Adventure: Book One - A Foreboding Fate

ADVENTURE BOOK ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“It Smells Like Snow”

If there had been a worse day in her short teenage life, Adventure Eurynome would be hard-pressed to recall it. Oh, the day started off well enough. Mid-70’s and not a cloud in the sky. It was Friday and there were no impending tests looming over her head. And best of all, she knew that her best friend Nia was taking her out for “driving lessons” after school (Which was their clever code for cruising the beaches for surfer boys). Adventure had made it halfway through the day before things began to take a turn. The bane of her existence, really the bane of every other girl in the entire school, head cheerleader, early developer narcissist and the kryptonite to almost every testosterone-fueled body in the school, Ashlee Merryweather, had all the dominoes fall in just the right order that would have crushed and humiliated any other girl in school. For Ashlee however, it might as well have been her golden ticket and glass slipper all rolled into one. It seems that wearing a halter top two sizes too small for double d breasts and “tripping” over someone’s outstretched foot in the lunch room, directly onto the jock table, allowing said double d’s to spill out in front of the entire football team was a magical formula for her. By the end of the day, she had two dozen phone numbers and was an instant YouTube and instagram sensation. That this had to happen directly in front of Dane Hollister, the young man whom Adventure had held a crush for since moving to the area two years ago, certainly didn’t ease the crushing blow of feeling like there was no hope for him to actually ask her to the prom. If anything, it cemented that feeling, leaving Adventure with an anger, a jealousy, and an emptiness she had never felt quite so severely before.

To add insult to injury, discovering that she had failed a history test that held the key to maintaining a solid C and turning it into a borderline F so close to the end of the semester, then following that up with the knockout punch of Nia being called before the end of the day by her dad to come straight home so they could go to dinner with family visiting from out of town? Adventure was left with no choice but to walk home, deflated, defeated, and utterly crushed. The most fortunate part of this whole equation was also one of the most unfortunate, as Adventure only lived a short half mile from the school, so an easy walk home lie ahead of her. She still managed to turn it into an hour long trek, somberly sulking her way winding through the neighborhood until she could no longer avoid the hunger pains telling her it was time to head to her weekend prison, otherwise known as home. Arriving ever so slowly at the door to her “cellblock,” Adventure was greeted with another body blow in the day she just wanted to end. A note had been taped to the door, informing her that, even though they would probably beat her home, her parents wanted to let her know they had went out shopping, “just in case” she got home any earlier than expected. Immediately, she rummaged through her backpack for keys when the memory of them still sitting on her dresser flashed into her storm cloud-filled mind. Sliding slowly down the door to plop herself down on the porch, Adventure sat. And sat. And sat some more, dozing off to the same dreamland she had revisited for as far back as she could remember. Flying over an amazing patchwork landscape, filled with all manner of mythological beasts. Centaurs. Unicorns. Fairies. Giants. Outlandish creatures she couldn’t even identify. All roaming the landscape she was always able to fly freely over yet never approach. At the very least, Adventure was comfortable in this dream world. Being a more of a consistent part of her life than anyplace her family had ever called “home” ever since she could first recall her dreams, she was always at peace with the beautiful strangeness of it all. Eventually, she was accompanied by another constant; two enormous, jet black ravens. Always joining her in her travels and always leading her to new, undiscovered parts of her elaborately imaginative dreamscape.

It was almost 6:30 before Adventure was shocked awake by the squeak of brakes and the jarring crank of the automatic garage door opener. Sitting up straight and rubbing her neck after falling asleep uncomfortably on the porch, she wiped the drool away from her chin and rubbed her eyes, watching her parents pull into the garage and slowly crawling to her feet to go inside. As she stepped off the porch and headed for the garage, she looked down and saw a large black feather lying on the walkway directly in front of her. She stopped and looked around for birds when a strong, chilly gust of ocean breeze brought goosebumps across her body and, when she looked back down, the feather had blown away, nowhere to be found. Adventure stormed in through the garage, barely avoiding the closing door, shuffled past her parents without a word spoken, and was halfway up the stairs to the privacy of her room when she was caught in her mother’s tractor beam of trouble.

“Adventure Dorothea Eurynome! Get back down here this instant, young lady!”

Adventure sighed deeply and stomped back down the stairs, slouching more and more the closer she got to the kitchen, where her mother was busy putting away groceries. With a zombie-like gaze, she begrudgingly looked at her mother, who was in full-on, arms crossed, foot tapping, scowl mode. Adventure’s father was quick to avoid whatever was brewing, quickly heading back out to the garage to retrieve more bags from the car.

“So. What did we do to piss you off this time?”

“*sigh* Nothing. Mother. I… ugh… I just had an extremely crappy day at school, after school, on the porch. Which I have been sleeping on for the past two hours. I would really just like to go upstairs, take a hot bath, get this crappy pre-test done for Mr. Fleemer’s History class, and go to bed. If that’s okay with you?”

Zofia Eurynome eyed her daughter up and down, deciding on the best course of action. As usual, she found it nearly impossible to stay mad or even really get mad at Adventure. She slowly changed her posture, switching from crossed arms to hands on hips, as her husband reluctantly re-entered the kitchen with an armful of bags. He tried to swiftly sit them down and make a hasty retreat to the comfort and safety of his office, when Zofia decided to reel him in.

“Petros! Our daughter says she wants to avoid us for the night and spend it sulking in her room, totally skipping gyro night. Well? What do you think?”

Petros looked briefly at his wife’s stern yet slightly amused gaze then quickly shifted his focus to Adventure. Seeing her drawn, dour look, subtle pout and noticeable slouch, as usual, he became putty in her hands.

“Zofia. She is a big girl. If she wants to go to bed, let her! Goodnight sweetheart.”

Petros stepped in and gently kissed Adventure on the forehead, darted his eyes up at his wife, avoiding direct contact at all cost, then disappeared into the next room. Zofia sighed deeply and dropped her façade, opening her arms for a hug, which Adventure reluctantly and half-heartedly accepted. She quickly ran up the stairs and swiftly closed her door, leaning against it for a moment to soak in the privacy and attempt to close out the events of the day.

Like any reliable sixteen-year old, Adventure skipped the pre-test studying and went straight for the bath. Sinking into the hot, steaming, soapy water was just what the doctor ordered, and soon enough all the worries of the day were not forgotten, but certainly seemed less important now. Sometime later, her phone rang, awakening Adventure from a deep, dream-filled sleep. After a brief and awkward conversation, her next move was to speed dial Nia.

“Hey! Sup? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah, well, anyway, check this out. No. WAY. Did this just happen! I’m saving the best for last, so you’ll just have to deal with it. So I’m chillaxing in the tub, and I’m really enjoying the smell of that new bath soap mom got me. Next thing I know, the splash of the water as it hits my face, or should I say my face hits it, wakes me up from… whatever. I mean, seriously? It’s like I must’ve went all “Walking Dead” or something. I don’t know what happened! Then AFTER I peel myself off the ceiling and fully woke up, I hear the noise and the shaking to my phone ringing. Well, that explains what woke me up I guess. Shut up! Jerk. Anyway, here’s that good part I told you was coming. Dane. On my phone. Talking to me! I know! Yes, for real! He was laughing about Ashlee and asked me if I’d ever do something that stupid. I told him I could probably wear Band-Aids across my boobs and not worry about anything showing. Yes, I did too. Yes! He laughed a little then got really quiet and I swear, he sounded shy! Anyway, long story short. HE ASKED ME TO HOMECOMING!!!! HE. Asked ME. To homecoming. I jumped up out of the water so fast I slipped and the phone went flying! Thank GOD for a sturdy shower curtain to grab! After avoiding a face plant, I grabbed the phone and said YES!! Well, yeah, of course! DUH. Dane asked if I was okay, and I was so embarrassed all I could spit out was “Yeah. See you tomorrow. Bye!” I hung up because I was sure he could see my beet red face AND naked body through the phone. What an idiot! Wow. Good end to a crap day. No, it’s not your fault. It was the whole stupid day. But it is SO okay now! Anyway, I’m going to bed. TTYL, ‘kay? Kisses. Goodnight!”

Morning couldn’t come quickly enough for Adventure. Sure, she had enjoyed her time flying through her dream world, seeing fantastic sights, racing her two raven friends, but the moment her alarm clock went off, she was up and on auto pilot, dressing herself before she was even fully awake. As had become habit, Adventure took a moment to get an entry into her diary, kept safe and sound on her laptop.

“Good morning! Oh my God, I can’t wait to see Dane today! I also can’t wait to see what little Miss Melons does for attention to top yesterday! I bet her phone was ringing off the hook last night with invites. Slut. Anyways… So, like, really funky dream last night. It started out the same as they all do; me flying over the fields and forests. I saw the centaurs again. This time though, I think they saw ME! For real. It was like I spooked them or something. A couple looked up at me and they all took off running faster than I could follow until they disappeared over the hills. And it wasn’t as sunny and bright as usual either. There were dark clouds rolling in from what seemed like every direction. Then I flew over this cliff with a beautiful waterfall running down the side and I looked ahead to see this tree. But it was big. I mean really, really BIG! Like, bigger than anything BIG! For real, it was like it was all I could see in every direction as I got closer. The ravens flew on ahead of me and vanished into the leaves. I stopped and just stared at this monstrous thing for like, forever. Then the ground started to shake and I heard this ear-splitting screech! Everything started falling apart around me and under me and it scared me so bad, I remember screaming myself awake to the stupid alarm going off in my ears! My day is already off to a great start. I get to explain to mom why I need a new alarm clock. Hopefully something better than “Gee mom, it scared the poop out of me so bad I went all HULK SMASH on it!” Oh well. Time to run. And I know you can’t smell. Or see. Or… do anything, really, but the weird thing is… We’re in Florida. Land of sunshine, right? And I haven’t been anywhere with winter since I was like 10. But I SWEAR! Yeah, I still smell it! It smells like snow…”

CHAPTER TWO

“Goodbye”

Adventure bounded down the wrought iron spiral staircase with, despite her diminutive frame, the force of what sounded like an entire football team making their way downstairs. She was practically floating through the living room into the dining room. The Cheshire Cat-like smile across her face was more than enough fuel for her mother Zofia to inquire about.

“My goodness! This is more life than I think I’ve EVER seen out of you this early in the morning! So what’s going on?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing…”

But, try as she might, Adventure couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She scooted into her chair in the middle of a beautiful, handmade oak table and attempted to drown her enthusiasm in a bowl of Cheerios, but it was to no avail.

“Mmm-hmm… Nothing. Pull the other leg, sweetheart. So. What’s his name?”

“……Dane……”

Adventure tried to respond quickly and get back to stuffing her mouth full of cereal, but her smile at the mere mention of his name was more than enough to spread her smile even further, causing her to stifle a slight giggle and making herself choke a little.

“And does Dane have a last name?”

“Uh, oh. Yeah. Hollister. You met his mom at the last parent teacher conference?”

“Hollister… Oh yes. Margaret. And that was Dane with her? My, my, my. I can see why you’re smiling so hard.”

“Well, yeah, there’s THAT. But guess what? He asked me to homecoming! ME!! I mean, he’s on the basketball team, he runs track, he’s a senior, he’s SOOOO gorgeous, he could have ANY girl in the school, he drives a freaking Escalade, and he is SO gorgeous…”

“Mmmm… I think you mentioned his good looks… Well then, I take it you ARE going to the dance? Just the other day weren’t you the one saying you wouldn’t be caught dead there?”

‘Well… yeah… but that was before… Dane…”

Adventure trailed off and stared at her cereal with doe-like eyes. The mood shifted quickly when her father Petros huffed into the room, opening the cupboard and getting the same coffee mug he had used for as long as Adventure could recall. He looked at Zofia and Adventure, sighed heavily, then poured his coffee before plopping down in his chair at the head of the table and leafing through some papers left on there the night before.

Zofia could barely mask a scowl at Petros and his churlish behavior. She knew something was troubling him, but decided to shelf that conversation until later.

“And a good morning to you too, dear.”

“…Hmm? Oh. Morning, my dear. Good morning, Adventure.”

Petros buried himself right back into his paperwork after barely looking up to acknowledge his family’s presence, but Zofia wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.

“AHEM. Someone is going to need a new dress, darling.”

“What? Why on Earth would you need another dress? Surely one of the hundred or so already in your closet would suffice?”

“Cute. You would be wrong, of course. But cute. I’m talking about Adventure. She was asked to the homecoming dance by a delightful young man, and needs a dress proper for the occasion.”

“Delightful…? Mom…”

“Well, what else would you call him? Hunky? Groovy? A stud?”

“MOM!!”

Zofia laughed at her red-faced daughter, but couldn’t disguise her contempt over Petros’ obvious disinterest and preoccupation.

“Petros? What do you think? New dress for Adventure? Hello? House burning down? Your pants are on fire?”

“Hmm? What?! Um, whatever. Adventure dear, aren’t you running late?”

Adventure looked up from her bowl at the clock on the wall. She scooted out from the table and began to bolt for the door.

“Young lady! Your bowl…?”

