© 2016 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved.

~

  Sometimes a certain smell will 

take me back to when I was young

How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?  

~

Grocery shopping at 6:00 am seemed to be something that Jazz and Draver loved to do. And unfortunately, I was dragged out to join in their morning activity. The only fun thing about waking up at this time and going grocery shopping was picking up Danika from NYU.

Jazz was speculating on buying pomegranates, and was analyzing every single inch of the fresh fruits and vegetables before adding it to the cart that I was pushing. Draver was off getting various snacks to stock up the house with.

I had mentioned that there weren't any chips in the cabinets of the kitchen, and from the guest room where Draver was repairing a light bulb, I heard him yell out to Jazz: "I fucking told you we needed snacks, but nooooo Mr.Homemade-Everything wants to be healthy and organic."

Draver returned to the fresh produce area that Jazz and I were at with his arms full of snacks. They were mainly chips, but some snacks were trail mixes and chocolate almonds. It was a good variety. He unceremoniously dumped them into the cart, narrowly missing the unblemished, bruise free fruits and vegetables. Jazz took notice and narrowed his eyes at Draver in a threatening manner to which Draver shrugged.

As Jazz continued to pluck at various vegetables, Draver came up behind me to push the cart.

I mumbled in protest, "No way, that's my only job. You guys won't let me do anything else."

Draver bit my ear in response. "Just shut up and be spoiled."

Rolling my eyes, I let him take control of the cart. "I'm going to roam around. Call if you need me,"

Draver and Jazz both looked like kicked puppies when I walked away, and I'd be lying if I said that their expression didn't look cute.

I popped into the arts and craft aisle, spotting a notebook that caught my eye. It was a small, leather bound, with a silk ribbon as a book marker. Twine wrapped around it in a gift theme. I picked it up, flipping it over. On the back was an red seal pressed deep into the leather with an owl insignia. When I looked back at where I picked it up from, I realized that there were no other notebooks like this. Glancing back down, I nearly dropped the book. The owl had moved- literally moved- as in the owl moved out of 2D into 4D and was perched on the book.

I had enough sense to figure out where this was going. "Athena?"

The owl's bright yellow eyes blinked slowly and the wings ruffled before it took flight over my shoulder. I turned around to follow it, but in my place stood a glowing woman with a mass of black-brown curls piled atop her head. To my surprise, the Goddess of Wisdom looked no older than me. Athena had on ripped mom jeans and a gray v-neck that had red splatters on it. I wasn't entirely sure if it was paint or blood.

Athena's eyes were still a bright yellow, matching the owls. "That is for you."

I held up the notebook dumbly. "And how is that going to help me against the great danger coming my way?"

She held her head up, "Gods and Goddesses cannot interfere with you and the prophecy that Kendra will tell you, and I'm not surprise that Poseidon of all people would already spill and tell you about the danger. Pathetic."

"He didn't tell me anything," I snapped. "Which would be helpful if some people started talking instead of preaching to me about a danger I know nothing about!"

Athena just rolled her eyes at my outburst. "Well if you need to know something, you can use my notebook. Simply write the question in it, and I'll give you an answer on the following line. Depending on how I feel. And if the question interferes with the prophecy, I'll simply erase your question."

Her eyes twinkled as if that last morsel of information was the key to solving world hunger.

Suddenly the goddess of wisdom folded within herself to become an owl once more. She flew straight through the book, as if she herself were some astral projection. The owl was back on the book, returning to it's original place and position on the front cover of the book. 

Tucking the book under my arm, I made my way back to Jazz and Draver. There were a little past produce, standing in the snack aisle as they discussed the pros and cons of Oreos.

"They soak up too much milk," Draver insisted. "Then you have to keep adding more milk to compensate for the amount of oreos."

Jazz stroked his jaw in thought. "But...they taste good. And Faye used to devour these when she was younger."

I snatched up the Oreos, tucking them under my arm. "Well, you guys don't have to worry about it because I'm buying this- don't give me that look, Draver, it's just oreos, not a house. At least let me purchase this!"

