The conversation with the Fates didn't take that long. Laurel got enough information to find the god responsible for her time travel, but she also received a warning not to fight head-on. The words of the Fates carried some weight. Even if Laurel hasn't fully understood what they told her, she remembered their words. I never thought a day would come where I have to rely on a god.

The journey back to the forest - which she currently resides in - took faster than her walk to the Fates' temple. Laurel didn't even notice she's back until she felt a strong presence intensely watching her.

Laurel halted, huffing without turning to see who's on her tail. "How long are you going to follow?"

"Until your heart belongs to mine.," the god replied, making Laurel snort and roll her eyes.

"So never. Okay, got it." Laurel proceeds to walk, ignoring the god. Nothing good comes out whenever she's with this god. It's either too bright and embarrassing or too windy and arrogant. She can't dance with his personality. It's too much for Laurel to handle.

"My love, where might you be going?" Apollo followed his beloved. After finishing all his daily tasks, he rushed to his beloved, only to catch a glimpse of her. At least that's the plan, but Apollo loves her. A simple glimpse wasn't enough to sate his need to be by her side. "Oh love, you make me miserable. How long more would I yearn for thy love?"

While Laurel could hear a tinge of sadness in the god's voice and felt a tiny pinch in her heart, she chose to shake it off and ignore him. It's not that she hated the god. Laurel just had no time to waste or spare to entertain his antics. If they had met in a different world where she's freer, then maybe. But then again, she doesn't care about love or anything in between.

"Wait!" Apollo called. His beloved had fled once more. "My love, Pray run slower, and I will follow slower. I fear you should fall and hurt yourself on these stones, and I should be the cause." Apollo followed.

Gasping for air and sweating buckets, Laurel returned to the forest. She slumped by the riverbank. She removed her cloak and set it aside with her heavy bag before washing her face in the river. Laurel had a long run but knew how persistent the god was. It was only a matter of time until he found her, so she didn't bother hiding at this point. As long as the god kept his distance and his mouth shut, they have no problem. She could think of him as the wind passing by.

After refreshing herself, her stomach started to grumble. The woman hasn't eaten since last night. All she had were wild berries and greens that didn't fill much. She'd rather have meat if possible.

She sighed. "How can I be picky at this time?" Her stomach growled in response.

Laurel laid back, eyes glued to the sky as she watched the clouds pass by. It's calming, making her want to laze around. But cloud viewing wouldn't fill her stomach. She needed food.

Laurel sighed, sat up cross-legged, and checked her bags for goods to exchange in the agora. During her travels, she picks some herbs and spices to sell in exchange for food and shelter. Now that she knows the possibility of a much longer stay, she has to restock her food supply.

Laurel laid out her new cloak then placed all her belongings on top of it. She had herbs, dried fruits inside her bag, and a potion said to be from goddess Aphrodite from her pocket.

Looking at her stuff, Laurel doesn't have much to trade. Her time spent searching for the Fates limits her chance of bartering. All she's able to eat were wild fruits. "I guess I have to make medicinal juices to sell, then maybe I can buy a good wine to drink by the waterfall," she muttered.

Laurel busied herself sorting the herbs she picked up on her travels. She planned to sell a few of them before sundown. At least that's the plan, but her unwanted visitor decided to appear now. Laurel planned to ignore the god and mind her own business. But the said god decided to mirror her and sat cross-legged across, startling her in the process. They're a few meters away from each other, with only the spread cloak in between them.

"What are you doing?" Laurel glared, unhappy about the situation.

"Watching what you're doing," the god happily replied. Apollo's delighted being in close range with his beloved. Even if his lady love continues to give her a glare that could bury a man alive, she's happy for the attention.

"Can you not?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's uncomfortable." Laurel breaks contact, putting back all the herbs in her bag. She's also hoping that the reason would be enough for the god to shut up, but she should have known better.

"Would it be better if I'll stare at you instead?"

Laurel's eyes widen. "Hell no! That's the worst."

"But I love staring at your beautiful face."

Laurel rolled her eyes. "There's nothing good about it."

"But you don't know what I see."

"I've seen my face a bunch of times, it's the same as everyone else. I have eyes, nose, lips, it's ordinary." Laurel doesn't get why the god keeps giving her praise. She doesn't know why he had so much adoration with her. It doesn't make sense. Like any other, she's nothing special.

"And still, I love your so-called ordinary." The god said dreamily with his hand under his chin and elbow on top of his leg admiring his beloved. "Your eyes that shine whenever you come back into this forest, yet turn like daggers when you look at me. Your luscious lips that utter sweet words to the world. Yet sometimes, sting poison when talking to me. There's also that cute nose that always scrunches when you scent me near. Even the way your brows furrow, when you're confused, was charming. And that beauty mark under your left eye expresses more of your beauty. Oh my love, how can I not fall in love with you more if everything you do makes my heartbeat for you."

