Since this has been one of the most popular Prologues I've written, I'll give it to you now. It's mostly so I can continue prewriting this since I need the question at the end of the chapter answered… Please do so.
Enjoy,
Nick
Zara was standing by the wall of her older half-sister's room. It was no secret in the village that her mother – if you could call her that – had an affair with a rich stranger. Zara's mother and father treated her like dirt and even Katerina followed suit.
"A little more, dearest," their mother cooed at Katerina, wiping the sweat off the pregnant girl's forehead "A little more. Push… a little more." Katerina pushed and screamed loudly. Zara was about to slip out of the room when her step-father blocked her way. He ripped her around and made sure that she watched "It's a girl."
Katerina looked up at her mother with wide eyes "A girl. Please, mother, let me see her."
The man who was standing behind Zara, shoved past her, not acknowledging the fact that his younger daughter hit the wall with a dull thud "Woman, don't! What are you doing?"
"Let me at least hold her once…" Katerina pleaded "Just once."
"Forget it," the Petrova patriarch spat, turning around with the baby "You have disgraced this family."
Katerina started crying "Father, please! No, father, no!"
Zara chewed on her lip and looked after her step-father. She still remembered the incident where she accidentally ended up in the Underworld for the first time.
Flashback
"You little bastard," Zara's father shouted, raising his hand to hit the five-year-old girl as hard as he could. He hated the little bitch. She was the reminder that his wife jumped into bed with the first stranger that came to the village. It was just the cherry on top that they were saddled with the freak and the stranger vanished "I heard that you stole bread from the baker again. How dare you embarrass me like this?"
"Father," Zara pleaded "Stop. Please… Stop."
"You…" The man started hitting the crying girl and once she was on the floor, he grabbed the stick he had for punishing his daughters. Well, one daughter in particular. Zara had always gotten the worst of his temper…
Once Zara was alone, she started sobbing harshly, curling into a small ball. Her back and even part of her stomach were flaming in pain. It hadn't been the first time she got blamed for stealing some bread. She had stolen bread before but Zara was smart enough not to get caught. This time she got blamed for Katerina's attempt to steal.
"Who are you?" a really tall man exclaimed in Ancient Greek, seeing a little girl lying on the floor. Zara curled into a tighter ball. The man closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply to keep his temper in check. He wasn't particularly good at it but it seemed enough to sooth the child at least a little "My name is Hades. What's yours?"
"Zara," she whispered "Where am I?"
Hades blinked in surprise "You can speak Ancient Greek?"
"I can?" the five-year-old frowned.
The God of the Underworld focussed on the child on the floor of his throne room. Whoever her parent was – They had to have some kind of connection to the Underworld, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to come here. How it happened – he didn't know but that didn't mean that Hades wouldn't find out. Hades eyes opened wide in realization "That's impossible. Who is your mother?"
"Emilia Petrova," Zara murmured.
"Petrova," Hades whispered "I know that name…"
Suddenly, he heard heels clicking on the floor "Hades?" Persephone called out "Who is that?"
"I – My love," the ruler of the Underworld stuttered.
"Who. Is. This?"
Hades swallowed nervously. Despite his rare dalliances he really did love his wife. No matter what his dear sister Demeter thought "It appears…. As if she's my daughter."
"She is?" Persephone questioned, looking at the tiny girl on the floor. The anger that had started to build up died down when she saw the state the child was in. She had bruises forming on her face and her dress was ripped and dirty "Why is she on the floor?"
"I'm sorry – Wait… What?"
The Goddess smiled lightly "I know you love me. Not even a child from another woman can change that." She knelt down next to the small girl and smiled "My name is Persephone. I'm this lug's wife."
