We took our shower and had some extra fun as well before we made it out of the house. I guess you could call it that though it was huge, magical and hidden from public view. I hadn't been in the city of Athens in so long. It was nice to get out and see things with Penelope. We walked to a small café nearby for lunch. We were so close to everything it was easy to sightsee. The perks of staying literally in a tourist attraction, I guess. I knew this city well, yet it still changed in the years that had passed since I'd been here. We ordered espresso and some sandwiches before heading to the bus stop where we could take a tour through the city. I wanted to see her reaction to all of the places we visited. I'd seen them a thousand times but seeing them through her eyes made it more vibrant. Her reality was effervescent, always changing and infectious. I have never met anyone as passionate about life as she was. As I watched her take in the scenery, I observed that the population of non-humans was growing larger in the area we headed. Each kind of being had its own color of undertone to their skin that's not able to be seen by humans which is the only reason I noticed. I looked down at my watch for the date realizing we'd come during the Traders Bizarre that was held in secret for those who knew of otherworldly existence. It happened every month on the same day, and I had forgotten about it. When the bus stopped next, I took her hand leading her off the bus toward an empty looking alley way.
"Where are you taking me? I don't see anything out here." She said.
"It's a surprise but be prepared to be amazed. Very few humans get to witness this. I haven't been since I was a child so give me a moment to remember the way in." I said.
I finally remembered how to open the protected doorway. I made signs with my hands placing them on the wall and it parted. I heard Penelope gasp behind me.
"It's safe to enter." I said grabbing her hand and leading her through the doorway.
She looked a little nervous but excited. "What is this place? Why are there so many people hidden in here?"
I forgot she can't see what I do so the beings in here just look like normal people trading goods to her. I stopped by one of the first booths inside the door picking up a powder that would allow her to see everything I do. As I said, some regular humans come here so they do sell this stuff for that reason but not many humans are bold enough to actually use it because it's a shock. Most of them don't want to see the other world happenings in their own world. I turned to her to explain what I just bought as she was looking curiously at the bag in my hand.
"Penelope, this is a spell powder that will allow you to see things as I do. Right now, I see several beings in their true form while you see humans because of the natural cloaking defense in this area. If you would like to use this then I will assist you, but I must warn you that it takes a while to wear off. You will see the truth in this world and that's something you'll never be able to unsee. On the plus side, cloaking and illusion charms won't work on you so you will be able to see the safe house easily on our way back....." I said trailing off trying to lighten the mood.
She thought about it, and I could see her weighing the pros and cons in her head. Finally, she said, "Use it on me. I'd rather know than spend my whole life wondering and being afraid now that I know of the existence of other worlds."
I nodded pouring the powder in my hands. "Close your eyes." I told her and she obeyed. I chanted the words that had been given to me to activate the powder and then I let the powder flow all around her being absorbed into her skin leaving small shimmering spots where it touched her. When it was done, I took her hands.
"You can open your eyes now but be prepared to see things you've never seen before. You're safe here and the beings here today are gathered in peace. No blood shed is a rule here." I said preparing her for the sight that awaited her. I anxiously watched her open her eyes and looked to see her reactions. Her mouth dropped open for a second but then she composed herself and began asking questions.
"What kind of beings am I seeing? I see blue humanoid beings, but they have scales and fins. Do they live in the ocean? What are the winged lion beings called? Oh, and what are the ones that look like humans, but their skin is actually tinted red?" She said firing off one question after another.
"Slow down, I'll answer all of your questions." I said laughing because she was so adorable when she was curious. "The blue creatures are Atlanteans though most folklore incorrectly refers to them as Merfolk. Merfolk do actually exist, but they cannot come on dry land like the Atlanteans can and they are also green, not blue. The winged lion ones are Gryphons. Mythologies have all sorts of stories about them over the ages from occasional spottings by humans. They are mostly shy and hide from humanity because they are usually feared and hunted. They are technically from one of the other realms all together, but some have chosen to live in this world. The red 'humans' are Vampires. It is said that the original Vampires were angels cast out of Heaven and cursed with red skin because of their mortal sin of consuming human blood. Some believe that the disease they get when they go mad and start attacking humans is the wrath of God upon their ancestors. I'm honestly not sure where they originated from and most of the Vampire history has been lost for millennia. Every now and then you come across a piece here and there but none of the locations ever correlate or make sense. Anyway, um are you taking in all of this ok?" I asked peeking at her again to see if her face would give anything away as to her thoughts.
While I had been talking her face was unreadable. She was concentrating so hard I could see the gears turning in her head, but she never let out what she was really thinking. It worried me a little and I wondered if she had changed her mind.
"I'm fine." She finally said. "It's just that this is all very new, and I am extremely curious about the Vampire history. It seems to have a lot of mystery to it. Are the known histories found in any particular realm?" She asked.
I sighed in relief. "Well, the weirdest part is that pieces of their history have been found in all 4 realms. That's why no one has a clue where to start. The rest of us know our histories and where we come from because they haven't been lost. We've been protected enough that it's been preserved. Personally, I feel like someone destroyed the Vampire history on purpose. It is said that in the beginning of our days there was a great war waged between good and evil but the history on it has been lost as well. I think that the two may be connected somehow." I stated.
"I see. That is very odd, and I wondered the same thing." She said looking up at me. She gasped and her eyes widened. "You're glowing gold!" She exclaimed. She hadn't been looking at me until now.
