A.N: Gee whizz, it's been a long time huh? Hope ya'll are still around! Between work and everything, I'm struggling to find time to write, but never fear! I will never give up on the story!

Many thanks to 2damnpretty2die, for reading it over twice! You're awesome =]

Chapter 24: The New Crown

Daniel p.o.v

We had received Teresa's message last night that she would be coming today to rescue us. I shared a glance with my wife before we both opened the vials containing the blood and swallowed in, feeling the healing effects work instantly. Our bodies became lighter as the wounds, internal and external, began to close up. I closed my eyes and began to focus on my powers, feeling the strength returning, and when I opened my eyes, I saw my wife's smiling face staring back at me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked

"Strong." Her reply was filled with awe at the instantaneous effect of Teresa's blood.

"The blood of the heir is something to be marvelled at isn't it?"

"Yes" She looked at me thoughtfully, "Daniel…" there were tears in her eyes

"Yes?" I asked concerned.

"We're going to see our children tomorrow…" I smiled at the thought, knowing that Tim had been injured during the last battle, but Teresa had assured me that he was fit and well again, and she had mentioned that Arizona had taken a temporary leave from her duties to take care of him.

"Teresa has become strong hasn't she?" she asked me.

"She has, and she has done wonderfully as a leader. And even though I had my doubts about her plans regarding our last meeting, it worked rather wonderfully didn't it?" I felt guilty for doubting her, but the last time I had met her, she was just a baby. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected her to grow into such an intelligent, strong and powerful leader. I knew I had made the right decision in standing by my brother and fighting for the last 20 years in this hell hole.

"I'm surprised that she was able to overcome the issue regarding our injuries and binding so easily. Nathan should be proud of her achievements," my wife continued in awe. "And I can only hope that Tim and Arizona have picked up some of her wisdom in the past years by her side."

"I agree, now, shall we meet with our avatars? I'm sure they've been anticipating this moment for as long as we have."

She nodded and we closed our eyes as the long awaited familiar powers filled our bodies, unrestricted by the barriers around us.

I can only pray that we can repay everything you've done for us, Teresa.

"We're coming"

It was late in the night when we heard her voice, and we prepared ourselves for the freedom we had be denied for so long. There was nothing we could do but wait as the barriers prevented us from sensing anything beyond the closed doors, but we were ready for anything that came to us.

Commotion outside in the halls caught our attention and we tensed, ready to break out of our chains. The door burst open as two figures appeared before us.

"Richard… Elizabeth." Barbara cried in happiness, and they bowed their heads at us.

"Lord Poseidon, Lady Aphrodite. We're glad to see that you are well." Elizabeth replied.

"How are you feeling? Has the serum taken effect yet?" Richard asked.

"Yes, and our avatars have finally responded. We have been preparing since yesterday and we are already at full power. We'll just need to escape the confines of these barriers." I explained.

"Very well, now shall we see to those pesky barriers?" Elizabeth asked jovially as her eyes became golden and the markings around the room disappeared. Power filled our bodies immediately and with a might roar, my aura flared up majestically, shattering the chains into dust. I stood up to my full height, eyes blazing a thunderous blue and looked towards my wife to see her standing with her fiery red eyes shining.

"Let's go," I ordered and we shot out of the room.

I froze the moment we got out of the doorway, feeling the powerful aura coming from above us.

"Who is that?" My wife asked eyes widened in amazement.

"Hades" I growled, I would recognise his aura even in my sleep. "But who does the second aura belong to?" I asked, and noticed as Richard and Elizabeth both avoided eye contact.

"Come along, we must hurry." Richard insisted with a strained voice, but I refused to move.

"Richard, who is it?" my wife questioned and was answered with his silence.

"We need to leave, now" Elizabeth replied firmly.

"No." I stated sternly, "I'm ordering you to tell me."

"We are under direct orders of the Crown, so we are not required to answer to your commands." They both looked away guiltily.

"Fine, have it your way." I growled and closed my eyes and my senses expanded to the floors above me. The scent of blood was the first thing to hit me, then the sounds of fighting came, and finally, the familiar aura of Zeus hit me, but I knew it wasn't him.

It couldn't be…

My eyes shot open as I realised who it was. "Teresa."

They remained silent as my wife gasped in realization. "No… We have to help her." She replied, stunned.

"We can't. Our orders are to get you back to Artemis and Apollo. They are waiting for you" Elizabeth pleaded with tears in her eyes.

I glanced at my wife, who nodded in understanding at my thoughts. "Then you may go. You have orders, but we do not. And we choose to go after the Crown." With that my wife and I shimmered out of sight and towards the intense aura coming from the throne room.

We encountered many vampires on the way, but they were taken care of with ease in my anger and desperation to reach Teresa before it was too late. We came to a halt outside the throne room, unable to proceed any further as it was sealed with a barrier, and I growled in frustration.

