Chapter Two

As Cora surveyed the lush green forest, that was once believed to be the home of the wood nymphs, she was enchanted by all that surrounded her. The scene looked like something out of a fairytale. The tall trees seemed to go on forever, as flocks of birds filled the air with their enchanting song. While a crystal clear stream cut through the forest, it played its own haunting melody.

As the scene continued to unfold around her, Cora had a strange feeling. Eerily, it felt as though she was being watched. As a breeze blew past her, it was almost as if the wind was calling to her in a haunting whisper.

Cora...Cora...

"Hey, are you okay?" Michael asked, as he furrowed his brow at her in a look of confusion.

"What?" Cora asked, startled. "Um..sure."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Michael asked again.

"I-I'm sorry." Cora chuckled, while feeling embarrassed. "I guess I was just lost in my own thoughts. This place is so mesmerizing, I think I accidentally hypnotized myself. And for a split second, I felt like I was being watched."

"Well you probably were." He laughed. "Beautiful mortals were always being spied upon by the Greek gods. Maybe Zeus will rain down upon you tonight in the form of a golden shower."

"Eww." Cora replied. "I wouldn't even let you, give me a golden shower. Actually, come to think of it, is that were that term comes from?"

"Probably." Michael chuckled. "But I don't think old Zeus actually ever urinated on anyone."

"Well he was into some weird shit." Cora added. "And not just women. You should be careful, he may rain down upon you tonight as well."

"Nah." He said. "I'm holding out for Aphrodite."

"Oh really." Cora replied, as she folded her arms, and playfully shot him a judgmental look. Michael then gave her a shy smile, as he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, maybe if you give me some sort of an incentive, I might reconsider my affections." Michael whispered in her ear.

Get away from her! A hauntingly masculine voice cried out in the air.

"Did, did you hear that?" Cora stuttered, as the voice made her jump.

"Um, maybe we should find the rest of the tour group." Michael replied. As Cora looked at him, she could see the look of confusion upon his face.

"That would probably be a good idea." Cora suggested. Michael then took her hand, and they started to walk towards the cave where the rest of the tour group had assembled. As they made their way over, the tour guide was talking to the group at the entrance of the cave.

"And here we are at the entrance of one of the caves of the god Pan." The tour guide stated. "Pan's temples were inside of caves, as opposed to man made structures. As we enter, you will see some of the artifacts that his followers had placed inside of the temple. Now as we make our way inside, I should warn you that the cave might be a little cramped. If you start to feel claustrophobic, please let me know. In actuality it would be quite ironic if anyone does start to panic, since the word panic comes from the god Pan himself."

The tour group then responded to the guide's comment with a courteous sounding laugh.

"In mythology, he could invoke fear into soldiers fighting in battle." The tour guide continued. "Many leaders would pray to him, in the hopes of frightening their enemies. In fact, it is believed that when Typhon tried to usurp Zeus's throne, it was Pan who was instrumental in Zeus's victory. For if Pan had not struck fear into Typhon's forces, than it would have been the father of all monsters—and not the King of the gods that would have been victorious. If that had happened, well—it would have been bad for the rest of the world."

As the tour group entered the cave, Cora noticed how dark and cramped it actually was. There was a bit of a musty smell, as dampness seemed to fill the stagnant air. But at the same time, the artifacts, statues, and even some wall paintings were incredible. In reality there was hardly much left of the paintings, since they had started to deteriorate over time. But the fact that what was left of the paintings, had survived for thousands of years was mind blowing.

As the tour group continued to make there way through the cave, the guide stopped in front of a large statue. A few people started to laugh, as they came upon the statue of Pan. To say that he was gifted would have been an understatement.

"And here we have an example of the reason as to why, we don't like to have children as part of the tour." The guide stated. "As you can see, like most satyrs he had a consistent large erection. This is what ended up getting Pan into trouble on quite a few occasions. Mainly when he would try to romantically pursue wood nymphs. An example of one such story brings us to an item over here."

