Hey Guys!

Apologies for the delay on this Chapter. I was close to finishing and then NZ went into lock down and writing has been the last thing on my mind.
I am sure that many other people are currently in the same situation as me and I hope that everyone has been staying safe and looking after each other during this time.

Here is Chapter 37, I will attach a WARNING to this chapter, there is insinuation of dark themes in this particular chapter, although I have not gone into detail. I don't really feel like anything in this chapter is any more intense than what has been covered in the series so far, but thought I'd put it there just in case.

Be kind to yourselves and each other,
Love Always,
Daisy x

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Chapter 37 | Into the Void

*

'I l o v e  her
and that's the beginning
and the end
of e v e r y t h i n g .'

- F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

*

OBSIDIAN

Standing at the helm on the top deck, the wind blew wild through Obsidian's hair as he surveyed the bustling activity below. Beside him, much to his displeasure, stood Zalas, the Prince's affronted expression conveying that he too, felt their proximity to each other unnecessary.

However, the Prince knew the direction in which they needed to go and although an approximate course had already been set and Obsidian was familiar with the facade of the place, having seen it from a distance with Anthemin once before, the other still felt it necessary to oversee their voyage.

Obsidian knew the reason why Zalas was unwilling to take his eyes off him.  Considering the grudge Obsidian held against Aranel, the Prince would be naive to think he wouldn't take any chance to see the woman dead, and Obsidian still wasn't completely convinced Zalas wouldn't betray them once he came face to face with his sister. Thus, the two were forced into each other's company out of sheer stubbornness.

Over the side of the ship Obsidian occasionally caught a glimpse of Unabonan swimming in the ocean below. The Dragon Prince's great white form would occasionally skim the surface of the water, his back spikes protruding into the open air for a moment before sinking back down. Anthemin was there too, somewhere. The smaller dragon had slunk into the ocean behind Unabonan when they had departed.

"Bones."

Obsidian looked up to see Hobbson climbing the stairs. The older man's face was serious.

"What is it?" He replied curtly.

Hobbson flicked Zalas a look, "Highness," he acknowledged tensely, before turning back to Obsidian. "We need to talk." He continued, looking at Zalas again, "It's good you're here actually, you should hear this too."

"What's it about?" Obsidian asked, although he already had a feeling.

"It's about this sighting of your 'father,'" Hobbson started, "I think there are a few options we need to consider."

"What options," Zalas interrupted before Obsidian could speak. Obsidian gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, forcing himself to swallow his annoyance.

"I think there is a good possibility that that was not Zeus, that Ambrose saw." Hobbson's face was grim, his next words directed at Obsidian, "You know as well as I do that there is nothing left of your Father. We made sure of that when he died."

Obsidian nodded in agreeance, "Were you thinking of Katarina?" he guessed.

Hobbson nodded, "I think, considering recent events that that's most likely."

"Who?" Zalas spat out impatiently.

Obsidian waved a hand at Hobbson, "You explain," he grunted, "I don't have the patience."

Hobbson's face was slightly bemused as he turned to Zalas, "I'm talking about the Water Sprite, Katarina," he explained, "you should know her, your Highness, she tried to marry you at one point."

Zalas's normally disdainful expression grew even more disgusted and Obsidian snorted derisively. "Now you remember," he sneered, "did you really think my Father could be alive? Obviously, it must be a trick."

"You mean that conniving woman copied his appearance?" Zalas hissed, "Do you really think that the Water Sprite Ambrose, would be so easily deceived by one of his own? Optimism, at a time like this, could be the difference between life and death."

"He was under a lot of pressure," Hobbson said mildly, "mistakes can be made under such circumstances, even by one as skilled as Ambrose."

"However," Obsidian stared at Hobbson, already anticipating his next words, "There is a 'however' isn't there Hobbson? Because you and I both know-"

"Yes." Hobbson furrowed his brows, "It did occur to me. But I just don't feel there is a motive."

