A.N: I'm sure the end is coming... I can feel it! I've essentially got the ending planned, but we'll see how well that works out for me, I usually end up straying from my original ideas, so hopefully chapter 40 will be the end! Longest thing I've ever written, this is already more than 20 times the amount I had to write for my third year research paper!
Once again, thanks for all the new followers and favourites! Makes me happy that people are still reading this, even now! =]

2damnpretty2die is a beast! She manages to read through my long winded chapters and send em back to me within 24 hours whilst working on her own story/stories! Ya'll should totally read her work, the Captain is an amazing writer and awesome cheerleader! Best beta ever!

Chapter 36: The Meeting part 2

Arizona p.o.v

The journey back to the court was uneventful, thank god. I had enough to handle, trying to figure out how to convince our King to let Terri take over, if anything else popped up now, I would probably pop.

"Everything okay back there?" Caleb teased as he walked ahead of us with Lauren. My frown was his answer and Lauren stopped walking, waiting until I'd reached her.

"Arizona? Are you worried about Zeus?" She asked.

"Yeah, I don't think he's going to agree with their conditions. He's already at odds with Terri, and now she's basically going to take his position as the leader of our Clan. I don't see that going very well." I replied absentmindedly.

"He doesn't really have a choice though does he?" Calliope asked. "We need the United Council in order to defeat Hades, and if Terri taking position as head is the only way, then it's a small sacrifice isn't it?"

"Yeah, but will Zeus see it that way?" Lauren answered. "He's already struggling with containing the Court as it is, and if he gives in, he's basically forfeiting his position as leader."

"The position already belongs to Teresa. It's only a matter of technicality. He'd already forfeited the throne twenty years ago, and the only reason he's sitting there now is because she's letting him." Caleb added as he came over to join in our conversation. "And besides, when the Power of the New World comes into play, none of the leaders will matter. We'll all be under the ruling of the prophecy."

"Wait, really?" Calliope asked curiously. "But doesn't the fact that the Terri, Arizona and Erica are all Vampires matter?"

"It may have made a difference years ago, but not anymore. I mean, once upon a time, when the United Council stood in play before, the Vampires held more power because they had the biggest and strongest Clan. We would have willingly submitted under their leadership, but Zeus and Hades ruined that." He explained.

"Of course, back then we had all assumed Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were the prophesized three." Lauren added. "But even before them, Cronus once ruled over all of us. When he lost his mind and the rebellion started, we all split off into our individual Clans."

"I thought Cronus only ruled over the Vampire Kingdom?" Calliope interrupted.

"There wasn't a 'Vampire Kingdom' back then, it was just called 'Kingdom'. He was the one to unite all of the species, he gave them a home and a place they could live safely with their brethren. He was the only one willing to come forward and propose a pact with the humans so we were all able to live in peace. He was the reason there were any Hybrids to begin with, because he brought us all together to live as one." Caleb continued.

"When the human, Silas, protested the treaty some of us had drifted away in order to avoid war. Shortly after, when Cronus lost his mind, the rest of us all left for self-preservation and when Zeus and his brothers overthrew the King, he'd accepted the formation of separate Clans and had suggested the United Council."

"And then Hades ruined it all by convincing Zeus to destroy any and all remaining civility when he ordered the culling of the Hybrids?" Calliope finished, before turning to face me. "That's a different story to the one Terri told us." There was no accusation in her voice, only curiosity and confusion.

"We'd assumed that it'd be hard enough to accept the existence of Vampires, let alone any other species." I answered sheepishly. "And to be honest, we weren't completely aware of the history behind all of the Clans. It's not something that's usually mentioned."

"Because that would mean Zeus would have to admit that he was wrong." Caleb scoffed.

"Caleb." Lauren warned. "Teresa only learned of the true history when she had encountered the leaders of the other Clans. She didn't understand why they were so hesitant to accept her help."

"But she still didn't tell us." Calliope insisted.

"She couldn't. Not until she had confirmation from Zeus himself. She couldn't, no matter how accepting she was, just take the words from the other Clan leaders without confronting her own." Lauren defended. "She was only respecting her father's reputation."

"I feel like everything revolves around Terri lately. She's associated with everything and everyone. What's up with that?" Calliope wondered, and I nodded in agreement.

"It's part of her power from Theia. She's seen the future and what it needs. She's heard the tales and rumours and knows the requirement for the prophecy. She's essentially paved a way to make it easier to fulfil the prophecy." Lauren answered with a soft smile.

"Teresa's pretty much already united the Clans without Zeus' knowledge, ya know?" Caleb added jovially.

"What? But why would she do that? Hybrids aren't completely accepted yet, and Zeus hadn't ever broached the subject of the United Council until Terri brought the two of you into our fight with the Hybrids." My eyes widened in surprise as my voice rose in disbelief.

Lauren and Caleb shared a glance and a sad smile crossed both of their faces. "She was created to be a Leader."

