CHAPTER SEVEN.
( A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD )
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ATHENA couldn't believe how naive she had been. Normally, the girl could easily come to a conclusion about her wandering thoughts. This time, however, she let the familiarity of Clary Fray slip away like water through her fingers.
Athena grabbed her phone off of the oak dresser next to her bed and glanced at the time. 3:00 in the morning. She knew that it was too early, and that Clary was probably sleeping, but she felt the need to tell the girl.
Eventually, she decided to send the fierce redhead a simple text depicting of where Clary was to meet her. She gave no details as to why she wanted to meet the girl. Instead, she went straight to the point. Athena felt like the girl could use some explaining after all she had been through.
Admittedly, the blonde was a bit nervous about the whole meet up. The many things that could go wrong sifted through her brain, driving the girl insane. She suddenly reached for her phone, wanting to send Clary a short message about how she had other plans. Her fingertips grazed the cold metal surface of the phone before snatching her hand away.
Athena wondered if Jocelyn would even want Clary to know many of the things that she was yearning to tell her. Yet, Jocelyn was in a coma, and Athena felt that the girl did need answers. Something to make her life make more sense.
So, she snatched up her coat and pulled it over her pale shoulders, embracing the warmth the coat brought to her. She raised her hands, making a Portal to where Clary was to meet her.
-
THE leaves crunched against Athena's worn combat boots as she made her way towards a faded yellow bench in the middle of Battery Park. She glanced at the water, small waves rippling across it in the cold New York breeze. She sighed, thinking of everything that had gone right the past few days.
She wanted to latch onto something good that had happened, instead of focusing on the bad. That was all Athena ever did. The thoughts swallowed Athena whole, dragging her into endless self-loathing. She pounded her pale hands against her forehead, trying to rid herself of the impending dark thoughts.
That was when she thought of Isabelle. Isabelle made her feel like herself, not the detached version, but the self that was all bright smiles and kind words. Yet, Athena felt as if she should stay away from the girl. Loving her would surely end in Isabelle's demise, because all Athena ever brought along with her was death.
She could not bear to imagine Isabelle's death. Robert and Maryse would surely have her head if they ever found out she had brought upon Isabelle's death. She also had kissed Isabelle, and the Shadowhunters didn't think highly of their kind loving someone of the same gender.
Yes, it was probably best to stay away from the raven haired girl.
Athena looked up to see Clary's bright red curls bouncing as she walked. Clary made eye contact with the blonde and gave her a bright smile. Athena admired that the girl could smile when everything was so confusing for her.
"What did you want to see me for?" Clary asked, worry laced in her tone.
"There's something you should probably know," Athena stated. She was trying to come up with how to tell her, without revealing too much. After all, the blonde did not want to make Jocelyn Fray angry. She decided to keep it simple.
"I knew you once. When you were just a baby," Athena stated. Her lips curled into a faint smile as she thought of Clary's gurgling laughter and fiery red hair.
Clary furrowed her eyebrows and placed herself onto the bench next to Athena. Athena patted the girl's shoulder and walked away, as that was all she had to say. Little did Athena know, that if she told Clary how she knew her, it would help them to find Jocelyn.
-
ATHENA couldn't believe the news she had been told upon arriving back at Magnus's apartment. How could Isabelle have done such a thing? It was practically cheating, although the two were never together in the first place.
She had been sitting on Magnus's plush couch, ranting about how much she adored Isabelle. Magnus's face was drawn together with a look of confusion, and she couldn't figure out why. That was when Magnus told her that Isabelle was sleeping with Meliorn. She decided to deal with that problem in the morning, and headed off to bed to get some much needed sleep.
-
ATHENA awoke to the sound of her phone's shrill beeping, alerting her of a text message. She slid her finger across the glass screen and saw a text from Isabelle. She sighed, sending a text back and making her way to the Institute.
