The day wears off, somehow the sky has turned dark and gloomy again. Stench of death, along with strange atmosphere are hovering in the air. The school will be closed until further notice, students who reside on Earth and outside of Crimson Cove are sent back home. The dormitory building will be used as shelters for survivors. Werewolves of Io forest only allow those with wolf blood to take shelter with them for as long as they need to; no humans, vampires, even witches are allowed to enter their territory.
Love sits by The Happy Prince statue, staring down at her grimoire. People are already packing up and walking toward the Pier Marketplace to either catch a boat back to their homeland, or the Ancient gate to return to Earth. She glances back everytime, feeling as if someone is watching over her, but nobody's there- just a gush of cold wind.
'How to shrink a giant tree' Love wanted to write on a new page, her hand shakes a little. But instead, her fingers move to write, 'how to be LESS of a disappointment'
"Whatever the hell are you still doing here? Pack up, a family needs your room," Setsuna suddenly jumps to sit next to Love, "thinking of saving Crimson Cove again?" She peeks on to her grimoire.
Love closes it shut, darting her eyes toward Setsuna's curious face, "saving the dryad, actually. She's still alive."
"She's a tree!"
"Oh, yeah, that's a valid excuse not to cut her down." Love rolls her eyes, "so, you're a vampy, aren't you? You can mind control people with a vampiric power?"
Setsuna stares at her, deadpanned, "that's a freaking myth."
"But can you?"
"No, I can't. Why do you ask?"
Shrugging, Love turns around to ignore her again. The wind blows harder this time, causing her hair to fly in all directions. "Why are you defending the land you know nothing about anyway? Is it to hide something from your past, or... worse, make up something you did? Play a hero?"
Twinge of pain can be felt on Love's chest, "I don't even believe in heroes. Why would I play as one?"
"I don't know. But those who play a hero ends up having selfish reasons."
"Depends on how you define selfish." She puts her grimoire back in to her tote bag, "anyways, toodles! I need to pack and meet Laveau. Aren't you coming home?"
Setsuna stares ahead for awhile, a hint of disgust can be seen in her eyes, "Crimson is my home."
"Oh," Love finds herself fiddling with her fingers as Setsuna answered so. Her aura somewhat turned dark and unfriendly. "Okay. Well," she gets up from the bench, "good luck?"
"Sure."
Love puts a coin on the statue as a way to show her appreciation for the beautiful art. Statues, sculptures are all inanimate objects- but somehow, Love can feel just how alive they actually are. Fragile, but alive.
****
Love and Levi are standing right outside of Laveau's office. Levi constantly running her hand over her braids, while Love is managing some jewelries on Mark Antony's neck. Sure, people were staring when Love walked around with a head sculpture on her arm; but Love already swore to the Universe that Mark Antony will be the one she takes to the grave with.
"Why are you idolizing him so much?" Levi groans when Love, once again, clipped some earrings on his solid ears.
"Are you asking why?" Love asks as she takes off some of her necklaces to be put on the head sculpture's neck instead. "A loyal lieutenant of JC, a man who just wants to have fun and get drunk! If I ever feel stupid in a situation, I always put myself in the same level as him, and I wouldn't feel as bad-because you know what? he made bad decisions too!"
"Yep, tell that to the Gallics."
"Hey, that was partly his fault." Love raises her brows stubbornly, "anyways, I just find comfort in his character. He's one of the most flawed humans in history. I like people with flaws."
Levi chuckles. She rests her side by the doorway as she eyes the head sculpture on Love's arm, "who's next in your collection?"
"The Happy Prince."
"No, if you were to go to an art exhibit tomorrow and there were rows of head sculptures. Who would you pick?"
Love thinks for a moment. A particular statue pops in her head instantly, the one she has always wanted to have, "Achilles." She smiles.
"Oh, my god, the size of our house in NOLA! Parents would kill you."
Love shrugs, "the one where he's dying!"
"What are you twins bickering about so late at night?" Laveau opens the door to her office, she narrows her eyes at both the identical twins and also, Mark Antony's head sculpture in Love's arm. Laveau sighs, "come on in. I just can't catch a break, can I?"