"That's it? 'She was born to do it', that's the argument you're going with?" Calliope levelled her eyes at them unimpressed, brow arched.

"That's not what I said." Caleb replied. "Teresa wasn't born to do anything other than become Zeus' daughter. She was, however, created to become the Leader of the United Council and the Ruler of the Kingdom."

"What's the difference?" My head tilted as I stared at him in question.

"She was supposed to die twenty years ago."

Lexie p.o.v

I sighed as I watched the soldiers' less than stellar performance. How were we supposed to defend against Hades' army when our soldiers were so disappointing? I couldn't bear to watch any more of their childish attempts, so I dismissed them all early, with a warning to do better by the next session or face painful consequences. I'd made sure the emphasis on painful was heard by every single one of them, and it was clearly successful judging by the pale faces and abrupt departure they'd all made.

"Lexie! Hey Lex!" I heard a voice shout out to me and inwardly winced when I saw Mark running towards me. I couldn't face him, not now, not yet. I quickly looked around for a distraction but found that I was alone with him on the training grounds.

Well…shit.

"Lexie! Wait up." He finally reached me and had grabbed onto my arm to keep me from leaving. "Can we talk?"

"Now's really not a good time, Mark." I answered neutrally. "I need to-"

"It won't take long. I promise." He interrupted. His voice was filled with sincerity and a soft pleading that I found myself powerless against. I sighed once again and softened my voice slightly.

"Five minutes, Mark."

"I just…I needed…I wanted to talk… About us?" He stuttered nervously. "I know it was wrong of me to make you choose between me and Terri, but I didn't know what she was doing. None of us did, and I'm sorry."

"It's fine, what's done is done. We can't change the past." I answered immediately.

"Right…" He was taken aback by my abruptness, but powered on nonetheless. "It's just… We haven't had much time to talk since we came back to the Court. Everything's been moving so fast, I mean look at you. You're really strong now."

"I'm the Crown's blood bonded sister. I have to be strong."

"I know… Can you look at me?" He requested softly, seeing as my gaze had yet to meet his. "Please?"

I reluctantly bought my eyes to his and he smiled warmly. "There you are." He reached a hand out to hold against my cheek, but I turned my head away before he could even brush it.

"Don't."

"Lex… It doesn't matter what or who you are now, you're still the timid and jittery intern I met back in Seattle. And I still love-"

"Don't," I pleaded. "Please, don't say it." I tore my gaze away from his again. "Please."

"Lexie…" His voice was filled with grief and my heart broke along with his.

"I can't. We can't. Not now, Mark."

"Why?"

"We're in a war."

"So?"

"So we can't." I hoped he would just drop it, but it wouldn't be him if he'd just left it there. His persistence was one of the things I loved him for.

"Callie has Arizona, Addie has Teddy, even Aria has Terri, but what about you? What about me? Why aren't we allowed to be happy?" He yelled, suddenly furious with my apparent nonchalance.

"We just can't, Mark." I'm so sorry, I hope you'll understand one day, but it's just not the right time.

"That's not an explanation." He protested as he grabbed my shoulders. "Do you still love me?"

"I…" I started hesitantly as I looked off to the right, "…No."

"No," He grabbed my chin and forced me to face him. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me anymore. Tell me that you don't want to be with me and I'll leave you alone."

"Mark…" I warned lightly, begging him to just leave it alone.

"Tell me." He insisted.

I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve, eyes hardening in the process as I stared at him. " I don't want to be with you." I knew I could never say those words, but it was as close as I could get.

He faltered and his grip on me loosened, and I took the opportunity to flee. I couldn't stay around to see the hurt on his face, not when my own heart was crying out.

I had just turned to corner to the tower where Lindsey was held during the full moon last night, before I finally stopped and leaned against the wall. My breathing was hard and tears threatened to spill, but I couldn't lose it. I couldn't.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" A soft voice called out to me. I stiffened before relaxing quickly when I realised it was Aria.

"I made a promise to Terri. I promised to help her, to protect her."

"At the cost of your own happiness? I'm positive that Terri isn't expecting you to uphold your promise if that's what it takes." Her voice remained light as she tried to understand my position.

"I don't have a choice, we're at war, Aria."

"Even more of a reason not to reject him. We could die, and you're not going to want to spend your last moments with him? He'd do anything for you, you know that."

"That's even more of a reason we can't be together."

"Why, Lexie?"

"I can't die, Aria. I'm linked to Athena now, I'm not going to die." I growled out as I reminded her of my current status.

"We've all gotta die one day, even Terri. In fact, you have a higher chance of dying than anyone else, considering the amount of trouble your master likes to get into." She joked.

"It doesn't matter, I'm willing to die with her. I'd signed up for it when I agreed to the bond. But Mark…"

"But Mark?" She urged.

