A.N: This chapter is the longest one I've written so far, and that makes me really proud actually!

Right need to address one thing, the rating is purely for language and violence, there shall be not explicit sex scenes. None whatsoever! Besides, it's really not my style, so apologies to anyone who was really looking forward to it.

I've also noticed new followers! Thanks! It's great to know that ya'll are so interested in the story, so I'll do my best not to disappoint!

To nikki: I'm honoured that you chose to review my story! Thanks for reading! I'll do my best to get more chapters up soon.

To guest: Yes! Arizona is being demanding, but it's all part of the 'new' her.

To Iamnotapotatoe: Firstly, I keep spelling your username wrong o.O, so if I ever do spell it wrong sorry, I get a bit carried away with the 't-a-t-o'. And secondly, Artemis is freaky right? But totally hardcore though no?

Once again, many thanks to 2damnpretty2die, my captain, my yoda and my super awesome beta!

Chapter 16: The Truth

Callie p.o.v

I can't believe I'm standing here, here of all places, waiting to talk to her. Well, waiting's not the right word; it's more like I'm trying to gather the courage and nerve to walk into the room; my father's office, which was now acting as her office. I stared at the heavy wooden door and thought back to all the times I would try to sneak in to see my father when I was younger, he would always put aside his work to spend time with me; it always bought a smile to my face, but now that door brought nothing but apprehension and fear.

Dammit Torres, come one, she's the only one who can help.

I thought back to why I was in this predicament; it all happened when Arizona and I had returned from the park.

*Flashback*

"Ari, what was that?" I asked, full of concern and fear. Not fear of Arizona, never of Arizona, but fear of her losing herself, her true self.

"Hm? What do you mean?" she replied, voice laced with innocence.

"In the park, all those children and teenagers. You barely even blinked every time you killed one." The horror was slowly creeping itself into my voice and she arched an eyebrow at me.

"They were Hade's men, all marked by him and they had all gathered themselves so close to your house. It's suspicious, and I took care of the issue before it could become a problem." Her voice was flat and held absolutely no remorse for her actions. It wasn't right.

"But they were children!" I could feel the tears gathering behind my eyes, tears that Arizona used to cry, but now they were mine.

"Calliope," her tone was soft and gentle, she raised a hand and placed it against my cheek, she was so warm, "I had to protect you. That's all I care about."

I opened my mouth to reply, but was silenced by her lips as she straddled me on the bed. All I could think about was how much we hadn't talked about, just like when we first got here, she refused to talk about her coma and had instead dominated me in bed.

*End Flashback*

I could still feel the aches and pains in my body and the muscles that hadn't been used in a long time, she had really given me a workout last night. Finally, before I had the chance to talk myself into backing out again, I knocked on the door and opened it. I immediately saw Terri sitting behind the large desk, laptop open and surrounded by paper, a pen and a book in hand, eyebrows furrowed.

"I was wondering when you'd actually come in. I was starting to think that you were going to spend the entire night pacing outside the door." She hadn't looked up from the book in her hands, but I could hear the amusement in her tone as her mouth curled into a grin.

"I-I have something to ask you." Dammit, why was I so nervous around her?

"Naturally. I didn't think you were pacing outside the door and storming in just to check up on me. The only Torres who's willing to do that is Ariadne, even your mother chooses to avoid this hallway if possible."

"Right, well-I-um… I…" I started to stutter like a maniac; I briefly wondered if Terri thought I was crazy, because I sure as hell was worried about my mental health.

"Is this about Artemis?" She threw me a bone, hoping to help me get the thoughts out of my head.

"Um, yes… but no. Kind of?" Really Torres? That's all you can say?

"Do I need to get Aria in here to read your mind? Or should I do it and save you the hassle and embarrassment from your sister hearing your deep dark dirty thoughts?" She inquired tone full of mirth. I swear she was enjoying this.

"We're having sex!" I blurted out randomly, "A lot of sex, like a ridiculous amount of sex. Every time I try to talk to her, she just pushes me onto the bed and ravishes me. I love her and I love having sex with her, but sometimes, enough is enough you know? And I know I shouldn't complain about having too much sex, but I'm tired and sore, but Arizona still wants more!" I started rambling and didn't really take the time to reconsider the words coming out of my mouth. When I stopped and realised what I had just admitted to, I turned bright red; Terri finally looked up at me, putting her pen down and arching an eyebrow at me and I so wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Oh my god! I just ranted to the Crown Princess about her cousin having too much sex with me. This is why I didn't want to do this. Why the hell is she just staring at me? Oh god, this is embarrassing.

"… Right, and you want me to do what exactly?" Terri's voice was laced heavily with laughter that she was desperately trying to hold in, "I could get Thalia to play tag-team with you if you want?"

