My name is Selena Mörder. I don't know when the signs started, but I can tell you when I first noticed them. It started when I was fifteen…
Briiiiing! Briiiiiiiiing. BRIIIIIIIING! Went the alarm clock, I turned to face my alarm clock. Don't tell me that it's eight 'o clock already. Grr, it was. I rolled off my bed and got dressed. It was the last day of school, and I just wanted to get it over with.
I walked down the hallway, which was tiny, even for this house. My mom came and walked down to meet me. The wall would pop up against her pale skin. "Here, try this," she said, handing me some candy. That was her newest hobby, making candy from scratch. Normally she was so busy doing her job as a spiritual healer, all she could make was simple chocolates, but all through the night, she had made these elaborate hard candies. I fell asleep at midnight to her mumbling over which flavor they would be. I took the small candy into my mouth. It stung my tongue.
"Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!" I screamed, spitting it out, "What flavor was that?"
"Jalapeño," she said, "How was it?" I rolled my eyes. Of course she picked that, why couldn't she make cinnamon candies? At least I liked that flavor.
"I got to get going Mom," I said, "I can't be late for the bus this time." I grabbed my backpack, hairbrush, and pony-tail holder as I rushed out the door
The thing about Detroit is that its empty, a bunch of houses are run down and abandoned. As you might know, sometimes people make up stories about these houses as haunted. I usually don't believe them, yet sometimes as I'm walking down this street, I always feel that someone is following me, even if there are none. Today wasn't the case.
Clack, clack, clack went their hooves. It creeped me out, no one uses horses any more. I turned around and faced the stalkers. They were soldiers, but not the kind you would see nowadays. They were Union soldiers, in blue uniforms and on high horses. They had swords on their left hip, a rifle on their right. "Are you Selena Mörder?" asked the one in front.
"Yes," I said warily, "and who are you?"
"A messenger," he said. He grabbed me by my backpack strap and threw me onto his horse. His horse galloped away from the rising sun and towards the fading moon. The horse was going too fast for any horse that I have ever seen, and then there was darkness. I thought I went unconscious, but it grew light as fast as it had grown dark. I twisted to look up, and gasped. We were in a cave, a huge cave. Crystal stalactites hung from the ceiling, and mist swam around each stone.
He took me off his horse when we reached the middle palace. It was beautiful. I can't describe it, it was so beautiful. Well I can try. Let's see, it was black, any stone that is black, it was in there. The castle went high up, seeming like it went up into the roof of the cave. It had a gothic style to it, like haunted churches you sometimes see. Though some of you might think that would creep me out, it didn't. In fact, it drew me in closer.
I walked up to the castle and knocked on the door. It opened up, revealing a long hallway. The hallway led me farther into the castle. Every now and then I got the strange feeling that someone was watching me. Turning around, I prepared for someone; all I saw was an old lady. Her little, blue hat hid most of her of white, wispy hair. "Can you help me?" I asked, slightly confused.
"Oh yes," she said in a gravelly voice, "Go down to that hallway to the left, and at the end of that, you will see a door, much like the entrance. If go through that, you will see a couple of people who can help you."
"Thank you, uh…"
"Alecto, my name is Alecto."
"Well thank you, Alecto. Hope you have a good day."
"Oh I will," she said, wringing her hands. Okay, I know that is really weird, but it gets weirder.
Walking down the hallway, I actually started looking at the walls. Each little segment showed a picture of death. One showed what looked like the bombing of an island, another depicted an old man wasting away, and yet a third showed a group of gangsters killing each other in a turf war. I diverted my eyes and focused on the door in front of me.
When I opened it, I thought I had the wrong door. I imagined the outside of the cave where I had come inside, but what I found was the throne room. There were two people there, a man seating on the throne on the left and a women sitting under him. What was strange to me was that, for one thing, both were at least ten feet tall, and for another, both seemed familiar. Then I remembered why. At home, my mother had a little family portrait on our mantle. The two people in front of me reminded me of my parents, except more beautiful. "Hello I'm think I'm lost," I said, "May you help me."
The man smiled, which was really creepy 'cause his whole body radiated of darkness. "You're not lost, my dear," he said in a creepy voice, "You're exactly where you are supposed to be."
Okaaay, I thought, this guy is nuts. Not only did I get a bad feeling from his vibes, but his looks made me sick. His hair was greasy and uncut, and his clothes seemed to blow in an invisible wind. The woman, however, seemed kind. Her dark dress accentuated her body, and the light at her feet made her eyes sparkle. Though pretty and nice-looking, I didn't like her.
"See, I sent my servants to you so they could bring you to us. We are your grandparents."
"Excuse me?" I asked. That seemed unreal. My mother's father had died a couple of years back, and I had never met my father or his family. "Look," I continued, "I don't know you, why should I trust you?"
This time, the woman spoke in a sweet voice, "I know this hard to handle, but your mother-"
"What do you know about my mother?" I yelled, "For all I know, you're just a stalker of some kind. Who are you?"
