Quinn Jackson ◊
I was tired the next day to say the least. Luke and I had spent most of the night talking, and the rest just enjoying each others presence. It was all innocent; innocent touches, kisses and thoughts throughout the night, and I realized last night just how much I had come to care for Luke.
While it wasn't love, the potential for it to grow was there. Love was like a beautiful orchid, it grew and blossomed when it was being cared for, but when the support was no longer there, it would die.
I absolutely adored sitting in the library during the day though. There were large windows that just allowed the sun to seep in, basking the room in its warm light and glow.
"Quinn," A voice called, and I turned to see who it was but no one was nearby, "My dear mortal. If you fail, I will take over."
The voice was eerie, and it made me feel uncomfortable as it was almost like a whisper but it echoed all throughout the room.
"Luke will soon fade to be nothing, and I will rise to power. My dear, if you quit now, I promise you will have eternal life in the best possible place." I covered my ears in an attempt to shut off the noise but it only seemed to be amplified.
"I will take everything you have ever loved or will ever loved and destroy it all, unless you throw the last tests. Everything that you care about, will be destroyed. I will gain power and I will rise." The voice nearly snarled at me and I squeezed tighter, before I pushed myself away from the table and ran out from the library, nearly running into Lyla as she was walking past.
"Quinn my dear, you look as if you have seen a ghost. Are you alright?" She asked, and I shook my head as I dropped my hands from my head, and took a breath.
"There was a voice I heard in the library," I started, and she furrowed her brows as she pushed the door open slightly but there was only silence.
"What was it saying?" She asked cautiously, and I licked my lips before looking around once more.
"It was saying it would destroy everything I cared about, and that it would rise to power." I whispered, and her eyes grew wide before she was grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the door that led to the Underworld.
"You should tell Luke, and you will be safer with him. I will alert the council," She said, opening the door for me and squeezing my shoulder lightly before she disappeared. I walked quickly, stumbling a couple times before finally coming to see Luke sitting on his throne, power radiating from him.
"Quinn, my dear, what are you doing here?" He asked, stepping down from his seat and walking to me, "Is everything alright?"
I shook my head, and quickly explained to Luke what had just happened in the library, and how Lyla was going to assemble the council to discuss what had happened. He clenched his fists once I had finished talking, anger becoming the dominant feature on his usually peaceful face.
"Are you okay?" He asked, the anger leaving him already as he took hold of my hand and squeezed it gently. I nodded, and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly, "Everything will be fine."
"I believe you," I whispered, and he nodded before taking us to where the rest of the council was. They all had looks that expressed their nerves, and I was confused as to what was really going on.
Arnold was the one who spoke first, who seemed to already know what was happening, "Kronos is rising."
Little gasps left lips, and many glanced along one another. I tried to remember who Kronos was, and the significance that he had.
Kronos was the ruling titan for a long time, until Zeus (Arnold) fought him and banished him to Tartarus. He was the father of the gods, ruler of them all.
"I thought he was in Tartarus? The place that is supposed to be inescapable?" I blurted my question, and Arnold glanced down at me as he shook his head.
"It is supposed to be, but Kronos holds more power than all of us combined. But if he is escaping, he is doing it with the help of someone. There is a traitor in our midst." Gasps rang out once more, as everyone held a look of shock on their face.
"We must make sure that this manor, and more specifically Quinn, is protected at all times. We cannot risk anything happening to her." Ashton said, and Luke nodded in agreement.
"Does everyone realize the risks that come with Kronos regaining his power again? We would all be destroyed, and humanity would perish as well. We need to make sure that he will not rise again, to protect us and them as well." Arnold said, and I was surprised to see him so intent on keeping humanity safe as well.
"We should figure out a protective detail for Quinn as well," Zach said, but I shook my head at that.
"I appreciate it, but no thank you,"
"Quinn," Luke warned, but I shook my head.
"I refuse to be a bother to everyone and waste their time. I can protect myself, and I promise to make sure to stay around others as much as I can." I said, and Luke looked as if he wanted to protest but Arnold nodded his approval.
"I will be investigating this personally. Does anyone else offer to help?" Arnold asked, and over half of the council raised their hands to help him, while Luke just squeezed my hand gently and pulled me away from everyone else.
"Quinn, this is very serious. Kronos has a sick and twisted mind, and is bent on getting revenge against all of us on the council for what we have done to him." He said, and I nodded as I kissed his lips and pulled away.
