A.N: I went on a major beta editing session and went through four separate stories, totalling seven chapters and a helluva load a word. So I though it'd be a good idea to get this posted. =]
Beta'd by the amazing 2damnpretty2die, my greatest cheerleader! Thanks Captain!
Chapter 37: The Meeting part 3
Arizona p.o.v
The day of the meeting had come far too soon for my liking. We were all gathered in the throne room waiting for the other Clans to arrive. Terri, for once, was standing at the top of the dais beside Zeus, who was sat atop his throne. His face was dark and he would occasionally throw a scowl towards Terri, who remained passive, as she stared towards the doorway. Caleb, Lauren, David and Lindsey had taken Terri's previous position, beside Aria and Lexie, each with a smirk on their faces at Zeus' attitude.
"Presenting Lord Adam, Lady Stella, Lord Lewis of the Geirolf Wolf Clan, and Lord Benjamin, Lady Luna, Lady Lana, Lady Eleanor and Lord Hayden of the Winters Witch Clan!" came the shout from the guard.
"And so it begins." I thought wryly.
I watched as Caleb subconsciously straightened up at his in-laws' approach, and had to supress a giggle at him.
Adam walked in with his head held high, leading the group towards the throne, whilst Luna walked just a step behind him with a polite smile on her face. I briefly noticed Erica walking in beside Lana, but was distracted as the Generals and Elders all bowed their head respectfully as they passed and I looked on in wonder. I'd never expected such actions from the Court, considering their personalities, but I quickly realised why as Terri made her way down from the dais to meet them halfway. She placed her hand over her heart as she bowed before them.
"Welcome to our Court." She greeted warmly. Adam growled playfully at her before pulling her into a strong embrace, slapping loudly and strongly on her back. She repeated the actions quickly before pulling back and facing Luna. She took the witch's hand in her own before planting a small kiss on the back of her hand causing Luna's smile to become more genuine and warm. With a quick nod to the rest of the group in a silent greeting, Terri turned back to the throne with Luna's hand still in hers and led her and Adam towards Zeus.
"Adam, Luna, it's been a long time. I trust you are well?" Zeus's voice was neutral as he stared emotionlessly as them.
Adam narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at Zeus, but wasn't able to answer as the guard's voice called out again from the doorway.
"Presenting Queen Lucinda, Lady Helena, Lady Bethany and Lady Selene from the McCorrigan Succubus Clan!"
The four women walked in and I could practically instantly taste the natural seductive aura radiating off of them. Of course it didn't help that Bethany kept throwing suggestive smirks and winks at everyone. I rolled my eyes when I saw Clio tagging in behind with a sheepish smile.
Terri quickly walked out to greet them and planted a kiss on the back of Lucinda's hand, as she had with Luna. I heard her whisper a quick "thank you for coming, Lucy", before she raised her voice and welcomed them to our Court, as she had with Adam and Luna. Bethany stepped forward daringly and threw her arms around Terri's shoulder, pulling her in for a chaste, but long kiss. Calliope gasped lightly beside me and I saw Aria's brow rise partly from jealousy and partly from amusement.
"Oh, I'm more than happy to be here." Bethany practically purred as she nuzzled her head against Terri's throat. "It's an absolute pleasure." Much to my amusement, the suggestive tone caused many blushes to appear on the usually stoic members of our Court.
The sound of Zeus clearing his throat made Bethany roll her eyes and pull back with a pout on her face, not before mouthing 'later' to Terri though. Terri merely shook her head and took up Lucinda's hand, leading her and her daughters to the front to stand beside Adam and Luna.
Zeus once again greeted them with the most diplomatic and fake tone possible. "Lucinda, I'm glad you could make it."
"Zeus." Lucinda's simple reply had Zeus bristling at the dismissive tone.
"Presenting Queen Evangeline, Lady Layla, Lord Nicholas and Lord Lucius from the Aeon Elvin Clan!"
They walked with such grace and poise that I couldn't help but be charmed by their presence. The aura radiating off of them was so regal and elegant, "a presence befitting of the Elves."
As expected, Terri approached them, but to our surprise, she dropped down to one knee. Her left hand was curled into a fist against the floor whilst her right was placed open against her heart, and she spoke with a voice I had never heard from her before, so innocent and filled with admiration.
"Anima mea, vitæ meæ, salus mea, Evangelina."
Seeing the confused faces of my friends and Calliope, I quickly translated for them, mentally thanking all the deities above that Latin was one of the things that I did pay attention to.
"My soul, my life, my saviour." When I saw Calliope's surprised face at my quick explanation I hurried to add, "it's Latin."
The smile that bloomed across Evangeline's face was warm and motherly as she placed her right hand on top of Terri's head, stroking gently. "My child, please rise." She rose quickly and the expression on her face was bright and childlike. I glanced curiously between the two and wondered what their relationship was.
