It was the next morning and I headed down the stairs of Nik's mansion. I had my eyes to my phone as I texted.
'Hey Mind, need a favor. Can you look up any legend talking about an immortal werewolf? Details: Ancient Greece, Artemis' Blessing, and origin of werewolves.' - Al
I hit send and stopped walking through the house. I happened to look up and froze seeing the hunter from yesterday chained up to a huge piece of wood. His neck was slumped further and I heard even breaths coming from him. I slowly backed away and headed for Nik's art studio.
I stood at the archway of the art studio where Nik was currently painting.
"Why is the hunter chained up to a board in the house?" I asked him.
"Well I need to get more information from him. His name is Connor. I found that out last night." Nik said. He turned to me for a moment with a smile before going back to his painting.
"You couldn't have put him somewhere else? Like anywhere but in the house." I said.
"Sure, I'll just put him in our non-existent dungeon." Nik said sarcastically and gave me a grin.
"Hilarious." I muttered as I rolled my eyes.
"I think I am. You look like you're about to take off. Where are you heading?" Nik observed and set down his paint brush.
"I'm going to pick up Cora and the two of us are going to hit the library. I'm going to look up as much information as we can about the Legend of the Immortal Werewolf. That's what I'm calling it now." I said and raised my eyebrows up and down.
"Catchy." Nik said with an amused expression.
"Right? Hopefully my friend from Chicago can dig up more information on her end too." Nik took an interest in that.
"The same friend you left to go see?" He asked.
I nodded, "The very same one. Her dad was a Cryptologist. When he died, he left everything regarding Cryptology to her. Whenever I have a supernatural issue to figure out, she's my go to. She helped me figure out about the Originals before we even met you." I mentioned.
"She sounds like a viable asset then. Good luck on your research, love." Nik said.
"You too with your...whatever it is you're doing with a chained vampire hunter." Nik rolled his eyes.
"I'll see you later, love." Nik said goodbye.
"See you later." I repeated and headed back for the front door.
"Okay." Cora said as she walked into the separate room we got from the library. She had a stack of books in her arms that she could barely see over.
"This is about everything this library has on Ancient Greece, Greek Mythology, Occult Studies, and Cryptology." Cora said and set down the stalk on the table.
My eyes widened seeing all of the books. They weren't thin books either.
"We are definitely going to need a food break in the middle of all of this." I stated.
"I'm one step ahead of you sis." She pulled out a library card, "I signed up for a library card. All of these books are officially checked out. Now, do we want to be here all day or take these books somewhere else where we can sit and snack?"
I proceeded to pick up half the stack, "I say we go to The Grill. They won't kick us out as long as we keep ordering off the menu."
"Oof, they underestimate how much two werewolves can eat." Cora said grinning.
"Grab the other stack. The Grill is just across from us. We can walk there." I said and walked out of the room.
"Right behind ya." Cora said and followed me with the other half.
"So, what's Derek up to? He wasn't at the house when I picked you up." Cora and Derek ended up staying at the Hale Family house here in Mystic Falls. The very one I was at before moving in with Nik.
"I don't know. He was gone when I got up to get ready." Cora said. I turned around and had my back press against the push bar of the entrance of the library.
"Hm. Maybe he's exploring or something." I guessed. I held the door open for Cora as she passed me.
"Or," Cora said and looked at me as I walked forward, "Maybe it's a girl?" Cora suggested with a smirk on her face.
"Ooh, I didn't even think of that. You might be right." I said, smirking myself.
"We're going to be nosy sisters right?" Cora asked. We headed for the crosswalk and I pressed the button with my elbow.
"Of course. We wouldn't be good sisters if we didn't." I told Cora. The stop sign on the crosswalk changed to the walking stick man.
We walked across the crosswalk and a worker standing out front grabbed the door for us. I thanked the worker as Cora and I walked in.
"Do we need to be seated or?" Cora trailed off.
"I'm a regular here. They don't care." I said and chose one of the longer booths.
Cora and I set down all the books down and started to spread them out on the table.
"Hey Allye, what are you doing?" I heard Matt's voice behind.
"Research." I answered.
Matt nodded, "I can see that." He noticed Cora, "Who's your new friend?" He asked.
Cora smiled, "My name is Cora Hale. I'm Allye's little sister." She introduced and held her hand out.
"Huh. Matt Donovan. Sorry, I didn't know Allye had a little sister." Matt said and shook her hand.
"I've been living in South America for the past seven years." Cora explained.
"That's cool. Um, can I get you guys anything?" Matt asked, smiling.
