Divine Awakening

Chapter 4 - Into the Storm

The air in Piper's apartment was unnaturally still as if the world had taken a breath and was waiting for her next move

She stared at the golden compass in her hand, the needle spinning slowly before locking in place, pointing toward the unknown

It was faintly warm against her skin, pulsing with an energy that was both comforting and terrifying

She had spent the entire night tossing and turning, her mind running wild with thoughts of Hermes, shadows, lightning, and of course, Olympus

By morning, the reality of what she was facing weighed heavily on her

Piper knew she couldn't ignore it anymore

The world she had lived in her whole life felt too small now, as if she no longer belonged to it

Zeus, she thought, the name a thunderous presence in her mind

The father she had never known

The god who ruled over all

How could she, a girl who barely understood the power she had, face him?

Her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, dragging her from her thoughts

Piper glanced over at the screen: a missed call from her best friend, Kayla, and a couple of unread texts

Kayla had been worried about her after she bailed on their plans the night before and the thought of leaving without an explanation gnawed at Piper

But how could she explain something like this?

How could she say goodbye?

She slipped her phone into her back pocket, deciding she'd call Kayla later

For now, there was only one thing she could do

Taking a deep breath, Piper gripped the compass in her hand and whispered, "Show me the way"

As soon as the words left her lips, the compass flared with light, the needle spinning once more before stopping abruptly

A sharp gust of wind blew through her apartment, pushing the curtains aside as though some invisible force was beckoning her

The light from the compass intensified, bathing the room in a golden glow and the air around her began to hum with power

Piper stumbled back, her heart pounding in her chest

The floor beneath her feet began to ripple and shift and suddenly, she wasn't in her apartment anymore

The walls around her dissolved, replaced by the vast, open sky

Clouds swirled above her, dark and full of promise and the distant sound of thunder rumbled in the distance

She was standing on a stretch of open land, with no sign of the city or her home anywhere in sight

It was as if she had stepped into a different realm altogether

Piper looked down at the compass, its glow fading now that it had brought her here

She took a shaky breath and looked up at the sky, feeling a strange pull from above

The storm clouds were gathering faster now, swirling in an ominous vortex and lightning flashed within them, casting an eerie light over the land

A path stretched out before her, winding up the side of a mountain that seemed to rise out of nowhere

At the very top, through the swirling clouds, she caught a glimpse of something magnificent massive columns of marble, glowing faintly in the stormy light