I dreamt about the monster that came to save me. His deformed presence, the animals that were trying to escape, to create something entirely new from the inferno that was melting the walls.

  ‘’Oracle’’The creature growled. And I shook my head when the creature formed into a blonde man. Kneeling down, he was begging for me, crying to reach out. But I could not respond. I could do nothing but watch him and sink to the floor.

  ‘’Oracle please’’His echoes haunted the dark room.

  My gaze snapped, and I felt my body sinking to the floor. I let out a scream, trying to catch my breath, and asked for help, but I realized that I was not sinking. And that I was sleeping on a soft bed. The sheets had a delightful shade of purple, matching the light blue crystal walls. The room that I was in had the scent of crocus showering around, with strange dust floating around. Taking a better look, I could see that the dust was stars, held into existence. The tub near me was filled with hot water, with oil and new clothes for me to wear. I sniffed myself and realized that with the mix of blood and scent, I was a disgusting animal.

  It was better for me to bathe and relax.

  The light blue chiffon fit me perfectly, even if it felt far too revealing around the chest. Whoever chose that for me should have twisted thoughts for me.

  Wait, where am I? Who am I?

  I found a bronze mirror and took a look at the woman who was staring at me with terror. Her hair was cut short and uneven, and her face was deformed like a monster with dark marks hanging right above her eyes. Around her throat, there was a golden mark painted deep across her bronze skin.

  That haunting woman was me.

  ‘’You look beautiful’’A charming voice added right behind me. Turning back, I found a handsome, tall man staring at me with admiration. At least I imagine that he was facing me with it, as his eyes were covered with a piece of cloth. His gray skin was glowing against the starlight with his dark, long hair set free from any imaginable ribbon.

  Sharp angles around his face and body that might cut you with a knife, while I could see almost every detail of his torso, just because the only thing he was wearing was a fabric around his waist and down to his legs. His hand was holding a bronze plate with pomegranates, figs, and cheese that was so full that it could feed more than ten people.

  ‘’I could say the same thing for you’’I felt a smile forming around my face and watched the man leave the food on the table that was filled with scrolls and tablets.

  Snap out of it.

  The man replied with a chuckle, and he flew with his strange sandals closer to me.

  ‘’Am I?’’

  My gaze moved down to the plate, and I could feel my stomach growling. I was so hungry, I wanted everything to be devoured by me. Next to the delicious food, there was a sharp knife for me to cut it into small pieces.

  The man’s knuckles caressed my skin. ‘’I hope that you like the room and clothes.’’He moved his hand lower to my neck and a few breaths away from my chest.’’I made everything specifically for you.’’

  Wake up, wake up, wake up.

  ‘’Thank you so much, my lord’’I felt a bitter taste in my mouth with a power moving me closer to him.

  ‘’So, am I handsome?’’He asked a question I never answered.

  I wanted to be his forever. I wanted to belong to that man.

  Snap out of it.

  ‘’The most handsome god in the world -’’ Before even trying to finish the sentence, the man was about to lean in for a kiss.

  ‘’Glad to hear it’’His smile was so soft that his lips were a breath away. I wanted to be his and his only, pleasured by him, adored by him, and oh, I just wanted this power to make me go closer to him.

  ‘’You are mine’’His hands traced my waist, trying to pull me closer.

  ‘’I am-’’

  LYSSANDRA

  Everything hit me back to. Who I was, what happened, who he was.

  You will be mine.

  The admiration of that man struck me with fear as I pushed him away.

  His smile faded immediately, and he looked at me confused.’’ What’s the matter, my love?’’He sounded so sincere.

  Think, woman, think.

  I forced a sweet smile upon my face and tried to pass away from the immortal god.

  ‘’You must be starving’’I pointed out and found my hands near the plate.

  The god let out a laugh, and his hands wrapped around my waist.

  ‘’We can eat later’’He whispered with his mouth down to my . My fingers grasped the knife tightly.

  ‘’Now, we can enjoy…’’ His lips opened wide, and I felt his hot breath caressing my skin. Was he trying to kiss me?

  I turned my body to his and my hand with the sharp blade aimed for his throat.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ‘’What are you doing?’’His voice broke out as he caught my wrist. I wondered if he knew how much strength he pushed on my skin. I could feel my bones breaking while there was the sound of the knife echoing as it dropped to the floor.

  I glared at him as I pushed myself away from the god.

  ‘’Don’t you dare do that again’’I barked at him with rage.

  ‘’But you want this, don’t you?’’His voice was so tempting, so powerful.’’You want this’’ his tone echoed in my mind.

  ‘’No, I don’t’’

  And with that, Hermes gasped.’’How is that possible you drank my-’’

  His blood. Was that the reason he wanted to drink it? So I would be what, his puppet? A plaything for him to enjoy?

  ‘’I spat it’’I admited.

  And the charming man narrowed in disgust. ‘’Of course you did.’’ He now strolled around with rage while I kept looking at the room.

  ‘’Where are we?’’ I asked.

  ‘’Olympus, one of my hidden rooms, I like to’’He made a long pause.’’To keep my possessions in perfect condition.’’

