Aphrodite// Hayley Marshall (being edited)

028. Theres always consequences

(Crescent City)

Sabine had stopped Elijah and Ellanora in the middle of town. "This is one of the few areas where any of the original French architecture remains. Most of the buildings were destroyed in the 1700's when the city burned for the first time" Sabine explained as if the vampires weren't over a thousand years old and hadn't lived through what she was explaining.

"Am I putting you to sleep?" Sabine teased when she saw that neither original was paying attention. "As surprising as you might find this it's not every day that someone asks you to betray your own brother... Celeste" Elijah finally said. "Finally, I've been waiting for you to come out with it for the entirety of this insufferable tour" Ella huffed.

"You know Celeste, if you wanted to keep yourself a secret your should watch your words, I'm only surprised that I didn't realize sooner. Perhaps it was just that you were to boring for me to ever pay attention to" Ella smirked in mock sadness. "Oh Nora, you haven't changed a bit" Celeste smiled.

"How did you know?" Celeste asked turning to Elijah. "As Davina was drawing your likeness. I dared to imagine that your presence was near and when Sophie discovered that there was no magic in your remains, I wondered could you have possibly cheated death by using your power to place your essence into the body of another? And if so, then who? And then I recalled the lovely Sabine. Your visions of my brothers child precipitated the death of the last elder within your coven ensuring that the harvest ritual could not be completed unless you were to control it" Elijah explained.

"I would say that my realization was that thought out but it only dawned on me when you called me Nora. The witches would never intentionally not call me Ellanora and with Elijah making us follow you it clicked into place" Ella shrugged scowling at the witch. "You have been playing a very long game indeed. To what end?" Elijah asked. Celeste didn't answer instead she stepped forwards and kissed Elijah as Nora grimaced. "Nobody wants to see that" she shivered.

"Oh Elijah, my lost love. After all this time" The witch sighed pulling away before putting her hand on Ella's arm and smiling sweetly at her. "Don't you understand? I died because of Klaus and even after his vindictive lies about witches led to my death, you stood by him all because of your vow 'always and forever'" Celeste spat. "Elijah" Ella called as her eyes blurred and her hands began to desiccate.

"What have you done to us?" Elijah asked feeling the effects of a spell making him dizzy. Celeste ignored him as she turned to Ellanora. "And you, we were friends. But Klaus got into your head and amplified your hatred towards others. It was a shame to watch you turn into, may I say a worse version of him for a time. I watched you spiral and now you have to pay for the lives you took" Celeste sighed sadly.

"What is this?" Ella spat. "Oh it's a simple enchantment. You needn't worry, I'm not here to kill you Elijah. You either Nora. I'm here to teach you the error of your ways 'always and forever' was the greatest mistake of your lives" Celeste finished.

"You poisoned me with a kiss, at least you haven't lost your irony" Elijah groaned. "We may have time for more. But first I'm going to cure the two of you of your greatest flaw. This absurd devotion to your lunatic family" Celeste sighed. "Your anger is with me. Now if you have come here seeking revenge" Elijah began.

"Oh I'll have my revenge, starting with Klaus. He is going to know pain and torment likes he's never known before. Unless you choose to save him, of course. But then that leaves Rebekah, your tragic sister. She's about to find herself in quite the predicament, you could save her. But then that leaves Hayley and Harriet in jeopardy" Celeste said in fake sympathy.

"No, no" Elijah protested. "If you hurt them, I will kill you" Ella warned. "Your not in any kind of state to do that now are you" Celeste mocked and Nora knew she was right, her body felt weak and she was overwhelmed with hunger. Blood was all she could think of and it was blurring her senses, she couldn't think straight which made her dangerous and unpredictable.

"Oh, these poor girls. They have no idea how dangerous it is to be loved by either one of you. Oh well. With your bodies weakened by my spells, you won't be able to save them all. Even if you decided to separate I doubt Nora would make it two feet before killing everyone in sight which means you'll have to stay together. You'll wake up with just enough time to choose one. Who will it be? I can't wait to find out" Celeste grinned leaving both originals passed out on the floor as she walked away.