Richard and Elizabeth appeared behind us. "I thought you were leaving?"

"Our orders are to protect you, and if you choose to go after the Crown, we will follow." I smiled at their reasoning, knowing that they too were just as worried about her.

"What is this?" I asked them, gesturing to the door. "I know it's a barrier, but I am unable to break through."

"It is a blood barrier, my Lord." Richard explained and my wife gasped in surprise.

"How is it that she is able to create one this powerful? So powerful that not even Poseidon and I combined can break through?" I was amazed at the powers she possessed, it was unheard of for anyone, other than the King, to create a barrier that a pure blooded royal couldn't destroy.

"She's been training for many years, under horrific circumstances and situations. The King made sure that she would be able to protect her people, even if she wasn't officially crowned yet." Elizabeth replied wistfully. "And Athena is prepared to die and refuses to let Hades escape, so the barrier is most likely connected to her life source. It will not break nor fade until her life runs out."

I furrowed my brow in frustration, there had to be a way. I couldn't let her die, not like this, not for us.

A horrific cry of pain echoed through the doors as the barrier began to flicker and weaken, to our horror. I felt the desperation rush through my veins as my aura brightened significantly and I forced the door open, breaking the already weak barrier on the way.

Nothing could have prepared us for the sight we were confronted with.

The intense scent of blood filled our noses as the overwhelming pressure of the room hit us. Teresa was lying in a pool of her own blood, broken and weak, with the blade of Cronus protruding from her chest, pinning her to the ground as Hades stood over her, arms raised with a large amount of energy gathered in his hands.

No…

The anger filled my sense as I charged straight for Hades.

I will not let you die!

Terri p.o.v

I closed my eyes, resigned to my fate, and prayed for a quick and painless ending, although the terrifying amount of energy he had gathered told a different story. My body tensed as it awaited the pain that would no doubt touch upon every surface of my being. When the sudden appearance of another person alerted me and the building energy disappeared instantly.

I cracked open my blood covered eyes and was astounded by the sight before me. There was a man with his back to me, standing tall with majestic silver wings, long silver hair, and a blinding silver aura, holding Hades up by the throat, claws tightening and digging into the flesh.

Another bright flash of light caught my attention, and turning my head the best I could, I saw white wings, a red aura that was steadily growing, I made eye contact with the woman and saw red eyes with silver sparks staring fiercely back at me, with a bright silver Neptune mark on her chest, and my eyes widened in recognition.

Aphrodite… That must mean… I turned my gaze back to the man in front of me … Poseidon.

Tears escaped my eyes, what are they doing here?

I saw Richard and Elizabeth and made eye contact with them. Why are they here? Run… Run!

I tried to move, to send my thoughts to them, but my exhausted, broken and powerless body had already begun to shut down. A gush of wind hit my face suddenly as warmth emanated from my left side. I turned to see Aphrodite staring down at me warmly with sadness in her eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, but choked as blood continued to spill.

"Shhh, it's okay." She comforted as she placed a warm hand on my cheek. "You've done so well Teresa." Tears poured from my eyes as she spoke my name and I whimpered pathetically in pain. I saw tears fill her eyes, but was quickly replaced with determination and anger as she glanced up at Hades and Poseidon. "Hades" she hissed.

"W-what are you d-doing here?" He choked out through Poseidon's grasp. "T-there's no way you could have left the dungeon. You should be dead!" He screamed in outrage.

"Zeus is a better leader than you could ever be and his daughter has inherited his wisdom, intelligence and foresight." Poseidon's cool voice reached my ears before his aura flared up mightily and Hades was launched across the room.

He wasn't given time to recover as Poseidon began his onslaught of quick and deadly attacks, years of pent up rage and anger finally unleashed.

Erica had stumbled back onto the floor at their appearance; body still confused from the memories she had seen, and stared at her father and Uncle conflicted. Her father was suddenly launched next to her, and she had no choice but to act as Poseidon charged, blocking the attack aimed at Hades.

"Stay out of this child" He roared at Erica, who recoiled at the power coming off of him in magnificent waves. Determination set in her eyes and she prepared her own attack, drawing a deep sigh from Poseidon, who proceeded to bind her and she was hit with a powerful ball of energy fuelled by anger and rage. Her screams echoed through my ears before she was knocked unconscious, drawing another whimper from me as I tried to speak.

Her loyalty is admirable, why did she have to be a 'Hahn'?

There was a sudden increase in dark energy beside me and my eyes flashed to Aphrodite as Hades appeared behind her. I forced my body to move, to say something, to do anything, but it refused to cooperate and I could only watch on helplessly as he started his attack. She shimmered out of sight before his hand could make contact, and reappearing beside the Elders.

