Sorry this one took so long. I couldn't settle on who first, Finn, Kol, or another Klaus chapter. Ultimately, I went with Kol.

For those of you concerned about Sol merging with Ra and all that jazz: It's coming! As I told a commenter last chapter; right now we're in a lull, focusing on relationship development over plot advancement because once we start speeding up again the story is close to being over and there won't be time to solidify the bonds anymore. They need to be concrete before that. Trust me I want to jump straight to the action, too. I want to finish FSO at this point. But doing so now will cheapen the writing and the story. Your patience will pay off.

-46-

Kol

Isolde bade him to make friends with Kai so when Kol caught up with his brothers and the young siphoner in the bar he sat beside Kai with the intent to try. Somewhat.

He was also keeping a close eye on Nik. It was hard to tell when the hybrid would take a shot at him for killing Marcel, and right now without Isolde to see or interfere would be the best time for it.

Kol didn't trust that his brother saw that killing Marcel was the only recourse. Marcel had betrayed them. He'd stood with enemies of their family; stood against his sire and his father-figure. For that, he should have been made an example.

Of course, there was also Kol's personal grudge propelling his action. But what did it matter? He was an Original. He should do as he pleases with any Vampire. With the daggers gone, there wasn't much Nik could do to keep Kol under control.

And with Isolde in the picture, there had been a dynamic change.

They all knew it, but the four of them hadn't gotten together alone long enough to discuss it. The change had been immediate and instinctual. As though before any of them had realized it they'd stopped fighting each other, besides the usual petty bickering, and started fighting together.

Generally speaking, of course. Finn went off and got captured alone. Elijah followed Isolde to rescue him. Nik and Kol fought off hordes of supernaturals… even though that took a surprising turn with them under an illusion and not fighting a single being.

Still, they'd all fought together in the sense that they were fighting for each other. All united under one cause.

Though that cause was now tainted with the knowledge of how deeply the Alexander's betrayal of their sister truly ran.

Kol didn't want to be the one to tell Isolde. At the same time, he didn't want to lie to her or withhold information. Both options left a foul taste at the back of his throat and a great bubble of anxiety in his stomach. No matter what they did, this truth could not be suppressed. It killed him to admit it but he couldn't protect her from this, none of them could.

Kol worried that it would break her. Anubis seemed to think he would be the only one to stop her from destroying the world (and the fact that she could do so was frightening, he had to admit) when she learned the truth. As Isolde's twin brother, and a God that had given up a portion of his soul to protect her for over four millennia, Kol was inclined to trust his judgment.

But then, he'd been inclined to trust Isolde's judgment about all of the people around her. And he was still coming to terms with how that was turning out. Perhaps because his family never trusted anyone. In contrast, Isolde seemed to trust everyone. He should've seen that from the start as she let them all walk into her life without so much as blinking.

"You're thinking very hard. You've got that deep 'V' between your eyebrows and everything." Kai was leaning forward, his elbows on the bar in front of them, head turned and watching Kol. "We're in a bar–you don't think in bars."

"Not thinking in taverns tends to lead to trouble." Klaus interjected, halfway through a bottle of something amber from the top shelf. Finn was beside him, nursing a glass of ale… or beer. Whatever it was, it smelled foul. "Kol in particular is good for trouble."

"Oh my god same," Kai laughed with wide eyes and a grin so fake Kol wondered how the man had survived long enough to be sent to prison in the first place, "that's why my family kept me locked up in my room for so long."

That got everyone's attention and all three Mikaelson heads swiveled to stare at Kai, who ignored them all and reached over the bar to grab a bottle from underneath.

"Of course, I got free eventually and killed most of them so… yay winning!" He claimed his victory in a sing-song voice, making them all flinch at the pitch.

"Temporarily." Kol quipped. "I've heard that was the incident that got you tucked safely into this happy little prison."

Kai was mid swallow, nodding rapidly until he could finish. "Mhm, yup."