Once all of the Leaders were gathered before Zeus, the tension in the room shifted. It felt as though everyone was holding their breath as they waiting for Zeus to speak, almost as if they were waiting for him to explode from the anger that was swimming inside of him.
"Now that we are all gathered, shall we begin?" Zeus asked.
"Of course," Lucinda answered and then turned to Terri, "shall we head into the meeting room?"
"Excuse me?" Zeus replied in confusion.
"Our condition was for Teresa to represent your Clan, which I have been told has been accepted by your Court." Lucinda explained, "and what the United Council discusses is not for outsiders to hear."
Zeus tensed in anger as he rose from his seat. "I am not an outsider, we-"
"Perhaps," Terri cut in before Zeus could continue his tirade. "We should begin by the signing of the official treaty, in front the King of my Clan?"
Once the other Leaders had agreed, a soldier came running in with a small table whilst Lexie stepped forward with a golden scroll that was sealed with the crest of the 'Power of the New World'. Another soldier placed a small golden pot and a silver quill onto the table as Lexie rolled out the scroll on top of the table. Aria then stepped forward and handed Terri a small golden dagger. Terri took the dagger and slit her left palm, allowing the blood to drip freely into the golden pot. She passed the dagger to Evangeline, who repeated the motion before passing it to Lucinda. This continued until all six of them had mixed their blood into the pot. Once everyone had signed the scroll, Terri turned to address the Court.
"I officially announce that the treaty amongst our Clans have been restored, and that the guidelines and rules for our peace is to be adhered to by all, in the name of the Power of the New World." The underlining warning to our Court was heard by all as the Generals and Elders quickly fell to one knee. My observations were disrupted as Calliope nudged me in the side, seeing as I was the only one left standing, I scrambled to one knee.
"In the name of Invictus, we shall abide."
"Perhaps I could interest you all in an early lunch, and also direct you all to your quarters so you can settle yourselves, before we start?" Terri suggested, signalling for Lexie to take the scroll.
"That would be acceptable, however, there is something we must address first." Luna replied, to which Terri glanced back in confusion and curiosity.
"You may bring two more to join you in the Council." She explained, "it is only fair considering the rest of us have at least three others that will be present in our meetings."
"Obviously, we're expecting you to want to bring your mate with you." Stella Geirolf added, "Are there any others that you wish to be present with you?"
After a brief pause, Terri smiled and answered, "Yes, I ask for Artemis and Styx to join me."
"Styx? Are you sure that is wise?" Lucia asked immediately, warily eyeing Erica as she stood silently beside Lana.
"Mnemosyne, I understand your worries, but it is only fair that all three members of the prophecy be privy to our discussions. The New Power is not just one, it is three, and I hope that you, all of you, remember that." The last part was not only spoken to Lucia, it was directed at the entire Court who had very loudly, and obviously, stated their disdain at Erica's presence. Lucia shrunk back at the disapproving tone in Terri's voice and nodded in compliance.
"Of course, my apologies to Styx." Erica stared wide-eyed at Lucia, failing to come up with a proper response at the unexpected apology, so she just nodded and smiled lightly at the Elder.
"Now that that has been settled, lunch?"
Zeus, along with the other Elders and Generals, minus Alex, had declined in joining us, so we were able to enjoy a peaceful and stress free lunch.
When Zeus and the others had left the throne room, Hayden, Layla, Lucius and Helena had unexpectedly dropped to one knee before Terri.
"Master, it's been a long time. We've missed you." Layla Aeon was the first to speak up.
"Layla, Hayden, Lucius, Helena, you've all been missed dearly. I'm sorry I haven't visited any of you lately." Her voice was soft as she spoke, "Please stand, my friends, and let me introduce you all to my mate and my blood-sister." She beckoned for Aria and Lexie to join her and introductions were officially made.
During their reconciliation, Terri had missed the confused glances from our friends, so I took it upon myself to explain the situation.
"They're Hybrids, like Lana. They were changed by Terri's blood."
"Wow, so there really are other Hybrids?" Addison asked in awe.
"Yup, Lindsey and Lana aren't all that special after all." Lauren added as she joined in our conversation.
"But, aren't they like…Royalty?" Teddy asked. "I mean, they're the children of the Leaders, so isn't that a bit weird? And why are the other Leaders so accepting?"
"All valid questions, the simple answer? Terri saved their lives. She earned their trust and respect, so they're one big happy family." I answered.
"Guys, I know you already know who these people are, but there's someone you have to meet." Terri called out to us, whilst pulling Evangeline with her.
"This is Evangeline Aeon and, as you already know, she's the Leader of the Elvin Clan, but more importantly, she's my Anima, my soul."
"You're gonna need to explain that babe, I have no idea what that means, not everyone is fluent in Terri-speak." Aria teased.
"She's the reason I'm alive. I'm sure Arizona has already shared with you the knowledge that I wasn't supposed to be revived, and that my father tried to harvest my avatar?"
