I stood in a vast, green land, long grass swaying in the breezy wind. Splashes of red and orange filled the clear sky. It seemed that the sun was rising, but when I gazed at the horizon, there was no sun.

A tinge of dread set inside my stomach.

Was this what heaven looked like? Because if it was, it looked much less grander than I expected.

I strolled around, searching for any sign of life, but there was nothing. No one. No birds or other animals. Not a single living being.

"Hello there," a sweet voice whispered.

I yelped, jumping in fright. I looked around, but no one was there.

I was dreaming. Probably hallucinating or something, or I was becoming crazy. Or maybe both.

The same voice chuckled. "No, you are not. You are still sane, darling. Hopefully."

"W-Who are you?" I stammered. "S-Show yourself."

All of a sudden, a blinding green light came out of nowhere. It almost burned my eyes but thankfully, I closed them in time. After a moment, the light slowly faded.

"You can open your eyes now," the voice said.

I did as she told and saw the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my whole life.

She was wearing a simple white robe and a silk scarf was hanging on her bare beige arms. Precious rubies adorned her braided black hair. She looked at me with irises the color of the grass around us. Her pink lips were curled up into a warm smile a mother would give to her child. She held a golden staff with the feathers of a peacock fanned on its top.

"Hello, Amelia," she greeted. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, darling."

"Who are you?" I repeated. "H-How do you know my name?"

"Oh darling, I have been looking out for you your whole life," she said. "You were thinking about me just a while ago. Some thoughts you had back then if you know what I mean."

I stared at her in utter confusion. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to remember what she meant—

I gasped. Oh god. Is she talking about— No. That can't be it. . .

"Hera," I muttered. "She's talking about Hera."

She bowed. "The one and only."

"You're kidding, right?" I forced a laugh. "This is just a dream. You're just a myth, like any other myths I've read. You can't possibly be true."

"And yet here I am." She spread her arms wide.

I threw my hands up in defeat. "Yep, that's it. I'm definitely dead."

Hera laughed. "You are quite amusing, darling."

"It's not funny!" I shot her a glare. "I had a bad day, okay? And this is not helping my case at all."

"Well. . . I can assure you that you are not dead," she said. "This is very real."

"That's a relief," I grumbled. "But how come you're real? I'd never dream of anything as lucid as this! Plus, you're my least favorite goddess in the world. You're a selfish, petty and evil goddess from Greek mythology."

That last sentence was an understatement.

"This is not a dream either." She shook her head. "And what did you just say? Mythology? That is quite rude, darling. I am not a tale that you tell to tiny children before they go to slumber. I am just as true as any mortal you have ever met."

I scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you're not. You're just a villainous character created by the ancient Greeks a long time ago."

"Ah! Curse those primitive Greeks!" Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "They have truly overstated my character, have they not? I did not commit those horrendous acts they told and spread to other mortals such as you."

I eyed her suspiciously. "You didn't?"

"Of course not, darling!" she cried, placing a hand on her chest. "In truth, I am fair and kind. Not that malicious goddess you have read about."

"Are you sure about that?" I frowned. "I know everything about you, and I know for a fact that you have lied to people more than once. You're one cunning lady."

One of her eyes twitched. "That is not true."

My frown deepened.

"Alright, alright!" She groaned. "Fine! You saw through me, darling. You are more stubborn than I thought I could handle." She muttered that last part.

I crossed my arms. "So you admit you did all those things?"

"Yes. . . I did them." She looked away, sighing. "I was young, petty and I am not proud of what I have done. I promise I have changed my old ways, darling."

"Like how?"

"For instance, if I was still evil as you think I am, I would have turned you into ashes for insulting me earlier." Her emerald eyes gleamed. "But I didn't. Is that not a notable change?"

Hmm. . . she's right. She would have killed me in the most inhumane way possible. But, then again, she lied to me just now and I almost fell for it. What if she was lying to me again?

Her smile turned bitter. "I understand if you do not trust someone like me, but you can trust that I would not hurt you."

"What— how did you know what I was thinking?" I asked.

"Where do you think you get your abilities from?" she asked back.

"Abilities?" I echoed. "What abilities?"

She tilted her head. "Don't you know? You inherited abilities from me."

"Y-You must be mistaken," I said. "I'm just a normal person. I'm not a superhero who has superpowers or something."

"I am not sure what you are talking about, but you do have 'superpowers'," she said. "You and I are talking right now, are we not? Your abilities have been unlocked, perhaps recently."

Recently? I didn't remember anything that might have unlocked my so-called abilities.

"What abilities are we talking about here?"

"To be frank, it depends on the individual." She shrugged lightly. "I have many powers, but a mortal can only acquire a portion of it."

"Okay. . . but what kind of powers does someone usually get?" I asked.

She turned her gaze on the staff she was holding, inspecting it. "Let's see. . . From what I remember, mind reading is what my Chosens get for the most part."

"What's a Chosen?" I asked. "And mind reading? You mean, what happened between me and the mean hall monitor was real? I really read her mind?"

Oh no. That can't be possible. This could change everything. . .

"It does." Hera nodded. "As for your first question, a Chosen is someone who is selected by the Olympian gods to be blessed by their powers. You, darling, are my Chosen."

"I. . ." I exhaled. "Okay. Okay. . . This is great and all, but you know what? I should get going."