Draver's arms slipped around my waist, his face nuzzling into my neck. "We just want you to be taken care of, Faye. The only thing you should be worried about is finals this week."

I unconsciously snuggled deeper into Jazz's hand as he cupped my cheek. 

Pulling back, we made our way to the check out line. 

"Do you need anything for finals?" Jazz muttered over my shoulder as he and I loaded the groceries for the cashier to swipe across the scanner.

I shrugged. "Not exactly. Besides a lot of alone time to study." 

Draver frowned from the opposite side of the cart, where he was depositing the bagged goods. "Alone time?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head with a small smile on my face. "Yes. Alone time. You can last a couple hours without me. Besides, I have the next 2 hours with you guys since we're going back to Lorena's to meet Kendra."

Draver sighed heavily. "I hope Kendra doesn't say anything to scare you away. She's become a bit eccentric after Kaleesi died."

Jazz swiped his card and plucked the receipt from the cashier. 

I quickly handed over the oreos and Athena's notebook to the cashier. Before my eyes, I saw the notebook shimmer and turn into a Five-Star pocket book, with a bar-code on the bottom left corner.

Jazz and Draver didn't seem to notice, as they were moving the cart out of the way of people walking by to check in.

I swiped my card and refused the bagging of the items, taking them up before jogging over to Jazz and Draver as we navigated through the parking lot to our cars.

"So, you lead and I'll follow?" I tossed the oreos in Danika's passenger seat.

Draver nodded. "Do you want one of us to ride with you?"

I shook my head, my hands becoming clammy at the thought of them finding out that I met another god. Well, goddess.

Draver and Jazz both kissed my forehead before climbing into Draver's Hummer PNG and pulling out of the parking lot.

I followed in suit, though it took a while longer because Danika refused to start at first.

15 minutes later and we were at Lorena's. This time, when I heard the musical laugh, I knew it was Lux.

She flung open the door for us, a wide smile splitting her face. Today her hair was parted to the left, four thin braids (two on either side) were clipped at the back of her head. Woven through her golden blond hair were blue and violet flowers that brought out her cerulean eyes.

Katya held open the door wider. Her brown, almost black hair, fell over her shoulder in waves. It stopped just below her arm. Flowers were in her hair as well, 3 peachy roses woven into the braid that was tucked behind her ear. 

"Come on in. Lorena bought out the flower vendor, so she's gotten a lot a deliveries of flowers coming up."

Lux pulled Jazz and Draver by their wrists, "Come on, come on. You're no exception." she scolded, pulling them into the penthouse.

Katya's smiled at Lux's enthusiasm. "She's really attached to those two."

After shutting the door behind me, I followed Katya's gaze to see Draver getting white roses in his hair while Jazz helped Lux weave a flower crown made of pale pink peonies. I walked over to the couch, sitting with Jazz.

"So you have to assemble your own?" I asked, watching Draver struggled to place the white roses in his hair and to keep them there. Lux had gotten bobby pins to lock the stems of the flower to his hair.

"No, but I created this one for you." Jazz fit the flower crown over my hair, pulling a few strands to frame my face. "Draver picked the flowers."

Lux grinned at the flower crown. "Let me braid your hair. We can weave flowers through them. Which ones do you want?"

On the coffee table, there were piles of flowers.

I picked some tiny daisies for Lux to wiggle between my hair as she pulled my inky hair into a side braid.

"You're hair very thick. It's good for flowers, like mine and Mom's. So is Stark's but the way he cuts his hair in layers makes it hard to hold flowers, so I had to make a flower crown."

As if on cue, Stark appeared from one of the rooms. He lowered his head a fraction to Jazz and Draver, who responded with their own barely-there nod. 

Upon his head was a crown of yellow flowers. They were a mix of peonies and roses.

"So do you guys do this often? Flower crowns?" I offered up a hair tie from my wrist for Lux, who finished my side braid.