He growled in frustration, producing another syringe and injecting it into his system, and his aura increased instantly, the room began shaking and a strong wind started circling his body, following his growing aura. Horrified gasps escaped Aphrodite and Poseidon, who had yet to witness the serum's effect.

I let out a painful moan as his hand made contact with the hilt of the blade still pinning me and shuddered as he slowly removed the blade, sadistic grin on his face.

"Hades!" Poseidon shouted over the roaring wind.

I summoned every remaining inch of power and energy as my blood covered hand made contact with the floor between Hades' feet. A bright circle formed of my blood surrounding Hades, the blood crawling up his skin starting from his legs, up until it reached his head and he screamed as the burning sensation reverberated through his entire body; my eyes turned white, then gold as bright energy covered the both of us and expanding slowly until most of the room was engulfed in the light. I could feel my life fading away quickly, so I had to act before it was too late. I sent one last thought to the four vampires across the room, "Run", before the room exploded, taking Hades, Erica and I with it.

The last thing I registered before I lost consciousness was the overwhelming warmth covering my body.

Arizona p.o.v

Aria and Lexie had lost consciousness after they had let out a horrific cry of pain and loss. Calliope and Lucia had taken Aria in their arms, tears streaming down their faces, and Lexie was lying in Mark's. Addison had taken Teddy into her arms as the loss of Terri had hit her; Thalia and Clio were holding onto each other's hand; Bailey was standing next to a tormented Tim, with pain and tears all over her face.

The room was dressed in a dark and distraught atmosphere and I felt my fists tighten. There was not a single sound other than the occasional sniffle from tears.

The barrier had long disappeared since Aria's loss of consciousness, but Alex remained standing protectively in front of the door, features darkened. I felt my power returning as I noticed that the mark of the Crown on Alex faded away, and felt my heart sink at the realization.

No… Terri… Tell me it's not true.

There was a sudden flare of aura that was unrecognisable as the door flew open and four blurs flickered into the room with amazing speed, and I gasped when I saw the bloodied, broken and unconscious form of Terri in their arms.

"Terri!" I cried and moved towards her, but was brushed off and barged out of the way by a large, muscular body. I stiffened and turned, ready to unleash my fury on the man, but deflated immediately when I came face to face with bright blue eyes, burning fiercely.

"D-dad?" I heard gasps around the room as they recognised who was holding Terri. There was a cry of happiness and I saw Tim being engulfed in a tight embrace by my mother. "Mom!" I ran over to her and practically jumped onto her and we stood in a tight circle, tears of joy pouring down our faces.

Her joy was quickly replaced by dismay as my father laid Terri down in the tank that once held Tim, and we sobered immediately.

"I-is she…?" I couldn't finish my sentence. She was so pale and still, there was no power, no aura, nothing radiating from her unresponsive body and I weren't even sure if she was breathing anymore.

Richard took command of the room, barking orders to Bailey, Thalia and Clio as they rushed around hurriedly, trying to gather everything he needed.

The machines were attached to her body, but they too remained unresponsive.

"No!" Aria's sudden cry shocked me; I hadn't even noticed that she had woken up. "Terri, baby, please!" Lucia and Calliope held her back, so she wouldn't obstruct the rapid movements of the two healers. "Please, don't leave me!" The despair and desperation in her voice shook me to the core, and the guilt quickly built up again.

They injected syringe after syringe and had tried shocking her multiple times, but she remained unresponsive. Finally, they stepped back with a dark look across their faces and pain in their eyes.

"No…" I whispered. They shook their heads in defeat. "No!" I repeated louder.

Lexie had woken up at that moment and stared in horror at the amount of blood covering the floors leading up to the tank. "T-Terri?" her voice was small and filled with disbelief as she walked up to her master.

Thalia, Clio, Elizabeth and Lucia dropped to one knee as they mourned the loss of the Princess, as Richard and Bailey dropped their heads and recited a silent prayer under their breaths.

Alex and Teddy stumbled over to Lexie and they all fell to their knees, head dropped, and tears falling in quick procession.

Calliope, who was holding onto Aria's crumpling form, helped her over to the tank, before quickly retreating to my side with Tim, Mark and Addison next to us.

Aria reached out to grab onto Terri's hand and placed a hand on her cheek. "Please, please wake up. Don't leave me. Please!" she begged and pleaded, and we felt her pain and grief resonate through our bodies.

My mother fell into my father's arms, sobbing heavily, and I could see him fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"No… It's a lie." I refused to believe that she was dead. I refused!

Calliope grabbed onto my arm and I could feel her shaking as she cried silently.

The room suddenly dropped into darkness and a bright light began to appear in the centre of the room.

The light began to pulse and grow, until it finally took over the room. A powerful aura dropped the pressure in the air and I felt myself choke at the tension.

What is that? I've never felt anything like it.