"I hate to burst your victory bubble but–you lost." Nik said, polishing off his first bottle. He reached over for another and Kol wondered if Nik intended on getting thoroughly pissed or if he was just letting off some steam and… pent up frustration.

There had been a brief argument about who was going to stay with Isolde and have some alone time with her whilst stuck here. Nik had 'drawn the short straw' and he'd been unhappy about it.

Kai lifted his hand and twisted it in a 'so-so' way, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "Not really. Call in a 'pause' in the battle. I'm glad to know it's only been like twenty years. I guess you can say I'm going to win. I always do, in the end."

If Kol hadn't seen those words come out of Kai's mouth with his own eyes he'd have thought that Nik had said them. Kol and Klaus shared a look loaded with intrigue while Finn just rolled his eyes at them all.

Finn hadn't wanted to come to the bar. This was usually Elijah's job, watching over Kol and Nik to ensure the least amount of destruction was left in their wake. But it was agreed upon that Elijah had been through the most after having been injected with the serum. Finn had been captured, but not tortured, so he backed down. When they were divvying up the rest of the brief time they'd spend with Isolde in this peaceful world, Finn decided to go last for reasons unknown to the rest of them.

"Okay, I can see you guys don't trust me. I know I'm a sociopath–" Kol watched Nik roll his eyes and look forward, taking a long swig out of his bottle "-but I'm a sociopath that's bonded to the death God that's your bond's twin so–." Kai sucked his teeth and gave a 'what can you do?' look with a glib shrug.

Kai got out of his chair and gestured for them to follow as he walked around the bar. "Come on. Let's do a bonding exercise."

"Is he an idiot?" Finn asked, watching Kai with a critical eye as the youngest among them pulled a pan off the wall in the attached kitchen and dropped it, the metal clanging sharply as it bounced on the floor tiles. Again, they all flinched at the pitch. "He is."

Kai lifted the pan with a grin. "I got it!"

"He's either an idiot or a genius." Nik said, sighing heavily as Kai started pulling things out of the fridge that was settled in the corner.

Kol watched Kai turn to look back at them with a thumbs up, seconds after lighting a gas fire and jumping back when the fire shot up quite high because he'd left the gas on too long before igniting it.

"Both," Kol stated with no inflection to indicate how he felt about this, "he's both."

His brothers looked at him incredulously and Kol just shrugged at them. It was clear to Kol that Kai was a master manipulator. They still had no idea what his motivations were other than wanting revenge upon his family, and they'd been effortlessly distracted from asking any more questions when he'd mentioned his connection to Anubis.

He threw them off. Then he changed the subject by heading into the kitchen. There was no need to drop that pan, but he did it. Kol had watched him pull it off the wall easily. Then he let it go and pretended as though he'd fumbled with it when it clattered to the ground. Kol figured that the only reason Klaus didn't latch onto that was because of his angle. He couldn't see details as well as Kol at his vantage point.

"Hey guys, doing this by myself isn't the point," Kai waved them over, "I said 'bonding exercise' not 'sit over there and wait for me to do it by myself.'"

"I'm not helping him." Nik scoffed with an overplayed eyeroll that said more to Kol than Nik's words did.

Nik was actually enjoying the young siphoner's humor.

Kol laughed and slid out of his chair, thumping Nik on the back as he walked toward the exit. "I believe it's time for me to take my leave. Good luck, brothers."

"Bye Kol, have fun with my new best friend." Kai pointed a butcher's knife at him with a Cheshire grin. "Upset her in any way and I'll find a way to kill you!"

Kol, startled by Kai's audacity, stopped moving and stared at him for a moment. Even as Nik and Finn laughed at his expense and waved at him with twin looks of amusement.

That Nik and Finn seemed to be getting along, and were in agreement over something even as trivial as Kai's threat, was the most shocking and absurd revelation of the night, Kol decided.

