The soft mellow tunes of a flute mixed with the steady trickling of the water fountain, and breathing in I tried so damn hard to clear my mind. Of course, that was about as possible as Ailin relaxing with a bottle of tequila instead of this meditation nonsense. Peeking out of my left eye, she sat beside me in her lotus pose, looking completely serene and as calm as I wished I could be. Straightening my shoulders, I took an even deeper breath and tried again.

"It is said that your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer." Ailin murmured.

"Which fortune cookie did you get that from?" I groaned, flopping down onto the mat and stretching out before rolling onto my back to stare up at the very plain, white ceiling of Ailin's office.

She opened her eyes and looked over at me, hiding her agitation so well that I might not even think she was annoyed with me if I didn't know her better. It was in her lips, the way she tightly pressed them together for the briefest of moments like she was literally swallowing down her rage.

"It was actually from an American novelist."

"That's very new age of you Ailin. If you claim it as yours though, I won't tell anyone." Again, her lips lighten and thin. "Why won't he tell me?"

"Hunter, you do not have to know-"

"Yes, I do." This time she exhales loudly and ends up moving so she's laying beside me.

"To know everything is to know nothing but to know nothing is to know everything." She quotes, smirking as we face each other.

"I'm going to have to get you to repeat that Confucius."

"I'm messing with you now Elise, and I am sure Logan has his reasons for not telling you. Maybe, just once, you should respect that." Ailin paused, looking thoughtful for a moment before sitting up to look down at me. "What is it that bothers you so much? I go places and do things all the time, and you don't carry on this way when I don't tell you about it."

"As much as I love you, we aren't dating, and we don't have any promises of not keeping secrets. You know who he really is, how he hid all of that and of course, there was the Sam bombshell a couple of years ago-"

"Stop." She raised her hand, and I went quiet. "Do you not trust him then?"

My mouth opened and closed. Of course, I did; otherwise, we wouldn't be together now, so I nodded. I was moving on from the past. We were starting new. Together.

"Do you really?" Ailin pushed.

"Yes."

"Really?" Her eyebrow raised as I nodded, a little less certain, again. "If you love him and trust him as you say you do, why waste time and energy on this?"

"Because I just want to know if Cain is okay." I blurted, not even thinking about it.

"Cain?"

"I know! But he's still a friend right? We parted on good terms, and we owe him for getting us back together too. I just want to know how he is." I admit.

"And Logan wouldn't tell you this if you simply asked and explained to him your reasons?"

No. He wouldn't. Anytime in the past few months, if I even mention his sibling, he got all, touchy and moody about it. So, of course, whatever was happening had to be involving him for Logan to stay so reserved about it all and every time I pushed, he was pulling away because of it.

"You found your answer?" Ailin asked.

"I already knew it, but-"

"You didn't want to know." She finished. "A lot has happened to everyone these last few years Elise, not just to you. He has his own fears, insecurities, needs and hopes. Give it time, and I am sure you will be told when he is ready."

As if she planted the seed, memories of last year came back to me. From the second we found out who Cain was he had wanted me to stay away. Anytime we were together he got moody, and more than once he even questioned if Cain and I were more than friends. It was ridiculous, but it was impossible to deny or ignore as clearly - despite everything, Logan saw Cain as a threat to us.

"He's being so stupid." I groan into my hands, surprised to feel Ailin gently patting my back. Once. Twice.

"Did you not react in a much more, dramatic way when you found out about Sam?" Ailin reminded me.

"Well, no, kind of yes, but she said he was her boyfriend. There's a difference."

She shrugged. "Well, I think our session for today is over. Are you ready to go to do some training?"

"No. So much for all this, clear mind, bullshit."

There was a knock on the door, and we both turned to see V poking his head in.

"Am I early?" He frowned, looking at us down on the floor.

"Come in Varon." Ailin stands, and the music stops, but the little fountain she has in one corner carries on undisturbed. "She may need to do some activities where she can beat something up."

"Do I want to know?" V asks, extending a hand to help me up.

"No." I focus on my yoga mat being put away, and instead, I get a duplicate. "I want more magic help. I can fight good enough."

He picks them both up. "Still not getting any better?"

"It will come, Hunter. I know I am wasting my breath in saying this, but have patience." Ailin sat at her desk, looking at the two mats before they both disappear.

"Now you're just messing with me." I roll my eyes.

"Like I said, patience."

"Yes, grasshopper." I bow at her before turning to leave with V. "Pleasure as always Ailin."

"Likewise, Hunter."

I knew that Logan had seen V yesterday, and I had planned on quizzing him in my own way to find out if he knew anything. After Ailin's chat, I decided against it. New year, new me, a new way of dealing with things. I'm not always the most thoughtful, smart or easy going person, but I was trying to change that. So I would start with this.

"What do you think she actually does all day?" I ask V instead as we head down the corridor.