"No!" I screamed, "Ugh, that's not really the problem, the problem is that Arizona has changed, like a lot. It all started after she woke up, she didn't ask or talk about anything; she'd just asked me to crawl into bed with her. Then when we first got here yesterday morning, I asked her what she wanted to do, hoping she'd talk about what happened or what she saw whilst she was unconscious, but she had just pushed me onto the bed and fucked me into forgetting about the issue. She had disappeared before I could wake up and talk to her though.

Then just yesterday afternoon when we went out to the park, when we walked into a wooded area, there was a crying little girl, she was only about 8 or 9, but she almost attacked me, and Arizona destroyed her. I don't mean killed her, I actually mean destroyed, like she completely imploded and turned to dust, no blood, no splatter, nothing. She then said that it was covered with vampires, all with Hades' scent, but when I looked around, all I saw were children, teenagers, pregnant women and an elderly couple. She'd insisted they were vampires and told me to hide behind the trees whilst she annihilated everyone with a smirk on her face. She didn't hold back, there was no hesitation whatsoever; she looked like she was enjoying it!

When we got back I tried to talk to her about what had happened, talk to her about her change and what went on during her revival, but she'd pounced and screwed me into submission! As in 'wouldn't stop until I passed out' submission, and when I woke up this morning I was alone and she was gone again." I let out a breath at the end, almost panting at the sudden explosion of words, and stared at Terri hoping for an answer.

Terri looked thoughtful, all earlier amusement and mirth disappearing completely and there was something in her eyes; I think it was sorrow, but she had closed her eyes before I could get a good read on her.

"You knew it would happen Callie, the change. Arizona was sacrificed in order to fulfil the prophecy." There was something else, I was sure of it. I could tell by Terri's cryptic statement, but I knew that she wasn't going to share with me. Maybe it was because she wasn't sure, but I knew she was hiding something. "The only thing you can do is support her Calliope; that is your destiny." I knew I was being dismissed so I turned to leave, before I closed the door, I could see Terri leaning back in the huge chair, sighing and looking forlornly out the window. I was left with more questions that I had when I first entered the room. What was Terri hiding? Why wasn't she telling me anything? What was wrong with Arizona?

It bugged me that Terri still didn't trust me. I thought that being bonded with Arizona would finally make her trust me more, as we now had a mutual link, not to mention the fact that she was also somewhat bonded with Aria, but apparently it meant nothing to her, what a bitch! I shook my head and wandered off to find my mother, hoping that she would be more forthcoming with answers. I refused to believe that Arizona would forever be turned into a ruthless killing machine; there must be a way to reverse this. There had to.

My mother turned out to be even less useful, she had no idea of anything other than what the prophecy had foretold, she wasn't sure if there was a way to reverse this. So much for my heartfelt speech about saving Arizona and Artemis, protecting the both of them. I felt so useless.

Tim had called us all into the gym, and when I entered with my mother, I found that we were the last to arrive.

"Ah great, everyone's here." Tim greeted happily. "So you know that we've all got to start getting serious and properly training all the younger vampires, so Bailey and I set up a barrier up in this room. It enables us to fight at full power without destroying the walls or alerting any scouts or strays of our presence. Our auras can't be sensed from the outside, so don't hold back… Well, maybe Terri, Arizona and I shouldn't go all out, I don't think our barrier's that strong." He commented teasingly. "Anyway, we've got to test everyone, so we're going have a little scrimmage, all against all, last man standing kind of thing. Anything goes, weapons, powers, hidden weapons, anything. And as an extra, you've got to work hard to stay out of each other's way. The limit is first blood drawn by a direct attack; it doesn't count if you accidentally get hurt. So, who wants to get this thing started?" He looked around gleefully and everyone avoided eye contact.

Arizona stepped forward calmly, smirk on her face and excitement reflected in her eyes. "Why don't I make this more interesting for everyone? 1 versus all; I'll take you all on." We all gasped in shock and surprise; needless to say, no one really wanted to take Arizona on, especially not since her entire persona had yet to drift away from the constant coldness and calmness since her awakening.

Alex was the first to step forward; Seal releasing straight off the bat, eyes turning purple with flecks of gold flickering back and forth. Arizona grinned in anticipation at her prized protégé's attack. He charged at her and she swiftly and gracefully twirled out of the way, fingers straightened and claws sharpened as she swung at him, diagonally, leaving behind a deep gash across his body. Blood splattered across her face and she looked at him and grinned. "You're out."

Alex stared back in shock at how fast he had been overcome and stalked back off to his corner, grumbling, but at the same time, there was pride shining in his eyes at his Sire's power and skill.

