Her Destiny

Chapter 6

Persephone had a bad dream. She was tossing and turning. It seemed like her mind didn’t want her to wake up. Instead, it even seemed the dream was pulling her deeper and deeper, far away from the real world.

“Persephone…. Persephone!” That voice… It sounds Like Nana? Was Nana calling me to wake up? But why do I feel like I need to be in this dream? I can’t wake up. Something is holding me here?

 “Persephone… come to me!” the voice... I hear it in my dream? Maybe if I can concentrate enough, I can follow it.

Persephone is following the voice. Her pad leads through flowers. She’s been accompanied by the firefly’s who she recognizes from the other day. The fireflies that were dancing above the lake like fairies the day before. When she reaches the lake, she’s looking at the back of a woman. It was a small woman with long beautiful grey hair and a wrinkled body. The old lady was wearing a nightgown with flowers, animals, and hearts on it. Persephone wasn’t afraid. She felt she could trust this woman. She was brave enough to take a few steps closer. When the woman turned around, Persephone recognizes her as Nana. 

 “Nana!” Persephone is relieved to see the familiar face of her grandmother. She runs to her and takes her in a deep embrace. 

 “Nana, this is so weird. Are you in my dream?” 

 “This isn’t a dream, my dear child”

 “Isn’t it a dream?” Persephone’s memories from the evening are flashing through her head. “Ho no, the wolf! Nana, am I dead? “Persephone starts to panic. She can’t be dead. Simon saved her didn’t he? Or was the wound the animal gave me to deep?  

 Nana laughs sweetly “No, my child, you’re not dead. You have eternal life ahead of you. I called you to warn you. You need to see this.”

 “see what? Eternal life? What are you saying, Nana? I don’t understand anything about this!”

 “Listen to me carefully, and don’t interrupt me. Persephone, the people who raised you, are not your real parents. You’re a daughter of Gods. You were sent to us to keep you safe. Your parents created a protection spell on you. One that’ll keep you safe until the month of your eighteen birthday. Yesterday we celebrated the beginning of your birthday month. The spell is finished. It’s time to take your rightful place between the gods.” 

“Nana what are you saying? This is a dream. This is insane! I am no daughter of gods, it’s impossible !” Persephone is shaking her head. No, this is just a terrible dream. She is confused. She really wants to understand Nana, but it sounds so unreal. 

They are interrupted by an approaching sound. The sound alone gives Persephone shivers through her whole body. It sounds like something is crawling to them, shoving through the mod and the sand. It gives her goosebumps. 

Nana’s eyes widen as if she recognizes the sound like she knows what’s coming. 

She grabs Persephone by her shoulders and looks her in the eyes. 

“Persephone listen to me! We don’t have much time anymore. You noticed it too! You are not like us. You’ve abilities normal humans can only dream of, and on earth, your gifts are weakened. That’s because you don’t belong here. You belong in the God’s realm. “

Persephone keeps hearing the sounds whatever it is, it’s getting close to them. She starts to look around, but Nana pulls her head back, so they’re standing face to face again.

 “Persephone, there is something about to happen in God’s world. A war is coming, one that changes everything also for the people on earth. The disappearance of parents was only the beginning. I don’t know more than this, the rest you’ll have to figure out. Take Simon with you. It was important to keep you alive. Your return to the God’s world is necessary to win this war.” Nana is speaking faster and faster, aware of the creature that’s coming closer and closer. 

“I gave you the beginning of your story, now it’s time for you to find out the rest.” Nana looks behind her. It’s time she needs to let go. “Hide Persephone, hide now! Whatever happens, don’t get involved. Stay hidden! Know that for me, you were always my family, my real grandchild. “Tears are filling Nana’s eyes. She pushes Persephone behind the bushes. Don’t come out. Otherwise, everyone’s sacrifice was for nothing. Nana turns her back to her, ready to face the evil. Nana knew this would happen. The moment she took Persephone in, her fate was decided. She feels power running through her veins, giving her the courage she needed. This was her destiny from the beginning. 

Suddenly an enormous snake appeared out of the bushes. 

 “Hello, Sylvia, so we meet again,” the snake hissed. 

 “You’ve no right to call me by my name. Is Cronos still sending his little pet to do his dirty work? “

 “Cronos is a little occupied at the moment, but he says hello. You know that girl needs to be dead, to totally destroy the netherworld. If Cronos escapes, he wants no risk going back there. You could always give the girl to me, and you can enjoy the years you’ve left.” The snake looked almost as if he was challenging Sylvia.