Upon arriving, Isabelle wrapped Athena into a warm embrace. Athena pushed the girl away and gave her a confused look. Isabelle grabbed her pale hand and led her to the group of Shadowhunters she had become familiar with in the past week. Hodge, Jace, Alec, and Clary sat crowded around a wooden table placed in front of a large computer on the wall. A picture of Magnus rested upon the monitor.
"Magnus Bane. He's over 300 years old. And, as you can see, he's not exactly shied away from the pleasures of every century. His tastes are both exquisite... and quite excessive," Hodge said. As he did this, various pictures of Magnus throughout his life appeared on the screen. Athena glanced at them in confusion, possible answers swirling around in her head.
Athena furrowed her eyebrows. "Why are we talking about Magnus Bane?"
"Clary believes he's the one who stole her memories," Jace stated.
Athena mashed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. She knew the redheaded girl was right, but she was silently resigned. She didn't know whether or not Jocelyn would want Clary to know about the Shadow World.
"He looks like Downworld's David Guetta," Clary scoffed.
"Guetta's already a Downworlder. Vampire? Ever seen him in the daylight?" Isabelle said, eyebrows raised. She winked at the redhead.
"Can you two focus? This is not a joke," Alec demanded. He glared at his sister and turned back to the expansive screen on the wall. Athena giggled and placed herself atop the wooden table.
"Someone needs to get slayed," Isabelle laughed.
"Alec's right. Now, Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known. He's in deep mistrust of Shadowhunters," Hodge stated, flipping through more images of Magnus.
"Well then why did he help my mom remove my memories? Isn't she a Shadowhunter?" Clary asked.
"Maybe because he's a genuinely nice person. Does kindness ring a bell?" Athena asked the redhead. A smug smirk played on her lips as Clary scoffed.
"Yes, one of the best. But 'help' might not be the most accurate word. Now, did Magnus provide a service for Jocelyn? Perhaps. But more than likely, your mother paid Magnus handsomely for his magic," Hodge suggested. His intense gaze rested on Clary, eyes dancing over her own for a sign of remembrance. There was none.
"Warlocks usually require payment before they help anyone with anything," Jace stated. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes hardened.
"Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them," Alec offered. His voice held a tone of authority. Athena admired the raven haired boy for sticking with the law. After all, The Covenant's motto is sed lex dura lex. The Law is hard, but it is the Law.
"I was supposed to be in hiding until your sister dragged me out," Athena grumbled, mouth set in a firm line. The girl certainly didn't want to be in the room with these Shadowhunters, but if they needed help, she would help them.
"Valentine must be searching for the warlock, where did Jocelyn..." Hodge started. The rune on his neck began searing, causing Hodge to grunt and place his hands on the wooden table for stability.
"Hodge, your rune. Are you okay?" Clary asked nervously, an attribute of her caring personality. "So, how do we find Magnus?" Clary continued after making sure Hodge was alright.
"We don't. Magnus finds us. We'll set up a meeting, somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding," Jace states. He's gone full Shadowhunter mode, arms folded and face determined.
"And I know exactly where we do it," Izzy stated, jumping off of the table and grabbing the tablet out of Hodge's hands. She gracefully danced her fingers across the screen, pulling up an invitation to a Downworld rave. Izzy, being quite the party animal, was bound to know this information. This was one thing she and Magnus had in common.
Athena pursed her lips and leaned back against the table. She could easily get the demon hunters to Magnus, without all of the extra work, but it was fun to watch them figure the situation out on their own.
Hodge chuckled as Izzy placed the image on the screen as Jace said, "A Downworld Rave. Nice, Izzy."
"And where'd you get that?" Alec asked his raven haired sister. He seemed to disapprove of Izzy's solution, as Alec always did.
Athena was beginning to become unnerved. She was fidgeting with her hands, forcing herself not to reveal that she lives with Magnus Bane. The sentence threatened to spill through her mashed lips. She pursed her lips to the greatest extent and leaned back into the table.
"During my surveillance of the Downworlders," Izzy stated, lips spread into a smile as she smugly shrugged her shoulders. "From what I hear, Magnus likes to party."