"That was easy," she remarked smugly, "Come on, it'll be no fun one on one, I said all, so come at me. All of you at once." No one moved, and she let out a sigh, "Fine, if you won't come at me, I'll come at you." She raised her arm to the side, parallel with her body, purple sparks forming around her palm, before a silver sword with a gold handle that had a purple and gold jewel encrusted on the hilt, materialized into her hand.

"What is that?" I asked confused.

"That is another power of the Royal bloodline. It's similar to how vampires' powers can manifest into elements; the Royals have the ability to manifest their power into a physical form, a weapon, like a sword." Came the calm reply from my mother; clearly she had witnessed this before, probably from Poseidon.

The appearance of Arizona's weapon had caused everyone to leap into motion, and within mere moments, with a few twists and twirls, everyone was cut down, literally. It was as if she was dancing, so graceful, yet deadly. It was a sight to behold. To my surprise, even Aria had participated, throwing flames and electric bolts at Arizona, but she was taken out by a cut to the forearm and a blow across the head, before being kicked back onto the ground.

Finally, Tim, Thalia and Clio joined the fold, Tim summoning his own silver blade with a golden handle which had a navy and gold jewel encrusted on his. Thalia and Clio had subdued Arizona, taking hold of both her arms and pulling them backwards, but they were dispelled by a sudden release of purple energy and thrown upwards. Arizona jumped upwards towards them and in a flash, had them slammed back to the floor, both with wounds across their abdomen.

Tim's sudden appearance behind her had caught her off guard, and she barely had time to lift her sword before clashing with her brother, releasing a powerful wave of energy that knocked us all off our feet. Clash after clash, strike after strike; they were stuck at a stalemate with Tim forcing her backwards and down to her knees. She smirked at him before suddenly being enveloped in a golden aura that surrounded her like a halo, I found my body heating up as if it was on fire and looked to see my hands glowing a faint golden color; catching her brother off guard, she rushed at him, sword at the ready and stopped 2 feet away from him, sword pointed at his chest.

She tilted her head and grinned at him, declaring loudly, "You lose brother," before forcing her sword into his chest; no hesitancy, no remorse, and Tim gasped in shock at the unexpected move.

Seeing the final opponent had been defeated, my mother rushed towards Aria's side. The sudden movement caught Arizona's attention, and without second thought, she pulled her blade from Tim and swung at my mother's head.

"Ari, no!" I screamed. My mother turned in alarm at my cry and her eyes widened as Arizona's blade came at her. It was stopped, inches from her face, by a hand. Terri's hand. She had flashed in front of my mother and stopped Arizona's power driven sword with her bare hand. Arizona narrowed her golden purple eyes in arrogance at her before her aura flared up again, pushing back against Terri. Terri calmly disregarded her and her own aura flared up, blood red eyes appearing at Arizona's energy spike and the pressure in the room increased to suffocating levels, bringing us all to our knees in pain. The purple in Arizona began to disappear as gold took over, the burning sensation returning to my body and increasing to painful levels as her energy kept growing. A sudden flash of white caused Arizona to drop to her knees in submission as silver swirled around Terri's body, but she refused to back down as she increased her own energy and pushed against Terri, desperate to defeat her. I let out a cry as the pain erupted to tortuous levels and Arizona's energy receded immediately. I felt myself fall forwards as the pressure disappeared and my body succumbed to the pain, I was caught before I hit the ground, by a calm Arizona, who looked over me with indifference, but I could see the concern and worry lurking in her eyes.

"That's enough for today. Take the time to recover and feed, and we'll revisit this tomorrow, perhaps with less fury and force next time." Terri dismissed us all and left before anyone could protest; Aria following quickly with concern clearly displayed on her face.

I looked around to see everyone making their way out the door, covered in bruises and blood, glancing at Arizona in disbelief, and made my way to my feet with Arizona supporting my weight. I felt weak and unsteady, and I couldn't understand why I had started burning up when Arizona released her golden aura. I looked to my mother who was still standing in shock and then turned to Arizona who had disappointment written all over her face. What the hell was going on?

The next day, both Aria and Terri were missing, and Tim had taken over training for the day. He had set us up in pairs for sparring: Addie and Teddy, Mark and Alex, Lexie and I, and Arizona and Tim; I had concerns over the arrangement considering Arizona had wiped the floor with her brother, grinning the entire way through, but Tim had dispelled my fears saying that he was the only one who stood a chance at holding up against her. The keyword was 'chance', which meant he wasn't 100% sure he could defeat her as she was now. Thalia and Clio had been given the task of watching over us, giving advice whenever needed and stepping in whenever someone went too far and Bailey was on standby for healing.

