Today would be like every other day. She knew it. Had to believe it. Otherwise, the sweat trickling into her eyes might be mistaken for tears of frustration. And with two baskets of posies at her feet and only half a bushel of wheat in her hands, Alena Cali was ready to throw her shears into the nearest cowpie. Curse the Harvest Festival. It'd be entertaining to watch it fall into the deepest hole in Tartarus.

    "It'll be a miracle if I manage to get all of this together by dinnertime," she grumbled. If she were lucky, maybe the three other nymphs in her cottage would have stew going by the time she made it back. Most likely not, it would have been eaten already like it always was, but a girl could hope.

    She bent towards another stalk, grumbling under her breath when something heavy smacked her in the wrist, knocking the wheat from her hand.

    "Hey!" Alena growled.

     "You mean if we manage to get all of this together by dinnertime, yes?" Kore asked, dodging Alena as she swatted at her, dusting off her hands as she came to sit beside her friend. Kore smirked, the warm, syrupy shade of her eyes glittering as she did so. "You act as though we've been out here wasting the day away. Shouldn't we enjoy doing this for Temi?"

    Alena scoffed, "How do you think your mother would react to you calling our patron goddess 'Temi'?"

    Shrugging, Kore tucked a posy behind her ear. "I don't really care what Mother thinks. If anything, she still assumes I'm a small, adolescent girl who can't tell her hemlock and wild carrots apart from each other."

   "They look pretty similar a lot of the time." Alena reminded her.

   "Not when you've been trained since birth to tell every living plant apart from the other," Kore said, tying some wheat and passing it back. "To her, you're either born perfect, or you have to be ground into perfection. Can you tell which one I am?"

    Alena glanced up; eyebrows furrowed. Kore wasn't usually so open about bashing her mother unless something had happened between the two of them. It was one of their many, never-ending rules to work things out before starting another fight. There were times when they would skip these rules for the other nymphs' sake, but rarely did they jump into another fight before settling the previous one. If something were wrong, Kore would have complained it by now too, or at least hinted at it rather than staying quiet. Because if there was one thing Alena had learned in the many years they'd been friends, it was that a silent Kore was more dangerous than a lively one. And gods help anyone who tried to stand in that woman's way.

    Clearing her throat, Alena took Kore by the elbow. "I think you're fantastic just the way you are, regardless of what your mother says, so perfection of character be damned." She nodded down at their baskets. "Our offerings for Artemis on the other hand, those need to be as close to perfection as we can get them." She guided Kore to the center of the field, throwing her arms out wide as she bowed low to the ground. "Are you up for the challenge, Megala Thea?"

    Kore giggled, pulling Alena up. "Only Mother and Temi call me that, so please don't make it more of a thing than it already is." She pinched Alena's elbow as she whispered, "Or I will make sure that every nymph this side of the Styx hears all about your ravishing nights with His Highness, Sir H—"

     Alena threw a hand over Kore's mouth. "Shut up! That never happened and you know it!"

   "The rest of the village doesn't know that," Kore snarked, shoving her away.

   "Just like they didn't know where you hid your mother's favorite wine at the last Harvest Festival?"

    Kore's eyes narrowed. "We agreed never to talk about that."

    "We also agreed never to speak about my nights outside of the gardens, didn't we? Seems someone is easily swayed when she's drank some liquid courage." Alena said, taking a sip from an imaginary bottle as she let out a sharp giggle.

   "I don't laugh like that," Kore shrieked, throwing herself at Alena, "and I can handle my wine just fine!"

    Alena slammed into the ground, gasping around her laughter and tears. "Hey that rhymed!"

    "Stop laughing at me!" Kore pinned Alena's hands on both sides of her head, but that only made her cackle louder. "Tell me, Lena, how did it feel to be pressed up against a person of the opposite sex?"

   "It was absolutely lovely, if you must know," she snapped back, cursing herself for ever mentioning leaving the garden to her best friend. "Now let me up!"

    Kore pressed on. "Was your face flushed red? Did your insides burn at his every word? I'd imagine you'd be flush up against his—!"

    Alena rolled on top of Kore, pinning her as she continued to wheeze. "I at least know the difference between your mother's homemade wine and the special fruity wine that she specifically set aside for you. Just can't tell dear old mommy about that now, can I? I'm sure she'd love to hear about that."

   "Why you little—"

   "What do you two think you're doing?"