I was amazed by the power, but fearful at what it could be at the same time. I could barely make out the figures of my parents moving to stand in front of Terri's body protectively, before the light exploded and blinded us.

"Athena…" A deep booming voice shook the walls and made me shiver at the power radiating from it.

My vision finally cleared and before us stood three people: two men, one with long, shoulder length black hair tied into a low ponytail and clear hazel eyes, and the other with short blonde hair and green eyes; and a woman with long wavy black hair that reached her waist and brown eyes.

My parents were to first to react, dropping to their knees in a low bow. "Zeus, it's been a long while." My father spoke first.

"I'm so sorry, but we could do nothing for her. She's… gone." Richard said, dropping to his knees in front of Zeus, begging for forgiveness.

He raised his right hand and Richard flinched, prepared for Zeus' wrath, but none came as he laid his hand on his shoulder. "You've done so well already," and with that he walked up to Terri's body, sparing a brief glance at Aria's tear filled wide eyes.

"My child, you have far exceeded my expectations and I am proud of you." His eyes became gold as power radiated from him. "But the battle is far from over, now come, my child, awaken." His voice seemed to echo as a golden Jupiter symbol began to burn brightly on her forehead. Her eyes shot open, wide and bright white, and she started gasping for air. He beckoned the second man over to them as the machines attached to her body began to scream, and the blonde haired man spread his palms over her convulsing body as they began to pulse and glow a vivid orange.

"What are you doing?" cried Aria, and the tall black haired woman laid a calming hand on her arm.

"It's okay, my child, Athena's candle still burns brightly." She comforted in a soft, warm voice as Aria stared at her in fear and confusion.

"T-Theia? M-Master Theia?" Came Lucia's shocked voice, "is that really you?"

She smiled at her in return, "Mnemosyne, I'm glad to see you're doing well. This is your child, no?"

"Yes, she's my youngest, Ariadne Torres, and my eldest is over there." She gestured to Calliope and beckoned her over. Calliope walked over, eyeing the woman warily.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres." Theia stated, and Calliope stared at her shocked.

"H-how did you know?"

"Calliope," Lucia said with a chuckle, "this is my master, the greatest Seer of all times and the sister of Cronus, Lady Theia. And she is the one who blessed you with the name Iphigenia." Calliope bowed her head immediately and Theia placed a hand on her cheek.

"You have grown to be such a beautiful young woman, a woman deserving of becoming Artemis' mate." Her gaze landed on me and I stiffened. "Artemis, Apollo, come."

We complied immediately, coming to a halt in front of her and bowing our heads in respect. "My Lady."

"You two are so much like Poseidon and Aphrodite, so strong and so much potential." I could feel our parents' proud gaze upon us and I straightened up in pride.

"Thank you-" I was cut off as a painful scream escaped Terri's bloody lips, and we all turned in horror.

"Her injuries are much too severe, and her energy levels much too low." The blonde haired man stated in a calm voice.

"Is there nothing you can do?" Lucia asked fearfully.

The man chuckled, "I didn't say that, I was merely making an observation." He grinned at her before refocusing his gaze upon Terri and as a silver circle with jagged edges spreading out appeared on his forehead. I recognised it immediately and stared in awe, Helios…

Terri's body started to convulse more severely as red, white and golden auras pulsed around her. Her face tensed and brows furrowed as if in great pain and suddenly, her hand shot up and grabbed his, fangs elongated, eyes clouded over and snarled menacingly at him.

"Do not touch me!" Her voice carried an ethereal echo as her eyes burned bright red, with white and golden sparks swirling, as if fighting for command.

"Athena, stand down." Zeus' commanding voice ordered.

She ignored him and continued to growl at Helios, grip tightening, claws digging in and drawing blood, but he stood firmly, expression not once changing nor giving any hints as to whether he felt any pain or not.

"Athena" he repeated and she snapped her eyes to him, head tilted in confusion, before blinking rapidly.

"Y-you're…" her eyes narrowed, deep in thought, before her eyes widened as recognised the mighty King before her. "Father?"

He smiled at her and nodded, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "No… You can't be… Hades! This is a trick!" Her aura flared up powerfully as energy crackled around her.

"She's a powerful one isn't she?" Helios commented jovially and I arched an eyebrow at his nonchalance.

Is he not aware of the situation he's in right now? Terri will kill him.

Theia suddenly appeared beside Helios and touched her right index finger to Terri's forehead, eyes burning gold. "Athena, you are so powerful and such a strong willed child, can you hear my voice?"

Terri's clouded and unseeing eyes reacted to the touch and they widened in confusion, "Ariolus?" she asked in a childlike voice.

She looked so innocent and lost that my heart broke at the sight.

"What does your heart tell you?" Theia replied in a soft voice, as if talking to a child.

