Treasure of Calliope: Chronicles of Zeus' Daughters - Book 1

Chapter 1: The Stranger

Kyra Carellis had always had vivid dreams that seemed more real than dream-like. It started with a dream that Kyra had when she was 5 years old. She sat at a table with a game called Connect 4 in front of her. It was daytime, and she was in the library, where the family usually played games together. The game's goal was to get four of your own color in a row while your opponent tried to block the row and make their own row complete. She had played it many times before with her dad and usually won. Kyra was startled when an older man appeared and sat down on the opposite side of the game. “Hello.”

The stranger sat down in front of her before responding. “Are you not afraid of me?” 

She thought and tapped a finger to her chin. “That would be silly. This is just a dream, so you aren’t really here.”

“How could I play this game with you if I was not real?” “

You’re not playing yet,” Kyra spoke as she sat up straighter and placed her chip in the slot. “Your turn,” she said and crossed her arms as if daring him to make a move. 

 He picked up a chip of the opposite color and placed it in the slot next to hers. “Am I real now?” 

 “No. This is just a dream and all of this pretend.” She replied sounding very carefree and placed her next chip on top of his. 

 The stranger realized what she was doing. This little girl was playing him like a master musician plays an instrument. And he couldn't have been prouder at that moment. His daughter was turning out to be just like him - smart and strategic. She had no fear of him and was trying to get him to make a wrong move, or was she? He couldn't tell. Her eyes did not give her away. “Do you think you are good at this game?”, he asked to tease her a little bit. Kyra was not having any of it and gave it right back to him without a moment of hesitation.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

An hour later, he shook his head. They had filled the board with all of the chips and neither of them had won. “I must leave now. Thank you for allowing me to play the game with you.”

“You don’t want to stay and try again?” she asked in her most innocent and forlorn voice.

"I see your strategy now child."

"hmmmm?"

"Do not play innocent with me. You made sure not to win so you could get me to play again. Only this time, you would actually play to win." He could not help but smile at her. 

She knew he had figured out her secret and it was time to tell the truth. "It is not polite to beat someone the first time they play."

"That is not the entire truth though is it?"

Kyra stood and folded her arms and the look she gave him had him struggling internally to not become wrapped around her pinky. 

"For a dream, you're pretty smart." She unfolded her arms and began to clean up the game. "I'm sure you're not afraid to play again. Are you?"

“I have some things I must do. Maybe I will come back at a later time. Would that be acceptable for you?”

“You didn't answer my question."  When he stood there silent, she realized he had found a way out of her spider's web. "I'll see if I can find an easier game for you."

The stranger took small step forward and tapped her once on her nose, turned and suddenly was gone.

A few weeks later, Kyra stood in a field where the grass was ankle-high with rocks of various shapes and sizes all around. She wished again for someone to join her, so they could play in the field together. Looking around to find something to do, she spotted rocks of various shapes and sizes.

“There are enough here I could build my own castle,” she stated to the air.

Since Kyra was small, she could only lift the smaller rocks, so it would take a while to build. As she gathered a handful of stones, her cousin Tessa Reece who was just a year younger showed up with a small black wolf. She asked Kyra if she wanted to play tag with them. Tessa loved animals since she could crawl and preferred playing with her stuffed animals to dolls during playtime. Kyra was happy to play with them and they took turns several times.

After waking up, Kyra and Tessa met in the hallway between their bedrooms and compared notes about their dream. Excited, they shared the experience with their parents that morning at breakfast, who seemed captivated and even asked for all of the details they could remember. Later that afternoon, Kyra walked past her dad's office and overheard her dad and mom, along with her Aunt Emi and Uncle Chris, talking about it. They sounded worried but never questioned Kyra or Tessa about their dreams. That night at dinner, they asked to be told right away if something ever scary happened.  Kyra thought about the older man from her dream a few weeks ago and decided that it was just a dream.