     A figure's shadow fell across the ground in front of them and Alena's stomach sank. She could say the pair of them fell. They lost a bushel of wheat. Or they were testing to see how durable the ground was? No, no, that one wouldn't end well.

    Kore, ever oblivious to the trouble they were in, smiled up at the figure and waved. "Hey there, Calanthe. We were just finishing up with our offerings for the Harvest Festival. What are you up to?"

    "It would appear I'm babysitting a pair of nymphs that don't seem to understand what is or isn't appropriate for their age," Calanthe said, the words grinding between her teeth. Alena could feel the holes burning through the back of her skull.

    Pushing herself gently off of Kore, Alena settled on her knees, taking ahold of her basket. "No, we understand what we're supposed to be doing, Calanthe. We already have more than half of the offering ready."

   "You were supposed to have all of it done more than two hours ago." Alena watched Calanthe's eyes move upwards, most likely taking notice of the placement of the sun. "If you'd kept to your schedule, you both would be in the laundry rooms by now instead of dawdling and wasting others time."

   "We weren't wasting others time," Kore grumbled.

    Calanthe raised an eyebrow. With a flash of her sword, she slashed through ten stalks of wheat. She took ahold of the thin twine at her waist and bound the wheat together, not losing a speck of grain as she placed it in her basket. "You're wasting mine. Do you not realize the honor you have for being able to present these offerings to Artemis? Stop slacking, stop dragging yourselves along the ground because you have nothing better to do, and remember who you are. Otherwise, you're better off with the children in the pavilion playing dress-up."

    With her cheeks enflamed, Alena curtsied and tucked her basket close to her side. She should have known better than to be caught up in childish games. Their meddling had gotten them in trouble during Kore's first ascension ceremony, and because of it, the nymphs hadn't allowed her to wear her silver circlet for three months.

    Rising to her feet, Alena reached down for Kore when Calanthe raised a hand, pointing to the huts. "You're dismissed. Leave us."

    Another curtsy. Gods, if she kept doing this she would have the knees of a Fury. "Yes, ma'am." One more, better make it a good one; Kore would never let her hear the end of it if she didn't.

  Calanthe nodded, focusing her attention on Kore again as Alena made her way back through the fields. Sparrows chirped back and forth to one another; children's laughter echoing down the streets while Kore's heated voice rose through the stalks. As awful as it was to admit, a part of Alena was relieved at being sent away. At least now she had an excuse to walk around town and look like she didn't know what she was doing.

    Not that she knew what she was doing other than watching Kore. That was all her life had ever consisted of, she thought, as she walked past a group of young nymphs splashing each other in the troughs outside the gathering hall. They were soaked to the bone with smiles plastered on their faces, basking in each other's company. She would have stayed longer, to reminisce over a childhood long forgotten, but the achingly hot prod of the sun was enough to push her down the street, past tables and carts filled with laces and leaves, and plenty of other shops that fought for a spot on the main road.

     She scratched at some skin beneath the plain cotton sleeves of her dress, rough red patches stretching from her wrist to her elbow. "I need to get a new bottle of cream soon," she muttered, "I'm nearly out already."

   "If you didn't use it all within the first week, maybe it would last you a little longer!"

  Alena smirked, digging around in her basket till her fingers grasped a clear blue bottle. She slapped it onto the table in front of her. "It usually lasts two weeks, Miss Know-It-All. It's not my fault the rash has been getting worse."

    A bronze-colored hand snatched the bottle from the counter as a voice shouted from below, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to sass me."

   "You'd be right," Alena laughed. "Do you know what time we're supposed to be at the main square for the start of the festival? Calanthe sent me off, and I was going to head back for dinner, but I don't want to make the trip if we're going to be called back in soon."

    A crown of black curls, followed by a pair of tawny eyes and a cunning smile popped up. "How would you know if I'm telling you the truth or not?"

    Rolling her eyes, Alena studied her friend as she pulled a container out and began filling the bottle. "I'd have to go off of my intuition, though I've never had much luck with you, anyways, have I, Iris?"

   "You're right, you haven't," she chuckled, tightening the bottle's stopper. "Though you haven't faired well with Rhode or Hestia either, have you?"

    Alena took the bottle with a shrug, dropping three drachmas onto the table. "I don't talk much to Rhode anymore, not after the whole disagreement concerning Helios."

