A/N: Happy Saturday!
Enjoy! x
Chapter 6: Released
Zee's Penthouse – Next Morning
Even though it wasn't appropriate, Zee found herself day drinking. After her conversation with Bo yesterday, she was at a loss. She'd sent out a call to her daughter Persephone, but as she told Bo; It was up to her daughter to return the call, if she didn't then it was her choice.
Zee realised she needed to try and come up with another plan, clearly she couldn't take on Hades by herself. Not in her current body, and there was no way to get her old one back. And she didn't really want it either; she liked her new form. But that was the problem, in this form she was basically powerless. Especially against her brother.
She heard the bell of the elevator sound off behind her, it was most likely Hera. She wasn't in the mood for him right now. She decided against telling him about Bo's child, knowing that he would tell her 'I told you so' and then that would just annoy the hell out of her. So she was going to keep her mouth shut for now.
"Is this the reason you wanted to return to the land of the living? So you can drink the city dry?" Hera shook his head in disappointment. He enjoyed a good drink as much as anyone, but Zee was going too far.
Zee poured another glass of scotch. "When I want your opinion; I'll ask for it. In the meantime, why don't you just shut up?!" She knocked it back in one.
Hera furrowed his brows, something was wrong. Zee was a bitch on a daily basis, but she was going out of her way to be horrible now. "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" He approached her.
She slammed her glass down on the table, taking a breath. "Yes, something did happen. I found out that Hades is making a move to try and break out of Tartarus. And he's using Persephone to do it" she wasn't mentioning anything about the baby.
"Ah, your bastard child. I always told you she would be nothing but trouble!" Hera didn't care for Persephone, especially since Zee had her with another Woman. Hera was a very jealous person.
Zee shot him a cold glance. "Whatever you think of her, just remember that she's my daughter. And I've wronged her, like I did all my children. I need to speak with her; maybe I can get her to abandon Hades" she thought it over.
"She's bound to him; she couldn't leave him even if she wanted to. Which makes her a constant threat to us; maybe you should just put her out of her misery" Hera went for a glass of scotch himself, he needed it after hearing this.
"The thought of that isn't far from my mind; with her dead that would weaken him even more. Maybe enough to keep him in Tartarus forever. But…" She sighed, as much as she wanted to kill Hades, she didn't want her daughter to suffer. "… I've done enough to her already; I won't kill her" she couldn't do it.
Hera sipped his drink, "Then how're we supposed to stop him?! We're strong, even in these vessels. But he, is stronger. Maybe not strong enough to break out of his prison yet, but that will soon change. We need to go to Plan B" he looked at her.
Zee knew exactly what he was referring to, and she wasn't going it. "Are you out of your mind?! What you're thinking is out of the question!" She turned away, walking to the balcony window.
"You said it yourself, once he's strong enough. He'll come for us! And we can't fight him without help. We have no weapons; none that will work on him. And asking his daughter for help isn't an option. Bo despises us…" He followed her. "… We need Amara" he said.
She closed her eyes, hearing that name struck fear into her heart. "No good can come from releasing Amara, especially not for us! Or have you forgotten, that she spent five hundred years trying to kill us?" She asked him.
Hera sighed, shaking his head. He could never forget that. "No, of course not. But you and I both know; she's the only person Hades truly fears. Maybe we could make a deal with her. Our safety, for the right to kill him. She hates him more than us; there's no way she'd turn that down" he was sure of that.
"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Zee stared at him. There was nothing smart about releasing Amara from her prison. They put her there for a reason. She was the only one strong enough to kill them all. Zee couldn't allow her to be free.
"What other choice do we have? We can't fight him alone" Hera didn't want to die, since he had just returned to the living.
Zee rubbed her face, she was too tired to keep arguing. "We'll find another way. I have some things in the works, and I just need to see how they play out. I'm going back to bed, and wallow in my failed plans" she walked past him, nudging him in the shoulder as she grabbed a full bottle of gin and then left the room.
Hera took a moment to contain his frustration, his Wife was a horrible person. And she was willing to let their older brother try and kill them. When there was such an easy alternative in their grasp. One thing he did know, was that no matter what happened. He wasn't going to let Zee take him down with her.
