Thank you so much for the great reviews. This was my very first story, and I am amazed that it has gotten to this point.

This is the last chapter. I have decided that I will be doing a sequel. I just don't think I am going to be able to cram everything into one fic. Things are just about to get more intense for Bella and the Cullens. I don't want to gloss over anything. So please just bear with me.

I have gleaned information from Greek mythology. I tweaked a few things here and there to fit into this story.

I would like to thank my beta, sjdavis84, for all her help.

Chapter 22

BPOV

Isis glided closer to me and gently brushed a few stray hairs away from my eyes. "I know this is overwhelming to you. If I had another option, I would have chosen it," she said softly.

"Then tell me what happened," I demanded.

"In order to make sense of it all, I must first tell you about our origins," she began.

Isis then went into an explanation of how immortal sorceresses came into being. My eyes widened in shock as she divulged this information. Learning that immortal sorceresses predated the oldest vampires was a bit to take in.

"We are an ancient race, if you will. We are beings who were created by the goddess, Rhea, in an attempt to overthrow her husband, Cronus. For you see, Cronus was both evil and starving for power. He was not in possession of any conscience, nor did did he care for his own children. In an attempt to ensure his safety as well as his status as a ruler, Cronus ate all of his children once they were born," Isis informed me with a slight sneer marring her otherwise perfect features.

My God, this Cronus is a freak! "What kind of sick bastard eats his own children?" I asked, feeling disgusted.

"As I previously mentioned, Cronus was power hungry. He did everything he could think of to protect his position as ruler of the Titans. Unfortunately, this included eating his own offspring," Isis explained.

I walked over towards a large boulder and sat down. "What triggered his obviously paranoid mind? Did something happen to cause him to think his own children would turn against him?"

"His fears were caused by his own actions. Cronus's father was Uranus. He, at the time, was the ruler of the Titans. Cronus has decided that he would take over the rule and castrated his own father to do so," she said.

"The guy sounds like a real creep," I stated, appalled that someone could be that evil.

"He is, in essence, pure evil. Rhea was so heartbroken over the deaths of her children that she began to plan a way to deal with him. She knew she would never be capable of defeating him herself, so she decided that the best way to handle him was to create a being more powerful than he was," she explained.

"Okay, but if she didn't have the power to defeat him, then how did she manage to create a being more powerful than he was?" I asked, feeling slightly confused.

"That is where things get tricky. Rhea somehow managed to gather power from all around her, and with help from Gaea, Cronus's mother and the earth goddess, they managed to create such a being," she told me.

"His own mother worked against him?" I asked, not sure whether to be impressed or slightly horrified.

"Remember, Cronus castrated his own father whom she loved dearly. She believed that Cronus had crossed a line and needed to be dealt with," Isis reminded me.

Shaking my head, I said, "That family was messed up!"

"Indeed! Rhea managed to keep their creation a secret for a while. At that time, she happened to have been pregnant with her son, Zeus, and she desperately wanted to protect him from his father."

"So I take it that when she went into labor with Zeus, Cronus got the idea to have a snack?" I asked her, while still being grossed out.

"Correct. However, things did not go as Cronus had planned. For when he made his move against the infant, Adrasteia, also known as Nemesis, arrived in time to stop him. They fought for well over a week, where Adrasteia was able to severely weaken Cronus. Knowing that if he continued, he would easily be defeated, he ran," Isis further explained.

"Oh, so when someone came along that could kick his ass, he ran away like a coward?" I asked, not being able to keep the smirk off my face. He was a typical bully.

"Exactly! While Cronus battled Adrasteia, Rhea took the newborn Zeus and ran. Gaea had made preparations for her to go into seclusion."

"So what happened next?" I queried.

"Rhea remained in seclusion with Zeus, and Adrasteia stayed with them as their guard. It wasn't until Zeus became an adult that Cronus reared his wretched head again. Cronus wanted retribution for being attacked and for Rhea's betrayal. In fact, he had even declared war on his own mother who took over the rule of the Titans while Rhea and Zeus were away."

"I take it that now that Zeus was of age, he fought?" I asked.

"Yes, he did, and he managed to break Cronus down even farther. Cronus, not willing to admit defeat, swore that he would get his vengeance and that he would rule over all. And before you ask, yes, Cronus ran. It is rumored that he had taken refuge in Tartarus in the underworld," she said.

"So Zeus took over as the ruler?" I asked.

"Yes, and remained the ruler until the gods and goddesses decided that they no longer cared for what happened to the humans and to this world. Upon leaving this plane of existence, they placed Adrasteia in charge. It was she who watched over and guarded all life," Isis finished.

"Okay, I understand how Adrasteia came about, but what about the rest? How is it that I am a sorceress now?" I asked, desperate to understand my role in this.

"Many years after that confrontation, Adrasteia fell in love with a human, and they had one child together. The child's name was Helen. You would recognize her as Helen of Troy," Isis explained.

"Wow! So Helen of Troy was not a myth?" I asked slightly bemused. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, but are you trying to tell me that I am a descendant of Helen of Troy?"

"That is exactly what I am saying. In fact, all the immortal sorceresses are."

"Then what are you to me, my grandmother or something?" I asked.

"I am your great-grandmother several times over on your father's side," she told me.

"Okay, so how many sorceresses are there?" I was taking this better than I thought I would.

"You are the fourth," she replied quietly.

"There's only four of us? What happened?' I asked her, desperately wanting to know the answer.

"One of us was killed a thousand years ago. Despite what you make think, we are not completely invulnerable. Everyone, everything has a weakness," she said softly.

"Who was it?" I asked her.

"It was Adrasteia. She was betrayed by someone she loved, someone she thought she could trust. They used her weakness against her, and then they destroyed her."