  A slight need to vomit came around my stomach.

  His head lowered, and it seemed that he looked at the knife.’’You really thought that this could hurt me?’’

  ‘’How long have I been asleep?’’I asked to change the subject to my humiliation. Of course, he wouldn’t die by it. Hermes wasa god. An immortal. But hurting him by tricking me did not sound like a bad idea.

  ‘’A hundred years.’’ He replied so calmly that it felt normal for him. He explained to me that in that century, they managed to shift history. The event of Argos never happened. Perseus and Andromeda died from old age, and they are now a pair of stars in the sky. And kept all his calm demeanor, talking about that century as if it were a couple of days ago.

  But for me, it was not. A century. A hundred years of my life into sleeping. Things moved on, people grew old, and history….

  ‘’Do not panic, you will get used to it.’’ laughed Hermes and munched one piece of cheese using just his sharp fangs.

  My skin felt different, and the way my body was breathing felt strange because I could not feel the air getting out of my lungs.

  ‘’I don’t think that I will.’’My voice shook. One hundred years. A whole century. Panic grew in my chest, and when I tried to listen, I realized….

  ‘’Where is-’’I could not breathe, and my hand touched the side where my heart was supposed to be beating.

  ‘’Where is my-’’

  ‘’Calm down, darling’’He moved back to me, his hands touching my elbows.

  ‘’People died, people grew old, and I look the same, my heart, my heart is gone’’I began rambling. ‘’I will see everything dying’’The vision I had because of Apollo. ‘’Everything rotting, I can feel noth-’’

  ‘’Lyssandra, calm yourself,’’ Hermes replied, and my body felt a deep relaxation. But I could still feel anger around my body.

  ‘’Stop using my name.’’’I tried to command him. ‘’Or else,’’

  Hermes raised his shoulders.’’You think that you can do whatever you want?’’He asked with a smirk, and his fingers touched my throat.’’Sure, I won’t harm you or force you if you don’t want to, I told you Apollo would hate it, but do you know what this beautiful golden necklace is?’’

  My brow arched in confusion as he kept caressing my scar.

  ‘’A collar’’His tone fell lower.’’You are not allowed to leave this room, not if I don’t permit you.’’

  My eye snapped as I heard those words.

  ‘’And if you do, trust me, I will find you with a snap of my fingers.’’

  ‘’I am not your pet’’I spat at him, and the god of messengers laughed and caressed my mark.

  ‘’My dear, would you like me to tell you to sit and roll over so I can prove you wrong?’’

  I narrowed and he let out a harsh laugh.’’Be angry, cry, I do not care. Your enticing body, your tricking mind, and oh…’’He gasped and leaned close to me.’’Your immortal soul, belongs to me’’His lips kissed my cheek.’’Until the end of time.’’

  And with that, he began walking away.

  ‘’Where are you going?’’I asked.

  ‘’To see my wife,’’He announced. I wonder if that trick he did before working would he still want to visit her? Imagining his sharp hands and cold lips caressing my body, and me still bewitched by his power…

  No, ew ew ew.

  ‘’I left some scrolls for you to read around the room to pass your time.’’ He announced and turned his gaze back to me with no smile. ‘’If you want to know, your friends died peacefully and entered Elysium.’’ His voice had so much truth and hope that it could make me almost relieved. But they probably ended up there because they could not remember me.

  And with that, he left me alone with the cold walls.

  Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from around my chest. beating of a drum. I took a deep breath and felt the air moving on my body.

  What was that?

  My gaze shifted to the mirror, and my hand tightened into a fist. I managed to punch the mirror so hard that the bronze broke and my hand…

  Blood. I was bleeding so much, but just for a moment before it healed completely. I did not feel any pain either, but the blood was there.

  Was that a trick of his from before?

  I turned to the plate with fruits and cheese. I should be starving now, as I starved before, but maybe immortality meant that you would never be actually hungry. Then again, I remembered I had seen Paris eating. He was munching bread with honey as Thais and Myrto were…

  I suppose immortals can still cry. But my emotions were all so different

  No matter what, this was my life now, and I had to accept it sooner or later. But I refused to be that god’s plaything and submit to him. I didn’t even know what his plans were for me, and yet the way he was trying to play with me could mean only one thing.

  Just the thought of him brought me chills down my spine.

  He did say that there were scrolls around the room, so he would think that I would like to read them. But what if I read them all? What if I could ask for more and be specific? Such as scrolls of information about Tartarus?

  How quickly you changed. I thought, but I couldn’t stop the need to save him just like he did. Even if it were a couple of seconds of my life, he did save me. I should have been angry, furious with him, but no rage could get out for him. Maybe immortality was weakening my emotions.

  Living forever was also not an option that I wanted to accept. Not when I had no power.

  I would become mortal for you.

  I became immortal for him.

  How foolish you are, girl. You could have all the power you want, and your pride and the whole world stop you. But your feelings, your childish emotions, your love for someone took it all away.

  But I know that no matter what, there is someone on my side.

  ‘’I must get Paris out.’’