"I have a motive," Obsidian dismissed curtly, "try 'insanity'. I don't know how it would be possible for him to be alive, but surely there can't be much left of him now if he was."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Zalas fidgeting with annoyance. "Well?" The Prince eventually demanded, when it became clear Obsidian didn't plan to explain, "who are you talking about?"

Obsidian raised an eyebrow scornfully, "Not as smart as you make yourself out to be, are you?" He commented slyly, trying not to let on how much he was enjoying watching Zalas squirm, "I would have thought it would be rather obvious, to someone like you."

Obsidian watched with pleasure as a muscle in Zalas's jaw twitched. Just as the Prince was opening his mouth, no doubt to make some disparaging remark, Obsidian felt her approach and he turned to receive her, his eyes searching her out even before she made herself known.

"What's rather obvious?" Circe asked placidly as she appeared on the top deck beside Hobbson. Her light smile was betrayed by the coolness in her eyes as she surveyed the scene, her gaze lingering a little on Zalas. "I hope you two are behaving yourselves," she stated pleasantly, turning to stare pointedly at Obsidian.

He huffed out a breath and held his tongue, one hand reaching out to beckon her towards him. She came to stand by his side where he encircled an arm around her waist possessively, partially because he wanted to and partially because he knew it would piss Zalas off. Sure enough he heard the Prince's angry exhale of breath and he looked away to hide his smile, his other hand remaining on the wheel of the ship.

"Of course, we are," He replied to her earlier remark smoothly, "or at least I am."

"What are you, a child?" Zalas spat out bitterly. Obsidian threw him a superior sort of glance over his shoulder, the face completely missed by Circe who was a good head shorter than him.

"Zalas," she reprimanded instead, causing Obsidian's expression to become even more smug.

The Prince gave her an incredulous look," Me? You're blaming me? Did you even see- oh, never mind! This is ridiculous." He eyeballed Obsidian, "You're ridiculous."

Obsidian narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak Hobbson cut him off. "If you two are finished ..." he interjected mildly, sending Obsidian a look that clearly told him to shut up so that they could get on with it. Obsidian rolled his eyes and got on with it, as per request.

"My Father had a twin," he stated bluntly, "something that should have been obvious to someone like you," he looked purposefully at Zalas, "especially considering your status."

Zalas stared at him blankly. "Excuse me?"

Circe twisted around in his arms so she could see his face. "Zeus had a twin?" She asked, her blue eyes blinking up at him owlishly. He reached out to gently brush her cheek, unable to help himself. "Yes my Love," he replied softly, "my Father was half Fae."

Hearing Zalas's intact of breath, his eyes shot back up to focus on the Prince. His already colourless complexion was incapable of paling further, but Obsidian imagined that if it could, the blood would have drained from his face.

"Fae?" Zalas breathed.

"Yes," It was Hobbson who replied this time, his face dark. "The common rumour is that Zeus had Elven heritage. In fact, that is a rumour that he himself started, to hide the truth. Only those close to him knew his true family history, and even then, those of us who knew only found out by accident. His Mother was a Fae of Noble lineage, one of the higher ups in the Unseelie Court."

"Unseelie?" Obsidian caught Circe's whisper and leant down to her ear, so as not to interrupt Hobbsons retelling.

"Unholy," He murmured, "she was a dark Fae." My Father was damned from the beginning, he wanted to say, as was I.

"In those days," Hobbson was saying, "the Unseelie were the loudest voice in the debate over whether the realm of the Other should retreat from human eyes. They did not feel that we had anything to fear from the human race, believing them to be utterly beneath notice. They had sat on their thrones for a long time," Hobbson added, for Circe's benefit, Obsidian knew, "they thought themselves to be Gods."

"So what?" Zalas interrupted harshly, "This Unseelie noble fell in love with a human?"

