A/N: Hello darlings! A special thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story! You all are lovely!
Even though the 3A finale was last night, this isn't the last chapter (until January). There was too much stuff to smush into one chapter, so I've split it into two, which of course means a slight cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. I just couldn't resist. However, that means another Friday update, yay!
Jason (Guest): To answer your first question: what Neris was seeing in the woods isn't what she and Lydia saw in the fire at the motel. The being in the fire in the motel parking lot was the Darach. Neris is seeing someone completely different, and it's expanded on in this chapter. As for your second question: I watch Teen Wolf on MTV, and later on the MTV website for getting the dialogue right in the story.
Phoebe Nixon: One of the best things about Neris being a siren is that I can be really flexible with the mythology there. With all the others, I have to stick to the canon - which is fun to slightly shape to fit my story, but at the same time it's fun to play with the siren mythology. And I couldn't resist throwing a Buffy reference in there! I'm glad you caught that!
And a special thanks to heartlessyukiXD, xXbriannaXx, narusakulove97, and LynZann for your lovely reviews as well!
Stay gold, my lovelies!
Neris opened her eyes, nearly blinded by the brightness, to find a courtyard of white marble, with multicolored glass tiles lining the ground. Vines, bushes and flowers in their vibrancy grew all around; the trickling of the large fountain in the center of the courtyard was the only source of noise.
"How is this possible?" Neris wondered aloud as she looked around.
It was the underworld. Life shouldn't be possible in the realm of the dead. There were only two gods that could summon a siren – Hades and Poseidon – and the pomegranate color her veins turned was a big enough clue to tell Neris it was Hades who was summoning her. Pomegranates were his signature. Why then was she surrounded by so much life if she was supposed to be in the underworld?
"This garden belongs to my wife," a deep voice came from behind her.
Neris turned around swiftly to find the man she saw earlier standing before her, still dressed in the suit he was wearing in the forest.
"Persephone," Neris offered. "That means you're Hades." Her eyes roamed over his clothing, "I kind of expected you to be wearing…"
"A toga?" Hades chuckled. "We gods may be ancient and eternal, but our fashion choices don't have to reflect that."
"Right," she replied, unsure. "So….um, you Summoned me."
"I did," he nodded. "Things have been set in motion ever since your friend Scott was bitten. You are all linked together; you, Scott, Stiles, and even Allison. And that journey is not yet over; in fact, it has barely begun."
"Linked together? Are you talking about the sacrifice – the one they're doing right now? But what does that have to do with me?"
"While they are momentarily dead in their tubs of ice, you are lying dead nearby." Hades told her. "It's the only way to bring you to my realm. I had to bring you here at the precise moment they died."
"But why?" Neris pressed. "Why me?"
Hades paused briefly before answering, "You know of Hecate, I presume."
"The goddess of magic, crossroads and the harvest moon." Neris answered. "She's the one who granted the sirens the ability to pass between the mortal realm and the underworld."
"And, in doing so, engendered the transformation to the Harpy," he finished. "But that's not all she's associated with. Dogs, aconite, and the dead to name a few. And, the most pertinent one to your summons here: she is the guardian of entrances."
"Entrances," Neris repeated. "You mean the Nematon?"
"Maybe," he answered. "Or maybe I mean the things that are going to enter Beacon Hills because it's been reawakened."
"Well, which is it?" She asked, but was met only with a knowing smile. "So, what? You bring me here to give me more questions?"
"It's not my job to give you the answers," he told her, "it's my job to give you the tools to find them yourself."
"Tools? Okay, now I'm really confused."
"Scott's pack is a rare thing," Hades began. "A beta – with the potential to be a true Alpha – in a pack with a siren and two humans, a werewolf that floats from one pack to another, and now a banshee joining the ranks. A true Alpha is a rare thing in and of itself, but add in all the other elements and you run the risk of receiving some unwanted attention."
"From who?" Neris pressed.
