by Anna Mao

“Good morning, Marina,” an eloquent feminine voice purred. “How are you feeling today?”

Marina stirred awake by the soft voice, groggily opening her eyes feeling a peculiar heavy weight on top of her chest. Three dilated olive green eyes stared back, surveying Marina’s entire expression as the gray cat scrunched into a tight furry ball.

Marina yelped, frightened by the three-eyed creature as she nearly flung the cat off her chest. Clinging for her life, the gray cat dug her sharp claws into Marina’s light blue camisole as all of her silver fur stood at their ends.

“Ow!” A sharp painful cry escaped from Marina’s pale lips. The cat’s claws pierced deeply into her skin possibly leaving freckled scars. The aqua-haired woman felt like her entire chest was being prickled by needles.

Marina jolted up, frantically attempting to remove Tiamet’s sharp claws off her tank top.

Tiamet glowered, retracting her claws instantly removing her paws from the blue fabric. Her bushy tail thumped left to right, irritated by Marina’s unnecessary startling reaction while she licked her paws.

“If you stayed still that wouldn’t have happened,” the feline grumbled.

Teal green eyes gawked at the gray cat, erasing the pain from her memory.

“You really did talk!” Marina exclaimed in astonishment.

If cats could roll their eyes, Tiamet would. “Were you deaf yesterday?”

Marina raised her thin aqua eyebrows, surprised by the cat’s discourteous nature. She took a deep breath, putting the cat’s rude comment aside. Besides, who would let a cat get to them in the morning?

“Sorry…” Marina murmured. “I wasn’t expecting to see a cat in front of my face when I woke up.”

Tiamet blinked. “I suppose that could be startling... You slept like a rock throughout the entire night, but you’re definitely not a comfortable bed! Did you know you move a lot in your sleep?”

“You…. You slept on me?” Marina was at a loss of words.

I guess that’s expected for a cat.

The three-eyed cat scoffed. “Where else would I sleep? That woven basket isn’t made for a Guardian of the Stars! Anyway, that tall human Reese locked me from her bedroom, so I had nowhere else to go.”

“Guardian of the Stars…?” Guardian what?

“Ah, yes, I almost forgot,” Tiamet remarked. Her ears curved forward as an eager gleam played across her round olive eyes. “I was putting off a proper introduction until you felt better. But now let me introduce myself to you…”

The lithe cat elegantly leaped across to the wooden table as the sunlight brightly shined on her silky gray fur. Marina shielded her eyes against the blinding rays of light illuminating the small cat. Tiamet stood proudly as if her introduction was viewed by a captivated roaring audience.

“I am Tiamet, Guardian of the Stars where the veil between the worlds is thin! Loyal companion of Amphidea, Goddess of the Sea and Moon! She sent me to find you and the other Celestial Priestesses.”

Marina gaped as realization hit her. That dream. The Goddess’s voice left a deep impression in her mind. Find Tiamet and the three Celestial Priestesses. The encaptivating voice gave Marina’s chills as she was listening to a harmonious symphony of sirens singing by the sea.

“Who—who are the Celestial Priestesses?” Marina stuttered.

Tiamet curved her ears upward, amused by the human’s obliviousness. “Why you are one of them!” the feline exclaimed. “Aren’t you excited your powers have awakened?”

“Me???” Marina gasped, baffled by the discovery.

Tiamet leaped on top of the aqua-haired woman’s legs, her tail straight up.

“Yes,” Tiamet purred. “You are the Water Priestess, one of the four sacred Celestial Priestesses. The Goddess Amphidea called you to find the Fire Priestess, Air Priestess, and Earth Priestess, so that you all can find the traitor that collapsed the Silvery River bridge. Your powers together will protect and prevent the great danger that will befall on Earth.”

Great danger on Earth? Collapse of the Silvery River bridge? The Silvery River refers to the Milky Way in Celestite legends. A flock of magpies form a bridge on the Milky Way every year to allow the Goddesses to reunite. It’s the only way Goddess Amphidea and Solidea can see each other every year. We humans celebrate their reunion on the Lover’s Festival every summer, observing the solar eclipse.

