She received the gift of God [Greek mythology]

Pandora dreamed that a golden snake got into a long-necked pitcher, flapping and swaying with its exposed tail.The spring water in the jar overflowed and was later filled.

Unlike other people's memory fragments, it is a dream that seems to never end.

She knew it was a dream, but sometimes she forgot it because everything was so real.The fairy food and secret wine that she was not qualified to taste rolled down her mouthpiece, and she couldn't tell what it was like, only the distant fragrance of Olympos.It was the unique fragrance of the golden wine that bestowed eternal life, and it was also the loose breath of the gods, ironing her, enveloping her, and being swallowed by her.

The alcohol got under the skin and burned long and violently. She thought she had melted, but turned into a clear spring again, boiling naturally.

Finally, Pandora woke up from the heat.It was already fully dawn, and the sunlight that could not be blocked by the gauze curtain climbed to the end of the bed, scorching the bedding hot, urging her to wake up.

The first thing that caught her eyes was the unfamiliar Zenith, and Pandora was startled, remembering that this was the temple of Hermes.

She immediately sat up and bowed her head in embarrassment.She fell asleep in a hurry, she was still wearing the long linen dress from yesterday, and she forgot to take off the belt.

When tidying up the folds of the neckline, Pandora paused, as if she didn't find what should be there.Of course, dreams will not leave traces in reality.The hot air hit her cheeks, she couldn't hold it back, she suddenly fell down again, turned over and buried herself in the soft leather mattress.Forget it last time, why...

Pandora tiptoed to the outside room.Hermes is not there.On the small table are fresh fruits stained with morning dew and a plate of bread.She didn't eat, but followed the route she remembered back to the hallway last night, and stopped in front of the fountain in the shape of a sheepdog.

The spring water was extremely cool when it touched her cheeks, and Pandora took several handfuls of water to finally dispel the hot aftertaste left by the bizarre dream.She then turned back, ready to get a piece of bread to eat.

Before sitting on the couch, she lowered her eyes and bit her lips, and then quickly concealed her discomfort.Slowly peeling the pomegranate, she broke off the bright red fruit one by one to concentrate.Her fingertips were gradually stained crimson by the pomegranate juice, she gathered her confidence, and even thought confidently, no matter how powerful Hermes was, it was impossible for her to know what dream she had.

The familiar sound of the piano interrupted her thoughts.

Pandora got up, followed the sound and walked through the long corridor that was no longer unfamiliar and terrifying, and pushed open the last door.

There was no sign of Hermes behind the door, only the undulating surface of the blue sea.

She was stunned, then turned around and looked up as if feeling something.

Hermes sat high on the lintel of the pillar, met her eyes, and showed a sly smile as if he had been caught.

Pandora felt the heat stored in her body tremble, and the nervous vine stretched happily, as if she had absorbed some nourishment from Hermes' smiling face.But it soon began to rub against her chest restlessly with its furry blades, the itch was gentle, the meaning was clear, and it wanted more.But now, Pandora already knew very well what this mass of things that were about to move was.

She couldn't help smiling.

Hermes was silent for a while and asked, "Do you want to come up?"

Pandora nodded subconsciously, then shook her head again.Forget about the owner of the temple, isn't it inappropriate for her to climb the eaves of the god's residence?

While she was hesitating, her waist suddenly tightened, the foreground was blurred and clear, and Hermes had already brought her up.

"How did you sleep?" He looked at the shining sea, and held her tightly, as if to prevent her from sliding down the slightly sloping roof.

Pandora was already prepared for this question: "In my dream last night, I didn't see anything terrible."

Hermes turned around upon hearing this.She hurriedly pretended to look at the water waves reflected in the clear sky.

"That's good."

The envoy's voice was almost close to the ear, and the breath blew on the side of the cheek, and there was an itch that seemed to be absent on the skin.Pandora's drooping eyelashes trembled slightly. After a long time, she finally mustered up the courage to look sideways, with an unspeakable expectation.He still hasn't explained the kiss yesterday.