Flashback End
A year after Katerina gave birth, the two sisters had fled to England. The older of the two cheated and lied her way up the ranks while Zara got several dresses and some money from her father. Hades and Persephone really cared for her and did everything in their power to help her through the hardships that were her life. It hadn't always been easy but they got her through the worst as a family. It was funny how she saw the two deities as her parents, while she held no love for the people who raised her. No, that was wrong. Hades and Persephone had raised her. The Petrovas were what made her life miserable.
The sixteen-year-old was smoothing down the dress uncomfortably. Hades had given it to her and Katerina used the chance to drag her sister to a party she clearly didn't want to be at. Now Katerina was completely ignoring the younger girl in favour of flirting with Trevor. He was a vampire she met a week or two ago.
"Excuse me for a moment, Miss Katerina," the vampire apologised. He was a creature of Death and as such, the daughter of Hades Zara had noticed him immediately.
"Don't ruin this for me," Katerina hissed once the Petrova sisters were alone.
Zara rolled her eyes "Whatever you say, sister dearest."
Katerina grabbed the younger girl's arm harshly "Drop that act, Zara. I'm warning you."
"You're not my mother, Katerina," Zara glared, jerking her arm away.
Trevor came back toward them with another older, more dangerous vampire "My dear."
Katerina turned to face the two men and smiled at the stranger "Hello."
The older vampire stared at Zara's sister in complete and utter shock. There was something really wrong here and the young demigod couldn't help but feel uneasy "Forgive me," the stranger snapped out of his shock "You remind me of someone."
Zara stared at him suspiciously "Of who?"
"Zara," Katerina hissed quietly, pinching her sister's side harshly "I apologise for my sister, my Lord. Apparently, she never learned manners."
Trevor cleared his throat awkwardly "Katerina, may I introduce the Lord Elijah."
The older Petrova took the vampire's hand with a smile and curtsied "Pleasure, my Lord."
"The pleasure is mine, Katerina." He kissed her hand smoothly, making Zara roll her eyes. There were few things she hated as much as being forced to go and interact with people she couldn't care less about. In that aspect, Zara took after her father. Hades seemed to absolutely hate people. If he had been her only role model she would have most likely turned out worse than this… Thanks to Persephone, she was able to fit into the upper class quite comfortably if she wanted to. Most of the time she didn't want to. That was also the reason she enjoyed making comments at others or asking questions. It drove her sister insane but provided enough entertainment for Zara to last through a little while longer.
Katerina and Elijah were walking a little, while Zara was tagging along behind them. Mostly because her sister had glared at her and promised a painful evening if she didn't "So where is this mysterious host I've heard so much about?"
"Heard what exactly? You literally just heard of that guy for the first time," Zara mumbled under her breath, ignoring the glance the vampire in front of her sent back.
Elijah sighed "Fashionably late. He likes to make an entrance." He turned to the stairs after seeing someone out of the corner of his eye "Here he is." He held out his hand to point. Zara raised her eyebrow in the direction and then watched her sister, trying to get a glance at this mysterious Lord Niklaus. When she finally caught a glance at the man, she froze, staring at him "Katerina, Zara, may I introduce you to the Lord Niklaus." The new man was something else. Vampires were creatures of Death but this man… He was something else. Something even more dangerous than Lord Elijah. What was he?
Katerina curtsied to him, allowing him to take her hand for a kiss "Niklaus is the name my father gave me. Please… Call me Klaus."
"Don't mind me," Zara grumbled when he still didn't look away from her sister "I'll just be going."
"Zara." Katerina snapped out of whatever trance she was stuck in.
The younger Petrova shook her head "I'm not staying here." She narrowed her eyes on the man in front of her "And you shouldn't either."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Katerina snapped in Bulgarian, smiling at the two vampires for a second "Please, excuse us for a moment." She dragged her younger sister towards a crowd of people, her eyes blazing "What's your problem, Zara?"