Isolde

Elijah had quite a bit more in him than just that one intimate act on the patio. Isolde had to give it to him, he was a magnificent lover. Attentive. Commanding. Sensual. And he went three more rounds without signs of slowing down until Isolde insisted he rest.

Isolde had fallen for him. So much so, that when she came to the realization of this she'd hastened to put a little space between them. She'd pressed several butterfly kisses to his naked torso before kissing him deeply, leaving with the excuse that she wanted to let him rest. He bought it. Or at least he seemed to. He let her go without argument, a soft, happy smile plastered to his face.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him how she felt. She didn't scramble away because she was afraid to love him, or hurt him or anything else. She just wanted a minute to process the shifting dynamic before admitting it to him. They had all been through a lot in the past few days. Especially after having faced the truth of how their lives would turn out without her in them. There was bound to be emotional baggage there that they weren't telling her about. With there being so much on everyone's plates, Isolde hesitated to add to it.

She would tell Elijah. It broke rule number one not to.

"I'm drinking my damn coffee this time." Isolde mumbled to herself as she entered the kitchen, wearing a sheet like a cloak over her t-shirt and shorts. She was surprised that both articles of clothing weren't destroyed by now. Elijah hadn't been gentle when ripping them off her body when he got her inside.

She got herself another mug and poured what was left in the pot into it, quickly dumping sugar and cream in and drinking half of it in one go.

Instantly she felt a little better, rejuvenated in a sense.

"I'm an addict." Isolde huffed to herself, heading back outside. She set herself in one of the chairs Elijah hadn't destroyed, propping her feet up on the table they'd defiled and stared up at the stars.

She'd not been wholly honest about the Universe and the Consciousness, or her imprisonment, when she'd given the Mikaelson's the run down about her family. It wasn't to deceive them, of course, it was just that there were things that only Creators were allowed to know. Things that she couldn't tell them.

But she could tell them what really happened in the tomb. Tomorrow, once everyone had rested, she decided.

She'd learned much from the one who took her under his wing, thousands of years ago.

Kukulcan, or Eztli as he wished to be called now, had allowed her to be entombed in his territory for a reason. Access, mostly. She couldn't leave on her own but he could do as he pleased on his own continent– thus he was able to come and go from the tomb at his leisure.

He let her out from time to time, too.

Eztli had taken her with him to visit the other Creators a few times. To begin developing relationships with those who would be her peers when she finally ascended into her true position.

Each Creator had a hint of insanity, in their own way. Isolde had loved them all. Even Yahweh, who annoyed her most. She was certain that she could influence him for the better once merged. Anubis bringing up Yahweh earlier had been a reminder.

Still, she couldn't stay out of the tomb forever. She needed to return. And when they went back that first time, Isolde had lost it. Her fear of the tomb was real, even then. Eztli expended much effort to calm her and eventually he convinced her to return of her own volition. The tomb was an opportunity. Sequester away. Remain hidden. Train. Learn.

Eztli would train her when he came around. For fifteen hundred years he'd taught her truths that others could not ever be privy to. He taught her the history of Creation. Showed her how to wield Creation magic and what rules there were.

She grasped the concept long ago, and Eztli had told her that she shouldn't have much trouble translating the concept to practical application once merged.

He also told her how things would one day end..

"All began, and so all will end. It is inevitable. That does not mean we forsake our duty in the meantime."

Lately, his words had been echoing in the dark recesses of her mind.

The end times were not upon them, no, but it was something she needed to prepare for. The eventuality of it. She thought she'd already come to terms with this, but with the introduction of the Mikaelsons into her life she now wondered if, eons from now, she would be able to let everything fall when it was time to do so.

That's assuming the boys were still around. They were immortal, but they were not eternal. The thought of losing even one of them was enough to make her want to scorch the Earth and rid them of all who would harm them.

But she couldn't put the needs of a few over the planet itself. Because everything in this galaxy hinged on the survival of the Earth. All other planets had lost their ability to sustain life millions of years ago to forestall the end times.

