Past
Mintha was sitting on the bank of a river with her feet in the water. Meliae was sitting next to her as company.
"Mintha, how do you feel about Archon?" asked Meliae.
Mintha looked at Meliae blankly and didn't answer. Meliae took into consideration that Mintha might not understand her question.
"Do you love him?" Meliae asked.
"What is love?" Mintha asked her back.
"Love is..." Meliae thought about her feelings for Archon and used that to explain to Mintha what love was. "You can't stop thinking about him. When he is near you are happy. When he is gone you are sad."
"I think of him but not often." admitted Mintha. "When he is near I am happy but I am not sad when he is gone."
"Why aren't you sad?"
Mintha shrugged. "Because I know I will see him again."
"Do you lust for him?"
"What does lust mean?"
"You want his kisses."
"I don't lust for him."
"You don't? What of his kisses? He kisses you often." Meliae said with envy.
"That's how he always greets me. It's his way of saying goodbye too. He told me so."
"He told you that? Does this mean you kiss him as a greeting not because you want too?"
"I don't like his kisses. His lips are dry."
Meliae laughed. As her laughter died down she became serious. "I lust for him. We are together." she studied Mintha's reaction, which was impassive. "Whenever he visits we have sex."
Meliae waited for Mintha to say something but she never did. Mintha didn't appear to care. This made her think over their conversation. Mintha didn't know what love was. She didn't know what lust was. Chances are...she doesn't know what sex was.
"Do you know what sex is?" Meliae asked her, although she already guessed the answer.
"What is sex?"
Meliae laughed. As a nymph she knew of love and lust. Mintha on the other hand was silent and innocent. Maybe it was the reason why Archon loved Mintha?
Meliae leaned closer Mintha and put her arm over her shoulder. "Sex is a...like...torture." she said to scare her but as before Mintha didn't react the why she wanted her too. Mintha might not know what torture was either. Meliae pinched Mintha's arm. "It hurts like that - Ouch!"
Mintha pinched her back.
"Why did you pinch me?" Meliae asked, rubbing her tender flesh.
"Because you pinched me."
Meliae's eyes were watering from the pain. "That really hurts!" She looked at her arm, a bruise was forming before her eyes. "Why are you so strong?"
Mintha shrugged.
Meliae glared at Mintha. "Sex is like that! It hurts. If Archon tries to have sex with you get away from him." She emphasized her point by angrily pinching and slapping Mintha. She realized too late that Mintha might hit her back.
Mintha grabbed Meliae's wrist, pulled her toward her, and slapped her.
Meliae fell into the water from the impact of her slap. She pushed herself up and spit out the water in her mouth.
Mintha stood up to her full height of six feet and six inches and walked toward her. Meliae crawled away to put distance between them. She had always been frightened of Mintha, who towered over her. Meliae had known her for years and always thought she was strange. She behaved unlike anyone she knew. She lacked basic knowledge and common sense.
"Stay back!" screamed Meliae.
Mintha halted. "Archon is here."
"Archon is here?" repeated Meliae. Forgetting about Mintha, she pushed herself up. She wiped the water from her face, patted her hair down, and straightened her clothing.
Archon appeared just as Mintha said.
Meliae ran to hug him. "Oh, Archon! I miss you!"
He pushed her away from him. "You're wet. What's wrong with your face?"
Meliae touched her face and winched. She glanced at Mintha. She knew if she said Mintha slapped her, Mintha would explain the reason why she did it. Archon would know of the lie she told Mintha about sex. He'll probably explain it to Mintha close and personal. If Archon and Mintha got together, what would become of her?
"I - I s-slipped and fell in the water. My face grazed a rock." explained Meliae. She went to Mintha to make her confirm her story. "I fell in the water, right?" she purposely asked her the only part of her story that was true.
"Yes," said Mintha.
"See!" said Meliae, who knew Mintha was not a person of many words.
Archon walked toward them. "Did you fall too?" he asked Mintha, seeing the bottom of her clothes wet.
His concern over Mintha hurt Meliae more than the slap she received. "My face hurts. I'm all bruised." she said to get his attention.
He looked at her cheek. "Your bruise resembles the shape of a hand."
Meliae covered her cheek. "The - the pebbles I grazed formed..." she struggled to find the right words but it didn't matter. His attention was already back on Mintha.
"Did you fall too?" he asked Mintha once again.
"No." replied Mintha.
"Good. But you should heal Meliae. The pain is causing her to cry."
He healed Meliae's face. This made Meliae sadder. He didn't heal her as soon as he saw her bruise. Mintha had to tell him to do it.
"Meliae," he said.
Meliae light up, becoming hopeful. "Yes?"
"I want to speak with Mintha. Will you leave us?"
Meliae held in her disappointment and nodded. She turned away from them and walked back to her home. Tears falling from her eyes.