"Quite the opposite," Hobbson said calmly and Obsidian closed his eyes to what he knew was coming. "She was captured by humans, who tortured and defiled her. The Fae had grossly underestimated the human strength for discovering weaknesses, and although the Humans were sceptical before, after using this particular faerie as a test subject, they were all but certain."
He gave Circe a meaningful look, "You should know well that Humans have no shortage of iron and faeries are notoriously powerless against this particular metal. Once the discovery was made, a full-scale war was launched against the Unseelie court. Many Fae were captured for humans to research further. The rest of the Unseelie were forced to flee and have gone into hiding. They have not been heard from for a very long time. Even before the banishment, and all the time during."

"Why?" Circe asked curiously.

Hobbson shrugged, "Perhaps they are too ashamed of their gross underestimation of humans, a mistake which almost saw them wiped out. Perhaps they are building an army. There were rumours to suggest they thought their secret was leaked to the humans, in order to silence their dissidence. Faeries are fantastic at holding grudges Circe," Hobbson cautioned, "no matter how long they have been gone for, there will come a day when they return. And God help us all when they do."

Obsidian felt Circe shiver unconsciously and he could not help but tighten his hold on her a little. "No Fae is a match for me," he whispered to her devilishly, nibbling gently on her ear.

She jumped and clapped her hand over her ear, turning to stare at him accusingly. He grinned rakishly at her and her glare gave way to a smile as she patted his chest pacifyingly. "Yes, yes," she crooned absentmindedly, "you're very strong. Now let me listen to the story."

Obsidian sighed, his eyes lingering on her a little longer before he turned to gaze back out to sea, her warmth at his side a comforting presence. If he was honest, his families history was not a tale he wanted to hear again, he had already been subjected to it so many times before. His Father had drilled it into him, over and over again, his words the only accompaniment to the sound of the whip as it cracked down Obsidians bare back.

It is your heritage, his Father had told him, learn it and be grateful. Nothing I ever do to you will ever accumulate to the suffering I was put through. Your existence is only proof of that which I have lost. You are alive by my grace only. Never forget it.

*

CIRCE

Circe listened with a sense of foreboding fascination to Hobbson as he spoke and felt that each word of this retelling was a word she would never forget. Here were the answers she had been waiting to hear but, as Obsidian's arm tightened around her waist, she was reminded again of exactly whose story this was. This wasn't some tale of a long forgotten legendary evil. This was a relevant, and very real, prequel to Obsidian's childhood. The ominous feeling increased and she felt a bit sick.

"What happened to Zeus's Mother? The Fae who was captured?"

Hobbson's face was grave, "I do not know too many details, but I think there are parts of her story that do not need to be explained. She fell pregnant against her will and attempted to end the lives of the children growing inside her. For the Fae, who had been the voices condemning the notion peaceful, undetected, co-existence with the Humans, to be forced to carry a half-human child, well. I imagine that the thought would have been nothing less that repulsive. From what little Zeus told me, his Mothers thoughts on this matter did not change in the slightest when he and his brother were born." 

Circe could not help the feeling of devastation that invaded her chest. To be so unwanted, from the moment you entered the world. She couldn't imagine. She felt Obsidian's lips against her ear. "You're too compassionate," he reprimanded quietly, but his tone was hopelessly gentle, as though he expected nothing less. His grip on her tightened.

"Did you ever feel pity for him?" She murmured in reply.

"Never." The single word was delivered bluntly and left no room for doubt. And so, she fell silent.

"From what I know," Hobbson continued, "Zeus set out to sea alone, quite young. I am not entirely sure of the circumstance that allowed him to leave his 'family'. I joined his crew while his reputation was still growing, but by the time we returned to his home port five years later, he was a notorious Pirate and well on his way to establishing the legacy that he would become infamous for.

"Originally the reason for our return was to collect his brother, who he had initially left behind. Zeus was ruthless in his decimation of the human organization who had initiated the capture and torture of the Fae. I do not know how long he had been planning that revenge, but every detail was executed perfectly, right down to the time he took to torture the man responsible for his birth.

"He located his Brother and his Mother and brought them aboard our vessel, and we set out to sea once again with the purpose of returning his Mother to her home. Zeus was hopeful, that due to my heritage, I would be able to reason with her, convince her of our goodwill. Unfortunately, it had been too many years and she could not be swayed. Zeus tried his best to prevent it, but we did not make it half-way through the journey before she succeeded in taking her own life."

