This story was inspired by Mortal's Might and Mythology and The fact they made Ursula a goddess ontop of being a little Mermaid... There have to be other gods, Mythology was filled with them.

Also kind of inspired by Merlin and the cup and the Apprentice.

Darkness overtook the world as exhaustion and a lack of strength took Austin. He fell hard onto the leaf ridden floor of the Maine Woods he had escaped too, running from a past better off forgotten. Shaking, he managed to barely open his eyes. " I need to get up... I might die." He saw a wishing well then, right in front of him, and silly as it sounded he wanted to make a wish. It couldn't hurt... and it would make him feel like at least he tried something. Crawling forward, he reached the well after a few minutes.

There on a sign next to the well, he read out.

For centuries, local legend has claimed
that mystical waters run beneath this great
land. It is said that these waters possess
the power to return that which is lost to its
rightful place. If you have lost something
precious to you, drink from this well and
bear witness to this miracle as what is
missing shall be returned.

Laughing a little, he pulled a coin from his pocket. "Please... there is nothing I want to be returned, but there is something I want, need... a second chance. One where I can actually survive, thrive... and maybe, one day, leave this world better than when I found it. That would be nice." Dropping the coin into the well, he watched it hit the waters below... just in time with a tear he had no idea that was falling from his face.

Darkness came back in that moment as the ripples left the water. Realizing this might be it, Austin leaned against the well and let it take him.

"At least I tried."

And slowly he fell into the waves of exhaustion and pain that had been his life for so long...

"Child,... please... look at me." The voice, a woman's voice, was so gentle but strong he could not help but open his eyes. The sound itself seemed to sink into his soul, reinvigorate him. It's source was much the same, a stunning woman with pure black eyes, strong greek features and waves of curly black hair that fell down around her head. She was dressed in a velvet gown that hugged her curvaceous frame. She was not human, he could tell immediately, a soft dark light oozed from her body and sank into his skin, lifting him from the ground and onto his feet. "I was worried that you'd never wake up."

"Who are you?"

She laughed. "I am Hecate, but I have also been called Trivia." She was taller than he was, which was saying a lot since he was nearly six feet tall. "Dear Austin, my sweet boy, I am so sorry for the trials of your life, so few could have resisted it all but you did." She brushed his hair to the side, and he felt a zing of power wash through him.

"Are you a goddess? The Goddess Hecate?" Silly, but the power was too much to deny.

"Yes. This Wishing well contains pure magic, even here in this realm without magic. It is linked directly to the Lake Nostos in another realm, one filled with magic. That link allowing you to catch my attention alongside your pure prayer for help. The gods can only help those that help themselves, and so I have decided to help you, in return for a favor."

The boy frowned. "With what?"

She sighed and he felt her pain. "Magic, like any power, comes at a cost. So many use it for ill and that has created a great fear and hate for it. In this world that was so great people killed magic by killing the Nymphs of this world. It is still accessible to those with a strong enough heart and faith but it is hard..." She smiled at him. "In return for my aid, I will teach you to use magic, in this world and all worlds, in return you will become my Priest. Serving me in protecting, healing nad restoring magic as well as those harmed by it. It will be no easy task. Though I could make you stronger and greater than even Merlin, who first gained his immortal power through a pact with the Gods via the Holy Grail, I will not. I am the Goddess of Choice, I value effort and work. You must learn to master the craft, develop it, Dark and Light, and all those things in between."

He nodded, amazed. "Why me?"

"To be honest, a big part of that is so few are accessible to me, so few in this world are praying to the gods... but beyond that, you are strong, smart and you have a flexible moral compass. You would be willing to do dark things for good reasons. You are free from the biases of other worlds, and your own... I will not pretend to not be desperate, my poor magic, the sphere of power I wield, is in danger... I need to help it heal... and you can do that."

He nodded slowly this time, confused but happy. "What does that mean for me?"

"It means you will be healed, learning magic until you are well equipped enough to serve me... then you will return to this land, where magic has been hidden for decades, stolen from another realm via a dark curse, and you will help heal the rifts. As the Goddess of magic, I can see the future. You will return to this land when a great evil come to it, when the Wicked Witch comes to it. The other gods cannot allow us to interfere until then, for destiny is at work here, setting up the Savior for her path. Now... before you awake, and you will, in a hospital in Boston, I will give you three things." In a shimmery silver mist, three things appeared. The first was a potion made of black light, the second a necklace that was of two torches intersecting and the third a book. "The potion will heal your wounds. The book, this grimoire, will teach you the craft and the necklace will allow you access to magic in this realm without typical access to my power. Take them in stride, but know that by taking them, you accept my path and bind yourself to me as my Priest in Training. It is an irreversible path once you are started, we will be bound for all time."

The boy frowned. "Are you a good goddess, kind and loyal?"

She sighed and when she spoke he felt the binding element of her words. " I am."

"Then I guess I have no choice if this is more than a hallucination brought on by hunger...I want to live and having the chance to do better, like I literally asked for... well this all I could ever want." He put on the necklace and shivered as power rushed through him. He grabbed the book and then drank the potion. Immediately the world went wonky and slowly he felt stronger but more tired.

"Blessed be, my son, I wish you well... study the craft and become the Mage you are not meant to be."

Mist swirled around then both and slowly he fell into darkness, only to awake moments later, to an endless beeping and bright lights. Turning with his eyes open he saw a machine beeping at him. He was in a hospital. Reaching for his chest, he felt his new necklace, and the power that came with it. Sitting up, he turned and saw his book, his grimoire.

"It was real... " and like that, he knew his path... now and forever. He had a path, he had a future and he had a destiny of his own designs...

Could he survive it? He only could hope so...

"Thank you, Hecate... thank you."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a lot of fun.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.