Apollo, Artemis and Hades stand by the portal. The golden light it generates causes them to appear even more otherworldly than they actually are. Artemis's bow is glowing at her side as she holds it; no longer poised and ready for battle. Hades hands lose their silver light and Apollo, well, the look on his face says it all as we just stand there. Their mouths drop open on their own accord, eyes wide in surprise as they look around. Alfie hisses, strikes towards them, but doesn't attack. Yet. Annipe shivers beside me in anticipation of more.

"What, happened?" Artemis says slowly, the trio speechless as they take in my work.

I am not the girl I was before.

I am no longer a pawn in their games.

I am not theirs to control.

My breathing becomes less desperate, yet I don't move or lower my sword. I owe no explanations or reasons as this isn't their business. It isn't their fight. They shouldn't even be in this world.

"I happened," I tell her.

"Elise-" She starts, taking a step forward that has Annipe rising up behind me, sounding more like a pissed off cat than snake as she bares fangs.

Artemis stops.

It's then the wall beside us flickers, and a thin strip of black appears before the Valkyrie come rushing out. They are dressed for battle, swords raised, and as they spill across the beach, I notice the black demon felines that are the Kasha among them. One by one they slow to a stop behind the trio. Their cries cease, their weapons are lowered, and as Hermes joins Artemis, he isn't alone either.

My parents appear first, Jordan, Zane, Penny with them. Then V and from the crowd, Ailin shifts and stands beside him.

"You're okay!" Mum cries, rushing forward before she stops, looks down at what lies between us, and gasps. "Oh, my gods! What happened?"

She keeps coming, Dad right behind her as they step over body after body. I slowly lower my arms, glancing down to see them covered in sand, blood and I'm not sure what else. They weren't all vampires and witches; some of this was from what demons had been among them. I wonder what I must look like to them right now.

"Elise, what on-" Dad must realise this as I do as he grabs Mums arm, stopping her approach.

The snakes are tense, yet I sense they're happy to see the Old Bloods.

"What happened?" Mum repeats, looking at with the same wide eyes and fear plastered on her face as the others have.

"They wanted a fight. I gave them one." I tell her. "You shouldn't be here."

I look at Hermes, and he takes a step back towards the confused gathering. No one else could have got them all here except for him.

"Honey, we've been so worried. After what happened to Ailin, and at Raya's we-" She started, entering the small circle of space I stood in the middle of.

"I didn't do anything to her, I got her to the hospital." The sounds of accusations ring in my ears from when I found Ailin and took her to get help.

I close my eyes, forcing them out. I may not have been the monster responsible then, but I am now.

"We know, she told us. You saved her life." Her eyes leave me, looking at the carnage around us. "This, whatever this is, it's okay."

She didn't believe that. Looking at Dad, neither did he.

"It will be," I tell her. "You should go, there will be more coming."

"More?" Dad frowns, once again looking at the space around us in confusion.

"Shut the portal, Hermes." Artemis orders and we look over to them.

He rushes forward as Kara bends down, rolls the nearest body over to face her and gasps. She mumbles something, kisses her fingers and presses them on the forehead of one of her kind, before closing the lifeless eyes.

"They did it, they opened the gateway to our homeland." She says, loud enough for her sisters to hear.

"Get Old and Same Blood out of here," I tell Annipe, motioning towards them.

The air changes.

The portal burns brighter as Hades fumbles with something where the sacrifice, bowl and talisman sit unattended. The witches that had tried to stop me have simply joined the bulk of the mess around us. They were here, somewhere. Not that it mattered.

Annipe nods, obeying me with an eagerness I had never seen from her before. Her tail goes around my parents instantly as their shouts and screams of protest vanish into thin air as the three of them do. Then Jordan goes too. Zane comes rushing towards me, most likely about to start one of his own lecturers, just as the first Valkyrie breaks through the portal. Hermes ducks, rolls and hides beside it, as more follow. What they come out to doesn't seem to bother them as it did my own little crowd. Her sword is pointed at me as she charges forward, oblivious to those beside her.

"God Killer!" She screams, right before Artemis sends an arrow through her neck.

A new fight begins.

No one discusses this anymore. No one asks me what happened or what am I doing. I send Alfie to Penny and Zane, Hades has given them weapons and keeps near them too. Apollo is soon with me; he blocks their hits, shields us from their attack, tries to move me to the back and away.

I don't need his protection.

I don't need his help.

I'm gone before he realises, among the Kasha as the warriors explode from both sides of the portal. Kara finds me before he does.

