TCS: Chapter 1

Big News and Bronze Coins
The sun showed no signs of rising against the black backdrop of night. The water of the small lake lapped softly at the shore despite the moon's presence in the sky. The only light came cascading down from the brilliant satellite and formed a spotlight in the center of the body of water, showing the dark silhouette of a lanky young woman.

It was almost artistic, the way the moon's light seemed to focus solely on her, with her pants rolled up past her knees and the ends of her half-sleeves dripping with water. She didn't have time to gaze up at the moon and note its beauty, for there was something in the murky water that caught her interest.

A bronze coin with the head of some sort of sea monster, that was the newest item for her scavenger hunt. Dozens of times she swore she saw the gleam of the beautiful coin as she churned through the grimy lake bed, but each time the coin seemed to resurface it was quickly forced back deeper into the water, whether by the undertow or something accompanied by a far off rumble.

Whether that far off rumbling sound came from a dump truck or an ancient sea monster, the girl didn't care. This coin was the key to everything, the beginning of a great voyage to find out more about her heritage. The moment she could find that blonde lady for real, to speak to her and her sisters among the starry night, she imagined everything would come into place. For starters, she could ask why she was summoned to see them during that one fateful night.

The dark haired girl unceremoniously plucked her feet from the muddy lake bottom, which tugged at her ankles and begged her to stay, like quicksand. She could feel something stinging her legs, a familiar pins and needles sensation, and immediately she remembered the rumors she heard that morning when the visitors and beach-goers were still around.

Supposedly, there was an Indian princess who had drowned in the lake, whether by herself or someone else was questionable, and all young men between 18 and 28 could feel cold hands grasping at their legs. It was a common occurrence for young men fitting that age range to mysteriously drown or disappear once they passed the buoys....

But she was already past the buoys, was a mere 17 years of age, and was most certainly not a man. Nothing to worry about there. The other rumor she heard was that this lake was bottomless. There was supposedly a whirlpool, or maybe a sinkhole, in the very center of the lake, and venturing out too far could potentially suck you down and into the Long Island Sound, dead as a doornail.

The girl smirked at the thought – she was part god, mortal  fears were not match on her. Although she didn't like the idea of a super massive sinkhole in the middle of the lake – she needed that coin, for the Gods' sake!

She hopped out of the sand trap and carelessly jumped forward without testing the ground first – finding herself being plunged into another one of the deep depressions at the lake bottom. This wasn't a problem, as she'd slipped carelessly underwater a few times previously, but the low visibility and the fact she couldn't breathe underwater would make her scavenger hunt a lot harder.

Her eyes darted around, scanning the ocean water for any hints of flashing bronze. Moonlight still poured over her, daring the coin to come out from it's hiding place and catch a glimpse of the world above.

As if by magic, a sliver of ore caught the lit section of water as it descended further into the lake's depression. The girl moved her short black hair from her face quickly and prayed she could swim just as fast as she could run in order to make a swift recovery of the coin without losing any more of the breath she had stored in her lungs. This needed to be quick and easy – go in, get out.

The coin was churning along with the soft waving of water, causing it to turn and spin and emit light almost like a signal for something. The girl chased it, moving her hands strong but steady, trying not to send the coin tumbling out of the light, as that would mean game over for her.

She reached out desperately for it, feeling her cheeks growing puffy as she released another bout of air from her nose. Her bare feet skimmed across a slimy, slippery surface – likely a moss-covered rock signaling the end of the depression. The bronze item briefly touched the surface of the rock before the girl's hand eagerly swept it up as she began her ascent through the depths of the water.

Her head breached the surface and immediately she was swinging her arms, one of which was curled tightly around the item she'd been searching hours for. Ripples emanated from all edges of the lake, strangely enough, and began to mingle with the small jolts of water sent from her surface breach.

Picking up an uneven, awkward pace, she thrashed her arms about and churned through the water, leaving the moon's guided light and heading for the shore. She began to notice the outlined silhouettes of her things – the backpack where she kept the necessities, a spare change of clothes, and a fluffy beach towel that had grown cold during the hours she spent in the lake.

As she further reached the shore, she could hear and feel rumbling, vibrations in the water causing small waves to help carry her out to her next destination. Before she could mumble a quiet “Thanks” to the helpful water, it began to shake like it was on a fault line in the middle of an earthquake.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">She paddled as fast as she could while keeping the coin in her hand, waves sloshing against her face and threatening to pull her down and away.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">To the center of the lake.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Was there really a sinkhole? Possibly, she noted, reaching a point where she could dig her hands into the sand and breathe, if only momentarily. The coin remained jammed in her fist as she hurried from the lake and wrapped herself in the towel, looking down at her feet and legs, bright red even in the still-warm summer air. Was it possible to get frostbite in June?