The group started to move away from the large statue, while Cora looked up at Pan's face. All of a sudden, the statue winked at her. Cora's heart stopped for a second, as she let out a loud gasp. Everyone in the tour including the guide, and Michael, turned to look at her.

"Did you have a question dear?" The guide asked.

"Um, is that statue original, or a prop?" Cora asked.

"Some items are replicas, like the one I am about to show you." The guide answered. "But that statue was believed to have been carved when the temple itself was created. Why do you ask?"

"You know what, never mind." Cora answered.

Oh my god, I am so embarrassed! Cora thought. I must be seeing things.

"Are you okay?" Michael whispered, as they moved to the next exhibit with the rest of the group.

"I know this is going to sound crazy. I thought maybe it was an animatronic type thing, like at the Disney parks." Cora replied. "But I thought that statue winked at me."

Michael furrowed his brow, and then chuckled a bit.

"Well it's a little tight in here." Michael told her. "Your mind is probably just playing tricks on you."

"Now then, here is a replica of Pan's famous flute." The tour guide explained, as they reached the next exhibit. "As you know, pan flute music is a popular form of contemporary music. The god Pan like his fellow satyrs, seemed to become enamored with the opposite sex quite easily. In other words their brains were in their genital regions. Perhaps this is why this appendage, in particular, was always so prominent."

The rest of the group began to chuckle at the guide's silly joke, before letting her continue.

"Pan had fallen in love with a wood nymph by the name of Syrninx, who was the daughter of the river god, Ladon. However Syrninx did not return his affections, and fled to Mount Lycaeum to seek refuge with her sisters. They in turn changed their fellow wood nymph into a reed, to keep Pan from enforcing his advances upon her. Heartbroken, Pan broke the reed into seven separate pieces. He then fastened them together into a flute, which he carried for the rest of his existence—AKA, the Pan flute.

Cora leaned over, and whispered into Michael's ear. "Well I sure as hell am glad that he's not interested in me."

After a couple hours, the guide had concluded the tour of the cave. Everyone had been given an hour to walk around the outside area, until it was time for the bus to leave. Except for all of the strange feelings that Cora had experienced, it had actually been an extraordinary day.

As Cora closed her eyes, she could feel the warm breeze swirl around her. The sent of the air was filled with the aroma of lilacs. It was almost magical, as their floral perfume permeated the fresh air. While her eyes remained closed, she could hear the creek babbling in the back ground. It was almost as if it was calling to her.

Cora! She heard the water whisper to her. Come to me Cora, there is much I want to share with you!

Cora slowly opened her eyes, as the soft voice of nature seemed to have placed it's spell upon her. Without even realizing it, she started to make her way towards the forrest.

That's it Cora! The haunting voice whispered again. Come with me, and be mine for all eternity!

As Cora came to the edge of the forest, she held up her hand. Some sort of an invisible barrier seemed to ripple, like water as she placed her hand upon it. Enchanted, Cora soon made her way through the invisible wall. However, as soon as she did, Cora had immediately awakened from her trance.

Where-where am I? Cora wondered. As she looked around, it seemed as if she had wandered into some magical dimension. She was in a forest, but its natural beauty was beyond any reality that the human eye had ever seen.

She was in a forest, but its natural beauty was beyond any reality that the human eye had ever seen

"Welcome Cora!" A masculine voice proclaimed. Cora turned around, and let out a loud gasp at the unusual looking man standing before her. He had a beautiful human face, and muscular arms with a broad chest, however he had antlers. And from the waste down, he had the hind end body of a goat. Cora stared in disbelief over the creature who had a smile on his face, as big as his erection. She blushed as she turned to look away.

"Modest, as you are beautiful." The strange man laughed. "Do not be afraid Cora, for I am bestowing a great honor upon you. I have decided to take you as my bride. You, my most fortunate of mortals, have been chosen to be my forest queen!"

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