Kenzi's Villa
Bo slowly opened her eyes, seeing her baby girl laying beside her still fast asleep. She wished for this for so many mornings, but never imagined how amazing it would actually feel until now.
Charlie had rolled over in the night, and now half of her small body was laying on Bo. And as much as she needed to use the bathroom right now, Bo couldn't bring herself to move. She then realised maybe getting Lauren to leave today wasn't the problem, because she didn't want to go either.
She used her free hand to stroke the toddler's cheek, and as she did Charlie opened her eyes. "Hi..." Bo whispered with a smile, watching her daughter roll over onto her stomach and try to sit up. "… Did you have a good sleep?" She asked her, not thinking that she would get an answer.
But to her shock, Charlie nodded.
Lauren felt the weight in the bed shift slightly, opening her eyes she saw that Charlie was sitting up in the middle of her and Bo. And her Girlfriend was also awake. "That was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time" she admitted.
"Me too…" Bo smiled from where she was laying. They didn't know what they were going to do when they actually went back home. "… I'm gonna head to the bathroom; why don't you take her to get some breakfast?" she kissed the baby on her cheek, then got up from the bed.
"That's a great idea, right?" Lauren smiled at her daughter, getting up off of the bed and picking her up. She needed to change her diaper first, and she couldn't help but notice that Bo had subtly side stepped the responsibility. "Let's get you out of that dirty diaper, shall we?" She walked her over to the small changing table in the corner.
Just in case Kenzi was still sleeping from her night out, Lauren brought the table into the guest room. She was being considerate. With Charlie all clean and dressed in new clothes, Lauren took her into the living room.
Where she found Tamsin and Kenzi passed out on the couch, wrapped up in each other. She couldn't help but laugh at them, Kenzi was laying over Tamsin. Both of them with their mouths hung open, mascara smudged and drooling as they snored.
"Never do what they did…" She whispered to her daughter, who was pointing to her Aunts. "… I know, they're so silly" she settled Charlie on her hip, while she laughed at her friends.
Bo walked in, seeing that Lauren was just standing in the middle of the room. "What's going on?" She got her answer when she saw Tamsin and Kenzi sleeping soundly while snuggling. "Looks like they had a fun night out" she chuckled.
Lauren nodded. "Yeah, come on. Let's leave them to their cuddling" she walked off quietly with Charlie in her arms, and Bo following closely behind.
Once in the kitchen, Lauren seated her daughter into the highchair. This felt so normal, and it was almost as if she'd been doing it for the year she missed. Because she found it so natural. It wasn't long before Charlie started slapping her hands down onto the table of her highchair. Clearly she was hungry.
Bo checked fridge, seeing the many jars of food for her. Since it was breakfast time, she didn't want to give her something that tasted awful. So she went with puréed peaches, everyone loved peaches. Right?
She sat next to her daughter, and then began feeding her. "Please let this be something you actually like…" She was praying, seeing Charlie allow the spoon to go into her mouth. And then immediately watching the baby smile. "… Thank god" she didn't feel like being spit up on.
Lauren made her way back to the table, carrying two cups of coffee. Her stomach had too many knots in it to actually eat anything. Because she knew that in an hour or two, she would have to leave her baby again.
"You know; I knew it'd be hard. Even though I told myself I wouldn't let it get to me, but it is. There's nothing I can do to stop it" she said aloud.
Bo stopped what she was doing for a second, turning her head in her Girlfriend's direction. "I know. But just think…" She reached her free hand over to grab Lauren's. "… We know things now, things we didn't know before. It won't be another year babe; I promise" she was going to keep this promise.
Even if it killed her.
Lauren just nodded, she didn't know what else she could say. But she wasn't going to let her worries, ruin this morning. Because she had her daughter now, and she was going to make the most of the time that she had left. "So. What are we gonna do when we get back?" She asked.
"Well, first thing. Is that I'm going to let every Fae know, that the infamous Oracle vision was fake. Maybe once everyone knows the truth, the threat to Charlie will be over and we can bring her home" Bo was being optimistic. Which was so unlike her.
"But you can't do that, without letting the whole world know she's alive. Even if some of them do believe you, others may not be so willing. She'll never really be safe until we deal with your Dad" Lauren said.
