Chapter 1
DISCLAIMER⚠️ I'm not an expert in Greek mythology, culture, or history. I have done heavy research, and since this is a retelling there may be parts of the story that aren't accurate to the mythology/history.
I will be uploading a chapter every Monday at 12:00 pm CST!!! Thank you for reading🖤💖 Please comment any feedback, I love improving my work!✨
The sun gently kissed my skin, and the morning breeze brushed through my hair. A pasture of vibrant green grass stretches for miles, and bouquets of colorful flowers sprout from the rich soil. The smell of fresh rainfall swirls through the air, and I look back toward my small cottage.
The lake is populated with a few nymphs, and their eyes quickly dart to me as I rush toward the bank. I get to a calm clear lake and breathe in the freshwater scent. As fish swim through the sparkling blue water, I kick off my golden brown sandals.
"Aren't you being too careless? Your mother is going to find out eventually." I hear a familiar feminine voice echo from the shrubs near the lake.
I look up and see Artemis standing near the bank, with her feet in the shallow water. Her long fiery red hair is tossed up with a leather strap, and the bottom of her brown dress barely touches the water. Her skin is light and soft, just like her pale green eyes.
"She's never once caught me, I think I'll be okay," I say confidently.
"I would've thought by now, you'd be free." She says stepping deeper into the pond.
"Me too, but I have all of eternity to change her mind. Of course, none of them are going to tell on me, they don't know who I am."
"Athena knows of your birth. Who's to say she won't tell them?"
"Athena won't tell anyone." I assure, "I'm going to be her priestess in training, she wouldn't risk my safety."
"You are too careless." She scorns.
I roll my eyes and sink myself into the warm lake. I submerge headfirst into the crisp fresh water and swim closer toward Artemis. As I float to the surface, I feel my long dark hair weigh on my shoulders. I wipe the water from my eyes and float around her.
"I could live here," I suggest. "If I can convince my mom, she might be able to give you something so you can live without water. We could build a cottage here, and we could go explore Sicily island!"
She shakes her head, and bits of water fling from her freckled face.
"I wouldn't step 2 centimeters from the water, you know how I am." She says with a stern voice.
I give her a persuasive nudge. "Come on. If you had the chance, you wouldn't leave?"
"Nymphs don't leave their homes. We have a perfect life here, why would you want to leave?"
"We wouldn't leave permanently. Just for a few days, I want you to see what's out there. Athens, Rome, almost anywhere else in the world."
She gives me a raised brow. "Your mom will never let you go."
"My mother will have to at some point. She can't bind me forever, even if she tried." I say with confidence.
She lightly splashed me with water, and I giggle to splash her back. Before I can splash her again, I stop her with my palm.
"I forgot to tell you! I snuck into the village again." I whisper shout.
Her face grows pale and doesn't radiate the happy countenance I wanted. Her eyes widen and her brows scrunch together.
"Persephone! You know you're not supposed to do that." She bites quietly. "What if they track you down to your place?"
"They aren't going to follow me. More interestingly, I met a beautiful man named Adonis! He was tall and strong, he had beautiful blue eyes, and he worked as a carpenter! What I wouldn't give for a chance to talk to him again."
I smile despite the growing worry on her face.
"Persephone, you're going to be a priestess for Athena." She warns, "Look what happened to Medusa, you can't ruin your purity for some random mortal."
"Who says I would ruin my purity?" I ask, "I've only had a few conversations with him, it's not like we are going to do anything."
"You trust humans too much." She scorns, "They are just as bad as the Gods."
I sigh at her constant negativity and try to understand this from her point of view. She has always known one place as her home, and she doesn't feel the urge I have to see the world. I can't understand why she wouldn't be curious about everything. There's always a fire-like drive that is embedded into my chest. It pushes me to explore and learn new things.
"I won't stop." I protest. "I will show you and my mother that I can travel just fine. It wouldn't kill you to be more positive."
When the poisonous words leave my lips, I pray that I could somehow take them back. A look of surprise is painted on her face, and I sit with a blank expression. I didn't mean for it to slip out so harshly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that..."
Her lips curve into a small smile. "It's okay. I know you're frustrated with everything. Even if I don't feel the same way, I could see why you'd want to go explore."
The tense mood lightens and I give her an apologetic smile.
"Tell me a place you'd want to go." I fish for an answer.
She looks up to the heavens in thought, and when her eyes light up, I sit waiting for an exciting answer.
"There's a field east from here, it's full of the most beautiful flowers."
I keep a fake enthusiastic smile as I listen to the anti-climatic place she chose.
She laughs when she looks back at my fading smile. "I know it's not the amazing adventure you'd pick, but it is a start for me. Even the Narcissus Flower grows there. It's maybe ten minutes away?"
My head pops up in interest, "Ten minutes?"
"Yes, but-"
I start paddling towards the bank and I hear her light scorns behind me.
"You can't just leave! What about your mom!?"
"I will be back before she gets here," I say without looking back at her.
"You don't know who's out there!" She shouts as I reach the bank.
My body weighs heavily with water soaking my clothes, and I spend three seconds wringing out my long hair. The light breeze whisks through the shrubs that surround the pond, and a few other nymphs turn their heads toward me. Their eyes reflect the same worried look as Artemis.
"I'll bring you a Narcissus flowers!" I shout and look back at her with worried wide eyes.
She calmly floats in the water with her red hair slicked to her scalp. The sun gleams in her beautiful emerald eyes. I give her a wave, and I hear her far-away shouts echo as I run farther.
The grass brushes against the wet sandals, and beads of water flick off my wet skin. I use small sticks to plant into the soft earthy dirt and look back towards the pond occasionally. My heart races as I lightly jog through the endless field of green. When I spot the small meadow of bountiful flowers, I crouch to the ground to feel them. The pedals are soft against my fingertips, and a few bees fly through the stems. I sit on the fresh grass and search for the perfect flower. As my eyes scan the area, I finally spot the beautiful yellow flower. The dainty pedals rustle with the light breeze, and I quickly stand to my feet. The grass brushes against my ankles, and the smell of fresh rose fills my nostrils. I get to the flower, and I crouch to yank the flower from the stem.
My finger grip the stem before I instantly freeze, and the field roughly shakes underneath my numb limbs. Thunder-like roars split my ears, and a large crack splits through the ground. As much as my mind urges me to move, my muscles are paralyzed. An aching pressure in my chest grows, and the sound continues to drum through my skull.
Within a split second, the ground breaks into a jagged chasm underneath my feet. My body is pulled down, and I try to use my hand to grab the edge. The rock scrapes my hand, and my heart continues to slam against the back of my chest. My stomach twists and I feel my limbs flailing as I plummet down into a black void.
A cloud of grey clouds my vision, and my shrieks echo through the chasm walls. As the sun's light disappears, my mind flashes with quick visions of my long life.
Usually, I didn't regret anything I did, but I resented the moment I stepped away from the lake.