    "I mean, when you and Kore completely demolished her husband's reputation in front of the assembly of minor gods, what were you expecting? She's not going to let you shove his name into the dirt, especially with so many others there, without defending him."

   "Yeah, yeah, I know," she sighed, turning as wind chimes began ringing in the distance "That's our cue. Are you coming?"

    Iris waved her away. "No, I don't usually go to the festivals, Artemis isn't my patron goddess. The gods know how Hera would react if she knew I was dedicating anything to the other deities."

    Nodding, Alena gathered her things and spread a bit of the cream onto her elbow as she started down the street. "I'll let Kore know you said hello. Make sure to save some more of this for me next week!"

   "I thought you used it up every two weeks?" Iris shouted.

   "Shut up!"

    Her friend's laughter followed her as she entered the gathering hall, packing in amongst the other sweat-covered nymphs, holding many offerings for their waiting goddess.

    "Thank you for your offering, dear," Artemis said, pressing a kiss to the forehead of a nymph at her feet. She took her by the hands, kissing them each, and pointed her in the direction of the table overflowing with food.

   "Thank you, my goddess," the nymph beamed, curtsying again before hurrying over to her friends as the next nymph took her place, basket in hand.

    Alena shuffled back and forth in line, looking over her shoulder every few seconds in search of Kore or Calanthe. They should have been here by now. Sure, Calanthe's lectures could drag on for a bit, she had the tendency to talk about the consequences for misbehaving in front of others, but even she didn't want to be this late. When would there be time for her to grovel at Artemis' feet then?

    A nymph was led to the table, another one took her place. Fingers twisting into her sleeve, Alena felt someone bump her forward, and she turned to glare at a blue-gilled river nymph who scowled and pointed her finger towards the patiently waiting goddess.

   "Fantastic, it's my turn," Alena murmured. There were only about five other nymphs behind her. If Calanthe didn't hurry, Demeter would have Kore and her both roasting over the festival's opening flames with apples in their mouths and no questions asked. Alena sighed, fidgeting a bit before stepping up to her place. She could try to think of a distraction if it meant saving them a few more minutes.

   "Alena," Artemis said with a smile, holding her arms out, "it's been a few months since we last spoke to each other. How have you been?"

    Alena gave a quick smile as she bent down onto her knees, pushing her basket forward. "I've been doing well, my goddess. Not much to report beyond that, other than exploring with Kore and harvesting from the fields."

    She pressed her forehead on the ground, repeating her prayers and thanks when Artemis' hand touched the back of her head. Alena stiffened, her words slipping as Artemis hand reached for her chin, lifting their gazes to one another. Had she done something? Usually, she would hurry through her prayers before being dismissed to the table with the rest of the nymphs. A chill ran down her spine, had she been summoned by Demeter?

   "Something isn't right," Artemis said under her breath.

    Alena lowered herself even further to the ground, "I'm so sorry, my goddess, please forgive me. I didn't mean to offend you. Please punish me in any way you deem—."

   "No, no, it isn't you," Artemis shushed her, gesturing for her to rise as she pretended to smile at the offering. "Do you know where Kore is?"

    Alena shook her head, biting her lip. "I haven't seen her since I left her and Calanthe in the field earlier this evening."

   "You need to go to her."

   "But I don't know where she could have—."

    Artemis' hand clamped down on her own, her green eyes blazing. "Now. Before her mother begins asking questions."

    The windchimes began again, this time with a deep timbre radiating through their song. Demeter's calling card. Artemis was right, she needed to go now before she wound up being interrogated for the third time this week.

   "Thank you for your offering, dear," Artemis said, plastering a smile on her face.

    Alena bowed and rounded one of the tables, studying the roasted duck and water chestnuts for a few minutes when she decided to wave at the main entrance, beaming. No one would question her doing this as long as she made it seem like she was going to talk to Kore or one of her roommates. Those were the only people she was usually seen with, and even then, none of the others took interest in her often unless they needed to use her.

     She managed to slip through the doors as a pair of tree nymphs hurried inside, baskets and hair disheveled. No guards stood at the entrance, which made her pause. There were always guards on duty, wind, rain, or shine. Demeter had ensured that they would have protection at all times, or at least Kore did, because if she didn't then someone would be losing one of their limbs. No one had forgotten that horrifying example Demeter had made of one of the youngest river nymphs.

