Free The Oracle of Delphi (Greek Myth Fantasy Series) by Elizabeth Rose

and she landed with a plop atop his lap.
    “Oh!” she said, feeling his body beneath her.
    He then took the blade of grass and ran it over her cheek and down her neck. “You give me my answer or I am going to keep teasing you until you are begging me to take you right here on the blanket.”
    Just the intimate thought had her melting in his embrace. The dream she had of him came back to taunt her. She felt like holding back the information purposely just to know what it felt like to make love with a man. His male hardness grew beneath her and she knew she had to move away before it was too late.
    She jumped to her feet and smoothed down her tunic.
    “How dare you even suggest I would do something like that - right here. I am a princess, remember. I am not a serving wench you can tumble for your own needs and send on my way in the morning.”
    He did not react to her words; just picked up the bread and started chewing in a slow, deliberate motion.
    “Of course,” he said, “I realize I am probably assuming too much. Actually, I doubt you even know where the land is that I speak of.”
    “I have heard of the place of which you speak,” she said, willing to prove him wrong. “You speak of the land of - ” She’d almost fell for his little tricks, but stopped herself just in time.
    “Yes?” he asked, with a fake look of boredom upon his face.
    “You slay the sea serpent and I will tell you.”
    “You tell me so I can accomplish my mission, and if there is time I might help you.”
    She knew it was the best she was going to get from him at that time. But it sounded as if he were breaking down little by little. She would help him now and work on convincing him to turn that “I might” into an “I will” later on.
    “All right,” she said. “The land where men eat not of Demeter’s golden grain, but only of acorns is the land of the talking oaks of Dodona - where the Selli live.”
    He threw down the bread and got to his feet quickly. “We’ve got no time to waste. How far is it from here?”
    “We could make it there on horseback by nightfall.”
    She reached out for another grape, but he pulled the blanket away, wrapping the food quickly. He stuffed it into his saddlebag and kicked at the fire to extinguish it.
    “Get on your horse, Princess. We’ve got some riding to do. I have no time to waste.”
    Suddenly she saw everything quite clearly. He’d only pretended to be interested in her to capture her attention. He knew her attraction to him and he’d used it against her. She had given him the answer he wanted without receiving a commitment from him in return. He had played the game better for now, but once they approached Dodona she would be the winner.
    She did not tell him the Selli were people who believed in celebrating everything with an extended feast. The visit of a princess to their village called for the grandest of celebrations and they did not take kindly to anyone refusing their hospitality. Last time she had visited the Selli, they had made sure every one of her wishes was granted. If she mentioned she needed Perseus to slay a sea serpent, then she knew they would see to it he carried the deed through. They were a fierce tribe of people when they wanted to be. And she had no doubt in her mind if Perseus refused to help her again, they would kill him.
    She smiled and nodded her head, mounting her horse and following Perseus as he rode away. “Yes,” she agreed. “We had better hurry.”

Seven
     
     
    The sun blinked its last futile rays as Apollo, God of the Sun, raced his chariot across the sky. Perseus watched in admiration, wondering how it felt to be such a renowned god. What he would give to live like them, eating ambrosia and having the world at his command.
    He followed Andromeda past a grove of oak trees, into the midst of a little bustling town. Loud, cheery music rang forth as people scurried to and fro with large kettles of food in their hands. A long trestle table was