"Not exactly. I mean, the only reason Lorena bought all the flowers was because the girl's name was Iris."

The unknown voice came from behind the couch Jazz and I were on, so I twisted my body to the side to make eye contact with a tall woman. Her looks stole my breath away; more beautiful than Lorena or Katya, this woman had silver eyes like the Lycans but with a blue ring around the right one, and a red ring around the left. Her hair, cropped short to the length of her chin in beach waves, was a rich mahogany. Her skin was olive, like mine, but her skin seemed to glow- like Athena's.

"Hey there. I'm Kendra," the woman gave a smirk, a plate full of moon cakes in her hand as she offered one to me.

Lux's hands were a blur as she swiped three off of the place.

Stark visibly tensed, and Kendra's eyes narrowed viciously at Stark.

Katya set a hand on Stark's chest, whispering in his ear. After a moment, when Lux was seated back next to Draver onto the couch perpendicular to ours, Stark calmed down.

Jazz drew me closer to his side, but I shrugged him off. Everyone seemed to be wary of Kendra, and when I caught a glimpse of her expression, I saw sadness fill her eyes for a moment.

I stood up quickly, moving around the couch to meet with her properly. I held my hand out to take the moon cake from her, then to shake her hand.

"My name is Faye. I'm sure you already know why I'm here, and I'd like to discuss that as soon as possible. Probably over moon cakes."

A soft smile flashed upon her face. "Good. We might have a long talk, so I think it's safe to bring the moon cakes with us, yes?"

I nodded, taking the plate from her. When Jazz and Draver moved to stand up and accompany me, I shot them daggers. Draver visibly swallowed and Jazz's eyebrow twitched.

Katya stood up, appearing beside me. "I'll come with. I may be able to clarify things with the Moon Goddess if she wants to speak through me."

Katya was the only one from the group who seemed to be unaffected by Kendra's seemingly unnerving presence. 

Kendra led us to an empty bedroom. A circle of Latin script appeared around her hand as she muttered a few words under her breath. A thin, shimmering veil coated the room before fading away.

"Silencing spell. No one will hear what we say." Kendra offered as explanation. 

She gestured for us to sit wherever, so I chose to sit on the desk chair. Katya sat down on the edge of the bed.

Kendra regarded me first, her eyes narrowing. For a moment, I thought her eyes were completely white for a moment. Then, she paused.

"I wondered why I couldn't see you- and seeing you now makes sense." 

I held my breath. I didn't like the way she said seeing. It wasn't the physical seeing, no it felt like she was talking about looking at my genetic code and my deepest darkest secrets. Like she saw my soul.

Then Kendra said something that sent my heart plummeting.

"Did you know that you're not human? You're not even of this...mythology."

"What?" I wheezed out.

Katya's eyes widened. "Are you sure? I've heard that others exist, but I've never met anyone from another mythology."

Kendra nodded, though her eyes never left my own. "It makes sense- why she wouldn't appear in my prophecies. I only cater to Greek and Roman mythological beings. But Faye, you're from an entirely different mythology."

"Which one?" I pressed, my heart racing along with a thousand different thoughts in my mind.

Kendra's eyes narrowed on me further, but she flinched back as if she hit a barrier. A grin split her face.

"Oh this is good."

I blinked up at her, growing increasingly annoyed at their lack of explanation.

"What is it?" I insisted, standing up.

The Nymph cackled, leaning against the door. "I'll give you a hint- your name has a lot of letters close to hers."

I didn't study other mythologies- not extensively. My knowledge was strictly on Greek and Roman. How was I supposed to figure this out?

"Freya!" Katya gasped, turning to me. "Oh Goddess, you're from Norse mythology."

Kendra's predatory grin split her face. "That's not the only good news. Faye over here isn't just some human tied with Norse mythology. She's an actual being of Norse mythology."

I felt myself becoming lightheaded. "Wait, what? None of this is making sense! What am I?"

"You, my dear Faye, are a Valkyrie."

_______________________________________________________________________

Next two chapters are available on Radish! :D