"Daare-Saan´s Tale" by Melissa A. Braun

"Daare I’m curious, just how did you manage to live in Hades? I mean, if you weren’t a dimmension jumper when you were mortal and it’s not exactly easy to finda a way into the underworld," well I never said that Lydia wasn’t blunt, she always says what she wants.

"Well, it’s really a long story you see it all began when I was about seventeen, well I guess that’s obvious, since I wasn’t too much past that when I became a vampire. I remember the day that it all began quite clearly. Gods it was almost five thousand years ago. I was almost exactly the same as I look today, except I had a dark tan, well not too dark, I was European. I remember the light of the sun just about to rise shining on my face, the wind in my hair, it was a beautiful morning, a few clouds, none that really mattered though.

"I remember the birds singing, the leaves rustling in the trees, and I remember the horse I was riding, a beautiful stallion, I cared for him well, I didn’t trust any of my servants to care for him. Yes, I was rich, very rich, my father was king of our city state. I was the youngest, I had absolutely no chance of inheriting the kingdom, but I had inherited my father’s love for horses. I was just riding for pleasure in my father’s kingdom when I saw her, I didn’t know who she was, but I had my suspicions. She was so beautiful I knew that she must be of divine origins, her hair was a light shade of red, her skin very fair, her eyes were the blue of the morning sky. I slowed my horse, and stopped.

"My lady, what to do I owe this divine visit?" I asked, I as royalty was not amazed at the thought that a goddess would choose to show herself to me, I dismounted no mortal should hold himself higher than a goddess. She laughed in response, and it seemed that the trees themselves let their leaves rustle with that action.

" I see you riding every time that I pass this point heralding my brother’s arrival, do you truly enjoy my light so much as to ride beneath it every morning.’

" ‘Lady Eos, I am honored that you would notice me.’ I bowed deeply before her.

" ‘Who could resist your pretty hair, those darling green eyes? Besides you take pleasure in the simple things, my heralding of my brother’s arrival, you enjoy the things that pass naturally, such as myself.’ This caught me unawares, she actually admitted to having a like for a mortal, such as myself. I had heard of affairs between mortals and gods, but I had never thought myself worthy of a goddess’s attention.

"She returned to me later in the day, after Helios’s travels were nearly complete and her task at its end. She spoke to me, flirted; whatever she chose to do, I did not object. I met her every morning at her passing, and spoke to her again later in the day. We enjoyed picnics and each other’s company. Our affair may have continued forever like that, or until she decided to steal me away as she had done with Tithonos, but that was not to be.

"One day, about three months or so into our affair, I discovered that I had attracted the attention of another goddess. It was during the morning hours as Eos continued on her journey to announce her brother’s arrival. This goddess while beautiful exuded an aura that should have warned me away. Her skin was as pale as snow, but her hair was a dark black. Somehow she just seemed foreboding, yet I chose to speak to her despite this.

" ‘Lady Eris, Great Goddess, what have I done to be honored with your presence?’ I asked, this time more fearfully than before, bowing deeply before her, because she was a goddess of war.

" ‘I wish you no harm, just allow me to spend some time in your company.’ I didn’t see anything wrong with this, so I agreed to speak with her and allow her to stay. That day she left well before Eos had returned. Later that day I again saw Eos, she didn’t realize that I had spent the majority of the day with another goddess. I was somewhat guarded with her, despite my rationaling to myself that I had nothing to hide, all we’d done was talk.

"That night my father spoke to me, he had noticed that I was entertaining two goddesses throughout that day, and he was worried about me for this reason. ‘Son, you know that the gods tend to be rather fickle, especially when mettling in mortal affairs.’

" ‘I know that, I did not ask either of them to speak to me, yet they chose to-’

" ‘These goddesses that are speaking to you are opposites, the Lady of Dawn, and a dark creature who’s only purpose is to cause strife and dischord-’

" ‘I know this-’

" ‘Then you should just heed my warning and beware.’ I was hurt by hs lack of trust in me. I just nodded and then retired to my chambers. Eris visited me that night, and well then we did go beyond talking, she was gone when I woke. I was dismayed, yet I still rode out to meet the dawn, to meet Eos. She realized immediately that something was wrong, she could sense that Eris and I had been together. How she could tell I don’t know, maybe she could smell Eris on me.

" ‘You son of a rabid whoring mongoose! You betrayed me!’ She screamed at me. Then as if to prevent herself from doing damage to my home and the people there she simply left. Disappeared and she was gone, and noon came instantly. I went back inside sulking, Eris came to me and whispered into my ear that she still loved me, that she would give me immortality if I could coax the River Styx to give me a sip of her waters. Now I being mortal was deeply afraid of that, Eris promised me that there was no chance if I asked for the drink, and took but a sip and then she threatened me, were I to fail I would die. Then the next I knew I was at the dark entrance to the underworld, standing beside the River Styx, she appeared to be a river of a blood, but that could not be.

"To this great river that had no end I began my pleading, ‘ Oh Great Oath River, please answer my request. The goddess Eris has given me a mission. I am to ask but one thing of you, a sip of your waters.’ Then I heard the most beautiful sound coming from the eldest river, her voice was as the splashing of her waters upon rocks, a bubbling sound so soothing that it made you just want to fall to sleep and never wake again.

" ‘Do you, mortal, ask for my waters or do you ask for the goddess?’ I had to be honest one can never lie to a god, or a river especially not this river.

" ‘Myself, the goddess told me to ask for a drink of your waters for myself."

" ‘Very well, you may have but a small sip,’ as soon as she spoke a small stream broke off from Styx, to connect again a few feet away, I kneeled on the dead earth, bowed my head, and put my mouth to the waters, which I discovered tasted like blood, as I had thought they looked like. I stood in shock then my vision became clearer than it had ever been, my ears were assaulted with the sounds of the wailing dead in the lands of Hades. Eris came to me and clapped her hands happily. Fangs sprouted through my gums, causing me intense pain and I began to howl.

"Then I was alone with Eris in a dark hall, she declared to me that she had become bored with me and expected me to die from my drink of the Oath River. ‘I will, however, teach you how to survive as what you have become, for there are others like you. I knew not how they came into being, now I do.’ I attacked her, going for her throat. How could she be so calm, as if that were something NORMAL? She held me at bay with one arm, as if it were so simple. ‘The others such as you need to feed upon blood, the living blood of humans. I will warn you against the sun, for while there has never been a problem with the sun for others of your kind I expect that that will soon change, seeing as you angered his sister so, Helios will probably try to destroy you every time that he sets eyes upon you.’ Then she sent me to the lands of the dead, and spoke to Hades on my behalf, telling him that I should have free passage between the worlds. I was granted this, and that is how I came to live in Hades, my dear Lydia."

"Ok, now I’m hungry," well with fledglings the Hunger is never far away.