The sun was warm on my face as my eyes fluttered open. The sun was just starting to peek over the tops of the trees. Big bright rays were shooting into the sky. As I stretched and got out of bed I saw far off the dark clouds starting to roll in. It reflected my mood. I was happy for a brief few moments and then reality hit.

I changed quickly back into my jeans and t shirt and sneakers. I saw the burn mark on the wall where Cupid's arrow exploded. I frowned, so everything from last night was all real. I looked around, and noticed a few drops of dried golden inchor from where I held the god at knife point.

I don't remember anything other than what Cupid showed me, but it was enough. Raph. I remember his name, and his face. His dark brooding eyes and a fierce wolf stare that seemed to scare others but made my heart flutter. I sighed, it was frustrating not having memories. Where'd I come from, did I have a family, friends, what did I have to do alone in Scotland of all things?

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard something scratching at the door. I walked across the room and pulling the door open. Sitting on the other side was Cerberus.

"Good morning, Cerberus. Am I being summoned?"

The dog cocked his head and then got up and walked down the hall. With a huff I followed the dog down the hall and the big sweeping stone stair case. I expected to turn into the dining room but Cerberus led me outside and around to the back of the house.

Half way down the path, I stopped dead in my tracks, my blood went cold as I heard the bellow of the bull again. It was closer, much closer. Cerberus had stopped walking, on high alert, his ears twitched back and forth, so he clearly heard it too, it wasn't all in my head. Which I kind of was hoping for. But he continued walking.

He lead me down the steps of the back porch and into the sweeping lawns of the backyard. Set up in a big tent with sweeping curtains and a couch draped with silks and leopard print. There was a low table set with all kinds of food and a brazier beside the table. The flames flickered in the cool morning air. I shivered, I wasn't used to feeling chilly- at least I didn't think I was,
- but regardless, Scotland was cold.

Lounging on the silk draped couch, eating a clump of grapes was Lady Kore. She was drspped in black and her feet were bare. She didn't look like she was up all night drinking and dancing.

"Good morning. I trust you had...a plesent night."

"I don't know if I'd use those words...but it was a night."

"Indeeded." She regarded me like she knew exactly what happened.

I shook my head, I didn't want to know how she knew everything. Maybe Diaval told her. She waved her arm at the table before her.

"You must eat quickly. My realm can only hold the beast off for so long. It is after you, Sun child, and it will eventually break through my barriers. And I did just redecorate, it would be a shame to see it in ruins."

I slowly knelt down at the low table and picked at some food. I felt like I should sacrifice some of my food, but I didn't know to who. But I picked up some fruit and a muffin and tossed it into the brazed and silently begged the gods for help and guidance.

"My servants have packed you a bag, and found you a jacket that would fit."

"I don't even know where I'm going or what I'm supposed to do." I protested.

"You will find your path. All heroes do. My realm is only a stop, a safe haven for heroes to take a quick refugee in."

"Do you have a lot of heroes come through your...realm .?" I asked between mouthfuls of food.

"Over the years, a fair few."

"How many years have you been here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"This has been my family's land for generations, all the way back to the beginning. However, I built this Gothic Vila in 1226."

"Wait. Hold up! You? You built this house in 1226?!"

"Yes Child. Are you hard of hearing? I told you last night I was the sole remaining heir to the Vallis fortune. I built myself a home over an old ritual spot for secret Persephone followers, and to give lost heroes a reprieve from their journey."

"That means ...you must be almost 800 years old!" I whispered. And then I understood, somehow she had earned immortality, and then a lot of this all made scenes. "Oh! Your immortal."

"Indeed. I earned Queen Persephone and Demeter's respect and they granted me immortality."

I was going to ask how she became immortal, but there was a loud scream of the angry bull and the sound of many smashing dishes. Lady Kore sighed an put the grapes down.

"It seems our unwanted gust it quite persistent. You must be off. Diaval will show you the way." She said as she got to her feet, which looked odd, bare feet in this chilly morning, but it didn't seem to bother her. She glided to the entrance of her tent and looked out towards the front of the house.

"Cerberus! Gerald! You know what to do. Maia, you as well, accompany our young mind wiped guess to the back gate."

The dog and leopard got up and stationed themselves on either side of her. The little fawn got up and started to tug at my jacket, trying to get me to follow. But I frowned at the immortal lady in front of me.

"I can help. I fought it before."