"Like you said, he'd do anything for me… Even die." Aria smiled at me sympathetically as she realised what I was saying. "I need him to be focused on the battle ahead. I can't afford to have him constantly worrying about me, he would become distracted and he would…" I trailed off as the thought of it hurt me more than I could imagine.

A soft hand came up to cup my cheek and I realised that the tears I'd tried too hard to hold in had spilled across my cheeks. "I can't watch him die." I admitted tearfully. She pulled me into her and I buried my head into her shoulder as the sobs trembled through my body.

"I know, honey, I know." She whispered as she petted my head lightly in a comforting manner. "I've got you, just let it all out." Caught in the safe and warm embrace of my master's mate, I finally let go of all the emotions that I had been holding in since Arizona left the Court after Tim supposedly died.

Arizona p.o.v

"What do you mean she was supposed to die?" I demanded. "It was an accident, and Zeus revived her anyway."

"No, her death was foretold. Her revival was the accident." Lauren admitted grimly.

"Theia discovered that Athena was part of the prophecy after Teresa had died, and in order to find a way to complete the prophecy without Teresa, they tried to harvest her avatar." Caleb explained in a low voice as his features began to darken.

"Harvest her avatar? Athena?" Calliope asked in horror.

"Zeus, Theia, Helios, Richard and Elizabeth had combined their powers in order to rip Athena away from Teresa's soul, they were going to redirect Athena's essence into another Vampire's being, and hope that the new 'Athena' would be more obedient and become the perfect mindless soldier for them. They didn't expect Athena to react to their presence and redirect their power into reviving her host." He continued.

"It was even more surprising when Athena kept a hold of all of their powers and merged it into her own." Lauren added with a growl. "They got what they wanted in the end. They had created the perfect soldier to lead the armies."

"After she was revived, they figured that they would be able to complete the prophecy and bring power to their own Clan, and so Zeus ran off to experiment with the serum, leaving Teresa to lead the Court. Then came surprise number three, because Athena's hatred and anger, even though Mnemosyne tried to supress it, took hold of Teresa's rebellious side. She was no longer the 'Crown Princess' of the Court or the 'interim-Leader'; she became the Court. She easily overtook the Court and became the only thing that could hold them together as a team, as a family. And by doing so, she took over her own destiny and started to create a new world to the standards that a majority favoured and not just what her father favours, hence the existence of the current Hybrids and the alliance she's formed with all the other Clans without Zeus' knowledge."

"So Terri knew that Zeus didn't mean to revive her?" I was disgusted by the measures Zeus would go to for the sake of power.

"Not exactly, Teresa was completely unaware, thanks to Mnemosyne, but the memories lingered in Athena's essence. And as Teresa grew more accustomed with her avatar, Athena revealed more and more of the truth." Caleb shot Calliope an apologetic smile as he revealed Lucia's part in it.

"Athena's wrath." I murmured absentmindedly.

"Yeah, that's what those who were involved refer to it as. Because I sure as hell would be fucking pissed off if I found out that my own dad didn't want to save me, but instead wanted what was inside me, and part of my soul, for the sake of power." He growled out lowly.

"So how does that relate to Terri being involved with everything that's been going on?" I reminded them of the reason we had started this conversation.

"It's her version of retribution." Lauren smirked and shook her head. "Zeus took away Teresa's choice in everything: life, death, destiny and power. So Teresa is returning the favour. He doesn't have any other choice but to hand over the reins to Teresa; the Court and the Clan Leaders all favour Teresa over Zeus, for obvious reasons, and since the prophecy is the start of this entire thing, she's using it back against him."

"Pure genius is what it is!" Caleb yelled out excitedly, "Oh, I hope Lindsey inherits some of her genius… wait, maybe I don't. I don't want her to out-smart us!" His eyes widened in a dramatic manner, drawing giggles from all of us. "Oh, the perils of being a parent." He whined before stomping away theatrically, Lauren trailing after him whilst shaking her head in mock irritation.

His jovial manner was a nice break from the seriousness of the conversation we were having. I could feel the anger swirling, slowly building in the pit of my stomach at the actions of the elder Vampires. They were willing to sacrifice the life of an eight-year-old girl for the sake of power, an eight-year-old girl that they had then forced into the Crown and then interim-King position, yet still expected total submission and obedience. How was I supposed to continue serving under such a heartless bastard? I couldn't help but wonder if my father would have done the same thing, had he been King and Tim or I had been killed.

"Ari? Are you okay?" Calliope's soft voice burst the dark bubble I had surrounded myself in. I snapped out of my daze and met her concerned gaze. "I know it's a lot to take in, but Terri's alive. She's alive and she's doing an amazing job. She's shown her true strength as a leader and she's done an incredible job of telling her father to 'fuck off' in the most passive way possible."

I giggled at her words and a wide grin crossed her face. I marvelled at the way she could lighten my mood no matter how grave or unbelievable the situation seemed to be. My giggles faded as I studied her intensely, from her wide expressive eyes, to the soft slope of her nose, down to her full red lips. I could spend the rest of my life looking at this woman. I thought, and before I knew it the words had slipped out. "Marry me."