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Maybe.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">As she turned away from the lake, towel wrapped around her like a cape, backpack in hand and shoes dripping with cold lake water, a loud splash and the sound of a thousand birds attacked her eardrums. She turned and saw the beast she was warned profusely about, the one imprinted in the precious bronze piece now resting in a pocket on her backpack.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Its head looked like a fallen tree. A jagged mouth and jaw with scales hanging off limply, not due to being cut but by design, by the look of it. Sharp teeth and yellow eyes pierced the night, a more striking sight against its dark green body. The sheer height of the serpent, lacking any fins or like appendages, blocked out a part of the slowly sinking moon.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The serpent's head rose and suddenly it came crashing down, jaws agape, preparing to catch the girl much like a Venus flytrap would catch a fly. A broad smile spread across her face – it was time to run.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Her feet pounded against the dirt. She didn't have time to put on her shoes as the serpent slithered further, teeth glinting ominously as it passed through moonlit puddles. It made horrible slurping noises as it cleaned off its teeth, likely from its last meal, and kept its head high and eyes low at her.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Meanwhile, thorns and splinters dug into the arches of her feet. Despite the searing pain as more alien objects pushed further into her skin, she was determined to make it to the Camp where she would be safe. If anything, the dark-haired girl was incredibly lucky to have figured out the location of the coin was so close to camp.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">It was intensely dark in the forest, shaded by trees which where spared from snapping like twigs as the serpent bent down, teeth still bared, easily dodging under and through the branches. The running girl was having more trouble as her feet grew more sore and raw, until finally she stepped right into the crook of a root and fell forward, crashing into a dense bush and scattering everything about the forest ground. She could feel the breath of the serpent as it readied its mouth, in the same manner it always did, preparing to swallow her whole.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">From inside the bush, a friendly face appeared. Dark hair laced with dark green leaves, face painted black, the only thing that set her off were his icy blue eyes. He put a finger to his lips, smiling, with a faint shhh.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The teeth of the serpent slowly began to come together, the tips grazing the edges of her calves. She sucked in a breath as the boy disappeared, feeling as the teeth began to poke harder. She supposed that, to the serpent, her blood was somewhat like chocolate sauce or milk in a cake recipe, either to add flavor or make it easier to swallow.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">With a somewhat harsh but comical war cry, the boy sprang out of the bushes, suddenly followed by at least seven other siblings. They were of many different looks, but they definitely shared the same blood, as apparent by their bludgeoning and stabbing and skinning of the serpent like they'd practice for hours.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">A young lady followed them calmly once she was sure the serpent could no longer move without a lot of resistance. Her short, light hair seemed to be a halo almost, and the inclusion of a medical bag at her side only sealed the deal. An angel of healing, thank goodness. With a bit of force, she managed to drag the dark-haired girl out of the bush and smiled, petting leaves out of her hair.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Hi, Mila.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The blonde girl smiled at hearing her name finally. Since becoming the next “oracle”, as prophesized by the current one, that was all anyone called her. It was always 'Oracle', 'Miss Oracle', and once in a blue moon 'Delphi' was thrown around. Her expression quickly changed, though, back to one of concern and annoyance.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Lucy, you need to tell me when your going out on one of your crazy adventures. If I hadn't woken up Miles so he could take his medicine, you would have been ''serpent food. ''Do you understand?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The dark haired girl rolled her eyes and braced herself against Mila's shoulder, using her to stand up. Mila sighed and rubbed her eyes, casually dragging her friend back to the camp without protest for once.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">When they reached the Clinic, Mila sat her down at one of the cots. The current healer for the camp, an older lady who only referred to herself as 'Nurse' and only that, was fast asleep at her desk, head down. Mila could handle it though, she was the oracle. That in itself gave her some healing perks.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Amidst the whimpering and groaning as splinters and thorns were ripped from her skin, Miles sauntered in casually, the head of the serpent in a large fishing net and a grin plastered on his face.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You're lucky this wasn't the real monster of Chios, little lady!” He adjusted the net as a few of his loyal siblings came striding in past him, depositing Lucy's dirty backpack and her other items on the floor next to her.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Did you get the coin?” He continued nonchalantly, waving his siblings out. They had to get to bed anyway. Lucy's eyes widened and she reached for for her pack, nicking Mila's cheek with a particularly sharp splinter.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Of course I did,” She hissed, retrieving the sand-encrusted coin from a zipped up compartment on the pack. “I didn't have time to look for her though,” She turned to the tiled floor away from Mila, muttering a simple “stupid sea monsters.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Looking for who?” That was right, miles had no clue who this special woman was. There was a dead silence until Mila ripped another thorn from Lucy's foot.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You are familiar with the Pleiades, correct?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Silence.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Miles, when was the last time you went to your Mythology class?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“This morning. 'Course, you never asked if I stayed awake in class.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Mila rolled her eyes and cut off the discussion, retrieving a tub from a cabinet of supplies and filling it with water at least one hundred degrees. With a painful yank, she plunged Lucy's left foot into the water, and immediately the dark haired girl whimpered and splashed around.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Minor case of frostbite – probably from wading around in the water for so long. And then running through the woods. There's a small margin for infection, but I'm hoping treatment will be finished quickly. You'll need to soak your foot for about fifteen minutes while I fix your other foot.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">With Lucy mumbling and groaning about how much her foot burned, Miles took the chance to mention what was on his mind since the serpent's arrival.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Lucya, we've been thinking about your...uh, personal quest. Mila and I, I mean. It's a bit dangerous for you to be traveling alone, we agreed, and we'd like to send you away with a partner. Someone on his own sort of enlightenment.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Before Lucya could protest,another thorn was plucked from her foot and it only came out as a groan.