Not an update, I'm afraid... It will be up before Easter, I promise! That gives me three weeks to update most, if not all, of my stories. I realize I'm going slow, and I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy this anyway.
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore that and read the story!
One of the twelve Olympians- no mean feat.
Not only that, one of Rhea's six children, one of her three daughters.
Rare.
Powerful.
Important.
That was then.
This is now.
Now, the Olympians are a rainbow.
Red- Ares
Orange- Hephaestus
Yellow- Apollo
Green- Demeter
Blue- Zeus
Indigo- Artemis
Violet- Dionysus
Pink- Aphrodite
Grey- Athena
White- Hera
Teal- Poseidon
Brown- Hermes
Even Hades has a color- Black.
I? I am ultraviolet.
Ultraviolet- ("Ultra" derived from the Latin word "beyond") meaning "beyond violet", just past the shortest wavelength of visible light.
So close to visible light, yes. But still, no one can see me. Some insects can, but think how rare it is. Even if insects see ultraviolet light, they don't acknowledge it. While ever-present, no one ever knows or cares that I am there.
Ultraviolet light is important, though, just as I am. Ultraviolet light cures babies born with jaundice and produce vitamin D in mortals when it comes in contact with them, usually in the form of sunlight (UV rays).
Ultraviolet light is powerful, just as I am. It can burn many a mortal, and they rarely realize their skin is being slowly cooked until it is flaming red and painful to move. Ranging from an annoyance to a crippling form, those burns can even cause cancer.
Ultraviolet light is not terribly rare, about as much as gamma rays. Compared to visible light, they reside in abundance. Perhaps that is why no one notices me among the important minor gods and goddesses, so close to being an Olympian and yet so far- I simply fade into the masses. Hecate, Hades, Janus, etc….
I just disappear into the background.
At first, it was on purpose. I didn't need anything in my name, so I declined to keep the power from going to my head. I didn't want gossip going on about me, so I kept my head down. Just a wallflower, just an extra, just, just, just…
Except that I'm not "just" anything. I am a goddess. I am modest, yes, but perhaps that is my greatness. Why must all my kin be pompous and arrogant? Can I not be powerful, important, and unique? Is it simply because I am a non-confrontational girl who stays home from the battle looking perhaps eight? I should hope that if my siblings have learned anything over the millennia, it is that nothing is as it appears.
Then again, I don't really appear at all, do I? Just an ultraviolet light. So close, but just far enough.
There's that word again. "Just."
Mortals are often portrayed as foolish among us, but as I slipped into a crowd the other day, I overheard two friends talking.
"And there are a TON of minor gods and goddesses! Like, too many to count! The Greeks must've been totally diverse! There was a god of choices and doorways, magic, the sea, strength, fear, the home and hearth-"
"Please, that's not important. Those are just stories. Look around you! I can see twenty-three different examples of visible light reflecting and bending!"
"You counted them?"
"Yes, and it's much more precise than your trivial 'minor gods'. Now, look right there! You see that woman putting sunscreen on that little kid? That's to protect him from ultraviolet light, that's something useful to know. Course, not as much as Radio waves, those are far more important…"
At that point, I stopped eavesdropping and melted into the shadows because I felt as if I'd gained some sort of realization. Whether it be physically or metaphorically, I'm viewed as unimportant. My siblings tell me I'm overreacting and being ridiculous, and that I should never base my evidence on the opinion of mere mortals. And, yet, the mortals seem to understand a little better. I suppose that's one more thing that separates me from my brethren.
But if perspective is the price to pay for all of that, maybe I don't want it. That Perseus Jackson, maybe he was onto something. Immortality isn't worth anything if you can't do something with that life. Maybe I ought to do something with mine.
But maybe, just maybe, I already have.
(And I didn't miss it when Perseus asked a question about ultraviolet light in Science Class.)
Guess what we just finished learning about? Yup, the electromagnetic spectrum which includes ultraviolet light! So, yeah... A combination of Mythology and Science? Unstoppable. Well, stoppable, technically, but... ANYwho...
I hope that you review, and if you don't, then I'll never know what you think and, let's face it, then I may stay this horrible... FOREVER. Scary, huh? So, I'd click that button. Yeah. You never know what might happen if you don't.
Peace, Love, & Life
PLKBerry