishly long face. His pupils are shaking in the white of his eyes, and I give a sickly grin.

The audience listens intensely, their full attention on Thamyris. I just sit back and watch. A little trick I learned from Dionysus: People crack under pressure. Dionysus has often said that people will mess up on various things when they feel pressure to be perfect. That is what I’m counting on.

Thamyris slowly gets wrapped up in his own mind and his fears eat away at him. He starts to go off beat while feeling the audience’s eyes burn into his hands. His hands eventually slip off of Erato’s lyre and he is furious. He throws the instrument to the ground and tears swell up in his eyes.

“That- That isn't fair!! It isn’t my lyre! It’s Erato’s fault!!” Thamyris stammers, and Erato seems hurt. Her lyre, a gift from me to her, is shattered into a million silver pieces, and she is devastated. 

She looks at him, and with despair in her eyes she yells. “You were challenged to a competition. You lost fairly. You took your anger out on my property. For that you shall suffer. You will never look nor speak on music ever again.” And with that, she looks at me to finish it off

I smile and I blind and mute him. 

Thamyris grabs his throat and tries to speak, but no sound comes out. His eyes, once frosted with green, are frosted with a gray film. His heads turns in every direction in hopes that his sight might be magically regained, but it does not.

The first still water, is now a tidal wave of commotion.