“Oops! Sorry momma. I’ll do dishes tonight, okay? Gotta run! Love you!”

“And I love you too, dear. And so does your father. RIGHT, Petros?!”

“Oh! Yes, of course. Love you, sweetheart. Have a good day.”

Before Petros could finish his half-hearted farewell, Adventure had already slammed the door shut and was closing the front gate behind her, running the four block journey to Wendell Johnson High School in an attempt to beat the first bell and hopefully see Dane before she was forced to wait an entire class period to catch up to him.

“Honestly Petros! I understand your work keeps you busy, but surely you can spare a small amount of time and attention on our daughter?”

“Zofia, what do you think I’m doing?!”

“Well, I’m sure I don’t know. Especially since you’ve been so distant and quiet these past few days. Why, it’s almost like… Oh. No. Do not tell me…”

“……Yes. Everything is pointing toward the inevitable. I have left no room for error. I have studied and studied all I have at my disposal, hoping to find an alternative or perhaps a sign that the connection had been lost. Especially since it has been so many years…”

“Oh no. No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. Petros, we have a life here. SHE has a life here. Finally! Petros, we cannot leave now. She is only fifteen years old, halfway through high school, finally making friends. Good Lord, even a boyfriend! Perhaps we can allow her to at least finish high school…?”

“No. Not a chance. We have to leave. This weekend. I’ve already arranged a transfer to the Anthropology department at Ohio State and contacted the moving company. I’m sorry, Zofia. But we HAVE to do this. You know we do.”

Tears were flowing down Zofia’s face as she got up from the table and began putting dishes into the dishwasher. She stopped and supported herself against the counter as she began sobbing uncontrollably. Petros’ reaction time improved drastically as he turned his wife around and held her tight in his massive arms.

“I know dear, I know. We’ll weather this storm though. You know we will. It’s not the first time we’ve had to move, and as she gets older, it will likely not be the last. I understand she’ll be heartbroken…”

Zofia backed away from Petros and peered through bloodshot eyes directly into his.

“Heartbroken? This… will kill her.”

Another day had blissfully flown by for Adventure. Leaping from door to bed and bouncing the air out of her lungs, she rolled over on her back, staring at the ceiling with a huge grin plastered across her face. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, and knowing Nia was out again at some thing with her parents, Adventure rolled back over and reached for her longtime friend and confidante; her laptop.

“LOL!! Today. Was. AWESOME! Nia and Hannah met me at the locker this morning and somehow already knew about Dane. WTF?? But then again, Nia is the biggest news hound I know. I swear that girl will end up working for TMZ or something right out of high school! Hannah was sooo jealous! They both talked to me for so long, we were all late to first period! How could I be late for Mrs. Kane’s class?! Not only is art my favorite class EVER, but DANE is in there! And there he was; perfectly chiseled like a Greek statue, with a smile that melts me and those amazing dimples and his chest and shoulders straining at his letterman’s jacket, just begging to rip out and flex for all of us to soak in just how awesome he is… Whew! Sorry, is it warm to you too? LOL! We had a major project due, so I didn’t get to talk to him at ALL until after class. Dane walked me to my locker and asked me if I still wanted to go with him. Uh. DUH!! Of course, like a complete idiot, I gave him a hug. But guess what? He not only hugged me back (!!!!), but asked me to come over for dinner Friday so we could “get to know each other a little better!” And with his parents out of town… LOL! This day could not possibly get ANY better. I am in LOVE!!!! Dane gave me a ride home and we totally sat out in his Escalade talking for like, an hour, I swear. So that was good. I came in the house and mom and dad were nowhere to be found. Also good. Poked my head into mom and dad’s room and saw a bunch of boxes, some packed and some not. NOT good. Same with dad’s office. And the kitchen. NOT GOOD. W.T.F?!?!?!?! There’s the garage door opening now. Time to find out who took their crazy pills today and find out what’s up! Later.”

Adventure was already down the stairs and standing in the doorway to the garage by the time her parents got out of their car, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and scowl firmly in place as the centerpiece for her unbridled inquisitiveness and rapidly growing frustration. While Petros immediately went about the task of gathering groceries from the back seat, Zofia exited the car with a bag of KFC and a smile as she warmly looked at Adventure. Zofia’s smile turned to a frown once she saw Adventure’s “ready to rumble” composure she knew all too well.

“Hey there kiddo! How was your day?”

“……Mom. What. Is. Going. On?”

“I… um… Your father has some… big news, honey! Now come on and help me get ready for dinner!”

Adventure peered through squinted eyes, clearly shooting daggers straight through her mother. Petros rose up from the back seat and closed the door. Looking up, he caught Adventure’s glare as well.

“H-hello, sweetheart.”

“Daddy.”

One simple word, yet delivered with such a tone and coldness that Petros couldn’t help but get a shiver down his spine. Petros looked down at the grocery bags weighing his arms down and slowly made his way around the car to the door, apprehensively following Adventure and Zofia through a maze of empty and half-filled boxes into the kitchen. As he began putting things into the refrigerator, Zofia began pulling boxes of chicken and containers of sides out of the bag, while Adventure pulled plates out of the cabinet and stared a hole through her father.

“Well then. Get to it everyone! The Colonel went to all this trouble, so let’s eat!”

“Umm… AHEM. I have some… paperwork that needs my attention, so I’ll take mine to the office…”

“NO, you most certainly will not! We’re sitting down at this table as a family! Now, don’t you have some news for Adventure?”

“Yes. Well… yes. Adventure, my sweet young daughter…”

“Wait. STOP. This is so not going where I think it is, IS it?”

Adventure and Petros both seated themselves at the table simultaneously, neither breaking very uncomfortable eye contact. Petros was the first to break the stare down, picking at the chicken on his plate like he was searching for the words within the secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices.

“Well?”

“Young lady, I will NOT tolerate such an attitude out of you! You know that whatever we do we do for your benefit, and not without considerable forethought. Such decisions are never easy, on your mother and certainly not on me, but they are decisions we ALL must deal with!”

“We… we’re moving again, aren’t we?”

“I have accepted an incredibly generous offer from Ohio State…”

“When?”

“We’ll be living in Columbus, which is Ohio’s capital. There are several amazing schools to…”

“When?!”

“And it is only a short plane ride back down here to visit friends and…”

“WHEN?!?!”

“Adventure Eurynome! That is NO way to talk to your father! He’s doing what he thinks is best for…”

Adventure had enough of the delaying tactics and was more than devastated at not only the news, but the obvious delay in revealing their timeframe for moving. She stood straight up, knocking her chair backwards, slamming into the nearby counter as she pounded her fists to the table.

“Dad; WHEN?!?!?!”

Petros’ brow furled and he looked as if he were about to explode, but one look into the soulful, hurt, and tear-filled eyes of his daughter caused his composure to quickly change. His shoulders slumped down and he hung his head low.

“The movers will be here Saturday morning. We leave Saturday night.”

“Saturday. Saturday?? SATURDAY?! As in, three days from now Saturday?!”

“Yes dear. This Saturday. I start my new position on Monday, so that doesn’t leave us much time to…”

“Doesn’t leave YOU much time! I’m not going anywhere!!”

“Addie, sweetheart, you know your father doesn’t do these things to hurt anyone. He has to take care of us. He has responsibilities you don’t understand. We talked at great length about this and I promise you, everything will be…”

“Fine? Is that what you were going to say? Fine?! Mom, you have NO concept of “fine!” I have a life here! I have friends here! God, for the first time, I have a boyfriend here!! Leaving is anything but fine!!”

Her father’s demeanor immediately changed with Adventure’s harshly inappropriate behavior towards her mother, his wife.

“Adventure Dorothea, you will listen and you will listen good! What I do… what I do is important. It is important research that I do. It affords us a life very few of your friends know or will ever know. It allows your mother the time to do as she pleases and makes sure you. Are. Kept. Safe. We are moving. It is immediate and sudden and for that I do apologize. But that does not in any way excuse your behavior. Now. You will apologize to your mother. You will finish your dinner. You will go upstairs and start packing your belongings. Is this understood?”

Adventure’s posture changed the longer her father went on. Strong, stalwart defiance slowly gave way to a droopy, deflated wilt. She looked hard for a long moment into Petros’ eyes, then down at the table. She slumped down into her chair, almost in slow motion. Adventure’s gaze slowly moved to her mother. Seated where she was, Adventure could see out the kitchen bay window silhouetting Zofia’s head. She was completely unprepared to see two ravens. She was certain there were no ravens at all in Florida, let alone two that looked, she could swear, identical to the ones in her dream! She quickly shifted her focus to her mother and down to her plate. Seeing the chicken legs, looking back up, not seeing the ravens, looking back down at her plate, caused a sudden rush of panic to overcome her.

“Um… uhh… mom. I… I’m r-really sorry. I… may I be excused?”

“Uhhh… I suppose so, dear. Aren’t you at all hungry? You look ill!”

“What? No. no. I’m okay. Just… not in the mood, okay?”

“…Sure dear.”

Adventure bolted out of her chair, pushed it in and all but sprinted upstairs to her room, slamming the door shut behind her as she dove directly into the heart of her bed, burying her face into her pillows and sobbing so hard she eventually cried herself to sleep.

Adventure awoke several hours later, her mouth stuck to a pillow and her eyes nearly sealed together from dried tears. She slowly slid off the bed and onto the floor, laying there for a few minutes simply staring at the ceiling, as if it would perhaps help her out in some way. Eventually, Adventure pulled herself up onto her bedside and immediately resumed crying. She grabbed a pillow to cry into for quite some time before pulling her face out of it and sniffling her way towards her connected bathroom. She cleaned herself up and looked into her wall-sized mirror. She felt disgusted at the reflection before her, repulsed by the ugly, insignificant creature looking back at her. Her face drew closer to the mirror, looking long and hard at the various imperfections that made her know in her heart of hearts that Dane was simply put up to inviting her, and that it was all a cruel setup for an even more cruel punchline when he finally got her to his house. Adventure was certain a boy as magnificent as Dane could never truly go for a homely shrew like herself. Her mouth drew up into a snarl as her hands began to clench into fists. She also knew her parents couldn’t possibly care for her feelings. As far as she was concerned, her father’s work took her daddy and gave her this… man, to whose bidding she must serve, and a mother who just lets it all happen. Adventure could feel her temper about to blow, and she was suddenly very fine with that. Before she could stop herself, Adventure began pounding at the mirror, eventually causing it to crack and then break into shards. She pulled her hands away quickly after that, looking at them and stopping to stare with great interest at the minute shards stuck in her flesh and the blood slowly beginning to trickle down her arms. Slowly, she allowed her gaze to pull away from the blood and back to the shattered reflection in front of her. A small, sickly smile crossed her lips as well as the reflection of a statement she had made earlier that she was “not going anywhere…”

She thought to herself; “WHY?!?! Why, why, WHY?!?! I’ve gone along with this bullcrap my entire life! Daddy’s “work” moves us every two damn years! Every. 2. YEARS!!! They promised, no SWORE that this was it! High school I could have. It was MINE! And Dane. And Dane… And Nia. And WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY????!!!! I’M not going anywhere! This. Is. IT. Screw daddy’s job. Screw him, and screw mom! I’m DONE!!!!”

Adventure looked out the window and once again saw the ravens, perched on a branch and staring at her intently. Instead of shock, she met their gaze with a steel-strong reserve, as if their presence gave her power and control. Going back into the bathroom, Adventure took careful time and considerable care in washing the blood from her hands and gently pulling the slivers of glass from her skin, wrapping them in gauze and bandages. She then returned to her room and looked at her shattered image in the mirror. Considering something else that had come to mind, thanks to her mom’s constant pumping of classic rock in her ears since she was a baby, Adventure thought of an appropriate final entry into her trusty digital diary.

“Any world that I'm welcome to,

Is better…

Than the one…

I come from.

I got this thing inside me,

That's got to find a place to hide me,

I only know I must obey,

This feeling I can't explain away.”

Adventure looked over her words, carefully considering them and the message for several minutes before standing, looking out the window at the steely gaze of two imaginary ravens, then turning to her dresser, retrieving a warm change of clothes and as many additional pieces as she could fit into her school backpack. She stared at her words typed on the laptop one more time while pulling the laces of her hiking boots up tight, then, seemingly satisfied with the message, proceeded to climb out her window. Sitting on the window sill, Adventure momentarily reconsidered her actions, imagining the look on her mother’s face and, more immediately, imagining the pain she would feel if her calculated jump went awry. With a deep breath, she leaned forward and slipped off the window ledge, reaching out and successfully grasping at the sturdy branch where her two imaginary friends were perched moments ago. She looked down, grunting, and with a slight whimper, released her hold and falling hard into a thick, well-maintained shrub of powderpuff, which, Adventure thought, was appropriately named, as she emerged relatively unscathed. Knowing her parents were likely still up and about, she made haste in running from yard to yard like a prisoner seeking escape from maximum security.