Seeing Laveau's messy hair, disarrayed clothings, Love raises her brows in confusion, "you know, we can come back later-"
"Oh, no, no, absolutely not." She gestures for the twins to come in. They obeyed. "It's important that we speak of your travel to Gardenia now. You two better be glad I did not mention any of these to the royals, otherwise, they will have my head."
"Why?" Love sits down on the comfortable chair, "it's their fault, you know. They see the worst in everything. They can't come up with better solutions to protect their citizens."
"Fate of being led by a monarch. What the royal think is right, the whole land gets the consequences."
"I don't believe in fate." Love says.
"And that's on you," Laveau pours herself a black coffee into a small cup before mixing it with some herbs. "Now, what have you two prepared so far? I know I have said before that I would help with your preparations, but given the circumstances, I'm afraid I could only help you open the portal and some self-defense techniques."
"Voodou techniques?" Levi asks.
"Exactly."
"Heck yes!" She yelps excitedly, "I've been waiting for this moment to come. How come you haven't opened the Voodou class yet?"
"Lev, it's a closed practice."
"Yeah, I know. It's still interesting to learn though, it's not like we'd be using Voodou for fun. Besides, we'd be learning it from the descendant of Marie Laveau herself."
Laveau sips the coffee calmly, "it's to help you protect yourselves against the whatever blood magick crap they have in Gardenia right now. The woodlands, they can be deadly."
"I hope the 'techniques' does not involve us having to kill them."
"No, more like stun them until you find better place to hide."
Levi pulls out her journal. Love's too lazy to reach for her grimoire now that she is holding Mark Antony's head sculpture. "What about the portal?" Levi asks.
"Just find a mirror, or a painting that you think may have a history with the past." Laveau says. Love wides her eyes at the mention of a painting. "But I do recommend the mirror. As historical paintings have affiliations with the past times, they most likely will accidentally take you to the era where the situation in the painting took place."
Love sits up, joy and butterflies fill her insides. "I can meet Mark Antony?!" She shrieks.
Levi sighs, already knowing where the conversation will go. Laveau gets up from the seat to approach the big mirror stood by one of the bookshelves. "You mean the head?" Laveau asks.
"Yes!"
She sighs deeply, "come on, children, let's try to get you home without using the Ancient gate. Shall we?"
Love and Levi get up from their seats. But then Love remembers, she remembers she needs to take the tree with her. "Wait, but we need to save the dryad." She steps back a little.
"The King and Queen have stated-"
"Oh, I am not going to listen to them." Love chuckles, "she's still alive, just hibernating. I just need to do something to help her."
"Love," Levi steps forward, "once they find out it's you, you would get imprisoned or whatever the hell they usually do to criminals. You'd be doing crimes!"
"You think I'm a criminal for wanting to save a dryad from her death?"
"She would not die in vain, she would be used to rebuild the houses."
"Used?!" Love steps away even further, "how would you feel if your skulls and flesh are used to re-build houses?"
Levi steps forward, furrowing her brows, "they are different. They are dryads, for God's sakes."
"Exactly, they still have souls. They worship Artemis, their Goddess and Queen."
"Love, just stop already. We are talking about risky situation here, you could have lost your privilege to even step a foot in Crimson Cove, which also means that you would have gotten expelled from Belhonor. Do you want that?"
"No! But she's just- you know what? You go home, I will stay here until I find a way to return her back to Gardenia."
Laveau raises her brows, impressed just as how determined the young woman before her is. "All right, girls," she steps forward, "it is not possible to move a dryad when they are in their hibernation form. Multiple studies of Woodlands Creatures and Dryads themselves have stated that when a dryad is old enough to become rooted to the ground, the only way to remove them is to cut them down."
Love clutches the head sculpture even tighter on her side.
"In this case, we don't have the power to help the hibernated dryad in central town. Yes, she is alive, but all dryads have the ability to grow back when we we can find a piece of their root and plant it somewhere... safer for them." Laveau smiles, "Ms. Phoenix, I believe that even Artemis herself knows that Lady Fate does exist and everyone has their own. And I do believe your intention is pure and good, but you cannot control the fate."
Love shakes her head. She does see the point of Laveau's speech, and a little voice in her mind said that Laveau and Levi are right, but part of her wants to know what would have happened if she wasn't so completely clueless.