She looked to the man, like she was asking for permission. When he nodded, she said, "I am Hecate, the Greek goddess of crossroads, of the dark moon, and, yes, of magic. This man here is Hades. He is the ruler of this cave, which is actually the Underworld. He also is the god of death."
"Wait, I thought that Hades had a wife, and weren't you," I said pointing to Hecate, "supposed to be a maiden forever?"
Hades sighed, and he came down from his throne. As he did, he grew shorter until he was normal size. "My dear," he said, "We are not you grandparents on the same side. Hecate is your mother's mother, and your father was my son. They met when they were micros iros, heroes in training." Though it seemed impossible, I believed him. My mother loved telling Greek myths, and she always spoke about heroes who were half-man, half-god.
"So if I'm related to both of you, whose powers will, I have?"
"Both of ours," Hecate said, who was now human size, "At times you will have some of his, and some of mine. Don't worry; we have people who can help you. Nowadays, whole camps are dedicated to people like you. Look," She said giving a map to me. When I opened, I noticed that for every state, there was a dot somewhere, "Those little dots are all the camps in America alone.
"So, what, I can just go to on and receive some training, or something?"
"No, before I can send you there, you will have to prove yourself to us."
Before I could object, I was flung out of the hall, out of the cave, and for all I knew, out of consciousness. I woke up cold, and miserable. Unlike the cave, this place was open. It looked like the Coliseum, yet not. It was completely intact, and it was onyx instead of brown brick. I felt a breeze run past, and shivered. Bring my arms against my skin, I noticed they were bare. You got to understand that if it is, say, 90 degrees out, I'd still be wearing layers. Looking down, I gasped. At that moment, I was wearing leather armor and had a sword at my side. Ugh,I thought to myself, couldn't they at least give me some sleeves?
Then I noticed there was light at the end of the chamber. I walked out. In front of me was the ugliest dog-thing in the world. It had the head of a dog, a woman's body, and two horrible bronze wings. The creature reminded me of stories my mother told me "Alecto?"
"Yes?" the fury, for that is what she was, hissed. For those beginners in Greek mythology, Furies are these evil followers of Hades. They make sinners' life in the Underworld a royal pain in the ass. Now don't ask me why Hades pitted me against one of his followers because I don't know. "Don't worry, micros iros, I'll make this easy on the both of us." Then Alecto rose up high and swooped down. I screamed and ducked.
She didn't get me, which really pissed her off. I turned around and faced her. She was high, so high I couldn't even hope of reaching her. "What's the matter, sweetie?" she taunted, "Can't hit the birdie?" She cackled and dove again. This time, I drew my sword and swung it around like a baseball bat. Fortunately for me, the fury stayed away. Unfortunately for me, though, one of her sisters actually came out of one of the other chambers and picked me up.
"Let me go, let me go!" I yelled. I then hit her with the blunt of theblade and she dropped me. I was falling down towards the black Coliseum at who-knows-how-many miles per hour, and I thought I was down. As I said my last prayer, I closed my eyes and wished for it to end. I never felt a thud or a squish, but I had stopped. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was hovering six inches above the ground. Turning myself so that my feet faced the floor, I floated down.
Alecto hissed and landed next to me. "So, you really are Hecate's granddaughter," She said, "Yet you still haven't proven you that you are my master's."
"Stop, please," I said, "If you don't, I- I'll turn into ash."
She cackled. Then she taunted "and how are you going to accomplish that, micros iros?"
I wasn't surprised for long. "Like this." I said calmly. From out of nowhere I felt a surge of power. The whole building started to rumble, crack and Alecto gaped. Then a part of the ceiling fell, making a large pit near her. Time slowed as I watched lava, LAVA, seep from the pit. Alecto tried to fly away, but it seemed the lava had a different idea. It spurted towards her, surrounding her in a red-hot curtain. As she dissolved into ash, the lava hardened into rock. I was sweating, either because of the heat of the lava, the exhaustion, or both. Her sister screeched and turned on me. Just as before, the lava came and surrounded the evil hag. Then just like that, all the lava contracted back into the earth. I was so tired, so I walked back into the little chamber , flopped down the bed that was provided, and fell asleep…
"Hello again, micros iros," a voice said. I turned and faced my grandmother. This time, instead of a beautiful young woman, she was old. Her whole body seemed like it would break, yet she still radiated of power. "Listen," she continued, "When you wake up, you will on the bus after school, take this, and when someone questions your descent, show them this." She gave me a little necklace. The silver chain held three torches. The first had a dark moon in its flame, the second had a skull, and yet a third had a Greek helmet. "Ask your mother to bring you here," she said pointing to a dot somewhere in the Upper Peninsula on the Michigan map. "Never lose track of your goal, okay?" "Yes," I said, "Wait, is this all? Could I get like, I don't know a magic weapon or something?" She smiled, "That necklace is your weapon, as for magic, just concentrate, it'll come." As she faded, so did everything around me…
