Shouting..hushed whispers..shaking..I just wanted it all to end. The noises were making my head ache worse than usual. An involuntary groan escaped my lips and all noises ceased.
"Bella?" a velvety voice whispered. I wanted to say "Bella isn't here right now, leave a message after the beep", but my throat was too constricted to form words.
"Just give her a minute, Edward. She should be waking up any second now," someone reassured him. My curiosity got the best of me and I cracked open one eye, and then instantly shut it. The light from the ceiling was blinding and I made a mental note to tell my father to get new dimmer bulbs.
I slung my arm over my eyes and attempted to open them again. It was a lot easier with my arm shielding the light and I took the opportunity to study my surroundings. Edward was by my side along with Alice, while the other Cullens were in front of me. They looked as if they were protecting me from..something. What could possibly be threatening to a Goddess?
"Well, it's about time you woke up. I was afraid you would die and spoil my fun," a familiar voice yelled. I knew that voice from somewhere, it was a feminine voice that radiated evil. Before I could gather any ideas she stepped before me. Nemesis.
"Not you again." I grumbled. Her and my father had a brief affair long before I was conceived and she had been convinced that I was her daughter. She had confronted us about her theory before, but Zeus had banished her before Nemesis could do anything destructive.
"Now is that any way to speak to your mother? Well, I see you definitely got your anger from me." she smirked.
"Your not my-nevermind. I'm not having that argument again. What do you want now?" I growled. Edward moved his head back and forth between us, trying to see the connection. Confusion clouded all of their faces, and I wished that I had the patience to explain what was happening to them.
"Well, I went to visit you in Forks. I saw that boy dumping you and decided you needed some help." she explained. I nodded at her to continue, but she was too busy glaring at Edward to notice my impatience. I sprung to my feet with an annoyed huff and blocked him from her vision.
"What exactly did you do to 'help me'?" I asked through clenched teeth. Nemesis always spoke in riddles, leaving me with more questions than answers. Which, for someone like myself, was extremely frustrating.
"Oh, yes! Sorry, dear. You were so vulnerable it was quite easy for me to slip into your body without you even noticing. I watched you make so many careless mistakes. I knew that if I didn't take action, then you would let Edward back into your life. You deserve better than a bloodsucker," she spat distastefully.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you're getting on my nerves. Just go back to wherever you came from," Emmett retorted. He stepped towards me and eyed down Nemesis, a flash of fear crossed her eyes but it quickly disappeared.
"And whose going to make me?"
"I am, duh" he snorted. I was going to intercede since I knew Nemesis could easily defeat Emmett, but she didn't look as though she were about to attack him. She looked..amused? I decided that I would only interfere if it looked like she was going to vaporize him. Why spoil everyone's fun if it's not necessary?
"I have a lot more experience than you do," she chuckled.
"I'm secretly a turtle ninja, there's no way you could catch me." he stated. His face was straight and his eyes showed that he was being sincere. I was about to start laughing hysterically when I caught a glance at her face. She was going to accept his challenge. I pushed Emmett to the side and gave him a warning look.
"Alright, that's enough. You've accomplished your purpose, now you can leave." I demanded. I was angry at myself for not being attentive enough to notice that she was controlling me. Nemesis was getting angrier by the minute, and her petite frame was trembling. Her black eyes had a red tint to them that became more noticeable when she was mad.
"How dare you speak to me like that you pathetic excuse for a daughter!" Nemesis yelled. Edward was in front of me in a flash, growling at my "mother" like he did when we were..never mind.
"It's a shame that you seem to always want to be with the good guys. Olympus will fall, and Gaea will rise. You can either die trying to save this palace, or you can help us tear this place down." she offered.
"You and I both know I will never turn into scum like yourself. Gaea will not rise. If I shall die in battle at least I will die an honorable death." Edward tensed in front of me. His head turned towards me and he gave me a pleading look. I could see the hurt in his eyes at the idea of me dying and he could see the determination in mine. We were locked in a silent conversation, but Nemesis quickly broke it up.
"Alright, my offer still stands. If you change your mind, just iris message me. Oh, and if anyone of you vampires would like to help Gaea's army, feel free to do the same. Vampires could really do some damage against demigods," she cackled. The Cullens growled in response and she took that as her cue to leave.
"Cover your eyes!" I yelled. Nemesis showed her true form and disappeared to hopefully "Far Awayville". I looked over to make sure she didn't vaporize anyone. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that they were all in one piece.
"What happened in here?" Zeus yelled. I followed his gaze to the cracks on the throne room floor. Uh oh.
"Nemesis, that's what happened." I spat.
"What? How many times must that woman be told that you are Hera's daughter?" Zeus wondered aloud. I was about to go into details about her horrible visit, when an idea formed in my head.
"She did have a good point though. She said that using vampires would be very helpful in battle. She of course wanted them on her side, but what if they were on our side?" I proposed.
Hmm..not such a bad idea Hebe/Bella. I just wanted to apologize again for taking so long to update. On top of family matters, I am now sick with who knows what. Awesome, right? It does have one good side effect though. More free time to write :) Thank you so much for the amazing reviews. They really made me feel a whole lot better, and I was determined to make sure I didn't disappoint y'all. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! :)
