Book of Panacea Read online

  Book of Panacea

  Published through Amazon

  First edition, print on demand

  Copyright © 2018 Tineke Peeters

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Kindle edition

  Dedicated to my family and friends that helped me accomplish this great first ever published book.

  My mom who helped me by reading it and giving advice.

  My dad who supported me throughout.

  My stepdaughter, who helped by playing the character of Lottie.

  My stepson helping with the plot a bit.

  My partner by being there for me.

  My sister playing a part of Charlie.

  My brother-in-law helped me with my website.

  And last but not least, my writing buddy throughout the whole book: Laura Cabrerizo.

  I hope everyone enjoys it!

  Prologue:

  "Where is that idiot of a twin brother now?" Artemis grumbled to herself.

  Her horses were getting restless from the scorching heat. Their eyes switching back and forth, their nostrils flaring from the scent of smoke, and their ears twitching.

  Artemis wiped a bead of sweat from her upper lip with one hand, while calming her horses with her other.

  The sun was blazing down on Earth, its heat creating havoc all around. From the smell of smoke, she realized that fires were already starting just from the extensive heat from the sun. There were animals passing her and her chariot, and her lips trembled when she realized that they were running away from a fire that could not be stopped anymore. Eyes wide with fear, some with singed fur, others with smoke coming off them.

  Still, she kept waiting for her twin Apollo to take the sun down in his chariot, even though she knew it would be too late. For two days she had been standing here with the moon behind her chariot: two days of watching the sun evaporate the water, leaving nothing for anyone. Clouds of smoke obscured her vision; she decided it was time to go. To hell with her brother. If she wasn't going to leave soon, the sun would obliterate everything around her; it was turning into a supernova. Not even Hades would be safe in the middle of the Earth. Best leave now before all Hell broke loose on top of the fires.

  "What the hell is going on Artemis?" Hot-headed Hades, god of the Underworld appeared right next to her, making her jump. Crap! She left it too late.

  "Why is the sun still heating up Earth? And why are you not doing anything about it? Where is Apollo?" he demanded all these questions be answered by her. She rolled her eyes.

  "How am I supposed to know where my brother is? He is late, I know. And I also know it is hot. He will be here any minute now." Her lip twitched with the lie.

  She knew it was too late, but Hades had not figured that one out yet. If he decided to take out his anger on her instead of her brother, she would be in deep trouble. He was a frightening sight to behold, dressed in black from head to toe. Black jeans, black shirt, black vest. He towered over her and she hoped he couldn't see her trembling from the repercussions of her brothers' mistakes.

  "He'd better be. Look at poor Cerberus, his paws are full of blisters from guarding hell!" Hades gestured to the giant beast standing next to him. Cerberus, his faithful but vicious hellhound, was the only creature to ever get one iota of compassion from His Deathliness.

  The beast was limping and whimpering, acting like a wounded puppy. Artemis knew better than to get close to Cerberus, he was dangerous. Next thing she knows, the dog collapsed onto her feet. Because of the sudden move, she had no time to step back.

  Six blood-red eyes stared at her, giving her the shivers. His teeth were on show as he was panting- it was a frightening sight. Suddenly he rolled onto his back, freeing her feet. His paws were in plain sight now, and she gasped at the horrific vision they represented. Each paw as big as her head was covered in blister upon blister. His belly seemed like one big blister with ooze coming out of it and smelled rotten.

  "Cerberus, get up! Don't embarrass yourself." Hades yanked at the chain, but the dog didn't move.

  Artemis was on the verge of tears. She was the protector of animals, but there was nothing she could do! Not for Cerberus nor for all the creatures screaming in agony in the distance. She really hated her brother right now.

  Hades looked down on her, hatred blazing in his eyes: "Tell your brother that if I ever see him again, he will wish he could die. Cerberus has done nothing to him and now he is dying!"

  Hades hesitated, but not for her sake. "Can you fix Cerberus?" His voice had softened only the slightest.

  Biting her lip, she shook her head. "There is nothing I can do, nothing for anyone. I am truly sorry about Cerberus. The only thing I can offer is to ease his pain a bit." She clenched her fists. As much as she loved animals, this was no animal, this was a monster, she still had to offer the relief.

  Hades sank down on his knees next to Cerberus and threw his head back. A deafening roar was followed by an even louder howl.

  "Apollo will pay, mark my words!"

  With a deep sigh, Cerberus' six eyes closed and he died. Hades' face was frightening and Artemis squeezed the reigns of her horses tightly. She looked over her shoulders, hoping to see her brother.

