The Twelve who have created our world and kept peace and order in our lands have slept soundly in the heavens for hundreds of thousands of years. But something stirs in them now. The threat of war shadows the planet and the universe. A threat that has built over the last century. In an attempt to save these worlds from the looming threat, the spirits of The Twelve have manifested in twelve unsuspecting humans. Sonia, Freya, Jaison, Ehno, Elric, Hanna, Atsidi, Ty, Layna, Kellina, Shasti, Jerric.

Freya, spirit of Taurus, hear me, Aphrodite. You are one of The Chosen. Your faith and loyalty, friendship and love, and power of the harmonious bull are necessary to win this war. It is time. Awaken, Freya. Reunite with Taurus and The Twelve and bring peace once more to our worlds.

*****

“Earth to Freya. Do you read me?”

Freya turned her gaze to the woman’s lips. “Hm?”

“Did you hear a word I said?”

She shifted her gaze to Mel’s familiar green eyes. “No. Sorry.”

“Where are you today?”

Freya turned back to her computer screen and sighed. Before her, empty-eyed models stared back at her, their bodies mere hangers for the beautiful clothing they displayed.

“Did you have that dream again?”

“I don’t know why I told you about it. You think I’m crazy.”

Mel pulled a slip of scrap paper from its hiding spot under the mousepad. She held it before her and smiled. “I like this one.”

Freya grabbed the slip, crumpling it in her fingers, and tossed it into the trash beside her desk. Mel frowned, crossing her arms as she leaned against the desk.

“Doesn’t matter,” Freya mumbled.

“The dress? Or the dream?”

“Both.”

“The dress is prettier than anything I’ve seen Dunn make. And the dream is just a dream.”

“It’s been happening more frequently. Almost every night now.”

“I think you should show him your design.”

Freya pushed herself away from her desk, wheeling backwards. “So the bastard can take credit like he does everything else? I don’t think so.”

“You work for the bastard.”

Freya shook her head. “I’m an intern. I don’t even get paid.”

“There might be a position at the end of your internship.”

“Why would I want to work for that guy?”

“What else are you going to do when you graduate?”

Freya stood, scooping her purse up from the floor with her. She swung the bag over her shoulder. “Find a job at another company.”

“You don’t know how long that could take. You should stay here until you can find something else.”

Freya smiled. “You just don’t want me to leave.”

Mel blushed. “Beats the catty bitches I have to deal with here. Plus, I’m a nobody here. You could be a somebody.”

Freya eyed the scrap paper laying on it’s own in the wastebasket and shrugged her shoulder. “Lunch tomorrow?”

“Do I look like a starving model?” She placed her hands on her hips as if to insinuate her womanly curves.

Freya smiled. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Freya’s heels clicked on the linoleum floor as she passed desks and offices. She kept her head down as she walked until she rounded the corner into the empty hallway. She paused at the elevator, waiting for it to open its doors before deciding for the stairs instead. Her steps echoed off the stairwell walls as she trotted down. Could I use this as an excuse to skip the gym?

The warm sun kissed her cheeks as she emerged out of the cold building. The breeze blew gently through her hair as she made her way across the parking lot. Her car beeped twice as the doors unlocked and she slid into the driver’s seat. She threw her purse against the seat beside her where her gym bag waited. She sighed at the bag. The gym was only right down the street, and what did she have waiting for her at home in an empty apartment?

She turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, making the familiar drive to the gym. It was still early and unlikely to be crowded. Freya changed quickly in the locker room and made her way to her favorite treadmill in the corner to begin her usual routine. She flipped to her work-out playlist on her iPod and placed the earbuds carefully in her ears as the music drowned out the world around her.

She focused absentmindedly on the tv screen across the room as her mind drifted back to the recurring dream. She could hear the voice clearly in her mind, but otherwise, it was complete darkness. That was what bothered her the most - a dream of only audio and no visuals, unlike a dream she had ever had before.

She raised the speed on the treadmill as she scanned the gym. The afternoon sunlight looked so appealing at that moment. It had felt like a lifetime since the sun had emerged from the winter gray clouds. It was warm for early March, but Freya couldn’t be more excited for spring to arrive so she could escape the humdrum gym routine.

