Olympian Elemental Trials Series

Chapter 3: Hera, Who?

Paige

My mouth tasted like sandpaper and rust. I opened my eyes and gasped at the scenery. A cavern of yellows and golds complete with stagnates was all around me. The scent of rock and mildewed water clogged the air. Sunlight showed from a hole fifty feet above me. I wrapped my arms around me from the chill in the air. Where the hell was I?

"Emily?" I choked out against the rawness of my throat as I stood. Her name echoed around me. Goosebumps broke out along my arms. Last thing I remembered was sitting on the plane next to Emily as I waited for the sleeping pill to work. How I broke out in a sweat and fumbled with my seatbelt. Emily had helped me fasten it across my lap. Then the handsome man offered me a drink. It had been evening on the plane but now it was daytime as the light shone through the opening in the distance and a small hole high overhead.

Was this some kind of drug-induced hallucination?

A shadow moved across the cave's entrance and I flinched, backing away. Everything in me screamed to protect myself. I scanned around the cave for something to use as a weapon.

Near the cave's entrance, a lion's roar vibrated through me, and my adrenaline spiked. I grabbed a rock, ready to hurl it at the big cat. Yet I wasn't stupid, a stone was no match against the beast.

The lion came into view and my whole body trembled. Bigger than any lion I'd ever seen at the zoo. I clenched the rock tighter. No way would this deter the animal, but it would probably piss it off. But I wasn't dying without a fight.

Wake up. I kept repeating those words in my mind. Except nothing was working. The lion stalked toward me, its head low and its pupils wide. My heart hammered in my chest so hard, I thought my ribcage would break.

The loin crouched, growling low in its throat. Sweat dotted my forehead as a tremor shuddered through me. My legs wobbled and I reached out to steady myself on the slimy wall.

I was about to be eaten alive. And all I had was this stupid rock. "Help! Someone, help me," I yelled but my voice echoed in the cave. No one responded.

My nails dug into the stone and I debated hurling it at the cat. But then what? Claws and teeth would slice through my flesh and I was helpless to stop it.

Still, I straightened my spine, my body quivering. I hoped I could startle the lion enough to get it to back off. "Go, get out of here!"

Instead, the cat blinked up at me like I was crazy. Something in its eyes flashed like a colorful glow. Its pupils weren't black...but held lots of colors. The shades in its eyes swirled again. This time looking like a peacock's colorful feathers. Before I could do anything, the lion's body shimmered in a mist. In its place stood a woman with dark auburn hair and a regal Greek toga with gold discs holding it up at her shoulders.

I let out a shaky breath. Yup. This was one twisted dream.

"Greetings, Paige."

Whenever nightmare apparitions I didn't know said my name, it gave me a weird vibe.

I clutched the rock over one shoulder, ready to throw it. "Who the hell are you? What the heck is going on? Where are my friends? And...did you just shift from a freaking lion into a woman?"

She quirked an eyebrow at my hand. "I'm not here to hurt you, and if I was, your pebble wouldn't harm me."

"All the same, I'd like to keep ahold of it." My voice wavered.

She let out a laugh.

"Where am I?" I asked. "For that matter, why are you here and who are you?"

"So curious, just like your foremother." Her smile was small and kind.

"Excuse me, my what?" I stammered. Maybe she had me mixed up with someone else. I wasn't Greek. My parents had come from New York as had my ancestors for several generations. "Where is Emily? How did I get here?"

"Do you know the story of Pandora?"

I shrugged. "Sure, she was given a box and told not to open it. She couldn't stop herself and released all these terrible things into the world."

"And hope." She held up a hand. "That was in the bottom of the box. Legend says Zeus put it in there with all the evil."

"Yeah, that part never made sense to me. Why? If he wanted bad stuff released into the world, why add hope to the mix?"

This time her smile lit up her face and my breath caught. She was beautiful. Her skin was like alabaster and held a glow inside it like those filters used in old movies for angels or divine beings. Yet, she had a motherly vibe to her as well. Like my favorite teacher and counselor mixed into one.

"Exactly," she said. "But someone put hope into the box."

I brushed my hair from my eyes. "Thanks for the mythological history lesson, but who are you? How did I get here?"

"Every five thousand years, a champion from Pandora's lineage is chosen. Magic resides in you. You must learn how to use your power and control each element in tandem, earth, air, fire, and water. Fail and hope will be strangled from mankind. My husband will win in his final revenge against Prometheus by destroying all humans."

This woman was crazy if this was even real. "Okay. Good luck with that."

She stiffened. "I've named you my champion, Paige."

Maybe it was the fact part of me knew I was thousands of feet in the air on a plane. That a sleeping pill pumped the craziness of this vision, and I let out a hysterical-sounding laugh.

"Sorry, but you need to find someone else," my voice choked. "I'm not Greek, nor do I have any magical abilities or desire to control elements."

"This is not a jest." Her voice turned hard.

"I just don't understand how I can help you."

"When the time comes, you'll know. Welcome home, Paige."