Aria's face immediately darkened at that and I remembered the outrage and disgust that was present in my friends when I told them what Lauren and Caleb had told Calliope and I. Aria had become deathly silent as her anger boiled, causing the room's temperature to drop dramatically, displaying her true powers as the Crown's mate. But what was more noticeable was her intent to kill, and that was the thing that worried us the most; her desire to destroy those who had harmed Terri, even her own mother for playing a part and supressing her memories of the events. Her protective nature would usually be endearing, but what she displayed wasn't just 'protective', I can honestly say that she probably would've gone out with Lexie with the intent to kill if it hadn't been for the intervention of Terri.
"Well, I had met Anima a couple of years before, purely by accident. I had wandered away from Tobias during one of our training sessions when I was six. It was one of the rare times that my father allowed us to leave the premise without an army of guards. I had unknowingly stumbled onto Elvin grounds during one of their healing rituals; Layla had gotten injured pretty badly by Hades." Though Terri's voice was filled with excitement, her eyes remained firmly on Aria, sending her looks of soothing and reassurance.
"It was an unfortunate event, we hadn't expected to encounter Hades on our grounds. Layla saved my life by shielding me against his attack. She was lucky to still be breathing when we escaped." Evangeline added with a sad smile.
"She was bleeding pretty heavily when I approached, and I guess that's what really caught my attention; the scent of fresh, warm blood that was swimming with power. I couldn't help myself." Terri continued sheepishly.
"We were trying to heal Layla, or at least sustain her life force, by infusing her with our power. We were about halfway through, and struggling from the lack of effects, when this one here," Evangeline jerked her thumb at Terri, "Came stumbling out of the trees and almost destroyed everything we were working for!"
"I didn't know!" Terri protested with a pout. "I didn't know what you guys were doing, and I sure as hell didn't know that I'd disrupted the energy flow!"
"Needless to say, I was absolutely furious and convinced that Zeus had intentionally sent her here to finish the job. Of course, at that time, we were all still wary of Zeus and Hades' relationship. We were convinced that their fallout and Hades' rebellion was just a show. So we tried to capture her."
"I was caught unaware and was easily injured by them. Unfortunately, I was still young and the scent of blood easily overpowered my control and my instincts took over. I was completely drawn to the blood surrounding Layla, so, in my desperate state, I'd approached her and starting absorbing the blood from the ground. It wasn't enough though, and I'd tried to feed off of her prone form."
"I'd run out of options by that point and decided the only way to save Layla from Teresa's feeding was to kill Teresa, but I was stunned by what happened." Evangeline breathed out, still awed by the memories.
"I'm not even sure what happened, but I think when the taste of the freshly drawn blood from Layla's body touched my tongue, I woke up. I didn't know what or who Layla was, but I could taste death, and I couldn't let that happen, though I didn't know what to do. I guess Athena answered my prayers, because the next thing I know, all of my power is being directed into her body and when she was conscious enough, I was feeding her my blood." Terri started to chuckle, "Though, a child is a child after all. I'd passed out soon after, and woke up to Anima hovering over me. Fucking scared the hell outta me!"
Evangeline gently chided Terri's language before she continued with the story. "When Layla healed, but Teresa lost consciousness, I became worried and tried to heal her. I discovered that she had the blood of a Royalty, and was completely surprised to hear Athena talking to me. I wasn't able to do much because Teresa had exerted far too much energy and blood for her body to handle and the damage was severe. Athena begged me to protect her host, even offering to sacrifice her own essence to restore her host's weakened body. I was touched by the loyalty and love shown, so I used part of Athena's essence and mixed it with my own power to heal her."
"So that's how you saved her life?" I was slightly disappointed, I mean yes, it was amazing that Terri saved Layla and Evangeline saved her in return. But by the way Terri talked to her, I'd expected something bigger.
"Not quite." Evangeline smiled softly, but sadly. "It was a few years after that actually. We'd discovered Layla had become a Hybrid shortly after, and so had kept in contact with Teresa, at her own insistence. I was deeply saddened when I heard of Queen Helena and Tobias' deaths, I knew that it would effect Teresa greatly, I wasn't aware that Teresa had also died. It was something that Zeus had kept hidden. So imagine my shock when Athena reached out to me one night, through the minute bond we had formed when I mixed our energies, and begged me to save her host. She was desperate and frantic; she told me that she was running out of time because Zeus was preparing to harvest Athena's essence into another being. I think it was out of pure luck that I'd managed to gather everything I needed to save Athena from being ripped away from Teresa's soul."
My mouth was open in astonishment and I was rendered completely speechless. Athena's bond to Terri was stronger than anything I'd ever heard of. It was insanely impressive. "H-how did you manage to save her?"
Evangeline winked at me before replying in the most cryptic way ever. "Pure, ancient Elvin magic. Stronger than anything in the world."
