CONCEPT: Llyssa is a Slayer in ancient Greece. She hears a rumor about a strange island named Paeda and goes there, against the wishes of her Watcher. There she meets a strange man, who isn't what he appears to be.

SETTING: Ancient Greece

MY NOTES: I've always loved Greek Mythology, so I decided to put my own spin on things.(even if its not historically accurate)

24th, June. Llyssa is willful and insolent. She speaks to me only in Greek, knowing that I speak English, and Greek haltingly. She refuses to listen to what I tell her and rushes off into the battle. This habit is certainly what got Michel, her last Watcher, killed. I am hard pressed to keep my temper, but I shall persevere over all obstacles.

The Slayer has heard a rumor among the bacchi, or vampires, of the islands. I gleaned this from the girl thus far. A small island in the Aegean, called Paeda, is said to be inhabited by a strange creature. No one has seen it, nor have they any idea what it is. The bacchi call it the Adonis. I pray to Apollo that Llyssa doesn’t take it in her head to go seek out the source of this mystery. But, alas, The Slayer will probably do this to spite me….

Llyssa yanked her arm away from Arturo’s grip. He scowled at her and crossed his arms over his chest. Llyssa stared him down, the wind whipping through her short brown hair.

“I said no.” Arturo said, his Greek clipped and halting. He shook his head and switched back to English. “No, Llyssa.”

“I don’t care what you say Arturo, I’m going to Paeda. There’s something on that island, I’m going to find out what it is.” Llyssa replied smugly in Greek. Arturo gave her an exasperated look, pleading with her to speak English. Llyssa perversely refused.

“Llyssa, you can’t go alone. The Watcher’s Guide tells me strictly that you shouldn’t…” Arturo said, his voice droning on and on as Llyssa turned around and walked toward the shore.

Arturo’s jaw clenched and he rushed after her, shaking his great arms in anger. Llyssa felt him moving up behind her and she swung out her leg, clipping him in the knee. Arturo went down into the sand, grimacing with pain.

“Let me do this, Arturo.” Llyssa said, a dangerous clip to her voice. Her brown eyes burned as she looked down at her Watcher, her fists clenched and at the ready. Arturo eyed her fists and gulped nervously.

“Its dangerous. The Watcher’s…” He started to say but she cut him off.

“Who cares what the Watcher’s Council says? Michel followed the Council’s every command, and he’s dead now!” Llyssa screamed, her mouth set. “Now let me do my job.” She said, turning around to the boat on the shore. She unwrapped the rope from the moor and pushed it into the sea.

The salty warm water lapped at the sides of the boat, sucking it out to sea and away from the shore. Llyssa hurried after it and jumped in, landing cat-like in the bottom of the boat.

Arturo watched her go, anger making him shake. To his further annoyance, Llyssa waved at him, mocking him with a sweet smile.

Soon she was a spot on the horizon, and Arturo was left alone with an aching leg and furious scowl.

Llyssa sighed and grabbed an oar, rowing towards Paeda. Soon, the little island came into view and she rowed harder, eager to get there and find out what was on the island. If the stories the bacchi told her where correct, she would find out what it was the minute she stepped on the island. Hopefully.

As she got closer, she examined the little island and noticed that there was a temple on it. Through the trees, she could see a glistening white marble pillar atop a hill. Confused, she realized that she didn’t know of any temples around here. The closest was supposed to be the Shrine of Apollo near her village. Perhaps this was an old one, long abandoned and unused.

Llyssa thought about this, her muscles rowing automatically, her eyes focused on the shore of Paeda. Suddenly, the boat rocked under her and she grabbed the side in order not to be pitched into the sea. Her head snapped up and she gazed up at the sky.

While she was rowing, a storm had blown up, unbeknownst to her. The sky was black and roiling. She saw a flash of lightning in the distance, followed by a slow roll of thunder. Another wave pitched the small boat, forcing Llyssa to row harder. She looked down at the water and noticed it was turning a dark, muddy blue.

Using her Slayer strength, she rowed harder than ever towards Paeda and was on the shore in minutes. She leapt out, landing on the hard, rocky shore. A wave followed her in and slapped against the rocks, spraying her with seawater. She sputtered and grabbed the edge of the boat, pulling it farther ashore. She spotted a heavy log and looped the moor line around it. She prayed that the log was heavy enough to keep the boat there, but she didn’t have time to worry about that now.

She glanced up at the sky worriedly and licked her lips. The sky promised to let go its fury any minute and she had to find shelter soon.

Llyssa walked away from her boat and picked her way across the smooth rocks of the shore. A tree line promised brief shelter from the coming elements, but she knew that it was too dangerous to stay beneath them for fear of lightning.