"That I cannot tell you," he replied, "but I can tell you that something is coming to Beacon Hills that you and your friends have not seen before. You will face another killer, and next time your combined skills may not be enough to defeat it."
"So the tools you're going to give me to help…I don't understand what that means."
"Hold out your arm," he commanded gently.
"Why?" She asked, though she held out her right arm regardless. "What are you going to do?"
Hades didn't answer, merely grabbing the flesh just above her wrist tightly. Neris gasped in pain, wincing as a searing sensation stabbed at her skin. When he pulled away, Neris looked down and saw he had left behind an image. A circle enclosing a serpentine maze with three main arms, which in turn were situated around a central, fiery spiral; it was the Strophalos – Hecate's wheel. It stared back at her, angry and red against her pale flesh.
"What the hell is this for?" She demanded.
"Do you know how Jennifer was able to turn you human?" Hades questioned.
"I have my theories," Neris pursed her lips as she gingerly held her aching wrist. "She infused the telluric currents with spiritual energy to draw from when she needed – skills of the warrior, restoration from the healers, and so on – and used that energy to cut off my connection with the spirit world, effectively turning me human."
"That's more than just a theory," Hades grinned. "And it's also something that cannot happen again."
"So, what? This is supposed to protect me?" She looked down at the mark. "You essentially brand me to keep me from turning human again? Don't you think that's overkill?
"It's not just to prevent the loss of your power, Neris. It's to add to them as well. Your friend Kaeho won't remain in Beacon Hills for long; once he's completed his task, he'll return to New Zealand. That leaves you and your friends without his special talents. That's what the mark is for."
"Let me see if I understand this. Because Kaeho's going to do whatever it is his teachers sent him here to do and leave once he's done, you've given me some degree of magical abilities to help defend me and my friends against the thing or things that are coming to Beacon Hills."
"Precisely," he nodded, "The mark will grant you basic telekinetic abilities, as well as limited atmoskinesis. But there is one more thing you should be aware of. Accepting the mark and the powers that come with it comes with a price."
"But I didn't accept it; you grabbed my hand and burned it onto me." Neris argued.
"I had to. By accepting it, it becomes permanent. If not, it heals and fades away."
"Oh," she replied lamely. "Well, what's the price?"
Hades sighed, "All that I can tell you is that something will be sacrificed."
"I thought we were supposed to end the sacrifices."
"Not the sacrifices of the Darach," he informed her. "A personal sacrifice."
"I take it you don't mean self-sacrifice, do you?" Neris asked, receiving only silence as an answer. "So, if I accept these powers, I'll be able to protect my friends and the people in Beacon Hills better, but I'll lose something or someone."
"Precisely."
She paused. "And that doesn't count as the sacrifice, does it?"
"I'm afraid not," he told her.
Neris drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I accept."
/
"Stop saying you can't tell us anything!" Kaeho shouted. "Neris is dead and all you can say is 'for now'. I mean, what the hell does that mean?"
"Kaeho, maybe you should take a step back," Lydia cautioned, trying to calm him down.
"Take a step back?" Kaeho turned to face her. "Lydia, have you looked at her?"
Lydia's eyes flickered momentarily to Neris' body. The red veins were still there, undulating slightly under the surface. She had been lying motionless on the examination table for nine hours – nine hours that Kaeho and Isaac had spent trying to get Dr. Deaton to give them a clue as to what was happening to her.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Deaton told them. "If there was something I could tell you to help you understand, I would, but what Neris is going through is something that sirens are very protective of. It's a secret they allow very few others know about."
"But she's dead," Isaac argued. "Her heart isn't beating, she's not breathing, Lydia can't even look at her, and you're acting as if she's going to wake up any second."
A soft, choked breath interrupted them, and they turned around to Neris. The veins were receding, tailing downwards as she gasped, pulling breath back into her body. Both Isaac and Kaeho started to rush to her side, but Deaton shoved them away before they could reach her.
"Breath slowly," he coached, helping her sit up.