I stood panting, staring across at my partner Lexie, who had yet to break a sweat. It angered me; Lexie was the most passive member of the group, she hated violence and fighting and would rather use her brain than force, yet she was here, kicking my ass. I thought back to what my mother had told me about the sensations I felt yesterday and felt determination stir up.

"Your powers are linked Calliope. As her mate, she draws strength from you and you provide the support she needs. She needed more power and your body reacted to the command, giving her everything you had. You're not used to the power drain yet, you're not even used to fighting, so it's going to take a toll on your body. What you felt was only a part of it, Arizona hadn't drained a lot from you, but as you currently are, you cannot handle it. You need to complete the ritual before the both of you can fully utilise the power."

"Complete the ritual? I thought it was done already?"

"Artemis may have woken up, but your bond is incomplete. She is currently bonded with a mortal, you need to be sired and granted the ability to access the energy that comes from the change before you can fully assist her."

"Can't we do that now? I mean we're only missing one more step right?"

"I'm afraid not Calliope. The ritual has to be completely willingly, from both participants; it has to be of true heart, body, mind and soul; you're not ready yet."

"I'm ready, I've already given Arizona everything that I am."

"But you still fear her no? Her change, her personality, her power, and her initiative. It scares you, and that is holding her back from completing the ritual."

"Is there nothing I can do?"

"You need to become stronger, if you cannot complete the ritual, then you must become stronger in order to be able to handle the drain. You must train your body, or the drain might kill you."

I wanted to be useful to her; I didn't want to burden her. I had vowed to become the person worthy of being her soul mate, but I was holding her back from accessing her full power. My weakness was taking away the power she needed, and after last night, I pledged to train myself harder. Perhaps by exposing myself to the constant battles and violence I would no longer be afraid of her. I could only pray that it worked, I couldn't lose Arizona.

Lexie had launched another burst of flames that I had barely avoided; I tripped over my feet and landed on the ground with a loud bang.

"Callie, do you want to take a break?" Lexie's voice was full of concern, and I couldn't bare the look on her face. I could see Arizona looking at me with interest and I gritted my teeth, pulling myself to my feet.

"No, carry on. I can take it."

"But-"

"Do it Lexie!" She unwillingly complied and let out a bolt of lightning that shocked me to the core. Fuck. I could feel myself flying through the air; there was a gust of wind, before soft arms came around my waist. I opened my eyes to see that I was on the floor in Arizona's arms.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry Callie, I didn't mean for that to be so strong. You had the dodging down, so I thought you'd be able to avoid that. It was faster that I had anticipated, I'm so sorry!" Lexie was hysterical, and in any other time, I would have found that hilarious, but I was currently unable to move due to the lingering shocks running through my body. Arizona whipped her head up at Lexie and growled at her as she came closer, drawing a terrified 'eep!' from her. I finally got a hold of my body and laid a hand on her arm, I could feel the warm blue glow surrounding my hand again and she calmed down instantly.

"Are you okay?" her voice was low and my heart warmed at the worry laced in her tone.

"Y-yeah, just a bit shocked, literally" I give a small grin at my pun, which drew one from Arizona, but it disappeared quickly as she lifted my up, bridal style, and carried me out the hall. "I'm taking her to rest, Lexie train with Tim." She commanded with no hesitancy and walked out with me in her arms, taking me straight to our bedroom.

Laying me down, she stared at me in thought, and suddenly leaned forward to kiss me. I felt a cold shiver echo throughout in response and felt my body instantly begin to feel better. She pulled back and studied my body before pulling back all the way.

"You shouldn't train. You don't need to fight." Her tone was icy and I was stunned at the complete 180 she had done from mere moments ago.

"I want to be able to help you, to protect you."

"I don't need protecting." It almost sounded like a whine, but her body language killed that idea straight away; she was tense and irritated.

"Fine, but I need to get stronger. The sooner that happens, the sooner we'll be able to complete the ritual and you can become stronger."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're doing this because of the ritual? I'd rather not complete it at all if it means you doing this to yourself. I can't have a soul mate if she's dead!" She stormed out of the room, leaving me speechless at her outburst. I couldn't help but think that in her moment of fury, the old Arizona had come out, just barely, but she was there. It gave me hope that I could save her, hope that what I was doing wasn't futile. I held on to that hope like it was my lifeline.

I'll save you Arizona.

The next day, I came down to an empty kitchen. I glanced briefly at the clock and saw that it was 9 in the morning, I briefly wondered where everyone had wondered off to. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turned to see a sleepy Aria emerging from the hallway; what caught my attention was that she had not come from the direction of her room. Interesting…

"Morning Cal," she yawned

"Where were you and Terri yesterday? You weren't at training and you totally missed my getting my ass handed to me by Lexie freaking Grey." She chuckled at me and stretched before tilting her head at me.