"You're my problem. I don't want to be here. Why can't you just let me go home?" Zara questioned. She refrained from bringing up the fact that her sister was flirting with two men. Truthfully, she never did like her sister's antics. Katerina got pregnant out of wedlock – Not that Zara cared much about that. The worst thing was that she didn't even know who the father was. It was no secret in the village that Katerina liked to sleep around. No one dared to say anything about it though, fearing the wrath of the Petrova patriarch.
Katerina shook her head "You're staying with me. Who knows how much trouble you will get yourself into." The older Petrova raised her eyebrow pointedly "That dress for instances. Where did you get it?"
"What does it matter?" Zara questioned defensively. No one knew about her meeting her father and that he was rich. She loved the fact that he cared about her enough to send her clothes.
"That's my point," Katerina pointed out "You aren't even denying that you're stealing them."
Zara stiffened "I'm not a thief."
"Of course, you're not. And those pigs from the village went missing my themselves?"
The younger girl couldn't help the wince that escaped her. She could still remember the beating her step-father had given her because Katerina told him that she was the one who freed them "I didn't do that and you know it."
"We're not getting into this right now," the older sister pointed out "I have more important things to do now."
"What?" Zara snorted "To flirt with two Lords?"
Katerina's hand shot out and grasped her sister's arm tight enough to make her squirm "You will shut your mouth. Father may no longer be here but that doesn't mean that you get to talk to me like this."
When the two sisters rejoined the two Originals, Klaus glanced down at the youngest sister. Something was up between the two of them but his Bulgarian wasn't good enough to catch everything the two had said "From where have you come, Katerina?"
"My sister and I are new to town, my Lord," Katerina smiled, suddenly shy again.
Elijah looked at his younger brother with his eyebrow raised "Katerina and Zara are from Bulgaria."
"Zdravei, Katerina," Lord Niklaus bowed.
She laughed in delight, while her sister just shook her head in exasperation. Didn't he notice that Katerina wasn't who she pretended to be? Then again… Maybe he noticed but just didn't care "Very good," the older Petrova chuckled.
Lord Niklaus looked at Elijah "Do you mind, brother? I would like to have a moment alone with Miss Katerina."
"No, not at all," Elijah shook his head and held out his arm to Zara "Would you mind joining me, Miss Zara?"
The sixteen-year-old hesitated for the shortest moment before the threat in her sister's eyes made her slump "Of course," she murmured, linking her arm with the man's.
"Happy birthday, brother," Lord Elijah nodded to his brother one last time before he lead the young girl away a few paces. Far enough so that she couldn't hear what his brother was up to "Would you care for a dance, Miss Zara?"
The sixteen-year-old shook her head "I'm afraid I can't dance… But please call me Zara, Lord Elijah."
"If you pardon my curiosity, Zara but you and Katerina do not look much alike," the vampire pointed out curiously.
"I do not believe it matters," Zara hedged, risking a glance at where her sister was standing "If you'll excuse me now? I better go while my sister is still occupied."
Elijah raised his eyebrows "In this case, it was a pleasure to meet you."
The girl curtsied smoothly "Thank you, Lord Elijah. Have a pleasant day." She made her way to the exit, glancing around as she went. When Zara was sure that she was alone, she moved into the shadow of the hallway, shadow travelling to the dining room in her father's palace in the Underworld.
"Zara," Persephone smiled, seeing her stepdaughter "Are you well?"
"I think so," she sighed, sinking into one of the chairs around the table in the dining room "Katerina is just being… Well… You know what I mean."
The Goddess of springtime frowned "What happened, sweetheart?"
Zara shifted in her chair "She dragged me to a party that I didn't want to go to and threatened me. She mentioned… she mentioned her father and that he wasn't there anymore and…"
"That wretched…" Persephone broke off, perching herself on the edge of the girl's chair, drawing her into a warm embrace "She has no power over you, Zara. You don't have to be scared of her. She is right, that awful man isn't there any longer. He can't hurt you anymore."
