Looming Secrets

Chapter 4

Ariella

I swam in the murky darkness of the freezing river of thoughts. There was nothing—nothing to see, nothing to touch, nothing to feel. Emptiness. Complete and utter cold emptiness.

Where am I?

A bright laugh echoed through the shadows. "You are in the depth of your own dreams child," came a female voice.

Then a pair of golden eyes flashed into existence in front of where I stood. A chill spread through me. Immortal. The exotically beautiful eyes belonged to a god—or goddess judging from its voice.

Sensing my fear and unease, the emptiness before me formed into a beautiful figure wearing a gold crown embedded with jewels. Hera, the Queen of the gods, and goddess of marriage, women, and birth, towered over me.

The goddess' flaming red hair flickered in and out, framing and then exposing her divine beauty.

Thin fingers took my chin, letting the pair of golden eyes examine me. "So you are the daughter of Zeus, half of the curse of the doomed lovers."

I did not say anything, I couldn't because the graceful fingers of the goddess was squeezing my cheeks. My questioning look made her lips stretch ever so slightly.

"Such a weakling you are." A cruel and empty laugh slipped from her blood-red lips. "What a waste of all that power. Oh poor child, not a single clue at all. Everyone has something that they keep from you," The immortal's voice seeped with mocking sympathy, "but I believe that a runt like you at least deserves to know your destiny. Don't you think?"

No sound left me, not even a whimper. I just kneeled there in pain as a sudden force hit me.

"What's the matter, scared are we?" Another examining look. "I don't have time for this, so listen closely, child. I bring a warning." A wind started to slice through my thoughts. An intense pressure pressed onto my shoulders.

"Doomed love will begin

With the high and mighty,

The sea and the sky.

Their worlds will collide,

And so will dark and light."

The wind blew harder and the burning sensation seized my lungs, making me gasp in the hope of getting some air.

"No one is safe,

In the war to come.

Be warned, Olympus,

This passion will be

The end of you all."

Another flurry of wind tossed me onto my back. But this time, I tried to get to my feet, instead of lying there helplessly. Tears were running free as my whole body started to burn from the immense amount of power and magic that was being pushed at me.

I finally found my voice. "Stop! Please . . ."

But the Queen of the gods did not acknowledge my cry, she was flickering in and out, just not her voice. Like a broken record, the prophecy circled in my head, echoing off of the darkness, fragments of sounds that made no sense.

"Doomed love will begin . . . No one is safe . . . The end of you all . . .Doomed love will begin . . .In the war to come . . "

The pain was too much to bare. No oxygen was coming into my lungs, but despite my muscles barely moving, I still managed to get to my feet.