"That I'm afraid, and that I need to preserve the vessel. The host is unable to, she is too weak and powerless right now, so I must protect her." She replied hesitantly.

"And what does your mind tell you?"

"That you are here now, Ariolus, and it is safe."

"Then relinquish your control and allow us to save your host. We cannot afford to waste any more time and the strain you are putting on the body with the power you are using is causing even more damage than we need."

"But… the host is afraid. The pain and the suffering in the world that waits is not something she wants to revisit. There is too much that she is burdened with and she has lost hope. She is afraid that she will be unable to bear that burden any more and fears disappointing everyone."

"Then let us take part of her burdens, let her friends and family share the pain and suffering, let us help her."

"Friends? Family? She has none. She is all alone, so alone and she doesn't want to be any more. Can't we just let her rest?" Her voice was still filled with so much confusion and the guilt that I had felt returned in bulk.

How much have I hurt you Terri? God, please come back, I need to make my amends, I need to make it up to you.

"Let us share her burden now then, let us experience her pain and suffering, and let us soothe away her fears." Theia bargained.

"They cannot handle her burdens." She shot back indignantly.

"Then let us try." Theia replied firmly. She narrowed her eyes at the elder vampire before nodding reluctantly, and Theia turned to address us.

"I will show you the events leading up to her death, starting from 6 months ago, when you all landed in Miami." I stiffened, knowing that I was the cause of most of her anguish and I caught Calliope's worried gaze on mine.

"Why from then?" Lucia asked.

"Because, I believe that is the thing that is affecting her the most right now. There is nothing we can do about her sufferings from the past, but we can attempt to resolve recent issues?" Athena nodded in confirmation and before we knew it, Theia's aura had wrapped around all of us, filling us with visions.

There were gasps as we saw the conflict and anguish she was inflicted by during our time in Miami, we saw the memory of her conversation with Aria before the meeting, the pain she felt leaving Tim behind and then having been abandoned by me. The memories of her conversations with Richard and Elizabeth, with Aria and Lexie, the truth behind her actions, and we could feel everything she did during all those moments. But what hit me the most, was the tearful goodbyes she had with the rare few people who stood by her, earlier today, as she prepared to confront Hades, as she prepared herself for death. We witnessed her valiant battle with Hades, her anger and hatred, her pain and suffering, her distraught and dismal, we felt everything as if it were our own emotions and when the visions ended, I dropped to my hands and knees, tears and sweat covering my face as the intensity of the visions took my breathe away, and noticed the rest of my friends in similar positions.

Zeus had his eyes set upon Elizabeth as he saw the conversation Terri had with her before they split up, and I could see the emotions swirling in his intense eyes.

God, could you ever forgive me Terri? Because I can't forgive myself. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…

Aria p.o.v

"Athena, she needs to return. We shall give her hope, we shall take away her loneliness and we shall soothe her fears, but you need to let her return." Theia insisted. Seeing the confliction on her face, she called for me.

"Aria, let her know you are here and waiting. I fear that Teresa has finally given in to the calling of the darkness."

"What darkness?" I asked, puzzled.

"We placed too much on her too soon. She was too young to understand the reasoning and had accepted it without protest, but we knew that she would eventually buckle under the responsibilities. There was too much at stake and we placed too much responsibility onto her, too suddenly. She has always been such a strong individual and had completed her tasks with precision and promptness that far exceeded our expectations, we were so proud of her, but we had forgotten that she was still a child, and that she had had to have been revived once before already. We had forgotten about her fears and nightmares of the darkness that she dwelled in before we could bring her back. We had forgotten about her as a person and saw her only as a warrior." Her voice was filled with sorrow as regret and remorse filled her eyes.

"Terri?" I started hesitantly.

"She is not here, she is too weak right now."

"Athena?"

"Ariadne, I remember you. You are our mate." I smiled knowing that she registered that I was real and not a trick.

"Can you let us help her?" I didn't know what to do, but Theia and my mother's hopeful eyes never faltered from us.

"She is tired, and hurt, she needs to rest."

"But Theia said that the power that you're using now is hurting her even more." I argued and she tilted her head, deep in thought.

"Do you trust me?" I asked, remembering all the times I had been faced with that question.

"I do." She replied instantly and I slowly got closer to her, giving a quick glance to Helios who gave me a nod, and laid a hand on top of hers.

"Then trust me to protect her. Trust me to help her. Do you remember what you had said to me?" I pleaded. "That I wholeheartedly trust, believe in and am willing to follow Terri without second thoughts, without any doubt." I waited for her response and saw that she had flipped her hand over and held onto mine.

"Yes"

"And that was the whole reason that you recognised and accepted me as the Bride?" I received another affirmative response and prepared my final card.

"Then can you do the same for me? Trust me, believe in me and be willing to follow me in return, knowing that I will never let anything happen to Terri. I would rather die than to see her hurt."

