CUPID | (ONC 2024)

CHAPTER I

"Leave a note on your bed. Let your mother know you're safe, and by the time she wakes, we'll have driven through the state. We'll have driven through the night. Baby, come on."

- Sleep On The Floor, Lumineers.

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"A man! A man is here on our island. Get up, Kore, we have to go see him!"

Kore groans in protest as her excited friend tugs her away from the chair she was previously sitting on. Her eyebrows pinch together, and she shoots her friend a massive eye roll. A man? A man here on the island? She doesn't believe it. There hasn't been a man here since Odysseus. Kore would have battled for longer, fighting to stay in her peaceful sitting spot, but random yelling was heard outside. Her friend's eyebrows shoot up as she hears it too. She gestures to the commotion coming from the ocean bank before giving Kore one last tug.

Kore doesn't even have time to grab her sandals. A firm hand holds onto her wrist while being dragged out of the cave. "I think you have gone mad, Elena," Kore shouts over her friend's shoulder. "There can't be a man here." Kore's temper rises as she is led down a rocky path. She regrets not putting more effort into her protest as little pebbles dig into her bare feet.

Elena is running as fast as she can to get to the beach shore. She knows what she saw. There was a ship on the island and inside of it was a man. A real man. At first, she didn't believe it herself, but when she rushed back to tell Calypso about it, she freaked out. If Calypso reacted like that, then Elena must be right. There must be a man on the island.

"Slow down– ouch!" Kore's grumpy voice sounds over Elena's excited squeals. They are almost to the beach. Elena picks up the pace once the ship comes into view. She can see the other woman swarming something on the sand. It looks like the news has spread quickly throughout the island.

The rough terrain slowly fades into soft, white sand. Elena finally lets go of Kore's wrist. Kore watches her friend rush ahead to join the crowd. Instead of doing the same, she stops to watch the scene from afar while massaging her wrist. Could Elena be right? She's never seen everyone look so shocked and excited before. Quietly, she creeps closer to the circle of women. They all stand shoulder to shoulder, looking down and laughing at something in the middle.

The crowd doesn't part when Kore approaches. She has to tap a few shoulders for a path to be made for her. Her neck stretches to see what is taking everyone's attention. The first person to come into view is Calypso. Kore can recognize her radiant tanned skin and striking features anywhere. The Gods have blessed her in many ways, one: being made the owner of this island, and two: having control of everyone and anything on her island. She sits elegantly on a discarded piece of wood. Her pearly white teeth flash as she laughs at someone's joke.

Someone shakes Kore's shoulders. One of the audience members beams at her with overwhelming delight. "Isn't this amazing? This will be your first time seeing a man in person," she exclaims. Kore's heart drops to her stomach. What the woman had just said is true, she has only seen men in her books, never in real life. Kore continues to push through the people until she finds what she's looking for.

There, sitting on the ground is a man. His casual sitting position faces toward Calypso's log, but he is completely visible from where Kore stands. Her breath stops as she is captivated by his beauty. She would like to argue that he's more attractive than Calypso. He runs a loose hand through his blond hair that reflects the golden sun above him. Despite having the muscle gains of an older man, there is visible youth in his bare face. All the woman swoon as he politely answers their questions with a strong voice. He seems so relaxed to be the center of attention, like being popular is second nature to him.