Seduced by Myths: A Mythical Paranormal and Fantasy Anthology

by C. R. Jane

  I looked at it in awe. I had never seen such a structure, not even the rich kids in my town had lived in places that came close to equaling the size of it. Whoever owned this had to have a legion of servants and help to keep up the property. Or maybe this was where the entire cult was located. It certainly looked like it could hold hundreds of people comfortably. Everyone could probably have their own bedroom.

  Charon seemed more at ease when he opened my door, his posture more relaxed than before. I wondered what he had been so nervous about before. Did he think I was going to put up a fight? I think we were past that for now.

  I looked at my surroundings as I followed Charon to the massive set of double doors that marked the entrance, trying to memorize the lay of the land around me in case I needed to do something drastic like escape. The door opened before we could knock on it. Another man stood in the doorway dressed in another dated tuxedo. I wondered if there was a cult requirement that you had to be dressed up at all times. Looking down at my black leggings and my oversized sweatshirt I had slept in, I gave a little laugh. Maybe when the head of the cult saw what I looked like he would send me right back.

  The man at the door had a hook like nose and wide set brown eyes. His hair was perfectly black, and it was hard to guess how old he was. He was an interesting enough looking character, and there was a friendliness in his eyes as he looked at me that set me at ease. He bowed low to me as we approached.

  "Welcome my lady," he said to me in a delightful British accent. Standing in front of me was a real-life British butler. Things were looking up. Or maybe I had officially cracked, and this was my idea of things looking up.

  I forgot all about the butler and Charon when I stepped inside the cavernous front entryway. My mouth dropped open at the sight. The entryway was enormous, larger than my entire house. There were two sets of winding staircases that led up to the second story. Shiny obsidian colored marble covered the entire floor, and the walls were a light gray color. Apparently, the leader of this cult really enjoyed dark colors.

  The air was cool, and a bit musty despite the fact that everything looked to be pristine without a speck of dust to be found. It somehow felt empty, like no one had lived here for a long time though. Which couldn’t be true since the butler was standing right here. And surely the cult people were around here somewhere.

  After the journey I had just experienced, I was even more confused about what was going on. For a sacrifice, I sure was being treated well. I had kind of expected to be thrown into a dark cell until the crazies came to get me...but maybe that was still coming.

  The butler took my bag and began to ascend the stairs, evidently expecting me to follow him. The staircase seemed to go on forever, and I realized that I was probably going to get in really good shape if I was here for long. We began to walk down a hallway that stretched on and on. The lighting was dim and as I looked closer at the lamps on the wall, I realized that they were actually candles, not lightbulbs lighting the way. I prayed that they had electricity in some of the rooms...and plumbing. If I was going to die, I at least wanted to be able to watch some episodes of The Office before I did so.

  We finally stopped at the last door in the hallway. The butler pulled a keyring out of his pocket that was loaded with what looked like at least fifty keys and unlocked the door.

  “This suite has been specially prepared for you,” he said. But I wasn’t really listening, I was too busy admiring the room we had just stepped in. While the rest of the house had been old world glamour, this one looked like someone had studied the inside of my brain and come up with precisely what I would pick as my dream room. The bed was huge and covered with a fluffy white comforter that had an explosion of colorful pillows on top of it. The floor was a gleaming dark wood, made homier by an assortment of colorful rugs that matched the pillows perfectly. Along one wall there was a floor to ceiling bookcase that was filled to the brim with books. Gasping a little, I walked over, skimming over the titles. Along with some of my favorites, there were hundreds of books that were on Amazon wish list, along with a host of first editions that were probably worth more than the house I had grown up in.

  Dragging my gaze from the bookshelf, I spotted a window seat with a white padded cushion and an assortment of the same pillows as on the bed. There was an enormous flat screen television on the wall, and I gasped in delight when the butler pressed a button on the wall and a shelf appeared in the wall filled with hundreds of movies.

  The butler opened another door in the room, revealing a full en-suite bathroom with a tub that could fit ten people and a shower that had four shower heads. Another door led to a full living room complete with a tv screen that took up the entire wall and several comfortable looking white leather couches set up in front of it.

  It was all incredible. And now I was even more confused.

  I stood in the middle of the room, my gaze darting from one fabulous thing to another.

  “There’s one more thing,” the butler said before pulling on the full-length mirror on the wall to reveal a gigantic closet that was filled to the brim with clothes. I hesitantly walked into the closet, wondering if this was filled with the last sacrifice’s clothes. But when I looked at some of the sizes, I realized that everything would fit me perfectly.

  Whoever had designed the room knew everything about me down to my bra size.

  “I will have one of the maids bring you up some food while you relax. I’m sure that it was a trying journey,” he said as he walked to the main door to let himself out.

  “Wait, I still don’t know your name,” I cried, panicking for some reason at the thought of being alone.

  He turned and gave me a small, weird bow. “Cerberus, my lady,” he said. “And we are all quite glad that you are here.”

  With that he left the room.