The council offices are similar to a hospital. Sterile and dull, with a light grey covering the walls and the kind of flooring that makes your shoes squeak. We use the stairs and go down a couple of levels, and his lack of an answer is puzzling me. Usually, we love to tease Ailin, but he has either gone deaf in his old age, or I'm not the only one with a lot on my mind. I pause at the door that we usually go through and yet he is still heading down the stairs.

"V? Where are you going?" I ask, leaning over the railing to look down at him.

"Your training today has changed. We're going somewhere else." He seems, nervous.

"Are you okay?"

"Come on." V practically growls, his footsteps echoing along the stairwell. Now I don't really want to follow him, and as if he could read my mind he calls out. "Trust me, Hunter."

Everybody wants something to do with trust lately, and reluctantly I follow. Two years ago he tried to kill me, turn me into a vampire, and got me into a whole lot of trouble from my kind of bad, judgment calls. Sticking with that gut instinct, I catch up, and he isn't giving much away apart from being in an apparent hurry. We hit the second floor, and he exits the stairwell. I thought there were only more offices here and we make our way down the long corridor to an archive drop off point. Were we doing research or something?

I keep quiet, obediently following as he doesn't sign in or ding the bell for who ever worked there, and instead slips inside. He seems to know where he is going and we manage to move around silently until he stops, giving a sigh of relief.

"What is that?" I ask as he picks up a small brass triton object that was - perhaps a little too suspiciously - just sitting on the shelf between boxes marked with a red cross and a label marked deceased.

"Well, you keep complaining we're not doing anything new and you want to use your powers more in training. So darling girl, when I happened to have drinks with a certain, god, the topic came up, and he offered his services." My heart skipped a beat at that. "Only I doubt any would approve, so it is to be our little secret."

He moved to the back wall, and I knew I had seen the fancy fork thing somewhere before. I just wasn't where.

"You're kind of making me nervous V," I told him lightly, looking around for something I might be able to use as a weapon in case he had decided to go to the dark side once again, and this was some kind of set up.

"I'm sure it will be fine, and if not, well they call you the god killer do they not?" he mumbled something under his breath, and the bricks started to turn to dust as they crumbled away to reveal a portal.

Another fucking, portal.

"After you?" I offered, the unnatural red glow setting every nerve I had inside my body into panic mode. Give me an elevator over a portal any day.

V shrugged and went through. Looking in after him, I couldn't see what was on the other side. Well, I wasn't foolish enough to follow him without some kind of weapon and closing my eyes, I begged, prayed and focused so hard on feeling what had once been Sobek - the god of the Nile's, golden sword that it actually worked and appeared in my hand.

"Thank the gods," I muttered sarcastically and followed V through to who knows what only once I opened my eyes, he was nowhere to be seen. "V?"

Only a cold, musty breeze answered me and looking around now, the darkness gave way to skeletal shapes that I realised were burnt, dead trees. Their limbs were bare, white and brittle. No grass covered the ground, just ash that swirled around with the wind as it brushed by. The sky was dark, yet I could still see, the red glow of the portal vanishing from behind me. What the hell did that vampire do?

"You are so dead, leech!" I snapped, holding the sword tightly as the silence became deafening.

Taking one step, then two, then another, I walked forward towards the dead forest. I glanced behind me. There was no denying the feeling of being watched and from my right the sound of twigs snapping made me stop. This was a training exercise. V wasn't going to betray me, not now. He had help from a god, and I wanted to be tested. This was that test. Hell, Cain had sent me on some ridiculous journey to see a Bee King and fight some bollocks god as a test. This was so his style. Determination set in, just as the ground trembled. Instinctively I turned around, ready for what was coming yet I wasn't expecting to see the robed figure standing there and a familiar pair of blue eyes staring back at me.

"Hades." I greeted cautiously as I noticed V just behind him.

The god threw back the hood and with that, the tension of the moment vanished, his laugh an unexpected blast of sound as the setting cleared. It was still a forest, only less dead and creepy and the twilight gave way to full, bright sunshine.

"For a second there, you thought he had betrayed you." Apparently, that was hilarious.

"Yeah well, you never know with that one." I glared at V who only shrugged.

"Did you want his help with your training or not?" V asked impatiently.

"You actually want to help me?" I ask Hades, not quite believing it.

"Unofficially of course. The vampire can only do so much, and there are few in your world capable of doing what we can do." Hades boasted.

"Why?"

"Any friend of our King is a friend of mine." He paused. "And well, you helped us all. It is the least I can do to show my gratitude. Ares would here too if he was not so preoccupied with his soldiers, war games and of course, Athena."

The way he mentioned her sparked a flicker of curiosity, but I let it pass.

"Hold up, war games?"

"It is all rather, boring. He and Tyr have been engaged in a battle for centuries." Hades told us dryly, while I had no idea who Tyr even was.

