"Oh great deity... give me strength- please..."

Adonis knelt down in front of the statue, his scraped knees hitting the cold quartz floor, making him wince slightly. But nothing would hurt him more than not praying. He loved- no, adored the deity. They were the sole reason he was still going.

Every time something good happened to him, Adonis believed it was divine intervention, thinking that his deity had saved him yet again. He was a bit delusional.

Every day, he would walk a mile to get to the main part of Athens, stumbling through the crowds to reach their temple- to pray, to repent, to love. He gave the deity everything he had: food, water, money, his soul. Anything!

Even though it was just a statue, he still believed it was real. And one day, they would come down and swoop him up- to help him, care for him, just like how he did for them. The thought made his heart swell.

He continued to pray, his hands clasped together in front of the statue, eyes closed shut. The temple was empty except for him, as he had arrived relatively late at night. It was dead silent...

Until a footstep was heard, right in front of him.

He raised his head, and his eyes almost burst out of his head. It was them, his god/goddess, his deity, the being he adored and loved and worshipped above all others. They were real! They had come to him!