"Pfft, our magic is stronger." Luna interrupted suddenly in a playful contest to Evangeline's statement. "Though I will give you this. Conjuring a spell that strong, that potent and that effective in the time constraint you were given was rather impressive. Kudos to you, Eva, though I'm rather disappointed I wasn't given the chance to shine."
Terri smiled at their playful banter. "I'm sorry Lu, I'll make sure to come to you the next time someone tries to harvest my avatar from my dead body."
"Perish that thought!" Luna replied instantly. "I'll be damned if anyone ever tries to harvest anything from you. That is not something to joke about."
Terri softened, reaching out for the witch's hand. "Of course, I know you'll all protect me. I'm sorry for even speaking of it."
Well that's sweet. I was touched by the protective nature the other Leaders had over Terri, she'd really made her mark on their lives.
"Either way, Anima saved me and my soul. She is my soul, my life and my saviour!" Terri gushed proudly, getting herself a playful shove from a blushing Evangeline.
"That's really cool. So are all of these guys Hybrids?" Teddy bounced with excitement.
"Not all. Other than Lindsey and Lana, there's Hayden, Lucius, Helena and obviously Layla. I made sure to keep a mixture, different Royals from different Clans." Terri winked playfully in reply.
Evangeline and Luna then turned to Aria and studied her with narrowed eyes, making Aria shift on the spot nervously.
"So, you're Ariadne, Teresa's mate?" Luna asked sceptically.
"I…yes?" Aria replied hesitantly.
"And what makes you worthy of our Teresa?" Evangeline questioned sharply, causing Aria to freeze and her eyes to widened, as the other Leaders gathered beside her, all studying her curiously.
"Anima!" Terri scolded playfully, "Stop it."
I watched on in confusion as the Leader of the Elvin Clan huffed and pouted like a child. "I just want to make sure she's worthy of carrying the title of Athena's mate. It's quite a heavy burden to bear."
"The choice is ours, and Aria has chosen to stand by my side, regardless of how many times I've given her an out. She's stood firm and can hold her own against my Court. That's enough proof for me."
The Leaders shared a look before nodding at Terri. "Then we welcome you, Ariadne Torres-"
"Torres-Ryans" Terri corrected as Evangeline shot her a glare for interrupting.
"Ahem, as I was saying. We welcome you, Ariadne Torres-Ryans, to our family." Warm smiles greeted a bewildered Aria, but she smiled back regardless.
"Now that's sorted, Arizona, Erica, you ready?" Terri asked as she started to head out the door. Erica and I shared a puzzled glance. "The meeting?" She clarified.
Oh… Right, she wants Erica and me to be there too.
"Lead the way, T."
Hades p.o.v
"Ah, Elder, you're awake." I spoke gleefully to the recently awakened Elder. "Just in time too, my recent projects are coming to fruition."
"M-my Lord?" Martin asked in confusion. He then took a look at his surroundings, finally noticing that he was in my manor. "What am I doing here? How am I here? Athena should've killed me."
"Tut tut tut, so many questions." I reprimanded him playfully. "Now that you're awake, come. I want to show you all of our hard work in motion." I turned and walked out the door without waiting for the scrambling Elder. Good help is so hard to find, why am I always left with such useless, pathetic weaklings?
I swiftly made my way down the corridor, going down the stairs until I'd reached the underground labs. The metal door that stood before me was sealed a magical lock that only those with specific signatures could open. I quickly waved my hand across the panel and once it recognised my aura, the slid open noiselessly. Making my way inside, I heard Martin's shocked gasp from behind me.
Inside the room stood four rows of soldiers, eight in each row, all stood to attention with blank expressions on their faces. I smirked as I watched Martin take in the men.
Mindless and obedient, just the way I like them. "Let me introduce you to Project Zero." I was giddy with excitement as I thought of all the potential that these men held.
"I-it was successful?" Martin asked in awe.
"But of course." I huffed out; offended that he would doubt me. "Thirty-two strong and stable subjects. Oh I can't wait to test them out!"
"What are they?"
"Now, where's the fun in telling? Not that I could anyway, their DNA has been modified so much that I don't think there's any pure blood left in them anymore."
"And they're all stable? Are you sure?"
"Now, now. Not in front of the children, Elder. They can hear you, and you'll hurt their feelings." I spoke in a playful whisper, before raising my voice again. "But yes, they are one hundred per cent stable. Now let me introduce you to your saviour, and my favourite little pet." I snapped my fingers and a hidden door towards the right of the room slid open, and out walked my prized fighter. "This is X."
Martin Francis p.o.v
I froze in horror at the soldier standing in front of me. It can't be, no!
"What have you done?" I demanded. The blonde hair and those green eyes, even if they were now lifeless, I could recognise them anywhere. "What have you done!"
It was him; Adrian, my Adrian, my son!
"Aren't you happy to see him fit and healthy again, Elder?" Hades asked me with a deranged smile. "After Apollo's attack, your son never healed properly. He was never to wake from his coma, never to walk amongst his clan, never to fight by your side ever again. I saved him from his imprisonment. It's what you wanted isn't it?"
