𝐒𝐈𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

Chapter 23

A T H E N A

"You, you love it how I move you, you love it how I touch you. My one, when all is said and done, you'll believe God is a woman."

° ° °

"Come on! We have to see the Parthenon!" I say and grab Vincenzo's hand, dragging him down the street and into the direction of the Acropolis. 

"Excited, aren't you?" Vincenzo chuckles from beside me. I nod my head as a big smile morphs onto my face. 

"I always wanted to visit Greece, especially the temples. The history and mythology interest me very much," I explain. He wraps his arms around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him if that's even possible.

"Then let me lead the way," he says with a wink, and leans down to peck my lips. The butterflies in my belly start flying around again. "Have you been here a lot of times before?" I ask him. He nods.

"You could say that. But mainly for business," he explains.

We arrive at the mountain, and my jaw drops on the floor as I eye everything on top of it. The old buildings are inviting me, begging to come inside. 

"Do you know where the town gets its name from?" Vincenzo asks. I look up at him with a questioning look. "From the goddess Athena," I answer. He chuckles. "Yes, but do you know how?"

I shake my head, curious as to what the answer is. 

"Well, Zeus' brother Poseidon wanted to be in possession of this town, but Athena wanted it as well. So, Zeus demanded of his brother and daughter to create something big for him. Both Poseidon and Athena fought over the city, and both created something new. Poseidon made a source of saltwater and Athena made the very first olive tree, which was appreciated the most so she won and the city was named after her," Vincenzo explains. 

My lips part at the new information. I look back at the mountain in front of me, and I can't comprehend how much history it holds.

"It's beautiful," I whisper, and start looking around for an entrance which I quickly find.

"Look, Vincenzo! There's the entrance" I say, and I start dragging him over there. Right in front of the stairs, there's a table with little books placed on top of it, like a guider. I walk over to it to grab one, and am relieved to see it's written in English, but as I inspect it I see it's not a guider, but the history of Greece. 

"Oh my God," I whisper as I open the book. Vincenzo chuckles beside me as he looks over my shoulder at the book.

"I think you mean Zeus."

I laugh at his little joke and go through the book, reading bits of every myth. "Come on, there's a lot we can see," I say and without waiting for Vincenzo, I walk up the stairs while the sun is mercilessly burning down on us.

With my eyes cast down to the book, I read every little myth until I stumble upon my favorite goddess.

Athena.

"It says that she's the goddess of wisdom and peace," I read out loud. I feel Vincenzo's arm snake back around my waist as he leads us around, showing me all the buildings while explaining what it is and the meaning behind it.

"You've studied well," I chuckle as he tells me another story of one of the temples. He smiles down at me. 

"Of course I did. I wanted to be your guide," he says and pecks my lips. "Athena's also the goddess of the sky, and she's known to be as pure as the clear night as well as the day."

"Wow," I whisper, and look back down at the book, to absorb the words.

...untouched.

Eternal virginity.