A.N: Aaaaaand, I'm back! Wow I've had a long week, but I've finally managed to get out a new chapter!

To Jessica Torres-Robbins: Welcome back! Hope you had fun on your travels =] and many thanks for all the praises, I take them all with no shame and bask in how great you're making me feel, so thanks!

To AZsgirl: Thanks for all the love, for my story and for my original character. Hope the new chapter doesn't disappoint.

To nikki: Tim killed Graham? Who said that? I don't know what you're talking about =P. I don't usually use terms of endearment, but it just seemed to fit, and I feel like it's something Aria would use =]. Sorry for the long wait, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner, so long as work doesn't get in the way and my mind continues to work with me.

To ryshai: Awww, thanks, you're so sweet. I would totally love to see what it would look like if this was made into an animation or something, the special effects would be awesome!

To CaseyJr: Don't worry about Terri, I love her too much to kill her!

Ooooh, guess what my Captain did for me? She made a cover for my story! Did I mention she was awesome?

Beta'd by 2damnpretty2die, she said she wasn't feeling to well during, and she still managed to help me. How awesome is she? Feel better soon Captain! And keep the redbull away from the girls, it's dangerous! =P

Enjoy!x

Chapter 19: Evolution

General p.o.v

"Ah, I'm glad to see you're awake."

After two long days, he had awoken in an unfamiliar bed, making his way out to the main hall; Tim was greeted by the site of Hades sitting atop his 'throne' in the centre on the room.

"Of course, my Lord." He bowed deeply, in a sign of respect, before straightening back up again.

"How are you feeling, young Apollo?" The elder vampire's voice was deep and smoky, his eyes sharp as he stared at Tim, mouth curled into a gentle smile.

"I am feeling a lot better, thanks." He looked around seeing nothing but marked strays milling around, "Has Styx not awoken yet?"

"Ah, my darling daughter," Hades let out a chuckle, "it would seem that she had underestimated our little Princess, so she's still recovering in her room."

"It's the serum isn't it" Tim stated. Hades raised a brow, fixating a cold stare that made him question his own bluntness. "She said she used the serum of the Seers, that's what's setting back her recovery right?"

Tim could feel the sweat gathering at his forehead as Hades continued staring at him in silence. He dropped down to one knee preparing to beg for forgiveness over his rudeness, when Hades suddenly let out a chuckle. Looking up, Tim saw that while he was laughing, there was nothing but coldness in his eyes.

"I always knew you were smart Apollo, it's a good thing you're on my side, otherwise I'd worry about all of my secrets being discovered."

Dropping his head as low as possible, Tim surrendered himself at the feet of the intimidating vampire. "Of course my Lord, I live to serve only my Lord."

"Very good. Now, come young Apollo."

"Where to my Lord?"

"There's someone I'd like you to finally meet."

Head filled with questions; Tim blindly followed Hades as he left through a door on his right. They walked through endless corridors, passing numerous doors, walking down a set of stairs leading into a dark cellar, before finally stopping at an iron door guarded by two large and muscular vampires. He watched as they dropped to one knee at the sight of the elder vampire, who waved them away, and the door opened revealing two figures lying on the floor, both with large cuffs around their feet with long chains attached to the wall. There were symbols drawn all around the room and it smelled of nothing but blood and dirt.

"Oh Danny, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Hades stated gleefully.

'Danny' looked up at Tim who was frozen in shock. Hazel eyes, obscured by long dirty blond hair, that he'd recognise even in his sleep, stared straight at him.

"D-d-dad?" There in the room was Poseidon, and beside him, dulled blue eyes obscured by blonde hair caked with dried blood looked up, revealing herself to be Aphrodite. "M-mom?" His hands clenched inside his pockets, where he had placed them, the shock overriding every emotion he had.

"Timmy!" She cried out, voice laced with relief at the sight of her son. Poseidon, on the other hand, straightened up as much as possible with his restraints and stared coldly at the two at the door.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I-I-I" Tim stuttered, unable to complete his sentence.

"My, my Danny, so cold. I thought you'd be happier that I'd brought you your son. He's just like you, so smart and strong, lucky for him though he was smart enough to join me in my endeavour for unity." Hades' reply was playful and it angered Poseidon, he growled and launched himself at him, but was slammed back to the ground as the symbols on the walls started glowing and his chains tightened.

"Leave my son out of this!" He roared.

"Oh Danny, always so blind to the truth. Timmy here joined me of his own free will. In fact he was the one who came to me begging to be taken under my wing. He didn't like the treatment he received from Nathaniel and Teresa, so he left." Hades gloated.

