Disclaimer: i do not own Twilight - i do own a pint of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup icecream that i will be putting on my fudge brownie cupcakes in replacement of frosting. there will be rainbow sprinkles. beware.

chapter twelve

"Being with you is like walking on a very clear morning - definitely the sensation of belonging there."

~Unknown

Isabella

The short distance from what I now refer to as Edward's tree to the doors of my dormitory seems long and nearly painful; walking away from him, no matter how short the separation may be, was beginning to become difficult.

I found I rather liked being in his company.

I also liked the feel of his lips on mine.

I love him.

It's a simple truth that nearly stops my progression inside the building; so true that it nearly weakens my knees; so true I nearly sit down on the sleek marble flooring beside the elevator to mull over it. It wasn't up for debate - there wasn't anything to contradict my feelings towards Edward.

In a blissful haze, I make my way towards my room, foreign happiness filling my body - he made me brighter, more different than I've ever been. I decide that I like the change.

Alice is in my room before I can close the door behind me; she is quick to jump on my bed and beam a smile in my direction. "Tell me about the date!"

"It wasn't a date-"

"Oh your right. Meeting Edward outside of a group and going to a location to spend time together isn't a date. Not at all."

"Sarcasm doesn't become you," my eyes shift uncomfortably. She was completely right - it was a date and a fantastic one at that. "It was fun."

I was hoping the understated answer would satisfy her but, by now, I should have known Alice better. "And?"

"And what?"

Alice's brows lift in disbelief. "Your not going to tell me why you just now got back to the dorm." Her tone is flat and so much unlike her shocked face that it's almost comical.

"We fell asleep."

She huffs, laying back on my bed and rolling her eyes. "It's like trying to get information out of a deaf, blind and mute person."

"I've answered your questions!"

"Barely! Three syllable answers is hardly telling me about your date." Alice looks down, realization dawning on her face. "You don't want to tell me."

Even I know that I've hurt her feelings and it makes me feel terrible; Alice had been nothing but welcoming and kind to me the entire time I'd been in Olympus. I sit down beside her and begin to tell her about the entire night in detail, relieved when she jokes about the awkward good-bye.

"As if you've done any better!"

"Oh, please," she laughs. "Jasper and I-"

"I don't want to hear about the dirty deeds-"

By now we're laughing loudly, our stomachs cramping up and sound echoing so loud that we scarcely hear the timid knock on my door. Rosalie pokes her shiny blonde head in, taking in our breathless faces and offering a slightly confused smile. "How was the date?"

This sets off another round of laughter, Rosalie joining in.

The rest of the day is relaxing and filled with very cliché girl-bonding moments. It strikes me how normal I feel with the people of Olympus - how I'd never have been caught dead in my old life helping another girl paint her nails or giggling about boys. I found that normalcy fit me quite well.

That evening I am called down to the dormitory front desk - which is run by retired nymphs, usually - to pick up a message that was waiting for me. My first thought is that Edward had left me something which is foolish because, honestly, Edward wasn't that kind of boy. If he wanted to tell me something, he'd say it in person.

It was to my shock that a black cloaked figure waited with it's head down by the front desk. The cloak was gauzy and made of many layers, a deep hood covering the entirety of it's head; there was a thin layer of fog hovering around it's feet.

Hades had obviously sent someone to me but who?

Cautiously I step closer to the figure; when I am nearly four feet away, it's head slowly rises and dark slate eyes set in a masculine face stare at me. He is fairly handsome with translucent skin - more pale than my own - and dark scruff around his jaw. By his height, which is nearly as tall as Edward, I should have guessed his gender.

"I am Demitri," he tells me in a deep, gravely voice that sounds much older than he appears. "I am a messenger of Hades, Princess Isabella."

Princess? I supposed it was a rather apt, if not loose, description but it still put an uneasy weight in my stomach that I fought to shake off - Hades was known as the king of his realm, King of the Underworld. Of course I would be considered a Princess by his most formal people.

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to acknowledge his station or my own; I opted to shift my weight and nod at him, completely silent. His eyes appraised me quickly, much like Edward often did when he thought I wouldn't notice. Whereas Edward's once-overs made goose-bumps break out across my skin, Demitri's had no affect - probably because I could tell me genuinely meant nothing by it.

"The Queen requests your audience."

