I know it's been three months since I last posted a new chapter but learned something at least. Allow me to share with you and with all writers out there. Do not put off writing for even one day because you'll start putting it off and off until…well…this! Anyways, thanks for the reviews, which by the way really boosted my efforts to finish this chapter, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of action and explanation but bear with me please. This chapter is essential. You'll find out why later.

Azec Sistra

Grey skies cloudin' up the things we used to see with wide eyes

"WAIT!" Jon screamed warningly.

Selene only heard a faint echo as her attention was completely focused on the intruder.

In her early days as a Death Dealer, she had quickly built a reputation for ignoring advice and defying orders even from Viktor. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge against the Lycans, Selene often went on killing rampages that jeopardized her safety and sometimes even that of the Coven. Yet few others dared to challenge her and Viktor commended her for showing sharp instincts and intuitive skills matched only by the Elders.

This time was no different. Selene ignored any possible consequences and open fired on the intruder. To her surprise, though, the girl wasn't in her line of fire anymore.

The girl had moved in time. Even confined to relatively small space, she had no problems avoiding the incoming bullets. She continued to dodge the bullets fired at her while slowly moving towards Selene. She turned her back to face Selene and, using the ground for support, arched her leg up and performed a kick that connected with Selene's face. The vampiress was thrown back against the west wall. Now on one knee, the girl drew something from her side and threw it at Selene.

Maybe everything was meant to be this way

Such speed and skill caught everyone in the room off guard. No one fully realized what had happened until Jon caught the object in front of Selene.

Surprise and fury quickly led to Michael to turn. First his eyes completely dilated and then his skin and hair begun to turn a deep shade of blue. The sound of his bones cracking and his muscles growing could be heard as his transformation reached its peak.

He began to attack the girl but had trouble keeping up with her movements even though he towered at least a head over her and had the combined speed of Vampire and Lycan. Oddly enough, she wasn't attacking him, merely dodging his attacks.

Lucian became increasingly frustrated, indicated by his low but threatening growl and his eyes turning their signature bluish-black. As a weapons master, he felt naked without a weapon in hand and even more so knowing that Jon had confiscated his blade. But he noticed from the corner of his eye that Macaro was carrying an antique battle sword. Lucian, in one quick motion, snatched the sword from its sheath and lunged at the girl.

At the same time, however, Jon looked at what he was holding and suddenly looked back in confusion to see Lucian joining Michael in an attack against the girl. He acted instinctively, and in less than the blink of an eye, he had grabbed Michael by the shoulder and threw him back with enough force to leave a permanent mark on an ordinary immortal. Then he placed himself between the girl and Lucian, holding the sword with one hand and keeping Lucian at bay with the other.

Will it ever change

"STOP!" Jon screamed again.

Michael, who had reverted back to human form from the pain, angrily asked "Can't you see she tried to kill Selene?"

"This wouldn't have happened if Selene had listened to me and waited. And no, she didn't try to kill Selene."

Michael was going to say something when Jon gave him the coldest, most threatening look he had ever seen, sending somewhat of a shudder up his spine.

"Look." the boy said, releasing his hold on the sword and holding out the palm of his hand. He was holding a tranquilizer needle that had been completely crushed and twisted by the pressure he had put on it.

Or are we stuck here on our own

"Put away your gun Selene. If she wanted you dead, you would already be dead. And if she wants you dead, then no one in this room can stop her."

Before anyone could respond to that, the girl spoke up saying "You sure seem quick to defend her. We might need their help. But what reason do you have to defend her?"

Jon didn't know what to say. He could only stare at the girl and try to sort out his thoughts. In truth, even he didn't know why he had saved Selene. She was a Vampire and a Death Dealer, and he normally found great pleasure in hunting her kind. But her being with a Hybrid and Lucian not trying to rip her guts out on sight seemed reason enough not to kill her.

The girl noticed Jon casting quick glances at Michael and Lucian. She turned to face Lucian, and in an instant, her cold stare melted into a soft, pained expression that even Jon had only seen a couple of times in his life.

Both Michael and Lucian had noticed this and their fury dissipated immediately. The both of them couldn't take their eyes off the girl. The way her flowing hair covered her face, her eyes, her soft expression, everything about her seem so familiar.

It's all gone grey

"Who is she?"

Jon looked up at Selene and then took a few moments to meet the stares of everyone else in the room until he met eye to eye with the girl. He kept looking at her, waiting for some sign of approval from her when she finally nodded.

"She is my superior and elder sister, Lia."

He felt awkward saying these words since they would be the first people in centuries to find out the relation between the two. This was even more awkward for everyone else, especially to Selene and Lucian. They knew that siblings were extremely rare in the Underworld. There was a constant fear that siblings would end up fighting to be heirs to a legacy they would never inherit considering their parents were immortals.