Finally out of the neighborhood and almost to her intended destination, the clouds that had been moving in since early evening finally decided to open up and unleash a torrential downpour. Quickly soaked to the bone, Adventure was passed on the road by what she was certain was Dane’s Escalade. Going unnoticed, she was drenched even further by the resulting wave that erupted from the puddle he carelessly drove through. She thought to herself that it didn’t matter, since she was just around the block from her intended destination, where she was sure that, if she knew Dane as well as she thought she did, he wouldn’t care a bit about her drowned rat appearance and would likely offer her shelter and who knows? Maybe his family would even adopt her! Wishful thinking, to be sure, but Adventure was desperate to stay. Desperate for acceptance she finally felt she was receiving, from Dane, her friends, her school. Everyone but the two people who she thought accepted and loved her the most; her parents. Choking back tears, her target was finally in sight. Dane’s house was just two yards away, and she could see now that it was his Escalade that passed her, as it pulled into the garage. Running down the slippery sidewalk, Adventure came to a skidding halt in front of his driveway, stunned immobile by what she saw. There was Dane, opening the passenger door. For Ashlee. She closed the door and he pressed her body up against his vehicle and the two kissed long and lewdly for what seemed like an eternity, before opening the door to go inside and pressing the button to close the garage door. Adventure could only stand there, watching the door close, slamming shut on his garage, on her dreams, on her heart.

Adventure walked the streets for hours. Outlasting the rain but still dripping from head to toe, she reluctantly found her way back to her house. Crushed, feeling hopeless, betrayed, and defeated, she wiped the tears from her eyes and snot from her face and peered through squinted eyes at the building containing the prime subject of her anger and despair. Deciding to move, per her father’s wishes, versus staying here where she is being lied to, likely ending up living on the streets, and living a spiteful, bitter existence, Adventure sighed a deep breath of overpowering repression and approached the front door. Locked. Of course, it was 3:30 in the morning, so what else did she expect? Adventure stared at the house, trying to ascertain reentry, as she could surely not go back in the same way she came out. She went around the ground floor, checking each window. Also locked. Coming around to the back door that led into the kitchen, Adventure decided the only way inside, short of yelling and waking both her parents and much of the neighborhood up, was going to be breaking a window. She dug into her backpack, removed a thick sweater, and wrapped it tightly around her hands. With a mighty swing, she struck the window on the back door, shattering it. She used the sweater to break out the remaining pieces of glass still clinging to the frame so as to not slice her arm, then reached inside to turn the handle and gain entry.

Still soaked to the bone, clothes hanging and dripping from her thin, awkward frame, Adventure entered as quietly as possible, lightly treading over the broken shards of glass so as to make as little noise as possible. Adventure heard footsteps coming down the stairs and froze in an instant, not daring to make another move, hoping whoever was awake wouldn’t see her. Then she heard shuffling in the darkness. A clap of noise not unlike thunder. She felt a sudden numbness, followed by a piercing pain in her chest. Thinking this must be what it felt like to have a heart attack, Adventure found herself incapable of maintaining her footing, and dropped to the floor.

“D-daddy?”

Petros Eurynome fumbled in the darkness for the light switch, turning it on and experiencing the most horrifying sight he could ever have imagined. He immediately dropped the gun in his hand and scrambled to the floor, pulling Adventure from the pooling blood and broken glass, a look of sheer terror and utter helplessness across his face. Adventure returned his stare of disbelief and fear with a warm smile.

“NOOO!! Adventure! My angel! What have I done?! What have I done?!?!”

As the room began dimming to black, Adventure put her blood-soaked hand up to her father’s face and stared almost past him, fading quickly from consciousness.

“Goodbye.”

CHAPTER THREE

Destination Unknown

“Adventure! Zofia! Call 911!! ADVENTURE!!”

These last words, along with the fading image of her father, the rock, the solid foundation of the Eurynome family, crying and wailing like an infant as he held his beautiful, dying daughter, his only child, in his massive arms, were the last things Adventure would see before everything went black. Her blood-drenched frame like little more than a limp rag to him, yet she felt like the weight of the entire world, and it was crushing him. She could hear the screams of her mother as they faded off into the distance, replaced by the whisper of wind past her ears, almost as if she were falling. Adventure found it curious that she was still hearing anything, let alone finding anything curious at all. She began to wonder if this was what death was actually like, and if all those people who described a bright light were simply delusional. Or perhaps they were describing their path to heaven. Which, she reasoned, would surely make this the path to hell. The more she got her bearings; there was no mistaking that she was falling through the pitch blackness. She could feel the air pressure against her back and her hair enveloping her face as it tickled her cheeks. She turned her body so that she was facing the direction she was falling, which she assumed was down, although in the absolute obsidian surroundings she found herself in, she could hardly be certain. Adventure remained in free-fall for what seemed like hours before finally seeing something other than darkness. Rushing ever closer towards her, or perhaps what she was rushing ever closer toward, was a brilliant white light. Finally. Maybe all those crazies weren’t so crazy, she thought.

Transfixed by the light, widening exponentially before her until she could only see a blank slate of pure white, Adventure felt as if she were falling into a piece of paper. At least now she could see herself. The first thing Adventure noticed was that her wound was gone, as simply as if it had never existed in the first place. The next item that came to her attention was that she was stark naked, although dry and clean, still, devoid of any clothing. Her eyes began to adjust to the blinding whiteness surrounding her and quickly began making out faint outlines of land. The light around her became more focused, revealing itself to be simply the sun, shining brightly over mountains and fields. The closer Adventure examined the surroundings rapidly coming into view, the more she recognized them. From her dreams. The same dreams she had every night of her life for as long as she could remember. For a brief moment, she was overwhelmed with excitement, feeling almost a sense of vindication that this land, only ever seen by her but described to her mother and a computer diary, really existed. That moment was indeed fleeting however, because it finally sank in that she was falling. Toward land. Very fast. Discovering that her lungs still functioned as she let out an elongated, highly panicked scream was of very little matter to Adventure at that moment, seeing as how the threat of a compressed and broken body was getting closer by the second.

Still screaming despite the pain it was causing her throat and chest, Adventure could see the land coming fast enough to begin making out details. Fine details, like individual leaves on trees, and dozens of tiny, pale glowing green dots, moving randomly about the particular tree she was about to tear through on her way to solid ground, reminding her almost of fireflies. She fell headlong into the topmost branches, breaking limbs on the tree as easily as those same limbs were splintering and tearing into her flesh. She was panicking, looking frantically for anything strong enough to grab onto, when she saw those tiny green dots, swirling around her, surrounding her and gradually, miraculously, slowing her descent until she finally came to a stop, mere feet from the ground below. Adventure continued her shrill, hoarse scream for a few moments until the matter of her safety finally sunk in, as did the fact that she seemed to be wrapped in what looked like bright, glittery, green webbing. As she began struggling to free herself from the webbing, the miniscule creatures responsible for her timely rescue began crawling around her, shifting all over her body and making their way to her face, as if they were exploring a strange new land. Once in view, Adventure could see that they were spiders. With human faces. And glowing green. Inhaling deeply, she released a scream to rival her previous effort, and the spider creatures quickly scurried away to other trees, hiding themselves from her most unappreciative outburst. She returned her attention to freeing herself from the lower limbs of the tree she was presently stuck to, when she began to hear noises, bigger noises, much bigger noises, tearing through the trees towards her location. The little green spider-men scrambled out of the nearby trees and toward the noise, when enormous spider legs tore through the bushes, revealing a hideous creature from one’s darkest nightmares. A beautiful, naked woman from the waist up, if you could excuse the eight eyes and the wispy, cobweb-like hair, and a horrible, gigantic, hairy, six-legged spider body from the waist down. As if her previous attempts were merely practice, Adventure released a blood-curdling scream from deep within her very soul. The spider-men scurried onto the spider-woman’s back, swarming into a cluster as if huddling for safety, as she crept ever closer to Adventure, reaching her hands up to cradle the young girl’s face, examining her almost like someone would a cut of meat in a butcher’s shop. After a slow smile crept across her face, the creature opened her mouth. Not so much opened it as much as unhinged her jaws like a snake, revealing a gaping maw filled with layers of very sharp fangs.

Clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth in preparation for the worst, Adventure was hardly ready for being yanked free of the tree and slamming to the ground. Suddenly, silence. Adventure barely opened one eye, then the other, only to look around and see nothing. No little green spider-men, no horrendous she-spider beast, nothing. The webbing had torn enough that Adventure was allowed some movement, and was able to scramble to her feet. Some of the webs had managed to stay, thankfully she thought, to the parts of her body that mattered. She backed herself up against the tree she had just fallen from, looking around frantically to get her bearings and, more importantly, to get any sign of her predator. Nearby underbrush began moving, much as it did when the spider-woman came through, and Adventure was certain she wasn’t going to stay put and wait for a second chance at becoming a meal. Turning to run, she was stopped in her tracks by a voice. A deep, guttural male voice, asking her, in Greek, strangely enough she thought, to wait. She winced almost as if in pain as she slowly craned her neck to look over her shoulder at the source of this voice. What Adventure saw, while certainly different than the spider-woman, was no less terrifying. A hulking, brutish man. With the head of a bull. With horns. Stunned speechless this time, or perhaps simply out of lung capacity to scream again, Adventure staggered away from the tree slowly, tripping over the large, twisted roots weaving in and out of the ground below until she could regain her footing and begin sprinting and leaping through the forest like a hunted deer. A look of momentary shock was quickly replaced with a sigh of frustration and a furrowing brow of determination as the man-bull gave chase.

Adventure was panicked as pure adrenaline kicked in and confusion began to bubble to the forefront of her mind.

“OhmyGOD!Whatwasthatthing?Whatwasthatotherthing?!I’mdreaming.I’mdreaming.Don’tcare,gottorun!AmIdead?Whatthecrapishappening?!”

She scurried behind a large tree and slammed against it, catching her breath and listening for any sign of the nightmare that was chasing her moments ago. As her breathing began to return to normal and her heart stopped pounding in her ears, Adventure began shaking like a leaf, looking around frantically at her surroundings. She eventually spotted a relatively fresh-looking puddle of water collected at the base of a nearby tree, nestled into a bowl-like formation of the gnarled roots. Adventure slowly made her way to the puddle and scooped some of the water into her hands, taking a drink. She splashed some on her face and stopped to look at her warped reflection in the puddle.

“Okay. Okay. When I was falling, I could see my dream world. So clearly, I must be dreaming. Or maybe this is the afterlife. Oh God! Daddy! Mom! Oh no, did that really happen? Is THIS really happ…?”

Adventure’s thoughts were stopped short as she continued to look into the puddle, only to see it begin to ripple, almost as if there was an earthquake. Then she began to notice nearby pebbles and fallen leaves begin to tremble on the ground. She heard the pounding sound of massive footsteps, definitely getting closer. She scrambled to her feet and backed against the tree she had sought shelter behind moments ago. The thunderous pounding continued, but began to slow until it stopped. Nearby, she thought. Adventure could feel a warm, moist breeze blowing from behind her and it carried a foul stench, like a cat-urine-left-in-a-shag-carpet-stench. As she craned her neck to try and identify the source of the horrid olfactory assault, Adventure could only see two immense horns sticking out from either side of the tree, and an occasionally-swishing cow’s tail going from left to right and back again. She whipped her head around with a snap, her eyes widening and darting about. Her breathing began to pick up serious pace and Adventure immediately started scanning the area in front of her for a possible escape. Seeing a narrow opening in the thickets ahead, Adventure settled her breathing down and slowly, intensely, began studying her portal to freedom. She counted slowly to herself from five to one, then pushed herself off the tree, launching her slender frame off the ground for a moment before she could get solid footing and race like a frightened rabbit for the hole.

The gigantic man-beast huffed exasperatedly as he resumed his chase of Adventure, who had now cleared the thickets and found herself racing through an open field. She started picking up a much faster pace, pushing the limits of her small, spindly body, and the creature chasing her charged forward as well, catching up to Adventure almost immediately. She kept her eyes forward on the goal of escaping him, when she came over a rise to discover a very sheer cliff directly in her path. Attempting to stop as abruptly as required caused Adventure to slip off her feet, hitting the ground skidding and bouncing ever closer to her second great fall of the day. She hit the edge and bounced over the side, digging her fingers deep within the ground at the cliff’s edge, but it was to little avail, as Adventure found nothing but open air beneath her and now dirty fingernails.

“Παιδιών, παίρνει το χέρι μου!” *”Child, take my hand!”*

The creature screamed at Adventure as his hulking frame, led by his monstrously large left hand, swung out over the cliff, his other hand firmly dug into the ground. Vaguely understanding his words and definitely comprehending the message, Adventure reached out, clasping firmly to his hand and coming to a sudden, shoulder-wrenching mid-air halt. Dangling from the beast’s hand, Adventure was suddenly looking at him in a different light.

“Aahhh!! Aahh! Oh God! Oh God! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! Oh God! What do I do? What do we do?!”

“Ανεβείτε το χέρι μου. Γρήγορα!” *”Climb up my arm. Quickly!”*

“What?!?! Wait a second; I think I understood some of that! Something about your… hand?”