"Okay," Love finally sighs, "as long as we can replant her."
"Of course we can. That's my plan all along."
"You mean, your plant all along." Love corrects Laveau with a smile on her face.
"Love." Levi whines in disappointment, "just get your stubborn ass over here."
Love eventually walks forward, a pressure on her shoulders are lifted just a slight bit. The mirror before them is huge, tall. It increases the possibility of humans to walk through without any difficulty.
"Are we finished with the bickering?" Laveau asks, raising her brows at Love.
She nods her head, "yeah."
"Okay." She turns around to face the mirror, "now, mind you, if any of us were of Fae descendants, we were able to use Fae magick to go through multiple locations without a unecessary amount of energy wasted."
"Fae magick? That's really sacred." Levi says, "what magick are we going to use?"
"We call upon Isis or Hekate to protect us through the next process," Laveau smiles, "or your ancestors. Mother Marie Laveau often approaches me to protect me from any harm. A protection from those who hold higher power is necessary when creating a portal."
Love nods in understanding. Already losing her energy from standing up for too long now. "What about our spirit guide?" Levi asks.
"Yes, that is acceptable too."
"All right." Levi writes down the instructions in her grimoire, "what do we do next?"
"We use space magick. A magick we use to go through the mirror dimension."
"You remember how to use it, Love?" Levi asks her sister.
Love looks up to look at Levi who has already written almost everything Laveau said. No wonder she is smart, Love mumbles in her head. ".... No?"
"The Ancient gate. When we entered, the portal took part of our energy to keep the between dimension intact." She explains, "the gate knows our intention is to get through safely. So, all you need to do is reach that innate space power in the depth of you, and release them to the mirror."
Love holds Mark Antony's head tighter to her side before stepping in front of the mirror. "Should I say a mantra too?" Love asks.
"It's up to you, Love, but to create a greater, stronger portal, you might."
"What's the mantra?"
"Ánoixe." Laveau says.
"And if I accidentally open a portal to freaking Underworld?"
"Love, focus on New Orleans. The portal knows your intention, and if you think of any other place than New Orleans, then the portal might lead you somewhere else."
Love nods her head. She begins to inhale deeply, attempting to reach the dimensional power inside her she didn't even know she had.
"To Hekate and my spirit guide, I need you both to help me get through the portal I am about to create," she says in her head, "New Orleans is my home, and I wish to go home right now. In my bedroom, where I can be comfortable and vulnerable."
"Ánoixe." Love opens her eyes and directs her energy straight to the mirror. In a second, her reflection is gone, only to be replaced by her old and empty bedroom. "Would you look at that!" She cheers.
Levi looks at her confusingly. "What?"
"My bedroom." She points at the mirror, "you cannot see that?"
"No."
"Okay. Try to walk through now." Laveau says, "remember your protectors will guide you through."
Love could already feel Hekate's presence from long before she wishes for her to protect her through. Also, her spirit guide that always changes their form and who never communicates verbally.
Slowly, she steps forward, grimacing and unsure. Portals somehow scare her, even back in Lykaion, even with Pan's protection- the idea of teleporting from one place to another gives her a strange feeling.
"Here we go." Love holds on to Mark Antony's head for dear life.
"Careful, otherwise a Fae will snatch you." Levi chuckles.
"Ha-ha, very funny."
Love closes her eyes when she passes through the mirror, like a ghost. She shrieks while walking forward, feeling tinnitus blocks her sense of hearing eventually. An image of Hekate in a long red dress can be seen in her mind, waiting for her at the end of the path, along with a familiar form that Love can't help but recognize as her spirit guide.
And before she knows it, Love opens her eyes and she is in her bedroom in New Orleans. The sound of birds chirping outside, cars passing by, giving her a sense of nostalgia. Even though she's only been away for two weeks.
"Hooome!" Love runs toward the window where she can see rows of houses, blue skies with sun shining through the window.
"That was heavy." Levi suddenly appears. Love turns only to grin happily.
"You all right?" She approaches Levi who puts her grimoire on Love's desk, "that was indeed heavy. I wonder if Nik's got back."
