Eris’ P.O.V.
I paced back and forth in my chamber by myself until out of all the gods to show up, Hades came and popped in like he owned the place.
“Hello there Eris,” His smooth voice welcoming and almost charming if I didn’t find him so annoying.
“What do you want?” I snapped not in the mood.
“Ouch. I thought we were on better terms than that beautiful. I just stopped by to see how things are coming.”
I eyed him skeptically. Hades never did anything without a reason behind it. No matter how stupid it was, it was always to benefit him in the end.
“Going quite smoothly.”
“Oh really? Have you found the blade yet?” His voice was mocking like a court jester.
“I don’t possess it in my hands at this time.” Maybe he wanted to help me?
Hades came and walked to sit in a chair by the empty fireplace. With a flick of his wrist it came to life. “No. But do you think you’ll be able to find it before little Violet does? I’ll tell you, the smack down her and Zeus had yesterday was quite a show. She’s a feisty one. Say didn’t she throw the Viking into the sun?”
I breathed in a sharp breath. “How do you know about that?!”
“You would be surprised about how many people know, especially since it was Eric Northman. How is the lad doing anyway? Giving him all the attention he needs?”
I slapped Hades across the cheek before he could flash another grin. “Stop mocking me. I will win this war against that little flea. The last thing she will see before I end her will be my face!”
“Take it easy there tiger!” Hades laughed and held up his hands. “I just wanted to know.”
“I think you’re visit is done. Leave.” And so he did. For when I looked at the window and then back at where he was sitting in the chair, there was nothing.
~
Violet’s P.O.V.
I could hear the whispers of how I got my ass kicked by Zeus all over the estate the next day and night. Some were nicer than others. Some were downright sad, saying they felt sorry for me about my grandfather being such a prick. Others were just talking about how banged up I looked. However when things would get too much Caine and Max would ask them if they had something better to do like train or whatever. My two defenders never fail to put the smallest smile on my face.
After I woke up from the fight with Zeus I was in more pain from losing Ava than any of my physical injuries. My friend was brutally battered and killed by Eric. The Eric who was supposed to be at my side. The Eric who said he would face the world for me. My love. He was no longer the ancient vampire who told me I was the reason he knew he had a soul. It killed me, and killed Ava this time.
I had asked some of the vampires if they could help me dig a grave for her on the estate under a willow tree. I had remembered she told me they were her favorite once. But when I went to pick up a shovel, it wasn’t the harsh pain rippling through my arm, but Ambrose and the others of the brotherhood who told me they would do it. They said their leader needed to rest and it was an honor for them to dig, for they had all at least met Ava. And even though it was only for a brief moment in time, they could see how pure she was. I bowed my head to them in thanks and placed tiger lilies on the fresh dirt when they were done burring her.
I told everyone to leave nicely and called to max through my mind.
Max? Max you there?
Yes I’m here. Are you ok?
Can you come and just stand with me please. I don’t want to be alone.
It only took him a second to show up at my side. I didn’t hesitate to put my arms around him in a hug and he didn’t pull away, but brought me closer to him. I calmed down a little inside from inhaling my demigods’ scent. I closed my eyes and Max smoothed out my hair.
How are you going?
I don’t think I’m alright.
How are you feeling? I know it’s your- well your time of the month.
My guts and head hurt. It will pass in a few days though, so don’t take anything too personal if I sound harsh.
I’ve been around women for hundreds of years, but thank you for the warning.
I smiled at Max’s playful tone and buried my face into him chest again. The warmth I obtained from him felt so nice. It was like I was coming alive again tiny bit by tiny bit.
“Isn’t this cute. The Viking isn’t even dead and you’re making a move on her already Maximus.”
“Hades! What do you want?” Max snapped at the god. The male that stood before us was very handsome indeed but had a devilish attitude about him. His hair was brown and wavy, his skin a nice tan, his eyes were a piercing green, and he was as tall as Eric.
I let go of Max to face him. “What do you want?” I asked with a no nonsense tone.
Hades smiled slyly at me and stepped closer. I didn’t budge but Max went to stand in between us. “You don’t get the privilege to stand so close to her.” My friend’s voice was very protective and even shocked me a little bit.