I feel my eyes open wide - I was beginning to come to the conclusion that Demitri wasn't from this century or the last; in fact, he was most likely several hundred life times older than me. The words and the way he spoke them said volumes about his history. I was almost positive that not many others besides Demitri referred to me as a Princess or as Hade's wife as the Queen.

I nod my head again, still unsure of how I was supposed to respond. A simple, quiet, "Okay," falls from my mouth and Demitri promptly present's a gloved hand to me. I stare at it for a moment, confused as to why he was offering me his hand.

"The Queen requests your audience," he repeats.

"Now?"

Demitri nods stiffly.

I glance over at the slightly aged nymph sitting behind the desk - Merissa, a wood nymph - and as if she can feel the hesitation rolling off of me, she nods encouragingly at me.

My gloved hand reaches out to touch Demitri's - almost instantly, the room around me begins to haze. I hear my name called out and look behind me; Edward is rushing towards me, grey-green eyes sharp and alarmed. Just before his hand touches my shoulder, the room disappears completely and is replaced by a cheerfully furnished, airy room.

I want to call back to Edward, the bond between us throbbing in panic but my attention is demanded into the present.

A woman dressed in a canary yellow flowing dress sits primly on a white couch, tiny yellow and white rosebuds woven into her dark hair. She regards me with a solemn face, her mint eyes tracing over my face critically.

Demitri stands absolutely still behind me, head back down and seeming to be waiting for something. The woman waves her hand and he disappears.

"Daughter," she says with a warm smile, standing and reaching out to hug me.

As soon as I am in her embrace, an invisible weight lifts from my shoulders and I experience the most intense feeling of joy and warmth - nearly as intense as when Edward had kissed me.

She leans back, her fingers tenderly stroking through my wild hair. "I am Persephone, your mother. Come sit," Persephone leads me to the couch and sits angled towards me, eyes bright and taking in my every movement. "You're beautiful, darling," she says, sighing after a beat and allowing a wary expression to cross her face. "I'm sure you have…questions."

Did I have questions? Yes, of course I did - so many that I could hardly sort them out, an alarming amount relating to Edward though I was positive I could answer those questions myself once I sat down to think about it.

There was a sense of instant trust that I felt sitting beside Persephone - I knew that she wouldn't judge me but would unconditionally love me like mothers were supposed to. But could I ask her the harder questions? It was true that I felt as if I'd known her my whole life - part of me probably always has - but how far did that feeling stretch? And was I willing to risk it for a few answers?

Yes. Of course I was.

"Why…why didn't I grow up in Olympus?"

Persephone studies my face for a moment. "You are so like your father," she smiles slightly, eyes crinkling just a bit in the corners. "Not just in looks, either, though you do favor him remarkably - your eyes, your skin tone, your hair, even your ears. All Hades, my darling. Not much of me," Here a small frown crosses her face but she wipes it off. "You do have my bone structure….I suppose I should answer the question. Darling, you must understand that from the very beginning, we knew you weren't quite normal. My pregnancy with you left me rather drained and it was much, much slower in progression than the others - almost ten months and even then, I appeared to be three months along. You were so very small, Isabella; just the size of your father's hand.

"We were so afraid that we would lose you. Who had ever heard of such a thing? A full-blooded child of Gods being a weakened baby. But your looks were very deceiving. We had a nurse-maid for you, a wood nymph, and that first night she took care of you, you…well, you drained her entire life-force. We kept it quiet, of course, but we had to tell Zeus and Poseidon and with their help, we enlisted the services of a very ancient God who had the gift of sorcery. He cast a charm that masked your truest powers and, to keep them weak, we sent you to a human family."

"But that doesn't explain why."

Persephone frowns again, her eyes falling to the wall behind me. "Hades and I feared that if someone learned of your gift, your life would be endangered. We did it to protect you, darling."

This I could understand. What parent doesn't want to protect their child?

"I have a present for you."

I blink up at the Goddess that is my mother. Persephone seems to have a very resilient personality as she seems to completely drop the serious subject from before and embrace something she deems cheerful. A bright smile breaks out across her face and she tells me to wait for a moment, rising gracefully off the couch and disappearing from sight.

In her absence, I ponder my own acceptance of everything that had happened in recently - all the changes in my life, all the emotions I was now experiencing. I had no other explanation for my actions and reactions other than everything felt…right.

