Duck Drama

Chapter 49 - Athena

I was starting to panic. 

If they somehow manage to remove Heleli from me... 

What would happen to me? 

How can I -. How can I handle all that has happened? All that will come when I no longer had Heleli to take the heat from me? 

I knew Heleli is keeping something from me. 

Something big that I need to know. 

She's been protecting me from it this entire time.

Now... 

It was my turn to protect her. 

I just hope Zerha can understand what it was I was about to do... 

I closed my eyes. I imagined my cross bow.  The only thing I had left of my mother. I picked it up, and put the her diary down. 

This was so hard! 

Abandoning the one thing I wanted more then anything to understand, just so I can understand another part of me that I hate. 

But you can't ignore the parts that you hate. 

You have to embrace them. 

I take a deep breath, closed my eyes, and imagined an arrow. I feel it in the tips of my fingers. I opened one eye, and locked on my target before shooting at the top of the cage, then ducked when it shattered. 

I felt nothing fall around or on me and when I looked up I stared in amazement as butterflies surround me. 

Thousands of them! 

Flapping away into the darkness of my soul. 

I stared at them in dismay. 

What was it that made something as ugly as a cage, change into a thousand butterflies? 

"NO! DON'T HURT ATHENA!" Louie shouted. 

I felt tears prickle the side of my eyes as my stomach did a somersault. 

Louie. 

It was Louie. 

In a way he's my Heleli. 

I slowly took a step towards the drive in movie screen in front of me, and pressed my hand up to it until I was able to emerge on the other side. 

No one paid much attention to the fact that there was two Athena's. I was practically invisible until I take over Heleli control over me. 

Heleli froze as I walked up behind her, invisible to the others.  

It was as if time stood frozen around us, and Heleli and I took in the scene in front of us. 

Louie frantically trying to get at me, while the others began whatever it was they were planning to do to Heleli. Emma and Matt running off were frozen in place while Scrooge and the others stood firm beside them. 

"So. It's come to this, has it?" Heleli said, coolly. 

I smile sadly at her. 

"I never did say thank you, have I?" I ask, ignoring her icy glare. 

Heleli blinked, confused, then, she slowly bobbed her head up and down. I actually saw tears in her eyes as she gnawed on her bottom lip. She was still shaken up, she knew what was coming and yet, she didn't run, didn't give up the fight. 

She wanted this conversation with me. 

Our little private moment with us face to face. 

We hadn't done this since... 

"Mom." I began, and swallowed hard. "I - I never said thank you for how you saved me that night, in truth. I - I forgotten and I'm... I'm sorry." 

Heleli closed her eyes and sighed deeply as if she had been holding on to my apology for years. 

"I only wanted to protect you. Athena." Heleli said. Her eyes slowly opened and her eyes glistened with tears. "You might think that you need me - But in truth - I need you way more then you need me." 

I shake my head confused. 

"That's not true. I - I'm weak. I'm worthless - A - A disappointment  and a -" I paused, and took a shaky breath... "A monster." I finish in a whisper. 

Heleli took a step towards me. 

"But you don't have to be." She tucked a strain of hair that had fallen down back behind my ear and looked at me almost, motherly. "Be who you want to be Athena. Not who other's expect you to be." 

"But - But I'll be lost without you." I say, my voice wavering. 

Heleli shook her head. 

"No you won't. You have Zehra to help you, and -" Heleli glanced over at Louie and I followed her gaze. "He really does love you, you know." She told me. 

I blushed. 

"Really?" I ask. 

Heleli nodded. 

"I'm a succubus, Athena. We find love when we can't give any in return, and yes. Louie does have love. A lot of it, and it's all for his family, and you." She told me. "So don't be afraid to tell him what I'm about to tell you." Heleli said. 

I looked back at her. 

"You held this in for a long time. Haven't you? I could feel you were protecting me from something. That was why you took over for me in the first place. Wasn't it?" I ask. "You would have taken over me even before Theo started to summon you by torturing me." I realize. 

Heleli nodded again. 

I sighed deeply, all of a sudden tired. 

"Okay. What is it? I'm ready." I tell her. 

Heleli held out her arms, and I embraced her. She hugged me and I felt her heat radiating from her body as she merged herself within me as she whispered in my ear what she needed to tell me. 

I felt the blood drain from my face, and I held my breath as I closed my eyes. 

Was I scared? 

Yes. 

Did I think I can handle it? 

No. 

But as I opened my eyes and suddenly the time freeze spell wore off and Louie bolted in front of me, shielding me, his arms spread out wide. 

I knew. 

I knew I wasn't alone anymore.  

I felt Heleli settle deep within my soul because of what she had said before. She would always be apart of me, and I will always be the other half of her. 

A demon within a soul of an angle with broken wings. 

Two halves of one soul and now...

I stared at the back of Louie's head and my heart swelled up with love for him.

I found my wings.