“Always the same Maximus. Any who- I was just coming here to be a good member of society and to tell you Eris knows where the blade is.”
I quirked an eyebrow up, “Why are you telling us this?”
Hades gave an exaggerated puff. “Because I don’t want the world to die, duh.”
I could almost laugh at his response to me but Max wasn’t having any of it. “Do you know where it is then?”
“That I do not know. Good luck and act quick because she will.” When his lasts words left his lips he vanished and it was just Max and I standing there.
“Well this kind of sucks.” My shoulders slumped and I felt even more tired.
“What do you mean?”
Pulling my head up, I looked at Max who seemed perfectly calm now that Hades was gone. “I mean we don’t know where the blade is. Plus we gave those other two pieces of the sword to my mom and my Uncle Apollo and no one is supposed to come down here or go up there. We’re screwed. I can’t believe I’m actually saying it out loud.”
Max grabbed my shoulders and made me look him in the eye. “No we’re not. You hear me. We’re going to win this.”
~
After the night under the willow tree Max left in pursuit of the whereabouts for the blade. I asked if he wanted me to go with him. He said no, I had an army to look after. I laughed, actually laughed and told him he was right. However my period was now over and done with, but I could feel Max was in some sort of danger all the time, it made my stomach hurt and my skin heat up. After going through many ice cubes I finally just settled to hug Ambrose for a few minutes whenever it was too much. It worked like a charm.
After training with the guys for a few hours I showered, put a pair of Mickey Mouse pajama pants on with a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and had to lie down because my stomach pains were becoming too intense.
“Violet is it your stomach?” Ambrose asked coming into the bedroom. He was dressed in a white v-neck shirt with a pair of black jeans on that fit his sculpted legs perfectly.
I whispered a yes and he came to lie next to me. “I think Max is hurt, and I can now feel how sad my mom is. It’s so weird.”
“You’re burning up. Come here.” Ambrose pulled me close into his arms as we lay on the cushy bed. I could feel he wasn’t trying to be totally romantic because he was actually feeling concerned. But there was a little bit of feeling coming off of him. I sighed mentally to myself and hoped his feelings would go away.
“Sorry,” Ambrose apologized quietly to me as he stroked my arms.
“What for?” I asked sleepy.
“I’ve been around a long time Violet and I’ve only loved once, when I was alive. Then I meet you. I don’t think nothing but ‘this is the one who is supposed to save the world’? But then over time I get to know you, train beside you, and see how every good thing that has ever been spread across worlds about you is true. I therefore could not stop feelings from arising with a train. And I couldn’t help but feel your hope towards my feelings to disappear.”
My mouth fell open. “You can read and feel emotions too?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“That’s all you got from that?” Ambrose laughed deeply from his chest. “It’s my vampiric gift. Just how Eric can fly, I can feel and read emotions like you. Although I like to keep it pretty hush, hush. Please don’t repeat it my ability to anyone. The ones who do know, are the only ones that need to know.”
Just then Caine burst into the room yelling, “Violet Max is back and he’s not looking so good!”
I scrambled off of the bed but couldn’t help notice the way Caine eyed Ambrose. I pushed past them and ran down the hallway almost falling but Caine caught me. “Thanks!”
When I got to the Meeting Room Max was sitting back on a recliner chair and looking like he went through hell. Leona was putting some herby paste on a huge gash displayed on his right arm with yellow puss coming out. He coughed and swore but saw me and stopped enough to talk.
“I found it! You need to drive till you’re on the outskirts of New Orleans to a cliff. Then you need to jump off it. And you need to hurry because Eris is on her way. Maybe with a half hour lead.” When Max was done he started to cough again and Pam along with Ambrose finally joined in with Caine in the rear.
“I need to jump?” I asked scared and went to grab my friend’s hand. Max gripped my hand tight and a tear ran down my cheek.
Max reached up and whipped it away. “Don’t do that,” he ordered and I nodded. I let go of his hand and turned towards Leona and the rest of them.
“Alright let’s do this.”
Leona smiled and snapped her fingers. My pajamas disappeared and I became dressed all in black, from my new awesome leather jacket to new converse. “Thanks babe,” I winked at her and asked if she could open the portal to Caine’s house from here. Leona muttered something in Latin and the door showed up.
