The Gift

452 B.C.

I chose a beautiful day to end my life.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, warming my skin as a gentle breeze caressed my face. The dirt path was lined with early spring blooms, their petals spread wide, as if they couldn’t resist the pull of the sun. The grass was swaying in the wind on the rolling hills as I winded my way up to the rocky cliff. In the distance, a donkey lazily pulled a cart filled with a merchant’s wares.

A bitter person might resent such a picturesque view as they marched on to their final moments; as if the serene scenery was mocking them. However, I felt only at peace. Who wouldn’t want to leave this world with their last sight being nature in all its glory?

Besides, my choice to end my life didn’t arise out of spite or hate, but from love. Atreus, the owner of my heart, was betrothed to another. The fact that he returned my love did not matter. In Athens, marriage was not about love, but about societal and familial duty. Atreus’s father was a wealthy land owner and part of the aristocracy; a poor servant’s daughter would never be considered as a potential wife for the only son of such an elite family. It didn’t seem to matter to Atreus. The words he whispered last night still rung in my head.

“I don’t care what my family thinks. I love you, Calliope.”

“Your father has announced the betrothal, it’s done. You know he would never have allowed you to marry me anyway, we were always living on borrowed time.” I turned my head so he didn’t see the tears welling in my eyes. As much as it broke me, I knew he had to let me go.

“We’ll run away together; we’ll travel across the sea. I don’t care where we go, all I want is you,” he pleaded.

“I can’t let you give everything up for me. And your father will never stop searching for you. Please, go and be happy. You’ll always live in my heart.” I turned and ran home before my strength left me and I allowed him to change my mind. At that moment, I knew what I had to do in order to ensure he didn’t destroy his life.

The conversation played on a loop in my mind, feeding my resolve to finish this. The sound of splintering wood followed by a scream shattered the tranquility as the merchant’s cart, broken from its mount, came careening down hill. An old woman directly in its path seemed frozen in fear. Moving faster than I ever had in my life, I rushed towards her, colliding with her a fraction of a second before the cart could. We both landed hard on the ground, panting.

“Are you all right?” I managed to choke out, still struggling to catch my breath.

“I think so. Thank you! May the Gods show you their favor.” The woman said, as she pulled me into a tight embrace.

After I was sure she was able to walk, I continued on my journey. The further I went, the fewer travelers I saw and soon, I was alone on the trail. As I reached the top of the cliff, the smell of sea and salt filled my nostrils as waves crashed into the shoreline. A lone ship bobbed on the horizon. It really was a remarkable sight.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to recall Atreus’s perfect features one last time. Tilting my chin up, I whispered goodbye into the breeze, hoping it would reach my love.

“You came here to die, but your last act was to save another, a stranger to you. You humans are so odd,” a melodic voice chimed behind me.

Turning, I gasped at the owner of the enchanting voice. To describe her as beautiful would be an insult, a paltry offering. Luscious raven curls spilled down her head adorned with a golden crown. White gauzy fabric draped gracefully across her breasts and down her hips, gently fluttering in the wind. Her skin, pale and smooth like marble, seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and her emerald eyes sparkled. Even if she hadn’t referred to me as “human” I would have known in an instant that such a creature was no mere mortal. This was Hera, Queen of the Gods.

“Goddess,” I murmured as I fell to my knees.

“Arise, dear child. I come to offer you a gift.” Hera said.

“I am grateful, but unworthy of any gift. My time left in this world is short,” I said, hoping not to seem disrespectful.

“Do you dare refuse me?” Hera arched her eyebrow, her eyes blazing like green flames.

“Of course not, Goddess!” I stammered quickly. The last thing I wished to do was anger the Gods before I died.

“Then you will take my gift.” She placed a small package in my hands. Opening it, a heavenly scent permeated the air and the contents slightly glowed with a golden hue.

“Thank you, Goddess.” I stared at it in awe, not sure what it was or what I was to do with it. Hera, sensing my confusion, smirked.

“It is ambrosia, the food of the Gods. It will grant you immortality.”

Immortality? That was the last thing I wanted. “This is a priceless gift. Is there not someone more deserving of such an honor than myself?”

“You are kind and your heart is pure. You came here today to lessen someone else’s burden, not your own, and on the way, you saved a life. I will not have such a life wasted on the wrong man." I gazed at her, mouth open, too dumbfounded to speak. "Yes, I know of Atreus, but he is not your true love. My gift will see to it that you are able to find the one who truly deserves your heart.” Hera replied.

I heard her words, but could not comprehend them. How could I ever love another the way I did Atreus? Then, another thought occurred to me. If I did find him, what kind of life could we have if I was forced to watch him grow old and die?

“I see your fear,” she observed. “I would not grant you this gift just to condemn you to lose him. When you do meet him, the affects of the ambrosia will fade, and you will age with him, and, after a long life together, you will go to the Elysian Fields in peace together. Do you doubt me?” She asked in a terrifying tone.

“No Goddess!” I quickly responded.

“Then eat. Afterwards, you will leave Athens. Do not return. There is nothing left for you here.”

I lifted the ambrosia from the box and delicately took a bite. “All of it,” Hera commanded.

I quickly ate the rest. Warmth, like sunlight, ran through my veins as my hair whipped around my face. Power surged through me and the world came into sharper focus. While my skin did not shimmer in the sun like Hera’s, it did have a new luster to it. I turned to once again give her my gratitude, but she was gone.

Standing alone on the cliff, I watched as the ship I sighted earlier was moored to the docks. Perhaps I would travel across the sea after all.