Persephone wasn't paying attention to all the drama in New Orleans. It didn't really affect her. And everyone was pretty much ignoring her. She supposed it was a good thing. People treated her more like an adult. Well, some people. Vincent still very much tried to parent her. He would sit as Josephine did her lesson then offer to take her to lunch. They would go to different places.
That day they went to Smith's grocers for po'boys. Then they sat on a bench as they ate their sandwiches. Persephone had a love hate relationship with those days. She'd never really had a father but she imagined it might look something like that. "You're getting a lot better. not that you weren't really good before," he told her.
"Thanks, I do miss doing concerts at school. But I think it's easier to improve with the one on one training."
"You're going back to Whitmore next year?" he asked her and she looked down.
"I don't know. I really don't. I guess I should think about transferring if I want to stay here."
"Do you want to stay?"
"I mean I have more people here than I do at Whitmore."
"And we will all be here when you graduate. You've got to know how important school is."
"I know. I know. But I graduated three years early. I have time."
"But you graduated early because you were ready for college. You had the smarts to get through it."
"I'll always be smart." He chuckled.
"That's true. But you can get a degree younger. Maybe go for a Masters degree in Violin too. You could do it."
"I know I could. But I don't want to. When I was younger, I used to want to perform for huge crowds in some orchestra."
"And now?" She shrugged.
"I don't know. But I don't want to do that. And I don't want to teach."
"How long have you been playing violin?"
"For over twelve years. Since I was almost four. It was the year my mom left. The last thing she gave me was a violin."
"Have you ever explored anything else?"
"I've never been good at anything else."
"Persephone you're one of the smartest people I've ever met. I'm sure you're good at plenty of things. You just have to find them. You're good at magic. Maybe you could teach that."
"To who?"
"Well there was a time here where we would teach our young people magic. But things are different now."
"Yeah, I know about all that. I try not to think about that. You guys are nice people. But I don't understand that whole thing."
"It's complicated."
"Magic always is."
"So on this interests thing, you know you need to go back to Whitmore and take different classes. Try some new things. Didn't you tell me your grams was an anthropology professor. Did you like when she talked about it?"
"I loved when Grams talked about magic and history."
"So there's another interest right there!" he said and she smiled softly then looked down at her food.
"I feel like you just want me to leave."
"No, Persephone, if one day, after you graduate, you want to come back and live here, there are tons of French Quarter witches ho would happily accept you." She looked him in his eyes. She wanted to see the lie. But she kept looking and he just seemed so sincere, "You want a ride home?"
"No I'm fine. I want to walk. Thanks for lunch." He nodded as she got up and walked off.
During her finals week it was too much going on in New Orleans. She couldn't focus. There had been weird magical storms and when Persephone asked anyone about them, they'd just say they were handling things. When everything finally calmed down, she headed to Davina's. She hadn't seen the girl in two weeks. they hadn't even texted each other.
Persephone arrived at the attic to see no Davina. But Marcel was there. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, "You know about this place?"
"Of course. The other witches can't do magic. So it's hidden from them. I do not have that problem. Where is Davina? At Camilles?"
"You know Camille?"
"Well I've never met her. But Davina mentioned her. And Josh. Haven't met him either. So?"
"What?"
"Where is she?"
"You really don't know?" Marcel asked her and she shook her head, "She had to go back to the witches. They killed her to complete the Harvest."
"What? No. She didn't even tell me anything was wrong."
"Do you just not listen to what goes on in your own house?"
"Everyone keeps thing from me! I'm sick of it!" she shouted at him, eyes blurred but even Marcel could see that they were gold.
"Hey, calm down." He put his hands on her shoulders.
"She's really dead?" He nodded and held her, "I hate caring about people. They always die."
"But you should never stop caring. I know it hurts. You can't stop. Okay?" She didn't reply.
She went back and lived with the Mikaelsons but they barely saw her as summer started. She stayed in her room and searched for ways. The Harvest was a ritual. They thought if they completed the ritual, the young witches would come back. So why weren't they back? She needed to talk to ancestors but she couldn't talk to theirs. So she found a ritual to talk to hers. The only problem was how vulnerable she'd be. So she gathered her grimoire and the ingredients that she needed.
"I want her back. I'm tired of losing people," Persephone told Marcel when he came down the stairs.
"I want her back too. But I don't know what we can do."
