The next morning after signing her new contract, the daughter and younger brother of the Undertaker are sent to the Florida Training Facility to not only continue their training, but to meet the other WWE Divas. Persephone was curious to see her future victims. She was determined to show absolutely no mercy to her opponents and prove that her family is not one to mess with. She vowed to punish the business that kept the two people she loved most away from her pay. The McMahon's want to keep the Family of Destruction close to observe the girl that none of them knew about. What the owner's of the company HATE when their stars hide their personal lives from them.
As Kane leads his niece into the complex, the two of them can feel all of the Superstars and Divas following there every step. The Big Red Monster pulls his precious niece behind him, while glaring at the other competitors, silently telling them to stay clear of them. Soon, the others return to their own workouts.
That is, all but one. Daniel Bryan jogs up to his former tag team partner. "Kane! Buddy! Long time, no see. How have you been?" Bryan extends his hand in greeting. "I didn't realize you had a new girlfriend. She's pretty, but she looks quite a bit younger than you."
Instead of shaking Daniel's hand, the Big Red Machine goozles the shorter man by the throat and pulls him in close, while calmly growling into his ear. "Now that I have your undivided attention, listen and listen well. This is NOT my girlfriend. You and everyone else will find out who she is soon enough. If you wish to remain in my good graces, you will help me keep everyone away from her and sticking their noses in MY business. Understand, Little buddy?"
Daniel Bryan's eyes triple in size. Kane had never flat out threatened him like this before. "I... I... I understand, Kane. Can I at least know her name. You know that will be enough to pacify the others. At least, until her debut."
Kane pauses, still holding the man's throat, contemplating if he should reveal his niece's name. Knowing her name is all he was asking for as payment, and Daniel is correct. Learning her name would satisfy the other athletes. Then again, since when has the Devil's Favorite Demon been about indulging other's wants.
Before he could give a response, the younger woman comes out from behind her protective uncle. "My name is Persephone. I'm sure you realize that since I associate myself with Kane, then you are aware that I could possibly MEAN something to him. If you were smart, you and every one else will leave well enough alone." The princess crosses her arms and glares at the man who is not much taller than herself.
From behind his mask, Kane smirks with pride. He could feel her powers of darkness rise, sees Bryan's eyes widen with fear and intimidation. He and his brother have taught their little princess well in the art of intimidation. What's more is she can back it up as well as the brothers. "You'll do well to heed her warning. Now, if you don't mind, you've made us late of our meeting." Kane releases his former Team Hell No partner and beckons her to follow him to the elevator.
Persephone looks to her uncle. "You partnered with THAT? Who's idea was that?" She stands in the corner of the elevator, simply watching.
"Hunter's. I didn't think he was serious, but he was. Now, whatever you do in this meeting, do NOT interrupt them. The McMahon family takes pleasure in publicly humiliating their employees, and with you being the Undertaker's daughter AND my niece, they will be eager to disgrace you in the middle of that ring." Kane paces in circles of the enclosed space.
"Uncle Kane, do you remember your debut?" Persephone asks with a smile. One, in which he returns.
"Persephone, you know I do. You made me tell it to you enough as a bedtime story when you were little." He chuckles out. Yes, he remembers his debut like it was yesterday.
His older brother was fighting The Heart-Break Kid, Shawn Michaels in the very first Hell in a Cell match. He recalls being a bundle of nerves, not because of his debut, but at the fact that he would be seeing his brother face to face for the first time in over twenty years. How would his brother react? Would he recognize him, even with a mask? He remembers so many questions, but not getting any answers until the night he learned of his niece's existence.
The man who turned out to be his biological father had told Mark that he'd been dead all those years, when he was institutionalized the whole time. He, himself, had been fed so many lies by the same man who lied to his brother. He'd always been told that his big brother hated him and didn't care where he was. He was told the same things over and over for years until he hated his brother, until he obsessed with the plan of Paul Bearer to destroy the Undertaker.
Over the holidays of 2000, he and his big brother had a long talk about the months leading up to and the night of his Phenom hadn't believed his former manager's words that his baby brother was indeed alive until he ripped the steel door from it's hinges, summoning his fire. What solidified for the Lord of Darkness that he was his little brother back to life, was staring into Kane's two-toned eyes. He'd looked into his brother's eyes enough growing up, that he knew this was HIS Kane.
The Big Red Machine believed his brother when he said if he had known that he was alive, he'd come to get him. The elder had his eyes locked with his own, but what really got Kane to believe him, was the way his eyes were watering with regret. It was then they demanded to become a tag team and be brothers in public.
He debut changed ALL of there lives. The Brothers of Destruction finally had a family again. Nothing could bring their parents back, but they had each other again. And the icing on the cake was their little Angel of Darkness. The next generation of the family was secured.