"Zeus is a great man and a better King than you will ever be! And Athena would never harm another Royal, especially not one of mine!"

"Oh Danny," Hades sighed dramatically, "Always such a loyal follower of our dearest brother, too bad that loyalty will only lead to your death. If only you had joined me when I asked you too. Oh well, come now Timmy, it would seem that your parents are most hostile right now, you can come back later when they've calmed down."

Tim was still frozen and had followed Hades' retreating footsteps by instinct alone, but not before accidentally dropping a pouch from when he had removed his hands from his pockets. Aphrodite noticed it immediately and when she recognised what it was, a tear fell from her eye. "Athena…"

Waking up, Terri found herself in a sterile white room, on top of a bed so soft; it felt like lying on clouds. There was movement next to her, and when she opened her eyes she was confronted with a mop of black hair. Sleepy brown eyes opened briefly, locking with hers, and closing again, before suddenly snapping open once again and filling with tears.

"Terri! You're awake!" Aria was ecstatic, and had shot up in bed when she realised that Terri's open eyes were staring at her.

"Y-yeah, I guess so." Her voice cracked slightly from the dry throat she suddenly had, and Aria handed her a glass of water sitting by the bedside table. "Thanks, how long have I been asleep?"

"Two days. Bailey and Richard removed you from the pod this morning; they said you were pretty much healed, and just needed to rest." She studied her lying figure for a moment before launching into her arms. "God, I'm so glad your awake, you scared me!" Tears had started falling, and Terri could feel them collecting on her neck.

"I'm sorry, I'm here now." She reassured the distraught woman, arms coming around her waist holding tightly. "It's okay, I'm here now."

"Don't ever do that again!" Aria's voice was muffled by her shoulder, but Terri could hear her loud and clear.

"I can't promise that Aria, you know that." She pulled back and looked at her with a gentle smile.

"I know, but can't you just humour me a little? Just pretend to say yes or something?"

"I could, but I don't want to lie to you." Terri's voice was so soft and honest, Aria could feel her smile transforming into a wide grin.

"That's one of the things I love the most about you."

"You love me?" Terri teased.

"Shut up!" Aria rebuked before leaning in and stopping just moments away from Terri's lips and whispered "I like you a lot, but I would love you more if you'd just kiss me right now."

A wide grin overtook Terri's face and her hands came up, on to cradle the back of Aria's head and the other against her cheek, "Your wish is my command." She pulled her into a gentle kiss and Aria sighed at the contact.

They left the room shortly to meet with the rest of the team who greeted Terri's arrival with joy and happiness.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better Princess." Richard's deep voice cut through all the excited chatter, drawing attention to himself. Terri nodded and bowed her head slightly at the tall man.

"Thank you Richard, you saved my life." Gratitude was heavily laced in her tone and beside her Aria also bowed her head.

"God, Princess, don't. It's my job as a healer to help those in need and it's my job as an elder to protect the royal family. So please, don't bow to me Princess, I don't deserve it." There was slight panic in his voice at their actions and Terri smiled gently at him before straightening up.

"You saved my life Richard, you deserve the recognition regardless of your status. So just take my gratitude without protest." She insisted and he nodded at her in acquiesce.

"Wait, you're an elder?" Callie's tone was filled with disbelief as she stared at the elder man.

"Yup, right hand man of my father the King. One of the two highest elders with the most authority next to my father and I, Mnemosyne too." Terri answered proudly.

Callie and Aria snapped their attention to their mother, "You're Zeus' left hand?"

"No Calliope," Lucia answered with a chuckle, "I'm an elder yes, but I'm the high advisor of the court of Zeus, and not his left hand."

"So who's the left hand then?" Addison asked.

"A secret." Terri answered with a grin, drawing disappointed sighs around the room. "Sorry, but I can't reveal all the secrets of the court ya know?"

"What is 'the court' anyway?" Addison asked instead.

"It's a group of elders that advise and aid Zeus' ruling of the kingdom, a little bit like a council… Well, it is a council, but we just have a different name for it, a more old-school one." Terri's reply drew giggles and a roll of the eyes from Richard and Bailey.

"Right, well… We have matters that need to be discussed Princess." Richard noted.

"Ya know Richard, if you insist on calling me by my title, then I insist you call me by my right one." Terri teased.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked, curious about the talk of titles whilst there were bigger issues at hand.