Laveau walks through the mirror, before closing the portal with a simple gesture of hand. Love can see her reflection again. "Hell, I forgot Earth is actually really warm." She says calmly.
Gently, Love puts Mark Antony's head on her desk and puts down the backpack she was carrying by her closet. "Yep. It's the global warming." Love says, kicking off her shoes.
She jumps on the bed, sighing out a breath of relieve. "Love, we need to greet parents." Levi scolds.
"You do that for me," she rolls around to grab her phone on the bedside, "because I miss my phone, music and films!"
"We are supposed to be preparing for Gardenia!"
"Ugh, you're making too much noise!" She yawns, placing her phone on her belly, "let me rest my body for awhile. It's Earth! It doesn't matter if I want to be a sloth just for 5 minutes."
Levi places her hands on her hips, raising her brows. "Just 5 minutes."
"Young people." Laveau shakes her head in disappointment before walking out of Love's bedroom with Levi following behind.
The silence consumes her, Love breathes in the air and sighs at the familiar feeling of her comfortable bed. When her phone finally turns on, there are buzzes and rings, indicating plenty of messages coming in. Love picks her phone up to see multiple texts from Julian, all sounding concerned.
Julian : Hey, Love. I know you're mad at me or whatever, but I just want you to know that I felt guilty, okay? I didn't want to break up with you either. But with me being a werewolf complicates things.
sent 8 days ago.
Julian : Hi, you're in Crimson Cove now, aren't you? Well, good luck with the school. Not sure how the school system works in there, but hopefully not as stressful as America's.
sent 6 days ago.
Julian : When you get back home next Summer, can we talk? I hate this, but I miss you.
sent 6 days ago.
Julian : I've been sensing something strange in the air for a few days now. I feel like danger is coming. Hope the witches aren't the target.
sent 5 days ago.
Julian : A woman came up to our door today. Her entire being felt like a threat, I think she's a dark practitioner. She kept talking about the rise of some emperor.
sent 4 days ago.
Julian : Love.... if you ever see this, don't come to the forest, don't try to find me. I was right, she was a dark practitioner. She killed our leader. If someone came up to you and asked about Four Lands, tell them they are fucking crazy.
sent 4 days ago.
"Fuck, no," Love sits up on the bed. Her heart races in her chest as she dials Julian's number. Maggie, the leader of his pack, is dead. "Come on, Julian. Answer the damn phone."
She gets up from the bed. Exhausted, but ready to leave just incase Julian doesn't answer. Her mind begins to think of the worst, to think that Julian is dead somewhere out there, and that is probably the reason why Laveau could not sense where he was.
The line died before Julian could pick up. Love dials him again. She jumps off the bed, breathing heavily now that her panic rises above what she can handle.
Julian is dead. Julian is dead. Julian is dead.
"Lev!" Love grabs her shoes and runs outside of her bedroom. Levi is in the living room, speaking with parents and Laveau. "I have- I have got to go-" Love struggles to put on her shoes.
"Love, what the hell is going on?" Levi asks, her eyes widen in panic.
"It's Julian. Julian sent me these texts. I will go to the forest and-"
"Love, calm down. Okay?" Roman steps forward, "I'll take you there."
"What? What are these texts?" Levi approaches her and takes the phone.
Love inhales deeply, trying to clear her mind off of the negative thoughts. Her mother approaches, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let us take you." Talia says, "it's safer that way. We can help."
"Julian said that we shouldn't come and find him. A dark practitioner probably got him." Levi says, "Love, just let the wolves fix their own problems. It's not necessary for you to go there. You're going to get hurt."
Love glares at her sister, "if you think I am going to let a dark practitioner got Julian, then you're wrong." She steps back, finally putting her shoes on, "come on, parents." She takes the phone from Levi's hand before storming out of the house.
***
"Remind me again who this Julian boy is." Roman reaches over the rearview mirror to adjust it.
Love fiddles with her dark-stained fingers, looking out the window to find the sky has turned dark, thick grey clouds have gathered in the sky. "My... Friend." Love answers.
"Oh, he is obviously more than a friend," Talia chuckles softly, "otherwise you wouldn't have taken him to Mardi Gras last year, would you?"
"That was Julian? ... He is a wolf, no?"
