FANTASY | CONTEMPORARY FANTASY | FICTION SERIES | WEB NOVEL
Titan’s Daughter | Chapter 8
The Veil Between Realms
The morning cold soaked through Gaea’s hoodie as she and Persephone made their way through the forest, like a blanket, a morning mist laid heavy on the ground. The sun, probably having its own adventures, was nowhere to be seen, making the late morning feel like dawn.
Gaea brushed her hand against her unruly hair, trying to tame the wild strands the occasional wind seemed so fond of playing with. Everything around her looked the same as always, yet the old trees and winding paths of the woodland she once took comfort in felt different. Her sanctuary seemed tainted; what unnatural creatures lurk within her beloved forest now? She couldn’t help but wonder if Brogdu, with his nasty, infected eye, was watching her through the fog.
Last night, as if they were casually discussing the weather, Mr. Porter and her dad dropped bombshells. Gods, monsters, some fate-manipulating energy that wants to bond with her. For a fleeting moment, Gaea wondered: Could she have unintentionally cursed Persephone? If that’s the case, she didn’t know how she did what she did. It’s not like she can snap her fingers and command it. In any case, she wasn’t going to let it control her destiny. Still, throughout the revelation, she realized that she forgot to ask the most important question of all: what the heck were her powers anyway?
She knows that she can run really fast, but it seemed, for a demigod, breaking the hundred meter dash world record isn’t much of an ability.
Lost in a wonder of her thoughts, Gaea almost didn’t hear Persephone’s voice.
“Hey!” which eventually sliced through like an arrow.
“Forest Girl, hold up a sec!”
Gaea slowed her pace, letting Persephone catch up.
Persephone glanced around in distaste. “Seriously, Gigi, why the obsession with dirt?”
She made a face, swatting away an overly enthusiastic bug. For a moment, sunlight found its way through a crack in the clouds, illuminating her perfectly manicured nails. She promptly pulled out a perfume-sized bottle and began dousing herself in what Gaea assumed was a designer bug spray.
Gaea smiled and replied, “You know, there was a time when you used to like dirt too.”
Persephone’s eyes widened in horror as a bug, struggling against a sudden gust of wind, landed on her arm.
“Oh, gross!” she squealed. “I’ve outgrown Mother Nature.”
Gaea gently nudged the butterfly from Persephone’s arm; it was merely looking for a place to rest. She watched its wings flutter with colors as it flew around them for a brief moment.
“You know, it’s that pink sweater of yours. Makes you look like a big ole, blossoming flower,” said Gaea.
Persephone, yanked her hoodie over her head, zipping it right up to her chin.
Shooting Gaea a glare, she said, “Well, tell them this big ole flower as a no bug policy!”
When they were younger, the call of nature was something neither Persephone nor Gaea could resist. They would spend hours in the forest, always without shoes, leaving footprints on soft earth and scampering up tree trunks.
Gaea’s father worried that his wife’s shielding hadn’t been effective, but Mr. Porter reassured him that the shield was strong, Gaea’s affinity for nature was inherited from her grandmother, and as she gets older, she will learn to better control her urges.
Gaea spun, arms wide. She let her head fall back, letting the sharp morning air flood her lungs. It was the kind of morning air that felt like a gulp of cold water on a steamy day.
“I remember how we’d race each other through these trees until our lungs screamed,” she said.
Persephone laughed, rolling her eyes. “ Yeah, half-naked, and I’d always end up tripping over some root or another,” showing off a faded bruise on her hand. Her playful scowl intensified as she dodged Gaea’s outstretched arm. “Watch it!”
“Don’t you miss those days, Pru?” Gaea sighed.
“If by miss, you mean galloping around and acting like some unhinged forest nymph, then you’ve got bigger problems than squirrels,” Persephone replied.
A twig snapped beneath Persephone’s boot as she pushed past Gaea. A lone deer, looking up from where it had been drinking at a pond, took a few steps in their direction. Persephone raised her hand as if to ward it off. “Don’t even think about it, Bambi.”