"He'll never go for it. Not with Valentine trying to kill him," Alec remarked. Athena sighed. Of course he would go for it, he's Magnus Bane, he'd never pass up a rave.
"Of course he will. He'll blend in. Hide in plain sight," Jace continued, backing Izzy up.
"I don't know it seems-" Clary started. She closed her mouth and crossed her arms as soon as Izzy interrupted her.
"Trust me. If Magnus is coming out of hiding, he's going to one of the biggest parties of the year," Isabelle stated.
"Never underestimate Magnus's hedonism," Hodge said, while facing Clary, then he turned to Izzy, "or his greed."
Isabelle smiled, cocking her head to the side to prove that she was right. The group began to disperse as Hodge said, "Come with me."
Hodge led the group to a tile on the ground that had a rune placed on it. He began to trace his stele along the lines of the rune, the stele burning as it went. Upon finishing, he lifted the marble tile off of the floor to reveal a ruby necklace.
Athena sucked in a breath. This was the necklace he had bought Camille many years ago. Athena remember Magnus and Camille's fling, it did not end well.
The group stared down at Hodge as he gently took the shining ruby necklace out of its encasement under the tile.
Isabelle fixated her eyes on the ruby, raising her eyebrows. "Is that real?" She asked in astonishment.
"A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby," Hodge said, lifting it up to show the group. Clary's eyes wandered to the necklace in amazement.
"And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane as it was a gift from him to his then lover, Camille Belcourt," Hodge continued.
"What, Camille and Magnus were lovers?" Clary asked.
"Warlock gets around," Jace said in admiration. Athena scoffed, this was ridiculous, she wanted out of the Institute.
Clary smiled over at Jace.
"Magnus bought it in 1857 for the price of his London townhouse," Hodge informed the group. Isabelle smiled at the necklace, her fashion sense kicking in.
"Now, the jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer of demons," He continued.
Isabelle picked up the dangling ruby from the end of the chain and began stroking it. "It's so beautiful."
"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace. Offer it to him. He might just take the bait," Hodge said as he gestured to the necklace.
Athena scoffed, "You're basically blackmailing him."
"I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting. We have to get to Magnus before Valentine does," Jace said as he began to leave the room.
Athena sighed and left too, going off into a corner of the Institute where no one would find her.
-
ATHENA had been sitting there for almost an hour before anyone had shown up. Luck must have been on her side for it to be Isabelle who did.
"Go away," Athena urged. Isabelle didn't listen and placed herself next to Athena on the frigid onyx tile.
Athena really didn't want to be anywhere near Isabelle, or any of the Shadowhunters for that matter. She didn't want to help them anymore, but if Magnus agreed to the fire message Jace was sending, she had to.
"Why are you so mad at me?" Isabelle asked. She ran her fingers along Athena's emerald skin, and Athena quickly jerked her arm away from the Lightwood girl.
"You know why," Athena vaguely answered. She was hurt. How could Isabelle lead her on like this? She used to be happy to be with the Shadowhunters, but now she just wanted to get away from them.
Isabelle's face held a look of confusion and Athena sighed. "One word. Meliorn," Athena said. She pushed herself off of the floor but before she could begin departing, Isabelle grasped her arm.
"Athena, wait!"
Athena wrenched her arm out of Isabelle's grasp and made her way to the front doors, Isabelle trailing behind her. She tossed her blonde hair to the side and turned to look at Isabelle, a look of hostility on her face. "I'm going back home, you can call me when you go to the rave," Athena stated.
-
SHE never thought she was beautiful. In fact, she never paid attention to her looks. Yet, as she stood in front of the gleaming mirror in her room, she felt gorgeous. It was a good feeling. It made her feel fuzzy inside and it distracted her from the fact that she was about to go to a Downworld rave with the Shadowhunters.
She stared at the golden dress she was wearing and traced her fingers along the rough fabric. The dress dipped down between her breasts, revealing more of her emerald skin than she deemed necessary. It reached about mid-thigh and definitely wouldn't provide any warmth from the harsh conditions of New York.