  Chapter 3

  I fell asleep on the floor as soon as he left, my dreams filled with images of strange three-headed dogs and a skeletal ferryman who rowed my soul across a dark river. I didn’t wake up until there was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” I said in a groggy voice, standing up from the floor wearily. The door cracked open, and a young freckle faced kid who looked like he could only be around twelve or thirteen peeked his head in.

  “I’ve got your breakfast,” he said in a cheerful voice as if he wasn't talking to someone who had just gotten abducted and appeared in his home. I was sure he was the son of one of the cult members.

  “You can bring it in,” I said, walking over to my bed and watching him walk in the door warily. He carried a tray full of delicious smelling food. The smell reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours.

  “Do you need anything else, my lady?” he asked after he had shyly set the tray down next to me. He looked around the room happily. “Do you like your room? Master had us working night and day to prepare it for your arrival,” he said.

  Master. Was that the name that the cult leader required everyone to call him? I was not going to be calling him that.

  I looked speculatively at the boy. Out of the few people that I had met so far, he seemed the most approachable and the most likely to give me some answers. Maybe I could find out information from him.

  “What’s your name?” I asked. He glanced at me, blushing shyly. “Hermes,” he responded. It was all I could do to stifle my laugh. I guess they were keeping to the Greek theme.

  So how long have you lived here?" I asked with a smile that I hoped looked innocent. Hermes looks nervous all of a sudden. His gaze darted around the room like a caged animal. For as long as I can remember," he finally answered. I nodded although his answer was vague. “How old are you?” I asked.

  Now he looked even more nervous.

  “13,” he answered, but the way he said it made it seem like he was lying. Why would he lie about his age?

  "Does your mother live here as well?" I asked. Now he got really nervous and he started backing out of the room. I was suddenly desperate for him
not to leave. "Please don't go.”

  He was out of the door before I could say another word. “Stupid girl,” I muttered to myself with a sigh. It was obviously going to be impossible to get information out of people here if I couldn't even get it out of a young boy.

  The delicious smell wafting from the tray finally caught my attention. I walked over to where Hermes had left the food on the bed. I examined it closely wondering if it was poisoned. But then that didn't seem like a good way to sacrifice someone, by poisoning them. I decided that I was so hungry I would just take the risk.

  Hermes had said he brought breakfast, but it seemed to be more like a dinner. There was a lemon rice that had just the right amount of flavor and some chicken kebabs covered with a spicy seasoning. Everything was delicious. After I finished devouring the entire tray, I realized that despite my nap, I was still exhausted. I lay down on my bed, not bothering to look for any clothes to change into. I immediately fell into a thankfully dreamless sleep this time.

  I had that feeling when I woke up, like I'd been sleeping far longer than I was supposed to. It took me a second to realize that I still was not home, that I was in fact still in the strange castle that I been brought to by a group of crazy cult members.

  Looking around the room for a clock, I finally found one, and I gasped in surprise at the time. It had only been around nine pm when I went to sleep last night, and the clock was now saying that it was approaching five pm. I suddenly wondered if my food this morning had been drugged with some kind of sleeping pill. I felt disgusting being in my clothes for so long, so I wandered over to the luxurious bathroom that I'd been shown. I took a quick shower, wrapping a towel around me that evidently had been heating on the towel rod.

  Even the floor was warm under my feet despite the fact that it looked like it was marble. I wondered at the fact that my room had so much technology when the hallways were lit by candlelight. Maybe that was just the aesthetic that whoever was in charge here liked.

  I wandered over to the closet still amazed at the fact that all of these clothes were supposed to be mine. I didn't know what was expected of me for the rest of the day, so I picked out a long black skirt with a clingy dark purple top that looked pretty. Looking around the closet I didn’t see a single pair of pants. I would need to ask one of the staff members about that whenever I saw someone. I at least needed to get my yoga pants washed.

  I walked over to the door, wondering if it was locked. To my surprise it easily flung open, and I found myself looking down the dark hallway. I tentatively walked down the hall, listening for any sound. I wondered when my sacrifice was going to take place. It seemed kind of cruel for them to string me along in this beautiful place without telling me when I was on the docket. I’d at least like to prepare myself for it. Or prepare myself to escape from it...

  I finally got to the long set of stairs that led down to the front entryway, and I walked down the stairs slowly. I still hadn’t seen a soul. Then, as if my thoughts had brought him into existence, Cerberus appeared at the foot of the stairs. He gave me one of his small, strange bows.

  “Do you need anything, my lady?” he asked solicitously.

  “I apparently slept the day away; I must’ve been more tired than I thought.”

  He nodded as if it was normal to sleep for almost twenty-four hours straight, and I wondered again if they had given me a sleeping pill or something.

  “The cook will have dinner ready in about an hour’s time,” he said. “In the meantime, would you like a tour of the house?”