"I know, Luke. I trust in all of you guys though that this will be taken care of and everything will be fine. Now, come. I demand that you play the piano for me." I whispered, and he sighed as he kissed the top of my head and nodded.
He sat down on the bench, and I accompanied him, and then rest my head against his shoulder as his fingers took their place among the keys. He pressed down, an elegant sound which rang off the walls and surrounded us in a beautiful sound.
"Wise men say, only fools rush in," He sang, his voice soft yet rough at the same time. He was a walking contradiction, "Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?"
He glanced at me as he sang that line, and I couldn't help the blush that overtook my cheeks and kissed his shoulder as he continued playing the melody.
"Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling, so it goes some things are meant to be," He sang, closing his eyes as he got more and more into the song, "Take my hand, take my whole life, too."
He opened his eyes and looked at me as his fingers ran over the last chords, "For I can't help falling in love with you,"
"You have a beautiful voice," I whispered, and he chuckled as he turned on the bench so he was now straddling it and was facing me.
"And you are a beautiful person, Quinn Jackson."
***
Love was the cure to all things, at least that was what I believed in the beginning. Now, I was unsure. I had been scorned by the only love I had have so far in my short life, and that was loosing my mother.
Hearing of others scorned loves, it did not make me eager to love someone else.
I was laying in bed, my eyes feeling heavy as thoughts swirled around my mind. I was ready to just sleep and forget about all of the toxic thoughts I had, but I heard footsteps creaking outside my door and I grew nervous at the silence.
"Quinn, are you awake?" Michaels voice rang out, knocking on my door slightly and I sighed as I sat up and he peaked in.
"I am." I yawned, stretching slightly and I saw that there were tears in his eyes as he sniffled quietly. I pat the bed beside me and he quickly crawled onto the bed and collapsed next to me.
"Calum and I got into a fight," He whispered, a broken look on his face as he shook his head, "A real fight this time too. As in we may no longer be together."
"Q, I always mess everything up." He mumbled, and I frowned as I opened my arms and wrapped them around him, trying to comfort him the way my mother did when I was upset.
"No Michael, it's just all in your head. People fight, that's okay. It's healthy. You are not expected to be perfect in any way, especially with someone that you love."
"What was the fight about?" I asked, and he groaned as he shook his head and covered his face.
"I brought up how we haven't been spending a lot of time together, and we haven't really been since we moved into the manor." He mumbled, and I frowned as his voice cracked slightly.
"He said it's because I don't prioritize, and then he brought up the whole hookup with that one girl and it turns out he was still upset about that."
"Michael, he has a reason to be upset with that,"
"And I know that Q, but if he was upset he should have told me in the beginning instead of pretending everything was okay." He snapped, and I held up my hands as I nodded.
"You're right, he should have been honest with you from the beginning. I think the two of you just need to sit down and discuss everything that is going on."
"Quinn, I love him a lot but I feel that he isn't loving me back, or at least lately. I feel like I'm not getting anything out of it anymore."
"You don't love someone for a reward, you love them unconditionally." I whispered, rubbing his shoulder and he groaned as he shuffled slightly and turned so he was looking at me.
"For you being as young as you are, you are full of wisdom." He muttered, and I smiled as I nodded.
"All from my mother." I said, and he sighed as he nodded, "She had a beautiful soul and a wonderful mind. I adored listening to her talk about anything and everything."
"How are you and Luke?" He asked, and I smiled as I nodded.
"Not to rub it in, but I am definitely falling for him already." I said, and he smiled as he squeezed my hand gently.
"Don't worry about rubbing it in, I'm glad you have found someone and I'm glad Luke has found someone. I think you have been the best one so far."
"You are an absolutely wise girl who has a big heart, and not many of the other girls have had anything even close to that." He muttered, and I sighed as I thought about it.
"How many other girls have there been?" I asked, and he pursed his lips as he thought, before shrugging his shoulders.
"Many girls Q, I can't even remember them all. But I do know that you have been the favorite so far. Ever since Persephone left, Luke has not been the person he once was," His eyes were fluttering shut as he continued talking.
"But since you have arrived, he has been happy once more. He's laughing, playing piano, he's doing things that he has not done since she broke his heart," He yawned and closed his eyes as he curled up under the blankets more.
"You've saved him way more than he has saved you."