"That is sweet, Sun Child. But your quest is else where. Once the beast realizes you are no longer here it will pursue you and leave my borders. You must be off."

There was another smashing noise like a bull in a China shop. "What's going on?" I asked as I flinched at the loud noise.

"The monster is doing it's best to break the barriers set in place. Go child. Now, while it is at the front. I will slow it down, but it will not be far behind you. Go. Now."

Reluctantly I got up and shrugged the backpack on. I hesitated. I saw her walking almost calmly towards the noise. She stopped at the bottom of the back stone steps. Lady Kore raised her long thin arms as black fog started to thicken and swirl around her. She looked deathly pale in the early morning light, draped in black as the fog thicked around her. I knew it was time to go. If Lady Kore was right, this animal would be after me soon.

I followed Diaval at a run as he soared ahead of me while Maia kept tugging at me to hurty. I heard more ear shattering noises and now I heard the snarling of Cerberus and Gerald. I whipped around another small building, might have been a tool shed if I had time to stop and look. Diaval wasn't slowing down.

Now, raising on the cold breeze was the sound of a voice; Lady Kore was chanting and it made my insides feel like ice. I squeezed my eyes closed for a second, doing my best to not turn around and help her. The clouds were thickening and it looked like a storm was brewing. I wasn't sure what kind of dark magic was going on, but the chanting and the way she had raised her arms, reminded me of old Druid's and folk lore from old medieval Europe. (Which now that I knew she was from that time era, made sense! Maybe she mixed some old Celtic like mythology in with her Greek and Roman mythology... Who knows. She was very odd. The fluid mix of Roman and Greek was jarring for sure, and then throw in possible Celtic too? It made my brain hurt.) I didn't have time to think too long about it. There was a wild crash and the ground under my feet vibrated.

I stumbled and looked behind me. Maia tugged rather agressivly and Diaval squaked, it was loud and sharp, like a warning. I glanced up and he was staring at me with his black beady eye. He was clearly telling me don't you dare kid.

I waved him on and we ran. Away from the noise. Diaval led me around the house and down more stone steps, he led me through a garden with huge hedges on each side of a coble stone path. Every few turns there was a statue or a small bench, or a fountain. The hedges were covered in dark flowers or big bushels of purple grapes.

It took me a moment, but I realized it was a small hedge maze. Diaval was leading me through a maze. I had an odd tingle in my gut. Something about this was familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. A maze, running from danger... it felt like deja vu. It took me us a few minutes to come out on the other side.

At the end of the maze exit was another iron gate and a huge iron fence that spread out on either side and was lost to the fog. I assumed it was the end of Last Kore's realm. Where her barrier kept unwanted guests out.

Diaval landed on the fence and clicked his beak. Clearly this is where we say goodbye. I hesitated for a moment. In front of me was a path that led into a forest and out of sight. Behind me was the home that was slightly weird, yet friendly enough to me to keep me safe for a night. Diaval clicked his beak again and the gate creaked open slightly. I heard the bull again, making my insides quiver.

"Well...I guess this is good bye. Thank you." I placed my hand on the fawns head. She looked so little and sweet. I glanced up at the bird. His shiny black feathers looked blue in the weak sunlight. He was quite intelligent.

"Bye. Thank you....will I see you around?"

The bird clicked his beak and tilted his head. As if to say, "your guess is as good as mine. We can't argue with fait."

I nodded at them as another tremour shook the ground. I slipped through the gate and ran. I heard the gate creak shut and when I glanced behind me, there was nothing there. Just empty land and rolling hills.

I stumbled. How could it be gone just like that. The house, the grounds, the gardens...everything was gone. Like I had imagined the whole thing. Maybe I did. Maybe I really lived I. Scotland, and I was walking and smacked my head when I fell. And I made the whole thing up.

Maybe. If only. I turned towards the forest infront of me. Took a deep inhale and tightened the straps of my backpack and set off down the road. The trees were bare, the branches looked like skeletal arms trying to reach down and pluck me up. The path was old and worn. I started to notice signs posted along the path. At one point, at a crossroads, I had to stop and really concentrate on what the words said.

River Lossie Hiking Trail, left path.
Town of Elgin, Scotland, right path.

I looked down both paths, but figured the best place to get some answers was the town. So I took the right path. It didn't take me long and the forest started to slowly turn into a sidewalk. And it eventually turned into the outskirts of a town.

