Chronicles of Phthia & Beyond: 50+1 Stories and Myths from the Past

The afternoon sun slanted through the history classroom windows, painting golden streaks across the desks. Mr. Lazaridis paced at the front, his hands behind his back, his voice even but firm.

"Tomorrow's trip to Delphi 1is not just an excuse to get out of school," he said, pausing to scan the room. "It's a chance to see history firsthand, to stand where ancient leaders once did, and understand why this place was so important."

Nikolas sat up straighter, tapping his pen against his notebook, with his excitement barely contained. "Are we going to see the adyton1?"

Mr. Lazaridis gave a small smile. "You mean the inner chamber of the Temple of Apollo? No, unfortunately, it's off-limits to visitors."

Panos slouched in his chair, stretching his legs into the aisle. "So we're basically going to stare at a bunch of old rocks?"

"Rocks that shaped history," Nikolas countered. "You could at least pretend to care."

Dimitris leaned back, arms crossed. "I'd care more if we got to test whether the Oracle's visions were just gas leaks messing with people's heads."

Alexandra flicked a paperclip at him. "Don't ruin this for the rest of us, skeptic. Some of us actually appreciate ancient engineering. Those temples were designed with precision we still admire today."

Ismini sat quietly, staring out the window, her brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought. There was a hum in the back of her mind, a feeling she couldn't name. Something about the trip made her uneasy, though she couldn't explain why.

Mr. Lazaridis clapped his hands once. "Alright, enough debates. You have your assignments—analyze the historical significance of Delphi. I expect reflections, not Wikipedia summaries. Dismissed."

The scraping of chairs and rustling of bags filled the room as students shuffled out. Panos elbowed Nikolas. "Bet you'll be the first to fall into a hole tomorrow, history buff."

Nikolas adjusted his glasses. "At least I'll know what I fell into."

Outside, the five friends lingered near the courtyard steps. The school buses idled in the lot, waiting to take them home.

"You're unusually quiet," Alexandra said to Ismini, nudging her shoulder. "Nervous about the trip?"

Ismini hesitated, then shook her head. "Just a weird feeling."

Dimitris smirked. "A premonition? Maybe you're the real Oracle."

Panos threw an arm over her shoulder. "If she starts speaking in riddles, I'm out."

Nikolas, oblivious to their teasing, was already pulling a book from his bag. "If any of you actually paid attention, you'd know that the Oracle's prophecies weren't direct answers. They were riddles open to interpretation."

Alexandra sighed. "We know, Nikolas."

He grinned. "But did you know—"

"No," everyone said in unison, cutting him off.

As the buses honked impatiently, they exchanged goodbyes and scattered. The trip was hours away, but for Ismini, it felt like something had already begun.

The next morning, the schoolyard buzzed with energy as students boarded the bus, backpacks slung over their shoulders. The sky was clear, but a strange tension lingered in the air.

Panos shouted, "Shotgun!" and dove into the front seat.

"You do realize it's a bus, right?" Alexandra sighed as she stepped past him.

Nikolas slid into a window seat, already opening his book about the Delphi Oracle1. Dimitris sat beside him with a sigh. "You're really studying about a place while we're literally going there?"

"Preparation is key," Nikolas said without looking up.

Dimitris smirked. "For what? The Oracle to personally high-five you for being the biggest nerd?"

Nikolas turned a page. "She'd probably appreciate someone who actually cares about history."

Dimitris crossed his arms. "Or she'd just spout some cryptic nonsense and let people make up their own answers."

Nikolas sighed. "You really think one of the most powerful figures in ancient Greece was just making it up?"

Dimitris shrugged. "Maybe she was just really good at guessing."

Ismini, sitting across the aisle, glanced out the window. Something about this trip felt… different. She couldn't shake the odd feeling that had clung to her since she woke up. Like déjà vu, but deeper. Familiar, yet unknowable.

The bus jerked forward, the teacher, Mr. Lazaridis, calling for quiet as they pulled out of the school parking lot. The drive stretched ahead, winding through olive groves and rocky cliffs, the landscape shifting from city to countryside.

Panos turned in his seat to face the others. "Alright, let's make a bet. Who's going to be the first person to get lost?"

"Probably you," Alexandra shot back. "You have the attention span of a goldfish."

"I'd argue," Panos said, "but I already forgot what we were talking about."

Ismini smiled faintly but kept her thoughts to herself, unsure why an unease lingered in the back of her mind. She couldn't shake the sense that they were about to step into something much bigger than a history lesson.

The bus pulled into the parking lot of the archaeological site. The ruins of Delphi stretched before them, a cascade of stone steps, columns, and weathered statues, standing in defiance of time. The mountains loomed high above, and the air smelled of pine and dust.

Nikolas practically leaped from the bus. "We are literally walking on sacred ground. Do you even understand how incredible this is?"