Earth was it–all that was left.

It had to be protected at all costs.

As Ra, it would be her job to ensure this. Apophis posed a larger threat than she'd realized as an Egyptian goddess. He was the son of darkness. The embodiment of destruction. His only purpose was to bring about the end.

And he'd been toying with them all these years.

Eztli hadn't simply taken her to meet the others as a meet-and-greet. It was so she could see how they'd lost sight of the goal. How they wallowed in apathy and indulgence.

They were directionless without the Sun's command to guide them.

Isolde had felt the weight of this obligation throughout her body for millennia. Unable to expel the monster within, she'd failed to assume her position for so long that now the entire world was spiraling out of control. Mankind was destroying the planet. The Pantheon's were too busy ignoring everything to care, and her own family…

They were the worst of the worst.

Isolde had known this for many years. She, herself, was not innocent. But–

Emeric, with his war mongering ways, had created situations in order to advance warfare until nuclear energy was invented. Even now, he sparked wars throughout the planet for the thrill of the fight. He didn't care how much damage was done to the planet in his wake. He had no idea that should he release a nuclear war upon this Earth, he would bring about the downfall of the entire galaxy and destabilize the Universe. She'd tried to warn him before Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but he didn't heed her. Now many nations of men had access to this weaponry and tensions rose with each passing year.

Theon and his love of economic gain and political intrigue had created strife among the inhabitants of the planet, and had destroyed many ecosystems to the point where millions of species were now extinct. He'd manipulated Kings and now assemblies like Parliament, Congress, and the United Nations, since the inception of the ruling class long, long ago. Humanity and the planet suffered under Theon's machinations for ages. Corruption was Theon's true game, and he basked in turmoil he wrought.

Vera had spent thousands of years doing what amounted to fuck-all with her activism. As the goddess of justice, she was meant to actually champion such causes. Instead, she often bowed to her brothers and what they wanted. Vera had always been… easily influenced. The justice system she'd developed became the same as she; malleable to Theon and Emeric's whims.

Isolde had brought these issues to the round tables for millennia after she'd been released from the tomb. Eztli had cautioned her against telling her family anything about what she'd learned or saying much about him at all. He told her that her family and the other Pantheon's were a large part of what was wrong with the world, and that they would lead the Earth to its ruin.

She'd bucked against the idea. Argued. Refused to believe him.

So Eztli had challenged her.

"Watch them. Try to change them. When you merge with Ra; decide."

Isolde had watched them. She'd tried to change them. They had discarded her more often than they listened to her. In fact they'd hardly listened to her in all these years.

Soon, she'd have to decide.

And despite everything, she loved her family. She loved them so much she couldn't bear the idea of harming them in any capacity. It was what Eztli wanted her to do. It's what most of the other Creators wanted, as well. But Isolde had vehemently refused.

"What's got you out here looking so forlorn?" Arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind, a kiss dropped to the top of her head.

Kol's arms were a comforting weight and Isolde's heart leapt, a smile replacing her frown. She discreetly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, unaware that it had even escaped, before running her free hand up and down Kol's forearm.

"Just a little introspection, nothing to worry about." Isolde tilted her head back, puckering her lips for a kiss and Kol obliged with a smile. The angle was awkward but they both chuckled as he drew back.

"Where's Elijah?" Kol asked, dislodging his arms from around her and walking over to the chaise that was off to the side of the other furniture, motioning for her to follow. She put her mostly empty mug down and rose from her seat.

He laid back on the chaise and she crawled over him to nestle between his legs, taking the sheet from around her to drape it over both of them as she got comfortable laying with him.

"Sleeping. I insisted he rest." They were a tangle of limbs and after a few seconds of adjustments, Isolde's head relaxed against Kol's chest.

Kol hummed, running his fingertips up and down Isolde's side underneath the sheet. His other hand raised to grip her hip, thumb drawing small circles there. "Good. Someone needed to. Elijah loves to overdo it in the name of Family."

