"You have always been bent on destroying our world from the very core. You never cared who you hurt or whose life you had to ruin. The baneful effects never mattered, and it's sickening."

  Many consider gods and supernaturals to be creatures and people of tales, mistaking many myths and legends as life lessons meant to teach something. However, one legend is lost in the ruins of Ancient Corinth, a legend that long ago was more than real. The legend goes back to when the Greek Gods were more prominent and ruled over their cities and domains.

  Born from these gods are demi-gods who either go on to be heroes or continue the god's bloodline. The heroes are inscribed in legend, while the family-oriented ones are less known and almost forgotten. When the continuation of the gods was discovered through faded records of their lesser-known descendants, these bloodlines were given a unique name. Oi Talantoúchoi Apógonoi, which translates to "The Gifted Descendants."

  There wasn't much known about them, and it was thought that the bloodlines had died out a few hundred years ago, but that wasn't the case and still isn't. A few bloodlines managed to survive, some belonging to the big three while others belonged to the more minor or less important gods. Instead of having a special role like the gods, the Talantoúchoi Apógonoi developed special abilities at the age of eight that they could expand upon or make stronger.

  However, many feared their gifts and cast them out, while others ruled with their gifts, making the "ordinary" and weaker Talantoúchoi Apógonoi tremble before them. Those cast out or feared the stronger Talantoúchoi Apógonoi hid in a place they built within the supernatural realm called The Stitem Sanctuary. It was a safe haven for those who wanted simple everyday lives and to raise their children without threats, and it became their symbol of hope-their home away from home, where they were free to be themselves.

  However, despite their quiet home, well, mostly quiet, it seemed as if every day, a particular group of children was determined to disrupt the peace and keep Stitem on edge. Those same children were up to no good in the bioluminescent forest that surrounded the many wooden lodges built. "Ein, you're going to get us in trouble! My dad will kill me if he finds out we're here!" Charles whispers from the large glowing mushrooms as Ein tries to sneak up on a sleeping Kelpie.

  "Relax. I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm practically a Kelpie expert!" Ein says proudly, puffing out his little chest.

  "If you die, at least make sure you don't die by getting trampled. They are skittish like horses, and that's not a very cool way to die," Nicolette says, sitting on one of the larger glowing mushrooms.

  "Oh no, he's definitely dead. Mom always said he was a copy of our father," Jennette Ein's twin sister adds.

  "You guys have no faith in me, but I'll show you! I'll tame this kelpie and keep it for myself! Just you wait." Ein pushes branches aside, attempting to get closer to the sleeping creature.

  "Twenty bucks he dies?" Everyone turns to look at Leroy, baffled that he would bet on this. What? Too soon?" they all shake their heads. Leroy slumps his shoulders. "Just me then. At least I'm thinking ahead-oww!" He covers the spot on his head where Charles had hit him.

  "Nobody's dying; we're just going to get grounded for years, " he says firmly, with a hint of dread in his voice.

  Nicolette hops off the mushroom, landing on her feet, and brushes off her little blue dress. "I've got this, guys. Let me handle it." She quickly catches up to Ein, unaware that with each step she takes, the grass turns brown beneath her feet. "Ein, come on, drop the Kelpie idea, and let's go home,"

  "No way! I'm going to prove to all of you I can handle it easily." he keeps treading closer to the water's edge. The kelpie's ears flick back, picking up the little movements. Nicolette stops, finally noticing the dead grass under her feet. "What in the world? Hey guys-" Before she can get another word out, the kelpie lets out an ear-piercing screech, prompting everyone to cover their ears quickly. Everyone except Ein, who was holding onto the kelpie by the neck and mane.

  "I've got it, guys. Look, I've- uh oh," the kelpie takes off, running out of the water, causing it to splash everywhere and trample through the underbrush at a canter. A few more kelpies climb out of the water, following suit. "Guys! Help!" The others uncover their ears, some ringing from the shriek.

  "Come on! Before he reaches the village and it causes a panic!" Charles shouts, taking off after kelpie's small stampede with Nicolette and Jennette behind him.

  "Not my problem," Leroy mumbles, kicking a nearby stone. You guys look like you can handle it-ACK." Charles returns to Leroy, grabs the back of his shirt, and drags him along. "Wait! I'm useless. I'll be no help! I want my mama!" Despite his desperate pleas, Charles still drags him along with the others.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  As Nicolette runs through the bioluminescent forest ahead of the others, shoving branches and large plants out of the way, she suddenly comes to a halt. She hears quiet yet ominous laughter that makes her skin crawl with goosebumps. "Who's there? Show yourself!" she demands, looking around as if trying to pinpoint its location. Just as quickly as the laughter appears, it disappears, leaving her puzzled.

  There was this nagging feeling that whatever that laughter was could not be anything good. "What was that?" she looks at her feet, the grass still dying with every footstep. Before today, this had never happened, and it scares her. She forces herself to ignore it for now and focus on stopping the stampede. Their primary focus was getting Ein down safely and stopping the kelpies from barreling through the village.