Dimitris gave him a skeptical look. "It's a bunch of old rocks."

Mr. Lazaridis clapped his hands. "Alright, class, stick together. We'll start at the Temple of Apollo, then move up to the stadium."

The group followed the winding stone path, passing ancient treasuries and weather-worn statues. As Mr. Lazaridis explained the history of the site, Panos nudged Alexandra. "I say we ditch the tour and find the Oracle's actual cave. You in?"

"You mean the cave that's probably buried under centuries of rock?" Alexandra asked, arching an eyebrow. "That cave?"

Panos grinned. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

Before she could respond, Ismini's steps faltered. A wave of dizziness hit her, and the ruins around her seemed to shift for just a second as if something was waiting beneath the surface. When she blinked, everything was normal again.

"Are you okay?" Alexandra asked, noticing the change in her expression.

"Yeah," Ismini murmured. "I just… I don't know. Something feels weird about this place."

"Yeah, it's called 'history,'" Dimitris said, overhearing. "Lots of dead people, lots of stories, and a lot of dust."

Nikolas, still geeking out, gestured to an inscription carved into a marble slab. "This is one of the original Delphic maxims: 'Know thyself.' The Oracle would use cryptic messages like this to guide people."

"Or confuse them," Dimitris added. "If I told you, 'Beware the goat that eats the wind,' you'd spend the next decade trying to figure out what it means."

Panos snorted. "Actually, that sounds like a solid life lesson."

The teacher led them further up the path, toward the ruins of the temple. As they reached the site, the air felt noticeably cooler. Ismini rubbed her arms, suddenly uneasy.

Nikolas traced his fingers over a worn inscription. "They say the Oracle's prophecies were written into stone and hidden deep within the sanctuary."

Panos gave him a mischievous grin. "Well, we're not leaving until we find them."

Dimitris scoffed. "Please. Even if they were real, they're probably buried under centuries of debris."

But as if responding to their conversation, a sudden gust of wind howled through the ruins. Dust swirled, and for a split second, it sounded like a whisper—low, unintelligible, ancient.

Ismini took a step back. "Did you hear that?"

Alexandra frowned. "Hear what?"

Before anyone could answer, Panos gasped dramatically. "Oh no, the Oracle is angry! We have disturbed her eternal slumber!"

"Panos, shut up," Alexandra muttered, but her eyes flickered with something else. A hint of doubt.

Nikolas turned to Mr. Lazaridis. "Sir, are there any underground chambers still accessible?"

Mr. Lazaridis hesitated. "Some, but they're not open to visitors. Most of the original sanctuary has collapsed over time."

Panos grinned. "Not open to visitors, you say?"

Alexandra groaned. "No."

"Yes," Panos insisted.

Nikolas adjusted his glasses. "If we could just get a peek—"

"No one is sneaking off," Mr. Lazaridis interrupted. "Stay on the path."

But as they moved along, Ismini's gaze drifted toward a narrow passage between the ruins. A dark, unmarked opening, almost hidden in shadow.

Something inside her stirred, an urgent pull she couldn't ignore. This way.

Ignoring Mr. Lazaridis' warning, Ismini quietly slipped away from the group and made her way towards the mysterious passage. The others watched in shock as she disappeared into the darkness, her curiosity leading her into the unknown.

She barely noticed when her feet started moving.

"Uh, guys?" Alexandra called out. "Where's Ismini?"

Nikolas spun around. "What?"

Dimitris swore under his breath. "Oh, come on."

Panos grinned. "Looks like the adventure found us first."

The group bolted after Ismini, with racing hearts. The ruins stood still, their jagged edges carving shadows in the fading light.

Ismini moved as if something was pulling her forward, her steps steady despite the midday sun overhead. She wasn't running, but she wasn't stopping either.

"Ismini, stop!" Nikolas shouted, but his voice barely reached her.

The ground trembled under their shoes, not like an earthquake, but something slower, deliberate. The walls stood silent, but something unseen pressed in, heavy and expectant, as if waiting for them to take another step.

Dimitris grabbed Panos' arm. "Tell me you feel that."

Panos nodded, for once at a loss for words.

Ahead, Ismini disappeared into the shadows, and without thinking, they followed.

The group skidded to a stop, eyes darting through the ruins. Ismini was nowhere in sight.

"Where did she go?" Alexandra's voice was sharper than usual.

Nikolas spun in place. "She was just ahead of us—she couldn't have—"

A hollow gust of wind whipped through the passage, carrying a faint sound that wasn't quite a voice, wasn't quite the wind. It sent a chill through them all.

"Okay, that's creepy," Panos muttered, his usual grin faltering.

Dimitris took a cautious step forward. "She has to be up ahead, right? We need to move."

But as they pressed forward, the air around them thickened. The ruins flickered—just for a second—as if they weren't fully there anymore.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything shifted.

And Ismini was gone.