She sniffed, tears pricking the edges of her eyes as her breathing steadied. "That was worse than transportation through the underworld," she confessed.
"Neris, you were in the underworld." Deaton told her gently.
She chuckled lightly, "You know what I mean."
"You were in the underworld?" Isaac asked, stepping closer.
"Uh, yeah," she answered meekly. "Um, long story short: I met Hades and he gave me…certain abilities."
"Abilities?" Kaeho repeated. "Like what?"
"Just basic skills I'll need when you leave." She turned to Isaac, "Can we go outside? I think I need some fresh air."
"Yeah, of course," he nodded.
The pair walked out to the parking lot, the cool breeze nipping at the exposed bits of skin.
"You don't really need fresh air, do you?" Isaac asked knowingly as he closed the door behind him.
Neris laughed softly, "No. I just, uh – I just wanted to talk with you. Alone."
He paused, studying her. "Something's wrong." When she averted her gaze from his, something clicked. "Wait, you're not – you don't think we should break up, do you?"
"Yeah," she admitted, finally looking at him, "actually, I do."
"What? I don't – that doesn't make any sense." He argued. "Where is this coming from? Have you just suddenly stopped loving me?" At those words, he paled slightly, taking a small step back. "Do you not love me anymore?"
"I don't."
"You're lying," he accused, pointing a finger at her heart. "You're lying; I heard your heartbeat skip. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I think it's the best for both of us." She admitted, wiping away an escaped tear from the corner of her eye. "I mean, you clearly have a thing for Allison, and I don't think I can handle having a boyfriend anymore. Not after everything that's happened."
"Neris, I – " He began, his voice catching.
"Don't try to force this, Isaac." She whispered. "We haven't been happy. We haven't been happy for a long time, and after all this death we deserve to be happy. For some reason you have an emotional connection with Allison, and I think that's a good thing, because you'll have someone there for you."
"So, what, you've just decided this?" He questioned. "You've decided to end something that we've worked so hard to get and I'm just supposed to be okay with it?"
"No, you're not supposed to be okay with it. I'm not okay with it! But that doesn't change the fact that this isn't what it used to be and it's not working. So, I'm ending it." Neris replied, her voice hitching as tears began spilling down her cheeks.
Isaac didn't respond. He cast her a look that was full of anger, betrayal, sadness and confusion, and shook his head as he reentered the clinic.
Neris had no doubt that he would tell the others what had transpired between them, and that Kaeho would want even more answers now, but all Neris wanted at that moment was to be alone. She would face the others when she was ready.
/
Scott, Stiles and Allison woke many hours later, gasping deeply as they sat up in their tubs of ice water. The water that had been in the tub was now sloshing across the floor beside them as they jolted out of the now lukewarm water.
Neris had been sitting with Kaeho, Deaton and Lydia in the examination room waiting for this very moment. Isaac – who had sequestered himself in another part of the clinic – came running back in the room as soon as he heard the commotion.
"I saw it. I know where it is," Scott quickly related as he stepped out of the water.
"We passed it. There's— there's a stump, this huge tree." Stiles added, climbing out of his tub as well. "Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big."
"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott told them.
"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter."
"I was there too, in the car with my mother." Allison interjected, standing hunched over beside her own tub. "We almost hit someone."
"It was me. You almost hit me." Scott informed her, and Allison breathed out sharply at the revelation. Scott turned to the others, "We can find it."
But then he noticed the less-than-thrilled expressions of their faces. In fact, they looked more concerned and slightly defeated if anything.
"What?" Allison questioned.
"You guys were out a long time." Isaac told them.
"How long is a long time?" Stiles pressed.
"16 hours." Deaton replied.
"We've been in the water for 16 hours?" Scott asked incredulously.
"And the full moon rises in less than four." Deaton finished.
"We know where they are, and getting you guys to track them will be the easy part," Kaeho spoke to the wolves. "But Jennifer's still out there and she's not going to give up her sacrifices easily."
