To Love and Die

Oh the Places You'll Go

We had met with Athena and she had given me the news that a close mortal friend of hers was carrying the child and that it would be too risky to move the child again from another womb. I waited and I watched. Supernatural pregnancies, especially the pregnancies of the Gods, didn't last very long. Mine would have lasted three months considering I was carrying twins. So, the mortal woman was being literally killed as my daughter grew inside of her. I begged Athena to do something, anything, but there was nothing that could be done. Athena had told her what had happened and who the child belonged too and the woman had sacrificed her life to make sure my daughter lived. I watched and waited, and when the time was near, I descended down with Rafael and met the woman. She was in her thirties and she was beautiful. "Why did you do this for me?" I asked. She stared at my face. "Because, I lost a son years ago and I have nothing else to offer. When Athena came to me, she didn't ask, she just came to tell me her troubles, when I found out, I knew that I had to help, and she let me," she whispered. My child was going to enter the world at any moment. "Retrieve Hades," I whispered. Rafael was gone in the blink of an eye. "I will personally make sure you have nothing but the best," I whispered. I was holding her hand and she was looking paler by the second. She gave me a weak smile. "What are you going to name her?" she asked. "I haven't made a final decision," I said frowning. "I just have been so preoccupied with her actually getting here," I said calmly. She gave a small laugh. "What is your full name?" she asked. "Artemis Stephanie Salvatore," I explained. She smiled. "I knew a Dr. Salvatore once. She was beautiful and had the brownest eyes," she said. I inhaled. "How do you know Elena Salvatore?" I asked. She whipped her head around to look at me. "She was my physician when I was younger, when I was pregnant with my son," she explained. "Oh, what happened if you don't mind my asking," I said trying not to pry too much. She moved her body a little bit and then her eyes glazed. She was remembering something. "I was eighteen and my parents had been killed in a car crash. We had crashed because I told them in the car that I was pregnant. My father drifted into the other lane and hit a man head on. The man lived, my parents didn't. I always blamed myself for that, it was my fault that they were dead. But, when I learned that my son was still alive inside of me, I knew that I had to use this chance to make sure nothing happened. But, when I was in my second trimester, something did happen. I had been seeing your mother for a while and the night before my doctor's appointment I was out after dark. A vampire tried to drain me dry but Athena showed up. She had been on Earth for a little while and was on a mission. She saved my life, but the blood loss was too much and I lost him. She took me to your mother, your mother never remembered her though," she said. I looked at Athena who was standing in the doorway. "I made her forget," she said before coming closer. I turned back to the woman. "What is your name?" I asked. "My name is Riina Eve Rykos," she said. I smiled. "Riina is a Greek name," I said smiling. She nodded. "It is a shortened version of Katerina, and means pure," she explained. I inhaled. "Katerina," I whispered. I felt her hand stiffen around mine. It wasn't because of the name though, it was because she was going to into labor. "Things are about to get messy, where is Rafael?" Athena asked. "I sent him to get Hades," I said. Athena was quiet. "Hang in there Riina," I whispered. She let out a blood curling scream and I was thrown into a vision. It was the boarding house and there was chaos everywhere. Josie was laying in a puddle of her own blood, Lizzy beside her. Caroline was screaming for help and Ric was holding an arrow that was stuck through his chest. My parents were trying to fight back, but no one knew who it was and then I heard the voice. "Stay here and if I don't come back take her back to Olympus and hide. We're under attack," I said looking at Athena's stricken face. "Of course," Athena said. I disappeared. My family needed me.

When I arrived at the Boarding House there were bodies laid everywhere. Some were bodies of students, others were vampires I had never seen before. Some wolves laid sprawled across the lawn in half changed or fully changed bodies with other intruding vampires. I made my way into the boarding house and found Josie and Lizzy lying on the floor of the living room. Josie was dead and Lizzy was hanging by a thread. I didn't know if her baby was still alive. "Drink Lizzy," I instructed as she drank from my wrist. She was healing and I knew that the baby inside her was alive because of the spell that I had cast. "Get out of here," I instructed. "No, Hades and Rafael are missing and I know mom and dad are here somewhere," she said. "Lizzy, you have someone who needs protecting, go," I instructed. She looked at her stomach for a moment before letting her gaze slide over to Josie. "Hell no. I'm a Goddess now, it's time to act like one. It doesn't matter what happens to me, thanks to your spell my daughter will live," she said. I inhaled. Lizzy made it to her feet and followed me. "What happened to the others?" I asked. "Most of them fled, some are dead, and the rest are still fighting on the grounds," Lizzy said. I nodded. "Who would do something like this?" she asked. "I know someone, someone that was sent to Hell and came back again," I seethed. Lizzy stayed quiet. I slipped into the kitchen were Hope had just finished killing a vampire. Landon was at her side. "What is going on?" Hope asked. "That someone that broke out of Hell, again, is back and this time she isn't going to miss her mark," I said. Hope's eyes glowed. "I'll the kill her," she growled. "I don't think we are thinking of the same woman," I said. Hope frowned. "Then which one is it?" she asked. I shook my head. "Let's find out," Lizzy said. I headed on toward the dungeon. This was where the pack stayed on full moons. They shifted here for the protection of themselves and others. 