"…" She contemplated my request, brows furrowing in concentration.

"Please Athena." I begged, squeezing the hand in mine and lowering my head to meet her eyes so she could see the sincerity and honesty in my eyes.

"…Yes." I sighed in relief and she released my hand, signalling for me to back away. Once I had moved back a few steps, she closed her eyes and her aura flared up mightily before dropping away as Terri let out a painful groan.

Helios quickly placed one hand over her head and another over her chest, hands glowing brightly as she settled down again features relaxing as she seemingly drifted into sleep.

Moments, which seemed like hours, passed before he finally stepped back, sighing tiredly.

"How is she?" Zeus asked

"She has a long road ahead of her, but with Ariadne's help, I'm sure she will recover quickly." He looked me in the eyes. "Can you stay by her side and make sure she doesn't fall back into that darkness again?"

"Yes, without a doubt. I won't leave her side ever again, not even if she orders me, I'd lay down my life before I leave her." I stated resolutely, drawing a smile from the blonde man.

I felt eyes upon me and looked up to meet hardened hazel ones, and I recoiled I fear. "T-that is, if the King permits me to?" I bowed my head deeply.

He chuckled before placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad she has someone like you by her side. I was never there to support her as I should have, and I'm grateful for your existence." I relaxed as his warm tone and dared to meet his eyes once again, seeing nothing but sincerity reflected in them.

"I'm just glad she chose me."

He suddenly drew back and his face turned serious again, "we must move now."

"Where to my Lord?" my mother asked curiously.

"Home." He replied simply before levelling his eyes at her, "to Boston."

We gasped at the implication and he smiled knowingly. "Hades has already withdrawn from his manor there, it is no longer safe for him and Teresa has already destroyed that hideout." His eyes held mirth and pride at her actions and I smiled inwardly at the extreme display of power from Terri.

"Where has he gone to?" Aphrodite asked.

"Most likely to underworld. He needs to recover from his wounds and that is the safest place for him right now. It is the only place that he has complete and full reign over."

"Where is the 'underworld'" Addison asked cautiously.

"It is unknown for now, but we do know that that is the place he has dwelled for many years before he led the rebellion against me."

"So we're going to Boston then, when?"

"Now." We didn't have time to react before Zeus, Helios and Theia's aura flared up and we were engulfed in a bright light. When the light faded, I was overcome with nausea, and then I noticed our surrounding.

What the hell?

We were in a large room with white walls, there were large windows lined along one of the walls, and when I looked out, I saw nothing but a large field and soldiers patrolling the land. I took a look at their clothes and recognised it immediately.

We're back in Terri's manor in Boston. Holy hell, how did that happen?

I glanced back at Zeus in awe and amazement and he chuckled in amusement.

"Yes, we're in Boston. We transported there, how else did you think Helios, Theia and I arrived in the room in Seattle?"

Jesus Christ, this is weird…

Arizona p.o.v

It had been two days since we'd arrived back into Boston and Zeus had summoned his court immediately, and by the next day the throne room was filled with the full court. All eight Elders and eight Generals had answered the calling of their King and all the soldiers had gathered outside of the throne room, awaiting their King's presence.

The room was lined with vampires, two rows stood on either side of the long, blood red carpet that ran along the centre of the room. They had separated into rows according to gender, three Elders and four Generals each side. I had taken my position at the front of the 'female' line, directly in front of Lucia and behind Theia, with Calliope, Addison, and Teddy by my side, and Tim had taken position on the other side behind Helios, with Mark and Alex by his side. Thalia and Clio had taken their place at the foot of the small stairs that led to the throne, staring forwards at us stoically. My parents, Terri, Aria and Lexie had been missing since the morning.

The doors suddenly opened and everyone stood up straighter immediately. Zeus strode in, power and authority radiating off of him with every step. Richard and Elizabeth trailed in behind. He made his way up the four steps that led to his throne and sat down, Richard and Elizabeth taking their place on his right and left respectively on a step lower, and everyone dropped down to one knee.

"Please, rise my brothers and sisters." His deep voice was even and strong.

"We welcome your return, my King, and also the return of Lady Theia and Lord Helios, but may we inquire as to why we have all been summoned today?" came the voice of the Elder I recognised as Hunter Reid.

"Of course Elder Reid. It is regarding the official crowning of the heir. I believe that it is time, it is already 20 years too late."

"And we should work on the assumption that you are referring to Princess Athena?" asked Lucia.

"Who else would I be talking about? Athena has already shown her power and ability to lead in my absence, I see no reason to choose another."

There was a scoff before another Elder spoke up. "'Ability to lead', my Lord? And what exactly has she done to show that? Forgive my rudeness, but Athena is an arrogant, stubborn and cocky child. She listens to no one and acts on her own with no regards to any consequences. We have already heard of her attack on Hades from General Howard, and not only was that unsuccessful and we lost many young and promising soldiers, but Apollo was also severely injured. And let's not mention that they were unable to rescue Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite."