"Well, seeing as my father is currently… indisposed shall we say? Too busy? On vacation? Either way, he's not around at the moment, so I hold the highest authority and according to the laws, I currently take position of the throne. So even if it's temporary, technically, I'm the Queen right now."

The room dropped into silence as they stared at her in shock and bewilderment.

"Or should I say 'King'? I don't know, how does this work, my bride would be the 'Queen' so does that mean I'm a 'King'?" Terri pouted slightly at the thought, "I don't wanna be a 'King', that's really not cool." She received no reply as they were still staring at her frozen in astonishment.

Richard cleared his throat, bringing them all back from their musings, "Yes, well *ahem* regardless, my Lord, there are things we must do."

Terri sighed, "always so serious Elder."

"It's regarding Artemis' evolution." She snapped her mouth shut and looked towards Arizona, holding the attention of clear blue eyes.

"What about it?"

"We need to help her reach the stage of her true form."

Her eyes never left Arizona's, "Is this what you wish for?" Arizona held her head up proudly, determination never once wavering and declared with utmost conviction.

"It's what I want, no, need. We've already lost Tim, we need as much power as possible." Her eyes quivered slightly at the mention of Tim, but she powered through and her resolve shone through again.

"Very well. Arizona, Calliope, come with me. The rest of you relax for a little while, Thalia and Clio will put you through hell in the next few days, so rest up!"

"Wait, why me as well?" Callie protested.

"We've already been through this before haven't we? You're part of Arizona's strength now, so if she wants to reach the full stage of evolution, then you'll need to help her." Terri rolled her eyes slightly, "besides, you're Ari's biggest distraction, so in order for her to train herself to be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared, you'll need to be there too."

Callie looked thoughtfully at Arizona, waiting for her to lead, and when she nodded, they followed Terri into another room.

On entering the room, they noticed that it was mostly empty, the floors were padded, the walls had a variety of swords and there were a few tables with candles on them.

"This is the meditation room; it's also where I was granted the access to my full form." Terri answered their unspoken questions.

"Granted access?" Arizona asked.

"Yeah, you need to have access to the form before being able to utilise it. It's a little bit annoying, but you have to convince your 'other' self that you're worthy of carrying the full powers and potential of your avatar." She explained

"What do you mean by 'avatar'?"

"Don't you find it weird that only the Royal family are granted dual names? We have our 'human' names and our 'blessed' names from the Seers. Most other vampires go on daily in both worlds with their birth name, but we have two, have you never questioned that?"

"Not really, I mean Lucia has two names, but she's not a Royal."

"Yes, but she was born human, and when she was taken under Theia's wing, she officially left her human life and was born again as 'Mnemosyne'. She took on the name 'Lucia' when she ran from the war and Hades, so if she hadn't disappeared, she would still be known today as only 'Mnemosyne'. Have you ever asked about your mother's maiden name Callie?"

"Not really, all my life she's always introduced herself as 'Lucia Torres', I never even thought about it." Callie replied.

"Well, that's because she doesn't have one, not really anyway. I think, that for fun, she took on the human name 'Lucia Syne'." Callie stared at her with wide eyes, "I know, it's stupid, but that was only temporary, and to avoid people asking why she didn't have one. She never used it, only if she needed to sign official documents, so she only went by 'Lucia', then she married your father and became 'Lucia Torres'."

"Okay then, so what about the Royals? Why do they have dual names?" Callie returned to the original point.

"Our regular names are used on a daily basis and our 'vampire' names are used to differential between us and the regular vampires." Arizona nodded having known this already, "But it also represents another thing: our true form. As 'Teresa Ryans' I am a regular person, or vampire, the name 'Ryans' already separates myself from the others, but as 'Athena' I represent the Crown, and more importantly, 'Athena' is my true name; the name I am recognised by as the Royalty, and more importantly, the name of the 'being' that grants me the power of evolution."

"So, I have to ask 'Artemis' to give me the power?" Arizona asked, slightly confused.

"Not exactly, it's more like you have to confront 'Artemis' in her true form and prove you worthiness of her granting you the power."

"And how do I do that?"

"That's where this room and I come in. 'Artemis' is a part of you, without a doubt, so you must delve into your consciousness, call upon her, and confront her."

"O…kay?" Arizona still had no clue what she meant, she looked at Callie to see her just as confused and Terri chuckled at them.

"Come on, I'll show you what I mean. Sit." Terri took off her shoes and walked to the centre of the room, sitting down on the floors with her legs crossed. Arizona and Callie followed after removing their shoes, and sat down in front of her.

