𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 ━━ HOPE MIKAELSON ll

5

JAXON, HOPE AND ALARIC went down the basement again to get rid of the troll when Alaric spoke up, "there's, uh, something I want to ask. You know, when we were fighting, how'd I know to throw that bolt to you?" He stopped and turned to the two teenagers, "It was like muscle memory. We've fought together before, haven't we?"

Jaxon and Hope shared a look before she quickly looked at Alaric, scoffing slightly, "what? That seems totally impossible."

Alaric shot Jaxon a look and when he received a shrug from him in return, he refrained himself from rolling his eyes before looking at Hope, sighing, "yeah, except I live in a world where a creature named Malivore can erase people from your memory."

"Jax?" Alaric flickered his eyes to the half god who was standing beside his girlfriend, "is there something you wish to tell me?"

Upon receiving no response, he huffed, "I'll take that as a yes."

Hope finally sighed, "Even if I told you, it wouldn't change anything. Okay? It wouldn't bring your memories back. It would just be words. Leaving will be easier if you don't know."

"Wait," Jaxon muttered with a frown, unaware of that plan of hers, "leaving? Since when—"

"— Let's not talk about this now," Hope cut him off, turning back to Alaric. Jaxon clenched his jaw at that action of hers, feeling his anger rise up and was about to say something when Alaric interrupted, saying to Hope, "well, then, don't leave."

"You told me that the monster attacks had stopped," Hope began explaining, "and then right when I show up, things start happening again. I'm pretty sure I'm the reason. So I can't stay and put all of you in danger." She looked at Jaxon, "so yes, leaving is the only right option I'm seeing right now."

"Don't be fucking stupid—" Jaxon cut himself off when he could no longer see the Troll at the spot where they left it. "We'll talk about this," He said to Hope as they came to the conclusion that it wasn't a troll.

**

Following the purple sticky substance that was supposedly the creature's blood, it led the three outside.

"Okay, so if it's not a troll, then what else could it be?"

"I don't know," Hope replied, "but it's here. Somewhere."

"Question is, why?" Alaric asked, seeming as equally confused as the tribrid while Jaxon already figured out why as his eyes fell on Landon and Josie who were walking around.

"I'm not sure," Hope said,  "I mean, the pattern is that I wound it, and then it runs and hides from me. So it must be sticking to the shadows, waiting for it to get dark."

"Well, when the monsters came last time, they were always after something." Alaric spoke, "See if we can figure out what it's looking for."

"Okay," Hope muttered before he walked away, trying to look for the creature.

"So..." Hope turned to Jaxon, flickering her eyes from Josie and Landon, "these two are a thing now?"

"Apparently," he shrugged, "I don't know, it's not gonna last. I can tell."

"What are you, a relationship expert now?" She asked in a half-mocking tone making him raise his brows, "I've always been."

"Since when?"

"Since I started dating the outcast of the school—" she scoffed, cutting him off, both having equal looks of amusement on their faces "— you're the offspring of a god studying in a school for witches, vampires and werewolves and I'm the outcast?"

"I'm half werewolf, remember? Now come on, Mikaelson, we need to get rid of your twin."

She frowned in confusion, "my twin?" As she said that, realisation hit her and she rolled her eyes, "fuck you."

"Wait till we get home," with that, he already began walking away and Hope found herself following him until she was walking beside him, their footsteps matching as they looked around for the familiar creature.

It was already dark when Jaxon was walking around, still looking for the creature without Hope by his side. Earlier, the two decided that they might find it easier if they were to go separate ways. He finally reached a spot where he heard Hope grunts— it was low, barely audible but he heard it anyway. Jaxon rushed to the scene and found the creature holding Hope with a hand around her mouth to prevent her from saying spells, her feet weren't touching the ground and the creature was about to kill her using its other hand.

Jaxon was quick to react by staring at it's hand, setting it's arm on fire. The creature growled in pain, dropping Hope on the ground. Jaxon instantly went towards her, helping her up, "you alright?"

She nodded, standing up as she dusted off her clothes. Just then, an arrow was shot at the creature earning another loud growl from it. The two looked behind to find Alaric coming towards them. The creature grabbed him and threw it away.

Jaxon ran and jumped on it, successfully managing to throw it a few feet backwards. Once it fell on the ground, it didn't waste any more time before it got up again.

"Hey, ugly!" Hope called out and as soon as the creature looked at her, she raised her hand forward, saying a spell and set it's hair on fire. They watched as it's hair burns, revealing a third eye.

"Cyclops," Jaxon muttered with a groan, "I've always hated these sons of—" he was cut off by another loud growl making him roll his eyes. "Oh, shut already. You're giving me a headache."

"How do we kill it?" Hope asked as she looked at Jaxon who was busy staring weirdly at it's third eye. "Hit it."

"What?"

"Shoot the third eye." He instructed making Hope pick up Alaric's bow before shooting it, hitting the spot perfectly. The Cyclope went rigid before falling on the ground, dead.

"Wait I just remembered something," Alaric said, out of breathe as he looked at Jaxon questioningly, "did you skip school again?"

Jaxon ran a hand through his hair, thinking of a lie for a few seconds until he came up with, "I... uh got permission from dad."

"Did you now?" Hades questioned jokingly making him internally roll his eyes, "shut up."

Alaric let out a sarcastic laugh, his face morphing into one of seriousness as he said, "just get your ass back to school."