Aster led her to the temple of Aphrodite. The place was beautifully ornate with unfinished sculptures of men and women. When he opened the door to the temple hall, to her surprise, the place was full of young naked ladies posing for the busy sculptors.

[Am I supposed to do that?]

"Put your lazy hands higher!" A large strange man with his thick powdered face, shouting at the naked ladies who tried hard to hold their posture for the sculptors.

"You! Ugly piece of skeleton!" Pushing a tiny lady out of his way, he headed straight to Aster.

“This is the girl I’m talking about, sir.” Aster led Pryne to the strange man.

The man immediately grabbed Pryne’s face by her jaw, turning her left and right to examine the face in detail. Making sure that she looked pleasing in every viewing angle.

“Beautiful!” the man smiled, satisfied, he then grabbed her tunic and tore them down. Pryne was shocked and terrified, she screamed and tried to break away from him. But she was arrested by Aster, unable to escape from the two stronger men, she started to cry for help.

“Shut up! Why are you being difficult?!” the man angrily shouted at her and pulled her hair.

“Sorry, sir, she’s new!” Aster tried to explain to the man. He shoved a piece of cloth on Pryne’s mouth to gag her.

The man examined Pryne’s body, her figure was perfect, and her skin was flawless. But tears flowing all over her face, she tried to scream and kick, but Aster locked both her hands and lifted her up for the man to scrutinise every part of her body.

“Very well, she’s a little grown up, but would still make a good deal.” said the man, pointing at her large breasts.

He dropped a small bag of gold on the floor in front of Aster and left. Other temple guards came and dragged Pryne away. Struggling and jolting with all her strength, they threw her into a dark room. They never allowed her to leave the temple after that day.

“Mom… mother…” she cried, laying on the floor with pain all over her body after being violated by multiple men. Her life after that day was difficult. The temple was a living hell disguised as a holy sanctuary. Heitaira was just a glorified term given for a temple prostitute. Her daily tasks were to sexually please men who visited the temple.

The worst when the hetairais were ferociously compete for favour. If they won the hearts of the highest paying group of men, they may have easier life in the temple, posing for the sculptor and being perceived as the blessed priestess. Most importantly, they will be allowed to go out...

Out...

[Mom... I want to go home... Mom!]

Her beauty charmed numerous men, and she gained popularity. Out of jealousy, the other hetairais dragged Pryne to a room. They tied her up and pressed her on the ground. With a piece of towel, they muzzled her.

“This new girl is our threat! She’s too beautiful!”

“Let’s ruin her face!”

They took out a small knife, trying to cut her face. Her blood oozed out a little, but the wound immediately healed by itself and left no scar at all.

“She… she’s a witch! She’s a witch!” They screamed in fear, stabbing her continuously with their knife. Her blood splattered, tainted their peplos and tunics. She screamed in pain, begging them to stop, but their horror intensified when they saw her wounds healed to perfection in seconds. Knowing that they were unable to kill her, they ran away in panic.

Soon, the rumour about Pryne spreaded within the temple. The hetairais wanted to accuse Pryne for worshiping Hekate in the temple of Aphrodite and urged the priests to execute her by burning her alive. But the gossip reached the ears of the Three Elders. Heracle, the Archontes of Eretria, received the letter from the Three, demanding to meet the woman.

Strung by the incident, Heracle never had much care about things that happened in the temple, especially among the hetairais. It was, however, his duty to greet and nurture diplomatic ties with the Three.

While Aster felt an urge to find a way to safeguard his own life. He was the one who brought Pryne into the temple, and the hetairais might plot against him since he was associated with Pryne. Thus, he had prepared to go all against her and be the person to accuse her for practicing witchcraft and claim himself as a victim seduced by her.

Heracle bowed in front of the Three Elders who had arrived in Eretria. They traveled all the way from Olympus within a day after receiving the report about Pryne. Although it was strange, it was near impossible for that duration on a long journey. Unless they were able to fly...

Summoned by Heracle, Aster was to face the Three, he kept his head on the ground, in fear of facing the Them. He had prepared a made up story in his mind, about how Pryne seduced him, and...

“Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty is with us!” One of the three Elders with a woman’s voice shouted hysterically while she bursted into the temple hall. the gathered crowds were all surprised by her reaction.

“It’s not the time yet. Be patient!” another Elder held her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

“We do not have enough time! Aren’t we?” She replied with her old shaky voice.

“Yes, but the day has not come! Not now, not yet.”

Taking deep and frantic breaths, she attempted to calm herself down.

“Where is the one who was born Aphrodite? We heard about her miracles and have come to worship her.” the third Elder, with a deep and calm tone, he walked towards Aster.

Hearing their response, Aster was dumbfounded, his initial plan to prosecute Pryne met a turning point, he sensed a greater opportunity ahead. The living Aphrodite?

“Yes! Your honorable wise ones! I’ve found the goddess! Aphrodite! She is with us!” Aster raised his head with confidence and replied.

"Who is the Aphrodite they are referring to?" Heracle questioned all the hetairais who were gathered in the temple hall. They were all puzzled.

"It was me... I am the Aphrodite!" A woman stood out and claimed the title to herself.

"No! She lied! I am the real Aphrodite!" Another woman shouted.

The crowd went all frenzy, all the hetairais started to call themselves Aphrodite. Agitated by the scene, the Three shouted:

"Let the Hydra help us identify the real goddess!"

They released the monster and it went after all the Hetairais, including Pryne who was among them, swallowing all alive. Aster and Heracle fell to the ground in horror, seeing all the women being eaten by the monster. The calm Elder tapped Aster’s shoulder.

“The one who has seen the Goddess, come with us! You will be blessed with greatness!”

A few hours, Pryne was discharged by the Hydra, and she was still alive. Aster identified her for the Elders and they raised.

"Behold, the goddess Aphrodite!" the three Elders kneeled before Pryne.

The three left the temple with three items, gold jewelries, myrtles and roses. They brought Aster with them, and disappeared from the scene with the Hydra.

Without other hetairais, Pryne was appointed to be the Teleios. She was given servants, maids and guards, but was not allowed to leave the temple. The sculptor shall only make sculptures based on her. But they continued to lock her within the temple, never allowing her to leave the place for they believed that the outside world might taint her purity.

“Mom…”

Missing her dearest mother, she was unable to help herself but would simply cry alone in her cold marble temple full of decorated pillars that reached to no wall. It was like a bird’s cage.

To be continued…