KHRUV
2,060 Years Before the Final Exodus
Delios was his name.
That is what Khruv told government officials and he had papers to prove it. His wife had no "true" name. His sons did, however: Vilok and Nakul. He had been teaching them in secret about the faith of Prometheus, his coming to the south, and the rise of the Draco against the false gods of Mount Olympus.
For years, there had been no attacks against the temples of the Olympians. There were vandalisms and protests, but Khruv wasn't sure if the Draco were involved. As for the temples, his father and brother died in separate attacks years ago. Other Draco died in the other bombings, he assumed. He was ready to go, willing to push the button, but the Great One had not spoken to him.
He felt urged to find a girl and wed her. To have children and then raise them in the true faith. He had accomplished this within a few years of his family's death.
"Father, when is mother coming?" Nakul asked.
"She is not coming," Khruv answered. As his father had done when Khruv reached ten, he abandoned his wife to teach his children about the faith, Prometheus, and the One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken.
The three rode in the bus across the plains for hours. They would be in their new home soon. Khruv knew they would be able to blend in there. People wouldn't ask questions or bother them.
"I miss mother," Nakul said.
Khruv sighed. He nearly admonished the young boy again, but he remembered saying the same things when his father took him away many years ago. It was natural. "Vilok, you are the eldest. You will have to help your brother deal with the separation."
"I understand, father." Vilok was ten and he was already acting far older.
Khruv leaned over and whispered to the boys, "Nakul, when you feel alone, recite the Promethean Prayer. Vilok, help him. Just remember to say it silently to yourselves, or nearly so."
Both boys nodded and both children clasped their hands, whispering quietly, "O Prometheus, holy messenger of the Great One, guide our lives according to Its will, support us and bless us as we seek to do your holy work. Forgive our offenses and provide us with defenses against those who would deny yours and the One's power. These things we ask most humbly, amen."
Khruv smiled and he patted each child on the back. "Feel better?"
Vilok nodded and smiled, while Nakul only nodded. Khruv sighed again and hugged his youngest. "Relax. We will be at our new home soon. Rest until we arrive."
The boys leaned against each other and they against their father. Khruv leaned his head on the back wall and he stared toward the front of the bus. It was sparsely populated, as most had disembarked at the last stop some time ago. The scenery was little more than fields and forests in this part of Pisces. He laid his head back and fell asleep.
Awaken!
His head jerked up and he didn't know why. The bus was still moving. The children were still asleep against him. He looked around and saw nothing strange. He was about to go back to sleep when he glanced at the dechopem hanging from the ceiling a few rows ahead.
Cylons were busy moving dirt and assembling steel girders. A human guided one robot toward a pile of marble and the voice of the news reporter was barely audible, "It is expected that the temple will take another year to a year and a half to complete. It will be the first Temple of Apollo in Megara and Lord Apollo himself is scheduled to be here for the dedication when it is completed."
Khruv felt a wave of joy well up inside and spread to his head and ears. This was it. The sign he waited for. He looked outside the bus window and there was another sign: "Welcome to Megara."
"May the One be praised," he whispered aloud.