  Cerberus had been nothing but kind to me thus far, and I was curious to see the rest of the castle and its inhabitants, so I agreed. We began to walk, Cerberus giving me random facts about the place as we went along. My eyes widened with every room we came across. There was room after room filled with the sort of luxury that I had only read about in my books. There was a theatre room complete with a screen that covered the entire 12-foot wall. Another room held a library that looked straight out of Beauty and the Beast. There was an indoor pool and Cerberus explained that there was a large outdoor pool as well that stayed heated all fall and winter.

  After an hour of going through rooms it seemed we had only seen a small portion of the castle. It was that enormous.

  After we had toured for a while, I finally got the nerve to ask some questions. “Cerberus, where is everyone else?” I asked. He looked at me in confusion. “Everyone else?” he responded in a puzzled voice.

  I nodded and leaned in close to whisper to him. “Where are all the other cult members?” His eyes took on a merry twinkle at my question, and he burst into a boisterous laughter that seemed very out of character for him. He wiped his eyes trying to respond to me. “You want to know where the other cult members are?" he repeated in a voice that was still filled with laughter. I nodded, suddenly feeling very foolish.

  “This is not a cult, my lady," he said.

  "But then who lives here that still practices sacrifice?” I asked in a voice that shook with anger.

  He sobered up immediately. "I'm afraid that there’s been a mistake. There are no sacrifices happening here,” he answered as if I had offended him. Now I was even more confused and upset.

  "My mother told me that the whole reason that I was here was to be a part of a sacrifice that our family has been forced to participate in for generations," I explained, frustrated tears starting to fill my eyes. At the sight of my tears, Cerberus started to panic.

  "Now, now, my lady, don't cry. There will be no sacrifices happening here. You are our most desired guest. You'll find out everything in due time. I swear on my soul, no one here will hurt you. That’s the last thing that anyone of us want to do. In fact, we hope that you are happier here than you ever have been before,” he added in a meaningful tone. Tears continued to stream down my face.

  “Let's get over to the dining hall. Master will be appearing soon, and he can explain more,” Cerberus said, gently gesturing down the hallway to where the dining hall sat that he had shown me earlier. We walked slowly. I knew that he was trying to give me time to recover before I met this mysterious “Master.” I would have appreciated his thoughtfulness if I had any interest in meeting the person in charge.

  Right before I got to the doorway, I stopped abruptly in the entryway. “I don't think I feel very hungry,” I said, turning to face him. “I think I'll just go back up to my room.”

  Cerberus was shaking his head before I had even finished my sentence. “You must meet the Master,” he said. "I assure you that you will feel much better after doing so.”

  I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand. I didn’t need a mirror to know that I looked like a mess. Guess it would be a good first impression.

  Nodding my head reluctantly, I followed him into the dining room. The dining room had a table that could seat at least 50 people. But the table tonight was only set for two. Was I dining with the “Master” myself? The thought made me extremely nervous. Cerberus pulled out my chair so I could sit down, taking my cloth napkin from the table to lay it on my lap once I had sat down. The table setting was fancier here than I had seen even in a restaurant, and I had thought the place I went to with Dallin had been nice.

  I felt a stroke of pain at the thought of Dallin. Was he thinking of me? Was he worried about me at all? I wondered if there was a way that I could get information to him that I was all right. Maybe eventually I'd be released from here, and he would still be out there waiting for me. I shook my head at the thought. I wasn't going to fool myself that the connection Dallin had felt with me was enough to make him wait for me. I don't think the guy usually went a couple days without a date. The thought that he couldn’t wait for me weirdly made me feel better. Maybe it was the idea that I wasn't losing out on true love, because true love would wait, right?

  My thoughts were interrupted when someone cleared their throat. It was like whoever it was was announcing himself before he walked into the room so as not to startle me. I looked ov
er at the doorway, and I promptly lost my breath. All thoughts of Dallin went out the window as I gazed at who had just walked into the room.

  Standing before me was a creation that had to have been blessed by the Gods... if you believed in that sort of thing. He looked too perfect to be real. Shiny black hair was slicked back from a face that looked like it had been carved by the angels. Piercing blue eyes, as blue as a starry night sky, stared back at me, seemingly just as interested in observing me as I was interested in observing him.

  He seemed lost as he stared at me, like I was destroying preconceived notions he had had about me.

  He finally opened his mouth.

  “Persephone?” he breathed. I was immediately confused and strangely disappointed at the fact that he thought I was another woman.

  “Elena,” I answered. The light in his eyes dimmed and a look of absolute devastation crossed his face before he turned and stormed out of the room.

  “Oh dear,” came a worried voice as the cook came into the room wringing her hands. “That could have gone better,” she muttered before straightening her expression and turning my way. “Are you ready for dinner, my lady?” she asked with a face that was attempting to be hopeful.

  “Who was that?” I asked, still feeling that strange sense of disappointment at the stranger’s actions.

  “That was the Master, my lady,” she said. “He’s just having an off night. I’m sure he will be right as rain in the morning,” she stated cheerfully as she turned to go back through the doors that led to the kitchen.