"I had to look after Terri." She stated simply.

"Why what's wrong with her?" She looked fine when she left the hall the other day, did something happen in between?

"She was still recovering from all the feeds she had given to Arizona and Teddy, and the sudden confrontation with Arizona didn't help. She'd burned her hand, and sliced it, almost all the way through, from stopping Arizona's attack on mama."

"I didn't notice at all is she going to be okay?" I was genuinely concerned about her; she seemed to be the only one able to handle Arizona's power, and I knew Arizona would be distressed over her leader's health. Wouldn't she?

"Yeah she's going to be fine, she's fed some from me and she's resting. How are you doing Cal?" I knew that she was asking about Arizona, but I really didn't have an answer at the moment. Arizona was confusing me, sometimes she would be loving and caring, but most of the times, she was cold and distant; but she always came to my aid and was so gentle with me. I chose to ignore the question.

"I'm fine. Anyway, was that Terri's room I saw you coming out of this morning?" I teased. Aria was the straightest person I had ever met; when we were younger she was always going on about her newest and latest boyfriend, which changed once a week, and had spent all her time drooling over boys. Yet now, she was completely enamored by a woman and was acting like a teenager in love all over again. It was sweet, and even if I had my own issues with Terri, she was good for Aria. She made Aria more responsible; she taught her things and treated her with respect. Aria had told me about the truth behind her marking and how Terri was willing to play the villain in order to keep her safe and protected; and after hearing that, I couldn't deny that Terri was a good person, at least to Aria. It wasn't that I hated Terri, I just disagreed with her methods and attitude, and I guess I really owe her an apology for my behaviour during Arizona's coma.

Aria blushed and smiled goofily, "Yes, but not for the reason you're thinking about. Terri told me something last night in bed." I arched my eyebrow at this, "Again, not in the way you're thinking! We're just friends and we just slept, whilst I was taking care of her and whilst she was telling me about her thoughts."

"But you're disappointed right? You wanted something to happen, I mean, you practically proposed marriage to her when you requested to be sired didn't you? Or was it Terri that proposed when she claimed you and you accepted?" I laughed and Aria pouted at me, and while I could see that this was all done in jest, I noticed that there was some underlying disappointment. I sobered up immediately and changed the topic.

"Right, so Terri said something?"

"Yeah, it's more like a theory though. She's been pouring over books and information she's gotten from other Seers and her father's elders, and said she might have discovered something. It's got something to do with the phrasing and interpretation. She said that 'Arizona's sacrifice' might not be what we're thinking about at all, something about being 'too literal' and 'too human'." I scoffed at the thought; vampires always did look down on mortality and humans; Aria gave me a warning look before continuing. "She said that the sacrifice doesn't actually mean losing 'Arizona' in favour of 'Artemis', but instead of suppressing 'Artemis', she's now suppressing 'Arizona'. Does that make sense?"

I thought for a moment, "Not really, sorry."

She smiled at me gently nodding in agreement, "Yeah, didn't make any sense to me either. But Terri simplified it; instead of losing Arizona's humanity, she sacrificed her conscience. The part that feels the guilt and devastation at all the killing, she's hiding it away now; and instead letting Artemis' conscience rein. So 'Arizona' is still in there, but she's just hiding away from the pain and suffering. Get it now?"

I nodded; it did make sense. I could always see Arizona in the tender moments we shared, and sometimes, when she thought I was still asleep, I could feel her gaze on me, the feeling it evoked were the same ones I always had when she looked at me. Artemis always brought me a sense of apprehension and fear. "Do you believe her?"

"I do. I trust her completely, and besides, she's the only one who knows Arizona enough to justify the theory… Sorry Cal." She winced at the expression I gave at that, "You've been separated for a long time, she's changed from the 16 year old you once knew."

"She's still the same Arizona." I stated resolutely. I refused to believe otherwise, she still gave me the same feelings I had when we were teenagers, "She's just gotten older and more mature, but she's still my Arizona."

Aria held her hands up, waving a metaphorical white flag, "Don't kill the messenger, I just wanted you to know what T thinks."

When did Aria start calling her 'T'? I mused silently.

Any further thought was disrupted by commotion outside the house; running out to see what had happened, we saw Thalia and Clio holding a man that was covered in blood, with clothing that was torn in places being dragged into the gym.

"I'll go get Terri." Was all Aria said before she ran off to her room. I cautiously entered the gym and was horrified by the sight before me.

General p.o.v

"Who sent you?" Graham was tied to a metal chair with handcuffs; he was covered in blood from his earlier feeding and his clothes were torn in the scuffle with the two female vampires.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He was a fighter, a great one at that, and had been a vampire for the last 200 years; he refused to be broken by two little girls.

