Leave in the Dusk: Chapter Two

In Which Paige is a Greek Goddess
The natural reaction to your best friend dying would be pretty predictable. You'd check their pulse, probably cry, call the ambulance. But here in Paige's cabin, she had no phone. Her pulse was gone but she onviosuly look fine, and there were no tears. Mostly boredom.

"Paige," Shiloh began, lowering the scarf from his face, "Quit it with your so called "magic tricks". We're in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and I'm not putting up with this schtick again."

Nothing. No innocent giggle, no curled smile, no wide eyes. For once, out of the near ten times Paige had done this trick, she didn't respond. Now Shiloh began to worry.

He stood up and turned to the sink, filling an empty aluminum Sprite can with hot water. His father had given him classes for such problems as people actually fainting and/or losing their pulse in preparation for Minerva being adopted. With a flick of his wrist, boiling hot tap water dashed onto her brown skin and made her hair damp, however she didn't move.

But her eyes opened.

"Paige," Shiloh frowned, tossing the empty can into a trashbag hanging on the curtain rail. "You actually had me going there. But honestly, don't do that ever again-" His eyes widened when he noticed her eyes begin to spin rapid, REM he recalled from his health classes, Rapid Eye Movement. It was supposed to happen when you were asleep, but Paige had to be awake.

Right?

Her eyes became a stunning gold color, and yellow steam began pouring from her mouth. It looked similar to when the sunlight caught dust in the air, a sort of glow added to it. Shiloh wasn't exactly sure what to do, and stepped back.

From there, she began coughing. More mist came flowing from her mouth, her eyes threatening to bulge out of her head, until it had collected in front of the darkened window like a heavy fog. The steam stopped flowing and Paige closed her eyes again, not daring to move.

From there, the mist seemed to pulse as it snapped together, reshaping itself into the figure of a woman. The mist began to even change color, forming what seemed to be someone normal looking, if not a bit translucent. She looked to be in her early twenties, with dirty-blonde or light-brown hair. She had golden eyes and seemed to have her own aura, a light gold color like the rising sun. She wore a soft purple sundress and apparantly no shoes, like she was on some sort of cruise, and not in an Alaskan shack.

"I told you to go," She crossed her arms, stepping forward toward Shiloh, who sat in awe at the appearance of the beautiful radiant woman, With each step, the cracks in the wood floor glowed bright yellow and orange, "but look who didn't listen. First it was Demeter, and now we have a Mister Shiloh Yazzie stepping up to the plate." She rolled her eyes and passed over to him, leaving Paige sprawled out on the floor, still unmoving.

"Who are you?"

Shiloh asked, sliding off the counter and moving backwards into the other room. The woman didn't answer, however her presence was now leaving electric yellow streaks in all broken surfaces, almost the entire house.

"Tell me who you are." He rephrased, expecting an answer with his new command.

"No need to charmspeak me, Shiloh." The woman frowned, following him into the next room and touching the table. Shocks burst through the old table, a pattern of beautiful gold facets. "I'm a goddess, and unless you are the new god of ignorance I doubt your speaking will affect me."

She blinked, and continued. "Don't get any ideas - Lethe is already forgetful and ignorant enough as is."

"No, I'm not interested. What do you mean by "goddess"?" Shiloh coninued, slipping on the pile of discarded blankets and tumbling down, smacking his head onto some of the old pillows.

"A goddess. A Greek goddess. You know, powerful." She rolled her wrists, waiting for a response. When there wasn;t one,s he sighed and plopped down next to him, her gold aura spreading itself around the rest of this room.

"Technically, I am a protogenoi, as much as I loathe that term. A protogenoi goddess, though, so don't just assume I was lying. While many tend to forget me, I suppose I could tell you considering you were our best friend."

Before Shiloh could ask about her use of "our", the goddess continued.

"I am Hemera, the primeval goddess of the Day. And she," The woman turned to Paige's body through the doorway, "is my gracious hostess."