"Just water for now, Matt." I said.
"All right. I'll be right back." Matt said and left.
Cora and I took a seat on either side of the booth. Cora leaned forward, "He's cute." She said smiling.
I chuckled, "I'd be careful. Nik's sister has her eye on him." Cora smirked.
"And he's a challenge. I like him even more." I rolled my eyes at her comment.
"Let's get started." I said and grabbed the first book labeled "Ancient Greek Mythology". Cora grabbed one labeled "Life in Ancient Greece".
My eyes scanned as I went down the page talking about Artemis in Greek Mythology. Cora and I had a basket of mozzarella sticks in between us and our waters to the side.
"Listen to this. Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the moon, and chastity." I read out loud.
"Everything but the last one describes what a werewolf is. A wild animal that is part of the wilderness, draws power from the moon, and enjoys the hunt." Cora stated.
"I'll keep on reading ahead. Maybe it will have something saying about "Artemis' Blessing"?" I said and continued to read.
"The only thing I've found about life in Ancient Greece is talking about how the people of Greece had their favorite god or goddess. They would offer daily offerings to be...blessed by that god or goddess." Cora read the last page slowly.
"Keep reading then little sis." I said grinning.
"I should have read ahead before reading it out loud." Cora admitted.
"I see you two are hitting the books hard." I lifted my head up hearing Nik's voice.
He stood at the edge of the table, his hands in his jean pockets and a smile on his face.
"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously.
Nik shrugged, "Rebekah is trying to make amends with Matt for the incident of causing him to swerve off Wickery Bridge. I need to tell Rebekah about The Five. It seemed to be most convenient option. She should be here soon."
"I thought you weren't on speaking terms with her after what happened?" I said, leaning back.
"About that. I'm also telling her why I was and still am angry at her for that night." Nik said with a tight smile.
"Tell her that and she'll immediately feel like the jerk. I'm sure she'll apologize." Nik nodded.
"That's the plan. Until then, though." Nik sat down in the booth next to me, "I can lend a hand here. What are you looking for now?" He asked.
"Artemis' Blessing. We are trying to figure out what it means or what it is. So far it ties to the legend. Artemis, according to Greek Mythology, is the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, and the moon. That describes a werewolf to a 'T'." I started.
"And the Greek people gave daily offerings to their favorite god or goddess in order for said god or goddess to bless them. The gods and goddesses were obviously not real though, hence why it's called a myth. I don't think Artemis physically blessed the first werewolf." Cora said sarcastically.
That's when it clicked in my head, "Oh my god." I said in realization.
"What? What'd I say?" Cora asked. Her and Nik looked at me with confusion.
"Artemis didn't physically bless the first werewolf, but a witch might have. Artemis' Blessing isn't a what, it's a spell!" I said grinning.
"That makes sense!" Cora agreed, grinning as well.
"Well it looks like just me asking to help, helped. Rebekah just arrived. Good luck with the rest of this." Nik gestured to the books. He gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking off.
I caught Cora smiling, "What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You two are cute together." She complimented.
"Let's get back to work." I said.
"Okay, so if Artemis' Blessing is a spell then. What are the chances of a modern day witch knowing the spell?" Cora asked.
"Slim to none. Not just that, in order to do a creation spell like this that witch would have to be extremely powerful. Very few witches in the world can even think of using this spell." I answered.
"Okay so the first mystery of the legend is solved. We now know that a witch used the Artemis' Blessing spell to give the first werewolf their powers. Now to figure out why only the first werewolf is the only immortal one in existence." Cora stated.
"Time to break out the Occult Studies and Cryptology books then." I said and closed the Greek Mythology book.
I felt someone slide into the booth with me. I turned my head to see Rebekah giving me a look.
"No, please Bekah. Take a seat." I said blinking.
"I just got bombarded by Nik. Once again neither of you tell me anything. How the bloody hell was I supposed to know the last of Elena's human blood was being saved for you? I had to apologize to Nik now like a scolded child. Now he wants me to make it up to him by having dinner with him and Stefan and talk about The Five." Rebekah ranted at me. She then noticed Cora across the table.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rebekah asked with a hint of a rude tone in her voice.
"I'm Cora Hale. Her sister." Cora introduced.
Rebekah looked at me, "I thought she died in that tragic fire?"
"I did too until a couple days ago." I answered.
Rebekah turned to Cora with a smile, "Well then. Pleasure meeting you. I'm Rebekah Mikaelson." She introduced herself.
Cora smiled and nodded, "Allye told me about you."
"All good things I hope. So. What are you girls up to?" Rebekah asked while looking at all the books.