Although Persephone had outgrown it, Gaea still felt a deep connection to the natural world. Just a few years ago, her father replaced an entire wall of her room with a window facing the forest. It improved her sleep, as she felt like she was slumbering among the trees, but it also kept her from venturing out into the woods at night.
“But it was so liberating,” Gaea mused.
Persephone, with an elegance Gaea always admired, hopped over a toppled pine tree that had once been a landmark on their childhood path.
“I swear, girl, if you start taking your clothes off, I’m going straight back home,” Persephone threatened.
“Seriously, why did I let you talk me into this?”
Gaea offered an uneasy smile. “Because you love me,” she said, more as a question than a statement.
Persephone nudged Gaea’s arm playfully. “Or maybe because I hadn’t talked to you in nearly a year, and you guilted me into it. Or was it peer pressure? Anyway, you suck, girl,” she teased.
Gaea took a water bottle from the side of her bulging backpack and took a sip, as if attempting to wash away the rising worry. She offered it to Persephone, who waved it away.
“You’ve packed like you’re planning a two-week stay in this bug-infested place,” said Persephone.
Mr. Porter had assured Gaea that she didn’t need to worry about provisions as there would be plenty available at the Profylaki. But she couldn’t help herself — she had packed a few extra cans of sardines, some Twinkies, and a banana that she suspected wouldn’t survive the journey. Even now, the overripe aroma wafted from her backpack.
It had been difficult for Gaea to hear about Persephone’s ordeal from Mr. Porter. It was even more challenging to fathom that she might have to endure similar trials — traveling through an unforgiving land or fighting for the gods’ amusement, like dogs in a pit.
The clouds dissipated, and the late-morning sun had burned off the morning fog by the time they arrived at a small creek meandering through the forest, its banks lined with slender white trees that stood like sentinels.
Gaea’s heart quickened as memories of her terrifying encounter with the crazed squirrel came flooding back. They had been three five-year-olds playing in the shallow stream, chasing frogs and catching tadpoles. Gaea had been wading backward, just inches away from the opposite bank, when the squirrel leaped onto her back, squeaking frantically.
“Hey!” Persephone yelled, pulling Gaea from her distressing memory. “Isn’t this where you had your steamy love affair with that squirrel?” She puckered her lips at Gaea, half-closing her eyes.
“I prefer to remember the good memories, like catching tadpoles with my best friends,” Gaea replied.
Persephone gagged. “Oh gods, don’t remind me, girl. I accidentally swallowed one — it was all wiggly going down.” Gaea had to choke down her laughter.
“Besides, you can’t fully embrace the present if the past holds you back,” Gaea said.
Persephone patted Gaea on the back. “Look at you, working through your issues. Good girl. Now let’s go home.”
“Come on, let’s cross here,” said Gaea as she yanked on Persephone’s sleeve.
“Why?” Persephone gestured toward a weathered wooden bridge a short distance away, spanning the creek, “when there’s a perfectly good bridge right over there.” An elderly couple leaned against its rails, seemingly on the verge of collapse. They waved at the girls, and Persephone returned a stubborn smile.
Pulling Persephone by the sleeve, Gaea led her down the creek’s gentle slope, slipping through the moist grass lining the bank.
“Just pretend we’re five again,” said Gaea as she stepped backward into the water.
Gaea mentally recited Mr. Porter’s instructions: “To breach the veil between realms, you must walk backward across a babbling spring. It doesn’t matter which direction the other person is facing, as long as you’re in contact, both of you will cross over.”
Gaea realized that the squirrel that attacked her when she was five had likely sensed her impending journey across the realms and had tried to prevent her from crossing over.
Persephone cringed as the cold spring water seeped into her shoes. “Wet socks, wet socks, I hate wet socks!” she grumbled.
Suddenly, their world turned inside out as they passed through the veil, journeying between realms.
Join Gaea in her quest through the realm of myth, a world steeped in magic and mystery. Watch as she navigates the perilous landscape, learns to harness her titan power, and fights both demigods and monsters.
In her journey, Gaea will learn that power is not what defines her, but how she chooses to use it — for good or evil, for protection or destruction.
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