So, I'm automatically starting on the next chapter because I'm so excited! I hope you like it.

Kalona

It had been a while since Kalona was able to use his wings. The earth prison that the red one had formed for him was so small that he couldn't even expand his wings. It was a huge relief to be out in the open once again. But Kalona wasn't thinking of himself at this moment.

He had no idea which room they were keeping Zoey in, but he would search until he found it. With how fast he was moving, he was sure to find her and be out of the tunnels within 5 minutes. In one room – he was happy to see – Zoey's warrior and ex-lover was hooked up to machines that Kalona could only guess were keeping him asleep. For that, he was grateful.

When Kalona came across the earth door with the padlock on it, he knew that he had come across Zoey's room. With one hefty swing of his massive wing, the lock dented. Kalona had no idea what this lock was made of, but it was very strong. He heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and knew that he had made too much noise trying to break the lock. One more swing of his wing and the lock was on the ground.

He opened the door. For a brief moment, Kalona could not move. Zoey lay there on the bed, motionless, almost dead-looking. His heart broke with even the thought that Zoey was dead. The sound of the footsteps getting closer knocked sense into him. He leapt forward, pulling the wires of the machine away from Zoey and picking her up all in one motion.

He turned and flew out the door. Although the tunnels were relatively small, they were big enough for him to fly through. He rounded a corner and came head-to-head with Nyx's prophetess and her warrior. Kalona noticed the warrior's hand going for his weapon, so he flew up, almost scratching his back on the ceiling. But the warrior was fast; he was keeping up with Kalona from the ground.

Finally, Kalona made it to the ladder that would lead him and Zoey into the depot and, from there, outside. He flew adjacent to the ladder, and, once in the open air, allowed his wings to fully expand. He could now go as fast as he could.

Once outside, Kalona flew as high as he dared, knowing that the warrior wouldn't be able to see him.

"Don't worry." he said to an unconscious Zoey. "I'll keep you safe, my love."

[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]

I was in a void. A blackness that I couldn't escape. I knew that I was asleep, but I couldn't seem to wake myself up. My mind wanted one thing, but my body wanted another. Maybe it had something to do with the baby.

I remembered Stark taking me into our bedroom and talking to me. I remembered feeling funny and passing out. But then… One moment I was dreaming, the next I was here. That had been happening on and off for a while. I would start to dream, and then I would be in the blackness. My only guess is that this is now my consciousness. My waking self.

But then something happened. I actually felt something physical! For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt…pain. It happened all at once, on different spots on my arms. I felt like someone was stabbing me, but there was nothing I could do about it. There was even a part of me that didn't want to do anything about it. Feeling pain was better than feeling nothing at all.

After the pain, I started to feel other things. My stomach would start doing somersaults, or I would feel like I was flying. Then I started to hear things. Wind, all around me, going really fast. A voice… Someone that I knew, but couldn't remember. I couldn't even make out what they were saying.

And what seemed like seconds after that, I felt something soft underneath me, and something cover me to keep me warm. I could now smell, too. I knew that I was somewhere outside, somewhere with trees and grass and wilderness.

The blackness around me started to swirl. I would see a tree here, or a river there. Dirt, rocks, people… But it was like a television, trying to get signal. The picture would get fuzzy, fade to black, come back, and do it all over again. It wasn't until I heard her voice that the picture stayed.

"Zoey. Listen to me." Nyx said. "You have to focus on my voice. Bring me into your consciousness."

"Nyx?" I said, knowing that I knew who that was, but not remembering specifically who. The only thing that I really knew was that I could trust her. I felt that in my entire being. I listened to her and tried to hang on to her voice, to imagine that she was here with me, even though I couldn't remember what she looked like.

The picture snapped into focus, and there she was, standing right in front of me. Everything came back to me; my memory was no longer fuzzy.

"Oh, Nyx!" I gasped, throwing myself into her arms. She wrapped me in her embrace, rubbing my back and trying to make me feel better.

"It's okay, Zoey. Everything is going to be okay." she whispered.

I pulled out of her arms so that I could look her in the face. "How? How could anything possibly be okay?! I'm pregnant, for one! You know, I haven't even thought about that! I'm not ready to be a mother! This can't be happening…"

Nyx grabbed my hand, making me look at her. "Daughter, don't worry. Like I said, everything will be alright. It had to be this way. Things may be hard for you right now, but it will get better. I promise."

"But me being pregnant isn't the beginning of it! I have Stark and Kalona to think about. Who am I supposed to be with? I love both of them; I want to be with both of them. But that isn't possible! And the prophecies!" I yelled.

"Shush." Nyx didn't yell it or even raise her voice, but I automatically did as she said. I knew that she would explain things to me. Maybe not everything, but what I needed to know in order to keep me going. "Sweetheart, the only way I can help you is if you help yourself. All these things you're talking about are in your control, not mine. The only way I can help you is by talking to you, helping you talk and think things through."

"What if I talk things through, come up with a decision, and it turn out to be the wrong one?" I asked, freaking out on the inside.