    Pushing through the heavy, flower-laden curtains, moon shone brightly in the sky, stars twinkling, but quickly fading as dark clouds were brewing. Rain slapped against the tin rooves of the stalls, puddles beginning to overflow on the walkways that had been vacated for the night. How had it gotten to be so late already? Where could Kore have gone?

    Alena raced for the fields, thunder rumbling in the distance and mud coating her ankles. Wheat whipped against her face, the wind piercing her skin as she tried to push her worries aside, but when she reached the center of the field, she came to a sudden halt. The posies that had once covered the fields in their radiance had wilted, dried up and gone, their petals crushed into the ground. Some sat beneath Alena's feet, and she immediately stepped back with a cry, picking them up in her hands. She rubbed her fingers across their dry, crumbling petals. These had been a gift from Kore to Demeter, a sign of loyalty to her mother and a promise to do anything she may have asked her to do. They never wilted, even in the deepest of snows, you could even see them peeking out to say hello to their goddess if she willed them to. And now they were gone.

   "Kore?" Alena called out, hands beginning to shake. "Kore, please answer me! Where are you?"

   "Alena!"

    She spun around, the relief in her chest sinking as Calanthe sprinted towards her from the westward field. "Alena, you need to help me!" she screamed.

    Calanthe didn't stop running until she collapsed in Alena's arms, sending them both to the ground. Alena wrapped her hands around her waist to pull her up but paused as warmth seeped from Calanthe's jackets onto her hands. Was that blood? She swallowed the bile crawling up her throat as she asked, "Calanthe, what happened to the two of you?"

   "It was Kore," she sobbed, desperation encompassing her features as she began clawing at Alena's dress. "She dragged me into the fields, claimed she needed help in gathering the few bundles she needed for Artemis, but it was all a lie."

   "Calanthe," Alena took her by the shoulders, "where did Kore go? What happened?" She wiped a hand down her skirt, her stomach rolling. "Where are you bleeding?"

    Lightning illuminated the sky when the ground shook beneath their feet. Calanthe cried out, tears flowing freely now. "Zeus, have mercy! I didn't ask for this!"

   "Calanthe, it's all right. It's going to be okay. Try to breathe. I need to go get you some help."

    Calanthe latched onto Alena's sleeves, shivering. "She said she heard noises. Like growling, underneath the trees." As soon as she grabbed on, she let go, her fingers digging into her skull instead. "I should have listened; I should have listened. It was all her. All her!"

    The wind was screeching now, rain pouring down on the both of them. Alena framed Calanthe's face, yelling above the storm. "Who? You need to speak clearer to me! Who did this to you both?"

    Her mouth gaped open as she stuttered, arms flailing until she pointed ahead of them. "It was all her!"

    Alena turned and shrank back into the wheat as a tall figure broke away from the tree line. Blonde hair whipping in the wind, and a double-edged sword in the individual's hand, Alena yanked Calanthe back and tried covering her with her body.

   "What do you want?" Alena shouted, refusing to take her eyes away from the threat. "What have you done with Kore?"

    The person kept running, hacking their way through the field, leaving no plant untouched until they stopped short, only a few feet away from the pair.

   "Alena?" The individual said, "Why are you here? I thought I told you to go to the gathering hall?"

    Alena's eyes widened as the lightening flashed, and the cold, calculating eyes of Calanthe stared back at her. Stunned, Alena turned, certain Calanthe was beneath her. She had been crying and bleeding out, begging for help. There was no way she could have snuck around her to ... Only Calanthe wasn't there anymore. There was no imprint where the body had been, or any stains on Alena's hands or skirt where the blood should have been. The Calanthe she had been fighting to save moments before now ceased to exist.

   "Calanthe, where were you..." Alena stopped, as the Calanthe that had been in front of her was gone now too.

    Alena spun around, her heart pounding as she scrambled back into the wheat stalks. The rain was pouring in sheets across the fields, making it nearly impossible for her to see two feet in front of herself. Her lungs ached and her hands were starting to go numb, she knew she had forgotten to breathe. But there wasn't time to breathe, not when Kore was missing, and everything was falling apart, and shadows were trying to lure her out in to the open. Was there any way to stop this?

   "Alena!" A voice started screaming from the village. "Alena, help me please!"

