Creation Dreamer: A Heroine Fantasy Adventure (Calpso Goddess Series: Book One 1) Read online

  Calypso Goddess Series Copyright © 2019 Gin Eborn

  Copyright Notice: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. This book is fully protected through the U.S. Copyright Office.

  *This book contains adult themes and offensive language.

  ISBN: 978-1-7330825-0-1 (Digital)

  ISBN: 978-1-7330825-1-8 (Print)

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  For more information: www.gineborn.com

  Flourishing nods and bows, as I acknowledge:

  Book cover design by germancreative

  Editing by Qat Wanders, Wandering Words Media, https://www.qatwanders.com/

  Design Consultant, Lauren Metzger http://www.lauren-metzger.com/

  Special Note: Reference is made to one of the best songs of all time in our own alternate Earth world. I cannot imagine a world without this masterpiece in it:

  “Feeling Good” by Anthony Newley, Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse © 1964 Concord Music Limited

  For Betty, who put her hand in mine when I was born and never let go. Thank the gods…

  Contents

  Prologue

  Part One

  1. The Dragon Flies Home

  2. Regys Scum

  3. Ay ya ya Calypsos

  4. The Eris Mass Conception

  5. It is Far from Aldon

  6. The Birthright

  Part Two

  7. Just Bite Me

  8. What’s a Sister to Do

  9. TaTas

  Part Three

  10. Now You See Them, Maybe

  11. It’s a Bloody Business

  12. A River Runs Through Me

  13. Flip It, Flip It Good

  14. The Search for the Holy Orb

  15. Ossia

  16. From Here to In-Between

  17. A Claiming I Will Go

  18. Illusions Shatter

  19. Tricky

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Homer got it wrong, obviously.

  There was not one goddess sired by Atlas named Calypso who lived on the island of Ogygia. There was a pack—a gaggle—a monstrous number of Calypsos, all created from Atlas’ magical sperm and various unnamed female companions. They all lived together on Ogygia, which, as it happens, was right next door to Atlantis.

  The Calypsos enjoyed a life of unrivaled luxury. Birthed with many goddess graces—immortal, sickeningly sweet beauty, and keepers of song magics—the very generous Atlas bestowed one additional little power on each of his cherished daughters.

  “My beautiful girl,” Atlas would say, beaming his god light down at the infant. “You may grant one lover the gift of immortality so you never have to be alone.” It was the one thing a Calypso could not tolerate. Being alone.

  The Calypsos’ lives were filled with song—alluring tunes that kept hearts happy and hands busy as the Caly sisters sat at their golden looms weaving all manner of decadent blankets and scarves. And once a lunar month, as luck would have it, a beautiful vixen in the form of a raven would come and carry the magical weavings away.

  “Sugar,” the raven would say, “these magical weavings belong with people who truly need them.”

  Indeed, the Calys' lives were a joyful expression of succulent food and wine, song and dance, playful pleasures under the sun, and light bathing rituals under the moon, whom they called Neesa. And, of course, water magics. All was as anyone could wish—except for men.

  It seemed the Calypsos had one teeny-tiny little problem. Their songs, their hums, their lilt-y orgasms, dropped men to their knees in a life of devotion that none could break, which the Calys found quite humorous, actually. Tally boards were all the rage. Prizes were awarded for the Calypso who could command the most men with the fewest notes.

  Well, Zeus was not amused and pummeled a thunderbolt on Atlas’ shenanigans and...the Calypsos’ fate was sealed. Eternity on Ogygia without men. Forever bound to their piece of paradise.

  “No loss!” the Calypsos cried out to Zeus. “We’re better off without them.” Well, everyone cried out, except for Shirley.

  As fate would have it, Shirley stomped off to the other side of the island, swearing never to come back. Her sisters laughed at her, knowing she’d return eventually. Days passed, but let’s face it, immortality makes that quite inconsequential. So, no one really knew how long Shirley had been gone. Until that fateful day when Hermes arrived looking for a man named Odysseus.

  All the Calys knew at once. “Shirley!” they exclaimed.

  Seems it had been seven years.

  The Council began just after Odysseus was freed and sailed off on some raft-ish contraption, that Poseidon perceived as nothing more than a new toy in his bathtub. The Calypso Mistress oversaw the proceeding.

  “Shirley, how did this happen?” the Mistress asked, miserable and red-faced in front of her father.

  “Simple. You remember that absolutely horrid day when Zeus said we could not have men here anymore? When he literally bound us to this little piece of land? Well, in my despair, I went to the other side of the island to mourn. I cried out in song and then more song and even more song.”

  “Yes, we get it.” The Mistress cocked her eyes to the side as Zeus and Atlas shifted on their thrones. She knew, as did all the Calys, that they were screwed. “And Odysseus?”

  “It just happened.” Shirley fidgeted.