Bo sighed, why was it always her family that were lunatics? "Yeah, my Dad. The reason we've been so miserable for the last year. He's in a different realm, and somehow he manages to ruin my life. All for more power" she watched her daughter smile at her.
That was enough to make feel better, but she still hated him for all of this. She didn't understand how someone could want their own family dead. Just so he could get strong enough to break out of his prison.
"Power makes people do stupid things, of course it's much worse when said people are already Evil. He wants what he wants Bo, and he doesn't care what he has to do to get it. Jack doesn't care that Charlie's his Granddaughter, or that he's hurting you. He only cares about himself" Lauren sipped her coffee.
Bo nodded, "You're absolutely right, which is why we're not gonna let him get his hands on her. I'll slice them off before he gets the chance" she meant that.
Lauren shifted her gaze to their daughter, who was eyeing them suspiciously. "You're so lucky she can't understand anything we say. Otherwise, we'd be branded as very bad Parents" she joked.
"Are you kidding me? We're the best Parents in the world. Because we'd give our lives for our little Princess, and I'll do anything to bring her home. Even if it means chopping off my Father's head" Bo whispered the last part, just in case Charlie did pick up anything.
"Okay…" Lauren got up, circling the table to cover her daughter's tiny ears. "… Can we stop with all the chopping and slicing talk? We have a minor present" she heard Charlie giggle, trying to touch her Mother's hands.
Bo nodded, holding up her hands. "Alright, you got it Mommy" she saw Lauren blush at the word she used. Clearly, she'd missed being called that. And maybe saying it while Charlie was near them would encourage her to start talking.
Lauren loved hearing that, because she was someone's Mommy. She hadn't felt like that in a long time. Three hundred and sixty-five days, to be exact. But she couldn't keep this feeling for long, because she had to leave today. Which is why they had to stop Jack from whatever he was planning.
"The question still remains though…" She spoke to Bo. "… How're we supposed to stop and kill an Ancient God? And a very evil one, at that?" Killing a God wasn't something that happened everyday.
Bo shrugged. "I dunno yet. But don't worry, we'll find a way. We always do…" She leaned into kiss Charlie's cheek, earning a giggle from her. "… As for the how? There has to be some way to kill a God, even the Fae themselves aren't immortal. We're all gonna die someday" she said.
"Yeah, but not for a long time. Maybe we should start researching ways on how to kill a God. If there's any weapon that's strong enough to hurt them; we never really tried that. We didn't know it was Jack who was after her, but now we do" Lauren picked Charlie up, cuddling her.
"Exactly, now we have a lead to follow. The research thing sounds like a solid plan…" Bo stood close to her girls. Kissing Lauren and then stroking Charlie's hair, they both watched her chew on her fingers. "… Like I said, we'll find a way" She nodded.
No one could truly be immortal, even the Fae aged. It took them thousands of years, but they did die. All they had to do was find a way.
Greece – Unknown Location
After the pointless conversation with his Wife, Hera thought over things a little more. And the only thing he kept thinking was he didn't want to die, not again. The place they'd escaped from was called Myth, and when Bo lit the Artemis Candle she freed them.
It was worse than Hell; there was nothing there. No people, no objects, nothing. Endless purgatory, and he would rather die than go back. After checking on Zee, he found that after drinking an entire bottle of Gin. She'd passed out.
That was a good thing though.
Because with her out like a light, he could work on his own plan. And that was self preservation, there was only one person strong enough to take down Hades. And that was their older sister, Amara.
Although, Zee was right about the cons of this plan. Amara despised all of them, each and every one of the Ancients. In the centuries before her imprisonment, she vowed to hunt them all down and kill them.
All for becoming the Gods they were meant to be. Amara didn't believe they should've been worshiped; she cared for Humans more than her own people. But Hades, was the one she hated the most.
Because he took something special from her, the love of her life. The only person Amara had ever loved; a Human. And for making their lives a misery, Hades punished her by taking the life of her lover.
That angered her more than anything, that was when they all pooled their powers together and imprisoned her in a tomb. Where she'd been ever since. In their original form, they were immortals. And they could never die. So Amara had been trapped inside the tomb for over a thousand years. And Hera knew that she would not be happy once she was released.
