“Yes, that is right, child. Zeus was the god of the sky, Poseidon of the sea, and Hades of the underworld.”
She repositioned in her chair, sending tiny bubbles into the water, then continued, “The triumph of the Olympians marked the end of the Golden Age and the start of the Silver Age. This era was appropriately named because many felt that this new generation of gods were less noble than the Titans, hence being silver instead of gold.”
As YaYa’s story progressed, I became surprised. One would imagine Hades to be the evil one, as the ruler of Hell and all, but he wasn’t. Neither was Poseidon. It was Zeus who the people in the Silver Age feared. It was no wonder that “Zeus’ wrath” is a phrase still used in present day.
“During this time,” YaYa said, “Zeus was quick to punish anyone who questioned him or his motives. Those who did were slain and cast down beneath the earth into the seas and underworld. By doing so, these humans turned into malevolent, or evil, spirits. In terms of the sea, they became malevolent sprites.”
“Adrian has told me a little about the evil sprites already.” I said.
Looking over at her grandson, she nodded. “Before Zeus’ actions, remember that everyone lived in harmony, but with the introduction of evil arose conflict. Sprites warred off against one another and even humans.”
“Against humans? But why?”
“Because they could, Annabelle,” YaYa answered definitively.
Thinking back, I’ve heard tales of mermaids luring men into the sea to drown them and mermen sinking small boats, but I never believed any of them to be true. Why would I before now?
YaYa then transitioned to the next age, the Bronze Age. This was the age in which Triton came into power. He was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
On the archway at the entrance of Tritonis, both Poseidon and Amphitrite had legs, but Triton donned a fishtail. To answer my confusion, YaYa stated that Poseidon had a wandering eye and fathered many children. Oddly enough, his children came in various forms regardless of who their mother was. Along with a merman, his offspring started many species, such as sea monsters and other creatures.
The Loch Ness Monster perhaps? I thought.
I also recalled from the archway how a conch shell accompanied Triton. As the messenger of the sea, he used it to patrol all of the water on earth. When he blew into it, the currents and waves of the sea obeyed him. So if a malevolent sprite had his eye on an unsuspecting human, he called upon the waves to surround the sprite and pull him back into the deep sea, saving the human. Or if a ship was lost at sea Triton summoned a current, leading the crew in the correct direction. Of course, it wasn’t possible to monitor every sprite at once, but Triton managed a high level of order beneath the sea.
Now the start of the Iron Age marked the onset of the downfall of both mankind and the sprites. The malevolent sprites grew tired of the Olympians and Triton’s control and joined together to revolt. There’ve been various accounts of this time period, but the end result was always the same. It was known as the Fall of the Gods.
In the end, this meant the gods were no more. Their powers remained, but the gods were no longer immortal. They’d age and perish like the rest of mankind. However, from this time on, it was said that man became more destructive with each passing century.
“So how does this involve me?” I wanted to know.
YaYa pressed her lips together. “Be patient, child. First, let me continue.” It was a cursory request. Her voice once again filled the room. “In the midst of the fall, there was great chaos. And Triton’s conch shell was misplaced, or rather, it was stolen.”
“By who?”
“Well, dear, this brings us to another story. One that also involved Poseidon.”
I now knew he fathered many children, one of which was Triton. Another of his sons was given the name Abas. His mother, Arethusa, was a water fairy.
“A Fae of Elfin Lake?” I asked, taking a fifty-fifty shot at the correct type of water fairy.
“Yes, that is correct.”
YaYa also noted that since Poseidon wasn’t what you’d call a model father, Abas’ devotions focused solely on his mother. In fact, he was the definition of a mama’s boy.
One day, Arethusa bathed in a clear stream and caught the attention of the river god, Alpheus. Her flowing dark hair, soft features, and big blue eyes caused him to immediately fall in love with her. But Alpheus admiration toward Arethusa frightened her, and she tried to flee.
Alpheus’ search was tireless. Arethusa prayed to her goddess to be hid in a cloud. Still, Alpheus discovered her again. As a result, she sweated profusely from her fears.
The problem was, she couldn’t end her perspirations and was transformed into a stream. In response, the goddess broke the ground to provide Arethusa an escape in her new form. Her stream traveled under the earth in an attempt to find a safe passageway to the sea, but Alpheus flowed through the sea to find her, mingling with her water.
“I know this story sounds obtuse,” YaYa added, noticing my raised eyebrow. “A lot of folklore does. It is important that you understand what comes next: regardless of how Arethusa and her son came to be separated, this divide devastated Abas. Although his mother was fae and his father was god of the sea, he took a stance to shun water of all kind.”
“So what does this mean? That he just lived on land?”
“Yes, Abas went on to become a great ruler of the Thracians on the Island of Euboea. From that point on Abas feared water, avoiding it at all cost. He insisted that his people construct bridges to and from the main land so he would no longer have to cross by boat.”
“So did Abas steal the conch shell?” I hesitated. “That seems to be where this story is headed.”
“No, my dear, he did not. It is believed that his son did, Achillios.”
