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Chapter 8:

3rd person POV

A new day. Time for school. Again. That was what went through Athena's mind as she got dressed for this new day. Oh how much she dreaded what was to come. Bella Swan would be there, she had no doubt. With a heavy sigh she pulled her hair back and tied it to get it away from her face.

The song was getting stronger again. The two pulls wanting to split her body in half. She put the song to the back of her mind and ignored its call as she made her way straight for the cars.

Silence.

Pulling up to the school Athena exited the car and made her way towards the school building. Noticing when Edward came up beside her. One pull lessened.

"We should skip biology today," he said quietly.

"Blood typing?" Athena asked lowly.

"So you knew?" Of course she did, he thought to himself.

"Mm."

Edward kept an eye on her through the classes in silence. When lunch came, they silently made their way to the usual table. Athena barely ate her food and the others felt worried about her. They were all feeling it and Edward could hear them clearly.

"So Athena," Alice started. Smile not faltering.

"Yes?" Athena asked, meeting her eyes.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go to Seattle this weekend. Partly for shopping and partly for swimming," Alice said and noticed Athena's eyes lit up. Nearly glowing.

"Really?" she asked, excited.

The others at the table nodding.

"That would be awesome," Athena said and felt the song in the back of her mind lose a bit more of its power.

"Great! I can't wait," Alice said with a grin and started another conversation with Rose.

The bell rang and Athena and Edward sat in his car while waiting for biology to pass. Soon Athena noticed Mike supporting a very green Bella and she suppressed a snort at the picture she saw.

"What's going on?" Edward asked, noticing her look.

"Look that way," Athena said and pointed in the right direction.

Edward could barely believe his eyes. "Should I go help?" he wondered and awaited a reaction from the mermaid beside him.

Her eyes started glowing with anger and she glared another way. "Do what you want," she answered short. Her voice cold.

An eyebrow raised and Edward shook his head. What was going on with her? Was she jealous? No, that would be absurd.

He turned and held on the handle, pressed it down. A hand rested on his forearm and he looked back to Athena. She seemed conflicted with herself.

"Please don't," she then said.

He let go and turned in his seat so he was facing her. "Why?" he heard himself ask.

She let go of him and looked another way. "I don't know," she whispered and her eyes closed. She drew a ragged breath and out of his vision on her right cheek, a tear was resting briefly before it fell. Going unnoticed.

"I need to go," he said. Noticing the time.

"Ok."

She got out of the car with him, but when he had parted ways with her, she let the song lead her. The song offered comfort and safety. She went unnoticed. Her form merged with the woods and she let herself lead as the sounds of cars died. She was faintly hearing the sounds of waves hitting rocks and going up against rocks. A cliff? She faintly wondered as she saw the trees parting and clearing up. Water was in front of her. She stopped by the edge of the cliff and looked down. Yes, there safety would be.

Then she jumped.

As the water connected with her the transformation happened fast and she found herself swimming with high speed away from the cliff and any shore at all. She saw so much life but at the same time she barely had time to look around as she let the song disappear and just become one with the sea.

She wanted to laugh with the freedom she felt. But then as she went even further the usual pull within her, got painful. She stopped in shock and held over her chest. Cried out and looked back the way she had come from. The way the pull called her. How far had she gone? She swam up to the surface and looked around. No sign of land. She went under again and started to swim back the way the pull led her. Soon she could see a stonewall and she swam up to the surface again. Yes, she did recognize it. Now it was only to find a place she could get up.

Or you can climb, a voice told her in the back of her mind.

Determined she pulled her body out of the water and dragged herself up the wall. The rocks were loose but due to her strength, she did not fall. When her tail was fully out of the water, legs were in place and she hurriedly climbed up the cliff and started running. Running the way the pull told her to. And soon enough she could see the Cullen house. She could also hear worried voices and she felt a bit guilty. Should she return? Maybe she just should have stayed in the water? But the song was no longer in the back of her mind. It was only one pull. Leading her in.

She took the steps up slowly. She opened the door and saw all their worried expressions. Questions of where she had been never came. It was not needed as she was dripping wet. Esme hurriedly came with a towel and put it around her. She did not need it, but kept it around herself to keep from overflowing the house. Not that it would happen…

Her legs led her up to her room and she went straight to shower. When she was done she listened closely. She heard two strong heartbeats. Coming from her. One a bit fast compared to her usual beat. And when she listened even more, she heard the fainter beat. Then it was beating once and it got silent. She frowned. Something was not right.

