The Apple

"Sister Pyrrha, there are quite a few more apples on the next hill!" Sibylla exclaimed, "these should last us a while." Sibylla then proceeded to walk thither the grassy hill with apple trees scattered above it. The day was beautiful, the sun shone bold and fiercely and the birds sweetly chirped and sang, flying tree to tree. The spring breeze carried the birds' song and insects' incessant buzzing. The clear sky and radiant sun allowed Sibylla to gaze far into the distance, from the grassy hills to the village in which she lived in and the outskirts. Sibylla, running down the hill, struggled to hold both her basket filled with apples and her stola above her feet so that she does not stumble upon it. But alas! Stumble and trip upon her garment she did; rolling down the hillside and landed on the side of her rib onto a tree without relent, causing the tree to shake and its unsuspecting apples to fall on top of the motionless Sibylla.

Sibylla gasped for air and lunged herself forth from her bed. Quite shaken from the dream, the dream that felt ever so real and vivid. "Just a dream, eh?" she thought to herself as she wiped the cold sweat from off of her forehead. However, just then, a sharp and painful ping in her head caused her to fall back onto her bed. A dull and hazy series of images burned in her mind: A tree, the tree that resembled the one that she struck with the side of her rib in her dream; an apple, a golden apple, fell from the top of the tree like a stone and landed with a large amount of force. Sibylla rolled off of her bed and the vision dissipated as soon as an eye sprouted from the golden apple in her vision. She knew not of what to think or do. "Possibly a message from the one." she thought.

Having dressed properly in her daily attire, Sibylla departed from her living quarters. The edifice in which Sibylla dwells is simply for sleeping in, nothing more and nothing else, there is a one room for a bed like couch and some storage containers. Her dwelling quarters lie on the outskirts of her village, in which she was born, on the coast. Her living quarters, among others like it, was placed on the outskirts of the village along with the temple, the temple dedicated to the lady with a Golden Apple which sheltered the Fervent Infamous Golden Apple Fanatics. Sibylla  now approached the temple that lie betwixt two grassy green hills.  Carefully escalating the fine marble stairs that led up to the temple's steadfast columns, into the entrance, and into the atrium she did. The Polyfather, head-priest named Theseus, was at the altar adorned with colored fabrics and a golden apple on top dedicated to the ultimate goddess.
"Father Theseus, are you praying?"

"Me? Praying? That is ridiculous, you know that we Erisians seldom, if ever, pray~"

"Really? I did not know that. Why is that?" Sibylla inquired. Take note that Sibylla is rather new to the order.

"See, there are many factual incidences of the common people with, say, a drought, and thus praying fervently -- and then getting the entire village wiped out in a magnificent flood."

"Ah yes, I never thought of such," Sibylla paused and added emphasis on the next word, " implications of having a surplus of prayers placed into the ears of the Goddess."

"With time, young one, you will learn much, Eris willing, and you will let from your mouth a breeze of wisdom on your future students."
"Indeed, but father, I have something to tell you: I had a dream or a vision of some sort. There was a golden apple with some sort of eye in its center and the apple appeared to be located near where I and Pyrrha..."

"Pyrrha and I, Sibylla, you know better." he said in a most exaggerated displeased tone.

"Ah yes, where Pyrrha and I usually collect apples."

"Interesting, it seems that the highest one may have given you her first task for you to complete. It's about time you do service for her. Go seek out the apple at once.

"Yes yes, I depart immediately, Polyfather.

The last words having been evaporated into oblivion, Sibylla departed and made haste slowly toward the besought tree.

Having some time past and the sun near sleep, Sibylla, at last, thinks she has found the tree that was seen in her dream but no apple is sight, alas! She walked around the tree in circles ten times and then ogled the top of the tree for a golden apple but none were in sight. Sibylla fell to the ground in disappointment. 'Ugh, will I ever do anything worthwhile? I have yet to impress or etch my essence in the order, let alone make my presence welcome.' she thought to herself. As Sibylla was about to stand up with her wobbly knees, she heard a foot upon grass behind her. Alarmed, she stood up and turned around only to see a woman with a golden apple in her hand held against her breast. Beautiful, she was and is in appearance, with calming eyes like a standing pool of water on a spring day and deep as the void above my head, and whose body was a spectacular dance of atoms and universes. Long flowing gold  hair shone bright and rainbows of Iris manifested and dissolved as she spoke in a warm and gentle voice.
"This is the apple that which thou seekest, yes?"

Sibylla opened her mouth so as to speak but she was unable to convoke speech or make a sound and so was left with the mouth open and one finger raised at should length in a most embarrassing manner.