She walked in the small forest of Paeda, her mind temporarily forgetting about the legend the bacchi had told her. Shelter was more important and she was in desperate need of it right now. She suddenly remembered the temple she had spotted from the boat and took off in direction of the hill.

After several minutes of walking through the forest, the sky suddenly burst and a driving, stinging rain drenched her to the skin. She shivered and walked on, shaking her short wet hair from her face. Suddenly, there was a break in the trees and she spotted the gleaming white pillars of the temple.

She started running and it didn’t take her long before she was at the temple gates at the bottom of the hill. She swung the heavy wooden doors open and dashed up the steps, the wind whipping at her, threatening to knock her down. She fell twice, bruising her hands and bloodying her knees. Finally, after struggling for what seemed like an hour, she reached the top of the steps and the door of the temple.

Lightning flashed behind her, dazzling her eyes. She didn’t notice the warning etched in the wood on the door, nor did she take the time to read the words.

The doors creaked open, revealing an empty, echoing room. Llyssa inhaled sharply, trying not to break the silence of the room. She turned and slammed the doors behind her. The crash echoed throughout the room, making her jump. Llyssa stepped out into the room and looked around. She noticed that there was no altar or offerings, no paintings, no friezes, no reliefs to indicate whose temple this was.

She didn’t even recognize the design; it was nothing like the Shrine of Apollo she was familiar with. What kind of God or Goddess was honored here?

Llyssa turned in a circle and was startled by a marble statue in the darkened corner. It was the only piece of decoration in the whole place, and she wondered why. Her footsteps echoed as she walked toward it, the hem of her long dress drip dripping on the marble floor.

She stared at the statue and felt a shiver move up her spine; there was something wrong here. She studied the face of the statue and was entranced. Soulful white marble eyes gazed at her, sending a jolt through her mind. She looked down at the statue’s hard body and was surprised to see an object clutched in its hands. She stepped closer and reached out at hand to touch the cold surface.

She squinted her eyes in the darkness and gripped the strange object in the statue’s hands. Her eyes widened when she saw it was a human skull. The dirty yellow bones contrasted with the white marble of the statue and there could be no mistaking it. Llyssa tugged on the skull, but the hands of the statue held it tight and she wondered how it was fixed around the fingers in the first place.

She frowned and took a step back, tilting her head in confusion. Something was definitely wrong here, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. Suddenly, a crash of thunder sounded through the temple, making her jump. Lightning ripped through the island, blazing at her, flashing through the windows. She stumbled backwards and slipped in the water from her dress. Llyssa felt herself falling backwards.

Suddenly, a hand caught her and twisted around her wrist. Llyssa found herself being hauled upward, to her intense surprise and fear. She looked up into a pair of pure white eyes and screamed.

The statue smiled, its marble lips now supple flesh, the hand around her wrist turning from cold unyielding stone to warm, inviting flesh. Llyssa found herself pulled against a naked, warm chest, her eyes wide and frightened.

“Oh my God…” She whispered to the statue.

“You may call me Adonis.” He said smugly, flashing white teeth at her. Adonis let her go and she fell back onto the floor, her knees weak.

“W-what are you?” Llyssa asked him, crawling backward on her elbows, the balls of her feet slipping in the water.

“How amusing. I tell you, and still you do not know.” Adonis said, his lips turning in an amused smile. “I am a God. THE God.”

Llyssa stood up and faced him, her fear fleeing her. “The God? There is more than one God; everyone knows that. Apollo would be very displeased with you.” Llyssa said boldly, her stubborn chin rising in defiance.

“You dare doubt me?” Adonis said, raising an eyebrow in question. “Whom do you think called you here? Who sent the bacchi to you, with legends of Paeda? Who sent the storm to drive to my temple?” He said, moving closer and closer to her, his perfect face inches from hers. “Who wanted you from the first time he looked down at you from the heavens? I, Llyssa. I, Adonis.”

“How did you know my name?” Llyssa asked him, gulping, her eyes focusing on his.

“I know everything about you, Slayer. I know that as we speak, your Watcher is coming after you, braving the storm. He’s a fool.” Adonis said, his hand pressing against her cheek.

“What kind of God are you?” Llyssa asked, amazed. Her eyes welled with tears that she couldn’t explain.

“The first God, the only God. You pray to me when call Apollo’s name. I am everything; I am everywhere.” Adonis told her in a hushed voice. Llyssa flinched as another boom of thunder echoed through the temple.

“I don’t understand. Why do you want me? Why send for me?” She asked, fear lancing her heart.

“A God gets lonely, Llyssa. I need a strong woman by my side. There is no stronger woman than a Slayer.”

“What are you saying?” Llyssa asked, confused.

“I am saying, do you want to be a Goddess?” Adonis asked her, his voice hushed, his lips against her ear. She shivered at his words and closed her eyes.

