The Original Witch lights a thick strand of sage on fire with her magic as she awaits for her guest to meet her. Within a few minutes, her eldest son, dressed up in an exquisite suit, opens the doors to the private study, allowing a brunette to cautiously walk in. The girl looks at Esther, the one who requested her presence, and then to the herb in her hands with skepticism.
Esther quickly notes the questioning look on the girl's face. "It's only sage. I've spelled it so we can speak freely without fear of being overheard." Esther looks to her son, "That will be all Finn, thank you." He nods his head obediently before slipping out, closing the doors firmly behind him.
"You must have a million questions for me, Elena. Please," she gestures for Elena to come join her, setting the sage down on the table before her. Elena's extravagant ballroom gown ruffles as she makes her way over to Klaus Mikaelson's mother, the one who is apparently the secret weapon to end Klaus once and for all.
The pair sits down on the ornately furnished couch as Elena lets her curiosity get the better of her, "How are you alive? Are you a ghost or?"
"Not exactly. When I died, the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine, an ancestor of your friend Bonnie."
Elena's gaze focuses away from the witch in thought as she takes in the new information, "So that's why only Bonnie and her mother could open up the casket."
Esther locks eyes with the key to her spell, finishing Elena's thought, "They complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the other side."
It's clear that the Original Witch has a lot of power and connections with the magic around her, both in this world and the other side where those are stuck in a limbo of sorts. She's not someone you want as an enemy, something Elena realizes instantaneously.
More questions surface for the human doppelgänger, "So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?" It was a long time to be stuck, unable to pass on and having to live with the consequences of one's actions.
"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires, but there is a way for me to undo the evil I created."
Elena breathes out upon realization of what Esthers plan is and reason for seeking her presence, "You're going to help us kill Klaus aren't you?"
Esther responds back with an ominous, yet strong tone, "One thing at a time, Elena."
The witch moves towards the table, lighting a candle in the center of it, "I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family, how I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."
"She said you did it to protect them from the werewolves."
Esther brings her head up for a moment and jumps into a deep rooted memory, thinking back to what it was like for her entire family to be human. When nature was balanced and not angry with her. "It's true. But in no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually Niklaus turned against me."
Elena lets out a deep breath that she had been holding and inches closer, "How are you going to kill him? He's immortal," she states matter of factly.
The witch fully turns her attention to the human, "It will take time, magic, and assistance from you and someone I think will take interest to this peculiar case."
Lighting two dozen candles around the room, Esther rises up confidently as she begins quietly speaking with her eyes sealed shit, " I call on you, Goddess of Mischief and Ruin. Atë, we summon you here to aid our mission, our goal. We ask you to please lend us your knowledge and power to set forth in motion, a way to undo my mistake from a thousand years ago."
At the announcement of a goddess, Elena lifts herself from the seated position, "A goddess? That can't be real...can it?"
Esther pauses the summoning briefly and with a hint of frustration in her voice speaks, "Why of course. Just as the tales of witches, werewolves, and vampires to be true, the same can be said for gods and goddesses."
"Who exactly is this goddess?"
"She is strong, not a force to be reckoned with. It's been told that she was banished from Mount Olympus and has caused trouble on Earth ever since. Many call to her seeking revenge or ruin, but no one ever remembers their encounters." After silencing the doppelgänger, she returns to calling out for Atë for a few minutes with no response.
Elena notices nothing happening and interrupts again, "I don't think she's coming...are you sure this goddess actually appears to people?"
Esther breaks her train of thought to look at the human, this time much more frustrated with her inability to remain quiet for a few minutes. "Yes but she is however, selective of who she appears to. I just need to convince her somehow."
Taking a deep breath and recentering herself for the third time, the witch carefully alters her words and tone, "My plan is beautifully destructive, a complexity that only a being of your caliber can appreciate and take part in. Has any other god ever taken down an immortal being on Earth before?"