"Home?" I glanced around the dank cave that didn't appear like anything I'd ever known before. We didn't have caves or lions back home.

"Your plane has landed in Greece. It's time for you to wake up now."

"Wait." I dropped the rock and took a step toward her. "Who are you?"

She laid a fingertip on my forehead. A jolt of lightning burrowed through my skull, sank down into my veins and into the marrow of my bones.

Her name vibrated through every fiber of my being. Hera.

* * *

I opened my eyes, and my head spun. Brakes squealed as the plane touched down and we jostled onto the runway, freaking me out a bit. I told myself we were safe. We were back on land and heaved a sigh of relief.

"How do you feel?" Emily asked, her brows pinched in worry.

I wiped the drool from my cheek and swallowed against my dry throat. My forehead where Hera had laid her finger on me was warm like she still touched the spot, but it hadn't been real. "Okay, I guess."

Emily waved a hand. "Let's get our luggage and check-in at the hotel. I was worried you weren't going to wake up. Even the flight attendants were giving me funny looks and I had to drink mine and your drink every couple of hours so it would look like you'd woken up while they weren't watching."

"Really? Sorry." And why did I feel so tired? Was the gorgeous guy with dark eyes and husky voice still here? I searched the crowd for him, but there was no sign of him. A flash of disappointment surged through me. I'd wanted to ask him if he was from here-if he'd be willing to give me a few tips on the local fair-looked like I'd blown my chance.

* * *

Once we exited the plane and retrieved our luggage, we took a cab to the hotel. The drive wasn't too long. Lush olive and other trees dotted the cliffs against a turquoise sky. Our hotel was in the center of the city outlined with stark white buildings with terracotta roofs. We checked into our room within an hour.

"Hey, are there any weird side effects with that sleeping pill, you gave me?" I asked as I unpacked my suitcase into the small dresser across from one of the beds.

"Just the norm." She brushed her blonde hair with a hand. "Dry-mouth, headache...they're non-habit forming..."

I bit my lip, debating if I should tell her about the crazy scene in the cave that I had on the plane ride and how it felt so real.

Her eyes widened. "f**k. Are you craving more?"

"No, I'm fine. Just-" I rubbed my arms. To save on costs, Emily, Daniel, and I were sharing a room. And I hoped I wouldn't feel like a third-wheel any more than I did.

Daniel brought in the last of our luggage, then plopped down on the farthest bed next to the window and flipped on the TV. A comedy show with two jugglers came on.

"What?" she asked, frowning, and pulling me toward the other bed to give us a bit of privacy.

I hesitated. "Nothing. Just some dream that seemed so real it freaked me out."

"Spill." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot.

I shrugged not wanting to alarm her because it was probably from the medicine and I was making it a bigger issue than it was necessary. "I was in a cave with a lion that tried to attack me."

"We can look up the meaning in a dream dictionary online." She pulled out her cell and started typing furiously.

I forced a laugh because I never believed in stuff like that, even though she dabbled in anything metaphysical and read her horoscope religiously. "Nah, that's okay."

"Let me know if you change your mind." She tossed her phone on the other bed, then shimmied out of her pants. "I call dibs on the shower."

"Go ahead, I'm gonna go for a stroll." Maybe I'd bump into that hot guy from the plane that had offered me a drink.

"Take your cell and my keychain." Emily took off her shirt, and Daniel was no longer staring at the blaring TV, but his girlfriend undressing. "It's got a shot of mace on it."

"I'll be fine and it's barely dark outside."

"Don't make me glue it to your hand." She placed both hands on her hips.

Emily was from New York and no matter how many times I told her we were safe in our small town, she still insisted on carrying protection.

"Fine." I accepted her small bottle of mace.

Wow, Greece! I couldn't believe I was here. It felt like a fairytale that was too wonderful to be real. I'd wanted to come here for ages.

When I was younger, I had looked up photos and interesting facts about Greece, but I never thought I'd actually make it here. I couldn't wait to see some of the stuff I'd read about and the museums, ancient ruins, and oh, the Colosseum.

I tucked my cell into the pocket of my jeans and slid her keychain onto the front belt loop.

"I'll be back in an hour." I closed the door behind me. Two minutes later, I exited the hotel.

Outside, the air was crisp and salty. The ocean's waves crashed in the distance and I couldn't wait to explore more once the sun came up. I strolled down the sidewalk away from the hotel, window browsing through the city. The scent of saltwater, coffee, and cooking lamb packed the air.

Three feet ahead, that eerie guy from Emily's graduation party leaned against a black limo. His silvery eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. My heart stopped. He had tried to get me to leave Emily's party and go with him. His gaze locked onto mine and I back up a step. Emily said she didn't know him so he wasn't in her Greek class. How was it that he was here?

I took another step backward and bumped into a couple passing by.

"Watch out," the man grumbled.

"Sorry." I had to get out of here. I kept looking over my shoulder as I quickened my pace, expecting him to be chasing me, but no one was there. I couldn't shake the feeling though that he was following me.