"Yes, he is. And no, mom, we were just having fun!" Love defends, "have you met werewolves before, dad?"
Roman smiles, recalling the moment he met the first werewolf himself, "Oh, a very long time ago, darling." He tells, "the first lycanthrope, in fact. Zeus was a friend of mine. I saw him cursed the man before my own eyes."
"You're friends with Zeus?! Oh, my god, you can see him eye-to-eye in your- you know, the form you have right now."
He laughs and nods his head, "I wasn't me then. I was in a form of a woman."
Love wides her eyes in surprise, so does Talia, "I cannot believe I did not know this story. You were a woman?"
"I was born a female. The first supernatural creature, the fire bird who rose from her own death." Roman says confidently, "I faced judgment from the Gods, the Goddesses, every each of them looked down on me for many years. Only because I was a female bird."
"And you changed your sex because you're... tired of being a female?"
"No, darling. I could shapeshift to any form I wanted. I became a male when I worked with the deities, that until I got tired of the stupid, stupid injustice, and fought alongside all these deities as a female." He smiles warmly, "I was a woman for many years. I died every 300 years, only to be reborn out of my own ashes."
Talia grabs her husband's arm, her eyes shine with tears. "Oh, Roman..."
"I decided to live in a male body simply because I have loved myself as a woman for many, many years that I forgot to love the male part of me that has helped me through years of injustice."
"Damn, dad," Love pats her father on the shoulder, "out of all names in the world, you picked Roman?"
Roman laughs heartily, he grabs both of their hands and squeezes gently, "when I decided to pass on The Phoenix to my younger daughter, that is you, Love, I saw how much you'd love the Romans."
"Really? You passed on The Phoenix to me even before I was born?"
"True."
"Great, apology accepted." Love huffs.
"It's all right, honey. We'll always be here for you." Talia reaches her hand backward to touch Love's. "You will never be alone."
Love sighs, holding on to her mother's hand, "I know. Because I will ressurect all of you when you die."
Both Roman and Talia share a laugh. Love scooches forward and rests her cheek on the driver seat's shoulder part. "And what are you, mom? I had the feeling that you're not just a white, garden witch." Love asks, "and if you lie, I swear to Tartarus' fire...."
"Honey," Talia sighs. Hesitating to tell the truth that has been gnawing at her soul for quite a while. By a while, it means 19 years. "I am a Titaness."
Love silences. Her head begins to hurt as the truth sinks in. "I told you, no lies."
Her parents silenced. They look at each other meaningfully. Love sits back against the cushion, widing her eyes in shock. A Titaness.... All this time, her mother isn't just an ordinary witch who has been a healer for as long as she remembers. She is also a Titaness.
"I'm going to text Lev." Love sighs, laying down on the backseat as she pulls her phone out.
Love can feel Hekate's presence all of a sudden. She turns around to find comfortable position. "Are you all right?" She asks.
"Do I look okay?" She mumbles in her mind, "I mean, no, no I am not. But I will be."
The car stops by a small path in the forest. Love turns herself around after texting Levi to assess the familiar surrounding. She rolls down the window to get a sniff of a werewolf's stench, woodsy and burning- no, that's something else.
"Love, I do think you should come up with a plan," Talia says, "it's dangerous to enter a werewolf's lair uninvited."
"Okay." She rolls up the window, "the plan is, you two stay in the car. They know me... I mean, they hate me, but at least I'm a familiar face."
"Here they come..." Roman says.
Love gets out of the car to find out who's currently approaching. They're definitely fast, older, and- "what the hell do you think you are doing here, witch?" Adena steps out behind a tree, already transforming back to human. She sniffs around. "You are with people."
"Just my parents." Love says, showing off her parents in the car. "You know, non-human parents. Now, where the hell is Julian?"
Adena staggers back at the mention of his name. An anger as well as sadness rise at the pit of her chest, causing her to step back a little. "I don't... How did you know...?" She raises her brows, "and why do you still care?"
Love steps forward a little, hiding her panic behind the façade of a brave girl everyone always seem to believe in. "Look, Adena, he said something about a dark practitioner invading your space. What-" she inhales deeply, only to realize that the burning she was smelling before is definitely a mixture of human's flesh when they accidentally burnt their fingers with a firecracker. "-is that smell? Are you all having a cookout when your friend is gone? Oh, my god, is Julian dead...?"
