The Dark-Hunters (871 page)

This phrase was also once used by Dark-Hunters to intimidate Daimons who thought they were cleverly going to get away from their foe. I think now it’s been largely replaced by the rice analogy. Or the other, less tasteful one. Most likely the latter.

FROM YOUR MOUTH TO GOD’S EAR.

And here I thought this was strictly a Southern American expression. Imagine my complete surprise to find it wasn’t! (Then again, I thought “Bless your heart” was, too, until I realized that the British have been saying “Bless” to mean the same thing for hundreds of years.)

This phrase is an automatic selfless response to someone who pays you a compliment. It may be used in lieu of—or addition to—spitting to scare away evil spirits and avoid tempting the Fates. With this phrase you are piously saying, “Why, yes, I do hope that lovely thing you have said about me does come true,” and you are hoping that the proper gods are listening and bearing witness to your humility so they might grant you your desire.

The truth behind this sage saying, however, is that it works for bad things said as well as complimentary things. A good rule of thumb is to just watch what you say at all times. Don’t say anything about someone you wouldn’t say to their face. Or just don’t say anything bad. Ever.

THE POT ROLLED AROUND UNTIL IT FOUND THE LID.

A reference of sorts to the number of fish in the sea … but associated, like most Greek sayings, to cooking. Each pot has a lid that will fit it perfectly, just as every soul has its mate.

The part I find amusing is that the pot has to do quite a bit of rolling around to find this lid. What kind of rolling can a pot do? It can’t walk, obviously, but doesn’t that handle get in the way? And how come the lids aren’t searching for the pots? Why has it always got to be the pot that has to do all the work? Huh? Tell me that!

WINE AND CHILDREN SPEAK THE TRUTH.

Three guesses which god came up with this one … and the first two don’t count. Yes, Dionysus, the baby of Olympus and god of Wine and Spirits was having an exceptionally good day when he came up with this universal truth. He also mentioned something about secrets and children both being hidden at the bottom of that prophetic bottle of wine.

MEND YOUR OWN FAULTS, THEN LOOK AT MINE.

Oh, yes, this is a good one, too. I like to remind Artemis of this one from time to time and knock her down off her pedestal. (Her marble, carved, and gilded pedestal. She actually has one, you know, in her gold and white temple among the clouds on Olympus. And she’s up there quite a bit more than is healthy.)

All gods need to be reminded every so often that each of them have enough skeletons in their closets to populate a Third World country. After all the curses … and the affairs … and the murders … and the curses, who are they to pass judgment on any of our tiny, insignificant sins?

Oh, right. They’re gods. Now I remember.

Dark-Hunters like to throw a version of this one at Daimons who try to insult them. No matter how many different colors a Dark-Hunter’s past has been shaded, it’s nothing compared to what a soul-sucking Daimon has done to become what he is.

And, if you start getting testy around your employer, Ash will never hesitate to use this one on you. You know your faults, but you have no idea what Ash has been through … so it very much applies.

Again, it all comes back to thinking before you speak.

EXTEND YOUR LEGS ONLY AS FAR AS YOUR COVERLET REACHES.

Dark-Hunters don’t have to worry about this one too much, since Artemis showers them in riches for all the work that they do, but the rest of the mortal world does need to consider it: Live within your means. Extravagance and gluttony will only lead to ruin, and after you die the gods will laugh and say they told you so.

DO YOU HAVE TO ADD THE ACCENT?

I
love
this expression. To understand it you need to have heard some of the Greek language, listened to its rolling cadence. You will notice that a great many of the words are heavily accented on the last syllable, and very often those entire words will work to punctuate the end of the sentence. I say
this.
And you say
that.
And I say
this.
And the conversations goes like
so.
Only I get the last
word.

That’s what it means about adding the accent—it’s a commentary on someone having to get that last word in all the time, every time.

Every
time.

Because I
said.

BLOOD CANNOT BECOME WATER.

The essence of this saying is “blood is thicker than water,” but it’s a bit more than that. It is true; the bonds of family—both the one you are born into and the one you make along the way—are stronger than water. But these bonds, once forged, can also never
become
water. You cannot turn your back against them and pretend they don’t exist. You are obligated to stand beside your blood no matter what. Which is really hard, when your blood is a bit of an ass. Just ask Zarek … if he stops throwing thunderbolts at his brother long enough for you to ask.

This saying also applies to the Apollites, and the curse that has followed every single one with even a drop of Apollo’s blood down through the centuries. They will never escape, unfortunately, and they are doomed to live with their fate. It almost makes you empathize with Daimons, doesn’t it?

I did say
almost
 …

TOGETHER WE SPEAK, BUT APART WE UNDERSTAND.

I feel this way around Acheron sometimes. And Julian, or any of the Oracles for that matter. You ask them a question, and they tell you an answer that may as well have been found in a fortune cookie, or written in the dust on the back of someone’s car. The words are there, and you feel like they should make sense, but they just don’t.