Laurel never understand the god. Her words that aimed to reject and discourage him, the god turned it into a fuel of adoration, making it feel like the most obvious and natural response there is in the world.

"You really have no shame," she managed to utter.

Apollo smiled, "I also do love seeing how your face flush when I express my love for you."

Laurel snorted, pulling the cloak and wrapping it around her as she stood up. She's getting out of here. Staying with the god for any more minutes would only stress her up. Every time she listened to the god, embarrassment covered her like a blanket. It's ridiculous.

"Where are you headed now, my love?" Apollo stood the same, gaze still on his beloved. But there's no response. Instead, the lady of his heart ran away once again, leaving the god with another broken-heart.

***

It's a short trip to the agora. Laurel sold a few herbs and ended up buying a basket of bread, wine, and cheese on the way back. When Laurel reaches the forest, the sun has long set and gone. Even the god she left behind's out of sight. She's thankful the god had left. If he had followed or waited for her return, she knew her night wouldn't be at peace.

Laurel decided to enjoy another night under the waterfall. It's been more than a week since she had a dip. The search for the Fates took more days away, and now she's feeling all the fatigue in her body. She needed time to relax before seeking out the god of time, which she still has no idea how to do so.

"I can't rely on the kid anymore. He might get in trouble again," Laurel mumbled as she let the waters soak her body until her shoulders. "Who else should I ask?" She continued to ponder until the image of a certain god pops up in her mind, changing her daze expression to a scowl. What the - she cursed, submerging under the water to drown the thought.

The underwater becomes her way to silence the world around her. Even if the water rings when it falls from above, she barely hears it when she's underwater. It's one of the reasons she can freely relax whenever she's swimming in the area. The body of water has become her solace, like healing water that cleanses her soul. She admires the beautiful nature with the sweet songs of birds, dancing trees, and flowers. Everything so serene, like the world's so innocent and pure.

I envy the world you live in, Daphne.

Laurel's life has never been smooth and steady. Her world's loud and blasted, always on the run and no time to relax. She never even liked the forest or swimming under the falls. Her life almost ended when she's shot and fell from a bridge, causing her to drown and lose consciousness. Yet she survived that fall, and since she arrived at this time, the waters had been her ally.

Laurel has been in her own world admiring the beauty of nature until the forest starts to feel unrest. Voices of the animals resound from far away. Even the birds who were happily singing started fleeing. Something has gone wrong. The forest has been disturb. Immediately, Laurel left the waters. But the moment her foot made contact with the ground, the earth shakes. Vibrations flowed to her body, making her dizzy and losing balance. It took a few minutes until the shaking stopped. But not knowing what would happen next, Laurel changed and rushed to the nearest village.

The tremor of the land continued, pausing for a second - a minute if lucky - but never stopped. It got worse. Trees start to fall, and animals roar echoing in the forest, creating panic in the land. Laurel herself does not know what she could do. Anxiety starts to creep its way to her body, even if she's maintaining a clear mind. She came across a few animals and managed to help those stuck along her way, but there's no telling if they could survive and find safety.

Darkness still looms around the sky, as the time for day breaks has yet to come. But when Laurel reached the nearest village, the place's covered in ember. Blazing from all across the land, the villagers cry as they run to safety. It didn't stop. As the earth continues to quake every other second or so, the fire dances more at its every beat, destroying more houses and people's lives in the process.

The calamity's unforeseen, but Laurel came not to watch the village turn to ashes. She came looking for the kid that she sent off a few days ago. She sprints to the house she knew he'd be in, but the fire has already reached the place.

"Hello! Kid, are you there? Can you hear me?" She repeated, but no answer. There's a chance that the kid already ran to safety, but Laurel's hunch tells her that someone is still inside. Laurel searched for an opening to enter the house when she saw a jar of water nearby. She didn't hesitate. She poured it on herself and rushed into the burning house.

Heat embraced her as soon as she entered. The blazing heat and smokes stinging her eyes, making it hard to breathe. But Laurel proceeds until a muffled voice from a storage area chimes on her ears.

"Hey kid, is that you? Can you hear me?" She yelled, trying to find the exact location of the voice.

"N-Nymph...Laurel." It's raspy, almost a whisper, but it's enough for Laurel to find him. Hiding in a small corner where the fire hasn't reached, the boy sat in a fetal position with his face covered in tears and his body shaking in fear.

"Hey," Laurel called, extending an arm to help the kid. "Let's get out of here," she said.

The kid nodded, still trembling. When Laurel managed to pull him up, she wrapped the cloak around him and carried the kid on her back.

Survival's still no guarantee, but Laurel has only one thing in mind. Keep the kid alive. As the fire grows more outrageous, the escape way slims down, making it harder for the two to exit. But infernal as it may be, Laurel gambled and rushed through the burning path that can only lead to the outside.

May the gods protect us.

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