Hermes was closer to her than expected.

She clearly saw the strange and beautiful dark golden circle surrounding his pupils again, and her breath stagnated.

He was also taken aback by seeing each other at such a close distance.The sea breeze lifted Pandora's curly hair, and he seemed to want to see her more clearly, so he reached out and pinned the blocked hair behind her ear.

At that moment, Pandora actually felt that he might get closer to kiss her at any time.

But Hermes' eyes suddenly flickered, and he seemed a little guilty.He distanced himself calmly: "I have something to deal with and I have to leave for a few days."

The news was too sudden, Pandora didn't make a sound, just lowered her eyes.

Hermes said softly, "It's not a big deal, and it will be resolved soon. But the time it takes me to go back and forth is a few days to the people here."

Pandora nodded: "I will wait for your return."

"The Field of Elysium is generally harmless. But just to be on the safe side, you'll stay here while I'm gone. Food and water are nothing to worry about. If there's an uninvited guest, he'll get lost on my porch. And, even if something happens , Outside of Ilysion, I can also grasp the situation in the temple."

These arrangements are not enough.

"In addition, I allow you to open and pass through all the portals of this temple and that temple," Hermes said, holding Pandora's right hand, and drew a series of symbols on the back of her hand, after the imprint briefly glowed Disappeared, merging into her skin, "And, I give you the key to my dwelling in Ilysion. The lock of any door you touch can become a passage, bringing you back here."

"Are you... are you going to do something dangerous?" Pandora frowned.He prepared all kinds of preparations for her to escape back to the temple for refuge, as if he knew that something unexpected would happen during his absence.

"No, it's just in case, lest you encounter any difficulties and I can't come back immediately." Hermes answered calmly, and she felt much more at ease.He blinked jokingly again: "I'd rather think about it. After all, who knows if someone will try to trick you away while I'm not around."

Knowing that Hermes was just joking, Pandora still couldn't help saying: "I won't go anywhere, I'll just wait here for your return."

He was silent for a while when he heard the words, and then smiled: "That's unnecessary. I don't intend to lock you here. You can walk around freely during the day, just be careful not to stray into the halls of other gods."

She nodded vigorously.

"It's a long way to the nearest village. I can ask Faol to come over every day to relieve your boredom."

Speaking of Faol, Pandora became uncomfortable.She looked away: "Not only did I lie to him, but I also broke the appointment and didn't go to him... He probably doesn't want to come and accompany me."

"He knows you are here. As long as you invite him, he has no reason to refuse," Hermes' smile deepened, "Didn't you steal his heart?"

He doesn't seem to mind.Pandora pursed her lips tightly.

"Don't worry, he doesn't dare to do anything to you in my temple. Besides, although he can turn into an adult, he is still a child in heart, because—" Hermes closed his voice, showing a rare look of helplessness , "Let's not talk about it now. If this drags on, I may never be able to leave."

Although it was a complaint, it sounded more like a gentle sigh.

He brought her back to the ground.Hermes bent down very naturally, as if he wanted to kiss her, reached out his hand abruptly halfway, and stroked her hair lightly like a child.

"I'll be back soon."

Before the voice finished, Pandora just blinked, and the messenger of the gods had disappeared.

Pandora stood there for a long time before returning to the temple.As Hermes said, all the doors in the temple are open to her.She walked through the corridors decorated with reliefs, and turned into the halls she wandered in the dark.It seemed to be the inner part of the main body of the temple, and a stone chair was placed in the middle, but the owner was not there.

There are two small doors on the wall behind the chair, behind which are small rooms for storage.There are many objects that Pandora cannot identify, and it is not difficult to guess that they are very precious.But she was not interested in wealth, and she knew that there might be a price to be paid for rashly picking up the secret treasure of the gods, so she just glanced at it and closed the door.