"Don't play coy, we can sense the mark. Hiding won't do you any good!" Clio was fuming; she hadn't expected to encounter the vampire a mere 2 blocks from the Torres residence.

"Then you'll know that my master will make you all suffer for your insolence!" He snarled in return.

"Let me handle this." A cold voice came from behind Clio. He looked up into icy blue eyes and shivered.

"What's with her eyes? They're almost as cold as Styx's" he panicked slightly at the thought of the other vampire, "God she's going to kill me."

"You belong to Hades right?" It was a statement more than a question and he had no reply for it.

"Good, then I won't regret anything then." He didn't get the chance to ask anything before he was consumed by pain, radiating from his left thigh. He looked down to see a silver dagger impaled in his leg.

"Fuck! What the hell are you doing? Don't you know who I am?"

"I know exactly who you are. You're Hades' trash and that pisses me off." The cool voice never wavered; the icy blue eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul. She knew who he was, she would never forget his name or his face, or all the pain that he had caused her. Pain radiated from his other leg and he saw that another dagger had been impaled into his other leg.

"What the hell do you want?" "And what the hell is up with these daggers?" There was something laced on the daggers and it sent a burning sensation through his entire body.

"Poseidon" the single word sent fear through his body.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He screamed. Pale lips pursed, deep in thought before a smirk came over her face.

"No? Too bad for you then."

"Wha-arrrrrrrgh" She twisted the dagger in his left thigh and sent a bolt of lightning through it, aggravating the wound more than before. "Fucking bitch! I'm going to kill you! You hear me? I'm going to kill you!"

Laughter came and he was shocked to see the delight reflected in her eyes, "Oh Graham, I don't think you're in any position to make threats." She pulled another dagger from the table that was beside her and rammed it into his shoulder, twisting it as it entered.

"What the hell is with this bitch? She's enjoying this! She's just as sadistic as Styx! Fuck!" His body was shaking from a mixture of pain, fear and the burning sensation running up and down his body. He noticed that someone else had entered the room and shot her a pleading glance.

"Arizona… What's going on?" came the horrified voice.

"This guy works for Hades, we need information and that's where Graham here comes in. But he's not co-operating, so I'm giving him some encouragement." Arizona's voice was hollow and cold; the stare she gave him rocked him to the core. "So, where's Poseidon?" He could hear a shocked gasp come from the newcomer, but his thought was quickly over-ridden by more pain as she walked behind him and cut off a finger.

"Come on now Graham, you can spare yourself from any more pain. All you've got to do is tell us what we want to know." Her voice was full of mirth and she dragged the blade covered with his blood across his cheek. "No?" she sighed before digging the blade into his eye.

"Fuuuuuuuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fucking bitch! Hades will rule the kingdom, you will all be brought to your knees and you'll fucking regret this! I'll make sure of it!"

"And what makes you think you'll live long enough to report to Hades?" the voice full of laughter, "And what makes you think I'm scared of him?"

"He's the fucking King! He's a Royal; don't you know that? Scared now ain't ya? Now fucking lemme go before he comes!" He was desperate to escape the torture and he wasn't past using Hades' name to get out.

More laughter followed and he stared at the woman in confusion. "He's not the only Royal around you know? Not even one of the top three that matter."

He stared hard at her, before finally coming to the realisation. "No, no fucking way." He focused on her scent and recognised it immediately "Styx said she was dead! She fucking lied to me! Why the hell didn't I sense this earlier on?" His eyes widened as he began to realise that she was playing with him, and had only just allowed her aura to be read. "Fucking Artemis!" He saw the blonde man standing to the side and recognised him immediately "Apollo! You've got to be fucking kidding me, if Artemis and Apollo are here then that means…" He looked around, desperately searching for signs of the Crown.

"You're boring me now." Arizona took off his three remaining fingers and thumb from his left hand. "Got any answers for me yet?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck this hurts! What the fuck is on those blades? Fucking fuck! I can't let them know Hades has Poseidon and Aphrodite held up in the dungeon in Boston. Fuck, if they don't kill me now, Styx will slaughter me and make this look like child's play."

"I've got it!" Came the sudden voice. He hadn't noticed anyone else entering the building; when he turned he noticed a Latina woman standing next to "The fucking Crown! Shit!"

Arizona nodded at Aria and summoned up her blade. "Artemis, stop!" The command came and she froze instantly, blade lightly digging into Graham's neck, blood trickling down heavily. She narrowed her eyes at Terri in anger.

"He was part of it. I remember his face and his voice from that night!" she growled out in a voice so low, everyone felt the iciness entering them; her arm tensed up immediately.