Circe could not help the sharp intake of breath she gave at Hobbson's blunt deliverance of the woman's fate. Behind him, she could see Zalas was still listening, but at some point, he had looked away, his jaw clenched, arms folded tensely over his chest. Obsidian too, was looking away, his face turned out to sea. She could not see his expression, but his hands, both the one on the wheel and the one at her waist, were steady.

"Zeus expressed his desire to continue on, to deliver his Mothers body to her people. I do not claim to know exactly what he was thinking at this time, or what he expected to achieve from such a quest. Validation perhaps? Maybe some proof that the Fae truly existed? Perhaps he wanted to prove to them that he existed, after living a life being constantly told he had no right to exist at all. However, although she was no longer alive, Zeus's Mother was not the only unstable presence that had come aboard our ship.

"It came to light fairly early on, just why Zeus had been forced to leave his brother, Kronos, behind originally. Kronos was unstable, due the imbalance of magic that sometimes occurs between half-human children. He was amicable enough on good days, more so than Zeus was. But when he became out of control, he was abhorrent."

"Kronos," Circe whispered, testing the name out on her tongue. The word thrummed with power, as though she had uttered some kind of ancient spell. "What do you mean by imbalance?" She voiced curiously.

Zalas answered her tensely, "Sometimes when half-breeds are still in the womb, one vessel becomes more receptive to magic than the other. The magic then favors this child when they are born, leaving the other twin with barely any magical skill at all. However, ... such an allotment of power in a human body," Zalas's lip curled coldly, "was never meant to be. It can have detrimental effects on the mentality of the child."

"Cobalt and I are fairly even in terms of magical skill if you were wondering," Obsidian commented casually from beside her.

"Really?" Zalas retorted sarcastically, "I wouldn't have known."

Circe felt the low growl rumble from Obsidian's chest and spoke hastily before the two could begin another argument, "Cobalt doesn't really seem anything other than human though."

Obsidian snorted. "My brother is only weak because he does not use his heritage unless he really needs it."

Circe turned to stare at him, "I didn't say he was weak-" she began but Obsidian cut smoothly over the top of her.

"Moving on."

She shook her head in bemusement at his petty jealously but focused back on Hobbson. "Sorry, continue?" She apologised with a half-smile.

Hobbson gave a low sigh. "It is as Zalas said, there was an imbalance of magic between Zeus and Kronos. This imbalance meant that Kronos found his magic very difficult to control and it would often release out of him in wild bursts. As I said, in terms of the person himself, Kronos got along with the crew fine, he was even grateful for us returning to retrieve him. However, that rationality could be replaced by insanity at the drop of a hat. His mood swings were unpredictable to everyone except his brother, but even Zeus struggled to contain him during an outburst. I suspect that there were other factors that contributed to Kronos's debilitated mental state, events that had occurred during Zeus's absence, but even if we knew, there was nothing we could have done to help him. Such damage is irreversible."

"So, what happened?" Circe breathed. Because there was a storm coming, she could feel it. Something would have had to break. There had to be a tipping point, to turn Zeus into the monster she knew he had been.

Hobbson smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, nothing good. We arrived at our destination, the place where I knew the location of the Unseelie to have last been seen. I had tried to prepare Zeus for disappointment, but he had remained resolute in his decision to return his Mother to her people. Of course, there was nothing there when we arrived. Nothing but ruins in the place of what once had been an unshakable Kingdom. We buried his Mother beneath the grounds of where the castle had once stood. And then we left.

"It was after that day that there was a change within Zeus. It was subtle though, to begin with. He became more withdrawn, more ruthless than before. I suspect that the anger he harboured towards the Fae had twisted into hatred by that point and had begun to extend to encompass the rest of the magical race. It was around this time that I suspected he could one day become a great threat to us. I made contact with Queen Evangeline to alert her but told her I planned to remain with the crew in order to observe him."