  “How does trapping a man for seven years just happen?” Zeus slammed his god-voice at her.

  “Well, I was singing.” She rolled her eyes up and around. “And then I heard the boat on the water. There was some kind of big storm.”

  “See,” Atlas nudged Zeus, “Poseidon is all over this.”

  “Shirley, please continue.” The Mistress held an urgent tone.

  “I wanted him. His boat crashed here. He was so beautiful. I sang to him, and that did nothing, so I offered him the gift from Daddy.”

  There was complete silence.

  “What gift?” Zeus’ voice shook the island.

  Atlas jumped in. “Shirley, zip it!”

  “Immortality to one lover so we don’t have to be alone.” Shirley was lost in daydreams of Odysseus coming back to her as they spent a life naked and making babies under the moonlight.

  “Guilty!” Zeus was pissed. “All of you.” He shoved the Mistress back into the crowd. “Shirley, I will show you no goodness and no mercy. Because of you, all Calypsos will live out their lives in another Earth reality, far away from all you know.” There were gasps and cries. Atlas begged Zeus to stop, but the lightning god continued. “Mortal lives as the Earth’s personal caretakers. You will live in service to her in the reality of my choosing. Your nourishment and pleasures will come only through connection w
ith her energy. To digest food is to know death.” The Calypsos fell to their knees. “Atlas, say your goodbyes.”

  Zeus vanished. Tears flowed. Atlas rose up big and strong so all of his Calypso girls could see him.

  “Don’t worry, girls. I send you off with one more gift. No matter the Earth world you are sent to, you will always have the gifts of the elements. I bestow this magic on each of you. And I’ll throw in the pleasure of drink.” He winked.

  The sky parted and the winds gusted. A lightning bolt blew out of the darkness and down onto Ogygia with a bold flash and a fiery crack.

  And that was when shit got real…

  Part One

  1

  The Dragon Flies Home

  That night, that last night, the snapshot was abrupt, dropping me to my knees. I saw the outline of a woman etched in hues of green standing beside a coyote. Her breath ensnared mine, filling my lungs as swiftly I filled hers. For a moment, I was the coyote seeing me through her eyes and feeling the deep blood-craving of the kill. But it simply was not possible. Humans killed off all the animals over ten years prior, and my snapshots were always about the future.

  Fisher, that sexy man of mine, straddled me before I fell forward in a total face-plant, and pulled me, sorta sideways, but still up and onto my red fuck-me heels.

  “I’ve got you, baby.” His arms locked into place around me.

  There was no escaping the putrid eau d’perfume smoked into his jacket courtesy of the Southern Lava Pits. I took a breath trying to get back into my body.

  “Son of a bitch,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. No one thinks you should be able to walk in those things anyway,” he laughed pointing at my feet.

  My gods, how life had changed. Years in government-issued boots ruined my teenage self torture training. Heels 101. Wasted. Fisher had been gone for a month and all I wanted that night was a chance to wow him with my feminine wiles. He didn’t know the snapshots were happening in greater frequency and intensity. Each one like an ice pick in my temples.

  “This one hit you hard,” he said. “What happened?”

  “There was this woman and—actually, can we talk about this later?” I rubbed my head.

  “Hey, look at me. You okay?” His forehead wrinkled.

  I nodded, averting his eyes. He had this really uncanny way of knowing when I was lying even though he was not born Calypso. For a man, he was really quite gifted.

  Fisher squeezed my hand against his chest as we walked into Dragon Flies. I loved the way he tucked my body in tight, making sure everyone knew I was with him. Safe. The noise level inside the cave, however, destroyed any hope for romantic ambiance, and then I saw the Coals. They were everywhere.

  “You pompous pretenders,” I growled under my breath. One turned and looked at me for a second as Fisher slapped his hand over my mouth.

  “Maggie, stop it. You can’t call attention to yourself. Or me for that matter.”

  “I know, but people think those assholes are actually alive, and I know better. Besides, you haven’t been here. You have no idea what’s been going on.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  I wanted to tell him how much I missed him. That when he was gone, I was afraid. Afraid I’d never see him again. That I stayed up all night because I couldn’t stand being alone in our bed. How every day under the ocean, I made portals just to see his face—even if only for a second. I wanted to tell him I was tired of being strong. But I just couldn’t.

  “The Coals, Fisher,” I whispered. “It used to be I’d see maybe one or two of them here and there. Now they’re everywhere.”

  “Oh, come on.”

  “You have to believe me. All those people over there? Coals.”

  “You know I believe you.” He kissed me. “I just don’t know what we do about it.”

  “We have to—” I started. He kissed me again.

  “And how do I look, by the way?” His grin seemed forced.

  “You look great, actually. Bright.” I was lying.

  “So still have my chandy?”

  “Yes, afuckingmen. I prayed for the Seven Goddesses to protect you. So the Lava Pits didn’t suck the life right out of you.”