"We are looking into the Legend of the Immortal Werewolf." I answered.
Rebekah looked at me with a surprised look, "An immortal werewolf? How is that possible?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out. If the legend is real then that means the immortal werewolf is still around. We would have to find them and see how we could do the same for Allye." Cora answered.
"Instead of becoming a hybrid. Then why is my brother so hell bent over in finding the cure? I know he plans on using it on Elena." Rebekah asked, confused.
"In case the legend turns out to be false. The cure is a failsafe." I answered.
Rebekah nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. Well, I need to go meet my friend for lunch. Good luck with your research, girls." She said with a smile and left.
"Anymore interruptions?" Cora asked. I let out a sigh, "Hopefully not." I muttered and got back to the book.
My phone's notification ring then sounded. "The universe hates us." Cora sighed.
I grabbed my phone and checked my notification. It's an email. I opened up my email and saw it was an email from Mindy.
"Or not. It's Mindy. The friend I told you about earlier." I said and opened up the email.
"Did she find something?" Cora expectantly asked.
I read through it quickly and my eyes widened, "Oh she's good."
"What?" Cora asked impatiently.
"So, she found out that Artemis' Blessing is a spell just like we did. She looked up werewolf origins. There's multiple stories, myths, and legends debating on the origin of werewolves but they all have something in common. A witch turned the first werewolf and granted them immortality with magic. Magic is what makes the first werewolf immortal. Artemis' Blessing Spell has a connecting link to the Immortality Spell that was used to create vampires." I summarized the email.
"Okay, that's great. Now we know why the first werewolf is immortal. Now the hardest part. We need to find out who the first werewolf even is." Cora stated.
"That's what Mindy is working on right now. We're at the point that we have to leave it to her. She's the one that accesses records and connections that no one else has. She's currently looking into old records of not only Ancient Greece but also Ancient Rome." Cora looked puzzled at that.
"Why Rome?"
"Once Greece fell to the Romans, the Romans took several treasures and goods from Greece back to Rome. That's why archeologists have found Greek artifacts in Rome over the years. The artifacts also include ancient Greek scrolls." I said smiling.
"Oh my god. The legend might have been written down." Cora said in realization.
"That is exactly what Mindy thinks. One of her dad's old colleagues lives in Italy and he's helping her look into it. He's checking Rome while she's checking Greece." Cora leaned back in the booth in astonishment.
"We might actually pull this off. If there is an ancient Greek scroll with the immortal werewolf's story, we can find the immortal werewolf. I think everyone needs a friend like Mindy." Cora said chuckling.
"I have told her over and over again that she is best." I said grinning.
"Now we just wait. Help me return the books?" Cora asked sheepishly.
I laughed, "Let's eat some actual lunch then we'll return the books." I answered and flagged down Matt.
I walked into Nik's mansion after just getting home from The Grill. Cora and I stayed at The Grill eating and sharing more stories. The sun had started to set by the time I left. I still heard no word from Mindy yet.
I went to walk up the stairs but stopped when a blonde woman in formal clothing walked into the foyer.
"Huh." I said confused.
"Klaus requests your presence in the dining room." She said in an almost robotic voice.
"Compelled. Should have known. He's always been one for theatrics." I said under my breath and changed direction to the dining room.
I walked into the dining room to see Nik, Rebekah, and Stefan at the table eating.
"Do I even want to know what's happening here?" I asked and looked at Nik.
Nik smiled, "Come sit down, love. Eat with us." He said and gestured to the empty seat.
"I just finished eating at The Grill. I'm good." I passed.
"Did you and Cora find-"
"Stop," I said interrupting Rebekah, "I'm not answering that with a traitor amongst us." I said and looked at Stefan.
Stefan and I stared at each other and you could feel the tension build up.
"Well...this is awkward now." Rebekah said and took a sip of her wine.
"Allye, we did what we thought would keep Elena safe." Stefan made an excuse.
"Oh and that's supposed to make it all better?! You stabbed us in the back!" I yelled, my eyes glowing a bright crimson red.
"Klaus was going to kill Elena." Stefan stated.
"Then you should have gotten me! We could have figured out another way to get ahold of Ric and desiccate him and spare Elena's life!" I yelled back at him.
Stefan stood up abruptly from his chair, "Would you have really? Bonnie told us that you don't care about Elena anymore."
"Considering Ric possessed the one weapon that can kill an Original, yes." I answered.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about sparing Elena's life." Stefan said and gave me a hard stare. I returned the hard stare.