"No! This isn't what I wanted! This is nowhere near it!" I could feel the tears building and involuntarily pouring down my cheeks. I ran up to my son and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Adrian! Adrian, can you hear me? Wake up!" He remained silent and still, staring aimlessly ahead.
"Oh Elder…" Hades sang out from behind me and the anger exploded. I turned and charged at him, eyes blazing and fangs snarling. "X!" He called out, and all of a sudden, Adrian was standing in front of Hades, my claws embedding in his chest. He was fast, so fast that I couldn't even sense his movements.
"Adrian! What are you doing?" I panicked and pulled my hand back quickly, watching in horror as blood poured rapidly from his wound. There was a faint glow before the wound healed and disappeared instantly. "W-what?"
"Oh, the combined healing powers of Vampires and the Lycans are a sight aren't they?" My fists clenched tightly at the excitement in his voice, but before I could react, his voice reached my ears once again. "I wouldn't make any sudden movements, Elder. My little pets are very protective." The smile on his face made him look psychotic as I turned to see thirty-three pairs of eyes glaring at me. I froze on the spot in fear.
"Now, now. I'll give you a little time to catch up." He winked at me before waving away the men, who instantly walked out the door Adrian had came out of. "Don't take too long now, there are things we must do, Elder." And with that, he swiftly left the room, leaving Adrian and me behind.
I walked up to my son and placed a hand on his cold cheek as tears poured down my face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I kept repeating this over and over again, like a mantra, as guilt took over me.
What have I done? I followed Hades in hopes of reviving my son, but at what cost? Betraying my Clan and attacking my own, and for what? Adrian was all I had left, after everything I've done for Hades this is how he repays me?
The anger and hatred was stirring and boiling inside of me, I clenched my fists and ground my teeth together in an effort to calm myself down.
"I swear, I'll get you back Adrian. If it's the last thing I ever do."
Arizona p.o.v
I stood in the garden as I stretched out my back and yawned widely. The meeting had taken over four hours and we weren't completely done yet, but I had thrown in the towel and asked Terri to call for a break. There was just too much to take in, in such a small amount of time.
Noise from behind me caught my attention and I turned to see Erica in the same tired haze that I was in. She gave me a weak, cautious smile, and I took the opportunity to finally have an actual conversation with her.
"Are you as awestruck as I am?"
She chuckled lightly in response. "Yeah, probably more. You've been around Teresa longer, so you're probably used to it, but the way her mind turns and works is amazing, but so hard to keep up with."
"Yeah, being around her for all those years doesn't really help at all. I haven't caught up yet and am still left in a dust of confusion and bewilderment."
We shared a laugh before falling into silence, it wasn't awkward per say, but I felt like I should say something.
"Hey Erica?" I started warily.
"Hm?" Her reply was airy; as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, taking in the fresh air around us.
"I'm sorry." Her head snapped back up so quickly I swear I could hear her bones protesting, and she stared at me with wide, confused eyes.
"What for?"
"The way I've been treating you since Terri brought you back here. It was unfair of me." I smiled sheepishly as I recalled all the hostility she'd faced since coming to our grounds.
"Not really, you had probable cause. I mean, I've only tried to kill you all, how many times?" She teased lightly before becoming serious again. "Look, I know that you all have your doubts and suspicions. But I'm not here for any reason other than to take down my father… Well that and to be with Terri."
"Um…Terri? Aren't you like… sisters?"
"What? No! Not like that!" Seeing her so flustered was actually quite adorable, at least compared to her usual grumpiness and sadistic manner, it was. "Yes, she's my half-sister. And I meant that I wanted to be with family that actually cared about me. Teresa offered me sanctuary and help without asking for anything in return. She saw that I was in trouble and she saved me. Even after everything I've done."
"But you didn't really have a choice did you? Hades made you do it." I defended
"Not really. It was his orders, but I just wanted to prove myself to him. So in the end, it was my own decision." She replied solemnly, the anger at her own naivety evident in her eyes.
"He would've killed you if you didn't do it. It wasn't your fault and we all know it." A third voice replied and we turned to see Terri leaning against a stone pillar. "Erica, I know you're burdened with guilt, but this is a fresh start for you. You being here means that you're starting a new life and all past crimes are forgiven."
"I know… but-" Erica started hesitantly.
"No buts, you're family, and there are no grudges in family." Aria cut her off as she walked out with Tim, Calliope, Lexie, Mark, Addison, Teddy and Alex trailing curiously behind her.
Erica deflated and smiled shyly. "Thanks, I guess it's going to take a while to get used to having a family after all."
"Aren't you lucky that we have all this time then?" I grinned.
"Right, so I've brought you everyone you asked for, what now?" Aria asked Terri.
"Anima made a point earlier when we were in the meeting. The difference in strength in our main fighters will cause problems. So I'm here to resolve that issue."