“Ανεβείτε!!” *”Climb!!”*

Adventure squinted as she looked at him, hoping to further understand his familiar yet foreign Greek tongue. She figured she would try to speak to him like they do with foreigners in the movies.

“WHAT. YOU. MEAN? I. NEED. HELP!”

The creature, obviously exasperated by the turn of events, exhaled deeply through his giant, ring-pierced nostrils, and with a deep grunt, hefted Adventure up and back onto solid land, using momentum to haul his own massive frame up as well. With a resounding thud, this monster-savior landed on his back beside her. Both of them got to their feet slowly, with Adventure on definitely unsteady and weary legs. Face-to-bellybutton, she looked up at him and strained to take the entirety of his hulkish frame in, then began wobbling to and fro, finally rolling her eyes into the back of her head and passing out at his hoofed feet. The beast let out a deep sigh, scooped Adventure up over his shoulder, and began walking back into the woods, destination unknown.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Oh. THIS will be fun…”

Adventure felt nothing. Saw nothing. Alone and awash in an inky darkness that felt as if it were coating her like an oil slick. Barely able to move, Adventure tried to call for help. Her calls quickly turned to screams, which turned to cries of terror and panic, eventually ebbing to heaving sobs and finally, a reluctant acceptance of the futility of it all. She was ready to give up, allowing the viscous black void to swallow her whole, when she heard the faint whisper of a conversation.

“…there any idea why…”

“…told her we were moving… she must have snuck out, and was coming back in. I didn’t know… didn’t know…”

“Daddy!” she screamed. “Don’t worry. I’m okay!” But there was no response. Only a continuing conversation, becoming much clearer to her as it went on.

“And what is her name?”

“A-Adventure. Eurynome. I’m her father and this is her mother. Ohh, my poor, sweet angel…”

“Shhh. Petros, i-it’s going to be alright. We have to believe it’s going to be alright! God… please… let her be alright…”

Adventure could hear her mother’s voice, starting off strong, begin trailing off into babbling, tear-filled cries, muffled no doubt by her father’s chest as he held her tight. She became puzzled at first, wondering why she could hear them but not see them, and why they couldn’t seem to hear her. The inquisitiveness quickly turned to anger and frustration,, as Adventure became determined to get through to her parents from wherever or whatever she was trapped in.

“Momma! Daddy! I’m okay! It’s okay! I’m… okay…”

Faint glimmers of memory washed over Adventure’s troubled mind. Recollections of the sudden announcement of another move, anger, hatred even, sneaking out then sneaking back in… a loud noise… and… and…

With a huge gasp, Adventure bolted upright in a bed, pajamas, and a room most definitely not her own. She found herself covered with the warmest, most luxurious-feeling blanket she’d ever had. The sheet was a fine blue silk, and the blanket was some sort of fluffy white fur. As more of the room came into view, her mind began to wander, remembering the moments before she blacked out. She also pondered whether it was all a dream, or if she was still dreaming, or again, if she was dead. She looked around, still somewhat panicked but also nagged with a growing curiosity, and began surveying the room. Ornate wooden and brass furnishings were placed all over. A beautiful roll top desk, an entire wall taken up with a beautifully framed mirror, a table and chair in front of it, obviously set up for a female, with several brushes, combs, and a makeup kit. Then she heard what was unmistakably a snore. Loud, long, and close. Adventure’s eyes widened as she slowly craned her neck to the right to a large rocking chair and the equally massive figure of what was obviously the man-bull she had encountered, blanket wrapped around his legs as he nestled against a pillow and drooled heavily with each breath. She suddenly felt fully alert and terribly frightened.

Ever so slowly, Adventure slid out the opposite side of her bed. She spotted a door and quietly crept towards it, stopping in her tracks every time a floorboard creaked beneath her feet and looking for signs of the beast waking up. As she crossed the mirror, Adventure looked up from the floor at herself and was stunned at how beautiful the pajamas on her were. A lovely floral pattern wrapped around it from collar to ankles and they fit as if tailor made just for her. She stopped to admire the pajamas for a moment and was shocked back to the reality of the situation when the man-monster shuffled about in his chair. She quickly resumed her path toward the door, gingerly picking up her pace and slowly, carefully, turning the handle and stepping through the appropriately small opening, looking in the room through the crack as she quietly closed the door back. Leaning against the door, Adventure closed her eyes and released a huge sigh and got her bearings, only to be interrupted by the gruff clearing of a throat and an even larger sigh of steam, almost as if a train engine had come to rest beside her. She slowly, apprehensively, opened her eyes and turned to look at the source of the noises. Adventure saw a man in an obviously steam-powered wheelchair. He was massively built, with what she figured was a bear skin draped over his shoulders, and a beard larger and bushier than any she had ever seen before, and he was daintily holding a cup of what appeared to be a steaming cup of… something.

“Γεια σου αγαπητέ. Θα ήθελες ένα φλιτζάνι τσάι?” *”Hello dear. Would you care for a cup of tea?”*

“Oh God! Please don’t hurt… wait a second. Did you say “tea”?”

The man returned her question with a polite smile and just sat there looking at her with soulful eyes and a warm demeanor. Adventure slowly shuffled closer to the man. He smiled broadly and offered the cup to her gently. Taking the cup, Adventure inhaled its aroma deeply and immediately began letting her guard down, loosening her shoulders and actually smiling, however faintly.

“Ummm… σας ευχαριστώ?” *”Ummm… thank you?”*

He grinned and watched her intently, waiting for her to take a drink. Adventure cautiously tipped the cup to her lips and sipped the hot tea inside. She withdrew immediately from the steamy heat.

“Ouch!”

“Λυπάμαι. Too hot?” *”I’m sorry. Too hot?”*

“Just a little. I’m used to adding… wait a second. I understood you! Hey, maybe I’m finally remembering all that Greek daddy taught me!”

“Hmmm… maybe. But I’m betting it’s the tea.”

“Uhhh, okay. If you say so. I guess dream tea could do that. Sure. Why not?”

“Dream tea? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Yeah. Either that, or this is my “Welcome to the afterlife” gift.”

“You are… confusing me…”

“What? I’m in the land of my dreams. I was nearly eaten by a she-spider and saved by a he-bull. I was just given language translating tea by a huge Hell’s Angel in a steam-powered wheelchair. So… yeah. I’d call this a dream. Or something…”

The man stared at Adventure for what seemed like an eternity, studying her intently before releasing a slow chuckle that eventually turned into a haughty, barrel-chested laugh.

“HA! Oh my. That is a good one! A dream, she says! HA-HA! Oh my dear, if this is the place dreams are made of, then please, wake me up. HA-HA-HA!!”

“…Oookay… if you say so. I just…”

Adventure became easily distracted as she looked out the window in front of her. Lush, beautiful countryside, a field of wheat as far as the eye could see, massive mountains in the distance. Literally, the very stuff her dreams were made of.

“ So… I’m looking out this window, and I see the world I’ve seen every night of my life. Yeah, there’s the centaurs… I mean, what else would you call this, if not a dream?!”

“Well, I would call it home! Actually, this is… wait; did you say “centaurs”?”

“Yeah. They were walking past your place just now…”

The huge man sat upright in his chair and began to look highly irritated, a large blue vein beginning to show itself on his furrowed brow as he clenched his teeth together.

“ASTERIUS! Centaurs. Again!!”

Adventure dropped her cup and backed against the wall at his outburst, but was even more taken aback to hear a loud commotion coming from the room she had just emerged from moments ago. The door flew open, slamming against the wall outside in the hall and out stomped the beast, snorting and rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up.

“Asterius, did we not set those charms about the property?”

“Ummm, yes. Yes we did. About a week ago, wasn’t it?”

“Then what are a pack of centaurs doing anywhere near our property?!”

“Hephaestus, I don’t know what you’re implying, but I assure you, I did as the witch instructed…”

“Well obviously something left them access to the garden! So. Will you please go out and survey the land and our crops and assess the damage?”

“Of course. Oh, and it is good to see you up and about, young one. I was most concerned about you after your run-in with Arachne.”

“Uhh… thanks? Wait. Whoa. Did you call him… Hephaestus?”

“Should I be calling him anything else? That is his name, after all.”

Asterius cocked his head, looking at Adventure like a dog would a strange noise, before shaking it and turning to go about his task. As he lumbered off down the hall, Adventure stared intently at the man in the wheelchair.

“Hephaestus? Like… Greek god of the forge Hephaestus?”

“Well, yes. Why, do you know another?”

“Huh? No, no I don’t And… Asterius? Like, you’re telling me he’s supposed to be THE Minotaur?”

“My, my, you know so much about us and we know so little about you. How unfair is that, little one?”

“I… well, I read about you. At home. In school. Greek mythology? My dad insisted I know all about it. I guess it’s because he came from Greece and our family history goes back to ancient times or something. But you’re all just metaphors. Explanations for how the world works. Definitely not real. So like I said; this is a dream!”

“Well then. That certainly is an… interesting examination of things. So tell me… Hm. I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”

“Oh! Um… Adventure. Adventure Eurynome.”

Convinced she was deep within a dream, Adventure began dropping her guard. Her shoulders dropped and her stomach slowly began working itself out of the intricate knot she had put it in. She slowly, timidly stuck her hand out with her introduction. Hephaestus looked somewhat taken aback over her gesture, but happily returned her favor.

“And, as we established, I am Hephaestus. Former forge smith for… my father. And… Eurynome, you said?”

“Yeah…”

“That is… most intriguing. Clearly, the stars are up to something, crossing our paths like this.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well my dear, Eurynome was my mother’s name. I always thought it was such a beautiful name. How interesting that it is your surname… but I digress! Come, go back into your room and open the closet along the wall beside the rocking chair. I think you’ll find some clothing that ought to be just about your size. After you dress, please come down the hall and to the last door on the right. That is our dining room, and we would be most blessed to have you for breakfast.”

“Have me for… you mean, like, eat me?!”

“HA-HA-HA!! No, no, join us for some breakfast! Oh, that is rich. I shall have to tell Asterius of this when he comes inside. “For breakfast…” HA!!”

“……Oh. Heh-heh… Okay then. I guess I’ll head to “my” room and see what I can find. Um, thanks?”

“You’re quite welcome, Adventure.”

With that, Hephaestus pulled a lever on the arm of his wheelchair, causing it to billow steam underneath, turn him around, and send him chugging off down the hallway. Adventure stared in disbelief and wonder for a moment, then slowly, languidly, made her way back into the bedroom she woke up in. In her “dream.” The thought of that notion caused her to giggle lightly as she closed the door and walked over to the closet. As she swung the door open, she could only stare in stunned disbelief at the sheer magnitude of fashion laid before her. “If this is a dream,” she thought, “then I might as well enjoy myself!” Adventure entered the massive wardrobe closet with a jaw-aching smile across her face as the door closed behind her and the room automatically illuminated from all corners. She gasped deeply.

“Oh. THIS will be fun…”

CHAPTER FIVE

“…Company. The unwelcome kind…”

An hour later, there was a gentle knock on the closet door. Adventure arose from a heap of dresses, half-clothed and giggling like a little girl.

“Ummm… yeah?”

“It… its Asterius. Hephaestus wanted me to come see if you had forgotten about breakfast?”

“Oh crap! Um, yeah. No, I didn’t forget! I’ll be right there, okay?”

“O-okay. Thank you, Miss Adventure. Uh… Miss Adventure?”

Adventure got a distinct kick out of Asterius’ use of words, chuckling aloud, then clearing her throat and regaining her composure.

“Heh… Yes?”

“I was… that is, we were wondering… if you were considering staying around for any length of time?”

“Staying? Here? Uhhh… well, considering this is a dream, I’d go ahead and call that a “no.” I mean, I’ll have to wake up sometime, right?”

“A dream? Miss Adventure, did I hear you right?”

“Well… yeah! Anyways, I’ll be there in a second, so, you know, I’m hurrying.”

“Oh, there’s no rush! Take all the time you need. I’ll let Hephaestus know.”

“Thanks. Oh, um, Asterius?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for being in the right place at the right time. You know, out there… in the woods… and after……”

“I’ve come to believe there are no coincidences, ma’am. Why you came crashing through the trees out of thin air and all, right in the middle of a three day hunting trip that was just about to reach fruition, I have no idea. But you did make my apprehension of that most foul Arachne much easier, I must admit!”

“Wha… Arachne? The lady so good at weaving, she ticked off Athena and got changed into… that? Really? And… hunting trip?”

“My, you do know your history very well! Yes, a hunting trip. Specifically, to get her and her brood of children far away from Hephaestus’ property. Why, they had already devoured six chickens, two goats, and at least three other wayward wanderers such as yourself that we know of before you, um, fell into the picture.”

“Oh. Ewww! Well, as disgusting as they were, I guess her… kids… at least slowed my fall and preserved some of my modesty before you charged in to my rescue. Call it fate or whatever, but still… thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome, Miss Adventure. I’ll take my leave now if you don’t mind. The bacon smells terribly good…”

“Heh. Sure. And one more thing?”