  "It is too late now, little Artemis. Your brother signed his torture warrant with this act of violence."

  "As much as I hate agreeing with him, he is right. There are already fires starting all over the planet." Zeus had just arrived.

  She was going to strangle her brother; every god had his duties! And they all answered to some degree to Zeus as he was the god of Thunder and King of the gods.

  "And look here, humans are burning as well! She was so pretty." Artemis' nose twitched from the strange smell that accompanied Zeus.

  She spun around and gasped. As soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. The smell of burning flesh made her gag. He was looking down at a ... she was not sure, probably a pretty human, as Zeus claimed. Now she was just bones with some flesh still attached at some places. Her mouth was wide open in a scream that was silenced by death. Why Zeus was carrying around the corpse of a 'pretty' human was beyond her. The cheater couldn't be that desperate, could he?

  Next, Hera arrived, Queen of gods and wife of Zeus. She had a bright smile on her face; everyone looked at her in bewilderment. Why was she smiling in the face of catastrophe?

  "Artemis, would you be so kind as to thank your brother? Zeus lets go to our island, no more humans for you! You will be all mine from now on!" She seized his arm and with a last wicked smile in Artemis' direction, she teleported away.

  "I am so sorry!" Artemis exclaimed. Hades' thunderous expression was all the answer she got. He grabbed his helmet and was putting it on his head when Zeus appeared again.

  "Brother, I just realized that you haven't got an island, and would like to offer you a place in my palace on my island."

  "I am going back to the underworld, why would I need to have an island?"

  The party was only getting bigger. Artemis slapped her forehead as Aphrodite appeared. Hoping that the woman would keep her mouth shut was a lot to ask, so what came out of her mouth next was going to be a grand disaster.

  "I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Actually, I don't hate it, but Hades dear, the sun is going red-star on us. Earth
is going to take its last breath any time now. The sun will explode and take Earth with it; even my favorite spa has evaporated. Without that, Earth sucks anyway." Aphrodite was the bringer of this wonderful news, and if Artemis didn't have her hands full with her horses, she would have put her fist in the stupid woman's face.

  It was eerily quiet for all but thirty seconds.

  "Ach, well, see ya." With a bright smile, Aphrodite left.

  "Offer still stands, Hades."

  "How magnanimous of you, brother. I guess it has nothing to do with you being alone on the island with your wife, does it?" Artemis saw that Hades had put Zeus on the spot. However, Zeus would never admit his troubled marriage.

  "You want a place to stay or not?" Zeus was tapping his foot now, his face turning red.

  Hades just sighed and nodded. Together they teleported away.

  Artemis took one last look at Earth and guided her frightened horses away from the fire to teleport to her island.

  ***********

  "Artemis, you have to help me!"

  None other than Apollo stood before her, once she arrived on her island.

  "How dare you show up here? Earth is burning and all the creatures with it."

  Artemis was furious, so furious that if steam were to come out of her ears, she wouldn't be surprised.

  "I'm not sorry for what is happening; there is a good reason for me not showing up in time." Her eyes widened at his answer.

  "There had better be!" She all but yelled.

  She saw him coming closer to her with a bundle in his arms.

  "This is my baby; the birth was difficult, so I had to be there. His mother died, but I could still save him." He spoke softly while looking tenderly down at the baby in his arms.

  "Why out of all your children, do you care about this one?" her forehead wrinkled as she stared at the baby.

  "This one is special," Apollo stated as if that cleared up everything.

  Artemis was not satisfied with this answer. She crossed her arms and asked: "How so?"

  "His offspring will be very important to the existence of all creatures." Artemis raised an eyebrow. “So,” Apollo continued, "an oracle told me."

  "Which one?" More than half of the oracles were full of nonsense.

  "Delphi."

  Now she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Delphi was the one oracle that had the highest truth rate all over Greece. She hardly ever came out of her temple, so for her to have appeared... Important. So important to kill Earth? Probably.

  "Look Artemis, I need to ask this favor of you. You need to help this child and hide its identity so that none of the other gods and goddesses knows of his existence; they would kill him to get to me."

  Artemis nodded. She knew this was true, but where was she going to hide a baby?

  "What will you do?" She asked quietly while taking the tiny bundle from his arms.

  He sighed deeply and lifted his shoulders and hands.

  "I will find someplace to hide. I will take my punishment in due time, but for now, I need to disappear. No-one can know of this baby nor the prophecy."

  "So, this baby is half human?" Artemis asked in wonder.

  "The baby will be immortal, but only when he has passed his training."