I took a step closer to Stefan, "No." Stefan's hands clenched into fists as he glared at me.
"She died anyway even after saving her from Nik. How did she die again? Oh that's right, Matt's truck went over Wickery Bridge. And you saved Matt first and let Elena die. If Damon was there, he would have saved Elena and not given a damn about Matt. How does it feel, Stefan? Knowing that you are the reason why Elena died and became a vampire?" Stefan went to flash towards me but he was quickly pinned to a wall by Nik.
"Don't even think about it. I warned you what will happen if you harm Allye again, Stefan." Nik warned Stefan as he held him by his throat.
"Again Stefan, very stupid of you to try and attack Allye in front of Nik." Rebekah chastised as she stood up from her chair and walked towards me.
"Nik, just tell Stefan what he's going to do to help us with the cure." Rebekah said impatiently.
Nik looked over his shoulder with a smirk, "I guess that's what I get for trying to put a dramatic flare on this." Stefan looked confused.
"I thought you said Rebekah needed to be convinced to help. You wanted the location of the sword and then dagger her." Stefan said. Now it was my turn to be confused. What did I miss?
"Ah yes. That. I lied. Rebekah has already apologized for her mistake and I have forgiven her. Rebekah see's Allye as a sister and will help me make Allye immortal. Rebekah has already told me the location of the sword prior to dinner and will help me track down the cure. I have a plane waiting to depart for Brienno, Italy to retrieve the sword. While I'm in Italy, Rebekah here will be making sure you keep your mouth shut about the cure. And a fun tidbit about the tattoo that I found out from young Jeremy. Conner needs to kill more vampires for the tattoo to grow. I'm leaving you in charge of that while I'm gone. Now. Get out." Nik explained and released Stefan's neck.
Stefan eyed us one last time and then vanished. Nik then turned to me, "You ruined my fun, love." I rolled my eyes at him.
"You'll get over it." I told him.
"Now spill. What do you find out about the legend. I'm curious." Rebekah demanded.
"Artemis' Blessing Spell has a link to the Immortality Spell. That's why the first werewolf is immortal." I started out.
"What? How?" Rebekah asked and Nik walked closer, interested as well.
"I don't know how but it is. Magic is what made the first werewolf immortal. That's not all. There might be an Ancient Greek scroll with the story of the first werewolf written down." I added.
"Which would lead us to the first werewolf." Nik finished and I nodded in agreement.
"You found that out from reading some books from the library?" Rebekah asked skeptically.
I smiled and shook my head, "Nope. I have a friend that figured this out. She has access to records and has a lot of connections to find out things. Even ones that were meant to stay buried with their secrets. She's currently looking through archeology records in Greece for any Ancient Greek scrolls that involve werewolves. She has someone else in Rome doing the same thing. I'm just waiting to hear back from her." I answered.
"Rome you say? Well that's convenient. How would you like to go to Italy with me, love?" Nik asked with a grin.
"I would love to, but what if they find the scroll in Greece and not Rome?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Then we'll go to Greece after I get the sword." Nik answered.
"All right. I'll go ahead and pack." I said and turned around.
"No need. Your bag is already on the plane." I could hear the smirk that Nik had on currently.
I turned around and gave him a look. "You already planned on me going." I stated.
Nik gave an innocent smile and shrugged, "I recall you saying Italy was one of the places you wanted to visit. So I took the liberty of packing your bag for you."
"Well you two lovebirds have fun. I'm going to head home." I frowned as Rebekah walked off.
"She apparently acquired a house after we left." Nik answered, seeing my confusion.
"Ah." I said.
"Well then, let's get going love. We have a plane to catch." Nik said smiling and I followed him out to the front door.
I looked out of the window of the private plane and watched the city lights as the plane flew to a high altitude. I still haven't heard back from Mindy but luckily the plane has wi-fi so I can accept calls and texts.
"What's on your mind, love?" I turned my head to face forward where Nik was sitting across from me.
"Just that I haven't heard back yet from my friend." I answered.
"What is this friend's name? I'm considerably impressed with her skills. I can see now why you go to her for help." Nik asked. The flight attendant on board stopped by us and put two wine glasses down on the table that separated us.
"Her name is Mindy." I answered. The flight attendant poured both glasses then left to the back of the plane.
"No last name?" Nik asked.
"She never gives it out. Not even I know it and I've known her for three years now." I explained.
Nik smirked and took a sip of wine, "Smart girl. Considering what she does, she could have the wrong person come looking for her." I nodded in agreement.