“Yes?”

“It’s just Adventure, okay?”

“Of course. Adventure.”

Adventure finally emerged from her room some time later, adorned in a flattering emerald green dress, laced with miniature heart-shaped gold nuggets and deep purple tanzanite gems. She had found a pair of gold-flocked shoes to match the dress as well, surprisingly also a near perfect fit. She ventured down the long hallway for what seemed like forever before finally following the intoxicating mix of smells emerging from the dining room straight to the source. As Adventure crossed the threshold into the room, she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide open and mouth agape. “Oh… my…” were the only words she was able to muster after beholding the sight before her. A magnificently handcrafted table virtually appeared to be buckling under the weight of the most food Adventure had ever seen in one place at one time, even including that trip to the Golden Corral last summer. And even more ravenous and disgusting than the swarm of senior citizens that flocked to the all-you-can-eat dining establishment were Asterius and Hephaestus, hands flying across the table in mad pursuit of a variety of meats, pies, pancakes, milk, and more to shovel into their gaping maws like two starving bears. She stood in the doorway staring at the scene unfolding before her until Hephaestus finally paused to use the table cloth to wipe basically the equivalent of an average adult meal off his face and out of his beard.

“Oh! Hello, dear! Come, we have a seat for you right over here.”

“I, um, uhhh…”

“Oh, come now child! We aren’t after you! After all, you’re not fried, baked, or smothered in jellies… are you?”

“Huh? Oh… oh, of course not!”

Adventure smiled slightly and shuffled over to her prearranged seating, climbing up into her seat like an infant would the first time it tries to sit at the adult table. After some amount of effort and trepidation, she finally managed to climb into her chair and get a look at the plate arranged for her. An entire roasted hen, a rack of lamb, a virtual mountain of bacon, the largest, fluffiest pancakes she had ever seen, and a veritable gallon-sized jug of milk. To the side, cordoned on its own plate almost as if to not offend the rest of the meal, a small salad of assorted greens, fresh carrots, and fresh cucumbers. Unsure of where to start, she slowly began pecking at the salad. After a moment of silence washed across the room, Adventure looked up from her plate at the highly puzzled faces of Hephaestus and Asterius, who were both holding foods of assorted types in their hands as other, perhaps even different foods dribbled forth from their open mouths, stunned to silence. She slowly, daintily, placed her fork down beside the salad plate, wiped her mouth with the cloth she had draped across her lap, and looked meekly at them both.

“Wh-what?”

“…Nothing. It’s just, well, Hephaestus only had me place it there as a jest. We… we never figured anyone would actually eat the mixed garden!”

Asterius and Hephaestus stared at Adventure for a moment then looked at each other. Hearty laughter soon filled the room, as both resumed their carnal festivities, or as they had referred to it, “breakfast”. Adventure slowly dropped her guard and started laughing as well, finally digging in hands first into the bacon mountain on her plate.

“Ooohh, my God! I’ve never eaten bacon this good! And this milk! Is this fresh?!”

Adventure tipped the giant jug up to her mouth and drank, allowing it to flow freely down her front, stopping after several large gulps to wipe herself off as good as she could, then looking sheepishly at her breakfast benefactors.

“BEEELLLLCH! Oh! Um… excuse me?”

Laughter and bodily noises continued to echo throughout the massive ranch home for another hour before the trio finally slowed to a stop. Almost in a drunken stupor from the indulgent act they had just committed, Adventure was the first to show any emotion beyond sloth as she arose from her near-slumber, glancing lazily at Hephaestus.

“So. That tea. Something like that would be so much better than learning new languages! Like, I had to learn Greek, Spanish, and German growing up. I hated it, so I do good to remember anything from any of them.”

“…Uurp! Hhh… excuse me. Yes, the Babylon tea. They say it is cultivated in the Great Hanging Gardens by an ancient woman named A´mytis. Don’t know if there’s truth in that, but if there is, the old girl can certainly make a mean brew, eh? Heh-heh…”

“Whatever it is, I need to remember the stuff! I’d be like, rich for life if I could sell that in the real world. It’s totally bizarre, you know? The crazy things someone’s brain can cook up in a dream.”

“There you go again with that! “A dream.” I cannot express to you any more than I have that this is as real as it gets. Asterius and I. All the denizens of Faerie. One hundred percent real. Truth told, you are the strangest thing to come along in many a year. Perhaps I am dreaming you?”

Adventure sat quietly for several minutes, staring intently at her goblet, almost as if it contained all the answers of the universe. Still looking at it, she inhaled and paused, choosing the best way to express the jumble of thoughts in her head.

“…I remember…. I remember being in my room. I remember climbing out… of the window? No… no, that can’t be right. I was mad… and going to bed… why was I mad? I… remember it had something to do with daddy… and then a loud noise right before I fell… asleep… then falling. Into here. And the rest of the craziness you know. Yeah, definitely a dream...... right? Right. A dream. A very, very vivid dream…”

She looked up from her goblet, locking eyes with Hephaestus. Her own eyes had the faintest rims of tears, perching on her lower lids and preparing to fall. Her chin was visibly quivering and her expression changed to one of pain and confusion.

“…Right?”

Hephaestus inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts to attempt to salvage what had been an otherwise pleasurable breakfast experience, when Asterius began to stir, lifting his head off the plate of half-eaten food in front of him, sniffing and inhaling deeply at the air. His tail began swishing to and fro as he reached for his towel and began slowly wiping food from his face while standing up from his chair.

“…Company. The unwelcome kind…”

CHAPTER SIX

“We’ve got a date to keep!”

Adventure climbed down off her chair and looked apprehensively at Hephaestus, who was fully alert and chugging his way toward the dining room door. Asterius was already ahead of him, stomping down a long hall toward the main room of the house. She looked sheepish and confused, and her fish out of water predicament was not lost on Hephaestus, who motioned for her to hop onto a rail running across the back of his chair. Adventure jumped on, causing a slight spring and an added huff of steam that caused her dress to billow up like the famous Marilyn Monroe portrait. She quickly pulled the dress down with one hand and kept her other firmly attached to the fur Hephaestus had draped off his back. She looked on in complete enthrallment at this massive home, passing through what could be best described as every hunter’s wildest dream of a trophy room, into a sitting room with massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking and filled with some of the most exotic and unusual-looking plants she had ever seen and a flurry of likewise-beautiful and somewhat otherworldly butterflies flitting all through the flowers, and finally to the front room, a palatial, opulent grand hall adorned with all manner of beautiful paintings, intricate iron works of art, several plush pieces of furniture, obviously built to hold even the extremes of something like Asterius, and a magnificent chandelier, each piece hand-carved from ivory, quartz crystals, and other strange, unknown materials. As Asterius opened the large wooden front door, swinging it open and taking note of the squealing hinges, he stood poised in the doorstep, ready for anything. Well, almost.

Asterius looked around, smelling at the air and peering down the long trail to the front gate. Scowling, he turned to look at Hephaestus with a deep frown on his face, and the message was clear. Hephaestus hung his head and sighed deeply. While looking down at the ground, he noticed a shiny golden apple at the edge of the porch. His brow furled with concern and he moved as swiftly as his chair would allow him to in an attempt to grab it, causing Asterius and Adventure to catch a glimpse of the apple as well. Asterius, wide-eyed and with a thin line of drool escaping the corner of his mouth, likewise charged forward to retrieve the fruit. Unexpectedly, Adventure would be the first to snag the object of sudden desire, sprinting between her two caretakers and diving to a slide, scooping the apple into her hands as she slid off the porch and onto the ground with a resounding thud. Jumping to her feet and cradling the treasure as if she had just performed the game-winning touchdown of the Super Bowl, Adventure looked at Asterius and Hephaestus and was suddenly overcome with feelings of selfishness and contempt.

“Oh yeah, baby! Mine! All mine! God, this is so awesome! And all mine!!”

Hephaestus looked at her with a mixture of concern and surprise as he held Asterius tightly by the arm. Asterius looked at Hephaestus then back to Adventure, lust for the shining object of desire clearly filling his eyes, pulling to free himself from his friends grasp. Hephaestus pulled him down so as to be face-to-face, glaring into Asterius’ eyes before pulling him close enough to whisper into his ear.

“No! You know full well what that is and who sent it. Regain your composure NOW beast and allow me to pull this young woman from its grasp or so help me I will adorn my mantle with your damnable hide!”

Adventure, wild-eyed and clearly locked in her own mind, smiled a wide, toothy grin as she held the apple up to her gaze, examining it carefully. Her breath became labored and her body was shaking with anticipation, finally opening her mouth to take a bite.

“Adventure, no! Stop this at once!”

Hephaestus and Asterius both attempted to reach out and grasp the golden treasure from Adventure’s hand, but were cut off by the sudden and timely appearance of the two casual onlookers who had taken interest in Adventure since before her arrival in Faerie. As one jet black raven locked its talons into Adventure’s hair, tangling and pulling it painfully, causing a momentary and unwelcome distraction, the other swooped in to retrieve the golden apple from her hand, clutching it and flying quickly out of range, dropping it just outside the gates to the ranch and into the hands of a woman, seated on a large black stallion, outfitted in heavy golden armor from head to toe.

“Aiieow! What the heck?! Get off me, you stupid bird!”

Before Adventure could successfully swat the raven away, it effortlessly released its grasp from her hair, taking flight to join its erstwhile companion high atop the fence beside the gates.

“Well my dear, it seems someone else knows you’re here, obviously. And it also seems that Asterius and I have some… business to attend to with a witch most foul. Stay here. Please make yourself comfortable. My home is, of course, yours.”

“Are you kidding?! I don’t know what the F that was all about, I don’t know why I just went as crazy as a fat guy with the last Twinkie, and I don’t know when this dream is going to end, but I do know I’m not going to waste it wandering around your place while you go… wherever you’re going. Come on, let’s go!”

Hephaestus looked at Asterius and shrugged his massive shoulders, turning to follow Adventure to the front gates, and Asterius just stood there for a moment, looking at the two of them heading for what he knew was going to be potentially dangerous, especially where she was concerned. He shuddered slightly, pulled the door to the ranch closed, and ran to catch up to his companions.

Walking for easily the length of a football field, the trio had finally neared the gated archway entrance to the ranch. Adventure looked at the gate and stopped in her tracks for a moment, seeing the two ravens perched on either side of the gateway, staring back down at her with their blood-red eyes. She snapped her focus back to the woman and the three continued until they were standing directly underneath the large iron arch. This woman, glaring a hole through Adventure as she took a large bite out of her golden apple, appeared to be keeping her steed quite agitated, kicking him with spurs every so often and jerking at the reigns. Adventure could see the subtly evil smile of thrill the rider took in her actions. She looked at Hephaestus, who had a grim scowl on his face as he proceeded ahead, never removing his gaze from the woman on the other side. Adventure craned her neck around to look at the ravens, who were now gone. What she did see, however, was the name of the ranch, etched into the iron and filled with gold. “Áine.” Her attention was brought back to the situation at hand when the stallion leaned in and snorted in her ear, scaring her into leaping backwards and hiding behind Asterius, who returned the horse’s antics with a firm snort of his own, causing it to back away quickly. From out of the surrounding wood, several centaurs, armed with double-barrel crossbows, emerged to flank the trio.

Despite the bulky-looking armor, the woman easily dismounted, gliding down to the ground like a feather. She held her arms out and smiled a toothy grin, instantly making Adventure even more uneasy about her than before. Hephaestus back away from her advances and leaned forward in his chair, looking extremely perturbed.

“Hephaestus, darling! It has been too long! Come now, give us a hug.”

“…Sister. Not long enough. And no, thank you. I just ate, and do not wish to divest myself of my meal so soon.”

“Oooh, brother. Is that any way to talk to your sweet little sissie? Come here and show me some love, hmm?

She wrapped her arms around Hephaestus, who reacted as if he were covered in excrement. The woman hugged him close and whispered in his ear.

“How’s your bride, hmm? Or is that little slip of a thing your “replacement plan?” Heh-heh-heh…”

Hephaestus jerked away from her embrace and gritted his teeth, glaring at her intensely. Steam began billowing out from the chair, creating such a thick blanket Adventure and Asterius could barely see the two siblings.

“I don’t know, Eris. How’s our brother?”

Eris’ nose curled up as she turned her smile into a pouty frown, backing away from Hephaestus. Her stallion received such an overwhelming sense of fury coming from her that he withdrew to the edge of the trees nearby.

“Oh wait; he chose to stay behind. Hmmm… I wonder how he’s faring these days? Now what do you want?”

“…I just wanted to come and let you know that Her Highness Titania requests your presence for supper a week hence in the high tower of Hy Brasil.”

“Why, pray tell, would she want to see us?”

