Upon the Hill

Lynn insisted on taking Camellia “somewhere” after lunch. Damos had wanted to join, but Phoebe commanded that he return to the training grounds, saying, “You couldn’t even take down a starfish,” as she dragged him back the way they came. He needed a fair bit more training before the trials, Lynn explained.

Camellia was confused when the somewhere Lynn presented her with was a shop of some kind. “What’s so special about this place?” she asked.

Lynn shrugged. “Nothing, really, but it’s necessary for you. Especially right now.”

Camellia waited for a school of — what were they called, Camellia? Yellowtails? — to pass by before looking into the window. A few mannequins stood proudly displaying sets of clothing that Camellia thought would’ve looked more at home in a fantasy video game than in reality.

Lynn took Camellia's hand, and Camellia froze. She then led her inside to a changing room — a small closet with a curtain, really. At least this one wasn’t made of shells.

Inside, a mirror showed Camellia her new visage.

I’m… beautiful. Really, really beautiful.

She was shocked, touching her face to feel it, in disbelief that it was truly hers. Her brown hair parted over one side of her face, almost covering one eye, floating and drifting ethereally in the water all around her. It was as if Tethys herself had decreed that some amount of friction was necessary for this express purpose.

A knock at the wall brought Camellia out of her daze. “Here, these should fit.” Appearing from behind the curtain, a hand held a small stack of clothing. “I did my best, so let me know if that works.” Lynn’s voice sounded softer than normal.

Camellia took the stack. “Thank you.”

“Hopefully it all fits. You really need these.”

It was Camellia's turn to blush. The shirt Damos’ friend in the outskirts had given her wasn’t necessarily flattering, and beneath it she still donned the scraps she had awoken in.

On top sat a simple set of underwear — thank goodness, finally, Camellia — that felt rather rudimentary compared to the bras she had worn in her previous life. It was more of a thick, short tank top than anything. Still, support was support, and Camellia gladly slipped it on.

Next, she examined the other piece. She held it up in front of her to find a simple white dress with light blue accents around the trim. She put it on and instantly felt comfortable, happy to wear something a little less plain. The white and blue contrasted well with her dark hair and eyes, and, if I do say so myself, it suited her quite nicely.

Her emergence from the dressing room prompted a gasp from Lynn. “Fantastic! I knew that would work.”

The compliment sent Camellia’s heart into a daze.

~~~~~~

The next morning, Camellia found Lynn and Phoebe waiting in the shop beneath the house when she went downstairs.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows in shock. “Oh, new ‘fit! Lookin’ good, Camellia. Was that your doing, Lynn?”

“Yes. I thought those rags were a little scant. Plus, it’s not as though Damos is fit to take her clothes shopping, anyway.” Lynn’s comment elicited a cackle from Phoebe.

Camellia met them at the counter. “Is he not here?”

Phoebe sighed, tapping her foot. “Not yet. I whooped his ass hard yesterday. He’s probably still asleep, the bum.”

“If we want to get started on your aspect, we ought to begin soon,” Lynn said, biting her lip. “We’re going to miss our scheduled time at this rate.” What, you have to reserve a call with Tethys? Can you even do that with a goddess?

“Yeah, actually, you know what?” Phoebe grabbed Camellia’s hand and started towards the stairs, dragging her behind. “Let’s go kick ‘im out of bed. A pretty girl like you in his room is sure to get that guy woken up.”

Camellia joined Phoebe back up to the second floor, down the hall to Damos’ room.

Phoebe didn’t bother to knock, opting instead to shoulder the door open. “Yo, Dams! Get the hell up, dude!”

Camellia found Phoebe’s use of slang from her own world strange, but rationalized it as a quirk of speech. For all she knew, she could be speaking a totally different magic language right now, and her brain just wasn’t aware of it.

On a bed similar to Camellia’s, a drowsy Damos lay sprawled out, limbs splayed in odd positions that looked rather uncomfortable. His sheets lay crumpled in a pile on the floor, next to a second pile composed of dirty casual wear. He awoke with a loud snork. “Whuh, uh, g’morning Phoebe…” Opening his eyes lazily, he brought his head up to look at them. His eyes widened the second he saw Camellia. “Whoa, wait! Hey!”

He was shirtless, in nothing but what looked like ancient boxers. Sitting up, he covered his chest with his arms. “Phoebe! Why’d you bring Camellia?”

I’ve seen your chest before, dummy, Camellia thought.

It’s true, the combat outfit he always wore showed off most of his muscular chest already. I’m not so sure why he was embarrassed, either.

Phoebe stomped over to the bed, yanking Damos off of it with a tug. “‘Cause it’s time to wake up. We gotta get to the temple so we can get Camellia's aspect.”

That was all Damos needed to hear. “Oh, right!” He jumped up, energized in an instant. He grabbed a random tunic off the floor and hastily threw it on. “Okay, let me get my armor and we can get going.”

After Damos outfitted himself in his typical garb, the four left for a small temple. The walk took about thirty minutes, leaving Camellia once again in an unfamiliar part of The Bed. Well, all of it was unfamiliar, save for the way she had come in and the area around Damos’ place. At the top of a rocky hill, a modest temple stood proud. It reminded Camellia of a place in her old world, one of those incredibly old buildings from Greece. The Acropolis, was it? Camellia had never been a history buff.

This place, despite being smaller, was far from ancient. Something stood out to Camellia the second they stepped inside. She couldn’t place what it was until she looked back at the city below. This temple was the first building she’d seen that wasn’t blackened rock — instead, turquoise stone made up the walls and pillars around them.

Camellia stared in awe at the interior. Sconces high upon the walls burned with the same violet godflame from yesterday, and the polished floor reflected the sunlight from the open skylights in the ceiling with a luminous sheen. Recesses and carvings of various sealife adorned the walls of the inner chamber. The entire place felt otherworldly.

The three led her to a small brazier in the center of the inner room, which sat before a tall statue of the same woman from the plaza — Tethys, looking down upon the four with a smile.

Phoebe turned around at the altar. “Got the pearl?”

Damos nodded. “Of course, how could I forget it?” He reached into a pouch on his belt, producing a small kernel of brilliant blue. If Camellia hadn’t heard Phoebe call it a pearl, she would have sworn it was a sapphire gemstone of some sort.

“Great. Give it here.” Phoebe held her hand out. Damos obliged.

She turned around and pulled out something from a pouch of her own. A spiral seashell— whoa, that’s the biggest sundial I’ve ever seen. What is that, like five inches? Where on earth did you find that, Phoebe? Camellia wondered. Phoebe placed the shell upside down inside the brazier and gently balanced the dazzling pearl inside it.

She stepped back and knelt on the polished stone floor, joined by Damos and Lynn. At once, they all began to radiate a slight glow, each a different color — Damos, light blue; Phoebe, magenta; and Lynn, olive green. In unison, they spoke, “O Tethys, Goddess of the Sea, protector of humanity, we beseech thee. Accept our offering, and grant us audience, that we may serve in thy name.”

Bright violet flame erupted in the brazier, consuming the precious items immediately and sending a burst of bubbles up through a hole in the ceiling.

A shimmering column of light appeared before them, a blinding rainbow of power. Camellia couldn’t help but prostrate herself in response. The light took shape, slowly forming a humanoid silhouette, before producing with a final flash… A tall woman.

She slowly opened her eyes and gazed down upon the kneeling group, before her sight settled on Camellia, lingering for what felt to Camellia like years. The corner of her mouth tugged upwards into a slight smile.

“Well, now. This is certainly interesting.”