So, in present-day Athens, Eldor was about to take Cloe up to the Acropolis (the ancient hilltop citadel of Athens—the main tourist attraction and most famous historical site in the city, for any who may not know of it)! The Parthenon is the most prominent temple on the Acropolis.

This photo of the Parthenon, posted as a media image with this scene, is one that I took during my own summer spent travel-writing in Greece :)

Anyhoo, hope you'll enjoy the first modern-day scene of Book II :D

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Scene 3: The Spectacle

A.D. 2015 

She stood before the crown jewel of one of the world’s most culturally iconic cities, among the most momentous monuments in history, a masterpiece of classical architecture that should have inspired ineffable awe…

But it did not. For all of her awe was still consumed by the incredible presence of her own princely creation, who happened to be accompanying her to the Acropolis today.

And, as his presence seemed to suggest, the possibility that she possessed some sort of crazy power to decree the course of destiny.

Eldor seemed perfectly comfortable with his own existence, somehow, going about his life as if it were no big deal. Did he not realize how ridiculous it was that he was real?

“Wow,” Cloe breathed, pretending that her wonder was directed toward the many-pillared temple towering in front of them. “It’s so…”

He smiled as her voice trailed off. “No pressure to put it into words. I know I couldn’t have, when I first set eyes on the Parthenon.”

She returned the smile, grateful for the excuse to be silent for a moment. They veered away from herds of tour groups, headed by exasperated guides holding up tacky signs, to forge their own path through the age-old rubble. Cloe felt criminally lucky to have the most patient—and by far the most gorgeous—guide as her own personal chaperone. He also seemed to know all of the best vantage points from which to admire the attractions and take postcard-worthy pictures.

“Oh, I love this angle,” Cloe gushed as she snapped a series of shots accentuating the Parthenon’s majestic symmetry, cornices and columns stark against a clear blue sky. Her summer job required her to submit high-quality photos of any noteworthy sights, along with all her written content, to be potentially included in the travel guide.

Eldor smiled another epic smile. “It’s definitely my favorite.”

“So you’ve been up here several times, I take it?” she asked, proud of herself for managing to carry on sane conversation, so far today.

“I have. I try to visit the Acropolis whenever I’m in Athens.”

“And you’re here once a year, right? How did you decide to make your summer home in Greece, of all the countries in the world?” she inquired. “I mean—not to assume you don’t have others elsewhere…”

“I don’t,” he replied with a soft, humble chuckle. “I wouldn’t want to waste money on more homes than I need; the one I have here is enough of a luxury. I chose Greece because it’s just the most inspiring place I’ve ever been. I don’t know of any place on earth quite like it.”

“From what I’ve seen of it so far, I’d have to agree,” Cloe chimed as they moved on from the Parthenon to see some of the site’s other structures, scribbling information and observations in her notes along the way. Trying not to laugh as they passed the unfortunately named temple that she recognized as the Erechtheion—a classy prince would not approve of crass humor about such a noble erection, she mused.

“How about you?” Eldor asked, inadvertently interrupting her immature thoughts. “Why did you choose to spend this summer roaming Greece, of all possible travel-writing routes?”

“Oh, I’ve just always wanted to,” she answered easily. “The place just… beckoned me, I guess. I’ve always felt so deeply drawn to it.”

“Always?” he echoed as she paused to photograph a picturesque pile of rubble. On the Acropolis, even scattered debris could be pretty.

“Yeah,” she affirmed, momentarily moving along, reluctant to ever keep him waiting for long. “I remember my favorite book, since before I even knew how to read, was always this one beautiful, glossy hardcover. It was a collection of Greek myths, though of course I didn’t know it then. There was an image on the front cover, of Perseus riding Pegasus, and I sort of just laid eyes on it and fell in love.”

“I know the feeling,” he stated with yet another epic smile.

Cloe had no clue what to make of that, so she spoke on as if she hadn’t heard. “At the time, that is, I thought the rider on the cover was Perseus. I had an idea of him in my head from… from somewhere. But after actually reading the book, I learned that it wasn’t him at all—Bellerophon rides Pegasus in the original mythology. Then I felt silly.”

Eldor released a gentle laugh. “Well, I say the man is whoever you want him to be. Myth never pretends to be truth, anyway. Who’s to say that the original is more real than the myth inside your mind?”

She smiled, briefly pondering his words. They had seemed wise. Somewhat profound. Well, of course he’s more than just a pretty face; she wrote him that way, she silently reminded herself.

“Speaking of stories in your mind—you had said that you like to write novels, right?” he casually recalled.

Shit! Cloe’s inner voice exclaimed, going into a bit of a panic. Yes, she had made the mistake of mentioning it, at some point during one of their previous chats. She had then hastened to change the subject. It was already enough of a constant struggle to restrain herself from blabbing about how similar he was to her fictional warrior prince—identical, really—especially after hearing more about his illustrious background on the battlefield, in recent conversations.

If they were to talk about her novel, Cloe feared, it would not be long before the truth slipped out that she had in fact written it all about him. Which would make her seem mildly crazy at best, and downright creepy at worst.