"W-what?" Her eyes widened in surprise as her breath caught.

I was frozen as my mind chose to blank out in this moment, leaving me stuck in my deer in headlights expression. Well… I didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Arizona, what did you say?" She urged again. I cleared my throat quickly; even though I hadn't meant to say it out loud it didn't mean I didn't want it, and I needed to tell her as such.

"Okay, so I didn't mean to say that out loud, but it doesn't mean I don't want it. And it's not a bad thing… Unless… you don't want to?" I had started to ramble in my nervousness and when I saw the light in her eyes dimming I quickly gathered as much of my wandering brain as I could. I grabbed her hand and placed a quick kiss on the back of it before dropping down to one knee in front of her. Okay, so maybe I didn't have a ring, but it didn't mean I could skip the rest of the traditions right?

"Marry me. When this is all over and we kick Hades' ass. Marry me. I want to be bonded to you, with you for the rest of eternity. I love you so much, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Whenever I think of my present, my past and future, you're always in it and I wouldn't have it any other way. I want you; no I need you in my life. So, Calliope Torres, will you marry me?"

She gasped as she raised her free hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes as she stared at me, completely speechless.

"I know I don't have a ring, and this is pretty sudden. But I really, really, really want to spend forever with you, and I hope you do too." I added, giving my most sincere and honest smile as tears started to well up as my emotions started to take a hold of me.

Seconds felt like hours as they slowly ticked by in silence. My smile started to slip as Calliope stared at me silently as her tears trailed down her cheeks. Was it too soon? Maybe she didn't want a marriage? But we were bonded, and soul mates, that was pretty much a marriage… Maybe she just didn't want anyone outside of the Kingdom to know of our relationship?

Doubt started to cloud my mind and I was so distracted by said doubts that I didn't even notice Calliope move as she took a step closer and pulled me to my feet before crashing her lips onto mine in a heated kiss. Her hand slipped into my hair as the other broke free of my grasp and joined the other in my hair. My hands automatically wrapped around her waist as I pulled her even closer, subconsciously whimpering when our bodies came into contact. I felt her tongue slip into my mouth drawing a moan from me and before I completely lost my mind, I pulled back slightly leaning my forehead onto hers. We were both panting, breathless from our intense kiss.

"So… That's a yes?" I smiled hopefully at her as she rolled her eyes playfully. She leaned forward and placed a lighter kiss onto my lips before pulling back and staring into my eyes.

"Yes. A million times, yes." I let out a loud shout of joy as I lifted her up and spun her around, ignoring her light hearted squeals of protest.

"I love you." I whispered against her lips when I finally placed her back down and leaned in for another kiss.

"I love you too." We both leaned in an initiated another kiss, one that was filled with all of our love and our passion, before the sounds of clapping caught our attention. We broke apart to see Caleb and Lauren standing a couple of feet away from us with huge grins on their faces.

"So I guess congratulations are in order?" Caleb teased. "Or would you like some more 'alone time' to 'celebrate'?" He winked, earning a shove from his wife.

"Ignore him." Lauren smiled apologetically, "Congratulations to you both, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're almost there."

I took a look at my surroundings and felt the familiar scent of vampires filtering into my mind. How had I not noticed how close we were to home? I had become so lost in my earlier thoughts that I had completely missed the signs. I briefly wondered if anyone had heard our earlier conversation about Zeus and Terri, but brushed it off. The truth eventually would come out, so it didn't matter.

I pulled away from Calliope, but kept our hands linked, as we entered the final barriers separating our lands from the forest.

Home sweet home I guess?

Aria p.o.v

I stormed through the hallways in search of my other half, the sounds of Lexie's sobs still echoing heavily in my mind. It wasn't fair; she deserved to be happy too. I reached the doors to her office and burst in without knocking, shocking the two soldiers who were currently reporting to Terri. Terri, on the other hand, didn't seem too fazed by my appearance or my entrance; in fact she seemed to be expecting me.

"You may leave now." Terri spoke lowly to the two soldiers who saluted and left obediently, stopping briefly to eye me curiously before bowing their heads slightly at me. The moment they were gone, I slammed the door closed and swiftly made my way up to her table.

"You need to break the bond with Lexie." I demanded.

She arched a brow at me, leaning back on her chair, as an amused smirk appeared. "Why would I do that?"

"This is serious, I'm not joking. She's so dedicated to that damned promise she made to you on that day that she's hurting herself!" My emotions were all over the place, and the fact that I could sense her completely cool and calm emotions set me off even more.

"To become a blood-sister is a big deal for anyone. The trust and respect one has to have for another to even approach the idea is unthinkable, and the fact that she has bonded with a Royal? The Crown? That is the greatest honour you could place on anyone, Aria." She levelled her eyes at me, irritation radiating off of her in waves at the suggestion that the blood bond with Lexie was a burden rather than an honour. "So I ask again, why would I do that?"