Mintha heard Meliae sniffing. She was going to go to her but Archon blocked her path and hugged her.
"I miss you." He pulled back to kiss her.
Mintha wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Did you miss me?"
"No."
"Why not?" he asked with disappointment.
"Because I know I will see you."
He smiled and hugged her again.
"I got you a gift." he gave her a gold necklace with a pendant shaped like his symbol, a circle with a lightening.
Mintha traced her fingers over the pendant. "I already have one."
The smiled on his face fell. He only gave items such as this to his lovers. "You do?"
Mintha pulled a gold chain from around her neck to show him her necklace and the pendant. His hand shook as he reach out to pull it closer to study. There was no denying that it belonged to him.
"Where did you get this?" he asked her in a tight voice. The necklace slowly fell from his hand and hung loosely around her neck. He cupped her face with both of his hands and studied her features: full lips, small nose, silver eyes, honey toned skin, and long blonde hair. There was recognition but he could not conjure one of his lover's face that matched hers.
"Let go of me." she ordered him.
When he didn't do as she said, she pushed him. He nearly lost his balance.
"Don't touch me like that again." she said before walking away.
He stayed where he was. He was too emotional to ignore Mintha's orders and go after like he wanted to. Being with her would only make this worse than it is. She might be his daughter. When he first saw her he sensed Atlantean blood and something else he couldn't name in her. He never thought that her Atlantean blood could have been from him. He was in love with a woman that could possibly be his daughter. He laughed at his bittersweet situation.
"Archon?"
He heard Meliae's voice calling to him. Good. He was in need of the distraction.
She gave him a flirty smile. "Are you finished speaking with Mintha?"
He went to her. "Yes."
Her smile became larger. He was going to spend the night with her.
Meanwhile, Mintha walked thought the forest and stopped when she heard the disembodied voice in her head.
"Beware of that man." the voice warned her.
She shrugged and went to find a place to sleep for the night. The next morning, she was awoken from her sleep by Meliae calling her name. She climbed down from the tree she was sleeping on.
"What?" She asked her.
"Is Archon with you?"
"No."
"That means he left! It's odd, he normally stays longer." she crossed her arms over her chest in aggravation. She uncrossed them and cover her eyes when something shiny flashed in her sight. She looked at Mintha and saw the gold necklace. "What's that?"
"A naiad exchanged it with me."
"For what?"
"My hair comb."
Meliae admired Mintha's necklace. "Let me see it."
Mintha took it off and handed it to her.
"It's shiny. Can I have it?" asked Meliae.
"That's fine. I have another." Mintha showed her the new necklace Archon gifted her the night before.
Meliae put it around her neck. "Well, if Archon isn't with you I'm leaving. Thank you for the gift." she waved goodbye and she left.
Mintha nodded and returned to her sleep.
Seven mouths passed until Archon finally visited them again.
"Archon!" Meliae ran to hug him.
He looked down at her and noticed something different.
"You're pregnant." he observed.
"Yes!" she said excitedly. "Seven months."
"Congratulations." he said, brushing her arms off him and went in search for Mintha as usual.
"They're yours." Meliae said.
He nodded unconvinced. He knew he wasn't the only man she was seeing. A light caught his eyes. He searched for its source. "Where did you get that?" he asked.
Meliae held her necklace for him to see. "Mintha gave it to me. Isn't it shiny? She said a naiad traded it with her for her hair comb."
"Mintha got it in a trade?"
"Yes,"
His mind was in distress for seven months. He was relieved to know the truth. Mintha was not his daughter. He had to see her. "Where is Mintha?"
"Won't you stay with me and our children for a while before seeing her?" she asked him hopefully.
They had an agreement before getting involved but she thought that since they were going to have a child together he would act differently.
"You should stay with her." said Mintha.
Archon and Meliae turned around to see Mintha standing behind them. None of them knew when she came or how long she was standing there.
"Stay with her for a while." Mintha said leaving as fast as she came.
The two were left standing there alone. Meliae was happy. If Mintha told Archon to stay with her, he would do it to please her.
Mintha climbed on top of a random tree to sit on a branch. She took out her gold necklace by the chain to stare at the pendant as it slowly spun in the air. Growing bored she dropped it down. A necklace was useless to her. She missed her hair comb. At least with her hair comb she could untangle her hair, which had grown long past her waist. Maybe she could trade it with someone who had a hair comb? With her mind made up, she climbed down.
Mintha skipped to the river and sat down on the bank. She put her hand under the water and swung it back and forth to summon the naiads. As spirits that preside over freshwater, the naiads could sense any disturbance in their domain. It didn't take long for one to appear. The naiad had long black hair framed a pale face with freckles and round cheeks.
"Hi," Mintha greeted her. "Do you have a hair comb?"