She still hadn’t the slightest idea what to make of this whole 'I can write the future' thing. What that might mean about who real-life Eldor really was, how he had come to exist. She had decreed that he would walk into her life, the other day. And she had crafted his fantastical character in the process of writing a trilogy. But did that mean she was his actual… creator? Even though he was clearly older than her? In what warped universe, by what stretch of the dimensions, could that be remotely possible?

The entire situation was too complex to even start to comprehend, so Cloe had postponed thinking about it for… well, for as long as her few remaining shreds of sanity required.

Whatever was going on, whatever sort of twisted metaphysical relationship might exist between them, Eldor seemed to be clueless about it. Or at least to intend to pretend that he was. So Cloe figured that it’d be best to avoid letting him find out that he shared the same uncommon name, and every last character trait, with her protagonist.

“…right?” Eldor repeated, in response to her extended pause.

“Right,” she blurted. “Yeah, I write some stuff, sometimes. So, um—so it looks like we’ve seen everything on the Acropolis, I guess?”

“I think so,” he concurred, evidently picking up on her hesitance to discuss her writing, and thankfully gracious enough not to pry.

She managed to steer into the safety of small talk for the next few minutes while they descended the ruggedly paved path leading to and from the Acropolis, bidding farewell to the ancient hilltop citadel.

“So,” Eldor sighed as they neared the end of the wide, inclined walkway, “now you’ve seen the pinnacle of Athens. Though I promise that this place has plenty more to offer. Where to next?”

Cloe blinked, glad that the broad brim of her sunhat shielded his view of her doubtlessly dopey expression, upon hearing those words. Did he seriously intend to so chivalrously usher her all over the city?? She had thought that his offer to take her up to the Acropolis was just a gesture of apology, after having ditched her last night. Surely he had made up for it by now? Or maybe he had just inquired as to where she was headed next, without implying anything about accompanying her. That would make more sense.

She cleared her throat and answered. “Well, I was planning to visit the Acropolis Museum, while I’m here.”

His head dipped in a nod of endorsement. “Ah, yes. It’s a good one. Glass floors to let you look straight down into the ruins underground.”

“Yeah. Last year’s reviews of it were really great, so I’m excited to check it out. Just gotta browse around a bit, update the info…”

“Care for company?”

She blinked another dopey blink and bit her lip.

He shifted uneasily. “I… shouldn’t have presumed—”

“Oh, no, you’re not presuming anything, I just… it might be pretty boring, chaperoning me around. I’ll have to check up on all the ticket prices, hours of operation, take notes in my nerdy little notebook…”

“Just like you did at the Acropolis. I don’t mind.”

Now Cloe was the one who shifted. “But at the museum you won’t have the great big spectacle of the Parthenon to distract you while I…”

“I wasn’t distracted. Trust me,” he claimed, his tone far too Prince-Charming-perfect to be taken seriously. “I didn’t want to be.”

Crap. The next words out of her mouth sprang from the stupidest corner of her befuddled brain. “What about your… sort-of-sister?”

He canted his heroically handsome head. “What about?”

The stupid-brain-train chugged along. “I mean, doesn’t she want to spend some time with you while she’s… visiting? Or…” Fuck; that hadn't been awkward or anything. “…or maybe she’s not visiting, sorry—I, uh, shouldn’t have presumed she doesn’t… live with you.” Damn it! “I… I should go.”

Eldor blinked his deep, dark eyes, his expression evincing none of the judgment that she surely deserved right now. “Okay. Well, hey, if you do want company, anytime—you’ve got my number, right?”

Ugh! When was this craziness going to stop?! She managed a nod.

“Especially at night,” he added, flawless face still judgment-free. “I remember you mentioned having to research bars and nightclubs; a bodyguard may be good to have on the streets after dark. Just saying.”

Well, if he was to insist on continuing with this, she supposed, she would just have to go with it. “Thanks. I… I might take you up on that.”

“Good. Hope to see you again soon,” he spoke, seeming to mean it.

He put on such a good show, she couldn’t help but smile. “Me, too.”

That evening, after having researched a week’s worth of sights, restaurants, and cafes over the course of the rest of the day, Cloe sat on her bunk with her laptop and signed into Skype. Daily calls with her mom were necessary for her mental health as life became ever more ludicrous.

“So, have you written any more hotties into your life lately?” Silvia asked. “Seems like the best use of this newfound special talent.”

Cloe laughed. “Nah, haven’t written any other whimsical words on napkins since the campion thing. Too much to process right now.”

“Well, whenever you’re ready to test out those powers some more, just let me know. I’ve got a few requests in mind…”

They chatted on awhile, till a bunch of Cloe’s bunkmates passed through the room. The beefy guy whom she’d met yesterday invited her to join the hostel gang for nightlife. She declined, set to make other plans—Silvia had convinced her to take Eldor up on his bodyguard offer, and not to worry about the alluring Atria. Moreover, to ask if he might want to bring her along. To see how he reacted.

And maybe to learn more about this mysterious sort-of-sister.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What'd'ya think of #Eloe's second date? Their future fate? I hope all of my dear #Cloder fans aren't too full of hate... ;)

P.S. Dedication to @jeanju, winner of the Triathlon event in the 2014 Fateful Olympics, for her winning entry in the Book II cover contest, plus her lovely entries in fan art and fanfiction as well :D

Next scene takes us back to 2020 B.C., in the Cave with Atropos...

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