Being old-fashioned kind of goes with the territory, I'm afraid.
Shit. He's right. But...since he doesn't need to know just yet that I can see his point, I decide to simply change the subject and ask, Surely you can tell me now where you're planning to take me?
Care to take a guess?
A smile curves over my lips as I gesture subtly to the bustling scene ahead of us, with both locals and tourists crowding around colorful booths that sell anything and everything from homecooked meat pies to hand-sewn leather belts.
There, I tell him. You're taking me to the weekend market.
Follow me, and you shall know.
Ten minutes later, and the weekend market is completely out of view while walls of gray marble soar over us like a manmade reflection of the goddess whose sanctuary it guards. Stark, intimidating, and elegant in appearance but invincible in its build, these qualities also perfectly mirror Athena, the noble Olympian deity who generously shares her wisdom to those she favors...but just as swiftly turns into a goddess of war and doom to humans foolish enough to incur her wrath.
Greek temples nowadays are like those famous shrines in Kyoto; they're sacred and recreational at the same time, but while my Post-3rd education ensures I'm familiar with the basics of temple rituals and practices—-
Uh...what exactly are we doing here again?
I believe you already know the answer to that.
Then...you're here to return the helmet you borrowed?
You want to buy an owl from her?
You can't finish today's Sudoku, so—-
This is where we'll be having our first date.
I wait for the punchline, but when the silence stretches between my god and me, I realize he's serious, and I find myself sorely tempted to throw my first ever tantrum. I have never been to any divine temple, and if I ever was forced to visit one, Athena's would be the very, very last temple on earth I'd choose.
Does Eros not know 34% of the world's fated death percentage has been directly attributed to Athena? It's the highest rate for any divine being...and yet my god thinks her temple makes the perfect venue for a first date?
Do you trust me?
Great. Just great. Since he's used the trust card, I have no choice but to grumpily say 'yes' and so off I go to follow my god's bidding.
Like other temples, priestesses stand by the entrance to greet visitors with a bow and ask them for their QR codes. But because I'm now a bona fide member of the Order of the Sub Rosa, I get to use the fast lane and skip the queues. Temple priestesses are apparently gifted with the ability to sense divine magic, and so while they don't exactly see the insignia of the Sub Rosa etched on my skin, they know for certain I have been marked by a god.
That's all it takes to gain entry, and in seconds the towering walls of marble in front of me are sliding open, and I'm left breathless by my first glimpse of the Greek goddess' sanctuary. It's the same gray marble everywhere: the floors, the benches, and the columns of the indoor temple. Everything is of gray marble, and at the very center of the outdoor temple is the twenty-foot-tall statue of Athena, who is depicted wearing her helmet, armor, and aegis, along with a wise-looking owl perched on her right shoulder.
Shops and food stalls border the many side alleys branching out from the edges of the outdoor temples: one shop sells owner's manuals for those with Old World pets, another stall specializes in Greek delicacies, and oooh...
A shop selling trinkets catches my eye, and I point to it, asking, Can we go there?
Of course.
Eros places an arm around my shoulder as we start to walk, and my heart skips a beat. This is exactly how I imagined our first date would be, and once inside the shop, Eros continues to be the perfect lover as he tells me to buy whatever I want and have the bill sent to Rosethorne.
I know this may be giving off gold-digging vibes, but it's really not that. When a delivery-guy-turned-stalker almost killed my parents, I was never able to lower my guard around other men...until Eros. There's just something about this god that's made me feel all womanly from the start, and it's with him alone that I feel like I can be myself...like now.
It's always been a secret dream of mine to have a lover cherish and pamper me, and since it's our first date, I decide impulsively to shelve all of my inhibitions for the time being. I flirt and steal little touches whenever I can, coo and purr when I need to get my way, and I pretend to pout and sulk when I don't.
The other temple goers probably think I've got a couple of screws loose, but surprisingly enough, none of them gives me trouble even when they see me seemingly talk to myself.