I grabbed the wine glass in front of me and took a sip. I heard my phone's ringtone go off. I pulled it out of my pocket with the hand that was not currently holding the wine glass.
"Speak of the devil." I say as I read "Mindy" on my caller ID. Nik raised his eyebrows at that with a smirk on his face.
I answered and put the phone to my ear. Nik focused on me to hear the conversation as well.
"Hey Al, sorry to get back to you so late. Time zones are a thing. I had to wait for the morning in Rome and Greece to get anything." Mindy explained.
"That's fine. Did you find anything out?" I asked.
"Well, Greece was a dud. Nothing in any archeology records talk about a scroll that was located that told a story about werewolves. But," Nik and I shared a look at that.
"We got a hit in Rome. My dad's friend is named Professor De Marco. He's a well respected Archeologist in Italy and lucky for us he's also a Cryptologist as well. He's not the only one either. Any hints to supernatural beings found in dig sites are hidden away from the public eye in a vault. Professor De Marco did some searching in the vault and guess what he found?"
"I'm going to guess a very old scroll." I answered, playing along with her.
"Not just a scroll, but a very old painting to go with it." Nik looked intrigued at that.
"How old is the painting? Is it the same age as the scroll?" I asked.
"They swabbed the painting to see if it matches with the type of material that Ancient Greeks would have painted with. That's why I'm calling you. I just got the results back from Professor De Marco. The painting had traces of wax and resin. Those components were used to make pigments back in Ancient Greece when painting on easel canvases. Even records from the dig site they were recovered from said the two items were found together in a container that was buried a long time ago."
"Kind of sounds like a time capsule. Most paintings and scrolls weren't buried."
"That or whoever buried them, never intended for them to be found." Mindy added.
"Good point."
"So how soon can you book a flight to Italy?" Nik grew a grin on his face and silently chuckled.
"I'm actually on a plane heading there now." Silence on the other end, "Mind?"
"Are you psychic now on top of being a werewolf?" I couldn't but laugh at that.
"No, I promise you I'm not. You remember our conversation the last time I was in Chicago?" I asked her.
"Yeah. What about it?" She asked, sounding confused over the phone.
"Well I'm currently with part of the conversation we had."
"Oh my god. Klaus is with you? Right now?" Nik gave me a look that said he didn't know I already mentioned him to her.
"Hello Mindy." Nik spoke up.
"I still don't get how you don't freak out when he talks with that accent." Nik chuckled at that, "Al, you have a lot of explaining to do after this. You owe me girl talk."
"I promise I will." I assured her.
"Good. Now, where in Italy exactly are you landing?"
"Brienno." Nik answered for me.
"I'll make it easier on you. Let me call Professor De Marco back. He can take the scroll and painting to you from Rome. He should be by the time you guys land."
"That'd be great. You're the best, Mind." I told her.
"Mhm, and don't you forget it. Let me know when you land and what airport. I'll have Professor De Marco meet you there."
"I will." I hung up and saw Nik giving me a look.
"What?" I asked.
"You told her about me when you visited her back in Chicago. You left that part out." He said.
"I kind of had to when she asked me who's calls I was dodging. She surprisingly didn't freak out when I told her. She was more in awe." I told him.
"Really?" Nik said with a smirk.
"She knew you are Klaus Mikaelson the Original Hybrid. The baddest of the bad as she said." I quoted Mindy.
"She said Original Hybrid and not vampire?" Nik asked intrigued.
"I told you, she knows stuff about a lot of things that were meant to be kept in the dark. That includes you." I said and took a sip from my wine I left alone.
"Mindy is definitely an asset indeed." Nik said and sighed as he finished his wine.
"Well I'm going to try and fall asleep on the couch over there. We're not going to be in Italy for long and I'm not letting it ruin my sleep cycle." I said, finishing my wine and getting up.
"You know it's going to be night in Italy by the time we land?" Nik said, his head looking up as I stood.
"Oh I know. It's gonna mess with my internal clock. It's running on Virginia time. I plan on keeping it that way." I walked over to him, "Night." I said and kissed him on the cheek.
"Goodnight, love." Nik said back.
This chapter is pretty heavy in setting up a big part of my AU. We get to find out more about Mindy and how she can do what she does. Cora finally meets Rebekah and is immediately interested in Mystic Falls blonde quarterback. Derek is absent and mysteriously making sure nobody knows where he's at. Wonder if you guys can guess who exactly he's seeing. ;) Allye and Stefan reunite for the first time since his and Damon's stunt to desiccate Klaus. Needless to say, you can tell Allye is still mad at them by pushing Stefan to the edge on purpose.