She sighed as she ran her fingers along the glass screen of her phone, absentmindedly checking for a text from Isabelle for what seemed like the millionth time in the past hour. For the first time, however, a message was actually displayed on the bright screen.
She scrambled away from the mirror and shoved her golden heels onto her tiny feet and made her way towards the door. Before she made it through the door frame, she spun on her heel to turn back and grab something. She snatched a metallic knife off of the countertops and shoved it inside her bra, in case of an emergency.
-
ATHENA was whisked off to the location the rave was taking place at as soon as she stepped foot into the Institute. She, Alec, and Izzy had secured the perimeter and were soon back with Jace and Clary in front of the packed club.
The place was crawling with vampires, among other Downworlders, and Athena felt overwhelmed. Her heart was frantically thumping against her chest as they made it closer to the bustling club. The loud music thumped through the walls of the building and it was beginning to make Athena's head ache.
She glanced over at Izzy, who was wearing a dazzling argent dress, along with a shiny matching headpiece that contrasted perfectly with her jet black hair. The dress had an open back, showing off Izzy's tan skin.
Athena was trying to keep her eyes off of the girl, as she was still vexed about the situation that occurred earlier that day. Isabelle was continuously staring at Athena, too, and she was beginning to get annoyed. She clenched her tiny emerald fists as tightly as she could and tried to ignore the girl.
"Do you think red's my color?" Isabelle asked the two girls next to her. Athena scoffed and blatantly ignored the girl, while Clary turned towards Isabelle and smiled.
"Iz, with a body like yours, everything's your color," Clary confided. Athena put a faux smile upon her pink lips and lightly bobbed her head to agree with Clary.
"You make a good point," Isabelle sighed. "Damn, I make this necklace look so good." She traced her fingers along the Burmese ruby at her neck as she uttered the words. Athena couldn't deny the fact that she looked amazing, but she wasn't going to give Isabelle the satisfaction.
"Will you take it off? I'm sure Magnus Bane doesn't want drool on his ruby when we make the exchange," Alec grunted at his identical sister walking beside him.
Athena chuckled at the statement, as Isabelle cracked a smile at Alec's words. "You know, I wouldn't be so sure. Most men like it when I admire their jewels."
"Men like Meliorn?" Athena mumbled to Izzy, who tossed her a slight smirk. She didn't particularly like the fey, and this made her hatred for them grow stronger. They could never fib, but they always found their way around the truth without fully lying.
Isabelle giggled at the game she was playing with her brother. As confident as ever, Athena thought.
"Will you just give it to Jace?" Alec asked, annoyed at his sister's shenanigans.
"You're such a buzzkill," she laughed. She gently unclasped the chain from around her neck and handed it over to Jace, who took it from her grasp.
The group entered the club, abuzz with activity. Green and pink lights illuminated the faces of all of the Downworlders in the room, swaying along to the loud techno music blaring throughout. They gently wove their way through the dancing bodies, finding their way to Magnus Bane.
Confetti danced its way around their bodies as they made their way deeper into the bustling club. "Blend in. Keep your weapons ready," Jace warned them as they continued to weave through.
Out of the corner of her eye, Athena spotted the warlock sitting at a table, applying more makeup to his tan face. The group made their way towards him as Jace yelled, "Magnus!"
He looked their way, eyebrows raised as he spotted Athena. Don't ask, she mouthed to him. He nodded his head as he stood up from the chair he was placed in.
"Clary Fairchild," he announced. Clary made her way towards the raven-haired warlock, who looked her up and down before resting his eyes on her face.
"You've grown into a beautiful young woman."
"Magnus Bane," Clary scoffed, "so you're the one who stole my memories." Her fierce gaze held venom in it, eyes shooting daggers at Magnus.
"At your mother's request. She knew the risk," he said, pointing at the redheaded Fairchild girl.
Athena stood awkwardly in the background among Alec and Izzy, who both watched the exchange between the two.