She watched as the usual regulars made their way around the gym. Some smiled and waved as they passed her and she nodded in response as the sweat began to bead on her forehead. She was thankful she never saw any of the sweaty strangers outside of the gym, and even more thankful that none tried to engage in much more than their usual pleasantries. She had grown accustomed to their casual hellos and how are yous. She had an unspoken relationship with the people she encountered at the gym. They were simply her gym buddies and nothing more, and no one ever tried to push that. No invites to coffee or dinner. No lame pick-up lines. Just her and them working out, each in their own worlds until they smiled their goodbyes at the end of their sessions.

Freya had lost time at the gym. She hadn’t expected to be more than an hour, but when the world outside began to darken, Freya’s stomach began to growl. She changed quickly in the locker room, wiping the sweat off her body with her towel. She left her sneakers on, throwing her heels in her gym bag and nodding goodbye to her gym buddies. The evening air was chillier than she expected as she hurried to her car. The headlights turned on, plastering their yellow beams against the gym’s brick wall. She pulled out of her parking spot and once more on to the road, this time towards home.

Freya navigated the familiar roads through the little city, once more lost in thought. She turned off the main drag and down the backroads of Huntingdon Valley. Without the street lights and headlights to guide her way, she had only her own car’s lights to show her the way, but she could have driven the road with her eyes closed. She was familiar with every twist and turn that led to her little apartment seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

A pair of yellow eyes flashed before her and she slammed on her breaks. 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 the horn of her car 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.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

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 for 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, golden hair fell around her shoulders in delicate waves. Her face was pure and soft, her eyes kind as they gazed upon Freya. She rested her hand on the bull’s back as she stepped forward. 

“Oh my god,” Freya mumbled. “Was I roofied?”

“It is time, Freya.”

“Time? Time for what?”

“The fate of this world lies in your hands. You must reunite with the other eleven and bring peace to this world.”

“Oh my god, Mel, this isn’t funny.”

“The Gigante have been awoken. They will be reunited and they will destroy this world.”

“The what? Mel, stop. I don’t know why I told you.”

“Your dreams were real, Freya. I am Aphrodite, 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 Gigante.”

“What the fuck…”

“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 don’t exactly have permission to have pets in my apartment,” Freya said to the bull, “so this will have to do.” She lifted an old, rotting board from it’s weak hold on a fence post, encouraging the bull through the makeshift fence in the woods. The bull looked to Freya blankly and sighed.

“I’m just gonna… go home now. And when I wake up in the morning you won’t be here.”

She stared at the bull for another moment before shaking her head and heading back towards her car. She snapped the buckle into it’s hold and took one last look at the bull through the windshield. It’s 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 pressed her face into her pillows and groaned.

She jumped up as her alarm rang loudly. She slapped the off button with her hand and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She didn’t even remember falling asleep. She was still dressed from the day before. Freya shuffled into the bathroom, turning on the water in the shower and undressed. She stood in the shower and let the warm water fall down her body as she stared at her feet, still groggy. Her hand reached automatically for the shampoo, lathering it in her hair before rinsing. She dragged the bar of soap over her body and stood still once more as the water rinsed her off. She turned off the shower and threw her towel around her, tucking in the corner. She looked herself over in the mirror, throwing her hair up in a bun off of her back and dried herself off. She let the towel drop to the floor as she walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to start the coffee. Movement at the corner of her eye brought her quickly out of her morning daze. She spun around and shrieked as the bull in the forest stood before her in her living room.

The bull snorted as Freya’s hand flew to her mouth, silencing her screams. She stared at the bull as her mind raced. She had to still be dreaming. The bull shook his head and sighed heavily. And then there was a knock at the door. Freya’s eyes moved from the bull to the door, then back to the bull.

“Freya? Are you okay?”

Freya hurried into the bathroom, threw the towel around her body, and hurried past the bull to the door. She unlocked the door and opened it slightly, hiding her naked frame and the obvious animal in her living room. She peeked through the space in the doorway and smiled at her concerned neighbor.

“Hi, Todd. Yeah, I’m okay, sorry.”

