KERYNEIA, GREECE, 3000 BC
the sun beams down on her, its rays golden and playful as ever, painting a pattern on her skin. reem lifts her face, relishing in the summer warmth, while her fingers sink deep into the earth. she likes to ground herself this way; to feel the roots and dirt and moss in her grasp, to remind herself that even in this field, just outside the forest artemis forbade her to leave, she is safe. she is home. she can hear her sisters and cousins laugh not far away ( a sound like bells, almost childlike ), but they are far enough to give her peace. it is odd to want solitude, she knows that. she is supposed to yearn for company, for dances and songs and peals of laughter, that or the thrill of the hunt. she prefers the flowers instead, to have birds for company instead of oreads, to cradle the rabbit rather than hunt it. she has always been this way, despite artemis’ best efforts to make a huntress out of her, despite the attempts her sisters have made to draw her into their merrymaking ( αδελφή, we have honeyed wine ! we have songs, dance, beautiful gods ). she wonders if that is why her mother rejected her, as a bird rejects her sick chicks from her nest.
there is a rustle in the grass. reem’s eyes snap open, quickly scanning the yellow - green fields for wolves or gods ( is there a difference ? ). her gaze comes to rest on a woman, deeply beautiful as all of them are, her skin deep brown and curls a shade darker, eyes the color of the forest. “ don’t be afraid, child, ” the goddess says, and the words are soft, comforting as the earth between her fingers. they soothe the fear that had taken hold of her, gently draw it from her chest, her hammering heart. reem finds herself relaxing, though part of her remains vigilant, ever aware that gods can come in many guises.
“ who are you ? ” she asks, though part of her, deep down, already knows. none of the olympians feel so much like family, not even artemis, like the earth and flowers that she has known her whole life. “ why are you here ? ”
@nectaric said: don’t be afraid, child.