Selene was first to recover from this momentary shock and wasted no time in trying to find out more about the two. She asked Lia this time "How did you get here?"

It's all gone grey

Jon shifted his attention from Selene to his sister, actually about to ask her the same thing. He had mentioned the name of the ship but never had the time to tell Lia where it was. Furthermore, he had covered his scent and had been out of GPS range, making it virtually impossible for her to track him here.

This was an easy enough question to answer for Lia. The answer was simple really. She had outside help. Pointing to someone behind her, she said "He told me about the Sancta Helena."

Everyone looked behind her and was surprised to see Tanis standing there, shaking and quietly mumbling to himself as usual when he was around weapons and immortals stronger than him. Everyone had focused their attention on Lia and had completely failed to notice his presence.

While everyone else seemed satisfied with this answer, Jon wasn't. He somehow got the feeling that there was still something he didn't know. Before anyone could force his attention onto something else, he asked her "How did he know about the Sancta Helena?"

Lia simply answered "There are many secrets that have been kept from us. Given his nature, did you really think that he would tell us everything?" But Jon wasn't the only person she was addressing this question to. One moment later, she turned to face Macaro and asked "Wouldn't you agree Alexander Corvinus?"

I found telling you the truth the hardest thing to get out

Jon spared a quick glance at Corvinus and furiously asked "What else has he kept hidden from us?"

With so many things to worry about, Marcus, the issue with Lucian, trying to convince Selene and Michael and perhaps Corvinus to help them, Lia couldn't afford to give him a full detail explanation. So she decided to show him even though this was a risky move on her part since she wouldn't be able to select which memories to show him. She would have to show him absolutely everything that happened since the previous night.

She brought her wrist to her mouth and bit down until blood started dripping, and she offered it to Jon.

Jon understood what Lia was doing but didn't know why she was doing this. He was hoping to find the answers to his questions in his sister's memories. Taking her wrist and bringing it to his mouth, he closed his eyes to focus the memories that were flowing into his very being.

"SONJAAAA!"

"Here it is."

"Wings? That is not possible…unless…"

"Marcus."

"How gentlemanly of you Marcus, but do you think I will?"

"Does he know you?"

"Enough games Tanis."

"Marcus…he is the one…the first true Vampire."

"Lucian."

"How long have you known?"

I know it wasn't you that made me feel this way

Tanis watched in fear as Jon continued to drink his sister's blood. Showing him what had happened was faster and better than trying to explain things by word, but there were things that he didn't want Jon to find out. The boy viewed things differently than his sister, and that could prove costly. That cold, emotionless exterior hid Jon's true nature, that of a mentally unstable child whose hopes, fears, and self-inflicted pain had been the only things keeping him sane. Coupled with centuries of repressed anger and his capabilities, he proved to be a potential danger to others and himself.

The vampire made a run for it, but his attempt to escape proved futile. The moment he shifted his body was the moment he felt his back slammed into the west wall a few feet away from Selene, who was forced to take a few steps back to avoid the debris from the impact.

Jon lifted Tanis off the ground and to eye level and brought him closer. Jon examined him, smelled him, and in a frighteningly calm voice asked "What's this? Is this fear I smell? What could you be afraid of?"

Tanis was shaking more violently then ever as he struggled to break free. He could feel the hold on his neck tighten with each passing second, each breath and each effort to make any kind of sound becoming struggles themselves. His body was becoming numb and his mind blank, regaining some sensation, if only for a brief moment, when Jon slammed his body into the wall again and said "If you think you are afraid now, then let me show you the true meaning of fear."

He could do nothing more than mindlessly gaze into the eyes of his aggressor and for the first time, he realized why even Viktor and Marcus, despite his newfound powers, would come to fear this child given the proper amount of time.

Will it ever change

"Your…your…sister…she…" Tanis struggled.

"Reacted the same way I did." Jon finished the sentence for him and continued "Yet she let you live. I don't understand why but don't expect the same from me."

To his surprise, though, the grip on his neck was loosening and eventually, he was dropped on the ground and slowly crawled away all the while taking in every bit of air that he could without causing him lung damage.

From a safe distance, Tanis looked up and realized that Lia, still holding Jon's wrist, had forced her brother to let him go.

"Why? Why would you let him live?" Jon turned around and started for Tanis.

Or are we stuck here on our own

Lia quickly pulled him backed and forced him to look at her.

"Why? I would understand if any one of them stood in my path. But you? No…you won't keep me from taking his life…no matter what he is to us." Jon said, shaking in confusion and fury and drawing the attention of everyone else in the room with his last comment.