I stood at the top of the hill and looked down I to the town. Cars and people, homes and businesses. I had no idea where I was supposed to go. Or what I was supposed to do. But following the flow of the people around me I joined the flow. No one seemed to notice me. A few glanced at me, but I guess I didn't look weird enough, or maybe the people of Elgin were used to tourists. The looks didn't last long.

I wondered the streets of the town. Nothing happened. No major lightning strike of genius or flash of an idea, no immediate understanding of why I'm here happened. I wondered the town all morning. Nothing happened. I was getting frustrated. I was hungry and tired, my nerves were on edge, I hadn't heard the bull, but I felt like I was being watched, yet every time I turned around to see, there was nothing.

I had been pulled towards a street that seemed to be a more densely populated road. Full of people and busy with cars. I followed the sidewalk up towards some kind of big building. Maybe it was the back of some kind of old church... but the Roman and Greek roots in the building were unmistakable. It was a big old stone building (it should have been marble, but maybe marble was hard to come by in Scotland) there were huge columns that stood on the top step, the carvings at the top of the building were very Roman inspired; the Laurel wreaths. Frowning at the building I felt a tug. This was the first time I felt something other than anxiety. I found a bench and sunk down. Staring up at the building I felt the tug in my gut.

I slung my backpack back on when I heard the unmistakable bellow of The Bull. I sprung up and whipped around. How the heck could a full sized bull come into town? But there it was. Standing at the very end of the street was the huge elephant sized bull. It looked the same. Blood red burning eyes, snotty nose and a ring through its nostrils. It looked quite healthy for having exploded into gold dust yesterday.

I didn't know what to do. I slowly backed up. How could I fight this huge monster with all these people around. The bulk started to storm up the street. And to my surprise the people moved around it like a huge deadly monster stalking their town was normal. Or I suddenly realized they couldn't see the same thing I could. One man loomed at the bulk and huffed and rolled his eyes. Another woman did a double take but then shook her head and walked the other way with a dreamy look on her face.

I slowly of pulled my knives out. The bulk bellowed and I flinched. Backing up more, I pumped into some kind of statue. I glanced up. It was some bronze Roman dude, with a toga on and holding aloft a torch in his left hand and with a sword lowered in the right hand. I felt a warm tu gle in my chest and it spread down to my limbs. It seemed to melt the ice that coated my insides since I had left Lady Kore's Vila.

I had to rip my eyes away from the statue, the Bull had somehow snuck up on me quicker then I expected. It was only a few hundred feet. It charged.

I didn't have time to think. I just let whatever instincts I had take over.

I jumped up, somehow landing on top of the big dias, the big stone column. The bulk smashed into the statue base. It seemed to be dazed. It staggered sideways. I yanked both my knives out and jumped off. I landed light as a cat, despite how dazed it seemed, it was agile and got out of the way of my knives. It seemed to learn, my knives were bad news to it's health.

I had to do a lot of ducking and rolling. I wasn't fast enough and somehow it managed to pin me to the statue. I screamed, waiting for the intense pain of being impaled. But nothing happened. I looked down, expecting my blood and guts all over the place. Instead, I saw the bulls hire was bent, my shirt was ripped open, but my skin and organs were perfectly fine.

"Ha!" I cried in relief.

The bull looked up at me like "what? How?"

"Suck it you over sized beef patty!" I yanked on the bull's nose ring and slid down underneath it and as I rolled I sliced my knives into its underbelly. It went poof in a cloud of dust all over me. I felt something cool and hard fall onto my face.

I groaned and sat up, spitting out the monster dust. Something fell and tickled on the ground. It was the bulls nose ring. I picked it up and slipped it into my wrist with the first one. Only now did I realize there was a crowd watching. I don't know what they saw, but some looked horrified, some looked angry and others clapped like I had been some kind of street performer. I slowly and cautiously got to my feet and with a wave of my hands I bowed.

"Thank you....thank you. I'll be here all week!"

A few tossed some money towards my feet. I wasn't interested in the money, I heard the angry bellow of the bull.

"How in Hades is that possible?!"

Doors of death do not work anymore.

I whipped around, looking for the source. I swear I heard a voice. My head went back and forth trying to see who had spoke.

"I'm going crazy!" I muttered. Glancing over my shoulder. I knew the bulk didn't stay dead.

"Follow the Roman road. Come find me."

"What? Who..." I trailed off as I glanced up at the statue. I swear on the few memories I had of Raph the statue winked.

"Come find me. Follow the Roman road."

🔆

This is the actual statue!