Todd moved his head in an attempt to see past her, narrowing his eyes. “Are you sure? You screamed.”

Freya nodded and pressed herself into the space in the door, standing on her toes in an attempt to block his view. “Yeah, sorry. Spider. On the counter. Scared me.”

“Blink three times if you’re being held hostage.”

Freya smiled. “I’m fine, really.”

Todd shrugged. “All right, Hun, just wanted to make sure.”

“Thanks, Todd.” She closed the door before he even turned away, locking it once more. She leaned against the door, her eyes on the bull once more, and sighed.

“This is too weird.”

The bull, with barely any room to move in the apartment, turned his head towards her.

Freya pushed past the bull once more and proceeded to dress in her bedroom, trying to ignore the bull’s presence. She readied herself for work, thankful that it was Friday. She poured her coffee into a travel mug, grabbed her purse, but left her gym bag where it lay on the floor. She took one last look at the bull.

“Okay. I’m going to work. Maybe you’ll be gone when I get home.” She stared at the bull, her lips pulled to the side. She had a feeling it would be here, along with a giant pile of shit. She rolled her eyes and went out the door, locking it behind her.

The cool morning air felt refreshing as it filled her lungs. She drove with the window open and the radio louder than usual for her sleepy ears. She sipped her coffee as she pulled onto the main drag and stopped at each red light. She turned into the parking lot, took the elevator up to the third floor, and made her way through the office to her desk. Mel was already there, leaning against her desk, waiting for her.

“Well, good morning,” she said with her bright smile.

“Mmm.” Freya dropped her purse on the floor and placed her mug on the desk. She fell into the chair and lifted her legs as it spun around. She let her heels click on the floor, stopping the swirling chair, and leaned against her fist. She turned her computer on and it whirred to life.

“Such a morning person,” Mel grumbled. “We still on for lunch?”

Lunch. Freya had completely forgotten about that. She really didn’t feel up for chatting.

“Um. Maybe.”

“Oh. What’s wrong?”

Freya clicked open her email and began to scroll through casually, not really reading any of them.

“Just had a late night,” she said.

“Another dream?”

“Something like that.”

“Maybe you should see someone.”

Freya peered at the woman beside her. “A crazy doctor?”

“Well, no…”

Freya shrugged. “Maybe I am going crazy. I’m starting to think so.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. Just a weird dream. Maybe it means you need to get out of this job.”

“Yeah,” Freya mumbled. “That’s probably it.” Freya could see Mel’s torn expression at the corner of her eye, but she ignored it. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said, an encouragement for her friend to leave.

Mel understood the cue. “Yeah. I’ll text you later or something.”

For a moment, Freya was alone. It was quiet; peaceful. 

Her mind went to the bull in her living room, and then to the Goddess figure that appeared before her. Who were the other eleven? And what the hell was a Gigante? How were they going to destroy the world, and what the hell was she supposed to do about it? And how was a bull going to help her?

“Freya!” Mr. Dunn’s voice boomed in her ears.

Freya looked up from her monitor, meeting Mr. Dunn’s annoyed expression.

“My messages! What the hell is wrong with you?”

Freya ignored his remark and handed him his messages. He took the papers from her, his eyes narrowed on hers.

“I don’t know what this is, and I don’t care, but don’t let it affect your work today.” He turned abruptly and walked into his office, letting the door slam behind him.

Freya turned back to the computer screen and sighed. She opened a new webpage and began to search. First, she typed Aphrodite. 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; Aphrodite 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 as another link caught her eye. The name Freya was included in the description. She clicked the link and found a similar article, connecting Aphrodite with the zodiac Taurus. According to the article, the name Freya was linked to Aphrodite.

This piqued her interest. She returned to the search engine, typing 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 ‘Aphrodite 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, but it seemed it was only a temporary solution as the gods did not have the aid of a mortal.

Just a legend. That’s all it was. And even if it weren’t - why would the gigantes return now? After such a long time?

She was the mortal they needed. She and eleven other clueless people, chosen in some ridiculous act of destiny, were expected to fight these gigantes and save the world.

She closed the window and stared at the screen. It was just a legend.