3.
"Look! I don't know what you want, or why you're here, or why my life is so complicated now, but I don't want ANY of this. I don't want any gods looking at me like I'm some special person that's gonna save the world, or you or anyone! 'Cause I'm not. Okay!" I said, pulling out of his grip, starting to walk away.
"The fate of the world is on your shoulders." He muttered, but I think he was hoping I didn't hear.
"What did I do to deserve this?" I whispered only to myself, hoping he wouldn't hear, but he did. There was an echo. We were in a cave? How did that happen?
"Don't you know the story of poor echo?" He said, looking at me with wide sad eyes that no one could resist.
"UGH! JUST LIKE HER!" I screeched, pulling out of my trance, and suddenly Hermes let go of me. I ran, tears rolling down my cheeks.
UGH! She used to do that all the time. Make me feel terrible. She made me want to do anything for her.
"Daddy, where's mommy?" I asked, scared. I hadn't seen her for days.
"I don't know; go play Vivian, daddies busy." He said with no care, no love.
"Here daddy." I handed him the bracelet I'd made for him. I was five, but it was the best I'd ever done for my short life.
"Daddy's gonna stay this time."
"No daddy, you won't. You lying." I cried, grabbing his leg, starting to cry.
"I'm home!" My mom screamed. It was about 4 in the morning, and she was back from being a drunken whore. When I was five, I thought I wanted to be like her. Do what she did every day and every night. Now I understood.
"MOMMY!" I yelled, full of glee. Up stairs you could hear little Nicholas crying. Mom's wrists were bleeding. I looked up at her, and she stared in my eyes. But by staring at her silver moon eyes, she made me feel like I was the cause of her pain. The reason of her pain, the reason why she got drunk everyday and cut every night, and I used to think that was alright.
"Get off of me, stupid child!" She hit me against the wall, and I just smiled. This is how I thought that she showed love.
"Hit me harder!" I cried. I needed more "love" from her.
"GARRETT." She groaned. But my daddy already left. He left us. Again, I stared into her eyes.
"IT'S YOUR ENTIRE FAULT YOU STUPID GIRL. YOU'RE THE REASON YOUR FATHER LEFT! YOU'RE THE REASON OF MY DEATH!" She screamed, and picked me up, throwing me across the room, and I hit the cement wall. I had a cracked skull, sure, but I was fine with that.
"Ow mommy!" I mumbled to myself. Then the world went black for the poor little girl I used to be.
That day I got sent to the hospital, with a cracked skull, and a broken leg.
"Honey," The doctor said to me, "Where are your parents?"
"My daddy left me and mommy doesn't like people." I muttered, dizzy.
"Where is your mommy?" He smiled to me, and scared me.
"At home. She did this. She finally loves me." I smiled, feeling like death will come any second.
"There's uncle…" I smiled. Life was fading for my poor five year old self.
I was in heaven, now.
"Finally." A booming voice said to me.
"I need to go home." I said, on the verge of crying.
"Well, who wants you at home?" He said, inviting me closer.
"Mommy does."
"No she doesn't. Why don't you stay with us?"
"Because she loves me!" I cried.
"No she doesn't, Vivian. Why would she? You're the reason she dies." He smiled to me, and then winked.
"Goodbye, niece." He waved and smiled, and I was back in the scary hospital bed I'd been in before.
"I SAW UNCLE!" I shouted, smiling. I was so proud of myself. I only saw my family on special occasions, and I didn't even meet all of them yet.
I didn't know where I was, and I really didn't care that it was raining.
"Vivian, please get up. It's okay. Please, just get up." A female voice said, from behind the trees.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" I said, pulling out my knife slowly.
"Calm down. I'm not here to fight." She stepped out, and I almost dropped my knife. She had long curly blonde hair, in a ponytail, gray-blue eyes, and was about eight inches taller than me. She wore a pure white tunic, with gold on it.
"Who are you?"
"Athena. And you are Vivian. We've met."
"Uh, when was this?" I wondered, still shocked by her beauty and the fact she was Athena.
"You used to baby sit me!" I could remember her voice from anywhere, or any time.
"Yes, you remember." She smiled, warmly.
"How could I forget?" I smiled back, and she sighed.
"Vivian." Hermes came from the sky, using his flying shoes.
"Look, please. I don't want to be bothered right now. I've been through more than you can imagine in the past few days. I might just cry." I muttered.
"Vivian, we know you can't change what's happened, but you have to keep moving on." Hermes told me, smiling lightly.
"I don't have to do anything you tell me. I can do anything I want!" I rolled my eyes, not looking at either of them.
"Your right, you don't. But your mother-"
"Don't say a word about my mother." I nearly growled, staring at Athena with deadly eyes.
"Why can't I say anything about your mother? You barely knew her." She smiled.
"You don't know anything." I snarled at her, still staring her down, while she stared back.
"What are you doing?" Hermes mouthed to her, looking a bit confused. Right about now, I wanted to pull the bow off the quiver, grab an arrow, and just kill her.
"Your mother didn't even love you. She always talked about killing you, just for fun. Or she would plan how to kill you or how to get rid of you…" She smirked, "Trust me, that's not what love is."
"Why don't you shut your mouth…?" I threatened, as I pulled out an arrow and put it on its bow.
"Stop. Just stop." Hermes said, grabbing me, pushing me aside. Actually, I totally forgot he was here…
"It's about time we told her." He said to Athena, looking at her sternly…Or as sternly as the god of thieves can.
"Told me what?"
"Why we were staring at you." He sighed. Athena nodded to him.
"Carry on." I said anxiously.
"Well… You know how your mom always was mad at you, like specifically you and she would try to… Kill you when you were young?" He asked.
"How could I forget?" I mumbled.
"Well she did that because she wanted to escape her fate… Nick wasn't the reason why she faded. You were."
"No. No, no, no…" I whispered, in total denial. I started to shake, as I closed my eyes.
"Yes. It was you." His voice shook with fear.
"Why?"
"…She pledged herself a maiden forever because there was a prophecy that her first daughter would over throw her and take her place."
"NO." I whispered. I was shaking violently. My thoughts rushing through my heads at the speed of sound. No, no, no. I thought. I am NOT the reason.
You are. A voice said inside of me. A voice extremely familiar to me.
"Mom." I (apparently) breathed aloud.
I am a part of you now, child, and will seek you through your times of trouble.
"What?" Athena asked me in surprise. I guess they could they could see the fright on my face, because at once they said: "She's here."