“What do you mean a traitor collapsed the bridge? Wasn’t there a solar eclipse on the Lover’s Festival?” Marina felt a bit ashamed for not keeping up with Celestite traditions. The solar eclipse would mean the Goddesses reunited.

Tiamet looked away as a dark forest swallowed her eyes. “If only the divine world could be as seemingly perfect…” the feline murmured, her cheerful voice replaced by a grave tone. “The solar eclipse didn’t happen. One of the sacred magpies turned out to be a shapeshifting traitor that destroyed the bridge and fled to Earth. Did you notice how cloudy and rainy it has been?”

Traitor? Marina gulped. The aqua-haired woman wished she did not believe the three-eyed cat, but it was frightening to hear that even the divine world was not stable or perfect. That would destroy all childish fantasies and dreams everyone kept closely to their heart.

“Umm…” Marina looked over to the bright window. “It’s sunny right now…?”

“Only because Goddess Solidea is trying her best to keep Amphidea happy. Today is the only day it has been sunny since last month.”

The world was suddenly crashing down on Marina as she realized she had not been in touch with reality. She had been lost in her own world staring at her laptop screen applying to jobs for the past weeks waiting for a non-existent job interview. All of her efforts ended up being a waste of time just how the earth would soon be wasted away into oblivion if the traitor was still roaming freely on Earth.

“Tiamet, what is going to happen?” Marina could only expect the worst if this was some powerful enemy to even outsmart the goddesses.

The three-eyed cat’s eyes dilated more than before, holding up the shape of two blooming full moons. Even Marina could sense trouble in the Guardian of the Stars.

“There are several consequences if we fail to find the traitor,” Tiamet began quietly. “Since the traitor sought asylum on Earth, they can bring danger to humans. And the longer the Goddesses are separated, the elements of water and fire will be imbalanced on Earth. Do you know the Goddesses’ blessings?"

Marina’s mind flipped to the past like a forgotten diary page, remembering her mother’s voice reading her the Celestite’s creation story every bedtime. "Amphidea's tears created oceans and provided water for living things. Solidea always shone brightly for her, giving her warmth. Her light illuminated the entire Milky Way and brought life on Earth."

Tiamet’s eyes gleamed with approval. "Yes, but the longer Amphidea mourns for her lover, the longer the rainfall which will lead to flooding and decimation of crops. Solidea’s energy will also drain because seeing her lover refuels her light every year. The Earth will become a dark cold ocean."

Shock wiped Marina’s entire expression. She shivered at the thought of the world becoming a dark cold ocean. Life would be like the bottom of the lake where those black ghastly arms tried to drown her deep into the water.

They tried to kill me. What were they?

“Tiamet, what were those things in the lake last night?” The black figure that pushed her off the cliff and those sinister long cold arms had been haunting Marina’s mind.

“They are called Drowning Ghosts that lurk in deep bodies of water to find unhappy victims,” Tiamet responded. “They are suicide victims that refused to move on and enter the Otherworld. Your sadness attracted them and made you an easy target. They feed on sadness.”

The aqua-haired woman lowered her head, staring down at her lavender socks. I could’ve really died last night.

"Anyway, we must find the traitor before the next solar eclipse before they do any more harm," Tiamet began in a serious tone. "It will give us enough time to find the other Celestial Priestesses. We don’t know the traitor’s motives, but we know they want to bring chaos to Earth and throughout the Milky Way galaxy. They will likely destroy the Silvery River bridge again next year and we must prevent that. We must protect the Goddesses’ hearts."

Marina was frightened and uncertain at the same time. “But why me…?” the aqua-haired woman sputtered, instantly feeling the heavy weight of the world on top of her shoulders.

What can a pathetic failure like me do? I can’t even help myself. How can I help the world?

“Why did the Goddess choose me?” It made no sense the goddess would choose someone weak like her to help save the earth.

“Because you are the descendent of the Goddess Amphidea.”

Marina widened her eyes in disbelief. “Descendent?”