I recognised the Elder immediately as Martin Francis. He had always hated Terri because she had protected Tim after he had injured his son. He felt that Terri was unfit to be Crown and had always wanted her and Tim gone. I stiffened at his blatant disregard of Tim and Terri's position in the court and felt my hands curl into tight fists.

"Oh?" Zeus' voice cut through my internal musings. "Apollo is standing here completely unharmed is he not?" he gestured to Tim and I saw Tim narrow his eyes at Elder Francis.

"Y-yes, my Lord, but that does not mean that he wasn't injured." Elder Francis stuttered in reply. "A-and Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite-"

"-Are well and finally home now, thanks to Athena." Zeus cut him off with a stern gaze and he recoiled in fear and confusion. There were whispers amongst the court at the revelation, no one knew that my parents had been rescued and had been ready to use that against Terri's crowning.

"Silence!" Zeus ordered and then called to the guards standing outside the room. "Call for Poseidon and Aphrodite!"

"Presenting, Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite." Was the response and my parents entered with their heads held high and posture straight and full of pride.

The walked up and bowed to Zeus, "My King." They said in unison.

"Rise, my dearest brother and sister. It is good to see you well after so many years under Hades' capture. Could you tell of how your freedom came about?"

They stood up and turned to the court. "We were weakened by Hades 20 years ago and capture in the lower dungeons where he had placed spells to seal our powers and our ability to heal, but a few months ago, we were confronted by Ariadne Torres who, under the strict orders of Athena, had been ordered to give us vials of her blood to strengthen and heal us. Apollo's injury was not part of the plan and had set back the motions to rescue us, and 2 days ago, Athena sent Elders Webber and Lewis to aid in freeing us. She may have failed in rescuing us during the first attack, but she was completely aware that she had to redeem herself, and so she confronted Hades alone." My father finished, levelling his angry gaze at Elder Francis.

"She died to protect us and the court, knowing that with the King's return, Poseidon and my powers would increase our advantage against Hades. She fought with everything she had and freed us." My mother swept her gaze around the room. "She fought for the sake of my family's reunion, for the sake of the future and she fought so no one else would have to suffer. She died for you."

The room was overcome with silence as everyone stared at my parents with shock and awe.

"So… Are there any other concerns or protests against Athena?" Zeus' voice was filled with mild amusement at the court's reaction and I couldn't help but smile.

General Howard was the first person to step forward and he surprised everyone by dropping down to one knee, placing his right hand over his heart. "I have witnessed the power and leadership she possesses and am more than willing to follow Princess Athena."

I stared at him in shock, and I saw Tim with the same reaction.

"What the hell Ari, I swear he hates Terri?" Tim's voice entered my head.

"I have no idea, after hearing Francis say that Howard was the one to tattle, I'd assume that he'd be against her as well."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Elizabeth asked the question that was on all of our minds aloud.

"I was… wrong" He spat the word out like it was something that tasted vile. "And I was wrong about her. I had entered the conference room 6 months ago with the thought that she was young and inexperienced, and so could never manage to lead a successful mission. And after we had failed to save Lord Poseidon and Lady Aphrodite, I was confident that I was right about her, but I saw her during the aftermath. She was confident and unwavering, even in the face of…" he trailed off as he glanced quickly to me and then Lucia, and I tensed immediately, knowing what was coming next "… betrayal from her most trusted allies and friends, she never backed down from confrontation. I'd thought that she was being stupid because losing Princess Artemis, Elder Mnemosyne and the rest of her friends was a big loss to our strength, but I'd never imagined that she had already planned everything out. That day… She gave away nothing, no emotions to her loss… No panic or distress at losing such powerful allies. She had remained calm and left us all in the dark, even at the cost of her own life. And I believe, with my whole heart and being, that is the true display of leadership. She possesses all the qualities that a great leader should have and so I will willingly place the fate of my life at her hands."

There were gasps from the other Generals. General James Howard has always been known as a rash man, a brute, a pure fighter, and he never backed down from a fight nor was he ever willing to admit he was wrong about anything. So to loudly proclaim, in front of his peers, that he was wrong about Terri… Well that pretty much meant that pigs were about to fly, that or the apocalypse was about to come.

Zeus let out a loud chuckle, "very good, anyone else?"

"My Lord," Lucia was the one to speak up this time, "after meeting with them last night, Elders Green and Johnson, along with Generals Reynard, Chase and Espinosa have already agreed to accepting Princess Athena as the Crown with no protests." She ended with a bow, I saw her raise her head to meet my eyes and I shot her a grateful smile.