Turning my heel around, I began striding away from Hera. The more I took more steps, the wider my strides became and I was running. Just when I thought I got far, a green light suddenly burst in front of me, making me stumble to a stop. The light disappeared and Hera was standing in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?" She raised a perfectly arched brow. "I am not done talking to you yet."

I backed away. "Well, I've had enough of this! I-I don't want to hear more of your crazy talk."

Hera dragged a hand across her face, moaning. The peacock on her staff glowed dimmer. "I've had enough of your constant disbelief in my words. I shall make you pa—" She paused and quickly straightened herself as if I wasn't supposed to see what she just did. "Amelia, darling. I know this is all happening too suddenly for your tiny human head to comprehend, but you have to listen to me. This is a matter of utmost importance. Do you understand?"

Her tone suggested that she was serious, but it was laced with subtle anger to it. And I don't know, she also sounded like she was exhausted.

What should I do?

"Do you understand?" she repeated.

With not a word forming on my lips, I simply bobbed my head in reply.

I wasn't sure if saying 'yes' was a good idea.

"Do not worry, dear." She smiled a little. "Everything will fall into place soon."

Before I could even ask what she meant, Hera touched my forehead. A small white light glowed from her fingertip, blinding my vision before I felt myself being swallowed by the brightness.

Beyond the huge room I stood in were large chairs that looked like they were carved from the floor. Above me, there were clouds with some rays of light passing through and touching the ground. Rows and rows of tall marble columns towered around the room. A stark white light covered the walls and floors.

Now this looked like a bit of heaven.

Looking at the chairs, I realized they weren't mere chairs. . . but thrones.

Twelve of them, to be exact.

Each of the thrones was different from the other. Every single one of them had its own unique style, a personality of its own.

Out of curiosity, I walked toward the thrones, inspecting each of them. The first one was a simple marble throne with vines creeping on it. Stepping closer, the vines had tiny juicy grapes dangling on them. I thought of picking one but decided against it, moving on to the next throne.

Instead of marble, this one was made of black obsidian. It was darker compared to the other bright-colored thrones in the room. Vein-like patterns spread on its surface, emitting a red-yellow glow. When I placed a finger on one of its arms, I instantly jerked my hand off as I felt my finger's skin burn.

I skipped the other thrones and headed to the ones in the front. One of them was made of pure gold and had a golden eagle figure at the top. Next to the golden throne was a smaller silver one. On its top sat a silver peacock with its feathers wide open, its figure gleaming against the rays of light.

I went closer to the silver throne without hesitation. A feeling of nostalgia crept into my mind. My heart was filled with melancholy and happiness at the same time by looking around the place. I thought that it was the most beautiful throne in the room. It spoke to me, telling me to come closer.

Before I got a chance to touch it, I heard voices coming from across the room. I quickly ran to the nearest marble column and hid behind it.

"You all have to listen! This is the only way to save this world and keep its peace!" a familiar female voice said.

Murmurs of disagreement sounded in the room. I peeked from behind the column to see what was happening.

I saw Hera sitting on the silver throne with a bearded man sitting on the golden one beside her. He was a bit taller than the others and had a powerful aura surrounding him. He was someone you shouldn't mess with.

There were others with them sitting on their respective seats. Tension filled the air around them. I felt very intimidated just by standing near their presence.

"I agree with my wife," the man beside Hera said calmly. "I think that is the only way to stop the chaos for good."

His wife? So that means he must be Zeus. The others must be the rest of the Olympian gods and goddesses. . .

"That is madness!" One of them, a man in full battle armor, yelled. "It's stupid, and I will not accept that idea!"

"Will you stop shouting for once, Buckethead?" a pudgy man covered in soot grumbled. He was the one sitting on the black obsidian throne from earlier. "Unfortunately, I agree with him. There's no guarantee it's going to work. It will be total suicide."

Some of the gods nodded in agreement.

"How will we know that your idea will work, Hera?" a lady in a glittering dress asked. "If we did as you told us, there would be a possibility that it would fail and there would be no turning back. And I don't want to waste my precious self for nothing."

"I know it will work, Aphrodite, because we are the reason why all this is happening," Hera said. "If we do it, then all of the others should follow suit."

From the way Hera talked, I assumed something terrible happened.

They continued talking some more, with Hera convincing her fellow gods about doing something rather important while the others discussed the matter among themselves. I couldn't catch anything from their talk, which sounded more like an argument as they spoke.

After a while, a woman wearing gray robes and armor stood up which made the other gods fall silent. She was silent the whole time, her calculating gaze looking at the others voicing out their own opinions. Until now.

"I think Hera's plan might work," she said. "But there are many ways it won't. Still, it has the most potential to be successful if the timing is right."

For some reason, all of the other gods suddenly started to agree with her.

"Thank you, Athena." Hera smiled. "I hope that what she said will change your minds."

"No, it didn't!" the man in armor shouted.

The rest of the gods ignored him as they reluctantly nodded in response.

"Now, everyone, shall we start?" Hera asked.

The gods and goddesses glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement. They all stood up from their thrones and formed a circle in the center of the room. One by one, they held out their hands and strange glowing symbols began to float around them.

Slowly, they all started to glow brighter and brighter until the light filled everything and nothing can be seen.