    Alena sucked in some air, fingers trembling as she dug through her dress pockets, frantically searching until she grabbed on to the smooth silver surface of her favorite whistle. Kore loved it whenever Alena played songs for her, whether they were actual songs composed for the gods, or a tune she had learned from others in town. Whenever she could play, she would. Anything that would make Kore feel a little less lonely really, because Alena was always happy to see Kore happy.

    The screaming stopped, so Alena tilted her head again, until she heard it calling from the opposite end of the field. Whoever or whatever was playing with her mind was making sure that she was disoriented, confused, frantic. She wasn't going to let it out-smart her that quickly. She had been summoned by Demeter for a reason. Her fingers tightened on the whistle as she brought it up to her lips.

   "Alena!"

    Shrill notes scattered through the storm, dancing across waves of electricity while Alena's fingers flew over the whistle's body. The melody wove itself around her as she felt a piece of herself unfold, a creature long asleep and waiting to rise again. She adored this aspect of composition. Bringing something into existence that once had been nothing. A hope. A beginning. Something of value to her. A wicked grin skated across her face as the music crashed all around her, its harmonious sounds lulling her as she drowned in its soft, soothing depths. It was a welcoming sort of downfall.

   "Please, please let this work," Alena growled. She wanted to give in. To give that unknown piece of her... a chance; to prove itself. But she could see beyond that and into the small glimpse of what would happen if she did. She shook her head, drifting out of the fog that clouded her mind. Kore would believe in her. Kore would trust she'd do what needed to be done. She might not understand why she felt this need, but for her best friend, she would lay down her life.

   "Alena," the voice called, drawing closer with each note, "Alenaa, it's me. Please help. I don't know what's wrong with Calanthe. She's bleeding everywhere."

    Alena pulled the whistle away, her song coming to an end as she caught sight of a shadowy mass slithering into the village gates. She could only hope that the other nymphs would find a safe place to hide before the creature decided to trick them too.

    She crawled out from her hiding place and ran for the tree line. Whether she should be trusting what the shadow of Calanthe had said or not, it was important to find a place where Kore could have been.

    Alena played the whistle a few more times as quietly as she could, but just enough for someone within a few feet of her to hear. The rhythm she played continued over in her head, first key, fourth key, second key, repeat, and with every start of the pattern she would alter the note and go from there. It reminded her of the summertime. Of villages and children, watermelon and full stomachs, and a toe-headed child burying it's face in her skirts.

   "Kore?" she whispered, dismissing her imaginations, and trudging behind the trunks. "Kore, please hear me! Where are you—!"

    A hand reached out of the darkness and covered Alena's mouth, jerking her into the darkness. She squirmed, kicking, preparing to fight for her life when she felt the individual's warm, soft hands. The faint smell of posies surrounded her, but she didn't know what to trust anymore when Kore's face appeared above her. v

   "Alena, I need to go. It isn't safe for me here, and it isn't for you either, but please be quiet, okay? I could hear your song all the way out near the northern gate."

    Alena tore Kore's hand away from her mouth. "How else was I supposed to find you? I leave you with Calanthe for half an hour at most, only to go and have Temi of all people telling me you're in trouble and need my help. What happened to showing up for the festival like we said?"

   "I couldn't, Lena. I'm being hunted," she spat, jumping at her own tone, but shivering at the fear coating her words. "I don't know who and I don't know why, but their shadow has been following me for days. At first, I thought it was a trick of the light and my own paranoia, but now, with everything that's been happening... I need to find my mother."

    Alena followed her, breaking into a full sprint as Kore made her way ahead of her, the outline of the northern gate flashing in and out of sight as the storm raged on.

   "Where was my mother last?" Kore asked.

   "I never saw her at the festival," Alena admitted, slipping behind Kore as she slammed through the gate. "Temi only said to make sure that I found you before she started freaking out."

    Kore kept running, to where, Alena didn't know. Just that she needed to follow her as far as she needed to go. Wherever was safe enough for them before Demeter would come to rescue them from this menace.

    "Kore," Alena tried again, hoping for a better approach," I'm sure your mother is looking for you right now, all we need to do is find a good enough place to hide so she can find us first, right?"

    Kore nodded and took her by the hand, "You're right, we need to find a good hiding spot. If we can get back onto the road I know where one of the guards' routes is, it should take us right to one of the bases they do their drills in."

    Alena frowned. "Are you sure the guards will be there? I didn't see anyone earlier, so I thought maybe they had decided to—Kore get down!"

