By now the dreams where much stronger, the sky still fell and yet it all was different. Now there was a voice calling at me, begging to be heard but I refused. Never on purpose. Until one night when I heard it, “Please, Oracle Child, listen and help. We are at war and I fear we will not win. I need you to collect everyone. We have lost contact and I am not even sure that you can hear this. All I need you to do is find who ever you can- mythical- and bring them. Hurry he is almost here, lastly, protector you must save us from them. For, Ayx, it is-“ The voice was cut off before I could hear the rest. Despite his desperation I ignored the voices pleading and continued on as if nothing had changed.
I was on the verge of insanity so I went to see if my favourite cryptic trees felt like shedding some light. “All I ask is that you help me know what is happening.” I pleaded the large group, Aretha stood forward, “Before you find out if we help, you must figure out if you will.” The spirts left a new group of trees in their place.
There are many times I thank my grandfather of being paranoid this day was one of those. I was sitting in a forest on the outskirts of town when a girl slightly younger than me ran into the clearing out of breath. She looked behind her and, seeming relived, sighed and sat. I took this time to study the girl, her jet black, emerald green hair was pulled into a side braid, her bright green eyes were constantly darting around and her hand was clutching a charm on her necklace like she was afraid it would disappear at any moment. She moved in the blink of an eye, her hair suddenly down and her dress transferred into a shirt, I cleared my throat as softly trying not to scare her. It didn’t work, she jumped “Sorry, I was just wondering what’s wrong?” She looked at me for a while before answering “That you know, war child, I am Dysis the daughter of Pandora. I was told I was needed, for what, that could be many things. I’m never notified of the important stuff.”
“If you are who you say you are then why am I to trust you?” I tilted my head, a sure sign of my confusion, how was I to trust someone who was born of one so deceitful? “Do and you stop everything, don’t and well, it doesn’t happen.” I turned to her, pissed as hell, “Who are you to say what I am and am not doing. That is my choice, so Dysis, no I don’t nor will I ever trust you.” The word trust was sneered as if it hurt to say.
For weeks I treated Dysis like the plague, if ever she was near, I was never there for long. One day it seemed like she had enough, “Okay, I don’t care who my mum is. You don’t trust me because you don’t trust.” I tried to stare at her defiantly, she saw through me, “You hurt so much that you don’t remember how it feels not to. The cold is no longer painful, its refreshing, the feel of an ice pack against a bruise. You lock it all in a box, don’t speak of it, don’t feel it, it didn’t happen. When you want to trust someone a voice tells you that they’ll hurt you more than you hurt before. If you ever even close to think about it you can’t breathe so it becomes a story to you, a story that makes you remember, makes you cry, so you don’t. So you get tough or you look tough, fast, but you were young you didn’t know what was happening just that it hurt and you didn’t like it.” I stifled a tear at the truth in her words, she glared at me, “So yeah my mums why you don’t trust me. Listen I don’t care you’ll deal and I’ll help so shut up and pay attention.”
I reluctantly sat “So your grandfather decided that he’d reincarnate mum because ‘something’ might go wrong. She fell in love and, well, I happened. Your granddaddy knew you don’t trust well so he took away the deceitful heart and replaced it with this straightforwardness then changed the lying tongue and made it so that I could never lie. But hey for all you know, I’m lying right now. Just know I’m not and I don’t care.”
“So what do I have to do?” Dysis looked at me annoyed, “Come on, your very thick, have you ever asked yourself why the creatures only visit at certain times?” I thought it over, still oblivious, “No its happened a lot there was that time with Cherry and that time …” “With Cherise. So why? Oh and this one is fun, why does she look so familiar?” “She’s just a human, and she just looks like my mother.” She laughed “Think about it girly, bye.” Dysis left quickly.
Okay, its not that big a deal, she’s just been there the one time it happened and friends with a nymph. A nymph! That’s it. I thought to myself.
“Aretha, friend of mine, spirt of the forest I call you here.” A breeze whipped through the trees and the girl appeared, “What is this of? Your sister perhaps?” I looked up at her alarmed “What is it? What’s wrong with Harmonia?” The nymph barely looked up from the flowers she had sat in, “Oh not that sister.” She then realized a mistake “I don’t have another sister.” ‘Oh and this one is fun, why does she look so familiar?’ I stared at Aretha and she diverted her eyes, “Are you speaking of Cherise?” her silence spoke volumes “I must go.” I left almost as suddenly as the brunette had arrived.
Hey Cherise guess what? You’re my sister!
No that's not right.
Hey Cher, well I found out my mum slept with your dad!
Not that either.
Well my mums a goddess and your dad fell for her then you happened.
No.
Um... I found out that you’re my sister and what's more you’re a half-blood
Maybe. Let's try it.
I phoned my sister, hard to think of her as such, and asked her to meet me in the forest. When she arrived I spoke quickly "Hey, Cherise? Well, um, I think you should know that your, um, mysister." the final important word where rushed and I saw that she did not understand me. I started again "Cher, your my sister." she laughed, "Your kidding right?" she saw my seriousness "Oh. Thats different."
I quickly dragged her to my hide-away, “That’s not all. Come here.” I took her to my photo wall, “Meet the family.” I pointed to a picture of Apollo playing his lyre, Zeus standing proudly at the top of the table announcing for us to dance as Dionysus drank merrily in the corner. “That’s my uncle Apollo, my grandfather Zeus and my uncle Dionysus.” I turned to the next, Artemis hunting as Hermes and I sat planning a prank. “My aunt, Apollo’s twin, Artemis my uncle Hermes and myself.” A flash of recognition shone on Cherise’s face as I turned to the last picture I would show her. This one had a caption ‘The Plot Sucks But These Killings Are Gorgeous’. “My holiday with my great-uncle and his wife, Hades and Persephone.” Cherry looked hesitant, “Where’d you holiday?” “Tartarus.”
“So you expect me to believe we’re siblings, that’s ok maybe a little weird but ok, then you expect me to trust you when you say that either Hades and Zeus are old and wearing it well or your, our, family are a bunch of gods
No comments:
Post a Comment