"I'm going to take pleasure in having that… man here," Hades mumbled, walking into the room. He felt his daughter arrive and heard what Persephone and Zara had been talking about "I'm sure Alecto would love to help me… I'll never understand how you made her like you."
Zara smiled at her father, getting up to bury her face in his chest "Hello, father." Alecto and the other two Furies had occasionally been her babysitters whenever her father and Persephone were occupied. Over the eleven years she spent in the Underworld, Zara made the acquaintance of several residents. Charon, the ferryman was one of them. He told her stories of the people he helped over. Thanatos, on the other hand, was like a brother to her. The God of Death was the one person she went to first whenever she had a problem with anything or anyone. Thanatos always listened to Zara and helped in whatever way he could. He also helped her to protect herself, teaching her how to fight along with several dead heroes who were eager to teach the daughter of Hades.
"How is England treating you?" Hades questioned, wrapping his arms around the girl's shoulders.
"It's quite nice actually," the demigod hummed "Except for Katerina but I think I can deal with her. The only thing that worries me is that two quite powerful vampires have their eye on her. I don't understand it really."
Persephone tilted her head "What do you mean powerful?"
"I don't know," Zara shrugged helplessly "They feel old, strong and one of them – Niklaus – There's something hidden, I think. He's stronger than his brother but I don't know why."
Hades frowned, thinking about where he heard the name before "Niklaus… I heard that name before. Did you say his brother?"
"Yes," the sixteen-year-old nodded "Niklaus and Elijah. Do you know of them?"
"Of course," the God of the Underworld groaned, rubbing at his forehead. His daughter had the worst luck sometimes… The Originals? Out of all the vampires, she had to run into them "Mikaelson."
Persephone gasped "You mean that Zara met two of the oldest vampires? The Originals?"
"Exactly," Hades nodded and turned to his daughter "I want you to try and stay away from them. While they shouldn't be able to harm you considering you're my daughter, I don't want to take that chance."
Zara blinked in confusion "Who are the Originals?"
"The first vampires," her father explained patiently "As far as I know their mother did a ritual that turned them into vampires not quite five centuries ago. You would be better off to ask Hecate though. They fall in her jurisdiction considering their mother was a witch."
"I don't think that they will bother me enough," Zara murmured "But if I ever need to know more, I'll ask her. Thank you, father, Persephone."
Persephone smiled at the girl "Do you need to go now?"
"I should. I don't know how long Katerina is going to be gone and I don't want to take the chance get lectured… again." What she didn't tell them was that sometimes Katerina did worse things than lecturing her. It didn't happen often but on some occasions, the older Petrova raised her hand. Compared to what her stepfather did, it was nothing but it still hurt.
The two deities watched the girl leave with frowns on their faces. Zara was way too kind-hearted for her own good. She could have gotten her half-sister to leave her alone a long time ago but for some reason, she kept hoping that Katerina would see that she was wrong. Neither Hades nor Persephone were optimistic about that happening. They were prepared to pick up the pieces in the end… No matter how hard it would be "I don't like this," Persephone sighed, leaning against her husband's taller frame.
Hades shook his head "Neither do I, dear but she has to make her own mistakes. The only thing we can do is to support her."
"Even if she decides to get closer to the vampire?"
"You feel like that's going to happen?" Hades questioned.
The Goddess of springtime nodded "I feel like there is a chance. Zara said that they were interested in Katerina… Let's just wait and see though. Maybe I'm wrong."
Hades looked up at the ceiling "I really hope that you are."
Okay, guys. The first chapter is finally here. Anyway. There's something I wanted to ask you guys. There are three choices for the pairing and I want your input.
It's either going to be:
Kol/Zara
Klaus/Zara or
Klaus/Zara/Kol (I'm partial to Klaus/Zara/Kol just because I already have an idea on how to do this but it's your decision)
I'll also do quite a bit of backstory and historical events leading up to the present. Everything is planned out. It's just the pairing I need before I can continue writing.
Nick