With a ding of the elevator, Kane is brought back to the present. The colossal man looks to his petite counterpart. She is giving him a soft smile. As she matured, they spoke deeper about the various trains of thought surrounding his debut. How her father and uncle treasure that night because their family was reunited after two decades apart. "Come on. He doesn't like to be kept waiting." The Big Red Monster says softly to his niece.
"Do you think they will let Daddy be a part of my debut?" Persephone quickly catches up to her uncle's long strides. That really is the only thing she truly hates about her short stature. She always has to practically run after the two men in her life like a small child.
"If they don't want to invoke your father's wrath, they will." He answers in a low growl. Kane approaches the receptionist, Persephone right beside him, glaring at the woman. The tall, masked man clears his throat, causing the pretty blonde woman to jolt in surprise. "We are here to see Mr. McMahon. Is he available?"
"Yes, Mr. Kane. He's been expecting you." She looks to the daughter of the Deadman. You must be the new athlete! My name is Rachel Cunningham. It's so nice to finally meet you. What's your name?"
"Excuse us, but I'm told Mr. McMahon isn't a fan of being kept waiting." The petite princess nudges her uncle to lead the way into the office to plan the next few months, leading up to her debut.
The Devil's Favorite Demon knocks on Vince's door, opening it upon hearing the enter command. The chairman of the WWE rises from his chair, grinning his cunning smile at the two members of the Family of Destruction. "Kane, Persephone, glad you both arrived safely. Let's move over to the table. Would either of you like a drink?" Vince shakes Kane's hand, but kisses hers.
The Big Red Machine raises an eyebrow under his mask, not liking how his boss was taking such bold liberties with his niece. He and his brother had taken into account the libidos of the male Superstars, but both and forgotten about how Vince likes to exploit his power around the beautiful women. He made a mental note to call his older brother about this latest development. He clears his throat, gaining the elder man's attention. "Water, please, for both of us."
"Right." Mr. McMahon presses the call button. "Rachel, two waters and a Rum Rickie." He barks before back to his on-camera talent. "Now then, Persephone, my dear, have you and your uncle read the terms of your contract in full? Are there any items of it that either of you would like to explain further? I know Kane isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, so I can only assume you have the same mental capacity." He smirks egotistically.
"We may not be the sharpest tools in your shed, but we can still get the job done quicker than you, Mr. McMahon." Persephone quips back after seeing her uncle tilt his head to the side. She has never been afraid to speak her mind, something she intends to continue doing that, no matter who is on the receiving end of her words. Most of her personality development happened during the height of the Attitude Era.
Her uncle snaps his head towards her, shocked that she spoke her mind after his warning her against it. He moves his eyes to see the look on Vince's face, which seems to be in a look of shock, nostalgia, and lust. Yeah, he's definitely calling Mark as soon as this meeting is over.
"Well, well, you've got some real moxie, girlie. I haven't seen a woman with your guts in a very long time. Certainly brings back memories, doesn't she, Kane?" Vince glances to the protective uncle.
The ever silent man simply eyes his boss and nods in agreement. For over twenty years, Kane would sit back and observe every Superstar come and go. He could sense the intention of everyone and saw traits of their personality that they weren't even aware of. Those were the people he never let his guard down around. That being said, the expression on Vincent McMahon's face creeped the Big Red Machine out and knew he was about to see a whole new side to the chairman. The big man feared that he wouldn't be able to protect his niece at the level that he promised his brother and himself.
"Persephone, we feel that the best event for you to debut at will be the Royal Rumble. We're going to do a little role-playing here, ok? Here's how we want you to launch as a Superstar to the height of your family. Myself, Stephanie, and Hunter will be in the ring, where Stephanie is going to accuse the female Superstars of being weak, soft, etc... Suddenly, all the arena lights go out and your music will hit. I want you to confront her. Words will be exchanged between the two of you before Hunter will ask you, 'Just who the HELL are you?' How would Persephone respond to that demanding question?"
She catches the attention of both men as she stands, holding the gaze of her new boss. Without breaking the contact, the Princess of Darkness rolls her head to the side. "You mean to tell me you really don't know? For a man that has been in this business for years with my father and you have no clue as to who I am?"
"Your father?!" Kane realizes that Vince has begun his own role-play to map out her debut. The chairman is allowing his niece to create her own debut, something his brother and himself never got to do. From behind his mask, Kane raises his eyebrow, curious to see how his Angel of Darkness would answer. Usually it would be one of two ways; blunt and honest, or riddles and mind games. The mind games are his personal favorite.
"You mean, you truly don't know who I am? Just look at me! Brown hair like Kane. Electric green eyes like the Undertaker." She begins lowly, building in intensity as she continues. "The round face of Kane, but the same foreboding presence as the Undertaker. Just WHO could be my Daddy?"
