The sweet bitter aroma from the mug in her hands was inhaled into her nose as she breathed slowly. Riu stared into the creamy bitter coffee, sitting on the bar stool in her kitchen. She finally lifted the coffee to her mouth, taking a slow sip and letting out a soft sigh. Yesterday went through her head over and over again but nothing made sense to her.<br/><br/>That woman had two snake tails and no legs. It was like she was part snake and part human. A shiver ran down Riu's back at the thought of it. She knew genetic experiments happened often but generally only on plant life. It was a common study in the science world of botany. But for something between a snake and a woman? No matter how much the scientist in her wanted to explain that monster, Riu could not get rid of the terrifying fear that settled into her gut telling her that there was more to it than science.<br/><br/>After staring at her coffee that started to get cold for too long, Riu finally sighed and pushed it away. She was about to get up when a soft voice stopped her.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"You should eat something! Here, have an orange."</span>Suddenly, her orange plant dropped a ripened orange from it's branch and Riu couldn't help but let out a shriek.<br/><br/>"Wha- but! No..." Riu shook her head at the sudden bizarre circumstance that just happened and she covered her ears with both her hands and shut her eyes tightly. "Oh god, I'm going crazy aren't I?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"No, not crazy. Just awake!"</span>Her orange plant talked to her again and Riu looked up at it. She had covered her ears, but it was like it spoke to her mind on a telepathic level. Riu stared at her plant in bewilderment as she tried to figure out if she was telepathic or not. After a few minutes of just staring Riu threw her hands up in defeat and groaned.<br/><br/>"There has to be a way to explain all this right? Maybe I can search it up or something..." Riu paused as she heard her cellphone vibrating for the 6th time since she left work abruptly. She winced, standing up and deciding to finally face reality. She picked up her cell from where it landed yesterday and scrolled through the missed calls. She cringed again when she saw two from Sarah and several more from her supervisor. Technically she was done with her research that day already but she probably left her lab in disarray. Along with a trapped woman half snake monster.... Riu decided she didn't want to deal with that mess just yet and was about to put her phone back when a notification came up saying she had a text message.<br/><br/>Riu paused, staring at... Riu stared closer. She went through her contact list searching for whoever decided it was a fun idea to change their contact information but when she didn't find the name in her contact list she stared at her phone again.<br/><br/>Apparently, someone named Hermes sent her a text message.<br/><br/>"You got to be fucking kidding me." Riu blinked at her phone like it had gone insane. Who in their right mind would hack into her phone list themselves as Hermes and send her a text? She hesitated at opening the text message but curiosity got the best of her and she opened it.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">"Yo! I'm Hermes! Messenger of the Gods and all that. If you'd like to have all your questions answered from the wild attack you and your fellow people have been a victim of, please join us at the church on 42nd and 12th st in about an hour! P.S. Can you bring one of those oranges?"</div></span><br/><br/>Riu stared into her phone before letting her hand drop to her side and she just stared at the wall instead. She turned her head slightly to the orange that had fallen to the ground and then glanced down at her phone again and the text that has completely destroyed her ability to think straight. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a minute, Riu finally shook herself out of her state of complete confusion and then let out a scream. She screamed at the top of her lungs for a long few seconds before finally going silent. She breathed heavily, feeling so much better to let all that stress out before she turned toward her orange tree and picked up the orange on the ground. She stared at the orange in her hand, then her plant, then her phone and made her decision.<br/><br/>Grabbing her purse, she dropped the orange and phone into it and walked out the door. A few minutes later she was staring at an abandoned ruined church in front of her. The white paint was peeling and seemed to be turning yellow on the edges from water and rust damage. The cross at the top looked like it was about to fall off and the door was cracked open and hanging off the hinges. She was honestly afraid to touch the door in thoughts that with one touch it would completely collapse. It did not, thank goodness, and Riu walked into the dirty, dusty, abandoned and falling apart church with a sense of dread. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Who the hell would listen to a text from a Greek god and bring a goddamn orange as asked? Apparently her.<br/><br/>"Hey! Did you bring my orange?" A masculine voice echoed in the church and Riu froze in place. She glanced up at stared at what she could only describe... was Hermes. Literally. The winged hat was one thing, but the winged sandals kind of gave it all away. She stared at Hermes for a minute, who just smiled at her like everything was right in the world.<br/><br/>"So, nice cosplay?" Riu answered softly and Hermes chuckled.<br/><br/>"Kind of expected that one. But seriously... orange?" Hermes grinned and Riu just looked at him with a raised eyebrow before grabbing the orange out of her purse. "Oh! Yay! Gimmie!" Hermes suddenly appeared before her, flying in the air and reached for her. Riu jerked back with a yelp and took a few steps back, holding the orange to her chest.<br/><br/>"Oh come on! I heard you grew the greatest fruits in the world from your supervisor. I mean it's not as awesome as Mack's movies of course but I'm sure it's pretty darn good especially since... you know... your mom and all." Hermes just smiled at her, crossing his legs to sit like a pretzel as he levitate in the air.<br/><br/>"My mom? But she's-."<br/><br/>"Not your step-mom. You're real mom. Blood relative and all that?" Hermes eyes narrowed on the orange and he held out his hand. Riu bit her lip, confused at his words. Her mom was her real mom and she didn't understand why he said step-mom. She had no step-mom. She could tell she wasn't going to get any answers from him until she gave him the orange so she tossed it at him. He caught it with a grin and began to peel it with glee. As he popped a piece of orange into his mouth with a small groan he fell from the air back onto his feet and walked back to where the alter sat at the back of the church. "This is damn good. Almost as good as your mothers." He popped another piece of orange into his mouth before he sat back on the alter and stared at Riu who just watched him.<br/><br/>"You keep talking about my mother like she can grow a plant but my mom can't keep-."<br/><br/>"Can't keep anything alive. She killed that mint plant you sent her just last week actually."<br/><br/>"But that was only a week ago! How could she have killed it so fast?!" Riu huffed. She kept sending and sending new plants to her mom. All of them generally easy to take care of but each time they miraculously would die in only a short amount of time. It's like her mother was cursed or something.<br/><br/>"You really shouldn't trust her with plants. I mean she's not your real mom." Hermes spoke while popping another orange slice into his mouth. Riu was about to demand more answers when he perked up with a grin. "Oh goody! More are here!"