Shiri Eneas (pensivxpression) wrote in olympian_rewind, @ 2009-05-20 21:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | nick aiolos, pelops, polyhymnia, shiri eneas |
Who: Nick & Shiri
What: Sometimes you can't help yourself
Where: A local Greek Orthodox Cathedral
When: Yesterday, late morning/early afternoon
Warnings: none. {Modern Greek}
Nick had never exactly been a man of faith. Go to church on Sundays, don't cuss too much, cross yourself when someone gave you Evil Eye. That sort of thing. But the rest? He'd never put too much, well, faith in to it.
But... on passing the cathedral, he slowed his car, looking up the massive cross at its top, and he sighed. He missed it a little. Parking under a tree, he headed inside. Being a Tuesday, it was completely empty, besides a lone figure at the front as well. Looked nice... Kneeling down beside the woman but far enough to give her privacy, he closed his eyes and began to pray.
Near the altar and the various and many candle stands and icons was the lone woman in the nearly empty holy place. Her dress was a pleasant upbeat turquoise, but around her shoulders and head was a veil of sheer black. Shiri rarely wore black, but in a Greek Orthodox Church it was only fitting.
Her eyes were closed and her words murmured in a hushed chant as she looked up, bowed her head, knelt and then repeated before the row of icons, at least two of them were the Virgin Mother with her child. Each of her movements were as fluid as they were ritualistic. She had only come because her normal meditations had been disturbed and she hadn't been able to reach any form transcendence on her own today, so guided mediation mixed with prayer seemed the proper solution... And surrounded by sacred art and the lingering scent of incense from the priests' morning devotions? That just made her feel like her whole body was wrapped up in a soft cloak and not just her head and shoulders. Enough to make her forget that she should be ashamed.
Nick opened an eye as he heard the shuffle of her fabric, realizing she was going from figure to figure. Oh, whoops? He stood up and away from the last in line, murmuring an apology for getting in her way.
Shiri didn't even hear him or notice his presence. Her attentions and all her focus was on the act, her mind on the mediation attached to it. Her body and her words were in the cathedral with Nick, but her mind and her consciousness were in a far more distant time.
It was almost tangible, really. Nick shivered as he passed her but stopped. A bit of white hair had fallen out of her shroud... and those folded fingers were awful pale. And familiar. "Shiri?" He asked curiously, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
"{...in honour and memory of thy suffering when thou didst see thy G-D, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the Cross between the robbers. Pray Him...}" she continued to murmur, but the touch to her shoulder was a sudden shock to her system. Her mind rocketed back to her body, her consciousness dashed back to the present and her whole body trembled under his hand in a painful shake, almost dropping her to her knees before recovering herself with a deep breath. She turned her head as she straightened up again with a slight whimper, but then all pain was gone. All replaced with surprise. "Nick?"
With a slightly frightened squeak of his own, the mortal caught her before her knees met the hard floor, his hands grabbing under her arms quickly. "Sorry!" he said, and then repeated it quietly as the first word positively boomed through the cathedral. "I didn't mean to spook you."
"Spook me. Shunt me," Shiri murmured, unconsciously using the perfect quiet tone in the cathedral. But now her pink eyes widened more and she stepped back and away from Nick, removing herself from his touch. What was he doing here? Calm down... She took a deep breath. It's not like Mel didn't already know her secret. This didn't have to be bad. "I certainly did not expect you to be here."
"Ditto for you," he said with a shrug. "I just felt like visiting."
Oh, sweet mortals never jumping to accusations. Shiri smiled, letting her black shawl fall from her hair. She wasn't praying anymore so she shouldn't wear it. It was not the proper custom. "I wanted a quiet place to mediate. When in Rome, might as well do as they do."
Nick returned the smile lightly, looking up to the grand statue of the Savior. "Yeah... I haven't been here in a real long time. Kind of felt like I should. Helps with the thinking and stuff."