"I'm sorry," I told her, wishing to give her some comfort. It was clear that even though it has been a thousand years, she still mourns her loss.

"Adrasteia taught me, instructed me as I am now doing for you. We are all of her bloodline," Isis said.

We were quiet for a few moments. I was trying to absorb everything Isis has told me so far. "Isis, why was my transformation triggered sooner than planned?"

"Cronus has returned. He has created an army and is attacking all supernatural beings," she stated. "He believes that if he exterminates any who posses the strength or power to oppose him, he will be able take over and rule the world."

"He really does have a chip on his shoulder," I stated.

"As I am sure you now understand, it was imperative that you changed now rather than allowing you to wait until your birthday. We are about to go to war, and we need all the assistance we can get," she explained.

"Well, let's get this teaching thing done. It would seem that we have much to do and not enough time to do it."

We continued on as Isis began training me on how to use my powers. To say that I was flabbergasted by the amount of power my new body possessed would be an understatement. I was shocked.

As upset as I was when my transformation began, I can honestly say now that I am glad it happened. War was just on the horizon. If I am able to lend assistance in any way, I will.

EPOV

I paced back and forth from the large window to Bella's bedside, keeping a close eye on her while I maintained my silent vigil. She has been burning now for six days. One more day, and my love would awaken and be with me again.

This has been the most difficult thing I have ever had to watch. Knowing that the one you love is in agony and you are not able to do anything to relieve them, is heartbreaking. I am thankful that this ordeal is nearly over. If I am struggling, I cannot even begin to imagine what my Bella is feeling.

The family has stayed close by this entire time. Carlisle took the week off from work, telling them that there was a family emergency. He came into the room every few hours or so to check on the both of us. I know he was concerned, and I was grateful that he cared enough about my mate to be there for her.

Rose had even settled down. She was deeply disturbed by hearing Bella's screams, and it brought to mind her own transformation. She felt bad that Bella was suffering, and she now understood that this was beyond anyone's control.

Poor Esme has been a wreck. She already viewed Bella as her daughter, and momma bear was not too happy that her baby was hurting. She was ready to shower my love with all the affection she could stand, as any good mother would do.

Jasper was putting his military mind to work, trying to come up with some reason for Bella's early transformation. He knew there was a reason, we all did. Jasper was under the impression that something bad was going to happen. He kept reciting in his mind from the book 'Their Craft of War'. Different scenarios were shooting off in his mind of what could possibly be going on. Already, he was planning some form of defence.

Alice was frustrated because she was unable to see Bella's future. Every attempt at doing so came up black, as if Bella no longer existed. Alice did not appreciate being in the dark where her best friend was concerned. Try as she might, and she tried often, she could not get around whatever it was blocking her visions.

Carlisle had a theory as to why she could no longer see Bella. He believed that, since Bella was technically no longer human and that she was becoming something altogether different, that this was the reason why Alice is coming up empty. Alice was human, so she can see humans. Alice is a vampire, so she can definitely see them. But Alice has never been what my Bella is now becoming. Frankly, Carlisle's theory is both plausible and makes complete sense.

Emmett was being Emmett. He was worried about his 'new baby sister,' but he sincerely believed that she would be fine. He kept making plans up in his head on different ways he could test Bella's new found abilities. Some of the things he thought of were bizarre. I wonder what my love will think about what he's planning.

I had just found myself looking at the window for the thousandth time when I heard a groan. I quickly flew over to Bella's side to see if anything was wrong, and I was greeted with the most stunning eyes I have ever been fortunate enough to gaze into. My Bella was awake!

"Bella, love, are you alright?" I asked her nervously.

"I am fine, Edward," she replied in the most seductive voice I have ever heard. Her low dulcet tones awakened desire in me, and it was all I could do to not tackle her to the bed and show her just how much I had missed her.

"Baby, what happened?" I asked while gently cupping her cheek so that I could stare into her eyes some more.

"Trouble is coming," was her response.

The look in her eyes told me it was far worse than anything I could have imagined. There was a knock at the door, and I called out to the family, "Come on in."

Everyone slipped into the room. When they caught sight of Bella, they all gasped simultaneously. Their minds even became drastic change in Bella's appearance was a bit startling. She still looked like my Bella, just perfect.

"Bella!" Alice screeched. "You look incredible!."

"Um, thanks Alice. I still don't know what I look like, but that's the least of my concerns," Bella said.

"What is it, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"War is coming. It will encompass everyone, from vampires to elves. Every living being on this planet is in danger," she told us solemnly.

"War?" Jasper questioned. "Who is behind this?"

"If you are familiar with your Greek mythology, then you will recognize the name Cronus," Bella answered.

"Is that the same Cronus that ate his children?" Esme asked with a shudder.

"The very same. He has returned and wants retribution against my kind. But not only that, he wants to rule this world. Even now he has begun his hunt. All supernatural beings are his target," she explained further.

It became eerily quiet as we all took in this information. None of us would have ever guessed that something like this would be the problem.

Just then, Carlisle's cell went off, breaking through the silence. "Hello?" Carlisle said. Aros' voice replied. "Carlisle, we are enroute to you. There has been an attack. We've lost Felix, Santiago, and Heidi," Aro hastily explained.

We all looked around at each other and then back to Bella. So it really has begun.

A/N: The name Adrasteia means 'the inescapable'. Nemesis means 'to give what is due'.

Well, that's it. I will be starting on the sequel, Sunset, asap.

I want to thank all my readers for their patience. I know this fic took forever to finish. I hated leaving everyone hanging. At one point, I had considered putting this on hiatus, but I didn't think it would have been fair to those who have stuck with me from the beginning.