Kyra's sisters Cassie and Alexis, who were 2 years younger than her, soon joined them. At dinner that night and as the 4 girls spoke about the fun they had during the dream, Kyra noticed that Tessa's sisters Helena and Ellie, who were 2 years younger than Tessa and Kat, a year younger than Helena and Ellie looked sad because they were not included in the fun. The following night before bed, Kyra thought about them. As she fell asleep, she wished they could join as well. Kyra was back in the familiar field but this time she was surrounded by her sisters and all 4 cousins. 

“Good. Now we can all have fun,” Kyra spoke to everyone.

The girls found they could run, jump and play without ever getting tired. The number of wild animals increased over time, but they mostly stayed close to Tessa, who kept trying to teach them pet tricks like sit, fetch, and even shake. One night, the older man showed up again. He simply sat down on a chair and greeted each girl by name.

“If you would all sit, I will tell you a story with amazing creatures who can do remarkable things,” he began.

The girls sat in front of him, but Tessa stood back up. “Will it include animals? I love animals.” Tessa glanced over to Kat and then asked another question. “It won’t be scary or anything because my sister doesn’t like scary things.”

“I will only tell stories that include animals. The creatures may be scary, but the stories will not be. Is that acceptable?” he said looking at Tessa.

Tessa glanced back to Kat again who seemed alright with that, so she turned back to him and nodded before sitting back on the ground.

He began the story and moved his hands in the air which produced pictures. After waking up from hearing the first story, the girls ran downstairs to see their parents.  They couldn't wait to tell them about the story they had heard and about the older man who showed up to tell the story. Like before, their parents seemed to believe them and were very interested in everything the girls had to share about the dream. 

The older man would show up every couple of days. He was talk of worlds beyond that contained mermaids, monsters, fairies, and other creations small and large that could only be found in our wildest dreams. Sometimes the stories were happy, and sometimes they were sad, but he always made sure that as he told the story that no one was afraid. As the years went by, the older man appeared less and less, and many times it was just he and Kyra in her dream. On the eve of her 15th birthday, he told Kyra that something had happened, and he would not be able to visit for a while. When she tried to ask why he replied that some things he had to attend would prevent him from seeing her for a bit of time. While the shared dreams continued on and off, the older man never came back.

#####

It had been a very long day, and Kyra was exhausted. She had gone into town with her family. While town was not really that far, it would take about 2 hours to get there because of the rough and rugged roads. They had learned that it was best to get the most out of their trips so they tried to get as much done as possible. As the girls grew older, they were able to help cutting an entire day spent in town to just a few hours. Tessa went with her mom Emi and Kyra's mom Rhea to get supplies for the house and medicine for Dr. Cooper. Anything that related to the animals and Tessa was not only there but usually front and center. Kyra went with her dad Alex while her Uncle Chris worked on getting supplies for outside. A little while later, they met with the town leaders about any new visitors or hunters in the area. As the oldest, she knew that if something ever happened to her parents or aunt and uncle, it would be her responsibility to keep up the relationships with people in town.   

She was used to the chaos but looked forward to the dreams of calm tranquility in a meadow or forest. After her shower, she got into her comfy flannel pajamas, turned off her light, and laid down. 

"I could really use a good dream tonight. I wouldn't complain if there was a cute guy in there but please, no bad stuff. Tomorrow is my 18th birthday, and it would be an early birthday present," she said aloud, knowing there was no one else in her room. Maybe she was crazy for talking into the air, but something in the universe would hear her tonight.

Her dreams stopped being fun last year and started being scary, with a blackness always constant in some form, going after someone in her family. Like her previous dreams, she stood barefoot in her red flannel pajamas and in a field of wildflowers and tall grass. The sky was pitch black because the moon and stars that generally lit the night were nowhere to be seen. The only light came from the wildflowers, which had an eerie white glow.

"This can't be good," she said as she looked around to find something familiar. Instead, Kyra saw the dark sky become a dark void, moving in and around her while erasing the outer edges of the field. "Is it really too much to ask for just one night of peace?" she yelled while looking up into the sky. Suddenly, she heard women's voices in her head.