  Ein holds onto the kelpie's mane tightly. He can feel the powerful creature's muscles beneath him and knows it won't give up easily. "The one time I choose to be brave! THE ONE TIME! Why does this always happen to me? " The village comes into view just barely up ahead. "No, no!" he tugs on its mane, trying to force it to stop or at least slow down, but that only makes it worse, the kelpies picking up speed.

  Still holding onto Leroy's shirt, Charles frantically looks around for something to use. He finds an old vine dying but sturdy enough to hopefully reel the kelpie back in. "Hang on a little longer, Ein! Leroy, help me darn it!" Leroy shakily gets to his feet, grabs onto the vine with Charles, and tugs as hard as they can. "Break already!" Charles's voice is strained as he pulls with all his might. Finally, the vine snaps, sending them both falling after losing their footing. "I've got it!" he shouts, getting up and running after Ein and the kelpies again, ignoring that his khakis are entirely ruined by the mud. Leroy decides to play dead and never leave the mud.

  "Charles, hurry! They aren't stopping! I tried pulling its mane like you would a rein, but it just got faster!" Ein was losing his grip quickly, and with the rocky path coming up, that would be a very nasty fall.

  Charles moves through the bioluminescent forest, trying to get a good angle and clear view of the kelpies. "Nicolette! Jennette! I need them to move closer to me!" Understanding what Charles is hinting at, Jennette forces herself to run faster, getting closer to the kelpies while Nicolette looks around for something to throw in front of them.

  "I am so sorry for this," Jennette whispers and begins to shove them, trying to force them to change and move further inward, but they aren't budging, following the kelpie in front closely. "It's not working! I can't reach the head kelpie! They won't move unless it moves!" Nicolette picks up a large stone and, without thinking, chucks it in front of the small stampede, startling the head kelpie and making it suddenly rear up. Ein, caught off guard, loses his grip, falling off its back.

  The others let out worried gasps, but just before Ein hits the floor, a nearby tree extends its branch and catches him, causing him to only get a few scrapes. They all hurry over, and Jennette frantically checks her brother's injuries. "Are you insane!?" she turns to Nicolette, shouting angrily. "You could've seriously hurt my brother!"

  "I-I wasn't thinking; I just-" Nicolette stammers.

  "You just what? Decided to say "hell with it," not caring if my brother got hurt because of you!?" Jennette gets angrier, getting in Nicolette's face, making her shrink back and raise her hands defensively.

  "That's not it! I didn't want him to get hurt, but your plan wasn't working, so I did the only thing I could think of!" she tries to defend herself.

  "Yeah, well, clearly, you didn't think it through! Stay away from my brother, you crazy freak-"

  "Jennette!" Ein suddenly shouts, making both her and Nicolette freeze.

  "Don't call her that. She was just trying to help, and I'm fine. All I got were a few scrapes. It's not the end of the world." Jennette glared at Nicolette and huffed before returning to her brother's side. She places her hands on his injured arm and starts to chant under her breath, slowly healing the scrapes without leaving behind any scars.

  "There. You should be fine now, but don't ever do something that stupid again, or I'll tell mom." Ein nods, agreeing that he went too far.

  "Okay, okay, I've learned my lesson. Just don't tell mom, please," he pleads with Jennette until she gives in. Nicolette watches them for a moment longer before parting from the group and walking back to the town. Despite knowing Jennette was only protecting her brother, those words still stung.

  "I've never been called a freak before," she says out loud to herself more than anyone else. Hot tears well in her eyes, stinging them as she wipes them away.

  "Oh, but you are a little freak," a voice whispers between the buildings. She spins around frantically, unable to pinpoint where it came from.

  "It's you again. You're the same one who laughed earlier, aren't you? Who are you? Show yourself!" She puts on a brave face, not letting her growing fear show.

  "And why would I do that for you? We hardly even know each other. I mean, that's actually a lie. I've known you since the day you were born. You just didn't know I was there. Now that you can hear me, it must mean your gift is awakening, and soon, the world's fate will be forever changed by us." None of what the voice says makes sense to her. As she's about to leave, black fog forms around her feet. "Going somewhere, little freak?" the voice taunts questioningly.

  "I'm going home, and I'm not a freak! Stop calling me that!" she shouts, her eyes darting around her.

  "But why should I stop? Your "friend" back there called you a freak, so that obviously means you are one. Why else would she say it so openly?"

  "She didn't mean it. She was just scared and angry," she says, quieter this time, not fully believing her own words.

  "She insulted you, and yet you're trying to defend her. You are really just the most gullible little softy, aren't you? We'll have to work on that for sure. Toughen you up because I can't work with a girl who blatantly lies to herself." The black fog around her feet disappears. "Tell you what. When you learn just how much of a freak you are becoming, let me know, and we can work on improving you. You're not a little girl anymore, Nicolette. Time to grow up and face reality."

  "Wait!" she calls out, but the voice doesn't respond, having vanished again. "What did she mean by that?" she stands there puzzled.