Adena rolls her eyes, she rests her side against the tree trunk, "it's witch trials up in here all over again. They think they can kill our leader and took one of our own without facing a consequences." She reveals.
"A witch trials? ... You burned those witches?!"
"Yes."
"Did you at least capture one, so, you can pick a better route and interrogate them?" Love folds her arms in front of her chest. "I mean, you know, torture them a little too."
Adena stares deadly right through Love's eyes. Love can hear some wolves approaching as well. One of them being the youngest, Julian's little brother, Leon Vicario.
"Love?" He transforms back in to a little boy. His expression is filled with remorse and sadness. The poor boy.
"Leon? Thank gods you're okay." Love steps forward when Adena holds a hand out and pushes her back. A tall, beardy man that Love recognizes as Gabe, takes Leon by the shoulder and pulls him back. "You know, I can help. Just tell me where they took him and I'll be on my way."
"No, this is our matter. We finish this ourselves."
"By burning witches?" Love raises her brows, "I get that you wolves are territorial or whatever the hell, but when someone offers help at least consider the idea. It may end up good."
"Yeah! Love is a nice witch! Different than those... weird witches." Leon defends, and Love gives him a thumbs up.
"Listen to the kid."
"Leon, you're biased. We cannot trust anyone outside of our pack, not even Love, not since what happened." Adena steps back, "she might be working with one of those dark practitioners as well."
Love rolls her eyes, she makes her way back toward the car and opens the backseat door, "they asked something about Four Lands, didn't they? It would be possible that he was taken to Gardenia, the place that me and my sister will visit very soon."
Adena and Gabe wide their eyes in surprise.
"It's a long story, but you should know that my intention of visiting Gardenia is to help Queen and Goddess Artemis as well as her companion, Fenrir, only." Love says with such calm in her tone.
"Who asked you to go?" Gabe asks curiously.
"Goddess Nyx."
"Wh- what?" Adena hisses, "how would you even- what?!"
"Soooo cool! Tell us more!" Leon grins.
Love smiles back at him, "if you'd let me have you. Just for 10 minutes. I'll help you figure out where your brother is."
Adena scoffs, rolling her eyes in annoyance, "fine. But do not blame us if the others threatened you to leave." She points a finger at me, "or put you-"
"Young lady, if you threatened my daughter one more time... You'll feel the wrath of the elder Gods, that includes me." Talia says from inside the car, "I know- no, my husband and I know the first lycanthrope, we won't hesitate to send him your way and ask him to haunt you for the rest of your life."
Love turns to Adena again, shrugging. She has a bewildered look on her face, so does Gabe. "What?!"
"They are very old, you don't want to mess with them." Love shakes her head, grimacing.
Adena steps back, "just keep them away from our house. We are already threatened as it is."
"Then do not fight back with another empty threats." Talia says, Love notices her smiling, "we will be staying here to keep an eye on our daughter."
Love gives her parents a thumbs up, Adena shakes her head and begins to walk away from the car with Gabe. "I'll be back in a bit." She tells her parents before catching up to Leon who's waiting for her.
"Be careful! Holler if you need anything!" Talia exclaims when Love begins to walk with Leon on her side.
Love fiddles with her fingers nervously. She has not visited the werewolf's area for as long as she could remember; well, since Julian had 'broken up' with her.
"So, what really happened?" She finally asks Leon who's being awfully quiet. "And are you okay?"
Leon nods his head slowly. "Yes. I just wish I had done something more for Julian." He says calmly, "a witch with the strangest aura came over to our territory uninvited, asking for Vanshni, out of the blue! She asked us about Four Lands!"
"Leon! Not so loud." Gabe shushes him.
Love pats him on the back gently, "it's all right. You can tell me the gyst later." She says comfortingly.
"What do you know about Gardenia anyway? We tried to reopen the portal, but the damned witch had made a barrier between two worlds." Adena claims. Love raises her brows in confusion. "How are you and your sister going to get in?"
Love shrugs, "well, I did find the sigil from a dryad that was mind controlled by the witch in Gardenia and asked to destroy Crimson Cove. So, I hope it can help."