"Oh, so nothing new and horrible is happening back home?" I couldn't stop myself.

Hades smirked. "Not that I am aware of. Have you heard something?"

"No."

"As great as this little chat of yours is, we have limited time before people might notice her missing from our world." V interrupted.

"We are still in your world. No one will notice anything." Hades assured him.

"If I accept your help, what is the catch? Are you going to follow me around and bring on surprise attacks or something? Like the other day, was that you who sent us the champagne?" It hadn't been human, and no other species left me feeling like the gods did.

"No, I will bring you here, and who sent you champagne? What are you on about?" Hades frowned, glancing at V.

"Someone. I ah, sensed I was being watched, and one of you lot were around. Maybe they were after Penny." I shrug. 

"Well, never mind that. There is no catch. You have some new abilities, I have heard you do not know how to use or control and as a kindness for what you did in my home, I will assist you." He held out his hand. "No catch, promise, but as I said, this needs to be kept between us. It would ruin my reputation if anyone found out."

"I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil." Biting my lip, I shook his hand.

Nothing happened.

"He's nowhere near as fun as I am." Hades purred, winking at me before turning to V. "Same time next week, yes?"

V nodded, looking confused. "Is that it for today then?"

"Indeed. I've just remembered I am due to visit Aphrodite today, but next time I will make sure I am completely available." He gave a little nod to both of us and then vanished, leaving us in the back of the storeroom.

"That was too much information." I joked.

"The, Aphrodite?" V questioned as we started to walk out.

"She's a bitch. Don't even think of going there."

"Wasn't going to."

We say goodbye and go our separate ways. Heading back to the hotel, I can't help but feel a little proud I made it to our room exactly where I wanted. Logan is once more spread out on the bed only this time he is reading what looked to be one of Penny's astrology books and peering over the top of it, smiles as he sees me.

"How was training?" He asks so casually, I half suspected he knew of Hades soon to be involvement, or he was just in a very relaxed state of mind.

"Different. I had a longer session with Ailin which really put things in perspective for me." I tell him, kicking off my shoes before climbing into bed beside him. "What are you reading?"

"A Guide to Tarot. I went by the Academy, and Penny handed it to me to give to you as you need to be more aware of, I don't know. Things. I tuned out halfway through. She kept talking about mercury renegade and Gemini something, but I knew those twins, and I wouldn't believe everything they tell you."

"It's Retrograde." I corrected him as Penny had done to me.

"Yeah, that's it." He yawns.

"Logan, you know I love you right?" I say, not looking at him as I feel him turn my way.

"Yes, and I love you."

"Good. Great." I look up at him and kiss him softly on the chin. "How about we-"

We froze as both our phones began to ring, and getting up Zane was calling me while it was V calling Logan. Answering, we don't get to say a word as Logan is already flicking on the TV.

"Turn on the TV now!" Zane orders.

"Logan is already, what-" I drop my phone and move in front of the screen as a live broadcast of vampires attacking comes on.

I can't tell where they are, all we can hear is people screaming and as the shaky camera stops, two young women, come into focus as they bite and feed of a man in a suit. It almost looks like some kind of office setup, cubicles surround them as the camera widens the shot. All around people are being attacked by the group of vampires, looking much too cliche with their black capes and goth appearances. Blood smears the walls and just out of focus, I know the shapes on the ground are bodies.

"What is this?" I ask Logan.

A prank? A promo for a movie? It couldn't be real.

"We are the future. Join us, or die." A voice booms over the speaker. "Vampires are real, and we are coming for you!"

"V said they can't locate them, it's a live feed from a news station, but they can't seem to work out which one. They have fae and IT on it, but they're being blocked." Logan tells me.

The screen turns to an offline message, the chirpy tune being played that sends a shiver up my spine. What did we just watch?

"I don't understand," I whisper more to myself.

Logan hangs up as our phones beep in unison again, and he shares his screen with me as a message from the Council comes out.

EMERGENCY. CODE 152. Report to your local council immediately.

"I didn't even know they had that?" I look at it in disbelief. "What the hell is that code?"

"Pretty sure its to do with whatever we just saw Bunny. Come on, we better go." He grabs his shoes, and I fumble behind him doing the same.

Things like this don't happen. We have spent forever keeping our world separate from the humans, and as we enter the hotel lobby, replays are flashing on any TV screen. People gather together in groups, someone is crying yet they all seem to whisper, clearly scared and unsure over what they're seeing.

"I'm sure it's just a sick prank," Logan tells the bellhop, who nudges him and points at the screen as if he's the only person who hasn't seen it.

"I don't know Sir. My friend's cousin Roy reckons vampires are real. There was a video on YouTube that got taken down like this. It's the government. They're trying to hide it from us." He insists.

He wasn't too far from the truth, only it wasn't the government he was thinking of, and we have a lot more to hide.