Athena
“Come sit here next to me.” The woman patted her hand on the stone bench with a kind expression on her face.
“Why do you have paintings on your face?” I asked with youthful curiosity.
“My tattoos symbolize my wisdom,” she explained in a soft voice. “They are the sign of a priestess.”
I studied the intricate designs in fascination.
“I have heard about you, Athena,” the woman said. “That’s why I have come to see you.”
“What did you hear about me?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t find me too pushy.
“Only good things,” she assured me. “My name is Samone Chapman. I’m one out of ten high priestesses in the world.”
“I don’t know what that is,” I admitted and gave her a sideways glance.
“No? Well, I don’t blame you, because there aren’t a lot of priestesses around. I’m here because I’m hoping you could help us change that.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” Samone smiled. “People tell me that you are special. You are kind, caring, highly empathetic, and wise beyond your years.”
Folding my lips between my teeth, I looked down.
“Now that I have met you, I’m finding that you are humble too.”
“What is it that you want me to help you with?” I smiled, because I had already decided that if I was able to help this nice woman, I would.
“How much do you know about history?”
“We learn about it in school. The Toxic War and the way women saved the planet from complete destruction.”
“Yes.” She nodded, encouraging me to go on, so I shared what my teacher had taught me.
“It was a dark time before the Toxic War. Humans were divided into groups based on their race and color of their skin. It was a matter of luck to be born in a rich and peaceful country versus a poor and violent one. Once you were there you had to make the best of it, because other countries had borders to keep you out. The rich people didn’t want to share their wealth with the poor people, and in many places the poor became so desperate that they tried to take it anyway. That meant rich people were always afraid of being attacked, and many of them lived behind tall walls of protection.”
Samone tilted her head. “That’s right. The people in power back then were called politicians. Unlike today where the Council members are chosen because of their high integrity and willingness to serve the people, not all, but many politicians were power-hungry people who only served themselves. All day, they would sit in a large building and argue with one another, and very little got done.”
A small frown formed on my face. “I’m happy we don’t live like that anymore.”
“Me too,” Samone agreed. “I’m sad that so many died because of it. You see, it left the survivors with a heavy burden of collective grief and anger. And although it has been hundreds of years now, there is still residual energy left from that traumatic time.”
I looked down and rubbed my feet against each other. “Why couldn’t people see that it was wrong?” I asked.
Samone took time before she answered. “We shouldn’t judge them; their minds had been poisoned for a long time and they didn’t know any better. Humans are impressionable, you see. Back then there weren’t any laws preventing bad people from taking advantage of weaker people. It’s hard to wrap your mind around it now, but it was perfectly legal to manipulate people into consuming more than they needed or could afford. Many families went hungry, while others hoarded unimaginable wealth for only themselves.”
“But wealth is a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Yes and no. Today we define wealth in a different way than they did back then. To us wealth means a healthy, meaningful, and fulfilling life. Wealth in the old days was defined by more superficial things like having a big house, the newest car, the latest electronic devices, lots of clothes, shoes, art, and any other things they could get their hands on.”
I frowned. “They kept that all to themselves?”
The high priestess tilted her head from side to side. “I’m sure that there were generous people among the rich who gave to the poor, but much of what happened back then is still a bit of a mystery to us.”
“That’s what my teacher says,” I agreed, looking up at her.
“The trouble is, Athena, that we know from our founding mothers, who lived through the Toxic War, that a large portion of the old Internet was falsified. They had advanced computer programs which could imitate people’s handwriting, but even worse they had programs that could imitate people’s voices to perfection. All the system needed was a few minutes of them speaking.” Samone shook her head. “It became impossible for them to know what was right or wrong. Good people were wrongly convicted for crimes they didn’t commit, and bad people walked free based on false evidence.”
“But why would they allow computer programs like that to begin with?”
“We don’t know for sure. Humanity has always been curious by nature. We suspect that they were more occupied by seeing what they could invent instead of asking themselves if they should.”
I wasn’t sure why she was telling me all this, but I liked her soft voice and the way she spoke to me as if I was an adult. Being twelve, I hated it when people spoke as if I was slow-thinking, just because I was young. Samone made me feel good about myself.
“You may wonder why I am talking to you about all of this,” she said as if she had read my mind. “But it’s simply to underline how history has shown us that humans are capable of doing horrible things to themselves and others. That’s why our leaders in the Council are chosen with great care from among those who exhibit high morals and integrity.”
“You want me to become a Council member?”
“No.” She smiled. “I’m here to talk to you about becoming a priestess, like me.”
My eyes flew to her tattoos and I smiled.
“Just like Council members, priestesses are chosen as children too. While Council members learn about laws and human rights, we have a different focus.”
I tilted my head, listening with full attention.
“Our real title is spiritual counselors, but people kept referring to us as priestesses and somewhere along the way we adopted that title, although it isn’t very accurate since we don’t practice religion,” Samone pointed out.
“What is religion?” I asked.
“That’s a good question,” she said and leaned back. “It’s a doctrine that prescribes a way of living built on rituals created to give a sense of security.”
“I don’t understand,” I admitted, but Samone just smiled patiently and explained. “In the olden days people would live their lives depending on which religion they were born into. Some had rituals that included when and what to eat, what clothes to wear, how often to pray, who to socialize with, and who to marry. Often the priests would tell horrible stories about awful things that would happen if people broke these traditions.”
“Was it true?” I asked with a small frown.
“No, but it was a way for the priests to gain control, and unfortunately it divided people because every religion claimed to be the right one, and the others to be wrong.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s silly.”