"Right so you both need to close your eyes and remove yourself from everything but my voice. Listen to my guidance and you'll both eventually meet 'Artemis' in her true form."

With their eyes closed, they never noticed Terri's eyes glowing white as Zeus' symbol appeared on her forehead, red aura pulsing around her and spreading around them all as a red circle formed around them covered in symbols.

"Just listen to my voice and relax.

Arizona p.o.v

"Just listen to my voice and relax."

I could feel an energy pulsing around me, I could feel Calliope's presence beside me, I could feel Terri's unbelievable aura in front of me, I could feel every single moving and breathing thing around me within this entire building, and then suddenly, I felt nothing.

"Dive in deep, deep into the core of your power."

I concentrated on centring myself, trying to find the source of my powers, but failing. I let out a sigh of frustration.

"Concentrate Ari. It's not that hard to find once you've recognised it's presence. It should feel warm and possibly slightly intimidating, but don't be afraid of it. Embrace it and allow it to overcome you, allow it to possess you, share your mind with it and grant it the access it seeks."

I focused on finding the warmth she was talking about, and when I finally did find it, it was incredible, and yet so terrifying. It felt so dark and cold, yet at the same time, when I reached it, it felt like it was burning me. I forced myself to confront it and felt the pain course through my body. I could feel my brows furrowing at the pain.

"Do not fear it, embrace it. The more you fear it, the more it will hurt you. You're not accepting it and it's trying to force its way in."

Easy for her to say! I almost growled in frustration before remembering that she had gone through the same thing years before, most likely not long after being crowned. The thought of her as a young girl going through this fed my determination and I faced the coldness head on.

This is a part of me right? This darkness is what I felt when I had first woke up after the revival. The darkness does not feel evil, but rather… lonely. Have I neglected you for too long Artemis? I'm sorry… I will no longer avoid and supress you any longer. I am here to seek you, I am here for you, I am here because of you, and I fear you no longer. So come, I am waiting.

The sudden on rush of darkness, coldness, and pain faded away into warmth and love, acceptance. I felt invigorated and energised, and it was amazing.

Is this what I've been hiding from all these years?

I couldn't believe how great it felt, and beside me, I could feel Calliope in the same state as I was. How as it that I could still feel her now?

"Calliope is a part of you as you are a part of her. The bond you share links you both in more ways than one, it links you in body and mind, so you will share everything, including the experience of confronting Artemis."

I was stunned at her answering of my questions, could she hear me?

"Yes I can, I am currently guiding your consciousness, so please refrain from 'certain thoughts' about your mate, please"

I could feel Calliope's mortification and felt myself blush at her statement, and almost involuntarily all I could think about was Calliope. I tried to supress those thoughts as much as I could instantly.

"It's okay, let the love of your mate guide you. Accept their presence and you will meet in your subconscious realm…"

Terri's voice started to fade and I panicked slightly.

"This is as far as I can guide you, the rest is up to you. I will remain with your physical bodies maintaining the protective guard, good luck."

My eyes opened and I found myself in a large field. It was absolutely stunning, there were trees vibrant with life everywhere, the grass was long and the smell overtook my sense instantly, the sounds of birds could be heard and there were the odd butterfly or two flying around. A warm breeze blew through the fields and I found myself in complete awe at the scenery, closing my eyes and expanding my senses to fully appreciate the peacefulness presented to me.

The sudden presence behind me alerted me instantly and I turned to see Calliope staring in amazement around her. When our eyes locked I felt the love and warmth fill my being, I held out a hand to her which she came and took instantly and pulled her into me.

"It's beautiful here Ari." Her voice was soft and low, as if afraid to disturb the peacefulness around.

"Of course it is, this is the mind of Arizona Robbins after all. She desires nothing more than to live in a world like this with you Calliope." A voice behind us shocked us and I turned, placing Calliope behind me, and took up a defensive position, which faltered when I saw the third person.

She stood tall, with long blonde hair reaching to about her waist with blue streaks running through it, her eyes were golden, and her fangs elongated; on her back were a pair of wings, pure and white just like Terri's, and on her forehead was a navy symbol of Neptune, for Poseidon, proudly displayed.

"Artemis." I whispered and I could hear Calliope's sharp intake of air.

"I've been waiting for you to finally come." Her voice had a slight echo to it and I could feel her power flickering all around us.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm here now, and I wish for you to grant me your power."

"It doesn't work like that Arizona." Her voice was amused.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't just give you power, you have to earn it."

"Earn it?"