Then, later on, while you’re watching a movie … or when you wake up in the middle of the night (or the middle of the day, rather)… or when you’ve done the difficult thing you never thought you’d be able to do, it
comes
to you, and the pieces all fit together, and it makes so much sense that you have no idea why you didn’t see it in the first place.

That’s what that saying means.

TAKE A SHOE FROM YOUR OWN COUNTRY (OR TOWN) EVEN IF IT IS PATCHED.

And we’re back again to women and their shoes. (I know, the saying doesn’t really specify that it’s a woman, but can you name me a man in the history of men who has ever been that concerned about their footwear?) It’s an odd way to get the point across, but in essence, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. You never know how shoes from another country will pinch your toes, or rub your heels raw, or trip you and make you break your ankle on those stilettos. Your old, comfortable shoes look just fine; just color over that scuff with a Sharpie and no one will ever notice.

TELL ME WHO IS YOUR FRIEND, AND I SHALL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.

It’s as true as it is unavoidable—people will always judge you by the company you keep. Decent people usually end up with decent people, and miscreants usually end up running with miscreants. In fact, this is one saying that Alexion lives by if he is ever sent by Acheron to pass judgment on a Rogue Dark-Hunter. Those who side with the Rogue Hunter will share his fate, so be sure to make it very clear which party you’re with when you enter the restaurant.

WHEN YOU GET INTO THE DANCE, YOU MUST DANCE.

This phrase is essentially the same as the donkey phrase earlier, with a much less negative connotation about the project in which you’ve immersed yourself. Plus, it reminds me of cheesy ’80s movies.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

A FINE DAY FROM DAWN SHOWS ITSELF.

Like Mary Poppins says, well begun is half done. If you start out doing the best job you can do on a project, it will show, and only get better as the work progresses. If you start out slipshod and looking for every shortcut you can find, then no matter how hard you work the finished project will never be as good as it could have been. Worse, your enthusiasm for it will dwindle, and you will inevitably find yourself dancing around the donkey’s tail that bears a striking resemblance to your face.

Interesting, isn’t it, how many of these old sayings revolve around motivating a person to finish what they’ve started? It makes a body think no Greek ever finishes anythi—

Greek Dictionary

Not only is the Greek language difficult to translate based on all the ancient customs woven into its vernacular, but it is virtually impossible to spell in English. There is technically no
c
in the Greek alphabet, nor is there a
d
—the sound is more a
th.
There are three
e
’s (
i, e,
and
y
), and several more made from combinations of letters. And how exactly does one spell the guttural
x
(khee)?

Because of this, spellings of translated Greek words and names will very often vary, and depend on the person doing the translation. The best rule of thumb when presented with a Greek word that has been translated is to
pronounce every letter.
Chances are, the approximation of the Greek word will look very much like the word would sound phonetically.

One last thing about Greek names—pay close attention when a Greek person tells you his or her name. That really is how they pronounce it. Don’t tell them that they are wrong … chances are, they have “Americanized” the pronunciation for you. If they give you a nickname to use, take advantage of that. No matter what their descent, there is little any person hates worse than having their name mispronounced. (And believe me, if you want to see me angry, call me Althea.)

Here are some conversational Greek words that you might find useful.

Adelphos
    (ah-DEL-fos) brother

Alethia
    (ah-lee-THEE-ah) truth

Alithos anesti
    (ah-lee-THOS ah-NEH-sti) truly risen (response to the traditional Easter greeting of “Christos anesti”)

Anexi
    (ah-NEX-ee) spring (the season)

Baba
    (ba-BA) daddy

Bira
    (be-ra) beer

Christos anesti
    (krees-TOS ah-NEH-sti) Christ has risen (traditional Easter greeting)

Efharisto
    (ef-CHA-ri-sto) thank you (the “cha” is guttural)

Ella
    (EL-la) come

Ella etho
    (EL-la THO) come here

Ellas
    (eh-LAHSS) Greece

Endaksi
    (en-DA-ksee) okeydoke (okay)

Ftenoporo
    (ften-OH-po-rho) autumn

Gataki
    (gah-TAH-kee) kitten

Helios
    (ee-lee-OS) sun

Kako
    (ka-KO) bad

Kalimera
    (ka-lee-MER-a) good morning

Kalinikta
    (ka-lee-NEEK-ta) good night

Kalispera
    (ka-lee-SPE-ra) good evening

Kalo
    (ka-LO) good

Komboloi
    (ko-bo-LOY) worry beads

Krasi
    (kra-SEE) wine

Krio
    (KREE-oh) cold

Ksoma
    (KSO ma) earth

Levendi
    (le-VEN-di) really good-looking guy

Mikro
    (mee-KRO) small

—mou
    (moo) suffix at the end of a word or name used as an endearment, meaning “my.” Example:
pethi
means “child,” but
pethimou
means “my child.”

Nai
    (neh) yes

Nero
    (ne-RO) water

Nouna
    (nou-NA) godmother

Nouno
    (noo-NO) godfather