Suddenly, everything around me was empty, vacant. Like someone had closed all the shops and yanked all the people away. There wasn't even any traffic on the streets. Darkness settled over the town and the streetlights overhead hummed. The silver-eyed guy rounded the corner, smiling like he was going to kill me.

I grasped the mace Emily had given me in my fist. "Don't come any closer."

His pace didn't even falter. I pushed down the mace, the spray hitting him in the face but he just kept approaching. He reached out with clawed fingers on my wrist.

I screamed, but he laughed. With all my strength, I twisted, trying to get free, his grip clamped down harder. I gasped as pain shot up my arm. In desperation, I kneed him as hard as I could. When his grip loosened a fraction, I jerked out of his reach and fled.

My breathing turned to pants. I fumbled for my phone but the thing wouldn't turn on.

Where was everyone? The police?

Panic gripped my throat and I spun. I tried a shop's door, then another. Locked. I banged on the door. "Help, someone, help me!"

I ducked behind the corner, my heart hammering. I glanced back and he was headed straight at me. I dashed forward, tears stinging my eyes. A light shone ahead at a bookstore.

Please be open, please. I pushed on the door and a small bell dinged as I stumbled inside. My breathing was hard and shallow. Rows of ancient books lined the shelves. Hardbacks with faded letterings on them. A long counter with an old-looking register sat along the side. The scent of dust and old books filled me. I checked outside, but the guy was gone.

The bookstore was quiet with no tables or chairs or anyone else inside. I stared out the glass door for any sign of the man chasing me, but the street remained empty. Then a few scooters, compact vehicles, and pedestrians milled past like the world had started moving again. My breathing slowly returned to normal but I was still shaky inside.

I was in no hurry to rush back outside. Gently, I ran my fingertips across the books' spines, and a tingling sensation snaked up my arm. I browsed through the rows. I should call Emily and ask her and Daniel to meet me here and walk me back to the hotel.

"May I help you?" A short, old woman came from behind one of the shelves. She wore a black shawl with glass beads hanging on the end of the fringe. Her white hair was in a loose bun but she had a kind smile.

"What kind of books are these?" Gosh, that sounded rude. "I mean do you have an English section?"

"All of these any can read." She flicked a hand out. Her accent was heavy and took me a minute to work out exactly what she said.

"Great." Definitely didn't want to return to the hotel too early and have the dude who attacked me following me.

Books were crammed onto shelves, the floor in stacks that looked about to topple over. I passed a cat in one aisle that blinked up at me with sleepy eyes.

I moved to another row, this one with a door to the side that revealed more books and a bed with a nightstand and lamp and a closed closet. This woman must live here too.

Down the next aisle, a dark black book caught my attention and I hefted it down. It was small, yet heavier than I expected. I flipped through the pages. The book held gold-colored pages with scrawling dark green writing on them. Images and pictures of Greek gods and goddesses filled the chapters as well. It was beautiful. I carried it back to the old woman behind the counter near the front of the store.

"Excuse me," I said. "How much?" I hadn't even had time to exchange my US Dollars for Euros yet.

She squinted as if sizing me up. "Fifty dollars."

"American?" I dug in my purse for my wallet. The need to buy this book spread through me. Besides, Mom and Dad had always brought me a book and trinket from every country they'd visited except Greece. This book would fit perfectly with my collection. It seemed to call me like it belonged to me. "Are you sure fifty is enough?"

"???...yes, yes." She nodded her head vigorously.

"Thanks." I struggled to remember the Greek word from the times that I helped Emily with her homework. "Efcharistó?" My tongue tangled over the word.

Her smile caused her wrinkles to deepen, her hazel eyes brightening.

I paid her, then tucked the book into my purse. Would the weird guy be waiting for me outside? I shuddered and checked my cellphone. Finally, it was working. I sent a request for an Uber to pick me up. That should be safe enough.

"Thanks for the book." I strolled toward the door.

Suddenly beside me, she grasped my arm. "Guard the book. Until you unleash its power, many will want it, but the magic is only for you." Her voice was rough and her dark gaze bored into me like was reading my soul.

My mouth dried. "Sure. Thanks."

Note to self, as much as I loved books, maybe living in a bookstore made people a little odd.

Outside, I tucked my purse closer to me with the book safely inside. As I strode down the sidewalk, the spot between my shoulder blades itched like someone watched me. I checked to my right, and then my left, No one unusual or the doppelgänger of the silver-eyed guy.

Crossing the street, I paused outside a shoe store with a pair of purple pumps with gold trim. In the window's reflection, I caught an elderly man limping across the street. A horn blared and I whirled. Down the path, a motorcycle and a huge truck raced each other. They barreled at mega speeds straight for the man.

"Look out!" I raced forward, hoping to grab the man and drag him out of the middle of the street. Except the engines revved just as I reached him. Both drivers were coming too fast and straight at us.

My scream lodged in my throat. No time to move. The headlights of both vehicles blinded me. Every part of my body froze.