"She rejected Mark." I blurted and she tilted her head curiously. "Lexie said she wanted Mark to focus on the battle and not her, considering that fact that unless you die, she won't. She can't bear to lose Mark, to watch him die, so she'd rather turn him away than have him close and then get ripped apart."

"She's right." I was shocked by the lack of concern in her voice. Did she not understand what I was trying to say? Doesn't she care?

"W-what?"

"Mark is…" She tilted her head from side to side, as if she was carefully choosing her next words. "Emotional." She smirked at me, amused by her own thoughts. "He cares about everyone, as seen by his protectiveness of Callie and Addison. But it also means he'll be easily distracted, as Lexie stated. If he doesn't have to spend all of his time worrying about others, he might survive this war."

"What about Lexie? What about how she feels?" I demanded, the anger was building rapidly and I was losing the battle against my emotions. How could she be so heartless?

"What of her?" She questioned.

I slammed my hands onto her table loudly in frustration and the amusement left her as anger flashed in her eyes briefly before she quickly masked her emotions. "This isn't funny!"

She sighed heavily as she stood up and made her way to the other side of her desk, stopping in front of me and placing her hands on my shoulders. "Aria, I love you, but you need to understand that we are at war. We can afford to have any baggage holding us back."

"What about us? Arizona and Callie? Addison and Teddy? We're all allowed to be happy, but she's not?"

"We're already bonded and I know that you can handle yourself. I trust that you'll know when to retreat and when to advance. The same applies to Arizona and Callie, the bond between Royals automatically mean power. You and Callie are already stronger than all of our Generals; it's just a matter of accessing that power. We don't have to worry about your safety. And Teddy is a soldier, she knows the costs of war, and I believe that she understands that relationships are not for the battlefield."

"She might, but what about Addison?"

"I've seen Addison fight, and even though she worries about Teddy during our practice matches, when we have are real spars she shuts off that part and focuses on the battle, only the battle. Besides, Addison and Teddy are partners, and they'll have each other's back. Just like you and I, and Arizona and Callie. That means we know how to work with each other without holding the other back or becoming a burden. Mark and Lexie, however, are not, nor will they ever be partners. They're not even on the same level anymore, he'll only become her burden and end up causing her more guilt than pain."

I brushed her hands off of me and shoved her back; the fire burned through me so quickly and before I knew it, there was a loud resounding smack and a stinging sensation coming from my raised hand. "She's breaking her own fucking heart because of you, and you don't even care! You've become this…this… disgusting and unrecognisable person, and for what? The Court? The Clan? Zeus?" I spat each word laced heavily with hatred. I knew it was wrong, but The Court, the Clan and Zeus were quickly becoming the reasons for my family and friends breaking apart. "You say you're doing all of this for survival, but in the end it won't matter if you're alive or not if you have no one left by your side! What's the point in saving everyone if you end up with everyone hating you?"

She tried to calm me down, but I pushed her back and slapped her again. "Don't touch me!" Her eyes firmly on me, but there was no surprise or shock, there was something else instead, but I couldn't figure it out, not in my current state. "You're treating Lexie exactly the same way the Court did to you! You're taking away her freedom and turning her into a soldier. You owe her, Teresa. She stood by you when everyone else walked away, she willingly followed you and died because of you."

"And that's why I'm protecting her." She growled out.

"That's not called protecting! You're taking away her happiness and you're turning her into a heartless, killing, ruthless monster! You're turning her into…" My eyes widened as I failed to stop the word from escaping. "You." The tension in the room was so thick you could almost feel it on your skin. She was silent, eerily so, and I could feel all my earlier bravado and anger slipping away as fear slipped into my mind. I had pretty much just dug my own grave, so I may as well finish it. I took a deep breath and prayed my next words didn't sound as shaky as I felt. "I'll never forgive you if you hurt Lexie. She doesn't deserve this."

I tensed up when she took a step forward, but she walked straight passed me and sat down on the couch behind me. "Why would I care? I'm a heartless monster, remember?" I flinched, hearing my own words being thrown at me.

"Terri…"

"No." I shut up instantly at the deadly tone in her voice. "You don't understand Aria. Lexie is at her strongest when she fights alone, she's better when she doesn't have to worry about anyone or anything. When she shuts off the world, and her emotions, and when she taps into the persona that she and I created, she's unstoppable." Her fists her clenching with every word, eyes focused firmly on the table in front of her, as anger poured off of her in waves. I had never seen her so angry, not with me.

"Mark could be a great warrior, an amazing one. But he needs to focus on what's ahead and not what's around him. He needs to focus on the enemy and not what is happening to his allies. As long as his attention isn't split, he'll come out fine. Bruised and wounded, maybe, but he'll be alive." She picked up the jug that was on the table and poured herself a glass of water, trying to keep her hands busy and to calm herself. She took a sip of water before her eyes snapped up to me and I froze, afraid to move.