“Well, it’s not so much you or your servant she cares about. This was primarily for the little twig clinging to his leg. Yes, that’s you I’m talking about, dear. Come now. Climb on my steed and we shall be off. You should arrive with time to spare, so that we might make you a tad more… um… something else…”

Eris walked past Hephaestus and approached Adventure, extending her hand as if expecting Adventure to take hold. Adventure pulled away and ran around the other side of Asterius and onto Hephaestus’ chair. Hephaestus swung around and stared his sister down, as Asterius stepped forward, pressing his massive chest against her back. Eris looked shocked for a moment, then smiled and wrapped her arms backwards around Asterius’ posterior, rubbing her hands along his thighs. Asterius pulled back violently from her, clenching his fists and emitting a low, guttural growl.

“Hmm… well, well. As much fun as this would be boys, and believe me “Minotaur,” it would be more fun than you could handle, I have obligations, she has obligations, you understand. So if we could go, dear…?”

“I know that this dream is starting to become weird, and I also know I am not going with you anywhere!”

“You little…”

Eris raised her hand to strike Adventure, but her attention was drawn away from the impending drama when she saw her horse bucking and whining wildly as he was attacked by the pair of ravens. Adventure and the others looked on as the ravens pecked and dive bombed the stallion until he galloped away into the woods. Eris motioned to the centaurs to give chase, then snapped around quickly to address the task at hand.

“Small thing, you would do well to be to the palace in a fashion most timely, or the rest of your short, miserable little life will be filled with horror unimaginable! And Hephaestus, dear brother, stop being so hot under the collar! Would hate for you to go the way of so many of our kin, or your beloved Áine…”

With a wicked smile and a mischievous wink, Eris turned and gave chase to reclaim her steed, disappearing into the forest. Adventure jumped off the chair and stared at Hephaestus with a puzzled look on her face. Then she turned her stare to Asterius. She started to open her mouth to speak, but was cut short by Asterius, who motioned for her to exercise caution upon speaking at that particular moment.

The three compatriots turned and slowly made their way back into the ranch. Adventure was finally the first to break the many long, uncomfortable minutes of silence.

“So… what now?”

Asterius looked down at Hephaestus, who was busy stroking his unruly beard, lost in thought. Hephaestus finally realized they were both staring holes through him, and looked upward at the large chandelier hanging delicately above their heads. He took a deep, exhausted breath before speaking.

“Now, I suppose, we pack. Yes, we pack, and we leave at first light. Come, there is much to do.”

The remainder of the day went by quickly, filled with chaotic packing of necessary items, rummaging through clothing suitable for Adventure and much uncomfortable silence. Following a dinnertime feast equaling the proportions of the day’s breakfast offering, Adventure was finally ready to retire. It only took a few minutes before her eyelids grew heavy, as if weights were attached to them, and, as hard as she tried to fight it, she finally succumbed to sleep.

Darkness. Complete, total pitch. Adventure was surrounded by it, with only the faint sound of beeps piercing the inky obsidian that enveloped her sight and seemed to hold her body as tightly as a straightjacket. After a few moments, she began to recognize the noise as belonging to a heart monitor. At least, that’s the closest approximation she could make of it, having seen so many medical dramas on TV. She listened intently for any other noise, any activity, any sign of a return to normalcy that she was now only faintly remembering as her life before. To say she was shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice address her directly was a vast understatement.

“Dear heart, take solace.”

“W-what? Who said that?”

“I have collected many names. You may choose one, or simply add to the list. Mab. Una. L'annawnshee. Meave. Tanaquill. Caelia. Aibell. Titania…”

“Wait; Titania? The Fairy Queen? You’re the one Eris was talking about! And… weren’t you in a Shakespeare play? What do you want to see me for?”

“Titania it is then. And yes; William. He designed such wonderful wordplays for me once upon a time. I am afraid, however, that time is presently most fleeting. His is a tale which shall have to abide for another day. But as I said; take solace. You are not alone. Kinship is not afar off. In fact, closer than you could scarce imagine. My wants are not so great an importance as my… our needs. You have a journey, an adventure, if you will, ahead of you that will shape destiny. Yours. Mine. All.”

“What do you mean, “All?” And how can a dream be so important? People dream all the time and nothing happens! Dreams are just your brain’s way of sorting things out. Right?”

“My darling Adventure, a dream is the best way to describe your life lived thus far. You are truly awake now for perhaps the first time in your young life. And if you wish to stay awake, and alive, you need to get up and move off of your bed most swiftly. Do you understand?”

“Wha…?!”

As if moving by sheer instinct, Adventure’s eyes popped open and she rolled off her bed and onto the floor, just as a mighty roar preceded the thunderous crash of her bedchamber wall, blasting apart as it was pierced by a powerful burst of flame! Adventure rolled under her bed and in a state of wide-eyed, short-breathed panic, screamed for the first and surest source of help she could think of.

“DADDY!!”

She screamed again and screeched until she was hoarse, looking around for a way out of the room that was now ablaze and covered in a clutter of busted bricks and broken glass. Suddenly, the bedroom door blew open, flying off its hinges and landing on top of the bed, as Asterius thundered in to the room, lifting the bed up with one hand while scooping Adventure up to cradle against his massive frame with the other. Tearing through both the door and the bed like so much cardboard came a gigantic snake, bearing its venom-dripping fangs as it lunged straight for Adventure. Asterius turned just in time to protect her, taking the bite deep into his shoulder blade. Letting out a deep, guttural scream, Asterius thrust Adventure out the door and into the hall, barking orders like a drill sergeant.

“Down the… URGH… down the hall! Straight to Hephaestus! Tell him it is… GRRR… a chimera! Go. Now! MOVE!!”

Adventure stared into the room for a moment, allowing the horror to set in to her brain before processing it all enough to get up to her feet and, feeling almost as if she were running in mud, charged down the hallway toward Hephaestus’ room. She was met with an explosion as Hephaestus was blown out his bedroom door by a pillar of flame, slamming into the wall. Embedded in the rubble but relatively unfazed by the blow, Hephaestus pulled himself out of the wall and onto the floor. Adventure was quickly at his side, trying her hardest to lift him up. She managed to get him to his knees before the most bizarre, horrifying creature she had ever seen came thundering through the outer wall. With the body and head of a giant lion, a goat’s head perched atop its shoulders, spewing flame into the night sky, and a tail that was actually a venom-spewing snake, the enormous chimera was not merely intent on destroying the structure, but was clearly targeting its inhabitants. As the lion opened its gaping maw and lunged at Hephaestus, Adventure, thinking fast, reached for a particularly sharp piece of splintered wood and jabbed it into the beast’s mouth, causing it to bite down and forcing the broken plank to jut up through the bridge of its mouth and pierce its nose, sending a hot spray of blood to spew forth across Adventure’s body. She screamed in horror but still stood her ground as if she could actually protect Hephaestus as the giant beast let forth a deafening roar of pain. In response and defense, the snake tail carved a gash down the length of hallway from Adventure’s room toward Hephaestus and Adventure, with Asterius clinging firmly with his fingers and hooves dug into the scales of the beast, being dragged along through the shattering brick and wood like a helpless ragdoll.

Releasing his handhold on the beast allowed Asterius room to rear back and sink his massive, sharp horns deep into it, gouging the serpent end of the chimera and diverting it into and through a section of wall to the outside. This allowed Hephaestus the distraction necessary to issue an ear-piercing whistle, which brought his wheelchair flying out of his room, slamming into the goat’s head and knocking the beast for a temporary stumble. With Adventure’s assistance, Hephaestus climbed into his chair and afforded him the barest moment to usher Adventure out through a hole in the wall. Tumbling outside, Adventure could briefly spectate as Hephaestus issued blow after blow to the lion’s face. She saw the serpent end fling Asterius into the air and sent him crashing through the roof into the flame-spewing jaws of the goat’s head. The titanic battle between god, friend, and fearsome behemoth waged on as the roof and walls began to collapse around the bizarre battle. Adventure could no longer see, blinded by dust and debris, and was only able to hear the roars, screams, pounding and tearing as the three fought amidst the remains of this once proud home.

After several minutes more of intense battle, noise, flame, smoke, dust, and confusion, there was at last, silence. For what felt like an eternity, all Adventure could hear was the random crumbling of rubble, all she could see an acrid wall of smoke and dust. Finally, the tension had built until she felt as if she would burst.

“God!! Hephaestus! Asterius!! Where are you?! What’s going on?!?! Why won’t I WAKE UP?!?! Somebody, wake me up!!!!”

Adventure broke down and began crying, fearing for her life and her very sanity as she questioned everything transpiring around her. Finally, she could hear Asterius and Hephaestus shouting unintelligibly to each other through the roar of the flames, and decided to try and forge through the wall of smoke, crawling low to the ground, both to stay below the worst of the smoke and fumes and because she found she lacked sufficient strength to do anything more. Dragging her way into a brief clearing, she found Hephaestus, out of his chair and on his knees on his two withered legs, incapable of supporting his otherwise massive frame that was marked with the deep scars of battle. He was weeping openly and pounding the ground violently. Adventure crawled slowly over to him and dragged herself up by his fur cloak, draping her arms around him in an attempt of comfort. Hephaestus, not realizing who it was, shrugged his arms and knocked Adventure onto her back several feet away. He turned and glared at her. Realizing who it was he had directed his rage toward filled him with an immediate sense of guilt. Hephaestus reached out his hands and Adventure scurried into his arms, both crying and coughing as they held on to each other.

“This… this was all I had left. She’s truly gone now. Gone…”

“…Who? “Anya?” Hephaestus… who was she?”

“…Áine. You… almost have it. There’s subtlety to the Irish pronunciation, but you’re close. She was… she was the sun. The moon. My breath, my friend, and my love. My very soul. Áine was my bride. A goddess even without association. She was the Irish goddess of love, of summer, and of agriculture. After… after she passed on, this… this ranch… this home contained all there was left of her. In many ways, it contained her. Now it is gone. She… is gone…”

Adventure looked into his lost, forlorn eyes and found herself openly weeping for the loss of someone she never even knew and the effect this loss had on a person she wasn’t even sure existed. She began breathing heavily, looking around nervously as she wiped away tears and choked from the acrid smoke wafting around them both.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I… I feel like I’m losing my mind! Here. With you and Asterius. This world. It…. It’s been in my dreams my entire life. It’s been my… escape my entire life. Every night, or even every time I dozed off, I came here. I flew over the land. I saw so many beautiful, wonderful things. Now I am here. On the ground. With you. In… in her dress… right?! And all this… and… and… what was I doing before…? Surely I went to bed… right? Surely I… I… I can’t… oh God, I can’t remember. I can’t… what was it? What happened? Why is this time so different? Why am I here?! Oh… God……”

Adventure began crying and wailing so hard she was soon hyperventilating. Collapsing to the ground, she gasped for air and dug her fingers into dirt. Hephaestus looked on her like a lost kitten, crying right along with her and bending down to cradle her in his massive arms.

“Hephaestus… this isn’t a dream… is it?”

“…Heh… like I told you when we met, “If this is the place dreams are made of, then please, wake me up!” Heh-heh…”

As the smoke slowly began to clear, the two traumatized individuals on the lawn could hear loud crashes and thunderous explosions coming from within the burnt husk of wood, mortar, and broken dreams.

“ASTERIUS!!”

Hephaestus’ bellow was met with immediate silence inside, followed by the sound of crushing boards, cracking marble, and the steady pound of mighty hoof falls as soon, Asterius tore forth from the wreckage of their home. Seeing his two compatriots helpless on the lawn before him filled Asterius with a sense of alarm and urgency, brushing debris and burning embers off himself as he rushed to their aid, picking Adventure up over his left shoulder like one would a pillow and helping Hephaestus up to his chair with his right hand.

“Oh no! Are you both well? I-I’m sorry! I was only trying to recover whatever I…”

“It is alright, my old friend. She is… gone. She is all… gone…”

“Well, I did manage to retrieve… this.”

The Minotaur opened up his massive fist to reveal a beautiful necklace, shaped from the very godstuff Hephaestus had made lightning bolts for Zeus from, into a calligraphic letter A. He reached out and took it delicately from Asterius’ hand, clutching it close to his chest as one more tear streamed down his cheek and disappeared into his sopping wet, ash-covered beard.

“Asterius… my old, dear friend, thank you. Adventure, are you well enough to stand on your own?

“Umm, yeah. I think so.”

Asterius gently lowered Adventure down to the ground, where she wobbled a little on unsteady legs, looking around as if truly standing on it for the first time. Hephaestus moved closer, stopping in front of her and smiling tenderly.

“……What?”

“This, my dear, needs to breathe, needs to live on, if only as a reminder. Will you please wear it, keep it close to you, keep it safe?”

He reached out and hung the necklace over her head and rested in on her chest. Adventure felt a sudden surge of static charge, causing her hair to stand on end for a few moments and eliciting a shudder felt from head to toe. She scooped the A into her hand and looked closely at it, almost losing herself in the swirling, energy-charged surface. They all stared silently at it for a moment, before Hephaestus finally broke the reverent silence.

“Well, that’s it then. Come along.”

“Where are we going?”

“My dear; you heard the… lady. We’ve got a date to keep!”

