Freya’s mind wandered aimlessly as she drove. It had been a long day. No, a long week. Work was… well, it was work. It wasn’t exhausting, but she was exhausted by it. She was tired of her arrogant, jerk of a boss. She was tired of the menial tasks that she was assigned. She was tired of the stark LED lights, the cold office, and the uncomfortable chairs, and she couldn’t wait to get home and rip off her heels. And to top it all off, she had the same dream nearly every night that week, and every morning, she awoke feeling more tired than when she went to bed the night before.

She didn’t want to think about the dream anymore. It was always the same; a voice that called to her, pleading with her. Unite with the twelve. Save the universe. The twelve. What were the twelve?

A pair of yellow eyes flashed before her, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she slammed on her brakes. Deer were no surprise to her, but the dark shape before her was much larger than any deer she had come across before. She peered into the darkness, the massive form just out of the line of her headlights, its eyes glowing. Freya honked her car's horn in hopes of scaring the creature back into the woods. Instead, the creature stepped into the car’s headlights, revealing the massive form of a bull.

Freya blinked at the animal before her, now standing in front of her car. She was certain that there were no farms in the area. Not even a zoo. Wherever this bull had come from, it was a long way away from home. Freya put her car into park and fumbled for the cell phone in her purse. But who would she call? Animal Control? She opened the internet in search of a number when an eerie voice filled her mind. A voice she had heard before. And it called to her.

She let her phone fall to the floor as she peered at the bull once more. She got out of the car and stood facing the bull as a figure appeared from the darkness. The tall, slender woman was striking in appearance. Her thick, red hair fell around her shoulders in delicate waves. Her face was soft, but her eyes were fierce as she gazed upon Freya. She rested her hand on the bull’s back as she stepped forward. 

“What in the fuck…” Freya’s voice trailed off. 

“It is time, Freya.”

“Time? Time for what?”

“The fate of this world lies in your hands. The Gigante have been awoken. They will be reunited and they will destroy this world. I am Hestia, your Thea. You are the human born in my spirit. Taurus is your Ouranos; your zodiac partner. He will guide you to the other eleven where you must fight together to defeat the Gigantes.”

Freya laughed nervously. “Hysterical. Who the hell are you?”

“Your questions will be answered in time. Trust in Taurus. He will guide you and protect you. Work together. Find the other eleven. Save this world.”

Freya watched as the goddess disappeared into the night, leaving the bull behind in her wake. The bull sighed, lowering its head. Freya stared at the bull, her lips pinched together.

“I’m just gonna… go home now.” She stared at the bull for another moment before shaking her head and heading back toward her car. She took one last look at the bull through the windshield. Its eyes glowed back in the beam of the car’s headlights. Freya shifted into reverse down the little dirt road, bringing her back to the main road. She looked down the dark path before pulling forward. 

When she reached her apartment, she pulled into her usual parking spot. She fumbled with the keys, unlocking the door and stumbling inside the dark room. She sighed as she let her bags drop to the floor. She kicked off her shoes as she walked and let her body fall onto her bed in the next room. She grabbed her laptop from her nightstand and opened the search engine. 

First, she typed Hestia. Most of the information the internet provided her was all the same textbook answers she had learned about in high school. A quick search for Taurus provided similar results. Zodiac predictions and other similar nonsense. She pinched her lips together as she scrolled through the endless results before her. She returned to the search bar and tried the two names together; Hestia and Taurus. Her eyes scanned the results halfheartedly until a title caught her attention: The Twelve Olympians. 

She clicked the article. On the page, each of the zodiac signs were paired with a Greek god or goddess. Surely only a simple interpretation. She backed out of the article, then typed Gigante into the search bar. This time, the results were useless. Dictionary definitions, Spanish translations, movie titles. She needed a more specific search, but she wasn’t sure what, so she opted for ‘Hestia and Gigante.’ Simple enough, she hoped. And it worked. A website on Greek mythology brought her to the answer she was looking for. Her eyes scanned the article carefully. The Gigantes were a tribe of giant, savage men, born of Gaia the Earth. The Gigante attacked the gods with huge rocks and tree trunks. The gods, however, could not kill the Gigantes unless assisted by a mortal. The article continued to explain that the Gigantes were eventually defeated by Heracles.

Just a legend. That’s all it was. And even if it wasn’t - why would the Gigantes return now? After such a long time? And why was she chosen in some ridiculous act of destiny to save the world?

She sighed and closed her laptop. It was just a legend.