(urth) Latro

[thalassocrat at nym.hush.com]

Sidon should arrive here in a couple of days, and I've been re-
reading Mist & Arete in preparation. 

Mainly I'm hoping for a good story well told, but I'm also hoping 
that there'll be some answers to a few questions the first two 
books left hanging for me.

1. The Unseen God

>From the word's of Apollo and the mediocre verse of his priestess, 
right at the beginning in Thebes.  

"I send you to the God Unseen!
Whose temple lies in Death's terrene!
Then you shall learn why He's not seen."

and : "Long after, you will find what you seek in the dead city."

I assume that "the God Unseen" is the really truly God or at least 
something further up the chain of comamnd than the gods encountered 
so far. 

Google says that "terrene" means "belonging to this world, not 
heavenly" so I guess "Death's terrene" = "the dead city", a real 
place, maybe in Egypt? (I hope we're not going to get some kind of 
identification of Akhenaten's Aten with the God of Moses, but I'm 
nervous ...)

We get a bit more on the Unseen God. Outside Sestos, the Maiden 
tells Latro that the gods still meddle in the affairs of men: "Not 
often now, but the Unseen God wanes, and we are no longer lost in 
his light. We will never be wholly gone." Be good to get some kind 
of explanation for that. 

Which brings me on to ...

2. Why does Latro end up as a favorite (apparently) of the Earth 
Mother after starting out (apparently) cursed by her? 

The scene with her as Cybele in Thrace is interesting. It appeared 
to Latro "that a second sun rose behind her ... a splendid light 
enfolding her in a mantle brighter than the purest gold." He harps 
on this, so maybe it's more than just a god-ish aura; maybe the 
sign of the God Unseen in whose light Cybele is illuminated but not 
lost - referring back to the Maiden's comments.

Presumably all are working to further the designs of the Unseen 
God, whether or not they know it. In the story so far, Latro has 
been a pawn in what seems like a rather petty squabble between 
goddesses, but maybe in Sidon there will be more hints of a Larger 
Design.

3. What did Aphrodite hypnotize Latro to say or do or believe in 
Kalleos' garden?

4. Who actually won at the end of Arete - Diana, the Mother, both?