Date: 5/14/16

Entry #1:

I should've started journaling this a long time ago, but I didn't think that writing would help me gather my thoughts back then. Where to start? Well I guess I'll just start at the beginning. It all began with an unusually vivid dream I had when I fifteen years old. Something about the day of the dream seemed to foreshadow that I would be forever changed.

One afternoon, while babysitting I was in my little sister's room sitting on her canopy bed on the second floor of our house. I plopped her Disney Mania 4 CD into the CD player and let it play until it reached a certain song. The song, "Someday My Prince Will Come," by Ashley Tisdale, began to play. My sister and I started to sing along and dance to it, but for some reason I felt embarrassed for dancing around and lip-syncing to it. It was as if someone, other than my sister, was watching me. At the time I berated myself for thinking that. I mean, it was ridiculous right? Why would there be someone else watching me when it was just us two? How wrong I was…

We continued dancing around and singing as the song played through the second verse. I hopped onto the bed as the song reached the chorus and looked out the adjacent window. The first thing I noticed were dark ominous clouds. My eyes drifted downward to the grass outside the window and noticed a flock of crows pecking at the ground by a mangled tree. The crows seemed foreboding; as if they knew something I didn't. Before I could think more of it, I saw a flash of a silhouetted dark hooded, male figure standing in place of the crows staring up at me. Within seconds of seeing it I blinked and it disappeared along with the crows. I blinked several times and shook my head, but I couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched. Luckily my sister didn't notice as we just continued to dance around and play, so I let it go.

Come night fall, the feeling of being watched became even stronger and harder to ignore. I would've said paranoia set in; that is, if the feeling of being watched didn't bother me. I can't explain it, but somehow I knew that whatever it was wouldn't hurt me. I was still wary though. By the time I went to bed, I could sense a presence in my bedroom along with this overwhelming sense of calm. It wasn't unwelcome and it didn't seem to pose a threat. The same cloaked, male figure from before stood motionless by my closet as if it were trying to gauge my reaction or was waiting for permission to approach. For some reason I wasn't frightened and I purposefully held out my hand as a gesture for "him" to come over and grasp it. I sensed, rather than saw "him" glide over to my bedside. I felt a light, barely tangible pressure on my outstretched palm as I sensed a hand laid in mine. That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep.

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It was late evening. My father had invited over a few personal friends and business colleagues for dinner. The entire house was dark and lacked any real features except for the dining room which was fully lit and lively. The ceiling mold was carefully sculpted into an intricate white spiral. It always made me think of a spinning whirl pool of clouds. At the center of the spiral was a brass chandelier that hung securely from a thick brass chain. The electric light from the chandelier gleamed off its reflective surface onto the well-worn wooden table with several seats tucked neatly underneath it. The chairs themselves were the same mahogany wood as the table with dark green, yellow-spotted cushions. The table and chairs sat on a crimson carpet composed of yellow zig-zag lines which formed a diamond pattern. Overall, the room was lavishly decorated for a dinner party and company.

I stood in the center of the small entry way near the front doors and the archway to the dining room. I looked down at my feet trailing my gaze up my body. I saw that I wore a deep scarlet, strapless dress that just barely reached my feet with a black design accentuating the bodice. On my feet were black, high-heeled sandals. I ran my hands over the dress feeling the contours of the fabric. It was soft, yet smooth all at once with a glistening surface that became more prominent whenever the light hit it. As I trailed my hands upward toward my shoulders and to the top of my head, I discovered that my blonde hair had been done up in a simple bun. I could feel the slight pressure of mascara on my eyelashes and taste the glossy texture of lipstick on my lips. I felt much older and more mature than I actually was. There was no mirror, but deep down I knew there was something sensual and oddly powerful about the way I was dressed.

I looked around the small entry way, the only light coming from the dining room. To my left was the carpeted staircase which led to the second floor. To my right were the front doors with glass windows. The glass on the doors glistened from the faint light coming from the dining room showcasing an elaborate flowery pattern that almost encompassed the entirety of the glass. There was a knock on the doors as I turned my head in their direction. The low resonating chime of the doorbell echoed off the walls, notifying me that the guests had arrived. My father called from the kitchen telling me to answer the door. I walked over to the door and opened it. I was prepared to politely greet whoever was there and welcome them. That was when I glanced up and met the intense, unwavering gaze of a stranger.
All thoughts of a polite greeting fled my mind as I stared speechlessly at the breathtaking stranger before me. He had a Grecian profile with unnaturally pale skin and defined features. He was a good head taller than me. His eyes held a powerful authority, mixed with an underlying sincerity within their azure depths. To say those eyes captivated me is an understatement as I felt completely entranced by them. He had black, shoulder length hair that was slicked back. I glanced down at what he was wearing to see he wore dark colored, satiny Victorian era attire. He had a regal air about him that commanded attention and respect from those around him, yet there were seductive undertones that made my hair stand on end. I distinctly recall unconsciously comparing him to a vampire, except without the fangs and the lust for blood.