It was Shiri's turn to almost feel something tangible as she followed Nick's gaze. That was almost a sense of longing. Hmmm, "Did you used to come here a lot?"
The mortal nodded. "Everyone in the family is Greek Orthodox. Very devout. Used to come every Sunday." Like a good little follower.
Oh. My... No. Shiri fought the temptation at least for now, no matter how very tempting guiding him back to the path seriously was at the moment. It was like a craving for a drug fiend; she blamed the incense. And the art. And being in the Holy Place. Not that she wanted to actually do it... She was clearly just under the influence. Maybe she was just misreading him. Shiri nodded a little, mostly for herself, "You seem sad that you still do not."
"I'm a little mixed up," he admitted. And the tone was definitely a bit sad. Almost lost.
Shiri raised her pink eyes right the ceiling of the cathedral. She was certain He was doing this on purpose. Tempting her.... Maybe testing her. With a gentle sigh, she brought her attention back to the poor mortal. How many mortals had she seen enter churches just like him and how many of them had she straightened out... Usually to great success. "About?"
"I kind of fell out of the faith when I was in high school," he explained, bringing his eyes back to her with a shrug, sticking his hands into his pockets to give them somewhere to be. "But then I met Mel and Poseidon and... well, every one of you. Now I'm living with a goddess for a lover, a master who happens to be the former ruler of what I know of as Hell..." He shook his head. "I thought at first it meant that the religion I was born into was kind of mute. But, now, it just makes me think it's all the more real... and I find myself missing all the rituals and words and stuff. Even though I'm fairly sure if Mel or Dante knew I were here, they'd make me eat my tongue."
"Well, I will not tell them if you do me the same pleasure. No one needs to know either of us were here for our own various reasons,"Shiri then paused. So many words wanted to tumble past her lips, but she held them all at bay until he agreed.
Luckily for her, he nodded. "Understandable," he said, even if he remained curious as to why a pagan goddess was murmuring traditional prayers in the house of her enemies.
Shiri could explain, but she was much more interested in him. "You are right, you know. It is very much real."
"Yeah... when my father died, I asked Hades for a favor... to see if he was down there." Special emphasis on Down There. "But, he wasn't. And... I was happy about it." The mortal even smiled. "Not just that he wasn't in Hell, or that he was in some dark underground place for dead people. But that he was in the place he wanted to be... that I'd like to be, I guess."
The muse blinked. She was asleep. This was all a dream. It had to be a dream. If she just held still and was silent for a moment, she would certainly wake up and find herself in Adam's arms. But after a silent moment, she didn't wake up. Shiri could still smell the incense, feel the heat of the candles so close and see the art all around the dimmed cathedral's sanctuary. Well, whether she was asleep or not, she supposed she couldn't help but ask, "If you would like to go there, then why do you not return to the faith? You have proof that most would kill for that it is true."
"I don't really think I've left it. It's just... muted?" he said, clearly struggling for the right word. "I dunno. On one hand, I love Mel. I really do. And, as much of a royal pain in my ass Hades is, I can't ever thank him enough for what he's doing for Helen. But this makes me feel like I'm turning my back on my heritage. I'll never marry Mel in the church in front of all my family. They'll never see Helen get baptized. And when I stand before God, what's he gonna say? 'Well you were an okay kid until you started doing a heathen'? But... I don't want to give up Mel."
Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just, confusing."
Muted? Shiri knew a way to unmute it... No. Mel's mortal, she wouldn't just inspire him right here and now. Quickly, she put her hands behind her back. "I do not think you would need to give up Mel if you chose to return to a greater participation. Melly may be one of the few that would understand." She understood her own treason after all. The muse shook the thought away for the moment, "Have you spoken to her about how you feel?"
Shaking his head, Nick replied, "No. It'd just upset her."