✖️✖️✖️

Ellanora and Elijah woke to Nora's phone buzzing incessantly. "Hayley" Ella breathed realizing the girl sounded okay. "Ella, something's going on with the witches" Hayley explained. "Listen, you and Harriet were right. Celeste is back, Nik, Rebekah, you, Harriet you're all in danger" Ella explained as veins kept appearing and disappearing from under her eyes as she tried to fight the hunger gnawing at every fiber of her being.

"It's a trap. We didn't make a deal with any witch" Hayley said to someone. "What?" Another voice replied. "Hayley, you and Harriet must find Rebekah. You stay with her until Elijah and I get there" Nora ordered. "Ella, it's a spell. They're trapping us inside" Hayley gasped. "Well isn't this great and not ideal. Ella if you've got a plan hurry because I'd rather not burn to death" Harriet said.

The phone call ended and Nora and Elijah glanced at each other nervously, this was going to end badly. The two of them sped towards the plantation without hesitation and burst through the windows after taking notice of the house engulfed in flames. The originals grabbed Hayley and Harriet before speeding them out of the burning house. "Where's Rebekah" Elijah questioned.

"We don't know" Hayley answered. "We got locked in before we could find her" Harriet explained through coughs. "Ella, my friend is still in there" Hayley said pleadingly. Ella glanced back at the house weighing her options. "Ellanora" Elijah warned aware that the girl was in no state to return back into the house. Nora glanced at her brother shrugging before speeding back inside.

Ella noticed the man sitting on the floor immediately. "Come on, it's easier if you're standing up" Ella said pulling the wolf to his feet and speeding him outside. "Thank you" Hayley said seeing Jackson was fine. Ella glanced at the male wolf as veins appeared under her eyes. She flashed her fangs at him in warning, tilting her head with a crazed look in her eyes before attempting to attack him.

"Ella" the sisters yelled in unison. Elijah sped in front of his sister stopping her before she had time to bite the wolf. "Ellanora, control yourself" Elijah ordered. "Elijah" The original hissed breathing heavily to force the hunger down, she couldn't hold it off for long and quickly spun in attempt to attack the nearest blood source which happened to be Harriet so Elijah snapped her neck rendering her temporarily dead.

"What's wrong with her" Hayley asked in concern. "I mean I hope there's something wrong and she didn't just try to eat me because I thought we were getting along" Harriet smirked. "She's under a spell cast by Celeste, it's like she hasn't eaten for years which makes her almost uncontrollable. I'm unsure how much longer it will last, but for now I must find Rebekah. The two of you need to get back to the compound I'll bring Ellanora back" Elijah sighed before speeding away with his sister.

✖️✖️✖️

"Marcel, where is my brother" Elijah yelled with Ellanora in his arms. "I got guys out looking for him right now" Marcel explained. "What happened to her" Marcel asked nodding towards Nora. "She's under a witches spell, I snapped her neck but when she wakes stay far away from her she's starving and entirely unpredictable" Elijah warned with a sigh lying his sister down on a couch weighing the consequences he would face by daggering her.

Elijah moved forwards to attack Marcels vampires throwing one against the wall, not trusting Marcels explanation of Klaus' whereabouts. "Elijah" Harriet called. The original glanced up at her before turning back to Marcel. "Klaus threw one of his classic temper tantrums, snapped my neck, tried to take on a coven of witches by himself. He got dropped. I don't know where he is or how to find him" the younger vampire explained. "They also have Rebekah" Elijah said quietly before turning to look at the other vampires.

"Everyone of you will help me to find them. I'm going to kill them all" Elijah yelled. "And when Ellanora awakens she'll help us" Elijah scowled. What the original wasn't aware of however was that by him snapping Nora's neck Celeste was able to get into her head and share with Ella what Klaus was seeing. When the original awoke, she wouldn't be on Elijah's side trying to save Rebekah. But the opposite entirely.