Mt. Lykaion Resort and Spa, the newest resort to be built in the beautiful and historic country of Greece. Although it seemed quite similar to any other resort in Greece, the resort offered a vacation experience that only a small handful of other resorts around the world could.
The resort was located on the mountainous Peloponnese peninsula at the bottom of Mt. Lykaion, the resort’s namesake. Far from any other form of civilization, the resort allows guests to fully experience the tranquility of nature and get in touch with their “wild side”. It was rather clever marketing, as the region of Arcadia is supposedly home to Pan, the Greek god of the wild.
The resort experience began almost immediately after the guests arrived at the Kalamata International Airport. Once their luggage was retrieved from the baggage claim, they were directed to a metro station specially built for the quick and easy transport of guests to the resort and ushered onboard by a young woman with sandy blonde hair wearing a white blouse and a black knee-length skirt. Once all the guests were on board, the metro departed from the station. As the guests were getting comfortable in their seats, the young woman who had ushered them aboard the train stood up at the front of the car where everyone could see her.
“Khairete everyone!” the woman said in a friendly tone. “I hope that you all had a smooth flight. My name is Leandra Leos, and I am the Guide and PR Representative here at Mt. Lykaion Resort and Spa. Normally, it would take about two hours to get to the resort, but thanks to this specially built train, we’ll be there in no time at all! I’d give us about…ten minutes.”
A middle-aged man near the front scoffed. “Ten minutes? Sweetheart, there’s no possible way that this train can reach Mt. Lykaion in under ten minutes. We’d have to be traveling over 460 kph, and this train clearly isn’t built to reach those speeds.”
Leandra chuckled, a bit impressed by the man’s math. “You’d be surprised what’s possible when there’s a little bit of magic involved.”
“Magic? Really?” another guest questioned in an annoyed tone. “You’re using magic to counter a scientific argument?”
“Of course I am,” Leandra replied, a knowing smirk on her face. “I know that most of you are nonbelievers, so it wouldn’t do any good to tell you that magic is real. Instead, I think it’d be much easier to show you that magic is real.”
A few people laughed as Leandra closed her eyes and held her hands out. Some were even ready to call the resort and let them know they had hired a crazy woman. None of them, however, were prepared for what happened next.
Golden fur began to grow on the woman’s arms and legs, quickly spreading over her entire body. Her clothes seemed to melt into her body, leaving the woman completely naked if it weren’t for the fur covering her more intimate areas.
The fur quickly overtook her face as her mouth and nose pushed out into a square muzzle. As whiskers grew in under her nose and around her mouth, Leandra’s ears grew larger and rounded out, moving to the top of her head where they peaked out from under her hair. She then got down on all fours and moved into a position that resembled the downward dog yoga pose as a long, slender tail grew out from her tailbone, complete with a tuft of dark brown fur on the end.
As her feet changed into large, feline paws, Leandra stood up, her transformation having completed. She looked at the faces of the people in the train car. Some had their mouths agape as they stared at her in utter disbelief. Many of the men and even a few of the women were trying to hide their blushes. A few people even seemed to be utterly entranced by her curvy figure.
“So, now that everyone can clearly see that magic is indeed real, why don’t we start again from the top?” Leandra said. “Khairete everyone! My name is Leandra Leos, and I am one of many Weres that call the Mt. Lykaion Resort and Spa home. A few months ago, our sister location, the FoxFire Polar Resort in Norway, opened its doors for business. It was intended as a test to see if the outside world was ready for the existence of Weres to be revealed. The resort was a resounding success, and it has easily become one of the best ways to spend any Christmas and New Year’s. Due to that success, it was soon decided that it was time to bring the magic to other parts of the world!”
“So…if werecreatures are real, does that mean that creatures from Ancient Greek mythology were once real?” a guest asked.
“Of course they’re real!” Leandra said happily. “Minotaurs, satyrs, merfolk, centaurs…all of them are real! And you’re more than welcome to join them!”
“J-join them?”
“Oh, how could I forget the most important part!“ Keandra said playfully. “You know how the resort advertises itself as a place for you to ‘let your wild side out?’ Well, we meant that literally. Thanks to the generosity of Pan, we have specially created artifacts that, when worn, will transform the wearer into the creature of their choosing!”
“It…it’s not permanent…is it?” a nervous man asked.
“Oh no, of course not!” the lioness said. “At the end of your vacation, we’ll turn you back to normal, and you can go back home as your old self. Unless, of course, you decide to stay.” The lioness gave a wink to the nervous man, whose face turned beet red. “The God of the Wild always welcomes more Weres into his domain, and the resort could always use a few extra paws. Oh, and speaking of which, it looks like we’ve arrived!”
The metro soon came out from underground, exposing the guests to the sunlight, and as it pulled into the station, it gave the passengers their first look at the resort.
In front of them was a large building that appeared to be made out of marble and slightly resembling Classical Greek architecture such as the Pantheon in Athens. Nearby were other facilities, such as a gym with both indoor and outdoor facilities, a swimming pool, a bar and restaurant, and a lavish-looking spa. Dotted around the area were numerous small Greek villas for guests to stay in. However, what really caught their attention were the “people” that were walking around.
Werecreatures of all shapes, sizes, and species were walking around without a care in the world. Over by the gym, a Minotaur could be seen spotting a satyr who was lifting weights. Not too far from them, a pair of female Werecats were holding hands and walking out of the spa with happy smiles on their faces.
As the guests all began to stand up with their things, Leandra spoke up. “Oh, there’s one last thing I forgot to mention. Because we are still trying to keep the existence of Weres a secret to the world, you will find that you will be unable to take photos, videos, or make any calls with your cell phones.”
“But what if we need to call our friends and family?”
“Not to worry, we have phones and ways for you to access the internet,” Leandra reassured. “We don’t want to completely isolate you. Now, enough of all the lectures. You’ve all come here to relax and unwind. I know that all of this is a lot to take in, and some of you may be regretting your decision, but I promise you that if you just give our resort a chance, you’ll have the best time of your life. Now, just head inside and talk to Delphi, the young fox at the desk. She’ll give you your room keys. I hope to see you all around the resort!”
And with that, Leandra stepped off the train and walked into the main building of the resort.