But he had to do this, to ensure that he would live when Hades finally did return. This Human vessel left him vulnerable, and Zee too. But she was too proud and stubborn to admit it. She'd take it to her grave.
After leaving the Penthouse, Hera hitched a ride across the oceans with a Fae that could transport to any place on earth. Which led him here; back to where it all started.
Back in the day, the tomb they sealed Amara in stood alone. Far away from any civilisation, any towns, or cities. But now, times had changed. New cities had formed, and his sister's tomb was now buried under a mountain.
Luckily, he brought his Wife's thunderbolt. Which carried enough power to destroy anything in its path. Since coming back to this earthly realm, Zee had the bolt fashioned into something a little less inconspicuous.
Hera held a sword, made of adamantine and infused with the power Zee's lightening. There was only one problem with this course of action. When he used the sword to burst through the cavern. Zee would sense it, and come running.
Hades would resurface soon, and when he did. He would be out for blood, and Hera was in no mood to die. This was about what was best for their family, and they needed Amara.
Hera lifted the sword high, swinging it in one swift motion. A bolt of lightening shot out from the tip of the sword, burning through the incased cavern and blowing the entrance to pieces. As the smoke cleared, he saw the entrance was open. Now was his chance, from the moment the lightening left the sword. Zee would've been alerted. He had to do this now.
Running inside, he coughed as the smell of damp and the burning from the blast invaded his senses. He was almost choking on it. Delving deeper, he saw the stone casket that they sealed Amara in.
Standing over it, he wiped the cobwebs away. Hera used the sword as leverage to pry the top open, it took him a while but he did it. He used all of his strength to push the lid over, looking inside he saw her.
His older Sister, still looking as young as she ever did with her brown curls resting over her shoulders. "Amara?" He whispered, leaning in closer. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. He was amazed she'd lived through all this. "It's been a long time Sister" he said.
Amara focused her eyes on this strange man, he just called her his sister. She had no memory of this man's face. "Who are you?" Her voice was horsed.
Hera had to smile, of course she didn't recognise his Human body. "It's me. Hera…" as soon as he revealed himself, Amara tried to lunge at him. But due to the rusting chains that were around her body she couldn't get to him. "… Stop it! I came to release you"
"Release me? Why would you do such a thing?" She asked. The last thing she remembered was trying to kill her wretched siblings for becoming monsters. Then they banded together to contain her, and now he wanted to help? She didn't believe a word of this.
Hera sighed, leaning his elbow on the edge of the casket. "Because, we need your help"
Amara studied his face, she could see it now. Her sister was in there; she could see her through this puppet's eyes. "Who is this 'We', that you speak of?" She asked.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Hera turned his head, seeing Zee standing in the entrance. Before he could even try to explain himself, Zee hit him with a bolt of her own lightening. Throwing him across the room and into a nearby wall. "Zee, let me explain" he pushed up off of the cold floor.
"Explain what? How you're trying to release the one person that wants to annihilate us all?! Please, explain it to me!" Zee yelled.
Amara rolled her eyes, she'd know that tone anywhere. Even if it was of a different gender. "Hello Zeus…" She called from where she laid, she heard footsteps walk toward her. Then a blonde woman came into view. "… This explains so much Brother; you always did favour a short robe" she snorted.
Zee looked into the eyes that she had been terrified of for so long, Amara was the only thing that struck fear into her heart. "Whatever Hera has promised you; forget about it! There is no way in hell, I am releasing you from this prison" she spat.
Hera stood straight, dusting off his clothes. "We need her Zeus" he said.
"I don't need anyone, not even you…" Zee looked down, seeing her sword laying on the ground. She picked it up, holding it for him to see. "… You know how much I hate it when people touch my things!"
Amara sighed. "I do grow tired of this, so either let me out or seal me in. I've gone passed caring at this point" she'd been locked in this tomb for a thousand years, she'd gotten good at being the captive. And the peace and quiet wasn't so bad.
Zee looked at her sister, she didn't expect her to give up so easily. "That's it? No threats?" She asked, watching her shake her head.
"They would be empty. I lay here, bound by your chains. Sealed in the tomb of your choosing, what could I possibly say that would scare you into giving me my freedom?" Amara was too old for games, if they were going to leave her here then they could go now.
