A/N: Here is the second chapter of Final Call- this story will feature alternating perspectives between Steve-Persephone-Bucky, with each chapter from purely one of their point of views. As such, I would really LOVE it if you tell me as you're reading how you like the POVs each chapter- do you think its an honest portrayal of Bucky or Steve? Do you like/hate/not care about the femOC? Please tell me if you have the time! Anyway, please enjoy :)
Persephone shut her apartment door with a sigh, hanging up her purse on the hook as she trudged hollowly into the living room to turn on the radio, her mind shaking under the weight of her worry.
She closed the blinds but left the curtains open to allow at least a hint of light to brighten the room.
She didn't need the light to see- nor were her movements as slow or as clopping as a human's would be in her position. No, even though she was brought down to earth by the weight of meeting her first mate, she would still be considered graceful.
Steve was sweet and she had no doubt Barnes was her second mate with how the two clung to one another.
She had watched them for several weeks before she let herself be discovered by the two of them, as if part of her sensed a growing need to meet them.
She had not been ordered nor asked to watch the two- she was technically on a vacation of sorts anyway- but she had found herself drawn to them for reasons she still could not guess. Neither seemed remarkable in any way, sure, they were alluring in their own ways- Steve with his unrelenting kindness and Barnes with a near unresistable charm (yes, even she had noticed it. It was part of why it was so fun to reject him in fact. It granted her immense satisfaction to know that she had been one of the apparent few to tell him 'no' and just thinking of it brought an wry grin to her face.)
She fingered the golden pendant that sat between her breasts, just out of view of leering eyes. Pure gold except for the small ruby that was encrusted into the pommel of the sword pendent, it would not mark her for what she was, but still managed to serve as a faithful reminder of where and who she had come from.
She had been yearning to return home to Atenda for close to a thousand years but had yet to decide upon when. Not that it mattered now- she couldn't leave her mates alone. Not when she had so little time with them already since they were human.
Humans were far too soft, far too breakable, far too short lived and she was not any of those things.
No, she was hard, unforgiving, bloodthirsty and most importantly- immortal.
Even now, a part of her clung to the memory of sitting next to Steve, of feeling his skin beneath her lips as she left him in the diner, his scent of warm apple pie and cinnamon still hung in the air around her.
A part of her was glad Barnes hadn't approached until she had left- she had no desire to feel the crushing weight of an emerging triad bond all in one day. But she had left Steve her address and her phone number and she had no doubt that Barnes would come calling soon as well, even if he had seemed broken at the news that she was their mate.
She wanted to rage at the thought of him rejecting her- of not wanting her- but Persephone shut that train of thought down thoroughly. She was not who she was back then. She was not going to throw a tantrum if a male turned her away- she was better than that.
But the idea that one of her destined mates doing that to her made her heart hang heavy in her chest, her hand stubbornly wiping away a rebellious tear at the thought.
It would not be as if she didn't deserve it- she had done awful things in her time and though she failed to feel guilty or any shame for her actions she balked at the idea of either of them discovering her bloody past.
Humans were judgemental and looked down on things like the ones that overshadowed her past and still made her lick her lips in anticipation at the mere flashbacks.
She sighed, curling her legs beneath her on the couch as she leaned into the pillowed arm of the sofa, her hands falling to rest between her breasts as she took long breaths, sinking into a familiar calm even as her skin itched to track them both down again.
She refused to go out yet again tonight to track down them both even though little awaited her here besides comforting stories and lilting melodies.
She couldn't go out and risk the beast beneath her skin coming out to play when she saw Barnes out with some other woman or two- the monster within her would rip the poor mortal girls to pieces.
She had once seen her mother rip near a dozen females to pieces when they dared to approach her father.
Females of their kind were notoriously territorial, far more so than the average male of their species.
She had seen much the same from her brothers' mates- some even attempting to attack her at several points.
She had left those females with scars so as to not forget who she was to them, of course.
They had forgotten their places within their society- Persephone was more than a spoiled princess- she was a warrior through and through and had earned an esteemed position above even her brothers at her father's war councils.
And she had done so before her gift had manifested.
Before she had been frightening to face, but as soon as her gift became apparent she was near undefeatable.
Crumbling city walls, castles floating in the sky just as they were brought back down to unforgiving ground, people running for their lives as a smile slowly dawned on her features. Screams echoed in the air, all but a few of the city's citizens dying sharp painful deaths as she leveled their nation's capital around them.
She had done virtually the same thing to every enemy she had faced- earning her the moniker of The Destroyer and garnering her terrified stares everywhere she went.
She had been the one to get her kind labeled conquerors, people who would stop at nothing till they owned your former nations, owned your leaders.
No one had ever dared fight back if she was on the battlefield.
A fact that soon came to agitate her to no end- she yearned for glorious battles and dangerous foes, danger in general. It was no fun, came with no sense of accomplishment if they were all terrified of her.
Her father had agreed even though he adored having her by his side and had sent her away on an extended holiday.
At first she had though mortals fascinating but quickly grew tired of most she came across and failed to keep close relationships with any of them. She had gained followers as a goddess to them at some points under numerous names- the Morrigan, Athena, Bellona, to name a few.