"Perhaps. It is a very sensitive subject. You would have to be very careful about your words." And everything she had ever heard about Nick made her doubt he would be able to find those words when the moment came. Still, a mortal was standing before in a house of G-d craving the holy actions of faith. Her soul made its demands know; in spite of herself, she couldn't resist. What kind of incarnation of religious zeal would be she be if she did? "... You know, your scripture does say that your god sees in secret and will reward you for what He sees."
"And what he'll see is me giving my soul to another," Nick murmured. He suddenly shivered, goosebumps appearing all over his arms, making him pause to smooth them back down.
Shiri turned her eyes from him, but all her attention was still with him. All of it. She took one of the long candle lighters and lit it, cradling the fragile flame dancing atop the slender wooden stick. "And why do you say that?"
"My soul is bound to Dante's. To remove the blood curse, from my old life," he explained quietly, despite the fact that they were the only people present. "Otherwise, Helen would be cursed too. It was the only way to protect her, and any descendants of my family. When I die, I belong to him."
What was all this? Because the real estate market crashed, people were selling their souls now? At least Nick had given her a good reason and hadn't sold his soul to the Devil. Still, idly, she did wonder if she could rebuke Hades in the name of the Lord. Probably not. Sad. Shiri offered him the lit stick and motioned to the candles at the feet of the statues and the bases of the icons. "Have you ever heard the poem 'ODeus Ego Amo Te'?"
Nick considered, then shook his head.
The muse resisted the urge to recite it in Latin, "My G-d, I love Thee, not because I hope for heaven thereby; Nor yet since they who love Thee not Must burn eternally. Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me Upon the Cross embrace; For me didst bear the nails and spear, And manifold disgrace; And griefs and torments numberless, And sweat of agony; E’en death itself; and all for one Who was Thine enemy. Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ, Should I not love Thee well, Not for the sake of winning heaven, Or of escaping hell; Not with the hope of gaining aught, Not seeking a reward; But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord? E’en so I love Thee, and will love, And in Thy praise will sing, Solely because Thou art my G-d, And my eternal King."
Listening and nodding along, Nick admitted, he liked that. "How do you know that?" he asked curiously.
"A nun first taught it to me in Portugal some centuries ago. When you live forever, you pick things up," Shiri easily confessed, leaving out important information like how she had joined the convent and how she had placed it to music within a week since it was used a hymn for the beginning of night prayers sometimes. It was all very complicated and Nick was complicated enough. Carefully, she placed the candle lighter in his hands, "If you really wish to worship the Lord and love Him, you need not look to the grand reward. The knowledge that the Lord loves you should be enough to warrant it"
"..." Nick nodded, offering the goddess a small, more confident smile. "Yeah... thanks. I hadn't thought about it that way, really. It's just hard to remember the love when you're afraid of his anger."
So surrounded by the cathedral and so much holiness, it was as if Shiri had become part of it, acting as its voice, "Everyone seems to know John 3:16, but the very next verse is just as important for the very core of the entire faith: For G-d did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
"Right..." He smiled even wider. "Thanks. I think I feel better now. Sorry to bug you, again. You looked busy."
"I was just mediating." Shiri shrugged, "Guided mediation is a bit of a cheat but I was having problems on my own. Just do not jolt me out of it again... Actually, you probably should not do that to anyone. It is impolite."
"Most people don't meditate that seriously in churches," Nick argued back with a snicker.
There was an instinctive disgust at the comment, but the muse knew it was true. She shrugged again, "I only have one level of mediating, Nick."
Chuckling again, Nick bowed apologetically, turning towards the church doors. "I'll leave you to it then. I think I found what I came for... See you later?"
"Sure." Carefully, she pulled up the black veil once more over her hair, this time making sure all her hair was tucked beneath it. "As this whole thing would be difficult to explain to those we love, none of this officially happened."Shiri wasn't even certain it was real in the first place as it was.
Summary: Both Nick and Shiri thought they would be alone if they went to the beautiful Greek Orthodox Cathedral. That was not the case, but they were able to have a quiet conversation there just the same.