Hephaestus led them through the gate and off Áine Ranch, without ever looking back. Asterius began walking faster to catch up and Adventure had to run to catch up to him, climbing up onto his shoulders like a small child. He looked up at her and smiled, almost knocking her off her perch with his enormous horns, then past her to look, possibly one last time, at the ranch gate, before following Hephaestus down the path and into the deep woods ahead.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Curiouser and curiouser…”

Adventure and her new friends had walked for at least four miles before anyone spoke, reflecting on the events that brought them here.

“So. Hephaestus. You said your mother’s name was Eurynome? But I thought your mom was Hera?”

“The mother I came from was indeed Hera. But she saw no reason to keep a gimp for a child on Mount Olympus, so she cast me to Earth. There, I was rescued and nurtured for much of my youth by Eurynome, daughter of Ocean and birth mother to the Charites, my most spirited sisters. Alas, none of them came with me…”

“What do you mean, came with you? You said something like that to Eris too, right? Something about your brother…?”

“Ares. Yes, “our” brother. Although, I never really knew him. I made plenty of armament for him and for others marching to his drum, but never really interacted with him. Eris was his right hand, I guess you could say. Now, she was a lot more than that, but then, with my family, no one thought twice about their… indiscretions…”

“Huh? …OH! Oh. Ohh… Ewww… So, like, what did you mean when you said “none of them came with me?” And you said Ares stayed behind. What’s all that about?”

Well, it is a… complicated story. On Earth, we were the gods of men. Lords of all we surveyed. Pantheons the world over, each with a ruling family, each with worshippers, each entangled in their own little world within the world. Life was whatever we made of it, literally, both for us and for the humans. After the Christ gained a following, something changed. Man began worshipping Him. Man also began warring with others in His name, and man began depending on himself, instead of our divine intervention, to supply him with weapons of war, tools for architecture and agriculture, and machinery that would do for them what they used to offer sacrifice to us to provide. In short, man lost faith in us. And with this loss of faith, came a cynicism and a certain distaste and distrust for the old ways and the old creatures that walked the Earth long before they could stand upright. So while the great creatures of “myth” were being hunted into extinction, for us, the fate was much worse. There was no attention being paid to us. No prayers, no offerings, no need. We were fading into obscurity, and were about to face our end. And that is when the exodus occurred.”

“Exodus? Like, when the Jews were led out of Egypt by Moses? I’m not a Christian or anything, but I heard about that. “Prince of Egypt” is one of my favorite movies.”

“…Right… That little “trek” may have been considered an exodus to men, but I am referring to something a bit more… massive.”

“Tell her about the Queen! I still remember when she came like it was yesterday…”

“Well Asterius, it has certainly been a lot longer than “yesterday,” but yes, the Queen. Queen Titania. Creatrix and ruler of Faerie. And of course you would remember her! You were hunted almost to the point of no return, if I recall.”

“…Many of us were. I was one of the fortunate ones. I was quick to jump on her offer, that’s for sure!”

“The offer. Yes. You see Adventure, as I said, we were all just about out of time and definitely short on space in the new, ever-expanding “man’s world.” Titania, in all of her boisterous exuberance and with open arms, invited all of us, every creature, every race, every pantheon, to come here, to Faerie. There is, after all, as much room as she wants there to be here. She controls the entire realm. The entire realm. In many ways, she IS Faerie. But she was nice enough to relocate us to “like” lands, similar to where we came from. Now, we are linked to the rest of Faerie geographically, and we do interact with one another as occasion calls and time permits. And some did wander to other parts of Faerie, rather than stay tied to their own. But more important than all of that is the matter of those who did not come. Some, by individual choice. Others, by pantheon politics. And there were a few races and great beasts who, for whatever reason, actually thought they could make it on their own with man. I do not know what happened to any of them, but I can imagine they have not fared very well…”

“So, Faerie is… another planet?”

“No, no, we inhabit the same space as Earth. We are merely separated by the thinnest of veils. Occasionally, mortal men find weak spots, and end up stumbling upon this land. Her Highness is quick to feel their presence, and equally quick to either send them running for their lives back to their own realm, or sometimes she keeps them here, playthings for her royal amusement, until such time as she grows bored with them. Then… well, let’s just say they don’t tend to show up here, there, or anywhere much longer…”

”Okay, but, like, what happened with me? I mean, I’ve had dreams of flying over this land, seeing centaurs, dragons, and all sorts of weird things for as long as I’ve been alive! So what, I found a weak spot finally?”

“Hmmm… perhaps. I’m not at all certain, child. That is why we are accompanying you into the Veil to meet the Queen and find out.”

“The Veil? What’s that?”

‘The rose-tinted Veil. It surrounds the center of the only landmass not connected to the rest of Faerie; the island of Hy-Brasil. The shimmering border of Titania’s land. Home of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Bureaucrats, really. Surrounding Her Highness at all times, both for protection and to vie for her ear in matters of Faerie. But even though it is the single largest area in all of Faerie, it is also the furthest away from anywhere else. That’s why she gave you a week to arrive, I would suppose.”

“…Okay… sniff… sniiiff… huh. Weird…”

“What is it, child?”

“This is, like, seriously bugging me! One thing I do remember before… here, was smelling snow. In a place where it never snows. And now I smell it again!”

“SNFFF… SNIIFFF… Hephaestus. She’s right. I do too! I actually remember that smell… SNIFF… How peculiar.”

“Asterius, you know better. Have you seen so much as a snowflake since we have been here? We know the only snow in all the land is in the Aesir Mountains. And I assure you, we are nowhere near there. Ah! But we are finally arriving at our destination.”

The trio walked over a grassy knoll to a clearing with a small, poorly built shack, barely standing and looking as if it had certainly seen better days. A crude, hand-painted sign hung from the door handle which read “Ol’ Tess’ Marketplace.” Adventure looked at the sign and proceeded to do a complete 360, looking around for signs of anything resembling a marketplace.

“Okay… where is this place?”

“Why, you’re looking at it, child. But first, I should warn you. If you should wander off track, you may never find your way out again. “

“So it’s a big mall… in an outhouse… and this isn’t a dream, right?”

“Shush. Here. Take this map. It will highlight the most important avenues, and should follow each of us by marking our paths. Look.”

Hephaestus removed a scrap of paper that he began stretching out into a large map. Once he had it to its proper size, the map was roughly half Adventure’s height and as wide as she could stretch her arms. There were eight main paths highlighted with a subtle yellow glow, along with dozens of green dots, symbolizing the exits located all around.

“Okay, so it’s huge… I guess. But again, where is it?”

“Just through here. Follow me!”

Hephaestus scooted close to the door and swung it open. It clacked against the side of the shack and splinters of rotted wood blew off it in a cloud of dust. Adventure cocked a wary eyebrow and watched, incredulously, as Hephaestus blew through the suddenly accommodating doorway and disappeared into the darkness. Asterius motioned for Adventure to go next and she looked at him, confused and concerned.

“Do not worry, little one. Go on, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“Uh… huh… okay then. I guess I’ll… hey! Look!”

Just then, a single snowflake drifted lazily to a stop on Adventure’s outstretched hand, melting immediately. Asterius squinted to see if what he thought he saw was actually what he saw, when another snowflake made its landing directly on his nose. With a wide smile, Asterius turned his eyes skyward and felt the snow, now increasing in volume, falling to land and melt on his skin. He stuck out his long tongue to catch an errant flake and could hardly stifle a childlike laugh once he did.

“I thought Hephaestus said it doesn’t snow here?”

“It never has… until now, I suppose. Hmm… this is most enjoyable but it is also most odd. Let us head indoors and tell Hephaestus!”

Too excited to wait for Adventure and forgetting his manners, Asterius squeezed through the doorway, which once again swelled to fit his massive frame, returning to normal once he too disappeared into the dark. Adventure looked at the shack and then back to the new falling snow, before taking the plunge and stepping inside. Suddenly, the door shut behind her, and all she could see was the pitch black darkness surrounding her. A moment later, just as panic was about to set in, she began to hear the din of voices. Many voices. And many noises. She took a step in the dark and it was as if she were piercing a thin tissue, beholding the most amazing place she had ever seen.

Sprawling as far as the eye could see in every direction, Ol’ Tess’ Marketplace was a marvel in shopping mall construction. Countless shops selling and bartering to thousands of creatures great and small, strewn out on multiple levels and occupying every nook of the seemingly never-ending building. Adventure was completely dumbfounded, eyes glazed over and mouth wide open as she stared in wonder. She was so entranced, she didn’t even notice stepping on the dwarf’s foot behind her until he shouted at her.

“Hey! A’right missy, wassup wit ya?! What, ya couldn’t see the wee dwarf right ‘ere in plain sight? Oh ha bloody ha.”

“Oh!! I-I’m so sorry! It’s my first time here. Sorry.”

“Ya damn well oughta be! Yer lucky I don’t… hey. Wait a sec; yer human! What’re you doin’ here?!”

Hephaestus, hearing the commotion, made his way to the scene quickly.

“Girl! Get over here now! Damnable humans. They stumble through here like blind dogs and are surprised when they end up in servitude to one of us, am I right? Sorry for her, friend. She’ll be taught her place, I assure you. No harm done, yes?”

“Hmph! Well… I suppose not. But ya better be a’keepin’ ‘er on a mighty short leash there, pal. A lot of folk ‘ere won’t be as nice as me. Friggin’ humans…”

Adventure ran over and climbed on the back of Hephaestus’ chair, looking properly scolded. As the dwarf walked off in a huff, Asterius and Adventure looked at one another and he winked at her, letting her know it was alright.

“Now listen little one, because this is important. In case you haven’t figured it out already, humans aren’t exactly commonplace here. And those who are here most often are the property of a citizen of Faerie, as is right…

"Property? Like a slave?! Listen; I am nobody's slave!"

Hephaestus ignored her and finished his thought.

"...and privilege."

Adventure glared at him, arms folded. Disgusted.

"No you listen here child, don’t look at me like that! You’d best figure this place out sometime, so here in the market is your big test. Stay with Asterius. He is going to gather supplies for us. Nothing much, mostly food and shelter items. I’m going to see a witch about some barrier crystals and a refund. Do. Not. Wander. Off. And both of you meet me at this exit when you’ve gotten everything.”

Hephaestus touched one of the exits on Adventure’s map, causing it to swell larger than the rest. He shook Asterius’ hand and went his own direction, quickly disappearing into the massive sea of assorted beings. Adventure tried to fold the map up, but it simply shrunk down in her hand to the size of a post-it note. She shrugged and smiled at her hand, gripping the map tight and running to catch up to Asterius’ huge stride. Adventure found herself frequently playing catch-up, stopping instead to stare at the variety of creatures and crazy establishments they patronized. Elves, dwarves, giants, fairies, centaurs, a group of Japanese gods singing karaoke at a bar called “Aoede’s,” and an assortment of other creatures and beings occupied every square inch of the place, while “Morgana’s Mystic Massage,” “Whole Ambrosia Market,” and “Dionysus’ All-You-Can-Eat Dining Hall” were definitely among the standout businesses. One in particular caught Adventure’s eye; “A Fashionable Fate.” It looked like an amazing and very stylish beauty salon, and after all, Adventure argued with Asterius, she would want to look her best, having dinner with the Queen and all. Asterius finally succumbed to her and gave Adventure a handful of gold. One of his handfuls, which of course meant she had to use her dress for a purse to hold it all.

“I will be right across the plaza, there at “Ba’al Mart.” Do you see it?”

“Yep! Thanks Asterius!”

Adventure waved a casual goodbye as she turned and drifted toward the salon. She stepped through the doorway, piercing the beaded curtain acting as a front door, and looked around for someone who worked there. Finding no one, she decided to browse a bit at all the beautiful jewelry, perfumes, and assorted exotic beauty products. Overcome by the wafting scent of something like honeysuckle mixed with lavender, Adventure inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and taking in the glorious smell. When she opened her eyes, she was taken aback by the presence of a beautiful, long-legged, buxom blond woman, looking barely a few years older than herself, smiling back at her.

“Hello, dear. Welcome to Fashionable Fate.”

“Oh! H-hello. I’m not sure what I’m doing here. Everything is just so…”

“Pretty? We get that a lot. Lots to love, and little to hate.”

“I can see that. Um, is this like, a salon or just a store?”

“We’re full service beauty, and money well spent. We can sell you all that you see, make you over, and more…”

So into the back room they went.

“Hello, sweetie, and welcome to a new you!”

An older woman, slightly heavy and a little bit gray, took Adventure by the hand to show her the way. She sat her down in an ornate barber’s chair, leaned her back and immediately went to washing her hair.

“I… uh… thank you and all, but this is a little bit funny! And I don’t even know if I’ll have enough money!”

“Pish-posh, sweetheart. Don’t you worry. When we’re through, you’ll be a whole new Adventure, and we’ll fix you up without much cost.”

“Exactly! And as sure as I’m young and pretty and she’s more… mature, when you gaze in the mirror you’ll look so much better, you won’t even worry about the years you’ll have lost! Tee-hee!”

“Lost? Wait; what do you mean? Umm, on second thought, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I’d better get back out there, where I’ll be seen!”

