Eutostea, the third princess of Thebes, is visited by the mysterious guest calling himself the God Apollo in bed. In pitch-black darkness, only an outline of him said, “I have come to share a one-night love with you. Once the night passes, you will not remember me, nor shall we meet ever again.” Soon, the three princesses band together to reveal his face while he is sleeping. But the candlewax melts off the tip of the candle in Eutostea’s hand and falls on the god’s shoulder. Apollo wakes, grabs the second princess, declaring, “Princess of Thebes, admire to your heart’s content. ‘Tis the face of the mere shell you sought so dearly.”

Eutostea left the two alone, who began to quarrel again as usual, then pulled her skirt aside and sat at the pond's edge to scoop up the wine in the golden cup. The golden cup had to be a pair, but only one was left since Dionysus said he had lost the other one somewhere. Considering his clumsy personality, she felt proud of him that he had lost it now and not much earlier. Dionysus said the cup would come back no matter where he put it, but when he didn’t find it anywhere even after two days, he just moved on, thinking that he might have left it somewhere hard to find. The god she served nearly had no desire for tangible things.


Chapter 36 - Chapter 36