I wake again to Ayana shaking me (I really don't get what her deal is, like has she sworn to make my life miserable by being my official alarm clock).

I groan and sit up, my head is throbbing and the amount of positivity that the sun is giving off is annoying me.

"Ugh. What could you possibly need that was so important that you had to wake up my exhausted self?"

"Well it's your day off today, and me, you and Aika are going to go do something together. Aika's off making a list of activities."

I groan again. "What are you, my mom? Oooh, oooh, I have a really good idea! You could let me sleep! Isn't that just brilliant! How come you didn't think of that?"

Ayana rolled her eyes at me. "You are not getting out of this day of bestie bonding."

"I beg to differ."

She's not listening to me, instead she's skipping off to go get me breakfast and then she's going to drag me off to do something....dare I even say the a-word. Gulp, active.

I cannot tell you how much it kills to sleep in a meadow sometimes, like yeah sure it's nice a lot of the time. But when you're incredibly hungover and all you want is darkness for your throbbing head, not to mention your overly optimistic friend is trying to make you get up, you will wish you were in a bedroom with a door that locks.

Eventually though, I manage to drag myself to my feet and stagger off to find Aika and Ayana (I guess she wasn't going to get me breakfast).

I stumble into the pavilion where all the nymphs are having breakfast. Somehow I manage to make it to the bench where Aika and Ayana are, and collapse into the seat.

"Ahhh, and how is miss bleary eyes doing this morning?" Aika asked in a snarky voice.

Ayana looks at me sympathetically, "How's the headache?"

I groan, "Don't remind me."

"Well anyways," Aika said, "Here are some options for today, Apollo has a new album out, so karaoke. I have been dying to try Aphrodite's newest perfume, olive no.5, so makeovers. Also they set the archery range up again, I was worried they wouldn't be able to after the Eros incident. So we could brush up on our archery."

"That all sounds fun," Ayana said. "But I think we're going to have to let Echo take an hour long nap in the olive spring before she does anything with us."

"Yes," I say, nodding enthusiastically. "Let me sleep."

Ayana shares a look with Aika before saying, "Isn't it weird that normal Echo likes sunshine and frolicking in meadows and vibing with her inner peace, but tired Echo hates everything and everyone?"

Aika shrugged, "Maybe the happier you are normally, the angrier you are when you're tired."

"Oh snap!" Ayana said. "I think we just cracked the Da Vince code."

"Ok, are you guys done talking about me like I'm not here? Because I'm going to go get some sleep."

I make it to the olive springs. I sigh softly and slowly lower myself into the water. My eyelids droop and sleep comes swiftly.

             *****************************
I am ninety nine percent sure that Ayana has sworn a secret oath to make my life miserable, because she is waking me up again.

I climb out of the spring, my energy is renewed. "So, what's the plan for today?" I ask excitedly.

Ayana sighs, "Turns out we can't have a girls day, Zeus wants us to come to the mortal realm with him. He says he's so close to getting Europa and that if he waits another day the chance will be gone."

"Wait what?!" I say, panic rising in me, "He can't go to the mortal realm without Hera being distracted!"

"He says that Hestia has offered to distract Hera today."

"Oh," I say, breathing easier, Hestia is good at distractions. "Alright well, we'd be better head down before Zeus gets annoyed."

Ayana nodded, "We can go meet Aika, she's already down there."

                 *************************
I walked beside Ayana and Aika on the dusty road in Phoenicia. A couple of other nymphs accompanied us and Zeus (our so called fearless leader) is walking in the front.

"So the question is, how do I get Europa to fall for me?" Zeus prattled on and on about the gorgeous Europa and how he was going to win her heart.

Aika watched skeptically before leaning over and whispering, "It's your day off, why don't you get out of here, we can distract Mr. Obsessed over here," she said motioning at Zeus.

"Oh I know! I'll turn myself into a bull!" Zeus announced triumphantly as if he had just had the greatest epiphany of all time.

Ayana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, get out of here babes. This is not how you should have to spend your free day."

I hugged them both, "I love you guys. And if you can, come join me. I'm gonna go find Artemis. She said I can hang with her and the huntresses whenever."

Aika let out a snort, "Artemis doesn't like me. She says that I'm a flirt. Apparently her hunt thing is like no boys.

"Yeah, but I'm not part of her hunt, I just chill with them sometimes for lack of anything better to do."

"Alright, go now!" Ayana whispered. "Down that alleyway," she said pointing at a narrow, abandoned street.

I shuddered, "You know I'm claustrophobic."

"Well pick your poison then," Aika said, unsympathetically.