"Prove to me that you are worthy of my power. Fight me for it."

I stared at her stunned, fight her? I couldn't do it. Calliope's hand tightened around mine and I felt the energy inside me start to build.

"I'm here for you Ari, I believe in you." Her voice was filled with sincerity and I was determined not to fail her. If I wanted to protect her, then I needed to prove to Artemis, to Calliope and to myself that I could do it. I squeezed her hand gently before removing my hand and walking towards Artemis who had a grin on her face.

My fangs emerged and my eyes turned purple, a gush of aura flooded out and surrounded my body in a strong, unwavering purple; I was prepared to fight.

Artemis' grin widened into a smile, teeth exposed, as I took up my stance. Her golden eyes brightened and she was engulfed in a navy aura, it was so powerful I could feel it in my veins.

Jesus, she's so strong. Is that what I could have? If I defeat her, will I become like that too? Is this what Terri has? No, hers is much stronger. Her aura was stronger than Artemis' currently is when she revealed her form that day, and Lucia had said that was only part of her power. How strong is Terri? How much has she grown since I first met the little 8 year old girl? How far have I fallen behind? What possessed Terri to strive for such power, what is she fighting for, who is she fighting for and how much has she suffered for that power?

My admiration and respect for Terri grew slightly after seeing Artemis' display of power. I was proud of her achievements and I wanted to repay her for everything she had ever done for me, I wanted to repay her by achieving my evolution and getting stronger to help her, and I wanted her to be proud of me.

"Bring it, Artemis." I grinned.

I dodged to my left desperately as Artemis lunged, with speed so amazing, I barely managed to avoid her claws. She flashed passed me and turned swiftly, hands ablaze with flames, and launched them at me. Summoning ice around my forearms, I blocked the attack and launched my own flames at her, but she waved them off easily, grinning at my futile attempts.

"Is that all you have Arizona?" she questioned coolly. I felt the anger build quickly at her taunting. You're part of me, you don't get to judge me; you have no right to judge me!

I charged at her again, claws at the ready, and shimmered out of sight just before I reached her. I had prepared to surprise her from behind, but she was ready and had been expecting the attack. I hit air and was suddenly launched into the air and slammed straight back down just as ruthlessly by a blow to the back, enhanced by her powers. The ground around me cracked and split on impact and I groaned at the pain, I could hear Calliope's gasped 'Arizona!' and forced myself back onto my feet quickly. I looked at Artemis who was standing a few feet in front of me in a relaxed position, arms crossed lightly across her chest, eyes watching me coolly and a smug grin on her face.

Who the hell do you think you are? I'm better than you, I'm stronger than you, I own you! I own this body and you're only a part of this, a part of me!

My aura flared up, tinges of gold appearing, and my speed geared up. Catching Artemis off guard, I managed to stun her with a bolt of lightning and land a fist across her cheek, splitting her lip in the process. I tried to follow through after the punch, but she had already spun onto one hand and a kick to the stomach separated me from her. Her movements were graceful and she landed perfectly onto her feet again, swiping upwards with her claws and catching me on my left shoulder. Pain pulsed from the wound and blood fell, but I ignored it and chanced another attack. Pushing off with my left foot, I tried to bind her with my energy, but her wings spread and straightened out, letting out a strong pulse of energy and wind, I was forced backwards onto the floor.

I staggered to my feet, holding onto my shoulder and glared at her, watching a wide grin stretch across her face as her tongue peered out to lick at the blood on her lips. Her eyes seemed to brighten at the taste and I felt myself shiver at the sight.

"Ari, are you okay?" I heard Calliope's worried voice as she came closer behind me.

"I'm fine, stay back!" I ordered, holding out a hand to halt any further movements. I noticed that my hand was tinged with gold and stared at Calliope in wonder. Her eyes had turned gold and I could see a faint aura surrounding her. I looked at my hand again and back at her, she nodded and I smiled as I saw the aura around her grow, feeling the energy race through my own body and fill me with power. The purple aura around me brightened as golden energy started to swirl around, almost protectively, and my eyes swirled along with the golden energy.

Looking back towards Artemis, I grinned. "Shall we continue?"

She tilted her head curiously, before smirking at my newfound confidence.

I have to beat her, I need to. If I want to protect Calliope, to protect Terri, to protect my family, I have to succeed.

We clashed and the energy exploded around us sending debris flying, I briefly worried about Calliope's wellbeing, but spotted that she had erected a barrier around her from the corner of my eye and refocused my attention on the being in front of me. However, my brief lapse in concentration was enough for Artemis to notice and take advantage as I found a hand directly in front of my face, pulsing as the energy charged up around it.