"How many so far?" She asks, coping the worst of the warriors as they realise who she is.

Gathering myself, I let my power free; a wave of energy is sent out, and those near us gasp as they clutch their throats. Weapons fall as they do. More blood paints the sand.

"This is the second lot," I tell her.

"If we don't shut it down, there will be two more. The next will not be as young as these ones, not as easy to destroy." She warns.

"These are your people. You want them to die?"

"They stopped being my people a long time ago." She braced herself as three more ran towards us. "Odin must not come here."

"Good luck to him if he makes it through." I move faster than she does, the trio down before she has time to process it.

"Elise, you need to control it. Do not let it control you." She warned.

I stop, pushing away the next ones that approached as if I was merely shooing away a fly.

"You're hurting, you're scared, you're angry. This, this is not the way to fix any of that. To face your demons is to-"

This time when I hold up my hand, she is forced to close her mouth. Her eyes widen in alarm as I approach her, and I saw the moment she realised she couldn't actually move.

"I faced my demons, and I killed them. I killed all of them. I don't need to be fixed, and you do not get to tell me, what to do or how I feel."

A new rage burned inside, and I knew how to fix that. The sky sparked to life, and I gave it the power it needed to do what it wanted. Lightning zigzagged down like raindrops, and any who were not with me were against me. The truth was revealed as targets were found and soon grouped within the cave. Hades shielded himself longer than the others before taking cover too.

They weren't here to help me, they came to stop me.

"Hunter," Ailin started, emerging from the cave with the others as the storm passed and silence took over the beach.

Some of the fallen called for help, cried and groaned. The Kasha and Valkyrie moved swiftly through them, doing what they could to help.

"Yes?" I ask casually, giving her a once over. "You look, better. Did you do something with your hair?"

"This is not the time, Elise." She warned.

"Well, we have approximately five minutes until more come, so we've got time."

"This ends, now. Hermes will close the portal and you-"

"I what, Ailin?" I challenge her.

"This, isn't, you," Zane says coming up behind her. "Look around. War is one thing, but this?"

"They started it."

"The powers you have now, are no match for theirs. You could have ended this without, well all of this! We aren't just killers Elise." He yelled.

"He's right," Penny said sadly, stabbing her sword into the sand.

"Of course you would side with him." I snap, making her cheeks red as she looks away. "Eventually, they will learn that if they come to our world, or decide they are above our laws, that there are consequences."

"Like what you are doing now?" Penny crossed her arms in front of her chest, and glared at me, quickly recovering. "Acting above our laws? This is not okay!"

"I am the law, Penny."

"She's completely lost her mind," V muttered to Ailin, shaking his head.

"If that's the case, Elise, then we do what we have to do too. You are the danger here, not them," Zane growled. "And we will stop you."

"Slayer, that is not the best-" Artemis warned.

"I dare you to try," I challenge him.

"Fighting among yourselves will not help anything!" V adds his two cents worth, his dad voice on as he tries to stop us. "Enough of this!"

Zane comes forward ignoring V, Penny with him and I block both their attacks with ease as everyone else just watches, until Apollo is there to defend Penny as I cut her arm, and force her to drop her sword. She's better than she used to be, but not good enough to think she stands a chance against me. As Zane moves to kick me and our blades grind against each other, Alfie snatches him away, flinging him to the side like a toy. He lands across from us and doesn't get up.

"Anyone else?" I dare them all to try.

Apollo leaves Penny with Ailin, the cut gone and squares off against me. Kara and Artemis just behind him, as no one seems to know what to do.

"You just attacked your friends, you could have killed them!" He snaps, and I see Zane slowly rise out of the corner of my eye.

"I was not going to kill them. I was just-"

"No more Elise." Apollo orders, making me laugh.

"What if I say no, what are you going to do about it? You gonna stop me?" I poke him in the chest, hard. "What does it even matter to you? A second ago, you wanted me to run off to another world with you, fuck all of this, right? And now you-"

"He wanted you to do what?" Penny gasps.

"Not now, Penny!" V growls.

"Hermes is closing this portal," Apollo sighed, his hand reaching out to mine, but I keep it out of reach. "Then you will have to face what's happened here. Don't push us away, Elise. You know this is wrong!"

I watch Penny run to Zane; he holds his head and sways as he goes to walk. I look up at Alfie, his eyes set on those around us, ready to attack again as if these people here aren't our friends. For a moment he isn't Alfie at all, but the demon he is. Blood paints his scales as it does my skin; his eyes are red, his spikes and defences are out.