She's silent for a moment before she senses the presence of another in the room, causing her to open her eyes to come face to face with a beautiful girl, no older than twenty something in appearance, gazing at her with wicked interest. She stands with a poise and elegance that no one else can match, with a rebellious glint in her dark brown eyes. Elena peers on, in a state of shock that an actual goddess might be in the room with her.
Atë smirks at the doppelganger's lingering stare and returns her focus to the one who summoned her, "Esther Mikaelson, we meet again."
Over a thousand years ago, the witch did indeed summon the goddess when the werewolf she had an affair with's brother killed her youngest son. She sought revenge greater than what she could do as a witch. Atë obliged, happy to create a dark, cold, and lonely world where the werewolf would reside forever with torments of his actions playing on repeat.
Despite Esther calling on the Goddess of Mischief and Ruin once upon a time, she has no memory of what Atë looked or sounded like. Atë made sure no one would recognize her and would attempt to abuse her powers or her sometimes uncontrollable desire to mess with things. While she was a godly figure, she knew there had to be a way to exploit even those who seem untouchable.
The goddess speaks again in a taunting tone, "Trying to kill your son this time? I have to say, that's dark, even for me." She strolls around the edges of room before wandering up to the human with conviction, "A doppelgänger, how rare." The goddess picks up a strand of Elena's perfectly curled brown hair, as Elena holds her breath at the sudden contact, before proceeding in circling the witch. "What exactly do you wish of me this time?"
Esther walks over to the table to begin explaining and offering some context, "My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion but in truth, I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the doppelgänger, only a drop. It's essence will be in the champagne toast later on this evening." Esther picks up a sharp knife, cleaning it off with a dark linen cloth, before glancing at the human. "Will you do it or shall I?"
Atë, already feeling a bit impatient with this summoning, quickly holds out her hand, causing the knife to land in it within a second. "How about I partake in the fun?" The goddess appears in front of Elena, dragging the knife slowly across her hand in a tantalizing way. Elena grimaces as the sharp blade cuts into her skin to draw blood but allows Esther to guide the blood over a cup.
"Now, is this where I come in?" The brunette rests her chin on the palm of hand feigning boredom, waiting for the chaos to ensue.
Esther nods her head, "With the blood of a goddess, this spell will become finite, unable to be broken by any means."
The cryptic goddess lets out a laugh upon hearing the witch's request. "There is no way in Hell, and I mean this very literally, that you are using my blood for this spell. I can't risk a witch being able to utilize my capabilities and status." Atë doesn't trust a single soul, and isn't going to start with a witch attempting to rid the Earth of all her children, despite Elena only thinking the target is Klaus.
A blank look appears on Esther's face, almost surprised to be immediately turned down by the goddess. Atë quickly introduces her own plan, "How about I instead work my magic," she emphasizes the word magic with a dark giggle, "to make sure that all of your children become linked. That is your plan right? To kill them all."
An unwavering shock flashes across Elena's innocent face, not having realized yet that the Original mother was planning to take down not only Klaus, but all of the Mikaelson children. She looks to Esther for answers, urging the witch to answer. "You said yourself, Klaus can't be killed but tonight's spell links all of my children together so that if one goes, they all go."
"What?" Elena asks in disbelief, already worrying for Elijah, the noble brother, the only one she respects.
Atë smirks deviously at this, loving the dysfunction of the Original family already and how it affects so many others. Esther quips, "I love my family Elena, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."
"Technically you betrayed Gaea, Goddesses of nature, but do continue." She makes her way to the couch, deciding to watch on as Esther completes her spell without the extra security of her blood.
Finn knocks on the door, signaling that their time is up. Esther's attention turns to Elena, "Go join the others but you mustn't speak a word of our talk." Elena nods unsurely and exits the room, her eyes lingering at the goddess still standing there. "And Atë, you will guarantee that my children become linked as one?"
Atë quickly transforms her outfit into a ravishing black strapless gown and allows her hair to fall freely down her back. "With a bit of fun, yes." The goddess turns on her heels, leaving Esther to stand with concern about what the goddess is capable of. She is not a trustworthy one and only seeks to do what was best for her own entertainment. There is no telling what she has planned for the night.