"You make it sound like you had quite a good relationship with him," Circe said tentatively.

Hobbson looked at her quietly for a short time. "Obsidian is right Circe," he said finally, "you have a tendency to think compassionately of others." He smiled slightly, "Zeus was very charming, when he wanted to be. He rallied people to his side with an ease that the best Rulers would envy." Hobbson's gaze hardened, "However, no-one was close to that man except for his brother, although others might have told themselves different. Do not be mistaken Circe, we were only ever alive because he wished us to be and the favour with which he looked upon us could have disappeared in an instant. I did what I needed to do to survive and remain as part of his crew."

Circe swallowed thickly, unable to ignore the emotion raging in her teacher's eyes. She nodded. "I understand," her voice was small.

Obsidian's arm lifted a little higher to squeeze her shoulders and she felt him press a fleeting kiss into her hair as Hobbson moved on with the tale.

"About half a year later, the cogs in the wheel of fate began to turn. We attacked another notorious Pirate crew who was vying for territory with Zeus at the time. Although the only reason they had held out for so long was due to our paths never having crossed before that day. It was an easy victory for us, but in the subsequent raid of their ship that followed, we came across a prisoner.

"To my horror, I recognised her easily as one of the Princess's from the Elven Kingdom, the current Kings youngest sister, Ophelia. At the time, I could not understand how she had been captured and she was unwilling to part with the information. Now however, I can see that perhaps the Shifter rebellion had begun to spiral out of the Elves control, even back then and they were simply reluctant to admit to their struggle. It was likely she had been captured by Shifters and sent off to the humans as a hostage in some greater scheme.

"Naturally I was able to placate her, she recognised me from the time I had spent in your Mothers court, although that history was discussed quietly between the two of us, away from prying ears. Zeus only knew of my bloodline; he was not privy to my history. I can't imagine that I would still be alive if he had been. Zeus decided that we would escort her back to her Kingdom and that was probably the last act of compassion he ever showed towards a stranger."

Hobbson glanced at Zalas, the Prince returning the look with a raised brow.

"What?"

Hobbson gave a wry chuckle, "Nothing, just that ironically, this is the part of the story where the Noble fell in love with the Human. Or half-human at least."

Zalas's eyes widened disbelievingly, as did Circe's.

"You can't be serious," Zalas spat out, his eyes jumping from Hobbson to Obsidian.

Circe felt the firm torso behind her twist slightly as Obsidian sneered at her cousin over his shoulder. "What were all those remarks you kept making about my bloodline?"

Zalas snorted, his eyes cold. "Still relevant," he hissed out. "You are far from Royalty."

"If Royalty looks like you, who would want it anyway," Obsidian bit out.

"Hey!" Circe nudged him, despite her shock, "Royalty isn't all bad."

Obsidian's eyes slid to her and after a moment the corner of his lips teased upwards in a sly smirk. He inclined his head towards her in assent. "You Sweetheart," he murmured with an intensifying gaze, "are the exception to that rule."

"I want to hear the rest of this," Zalas cut in abruptly. "I highly doubt such a relationship would have been sanctioned by the Elven King."

Hobbson tilted his head in acquiescence, replying slowly. "You are right. By the time we reached Elven shores, the bond between the two of them was fierce. Again, I do not know the exact details of how such a union came about, but as I said, Zeus had a compelling aura. He drew people to him. But he was pulled to her as much as she to him.  He coveted her compassion I believe; Ophelia was very empathetic.
"She saw how Kronos struggled to contain his magic and she assisted him in learning ways to control it. He gradually grew stronger under her care and this in turn, opened up Zeus to her. She felt sympathetic towards Zeus's history I think, and desired to show him not all Magical beings were of the same mould. I suppose that she helped him find peace with his past, to some extent at least.