Further outside is the outer hall for worship, where priests in white robes sweep the ground and watch over burning incense and oil lamps.They couldn't see Pandora, none of them noticed when she opened the door connecting the inside and outside, and they didn't even look sideways when they passed by her.

She walked to the statue in the outer hall, and boldly looked up.

The statues of Ilysion were lifelike, but after looking at them for a while, Pandora still felt that there was something missing from the stone statues.She turned and walked all the way out of the temple gate.She was pulled in through the keyhole last night, so she had no chance to see the temple.

The appearance and structure of the buildings gathered at the southern end of Zhifuleyuan are similar, the only difference is the scale.

Hermes' residence was indeed smaller than Artemis's, but the terrain was higher. At the end of the square was a long and wide staircase leading directly to the foot of the mountain.Pandora sat down at the top of the steps, resting her chest on one hand, looking at the stretch of gentle hills and fields in a daze.

Thinking about it, her cheeks were stained with a faint blush again.

Maybe Faol was right, liking and adoring were easy.She has already thought about the answer clearly, and even forced her to face it in a transformed dream, so the only unknown thing is what Hermes thinks of her.Pandora recalled his behavior that suddenly became intimate.Then she couldn't help but search her memory for clues that matched her wish: could she think that... he also liked her a little bit?

and then?

Was it that fleeting encounter of Aphrodite with the shepherd?Pandora bit her lip.She actually felt that was not enough.But she also knew that maybe she couldn't ask for more.

Besides, she didn't even know what path the gods who created her had arranged for her after leaving Ilysion.Hermes taught her that words and tricks must have a purpose.There are also reasons for other gifts from the gods.But now, this question has become difficult to ask.Pandora felt remorse, why didn't she ask Hermes about this in the first place?

However, Hermes is not around, and thinking about these issues is more like a game of time.

On the third day, Pandora gradually felt that the temple and even Ilysion were too empty and quiet.It feels like never before.

Faol came once.The boy was a little dumbfounded when he saw that the door opened to her wherever Pandora walked or in the temple.Some of the doors slammed shut before Faol could pass, and the boys shut out shouted and jumped in anger.After that, when she mentioned the "key" that Hermes gave her, he was so shocked that he almost couldn't close his mouth.

Pandora asked him, "What's the matter?" Faol's expression became subtle, and he kept his face open and refused to answer.

She began to miss the sound of the pan flute and the lyre, and began to listen to it in her sleep.

On the morning of the fourth day after Hermes left, Pandora was awakened by the sound of the lyre.

Her heartbeat quickened, she couldn't restrain herself, and immediately followed the sound of the piano.

She walked out of the gate, walked through the deserted square, hesitated for a moment before the steps, and finally walked all the way down the long steps, chasing the familiar melodious singing of the lyre, and turned halfway into the stone road halfway up the mountain.She passed the temple of Artemis, remembering Hermes' entrustment, and was careful not to step into the territory of the goddess of hunting.

After following the sound of the piano for a while, there was a forest in front of the road.

There shouldn't be woodland here.Pandora paused in bewilderment, but the soft music welcomed her, urging her to move on.

not right...

The vigilant thought melted into the sound of the lyre before it could manifest itself.

Pandora fell into a dream, her mind was dizzy, but her body was bewitched by the beautiful music, and she eagerly separated the branches of the laurel tree and moved forward.

The sound of the piano became clearer and clearer.Pandora's eyes suddenly brightened.

The young man is sitting on a high three-legged stool, holding a lyre in his arms.He looked up, put down his cherished musical instrument, stood up taller, his face was radiant, and the curly hair under the laurel crown was like flowing gold.Of the gods of Olympus, only one is known to mortals under the nickname "The Splendid".

Even without the wisdom bestowed by Athena, Pandora could immediately recognize the identity of this god.

"Pandora, I will take you back to Olympus." Apollo, who is in charge of prophecy, art and healing, announced in a clear voice.