"Are you serious?" I echo in disbelief. Medusa nods.
"There is a way that you can get out of it, though - if you serve the Royal Family, you are allowed to be an exception, because they don't want to lose their servants. If...if I get you an interview with Ramos, then maybe you can get out of it." she sounds worried, as if she doesn't want them to find me.
"Why are you so worried?" I ask. "No one knows I'm in the city apart from you, so I could easily skip it." Medusa shakes her head.
"We can't betray the gods." she says. I sigh.
"So...you'll get me an interview which will hopefully not get me seen?" I ask. Medusa nods. "And...what will happen when Ramos sees me?" I question. Medusa frowns.
"Well...I'm sure he's trustworthy." she says hesitantly, glancing out the window, where the sun is beginning to complete its arc across the sky. Her breath catches in her throat. "Quick, come. Hopefully they'll still accept you."
She leads me out of the house at a slight jog. I've managed to put my hood over my hair before people stare, and I'm glad for it - we attract enough glances anyway.
It's not long before we reach the palace steps, and Medusa takes a side door into the kitchens. She pulls me along to a woman kneading bread by the fire.
"Delphina, this is Casiphea. She needs a job, will you fetch Ramos?" Medusa pleads, as the woman looks at me with a pair of beady black eyes, her expression soon changing to one of surprise and fear.
"Her hair -" Delphina gasps, her eyes wide. I nod, my cheeks burning.
"Please!" Medusa pleads. "She can't get noticed by the Queen." she clasps her hands together and gazes at Delphina, who bites her lip.
"What about the Queen?" someone says in a silvery voice, and we see Delphina's face change from frowning to awe. She sinks into a curtsey, and I realise that Medusa's done the same. I frown slightly, turning around.
A girl is stood there, only a few years older than me, with ebony locks spilling over her shoulders in perfect curls. Her dress is a midnight blue and loose, like a wave that falls to the floor. I blink.
"Curtsey." Medusa hisses, tugging the end of my dress, and the girl - she must be the princess - steps toward us. She shakes her head gently.
"Please, there's no need for formality." she smiles warmly at Medusa, who reluctantly stands. "What were you saying about the Queen?" she asks, tilting her head to one side, looking almost exactly like a bird.
Medusa flushes, bowing her head. "We were...we were only saying how it wouldn't be a good idea for her to find Casiphea, here." she obviously trusts the princess, otherwise she wouldn't have told her.
The princess shifts her gaze to me, and I flush. Her brow furrows. "Your hair...I've never seen anything like it before." she begins to reach out to touch it, but flushes and pulls her hand away. "I'm sorry." she apologises quickly. She looks to Medusa again. "And...you wanted her to get a job before tomorrow, am I right?"
Medusa nods. "I...we have to keep her safe." she whispers. The princess nods, her expression determined.
"I understand. But there's no way out, I'm afraid - if you want a job you must appear in front of the King and Queen." she shakes her head. "You would have a better chance picking a stone tomorrow. At least, then, they might be so tired they'll not notice you." she takes my hand impulsively. "I wish there could be another way."
I nod. "I guess this is what I wanted, right?" I shrug. "To be someone. And here...I am. Before I was just nobody. And now - I'm this special person." The princess smiles dryly.
"Trust me, Casiphea. Being someone isn't always a good thing." she shakes her head. "I wish I could help more, but you'll just have to hope that the seven black stones are picked before you." her smile is comforting and I can't help but smile back, despite the situation.
"Thank you." I say, Medusa tugs my arm gently. "We should go." I say out loud, and manage to wave a small goodbye to the princess before Medusa pulls me away, and out into the streets.
The night passes quickly, in a wave of heat and humidity. I sleep well, dreaming of my friends back home. They're sat on a wall opposite me, I see Meg's golden brown locks, Maya's dip dye, Daisy's freckles and all the rest. My eyes well with tears and I try to run towards them, but my legs are moving through honey and then -
The floor opens up underneath me, and I'm falling away from them. I scream for them to help, but there's nothing they can do but watch as I fall into oblivion.
"No!" I shout, bolting upright. I'm covered in sweat and breathing like I've just run a marathon. I grip the sides of the wooden bed like a lifeline - I can't remember the last time I've had a dream that felt as real as that.
A clatter comes from the door and Medusa stumbles in, her hair a bird's nest and her eyes bleary. "What's happened?" she calls, yawning. I take a deep breath.