    The shadow appeared, streaking down from the sky as it fell between Alena and Kore. Dirt and rock exploded from the earth, pummeling Alena as she screamed. She kicked a foot out at the mass, reaching in hopes of tearing its arms from its socket, only for her hands to fall through its smokey mist. The beast grinned and dug its claws in Kore's shoulder, flapping its wings as it struggled to force her off the ground.

   "Let her go!" Alena shrieked, grabbing Kore's other arm as she shrieked, wrapping her vines around Alena's arm for support.

    Tears were streaming down Kore's face. "Lena don't let it take me. Please!"

   "I won't," she ground out, digging her feet into the ground. "I promise I won't. Just hold on. Your mother will be here soon, I'm sure of it."

    The shadow screeched, bone white teeth appearing as black goo oozed past its leathery lips. It pulled harder, dragging Alena farther from the gate and closer to the crater it had created. "My master will have good use for you yet, child." It hissed, slithering farther back as Kore screamed and Alena fought to keep her hold. Her hands had no feeling now and all Alena could do was pray as her feet started to shake beneath her.

   "Lena," Kore gasped, her vines quivering, loosening, "please."

     Kore's sleeves slid through Alena's hands, and all she held now were her fingers. The rain slickened her grip, and all Alena could do was cry louder. Kore's gaze connected with hers, tears and terror clouding them, but beneath that there started to grow a bitter resolve. Her vines retracted, falling back into her skin.

    Alena willed herself to have any sense of feeling in her hands, growling at Kore as the shadow coiled up above her. "Kore, don't you dare let go. It's going to be okay. Someone will come. It's going to be okay!"

    Kore smiled. "If anything does happen, promise me you'll try to find me. Promise me that no matter what, no matter how much hell my mother threatens or punishes you with that you'll find me and bring me back. That way we can run through the meadows again, bake cakes or prank nymphs with the posies in full bloom and Temi laughing at our antics. Okay, Lena?"

   "Of course," Alena sobbed. "I promise. I will find you. I will bring you back, and no one will ever bother us again."

   "Thank you," she whispered, as the beast buried its claws in her upper arm and pulled her from Alena's grasp. Alena screamed as Kore was taken higher into the sky.

    The earth rolled, cracking and splitting as a large hole emerged in the center of the field. Alena collapsed, crashing into a pile of rubble near the base of the opening. Staggering to her feet, she looked up, scanning for any sign of where the creature had gone, if any guards had managed to take to the skies, when something far darker shot out of the gaping abyss.

    A soul blackened chariot drawn by rotted, decaying horses, gathering speed as it went. There had to be something she could do. Someone should have been here by now! Her pulse roared in her ears, nearly louder than the pounding of the rain against her back as she watched the shadowed beast descend into the chariot, depositing the goddess and disappearing once more.

    Horns sounded from the village. Warning signs for anyone else who may have gotten caught in the storm, or in this case, rallying someone to retrieve Kore. "Please let there be someone who can reach her," Alena begged, staring helplessly at the sky. "I've failed. I can't get to her now, but surely someone else can. Surely."

    The horses let lose wild cries as their reigns snapped, rising higher until they were signaled again, and their skeletal backs arched, diving for the pit. Heat poured from the center of the trench, pushing Alena farther away as the chariot speared past her. She caught sight of a curly headed man next to her friend's frame, his arm planted firmly around her waist when Alena's eyes connected with Kore's one last time.

    This couldn't be it, she tried to reassure herself. Demeter made sure that every detail down to the last jar of beads in the marketplace was a part of a safe environment. Nothing like this would ever be successful. Perhaps it was another of Demeter's lessons, meant to scare them into submission "It has to be," she murmured." Even as she reached her arm out, screaming Kore's name as the chariot disappeared in a swath of flames deep in the earth. The field groaned, screeching as the ground raised itself, the months of hard work harvesting and producing crops obliterated in seconds as it all came crashing down.

    Alena swayed, grabbing onto the rocks in front of her. Her vision blurred as the sky tilted and she was lifted into the shockwaves of the god-summoned earthquake.

   Her thoughts were colliding, breaking away from her like dead petals on a crisp autumn day. What was she going to do? Was she about to die? She had hoped that if there was such a thing as death here it would happen quickly, but as soon as the idea passed her, she felt her stomach rise into her lungs. One moment she was being lifted into chaos, fighting past rubble and rain to see the ground below, and the next she was airborne, falling towards the very thing she had been searching for safety.