A million thoughts ran through her skull and she thought about Adonis’s offer for a split second. She thought, and then she remembered the skull clutched in his hands.

“Why do you have that skull?” She asked him. His eyes flashed for a moment and then he smiled.

“The last mate I had was not as willing as I had hoped. This serves as a warning. Defy me and you will feel my wrath. Even you, Llyssa, are no match for a God.” Adonis said, his voice smooth, warning her not to say no.

Llyssa’s teeth clenched and shot him an evil glare. She hated ultimatums and this one was the worst yet. “So, you’re going to kill me if I say no to you?” She said, “Then kill me.”

He blinked, his white eyes registering shock and anger at the same time. “What do you mean? Are you saying no? I am offering you immortality! You could be a Slayer forever, killing all the demons in the world. You could rule the universe with me. Do it, or I’ll kill your Watcher, just like I killed your last one.”

“I don’t want to live forever, nor do I want to try. Now get your hands off of me.” Llyssa said, her voice barely a whisper, anger rising in her chest.

He laughed at her anger and grabbed her shoulders, hauling her towards his chest once more. She gritted her teeth and kicked him in the crotch. He let her go and she kicked at his chest. Her blow made him stumble, but he recovered and kicked at her. She went down, the breath knocked from her lungs.

She flipped to her feet and swung a fist at him. Her knuckle split on Adonis’s teeth and she screamed in fury. The sight of her own blood on his smooth white skin made her even angrier. She started punching him and kicking him. Each blow knocking him backward, toward the door of the temple.

One final roundhouse knocked him into the heavy wooden doors and he slumped against it, blood oozing from his lips and his nose. Llyssa went to hit him once more, but she stopped in mid-swing.

His blood was dark blue and shining. She stared at it and her eyes narrowed. One bloody hand grabbed his throat, forcing his face up. He stared at her and she noticed his good looks were fading.

“You’re not a God. What are you?” She asked, her hand squeezing on his throat.

“A Mortak Demon, a shape shifter.” He moaned. Llyssa watched as he changed before her eyes, from a handsome, perfect God to a yellow demon with blue scales. His eyes remained pure white though and it made her shiver.

“Why did you call me here?” Llyssa demanded, slamming his changed head into the doors.

“I was hired by the bacchi to kill the Slayer.” The Mortak demon said, spittle flying from his scaly yellow lips.

“They did? Well, we’ll just have to see about that.” Llyssa said, and with that, she snapped the demon’s neck.

The sound of bone crunching and snapping echoed through the temple and she flinched. Another crash of thunder sounded and she jumped, letting the demon slump against the wall.

She looked around at the empty temple and decided the get out of there. She kicked the demon away from the doors and stepped out into the rain. She walked down the steps, letting the cold water wash away the blood on her skin. She prayed to Apollo that it would wash away the sins on her soul.

She made her way down to the rocky shore of Paeda without realizing it and blinked in surprise. Arturo looked up from his boat, his gray hair rain lashed and sodden. He looked ashen and terrified. Llyssa ran to him and helped him pull his boat to shore.

“What are doing here?” Llyssa asked him, surprised.

“I came to help you! I realized you were right. If there’s something on this island, we need to kill it.” Arturo said, his peppered beard tangled in the wind.

“No, you were right. I should never have come here.” Llyssa said in English, enjoying the surprised look on Arturo’s face. “There was nothing here but an empty promise. Come on, I’ll tell you about it once we get home.”

“Don’t you think we should find shelter instead?” Arturo said, raising his bushy eyebrows at her.

“No. I don’t want to stay on this island.” Llyssa said as she pushed Arturo and the boat back into the water. She grabbed the oars and started rowing against the waves, her mind laden with guilt.

Arturo said nothing, but he knew that things would be different between the Slayer and him. He didn’t know what had happened on that island, but whatever it was, he liked it.

Llyssa heaved a sigh of relief once Paeda was out of sight. She smiled at her Watcher and rowed back home, heavy hearted and changed. She belatedly wondered how the demon had known Arturo was coming, but she shrugged it off. Probably just a lucky guess; she hoped.

The ‘mortak demon” sat up, an evil grin on his lips. He shook off his wounds, the shiny blue blood surging back into his body. He took deep breath and his body changed into his normal visage. He raised his hands and the doors swung open, revealing all of Paeda below the temple.

Adonis’s sharp eyes caught the sight of the Slayer and her Watcher disappearing on the horizon, their boat tossed in the waves of the Aegean.

“Soon, Llyssa, soon. You will be mine.” He said, his hands moving the clouds, sunshine spilling out onto the temple. He smiled and hoped the Slayer could see it.

In the boat in the sea, Llyssa trembled and prayed to Apollo. Adonis smiled and heard her prayer.

THE END.