"All of us, every single soldier in this manor, have been trained to fight. They can take care of themselves, not that they'll enter the fray with us. The only ones entering Hades' stronghold, other than the usual suspects, are the Agents. And they're the best of the best, with power equivalent to the Generals. So trust me when I say that they can handle themselves and won't need us saving them all the time. Even so, they are prepared to die. Everyone is, they're soldiers for fuck sake!"

"But Mark and Lexie-"

"As long as they stay alive, they have a chance at being together!" The glass in her hand shattered and cut into her hand, making me jump, as she growled out a low 'dammit'. I quickly made my way over to her and grabbed at her hand.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. Her chuckle was my answer and I looked up at her in question.

"I've been wondering where you've been hiding." The confusion remained and she laughed even more. "The fiery and passionate person I met at SGMW? You changed and adapted to become the perfect mate to the Crown, but it meant you had to hide away who you really were. Not that I'm complaining of course. The confident, cocky and authoritative persona you usually display? It's beyond hot, but I've missed the person who would protest my decisions, the person who would assert her position by me, making sure it was understood that you belonged with me and not to me. I guess it was only a matter of time before all that supressed temper and shit erupted."

I sighed in defeat. She was right. Ever since I became her mate I've been trying to portray myself in a calm, confident, elegant and gracious manner, making sure that I was seen as someone worthy of being the Crown's mate. All traces of my temper, my stubbornness, and my sarcastic demeanour were packed tightly away in the corner of my mind. I supposed getting it out now and to her was better than losing it later to someone like Zeus. I looked at her cheek and saw the redness lingering behind, causing guilt to settle in my stomach. I placed my hand against her cheek and rubbed gently.

"I'm sorry, Terri, I really am."

"It's fine. I'd rather you explode at me than anyone else, I can take it and not take offence at anything you say." From the look in her eyes, I knew it was a lie and that my earlier comment about her being a monster had hit a nerve. Before I could comment on it any further, she spoke up again. "But you do need to understand, Aria, that there are some things that I can't be swayed on."

"Lexie being one of those things?" I asked, getting a nod in reply. My eyes closed in resignation. I was disappointed, but both Lexie and Terri were confident and adamant that nothing was going to be done until after the war. I was outnumbered. "Fine, now let me have a look at your hand."

"No." I peeked one eye open at the petulant reply and smirk when I saw her pout. "It hurts." She whined. "Besides, it'll heal up just fine."

"Maybe, but you have glass embedded in it." My brow arched and I was thankful for the break from the earlier tension. A smirk crossed my lips as I narrowed my eyes playfully at her and lowered my voice. "There are some things I can't be swayed on, and your health is one of them."

Her eyes widened in surprise as laughter erupted. "Oh, I do love you." She choked out between laughs and leaned in for a kiss, which I was more than happy to grant.

"I love you too, so very much."

Arizona p.o.v

The Court was tense, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I stood before the throne, waiting for the King's arrival, struggling to gather my thoughts, to keep myself sane enough to confront him. Caleb and Lauren were absent from this meeting, as expected, so I looked over to Calliope for support and she smiled warmly at me.

"You'll be fine, you just need to tell him what the Leaders want. It's not like it's your fault." She said.

"I know, but Zeus is never gonna see it that way. Why can't I just let Terri report back to him?" I whined childishly to Calliope, whilst trying to keep my composure on the outside.

"Because Arizona, this was your task. You've gotta put your big girl pants on now." I narrowed my eyes at her teasing smirk and looked away from her. I met Tim's gaze instead and he gave me a wide grin and two thumbs up as encouragement.

All further discussions were halted when Zeus appeared with Elizabeth and Richard trailing behind him. We all bowed down to one knee with our right hands over our chests as we approached, we then rose as he sat down and he turned his eyes to me expectantly.

"Artemis, what is the verdict?"

"T-The…uh… The other Leaders welcome the idea of the United Council…" I started hesitantly, and I could hear the sighs of relief and approvals from the Elders and Generals. "…However…"

"However?" Zeus prompted.

"They have a condition. They said that if you are unable to accept or fulfil that condition, then all ideas and hopes of the United Council will be scrapped."

His brow arched in question before his eyes flashed dangerously. "They dare blackmail me? It is a complete joke, if they think that I will fall without their help."

"My Lord," My dad stepped forward and bowed his head quickly as Zeus acknowledged his interruption. "Whilst we may not need the aid of the other Clans, having their help will be beneficial to everyone. We can learn from each other and it will make our battles against Hades and his Hybrid army a lot smoother."

Zeus nodded in agreement before turning his attention back onto me. "Name their condition, Artemis."