“I will never give her to you! I know that I can’t stop you, monster, but I’ll hold you back as long as possible! The moment we took her in, we knew what the danger was. “Nana was ready, she was prepared to die. “

 “A human-like you stopping me? Haha, that won’t be very long. It’s so sad you could’ve Cherished your precious time”

 The snake started to attack Nana. Persephone saw everything. She kept Quit until the snake struck. She wanted to stand up and to shout. How could she watch while that monster was hurting her Nana?! But Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her from behind and put his hand on her mouth. In her eye corners, she could see that it was Simon. He signaled her to stay still. Persephone was crying silently. She heard Nana moaning from pain. The snake showed no compassion. It kept attacking her, putting its teeth everywhere. He was killing her, slowly enjoying how her life floated silently out of her. Persphone was piercing her nails in Simon’s skin. She wanted to do something. She can’t stay still any longer. Simon couldn’t stand to see grandma suffer. He was a hunter. Simon should be strong enough to defeat an enormous snake. Maby Simon could save her. he let Persephone go and took his bow and arrow. Persephone tried to grab his t-shirt, but he jumped out of the bushes and fired his arrow. The snake got hit, and the arrow stuck in his neck. Simon laughed. He had shot right where he wanted it. But his laugh disappeared when the snake turned his attack to Simon this time. 

Nana yelled desperately, “No! you needed to stay with her!” But it was too late even though Simon’s second shot hit the snake again. The snake was already on him. He put his teeth in Simon and shook until he was dead. When he was done, he swung the body away. Nana was lying with her stomach on the ground to face Persephone, who was still hiding, signaling her to stay hidden. The snake wasn’t in the mood to play anymore after Simon. He Attacked Nana again and killed her in one swift move. In her last breath, she muttered: Persephone, I love you. Then her eyes closed forever. 

The snaked bowed his head next to Nana’s ear and sissed, “I’ll find her, but first I am going to tell Cronos the good news about all her protectors being dead. Who chooses humans to protect a god. Such weaklings” then he disappeared. 

Persephone woke up screaming. She was completely wet from her sweat. She jumped out of bed and ran to grandma’s cabin, but it was empty. Simon’s place was also empty. The bow and arrow weren’t at their usual spot either. She jumped out of the three and ran to the lake that she saw in her dreams. And there they were, both Nana and Simon on the ground… dead.

Persephone came out of the bushed and leaned over, grandma. “No, no, please come back. I need you. I love you,” she screamed. Persephone kept crying and shouting, alarming the tribe’s other members. 

The tribe members found her hanging over grandma with clothes full of blood. Erick was smirking. Finally, he could get rid of Persephone. Simon’s death was unfortunate. He was a good warrior, Erick could’ve used him. 

 “Care to explain ?” Erick yelled

 Persephone couldn’t tell about the snake. It was clear to her that only Simon and Nana new about her. And who would believe her anyway? She decided to stay as close to the truth as possible. 

 “they got attacked” Persephone kept crying, unable to hold the sadness. 

 “Yes, we can see that, but by who?” 

 “I… I …. I .. don’t know” 

“You don’t know? Your clothes are full of blood, and two dead bodies are lying next to you while you are unharmed” Erick yelled furiously. 

She could handle Erick yelling to her, hinting she had killed hem, barley, but she could handle that. What she couldn’t take was seeing the doubt in the eyes and faces of her members. The one she called family. 

Seeing that, knowing her real and adoptive parents were dead and losing Nana and Simon was too much for her. Anger and sadness were the only emotions she could feel at the moment. 

The emotions in her activated the wolf poison. She yelled in pain, bones started to break, and her clothes got ripped. The tribe members didn’t know how to react and took a few steps back, making the distance bigger between them. Persephone was screaming nonstop it was clear the change was excruciating. She kept yelling and screaming until she had changed into a beautiful white wolf. 

For a moment, there was silence. Persephone was chocked and fell down when she realized what had happened. But this was the last push Erick needed. 

“I knew It! It was you !! You killed them!! She is a wolf! We can all be thankful that she hasn’t killed us. Nana and Simon were probably trying to save us, trying to kill her! We should take revenge, kill her!” The members all started to shout together, throwing stones and spears at the wolf. 

Persephone had no other option than to run away, she couldn’t speak, and she didn’t know how to back into a human again. But she understood that they were filled with anger, blindly by revenge, so running was her only option. It was a little tricky, but then instinct took over, and she could run really fast. Leaving the members far behind her. Because she looked back to see if she still was followed, she hadn’t seen the wolf trap in front of her. An iron trap pierced her paw, and she fell down. Moving hurt a lot so she kept still. 

She was lying there on the ground, a beautiful wolf dirty of the mud. She had lost Nana, Simon, and her tribe in one day. She discovered her parents weren’t her real parents, and her real parents probably died protecting her. She has lost everything. She knew grandma said she had to find her way back, but why should she. She had no clue where to start, she was trapped, and there was no one to help her. The gods could survive without her. They were gods. It’s okay to die, I am ready to die. I don’t want to suffer anymore. How could she even help gods? A naive, weak girl. She closed her eyes and imaged all the memories she had with Simon and Nana. Eventually, she let the darkness take over. The last thing she heard was the screeching sound of a raven.