Shit, this is gonna hurt.

Light enveloped me and before I could blink, I found myself in a crater; the ground having collapsed around me on impact and pain erupted throughout my entire body. Fuck, this really hurts.

I struggled to make my way out of the crater and stood on shaky legs to face Artemis, who was staring down at me with an amused smirk.

"This, this is all you have to offer and you want to become an Ascended one?" She scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me Arizona, you're too weak to handle my power, just give up before you get hurt."

I could see the while her mouth was curled into a grin, her eyes told a different story, they were cold and… was that? Is that sadness? Disappointment?

She's disappointed in me; she's disappointed that her host is such a weakling. No, dammit, I'm not weak! I'll fucking prove to her that I'm not.

"Ari!" Calliope's footsteps were coming closer and the rage came from nowhere.

"I told you to fucking stay back Calliope, you'll just distract me!" I growled at her, baring my fangs, which looked a lot more threatening with the blood that had spilled from my mouth. "Stay back and stay the fuck out of my way!" She came to an immediate halt, eyes widened in fear, shock and sadness, and I felt guilty, but the rage was clouding my senses, clouding my worry over her, and clouding my ability to think straight.

I turned back to Artemis who had a deep frown marring her brows, and charged. I was thrown back again and again, but I kept lunging for her, the rage overshadowing my pain and judgements; I could still see her disappointed eyes, and that fuelled my anger and rage.

Don't fucking judge me! You belong to me and no one has the right to say otherwise. You will submit to me, I will succeed the evolution and no one, nothing, can stop me!

I was finally taken down; flat on my back in another crater as Artemis floated above me, wings flapping gently, supporting her. The golden aura no longer surrounded me and the darkened purple aura started to flicker and fade. The pain invaded my entire being and I could no longer move. Artemis sighed deeply and raised an arm up, palm facing me as energy began to gather and increase in size as it charged. Her eyes were crestfallen and voice frustrated.

"You're not ready." She closed her eyes, clearly let down by the turn of events, and fired off the large ball of energy. There was nothing I could do, but accept my fate. I was too weak and had to suffer to consequences. I couldn't protect Calliope, or Terri or anyone else, I couldn't even protect myself. I was, am too weak and I don't deserve Artemis.

There was a sudden flash of red and white as the energy collided with another and my eyes widened.

"Calliope!"

Callie's p.o.v

I felt myself cringe as Arizona took hit after hit and had to physically restrain myself from running to her side. This was her fight and I couldn't get involved, but it didn't mean I didn't want to. When she took a strike to the shoulder and blood starting pouring out, I couldn't hold myself back any longer.

"Ari, are you okay?" I ran towards her back, but was halted by her hand.

"I'm fine, stay back!" I saw that around her purple aura, there was a faint gold and felt my own body resonate with the power. It started pulsing and I could feel my eyes changing as Arizona stared at me stunned. My mother's words echoed in my head.

"As her mate, she draws strength from you and you provide the support she needs."

I knew what she needed and nodded at her to show my understanding and support. I would give her everything I had, and now that we were fully bonded, I was ready to take on whatever happened. I focused on channelling my energy and as my aura grew, I saw a smile on her face as the golden energy began to infiltrate her own purple aura.

"Shall we continue?" My heart warmed at the newfound confidence that had overtaken her, knowing that my support had strengthened her own will, and watched as the two of them clashed again.

The explosion of energy from the impact was powerful and destroyed everything within immediate distance, sending wind and debris flying around. Jesus, they're so powerful. I gasped as a large branch from a nearby tree broke and came flying towards me, and subconsciously, my hand shot out and a barrier formed around me.

There was a sudden bright light above me and I saw Arizona take a full shot head on, and came crashing down hard into the ground, breaking the ground around her. No… Get up Ari, come on. There was no movement from the crater and I felt my heart drop. Where are you Ari, get up. Come on baby, come on now.

I let out a sigh of relief as I saw a shaky Arizona climb her way out of the hole, and without second thought I ran straight for her.

"Ari!" God, just let me help, I can heal you.

"I told you to fucking stay back Calliope, you'll just distract me! Stay back and stay the fuck out of my way!" I skidded to a stop and recoiled in shock. She had basically growled at me, as if I was the enemy. Her mouth was covered with blood, her blood, and when she bared her fangs, the anger and murderous look in her eyes, it reminded me of the time she had confronted Graham. A look that was now aimed at me broke my heart, and no matter how much we had moved on from the past, I couldn't stop the fear from overtaking my body. I was frozen to the spot and could do nothing but watch as Arizona let the anger and rage rule her body and mind.