"Perfect!" Vince exclaims. "Now what's going to happen is Stephanie is going to continue on. Calling you a liar, claim that there is no way you could be the child of such ugly, evil men. In order to get my daughter to stop talking, you are going to either slap or punch her. After you do that, Hunter will step up to you..."
As soon as that last sentence left the chairman's lips, Kane stands and crosses his arms. "This is when either Taker or myself enter from Gorilla." He states, leaving no room for negotiations.
Mr. McMahon leans back in his chair and looks to the large man before him with intrigue. "Yeah... You, Kane, will come to the ring first. I want you to seemingly threaten Hunter, but I don't want you to call her by her name just then. Do you have a special nickname for your niece?"
He takes a deep breath and sees Persephone nod, silently granting him permission to let their boss in, though she shrugs, telling him to give the bare minimum. She doesn't trust the man who constantly took her family from her. Kane clears his throat and enunciates, "Angel."
Vince McMahon nods slowly, digesting the nickname. The family members could see the creative gears turning in his head. "I like it. It's fitting of your dark family traditions." The chairman steeples his fingers. "At that point, I'm going to attempt to separate the two of you. I'm going to step up to Persephone and we will simply stare each other down until the lights go out once again and your father's iconic bell toll sounds. Once he is in the ring, he will pull you behind him and snatch my microphone..."
"You actually want my brother to be a part of her debut?" Kane questions before looking down at his niece. All of the pleasantries are beginning to make the big man suspicious.
"Of course, I want him to be a part of her debut. Besides, do you really think anyone would be able to deny or stop him from coming? Kane, we both know when your older brother wants someone or something, he gets it. So, in order to prevent the most amount of carnage as possible, I've invited a father to partake in his daughter's big night."
"Thank you, Mr. McMahon. I'm sure whatever you have planned for my debut will be fitting of the Family of Destruction. Is there anything else about my debut you'd like to further discuss?" Persephone asks, wrapping her small hands around his large one.
"There is, but we can space it all out. We have two months to prepare and we don't need to overload with details. Have either one of you gone to your family's place nearby, Kane."
"No, sir. Our flight was early this morning and came here as soon as we landed. I know how you dislike when your talent is late for meetings." The masked man looks to his Angel of Darkness and can see just how much all the traveling is waring on her, but she is just as prideful as the men in the family, so she is trying to hide her exhaustion.
"I see. Why don't the two of you go get settled in for the night and start training first thing in the morning?" Vince stands and escorts the two to his office door.
"Thank you, sir. We'll see you tomorrow." The uncle places his hand in the small of Persephone's back and led her out the door. He and his brother had pulled their money together years ago and bought a three bedroom condo within walking distance of the facility.
As the two family members exit the training facility, Kane glances around to ensure they are alone in their venture home. "Persephone, I want you to do everything in your power to never be left alone with Vince. There will be times that I won't be around you to protect you from him." He states as they cross the first of five intersections. "Vince McMahon has an extensive track record for sexually exploiting the female performers of his company. We may need to employ one of your dark friends to help, but I want to call Mark and fill him in on what I just observed before I forget."
"Is your old age catching up to you, Uncle? Do you think I'm so weak that I can't handle that man if he makes a move on me?" The dark princess glares up at her uncle. She wasn't afraid of any one nor any thing, certainly not an old man like Vince McMahon. If she didn't know any better, she'd think her uncle doubted her strength and ability.
"That's not what I said or meant. I know how he operates when he wants one of the female athletes. He threatens to fire them if they don't comply and if he were to threaten you, you won't be able to protect your father. So, Angel, if he propositioned you and threatened to call upon your father for a match against an opponent who could completely destroy him... Would you comply and save your father, or defy him and risk your job and your father's health?" Kane looks down at his niece and could see that she was at war with herself. She prided herself in her self dignity, but just like the brothers for her, she'd do anything for her family. "Now you see why I don't want you to find yourself left alone with him. I don't want you in that situation. Let me fill in your dad and see what he thinks about how we should proceed. One step at a time. Remember that your father and I are as successful in this business by observing everything and creating a plan to come out on top. Here we are, Angel."
The Big Red Machine ushers Persephone to the elevator and ride it to the penthouse condominium on the top floor. The doors open to a classically Victorian Gothic decorated home away from home. The princess of darkness looks around and sighs out contently. Maybe the transition into this realm won't be so difficult for her after all.
Kane removes his mask and hangs in on the hook before taking his angel's hand to give her the grand tour. With each room, he could sense the tension of travel leave his niece's shoulders. He gives her a small smile, relieved himself that she was already adjusting well. He gets to the end of the hallway and points out his brother's room, bathroom, and his room before stepping in front of her bedroom. "Your father and I decorated this room for you, even though we weren't sure if we were going to ever bring you here or not, but this is your room. Close your eyes for me."