"Eventually however, we reached her homeland and despite my misgivings, Zeus insisted on accompanying the Princess to her destination. He disappeared into the forest and did not return for six whole days. I attempted to enter the Kingdom, to discover his fate, but was barred from entering. We could do nothing but wait.
"It was on the sixth day that he returned, a broken man. They hadn't believed him, when he had told them he had rescued the Princess from her captors. He had been seized and tortured mercilessly for being human, and then, when his lineage had become known, they had tortured him again for that."

Circe's heart was in her throat, "How did he escape?"

"Because the Princess had pleaded for his freedom," Hobbson's eyes were sad. "Zeus didn't know the circumstances, but it could have only been her. He was expelled from the Kingdom and ordered to never return."

"But he did," Circe stated the obvious that was yet to come.

"Yes, he did." Hobbson agreed quietly.

"He met with my Mother in secret," Circe jumped slightly at the sound of Obsidian's voice and turned slightly towards him. "She eventually fell pregnant, with Cobalt and I."

"Zeus wanted her to terminate the pregnancy," Hobbson said. "He knew it was a death sentence for her. But Ophelia refused. It is very difficult for Elves to conceive. Perhaps she thought that her children would be accepted because of this fact. Zeus was furious about her decision, but there was nothing he could do to change her mind. During that time, she warned him to keep his distance, by the time he saw her again, I believe she would have been close to full term."

Circe was currently unable to fathom how the story concluded. "I don't understand how-" she began, but trailed off, unsure of how to express her confusion.

Zalas seemed to understand her hesitance, however. "Elves are renowned for their concealment magic," he contributed, "it is both a natural born and cultivated gift of their race. I believe their pendant reflects that, although that is information I should not know. I imagine she went to great lengths to conceal her pregnancy from those around her. It would not have been easy."

Circe glanced at Obsidian who was currently staring at Zalas, an unreadable expression on his face.

"This is where the holes in my knowledge become more obvious," Hobbson said as he ran a hand through his greying hair ruefully. "I do not know much of what happened when Zeus went ashore to see Ophelia for what we didn't realise would be the last time.
"We lingered along the coastline for over a week before he finally returned, with both Obsidian and Cobalt in his arms. He was completely inconsolable in his grief, grief that rapidly disintegrated into an insatiable thirst for revenge against the Elves.
"We set back out to the open ocean and shortly afterwards Zeus vanished off the ship, leaving Kronos in charge and no mention of when he was to return. Only that he would, and he would expect us to be waiting. The boys were left with us.

"It was at this time I sought to formally reconnect with Evangeline, Zeus's absence opening a gap for my communication to slip through. I attempted to find any information regarding what had happened to Ophelia and eventually a piece of news was handed down by word of mouth, Ophelia had been murdered by a human. A great tragedy," Hobbson said bitterly, "according to the Elven King."

"Did he kill her?" Circe asked incredulously, "Zeus?"

Hobbson shook his head. "No. I am still unsure exactly what happened to her, but Zeus would have never done such a thing. Of this act, he was most definitely framed. They sent out a reward for his capture. I did not realise it at the time, but Zeus must have had the pendants when he returned with the boys. They used Ophelia's death as a cover for his capture."

Zalas's eyes were narrowed, "So instead of announcing the pendants had been stolen, they hid it like this instead? Unacceptable."

Beside her, Obsidian shifted stiffly. She turned to look at him, but he was facing away from her, his shoulders tense. She wondered if he had thought about his Mother before. Ophelia. Such a beautifully tragic name. She wondered what she would have looked like. Striking, definitely. And perhaps with silver eyes, silver like Obsidian's right eye had been before his face had been scarred. Silver like the moon. Iridescent in its serenity. There was a heavy feeling in her chest and a lump in her throat she could not swallow. Collecting her thoughts, she faced Hobbson once more. "And then?" She asked. This was not yet, the end of the story.

"And then the world as we knew it ended. Zeus infiltrated the Air Kingdom, took the Kings life and stole the egg of a Dragon. His brief confession revealed that he did indeed hold all three pendants within his grasp, that he had stolen them from under the Elven Kings nose. He also claimed he was a 'half human, half elf', the final nail in the coffin. The blame was put solely on the Earth Kingdom and they were to be banished unless Zeus was captured. I have no idea how he obtained the pendants, but Ophelia must have been involved some how. Whether it was her idea or his, only the man himself knows. And he never spoke of Ophelia again after the last time he went to see her, so that information remains lost. 