    Alena threw her arms out in front of herself, laughing as she plummeted. "I'm going to die, and this is what I choose to save myself?" Chunks of rock and roots flew past, colliding with her arms and head, but she found it slightly comical rather than painful. That should have told her something was seriously wrong with her head. But to think, that maybe if she had Kore's powers, she could beg the roots to wrap her up in them and settle her somewhere safe. That would be a sweet death. Being surrounded by something, even if it wasn't a living being.

    "If I could have one more chance," she whispered, the ground rushing up to greet her, its mud-covered surface opened wide, "just one more chance, and I'd do whatever I could to bring her back." Her surroundings began to disintegrate as she was enveloped in familiar darkness.

    "I promised her I would."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "And it's a promise you will see fulfilled," a voice seethed. Pain erupted in Alena's mind, spreading through her body as she squirmed. Giggling, she settled into her stinging nerves. She had thought death would hurt more than this, but who was she to complain.

    "Is she this stupid? I thought I had trained her better."

    Something pried her eyes open, light leeching into her vision. She squinted. Had the light always been so...bright? Maybe she had lost some of her intelligence because this was just—.

    "Get up!" That was a hand, wasn't it?

    Alena's head reeled back as the hand in question connected with her jaw. Colors flashed, magentas, oranges, turquoises, and yellows all dancing around her as her eyes rolled around in their sockets.

    "Son of a...," she growled, rubbing at her face. Since when did her roommates decide this was the best way to wake her up? She much preferred the nice smell of oats and berries soaking into her bedroom.

    Glancing up, she expected to see a redhead with breakfast in her hand. Instead, there was a golden sickle pressed up against her throat. Icy blue eyes bore into her own, stripping her to the bone. Dark chestnut waves flowed down the woman's shoulders, and she held a dagger in her other hand, a threat she typically used. If given the chance, Alena was sure she would have been gutted and hung to dry by now.

    Alena took a breath, catching sight of Calanthe on the ground a few feet away from her. She'd never seen her in that position before, though Alena had been there many times after being interrogated by Demeter. It was exhausting work, and she knew she would have to face it again.

    She nodded at the goddess, gesturing to the ground as a symbol of worship since she didn't want the blade to plunge through her esophagus. "How may I be of service to you, Demeter?"

    "By telling me where my daughter was taken."

    Alena's muscles started to twitch. Kore was gone. No one had been able to go after her. She had at least hoped that—no, her hope was always misplaced. "I don't know where she is. I tried to protect her, but I wasn't enough. I had thought the guards would be here to help before she was stolen."

    The cool steel bit into her skin, as heat slid down her neck and pooled in her collarbone. First blood. "What was it that I taught you?" Demeter said, tilting her head as she leaned closer to Alena. "Have you forgotten at the first sight of danger? Or have I not given you ample time to learn?"

    "We're not to let Kore out of our sight," Alena whispered, the rule tumbling from her lips automatically. "There must at least be one person with her at all times."

    "So why, dare I ask, is she missing now?"

    Calanthe moaned, her right arm spasming as if in protest as Demeter flashed a brilliant smile, one that refused to reach her eyes. "Could you answer me, Alena? Or do I have to ask Calanthe again? She doesn't seem to ever have the right response for me." Her thumb stroked the outline of Alena's cheekbone as she crooned, "but you do."

    Shivers poured down Alena's spine. "Where did Artemis go? She was the one who—."

    "Artemis was evacuated from the isle after the alarms sounded. We can't risk having another goddess stolen because of my nymphs' incompetence."

    "But it wasn't the nymphs! The guards had gone on duty elsewhere! They weren't even present at the gathering hall when—."

    Demeter swiped a drop of blood from the crook of Alena's neck, a smirk skirting across her face. "I'd be careful what you argue in the presence of someone who knows the truth. Stop with your lies. Acknowledge your faults. And bring my daughter back as you promised, nymph."

    "How am I supposed to do that?"

    Sighing, Demeter sheathed her sickle, leaving Alena as she approached Calanthe and grabbed her by the neck.

    "What are you doing?" Alena screamed, stumbling to her feet as Demeter thrust her knife into Calanthe's upper arm.

    Her screams shot across the field, but Alena knew she could do nothing. She bent back down to her knees, pressing her head to the ground. If she prayed hard enough, she could hope it would bring Demeter's attention back to her. Lashing out never did anything, she always found a way to twist it back on Alena or the others.