"They…" I faltered as the fear of Zeus caught up to me. Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention and I noticed Aria was pulling at Terri's hand. Terri on the other hand had focused her gaze to the front of the room, beyond Zeus, but she had a smirk on her face, completely ignoring Aria's attempts to get her attention. Realisation dawned upon me when I saw her intentional avoidance. She's leaving me to fend for myself! No… She's testing me, my resolve; this is my chance to prove myself to the Court. This is my show now.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to centre myself before I steeled my nerves and reopened my eyes. "They want Athena to stand on the United Council as the representative of our Clan."

I could hear gasps before the room settled into a deafening silence. Zeus' eyes were deadly as they stared at me, almost as if he was willing me to combust, though I wouldn't be surprised if he succeeded.

"This is a joke!" He roared, making me jump at the unexpected volume and tone. "What makes you think Athena deserves to stand as the Leader of my Clan?"

"My Lord," my father started cautiously, but was cut off instantly by a glare.

"No, I will not accept the conditions." He insisted. "Athena will never stand on the United Council so long as I am alive." His body was tense and his fists were clenched tightly as he slammed it onto the arms of his throne. "I refuse!"

You don't really have a choice. I thought bitterly, and slightly annoyed by his arrogance and complete disregard of the Clan's safety.

"Arizona…" My mother whispered, voice filled with shock and my eyes widened when I realised that I had actually spoken out loud. My eyes shot over to my friends and Calliope, and I saw that they all had the same look of shock at my audacity. I then landed on Aria, who was smirking at me, and Terri, whose body was trembling slightly as she fought valiantly to hold in her laughter.

Well…Shit. I really didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Is there something you would like to add, Artemis?" Zeus asked sarcastically and I turned my attention back to him.

Do or die, Arizona. Here goes nothing.

"I said 'you don't really have a choice'. The only way the other Leaders will join us is if Athena leads, and you know better than anyone that we need the other Clans to join us, if we wish to emerge victorious." I spoke with as much confidence as I could muster, trying to hold in my irritation and annoyance at the King, my King. In the back of my mind I could feel Artemis' presence, hear her voice goading me on.

"Go on Arizona! Tell him how you really feel, no holding back! This is your chance to shine!"

I groaned inwardly at the gleeful tone she possessed. "Not now Artemis, please."

"Oh come on! You're trembling like a leaf, let me out and I'll let him have it!" She was like a dog with a bone, refusing to let go of this apparent 'golden hour'.

"We do not need anyone! We can do fine just on our own!" He roared.

"We're not fine at all!" I shot back. "How many soldiers did we lose when Lucas got loose? He wasn't even a proper Hybrid, and we'd lost hundreds of soldiers. If it wasn't because of the Randall Clan, Lana and Erica helping us, we wouldn't have even been able to defeat him!"

"We managed just fine. And if I remember correctly, it was your father who took down Lucas Randall."

"But he wouldn't have been able to without their help. How many Hybrids to you think we can each take down? How many Hybrids do you think Hades has? We won't survive this without the other Clans help!" Why didn't he get it? How many of our soldiers is he willing to sacrifice unnecessarily?

"Poseidon managed just fine and he will be even better with the added help from the serum. We're almost able to perfect the serum to suit our bodies, so we'll be fine." He sneered at me, enraged by my insolence.

"Almost isn't good enough! Erica has already successfully modified the serum, and Terri has already tested it on me, but that's not the point. We can avoid unnecessary deaths if we have their help."

"We've managed this far without their help, they do not get to make demands from us."

Seriously? Seriously? What the hell? The anger had hit its boiling point and I lost the fight against it… or rather I stopped fighting it. Oh fuck it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I screamed, ignoring the warnings from my parents and Lucia. "You might not care about the lives of the soldiers, but I sure as hell do! You're the one who has no rights to make demands, Zeus. You abandoned the Court twenty years ago, no warning or notice or anything. You just up and left whenever you felt like it and returned as though nothing had happened, and yet, you still expect us to bow and submit to you when you decide to come back?"

"I did not abandon the Court! I left to experiment with the serum. I gambled with my life to ensure that we would survive!" He protested with a growl. "And it wasn't twenty years, Artemis, I left twelve years ago." He added unnecessarily, almost as an afterthought.

"You may not have fully abandoned the Court until twelve years ago, but after Tobias and the Queen were killed, you left everything to Terri! You left the Court to an eight-year-old girl whilst you spent everyday 'researching' and beating the crap out of Terri when you 'weren't happy with her methods'. She picked up your mess and turned it into something we could use!"

"How dare you!" His aura started to crackle slightly around his tense body as he began to rise from his throne, but I was on a roll now and I couldn't stop.

"No, sit down, shut up and listen! We wouldn't need to ask for the other Clans' help if you hadn't destroyed the peace between us in the first place. That's on you, and the only reason the other Leaders were willing to overlook that issue and cast away their prejudices is because Erica offered her life, her freedom, in an attempt to placate them. Erica! Erica Hahn! They don't trust you and they don't have a reason to, you executed thousands of their people without justifiable cause, all on the word of Hades. And instead of owning up to making a mistake, you ignored it. You pretended that you weren't wrong, you refused to accept fault and then you ran! You ran away and left the Court to deal with your mess, to deal with the hostility from the other Clans."