Persephone rolls her eyes before humoring her favorite uncle. With her eyes closed, she can hear the soft click of the door opening, creaking from disuse. The Big Red Monster takes her tiny hands in each of his own and leads her to the middle of the room. "Stay put. Keep them closed." He whispers into her ear. A hint of a giggle leaves her lips as she nods. Persephone can hear Kane's long strides walk away and the sliding of curtains moving on the rod. "You can open your eyes, my princess."
The daughter of the Undertaker opens her eyes to a dark beige walled room with red, purple, and blue fabrics on dark mahogany wood furniture. So much like her home inside the Gates of Hell. She turns and runs into her uncle's awaiting arms. "Thank you, Uncle Kane. It's perfect." She whispers into his ear. He gently squeezes her back and sets her down with a genuine smile of his own.
"Let's go call your dad. I'm sure he is pacing like a mad man." The Devil's Favorite Demon leads his niece to the living room and fires up the computer. Once it's up and running, Kane opens the video portal and calls his big brother.
"It's about time you called me, Little Brother. How did her try-out match go?"
"We just got to the Condo, Mark. Her match went better than anticipated. She was originally supposed to wrestle Alexa Bliss, but Hunter was his cocky self and pissed Persephone off enough to do her head roll.."
The Undertaker's eyes widened before going cold. "Hunter clearly doesn't recall who he's messing with. Tell me you stepped in before his head was severed from his head by my daughter?"
"Yes, Daddy. Uncle Kane stepped in to save him from my wrath and offered to be my opponent for my try-out match. Mr. McMahon was impressed by my skills."
"It was Persephone's best match against me by far, Big Brother. She ignored everyone outside the ring and kept her focus on me the whole time. Hit me with her kick perfectly. She could be the first female since Chyna and Beth Phoenix who can compete with the men."
The father beams with pride at his daughter. "That's my girl!"
"Mark, there's been a development that neither one of us anticipated. Vince has pretty much chosen Persephone as his latest conquest target."
"Damnit. You'd think in his old age his libido would finally die. That's why I didn't even consider it'd be an issue for us."
Kane crosses his massive arms. "Same here, but he had that look on his face that he always gets when he sees something he likes. Plus, he always had a thing for girls with long blonde hair, and Angel doesn't have that. Old coot must be a bit desperate. Big Brother, there will be times that he could get her alone. There won't be many times where I can't be with her, but he'll capitalize on those times. We are the only ones who can see the creatures of darkness and Persephone is the only one who can command them... Think we should employ something to protect her for when I"m not around?"
"How often you expect to not be with my daughter, Kane?"
"How about when I shower? Or when the dumbass general manager's bar me from ringside during her matches? Or when I'm summoned to do someone else's bidding? Or when I have my own matches? My new contract was to be on the roster full time, not to be her manager."
Persephone grabs her uncle's forearm. "Calm down, Uncle. Daddy, he's right. We didn't think through the role he should have taken in order to travel with me. There will be plenty of times where I'll be alone. Which demon could protect me the best that you can spare?"
"I believe either Apollyon or Damballa would be best to protect you, Baby Girl. Who listens to you obediently, without question?"
"Apollyon, Daddy. When you and Uncle Kane would be gone at the same time, Apollyon would never leave my side. I'll leave my window open tonight for his arrival."
"I'll send him as soon as we hang up. What else has been accomplished?"
"McMahon claims that he wants both of us involved in Persephone's debut. Says that it'd be in the best interest of the company that you are invited for your daughter's big night. Basically, it's gonna be a standoff between the McMahon's and the Family of Destruction. Honestly, it could be fun. You get Vince, I get Hunter and she gets Stephanie, but if Shane shows up, I get him, you get Trip and all three of us get Vince."
"I like that plan. What does my little girl get to do to the Billion Dollar Princess?"
"Mr. McMahon wants me to either punch or slap her, but I think a chokeslam may make a bigger splash and gain EVERYONE'S attention. Don't you think, Daddy?"
"Absolutely. Get their attention and prove you are the alpha of ALL the women. I'm so proud of you, Baby Girl. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"
Kane uncrosses his arms. "Early workouts before the other competitiors show up, then meet with Jim Johnston for her theme and then Art department to start designing her in-ring gear. McMahon is actually giving her a say in her gimmick."
"Do you suppose he's attempting to butter her up for his sleazy game?"
"Relax, Daddy. It won't work. He's old and ugly." Persephone grins wickedly. She stretches, popping her back. "Oh! Thank you for my room, Daddy. It's perfect. Good night. I love you, Daddy."
"Good night, Baby Girl. I love you. Kick ass, take a few souls. Call me tomorrow, Kane." With that directive, the Deadman disconnects their video call. Kane kisses his niece's cheek before they both head to bed.