Calypso

Leaves in many different colors drifted down from the dense overhanging branches. A girl walked through the forest. She was there for one reason, to think. A lot had been going on at home recently. Lots of fighting. The girl, Emily, was escaping that. Not running away, just escaping to get some alone time. She tried to take her mind off of the subject and looked down at her winter boots. Emily pulled her jacket tighter and continued walking. The leaves crunched under her feet. 
Suddenly, a laugh was heard somewhere nearby. Was that a child? A voice followed the laugh, "Artemis! You get back here this instant child!" At least that is what Emily thought she heard. Something came into her peripheral vision. A black blur. Then an arrow came whizzing by her head. Without thought, Emily ran forward.
She didn't look back. She would have run back home, but the forest was huge and even if she hadn't made too many turns and home was right behind her there was an arrow-shooting maniac as well. Finally, Emily turned her head, her pursuer was most definitely human. But before she could make out anything else, Emily hit a branch hard and was knocked to the ground. Everything went black.
Emily awoke to find herself chained to a sofa in a comfortable looking room. The entire place was made out of wood. There was an area filled with pots and pans and food in front of her that appeared to be a kitchen. There was a glass coffee table in front of her. The couch she sat on was red leather. There was a bookshelf beside a pink fluffy dog bed and a blue fluffy dog bed. And to the farthest of her, three cots on the floor and her captors. She finally got a good look at them. 
The one she had seen in the forest was a young girl, probably about 10. Her dark hair was complemented by the black outfit she wore. Black jacket over a black jumpsuit. Black boots. Her feet were up on the nearest cot, and she was polishing arrows in her leather quiver. A bow sat next to her. It had to have been her shooting the arrows. Thinking back, Emily also presumed that she was named Artemis. What a strange name.
The second person was an older girl. Emily couldn't guess her age. Her face was covered by a black cloak. Brown hair escaped from underneath the cloak. She held a book in one hand and an apple in the other. An unlit torch sat beside her. The girl called Artemis looked up. "Hecate, she's up," whispered the girl. Hecate? Why were all these names so strange, and why did Emily think she had heard them before? The dizziness from her being knocked unconscience was wearing off. Both girls got up and walked over to Emily. The older one, Hecate, said, "Hello. I'm Hecate. Who are you?" "E-Emily," stuttered Emily. "Nice to meet 'cha Emily, I'm Artemis!" exclaimed the girl in black. Hecate began, "Now, I know you might be confused, but-" "Who are you and what do you want?!" snapped Emily. Hecate cleared her throat, "We're both justice bringers, for start." Emily was confused.
"It means we live here and help children and other people from problems like bullies or fighting, all without society getting in the way," explained Artemis. "Then what's with the wacky outfits and names and stuff?" asked Emily. "Identity preservation and other stuff," said Hecate, "We'll be taking care of you for now, so why not tell us why you were in the forest?" Emily rolled her eyes and began to tell them about her fighting parents and how she needed to get away. When she finished, something unbelievable happened. 
A dog walked out from the next room. And not just any dog. This dog had three heads. Emily screamed and tried to calm down. Artemis looked back, "Oh, thats Cere. She won't hurt you." "Cere? She? What?" Emily tried to process it. Hecate calmly said, "Short for Cerebus. She's one of few. And then there's her mate, Orthrus. He only has two heads." Cerebus was jet black, with pointy ears and a gray stomach.
At the same time, another two-headed dog came into the house. It held a limp rabbit in its mouth. It was brown with similar physical characteristics to Cerebus. Its fur was speckled with white. Emily almost screamed again. "Calm down, those two are just for hunting and guarding purposes. They won't attack you," said Artemis. Both dogs came over to Emily, sniffed her, and walked away. 
"Just wait til you meet Calypso! She'll be so happy to see someone with problems like you!" exclaimed Artemis. "Thank you for saying that I have problems. And who's Calypso?" Hecate glared at Artemis, "Calypso is our leader. She is like a human, but not quite. You'll see. She's really nice. Does a lot of travelling." 
So the day went on. Emily was unchained, but didn't dare but look outside with the dogs watching her. She was still in the forest. In a treehouse with quartz stairs leading to the ground. Hecate spent the rest of the day brewing and working with something she called 'magic.' Emily wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. Artemis would go out to hunt and work for justice. Emily found a staircase beside the bookshelf that Cerebus had come down from. Upstairs was a bathroom and a room full of weaving materials and board games. Hecate must have liked knitting in her spare time. 
Over dinner they talked about a group of bullies Artemis had scared away and helped a child. Hecate talked nonstop about potions, for some odd reason. They both promised to take Emily to Calypso the next day. Emily got to sleep on the cot between Hecate and Artemis. She wanted to go home.
Artemis and Hecate woke Emily up the next morning. "We're sorry, but we're going to have to put you to sleep so you don't see the way to the location," said Hecate. She put a red handkerchief over Emily's mouth. There was a pleasant sensation, and then Emily blacked out. 
They were in a cave. A damp, dark cave with something that looked like rushing water over the entrance. The back was right in front of them. There was a looming stone chair and some holes in the walls. One held a blue music box. Another held different sketchbooks and notebooks. Another had a locket hanging from it. And then there was the girl sitting in the chair. She had silver hair that flowed down her shoulders like waves. Her eyes were pure ocean blue. Her outfit was blue, matching her eyes. It was lined with polar bear fur. 
"Well, what do you want?" she asked. "Are you Calypso?" asked Emily. "Yeah. My two colleagues here called me back from a vacation in her Arctic just for you." "Wait, the Arctic?" "Yeah. I can get to anywhere with ocean. I'm trying to conserve the walrus population, ya know." Emily was extremely confused. She tried to remember what she learned in mythology. Calypso was a minor sea goddess, right? And Artemis was a huntress goddess. And Hecate was... the goddess of magic and a queen of the Underworld? She realized that maybe this was real. Multiple headed dogs, magic, hunting, and now a person who can travel anywhere with water. Yep. This was real.
"Ahem. So, now that you've seen this place and us, we can't let you home. And I wouldn't think you would want to go home, considering how your parents blame each other for your leaving now." "Wait what?" Emily was shocked. Calypso kept talking. Hecate and Artemis were both silent. "You aren't leaving. Now, what should I call you since you're gonna be one of my officers?" Emily tried to think of something that went along with the others.
Well, that's it. Comment what you would turn your character into. Bye!
Category:Short stories
Category:Mythology
Category:Interactive