“Now shush, little darling. Why, you’ll hardly be missed!”

“Let’s get on with this, huh? Before I get pissed!”

From out of the shadows an old withered crone sounded all cranky. She stepped out into the light, stooped over and lanky. She lit up a pipe, carved from old wood.

“Oh hush up, Poe, she needs to look good!”

The young blond was quick to get right in her face, staring the old woman down.

“Well? You’ve got to do better if she’s the heir to the crown.”

“What did she mean by “heir to the crown?” I just came back here to maybe get a new look…”

“Hang on there sweetie, there’s things we can’t rush! Poe may want to get to the point, but we do things by the book! So um, Poe you know, and my name is Chloe, the hot momma washing your hair is named Lacey…”

“Stop it, Chloe, you’re making me blush! Now hold still sweetheart, I’m ready to rinse…”

“Then maybe you three could start making some sense?”

Adventure was losing her patience that much was clear. But what came next was she ready to hear? Chloe looked at her sisters then back to Adventure with some apprehension, trying to think of the best way to break the tension. Lacey decided she ought to break the uncomfortable quiet, hopefully with words to quell any riot.

“Sweetie, a new look is just the tip. A dash of glamour, maybe a snip. A change of clothes is definitely a must, but hopefully we can also clear out some of your attic dust. You spoke with the Queen, asleep but awake, and I understand that this world is a bit much to take. But if you thought that beastie was the baddest of bad, well then, I’m afraid maybe you’ve been had. You met Eris, correct? She’s really a shrew, but really it’s Oberon’s bidding she’s all too pleased to do.”

“Oberon? Who’s that? I’m so confused…”

Poe interrupted.

“He’s consort to the Queen, but she’s the one being used. If you are to survive, and that’s not in the cards, you’ve got decisions to make and all of them hard. I’m sorry to tell you, when it’s all said and done? Even though you’ll have “won?” The price to be paid may be much higher than thought…”

“Shut up, you old biddy, don’t say what you ought not!”

Chloe was cross, her response filled with bile, but she still pulled off a spectacular mani-pedi while maintaining her smile. While Chloe was hard at work, Lacey was too, giving Adventure a most transformative ‘do. As she began to massage her scalp with fingers most magic, Poe couldn’t help herself but to speak on matters most tragic.

“You want to survive this, but I promise you now; stars require realignment. It’s all on your shoulders to assemble the puzzle of who, where, and how, and I don’t think you’ve got what it takes for the assignment. These young’uns will do fine to make you up proper. You’ll look like a queen. But maturity comes from within, and…”

“Will you shut your trap? Quit being so mean!”

Chloe, now properly mad, darkened to room with her glare, all this arguing leaving Lacey so very sad.

“Would you two quit focusing on so much negative and just do your duty? We’ve got to make over this poor stick into a thing of pure beauty! She’ll need looks and more for the long road ahead. Perhaps a reminder from you Chloe, to make sure here ego gets properly fed?”

Chloe looked at Lacey, she could see she was pleading, then thought of a tale young Adventure may be needing.

“Do you have the memory, locked in from so long ago, about the time your mother first exposed you to the music she grew up with? She taught you to sing and all the words you still know, just as much in your mind as what your father taught you about myth?”

“I… yes, yes I do. I remember so clearly, my momma’s sweet singing voice. I miss it so dearly. And daddy. Daddy taught me so much. Ancient cultures and myth. I’ve got so much useless knowledge in my head I do not know what to do with!”

“Useless? Sweet thing, you have no clue! Everything learned then and now will soon be so useful to you. And one thing to keep in your head, above all else I ask; remember them fondly. And just like the sun on your body, let your mind in those memories bask.”

Lacey was done now, hair nearly perfected. Now it was her task to fill Adventure’s head with information to keep her protected.

“Darling, dear heart, your friends are your family now. I’ll be honest with you, in the most delicate way I know how. Returning to the world you once knew is… all said? Contrary to reason. But within your heart, mind, and soul? There lies the makings of a whole new season. You must stay the course, your close allies only to trust. If I could use an analogy you might find confusing, even the most stainless of steel can still find ways to rust. There now. I’m done. Given you all that I’ve got…”

Poe stood up straight, with fire in her eyes.

“If that’s all you’ve given her, she’s sure to rot! Belief is the key girl, belief is the way. Without the belief you can do this… well then. The sun is about to set on our final day.”

“Believe? In myself? Why? What am I supposed to do that’s so friggin’ imperative?!”

Chloe looked at Adventure, her eyes welled with tears.

“Adventure Eurynome, all I can say… is that it’s all within you girl. To write us a brand new narrative.”

“New narrative? I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

Poe crept out of thin air, putting herself in between them. She held a gorgeous, obviously handmade, fine chainmail dress, her hands working in a flash to finish the hem, as Adventure could only squint from the metal’s bright sheen. As the three sisters worked feverishly to change her and make her complete, Poe had one last tidbit she tried to disclose in a manner most discreet.

“Stay true, youngster. Let “thought” and “desire” be your eyes. Our story will end across both worlds, tis true. But how it all begins again? That my dear, remains to be seen. It’s all up to you.”

Adventure was turned with a whirl, in a mirror she gazed. What this young woman beheld, left her gobsmacked and dazed. Her hair was much longer. Full and luxurious. The dress made of metal? So light and airy. How curious! And her figure. Once a twig now so ample and well-rounded, the sight left her dizzy and quite confounded! She began to feel faint, felt like she would fall, but while she passed out for only a moment, when she awoke she was seated on a bench in the hall.

Adventure stood up and looked all around, and nowhere in sight could “A Fashionable Fate” be any longer found! Oh, there was “Ba’al Mart,” karaoke, and the Basilisk-On-A-Stick, but she was feeling quite confused, alone, lost, and sick. From out of the corner of her eye spotted Asterius, ran over to him, and regaled a tale most curious. He looked at her strangely, head cocked to the side.

“And just who are you supposed to be?”

Talking so fast, Adventure paused, heaved and sighed…

“Asterius you dummy, who do you think? It’s me!!”

The minotaur stepped back, took her all in, shook his head, cleared his eyes, didn’t know where to begin.

“…Adventure?”

“Of course! Who else would I be?!

“I’m… sorry child. I just… that is… you look so…”

“Not me? I know!”

“And why do we seem to be speaking in synchronous rhyme?”

“…You know; I haven’t stopped to think about that. Guess I haven’t had time.”

“Alright, that’s enough! Let’s catch up to Hephaestus. You can explain this to him. I’m sure that, like me, he’ll find this quite a shock!”

“Yeah, but who cares? I look like a woman now. Man, does this rock!”

“Will you stop that?!”

“…Okay. Sorry. I’ll try…”

Her bottom lip pouted out.

“Oh come now young lady, there’s no need to cry. Damnation! Now you’ve got me doing it!”

After another hour had passed, the trio finally caught up to each other at the designated exit on their maps. While Adventure literally looked like a whole new woman and Asterius was lugging a thick burlap sack filled to overflowing with supplies (And extra “goodies.” One always buys far more than intended at “Ba’al Mart.” Everyone knows this.), Hephaestus looked considerably worse for wear. The first thing they noticed was that his massive, shaggy beard was unevenly half gone, obviously burned off as it was still smoldering. As if that weren’t enough of a dead giveaway that his dealings with the aforementioned saleswitch had gone somehow awry, Hephaestus’ chair was a shambles. Twisted, contorted metal and various cogs and pieces falling off faster than he could reattach them. The three stood together in uncomfortable silence as Hephaestus ceaselessly attempted repairs on his chair and periodically stopped to pat out a recurring flame in the recesses of his beard until finally, the suspense got the best of Asterius.

“So…”

“Not. A. Word. Suffice to say, there were some… difficult negotiations… but the witch and I managed to reach an amicable agreement, I have my money back, I am far more than ready to depart this pit, this… cesspool, and resume our journey and put all this ugliness and unpleasantry far behind us and great Zeus on the mountaintop, WHAT has happened to the girl?!”

“I, uh… she… that is… well, you see, she was only out of my sight for the barest amount of time. She… she just went into a glamour salon, and when I saw her again, well… this!”

“Ahem? I’m right here, you know. I had a makeover. Yeah, it was a little bit more than I had planned, but don’t you love the results? I know I do!”

“…Indeed. And what was the name of this establishment?”

“Umm… what was it? Oh yeah; “A Fashionable Fate.” Yeah, that was it.”

“Hmm… let me venture a guess. Run by three women? Varying in age from young to old?”

“Yeah! You’ve been there?!”

“…For true, dear. Do I look like I would do business with such a place?”

“I don’t know. You did “do business” with a witch who, from the look of things, handed you your butt after pulling the wool over your eyes.”

“……The Fates. The Moirae. The eternal sisters. Weavers of the thread of life. That’s who you shared company with. And no, I do not want to know what they said. Whatever it may have been was intended for your ears and yours only. Still… "’Curiouser and curiouser!’ Cried Alice. ‘Now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!’” If ever a more fitting passage were uttered…”

“Wait a sec; you just quoted Alice In Wonderland? How do you know that book?”

“Well, as I told you dear, we have gotten the stray human come through these parts from time to time. If memory serves, the author, fellow by the name of Charles…”

“…Dodgson. Wrote it under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. Yeah, I know.”

“Yes, Dodgson. Rumor has it he got a great deal of his research for the piece done here in Faerie. Traded his free passage back to man’s world in exchange for the first draft of his fanciful tale.”

“Amazing. So some of that book is based on truth? Wow. Mind? Blown. I wonder…”

Adventure was rudely interrupted by the screeching wail of a witch, actually flying on a broom, accompanied by several heavily-armed trolls and two dragons of a decidedly East Asian descent.

“You Greek bastard! Gimme my money! Boys, double your usual fees to the first one to bring me my money and his head!”

With a mighty roar and efforts redoubled, the trolls picked up their pace, knocking marketplace citizens aside like ragdolls. The dragons, actually smiling, took to the higher ground, hoping to reach Hephaestus first.

“And on that note, it is most definitely past time we take our departure of this fine assemblage of storefronts. Ladies first?”

Hephaestus ushered Adventure quickly through the exit door, with Asterius following. He turned one last time to see a pillar of dragon fire aimed in his general direction. With wide eyes and great haste, Hephaestus shot into the darkness with renewed purpose, exiting outside into the light. He quickly shut the door behind him and with a single thrust of his mighty arm, hurled a lightning bolt at the decrepit, outhouse-looking structure, splintering it into thousands of tiny pieces. The resulting explosion was powerful enough to knock Hephaestus from his piecemeal chair, landing face first into a soft pillow of… snow?

Hephaestus was assisted back into his chair by Asterius, and all they could do was look around the snow-covered landscape with awe and wonder.

“What in the name of Hades…?”

“I do not know, Hephaestus. I do not know.”

“Wait; it started snowing before we went into the marketplace. Remember, Asterius?”

“Yes. That’s right! But… but that was mere hours ago. This is…”

“Awesome!! Woo-hoo! Do you know how long it has been since I’ve gotten to play around in snow?!”

“Young lady, this is most decidedly not “awesome.” Something is terribly amiss. Come. We must make haste to Hy-Brasil. I fear there are strange and dangerous things afoot.”

“I agree, Hephaestus. But still, how long has it been since we saw snow?! This is most amazing…”

“Amazing? Yes. But we still have much ground to cover and many answers to seek. Of which our list has just been greatly added to. Let’s go.”

The three travellers didn’t have to go very far, before coming into a clearing that led to a wide beachfront. Spread out before them was a massive body of water, the opposite shores of which could not be seen with the naked eye. And in the center of it, a pinkish haze.

“There it is, Adventure. The rose-tinted veil. Within? The island of Hy-Brasil. Within that? Her Majesty’s palace. Our destination. Here. This is a good spot to build a fire. Stay warm while I construct our vessel.”

“What? You mean, you’re gonna build us a boat? Out of what?!”

“My dear. I was not given rule over metals and the very craft of blacksmith for nothing, you know? Now gather some wood, build us some warmth, and step aside. Leave me to my work.”

With that, Hephaestus heaved himself out of his chair and onto a nearby boulder, perching upon it and taking to dismantling his chair. Within a few short hours and several frolicking snowballs fights between Asterius and Adventure later, a shining, steam-powered boat was pushed off the shore and into the water. With a smug look of satisfaction upon his face, Hephaestus turned his attention to his fellow friends.

“Ho, Asterius. Lend me a hand, would you? It’s time we’re off!”

“Well, you heard him. Let’s go, little one.”

“Alright. But I call Captain! I learned how to sail years ago! C’mon! Last one in is a rotten egg!”

As Asterius assisted Hephaestus on board, Adventure ran and bounded into and up to the head of the boat, looking eagerly out over the water. Hephaestus was slightly taken aback by this assertive attitude displayed by Adventure. Setting sail upon the waters of their destiny and seeing the eager enthusiasm displayed by Adventure despite not knowing what lie ahead, he turned and gave a look of concern to his old companion, muttering…

“Curiouser and curiouser…”

End of Book One

TO BE CONTINUED