"My Lord, my wife and I have absolutely no qualms with Athena taking the Crown." My dad said, with my mother nodding in agreement next to him.

Elder Reid and Elder Caroline Smith both bowed and accepted the decision with a smile.

The remaining Generals, who I remembered as Franklin Jones, Gavin Kensington, Rachel White and Bethany Douglas, looked amongst each other before all bowing in compliance. "We have no arguments against the idea my Lord."

"Very good, and I can inform you without a doubt that Theia and Helios are also for the idea, so it is 22 against 1, Elder Francis. You have been out-voted." Zeus stated with a smirk as he stood up. "I present to you, the new Crown Princess, Athena!" He held his hand out towards the entrance as a powerful aura began to close in on us.

I held my breath as she appeared. I hadn't seen her in two days, but the last thing I had ever expected was this.

She walked in, standing tall. She was still covered in bandages from her wounds, but her posture gave away nothing about her injured and weakened body, and I found myself in awe of her willpower. The thing that caught me the most were her eyes. They were cold and hard, staring at each of us like we were the enemy.

Behind her, Aria and Lexie entered in a similar manner, staring at us coolly, giving off a calm, but deadly aura. I could hear Calliope's gasp beside me.

"What the hell happened to them?" her voice was panicked slightly.

"I don't know Calliope, it's only been two days, I'm sure there's a very good reason." At least I hoped there was.

They walked straight up to the throne and stood where my parents once stood, they had moved to their respective places besides Helios and Theia. Dropping to one knee, and placing a hand over their hearts, Terri's deep, husky voice permeated the air. "My Lord."

"Athena, you have shown your powers and abilities as a leader, and I am more than happy to officially crown you today." Zeus addressed Terri as Elizabeth stepped forward with a silver pillow resting in both her hands. On top of the pillow sat a golden crown with white, black and blue jewels encrusted across it. He picked up the crown and raised it up high as his eyes turned gold.

"With the Court as my witnesses, I, Zeus Nathaniel Ryans, bestow upon you, Athena Teresa Ryans, the crown passed upon to me by the people of our Kingdom; and with it, the authority to call upon the full Court and the Royal Army, the responsibility of safeguarding our people, the fate of our Kingdom and the title 'Invictus'. May you live long and forever undefeated and invincible!"

There was a roar of 'Invictus' from the soldiers outside as Zeus placed the crown onto Terri's head. Her aura flared up, swirling around her, first red, then gold and finally white, which then surrounded her body, burying her in a bright barrier. The barrier shattered and the sight of Terri took my breath away.

"Now rise and awaken, Crown Princess, Invictus Athena!"

She stood up and turned to face us. Her dark hair had now turned pure white with red streaks running through and had lengthened to her waist, her eyes were white, along with her wings, the Jupiter symbol on her forehead was shining brightly and her aura was blinding. Everyone dropped to their knees and bowed at her, and I scrambled to my knees quickly. There was another flash of light and I looked up to see Aria had also transformed, her white wings standing proudly on her back, her red and white eyes sweeping over our kneeled forms and her red aura swirling dangerously as it mixed with Terri's. Beside her, I noticed that Lexie had also transformed, her white wings were shocking, as were her bright eyes that now had golden streaks swirling through. Her aura had reached a new golden tone as it also flared up and mixed into Terri's.

"And let me introduce to you, the Crown Bride Ariadne Torres, and Athena's blood-bonded sister, and Chief Tactician Alexandra Grey!"

The roars rose to another level as they chanted 'Invictus Athena, all hail the Crown Princess, long live the Crown Princess', 'Crown Bride Ariadne' and 'Chief Tactician Grey'.

I could feel the confusion amongst my friends and I shared a glance with Tim.

"Blood-bonded sister… What's that?"

"I don't know Tim, but whatever the hell it is, it's strong. I mean, Jesus, look at Lexie!"

"I thought the forms were only available to the mates?"

"Apparently not…"

"And Chief Tactician? Why weren't we told of any of this?"

"I don't know Tim, I don't know anything anymore."

We glanced at Lucia and she smiled at us.

"I will explain later, but for now, let's just celebrate the crowning."

We nodded reluctantly and let ourselves relax for the time being. Lucia was right, there would be time for questions later, right now was a time for celebrating.

Invictus huh? That sounds about right. Terri's survived much worse, she's been revived twice already, and each time she gets stronger and stronger. She is the true Crown and she will never be defeated. Long live the Crown Princess indeed.

A.N: Quick Latin lesson (via google translate):

Ariolus – Seer, or Diviner. Theia is the strongest seer possesses God-like abilities in regards to her powers, so it is a name that refers only to her.

Invictus – Invincible or Undefeated. Terri has been revived so many times and survives each time, I really feel like she's becoming pretty invincible, or at least I'm hoping her intelligence and foresight will prevent her from being easily defeated.