"I think you all love to overdo it."

Kol laughed, softly smacking her hip before he went back to drawing circles with his thumb. "Us? I'm quite certain that's you, darling."

"Fair point." Isolde acquiesced, rubbing the tip of her nose over his exposed collarbone. He responded by rubbing his cheek on the top of her head, his stubble scratching against her scalp. It was soothing. "How are you? What happened with your battle? We haven't had a chance to talk."

Kol hesitated. Isolde waited.

"Our battle turned out to be an illusion whilst Emeric slaughtered all the enemies." Kol said and paused for a moment before continuing. "We were tested. We passed."

"Tested?" Isolde felt herself tense at this information. That her siblings utilized her absence as an opportunity to do something to her bonds sent off an old pang of hurt and discomfort in her that she'd thought that she had long buried. It had been millennia since she'd loved anyone, truly loved someone, and the last time had ended at the end of Emeric's lance. Even now the pain of losing Tristian still ached, though time had dulled it.

She couldn't take another betrayal. If Emeric, Theon, or Vera betrayed her again she would be done.

"It wasn't too terrible. They just wanted to ensure that should the toxin be close to harming one of them, and we saw it, that we would intercept it. Nik did, so the illusion was canceled. This was mere moments before we saw you transformed."

Isolde buried her anger immediately, quick to mask it so that Kol wouldn't see, but she was furious. Outraged, even. Her siblings would sooner put her bonds in peril than accept the danger to themselves? They, who are far more durable? And for what? Confirmation of loyalty?

She seethed behind a mask of indifference.

"I'm sorry they did that. That was unacceptable." Was all she said aloud. But her mind was spinning.

Kol squeezed her, pulling her up his body a little so they could be face to face. "I won't pretend I wasn't cross. But it is past now. What is current is that despite his feigned indifference, Nik is quite upset with me. I killed Marcel."

"Oh boy." Isolde said as she tried to blow her hair out of her face. It didn't work.

Kol smiled, reaching up to brush the unruly curl behind her ear. "At least I can be content with the knowledge he has no white oak ash or daggers to punish me with. Of course, that doesn't mean he won't try other methods."

"I'll talk to him," Isolde leaned forward to bury her head in the crook of his neck, "as I understand it, he viewed Marcel as family. I wish I'd known this happened earlier when I was alone with him."

She hadn't asked Klaus about how he was feeling, she was too busy feeling sorry for herself. Guilt gnawed at her as the realization settled. He'd comforted her but Klaus had also been in need of comfort, and she hadn't known. Had she asked he may have told her about Marcel.

Being so focused on her own pain that she neglected to notice the boys' wasn't okay, especially for Klaus who bottled things until exploding violently in his pain. She decided that she would rectify that before the night was over.

Kol hummed and tightened his arms just a bit more around her. "Save talking with Nik for later. For now, just lay with me. It's been a trying day and I'd like to bask in this peace before we're tossed back into the fire."

Isolde pressed a light kiss to the side of Kol's neck and nuzzled against him. "Sounds divine."

Note: Beware anyone who would willingly subject themselves to their own personal hell when they were already traumatized in order to advance their knowledge/goals. Isolde staying in the tomb and Finn choosing to be captured to gain the knowledge they would need going forward is a parallel. Also, love the non-sexual intimacy between Sol/Kol.

So all the Creation information that just got dumped is what happened to the planets in Soul of Eternity. The Creators are manifestations of the cores of the 'dead' planets - most of their power remains in their core. So Eztli saying he 'returned his power to its source long ago' means he sent it back to the core of his dead planet (Mars.) Earth is all that remains life-bearing. Keep in mind, the Sun is not a planet. It's a star. (Cue Isolde saying 'BITCH I'M A STAR!") I pulled all my Creation theory for SoE from what I'd already worked on for FSO, I just changed some wording in the original.