Hera stepped forward, touching Zee's arm. "Please, she's our only hope against him"
Hearing that, caught Amara's attention. She knew exactly who they were referring to, "Where is he?" Was all she asked.
Zee sighed, they had to tell her now. "In Tartarus, where he belongs. But we think he's planning to escape, again"
"Well, I see you've all been busy in the last millennia. So that's why you need me, you want me to kill our disgusting excuse of a brother?" Amara understood now, they would never release her for something so trivial.
Hera nodded. "We believe he'll return soon; we're not strong enough to fight him in these vessels" he looked down at his human body.
Amara smirked. "Of course you're not…" She exhaled, she loved Humans. But if she had to bet on who would win in a fight, Human or God. She went God every time. "… And you?" She looked at Zeus. "You are against freeing me, why? You do need my help, don't you?" She asked.
"You're dangerous" Zee said.
"Only to you dear brother, or I should say; Sister, isn't that right?" Amara laughed. "If you wish for me to kill Hades; I can't very well do it in this state. Can I?" She nodded to her chained body.
Hera turned to Zee, "Free her"
As much as Zee wanted to scream, No. She couldn't deny that Hera's plan was a good one. Amara was the only one out of all of their family who still remained in her original body. Just like Hades. And she was stronger than him. She was their only chance to take him down.
Zee hovered her hand over the padlock of her sister's chains, emitting a burst of electricity and blowing the the metal to pieces. She stepped back, her sword in hand and grasping it tight just in case.
Amara pushed the chains off of her body, finally able to breath deeply. She rose up, standing on her two feet. She wiped the dust from her arms. "I knew sooner or later something would happen, and all of you would need me. All I had to do, was wait. And I've had a thousand years to learn the art of patience" she climbed out of the casket.
"We want to make a deal" Hera said.
"And what would that deal entail?" Amara stood with her hands behind her back, she was more respectful than her siblings. In a thousand years, her manners hadn't changed.
Hera looked at Zee, who still hadn't taken her eyes off of their sister. "You want Hades dead, and so do we. In exchange for the right to hunt him down, we want your word that you won't harm us"
Amara started laughing. "Let me see if I'm hearing this correctly; you wish to bargain Hades' life for your own?" She watched him nod. "You have no say in what I do. I had the right to kill Hades centuries ago, but you sabotaged my attempt. You sided with that demon, and locked me in this place!" She yelled.
"You weren't just trying to kill him, you wanted it us all dead!" Zee replied. She wasn't going to stand here and look like the bad guy.
Amara nodded, walking around the tomb she'd been trapped in for so long. "I did, and to this day I still stand by my actions. I was doing what was best for the Human race" she didn't regret anything,
"And what about us? Your family; your blood!" Zee shouted.
"Family?" Amara scoffed. "Is that what you believe us to be? A Family? When will you open your eyes Zeus? We are not, nor were we ever; a family. We are merely hateful acquaintances. Nothing more" she never believed in this family.
Not when everyone was out to get each other. That wasn't a family, that was a catastrophe.
"Are you saying you won't help us?" Hera asked. He didn't come all this way for nothing.
Amara just looked at him. "Give me one good reason, why I should"
Before this got out of hand, which Zee knew that it would. She decided to offer up some information, at the end of the day they needed help. And Amara was it, but she wouldn't help them unless she gave them a good reason to.
"Because, Hades has a new goal. And if he succeeds in his plan, he will gain ultimate power. And not even you…" She approached her. "… My Sister, will be strong enough to stop him" she said.
Amara decided to hear her out, "Very well, Zeus. And where does Hades intend to get this Ultimate Power from?" She asked.
"From someone innocent; someone that should be protected at all costs. Would you like to meet them, and see for yourself?" Zee knew that Bo wouldn't like this, but she wanted to protect her daughter and Zee wanted to protect herself. This was the only way to do both.
Now Amara was intrigued, she'd never known her brother to speak with such compassion before. "Lead the way, brother" she gestured to the entrance.
Kenzi's Villa
After finishing their breakfast, Bo and Lauren wanted to spend some family time with Charlie. They hadn't set a time on when they'd be leaving, but it was definitely today. So they didn't want to waste another second.