"Help!" I heard Caroline and eased myself into the cell. She was shackled to the wall and she was burning alive. "Hope, hurry," I said trying to break the chains. It hurt like hell to touch but we got them broke and that's when  I noticed Lizzy on her knees toward the corner of the cell. IT was Ric. My vision had been right. He was dead. "Dad, no," Lizzy sobbed. I inhaled. Whoever had done this would pay. I exited the cell and left Lizzy and Caroline to look after Ric and for Lizzy to tell Caroline that she had lost her other daughter. I headed for the nursery that was out the back door. I saw my mother first, she was pinned against the wall and my father was lying at her feet. He had wooden stakes stuck through his hands and chains shackling his feet. "Artemis Stephanie Salvatore," a woman's voice called. I looked up. I knew that voice. Hope and Landon was standing behind me. There was still no sign of Rafael and Hades. I stepped out into the clearing. Hope and Landon stayed behind. "Well well, it looks like you have grown up quite well. I didn't think Damon had it in him to make something so beautiful," she said. She was always sarcastic from the things that Stefan told me. "Nice middle name, make Uncle Stefan proud?" she asked. I kept my wits. "Well, it seems that we have a problem. When all the monsters coming after you and Hope didn't work, I had to make some adjustments to the plan. I didn't know this would cause the Gods to get involved, but I'm sure glad it did. Hades and Rafael are just stunning," she said. I watched as the cloaking spell was unveiled and there was Rafael and Hades locked in chains. Normally this wouldn't hold a God, but seeing as Rafael's chains were steeped in wolf's bane and Hades was practically made my the lightning bolt of Rafael's, they weren't getting free. "He is cute, young, but cute. As for Hades, he just gets old to be around," she said laughing. "What do you want Katherine?" I asked. "You," she said. "More like your power," she said. I frowned. "Power?" I asked. "Don't play stupid with me. I know that you are a Goddess now. You can transfer that power to me," she said. I frowned. "I don't think that it works that way Katherine," I said. "Do it now, or your mate dies," she said. I inhaled. "Or better yet, why don't I just use your daughter?" she said. I narrowed my eyes. "You see Athena may have thought that your daughter would have been safe with Riina, but apparently Riina was more of my friend," she said. Riina appeared with a baby in her arms. My daughter had been born. I snarled. "I'll flay you," I snarled. Katherine took a step back and held her index finger up. "Your power, or the babe dies," she said. "Let them go and I'll hold your deal," I said. She stared at me for a moment. "Fine. You first," she said. I looked at Rafael who was fighting with all his might to stop this from happening. "I'm sorry," I whispered as I walked by him. He knew that if she took my power it would kill me. I would die and there would be nothing he could do to bring me back. "She goes untouched with her father," I said. Katherine held the knife to my hand. She nodded and Riina, who must have been a witch, let Rafael and Hades go. The baby, she left laying in a basket on the ground. "Now, Riina, for the ritual," Katherine said grabbing my hands a little tighter. Hope and Landon was watching and so was everyone that had survived. Rafael had grabbed our daughter and handed her off to my mother who was watching. My father was torn between saving me and protecting my mother. Riina started the words of the ritual and I knew what I had to do. This would ensure that the conniving woman would never come back. I turned to look at my mother and my father and then at my daughter's face. I smiled. She had mixed eyes like me, though her skin tone favored her father more. She was perfect. I then looked to Rafael's face. I opened our mind-link. "Her name is to be called Aspen Artemis Waithe," I instructed. "Don't you do this. It will kill you!" he screamed. I only gave him a small smile. "She won't touch her. I love you both and make sure she goes here. This will be as much her home as it will be with you," I thought in a soft tone. The chanting was almost over and it was now or never. It was right at the part where Riina had to either utter the word for life or death to complete the transition of powers, and I slit her throat with one claw and grabbed Katherine's hands tight. I stared at her face and finished it, "Mortem." Katherine screamed as she realized what I had done. I held tight to her as she started to disintegrate, when it was finished, she would be nothing but a forgotten memory. I turned and looked at my daughter. "Oh the places you'll go," I whispered thinking of the bright future ahead for her. She would take my place and she would grow up here, and travel the world with her father. I realized then in that moment that I would always be here as well. My body was not disintegrating like Katherine's had, it was turning to stone. It was over before I could blink and my stone body was left with arms and hands outreached, eyes staring at my family, looking like a Goddess in the middle of war. "NO!" Rafael screamed. It was too late though. I was gone.