"Art-" Terri barely had the time to say her name before she swung her arm downwards and took off his arm from the shoulder. Arizona waved away her blade, leaning close to his face, before sneering at him

"What you're feeling now, the pain? The fear? This isn't anywhere near as close to what I felt that night. You took everything away from me that night, and I promise that I'll make you pay for it. But not now, the Princess doesn't allow for it." She turned and mock bowed at Terri.

Terri felt the anger penetrate every sense. "Artemis, with me. Now!" The tone of her voice was one that no one had ever heard before, and they all recoiled with shock and fear at the power behind her words. Arizona gave one last look at Graham's bloody mess and followed Terri out the room.

Callie, still horrified from what she had just witnessed, stood speechless as Arizona passed her by without a glance. Aria's prodding brought her back to her sense and she was pulled out of the room by her sister, discretely following the two Royals.

"What the hell just happened?"

"What the hell was that?" Terri was furious, no, furious didn't even begin to cover it; she was livid. Callie had never heard her this angry before, she was worried for Arizona's well being. The two sisters had snuck up outside the office where Terri and Arizona were currently having an argument

"I did what was necessary" Arizona shot back

"Necessary? He hadn't given us any information, his mouth was tightly shut!"

"He was being too slow, I just helped him along. Gave him incentive and all." Arizona's tone was nonchalant, which wasn't helping with Terri's mood.

"That wasn't helping, you tortured him!" Terri was horrified at her actions; Arizona would never have done this.

"I did what you would've done" Terri froze. She had no comeback for that. She let out a sigh; it was time to address the situation.

"You're not like me. You're different, and you're better than that" came the solemn voice.

"What does it matter anyway we got what we needed" Arizona replied indignantly, she didn't see what she had did wrong. It was exactly how Terri would've handled the situation if she were in Arizona's position.

"Only because of Aria, without her we would have gotten nothing!" Terri was annoyed at how nonchalant Arizona was being.

"And the only reason Aria got what she needed was because of me. See no harm done?" She replied smugly.

"Are you fucking serious? What the hell happened to you?" She couldn't believe that Arizona was proud of what she had achieved.

"What are you talking about, this is what you've all wanted isn't it? For me to be firmer, tougher. I got the job done, you should fucking thank me for it!"

"This isn't want I wanted! This isn't like you at all. I know you!"

"You knew me. You know nothing of what I am now. How I think, how I feel; you know nothing!" Silence took control of the room. Outside, Callie was shaking with emotions that were going crazy. She couldn't believe how angry Terri was, how naïve and stubborn Arizona was being; she wanted to interrupt, but with the current emotions flying around in the room, she didn't think it was safe.

"Why are you being like this?" Terri sighed, defeated.

"This is who I am now, and what happened before is a part of that" Arizona was slightly calmer now; hearing Terri's defeated voice.

"Callie told me about what happened in the park. It was ruthless and unprovoked" Arizona was confused by the sudden change of topic.

"They were Hades' men, and they're all despicable, I did what I had to do. Like I said it's a necessity, it's what you would have wanted"

"I wanted you to be happy, to be free from guilt. I didn't want you to suffer anymore, this is nothing like what I wanted!"

"Then you should have thought of that before you allowed Lucia to engage my revival" Her tone was bitter, she never agreed to the revival; it was done without consent, she didn't want it and she hated them for it.

"I didn't allow anything!" Terri roared; anger reaching new heights. "I fought for you, and I would have gladly thrown away the survival of our clan if it meant you could remain the way you were. Lucia didn't give me a choice! Erica didn't give me a choice! Calliope didn't give me a choice! Toby didn't give me a choice! Not even my father gave me a fucking choice! I've had no control over anything; I was born into the Zeus bloodline, so I had to be brought up in a certain way. Toby died so; I had to become the new Crown. Erica gave Callie Cronus' blade, who then stabbed you with it and I had to put you into a coma and initiate your revival. Hades is fucking rebelling, so I have to lead the army to protect the throne. My father's gone fucking missing, so I have to take over as interim Queen. So tell me Arizona, when have I ever been given the choice to do anything?" Terri was getting paler and paler; her body still weak from sharing her blood and Arizona's attack. "If it ever came down to it, I would give my life in order for your happiness; I would gladly give away the Crown and the responsibility of the bloodline, if it meant I could have my freedom back. If I were given the choice, I would gladly give away everything if it meant saving you. I wished that Toby was still alive so I didn't have to carry this burden; he was prepared for this, he could've handled this. I wished that Toby was still alive and I had died that day instead." Arizona inhaled sharply at this and outside the door, Callie and Aria gasped in surprise. "This is not what I wanted and don't you dare ever suggest that again!"