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, it occurred to me that Zeus could probably put me to death for this, but I'd had enough of him. His disrespect to everything Terri and the Court had done for him, his avoidance of my parents' suffering. Hell, he didn't even try to save them. No, that was all on Terri, she saved them, she saved Tim, and she saved me.

"You want to know why the Leaders chose Athena, why they chose Terri? Because she was willing to sacrifice herself for others, regardless of their species, she offered them help and assistance without ever once asking for anything in return or using it to blackmail or control them. She's earned their trust after you shattered everything. You and your damned pride wouldn't let you own up to your mistakes or even try to fix the relations with them, but Terri's does. She gives without second thought. She doesn't do it for control or power; she does it out of the goodness of her heart. She's sacrificed enough for you, because of you, and I'll be damned if I let you push all of that away." I paused to take a breath before I went for the killing blow as I all but growled out, "She's more of a King than you'll ever be."

"Arizona, that's enough." My father warned lowly, but I ignored him. I might as well get everything out whilst I still can.

"You're all so focused on that fucking prophecy and the ones who hold the 'Power of the New World', why don't you start listening to them?"

"And what makes you think you have the authority to make me do anything?" Zeus sneered at me, completely unimpressed.

A quick glance to Aria and an answering nod was all I needed as I saw her eyes emit a golden hue.

"Because of this." I pulled the collar of my shirt away, revealing the mark of the Crown that started to glow, before the crest of the 'New World' replaced it.

"You…" He stared at the crest in wonder before he growled unhappily under his breath.

I arched a brow at his response. "I don't know why you're so surprised. You knew that Athena was one of the prophesized three; the other available candidates were Tim, Erica and myself. Unless…" I stared at Zeus for a while, recognising the envy, disappointment and defeat, when I finally understood his reaction. "Wait, you didn't really think that you were a part of this prophecy did you?" His silence was my reply and I scoffed in disbelief. How anyone could be so egotistical and so full of themselves is beyond me.

"Artemis, the prophecy told of power. When we discovered that it meant three separate people with the same bloodline, we'd all assumed that they would be direct bloodline, i.e. father-son. When Athena was uncovered as one of the three, it was natural to assume that Zeus was another." My father explained carefully, his voice was soft as he tried to soothe away my current irritation and annoyance with his brother.

"That's bullshit! You all originally thought it was the three sons of Cronus." I argued. "And you, Zeus, you may be 'King' for now, but that does not mean that our Clan revolves around you. You are not crucial to our Clan's existence." Okay, so that was totally uncalled for, but enough was enough. Zeus' stupid alpha male attitude was seriously pissing me off and someone needed to tell him that.

"If Athena and you are part of the power, then does that mean that the third is…" My mother asked lightly as her eyes drifted over to Tim.

"Erica." I answered immediately, no point delaying the inevitable. The disgruntled response I received from the Court was expected, but like I said, inevitable. They didn't really have a choice. "So you were all correct to assume that the three were associated to the three sons of Cronus." I added in a patronising tone.

"Regardless of the prophecy." Zeus' booming voice demanded attention and obedience. "I am still currently the one who sits upon this throne, and I refuse to accept the conditions."

"Fine." I answered with an arrogant smirk, all traces of fear and hesitancy gone as my confidence grew. "We'll settle this like we did before: with a vote." I walked over and pulled Terri to the centre of the room as I faced the Court. "All those in favour of the Leaders' conditions of Athena standing on the United Council, raise your hands."

Aria, Tim, Lexie, Calliope, and Alex's hands shot up immediately. Mark, Addison, Thalia and Clio were next, and after some hesitancy, the Generals and Elders, barring Lucia, Elizabeth and Richard, all raised their hands in support. Theia looked thoughtful for a moment before she also raised her hand, Helios following suit. My parents looked stunned and at a loss for words, so I quickly moved on before anyone could protest.

"And those in favour of Zeus' choice to reject the condition, to reject the United Council; those against Athena leading, raise your hands." I made sure I used his name rather than title, because right now, it was a contest for the position of 'King', and I ensured everyone was aware of the fact.

Everyone's hands dropped quickly and after a minute or so, there were still no movements. I smiled at the results and glanced at Terri, whose eyes were shining with mirth, as she stared at me with a raised brow.

"Checkmate." Terri's amused voice filtered into my mind as I glanced around the room, seeing the amused faces of the Court, amazed stares from my friends, the proud grin from Calliope, the impressed smirk from Lexie and the victorious, but low, giggle from Aria.

"I learned from the best." I shot her a wink and a cheeky grin in reply and I could hear her laughter echoing in my head.

We both turned back to Zeus and upon seeing his scowling face at yet another lost argument against us, I grinned brightly at him.

"The Court has spoken, my Lord."