I felt right. I felt good and normal and healthy even though my gift was haunting me more frequently and the tiny tattoos on my hands seem to grow another swirl every day.

My life, finally, was right.

Persephone enters the room carrying an ornate silver box about the size of a stuffed bear. I feel my brow furrow as she sets the box in front of me, motioning impatiently for me to open it.

Slowly, I lift the lid, completely shocked when the most adorable creature pokes it's heads out to greet me.

Heads.

Clearly, the creature was a dog - a puppy, to be exact - with slightly curling short hair, jet black and fluffy in it's youth. It's ears were pointed, all six of them, some pairs standing straight, another one laid back and the last a combination of the first two. It's eyes were icy blue, intelligent and innocent; a pink tongue, a grey streak on one forehead.

Persephone lets out a squeal. "Her name is Amynta - the strongest of Ceberus' last litter. Her name is Greek for protector and that is exactly what she will do - like her father, she will protect you just as fiercely as Ceberus has protected Hades. She's completely trained and only two months. Hades and I thought it would be a good welcome home gift."

My mind rushes to catch up. I was the owner of a three-headed dog. Named Amynta. And for whatever reason, I didn't think the three-headed factor was odd - it actually seemed endearing as I watched the heads playfully snap at each other inside the box. "What is a Ceberus?"

"Oh, darling, what are they teaching you in that school?" For a moment, Persephone sounds like one of the mothers I'd grown up watching on television - like on the Brady Bunch or the Waltons. "Ceberus is your father's companion. Hades is famous for two things - his helm and Ceberus."

I nod in understanding even though I don't truly understand. I make a note in my head to ask my Mythology Introductions teacher to clarify this whole ordeal. My eyes stay trained on Amynta, snapping up when Persephone makes a clucking noise and calls out for Demitri.

"I'm afraid I've kept you for too long, darling. But we will visit again soon." She smiles at Demitri as he reaches out for me just as I reach for Amynta, holding her against my chest and marveling in her warmth and solid weight. I am thankful for the gloves on my hands as I let my fingers stroke Amynta's neck gently.

Demitri's transportation is less of a shock this time, the room of the dormitory lobby blurring back into shape along with the nervously pacing figure of Edward and the short line of friend's that I'd tentatively made.

As soon as Edward sees me, he stops and glares at Demitri, taking several quick and angry steps forward. "Where did you take her?" he demands, his nose flaring and his fists clenching; his pale skin seems to grow red, his eyes hard. Lucas puts a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping Edward from coming closer.

"Edward, he's a messenger of Hades. You know that."

Edward's lips press into a thin line as he nods, his eyes shifting over to my startled gaze and softening. He looks appropriately sheepish, the red of his skin fading until only his ears remain pink.

Still beyond shocked, I turn to thank Demitri, stunned when I find that he'd disappeared before I could thank him for his effort. I turn back to the group before me, clutching Amynta to my chest.

"What do you have there?" Alice asks, her eyes landing on the creature in my arms. I smile at her, temporarily forgetting Edward's behavior and introduce Amynta to the group. Rosalie's brows raise and she exchanges a significant gaze with Emmett who in turn glances at Alice in question. Alice ignores both of them, reaching out to pet Amynta's back. "She's precious. We'll have to pick up some things for her when we're in Olympus."

I nod, agreeing completely with her. Already, my three-headed dog has captured my heart.

"Where were you?" I hear Edward ask from beside me, his tone wary and tinged with an unfamiliar edge, almost jealous.

"I was visiting my mother."

Relief washes over his face, soothing the sharp lines of worry on his face. The others had discreetly left by now and Edward leans in closer until we are breathing the same air. "I'm sorry," he says, sounding and looking completely honest. "I don't know what came over me. I just - I came to visit you and then you were leaving with that guy and-"

Edward was jealous of Demitri.

The realization causes a giggle to burst from my mouth, cutting Edward off and making his eyes widen in shock. I try to think back to a time where I had ever giggled before and find none.

Edward joins in, letting a large hand rest over my gloved one, his lips pressing delicately onto my forehead.

I find that the feeling of rightness was never so whole.

A/N: so i hope this chapter clears up the questions about Bella's mom and a few other questions. and, really, who wouldn't want a cute three-headed puppy?

prayers for my beta/pre-reader IvySnow who is going through a rough time and could use support in spirit!

be brutally honest. i can take it.

~cupcakeriot