When I finally recomposed myself, I had to incline my neck slightly to look upon his face. His face was passive, yet his eyes stared back at me with something unidentifiable swimming around in those azure pools. It was as if he had been contemplating me as I had him. I came to my senses and stepped back from the door to allow him and the other guests inside. He brushed passed me and proceeded into the dining room. The other guests filed in through the door and followed suit to the dining room. Flustered, I quickly shut the door and walked into the dining room to take my seat. My mother and my father sat at the two heads of the table, while my younger brother and sister sat in the two seats across from me. As I took my seat I noticed that I had unknowingly sat beside the captivating stranger.
On closer examination, he appeared fairly young, possibly in his early to mid-twenties. As I scanned his appearance even more there was something off about him. Like he wasn't supposed to be there. He just seemed so foreign and strange, as if he held a dark secret. He didn't acknowledge me when I sat down. He just sat there ignoring me, while conversing with other guests as the first course was laid out before us. It wasn't until the dinner was half over that he finally said anything to me. He addressed me by my first name, even though I never gave it to him. Somehow I was fine with this and didn't find it strange in the slightest. He introduced himself to me as Aidon and gently grasped my hand only to place a chaste kiss upon it. I don't remember much of what he said to me, other than that he was asking a lot of invasive questions.

I don't remember why, but I soon became very irritated by all his probing questions and stopped answering him. The moment I stopped answering and ignored him, he grew very silent and stoic. He looked fixated on something across the room, as if whatever he was staring at required intense concentration. I followed his line of sight to find that he wasn't staring at something, but someone. He was concentrating on some of the other guests. All chatter in the room ceased. Everyone, but myself and Aidon was silent and still, almost in a trance-like state. I glanced over at him again to see his eyes glowing with a turquoise luminescence. Then I saw a faint glow appear in front of my eyes becoming clearer as it grew brighter. My head felt heavy and my mind was hazy. I could feel my eyes drooping. I suddenly snapped out of it and sprang out of my chair, still slightly dazed.

"Stop it!" I yelled, as I glared daggers at him.

He jumped, startled and looked over at me. The look of utter shock and confusion on his face would've been comical if I hadn't been so perturbed. Everyone at the table was pulled from their stupors, still a bit dazed. Despite this, everyone carried on light conversation as though nothing had happened. Dinner resumed and the entire time Aidon just stared, silently observing me. I began to grow more and more unnerved by this as the night wore on. I just couldn't wait for him to finally leave and for this dinner to be over.

When dessert was served and everyone was busy eating and what not, Aidon began a conversation with my father. Since I was sitting between them, I was forced to listen to the conversation not wanting to participate in it. As they talked, I noticed Aidon becoming more and more annoyed by my father. His face was expressionless, even bored, yet there was this aura of irritation and impatience radiating from him. I couldn't blame Aidon, since my father would prattle on incessantly about his business only to feed his ever growing ego. Next thing I know Aidon is asking my father for my hand in marriage, to which my father graciously agrees to. I was speechless. I couldn't grasp what was happening.

I turned my head over to my mother on the opposite end of the table, seeking her help. When I looked at her, she was elegant, radiant, ethereal even. She was wearing a golden, satin dress with auburn and umber color tones mixed into the layers of fabric. Her short, light brown hair framed her face. Her brown eyes had a light dusting of bronze on the eyelids. Her lips were painted a deep red. As I looked closer, she appeared to be glowing. No, not glowing; luminous. My eyes widened as I saw not only a light around her, but a few fluttering creatures as well.

'She looks like a nature goddess,' I thought.

Focusing on the issue at hand, I urgently looked at her. Silently pleading for her to help me with my eyes. As if knowing what I was thinking, she just looked at me, smiled brightly, and shrugged her shoulders. It was as if she was saying, 'Sorry, I can't help you. You'll have to figure this out yourself.' Now, I was completely shocked. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. I was so stunned. My father just agreed for me to marry Aidon. I had no choice. I was marrying Aidon.

I was marrying Aidon.

I was marrying Aidon.

I was marrying Aidon.

AIDON.

How could this be happening? One moment he seems disinterested in me, the next he's asking for my hand in marriage. What was his problem? Why did my father agree to this? Why did my mother do nothing? Why was I still silent and not doing anything?

I was snapped out of my stupor by Aidon who had gently grasped my hand while bent down on one knee, calling my name. I was numb. He kept saying my name, trying to get me to respond. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I felt helpless. I felt nauseous. The room started to spin. He kept calling my name, more urgently now. My head started to hurt. Still he called my name getting louder and louder, yet it sounded so distant. My head pounded against the sound of his voice. I wanted him to shut up. I wanted him to shut up and go away. I just wanted him to get out of my life. I looked up at his eyes. Those azure eyes were so…pitying? No. Mocking? No. Concerned? Before I could pursue these thoughts further, the room swayed and faded to darkness. His azure eyes, the only things that remained in the consuming darkness.

