Defining Destiny

From birth we are told of the aspirations our parents have for us. Like a continuous cycle of expectations, some planned to the most precise details. This is the norm for all, myself included. Though the list I had was short, the achievements were a heavy burden upon my soul.

"Moira," my Mother began, "Although you have only seen 16 years, you are meant for greatness. The-"

"Oracle foresaw it. As you have said so many times." I sighed in annoyance. That same Oracle was also responsible for our misfortune. In all her divine 'wisdom' she had advised our family would fall into hardship for a time. "The very same Oracle you praise, foretold of misfortune befalling us, and left out if we would ever recover from it." I threw my hands up in frustration. "Father left us because of her prediction when he went to see her!"

"He will come back once he sees our fortunes havechanged, Moira." Mother patted my hand in encouragement.

When will our misery end? i thought bitterly. Mother was highly optimistic for things to turn around. However, I know the truth, that with each passing day, Father is less likely to return. Ever since the first prediction from that dream, no good came of it.

In that dream, I was carried across waters that were unfamiliar to me. Where I was being lead was far from my homeland in Greece. Eventually, I was lowered onto a large embankment, where a strange root grew. I reached for the root, and as my hand touched the plant, a vision of a sickly boy near death appeared in my minds eye. Suddenly I saw the root being ground into a fine powder, then set aside for 2 days in a jar before it was added to a mixture of local herbs. The boy drank the concoction, and fell asleep moments later.

When I awoke from the dream, I told Mother and Father what I had seen. Father convinced us to wait until he had recounted the events to the Oracle. The next day, our lives were torn apart. The Senator called Magnus, laughed in our faces when we went to his estate, as he showed his son who was anything but ill. I looked at his features, noting the eyes were a pale green, whereas the sick boy in the dream had bright emerald eyes. When I mentioned this, the senator had us threatened with imprisonment for blaspheming the Gods by pretending to have visions.

Once word spread of my alleged deceit, friends and strangers alike ostracized us. I counted the days until Fathers return, until I grew tired of praying, hoping we would see him. Finding work was impossible for me after I was discredited by Senator Magnus. Mother made little with the pottery she sold, since few people were willing to purchase from 'the blasphemer's' mother. Before long, any money we had was almost gone. I had lost much faith in the Gods because they had bestowed the vision on the Oracle as well as my dream, that resulted in these disastrous turn of events. For the first time since Father left, I prayed for us to get a chance to better our lives. Surely, they could grant such a small boon after all the trouble this Divine Intervention had wrought?

I felt the increasingly familiar lull of entering the dreamscape, like I had with the previous prophetic dream. This time, I was pulled down...phasing through the earth, to a dark room, filled with a starlit sky. How did stars go underground? I pondered, only to jump halfway out of my skin when a voice echoed in the chamber

"You ask a boon of us?" the disembodied voice inquired, as a shadowed figure slowly emerged.

I managed to nod, but my legs would not support me no longer.

"What would you ask of the Gods, Mortal?"

"Moira" I corrected automatically, wincing as soon as the words left my lips.

Instead of anger, the voice chuckled, almost amusedly to himself. "Ah, Fate. How intriguing."

"I-I wish to change our lives for the better. Not only for myself, but my Mother also. She has suffered more, by relation to me, since I am deemed a 'Blasphemer of the Gods'."

"How would you suggest I do that?" He spoke calmly, his gray eyes, cool and calculating.

"Make the next prophetic dream true?" I suggested timidly.

The God laughed openly, before speaking. "Child, the dream of the boy WAS true. No one ever said it was Senator Magnus' son."

I thought back to the dream I had wished to forget, going through every detail. "I never saw his father's face..." I whispered, silently admonishing myself for never considering it could be another child.

"I, Hades, shall grant your request. In exchange, you must vow to never use these dreams selfishly. If you keep your word, a greater reward than you could ever fathom will be given. "Do you give your word, Moira?" He inquires, softly, his gaze showing the weight this answer carries.

"I vow to solely use these prophetic dreams selflessly." I say solemnly, sealing the promise with a kiss on his hand

Hades nods in acceptance. He then shows me a map of where to find the sick child from my dream. Once I have the way committed to memory, I am pulled up to the land of the living. Upon waking, I packed what little belongings I had left, before telling mother what I must do.

"What will I tell everyone if they ask where you are?" She asked through her tears.

"I doubt they w-" I paused for a moment. "Tell them that you have refused to allow me home until I show proof that I carry the God's favor once more." I answered with a halfhearted smile. "Then they will have no reason to mistreat you in my absence."

"If the God's have tasked you with this, I will not stop you, Moira." Mother kisses my forehead affectionately before giving me one last look, as though memorizing my features. I turned my back on the home I knew, to begin the journey to change my fate.

© AkechiYukira