"Months passed and still Zeus did not reappear. Kronos ruled in his place, under his name, maintaining his reputation to the humans who knew nothing of magical affairs. By this time, I was your Mothers close advisor. Our ship, the boys, they were left alone in the hope that Zeus would return as he had promised, and it would be an easy capture.

"It was around this time that your Father Circe, took it upon himself to set out in search for Zeus. As you know, he did not return, much to your Mothers distress. She requested I aid her in her own search, which I conceded to, excusing myself from the crew for a short period of time. It was fortunate that I was so established within that ship, I think I had been around for so long that Kronos did not question my decision.

"The next part of the story you know well," Hobbson smiled slightly, "It is the story of your birth. It was under wretched circumstances that you were born Circe, but you came from it, the silver lining to the thunderous storm cloud. You know of your Mothers desire to conceal her half-human children, and perhaps now you understand that decision better. In a time where we were so divided already amongst ourselves, Nathaniel and his twin would not have been accepted. There would have been no hope for your Mother to maintain her position on the throne either. It is good that I was there to take the burden of that decision from your Mothers shoulders. With your Father's disappearance, I'm not sure she could have done it alone.

"By the time I returned to the crew, Zeus had returned, and Kronos had vanished. Zeus was immediately suspicious of me and I was unable to remain on the ship. I was lucky to escape with my life." Hobbson smiled slightly, but his face was withdrawn and fatigued, "Fortunately, Jack was still on board. As were Samson and Jacob. They remained quietly loyal to the boys until Obsidian ... assumed his Fathers position. I managed to keep in contact with Jack over the years and as soon as I heard of Zeus's death, I returned to re-join the crew, under different circumstances this time. Obsidian knew of my contact with Evangeline and she of my desire to remain as part of Obsidians crew. As Obsidian has mentioned before, we found a way to make the arrangement work for both sides." Hobbson chuckled ruefully, "Well at least we did until recently, didn't we Bones? That whole dying thing of yours certainly gave me a turn."

Obsidian huffed, but when Circe looked to him, she saw his expression was grudgingly fond. "You've done well old man," he said roughly, "there were some things even you couldn't have anticipated."

Hobbson inclined his head in agreeance. "Indeed, there is. But there are some things we can."

Circe, sensing the end of the story leant back more heavily against Obsidian's side, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. Such a story ... she could have never believed Hobbson, her steadfast, dependable Tutor, to have such a history. Well, she could. But that didn't make it any less unbelievable. She sighed.

"It's a lot of information," Obsidian regarded her with careful eyes. She knew that look; he was waiting to see her reaction. As though she would change her opinion of him. As if she still had such a choice. She smiled at him.

"It's fine. I wanted to know."

He continued to look at her until she spoke again.

"You said there were some things we can anticipate," she addressed Hobbson, "there is more to that sentence, right? Is it to do with what you were discussing before I came?"

"Yes," It was Obsidian who replied after a moment, his eyes hard. "We were discussing the possibility of Kronos still being alive."

*

Out in the middle of the ocean, unaware that their location had been discovered, another Princess staggered down off the back of her dragon, her face haggard and weary.

"Get rid of that face," Aranel snapped, waving a hand at her comrade, who, like her, had just dismounted off the back of another winged beast.

"Alright, alright," Katarina grumbled, dropping her façade and reclaiming her original humanoid appearance before reaching up to drag another body off the back of her dragon, where it landed on the ground with a thud. "Hmph," Katarina kicked the body disdainfully, pushing the lifeless woman onto her back with the toe of her boot. "Not so pretentious now are you, you bitch," she cackled, giving the body another hard nudge.

The blonde curls shifted with the motion, revealing Aislings face. Aranel stared coldly at the unconscious woman. The blood at her temple gave reason for her current state, but a pulse still thrummed strongly at her wrist which was good, Aranel needed her alive.

