Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Twilight or from the Mercedes Lackey "Heralds of Valdemar" series. I only own Artemis, Apollo and Delphina and any other characters that you don't recognize. So, if you think I'm making any money from this, you are sadly mistaken. :p

AN: To remind y'all, dialogue like this :dialogue: is Telepathic Speech between two people. :p

Chapter 5

My Old Secrets Laid

When Artemis and Apollo walked outside, she turned to hug him. "Apollo, it's been way too long. How did you find me?" she asked.

Her twin smiled at her. "I was on my way to see you in the Amazon, when I was delayed."

Artemis furrowed her brow, sensing that something had happened of monumental importance. "Delayed by what? Or whom?" she queried.

"Zeus. And Leto."

"What?" Artemis exclaimed. "Why would Leto come to you and not me? She has always come to me if they choose to manifest themselves in the physical plane."

It was true. After the fight in the palace, when so many of the Heralds were killed, the Companions had been responsible for keeping the peace. Aros may have fled, but with all the vampires that were left in his wake, they had been kept busy tracking them down. After they had cleared out the evil, Artemis, Apollo and Didyme had taken it upon themselves to try to track down their power hungry brother and had left Valdemar.

Seventy years later, Zeus, Leto and Didyme's Companion Asteria had chosen to leave the physical plane. They had said that they were confident in their Chosen's ability to control the bloodlust and they were weary. They had made the promise that when times were trying, then they would find them, no matter where on the earth they were.

Leto had appeared to Artemis five times since then. All were times when Valdemar was being threatened. It was on the fourth appearance, when an influx of young vampires was threatening their home, that had made them reach the decision to magically shield their world and sink it beneath the ocean to ensure the safety of the land. Leto had only manifested herself once since that time, five thousand years ago when a rise in natural disasters had threatened to destroy the magical defenses they had put in place around Valdemar.

"She said that she could not keep up with you. You were already on your way here," Apollo explained. "She and Zeus have decided to appear in human form, as to not stick out in this world."

"Why are they here?"

Apollo sighed. "I fear that the consequences of this fight may extend to Valdemar."

"How is that possible?" Artemis shot back, panicked at the thought of her homeland in danger.

"Aros. If he wins this fight, it will give him the confidence to try to take over Valdemar again. How, I have no idea, but I have a feeling when they catch up with us, Zeus and Leto will be able to explain."

It was Artemis's time to sigh. "Then we need to get with our training. We also need to call in the troops. How many of the Protectors can we find?" she asked, referring to the Heralds that had become vampires during Aros's attack on the palace.

"I don't know," Apollo admitted. "We need to have a strategy meeting with the Cullens as soon as possible."

"How about we hunt and by the time we get back, night will have fallen," Artemis suggested. Apollo nodded and quickly they vanished in the trees.

After Apollo and Artemis had left, the Cullens had retreated to the study to discuss what they had learned. Edward, still shaken from delving into the mind of Artemis was leaning against the wall, Bella at his side. Carlisle and Esme sat on a couch, while Rosalie and Emmett paced around the room. Alice, Jasper, Jacob and Nessie had all taken rest in chairs scattered about the room.

"Can we trust them?" Rosalie was asking, clearly worried about the turn in events. Edward, Alice and Jasper all nodded.

"The feelings I get from them is like nothing I've ever felt before," Jasper responded. "I don't think I can fully explain it."

Carlisle smiled from his spot on the couch. "I can. As vampires age, we get more powerful. I can only imagine the power that Apollo and Artemis have."

"It's immense," Edward said quietly from his position. "Not only do they have the natural power that is granted to vampires, but the gifts that they possess are of unparalleled strength. If they can truly teach us some of that strength, we may be able to defeat Aro after all."

Bella looked shocked at the hope in Edward's voice. "I'm amazed," she stated. "Mr. Glass is Half Empty over here sounds hopeful. It truly is the end of the world."

Alice giggled at Bella's sally. "This does explain why in my visions I have seen her with Aro. It was visions of the past, not the future."

"I'm just concerned about how this affects the Packs," Jacob said.

Nessie patted his arm. "You heard them. They want to move the fight away from humans. That should make the Packs happy. My concern is even if they manage to teach every one of us to use what we have to the fullest; we are still too few in numbers to make the hundreds of vampires the Volturi will bring."

Esme stood. "We can not worry about that until we learn what we will actually be able to do. I suggest that we take a break and do not discuss this any further. We are reconvening tonight and perhaps we can get all our questions answered," she said quietly as Carlisle stood beside her and they moved out of the room.

The rest of the family saw the wisdom in Esme's suggestion. The time alone would give them all time to formulate their own questions.

By nightfall, Apollo and Artemis were back in the forest, gazing at the emerging stars. "Why haven't we done this more often?" Artemis asked her twin.

"What? Hunt together?" Apollo responded.

"Yes. We need to make it more of a priority to keep in touch more often. It need not be a disaster to bring us together."

"True. I remember the days with us on the hunt for Aros. The togetherness that we felt whilst on the road. How long has it been since you've been back to Valdemar?" he asked quietly.

"Too long. Close to two hundred years, I think." Artemis looked thoughtful. "I couldn't bring myself to go to Haven. We're part of their history, figures that are thought of with reverence."

"Same thing with me. After I revealed myself to the Protectors, I couldn't bring myself to see the city. So much has changed, yet stayed the same. It's strange."

"I wonder sometimes if we made the correct decision."

Apollo reached over and grasped her hand. "If we didn't make that choice, then you know that Aros would have continued to assault Valdemar. He would have won eventually," he reassured her.

"I know, but what happens after this fight is over? What happens if we have to kill Aros? Do we lift the wards? Do we raise our land from the bottom of the ocean?"