"Not to mention the Alpha pack," Neris added. "They're chomping at the bit to kill her, and to get Scott in their pack."
"But what if the only way we can do this is with their help," Scott speculated.
"We tried that, Scott," Neris shook her head. "They're batshit crazy and too self-involved to actually care what happens to the kidnapped parents. I don't care what Deucalion promised."
"But what about what I promised," he replied.
"No, dude, you are not going back with them." Stiles lectured.
"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott replied simply.
"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles questioned the rest of the room.
"Why does it matter, anyway?" Isaac wondered aloud from his place beside Allison.
"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help."
"He trusts you more than anyone." Allison beseeched Deaton. "Tell him he's wrong."
"I'm not so sure he is." Deaton replied, to the shock of everyone. "Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."
"So we're gonna trust him," Isaac began, "the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy?"
"I wouldn't trust him, no." Deaton told him. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."
As they were contemplating Deaton's suggestion, a noise came from the front of the clinic. The chiming of the front door's bell accompanied its opening – even though no one should be coming to the clinic this late. Deaton stepped out to see who it was, the teens trailing behind.
"I'm looking for Lydia." Ethan spoke.
Lydia stepped out beside Deaton, with Scott and Neris behind them.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I need your help." He confessed.
"With what?" Stiles interrogated as he stepped out.
"Stopping my brother and Kali...From killing Derek."
/
As Lydia went with Ethan to Derek's loft, the remaining teens went their separate ways. Scott, Allison and Isaac went to Allison's apartment to grab something with Mr. Argent's scent on it for the wolves to track, and Stiles, Neris and Kaeho travelled to the Stilinski house to do the same.
"Scott, I don't know what to get," Stiles was telling Scott over the phone.
He, Neris and Kaeho were rummaging through the drawers and closet in his dad's room. However, much of his clothes were freshly laundered or mixed in with Stiles' laundry in the laundry room. Stiles had placed the phone on top of his dad's dresser, the call on speaker.
"Just grab anything." Scott replied.
"Anything? Okay, how 'bout my dad's Fruit of the Loom." Stiles suggested.
"Stiles, I'm not smelling your dad's boxers." Scott replied.
"Well then, what about his socks?"
"Socks?" Scott repeated. "Okay, I'll smell the socks."
Stiles hung up the call and grabbed his dad's socks before running to his room.
"Stiles, what are you doing?" Neris called after him.
"Getting this," he answered, emerging with an aluminum bat in hand.
"Another bat? Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well at least this one won't shatter. I hope."
As they walked outside, the wind whipped around them, branches shuddering from the intensity. The three climbed into Stiles' jeep, hoping they could make it to the Preserve before the storm would hit and drown out their parents' scent.
As they raced toward his rendezvous with Scott and the others at the Beacon Hills Preserve, the storm began to pick up and worsen around them. The clouds were rolling and flashing with lightning, deep rumbles following behind.
Though they were nearing the preserve, the storm looked as if it didn't want them to go any further. The wind was rising, and they couldn't see three feet from their car.
"Kaeho?" Neris asked.
"There's nothing I can do," he told her. "When it's this bad, trying to mess with the forces of nature will only make it worse. Especially if it's already magical in nature."
"You think Jennifer's doing this?"
"I wouldn't put it past her."
Stiles squinted and shifted forward in his seat. "Come on," he urged the wind, hoping it would somehow clear up on its own.
Dust and dirt were carried by the wind, blocking the view to the road. A tree branch flew into the windshield, causing Stiles to duck and turn to see what hit him.
"Stiles!" Neris shrieked, pointing ahead of them. "Look out!"
Stiles turned back quickly and saw a tree directly in the path of his jeep, but there was no time to stop. In mere seconds the jeep careened into the truck, jerking the passengers around. As steam rose from the hood of the car, there was silence within.
Neris, Stiles and Kaeho were unconscious, bleeding from superficial wounds to the head as the storm raged on.