I sighed, then I turned and ran swiftly down the alleyway. To my relief it didn't go on for a long, after about 50 feet it opened up into the street and I slowed down.

I leisurely walked towards the city gate. Stopping a few times to buy olives and a pomegranate.

Eventually I make it out of the city and into the forest. The bright, dazzling colors of the flowers took my breathe away, and the coolness of the leafy, green trees calmed me immeasurably.

Everywhere I looked there was life, from the chirping birds, to the deer loping through the trees. There was a rabbit nibbling contentedly on the grass and a fox playing with its cubs.

It just struck me how different this environment was from that of Olympus.

Simply being in these forests gave me peace and a sense of tranquility. But just stepping foot on Mount Olympus set my heart beating double time and tension filling my body.

Maybe Hera would be happier if she came out here more. Maybe society is what makes people bitter and angry, and nature is the cure.

I started laughing for no particular reason other than that I was happy. I laughed and danced and ran through the forests twirling in circles.

I stopped when I came to a cliff. I looked down over the edge to see a fifty foot drop into water.

Without thinking twice I ran and threw myself off the edge, fear of falling overcome by the desire to fly. And I did, if only for a second I flew. I pirouetted through the sky before plunging into the cool water.

I kicked of off the bottom and swam to the surface. I looked in wonder at the waterfall and the spray of droplets creating a rainbow in the light.

I've lived for a hundred years already, and I will never cease to be amazed by the beauty of water.

I've often been confused, because humans get nature for only half the time us nymphs do, but more often than not they ignore it, or destroy it instead of basking in its beauty.

I swim around in the river for hours. Unfortunately however my dress got caught on a snag and ripped so I put it on the shore.

I float on my back and just relax in the water. I close my eyes and slowly fall asleep........

"Hey there, that's a pretty necklace you got."

My eyes snap open and I am instantly alert. I look up to see two men standing in the shore going through my things, they grabbed my drachmas and my necklace and were about to make off into the woods, when an arrow went whistling through the air and the older one in the thigh.

I quickly slipped back into the water. I looked up expecting my savior to be Artemis. But
to my surprise (I will admit my jaw quite dropped here) it was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

He had raven black hair and olive green eyes. His jaw was so perfectly chiseled and his face so perfectly sculpted, that for a moment I thought he was a statue, not a person.

The man swung down off of his horse and tossed me my dress.

I slipped it on and pulled myself out of the water. "Thank you," I said.

"Of course," he responded. "I couldn't very well just leave the damsel in distress now could I? Some men these days have no sense of honor."

"I know, I really am so grateful. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"No, I only did what any decent person would've done."

"Well may I at least know the name of my rescuer?"

"Narcissus," he said, "You can call me Narcissus."

"Well, Narcissus, truly I can never repay you."

"Is there anywhere I can take you, it's not safe in these woods for a woman to be alone."

"You can take me to the camp of Artemis, if it's not too much trouble? That's where I was heading when those men tried to steal my things."

"Oh I see. Are you a daughter of Artemis?"

"No, I'm a nymph, a daughter of Gaia."

"Ah, I see. That explains why you were wandering through the woods alone."

"Here," he said, offering me his hand.

I looked into his dazzling green eyes and grabbed his hand. He lifted me onto the horse and then climbed on behind me.

We cantered through the forest together and I must confess I was blushing the entire time.

Finally we trotted into the camps of Artemis and I dismounted. "Thank you for the rescue and the ride, Narcissus."

"Of course my lady. It would be a crime to leave a daughter of Gaia on her own."

I laughed softly. "Well, perhaps I will see you again?"

"Of course," he said. "I live in Phoenicia and often hunt in these woods, so please the next time you're on earth come visit me."

I blushed deeply, before softly saying, "I will."

Then I watched him turn and ride of into the forest. I now know what I will be doing my next free day.

"Echo," said a calm, composed voice.

I turned to see lady Artemis, with her pale skin and her coal black hair, her blood red lips and her amethyst purple robes. She had a bow and arrow strapped to her back and as usual being in her presence took my breathe away.

She smiled her beautiful smile and said, "My child, it's been too long since you've visited us."

"My lady," I said curtsying.

Hera and Artemis. Here we see the difference between fear and respect.

She stepped forward and wrapped me in a motherly hug. "You must stay the night with us," she said.

"I will."

"How have you been?" She asked softly. "I sense your emotions are somewhat troubled."

As I sat with Artemis in the dark under the ceiling of stars, I finally broke. I started telling her everything that had happened to me in the past month and a half, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing.

She didn't say anything, she just listened. But sometimes that's all you need, someone you know will listen to you, without judging you.

(*Hestia: goddess of home and hearth
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