I watched helplessly as Arizona mindlessly charged at Artemis over and over again; only to be knocked away over and over again. Her body was now riddled with cuts and bruises, blood pouring from her wounds, but she had yet to show signs of slowing or stopping her constant attacks. Artemis finally caught her off guard and she was taken down ruthlessly, falling with great speed straight into the ground. When the dust cleared, I saw that Arizona was in another crater, unmoving, and Artemis was floating gently above her looking down at her with mixed emotions swirling in her eyes.

"You're not ready." Artemis had gathered a terrifying amount of energy, ready to launch at Arizona and I felt horrified at the thought. She was lying there, with diminishing aura, helpless and powerless to avoid the attack. The need to protect Arizona, my love, my mate, my everything, clouded my senses and a sudden rush of energy propelled me forward, intercepting the attack with my own body.

I would do anything and everything to protect Arizona, even if it cost me my own life. I would die for her, I would kill for her, and I would give everything I am to her, if it meant she was safe.

It was the only thought running through my mind as the energy collided with my own body, but strangely, I felt nothing but warmth and power filling my body and mind.

"Calliope!" Arizona's frantic cry cut through my self-examination, and I opened my eyes to see Artemis standing in front of me in a relaxed stance, no longer prepared to attack, and a warm and loving smile on her face.

Turning to check on Arizona, I was shocked when white filled my vision. What the… Are those… Wings?

I turned around fully to face Arizona and saw her staring up at me in shock. "Calliope…" Her voice was soft and awe.

"What happened to me?" I asked her, just as shocked. This was supposed to be about Arizona's ascension, yet somehow, I was the one that had managed to evolve.

"I-I don't know."

"You've achieve the Ascended form." Artemis answered.

"But why? This was about Arizona, and not me, so why?"

"Because you're her mate. The mate of the royal is also granted a form, all of the mates possess the same form of red eyes and white wings, and you've apparently just unlocked yours."

"All the mates have the same form?" Was Arizona's confused question.

"Yes, Queen Rhea had the form, as does Lady Aphrodite."

"What about Terri's mom? Or Erica's mom?"

Artemis growled slightly at the mention of two women. "They were not granted the form, because they were not their true mates."

"Then why me? Why now?" I pleaded, desperate for answers.

"This test was not just for Arizona alone. The two of you are linked through your bond, and both of you are needed to access the form for greater power. However, just because one of you achieve the form does not mean that the other automatically gains the form, you have to earn it."

"And how is it that I have 'earned' this form?"

"By offering your life in exchange for Arizona's" her voice was filled with happiness, but it was still confusing me.

"How does that affect anything?" she sighed slightly at my cluelessness and I looked at Arizona to see that she was equally lost.

"All this time Calliope, you've stated that you wanted to save Arizona, to help her, and to protect her, but when have you ever done anything to show that? You love her, that is without doubt and you trust her to lead you, but every time anything happens, Arizona commands you to stay back and be protected, and you listen. You do nothing, providing her with power, until the fight is over and then you go and heal her. That, in the eyes of the Avatar, does not seem to be protecting, saving, or helping her. If Arizona was to die, there would be nothing to heal, and you would have done essentially nothing but watch as she was cut down. But by intercepting my attack you are no longer being protected, but doing the protection, and it means that you are fully accepting your role as Arizona's true mate." The joy and happiness was slowly returning to her voice as she reached the end of her explanation and realisation dawned upon me as to why. Arizona was her host, and by accepting my role as Arizona's true mate, it meant accepting my role as her mate as well, it made her happy that someone loved her host enough to give their lives for her, and in turn it meant that someone loved her just as much.

I turned, fearful of what Arizona's reaction to my ascension would be, only to find her lying flat on her back, arms crossed and pouting towards the sky.

"It's so not fair! I get thrown around like a ragdoll and achieve nothing and all Calliope has to do is run in front of an attack and boom! She's ascended. I'm the one who's all beat up and bleeding and all I get is a pat on the head and a 'try harder next time', sooooo not fair Calliope!" she whined, and I smiled at her childlike antics; all the earlier anger and rage had faded away at the sight of my new form.

"Arizona, it takes a lot of courage, bravery and conviction to jump in front of an attack that was aimed to kill, there was nothing easy about it. She was prepared to die for you." Artemis' tone was stern and scolding, but in a playful manner.