"We hear you our child.”

“We see the darkness and have sent someone to help you with your quest."

Kyra spun around, trying to find out where the voices were coming from. "Who are you?"

"You will learn of us soon enough.”

"Your quest is to become who you were meant to be."

"Can you get any broader?"

She heard the laughter again in her head and then silence.

#####

Atlas could not move. When he heard the young woman speak, he felt the bracelet heat up his arm and radiate through the rest of his body. A pull began like a cord was connected to his heart and the other end quickly attached to her. His heart quickened as he waited for her to acknowledge his presence. Judging from her steady gaze past him, he guessed that she did not see him. "How am I supposed to help her if she cannot see or hear me?" The question was quickly answered by the sound of three women laughing in his head.

"You have a twisted sense of humor," he said aloud.

Kyra felt like she was being watched but could not see anyone else. When she glanced around the field again, she spotted Tessa standing in the path of the void.

"Tessa, get out of here!" Kyra yelled.

"Kyra! I'm stuck in some black slime and can't get my feet to move. I'm so scared," Tessa shouted back in a shaky voice.

The warm, soft dirt that Kyra was just standing on was replaced with cold hard rock. The grass that was just tickling her ankles turned into steel shackles that held her prisoner.

"I can't move, Tessa. Get out of here!" Kyra shouted, but her cousin didn't move. The void had almost reached her.

Kyra looked down at her ankles to see if she could get loose, and out of the quiet, Tessa let out a blood shriek of fear. When she looked back up, the void had taken everything, and she stood alone in almost total darkness.

"No! Please let this be just a dream," she sobbed, tears running down her cheeks, and she hid her face in her hands.

Finally, able to move, Atlas walked up and placed his hands on her shoulders to try and comfort her. "Kyra," he whispered. When he said her name, he felt joy and a pain in his heart, more intense than what he felt seeing Pleione and his daughters for the last time. This pain pierced his heart, extended to his soul, and mirrored the pain he heard in her cries.

Kyra was startled by his voice and his touch. Instead of jumping to get away and getting ready to protect herself, she only looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"You are safe," he said softly so he would not cause her any more fear. “We appear to be in the Fields of Asphodel.

Kyra was surprised when she noticed she was back in the field, and it was daytime. Birds were flying across the sky, and she could see trees and mountains on the horizon and a lake that looked like a sheet of glass. There she spotted a large willow tree with a bench made of fine crafted wood.  

"Where is Tessa?" she asked.

"Your nightmare has ended. Tessa is fine."

“Wait, you said we were in the Fields of Asphodel?”

“If we are not, we are in a place that is remarkably similar to it.”

“This is my dream. Only the dead go to Asphodel. At least I think that is what I remember from my lessons.”

Atlas was shocked that she knew that name. He had been gone for a very long and was sure things changed. But she was human, and they did not know about this place, Elysium or Tartarus. Suddenly his memory was flooded with thoughts of his father, uncles and brothers.

Kyra saw Atlas become very sad and grew concerned. “Why are you sad?”

“I apologize, I suddenly remembered my family and how much I miss them.”

Kyra could not imagine how it would feel if she lost her family and offered him comfort by placing her hand on his arm. There was something about him that made her very aware of his presence. Touching his arm, her hand felt warm, and her stomach felt fluttery. When he looked back her, he began to smile.

“Perhaps we can start from the beginning. I have some questions. Who are you, why are you here and how did you get into my dream?" she asked him as she realized her hand was still on his arm and moved to put it on her hip.

He felt bereft when she removed her hand, but he could not help but smile at her. "My name is Atlas. I am son of Titan Iapetus and Nymph Clymene.”

“Back up a second. You said son of Titan Iapetus. As in Greek mythology titans? And you said your name was Atlas. Did you have to carry the weight of the heavens on yours shoulders as punishment for betraying Zeus?”

