The Mystic Princesses

and the Whirlpool

2nd Edition

P. J. LaRue

Copyright P. J. LaRue, Inc.

First Edition: May 2012

Second Edition: March 16, 2014

The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool

P. J. LaRue, Inc.

Winter Park, Florida

ISBN: 978-0-9849894-2-3

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The author may have used names of persons she knows, but the characters and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool -- 2nd Edition

P. J. LaRue
Illustrated by Aristides Rodriguez

The Children of Ares Find Harmonie

Several teenagers with tattooed wrists stood next to Harmonie on the New York City subway platform. One reached to snatch her, but she screamed and her brother, Eros, quickly pulled her into the train. An instant later, the kidnappers were left standing on the platform.

Harmonie had seen the tattoo before, on her brother. Now, she stared fearfully at his wrist. “Who just tried to grab me?” she asked. “And why do they have the same tattoo as you?”

Eros said, “Now that we’re safe, let’s talk about what happened. You don’t need to be afraid. Ares, the god of war, has always tattooed his children on their wrists when they turn one year old. The tattoo has the letters CoA, and a spear. The CoA means Child of Ares and the spear is Ares’ favorite weapon. The people who tried to grab you are all Children of Ares. And you and I are also Children of Ares.”

“We are? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I planned to tell you soon,” replied Eros. “You’re now old enough to understand. Our father trained most of his children to fight and cause wars. But I refused that way of life for both of us.”

“How?”

“My name is Eros, which means love. A war-like life is impossible for the god of love.”

“Why don’t I have tattoos, Eros? And why did they try to kidnap me?”

“Our mother, the Goddess Aphrodite, gave you to me,” he said. “You were only a few months old. You were with me when you turned one year old, so you weren’t tattooed. Just like your name, Harmonie, you bring peace to people.”

“How do I do that?”

“Our mother is the goddess of love and beauty. She gave you the gift of making people feel peaceful. Love and peace make it harder for the Children of Ares to fight and cause wars, so they want to capture us.”

“How can we stay safe?” Harmonie asked, her voice trembling.

“Everything will be okay. I’ve thought about our next move,” he said. “You need new protectors, and I’ve found them in Hawai’i. They’ll keep you safe, but I need to find another home. I don’t want the Children of Ares to capture us together. And don’t tell your new protectors that we’re Children of Ares, or they might return you to our father.”

“I like New York. I don’t want to move,” cried Harmonie, tears streaming from her eyes. “You are my family. I don’t want to live with anyone else!

“Once you meet your new protectors, I need to leave,” her brother said. “I don’t want them to see my tattoos.”

“Maybe you can change the tattoos? They don’t have to look like the others. You could fill in a heart around the CoA. The spear pierced through the heart will mean love entered it. Then you could stay with me. And we could tell my protectors about the CoA tattoo. That way, they’d recognize the Children of Ares more easily.”

Eros shook his head. “We need to be apart. Your peace powers have grown. Peace and love make people very happy. That may make it easier for the Children of Ares to find and capture both of us. If we’re apart, then we can find each other.”

“How will you know I’m safe?” she asked.

“I’ll talk to your protectors daily. And if I don’t call, they’ll know how to find me. Are you okay with this plan?”

Harmonie nodded. But starting new friendships with secrets made her feel bad. She wondered if the others might discover her secret. And she worried that when they did, whether they would still want to protect her.