"I don't know, Apollo. I just don't know." Artemis looked at the sky one last time. "We'd better go in. You know that they will have questions for us."

Apollo smiled as he dropped out of the tree. "Then we will answer them."

Artemis just shook her head as she joined him on the ground and they proceeded to walk back to the house. Once inside, they found the Cullens waiting in the living room for them. Artemis and Apollo nodded to each other and stood before them. "Before we start talking strategy, does anyone have any questions?"

Nessie nodded. "I do. Even if we all learn to use our powers to the fullest, the Volturi still outnumber us significantly. Are we going to be able to overcome that?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Apollo answered her. "We have to try, though. We do have some connections as well, so we will be trying to find more allies." He looked at Artemis. :Should we tell them about Zeus and Leto?:

Artemis nodded slightly as she stepped forward. "Our Companions have also contacted us."

"They're still alive?" Bella interrupted in wonder. "Is that even possible?"

Artemis smiled. "Yes and no. No they are not still alive from when we became vampires. I don't know how to go into this without stepping on anyone's beliefs. They are messengers of the Gods. They come to us when the world is in peril." She stepped back to lean against the wall. "It is through them that we can contact some of our allies. I expect them to be arriving shortly. They will wait for your permission to enter the premises."

Carlisle nodded his head. "They have it."

Apollo lowered his head a moment. "I have let them know. They will be here within the hour."

"Any more questions?" Artemis asked.

Esme studied the raven haired twins. "What will this training entail?" she asked quietly.

:Apollo. You can answer this. You were the one that was training to be a Gift teacher when we were turned.: Artemis told her twin.

Apollo looked at the group. "Basically, what we can do is test everyone for Gifts. Not just gifts that you know you have, but Gifts that you might possess. Once we determine which Gifts that you have, we will work with you to teach you how to use it. Basically, Gifts will fall into three different categories. First is Communication, which includes the telepathic speech between beings, being able to read minds or emotions, and being able to plant thoughts into people's minds. The next group is Seeing. That is basically being able to see in the past, present or future, and being able to See events that are taken place, even when you are not present. These two groups tend to work together a lot. The third group is rarer. We call them Fetching. This group includes being able to move objects through space. For instance, being able to bring a ring to you that you left hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This also includes Firestarting."

Carlisle looked intrigued. "Your analysis seems very scientific," he observed.

Artemis and Apollo laughed. "Oh, it is," Artemis agreed. "It was known to our world that the people of Valdemar had made quite a science of mind gifts. Enough that a well trained Herald could battle a Mage and win." She shrugged. "It was what set us apart from the rest of the world. It's what will still set up apart from Aro."

Carlisle cocked his head. "But Aro has made of habit of collecting people with unusual talents to him. So one would stand to reason that we would be fighting with similar gifts."

"True," Artemis conceded. "But, we have one thing that Aro will never have. Companions. Our Companions are indescribably strong and have access to information that mortals should never have."

Emmett laughed. "Good thing we are not mortals."

"Exactly. We can find more information out when Zeus and Leto arrive. I suggest we take a breather until then. If I know Leto, she will grill us for hours before even taking a breath," Artemis advised.

The group nodded and scattered to various parts of the house. Artemis and Apollo both retreated to the forest, a place that they always felt at home. They sat side by side, not saying anything, just enjoying being together and studying the stars.

:Look, Orion and Scorpius. Constellations that are dedicated to us, sister.:

Artemis smiled as she stared at the grouping of starts. :It's hard to believe that. Can you also believe that we may live to see the death of those stars that make them up? I wonder sometimes if I am meant to live after Aros is dealt with.:

:I know what you mean, sister-mine. I had assumed that the older we got, the easier it would be to forget what brought us here.: Apollo picked up her hand, affected by her sudden melancholy.

:But as the years go by, the memories stay strong. You know, I can tell you entire centuries that I do not remember a single thing in, but every single event of my life before Aros made us into immortal beings is engraved in my head.:

"And that's why we go centuries without seeing each other," Apollo said aloud softly. "I do believe that we are about to have company."

Artemis looked up to see that he was correct, Edward was approaching them. Trust her brother to always know what was in store; he did have the Gift of Fore-Sight. "Something troubling you, Edward?" Artemis said casually as she motioned him to sit with them, her Empathy telling her that he was deep in thought about something.

"Actually, yes. You stated that your Companions were bound to you, like soul mates. But how can that binding still be in place?" Edward asked seriously.

:Apollo, you might want to leave. I feel that he will be more comfortable talking about this with me in private.: she advised her twin. Apollo just nodded to them as he quietly left. "Why don't you tell me what you really feel? I'm not here to destroy anyone's beliefs, so I can only tell you my experience."

Edward seemed to be searching for words. "Doesn't becoming a vampire cost you your soul?" he finally said.

"Honestly, I think that depends on the person. Yes, both Apollo and I were soul-bound to our Companions, yet that bond did not break when we became vampires. From what I have seen in my life, it seems that becoming the vampire does not make you lose your soul, but it's how you react to the change that makes a difference. I have observed many a human that I would feel have less of a soul than some vampires that I've known. I can't make you believe anything Edward. You have to decide that by yourself." Feeling that she had left the young vampire with a lot to think about, she quietly got up and retreated to the house, to await the arrival of her own soul mate.

AN: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated. It's been way too long since I've written anything, but I finally got a bit of inspiration for this chapter at least! I'm not going to lie and say that it might not be awhile before I post another chapter, but I promise that I will finish this story!

Soccer - It's been way too long since we've talked, but my life has been, well INSANE! Okay. better now. How've ya been?