Nyx kissed my cheek with a small smile. "Then you will have to find out how to make it right. Zoey, you have had to make a lot of decisions since you've been marked, and have you ever made one that wasn't the best? Yes. Did you fix it? Yes. You must believe in yourself, daughter."

I took a moment to think about that. Yeah, it was true that I had been through a lot of bullpoopie since being marked. And, yeah, I had made some bad decisions, but I did always get through them. But that didn't mean that I wanted to make yet another bad decision.

"How did you choose Erebus instead of Kalona?" I asked, completely surprising myself. I didn't even know I'd been wondering about that.

Apparently, my question caught her off guard, too, because she didn't say anything for a moment. "It wasn't a choice. It's just…the way it is. I love Erebus. That doesn't mean that I don't love Kalona, because I do. I just don't love him in the way that he loves me."

"But how did you – "

"Zoey, enough of this. Think about it and let your heart make your decision. As for the baby, you will make a great mother. But be warned Zoeybird, you are in danger. Things will not be well soon, and you must prepare for that. No matter what you do, no matter who you choose, you will need your warrior and your friends during this time." Nyx warned me.

I turned away from her, suddenly angry. I had never felt this way towards Nyx before and it kind of scared me. But I couldn't really help it. She just kept giving me riddles when I wanted answers. I got it: free will and all, but when you asked for an answer, why couldn't you be given one?

"I know I'm going to need them. I need them more than ever right now." Tears prickled my eyes. "But I don't know how that's going to be possible when I have such a huge decision to make…"

Nyx laid a hand on my shoulder. "I realize that you might be upset with me, Zoeybird, but I only mean to help you. Come with me." Her hand fell to grasp mine and she led me to a part of the Otherworld that I had never seen before. We went up a hill, but when we reached the top, there was no longer ground, or sky, or…anything. It was just completely black.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is the part of my world that is yours. It looks different to every person. You can make it whatever you want. This is the place where you and I will talk. I think you'll find it helpful." Nyx answered.

I still didn't really get it. Did she mean that if I focused hard enough, I'd be able to construct my own little world? "What am I supposed to do?"

She smiled. "Nothing for now. Well, maybe one thing. Focus on making two chairs, one facing the void, the other facing my world. I want you to sit in the one facing my world and I will sit in the other chair. I do not know if this will make your decision easier or not because you are still split between either choice, but it has worked in the past."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I did. I thought about the comfy black chairs the House of Night used in the computer lab as I let the breath out, and two of them magically appeared before my eyes. I gasped.

"I know." Nyx said, smiling as she ran a hand through my hair. "It's quite exhilarating to make your own world, is it not? But you haven't seen the half of it yet. Come, child."

She guided me to the chairs. We sat as she said to earlier. "Now, start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

And so I did.

[BREAK; STARK'S POV]

"Wha… What happened?" Stark slurred as he regained consciousness. He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep or what day it was. His head was pounding and he felt the need to chug a couple bottles of water. "Ugh, I feel like crap, Z."

Zoey.

Stark sat up straight in bed. He looked around, feeling anger bubble up to the surface. Where was Zoey? Was she okay? Why wasn't he with her? He closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened before he went to bed. Why was he in bed in the first place? He felt the need to kick himself. What if he'd stayed up so long with her that he'd finally passed out and slept for days?

A sigh escaped his lips. He felt like the worst warrior ever. Why couldn't he just get things together? It was his fault that things had gotten to this point. He'd wanted to go with Zoey up into the depot while she talked to her grandmother, but he didn't want to be overprotective. He knew that Z hated that. She'd pushed Heath and Erik away for that exact thing. He didn't want to be the next to be pushed away.

But he already had, hadn't he? Because of that scumbag Kalona.

I should've just let her go as soon as Nyx asked Zoey to do her that "favor". he thought. His hands flew up to his temples, automatically regretting that thought. No, he shouldn't just give up on Zoey. He was her warrior, her protector. He should be at her side, every second of every day.

But she doesn't want you. She hasn't wanted you for a long time…

Where were these thoughts coming from?! Sure, he'd been a little fed up with Zoey's behavior lately, but that didn't mean that he was going to quit. He loved her. Or did he…? Everything in his head – and his heart – was mixed up. What lines were drawn when it came to love? For all intents and purposes, Zoey had cheated on him. Was he just supposed to ignore that because he was her warrior? Because she was cheating on him with the father of her baby?

Maybe… he thought. Maybe we're not supposed to be together…

No, that couldn't be. They were made for each other. Ever since they first met, he'd felt an attraction to her. Not just because of how beautiful she was, but something else. Something supernatural. A pull toward her. It felt like the universe was telling him where he was supposed to go.

Stark decided to try something he had never done before. It was the only thing he could think of to help him figure things out. He could hear people outside his door, waiting to come inside. He opened his eyes and looked toward the door. It was then that he noticed the machines hooked up to him.

