Thanatos

Chapter One

Moved to my new profile Lexi-the-book-worm!

I stumbled through the empty corridors with the torch in my hand. It had been ages, really just a myth by now that any one ever went this far into the catacombs. This place was believed to be built by the Greek gods. Although that was millennia ago just a myth.

It's all just a myth, I assured myself. I only came this far into the catacombs to see if it were true. If I could find it that is. The shelves were tightly packed with scrolls this far in the catacombs. It had started off with books, then small booklets that were like note books, now I was at scrolls. What was next stone tablets.

I held the torch up to the shelves and studied all the scrolls. Each one had a small label on it. It made me wonder how a stone found the time to do all of this. It had taken me hours to even walk this far out. How could anyone have time to label all of these. I wondered how long they went on for before I would have to start pulling them individually off the shelf.

My dog, Celeste, whimpered at my side. She likes it down here just as much as I did. She pushed herself close to my leg. Making me stumble closer to the shelves knocking a few scrolls over. I was used to her throwing her weight around. She was half wolf and half dog. Her white fur tinged pink in the light of the torch. Her grey eyes almost looked menacing with the flames dancing in them. Except I knew she was scared.

"It's okay girl, we won't be here much longer" I shushed scratching her behind her ear. I bent over to pick up the scrolls Celeste had made me so unceremoniously knock off  the shelves. I had put all of the scrolls back on the shelf and went to pick up the last one when I stopped dead in my tracks. I blinked and rubbed my eyes making sure I was seeing things right.

Sure enough it was still there. There was no denying it when the name, Ryan/Amelia Saunders , was written on the scroll. It would of have easily been passed off as a coincidence, if it didn't have both of my names on it. My parents had died when I was less than a year old. My name then had originally been Ryan. Yes I know I have a boys name.

Later on when the family I grew up with adopted me they changed my name to Amelia. No way were they going to adopt a girl named Ryan. Then when I ran away when I was thirteen I used my old name again. Plus I preferred Ryan over Amelia any day of the week. At least whoever had written it was polite enough to put my true name first.

My adoptive family and I had never gotten along all that great. Every memory I have of that place is us at each other's throats. But seven years can change a lot of things. Just about everything really.

I clutched the scroll tightly in my hand. I tucked it under my arm, using my now free hand to tuck my blonde curls behind my ear. My hair wasn't overly curly, but just big relaxed curls. It was actually more of a dirty blonde, the brown and caramel strands mixing with the honey blonde.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to find an ancient scroll. Tiresome and time consuming yes. Difficult no. I unrolled the scroll and the one big label at the top took up most of the paper. The Prophecy Of Thanatos. Maybe all of this wasn't just a myth like I thought it had been.

The girl that runs is the one you shall seek and find,
Take all of time to protect thy bind,
Once she leaves she shall never return,
In hell you'll stay with all that burns,
No on dare to touch a hair on her head,
Or else they will be punished by the god of the dead.

She is thy one to make thy final choice,
Her decision shall determine thy voice,
Run and hide she may try,
The death god will find her wherever she lies,
On the edge of eternal time,
Everything can fall at the flip of a dime.

So the crazy old lady had been telling the truth. I didn't think that anyone could be a...Oracle, or that's what she called herself. I remember just going through the forest on a hiking trail and there she was sitting in a large flat rock. She had knew my name and that she had expected to see me there soon. I had had no choice but to stay and listen. When you see a crazy woman in the woods you pretty much have to stay and listen.

She had told me of Thanatos' prophecy. And that if I was the person she though I was, I was the girl that the Prophecy was describing. She told me to search the old catacombs and that I would find what I needed.

All of this had happened months ago. Eventually my curiosity had gotten the best of me. So I came here. But never in a million years did I think I would actually find this scroll.

I wanted to assure myself that this wasn't real. That it was all just a stupid joke. Just like my life, a stupid joke. Maybe I was hoping Celeste would bite me and I would wake up. That I'd be safely tucked in bed, her sleeping by my side and we could go back to living on our own.

This scroll in my hands however let me know. It was a reminder that this was real. That someway somehow, I, was a part of something bigger. It reminded me that there was no going back. But the old woman had told me that the prophecies oracles see don't always come true. Or that they always don't play out the way they are written. Maybe there was another female Ryan out here like me. Maybe her middle name was Amelia and she was the one described in the Prophecy.

Celeste started barking and whining. She whimpered and growled running behind me. I looked up from the Prophecy to what Celeste was barking at. On the wall was a giant skull. It was the marking of Thanatos.

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So I really hope you guys like this story. I usually try to update once or twice a week. However with midterms coming up and a lot of family business I've been a little busy. Anyway I'll see all of you in the next chapter!!!!