"We still need him. And need I remind you that we owe him our lives." She roughly let him go and said "Would you dare oppose me?"

This was one of the few rare occasions when Jon showed any signs of doubt. To kill Tanis, he would have to fight his sister. He didn't know whether or not he had it in him to fight his own flesh and blood for something such as this. But more than that, he was afraid of her. Physically, perhaps, he was stronger than Lia but in terms of skills and experience, he was much inferior to her. There was a time, after all, when she had been the fierce defender and he the cowardly scholar.

"Did you see how I killed this Vampire?"

"Special powers and skills can only be exercised through special tactics. If one doesn't choose those tactics, then the powers and skills become weak and useless. Lycans, for all the strength and agility that they boast, lack the dexterity and finesse of Vampires. Vampires, though they are many in number and have many resources at their disposal, are easily overpowered or pit against each other. You have all the strengths of both but none of their weaknesses. But just because you do, it does not mean that they will stand around and admire your abilities. You need to learn how to control your powers and refine your skills. Do you understand?" a bloodstained hand reached for the face of a much younger looking Jon, tilting it up slightly.

Jon looked up but yelped in fear and covered his eyes at the sight of the specks of blood on his sister's face, remembering how brutally she had slain the Vampire whose corpse was now behind her and then feasted on it.

He uncovered his eyes and noticed how his sister was looking at him with an exasperated look on her face. He realized that he still hadn't answered her question and so quickly nodded.

Lia shook her head disapprovingly. How could Jon still be afraid? On the nights of full moons, he entered a fit of feral rage and became a fearless beast while on the remaining days, he was a cowardly tactician who waited for her to bring him flesh and blood. How would she ever be able to teach him how to survive.

And given one more try

"You never were able to understand how I felt." Jon leaned towards Lia and whispered.

He switched his attention to Tanis, who immediately became rigid. "Consider our debt repaid. You know the consequences if you dare deceive us again."

Lucian walked over to help Tanis. While he didn't like the Vampire, Lucian sympathized with him seeing as to how both had been betrayed by Viktor and asked "What did you do to anger them so?" at the same time keeping an eye on Jon and Lia.

"I…didn't…" Tanis began, still heavily gasping for air, and waited until his breathing stabilized a bit more before finishing his sentence "tell them…about you."

"Me? What does this have to do with me?" Lucian asked, his voice filled with confusion among many other emotions as his six century quest to avenge Sonja suddenly became much more complicated with the events of the past few days.

I don't know if I would stay

Tanis didn't respond to this but Lucian realized that it wasn't his place to that and so looked to Jon and Lia for the answer to his question.

The boy opened his mouth and moved his lips and yet no sound came out. He couldn't speak the words, tell Lucian the truth because he would no longer be able to deny the nature of their being and existence. He would no longer be able to deny everything that happened, no longer be able to hope that he was in a dream from which he would wake up to the comforting voice of a mother, the encouraging words of a father, the warmth of a normal life. Most importantly, he would have to accept the fact that their misery partially stemmed from their inability to communicate with each other rather than her inability to feel anything at all.

Jon in turn looked to Lia and hope she would fare better than he did but no. Even she couldn't speak, but she didn't have to. She had let for them a way out.

"They're Sonja's children…"

Ears twitched, heads jerked, all eyes and attention focused on Tanis, who spoke with a confidence that he never appeared to have before.

I feel so much better now

"What?" Lucian placed his hands on Tanis' shoulders and shook him lightly.

"They're Sonja's children. They're your children." Tanis watched as Lucian stumbled slightly backwards, reaching for the wall for support and mumbling to himself in his disbelief.

"That's impossible! I saw Sonja burnt alive by Viktor! She died along with her unborn child!" Michael interrupted.

"Children…" Jon corrected him and brought to attention the fact that "What you saw were blood memories at best. You weren't there when we were born so you wouldn't possibly know."

Selene scoffed at this remark. "You were both newborns then. This is hardly the place for either of you to speak." She crossed her arms and waited for a response, expecting none that could possibly satisfy the curiosity of anyone else in the room.

And baby begging me will leave you so empty inside

But a response was given. Provided that it was the most unexpected response and had come from the most unexpected source, it was a response nonetheless. "I was there Selene. I was there when they were born. I helped in their birth…I'm their godfather Selene."

What Tanis said couldn't be true but their look of relief intermingled with disgust and regret somehow proved this to be undeniable. Jon and Lia were both disgusted and regretted how things had turn out with Tanis, a once almost father-children relationship having turned into one of manipulation, hatred, and deceit because they weren't able to see past his Vampire nature and him past their Viktor-like qualities.