“I recognized you immediately because of the birthmark on your hand.”

Marina’s eyes dropped down to her left hand, staring at the left arrow pointed shape. A cerulean blue shimmer traced along her birthmark, vanishing in a split second.

The aqua-haired woman gasped, raising her hand toward the light to examine her birthmark.

“Only the descendant of Goddess Amphidea pass down this birthmark,” Tiamet continued. “All Celestial Priestesses have different birthmarks on their hand. Your birthmark is glowing because my collar detects your powers as a Celestial Priestess. That’s why it also glows the same color as yours.”

The faceted crystal on Tiamet’s collar glowed blue, resonating with Marina’s birthmark.

“But how is it possible that I’m a descendant of a goddess? I’m just... a normal girl.” I'm weak and pathetic.

“Before humans were created on Earth, each Goddess fashioned a priestess in her image. When a priestess passes away, she is reincarnated in another human body. Her true powers are asleep until she feels the Goddess’s call. You are far more powerful than you think you are; that’s why your soul can carry the Goddess’s elemental powers.”

“So my bloodline may not have any other priestesses?”

“Correct. There is a possibility you may be the first priestess in your bloodline.”

Marina sighed heavily. This was a lot to take in for someone who could not believe she was the descendant of the Goddess Amphidea.

First I almost died, then I broke up with my ex, and now the world’s responsibility is in my hands. Such pleasant news to come from a mysterious cat.

Marina thought about the other Celestial Priestesses. At the same time, it felt exciting and intimidating to meet other Celestial Priestesses. Maybe it would not be so bad since she would not be alone dealing with this traitor. Marina was curious who they were and what they were like.

Could one of them be like me? That would be a comforting thought.

“This is the first time the Goddesses have awaken their priestesses in a thousand years,” Tiamet continued. “They sent me to find each of you.”

"A thousand years?" Marina murmured in surprise.

A thousand years would mean… wait. "Tiamet, how old are you since it seems like you’re not from Earth?"

"6000 years old." Tiamet beamed as her tail waved up like a proud flag. "I've existed since the beginning of time when cats were once worshipped as gods."

"6000 years o—old?" Marina stuttered.

She looks so young to be so old. Maybe talking cats have immortal youth.

“Marina, it’s time for me to return something to you.” Tiamet leaped off the table, sprinting toward woven basket. Retrieving an object from the basket, she returned carrying a round silver locket necklace in her mouth.

Tiamet dropped the silver locket in Marina’s hands. Marina nearly lost her breath as she gazed at the beautiful silver locket decorated with sparkly sea-colored crystals forming a round mosaic pattern. The pieces of colorful crystals looked like they were almost sea glass picked up from a magical shore bathing under moonlight. An inverted triangular piece of larimar was engraved in the center of the mosaic crystals, resembling rippling waves of the sea frozen in time. Tiny glittering blue jewels studded around the edges of the silver rim. The contrasting sea-colored jewels reminded Marina of Goddess Amphidea’s mask in her dream.

“This is your transformation locket,” Tiamet began, staring at the mesmerized human. “When you are ready to take on your powers as the Water Priestess, hold the locket and firmly say ‘Aqua Spiritus’. Memories of your powers will naturally come back to you when you call on the Water Spirit. If you are in danger, remember this line.”

“Aqua Spiritus,” Marina whispered. The words were foreign on her tongue. The silver locket was warm in her hand almost if Marina could feel its embedded power.

"You must never transform around anyone,” Tiamet warned sternly. “Keep your identity a secret from everyone."

The aqua-haired woman nodded understandingly. Marina gently opened the locket which released a soft click. Her teal green eyes widened staring at the moving round black screen as if she was gazing at the galaxy through a window. Many beautiful tiny stars were glowing on the screen.

“That’s the star radar,” Tiamet explained. “It currently shows how many stars are in the Milky Way. On top of the locket shows the current moon phase.”

A mini milky full moon glowed on the top of the locket.

“This is amazing,” Marina remarked in awe. “It's like I'm staring into space.”

Tiamet chuckled. “That’s exactly what you’re doing.”