    "I'd thought I'd given you all that you asked for," Demeter chastised them, releasing Calanthe and wiping her blade on her sleeve. "A home, food, clothes on your back, friends and family. And this is how you thank me, by handing my daughter over to Hades."

    "We never gave her to them," Calanthe ground out. "We did our best to keep her safe."

    Demeter shrugged, plucking a strand of wheat, and weaving it between her fingers. "Your best wasn't good enough. So, I have no choice but to teach you again, otherwise, everything I've done will have no value in the future."

    "Why is the future so important?" Alena asked, shrinking into the dirt. "Shouldn't our top priority be to retrieve Kore before something happens to her?"

    "It's my priority," Demeter sneered, stepping away from the pair and entering the epicenter of dead flowers. She spread the blood she had gathered from them on the wheat, hissing. "As for you all, I will make sure you pay your due, and that you learn what it takes to be led under my guidance." She dug her foot into the earth, drawing out symbols and burying her feet beneath its surface. "Following me is not for the weak-willed or minded."

    Her hands rose as Alena rushed over to Calanthe, staunching the blood from her arm with her dress. Scoffing, Demeter's eyes began to glow, her frosty irises giving way to molten gold as the wheat whipped itself through the air, forming a cyclone. She had trapped them here, with no way out.

     "I, Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, curse you, Alena, Calanthe and all other nymphs on this isle." Her voice cracked as the words rang out, but whatever mercy she'd had for them had been purged from her long ago. "As punishment for your crimes against my daughter and the suffering you've placed in both our hearts, I curse you to roam the deepest depths of the oceans for eternity.

    "As a kindness, I bless you with the grace of eternal youth and a beauty fit for the gods, but your enchanting voices will be the kiss of death to any sailor that chooses to listen to your songs."

    Calanthe shook Alena's arm lightly, frowning. "You need to stop her. Bring an end to this madness."

    Alena felt a shaft of pain lodge itself in her heart, staring down at the future she had doomed them to. "I'm sorry, Calanthe. I can't."

    The wheat whipped at their ankles, lifting them both from the ground and out of each other's arms as Demeter continued to chant. "This curse will encompass your entire race here and you will wander both the sea and sky, despised by all until there is nothing left for you to destroy. You will lose yourselves the way you lost my daughter. I only pray that you experience the same betrayal that you have given to me."

    Alena's dress tore, ripping apart in the winds as they raced for her neck, forcing her to look down at the fury of Demeter. She'd lost sight of Calanthe now. She wished for death to take her swiftly, to take them both, anything to spare them from this.

    Demeter held her hands high above her head, voice booming. "What I've said has been sworn and will never be undone. May you suffer for as long as you live, barred from the fields of Elysium and whoever may have waited for you there."

    Golds and yellows swooped out of the wind, tearing at Alena's body and wrenching screams from her throat. "My goddess, please forgive me," she sobbed, her flesh ripping away from bone. "Please, don't punish us like this. Anything but this!"

    Yet Demeter refused to yield, allowing her powers to tear apart the nymphs and rebuild them before her eyes. Blood splattered as muscle and sinew knit themselves back together in the shape of thin, veiny wings on the women's backs.

    Looking away, Demeter released the last reserves of energy she could muster. "This is for you own good."

    The air sang, piercing Alena's ears, and filling her with a song as she was thrown through a whirlwind of her own mind. Voices shouted, vying for her attention, while she saw women, children, and men she had never met before in her life. They hungered, they loved, they mourned. For what, Alena would puzzle over it for the next five hundred years, when she was plunged into the frigid, icy waters near the coast of Paestum.

    Her body convulsed, bubbles streaming out of her mouth as she screamed, seeing nothing but endless open sea. The salt water sunk into her skin, coursing through her blood stream as small gills formed at the base of her neck. Where was Calanthe? Where was Iris? Where was home?

    This is home, a part of her chuckled, sparks of joy springing up as her legs fused, creating a long flowing tail that gleamed like drachmas. Her hair grew, becoming long, sleek, and smooth as the water danced about, greeting her as an old friend.

    And as her teeth sharpened into fangs and her face turned into a portrait of beauty, her heart began to wither away, freezing as the monster within her awoke, the thirst for death waiting idly on its tongue.

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