"I remember both you and the Elders left too soon to take notice of any signs of life from Sonja but not me. When things settled down, I went to her burial site and dug her up. I found her laying there, the majority of her body having reconstituted itself but with no strength to free herself." Tanis placed one arm on Lucian, who was shaking and whose tough shell was beginning to crumble.

"But how did she survive? How could I not know?" Lucian looked up.

"How did you survive? How did you survive being shot full of silver nitrate?" Jon asked, knowing that simple answers wouldn't satisfy anyone, especially Selene, who as a Death Dealer must have been aware of the advancements in the studies of Lycan physiology.

I know every last regret inside of me is my own

No answer came and Jon explained "Your Lycan physiology was fortified down to the cellular level…by Vampire enzymes. You're not a Lycan in the conventional sense. Your cells have vampiric traits but you're not quite a Hybrid. Same concept with mom."

"That's not possible." An unknown voice came from the back of the room.

"And who are you?" Lia followed the direction of the voice and found a man who had been hiding behind a medical counter.

"Leave him be. He is part of the medical team here. He was doing a physical on Lucian." Corvinus waved his hand, prompting the doctor to come by his side.

Jon didn't much care who the man was so long as his questions were answered. "Can we get back on subject? How exactly is that not possible…Doctor?" He asked, slightly annoyed at the fact that some human would find his medical and scientific confirmations faulty.

The way I hold them close has made me be this way

"Marco. Adam Marco. Well…based on what I know, the mixing of blood from both species results in cellular breakdown and eventual death within the subject in question."

The boy slightly raised his eyebrows, clearly not impressed by this "common" knowledge. "The lycanthropic or vampiric intake of blood isn't a natural process. It is the result of a virus, which is why the intermingling of blood from both species results in cellular breakdown in most cases. But I was referring to a more basic process…the exchange of semen and saliva, among other enzymes, during the session of sexual intercourse that resulted in our conception."

Marco was left speechless and amazed at the thought of such a complex yet perfectly suitable scenario. But as a doctor and scientist, he couldn't simply accept things as presented by words. He needed proof. Proof that Jon was ready and happy to provide.

"Here." Jon gave Marco a set of test tubes containing Lucian's blood. "I got these samples from my father the night I found him in the sewers. They're not the purest but should prove what I said."

"Can you run a DNA test at the same time?" Selene asked.

I will never change

When Tanis, Jon, and Lia looked at her, she only replied with a harsh "I'm still not convinced. There are too many things we don't know about you."

Marco walked over to Jon and Lia took from each of them a single strand of hair. He returned to the lab portion of the room and began analyzing the blood samples he had drawn, the blood samples Jon had given him, and set up to conduct a paternity test.

"Well, while we're waiting for the results, why don't we talk about more pressing issues. Marcus? You fought against him?" Jon didn't direct his question to anyone in particular and got a firm "Yes." from both Lia and Selene.

"You fought against him? What happened?" This time he faced Selene.

"Michael and I fought him this morning right before sunrise. We injured him but barely escaped. He was after this, the key to William's cell. You do know who William is?" Selene threw him the pendant that was once draped around Sonja's neck and later Lucian's.

I know I'm stuck here on my own

Jon caught the pendant. "As much as I would love to deny it, you seem to be forgetting who my godfather is. I know, or at least I thought I knew, a lot about William and Marcus." He said, making slight reference to the amount of knowledge he gained from his sister's memories.

"And how did you make out?" He asked Lia.

"I had the upper hand for a while but only because he didn't know how to fully control his abilities. I managed to knock him out but he will eventually make his way here."

"Marcus had a particular attraction to your sister. He kept calling her 'Maiden', apparently because of this." Tanis threw the iris shaped brooch at Jon, who, like everyone else, was wondering why Marcus would show such courtesy to an opponent but more than that, to girl who completely lacked the characteristics usually associated with a maiden or lady. "Can you tell us what it is?"

But Lia seemed to be bothered by this question and hissed at Tanis "Don't go there."

My own

It was too late though. Jon had registered the image of the brooch and it brought forth a torrent of emotions and memories that he had hoped, that they both hoped they would never have to talk about again.

"This is the Maiden of Irisa." He said with evidence of tears beginning to form.

It's all gone grey
It's all gone grey
It's all gone grey

Grey skies cloudin' up the things we used to see with wide eyes
Maybe everything was meant to be

Grey by Yellowcard

You know how I procrastinated in writing this chapter. Well, you'll be happy to know that I already started the next chapter. It's going to be a period piece that ties up a lot of loose ends and things like that. Hope you guys review to inspire me with some new ideas. Thanks.