The naiad tilted her head to the side inquisitively.
Mintha ran her fingers through her hair. "Hair comb?"
The naiad shook her head.
"Thanks." Mintha stood up to find more nymphs she could trade with. She came across a large group. "Do you have a hair comb?"
The nymphs shook their heads. Mintha pouted, clutching the necklace in her hand. She really wanted a hair comb. She felt the necklace burning and growing larger in her hand. The necklace transformed into a hair comb like she wanted. Happy, she began to comb her hair and yipped. Her hair was more tangled than she thought. The comb was stuck in her hair and it won't come off no matter how hard she pulled. Seeing her struggling, the nymphs surround her to help her pull it out.
"Pull it this way." said one.
"No, this way." said another.
"Wait!" one of the nymphs said. "Quiet, I hear..."
All of the nymphs stopped talking and listened. The sound of pipes could be heard in the distances.
"Satyr!" one of them shouted.
Mintha's hair covered her face, obstructing her vision. She was nearly trampled by the nymphs who were screaming in fright and scattering to hid. With the nymphs gone, Mintha pushed her hair out of her face. The comb was still stuck in her hair, causing her irritation. She listened to the sound of the pipes and ran through forest to search for who was playing it. The satyr was dancing and skipping as he blow the pipe.
"You!" Mintha pointed at him, glaring at him thought her wild hair.
The satyr removed the pipe from his mouth and grinned at her. His kind like to target nymphs to abuse and use them as their plaything. Mintha pushed her hair away from her face. Once he saw who she was he screamed, dropping his pipe he ran the other direction. She jumped on his back and tackled him to the ground with her knee.
"I told your kind to stay out of my forest." she said, punching the back of his head.
The satyr begged for mercy and struggled to get free. "Help! Help!"
She bit his shoulder blade, drawing blood. "I'm going to eat you!"
The satyr screamed louder. "Help me! The thing is eating me!"
"What is happening here?" said a man who appear in the corner of her eye.
Mintha looked at the newcomer. He was tall with blond hair, blue eyes, and a muscular body. He arched a brow at her.
"Help me!" begged the satyr.
Mintha pressed her palm over the back of his neck to silence him. Her hair was more wild than before, covering her face, and there was blood dripping from her mouth.
"Are you..." the man glanced at her and down at the satyr and back at her, "Are you eating him? Why?"
"I'm hungry." she said simply.
The man stared at her in bewilderment. Never had he seen a nymph attack and try to eat a satyr's flesh.
"Help me please! The thing is mad!" cried the satyr.
"Zeus! There you are." a nymph came to the man's side. She looked at Mintha and the satyr. "Let's...let's not intrude." she pulled his arm to direct him from them.
Zeus and his companion turned away from them.
"Help me, please!" cried the satyr.
"I think she's really eating him." said Zeus as he walked.
"Yes, she is." said the nymph.
They could hear the satyr's screams die down as they distanced themselves.
"Who was that nymph and why does she eat satyrs?" Zeus asked.
"That's not a nymph. No one knows what she is. She just appeared one day in the forest when she was a baby and lived here since. She's not bad. She keeps away the satyrs and other unwanted creatures."
"By eating them?"
"Yes."
"Does she...does she try to eat other beings too?"
"Probably. Do you like her?"
Zeus chuckled. "Are you jealous? Don't be. I witnessed her eating a satyr. It's not something I want to go near."
"You say that now but wait until you see her face. It's rather pleasing. She has admirers visiting from far regions."
That stroked his interest but he was not going to admit it to the nymph. He pulled her to him a gave her a long kiss.
After Mintha was finished with her meal, she went swimming in the river to wash the blood off. Pushing her head out of the water, she could hear Archon calling her name. She got up to see what he wanted but before she could reach him Meliae appeared from the trees. She took Mintha's arm.
"Mintha! Mintha! I saw a man earlier, he was asking about a nymph eating a satyr. I knew it had to be you. You're the only one I know who eats satyrs. He is handsome, who is he?"
Mintha thought back to the blond man that came across her and the nymph. "I don't know."
Meliae huffed. Men and women took one glance at Mintha and was enticed by her beauty. This made Meliae jealous. The worse part was Mintha was a simpleton and ignorant of it all. Since Mintha couldn't identify him, Meliae was going to ask the other nymphs. Without saying goodbye, Meliae left.
Archon came soon after. "Where were you Mintha? I was calling you. What's that on your hair?"
Mintha almost forgot about the comb stuck there. "My comb is stuck."
He chuckled at her. He pulled it out with ease and put it in her hand.
"Oh...you pull it up?" Mintha said in amazement.
"What direction were you pulling before?"
"Down."
"If it's stuck don't pull it down further. Pull it up." he explained to her.
"I will remember that."