His eyes widened in disbelief. They had hooked him up to a machine that was keeping him asleep! How could they do such a thing?! He'd needed to be with Zoey. He was her warrior! How dare they!?

As much as he wanted to rip the wires and tubes out of his arm so they couldn't put him back out, he knew what he needed to do before they came inside. It was strange… He'd always heard Zoey and Aphrodite talking about "feelings" that they got sometimes. Feelings that told them when something was wrong or that something was true when they thought about it or said it out loud. It had never happened to him before, but now he was getting the feeling that if he just thought about him and Zoey…then he would know the answer to their future.

Before he could chicken out, Stark closed his eyes again. This time, he focused on Zoey and their relationship. He thought about how it felt to be around her now. Every time he'd looked at her, touched her hand, or spoke to her while she was in the coma they'd put her in…he couldn't help but think about her infidelity. About the fact that, for weeks while they were together, she'd been thinking about Kalona instead of him; dreaming about Kalona instead of him.

"I don't love Zoey." he whispered.

Stark felt his stomach drop down to the ground. He felt like he'd swallowed a horse pill, and his heart was racing. For the first time since he'd been marked, he was given the gift of – a variation, but nonetheless – foresight.

He didn't love Zoey anymore. He hated admitting it to even himself, but there was nothing he could do about the way he felt. People fell in love, and sometimes they fell out of love. That's just the way it was.

Opening his eyes, Stark realized that Stevie Rae, Rephaim, Aphrodite, Darius, and Thanatos had come into the room. They were all staring at him with different looks on their faces. Aphrodite looked worried, but annoyed at the same time. Darius was just worried. Rephaim and Stevie Rae looked confused. But when Stark met Thanatos' gaze…he knew that she could tell what he was going through, what he had just discovered.

Before anyone could say a thing, Stark ripped the tubes out of his arms. It hurt for a moment, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of the emptiness he felt in his chest. He didn't feel like being here with the rest of them. He didn't want their pity or their questions. It was time for him to be alone, really alone.

He sped off, moving so fast that everything was a blur. Within minutes, the Tulsa city limits sign was behind him. But he wouldn't stop there. Oh no, Stark was just beginning his journey.

[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]

"…and then everything went black for a while. Then I heard your voice, and you know the rest."

Tears were running down my cheeks as I finished my tale. They'd been flowing since practically the beginning. I had no idea how telling Nyx about everything was going to help me, but it did make me feel a little bit better.

Nyx pulled me to her, hugging me hard. I felt a few of her own tears fall on my shoulder. She'd been crying, too, I just didn't know when she'd started. I no longer felt any anger towards her at all. I actually wanted to just stay here forever, wrapped in her arms. It was a way better option than having to go back to reality.

"Oh, my sweet girl…" Nyx whispered. "You have made me so proud."

I pulled away from her to look her in the face, totally confused. "Um…did you not hear everything I just told you?" A small giggle escaped my lips. I'd had no idea I could laugh at a time like this. Or maybe it was just a touch of hysteria.

She smiled at me. "Of course I did. But that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about your choice. It has made me proud."

"But I haven't made a decision yet… Wait, are you saying that you know what I'm going to decide? Because...you could give me a hint, you know…"

Instead of answering, Nyx took my shoulders in her hands and turned me around.

Before me – in my part of the Otherworld – was the nursery my friends had built for me. The only difference between it and the real nursery was that this one was finished. "But…I don't understand…"

Nyx laughed. "Zoeybird, do you not see the choice you have made already? You made it a long time ago. It had never been about Kalona or Stark, or even about yourself. It has been about your child."

As soon as the words escaped her mouth, it hit me. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. All along, I had been worried for my child. I'd held more love for her than both of the men in my life put together. That didn't mean that I was going to say goodbye to both of them, though. Only that I would take a break from guys until she came into the world.

I turned back around to Nyx, a gigantic smile on my face. I was about to thank her for everything she'd done, but when I saw the expression on her face, my entire body turned to ice.

"You need to go now, Zoey."

She was looking over my shoulder and to the side. I turned to see what she was looking at, but she reached out and grabbed me, keeping me from turning around. Her eyes looked straight into mine as she said, "I didn't realize just how much time had passed, daughter. I'm afraid you need to go now. I love you so much, Zoey."

"I love you, too." I whispered. Something in her voice made me want to cry. "Do I have to leave now? What's going on?" I turned to try and see what it was again. Nyx's grasp on my shoulders tightened, trying to keep me facing her, but she couldn't keep me from seeing it.

Right behind me, there was a dark tendril coming right at me. It looked like a hand, reaching out for me, mimicking Nyx. I don't know how, but somehow the tendril knew that I was looking at it; knew that it was there. It snaked forward, an inch away from my face.

"Zoey, go now!" Nyx yelled.

But I couldn't. I was frozen. I felt like I couldn't even breathe anymore. What was this? Darkness? How could there be Darkness in Nyx's world?

"Zoey!" I felt Nyx's hand touch my back right before the tendril reached out and touched the tip of my nose…

All the air went out of my lungs as everything went black.