Ayla's Supernatural Love Dungeon

Chapter 1

            Althea sat in the back of the lecture hall. She was furiously taking notes as the professor spoke. He was talking about the Greek Goddesses Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.

            “This trio make up what the Greeks call the Fates. Clotho spun the thread of every human’s life the moment they entered the womb. As you can guess the thread represents the life of the individual and essentially the soul,” the professor said.

            “The second fate was Lachesis. She was the one who measured the thread of human life. This means that she would decide how long a human’s life was and what trials awaited them.” He continued. “The last fate was Atropos. She would cut the thread thus ending the human’s life. After that, the soul would be sent to the underworld to be judged, where the soul would either end up in Elysium, the Fields of Punishment, or the Fields of Asphodel.”

The professor paused and turned to face the class. “Now students, can you tell me, which fate sister’s role was most vital?”

            Althea raised her hand. The professor nodded giving her permission to speak. “I believe all three of them are vital. No role is more important than the other. However, I would also like to voice that Clotho is slightly more important.”

            “How so?” the professor asked.

            “Well, the Fates’ jobs don’t start until a human is conceived and growing in the womb. That’s when Clotho is introduced. Without that first sign of life the other fates aren’t doing anything,” Althea said.

A fellow classmate raised their hand. “What do you think Mr. Jareth?” the professor asked.

            “With all due respect, but I think Atropos’ role was more vital. She chose how the individual would die. She could make it brutal like murder or pleasant like dying in one’s sleep. Not only that, but she chose when people died. She has more power than the others. Sure, Clotho is spinning the thread, but Atropos is basically the judge, jury, and executioner.”

After Jareth’s speech, the bell rang. “That’s the bell students. I want a paper on my desk Friday morning discussing in full detail who the fates are and what their jobs entail. This is to make sure you were paying attention in class!”

            Althea grabbed her notes and shuffled out of the lecture hall with the rest of her classmates.

“I don’t get it,” Raven said twirling her fork in the air towards Althea.

“Don’t get what?” Althea asked as she took a sip of her Coke. The light breeze was comforting compared to the crowded cafeteria of Mayfield University.

“You! Why are you majoring in Greek Mythology? Aren’t you Hawaiian? Shouldn’t you be majoring in Hawaiian mythology?”

Althea took a quick bite of her sandwich before she answered. “My ancestors originated from Greece. They migrated to Hawaii.”

“Okay? So why are you majoring in Greek Mythology?” Raven asked again.

“I know more about my Hawaiian heritage. I just want to know more about my family roots.” This answer satisfied Raven, or at least she no longer asked about it. Althea took another bite of her sandwich and ended up getting a piece of her hair as well. She placed the sandwich down and tied her wavy brown hair into a ponytail.

“Do you get your curvy figure from your Hawaiian heritage or the Greek?” Raven asked teasing.

Althea blushed. Raven knew she was sensitive about her body shape. Most of her friends were either shaped like pears, apples, or twigs. Althea was short and had an hourglass figure. Raven herself was shaped like a pear, moderate bust size, and round hips. Althea was more insecure about her thighs. They were thick and rubbed together, which made them prone to getting rashes especially when she’d go swimming at water parks and have to walk long distances while wet.

            Raven changed the topic after Althea’s long silence. “What time do you work today?”

“My shift starts at 3. Luckily, I’ll only be greeting patients and taking them to exam rooms. I’ll be getting off at midnight.” Althea worked at Mayfield Hospital which was only a few blocks away from her house.

Mayfield was a moderate-sized city that lay between Boise and Mountain Home. It wasn’t as gigantic as Boise. It also wasn’t small like Mountain Home. It had its fair share of fast-food restaurants, movie theatres, a bowling alley, and other fun things.

            Althea adjusted her work scrubs in the mirror before she headed to the lobby.

“Hey Althea, turns out we’ll need you running the phones. We have a new girl that needs more experience dealing with patients,” Nurse Vera said. Vera had red hair pulled into a bun and a fair complexion with scattered freckles. Althea could smell alcohol coming off Vera’s breath. This meant Althea was going to have a rough night at work.

“Yes, ma’am,” Althea said as she sat at the computer behind the front desk. Her best bet was to stay out of Vera’s way. Vera was generally a friendly person, but when she drank…she took her frustrations out on everyone and let all her power get to her head.

Vera hmphed before walking away. Althea began typing, getting all the patients logged in and their symptoms to help her fellow nurses and doctors. Luckily, everything went smoothly and no real emergencies occurred while Althea was on shift.

A little past midnight, Althea waited outside of the hospital. A few minutes passed before she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called a number. “Hey, Jeff. I was wondering are you still picking me up?”

“Sorry babe. I’m busy at the moment,” Jeff said on the other side of the phone. In the background, Althea could hear a girl giggling. Jeff turned to hush the girl.

“Oh. Okay. Are we still on for tomorrow morning,” Althea asked.

“Look, babe. I think we should break up. I kind of thought you’d get the hint if I didn’t pick you up at work.” Before Althea could respond Jeff continued. “Don’t call this number anymore. Kay?”

The phone went silent. Althea placed her phone back into her pants pocket and began walking home. The day was one of the worst and most stressful days for the books.