"Yes, but mythology implies that it is a fable, and I am real. And yes, I did have to carry the weight of the heavens as punishment.” He thought about his answer. It was not completely true. He would have to tell her the complete truth later. Right now, he had to get her trust and get her to believe that what he said was true about her family being in danger.

“I’m sorry, but this is too crazy to be real. You are a part of my probable hormonal imagination.”

Atlas felt like she had punched and took a deep breath while he tried to put himself into her position. “This all must sound very strange, but I am real. It is my understanding that your world does not accept other worlds as real, but that does not make them less real.”

Kyra took a second to think about what he just said. “You’re right. It doesn’t make it less real. But acceptance of other worlds doesn’t make this feel any less strange. I always dream of hot guys trying to save me like a knight in shining armor, or any men for that matter. Usually it’s just me, my sisters and my cousins.” Kyra realized that was not true and felt the need to be honest with this man. “Actually, there was a man in my dreams before. He showed up quite a lot.”

Atlas stepped back from her and Kyra watched as his hands formed fists.  When she heard him growl like a large angry wolf it took her a minute to realize why. 

“I don’t know if this is jealously or possessiveness, but you need a time out. First, we just met. Second, this is the 21st century and men do not own women like possessions. Third, he was old and only showed up to read us stories.”

Realizing what he had done, Atlas felt shame for allowing his emotions to control him so easily. She was right, he felt both of those things and had no idea why. “I apologize. That has never happened before, and you are right, we have just met. Can you forgive me?”

“I think I can manage that. But how do I know? What proof do I have after I wake up that this wasn’t just a really weird dream?"

"Perhaps this will help convince you that this is more than a dream." Atlas could see the confusion on her face. He took her hand, gently placed the bracelet on her wrist, and then held her hand in both of his.

"It's stunning, but I can't accept it," she said but did not move her hand from his because they felt warm and that tingle from earlier was back.

"It is a gift," he replied.

"Why would you give me this? We've only just met."

"The gift is not from me. I am only a messenger."

"Then who is it from?"

"The bracelet is made up onyx and is a gift from Nyx. The emerald is from Atropos, the ruby is from Clotho, and the sapphire is from Lachesis. These women are very wise and powerful beings. It is best not to reject anything they give. I have also found it is best not to question their reason for doing anything."

"Why would they give you a gift to give to me? If they are so powerful, why not give it to me directly?"

"They said it was for your birthday. Today is the 18th year of your birth?" Atlas already knew the answer was yes but wanted to hear her answer.

Kyra had to think for a minute before answering. "Yes, I guess it is. But how do you know?"

"Perhaps I could answer that question when we have more time. Right now, I must tell you something much direr."

"What is it?"

"Danger is coming for you and your family. It has been coming for you before you were even born. As you begin growing into your powers, it will become easier to find you because the power you wield acts like a beacon for them to hunt for you."

"Wait! What danger is coming? How do I keep my family safe?"

"You do not want to know about your powers?"

"I still don't know if I believe all of this, but if my family is at risk, then I will believe enough to keep them safe."

"We are almost out of time. Tell your mother that you must get your family somewhere safe. She will believe you, and so will your father."

"How do you know?"

"There is not enough time to explain now. Get your family safe first, and then we will have time to talk more."

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Kyra woke up back in her bed, and her alarm was beeping at her. She quickly rolled over, hit the snooze button, and then closed her eyes to return to her dream. She felt like she had been awake for 24 straight hours instead of asleep for 8. Sharing dreams with her sisters and cousins wasn't new, but this nightmare was. And she'd never seen that man before. Kyra felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him. When she sat up in bed, she noticed the bracelet was still on her wrist.

"Ok, I'm convinced," She said aloud and then immediately heard women laughing in her head. Thinking she was crazy, she shook her head to try and clear it. Before talking to her mom, she wanted to see what Tessa thought first. Then, at least when she went to speak to her parents, she would have Tessa there, who she knew would always have her back.