"Have you tried?"
"I only just learned how to create a portal through mirrors. So, no, I haven't tried. I did astral project to Gardenia though."
"How did it feel?" Leon asks, looking up at Love curiously.
"It felt light, like you have just entered multiple realities all at once." She smiles, "you know, kiddo, maybe I should help you astral project. It's possible for all beings."
"We don't do astral projection," Gabe informs, "we are more of a living in the moment kind of beings, thank you so much."
"Yeah! Beside, I don't think I want to try. People say it's a life changing experience, but what if it... I don't know, changes me?"
"Don't knock it till you try it. I do understand you wolves have your own ways of living though, but opening up to more possibilities is acceptable as well."
"Oh, yeah, that happened when Julian started dating you." Adena says bitterly, "at the end, he's still a werewolf, isn't he? He's meant to be with one of us."
"Okay. Dang, I get it, he has to-"
Love stops from walking when they stepped in to an open field by the lake, and the big cabin the werewolves are living. Her gaze stops on the five stakes by the lake, each witches are burned to their pulp, not even a living skincell can be caught. Lower half of their body is dismembered on the ground, the half top of their body is still hung with each hands still tied to the back of the stake.
Fear begins to creep up her spine, a dejavu washes over her brain; feeling as if she's seen this exact scene before. Love clutches her stomach. A wolf, or as known as Julian's mate, Kathy, is suddenly running in full speed toward Love.
Before she can even protect herself, Kathy punched Love in the stomach that causes her to fly back against a bench. "Kat, no! It's not her fault!" Leon screams.
Pain bursts all over Love's body when she hits the ground. Kathy moves faster than a lightning bolt, knees Love on the nose that makes her groan out in pain and stumble back. "What the f-"
"It's your fault. One of your kinds! Witches!" Kathy grabs Love by the collar and pulls her up from the ground.
Her nose bleeds, and her brain creates weird zaps everytime she attempts to think. The pain is that unbearable that it is affecting her nervous system.
"Kathy!" One of the wolves run out of the house and approaches Kathy.
"Where is Julian? Where the fuck did they take him?!" Kathy shoves Love against the ground, "I knew it. I knew you'd betray-"
Adena headlocked Kathy which she struggles against immediately. Red is her face, red is her rage toward bleeding Love on the ground. "She is here to help us. Trust me on this one, Kat."
"Love!" Leon begins to sprint toward Love but Gabe grabs him and hauls him over his shoulder as he walks into the cabin, "let me go, Gabe! What is your problem!"
"What the hell, Adena?! Why would you bring a witch in to our territory?" Love was about to get up when three set of hands grabbed her by the arms, pulling her up harshly.
"Get off of me, you freaks!" Love struggles.
"We'll burn her. She was involved with Julian, she knows too much about him. It mustn't be a coincidence that the other witch abducted him!"
Love turns to look at the guy who's holding her the hardest, Elko. "I am not with- Oof!" She spits out blood to the ground when another wolf, Samara, blows a hard punch onto her stomach.
"Hold her. We need to punch the conscious out of her, before we-"
Love feels lighter all of a sudden, her mind goes blank when another blow goes on to her lower abdomen. Hekate stood before her, along with Nyx: "your father did not pass The Phoenix on to you, only for you to die in the hands of werewolves." Nyx raises her sharp, dark brows, challenging her.
"Fight back, child." Hekate assures.
Hades and Persephone appears as well, they both nod an encouragement. "Release The Phoenix." Hades makes an explosion gesture with his fingers. Love can't help but feel slightly entertained by all of the Goddesses and God before her.
And suddenly, it's silence. Love's face hangs down to play dead. When the assault stops, Love chuckles menacingly; her rage, disappointment, and fear rises the magma scorching in her core. Enough to awaken the powerful creature that she has left subconsciously in a Pandora's box.
When she raises her face, her eyes are the color of Tartarus lava itself. It glows brightly, small sparks of energies fly off of her eyes; ones that caused the woman before her to freeze in fear, staring up at her wide eyed. She fell to her knees instantly. The dread that scorches through her body right now - is the kind that forces you to worship and serve for the one being you hate, you fear for.
"Hello, Samara." Love says eerily.