Alfie would never hurt Zane, but he just did.

I would never hurt Penny, but I just did.

I look around now, and for a moment I know Apollo is right, only he isn't; I can live with this. Looking at the portal now, time has passed. The air changes and he must feel it too, they all do as everyone prepares for whatever is next. Instead of doing that, I just take a bow, and move up onto a rock ledge, rest my sword across my lap and wait.

"What are you doing now?" Apollo groans, looking up at me.

"Apparently this is wrong, so I'm just going to sit this one out. Good luck!" I call out to them. "Alfie, take five."

The snake disappears as Apollo looks at Artemis, who looks to Hermes. He seems to be having some issues shutting it down, and as a new wave of warriors emerge, I merely sit and watch them deal with it. Of course, the weakest are soon in trouble, and Kara seems to notice them as I do, rushing to their aid as Zane tries to help Penny as well as keep himself out of harm's way.

Hades is soon there too, casting a quick look my way and a flicker of guilt blooms in my stomach. I want to ignore it, yet as one of the enemy Valkyrie nearly manages to place her sword into Penny's stomach I am standing up. I was going to lose them all one day; my parents, brother, even Olivia. I would still be here long after they'd all gone. Did it matter when that happened, the sooner, the better, perhaps? No matter how hard I fought, no matter the enemy I defeated, it would always end with them leaving me. How much could I live with after this was over though if I lost them now because I did nothing?

As I watched, everything began to slow down to the point where it was as if someone had hit the pause button, and they all stopped.

"This is your moment Elise Bunting. Choose which path you walk carefully, for once taken, those steps cannot be undone." A very familiar voice says from behind me.

Turning now, the three fates stand there solemnly, doing their best ghost of Christmas past impersonations. I half expected to hear chains rattling and a spooky ghost noise sound over.

"Any chance you could turn up one day and bring me some good news?" I ask, earning nothing but a murmur of disapproval in response.

"She never listens. Why you seek to help those that do not want to be is something I will never understand." Adala clucks her tongue at Portia. "This is not the girl we made one of us. We are too late."

"No, no we are not." Nieve's croaky voice argued. She tilted her chin, so her face was now visible from the thick hood that they all wore and if it was even possible, she looked even more aged and ancient than she had last time we saw each other. "Oh, dear child. This will not be your last battle. What has come before, is only to prepare you for what is to come."

"What am I not seeing?" Adala asked the other two. "She's lost her mind! Look at what we have found. She-"

Adala stops, and Nieve nods as understanding seems to pass between the mother and the crone.

"Please Elise," Portia reaches forward, taking my hands in hers. "Don't do this."

"Do what?" I pull my hands away, looking down at the frozen mass below.

In a blink, it's all back to normal, and I'm alone. It doesn't last long, forgetting the fates and their whatever that all just was, I give in to the guilt, and I'm there beside Hades in an instant. Zane, Penny and Kara are safe as we push the others all back towards the portal. Though, even the ones we weren't directing our powers at seemed to be retreating, which was the smartest thing they could do if they didn't want to end up like the others.

"I've seen many things in my time, girl. You're-" Hades stops, as the others all seem to and from the portal a lone figure emerges. "Oh, fuck."

"We have been trying to stop this war, and we failed," Artemis says sadly beside him. I hadn't even noticed her.

"Nothing has happened yet," Hades whispered, the pair of them looking at me.

"Who is he?" I ask, the Valkyrie near the portal forming a circle around him as he emerges completely.

"Odin," Apollo answers from behind me. "Do nothing, let us handle this."

"God Killer, show yourself." Odin's command rolls over us all, echoing through the cave and my skull.

For a big, bad I hadn't expected the man that walked free of the Valkyrie guard and looked my way. My first thought was that his eyes were too close together, but it didn't really matter as they were the most intense, blue-grey colour I had ever seen. His blonde hair was like a mane, braided with touches of gold and the old man beard I'd envisioned him with was something shorter and somewhat stylish by today's' standards. And there was the fact he didn't look old enough to be Santa's father but pushing his late thirties if that. Odin was actually kind of attractive. Kara grabbed my wrist, snapping me out of my thoughts and pulled me back as Hades, Artemis and Apollo stepped forward - ultimately blocking me from his view.

"Of course you four would be here," Odin growled, Hermes suddenly on the ground before him as a Valkyrie had a golden sword pointed at his throat. "I was promised the God Killer, where is she?"

