I woke up and my heart was racing. My breast felt swollen and I felt something happening between…what is this? Oh, no. I need help. I could scream, but my siblings were too far away. Who? Who can help me? Mother? Yes, Lady Hera.
I got up, opened my window and flew up to the penthouse of the OA building. I circled the windows till I was hovering just outside her window. I looked in and saw there was a small light, so I tapped on the window. I could hear stirring I knocked on the window again. “Please, Lady Hera. Please open your window. I need help,” I pleaded with the closed window .
Lady Hera came to the window and she saw me there. “Nike, what are you doing out there?”
“Please, please may I come in? Something terrible has happened.”
“Dear me!”
“Please, you need to push the button,” I reminded her, pointing to the corner of the window.
“Oh, here it is.” She reached up for the button and the window opened. I rushed in to her arms, sobbing.
“Here now, little one, what is it? What has happened?
I squeezed her tightly.
“Nike, what is it ? Has something happened to Kratos, Bia, or Zelus?”
I heard her question and thought how kind of her to think I’m upset about something that could have happened to them. I tried to compose myself. “No…it’s not that.”
“Are you hurt? Do I need to smite anyone?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s…”
“Come sit here.” She led me over to the lounge chair she had in her room. “Now, little one, tell me what has happened.”
“I just…I mean, I just…oh, it was awful!”
“All right, Nike, you need to stop this. I can’t understand you,” she said as she wiped the tears from my face. “Please tell me.”
“I…” I took a big gulp of air. “I woke up from a very strange dream, and it scared me.”
“Sweetheart, how can the Goddess of Victory be afraid?” She lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “Come now, deep breaths.” She made me take three deep breaths to help calm me. “Now tell me what has happened.”
“My Lady Hera, remember when you told us that we could tell you anything?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I woke up just now from a terrible dream.”
“A nightmare? Dear heart, has Morpheus been plaguing you?”
“No, he has been away. No, it’s something else”
“Alright, please, Nike, tell me.”
I looked at her. “My Lady Hera, I woke up from this dream…”
“Baby girl, you may call me Mom here”
“Yes, Mom, I forgot.”
“Now tell me.”
I retold Lady Hera – Mom – my dream and as I retold that which happened, she listened attentively.
“Nike, did you have sex with this man in your dream?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Have you ever seen a naked man before?”
“Mother, I live here among the Gods. Of course I have. Not like nakedness is a secret around here.”
“Ah yes, but why should seeing this mortal make you feel this way?”
“I don’t know.”
“Everyone has dreams like this, little one. I am surprised it took this long for you.”
Just then, the bathroom door opened and out walked Daddy.
“Dearest, I forgot my toothbrush.” He looked over at us on the lounge and noticed I was upset. “Here now, what is this? What’s the fuss about?” he asked as he knelt down to look in my eyes.
“Nike had a very different kind of dream, dear, and it frightened her.”
“Well, my precious little victory, it will be alright now. You see, it was only a dream.” He looked up at Hera. “What kind of dream could cause this?” he whispered.
Lady Hera mouthed the words It was about a boy.
“Oh, I see,” he said, standing and kissing my forehead. “You will be alright, my sweet. Hera will see you through this. Well, I’m off. Thanks for the toothbrush, my dear,” and just like that, Daddy was gone.
Wiping my tears, I just realized something. “Mom, did I just…”
“Never mind your father, dearest.” She pushed my hair behind my ears and placed her hand on my cheek. “Nike, I know you have never been in a romantic relationship. What you are feeling is very natural.”
“But that throbbing…it was as if my heart beat below me. Why does it do that?”
Hera, realizing that Nike was still a virgin, needed to explain this as delicately as possible, as to not scare her from her body and its nature.
“Nike, have you never had these feelings before now?” she asked, holding my hand.
“No, ma’am.” I watched Lady Hera very closely.
“Nike, the feeling in your body is desire.”
“Desire?”
“Well, your body sends those signals to say it is ready for…” watching her take a deep breath “that you are ready for someone to touch you and…”
“EW!! Gross!! I don’t want anyone to touch me, much less there.” Lady Hera giggled behind her hand. “That’s not funny!” I stand to walk away from her.
“No, no, my sweet, I am not laughing at you.” She reached up and caught my hand. “Come sit.”
I sit back down next to her.
“I only meant that desire sometimes sneaks up on you when you least expect it. And sometimes…” she lifted my chin to see my face “…it can be with someone you least expect.”
“Ugh!” I exclaimed as I dropped my head back. “I still don’t know what that means.”
“All right, now tell me what has brought these feelings on? Is there someone you are interested in?”
“No, not really…well, no, I mean…” I stammered to find the words. “I see him at work all the time. He’s a customer. He always ask me what’s good, and I tell him something different every time.” I smiled a little. “He always orders whatever I suggest.”
Mom was smiling. “You like him?”
“No, he’s just nice and he smiles nice. I’m sorry, it is wro…”
She grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her in the eye. “GODDESSES NEVER APOLOGIZE! Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, pulling my lips in tightly. I hate being scolded.
“All right then. Now, little one, tell me when did all these feelings start?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Did anything out of the ordinary happen?”
“No. I took flowers to Nox from Chloris. I saw Artemis, Nyx, Erato, and Peitho. The flowers were for a party for the Muses at Nox. Then I went to work, came home, and I had the dream.”
“Hmmm…this is very strange. I shall have to see what is happening.” Mom wrapped her arms around me and gave me a very big hug. “Now, dear, there is nothing to be afraid of. It can be scary when you have those feelings the first time, but there is nothing wrong with you, okay?” she said as she reached for my cheeks, pinching them. “There’s my favorite smile. Do you feel better?”
“Kinda.”
“Very well, back to bed with you,” she said as she stood up, extending her hand to help me rise.
“Mom?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Did I interrupt…?” I asked, looking over at the bed.
“Now, now, Nike, you run along back to your apartment.”
I headed to the window.
“Nike, the door, please.”
“But I…” Seeing her face, I turned to go out the door.
“I expect you to use the doors, young goddess”.
Yes ma’am, but Hephestus put the special windows in on everyone’s floor so I could fly in or out.
“Door, Nike.”
I opened the door, rolling my eyes. “Okay, okay.” Closing the door behind me, I realized I didn’t have my key for the elevator. I went to the secret door on the penthouse floor, went down the corridor to the window and jumped out, soaring down to my floor. Looking behind me, I saw she was watching me. I shouted up to her, “NO KEYS!”
I could hear her laughing.
Nikki Crump-Hansted is a professionally trained actress from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She’s been writing short stories and telling tall tales since she was very young. Nikki is currently one of the original Gods of the Pantheon. She not only writes for the Goddess Nike, but also does her voice, as well as the voices for many of the characters she has written in the blog. Follow her on Twitter @CrumpHansted
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