“Is that the proper name for Achilles or something?” I asked, thinking back to how Adrian’s real name was Adrianus.
“No, no, no. Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War. Achillios was someone entirely different. In fact, this is where you come into the story.”
“Me?!” I gasped.
How could I be involved in something that happened so long ago? That was B.C. not A.D. for Pete’s sake.
CHAPTER TEN
Then, YaYa launched into yet another story, but this one was different. It was a prophecy.
“We already spoke of the period of chaos, when the gods became mortal,” she began. “An ancient prophecy also said a descendant of Abas’ bloodline would steal Triton’s shell. He would be known as the ‘First Alpha.’”
My mind faltered as this title. This was too much information at once. But the intensity in YaYa’s eyes spoke volumes. I listened intently as she finished her thought. “His disposal of the conch led to a ‘new beginning’ for the sprites—one where there would no longer be a dominion over one another.”
“All right, I understand the idea of getting rid of the thing that can control you, but I’m not grasping what ‘First Alpha’ means or what it has to do with me.”
“You see, Annabelle, the people who followed Abas were sometimes known as the Aba. Much like many names there is a deeper meaning behind it.”
Now this I understood. In fact, I was named after my great grandmother, Anna.
In the case of the Aba, it was more than a family tree. Along with being named after Abas, each letter broke down into something greater:
A.
B.
A.
The letter “A” obviously stood for the first letter of the alphabet. For the Greek, it was known as Alpha. In English, Alpha was used as a synonym for the word “beginning.”
YaYa’s eyes lingered on the fire until she spoke again. “The prophecy proclaimed that the first ‘A’ represented a ‘new beginning’ of sorts. Many sprites saw the loss of Triton’s conch shell as a fulfillment of this portion of the prophet’s words. Although Triton was not evil, the malevolent sprites still did not desire to be controlled after the reign of the Olympians.�
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“So, I’m guessing the first ‘A’ represents the ‘First Alpha’?”
“Very good, Annabelle,” YaYa said. “Achillios held much hatred toward Poseidon and Triton. If you recall the genealogy, Triton was Achillios’ great uncle. Our history proclaimed that Achillios felt his father, Abas, was not given the same type of power and respect as his stepbrother, Triton. Be it true or not, Achillios believed that Poseidon favored Triton over Abas, and saw Abas as one of his many offspring. Triton was given the title of his heir.”
“So, not only did Achillios want freedom from control, but he also had a vendetta against the bloodline that Poseidon chose to call his own?”
Nodding in agreement, YaYa moved on to the next letter, the letter “B.” In Greek it meant Beta or “second.”
Then there was the final “A” that also represented a “new beginning.”
In the end, what I learned was that A.B.A. stood for a “new beginning” followed by a second “new beginning.”
“So you see, Annabelle, this is where the ‘First Alpha’ title originates from. It was given to Achillios who was an Aba.”
“Okay, so Achillios was the first letter ‘A’ which was the first ‘new beginning,’ but based on what you’ve told me so far there should be a second ‘new beginning,’ right?”
YaYa leaned back in her chair more comfortably, smoothing her dress over her lap. “I am relieved you are following all of this. And, you are correct. It is said that many, many years later a ‘Second Alpha’ will be born of the Aba bloodline that will foster another ‘new beginning.’”
“Do you have any idea how many years later the ‘Second Alpha’ is supposed to come?”
“During an age of destruction and turmoil; a time when mankind will question the existence of sprites. Although this could apply to the past thousands of years, recent events have made the sprites think that the ‘Second Alpha’ has already been born.”
“Really? Like what?”
“In the past few years, natural disasters have led to numerous accounts of devastation. It is not hard to remember the terrifying results of Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Japan, or the tsunami in Thailand.”
“You guys know about these things?”
She gave a single nod. “We do more than just ‘know about them.’ Even though events like these can not ever be one-hundred percent avoided, Triton helped calm the seas, pull storms from the shore, or reduce the effects of earthquakes.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Along with natural disasters, Triton more importantly kept a leash on evil sprites. More and more, they act out without any regard for exposing our kind. Their actions have become reckless, more so than usual. It is our duty to stop them from any further destruction to humans.”
For the first time, Adrian cut in. “There’ve been stories of encantado and selkie posing as dolphins and seals in sea aquariums, and luring their trainers to their deaths. What isn’t released to the public is that sometimes the skin of the seal is found tucked away in some private corner of the aquarium. You can imagine the confusion of the staff when they find the skin.”
“Another example is connected to the sprite, Lorelei,” YaYa said, directing my focus back to her.
It was a story I found interesting. Lorelei was once a beautiful young woman who thought she had it all. She lived with her husband in a small town along the Rhine River in what is now known as Germany.
One day, she learned that her husband wasn’t faithful. In a fit of rage and sorrow, she threw herself into the river. Upon her death, she transformed into a Siren, a kind of mermaid.
Although, Lorelei’s story didn’t stop there: she carried such an immense amount of hatred not only towards her unfaithful lover, but also towards men in general. As a Siren, she’d sit upon a rock and lure sailors with her tantalizing voice. Only when they crashed into the rocks and drowned did she stop singing.