She made her way down to the kitchen in a bathrobe and found Jasper.

"Your emotions are becoming clearer," he said. Looking at her without revealing any emotion.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Athena wondered. Feeling tired.

"I'm not sure," he answered and briefly smiled.

She just nodded thoughtfully and took a glass of water. She did not pour salt into it. Not feeling like it was right. She found bread. Cheese and ham. "Perfect," she mumbled and prepared a small meal for herself.

Jasper raised a brow. This was unusual. No salt. No seafood. He left silently and made his thought clearer to Edward. Something is wrong. It did capture Edward's attention and they passed briefly.

Jasper told Alice while Emmett and Rosalie listened closely. Something was changing within Athena and neither of them could tell what it was.

The weekend came and Athena had mostly kept to herself. The song not being present was bothering her. It was not usual at all. Her food habits had gone back to as they used to be before her mermaid abilities kicked in. Neither had her skin felt tight around her and she had not had the need to take a dip in the pool.

Athena was quiet in the car with Rosalie and Alice. Edward, Jasper and Emmett in the car behind them.

"Aren't you excited?" Alice asked and looked to the backseat.

"I guess," Athena said lowly.

"Athena, if you don't want to, you just have to tell us," Rose said, concern clear in her eyes.

"It's not that. I really want to," Athena reassured.

"Then what's the matter?" Rose asked.

Alice kept quiet. She had had a vision of Athena previously that she would not change in the water. It was as if her mermaid parts had just disappeared. Without any trace at all.

"So I have this fantastic dress…" Alice started. Turning the conversation away from Athena. In turn she got a relieved look of gratitude and she smiled it off.

The beach wasn't that much of a beach this time of year. It was still early and somewhat winter. But no snow and no ice. It would be a fine temperature for the vampires and Athena anyway. They had chosen a more closed off area and no passing cars could see them. Neither many people that decided to take a walk along the shore if anything.

Athena stood in a dark green swimsuit and close to the edge where the water was washing up on the sand.

Alice and Rosalie sat on a towel watching intensely.

Emmett ran straight into the water and spread water around him, half covering Athena in drops of water and she stood gaping. Then her eyes narrowed and she stalked out between the small waves and followed after the huge vampire. She dove under and opened her eyes. Seeing well where Emmett was in front of her, swimming away. Her legs kicked and she started to swim, however, no tingling sensation. No mermaid tail.

Edward watched Alice closely as she went through the vision again and his eyes widened. She would be like them under water now. Not a mermaid. He briefly met Jasper's eyes and they seemed worried.

There is no tail, is there? Jasper asked through his thoughts.

Edward shook his head no.

And Emmett did not notice?

Yet another shake.

"Should we go after them?" Jasper asked aloud.

"They're fine," Alice said and arose. Skipping over towards the two.

"I wonder why she is not a mermaid anymore," Edward said quietly.

"We do not hold the answers. I already informed Carlisle. When she lost her mermaid part she started to become clearer in my visions, just not as clear as us," Alice answered.

"Her emotions were confusing as well. It was like she was able to block half of them while the other half I could feel clearly," Jasper muttered.

"There they are," they all heard Rosalie say and their attention turned to Emmett and Athena who were making their way out of the water.

"No tail!" Emmett exclaimed.

Athena shook her head with a sad smile gracing her lips.

"That's no fair!" Emmett complained.

"Hey, you weren't the one with one," Athena said.

"I know. But still!"

"There is nothing we can do about it. I guess it happened for a reason," Athena then said and received a towel to dry off. At least I got it confirmed now, she thought, as she slowly got dressed.

Jasper sent her a wave of calm, feeling how upset she really was. She sent him a grateful look and she let her lead to the cars so they could continue their weekend. She smiled as if nothing was wrong and acted cheerful, however, her true emotions could not fool him. Deep within she was weeping for what was lost and she deeply missed that part of herself. As if one part had died with her.