"Show me the jewelry, Shadowhunter," Magnus said, holding out his hand to the blonde Shadowhunter in front of him. He raised his eyebrows, silently daring Jace to not give him the necklace that belonged to his ex lover. Jace took out the beautiful ruby and dangled the chain in front of the warlock.
Magnus smiled, reaching out for the necklace, but Jace pulled it away from his searching hands before he could grasp it. "Ooh, give Clary back her memories, and you get the jewelry," Jace offered. Magnus glared at the blonde.
"I have to confirm its authenticity." Magnus smirked as he beckoned Jace to give him the necklace.
"Amor verus numquam moritur. True love cannot die," Magnus read aloud from the necklace. Magnus heaved a sigh and continued, "Oh, how I've missed this jewel."
Clary sighed, getting annoyed at how long this was taking. "Now it's your turn to pay up," she barked at Magnus.
Magnus widened his eyes and stared at Clary. "I wish I could retrieve your memories, but I no longer have them."
"What? Where are they?" Clary asked in bewilderment. She tossed her head back and forth between Magnus and Jace, alarmed at the turn the conversation took.
Athena began to make her way next to Magnus. "He fed them to a memory demon for safekeeping," she said. Jace looked slightly alarmed that she knew this information. He looked at her in bewilderment, muttering something along the lines of "we'll talk about this later."
Jace looked back at Magnus with fire in his eyes. "Why the hell would you do that?"
"To protect Clary and the Cup. If Valentine ever captured me, he could torture Clary's memories out of me. Just like he tortured Dot," Magnus explained.
Clary's eyes widened at the mention of her friend. She looked at Magnus with alarm and said, "Tortured? Wait is Dot okay?"
Magnus furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the red haired girl. "You don't know?" Magnus guiltily casted his eyes down at the dirty club floor. "Dot is dead."
Athena yelped, unaware of this news. She wiped away a tear that gently trailed down her face.
Clary shook her head side to side, not wanting to believe the information that she had just been told. "What? How do you know?"
"I can't feel her magic anymore."
Athena searched her mind for any sign of the girl's magic. She tried to rid her head of all of the current events and focus on Dot. She focused on everything that made Dot herself. Yet, there seemed to be nothing.
Clary gasped, a few tears sliding down her pale skin. "Valentine killed her because she would not betray your mother," Magnus explained.
She shook her head again, carrot colored hair flying around her face. "Oh my god."
"Come with me, Clary," Magnus said, stretching a hand out to the mourning girl. "My lair can offer you protection no Shadowhunter ever could."
Clary scoffed, thinking the man crazy. She raised her voice an octave and yelled, "No, I'm not going anywhere with you!"
"Don't be a fool. Your mother would want you to live," Magnus retaliated, shaking his head at the girl. Athena glared at Magnus. The girl would be just fine with the Shadowhunters.
"Then help me get my memories back from whatever demon you gave them to," she ranted to the man. Athena placed her hand on the girl's back and rubbed it, calming her down.
"Valentine is hunting you, too. And every moment we're outside my lair's protection is a moment Valentine gets closer to finding us," he yelled. He turned away from the girl and summoned up an electric blue ball of energy, throwing it into the air. The ball transformed into a magnificent violet portal, likely to transport him to his lair.
He offered a hand to Clary. "Come with me." Clary looked to Jace for advice and he shook his head.
Magnus rolled his eyes. "I won't offer again."
Clary began to shake her head, words forming on her pink lips. "No. No, I won't hide from my problems, and neither should you."
"Look out!" a woman shouted at the group. An arrow whizzed through the air towards them, and Athena sidestepped out of the path of the arrow, narrowly avoiding injury. The arrow slid its way into the cavity of a man's chest as he fell to the floor.
-
a/n: I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter! If you're wondering why Athena thinks Jocelyn wouldn't want Clary to know any of the stuff about her life, it's because she hasn't spoken to Jocelyn recently and doesn't know that Jocelyn tried to tell her, considering Jocelyn wanted a block on Clary's memory anyway. i'm really considering quitting this book because i have had zero motivation to write lately hhh, if you would like me to keep it please tell me!!