Kristen Day - Chosen

“So what’s our new plan to find Finn?” I squelched the rising hope that the possibility of a new plan evoked. That precarious little thing called hope would inevitably threaten to piece my heart back together, which would only leave it vulnerable to further disappointment. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

“Charon hasn’t divulged all of the details to me, but he will brief us once we arrive. We’ll be flying into Paphos, which is one of the larger cities on the west coast of the island.”

“Isn’t there a descendent school in Paphos?” Willow thought out loud. “The House of Eventide?”

“Very good, Willow,” Natasha nodded. “We will actually be staying on campus for the duration of our visit.”

“Where exactly is Cyprus?” I asked, realizing I wasn’t completely sure I knew where it was located.

“Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is east of Greece and north of Egypt. There is much history that has taken place there, and the Nereids have been meeting there for millennia.”

“Aphrodite’s Rock!” Willow perked up with exuberance. “That’s in Cyprus isn’t it?”

“Aphrodite’s Rock, her sanctuary, and many other sites are located all over the island of Cyprus.”

“What’s Aphrodite’s Rock?” I asked. I was picturing a rock that resembled the goddess or that had been carved in her likeness.

“It’s the birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love!” Willow exclaimed with a dreamy look in her eye. I had no doubt her thoughts had drifted to her almost-boyfriend Liam. Unfortunately, Phoebe quickly transformed her dreamy look into something resembling revulsion with her next comment.

“Cronus cut off Uranus’s testicles and threw them in the sea! When the water got all foamy, Aphrodite was created.” She thought to herself for a moment and then shrugged, “It’s kind of gross when you really think about it.”

Just as I was about to ask if that was really possible, the seat belt lights blinked on and we buckled ourselves, as well as the still-sleeping Carmen, in safely to prepare for our descent into Paphos.

I peered out the window at the mysterious sea below. The nearly full moon above lit a watery runway of glitter as the far the eye could see. If only my own path were that clear.

Finn

“I still don’t get why I had to come,” I complained, shuffling my feet as loudly as possible.

“Liam’s mom even said he could go surfing on the Isle, but now we’ll have to wait until next week.”

“The Queen of the Underworld doesn’t care about your surfing schedule,” Mom replied with a frown and walked ahead of me on the stone path. I’d been helping Dad out for years, but I’d never been required to go with Mom to her meetings. Usually they contained information I wasn’t allowed to hear. Plus, no twelve year guy wants to go to meetings with his mom. So, when she told me I had to go with her today, I wasn’t too happy about it. That feeling was amplified after Liam had called to go surfing.

“Maybe she’d be a better queen if she did,” I muttered under my breath.

“It’s not every day we’re summoned to see Persephone. I need you to behave. We won’t be here long. Just long enough-“ She stopped abruptly when she peered over her shoulder at me. I held my breath and suppressed a snicker. She put her hands on her hips and glared in my general vicinity.

“Finn Morrison, if you don’t uncloak yourself right now, I’m going to change you into a piece of lint and stick you in my pocket for all of eternity.”

The laugh I had been holding in fought its way out, sounding more like a snort. This time she crossed her arms, smirked, and lifted an eyebrow. “Suit yourself. But it’s going to be hard to surf next week without a surfboard.”

“Aw, Mom! Come on!” I uncloaked myself and pleaded one last time. “Persephone won’t know I’m there and I’ll still listen to whatever you guys talk about. The only difference is I won’t have to talk to her. Everybody wins.” I gave her my best puppy dog eyes.

“Except when she catches me talking to thin air and assumes I’ve lost my mind,” she countered.

“Everybody assumes that already,” I joked, and jumped out of the way as she swatted at me playfully. We walked the rest of the way down the path and soon approached the front entrance. The Queen wasn’t known for being very welcoming, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Mom gave me a weary look and knocked on the heavy wooden door. The house itself was covered on all sides with thick, golden vines. It was as if the forest floor was slowly devouring the entire structure.

After two more attempts, the door finally swung open and a stunning woman stepped out into the light. Or maybe she was the light. It was hard to tell since she looked like she was glowing. She reminded me of a roman candle me and my friends had lit last year at the Summer Solstice event on the Isle. Except she didn’t have sparks flying out of her head. That would have been much cooler.

I experienced something like a red hot whip slam into my heart as her golden eyes met mine. I jumped in front of mom; immediately on the defensive. I could feel the darkness that everyone from down there had, but the sense of powerful rage simmering below her surface was overwhelming. If Mom felt it, she gave nothing away.

“It’s alright, Finn,” she reassured me and touched my arm gently. Not taking my glare off of Persephone, I backed away only slightly.

“And you must be Finn.” Persephone’s blazing golden eyes dissected me in mere seconds as her mouth curled up into a smirk. My entire body tensed as I sensed the full force of her hidden anger when she spoke. I narrowed my eyes at her in an effort to let her know that whatever dealings she had with my mom, she would have to get through me first. I felt my own darkness flare and spread as Persephone chuckled.

“I mean no harm to your mother, son.” I bristled at her use of the word ‘son’ and then realized she had known what I was thinking. Could she read minds?

“Then what do you want?” I growled at her, moving in front of Mom once again.

“Finn, honey, Persephone only wants to discuss certain…administrative issues. You have no reason to fear for my safety.” I could tell she was trying to be reassuring but she still wasn’t convincing me. No one with that kind of resentment and anger could do anything out of the goodness of her heart. My father once told me that hate binds the heart. People like her always had hidden agendas.

Persephone ushered us into a large foyer and then up a flight of stairs into a solarium. It was filled to the brim with flowering plants and bushes. Lush fruit hung from trees, and vines clung to the glass walls. The entire ceiling was also glass, which created a tropical forest feel.

Mom took a seat near one of the many waterfalls, but I remained standing. There was no way I was letting my guard down. As Persephone strolled past and sat down across from Mom, I heard the sound of feet running. Two seconds later, the owner of those feet pranced into the solarium and scowled at Persephone.

“Mother!”she barked and then rested her hands on her hips. “You were supposed to tell me when they arrived!”

“Nadia, dear. Won’t you make our guest feel welcome?” Persephone swept an arm in my direction and then addressed me with regal undertones. “I believe you know my daughter, Nadia.”

I cringed as Nadia’s pout lifted into a cunning grin, and she swept into the room like Cinderella on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. I got the feeling the world was supposed to stop spinning in acknowledgement of her entrance. I was waiting for a hidden orchestra to begin blaring Beethoven’s Symphony #5. I let out a snicker, which was quickly muted by a look from Mom. Nadia ignored my outburst and continued to move in my direction.