Arizona sobered immediately and her eyes softened as they landed on me, "I know, and I love her for it, and I'm also kind of pissed off that she thought it'd be okay to die protecting me and leave me all alone. But I'm just frustrated."

"A part of the trial is also about your understanding of your mate's role in this. You have to accept her love and protection, it's not just about you protecting her, you need to allow her to protect you as well. It's an equal partnership with equal amounts of give and take."

Arizona looked thoughtful, and her eyes shone with determination as she held her hand up to me, I grabbed onto her tightly and helped her up. She stood and fell into my embrace, holding me tightly for a while before pulling back, leaving a hand around my waist as she faced Artemis.

"Let's try this again" she turned to me, and smiled softly, "together."

A wide grin spread across her face and I felt both our auras resonating and flaring up brightly, gold surrounding the both of us filling us with energy and power, "together."

We both faced off against Artemis, Arizona with her bright purple aura tinged with gold and me with my new form, eyes red, wings straightened as they supported me in the air, the mark of Artemis from Arizona proudly shining a new dark blue and a strong golden aura around me.

We worked perfectly as a pair, whenever Arizona would attack, I would defend and when she defended I would use the advantage to attack. Artemis proudly held up against us, wide smile and eyes bright, and her aura flaring up stronger and stronger.

Eventually, both Arizona and Artemis summoned their swords and began to clash, sparks flying every time their swords met. They clashed and were stuck in a deadlock, both jumping backwards into a defensive stance; Arizona in front of me, both hands clenched tightly around her sword in front of her and Artemis across from her, right hand wrapped around her sword that was held out towards the side, pointed towards the floor. The studied each other briefly before Artemis made the first moved, charging straight for us. I stepped forwards against Arizona's back and my wings came around the both of us, aura flaring up, acting as a shield blocking her attack, I pulled them back sharply and Arizona launched her right arm forward, blade in hand and catching Artemis off guard. Her sword was knocked out of her hands and Arizona had her blade against her throat.

Artemis let out a chuckle, holding up her right hand and declaring, "I lose," before placing the same hand against Arizona's heart. There was a bright burst of light that blinded me; I felt the pressure drop and air thicken as I was overwhelmed by a sudden increase of power. Jesus Christ almighty, it's so strong. I could feel my entire body shaking at the presence of the new power, it was incredibly strong and powerful, and I could feel the mark on my chest tingling. The light finally faded away, and when my vision returned I was rewarded with the sight of Arizona with long blonde hair with blue streaks running through, white wings stood proudly on her back, and when she turned to look at me I saw the navy symbol of Neptune, the sign of Poseidon, shining brightly on her forehead. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which I noticed were now completely golden, and her aura started to flare up a strong navy.

"Ari…" She smiled at me and I literally flew into her arms.

"I love you Calliope." Her voice was low and husky and I shivered involuntarily at it.

"I love you too." I was drawn into a kiss that slowly heated up, but a low chuckling interrupted us. Breaking apart, we both turned to see Artemis grinning widely at us.

"I love you guys too!" She teased, and we all laughed. "Seriously though, I'm proud of the both of you, and I'm proud to be your avatar Arizona. You're strong and I know you'll easily overcome the issues of control and maintenance of the new form."

"Thank you Artemis, and I'm sorry for neglecting you all these years" Arizona's voice was filled with guilt and I could feel her emotions. I felt more in tuned with Arizona than ever, and I wondered if it was because of the new forms.

"All is forgiven, I understand why you did it, and I never blamed you. You're here now, and you've obviously accepted my position in your life, so it's okay now. Now go, the Crown is waiting."

Before we knew what was happening, we were drawn back into darkness, Artemis' voice following us.

"No matter what happens, believe in each other; trust in each other and together, you will have the power to overcome anything."

We opened our eyes to see that we were back in the meditating room with Terri, her eyes were white as the golden symbol of Zeus shone brightly on her forehead. She smiled as she noticed our returned and stared intently at us for a while.

"I'm glad you both survived and succeeded. Terri's voice was full of pride and I felt Arizona sit up straighter. "There is much training you must undergo, but we need to move out now." Her voice got tighter towards the end and my curiosity perked up.

"Move out?" I asked.

"There has been movement in Hades' camp, and we must get to Poseidon and Aphrodite now."

I gasped at the mention of Arizona's parents and glanced at her to see her jaw clenching.

"Where are we going?" Her voice was low and filled with anger.

"Boston."