A Greater Love

Athena

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Chapter One

It was the turn of a new century in Greece and so a new era would begin as the latter years' winter turned into a new and prosperous spring. Demeter would allow for the crops to grow and flourish, whilst Apollo would keep the sun blazing bright and brilliant in the sky, each and every day.

Yet for some this new century wasn't as magnificent, as those who were mortal were making it out to be. No, this century would be no better than the last, the Greek Coven had been destroyed, their members perished and with all but one left alive and undead on the run and utterly alone.

The early months had quickly vanished as the Greek Empire ruled and continued on as it had before. April had just passed and the month of May was just beginning. Within the forests of Athens, one early morning before the sun had yet risen, something or someone at an incredible speed ran past the trees and lakes.

No longer sure of where or why she had been running the one who had been flowing through the forest floor stopped. A woman of a somewhat regular stature had come to a halt near a secluded opening of trees, that stood near an almost small river. Not much more than her figure was visible as she was covered in a cloak of a false dark purple.

The open environment around her was silent but not quite deathly so, there were still calm noises of the winds that passed on through the meadow. The mysterious woman had taken to sitting by the river's edge, her legs and feet curled next to her, and even with the privacy that the glade provided her, she did not remove the hood of her cloak.

For a moment all was still, the trees' branches kept calm and even the river's waters remained unmoving. The lady whose identity still remained a secret, in all but one motion grasped a nearby stone and with such power behind her throw, tossed the stone into the unmoving waters. The liquids surface rippled harsher than it ever had before and the splash caused by such a throw could've easily been mistaken as an animal landing in the water.

After the impact, a loud yell rang threw the air one of anger and sadness all coming from the same person and then the mystery woman ripped off the hood of her cloak, a swift movement that could have easily been mistaken as violent.

"WHY!" The woman screamed, her voice was a brittle sound as she spoke so loud, not unpleasant and it most definitely could be an alluring and subtle voice if she weren't so distraught.

Now that her hood had been removed her face was visible, and the first thing anyone would notice was the stunning but unnatural colour of her hair. The tresses of silvery-white hair were no longer than just past her shoulders and when looking past her hair, you could see that her face was a diamond shape and her eyes were of a captivating crimson.

"I've been left with nothing," her voice was rendered to a mere whisper of sadness after the shriek of before but still her tone was sorrowful and almost broken. Even with all the sadness she felt weighing her down in her un-beating heart she did not shed a tear, and this wasn't because she didn't feel such strong grief but because she just couldn't. She would have allowed a tear shed, in the privacy of the forest but she physically couldn't have tears fall, it was impossible for those of her kind.

The minutes continued to pass and the woman hadn't yet talked to herself since, instead she just stared, stared and thought. Stared at the reflection of herself in the river's mirror-like waters, her red eyes downcast.

Then she thought of all that hadn't happened and how she was so helpless to do anything about it. Her entire coven was slaughtered by those who would dare call themselves leaders of her race, and still, there was nothing she could do but run and run fast and far. The guilt was unimaginable, being the only one to survive and now being almost utterly alone.

"Hello!" A voice called out from a distance, the voice was foreign and unwanted pulling the snow-white woman from her deep thoughts. From where she remained sat by the river the woman could hear the person approaching, a human heartbeat ever so close and coming closer.

"Hello, is anyone there?" A female's voice rang out again as a woman (well really more of a girl) pushed herself passed the branches of the trees that stood firmly behind the one with crimson eyes. "Oh hello," The girl jumped back almost when she saw the woman's figure, sat hood down and cloak still on by the river's edge.

"Ma'am, ma'am?" The girl with brunette hair asked once and then twice, then when she didn't get a response the second time, she walked closer to the woman cloaked in a dark purple. Still, she didn't respond, not that she wasn't thinking of it, she'd been thinking of it from the moment she heard the girl's heartbeat and then even more so when the sent of human blood hit her.

"Are you okay?" The slightly petite brunette was only a foot or so away now and the tempting sound of hearing her blood pulse throughout her body was almost agonising, but still, the woman remained sat and unmoving.

"Ma'am!" The girl's voice was now high-pitched and shaking, it was as perfect a moment as any.

"I'm sorry," The snow white's voice was calm and steady at first and then she went to turn her head. Now facing the young brunette she picked herself up from the river's grassy edge and slowly took a step forward her cloak trailing behind her and covering her dress from view.

"It was rude of me not to respond the first time," and then it all fell into place, the young maiden had seen her company's frighteningly unnatural crimson eyes and she was paralysed on the spot by fear.

The woman with the crimson eyes was now stood directly in front of the brunette, she then went to lift her hand to the shaking girl's cheek and looked the petrified mortal in the eyes. Finally, she moved her head to the human's neck whispering, "I truly am sorry," before quickly sinking her teeth into the nape of the girl's neck.

Female screams were muffled as the woman drank from her until there was nothing left to drink and the body empty of all blood fell limp to the ground, dead.

Now with her cloak soaked in blood and her meal finished the woman wiped her mouth of the remaining contents. "Really Athenodora did you have to make such a mess?" A new voice called out from behind the snow-white woman, whose name had been revealed to be Athenodora.

"What can I say, she was being fussy," A smirk crossed Athenodora's lips as she spoke whilst gesturing to the body of the dead girl on the floor.

"Of course, she was Athena," The woman that spoke so playfully to the one who had just killed a girl, was leaning against one of the many trees. She was roughly the same height as Athenodora, with light auburn hair and emerald eyes, her lips sat with a smile lurking on them.

"It's nice to see you Annea," Athenodora walked over to the very much human Annea, who pushed herself off the tree she was leaning on. Athenodora had every intention of giving her friend a hug, but then the auburn-haired girl stopped her in her tracks.

"Athenodora your cloak is covered in blood," pointing at the item in question it was indeed covered in the dark liquid. Getting the hint Athenodora unclasped her blooded purple cloak and let it fall to the ground, leaving her in a highly fashionable light green Greek gown. "It's good to see you to Athena."
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I hope you all enjoyed the first part of this book and don't forget to comment and vote because they always mean a lot. Until next time fellow readers.