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“Ooo! I love it but I think it needs something,” she trails off.
A pin to let me draw less attention to my thigh? I silently pray to Gaia.
My friend goes digging in chest, before standing proudly. “Here you go. Put this on.”
The gold layered metal looks interesting, plates with inlays and gems are hung from its chain. “Beautiful… Is it a necklace?” I ask earnestly. Not having a clue what to do with it.
She giggles, “No silly, put it around your thigh.” I nod. Hiking up my dress, I put it around my unexposed thigh. “No. On the other one.”
So much for drawing less attention.
Placing the leg chains, I stare in the mirror. The dress was beautiful. Shimmering like the finest of starlight. I felt gorgeous. “Thank you.”
“Welcome, it’s yours.” She smiles. “Now I don’t know about you, but I'm ready for some brunch,” circling my elbow, Artemis irises away.
The familiar tug at my stomach almost knocks me to the ground. Had it not been for Artemis’s steady grip, I probably would have fallen.
Vibrant colors flow around my vision like a rainbow scattered by dew drops.
When the bright light subsided, we stood outside a small shop. “Come on, this is The Bouzouki. Which is probably the best place for brunch in this entire town.”
The restaurant is hardly marked as such. The building itself was nondescript. Stone masonry is cobbled together creating walls. Arched windows are floor to ceiling. Inside there are simple wood tables. The doors are non-existent.
Just open and pleasant air.
“Morning,” shouts Artemis of the stringed music of the bouzouki playing in the corner. “Table for two.”
Smiling, the server nods and leads us to a set of chairs not too far away from the musician. Far enough for us to still chatter while close enough to listen to her pluck the chords beautifully.
“What can I get you two?” the server asks.
Looking down at the menu, I panic. Quickly trying to decide.
Artemis thankfully chimes in, “I'll take a raspberry ouzo slush with plain yogurt topped with nuts and a drizzle of honey.”
Hmm. That sounds good. The eyes of the server look over to me expectantly. I pause before stating, “I'll take the same thing.”
We chattered for what felt like only moments about the different markets in town before our dishes came out. Placing our orders down in front of us before bowing to us as he takes several steps back to leave.
I guess he knows who Artemis is.
Excitedly, I sip my beverage. The sour sweet taste of the raspberry hides almost every trace of the alcohol. The liquid is chilly, perfect for a hot day. The yogurt was also fine, but the slush was the star of the meal. Well other than the instrumentalist who hardly pauses her readjust. Going from one song onto the next. Her stamina is amazing to me.
“My forearms hurt looking at her,” I whisper to Artemis.
“That’s what she said,” she whips back at me. Voice full of laughter. We were so loud that some people turned our way. Although no one said anything. I suppose being the brunch date of a goddess has its perks.
After we finished our meal, Artemis left two drachmae on the table and threw one in the direction of the stage. The bouzouki player bowed her head as we made our leave.
The wait staff grinned and nodded as we left. Wishing us a wonderful day.
Exiting onto the warm streets I follow Artemis along down a couple of streets until we hit the agora near the center of town.
“Weren’t far from the palace, aren’t we?” I ask tentatively. My internal compass spins rapidly in a circle. Entirely uncertain of exactly where we were at.
“Yep. Probably about a five minutes walk or so away. Now, if you see anything you want, let me know and it’s yours,” Artemis instructs. “Money is no object.”
Smiling, I grin sheepishly, “I have no way to pay you back.”