Evangeline had mentioned that our main fighters, which consisted of all of us in the garden, the Hybrids and Thalia and Clio, had a major flaw. All of us, other than Mark and Addison, had the additional power of a Royal, and even then, the Hybrids' blood bond created an even wider gap between our powers.
"How are you going to do that?" Aria asked as we all watched Terri in curious anticipation.
"The Mark of the Crown." Terri answered simply. She received nothing but blank and confused glances; she so chuckled as she explained. "Do you remember when Alex received the temporary mark, and how he was able to easily apprehend and supress you, Arizona?"
I nodded as I recalled the surprise and shock when Alex had managed to overpower a pure blooded Royal. "So you're going to mark all of us?"
"Something like that. It will be a mark of the New World. A mark powered by three pure blooded Royals, and one that will bind all of us together. It will make it easier to keep track of one another and also enables a stronger and more powerful energy boost."
"And we'll all get that power boost that Alex and Teddy can do?" Addison asked with a wide grin.
"Yep, that and more. You won't get the boost from me anymore, it'll be from all three of us." Terri answered as she gestured between herself, Erica and me.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Addison's voice rose as her excitement got the better of her. "Hit me with it! What do we need to do?"
Her actions brought chuckles from all of us, a much needed break from the tension that was brought on from the meeting with the Leaders.
"Wait, what about Calliope and Aria? And Tim?" I asked. I knew without a doubt that they would be entering battle with us, and I didn't want either one of them to get hurt.
"They're already stronger than most with their bond with us, Ari." Terri explained softly, but I knew she had already caught on to what I was thinking. "But if it makes you feel any better, we can mark them as well. As long as they agree."
Aria and Calliope shared a glance before nodding. "I don't see why not. If it means that we can go with you guys without you having to worry that much about us, then I'm all for it."
"And Tim, it would probably benefit you as well. Having said that, we also need to unlock your true form." Tim looked surprised at Terri's suggestion.
"You can do that?"
Terri smirked, displaying an air of arrogance and confidence that I hadn't seen for a long time. "I couldn't before, but now that I've been officially instated as the 'Leader' of our Clan for the time being, I can."
"Wait, when did that happen?" He asked as his brows started to furrow.
"Since Zeus backed off and I stood in his place on the Council. Like I said, it's only temporary and he'll probably try to take back control once Hades has been defeated, so let's make the most of my authority and powers whilst we can." She threw a sly wink at Tim, making him laugh at the ridiculous situation. "We'll work on that after we've finished marking everyone."
Tim and I shared a glance as the same thought passed through our minds. Terri is absolutely insane.
"Great, now before we get started, we're still missing a few people." Before I could ask Terri to explain, her aura flared up slightly, before seven people appeared before her on bowed knees. It took a moment for me to comprehend as the sudden appearance had taken me off guard, but once I recovered, I instantly recognised them as the five Hybrids from the other clans and Clio and Thalia.
"I'm sure you're aware of the decisions made in the meeting?" She asked, receiving nods from the seven new arrivals. "Great, now if everyone could stand in the centre. Erica, Arizona I'll need the two of you to stand over there." We all moved to our designated spots, with Terri, Erica and me standing at three separate points surrounding our friends, forming a triangle around them.
We all looked expectantly at Terri, awaiting further instructions. Terri merely smiled before her eyes turned white and the mark on her chest started to glow as well. A white circle with symbols appeared on the floor around Terri, it's energy glowing brighter and brighter as Terri fed more power into it. Suddenly, I felt heat coming from my chest and power rising from within myself and I let out a light gasp at the intensity of energy flowing through me; I looked down at my hands to see a steady blue aura covering them and a blue magical circle had formed under my feet. From the corner of my eye I could see Erica in the same state as I was, except her aura was a steady black.
"So this is the Power of the New World…"
"Amazing isn't it? But unfortunately, this isn't even half of what we can do." I was absolutely shocked when Terri replied, I was certain that I hadn't spoken out loud. "P.S, we're also connected on a different level as well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Erica asked as I nodded slowly.
"We're able to hear each other's inner thoughts and in turn will be able to anticipate each other's actions. It makes it a hell of a lot easier during battle, which essentially means that we will become the perfect team. As for our power, we still need to complete the ritual to fully access the powers, but the relic is missing. Until we find that relic, we can only access part of the power: the part that basically proves that we are the prophecy.
"And no one knows where that is?" I asked as I could feel the worry building. Worry that I had placed too much hope on the Power of the New World, only to find out that we can't actually use that power.
"I might." Erica replied with a sharp tone. Terri and I both glanced at her in surprise as she sighed in resignation. "Hades."
"Fucking Hades." I spat out in return.