He took in the bodies before him, and the rest that remained among them. The scowl on his face matched the anger that seemed to follow him as he walked over Hermes towards us.

"Leave now. This is your only warning!" Artemis answered, her bow returning to her hand.

Odin seemed to consider this for a moment, but it was more for show than anything as his eyes narrowed on her. "She was promised to me. I am here to take what is mine!"

I laugh making Hades groan beside me.

"Yours?" I shake off Kara's hand, and step around Apollo, already anticipating his move to stop me. "Let me guess, you've been talking to this, prophet, too?"

"I would not call her that, but if that is what you wish. I presume you are she?"

"I am definitely not yours."

"Elise," Apollo hisses, subtly shaking his head. "Shut, up!"

"I heard you survived, what a disappointment." Odin glared at Apollo, before looking up and around towards the beach and then back at the cave, before pausing by one of the dead witches on the ground. "I fail to see the appeal of this world and its creatures, this will be too easy. I should have come here sooner, made this place my own now he has gone. Kara, bring the girl to me. I tire of this already."

The order in his voice made me shudder, and with a look to match her former Kings, Kara hesitantly stepped forward beside me.

"I do not answer to you. Whatever this was, has failed. You are wrong so leave while you still can." She threw back at him, yet I caught the slight waver in her voice at the end.

Her sisters all braced themselves for a new battle, swords and shields appearing in an instant. Odin laughed, and the Kasha lingered in the shadows as a sense of unease washed over everyone.

"You side with these, Powers, over me? Over your own kind?" Odin shook his head, coming closer. "Kara, my love, am I not forgiven, even after all these years?"

I look at Kara and see the fear in her eyes, the sadness that radiated from her that made my own heartache. We'd only known each other for such a short time, but I felt a kinship in her I'd not felt with anyone before, and whatever had gone down between them, was still haunting her. Clearly, she hadn't faced her demons either.

Maybe this would be her chance.

"He is nothing, Kara. This is our world, not his. We make the rules here." I tell her.

"He took everything from me. You cannot possibly understand what he is capable of." She whispered back, her eyes not leaving him. "If you are even considering a fight now, you will die."

"Surely even you are not that suicidal!" Hades growled under his breath.

"I am waiting," Odin called.

"Superbad timing, we're just having a little team meeting. Give us a minute?" I smile, looking at Apollo. "What's the deal with this guy?"

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in a move I am so familiar with I know he is trying to use every bit of self-control not to lose his shit with me. Before he can answer, the ground starts to tremble, and then it begins to completely split in two in a line running right towards us. Those that can move do, and a quick look Odin's way, makes it obvious he is doing this. Hades moves first, holding a hand out that stops the crack barely a couple of meters from us, and as his arm shakes with effort, the ground began to reunite.

Before I can react the ground disappears from under my feet as an invisible force wraps around me, so I'm being pulled towards him. I can't move, my arms trapped at my side and my mind goes blank as I try to think up something to retaliate with in another way. Only, then I'm falling hard into the sand and looking up, I see Alfie striking at Odin. The King manages to dodge all of his attacks with ease, and as I get up and rush towards them to help Alfie, Apollo is dragging me away.

"Let me go, Alfie needs-" I yell at him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that." He hands me over to Hermes, who has opened up a small slither of a portal beside him, and the intention is clearly to shove me through as he grabs my arm.

The roar that sounds out behind us distracts him, and I pull my arm free, turning in time to see Odin sliding a massive, fiery blade down Alfie's side.

"No!" I scream.

Hermes, Apollo, Hades and Kara are thrown back and away from me as Alfie turns to look at me. My heart stops as Odin raises his weapon to strike again, only he doesn't get to touch the Apopythe again as I throw a ball of fire at him that he barely manages to dodge. The Valkyrie guard by the portal rush forward, but then they're gone and somewhere behind me, someone is screaming my name.

I feel the change happening on its own accord like an alter ego Ivy had helped me create. For a second I thought about fates, about my path and threw a big mental screw you to them and their secrets. My powers felt new, refreshed and eager. The sword in my hand vibrated with the need for blood. The air was electric, and a look of caution passed over Odin's face as I stood between him and Alfie, whose pain reached out to me as if it was my own. Despite this I felt him rise, my energy now feeding him as if we were connected, and without looking, I sensed Annipe's return. She hissed and spat Odin's way as Alfie mimicked her actions. All of the distractions around us faded until it was just us three and Odin.

"You want me, come get me," I tell him.

"With pleasure," He grinned.