Running Out

"You are a midlevel Greek deity, hoping to move up the ranks of Olympus. What are your powers, and how will you use them to impress Zeus and the others?" -- My name is Rhea, and I'm a water nymph. Technically, I guess I'm a princess, since my father was a king when he was human, but after my mother, a sea goddess, fell in love with him, drowned him, and turned him into a half-sea creature, half-god, he didn't really get to keep the crown. I know, I know, dysfunctional half-divine families, right? My mother's more than a little self-involved if you ask me. Anyway, the whole royal blood thing plus the expectations that come with being one of Olphea and Crysthon's fifty daughters means that as my twentieth year approaches, it's time for them to send me off to marry one of our cousins. They're a nicely matching fifty princes who live in the deeper under-ocean kingdom, Aleusinia. Don't ask me how my mother managed to have exactly the same number of daughters that her cousin had sons; it's some goddess ability that I do not have, thankfully. Something about keeping the power over water balanced between the two families. In fact, I have no intention of having any daughters or sons, or of getting married to one of those dull Aleusinian princes like all my sisters before me, and living deep under the ocean away from the sunlight and air. So, I have another plan.

I've been hanging out at my stream today, trying to get the family off my back. Each one of us, my sisters and I, was given stewardship and dominion over a river, when we turned fifteen. They're all small--the big rivers belong to bigger gods--but they're ours, and mine is my favorite place in the whole world. I spend a fair amount of time there; I've always taken my job seriously. I make sure the animals that drink from it are healthy, the fish in it are thriving, the water runs clean and clear, and nothing is allowed to foul or obstruct the stream.

Sometimes, I've noticed, one of the creatures that comes to drink has a magical air about it--like it's more than just the white doe it appears to be. Now, I've grown up on tales of Olympus and its gods just like every other properly raised deity, and I know as well as anyone that Artemis is fond of transforming herself into her favorite creature, the deer. So my theory is that my river runs through one of the goddess's preferred woodlands, and it might be she herself that drinks from it. And if that's true, then maybe I can gain her favor and she'll grant me the freedom to choose my own way. It works all the time for human maidens who would rather hunt and run free than marry, at least according to the stories. I just have to figure out how. First, I have to get her attention. I have an idea about that. It's not going to be easy, though. I need to leave an offering at Artemis' temple, and ask her to come visit me. The problem? It's miles away from my river. I can leave the water for a limited time, but not long enough to get there. I'm going to need some help. I could go with the method my sisters are famous for -- enchanting some local shepherd boy or wanderer. Then I could probably get them to deliver my offering for me, pray on my behalf, all that. But, I don't really like manipulating humans like that. It's not their fault they find us so magical and inspiring. Or, I could ask my sister Lisinia to help me get there... Her stream is just a few miles' walk from the temple of Artemis, which I would probably be able to make. But she's the most uptight, play-by-the-rules water nymph you've ever seen. I think she actually enjoys tattling whenever any of us do anything wrong. And I'm not sure I'm a good enough liar to convince her my trip to the temple is totally, exactly what our parents would want. So, that leaves my friend Nicon. He's a telchine. Most of the other nymphs, well, and the rest of the water deities, leave him alone--I admit, he can be pretty strange. But it's not his fault the rest of his family was involved in that whole uprising against Olympus. Something like that is bound to make you kind of standoffish. I decide visiting Nicon is definitely my best bet. He's got all kinds of magical abilities he keeps under heavy wraps to avoid his family's fate (Hint: Don't try using poison spells on Zeus...) and even better, he can travel all he likes on land, unlike me. I've always envied his status as a child of both sea and earth, able to move freely between them. It's not something many can claim, from spirits all the way up to gods. When I arrive at his island home, I knock lightly on the wooden door, set at the sea entrance to Nicon's cavern. It takes him some time to answer. I wait sympathetically--I know as he gets up there in years, the arthritis in his back flippers is acting up more and more. After a fair amount of me trying to argue him into taking me to the temple through one or another method -- believe me, we even discussed a bucket -- Nicon finally says "Enough!" and frowns at me. Before I know it, he's pushed me into a corner surrounded by some magical apparatus and told me to stand still. There's a flash of bright light, and a skin-crawling, uncomfortable feeling all over my body, but I know better than to move if Nicon said not to. The light fades, and the feeling intensifies into pain, then lessens and disappears. I gasp at him, "What was that?" Nicon waves at me and waddles back to his indoor saltwater pool, throwing over his shoulder, "Look at yourself. Human. Take yourself to the temple, child." Human??! I have a million questions. "Nicon! What did you do? It's not permanent, is it? Can I still swim? How do I--" He cuts me off again with a grouchy look. "Of course it's not permanent. One day only, so get going. I wouldn't suggest swimming all the way to the mainland. Humans aren't very good in the water." He sighs heavily. "I suppose you can take one of my horses, but bring it back." Oooh, I've always wanted to ride one of his sea horses. Yes, the same kind Poseidon uses -- there's some tale that says they were first a gift to the sea god from Nicon's parents, which I guess makes sense, but people don't really talk about that anymore. I whistle up one of the horses at the sea entrance, and grin happily as I settle onto its wave-crested back and fasten my fingers in its ribbony green mane. I whisper to it where I want to go, and am rewarded with a rush of water as it gets a running start out into the open ocean. I let out a yell of delight as we speed over the waves, salt wind in my hair (now a light brown instead of my usual blue, I'm tickled to see) and my bare feet leaving wakes in the water. It's not long before the horse eases up on its speed and delivers me a little distance off the beach that leads up to Artemis' favored town, where I'll find her temple. I roll onto my back in the shallow sea after the horse fades back into the waves, staring up to feel the midday sunshine on my face. I kick lazily toward the shore and finally, when the waves tell me it's time to stand up, I use the clumsier legs and feet of my new body to trudge against the pull of the water onto the sand. It's a good thing Nicon gave me something more human-like to wear than my usual, which might range from nothing at all to a white dress for formal occasions, but any of it would certainly raise eyebrows in a human town. I smooth down my wet tunic and skirt, and quickly wring out my hair, wrapping it into a plait to keep it out of my way. It's a hot day, and the sun feels so strange on land... Like I can soak it up from both the sky and the ground under my feet.

It's not hard to spot the temple of Artemis as I make my way up the well-trod fisherman's path to town. There's a hum of energy about it, and it stands high-columned above the surrounding buildings. I'm trying not to stare too much at the townspeople going about their business, but when I reach the market square in front of the temple, I forget about looking like a fool for a minute and just stand wide-eyed, taking in the scents and sounds.

There are women selling fruit and pastries, men selling cloth and ornaments, children weaving like ribbons through the square, elders sitting in the shady areas watching the whole thing and talking. I wonder if it's a festival day -- at home, we don't crowd together like this unless everyone is gathering for a feast. But there's no music, no banners, and everyone seems to just be going about their business. "Watch out!" came a cry right behind me, and a horse, the land kind, stomps past me on the right, less than an arm's reach away, big, warm, and smelly. I jump aside, startled, and start laughing at the close call. The man riding the horse frowns down at me, probably wondering what kind of crazy person thinks almost getting trampled is funny. Well, now I know I do look like an idiot, so I'd better get moving. There's a dumb grin on my face as I head across the square toward the temple, from the sheer newness and delight of it all, but I can't help it. I've never been human before. -- As often happens when I write, there's no proper ending to this! Mostly because the story seemed to have so many possibilities, and I'd gone down a real mythology research rabbit hole already. It may be something I'll come back to sometime.