"Nothing." I shake my head. "Just...just a bad dream." I whisper. "It's okay." She sighs, yawning again and sits on the end of my bed.
"The nerves?" she asks, hesitating slightly. "Can...can you tell me?" she asks gently. I unclench my fists from the bed and run them through my hair.
"It was...all my friends." I mutter. Medusa tilts her head to one side.
"What are their names?" she asks. "Sometimes sharing things makes it better." she explains, taking my hand. I nod.
"There's Megan, Rhi, Daisy, Maya, Charlotte, Sarah, Amy, Sunnie...we're a big group." I laugh slightly, remembering how we would take up tables and tables at lunch time. Medusa frowns.
"They have strange names," she comments. I laugh - to me, the names here are strange. Back home, those names were common.
"What time do we have to be in the palace?" I ask, and Medusa widens her eyes.
"Soon, quick...you'll have to borrow a dress," she says, throwing me a beige dress. I catch it, frowning at the material. It looks like a potato sack. Medusa grimaces. "Sorry about that. You have to blend in, you can't wear the dress of a servant, sorry." she shrugs.
"Will I be waiting with this...Jason?" I remember her mentioning her friends. She nods.
"I have to go and collect herbs from the Forest, I'm afraid. I'll take you to their house now, and then pick you up later on." she promises with a smile.
Some time later, I'm in the courtyard of the palace next to a portly man who calls himself Hercules (I laugh at this, he's nothing like the cartoon hero Jason and I know), Pythagoras (who I don't particularly like because he's about to make the theorem that bored me to death last year in Maths), and Jason, who's like a breath of fresh air, as annoying as he is.
I'm glad I'm short, because I can't see above the heads of the crowd, and most don't take any notice of me. I attract a few odd glances, but ignore them.
In the Throne Room, we gather in small groups to pick our stones. As it grows near to our time, my heart clenches in my chest and I bite my lip hard. I hate all this waiting. Hercules goes first, picking a white stone.
Jason's next, hesitating as he glances at the princess, who smiles encouragingly at me, and picks a white. Pythagoras squeezes my hand before going up to pick a white stone from the head of the bull. Butterflies erupt in my stomach.
I gulp, my feet taking me to the bull's head. I hear an audible intake of breath from the people watching, and duck my head slightly, blushing crimson. I begin to reach out to pick a stone when someone speaks up. I flinch.
"Stop." I look up at the King, who's stood, his face grave. "You cannot pick a stone from the head of the Bull." he says commandingly. I blush even redder - what have I done wrong? "We cannot let a child with hair the colour of the Gods be put in danger."
The crowd nods, and I sneak a glance at the princess, who shakes her head softly. I look back to the King. His wife, the Queen, is staring at me with fiery eyes that seem to burn right through me. I shiver.
"Minos -" the Queen begins, but the princess interrupts.
"Father, we must get on with the ceremony," she reminds him, and he purses his lips, nodding. His dark eyes burn into me and I fidget uncomfortably.
"Yes. Pasiphae, will you take care of the child? I wish to speak to her after the ceremony." he nods his head at me, and the Queen smirks. A stab of fear lances through me; this can't be a good thing. Medusa and the princess warned me about her. I take a tiny step back, but she notices and raises a delicate eyebrow in a show of complete arrogance. I want to punch her.
The Queen stands, bowing her head to the King. "I will take her to the temple," she smiles at the princess, who doesn't respond and only gives me a look of sorrow. I shake my head slightly. Don't come to find me.
I am led through a maze of corridors by a serving girl with blonde waves as hair. She walks fast and I have to jog to keep up. "It's not a good idea to be late for the Queen," she tells me sincerely.
The temple is dark and cool. I bow my head as I enter, remembering waking up here. A blush colours my cheeks. The Queen is stood by the altar, and she looks up when the door closes with a crash. I suddenly feel very exposed as she approaches me.
She circles me like a vulture, and I try to control my breathing. I have a feeling I'll understand why Medusa is so afraid of her. "So, tell me, child of fire," the Queen says quietly, so quiet it's almost a whisper. "how do you come to be in Atlantis?" her eyebrow raises.
"I - I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about, your majesty." I mutter, wondering what on earth she meant by child of fire.