  With one last longing glance at the baby, Apollo teleported away.

  ***

  Panacea

  "Oh Pana, what have you done now?" Cyriel sighed.

  "I did nothing! I waved my hand, you know, and 'woof' the tree was on fire." I wrung my hands because the fire did not stop. It was only getting bigger.

  "What do I do Cyriel?" I cried out.

  Cyriel let out a deep sigh and gave me the dreaded answer: "Call for your mother."

  "But Cyriel! I don't wanna! She is gonna be so mad this time."

  Tears were now streaming down my face. Not because I had to call my mom, but because the smoke was burning my eyes.

  Cyriel landed on my shoulder. He was one of the animals that came injured out of the forest a few years back; now he was my best and only friend. A black and white spotted pigeon.

  Sternly, but with a twinkle in his eyes, he ordered me, "Call your mother Panacea, or I will!"

  He knew just as well as I did that I was going to be in big trouble.

  "Alright," I grumbled. "MOM!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

  "I would have yelled fire," Cyriel said, trying not to laugh, "but I guess mom works!"

  Mom teleported next to me, making me jump slightly.

  "Goodness gracious child, this is going too far!" She said, while quickly dousing the fire. After the fire was doused, she called Maria; my adopted grandmother. Maria being a Dryad has an obvious connection to trees.

  She shook her head taking in the disaster I created, and all the leaves on her head rustled along. With narrowed brown eyes looking at me, she put her hands on her trunk-hips and opened her mouth to chew me out. Mom tapped her on the shoulder and pointed towards the tree.

  "Pana, go to the study and wait there."

  My mom being goddess Physis, the goddess of Nature, she was connected to all of nature. Plants, trees, flowers, etc. She was really upset right now, as I realized that my temper was getting the best of me. Fire erupting when emotional, is a sure way to tell when someone's body is preparing for their powers to emerge. Now, I am emotional all the time, so this was starting to turn into a dangerous situation.

  The first clue was when I almost burnt down dad’s library, having fallen off the ladder to grab my favorite book. In fright, my body reacted, and instead of some power helping me out, I started a fire. Dad rushed in right on time to douse the fire. Otherwise, all his research would have gone up in smoke!

  He is Asclepius, god of Medicine, and his research is important. Well, it would be important if there were humans to cure. For the last three years, he has been trying to get my moods and sometimes depressions under control.

  Right now, it's not working very well.

  But then again, it has never really worked. One day I will be fine, and the next I will be yelling at everyone, and the next I will be in tears eating sweets until I get a stomach ache. I take the herbs and potions dad makes, just to make him happy.

  Sometimes, when he isn't experimenting with a concoction for me, he mumbles about an oracle or something. I don't really get into that, I just love reading about animals and their stories. My favorite book, the one I was trying to get to that day, is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them- it's one of the few books that survived Earth’s catastrophe. No clue how dad got it in his possession; but why ask questions, when all you want to do is read it.

  Cyriel was the next one to suffer an emotional outburst, and therefore, fire. Thankfully, it was only a minor burn and dad fixed it with an ointment from his study.

  This was strike number three. Third times the charm, Maria always says.

  Not in this case!

  "Panacea, it is time to go to the training island. Your mother and I have reached out to aunty Artemis and she agreed."

  I looked at my parents, mouth wide open.

  "B-b-but I thought I was not allowed to go there? That it was too dangerous for other gods to find me."

  My dad shook his head and mom looked away.

  "It is too dangerous for everyone, everything, and for yourself to keep your unknown powers under wraps. We both went to the training island, and it was the only way to safely develop and train them."

  I looked to my mom long enough for her eyes to meet mine. The same emerald green eyes as mine that normally sparkled with joy when looking at me were now shiny with tears.

  "Mom, you promised I wouldn't have to go." I was trembling now, as was my voice. She promised to never leave me alone, not even for training. I had never in my sixteen years been without my parents.

  "Sweetie, there is no exact science behind the arrival of powers. We haven't got the experience in training you." Dad put his right hand in his red curls only to get stuck in the knots. He
grimaces and gently pries his hands back out; I know the feeling.

  I felt my temper rising. I had to calm down, or I might set my parents on fire... That thought alone took the fight right out of me. Realizing the dangerous situation I was putting my parents and our island in, my shoulders slumped. My Parents were gods, but that only meant a long, long, long lifespan. They were not indestructible.

  "Am I going alone?" I didn't want to go, let alone not having anyone there with me that I know.

  My mom's eyes softened. "No, Maria and Cyriel are going with you."