…I don't understand what I will need a dress like that for… Edward's head turned towards Athena who was dressed in a long red evening gown later that evening. He had just heard more of her thoughts and he tried to see if he could listen more. I'm dressing like this for dinner? She thought after Alice told her where they were going. He suppressed a smile and kept his gaze locked on her. It cannot be helped. Be brave Athena! You can survive this dinner, being the only one eating and all that jazz… Her train of thought stopped and he frowned. At least it was something. But he wanted to hear more.

Silently he made his way over to her. She caught him just in time by the corner of her eye and turned towards him before he could utter a word. Her head slightly tilted.

"May I?" he asked and held out his left arm.

Athena rolled her eyes but grinned as she took hold of his arm.

"I take that as a yes," Edward muttered.

"Hm. Yeah," Athena replied as they started walking after the rest of the Cullens.

Their eyes kept meeting ever so briefly through the evening. Neither of them admitting to anything. It was not awkward and it kept the pull at bay within them both. It was peaceful and nice. Both of them wanted a closer contact. Both scared to make any move, confused over their own feelings.

Aphrodite's POV

I had taken yet another look into the world where Athena currently lived. Her mermaid days were over and soon yet another creature would form her from within. Being part of her. Making it possible to exist in that world. The anger I felt kept me on edge every day as I saw her love never getting closer. Even with the pull there, there was no progress. And it was all their fault!

"Aphrodite! How is our human doing?" Athena asked as she made her presence known.

"Why can you not call her by her name?" I asked back.

"You do know that I do not like them sharing my name," she answered and her gray eyes met mine.

"There is nothing we can do about that," I muttered as I let the crystal stop showing me what I was looking for.

"I came here to visit, not to meddle with your life or the other Gods' lives. But your usual bubbly personality is missing and I strangely enough miss it. Where is the cheerful Goddess of love?"

"She disappeared when the Gods decided to play with two perfect souls. Just ask Hades. He is as depressed as I am right now. Really regretting his decision too. I cannot blame him. I feel like this is my fault," I answered and sat down on the chaise close to me.

"If you had not discovered her someone else would have found her and taken her out of her world in a harsher way." Gaia's voice made me look up and towards the one door leading into my sleeping chamber.

"This is all to be blamed on the Fates. They have some sort of soft spot for Zeus," Athena muttered and kept a hand around the handle of the sword she carried around at all times.

"They spun her thread eons ago, first now she is alive. If we do something to prevent them to fulfill whatever they are planning, he might get her life thread cut," Gaia said.

"You are stronger than him in many ways," I pointed out.

"But not stronger than the Fates," she said.

"So we are going to let her suffer?" Athena wondered, as she got ready to leave.

"Not exactly. Neither can we help her completely. But Aphrodite, you need to make sure Athena and Edward connects soon. If they do not figure out of their feelings and tell each other, she will be lost," Gaia said. Her moss green eyes meeting mine. She was not jesting and I knew she spoke the truth.

"Shall I take a little visit?" I asked and I felt myself feeling a bit better.

"In their dreams."

"Vampires don't sleep," Athena pointed out.

"You have forgotten, Athena. We can make exceptions now and then," I said and started to work on the perfect potion.

This had to work. If neither of them accepted the pull… I did not even want to think about it.

So a little bit later that day I let the sparkles through the crystal and it fell over Edward's hair as he sat in his own room. The music was playing and soon he was asleep.

I cloaked myself as I made my presence known. Saying I was there to warn him. That he had to accept his mate before it was too late. Because then she would be lost. Forever.

It gave him quite a scare and at once when he awoke, he hurried into Athena's room. Watching her sleep.

I entered her dream and saw her standing in a meadow. It was somewhat familiar.

"Athena," I said and saw her turn.

"Who are you?" she wondered. Eyes tired.

"It is not important who I am. You are about to go through more changes. The ones behind this they are selfish. More than you can imagine. I cannot help in many ways. Except through your mate. He is the only one that can keep you safe. If you are not together with him soon, or at least truly realized your feelings, you will suffer. And you will fade to the kingdom where Hades rules," I said and saw her eyes widen.

"You are part of my imagination," she said.

"Believe whatever you want, but hear my warning. Ignore it and you will not make it."

I left her and did not look back as I opened my eyes to the familiar surroundings of my sleeping chamber. It was up to them now.

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