Terri was panting by the end and she fell back onto the couch in the room; head in her hands, trying to control her breathing. She was losing control quickly. Arizona stared in shock; she had never seen Terri so distressed; she was always so composed. They had never once suspected that Terri had so much resentment against her father and her brother; when Toby died and she was crowned, she had never made a single complaint. Every time she was expected to do something, she did so without objection. She had never protested anything she was made to do in the last 20 years, she had always taken it in stride, and no one had ever paused to think about what she wanted or needed. It was always about the sake of the kingdom. Always.

"T…" Arizona was speechless.

"Why are you hiding so much? Don't you know you're hurting Callie?" She sounded so tired, and Arizona felt guilty for causing her distress. She studied Terri's exhausted and defeated posture, "Time for the truth then." Outside the door, Callie perked up at the mention of her name.

"It's the only way…" she looked out the window, sadness and guilt overcoming her, "We need strength and power to defeat Hades, and we can't afford to have me holding everyone back. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the reason we lost… the reason you died" Her voice was gentle and sincere, her true self finally coming out after hiding for so long. Callie felt tears in her eyes hearing her Arizona speak.

"We need strength during battle, but we are not in battle now. So why are you still hiding?"

"Because it's the only way I can survive. It hurts so much, and every time I think it'll get better, that I'll get used to it, something else happens and I feel like a monster all over again. I need to suppress everything in order to maintain control for the sake of our future" She didn't like it, but she was convinced it was the only way she could survive without the suffering. Aria looked at Callie with a knowing look, silently passing on the 'I told you so' message.

"That's what Calliope is for. She's there to take away the pain, the guilt, and the resentment, the idea of being a monster" Her voice was calm, as if afraid to scare the woman off.

"The feeling is too great and devastating, it's not a burden I want to place on her. It's not fair to ask that of her"

"You're not giving her the choice. I think you're underestimating her tolerance and her power. And you're already being unfair to her." Her voice was laced with conviction and Arizona snapped her head around at the sudden change in attitude. "She's your soul mate, yet you treat her as if she were your concubine. You're cold and you hide away your true feelings, yet you still bed her in order for your bond to take away your suffering. You're taking away the consent and knowledge from her, she doesn't even know what she's partaking in or what you're doing, and that is unfair" Arizona's eyes widened and her body slumped over slightly; Terri sighed at her reaction; obviously the thought had never crossed her mind.

"Even if you were to hide away from the world. She is the one person you shouldn't hide from. She is someone who'll accept your faults and flaws and still love you, stand strongly by your side supporting you through your ruthless decisions, yet still be willing to calm your soul and heal your wounds at night. Isn't that what she is doing? She may not be aware of it, but even as horrified and disturbed she may be at your actions, is she not still by your side every night holding you, loving you?"

"Did you know that Calliope is afraid of you now?" Arizona looked up in shock and Callie winced at her admission. She never wanted Arizona to think she was scared of her, Artemis maybe, but never Arizona.

"What?" Her voice quivered in fear of Callie's fear of her.

"She's afraid of Artemis and what she can and has been doing. There is no doubt that Calliope loves you and you her. Even Artemis acknowledges her as your mate; but she doesn't care for Callie as much as you do. And that makes Callie fear you. Have you not wondered why the ritual has yet to be completed? I know it's not from a lack of trying on your part, but every time you go to sire her, something stops you right?" Arizona nodded, "It's because of her fear. She doesn't fully accept you, nor is she willing to give herself over to the unknown. She wants to help you, but she doesn't want to see you turn into a monster."

"I don't know what to do" She had tears in her eyes threatening to fall; she loved Calliope and never wanted her to fear her. And for her to be the reason for Callie's mistrust and fear… It killed her.

"Talk to her, let her understand. She doesn't possess the same knowledge as I do, and she will never confront nor question you. Do you not think that she is still plagued by the guilt of causing this, by nightmares of injuring you, and the devastation of sitting by your unmoving body day and night for 5 days?" Terri was happy that she was finally getting through the thick outer shell of Arizona's defence. She was so tired of having to deal with so much shock and so many questions from her team that she wasn't even sure of how to answer. Callie froze, she wasn't aware that Terri knew of her nightmares and fears; beside her, Aria chuckled and whispered into her ear "Terri's more perceptive than you think, she sees and notices everything."

"You say that we do not know your thoughts and feelings, but do you know hers?"

Arizona looked lost and devastated. She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't want to hurt Callie anymore, but she was so afraid of what would happen if she refused Artemis' instincts. She didn't think that she'd be able to handle it, but the thought of losing Callie hurt more. Seeing the look on Arizona's face, she tried one last time to help her.

"Arizona," She insisted, nodding towards the door where Callie and Aria were hidden behind, "talk to her."

A.N – I've had Arizona and Terri's confrontation in my head for days. I'm so happy to finally get it out! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.