I, Caine, Ambrose, and Pam went through with Leona staying to take care of Max. “Be careful!” I heard her call before I shut the portal door.
“Alright we need a car-“
“I got that,” Caine smiled and we went to the garage. There stood before us was a brand new black Aston Martin. I practically drooled.
“We’re going to need a lot of weapons too,” Pam added.
“I got that too,” Caine stated and hit a small, almost unnoticeable button on his wall. The wall then flipped and out came a whole rack with every lethal thing you could think of including a jet pack with rocket fuel to fill it up.
“Holy shit!” I couldn’t help myself while Pam and Ambrose were already stalking up and putting weapons in two big black bags.
“I’ll drive,” Ambrose smiled at me while Pam put the bags in the backseat.
I turned to Caine. “I need you to stay here. You’re the leader that needs to come upfront if anything happens to us.”
Caine looked like he was objecting with his eyes but I kissed him lightly on the mouth and gave him a hug.
“Just remember she’s not yours,” I heard Pam mutter to him as I let go of Caine’s strong arms and got in the back seat so Pam and Ambrose could be in front.
Jesus Christ Pam, I sighed mentally to myself.
In seconds we were racing down the road. Everything was a blur and Ambrose was an excellent driver. Only about ten minutes later we could see a hummer racing down the road ahead of us. “There they are!” Pam called over the roar of the engine.
Ambrose put the pedal to the metal even harder and soon we were ahead of them. When I turned around I saw a pissed off Eris in the passenger while Eric was in the driver’s seat and someone else was in the backseat. “Oh shit!” I hissed and saw Eris send an energy ball towards our car.
“Ambrose move to the right!” Pam yelled so we could dodge the attack.
“Alright this bitch is going to get a taste of her own medicine!” I proclaimed and told Pam to switch with me so I could get to the roof of the car.
I had to grip the window tight after rolling it down and climbed up to the roof of the car. “Violet hold on tight, I’m going to have to make a turn to the right!” Ambrose called up to me. As I laid sprawled, face first on the room of the car, my hands gripped the sides of the car so tight I thought my fingers might fall off.
“Ahhh!” I screeched to myself and finally stood up a little bit so I could throw a fireball at the huge hummer.
Soon it was an all out war. Pam was busy shooting the other person with every bullet in our bags she packed while the guy fired right back. Eris and I were throwing power and fire balls faster than a dodge ball tournament, and Eric and Ambrose were racing towards the finishing line. Sadly that would be the huge cliff only a courter of a mile ahead of us.
“Ambrose I need you to step on it!” I hollered and dodged another energy ball.
“The cliff is coming Violet! You’re going to have to jump soon!” Pam warned me.
Violet you need to jump now! Leona called to me in my head and I told her, I know! Thanks!
It was like in slow motion. As Ambrose reared the car to a halt I flung myself over the edge. My lungs caught in my throat, my heart stopped, and I saw Eris jump too out of the corner of my eye. While staring ahead of me and screaming like a little girl, I saw a circular shape shimmer. I knew it was the portal and stretched my hand out as I fell fast.
“It has to be me!” I gritted through my teeth and Eris screamed in protest as I touched it first.
I landed after doing a summersault on a stone cold floor. I turned my head and saw white columns were in every corner, torches lines the walls to bring light into the room, and I saw my mom sitting on a chair looking dumb struck at me.
“Violet?!”
“Mom!” I couldn’t believe it and got up to run over to her.
She pulled me into her arms and we held tight to each other. “Honey what is going on? How did you get in here?!”
I let go of my mom and explained about how I was supposed to go through the portal to get the blade. “And then I ended up in here where I guess the blade is sup-“ I stopped to see a sword in the corner of the room sitting on a small table.
“Violet?” My mom looked me in the eyes and asked if I was ok. I looked at her, and then the sword again.
“Oh my god, now it makes. Why not disguise the blade. Give it to the goddess who was meant for war. Mom, that’s you’re sword isn’t it?” I asked and walked over to it.
“Yes that’s mine. I don’t- oh my-“
I touched the blade and it started to glow. “It’s the final piece. Mom, this is it.”