Mneme-Memory

Mneme wasn't the child her family wanted, because she was a girl. And in their city, Corinth, where her family relies heavily on the ships they built and fish in, she's always seemed like a bunch of dead weight left to weave their nets and sails. This has bothered the straight brown haired and hazel eyed girl all eight years of her life and she never thought things would change.

Presently, she was haling nets down to the docks for her older brothers and cousins. It was nothing new really, except they were downing farther north on this trip. Mneme also thought they were trying to find wives without their fathers interfering.

When got to the docks, she had trouble finding finding their ship. Luckily, one of her cousins found her and started leading her to it. Mneme thought it was a bit large for fishing and the sail she had sown was now a deep shade of purple. She looks up at her cousin.

"Gage, why in the name of Poseidon did you dye my sail?"

He shrugs. "It looks nicer."

"From a distance, up close it looks cheap and mediocre."

Gage scowls. "Well it works."

"What are you trying to do anyway? Get wives?"

Gaga then proceeds to pick me up and take me aboard. He plops me down below deck. "Don't move Mneme." He takes the nets from my arms and walks up the stairs. She, on the other hand, does as told and sits on the floor bored to death. Eventually, Gage returns with her oldest brother Baako.

"Mneme, why can't you just be stupid and clueless like most girls?"

Mnems gritted her teeth. "Because that's not who I am Baako."

Baako growls. "Every woman on both sides is a moron. Maybe the reason you are so clever is because you're a bastard."

She feels like she's just been stabbed and Gage puts a hand on Baako's shoulder. "Baako, you don't mean that."

He glares at Gage. "I do and as captain, I say we need to get rid of a loose end."

Baako then grabbs her arm and dragged her to the deck. All her cousins and brothers stopped there work to watch what would happen. Mneme looks out and see they are far from the port of Corinth. Gage hands Mnems a plank of wood no taller than her and she gulps.

Baako releases her from his grasp. "You have brought dishonor and shame since you were born. In throwing you away, we restore this honor."

Mneme feels like she wants to scream and cry all at once because this isn't fair. She knows most have never liked her, but to throw her overboard? Mneme mumbles angrily.

Baako glares. "Do you have something to say?"

"You would never do this if you loved-"

Slap. It leaves her and the whole crew dazed as she feels her swelling cheek. Tears start pooling in her eyes and it takes all Mneme's willpower not to sob. She feels arms grip her stomach and lift her into the air. She's tossed into the air and for moments she feels like she can fly. Then the water hits her and Mneme grips onto the board for dear life as the ship sails away.

Mneme drifts through the waves for two days in the sun until a storm hits. She doesn't know how long that lives, but it allows her clean water. Then the sun comes out and it storms yet again. She grabs small fish with her hands as food. It's a strange cruel cycle she lives in.

The whole time, Mneme prays to Poseidon, Triton, Leucothea, Amitaf, Paleamon, and every other sea deity a Corinthian knows. She doesn't make any ridiculous promises or oaths because Mneme doesn't know if she'll live to keep them.

Eventually, she finds a group of rocks and swims over to them. Mneme pulls herself up onto them with her plank of wood in hand. It felt strange to sit on a solid that didn't float. Plus, even though it's been cloudy and dark with little visibility for the past few days, Mneme must be close to land.

"That you are child."

Mneme turns around to see a strange sight. There's a woman, no goddess with wild blue eyes and out of control curly brown hair, though her face was welcoming. She wears a dress of shells at the top to cover herself and the bottom looks like sail fabric with a belt of nets around her waist. She carries a trident with the prongs close together, a tool used for fishing.

Mneme clears her throat. "I mean no offense your goddessship, but you are you?"

The woman lets out a laugh that sounds like that a dolphin. "I am Brizo, goddess of sailors, and may I say I was surprised someone not from Delos knew of me."

Mneme blushes. "My family lives in Corith. Poseidon is the patron but all the families whose men work in some trade in the sea learn all deities of the ocean."

Brizo smiles at her then frowns. "I'm guessing you do not wish to return back to your native city?"

"Lady Brizo, I just want to return to land, the closer the better."

"Anything else?"

Mneme bites the inside of her cheek. "Am I actually a bastard?"

Brizo sighs and picks up the wooden plank. In mere seconds, a small boat is in the water before us with fresh water and land food. It was quite the tear jerking sight.

Brizo then looks to her. "No you are not a bastard and don't you dare go around calling yourself that."

Whatever joy Mneme had from the boat was quickly replaced by anger. "So I was tossed overboard because Baako was pissed at me!"

Brizo sighs and starts leading her to the boat. "Yes he did, but your whole family is descendants of Eurybia, Phorcys, Nereids, and myself."

Mneme leaned on the boat for support. That was a very interesting family history, and she wonders if they even know about half of it. Brizo laughs again when they're both in the boat.

"Maybe a few generations ago, but not any more. Anything else?"

"How long was I out there?"

"A little over two years."

Mneme looks down at herself. She had gotten a bit taller and guesses her relations to the sea kept her from getting sick, or dying. It's realistic, but it doesn't feel like it been two years of her life alone and wishing someone found her, resenting everyone who let this happen to her."

"Do they even care I am gone?"

Brizo makes her sit on a wooden bench and she can feel the boat start to move. "Your brothers and cousins are still out on the hunt and the rest of your family said it was the fate of the gods and stopped mourning after two days."

The bitterness within her grows as the boat goes faster.

"Anything else?"

Mneme chuckles, wishing she could let this resentment go but knowing she can't. "If I could forget my whole my family and time with them, that would be great, but that can't-Who are you?"

Mneme didn't know now she ended up in the city of Atlantis. What she did know was that she had no family here and needed a stable place to live, so she asked around for suggestions.

"I know a nice young man who would adore you."

"You could help out a friend of mine in his private quarters."

"I know someone who needs a maid."

Most were similar to those, but Mneme didn't want to be a wife, a servant, or a sex toy. She wants to be herself and safe from it all. Finally, someone gave her good advice, and of course it was a wise old woman, not a man.

"You seem like the kind of girl who would make a grand priestess to Poseidon."

"What do they do?"

"They monitor his temple, deal with the offerings and prayers, and take care of all his offspring who are orphans."

Mneme ponders this for a moment before smiling up at the nice lady. "Can you give me directions?"

She smiles back at her. "I'll do you one better and take you back with me."

Mneme had caught some illness from the market. She decided to lie down and rest while her toddler charges practice before her.

She loves Rada and Cadman like they were her own children. Mneme yawns and the twins rush over to her.

Cadman grips her hand and squeezes too hard. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Rada rolls her eyes and looks down at the spear at Mneme's feet. "You said you would practice with us."

"I know but-"

Mneme stops talking to start choking from a sudden lack of air. The twins pester her in worried looks and wails for help. Dark spots flicker in her eyes and the last thing she feels is a slap that the neither twin could produce.

Nina wakes and clutches her cheek with one hand and her heart with another. She just learned what a heart attack felt like. Gods, she already died why does she have to feel it again?

Back to Mneme, who seemed like a Greek tragedy, but considering what else she's seen it's not surprising. Her family... there are no good words about them. Her decision to forget them was the right one, but Nina wishes she got closure.

Nina feels tired and lays back down. She closes her eyes and inhales the smell of ocean and hears the flick of a tail.

Gage-Chris

Rada-Clarisse

Cadman-Frank

Feel free to Wikipedia the gods.