"Yes. It's the Gods blood that flows through our veins. The first shadow warriors ingested a mixture of all of the Gods magical blood thus tying us to them. We could create shadow warriors ourselves after this using our blood and a magical cup gifted to us from them." I explained.
"What is with all this blood drinking? Why does magic always have to involve something gross." She said groaning and rolling her eyes making me laugh. Her eyes wandered to other booths behind me as she finished her thought. She stopped to smell the air and asked, "What is that smell I'm getting? It's sweet but also smokey? I'm so confused here." She thought aloud.
I took a whiff and recognized immediately what she was smelling. I smiled saying, "It's basically candied pork but the hog it comes from only exists in the Fairy realm. It's one of their traditional dishes served over there. Come, I'll show you." I said taking her hand and leading her over to the vendor.
*** Penelope POV ***
I questioningly inspected the pieces of meat on the grill. The pork was a deep purple color with yellow marbling. It looked almost raw in color, but the texture was perfect and tender. Alexander handed the Fairy a strange looking bill to pay for the meat. It was gold but I didn't recognize the language or the picture on it. He led me to a few other places picking up various packaged foods he wanted me to try before we made our way to a table in a park that was less crowded than the vendor area.
"Here, take a bite of this and try it." He said holding the pork on a stick for me to sample.
I leaned forward wary but intrigued by the delicious smell emanating from the meat. It was like eating the best maple candied bacon I'd ever had, and it was spicy too. "This is amazing but is it supposed to make my tongue tingle?" I asked as my mouth went slightly numb.
"It's got a little bit of an analgesic effect but it's nothing to be alarmed about unless you consume copious amounts. It has a hallucinogenic effect at that point but is not deadly. Fairy's like to have huge parties where they trip balls and eat. It's an interesting sight to behold. My parents took me to one as a child, so I didn't get to try the pork, but the adults were all having a fantastic time as I recall. Us kids got into a ton of mischief in the castle that evening." He explained telling me parts of his true childhood living here.
"You know, I love hearing about the real parts of your life. Seeing all of this", I gestured to my surroundings, "makes me able to understand you and see you more clearly. Speaking of that, did the inspiration for any of your paintings come from this world? I feel like I've seen this setting before." I said trying to remember the names of his pieces.
"Maybe some of my younger works that I have at the house but none from my professional career. I'd been very fascinated with your world having grown up around the hidden world, so I mostly painted the things I found beautiful there. Being here with you now though does bring back the good memories I had from here. I tried not to remember this place much after my dad died." He admitted.
I held his hand, and we were silent for a little while. I reached for our drink forgetting I didn't know what it was taking a deep sip. I was thick and tasted fruity like a smoothie. "Is this pomegranate?" I asked surprised I recognized it.
"Yes. It's a berry from the Fairy realm. It grows naturally there and it's one of their largest exports to the human world. Your world doesn't even realize that mine exists and that we are very much involved in their world. We call it the Earth realm. Where we are right now is still Earth realm, but it is the safe haven for those of us who are different to be ourselves. It's almost like entering another dimension or layer if you will in the same spot of your world." He explained as he told me more about my surroundings. "We go on and they go on not noticing one another simultaneously."
So, some of the theories of my world were close then. A Wrinkle in Time was probably the closest to getting it right. They would have never believed how it all actually worked though. I doubted they would ever figure it out and that's probably for the best.
"It's a really strange feeling thinking I had a good handle on how the world worked now knowing that I know so little. It makes me rethink my entire concept of existence. I guess it's all hitting me that I can never go back to a plain human life...." I trailed off lost in thought. I didn't see him go stiff and break out in a cold sweat at my sudden realization. I was so distracted by all this new information that I forgot to explain further what I meant.
"Do you regret having stayed instead of leaving without knowing any of this?" He asked quietly as he was looking down as his hands. I'd never seen him look this way before.
"NO!" I said a little too loudly startling him causing him to look at me. I covered my mouth for a moment before finishing. "Sorry, I just didn't want you to think I meant it that way. What I mean is, I'm feeling a bit insignificant and weak knowing that people like you and all of these other beings are superior to us. It's making me realize the true danger that could be out there. I wouldn't take back knowing about any of this ever though. I want to be with you, and all of this is part of you." I said reassuring him that I wasn't going to hijack his plane the moment we got back to the house.
He hugged me and planted a kiss on the top of my head making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. After that he picked up our shopping bag and said, "Come on, let's go look at some more of the wares. They have some really amazing jewelry from the Dark Realm. It's only called that because it's always night there. The vegetation and gems that form there are unlike anything you've seen before." He took my hand and lead the way.
Much of the day was spent like this going from table-to-table learning what all of these items were and where they were from. He was right about that jewelry though. The unusual colors and glow to the gemstones made them stand out. We got to see all the clothing styles of the different cultures as well. Alexander insisted that I try on an Elven shirt/pant set, so I found a green one that I loved and took it to the small changing area. It was a corset style top with flowing off the shoulder sleeves and pieces flowing down the bottom half. The pants were brown and extremely durable yet stretchy. They had a few pockets down the sides. I felt like I could move easily in this yet still looked cute. I came out after changing back satisfied with the fit. He was standing there waiting like a gentleman for me. I felt really weird that he was buying everything, but I also wasn't sure I could exchange my money here either. After this we decided we were ready to head back to the house for dinner.