"I'm a powerful witch. I will not be controlled by anyone! I am the storm!" He held up his hands in surrender and she calmed as she told him about communing with her ancestors. The most powerful ancestors to exist.
"What do you need me for?"
"The witches will likely know. They seem to be watching me. I've felt it each time I leave the house. And all the Mikaelsons are busy. Plus Nik doesn't believe I need to help her. I need you to watch my body. If their ancestors are as half as good as mine they'll know."
"You have all my night walkers."
"And you." she demanded.
"And me."
"Good." She set up the spell in a ritual circle on the ground of the abattoir. She chanted then fell back.
Persephone gasped as she woke up. But it wasn't in New Orleans. It was at her Grams house. And she was surrounded. Her Grams she knew, then she slowly recognized Ayana from Kol's memories. The last woman, she didn't know. "Grams, I need-"
"We know why you're here, child," Ayana said.
"Grams-"
"I am your ancestor, Qetsiyah. I built this place," she said. Grams and Ayana seemed to playfully roll their eyes.
"I need your help."
"We will not help you with the witches. They are not our responsibility. You are."
"Please, Grams. I've never had friends. You know that."
"Honey, Davina will return to the land of the living when the soul that was resurrected in her place returns to where it is supposed to. All the girls will come back when the four their ancestors chose to resurrect finish their duty."
"Duty to what? Duty to who?"
"We don't know their motivations. Our worlds exist parallel to each other. We see what is happening to you and around them. But we cannot talk to them."
"Not that we'd want to. They are stuck in the bounds of one city. A small world. I have created-" Qetsiyah started but Ayana cut her off.
"Now isn't the time for that. Maybe wait until she is dead. Then have your conversation then. We don't have much time."
"We won't help you. You have to leave, baby. You can't stay there. With them. With the Mikaelsons. We know what they've done for you. We know who they are to you."
"But I don't belong anywhere."
"You don't belong in New Orleans."
"But-"
"Not now," Qetisyah said and looked at Sheila, "You'll come back. When your soul has rejoined its mate." Persephone perked up about that. Somehow Kol would rejoin the world of the living.
"Wait but what about the ascendant? You say the world is parallel. If I can build an ascendant-"
"No. She will get back on her own. Now it's time," Qetsiyah said then looked to Sheila, "You were right."
That was the last thing Persephone heard before she woke up in a gasp. She was blind for a second, her eyes over in white. Marcel was there nervously watching her. "So?" he asked her.
"They said there's four souls that don't belong. Only when the fourth one is dead, she'll come back."
"Anything else?"
"They said I had to leave. That I couldn't come back until-" she stopped herself from continuing.
"Until when?"
"Something has to happen first. Something big."
"You gonna listen to them?"
"I've never denied them before. You think I should leave?" She asked and pulled her knees into her chest. Then she sighed and Marcel helped her stand.
"Hell yes I think you should. Run as fast as you can."
"But what if they need me? What if you need me?"
"Persephone you have got to start living for you. Not your sister, not the Mikaelsons. Just you."
She was walking back to the house when she heard chanting. That's when her head went crazy. It felt like it was going to explode. She opened her eyes and they were gold. Her wolf form was more protected from mental attacks so she screamed as she began the change. She turned in a wolf to see a witch. Persephone growled and the red head looked panicked and started to run. Persephone didn't follow her. She just ran to the orchard.
Persephone returned to the house and packed. Niklaus walked in the house as she was leaving. "You're leaving?" he asked.
"What else can I do? You guys barely talk to me. Don't let me know anything. I thought I was your family but maybe every other person is right and I'm not. And you know what? I've had enough of shitty dysfunctional families, Nik. I just wanted to finally belong somewhere. Be normal. Be happy. But I can never be normal. And I can never be happy and now I have fucking old witches attacking me. And I refuse to die before I can get Kol back."
"Get him back? He's dead. I thought you were moving on."
"No. I will never move on. I have magic. I will get him back. I need to go search for that. I won't stop. But call me if you need me. Are you mad at me?"
"I could never be upset with you," Klaus told her, "Do you want a ride to the airport?"
"I ordered a cab."
"Who's picking you up in Virginia?"
"Probably no one. You pay more attention to me here than Bonnie does. But she did her time,"
"Looking over you is not a chore. It will never be a chore. And you are always welcome here. Or anywhere that I call my home. Because you are family." A tear fell and she wiped it quickly. She nodded then grabbed her bag and kept going.