Even if I wanted this to be a chapter meant to explain some things about Stella, I ended up adding some Teslen in it…Well, not explicitly, but it is there. As you will see, it is inspired by mythology, but I decided to change a few things…I hope you'll enjoy it! And sorry for the cliffie, I know I'm evil…

"So, you figured out who I was." said Stella with a sad smile. "How?"

"Well, next time you want to hide your identity, try using another name. I happen to know that Aset was one of the names given to Isis, and so was Stella Marris. This got me thinking. And then, there was the whole I know how it's like being in love with a vampire thing."

"The dark side of telepathy is that it may work both ways. I allowed you to get into my head, Helen. I shouldn't have done that."

"Does this mean that you are…how old exactly?" asked Will.

"You never ask a lady about her age, young man. It is…extremely impolite. I am thousands of years old."

"The last vampire on Earth." said Nikola with respect in his voice. "One of the Ancient Ones."

"No, Nikola. I am not a vampire. I only have vampire blood. The blood of my love runs in my veins."

"Osiris. He gave you his blood and made you immortal."

"Helen, you of all should know how this works. I am not immortal. I only age slower than normal people. Much slower. I could die whenever I want, but somebody has to guard Osiris's blood. And I chose to do it. His heart was always mine. And believe it or not, Helen, owning the heart of a vampire- ex-vampires too-it's both a gift and a burden."

"So, how did you meet Osiris?"

"It's a long story, Miss Freelander. But I will tell you. Not because you asked, but because I know someone who must learn from it."

"Let's talk on the way to your chamber, alright?"

"If you wish, Helen…But I won't lie. My test will be the hardest of all. I like you, but if you don't pass it, I won't give you the blood. Understood?"

"Well, we passed four tests…It can't be that hard." said Helen.

"I'll lead the way then." said Stella. "And I will tell you about my past. If you promise that you will try to learn something from it. Not only you, Helen. Nikola too."

"We promise."

"Very well then. I was born in Greece thousands of years ago. My hometown was the citadel of Argos. My parents gave me a name that I tried to forget, because it reminds me of my darkest times. However, that name is a part of me and I cannot deny it. My name was Io."

"As in…"

"Yes, Helen. Io, the young priestess who fell in love with Zeus."

"And I'm guessing that the legend is not entirely true, is it?"

"Come on, Helen. Of course not. Do I look like someone who was turned into a cow? These are just legends. The truth is that I didn't know that Zeus was married. I was young and he was the first man I fell in love with. You sure know how naïve you are when time has not left its mark on your wisdom."

"We are not talking about me, here."

"On the contrary. Love is the oldest story of all time."

"But always different."

"Anyway, I found out that Zeus was married and this broke my heart. Of course I left him after this. With my heart broken in one million pieces, I ran away from everything. My hometown, my family, my friends, everything. Egypt was my Old City, Helen. A place where I was able to stay and to forget. I built walls around my heart, denying myself the right of loving ever again. Because I thought that love is nothing more than an eternal torture. And I thought that nothing could tear apart the walls that protected my heart from being hurt again. But something did. Or better said someone."

"Osiris. Your brother."

"No, Nikola. He wasn't my brother."

"But Mythology…"

"What is, generally speaking, the truth of Mythology? A fable agreed upon. We weren't siblings. But we shared the same blood, so…but I will get there later. I was attracted to Osiris the moment I saw him. We were friends first, but things became more serious afterwards. He was charming and brilliant and, what was the most important, he made me feel special. He was the only one that understood me. But it scared me to death. Not the fact that he was a vampire, but the fact that I was losing control when I was around him. You see, Helen, I was used to being in control, to knowing everything… And most important, I thought I learned how to control my emotions. My heart was nothing more than a piece of ice. And he managed to melt it somehow."

"Yes, but you and Osiris were probably alike."

"Come on, Helen. We are talking about a vampire here. Me and Osiris…we couldn't be more different. We were like fire and ice."

"Why did you fall in love with him then?"

"You should know the answer better than anyone, Helen. Love lies not in the resemblance between two people. It is hidden in the mystery between them. Fire and ice are different, but if you bring them together…you get water. The very essence of life."

"So he gave you his blood because you two were in love?"

"He gave me his blood to save my life. I was sick and about to die and he was my best friend. We fell in love with each other later. Falling in love like this is something that takes time."

"Not necessarily." said Nikola with a sad smile. "It can be love at first sight."

"Yes, for you. But women tend to be…a little reluctant about falling in love with a vampire."

"Trust me, I know."

"After Osiris gave me his blood, things became different. I was given the gift of telepathy. A gift that only works on the ones that have vampire blood."

"So this is why you weren't able to read my mind and Kate's."

"Exactly, Dr. Zimmerman. You surely understand that this meant the beginning of a new chapter between me and Osiris."

"You read his mind and saw that he loves you."

"No. I read his mind and understood who he really was. His arrogance was just a mask, created to shield him from suffering. I couldn't blame him for this; after all I had created such thing myself. And I fell in love with him, Helen. Looking back, I don't know why it took me so long to admit it. He was brilliant, not to mention that he was probably the most handsome man I ever met. Although I have to admit that your Nikola is bloody attractive too."

"He is not my Nikola. And you were talking about Osiris." thought Helen, angry that Stella was crossing the line. Again.

"His voice made me tremble every time he whispered to me, and when he kissed me…well, I don't think I need to tell you about how I felt, do I Helen?"

"No." she muttered, trying to maintain an even tone.

"The years we shared…were the most passionate of my life. Until that bastard killed him. He was his brother! He killed my love out of jealousy. Osiris was the only one that got the vampire gene. And Seth couldn't forgive him for giving his blood to a stranger. To me. My son Horus revenged Osiris's death, but Seth took a part of me away when he killed Osiris. A part of me died with him that day. And I stayed to guard his blood from the others."

"The only thing that I never understood about Osiris…" Stella continued, "…was why he fell in love with me. I couldn't find the answer in his mind. He was one of the most hunted bachelors of his time. And he had sworn to remain single. I still don't know how I was able to make him change his mind."

"I can help you with that." Nikola said smiling. "He fell in love with you because you understood him, Stella. You were able to be beside him. Even in his darkest times. He had never thought he could fall in love with a human, but after he met you…everything changed. The other girls that loved him, and I am sure there were a lot, were…superficial. Boring. It made him sleepy just looking at them. But you, Stella…you were different. A lot harder to impress than the other ones. So hard to impress that Osiris probably wanted sometimes to give up on you. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't. Because the first time he saw you smiling, he knew that he would spend an eternity being in love with you. And if he wouldn't manage to convince you…he was decided to stay as close to you as possible. Just to watch that sparkle of excitement in your blue eyes whenever you found out something new. Just to have a reason to dream that he will one day taste your lips…"

"Your theory may be correct, Nikola. The only problem is…I have green eyes."

"So, this is your chamber?" asked Helen, wanting to change the subject as fast as possible. She had never seen Nikola so vulnerable, so prepared to reveal his feelings… Was he really in love with her? Even if he was, they had a mission. And they couldn't let their feelings take over.

"It is. I'll go first." Stella said, interrupting her thoughts.

Pushing a symbol on the wall, Stella opened her own chamber, followed closely by the others.

"It's been a long time, Isis." A voice came from the dark. "And I see you brought some friends. Good. The blood will finally be mine."