My eyes fluttered open as I took in my surroundings. I was lying on the couch in my family room staring up at the ceiling. I slowly sat up and looked around. The blanket that covered me fell to my lap. I clutched my head as it pounded from the sudden rush of blood. As the aching subsided I laid myself back down.

'What the hell happened?' I thought, 'My head feels like it was hit by a rock or something.'

Trying to recall what happened, the memory of the dinner, the stranger at the door, my father agreeing to marry me off to a stranger, Aidon, and me fainting rushed back to me.

'Oh yeah. Aidon,' I thought sardonically as I rolled my eyes. 'Speak of the devil.'

Aidon stepped into the room and looked in my direction as he walked towards the couch. I gave him an angry look and he stepped back to give me space. Though his eyes showed sympathy, his rigid posture told otherwise. Nothing, but cold and distant. I looked away, still confused and angry about what happened earlier. Aidon, taking the hint; spun on his heels, and walked into the guest bedroom where he was staying.

Still feeling the ache in my head, I closed my eyes hoping the pain would stop. It was then that I heard voices coming from the guest bedroom. Two voices to be precise. The first was unmistakably Aidon's. The second, however sounded like a gruff, elderly man. I couldn't make out what they were saying. The voices were too muffled behind the door.

'I wish I could hear what they were talking about.'

The moment I thought it, an image appeared in my mind's eye. It was of Aidon pacing back and forth in front of the ottoman at the foot of the bed, while talking to an elderly cloaked man. I watched the scene unfold as Aidon continued to pace restlessly. The elderly man appeared stubby and shorter than average, yet kind and wiser than most. Aidon no longer wore his Victorian clothes. Instead, he wore armor and a metallic chest plate with an intricate crest displayed on the front. Obviously armor of show and status, versus something he'd wear into battle. Attached to the chest plate was an ebony cape that billowed behind him as he moved across the room. His black hair wasn't slicked back anymore; rather, strewn across his shoulders. A silver circlet adorned his head perfectly, as though it were meant for him. His very appearance exuded power and something dark, almost menacing. He was thoroughly intimidating and the atmosphere about him was at least ten times as powerful as any vampire.

'What could possibly be more powerful than a vampire?' I wondered. The more I watched though, the more I felt I was intruding on something not for my eyes.

"I don't know what to do Charon. She doesn't love me yet." Aidon confessed forlornly.

The elderly man named Charon gazed up at Aidon. His old eyes studying the man before him. His face softened to one of sympathy and understanding. He sighed.

"These things take time, mi'lord," stated Charon, trying to sound reassuring.

The scene faded and I slowly opened my eyes to peer over to the guest bedroom door. It opened allowing Charon and Aidon to leave the room. I tried to search for any signs of them knowing I eavesdropped on their conversation. If they knew I'd been listening in, they didn't acknowledge it. Aidon was now back in his Victorian attire, with his hair slicked back. The intimidating, menacing atmosphere he'd had was virtually gone now. Replaced with his familiar regality and air of authority. There was no billowing cape, no metal armor, nor a silver circlet to be seen anywhere on him.

Charon gave a slight bow to Aidon and looked in my direction. He gave me a pondering look, shook his head and walked away. Aidon then gazed intently upon me as I carefully stood up to stop the rush of blood to my still aching head. He gazed deeply into my eyes, searching for something. What he was searching for, I wasn't certain. Nonetheless, he grasped my hand and brought it up to his lips to place a lingering kiss upon it.

"I love you, Monique and I'll do whatever it takes, to show you," he uttered longingly, while caressing my hand. Before I could respond, he vanished without a trace. His words freshly imprinted in my mind.

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I awoke with a start; Aidon's words still resonating in my head. My head was pounding and my limbs were weak and sluggish. Dazed and disoriented, I tried hoisting myself out of bed; only to nearly collapse from my weak limbs. Gripping the bedpost to regain my balance, I gingerly walked over to my vanity mirror to grab my brush, when I jumped back from the mirror landing unceremoniously on the floor. In the mirror, staring back at me was Aidon. I blinked and it was gone, but a voice unlike my own whispered a name that would haunt my every waking moment:

Hades Aidoneus Polydectes Chthonios.

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Author's Note:

I decided to update a bit of this. From fixing grammatical errors to tweaking some small things within the story. Plus, I posted another excerpt to add to this story. It's a bit out of context, but I am still piecing things together. Not to mention that I've just been busy and have had major writer's block for months. Although now I'm back and I hope I can refine this and turn it into something good. Comments, reviews, and constructive criticism welcome. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed and until next I post. :)