Lorelei had since passed on, but her actions and hypnotic voice have carried from generation to generation in others’ songs and poems.
YaYa said that a poem from the nineteenth century is one such example, describing Lorelei in the following way:
Combing her hair with a golden
Comb in her rocky bower
She sings the tune of an olden
Song that has magical power.
The boatman has heard; it has bound him
In throes of a strange, wild love;
Blind to the reefs that surround him,
He sees but the vision above.
And lo, hungry waters are springing
Boat and boatman are gone.
Then silence. And this, with her singing,
The Lorelei has done.
“The thing is…” Adrian said. “Others are now following in her footsteps. A little more than a year ago, a large barge was capsized right next to a rock that was named after Lorelei. The rock marks the narrowest part of the Rhine River. The end result was disastrous. Two men were lost in the waters and one of Europe’s busiest waterways was shut down during the chaos.”
“The evil sprites did this?”
He nodded. “Some humans think it was some sort of freak accident, others believe the coincidence to the folklore is too close. And Germany isn’t the only place where questions about the existence of sprites has arisen.”
“Yeah? Where else?”
“Just a few years ago in Israel, a million dollar award was offered to anyone who caught a mermaid. Dozens of people claimed they saw them launching themselves out of the water through aerial tricks and what have you. Fortunately, the prize wasn’t ever awarded and no merfolk were ever caught.”
“The point of this long story that rolls into another…” YaYa explained, “…is that the ‘Second Alpha’ is prophesized to provide another ‘new beginning’ by restoring order to the Tritons. This can only be done by returning the conch shell to us.”
“So where’s the shell?” I questioned.
Adrian answered, “Well the prophecy says that Achillios hid the shell in the deep waters of Elfin Lake.”
“That is right,” YaYa noted. “As I am sure you have gathered, there is a story behind this as well.
“The Fae of Elfin at one time welcomed humans. There was a trapdoor along the shores of their lake where sprites and humans alike were free to enter. The door led to a hidden island in the middle of the lake. From the island, access was granted to the town beneath.
“This next part is significant: humans were only welcomed as long as they did not take any flowers or fruit when they left the island. It was a magical place never running short on beauty. If anyone were to ever take something from the island, a curse was set free. Achillios knew this, and after hiding the conch within the lake, he slipped a flower beneath his clothing and fled. Once back on the shores, he died. The trapdoor also locked.”
“He sacrificed himself?”
“He did. For what he believed was right.”
“And you’re telling me for all these years you guys have a pretty good idea of where the shell is, but you can’t get to it?”
With a slow, graceful nod YaYa went on. “It is truly devastating to our kind. However, the prophecy provides hope. The trapdoor can be opened one time each year.”
“When?”
“Because the prophecy is centered on ‘new beginnings,’ it is only fitting that the single day would fall on New Year’s Day, the beginning of each New Year.”
“Well that’s only a few days away, isn’t it?” I pondered, trying to gauge what day it was. I was kidnapped only yesterday, and Christmas was right around the corner, so tomorrow must be Christmas Eve.
“It is, but there is still more to the prophecy. An offering is the only way the trapdoor can be opened. This offering comes in the form of the flower the ‘First Alpha’ Achillios originally stole.”
Before I could ask the obvious question of what type of flower this was, YaYa said that the kind was unknown. All that the prophecy s
uggested was that the origin of the flower could be discovered on a coin from the Aba bloodline, safely tucked away in a sunken chest.
For century after century, the Guardians searched for the location of the coins. Every ocean, every sea, every lake, every stream, every body of water was scoured.
Furthermore, the prophecy said that the hand of the “Second Alpha” could only open the chest.
Every time a chest was found, a sense of excitement built amongst the sprites. Unfortunately, it was a fleeting excitement. All the chests that were found could be opened, which meant that it wasn’t the one the prophecy spoke of.
Finally, after countless years, the chest was found.
The problem the Guardians soon realized was the chest’s inability to be removed from its resting spot. Many had tried over the years and just as many had failed.
So for decades afterwards, the Guardians protected the chest from the Trackers. It was unknown if and when the Trackers would attempt to destroy it, preventing the benevolent sprites from ever finding the conch shell.
Although, as time progressed, the Trackers became increasingly malevolent and there was no telling when the “Second Alpha” would be born. In the end, the Guardians needed to use their numbers elsewhere to protect humans and other sprites, so the chest was left unprotected.
“What? And has it been destroyed?”
“No, Annabelle, it still remains.”
Then with a cock of my head, I questioned, “So if the all signs point to the fact the ‘Second Alpha’ has been born, do you know where he is?”
“It’s not a ‘he,’” YaYa corrected. “The ‘Second Alpha’ is a female. And you are her.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Me?!” I shrieked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way I’m any type of Second Anything.”
“Annabelle,” YaYa said calmly. “Are you or are you not breathing water right now?”
“Yes, I am, but that doesn’t mean anything,” I insisted. “Adrian told me that I’m half-human, half-sprite.”
Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) Page 5