"Yes, it is the apple that which thou seek, hear me out, young one. I am the cruel goddess that you buffoons worship so fervently. I communicate to you because you were bear a potential essence to accomplish something extraordinary in this life and, more importantly,  entertain me whilst I take this form of flesh. I give you this apple and you will bring me to your temple and assist me in joining the cult dedicated to the worship and adherence of and to myself. Why?" She raised her eyebrow in inquiry, "For the fun of it, that is why." She said while lowering her eyebrow.
Discordia, having finished her speech, successfully tossed the apple toward Sibylla and placed her arms on her hips and then proceeded to peer into her eyes. Sibylla was very much irked with and at this altercation she was in and Discordia's stance failed to alleviate the gravity of the awkward situation as she stood before Sibylla like an amphora while peering into her inner being.

"Let us get going!" she hissed, resulting in the manifestation of burning bright embers flickering around her lips that illuminated the recently darkened evening air. It was getting late. Sibylla, dazed and confused, managed to invoke and convoke her wits and courage to lead the impatient golden Goddess to the temple that was dedicated to her self.
The sun was now partially asleep and the moon, recently lit, was above the horizon; torches now illuminated the temple. Disciples of Discordia now were scattered about in the temple and were discussing trivial matters and such. No one took heed, as usual, of Sibylla, incoming, and her guest who approached the Polyfather who was  enjoying his golden  goblet o' wine.

"Father Theseus, I have found someone of interest and is eager to join our ranks." Sibylla said softly.

"Ah, good job! The temple is always in need of more recruits. Has she any special talents?"

Sibylla, ill prepared to answer the inquiry, replied, "Er, no?"

Discordia, displeased butted her with her elbow. " Why yes, I do have some talents: I can charm snakes, weave, make a scene, persuade, infatuate, and cause strife to those I dislike."

"Interesting, you may be of some use in that case. Say, you seem to resemble the looks and traits of Discordia..." he said, puzzled.

"Yes, I have been told so many times, once by Sibylla and I think the Goddess will be pleased to have me serve her in this temple."
The Polyfather, with a face full of glee, said without deference, ' Aha! Let us formally initiate you with haste  into the order. It will not take long to complete.' The Polyfather then, with a show of hand, lead the initiate, Discordia. to a stagnant pool of water behind the altar. 'Lend me your ears, disciples of Discordia, we have a new initiate!' This, having been said, convoked the disciples in the temple to form a circle around the initiate, Sibylla, and the Polyfather. The Polyfather raised his hand in the hair, signaling the disciples to begin to chant: All hail Discordia! Heaven is down and Hell is up! This is proven by fact. Grand and gory, Ol' Discordja! Her Apple Legion is strong! The Polyfather began to speak in a voice above the chanters, "Glory to us, children of Eris! Repeat after me, initiate: Before the Goddess Eris, I, uh, what was your name, by the way?

"Aidroscid," she replied hastily.

"Funny name, now repeat: I, Aidroscid, do herewith declare myself a POEE sister of the Legion of Dynamic Discord. Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Hail Eris Eris Eris Eris Eris All Hail Discordia! Find the Goddess Eris to Diverse Gods within your Pineal Gland. Do mortals bow; POEE. Holy Cow and wholly Chao." Repeat, she did. Discordia finished the oath and the Polyfather continued, "Now undress yourself." And so she did, however, when her clothes hit the floor, smoke covered a good half of the temple and obscured the initiate. When the smoke cleared, a sole cabbage stood where the mysterious initiate once stood. Everyone in the room was in shock. Some were crying, shouting, or had their jaws left agape. "See, disciples? This is why we check whether or not our initiates are humans or a horse or something. This is the first, however, case of an initiate being a cabbage." the Polyfather shouted, "Well Sibylla, how could you not know her to be a cabbage? You know well that cabbages and horses are, by all means, forbidden in this holy place."

Sibylla, just as confused and surprised as everyone else who witnessed the unbelievable, failed to speak.

"You, I now demand that you leave the temple and the Golden Apple Legion. Discordia most definitely..." The sparkling cabbage began to float and a powerful voice echoed throughout the temple, "No! She is not to be kicked out from my temple. I have chosen her to be my very special priest." The temple shook as one by one every disciple kneeled or fell face first upon the floor and before the Goddess; the cabbage spun in circles and morphed into a golden apple and then into the Eris or Discordia, fully clothed. Her hair, oddly, floated upward and her hands had some sort of empyrean white light emitting.  "I will now take the head position of this order; my first dictum is to have my prophet, Sibylla, immediately beneath me and the former Polyfather is to be her adviser." The once former Poly father, humiliated, silently agreed in front of his former disciples.  "Good, no objections. The meeting is over, you may all retire to your beds and may Hypnos overwhelm you. I will begin to restructure this order. " this being said, Discordia evaporated and everyone, thinking they were dreaming, went off to their beds.