"We'll discuss this later. Now focus." Terri put an instant end to the conversation as Erica and I focused on feeding more power into the pulsing circle underneath us. The three circles pulsed for a final time before they each branched out and a larger circle formed around our friends in the centre. I could hear their surprised gasps as the energy filtered through their bodies. The white, blue, and black auras continue to swirl and the energy pulsed even more intensely, until it finally reached its peak as the three auras combined into one and light engulfed those standing in the centre of the circle, blinding the three of us standing on the outside. When the light finally faded, everyone was submerged in a bluish-grey aura that pulsed in time with their heartbeats. Slowly, the aura began to fade and sink into their skins, and what was left was the faint sensation of the power in the air, and the awestruck and bewildered looks on their faces.
"That was…" Addison started, as she looked as her hands in astonishment, unable to find any words to describe the feeling.
"Yeah…" Mark agreed absentmindedly.
"Yeah, that felt nothing like what happened last time, this was a lot more… something." Alex added, he was the only one that really had anything to compare it to, being the only one to have been marked by the Crown.
"Um… should this be happening?" Calliope's voice was nervous and slightly panicked. Both her and Aria had glowing marks running up and down their bodies, Calliope's were navy whilst Aria's were white. The glow steadily became brighter before fading away, leaving black tattoos. I franticly made my way over to Calliope and grabbed her hand, taking a closer inspection.
"Um…" A quick glance to Lexie, and I saw that she too had the same black tattoos on her body that stood out even more due to her pale complexion.
"T?" I asked as I stared at the strange markings.
"That's normal. You probably didn't notice it before, but we, you, Erica and me, all had the same markings. It's the Royal blood reacting to the power, and considering that Calliope and Ariadne are our mates, they're Royalty." Terri explained as she walked over to study the marks on Aria's arm, gently caressing the skin as she reassured her mate.
"And Lexie?" Erica asked, as she slowly got closer to Lexie to look at the marks.
"She's my sister. My blood runs through her veins. She is essentially a part of me now." Lexie nodded in understanding as she raised her arm for Erica to take a hold of. She had noticed Erica's curiosity, but hesitancy in touching her. Erica smiled and nodded in appreciation before taking a hold of the proffered arm, running a finger across the marks.
I glanced at Tim and the Hybrids, but they seemed perfectly normal. I turned back to Terri with a raised brow.
"Curious little thing, aren't you?" Terri smirked as she continued her examination, her hand now at Aria's neck, ghosting feather like touches causing Aria to shiver. "The power in Tim's blood is being supressed, until he awakens Apollo's full power, his blood will remain 'asleep'. And as for the Hybrids, they only have a tiny bit of my blood in them, enough to alter their DNA, but not enough to be recognised as Royalty."
"But they are Royalty, aren't they? In their own Clans at least." Teddy asked, they had now come closer to inspect the markings on Calliope, Aria and Lexie.
"True, but the Power of the New World has been bestowed on the Vampire Clan, so it will only react to the Royals of that Clan."
"Are these gonna be permanent? I mean it's not that it's not cool and all, but it's a tad…distracting. Not to mention hard to cover up, I mean, they're everywhere!" Aria whined as she held out both hands and gestured to herself from top to bottom.
"Never fear, my love." Terri chuckled. "You don't see those markings on us do you? They will only appear when you access that power, when you're not using it, they will disappear, you just have to will them to go." Then, as if to show us what she meant, there was a quick flash of white in her eyes before the same marks tattooed themselves across her skin, another flash and the marks disappeared. "See? We can work on that later, but for now…" She quickly waved her hand across Calliope, Aria and Lexie, and the tattoos disappeared instantly.
"You okay?" I asked Calliope, who seemed to be staring mesmerized at her skin.
"I'm fine." I raised a brow at the unconvincing tone before she snapped out of her daze and look at me. "I promise, I'm fine. I just can't believe what I just felt… All that power…"
"How is everyone feeling right now?" Terri asked, and then winced as the reply was a rush of excited chatter.
"Teresa?" Erica called out over the chatter, silencing everyone instantly.
Terri looked at her knowingly as a sad smile crossed her face. "I know. Are you sure Hades has it?"
"Ninety-nine per cent at least. I've only seen it once, but he hides it along with the scrolls and other bits and pieces he's gathered about the prophecy."
"Do you know where he hides it?"
"Yeah, it's in the hidden room behind the bookshelf in his study. It's on top of a marble pedestal that he keep guarded by a barrier made of his blood."
Terri sighed in disappointment. "Then it looks like we're going to have to storm the fort then."
"Wait, are you sure Hades has the relic? I mean, what if it's not, then we've just entered the enemy stronghold for nothing?" I hated to cast doubt, but if we were going into Hades' camp, then we sure as hell better have a good reason for it.
Erica nodded in understanding as she tried to recall what she'd seen. "It's circular and gold, with three jewels on it, the same as the crest for the New World, right?" Terri nodded, but then Erica seemed to freeze before sheepishly continuing. "And it's pretty big and heavy, and when you hold it your hands burn, or at least feels like it's on fire, from the power that's locked inside, right?"
Terri's brows furrowed as she stared at Erica. "How did you…?"