Samone nodded. “Yes. Some believers were extreme and killed people in the name of their religion. Others broke free and became agnostics who claimed neither faith nor disbelief in a God. Or they became atheists who dismissed religion and swore by science only.” She angled her head with a sad expression. “Many atheists were just as divisive and some were even arrogant because they saw themselves as superior to the religious believers, whom they called degrading names.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Mostly they saw religious people as naïve and mindless sheep. Today we don’t judge that harshly.” Samone smiled at me. “We understand that there were many beautiful parts of religion that people enjoyed, such as a strong community and a sense of connection.” She paused and looked at me. “That was the part that people missed when all religions were banned after the war.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I waited for her to continue.
“The thing is…” Samone sighed. “When you study religion you’ll see that there is a pattern. No, let me phrase it in a different way. There’s a root. It’s almost like a message was delivered to humanity and it became the foundation of all religions before it was shaped by different agendas.”
I sat up straighter. “What was that message?”
Samone smiled again. “Kindness and love.” Lifting her hand, she tucked a strand of my red hair behind my ear. “The Christians said, ‘In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you,’ the Buddhists said, ‘Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful,’ the Hindus said, ‘This is the sum of duty, do not do to others what would cause pain to you.” Samone looked up as if to remember. “And the Muslims said ‘Wish for others what you wish for yourself.” She looked at me with a serious expression. “It’s the same in all religions, but maybe my favorite is from Judaism where a prophet said, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbors; this is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary.’”
“What is the Torah?”
“A religious rule book that offered comfort to the believers of that faith. The Christians had a book they called the Bible, the Muslims called their book the Koran.”
“I see.”
“Athena, people have a need for connection and community. That will never change. Modern people don’t live by religious ideas anymore. That doesn’t mean we are better than the ones who did. You have to remember what drew people to religion in the first place was always the core message about kindness and love.
“If you choose to become a priestess, you’ll have to carry that message in your heart and take on a destiny of servicing people when they are in need of guidance. I will teach you everything I know, and some day you will pass it on.”
I nodded with eagerness, thinking that the way this woman radiated kindness and beauty, she was everything I wanted to be.
“Take some time to think about it,” she insisted. “It’s not easy to put your own needs aside.”
The sound of a distant male voice had me looking up. “I need you, Athena. Come back to me, come on, baby, wake up.” I knew that voice but I couldn’t place it.
“Did you hear that?” I asked Samone, but my voice had changed, and looking down at my body, I saw I was no longer a child. “What’s going on?” I asked with confusion, staring at my hand.
“As I said, you have a decision to make.” A wrinkled hand stroked mine. Looking up I saw Samone had aged too. Still beautiful and radiant, her eyes shone with love for me, and it released powerful emotions of my own.
“I need you, Athena.” The masculine voice was pleading, but there was no one here but Samone and me. I looked around. Besides the stone bench that Samone and I sat on, there was nothing. Just whiteness as far as the eye could see.
“Why did you choose this setting?” I asked because virtual reality had so many nice options.
“This isn’t virtual reality,” Samone said with a chuckle.
“Then where are we?” I asked, my brows drawn together with great empathy for the man’s obvious distress.
“At a crossroad,” Samone spoke in an unhurried manner. “Where you go from here will be determined by the decision you make.”
“I love you, Athena, do you hear me?” The man’s voice was loud and clear this time.
A warm feeling spread in my body, and the familiarity grew stronger. “I know him.”
Samone stood up from the bench, and reached her hands out to me. “So what is it going to be?”
Shaking my head with confusion, I took her hands and said, “I’m already a priestess; I made that choice as a child.”
“Sometimes we have to choose a path more than once in our lives,” Samone said. “No one will judge you if you give up now. I did.”
“You didn’t give up, Samone, you…” I blinked as my memory returned. “You died.” As soon as I said the words, my eyes darted around again, taking in the whiteness. My eyes filled with tears, and the grief that had consumed me when I lost her made me press both my hands to my heart. “Samone,” I said in a thick voice and flung my arms around her. “Oh, Samone, I’ve missed you so much.”
She was taller than me, and held me in her arms while she stroked my hair in that maternal way of hers. “I’ve missed you too, my love.”
I didn’t want to let go of her. “You taught me so much,” I muttered against her chest.
“I did; it was my privilege to train you, and see the wise woman you became. I invited you to train with me. Now your next trainer is asking you to make a choice.”
She looked up as the male voice sounded again. “Athena, baby, come on, open your eyes for me.”
“Finn!” Laughter erupted from my insides. It was so good to hear his deep voice again.
“Sounds like your trainer is calling you,” Samone said, but that just made me laugh more.
“I think this is the first time that you got something wrong, Samone. Finn isn’t a spiritual teacher. He’s an annoying, self-confident, and traumatized Nman.” My smile widened.
Samone stroked my cheek. “The best trainers are the ones that push you. I have a feeling that this man will test every part of your patience and tolerance, and if you let him he will make you an even better person.”
“Finn?” I asked in disbelief, but Samone just leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead.
“It’s time to choose,” she whispered.
“Athena, do you hear me, your pulse is really weak. I need you to fight, baby. Come back to me. I love you.”
“He loves me,” I said with my body tingling from the warmth that spread from head to toe.
Using a singsong voice, Samone said, “That’s a powerful invitation.”
I gave her a wide smile, and put words to the truth in my heart. “I love him too.”
Her smile was one of satisfaction. “You have made your choice.”