Journey

The air on Aeaea hummed with magic, a familiar comfort to Y/N. By the river, her fingers cool against the damp earth, she was filling a pot with water when Circe's voice, gentle yet firm, called her name. Turning, Y/N saw her sister, serene in her flowing robes, a lion resting by her side.

"The other nymphs warned me—a ship is approaching," Circe said, her golden eyes holding a quiet urgency. "I want you hidden away with the other lions. Stay inside until I call for you. We cannot risk anything happening to you."

With a lingering touch to Y/N's face, Circe turned and walked back towards the grand palace, her robes a soft pink ribbon against the green.

Y/N nodded, but her heart already rebelled. The island did not wait for fear. If strangers were coming, she would simply have to be careful. She turned, her lions padding softly behind her, and made her way back to the palace, then into the dense, sun-dappled forest. The scent of damp earth and ripe fruit filled the air as she moved, gathering mushrooms and herbs. The forest hummed around her, a familiar song.

By midday, the sun hung at its peak, a golden orb in the vast blue sky. Y/N paused, tilting her head up, a small smile touching her lips. Was her father watching? She doubted it. He never had. Why now?

A sudden rustling shattered her thoughts. A voice. Y/N stiffened, silently signaling her lions to still. Beyond the foliage, two figures stood in a clearing. One, floating just above the ground, his winged sandals barely touching the earth, was Hermes. The other, a mortal, tall and broad-shouldered, was Odysseus. The very man Circe had warned her about.