She comes to a stop in front of me, taking hold of one of the curls and stroking it like it's gold. This is not normal, I'm pretty sure this is weird even in Atlantis.
"Of course you do." her mouth curves up angrily and I step back, tugging my hair from her grip. I shake my head as she takes another step towards me angrily.
"I - no, I - I don't have a clue what you're on about...please, I only arrived in Atlantis yesterday!" I turn back for a second, changing my course so I'm aiming for the doors. The Queen smirks.
"I will ask again, child of fire - how did you come to be in Atlantis?" her voice raises slightly and I stumble.
"I told you, I - wait, what do you mean? I'm not a - a child of fire, or whatever you call it!" I manage to stutter anxiously. A slight smirk plays on her lips before the door opens suddenly. I breathe a sigh of relief - the King is here.
I bow as he approaches us, hoping I haven't gone too pale from my encounter with the Queen, who's glaring. He smiles warmly at me, which I hope is a good sign. The air in the temple is cool, smelling slightly of wet rock and incense, which I use to help calm my beating heart.
"Child, please, sit," he motions to some chairs stood behind the huge columns. I follow silently as he sits opposite me, while the Queen stands slightly behind him. I wonder if that's an etiquette thing. I was never very good with that. "Please, what is your name?" he asks gently, as if he can sense how nervous I am.
"Casi -" I break off. "Casiphea, my lord," I finish awkwardly, fiddling with a strand of my hair. This dress seems far too small, I realise suddenly. I never wore dresses before, only ever in summer to cover up my bikini when we went to the South of France.
The King nods. "So, Casiphea, do you understand why I have called you here?" he asks, and I note how careful he is with his words. They speak so formally here in Atlantis, I don't know how I'll fit in.
I nod haltingly. "Because red hair is...special, in some way?" it comes out as a question. I shrug. "I'm not sure why, at home it was nothing amazing." my eyes widen when I realise what I've said. Stupid Casi.
The King nods. "You seem...unfamiliar with Atlantian customs." he observes. I feel even more under the microscope as he and Pasiphae study me with looks of curiosity.
"Oh, um, yes," I manage. "I only arrived in Atlantis yesterday to stay with my...cousin, Medusa," the lie slips out easily. "I came from...from Helios," I remember the place Medusa mentioned yesterday.
"A wonderful city," the King says. "Because of the colour of your hair, I would like to keep you close to the Royal Family. So, I would like to offer you a job as the personal maid of my daughter, Ariadne." he smiles, and I blink in surprise.
For a moment, I'm silent. "Are you sure?" I splutter after a moment. "I mean, I wouldn't wish to intrude -" he shakes off my protests with a chuckle.
"Of course. It would be an honour to have such a treasure in the palace." I frown. Did he mean that as in I'm pretty, or did he mean that my hair is precious? I decide to ignore it, thinking that it'll be good money, at least.
I nod. "Thank you, sir," I mumble. At least it's not the Queen. The King smiles, getting up briskly.
"It is my pleasure." he smiles widely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Pasiphae, Casiphea, I must attend to some business. Good evening," he closes the door behind him and again I get that feeling of being exposed.
Pasiphae is staring at me with an expression of distaste. "I could teach you," she says after a moment, shocking me.
"What?" I ask in surprise. What would she want to teach me?
She steps towards me. "To control your powers...you do not know what you could be capable of. If you would let me teach you...you could have gold, jewels -"
I shake my head. "I have no need for gold, and I don't want jewels." I say abruptly, standing and beginning to walk away. It's rude, I know, and she's the Queen and I could probably get executed.
The Queen shakes her head. "Magic is forbidden in Atlantis, which means that we who hold it must be more careful than ever. Come to the Oracle's chambers after your duties tomorrow. I will teach you how to control your power." she smiles - this time, a genuine smile as she steps towards me, a motherly look on her face.
"I -" I can't argue. My shoulder sink as I give in, my reluctance crumbling and giving way to excitement. It's every girl's dream to have magic, and to be actually taught how to use it is even better. I nod.
"Do not fear. Power only comes to those who will use it, remember that." and with that, she sweeps from the room, leaving me alone with the golden statue of the bull.
NOTE: Sorry for not uploading recently, I've had so much work and stress from exams, and my head is hurting nonstop and I literally cannot stop yawning :( sooo here's your chapter! Don't forget to review, it makes my day to see what you think of this!