"Leave her," she hissed, "I need her still."

The two dragons shook themselves in unison, reptilian armour clattering, before the younger approached the senior, and began preening her scales carefully while she in turn, checked him for wounds. Satisfied that her charge was uninjured, Nelonimi's strong head swivelled to observe the interaction between the women instead.

  Katarina flicked her long blue locks carelessly over one shoulder and folded her arms. "Fine." She said sourly, "Although I would have thought you'd be celebrating, after all, you got what you went for."

Aranel glared at her, "Foolish," she spat out, "that wasn't a success at all. That damn Ambrose got away. By now Queen Evangeline at least will be notified, if not my Mother as well."

Katarina raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't that what the purpose of changing my face was for?" She remarked, "In case there were survivors?" A small sneer pulled at her upper lip, "And I warned you about him, Ambrose is not just anyone. You were stupid to think you could capture him. Not that it matters now we got her anyway," she dug her toe into Aisling ribs subtly when she thought Aranel wasn't looking. Aranel ignored her.

"Yes, but now we have less time," she ran a hand through her hair. "Zalas will find our location soon, if he hasn't already."

"Then what are you waiting for," Katarina said impatiently, "get on with it!"

Aranel glared at her as the other woman walked backwards away from her, to the other side of the rock formation, her face slowly stretching into a wide smirk.

"What?" The Water Sprite chided, "Isn't this what you've been waiting for? What you've wanted ever since you discovered him here?" Katarina paused for a moment, clasping her hands behind her back and tilting her head thoughtfully, "Or perhaps," she taunted, "your desire for revenge is weaker than I initially thought?" She tutted exaggeratedly, "Tch, what a pity."

"Do not mock me," Aranel hissed venomously, "you have no idea how long I've waited for this." She paused for a moment, her mind weighing up options before giving in with a sigh. She flicked her hand dismissively, "Fine, go ahead then. I suppose we don't have time to be picky about the 'how' now anyway."

Katarina's eye filled with a rare flame of excitement. "Oh excellent," she whispered before her voice raised gleefully and she resumed her dance towards the other half of the rock, skipping over the water filled chasm that divided the rock face as though it was nothing. "Oh Kronos," she crooned in delight, the gloating singsong carrying easily above the crash of the waves, "Aranel has brought you a surprise!"

"Don't taunt him." Aranel uttered irritably, proceeding after the sprite. "His temper is horrible enough as it is."

From within the rock they were approaching a bellowing roar suddenly echoed out, the animalistic sound disintegrating into peals of manic laughter shortly after.

"I don't know, he sounds like he's in a good mood today!"

Aranel watched Katarina as the other woman laughed wildly, her excitement obvious. She licked her teeth and followed closely behind.

"I brought you a surprise," Aranel hummed softly with anticipation, her eyes blistering with deadly intensity as she focused on Katarina's back. She felt the slow thrum of adrenaline begin to pulse within her veins as she lifted her hand to clench the white, shimmering pendant that hung heavy around her neck. Without realising it, her lips had stretched into a venomous smile, "I brought you a surprise Kronos," she repeated as her smile grew wider, "and I just know you're going to love him."

*

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FAMILY TREE INFO: So some of you might have noticed a few plot holes in the chapter in terms of relating to the rest of the story. These are parts that I have changed for the sake of continuing the story how I want it to go (and because I don't have time to edit the earlier parts of the novels) so I'm sorry if this confuses you!
Please just try and take these changes on board :) there are no mistakes, it's just me chopping and changing 😂

Going forward the lineage is this:

Zeus & Kronos Gold - Mother (Fae/Faye or Fairy, Nobility of the Unseelie Court), Father (Human) - Making the boys half breed Fae.

Ophelia - (Mother of Obsidian & Cobalt) Elf Nobility, Sister to the deceased Elf King, (Ophelia is therefore the Aunt of the current Elf Queen, Jenna. And yes that makes Jenna and Obsidian cousins.)