Erica winced and looked away, avoiding all eye contact with Terri. "I may or may not have been the one to hand the relic to him."
"…You?"
"I didn't know what it was!" She defended. "It was about five years ago when my dad sent me to Cairo to dig out the relic. I did wonder why it was so heavily protected, I mean I fought through traps and dozens of 'guardians', who were apparently members of different Clans."
"What was it doing in Cairo?" Aria asked, "if we're all here, then why was the relic in Egypt."
"Because Egypt is where Athena, Artemis and Styx were born." A new voice entered our conversation and we turned to see the Evangeline and the other Leaders all gathered. "Egypt is a sacred place, a holy ground, where there is an endless fountain of magic. The Guardians, better known as the Creators, lived there and were the ones who created the prophecy. They also chose the holy ground to harvest the three who would fulfil the prophecy."
"They created us?" I asked in shock. I was always convinced that our Avatars just existed, and that as members of the Royal family, we were blessed by these Avatars; I didn't think that they were created.
"Not exactly. The Guardians created the three jewels and used the magic from the holy place to 'grow' them. Each jewel became a source of pure, concentrated power, and no one knew what was going to happen to them; but slowly, they began to disappear. The first when Erica was born, the second when Arizona was born and the third when Teresa was born. The jewels were not meant for anyone other than those of the prophecy, and it would seem that they sought out their masters when they were born." Evangeline explained.
"Athena mentioned that she was lonely, having been separated from Artemis and Styx for so many years, and having to spend so many years alone whilst waiting for Terri's birth." I added, remembering Athena's excitement.
"They were alive, but had no names or homes. They just existed, but they did interacted with one another, they reacted to each other and lived off of each other's presence. When the three of you were born, they fused together with your Avatars and became a part of them, so their 'memories' and 'feelings' were combined as well."
"So, does that mean I killed our parents?" Erica asked incredulously and somewhat guiltily.
Luna giggled slightly and Erica glared at her. "Sorry, but no you didn't. The original Guardians existed thousands of years ago, long before any Clans existed. There were merely mortals, humans, with certain abilities. They created the prophecy for hopes of peace in the future. The first Guardians passed away long ago, and I believe that the ones you encountered were the seven hundred and second set."
"S-seven hundred…?" Erica repeated with wide eyes.
"Some lived longer than others, and even though they were human, they were healthy and protected by their own Gods. I'm pretty sure that the oldest Guardian lived to about one hundred and twenty two." Luna looked to Evangeline for confirmation.
"It doesn't matter right now. Anima, Lu, the relic is with Hades, so it looks like we'll be confronting him a lot sooner than expected." Terri interrupted abruptly. Her face was dark and her brows furrowed, as if she was plagued by thoughts, but I had no idea what. So much for the 'deeper connection' she was talking about.
"Can't the three of us just go in there and try to grab it?" I asked.
"I agree. I know the layout like the back of my hand, we should be in and out of there without anyone knowing." Erica added.
"No. You had already mentioned that Hades protects the relic with a blood barrier. The moment we're near it, he'll be notified. There's not a chance we'll be able to grab the relic and get out before he catches us. And I'm also not taking the risk of having the three of us killed before we can put an end to him!" The anger in Terri was so sudden and unexpected; we were all stunned into silence.
"Baby, it's okay." Aria's hushed assurances could be heard as she rubbed circles on Terri's tense back. Eventually, Terri let out a defeated sigh, rubbing her face wearily and suddenly looking a lot more tired than we had ever seen her.
"I'm sorry. Look, regardless of what I may have done before, I do care about your lives and I am not okay with sending you all to your deaths. When we go into battle, it will be after we have a decent strategy. I'm no longer willing to take risks, not now, not when Hades is already on high alert."
"T…"
"Teresa…" Erica and I both started, the understanding fully dawning on us, and guilt settling in immediately. We'd all spent so long hating Terri for her 'ruthless' actions from before: sending Tim to his death, forcing me to plead my allegiance, her treatment of all of us after saving my parents. Even though she had legitimate reasons and most of them were just part of a bigger plan, we never knew and in the end, Terri was cast as a major antagonist in our own camp, and she had never resented us for it.
"I'm not saying no. I'm just saying wait, okay? We'll make a plan, send in a team and defeat Hades. The best way is probably to break the barrier and complete the ritual on the spot. We have the advantage of knowing who the prophesized three are, we can use that against him, but it'll have to be right away. The moment we leave with the relic, he'll know something's up and he'll have something planned." Terri added.
"So, a surprise attack then?" Teddy asked.
"Pretty much."
"So what's the plan?" Teddy answered immediately, with an odd amount of excitement in her eyes. I'd assume it was remnants of her army days showing.
"If you want, you can sit in with the meeting we'll be having later on with Lexie, our Chief Tactician." Terri offered, to which Teddy nodded vehemently in agreement. "Now, for the time being. Tim, let's get your full powers unlocked."