A/N

Hi. This story will be written by myself and Penquin53. We are posting this story on both of our accounts so no plagiarism going on here! We would appreciate your comments! Every other chapter will be mine! As you can see, this first chapter is by Penquin53. I will be all the ODD chapters while she will be the EVEN! We hope that you enjoy our tale! It is officially called The Turning Tides series and there will be a total of five books! This book will introduce the characters that will star in a novel of their very own! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoy writing it! All reviews will be shared between us, so please be kind. Thanks and happy reading!

Preface

By: Penquin53

"Where are we? Why are we here?" a tiny voice whispered to her husband. She was completely naked, her pregnant belly sticking far out in front of her. Her hand went to caress her unborn child.

"I think we're dead," her husband replied staring into the sea of souls that stretched far in front of them and behind him.

The wife's head turned to her husband's fear filled voice. She noticed he was completely naked as well. His normally olive skin was milk white and his eyes were clouded. "No. We can't be. We were going to have a baby! We have our whole lives ahead of us! Nikolas! Please tell me we aren't dead!"

Nikolas turned to the pleas of his wife, who looked more beautiful in death than she did in life. "My sweet Narissa. I wish I could tell you what your heart desires, but I cannot. I can only pray that Minos is merciful upon us as he judges our lives."

Narissa lowered her eyes to her stomach, a shiver passing through her. "But what of our child? Why was she also ripped from the Earth when she had yet to breathe its air?"

Nikolas' hand went to his wife's stomach and caressed the mound of child that lay underneath. He couldn't answer his soul mate's question. He wished he knew why they were all ripped from the Earthly realm but the screams of those realizing their fate around him distracted him.

Miles of dark, swirling sky stretched above them. A grey light shone down on the thousand human heads that waited for judgment and their placement among the circles of Hades. Screams permeated the air from a distance where the evil people spent eternity in the Fields of Punishment. Nikolas looked down at his naked feet that were deep in brown sand of the River Styx's shore.

"Oh no!" Narissa exclaimed.

Nikolas looked up at his wife. "What is it?"

She turned to him, her eyes filled with panic and confusion. Suddenly she collapsed to her knees and held her stomach tightly. "The baby…" she began. "I think the baby is coming!"

Nikolas sunk to his knees beside her and laid his hand on her back. "That's not possible. If we're dead, then so is our child."

"My body is cramping badly," Narissa gritted her teeth. "She's coming now, Nikolas. What does this mean?"

"It means she is chosen," a voice interrupted behind the young couple.

They turned to find a thin, tall man standing behind them. He looked down at them with a pleased look in his eyes. A winged cap sat precariously on his head and his hands were folded politely in front of him. He smiled down at them, tapping his winged sandaled foot and waited for their question to his statement.

"What do you mean?" Nikolas asked as Narissa breathed heavily, another contraction wracking her body.

Hermes dusted the shoulder of his brown suit and walked forward. "You died so that your child could be born on the edge of death. She will protect those who can't protect themselves from something I don't know about yet. I can't say anymore but I will say she has a great destiny ahead of her. But you must make a choice. You must choose to give her to me to take her back to Earth or stay with you in the Elysian Fields forever."

Narissa and Nikolas looked at each other. A silent understanding passed between them that only true lovers could share with one another. "Who are we to deny others the right to live?" Nikolas began. "Will she be safe?"

"Will she be loved?" Narissa asked at the same time.

Hermes smirked again. "I promise on my wings that she will be well looked after until it is time for her to fight. Then she will make a choice."

"Ah!" Narissa screamed, grabbing her belly. "She's coming, Nikolas!"

The atmosphere became thick with panic as the dead around them continued to move forward to their eternity. They paid no attention to the woman lying on the ground or the winged god standing above her waiting patiently for a child to be born. The cries of a newborn babe fell on deaf ears while a young family who would be separated forever reveled in the few moments as one.

"I must take her now," Hermes said calmly. He filled his voice with a honey sound that usually came from his flute. Hermes knew more than he could tell them. But he was warned by the Three Sisters not to intervene more than necessary.

Narissa looked down at her baby girl, who was currently cradled in her arms. She kissed her forehead tenderly, holding her tightly to her chest."Can't we name her?"

Hermes shook his head. "A name has already been chosen."

"What is it?" Nikolas asked expectantly.

Hermes' face lost all mirth and sadness crossed his expression. "I cannot tell you. I'm so sorry."

Nikolas wrapped his arms around his little family before passing on a few words to his infant daughter that he prayed would carry her through her journey. "Faith, little one, is what will get you through life. Keep the faith."

Narissa reluctantly lifted the naked bundle to Hermes, who took her gently in his wiry arms.

He then looked down at the couple and smiled again. "Enjoy the Elysian Fields. I hear they are good throughout the year." With those words, the winged messenger shot into the air like a bullet being shot from a gun and disappeared into the black clouds.

It was his least favorite part about being a messenger. He hated telling people things that would cause sadness or hate, but he had to do what he was told. He had to speak what had been spoken to him. As he passed into the Earthly realm, he looked down at the child in his arms. His breath caught in his throat as her eyes were open and gazing at him with centuries old knowledge. Her eyes were a brilliant violet hue that pierced what little soul he had left. "You will find, Evangeline, that we gods are not as great as we think we are. I hope you forgive us for this. I will do my best to make it up to you. I will send you someone to help you with your task, and if Hera, the Mother, allows, he will be yours to keep. Keep your father's words close to your heart and all will be well."

Hermes looked away from her to seek the home that would keep her safe until it was time for her to fulfill her destiny. They were sweet people who knew the gods truly existed and kept the old ways alive. They had been praying for a child and now, he was going to take them the best one of the bunch. Sweet, sweet Evangeline.

A/N

As you can tell from this chapter, this has a bit of a Greek theme. It's a bit different than both of us have ever written, but we're excited to share this adventure together!

Ps: this will not take away from my other stories! All of my stories will get the same attention, so no worries there!