But she had been bored for quite a while- so when she stumbled across Steve and Barnes and they managed to get her attention she was confused and surprised to say the least. What made them so interesting to her? She couldn't seem to answer that question and even though now she wanted to say that it was because they were her destined mates a part of her knew that it had to be more than that.
A knock came at her door and she sat up, casting out her senses to get a hold for who it was- it was familiar and she rushed to answer the door with a smile.
She unlocked the door and greeted Armada with cheer- the person who she had come to Brooklyn for in the first place.
Her vampire childe was standing just outside the door with a basket and a cheerful grin, her bronzed skin clear and her almond shaped tiger's eyes bright as she flitted inside with a twirl of her blue dress as she made herself at home. Her long caramel hair was tucked back into a braid that fell to sit in the arch of her back just at her waist.
Armada twitched her nose with a playful frown, "How can you even listen to that, Perry? It's so slow and moody! Put on something fun!"
Persephone rolled her eyes but switched the radio to something with a happier beat- she usually kept music on for white noise to distract her from the blaring city sounds anyway.
"I brought wine and Draco is bringing the food, but you know it takes him a while to find his way so I thought I'd come early and keep you company!" Armada beamed, her cheeks flush with life as she danced her way around Persephone's already impeccably clean apartment tidying up.
Persephone rolled her eyes once more, "I can't believe I forgot the two of you were coming over, usually the concern for my sanity has me worried for days in advance."
Armada followed her example and rolled her eyes as Persephone quickly found three wine glasses to drink from.
Filling two, she handed one to Armada, her beast purring when she tasted blood on her lips as she sipped her drink.
Armada hummed along with the music, leaning into Persephone's shoulder as they curled up on the couch.
They were silent for several minutes until Persephone sighed. '
"I met my mates."
One mississippi. Two mississippi. Three mississippi. Four mississippi. Fi-
"What?!"
"You heard me."
Armada's eyes were wide with alarm, giving her a frazzled effect- a feat that made Persephone amused even as her nerves were still spiked from the event itself.
"Are you certain? I only smell humans on you."
Persephone sighed, "That is because they are human."
Armada's eyes widened comically and she sipped her bloodwine as she cast her gaze away in thought.
They were silent, "I wasn't aware vampires could mate with humans."
Persephone nodded, "It's possible, just highly unlikely. Of course, you and Draco were soulmates so I turned you both so we'll never know if you would have sensed one another even if one was a human."
Armada blew out a breath, "Well, congratulations. I'm happy for you. How long have you known?"
Persephone shrugged, "I met them today, but something had drawn me to them when I first took up house in Brooklyn. It's why I chose to stay in this building."
"They live here as well? Poor souls. Must not be able to afford anywhere else. I did think it odd when you told me you were moving into this building. It's got a shotty reputation." Armada drawled, curling her form further into Persephone's side.
Vampires were not normally so clingy, but her two vampire children clung to her like newborns at times. She was not one who loved to be touched, but her beast purred whenever she felt Draco or Armada curl into her for support. It was not a carnal pleasure like she had indulged in constantly in Atenda, but a pleasant warmth that flooded her senses and made her feel safe and cherished and she would never reject it.
Would she come to yearn her mates touch as much or more?
She thought back to Steve- to that glancing brush of fingers that lit up her world in bright sparks and forced her to see him as one of her own. She craved him even now, a part of her curiosity lighting up a desire to see Barnes, even though they had yet to touch and ignite their side of the bond.
Not that they would feel it the way she could- humans did not bond like vampires- no, they were born with their soulmate(s)' names etched upon their flesh and maybe if they were lucky they would be blessed with a shallow physical bond- nothing like the ocean deep bonds she had witnessed in her kin.
She had always craved a mate and here she was with two- but she was stilled by their humanity.
Humans were tricky to change into vampires and if they died early deaths because of it she would never forgive herself- but even now, in her bond with Steve's infancy, her chest would clench at the very thought of what his humanity meant.
She would outlive them, she would stay eternally youthful while they aged and left her behind.
Persephone downed the rest of her wine and wrapped her arms around Armada, her fingers tangling into the caramel waves that had freed themselves from their braid's binds.
What would she be after they died? A shell, a ghost of her former self? Even her father had changed after her mother had died. He had taken another wife as was his duty, but he could never fool her- he was not as he was before. He was bogged down by the weight of the bond that told him to follow his mate into the realm eternal and if not for she and her brothers Persephone was sure even he would have abandoned this life, even if he did relish his kingship.
Her eyes fell closed and she blew out a breath.
"Everything will be alright." Armada comforted, sensing her vampire mother's tempest of restless nerves.
"I hope so." Persephone admitted, "I've waited so long…"
They let her words hang in the air, neither of them needing the reminder, but both of them doing their best to let them infuse Persephone with hope.
A/N: I know, no Bucky or Steve in this one, but next chapter is from Bucky's POV so you have that one to look forward to. Please let me know of what you thought of the chapter below, I would really like to hear from ya'll. Like it? Hate it? Do you have a critique? Let me know below! Thanks for reading :)