Kenzi's and Tamsin had woken up, almost screaming the house down when they saw the position they were in. Kenzi decided to go back to bed, while Tamsin was too wired from hearing her friend scream in her ear. So she was in the kitchen drinking coffee.
Which left Bo and Lauren in the living room with their baby girl. Charlie was picking up toys and throwing them in Lauren's lap, then wandering around the room. "Is she using me as a storage box, or does she actually want to play with these?" She didn't know what to think.
"I dunno, she's walking so fast I keep losing track of her…" Bo got up from where she was sitting, walking over to the back of the opposite couch and seeing her little girl giving her a cheeky grin. "… Are you hiding from us?"
Charlie got up on her tiny legs, giggling and then walked off in the other direction. But when Bo started to chase her, she picked up the pace and began to run. She ran straight into Lauren's arms, who lifted her up with a laugh.
"Got ya!" Lauren's smile slowly faded as she saw the once sunny room, dim into darkness. "What happened to the sun?" She asked, standing up with Charlie in her arms.
Bo looked to the large glass doors that led to the backyard, seeing that the clouds had covered the sun. And they were black. "I don't think that's normal…" Then she heard a clap of thunder. Yep, definitely not a good sign. "… Take her into Kenzi's room; and wake her up too!"
Lauren didn't want to leave her here if something was coming. "Bo—"
"GO!" Bo ordered, when Lauren left with Charlie. She ran into the kitchen where Tamsin was looking out the window. "You see what I see?" She asked.
Tamsin nodded, "Yep, and whatever it is. It's not good. Come on, let's arm up. No one's getting in this house without a fight" she led her friend over to the kitchen's pantry. Which wasn't a pantry at all, it was more of an armoury.
Bo walked in, seeing various weapons scattered all around. There were firearms, explosives, blades, everything that she could think of was here. "Are you preparing for World War Three?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, you can never be to careful when dealing with pompous assholes…" Tamsin sheathed her own sword, and strapped her utility vest around her body. She didn't know what was out there, so she wasn't taking any chances. "… The more; the better" she said.
Grabbing her own sword, Bo also strapped it around her waist. Then picked up a crossbow, she too didn't know what to expect. So she was going to be ready for anything. They both walked out to the backyard, seeing the lightening shine in the sky.
A sharp bolt hit traveled down from the clouds, hitting the ground in a bright light. Causing Bo and Tamsin to shield their eyes. When they looked back, they saw Zee, Hera and some other woman. Who was dirty, and dressed in a white robe.
"Zee? What the hell are you doing back here?" Bo kept her crossbow shouldered, she still didn't trust Zee.
Zee stepped forward, "There's someone I want you to meet. Bo, meet Amara…" She gestured to her sister. "… My Sister. Amara, meet Bo. Daughter, of Hades" When she said that, Amara couldn't believe her ears.
This girl was her niece. She walked forward, studying her. She saw the resemblance, in her eyes. She could see her brother. She assumed that Persephone was her Mother, but then she used her powers to analyse her niece's energy. "You are not pure" she said.
"Excuse me?" Bo frowned. This chick had been here five minutes and already she was insulting her.
Amara took a few steps closer, but slowly backed off when she saw Bo grasp her weapon tighter. "You are not like us. You may've been born from Hades, but the rest of you is something else…" She looked to her weapon, "… You won't be needing that. I'm not here to harm you" she wanted to make that clear.
As much as she hated Hades, she wasn't going to condemn his daughter for his actions. This girl had done nothing to her.
"Then why're you here?" Bo asked.
"She's here to help, Bo…" Zee spoke, walking over. The sky began to clear up, and the sun began to shine through again. "… You wanted a way to take down your Father. She's it" she nodded to her sister.
Bo looked to Tamsin, who could only shrug. They didn't know if this woman was dangerous, but if she was the only way to stop Hades. Then they needed her. And they had to bring her up to speed. "Alright then…" She lowered her weapon. "… Let's talk inside"
Amara smiled. "After you" With that, she and her siblings followed the two women into the house.
This was going to be a longer day than Bo originally thought.
A/N: Ooh, what do you think of this new character? Can she be trusted? Let me know what you thought. Enjoy your weekend! Much love xoxo