  “Well, the Pits took some life from me,” Fisher said looking down.

  Chandy was a word I’d made up. The light within shining out. A soul light. I saw it with everyone. And I saw when it was missing. Fisher’s chandy? Drained. Gray. I honestly didn’t know what to say to him. I wanted to say the perfect thing. The thing that would make the memory of the South vanish altogether.

  “Yes, well,” I jabbed, “you listen to me. The Coals are taking over.”

  And that was not it.

  “Okay. So what’s the point?” His body stiffened.

  “The point? The point is—what if the Regys are testing a new virus?” I scanned the cave to make sure no one heard me. “What if the Coals are a product of the Regys?”

  Fisher pushed me off him. “Okay. Enough. Stop, please. Just for tonight? For my first night back, I want to have a little fun and forget all about the gods-damn Regys. No more government conspiracy talk, okay?”

  His eyes grabbed me. Blue the way the Atlantian sky used to look. I touched his bald head and kissed his lips. So soft, they melted me.

  “Mustache tickles.” I smiled up at him. “I’m sorry about the Lava Pits, and they sent you there because of me.”

  “Not because of you.” He buried his hips into mine.

  “Yes, because of me. I know you were trying to protect me.”

  “I will always protect you, Maggs. If they had taken you and found out you didn’t have a tracker—” He paused.

  “Slash and burn.”

  “Not funny.”

  “Sorry. You’re right. But do you have any idea how much I love you right now?”

  I grabbed his ass and pulled him in even closer. His laughter fell into my mouth. I loved that. And finally, I had gotten something right. His body so warm against mine. I just wanted to be with him in silences. Sometimes it actually felt like we met in the spaces in-between reality. Inside the realms of a special unknown magic all our own.

  “Get a tent, you two! Get a damn tent.” George interrupted us as we hedged toward the makeshift bar. “Good to see you back. It’s been a while.” He shook Fisher’s hand. A towel draped over his shoulder.

  “Yeah. Lava Pits sucked.”

  George shook his head. “Hated that for you. And this gal was, well, you know our Maggie. She wouldn’t rest until you got back.”

  My face warmed.

  “Hi baby,” George winked at me. “What? No kiss for your Pops tonight?” We both laughed.

  “I always have a kiss for you, my love.” I grabbed his face and planted a smooch on his cheek. “Rosie here?”

  “She’s here. She’ll be out soon.”

  I started to go find some drinks.

  “Oh no you don’t, not tonight. Tonight’s special—no working for you.”

  I squeezed Fisher’s hand tight. “Yes, it’s a night to celebrate.” My whole body ached. “You’re here. Finally home.”

  “Finally.”

  The sadness in his eyes hurt me. I wanted him to tell me more about the Pits, but I wasn’t going to push him.

  “Hey, George,” Fisher started, “what do you know about the extra constraints in the Basin? Extra checks now for anyone coming in and out. Patting us down pretty aggressively. I wasn't sure I was even going to get out tonight.”

  “Fucking Regys. Yea, I’ve been hearing. And I don’t know, Fish.” George looked down for a moment and then gazed straight at me. “We’ve been lucky, I guess. They haven’t paid much attention to our little clan out here, or our gal. But that’s changing.” He leaned in toward both of us. “Hearing the rumblings of folks missing again. Gone in the night.”

  “Dammit.” Fisher was more animated than I expected.

  “I told you!” I loved
being right. “Regys are up to no good again.”

  “Well, we need to be double careful about protecting our gal.” George spoke directly to Fisher.

  “You’re both forgetting something,” I interrupted. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

  “Magpie Turnley, you are full of shit.” George wagged his finger at me. “Wasn’t for me and Rosie you would’ve vanished years ago.”

  “Besides, I thought you liked me taking care of you.” Fisher’s hand wiped across my lower back.

  “Being with me is different than taking care of me.”

  He nuzzled into my ear. “But I thought I took care of some things pretty well.” His teeth pulled my ear lobe.

  I imagined him picking me up in that second and laying me on a table. I didn’t care who watched.

  Fisher grabbed a handful of Regys-issued peanuts. “Well, down South, anyone leaving the work zones alone vanished. Even people with travel passes.” He popped the things in his mouth.

  “Do you have to eat those?” I wanted to knock them out of his hand.

  “Some of us actually have to eat real food, y’know?”

  “I know, but we don’t have a clue what’s in those things.”

  “Just a little, okay? For all I know, they track how much I eat.” He tapped the fading scar on the side of his neck. “I still have a stash of real food back at the Basin. Thanks to you two.”

  “But that’s what landed you in the Pits. Those fucking ass—”

  “Oh, those bastards are always looking for something.” George was jovial. “You know what I say?” He managed a not-so-beautiful pirouette. “All I need is my tutu and a really bad beer.” He laughed and took a swig out of his glass.