Chapter 3

Athena close the eyelids of the woman who had raised and nurtured her. And placed her body in a carriage and rode the carriage.

And rode to the place her birth mother was murdered. The place where she was given birth to. The place where she would bury her mother. The place they had run away from.

A place that was supposed to be home.

After a slow journey of seven hours, she decided to stop for a bit by a pond so the horses could rest and water. She found a nice patch of grass for the horse and she lowered herself under an apple tree after eating some of its fruits. Knowing the well-trained battle horses were watching her, she drifted off to a strange and alluring sleep.

She was eight again in her bedroom with her mother.

"Mother?"

"Yes, my dear."

"Why does everyone hate me?"

"They don't hate you. You're different. You're special."

Then she was her twelve-year-old self midst hundreds of people watching a beautiful set afire.

Then she was an adult in a field of roses,  And then in the distance, she saw a naked man.

"Athena."

A sweet voice called out to her, but it wasn't the man. She turned around and saw a beautiful woman her height with the same shade of white-blond hair and green eyes apart from the angelic smile on the woman's face it was like staring into a mirror. Her mother.

"My dear Athena. You've grown so well."

Athena walked into her outstretched arms and let her mother stroke her hair.

"Your people are dying Athena. Your people need you. If you don't break tradition and lead them, they will continue to suffer as I suffer now. Avenge your people Athena.  Avenge me."

She saw the man again in the distance. She tried to speak but couldn't. But It seemed her mother understood her silent question.

"Don't turn him away." She said.

"You need him."

She awoke abruptly. Pushing the dream to the back of her she continued her journey with a single goal in mind. The only person who always made sure that the light in her wasn't completely gone.

Dead.

Once again her father had selfishly taken away an innocent life. And worse she couldn't even have the pleasure of taking away his life since some bastard had done it.

The forest became unnaturally silent.

She wasn't alone in the forest anymore. As soon she alighted from her horse. And no sooner than her feet touched the floor did she see three haggard men walking toward her from different directions staring lustfully at her.

"Leave in peace."

'And you shall leave in one piece' she completed in her head. The man on her left grinned, revealing thoroughly browned teeth and a gap where his canine should have been.

"We're not thieves." He saidgrining wierdly

"Yes." The one in front of her with bloodshot eyes and half a nose agreed.

The other one to her right advanced toward her. He seemed to be the one in a better condition than his friends, that is until she saw his other side no ear no arm.

"We only want to have fun with you." Missing body parts said giving her a sadistic smile.

"No." She started sounding bored.

"It's not your choice." Gingerbread teeth said getting angry at her lack of fear.

She heard vampire eyes trying to make away with her horse. As Gingerbread teeth reached out to hold her. Vampire's eyes screamed out holding with his good arm what was left of his right arm. Next to him was a huge white wolf that looked even taller than her horse with an arm in its mouth. it was obvious what had happened there.

She was temporarily forgotten as  Gingerbread teeth charged at the wolf while missing body parts laughed at vampire eyes bleeding half arm. She should probably start thinking of him as missing body parts two.

But the laughter soon died as he saw Gingerbread teeth's body fall to the floor limply.

Athena watched as the wolf bit off his only arm. She hoped for his sake the wolf would just kill him because well,  what's a rapist without his arms? She heard the last of the vampire's eyes cry as he also fell to the ground.

Her horse which had seen worse than the events of that day was still eating grass unperturbed.

The wolf had shifted and stood in its place was a naked man. The Naked man from her dream, their eyes met and he smiled. She went to the horses and began to attach the horses to the carriage, she mounted and began to go.

"A word of thanks would not be out of place I just save your life!"

He exclaimed standing in her way. She nudged her horse forward around him.

"Oh, so you were on a suicide mission then." He said getting the message she hadn't wanted his help.

She continued to move.

"I am because of you naked and stranded in a forest. You will not leave me alone here like a-"

He stopped mid-sentence as she led her horse around him, delivering her message quite effectively 'yes, I can leave you.'

"Wait!" He called out behind her. She kept on moving.

"At least tell me your name."

"Where are you going?!"

He began to run after, stopping once more in front of her.

"You know what I saved your life so you owe me. And I demand that you let me ride in your carriage."

He said and marched off to the carriage door before she could stop him, muttering under his breath.

What is she keeping in here anyway? He thought.  He yelled and immediately jumped back from the carriage as he opened it.

"You have a dead werewolf in your carriage."

"Who is she?"

She turned her head away from his direction. He looked at her with concern and whispered?

"You can't speak?"

She stayed the way she was and uttered a single word.

"No."

He applauded dramatically; "She speaks!"

And after his momentary excitement had died down. He asked again.

"Why do you have a werewolf in your carriage? A dead one to be precise. You could get in a lot of trouble if her pack discovers you know."

The remainder of the home in the statement seemed to snap something in her.

Her head snapped back to look at him. Her emerald eyes which were formerly devoid of any emotion were filled with annoyance.

"Go away."

He seemed to understand he had reached the limit when he heard her tone. Especially with the way her finger twitched towards her sword. The fool finally left her in peace. She thought of her mother in the carriage and her mother from her dreams. She sighed. Maybe she should have let the dimwit come with her.