After sending a message to the HDA agents. Making up some excuse that something happened at HQ that requires my immediate attention, I leave for the airport. After around half an hour of traveling, I’m aboard the HDA jet, setting off for New York.

Athena we need to talk about what’s going on.

“Yes, I’m not sure how I didn’t notice, but I assume something changed when you ate Ifrit’s essence. It probably planted a seed that was too small to notice due to my own divinity masking it. The fact that you just ate what was probably a major goddess, sped up the process by a lot.”

Great. I’m on a literal timer before I become a goddess. A real one. Do we know how that will interact with my vampire side? Can we test it? Control it?

“No, sadly. While I doubt it will be a problem, as the old vampires already tried to do exactly what you are doing, it’s most likely not a problem. I’m not sure what will happen to our contract, since we’re possibly erasing your current goddess form. I can feel the divinity starting to seep through your soul, covering your fundamental being, which is your vampiric side. I’m not sure if we can form another contract if the current one is broken, since you’ll essentially be a divine vampire, which is unprecedented.”

I really don’t want to lose my connection to Athena. Wait. Athena, my connection to you is primarily our contract, but we know our contract runs deeper, into almost a blood bond, like family. Do you think we can strengthen that part of it? Imprint our bond into our souls?

“I’m not sure. Our souls are as of now almost identical, but I think there’s a solution, but I need to know your thoughts. What is important to you? Our contract and your form, or our bond as sisters?”

Obviously our bond as sisters, but I don’t want to lose my connection to you. I like that we can feel each other's emotions, talk and listen to each other's thoughts. I mean of course, I love having access to your knowledge, but that isn’t really the most important part, I just don’t want to lose my sister, my first real family I’ve ever had. I know you won’t be gone forever, but I don’t know when I can meet you. It could be a year, a century or a millennium, assuming I even survive that long.

“Then I honestly don’t think it will be a problem. I can teach you to use your divinity to create a mental connection between us, it will be almost an upgrade to what we have, as we’ll both be fueling it with our divinity, making it easier to share large amounts of information over a short time. The main problem right now is stabilizing you. You have god essence from two gods, while they share somewhat the same domain, they are of two different beings. Last time it wasn’t too bad since your vampiric side converted the essence into your own seed, but I don’t think it will be as easy this time. Luckily, we already have a solution on our hands. I don’t know why, neither does Sigyn or Khione, but her blood will help you stabilize. If we don’t do it, I don’t know what will happen to you.”

Great. I’m a ticking time bomb and my girlfriend's blood is my solution. I’m starting to wonder if there is a cosmic force for destiny or fate. Oh please don’t tell me. Faith. Fate. I swear if there is some cosmic pun going on here. 

As I laugh at my own joke, I cough out blood, as life force accompanies it and vaporizes into the air. Athena?

“Your body is reconstructing, but it’s chaotic, unnatural. You are starting to sprout your own divinity, being a vampire, while having a contract with a major goddess. I don’t know, this has never been done before, but we need to get you to Faith, fast.”

I pull out my communicator and call Faith. I’m not really looking forward to this conversation, as I know it will worry her.

“Hey Nia, what’s up?”

“Ehm. So I sort of have a medical problem, and you are the solution. I don’t really want to explain this over the phone, but it’s an emergency, I need you to come home as fast as you can. Please.”

“I, wh. No, nevermind, we’ll talk later. I’ll find someone to cover for me and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where are you now?”

“The plane took off around 30 minutes ago. If you’ll get to the airport within a few hours I think you’ll be here around 5 hours after me I think.”

“Are you going to be okay until then?”

“I think so. I’ll manage. Please hurry, but don’t worry too much. I’ll be fine once you’re here.” At least I hope so.

“Okay, see you soon.”

Sorry Athena, this is starting to get really painful, I’m going to get some sleep.

“Do that, I’ll keep monitoring your body, and wake you up if anything happens.”

Thank you. I love you Athena.

“I love you too, Ethenia.”

 

---

 

“Hey Faith.” I smile weakly as I cough up blood. I can see Faith standing there in the entrance to our bedroom with a worried look on her face.

“I thought you were immortal? Why are you looking like this?”

“Well. You know how I ate Ifrit’s god essence, right?”

Faith gives me a nod as she walks over to the bed, sitting down with her back leaning on the headrest, and pulls my head into her lap as she strokes my hair.

“So it turns out that god essence was converted, but it still had to go somewhere. So it created a seed in my soul.”

“Wait? A seed? As in. Oh.”

“Yeah. Neither of us discovered it as it was such a small amount, I don’t know what happened to the rest of the essence, might still be dormant in my body somewhere. We just recently discovered the seed, but we didn’t think it was going to be a problem for a while.”

“So what happened?”

“I met an avatar in London, we fought, I killed her. The problem came when I ate the essence of her goddess, it sparked a reaction in my body. My body is currently reconstructing into that of a divine being, but due to different reasons, I’m unstable, and your blood is what I need to stabilize.”

“Reasons? And why is my blood helping?”

“I am a vampire unlike any other, with my own seed of divinity, while I’m contracted to a goddess. My divinity coming from multiple different types of god essence, from different divine beings. I’m sort of an anomaly, something that has never happened, and all the different sources boil down into a chaotic transformation. As for why your blood helps? I honestly don’t know. I don’t even have the faintest clue. Maybe we can look into that together later. Athena noticed last time that your blood stabilized the flow of god essence in me, making it calmer. So we’re sure that your blood, or life force, is going to help me stabilize.”

“My girlfriend is becoming a literal goddess. Not how I saw my day going. Sorry, this is just a lot to take in.”

Her comment causing me to chuckle, which in turn gives me a coughing fit as blood and life force leaves my body.

“You’re really looking like a mess, you know?”

I give her another weak smile, before she takes off her shirt and pulls her hair to the back of her head, propping my own head against her shoulder.

“I love you Faith, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Apparently die, which is absurd since you’re supposed to be immortal. Sorry, not a good time for jokes. I love you too.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re here with me, jokes or not.”

I sink my fangs into her neck, and with each drop of blood, drop of life force, I can feel the chaos in my body slowing down, going from a raging storm to a gentle river. The pain of my body reconstructing isn’t really going away, but I can feel my body calming down. I don’t think this is enough though.

“Faith, I think I’ll need to keep you around for a few days, sorry.”

“No worries Nia, anything for you. I’ll be your portable blood bank for a few days. I’ll just let Mystica know that an emergency happened, keeping us in lockdown for a few days. I’ll let you deal with the explanation once you’re back to full health.”

“About that.”

“What? Is there even more?”

“I don’t know yet, but you know how my goddess form is basically due to the contract with Athena?”

“Oh. That’s not good. Is there something you can do about that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll have to keep indoors until I’m stabilized. Athena doesn’t think our contract will break just yet, but the next time I devour the god essence, I’ll probably ascend fully. Think of it as my body now becoming that of a goddess, a proper one, and I’m currently creating the blood vessels inside my body where divinity will flow through. Not really what’s happening, but it’s the best explanation I can think of.”

“I really don’t know how to respond to that. I’m seeing the birth of a proper goddess, who is my girlfriend, who is also a vampire, a being hunted down by the gods. You’re like a contradiction wrapped in a paradox.”

“I’m glad you find my suffering amusing.” 

I stick my tongue at her and give her a kiss.

“Um, Nia. While I love being kissed by you, you taste like blood. Go wash your mouth and then we can continue where we left off.”

“I don’t think I’ll be doing anything but cuddling for the next few days, don’t want to break my body.”

“What do you mean?”

I raise an eyebrow at Faith.

“You’re not exactly that gentle in bed, my little fox.”